Beyond The Gurus

I am in the process of writing my book ‘Beyond The Gurus’ which is part memoir and part my experience with all the spiritual teachers I have worked with over the years. There are thousands of ‘self-help’ books and authors out there and my aim is to tell you about the best ones that I have worked with, and the best teachings I have come across, alongside a memoir of my life. How would I have done it differently if I had met all these ‘gurus’ earlier? I will let you know when I have completed the book!

Wayne Dyer said, ‘Don’t die with the music still inside you’ so here is my book. It is not intended as an overbearing advice book but rather an account of my own experiences and the many mistakes I have made and what I could have done with 20/20 hindsight. Having worked with ‘gurus’ for the past 20 years or so I reckon some of it has trickled into my psyche. I understand how hard it is for people to take this stuff on board when they are leading busy lives and running around like headless chickens like I did. They might think ‘I need to slow down’ and go to a workshop or seminar with good intentions but a week later they are back on the treadmill. I hope that this book will make the teachings more digestible and maybe some of the wisdom will stick.

Now in my 60’s I am no ‘guru’ and have led a pretty messy life. I have been headstrong and impetuous and have made lots of mistakes – no Edith Piaf ‘Je ne regretted rien’ for me, I regret a lot! I have been part of a ‘smash and grab’, made endless mistakes with relationships, been divorced and a single parent. I have also met Hollywood celebrities, travelled on private planes and lived the high life.  I have survived and managed to land on my feet most of the time despite poor decisions. Would it have been any different if I had come across these self-help books and gurus when I was young? Maybe not but I offer you these examples of speakers I have worked with and books that I have liked. Maybe it will make you think twice and stop you rushing headlong and headless into situations like I did. I also hope to entertain you with my crazier escapades and reassure you that I have ended up as a reasonably sane and capable person.

I have worked with many inspirational speakers -  Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Caroline Myss, Susan Jeffers, Byron Katie, Wayne Dyer, Tony Buzan, John Arden, Anita Roddick to name but a few. I have enjoyed them all and they have taught me a lot. Interestingly many of the spiritual speakers suffered from depression and suicidal tendencies which made them better teachers, many of them maintain that suffering is a great teacher.

There are hundreds and thousands of self-help books on the market – how do you choose what is right for you? This will be my account of which ones helped me and my favourite teachings from the people I have worked with over the past twenty years.