Amy's Story:

What exactly is transformation and how would a person begin the process?  The word transform simply means, to undergo a complete change and I am of course referring to a positive change.  The best way to approach this topic is to speak about my own experience and hope that it inspires you, the reader to examine your own potential for positive change.

I hope I don’t come across like some self-proclaimed spiritual guru or whatever because I am about as simple and normal a woman as you would ever meet, I just made a positive change in my own life many years ago and it has put me on a path that is beautiful and inspiring.

My transformation began in 1995 at age 20 with the simple realization that my thoughts at that time were not my own.   Most of the thoughts that went through my head were the results of conditioning that starts at birth. This conditioning is so widely practiced and accepted, that to ask one to notice it is similar to asking a fish to notice the water around it and directly relates to and determines our concept of “truth”. If you are blessed as I was there comes a time when you will ask, “What is truth?”

I would like to relate a story from my youth as an example of this conditioning and how I came to recognize and live by my OWN truth.

In 1995 I was living in Sydney Australia and loving life.  I lived in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, had a great job, friends, a blossoming social life and for the most part it seemed as if my life was what most people would call “perfect”.  My day started with a large cup of coffee after which I would walk with my friend Dianne across the Harbor Bridge and into the city for work.

Dianne was in law school at the time, and although she wasn’t really interested in the news of the day, she would read the paper as we walked because she felt that it was somehow important for a young up-and-coming lawyer to keep up with current opinions and events. She would often read me stories from the paper as we walked and I would listen.

On one particular morning she read me one of the editorials and later in the day I found myself regurgitating that same story to another friend as if I was it was my truth and  that I saw what was happening first-hand. I found myself focusing on this story and couldn’t shake the unsettled feelings it stirred in me. It seemed to be taking over my thoughts.

Then, like a bolt of divine lightning it struck me! This was just a story from the paper created to make me focus on something I had no control over!  I had become a mass-media puppet¦ I had been brainwashed into believing something without any real proof and my thoughts and opinions had become those of the writer.  I felt like such a fool.  I was, a fool.   It was never more clear that this wasn't a single occurrence, It had been happening for years.

In that moment of realization I underwent a transformation, a change in my perception of the world around me and on that day I took the first step in my personal awakening; I disconnected from the influence of  “mass media” and “popular culture” and began thinking for myself.

It is interesting to look around once you step off the merry-go-round of modern information and culture.  As George Carlin so humorously agreed, so much emphasis is placed on external “stuff” that the average person will, from quite an early age, be of the opinion that this “stuff” is what actually matters in life. That the accumulation of more and more “stuff” or having the latest “stuff” or really expensive “stuff” is all that really matters.

This has become a serious problem for a number of reasons, one of which is the all-consuming nature of endlessly chasing after “stuff” and the misconception that “stuff” and happiness are in some way mutually exclusive.  In my experience the two are more often inversely proportional which simply means the less I have the happier I am.

The same can also be said for mental “stuff”.  Look around; almost everyone you see nowadays has some type of gadget: a phone; an mp3 player; a laptop; or a personal gaming device that provides external stimulus to the user.  This gadget mentality is driven by the modern misconception that the world is “out there” and must be accessed through a device, which in my opinion is complete rubbish on every level.  I’ve come to this truth -Gadgets = $: gadgets = sleepwalking: gadgets = servitude: gadgets = detachment from your true self: gadgets = poor social skills.

Over the years I have managed to give away most of my useless “stuff”, both physical and mental, that I had acquired previously and have gained a sense of freedom from doing so.  I would highly recommend it.  By ridding myself of as much of the useless junk of the modern world  as possible, I have created a space that I choose to fill with beauty and joy, simple pleasures and moments of complete bliss, all of which are free and in limitless supply.  I don’t believe things have to be as they appear to be or I am told they should be so I create a magical life for myself, having found a sort of connection to the world that guides me effortlessly in exactly the right direction.  

It is important to seek your personal truth.  If you buy into consumer oriented, fear based mass media you will believe that you are too fat, too thin, your shampoo is not good enough, you need a new car, your love life sucks, you are not even close to being cool or popular, your clothes are outdated and nothing can be achieved without a device to connect to the world with.  Ha ha ha, what a load of you know what!¦ The ultimate misconception comes from believing that this “stuff” is so important that you need to have a high-profile job and earn a six-figure income to support your gadget addiction and be happy.  This is slave mentality but it is so common that it is deemed acceptable, normal even, dare I say applauded.  We have strayed very far. Continued at Right...