I’d like to respond to this very important question by sharing some ancient symbols with fascinating associations from East and West. I first came across the idea of alchemy as a teenager. I think we were studying a Shakespeare play where there was a reference to medieval chemists trying to turn base metals into gold. At the time I thought of the whole thing as a...
Latest Blog Posts
Do you manage your thoughts? Or do your thoughts manage you? Two strategies that help.
Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all Thought Managers. Whatever other job title we may temporarily have – Fire Station Superintendent, Chief Executive Officer, mother – our permanent job, the one we’ve had since birth and will have till the day we die, is Thought Manager. The job of any manager is to marshal whatever resources...
Five Secrets of a Purposeful Life : from The Queen’s Corgi
One of the great privileges of spending your days with The Queen is the intriguing assortment of beings you encounter. And the insights they share. In passing just a few of these on to you, my fellow subject, I make no claims to be the model of a purposeful pooch. On the contrary, my early life with Her Majesty was a...
The Dalai Lama’s Cat Movie Leaps Forward
Dear Blog Readers, I’m thrilled to let you know that The Dalai Lama’s Cat Movie has taken a leap forward this month. It’s been a while since I last blogged about the movie, simply because there wasn’t a whole lot to say. By way of a quick refresher and update, this is where we are: SCRIPT We have a great...
Can a human come back as a cat – and vice versa? The Buddhist view.
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,...
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...
