An idea that challenges, confuses and sometimes even angers people is that each of us could be reborn as an animal. When I recently blogged about karma, quite a few of the comments asked more about this subject. So, what is the Tibetan Buddhist perspective? It’s important not to be encumbered with ideas from Western culture and society when exploring Buddhism. In particular,...
Latest Blog Posts
Others’ bad karma is no cause to rejoice
It’s not that unusual to hear people talk about the bad karma that others have created – and how happy they will be when that karma comes back to bite their adversary in the butt. But this is actually an idea that could backfire terribly! People don’t just say these things. They also post stuff on social media. I have included a...
News Update from David Michie
Hello Blog Readers! Blog now back in business First of all, my apologies if some of my most recent blogs haven’t got through to you. Late last year I upgraded my website – if you haven’t seen it, check it out, as there’s a lot more content on it. As is the way with technology, the upgrade affected the blog functionality,...
How much power do you give your negative thoughts? And what’s the alternative?
Take the following example of how we empower negative vs positive thoughts in everyday life. You bump into a friend, Mary, on your way into the coffee shop. ‘I like you hair,’ she smiles. ‘Oh, thanks,’ you say. ‘I had it cut yesterday.’ ‘Looks great!’ Mary confirms. ‘Bye.’ For a few moments, waiting in the line at the counter, you...
It’s not what you believe that makes you happy. It’s what you do.
As a writer, my main interest is in what makes people tick. What makes animals tick, too. The workings of our mind is where the action is all at, from my perspective. With the underlying question being – how can we achieve a sense of fulfilment and wellbeing? Apart from studying psychology, philosophy and spiritual traditions, it’s also interesting to look at people who...
Thinking of Mindful Safari in August 2017? Only 3 rooms left!
Dear Blog Readers, I hope you are enjoying this festive season! The quiet time between Christmas and New Year is a good time for reflection on the year past, as well as making plans for the year ahead. One of the highlights of 2016 for me was most definitely our Mindful Safari trip to Africa. Word about the safaris is clearly...
FREE First Chapters for all four of these books!
Looking for gift ideas this Christmas? Do any of your animal-loving friends also have an interest in being more mindful, purposeful and in cultivating inner peace? Then what better than a book by The Dalai Lama’s Cat? Or The Queen’s Corgi? If you’d like to dip into any one of these books, please do so at the links below: Read the first chapter...
How ‘Wellness is the Wilderness’ is now on trend
It’s not often that I discover that something I’m doing is considered to be ‘on trend.’ So was thrilled when the World Travel Market (WTM) Global Trends Report 2016 stated that ‘wellness in the wilderness in Africa’ is considered to be an up and coming thing. According to the WTM team: The idea of “wellness in the wilderness” also resonates with travellers...
A few words about Lobsang Rampa
If you’re under forty years of age, chances are the name Tuesday Lobsang Rampa won’t mean anything to you. But for some of us, in the second half of our lives, his name is redolent with powerful associations – positive and otherwise. By way of a refresher, or for those of you who haven’t heard of him, here are a...
Mindful Safari – videos, pics and thoughts from our 2016 adventure
We have recently returned from Mindful Safari 2016 – and what a truly amazing time we all had! Where to start with the highlights of our six day retreat? Arriving at Hoedspruit airport in a De Havilland twin prop aircraft, after a flight over the Drakensberg Mountains, we were soon whisked to nearby Lufafa Ranch and the luxurious accommodation which...
David Michie: My Corgis and Other Animals
As the author of The Dalai Lama’s Cat series, and a clear devotee of all things feline, people sometimes assume that I am a dog-hater. As it happens, nothing could be further from the truth. In my childhood home I was brought up with a Siamese cat, called Pandy as well as two corgis, Trudy and Tudor. In addition I...
How to handle the shadow side of goals
In my 20s and 30s I was very keen on goals. ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there,’ was a premise that made perfect sense to me. I read books and articles on goals. I faithfully documented and reviewed my goals. I was aware that goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound). I...
