ONCE UPON A TIME . . .
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. . . in a far away land called Western Australia, a boy named Stevie was born.
As a young child he was full of joy. Somewhere along the way he lost it . . . the joy, that is. This story tells how he rediscovered it. 
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As every human grows up, we pass through a developmental stage, between about one and four years of age, known as separation-individuation. The outcome of this process is a sense of being a separate entity with its own separate identity—the ego, or 'I'—around which the 'story of me' develops and revolves.
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CANCER
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My first cancer diagnosis came in April of 2013; I was 49 years old. The diagnosis was accompanied by a label: anal cancer.
Oh, great!! That's going to look fabulous on my epitaph. F*%#!! The diagnosis was also accompanied by a statistic: 50% five-year-survival. My second cancer diagnosis came—despite six weeks of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy—exactly one year later. This time the diagnosis wasn't accompanied by a statistic: there simply wasn't one. On this occasion a seven hour operation—which included removal of my lower bowel, anus, and perineum, as well as creation of a permanent colostomy—was the required treatment. Recovery from the surgery was long and painful. I'm pleased to report that at present—2021: eight years post-diagnosis, and seven years post-surgery—my body is currently cancer-free. 
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As a result of these diagnoses life now looks very different than it did just a few years ago. Cancer invited me to stop the forward momentum of my life and to deeply question: What's important to me? Where do I choose to put my attention? What do I want to give the remainder of my life to? And what, finally, is the meaning and purpose of life, of my life, anyway?
I'm excited to report that, along with this inquiry, a bubble of creativity is arising in me. This creative bubble is clearly out of my control, and the best description I can find for it is: the urge to become a storyteller. The goal of said storyteller bubble appears to be to write a version of my life story which will act as the foundation for the musical that I'm being mysteriously drawn to create. The musical, whose current working title is Beyond the Mirror, commences briefly in the biblical/historical Garden of Eden. The main body of the musical, however, is set in New Eden—a city that bears an uncanny resemblance to the New York we all know and either love or hate—in the year 2020. Humanity is at a crossroads, and the future is anything but certain. Now I know this is going to sound ridiculous—coming from someone who's never written a musical before—but I keep getting a message that Beyond the Mirror will be performed on Broadway one day. Hmm, I wonder if l'll be around to see that? |
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"I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being."
— Hafiz |
WHAT DO I REALLY WANT?
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My deepest desire in this life, if I had to choose just one, is to see freedom, peace, health, and happiness available equally to all beings everywhere.
It's my hope that at in the near future a sufficient number of humans will realise the deepest universal Truth—as described by Aldous Huxley in his book, The Perennial Philosophy--which points to the unified, intelligent, loving nature of the universe. This loving nature is variably called God, Spirit, Being, Brahman, Tao, Emptiness, Allah, JHVH, etc., and in my direct experience is both the source and the inner nature of everything. This Truth lies at the mystical core of all world religions and of every spiritual philosophical system. The realisation of this Truth—which is also called Self-realisation—is freely available to everyone at any moment if, firstly, they're mysteriously drawn to discover it, and secondly, they're somehow ready to open and receive it. The one clear pre-requisite that is required for this discovery, however, is to stop giving attention to the outside world for a time, and to turn the focus of one's attention inwards. This includes giving up following desire. The mind then has the possibility of returning to its source—Emptiness—where the true nature of Reality is revealed. One can then awaken from the trance of separation and suffering that is the core delusion of the ego. The ego is not wrong, it's just a stage in the evolution of the human species. 
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Will the human story end with a spiral into war and destruction, with humanity as a species wiped out? Or will enough humans wake up from their mind identification, which can then lead the evolution of humanity to a higher level of consciousness and the capacity to live peacefully and harmoniously? Well, that's the point. We don't know. We're writing the story as we're living it. We're making it up as we go along.
I believe that if a large enough percentage of the population wakes up then it's possible that the dominant worldview of humanity can shift from the selfish, narcissistic, destructive, ego-centric one that is so prevalent across the globe today, to a view that sees through the apparent differences and separateness on the surface of things to the interconnectedness, harmony, and oneness that is the true, essential nature of reality. This non-dual way of seeing and being is naturally present when all movement of the mind ceases. In this conscious stopping of the mind all thought—including the 'I' thought—fall back into the timeless and formless ocean of silent emptiness from which they arose, and purity, peace, joy, and love are re-discovered to be one's essential nature. Thankfully this awakened worldview is becoming increasingly more evident, at least transiently, in the global responses to extreme acts of violence and terrorism, natural and man-made disasters of all kinds, and the thoughtless destruction of the environment. This hearted-centred way of being and living in the world quite naturally gives rise to compassionate loving action. The potential outcome of such enlightened action: health and harmony restored to the environment; protection and care for all plants, animals, and human beings everywhere; a possible future for the Earth that includes humans in it; freedom, peace, health, and happiness available equally to all beings everywhere. Hmm, I wonder if I'll be around to see that? |
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As humans, the majority of us live out our lives believing that egoic experience is all there is. We suffer, to a greater or lesser degree, and we're generally unaware of the possibility of ending our personal suffering.
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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT STEVIE AND HIS WRITING
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"Inside your body is a priceless treasure, a gift from the eternally generous one. Look for that gift inside of you."
— Rumi |