It's great for people to be able to see the world's dwindling wildlife up close. But when it comes to imprisoning sentient creatures in zoos and acquariums, is it really worth the cost to consciousness? How much do creatures suffer when deprived of their natural freedom? How would we like to be imprisoned? Well here's a creature that voted with his tentacles. Inky the Octopus made a daring escape from his acquarium when the lid to his tank was left slightly ajar. He made light of 'foot', skidaddled down a drainage pipe, and back into the expansive freedom of the ocean - right where he belongs. Yihah!

Maca for the Spiritual Journey

Most of us don't find the spiritual journey easy. Personal, spiritual growth involves confrontation of who we truly are, breaking down of the old realities that not longer 'serve' us. It can push us through and beyond limits that we never even thought possible. Yet here we are - getting on with it. It's essential that we take care of ourselves on this journey. For me one of the most supportive foods I've ever found is maca! It's one of natures few true adaptogens - which means that it has the power to help us cope, adapt and thrive in the most challenging of times.

Anyone who follows Openhand will know we're certainly not afraid of the truth. Confronting the truth of life is, to us, the only way to truly set yourself free. You'll have to work with some deep karmic challenges in the process, but let's face it, that's what you're really here for. Despite the denyers (really? still?), climate change is seriously hitting the fan. According to the UK's Guardian, it appears January 2016 was the most abnormally hot month in history. In December, temperatures in the Arctic were a massive 30-35 degrees above normal. The director of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre described the conditions as "absurd". How can evolving people work with this very inconvenient truth?...

The world is accelerating toward the cliff edge of catastrophic collapse. Excessive global consumption is destroying the biosphere, way beyond what can ultimately be sustainable. The curious fact is that so many people truly know this, in their heart of hearts, yet do nothing about it. But all life is interconnected, so the more such misalignment is disregarded, the stronger the realigning force builds to break the out-of-touch reality down. This realigning energy is then felt within the soul, and begins to impact people's lives anyway. Right now, there's a strong opinion in Britain to leave the European Union, which is a good thing in terms of realignment. Why is it of vital importance to all evolving people?...

I recently came across a profound poem, gifted by an Openhander, which shares an incredible exploration of reality, as seen from an angelic perspective. What exactly are angels? How are they helping transmute 3rd Density into 5th? These are deeply complex metaphysical phenomena, and yet here in this poem, it is so exquisitely and eloquently explained, more advanced than any science, as deft as an angels feather. It is clear to me, that the person writing this, has direct first hand experience of which they speak. So take some time, quieten, be in peace, then as you read, see the images and feel the feelings it initiates. So easy is it to be disconnected in this dense place. It's time to explore what interconnectivity and our greater cosmic reality is really all about...

Every now and then a powerful film shows up that speaks into the depths of humanity's soul. To me, "The Revenant" with Leonardo Di Caprio is just such a film. It tells the factual story of Hugh Glass - a legendary frontiersman - mauled by a bear and left for dead in the wilderness by an unscrupulous colleague. So as to disguise his culpability, the colleague takes the life of Glass's son, as he is powerless to respond. Glass fights his way back to fitness and goes off in search of the colleague. If you still have it, this film is sure to activate the karmic pain of humanity's brutal past. One each must work to find peace with...

A report by the charity Oxfam has recently revealed a staggering fact about injustice and inequity on our planet: 62 people, just enough to fill a reasonable sized coach, now own as much wealth, as the poorest 3.6 billion. Does that not bowl you over? And the wealth of the poorest, in comparison to the richest, fell a whopping 41% after the credit crunch. Doesn't that tell you something else? The level of injustice and inequity on our planet has reached breaking point, and those that lead, seem either ignorant or careless. Such injustice is woefully misaligned from a consciousness viewpoint. It won't continue. It can't continue indefinitely. I do believe we're fast reaching a climatic crux point. What can evolving people do?...

It is with great sadness I learned today of David Bowie's passing. Whether you admired him or not, he was an iconic figure who set the world music scene on fire. But to me, there was much more to his act than music. Bowie had the audacity to be what he felt to be, with nothing holding back. In so doing, he set down a trail-blazing example that inspired millions. It's clear humanity has been repressed into a box, and that unbridled self-expression, is a powerful path to soul liberation. It's why I sometimes play emotive Bowie's music in Openhand work - to get people moving. I like to think that with his passing, a part of his influence will live on in us all...

James Lovelock has been in the news again - the guy who wrote "The Revenge of Gaia". In the Guardian recently, he's quoted as saying "catastrophe is inevitable, carbon offsetting is a joke, and ethical living a scam." He's never been one to mince his words! Just how much is the current climate change effort a scam, simply designed to make people feel good and keep on buying? How much of the information is simply designed to placate, to maintain public order, to keep the gravy train rolling? Surely people would be better off with an authentic confrontation of the truth? It empowers us to do something real about it...

I watched the Steve Jobs movie recently. Have you seen it? In many ways, he doesn't come across that well in it - intense, uncaring to those around him, confrontational and self-serving (although of course we can never know the real person from someone else's perspective). No doubt though, there was a brilliance to him, a 'genius', who believed in what hid did, because he'd truly searched and found his real passion in life. One he was prepared to die for. So maybe there's something we can learn from his life and his stories, that speak of the passion of the soul, and the importance of following that calling?...

Have you seen the movie "The Walk" yet? It's a must for all on the spiritual path. It's the stupendous true story about the french man Philippe Petit, who from an early age, clearly allows his soul to animate his dreams, his life and his destiny. Inspired by the circus, he becomes a tight rope walker, and then, at a time when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre are being built, has this ridiculously crazy idea to suspend a wire between them....and walk across! The film is gripping from start to finish. I found it profoundly inspirational in a very spiritual way...

Something truly remarkable has happened in Bolivia, which ought to send refreshing ripples of human kindness around the world - at least amongst ascending people: they just passed "The Law of Mother Earth" which recognises Gaia as a 'living, sentient being that deserves the right of life'. Wow - that a whole country would get this and do something about it warms my heart and encourages me to feel there is hope for the mainstream of humanity. Yet still, as the Volkswagen emissions scandal so clearly demonstrates, the majority head toward the 'falls' with the engine in full throttle. Let's embrace the truth, for only the truth can truly set us free...