2012

The year was 2012, when I saw a light shine from within a wall at my family’s home in Sydney. It was a joyful experience that touched the core of my being. Since I was busy with university, I recorded the experience and went on my way. But when a similar event occurred twice more that year, I became curious and decided to investigate. This was clearly a matter of consciousness, so I began to study meditation.

2012-17

From 2012 to 2017, I meditated as best I could. I would meditate daily for a few months before taking an equal measure off. In August 2017, I attended a 10 Day Silent Meditation Retreat in the Blue Mountains. This retreat honed my skills. But it was the following month, in September 2017, that a German fellow named Peter taught me the quintessence of meditation. And this new method clicked for me.

September 2017

Within two days of implementing Peter’s meditation practice, I connected to what I would now call my Spirit. I could clearly feel this essence within me, and it is even clearer today. September 2017 was a significant month. For it brought with it another spiritual experience that revolutionised my understanding of reality. Something that, at present, I share privately.

November 2017

In November 2017, I was in Perth. I was experiencing an almost constant state of meditation connecting me to my Spirit. One afternoon, a feeling of utter wholeness overcame me for 3 to 4 minutes. This feeling came unexpectedly and further upended my understanding of reality. By virtue of the contrast offered me by that altered state of consciousness, I saw how everything I had been doing in my life was an unconscious search for wholeness. Yet, the wholeness I was now experiencing came from a force within me, not from something outside. This wholeness was so pure that it was perfect, and I am yet to fully understand its origin.

2018-2023

Being in an almost constant state of connection to my Spirit turned my life upside down. Most of what I had believed was important—becoming successful, acquiring wealth and assets, securing my career path—my own Spirit was guiding me otherwise. I dove into studying religion and spirituality. I read the Bhagavad-Gita, Qur’an, Holy Bible, and other religious texts. I studied Human Design and Gene Keys. And I watched closely at every way my Spirit guided me. These were foundational years for me. They were replete with challenges. In the end, they brought me wisdom, strength and hope.

March 2023

In March 2023, I experienced another event equal in measure to the wholeness of November 2017. As before, it lasted for about 4 minutes.

From one moment to the next, it felt as if an energy filled my body. In that instant, my identity as “James” vanished. I was still aware and present during the experience. But the story of “James” was gone. I was cognisant of having friends and family. But I had no fear, no insecurity, no mental chatter. I only felt complete presence with every passing moment.

There was no sense of time. Neither any sense of separation. There was just being. And it was glorious. Since “James” was no longer part of the show, there was nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. Any mental concern about how I could be perceived—now or in the future—was gone. There simply wasn’t space for anything other than presence with each passing moment. Life’s mere existence consumed me totally. It was exhilarating.