When our actions in the outer world are guided by what we feel in our hearts to be true, our lives become suffused with a kind of magic which brings to us exactly what we need at the moments we need it most. One such moment of magic occurred for me when I was about two-thirds of the way through writing this book. I was just about to call a friend when an undeniable impulse arose within my mind: I knew that I just had to look up “that guy who wrote about sacred economics”. Although I didn’t remember his name or exactly what he had been talking about, I remembered seeing an article in the Positive News paper about him. That guy was Charles Eisenstein and when I started to read his book The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible I knew why I had been magically drawn to his work. I had been writing about how we live in a world of separation, how we all have unhealed emotional wounds, and how we are all playing our part in telling a collective story which defines our experiences as humans. Here in the first few pages of Charles’ book I found the very same themes.
Being drawn to Charles’ work in this way also provided a further kind of encouragement. In writing The Light Within I felt that I was expressing the One Absolute Truth in my own unique way and that others too would be telling the same story in their own words. I also felt in my heart that speaking our truth has an inherent magic within it – as we give voice to the truth of what we feel, we open channels of communication in the web of interbeing which connects us all. We literally reach out to others and draw them to us by being true to ourselves. The message that prompted me to look up Charles Eisenstein was proof of what I felt to be true.
When I look back I can see that there were many other openings along the way – many more moments of magic – but perhaps I did not fully see them for what they were at the time. It was a similar mental impulse that led me to look for a book online which ultimately led to my finding Jacquelyn Raye Davis’ book The Girl In The Krishna Blue Sari – a book which introduced me to the work of Sri Nisargadatta. Reading Nisargadatta and Ramana Maharshi signified more affirmation of what I felt in my heart to be true.
I believe that we are moving into an age in which we are learning to relate to each other from a place of true feeling. When we look into the hearts of “other people” we see what unifies us, not what separates us. We see what we have in common, not how we differ. I have called this section of the book Appreciations rather than Acknowledgements because “acknowledgements” sounds rather dry and perfunctory to me. It speaks of obligation rather than heart-felt expression. Appreciation is an act of love and comes from the heart.
I feel a huge sense of appreciation for the invisible spirit which permeates this world and guides us towards Truth – without it we really would be lost in a world of separation. I offer my thanks to all the people who have the courage to speak their truth and play their part in the unfolding of a new story of humanity.
In particular I would like to thank my partner Jo for her loving support and contributions to this book, and to my friend Linda for helping me to bring my heart and my head into greater alignment.