What's the author of this site about? 

Let's get that from the author.

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Well, I'm about 60+ years old, so I've been around for a while.  My first blog post briefly tells the 'sliding door' (flying bike, more accurately) event that seeded this project.

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I run a counselling practice.  I say counselling as an easy to grasp idea of what I do.  I have drawn deeply from a variety of wells and ensured I tasted fully each before swallowing.  My output is a cheeky, yet robust blend, nuanced with hints of conservative, contemporary and complementary perspectives all delivered from my own hand crafted vat which has been sourced from fine aged integral theory. 

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Spirituality, science, psychology and physicality are, in my experience, inextricably linked and so none are particularly favoured over another in my work.  The learned skill is in flowing from one to the other as appropriate in the moment.

 

My clientele includes individuals, couples, families, work groups and because I work from an integral perspective I'll work with anyone on any topic.  I also facilitate trainings. 

 

I reckon (in no particular order):

• We are all humans, not conditions.  Some of us are humans with conditions.

 

• A person's 'trauma', habit or confusion can be a chance for growth.  This opportunity can be supported with input from a new perspective.  New perspectives usually come from outside of the psyche being explored. 

 

• Skilful action can always be honed.  Training and insight are the ingredients of self development.  This also applies to group development.

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• Everyone on the planet is always doing their best in any given moment. 

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Hard to believe, I know. 

Sometimes, that best is; wonderful, divine, awe inspiring, loving, kind, gentle, strong, resolute, powerful;

sometimes, atrocious, terrible, damaging, hurtful, weak, divisive, just plain awful.

Most of the time it is somewhere in the middle.

Either way it is always the best that that person or community (or animal or machine for that matter), can do in that moment of time.

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Now, knowing that we're all always doing our best is really useful. 

 

If our (or their) best in any moment or event is less than what we hope for,

and we see that,

and we accept the truth of what we see,

and not beat our (or their) selves up about it,

then, we have a fighting chance to find out

what caused us (or them) to come up short,

and come up with some ideas on

how to transform our reflex reactions into mature responses,

then, try out and adjust as necessary, those ideas,

(or maybe decide, it's not that big a deal)

and then we can get on with whatever happens next with more confidence and acquired wisdom.

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If our (or their) best in any moment is everything we hoped for,

and we see that,

and we acknowledge that,

and we take some time to understand how it happened,

and feel gratitude for being so fortunate as to have our desire met

and acknowledge our (or their) selves for inspiring that feeling of gratitude in us,

then, we have the opportunity to start wiring that behaviour into our brains (or to display gratitude to them for their behaviour which in turn wires that behaviour more fully in their brain).

so that, this skilful behaviour becomes our (or their) norm,

and then we can get on with whatever happens next with more confidence and acquired wisdom.

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With due respect, I don't reckon:

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• Everyone in my life is there to teach me something (although I do reckon that I can learn something from pretty well everyone I meet).

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• 'Being nice' helps (however if one is naturally nice i.e. respectful, courteous and supportive, yay!)

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• And lots of other stuff that I'm sure my inner curmudgeon will be only too happy to expound upon in future blogs - he may even get his own blog - we're currently in negotiation.

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My wish for this blog is for it to pass on some simple, every day tools that can open doors to genuine self maturing.  I have found that asking myself 'what's that about?' - and finding the answer - works well for meeting my-self and the world with deeper respect. 

 

Respecting (as opposed to fearing) my-self and the world, arose with developing my skill to enquire into my situation (aided to an astounding degree by my co-enquirer, my beloved wife, Melinda). 

 

Skilful enquiry provides a sound base from which to explore, enjoy and laugh, at the drop of a hat, in union with this wonderful reality I find myself in. 

This same base supports me to weather the storms and heartaches; to rage, cry and weep, when the time comes, in union with this challenging reality I inhabit.

 

(Balance comes into this whole thing too.  Lots of balance, and sometimes edgy balancing, very edgy balancing.) 

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My email signature tag line is a paraphrasing of a Buddhist prayer I read somewhere, sometime, that stuck with me:

"May all beings be liberated from ignorance and the suffering that arises from ignorance."

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My personal commitment to that prayer is another reason for writing this blog and expanding this site over time.

And to offer back whatever I have been fortunate to learn over the decades.  I desire to use what skills I have developed, to serve the most people I can in making this world a better place.

 

I would love to be able to claim this as altruistic, however I've come to see that at a deeper level, I don't have a lot to do with it (a topic for a future post). 

 

Rather, I feel gratitude for the genetics passed on by my ancestors, that allowed me to take in what I learned from all the generous teachers I've been blessed to find along the way.

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I'm also grateful for the mysterious spark that wonders, 'What's that about?';

• whenever it becomes obvious that my actions are counter to how I want to be

• when I see the Dantesque  scenes from Aleppo, Homs or Gaza (or far too many other sites on this planet that supports us, in this 21st century that engulfs us)

• when I find a luscious mystery staring me in the eye, like the colour of a damsel fly, or the exquisite feeling that seeps into my being, as I aurally drink in the dawn chorus of kookaburras, magpies and lorikeets all calling in the new day.

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OK, that's enough of me gassing on about me.  You'll get to know me better as this project progresses.

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(I will create a page with references to some of the teachers mentioned above.  I trust you will have heard of some and gained your own value from them already.  Some may be new to you and I encourage you taste a few.)

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Cheers

Don