Mark's Cosmic Goodies

  How Do You Want To Feel? “Goals are always an external target, core desired feelings are inside you.”  There’s a simple  truth in this quote from Danielle LaPorte’s book The Desire Map. Life is a constant act of choosing. Whether we realise it or not, every choice, every habit, every thought and belief is a direction we point ourselves toward. But if we don’t set a target, we end up drifting, hitting “nothing” by default. Why Most People Drift Through Life - We live in a world filled with endless distractions. Social media, other people’s opinions, news reports, and daily routines can easily pull us into living reactively. The Spice Girls were right to ask: “Tell me what you want, what you really, really want?” What they were really asking is: What are your true desires? What floats your boat? Without a clear sense of our deep-seated desires, we wake up each day with no greater purpose than just “getting through it.” The result? We feel stuck, unfulfilled, and won...

Beliefs, Myths, or Old Wives’ Tales?   I was reflecting on the expression “Would you believe it?” and how often I’ve used it, sometimes with sarcasm and sometimes to express pleasant surprise. That phrase got me thinking about my own beliefs and where they come from. It is said that a belief is essentially an acceptance that something is true or real, often without requiring proof. It’s often said that our inner experience (or programming) follows a sequence like this: Belief → Thought → Feeling → Behaviour → Result My perspective is that thoughts and feelings are interchangeable. I can see how this chain of cause and effect has led to outcomes that have shaped my emotional well-being—and even my physical health. We all live by beliefs, but how often do we stop to question them? My friends Bil and Cher Holton talk about there being a “13th power”, which is the process of questioning unquestioned answers and this came to mind, when I realized I could apply this directly ...

WHAT SIDE ARE YOU ON? We live in increasingly turbulent times, where polarisation has become the norm rather than the exception. Society seems to demand that we pick a side—immediately, publicly, and unwaveringly. And once that side is chosen, assumptions are made about all our other beliefs. If I express agreement with a particular stance on Issue X, it’s often presumed that I automatically subscribe to an entire bundle of views on Issue Y, Z, and beyond, regardless of whether that’s true. This kind of binary thinking erodes the nuance that real life requires. I may support a politician's policy in one area and strongly disagree with their actions in another. That used to be accepted—even expected. Once, we could disagree with friends or colleagues and still talk, still respect each other, and still remain in the relationship. Disagreement didn’t mean disconnection. Today, however, the middle ground is vanishing. Grey areas are dismissed as weakness or indecision. You're eith...

Blog Post: People Pleasing – Shape-Shifting to Keep Others Comfortable I've lost count of how many times I've heard someone say, "Well, please yourself," or "Suit yourself." For me, those words still echo in my mind, often in the voice of my mum. They were her way of expressing disapproval when I didn’t take her advice. And while I know she meant well, the message I received was clear: If I went my own way, I was letting her down. I grew up in a military family. My dad was an Army Warrant Officer—a man of few words and guarded emotions. From an early age, I realised that the only way to earn his attention or any affection was to be "a good boy." That meant following the rules, staying agreeable, and suppressing any behaviour that might ruffle feathers. It felt like being a soldier, always marching in line. This strategy stayed with me well into adulthood. I chased his approval, hoping that if I behaved perfectly, I'd finally be loved or at leas...

Choose Love Instead of Fear and Compassion Over Conflict Our World is undergoing profound upheavals, bringing massive shifts in our inner and outer perspectives on health, wealth, politics, religion, spirituality, happiness and well-being. Humanity is collectively navigating a period of deep transformation—one marked by uncertainty, challenges, and the potential for extraordinary growth. In this time of rapid change, truth often feels elusive, fueling fear, division, and conflict. Yet, within this turbulence lies a sacred invitation: to transcend fear and choose love as our guiding light. We are being refined by the fires of transformation, the daily challenges, stress and conflicts — we are going through "the mill" and being tossed into a sort of "melting pot," where the dross of illusion and separation is being burned away. What remains is the pure Gold of higher Consciousness—a clarity and radiant awareness that reveals a more loving, compassionate way of living ...

You’ve read it before, watched the series, and maybe even become a Trekky? I love that iconic moment at the beginning where Captain Kirk says, "to boldly go where no man has gone before."  In 1976, I realized I was on a spiritual path and was keen to get to know me, the real me and to boldly go where I had not gone before in a hurry - within me. Back then, I lived my life by "committee." Whenever issues arose, I sought advice from nearly everyone—family, friends, pseudo-mentors, ministers, acquaintances, and even strangers. Despite all this input, I often felt lost—literally and figuratively. I was unsure of my purpose in life, what I believed in, and why. My confidence was minimal, as was my happiness and joy. The advice I received was varied and often conflicting. This external search for answers rarely yielded anything meaningful or tailored to my needs. Then came an "aha moment." It struck me that the guidance I was receiving wasn’t customized for me—i...