MEET DAVID
As a boy and a young man, David always felt that there was something missing in life. He couldn't put his finger on it and always felt, somehow, that he was different to his peers. He spent a lot of time and energy beating himself up for this. The teachings of the church and the priests didn't help. David could never understand why people spent so much time and energy making themselves and others unhappy. He studied books on psychology and sociology, but they only made him feel more inadequate and not equipped to follow any academic life. Instead, he followed his heart which wanted him to be a singer and comedian.
While touring America, a few pennies started to drop. David heard the Maharishi say that most churches preach that if you are good then you will be happy. He said, in fact, the opposite was true. That if you are happy then you cannot help but be good. Unless there is psychosis of course.
David also heard an old American Indian say that the word spirituality is vastly misunderstood. It makes more sense just use the word energy instead. The energy of the Soul. A whole vending machine of pennies started to fall into place. Love, that most powerful of emotions was a quality of energy that could be used for good as well as for manipulating people, as he had experienced.
On his return to England, David started to train as a transcendental meditation teacher. The teaching made absolute sense, as did the powerful meditation practice. It also made him realise that he was not as stupid as he had come to believe.
In his work with the ecology movement, he joined a group studying the principles of the Awakening Earth with Peter Russell. David heard about this strangely worded work called Psychosynthesis. The work of the Italian psychologist Dr Roberto Assagioli. This wonderful learning is also known as Soul Psychology. David called it a psychology of love, hope and joy. He trained as a Psychosynthesis guide at the Psychosynthesis and Education Trust in London and also at the Centre for Transpersonal Psychology. Huge boxes of jigsaw puzzles and cascades of pennies started to fall into place, helped by the books of his teachers, Diana Whitmore and Piero Ferrucci. He was so happy to start helping other people through the often confusing world of spirituality. David recognised that this was not as difficult and confusing as it was often made out to be. We just have to choose to do the work of Kindness, to ourselves as well as others.
David’s path led him to many other organisations and practices, that he was able to integrate into what is now call HeartMind Global. For example, The Dalai llama’s Mind and Life Institute, The Institute of HeartMath, the Centre for Healthy Minds and The Institute for Noetic Sciences being a few. All of these based on integrating the Ancient Wisdoms with advances in modern science to make a better, peaceful, ecologically and psychologically balanced and happy human existence.
David learnt from his own life and his clients that STRESS is the biggest block to personal and spiritual development. He created a holistic system called Dynamic Calm© as a straight-forward way to de-stress and to open spiritual doors. We often can’t remove the causes of stress but we can improve how we react to them. We can’t stop the birds of stress flying over us but we can stop them landing and laying eggs.
Importantly, the same exercises we use to de-stress are those that allow our Inner Light to shine out in the world and heal others.
David is now so happy to spread these learnings through and with Spirit Mountain Academy. Together, they are planning courses, podcasts and one-on-one sessions, designed to open the doors to a more practical spiritual life.
One of David’s guiding quotes from Albert Einstein goes something like “Let's keep things as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Let us all do the work to bring more hope, joy and happiness into our lives and the lives of others. Let us spread the heart-felt energy of love.