Dealing with pain, discomfort and difficulty
Recently on the Openhand site there's been much discussion about dealing with the pain of the past. Whether we know it or not, we are all being effected by eons of karmic trauma. If you stop for one moment and contemplate the brutality, inhumanity and plain suffering that our race has endured throughout its history, then it should come as no surprise that when we lift the lid on Pandora's box by expanding our consciousness, that's going to come with a good deal of pain. And yet we are each seeded to deal with it. We have the character, make-up and courage to journey through it and process it out. And there is a powerful tool called 'transcendence' that we might make full use of. What does that mean exactly and how could we best apply it?...

The search for the Holy Grail
There is something which humanity has been searching for since our inception. Something which is the answer to every single question, every single thought, word, deed and feeling. It is our destiny, it is the beginning and end of everything...the circle completing itself. We can search, question and create as much as we want to in the external world of effects, but unless we've found the source of our inquisitiveness, we're guaranteed not to have satiated our desires. Yet even when we eventually give up the fruitless external struggle and embark on the inner journey, we still won't find it whilst someone is looking for it. So what am I talking about? It is the HolyGrail. The "Seer" of all things...

What are the qualities of your soul?
When we step onto the internal super highway of spiritual evolution, we begin to unravel the differences between personality influenced desires and those authentic inner yearnings of the soul. Every moment presents us an opportunity to shed those behaviours which no longer serve and instead allow the divine gifts of beingness to become us. This continual self realisation process is far from easy, sometimes it is exceptionally difficult to feel and know what is truly authentic - to be able to align with our profound truth. However, the Universe in its infinite benevolence has armed us which some powerful tools to unravel the inner coding. Sometimes we may take on a filter - an Archetype - that helps us better understand who and what we are...

Touching the void
From the Openhand perspective, whether we know it or not, we are all embarked on a journey of Enlightenment. In our truth, we all experience the state of Enlightenment from time to time, it's just that as soon as the experience arises within us, we associate it with something else and lose the experience. Alternatively, a part of us is not comfortable with the experience and therefore creates once more the condition of internal separation from it. However, there is no avoiding this experience of non-identified awareness. It is there in the background of everything we do and dictates every experience. It is the guiding light and the faster we surrender to its inevitable pull, the more harmonious our lives will become. So what is this state of Enlightenment like? How can we recognise it? What can we do to surrender into it?...

An awesomely ordinary state of perception
There are probably many definitions for what Enlightenment is - it is likely that we would each describe it in our own unique way. That is because words are ultimately inadequate to describe what can only be experienced...

What are the characteristics of the soul?
The consciousness of the universe appears to be formed of at least seven rays of light. We see this when light is refracted forming a rainbow. For each of us the true self - the soul - is a unique blend of these seven rays. Each ray is endowed with specific characteristics which influence our every choice in life. If we can identify these influences and also how they get distorted as their energy flows through the personality, then we will understand much better why we make the choices we do, why they don’t always work out and how best to follow the destined path of the true self....

Can we create who we want to be?
Many popular motivational and spiritual teachings today suggest using thought and intent to create who we want to be. 'I am this or that' is of course a powerful statement and in my experience the universe loves playing 'call my bluff' conjuring all manner of experiences to test our resolve. Why is this?

Do affirmations really work?
There are many spiritual teachings that speak of the power of positive affirmations in one’s life as a force for transformation. Basically if we keep telling ourselves that something is true long enough - like we are only love for example - the hope is that we begin to fully believe it and manifest that reality in our lives. But does it work?...

Frequently the question 'who am I?' arises...
As ever, like anyone, I can only answer from my perspective based on the model of reality I am experiencing. To me, the question is actually more WHAT am I rather than who am I?...

How does animal medicine work?
Since my own awakening to the unity consciousness residing in all things, I am frequently overwhelmed by the shear beauty, perfection and awesome simplicity of animals. They were surely put here as our teachers revealing in us how our beingness can wonderfully manifest itself when not constrained through distorted thinking and perceived limitations. How is it that the 'right' animal, be it the real thing or just an image, can miraculously appears when we need guidance most?...