startLiving?!

The African plains would be submerged knee-deep in animal pooh if it weren't for a tenacious scarab known as the dung beetle. It spends its day collecting manure, forming it into balls and rolling it far, far away. They can process more than a hundred times their own weight in dung every day. This is not an act of selfless service to other bushveld beasts but rather, the dung which the beetles bury in the ground is a valuable nesting resource for them. This bushveld wonder is a perfect analogy for us too as we all sometimes get submerged in figurative pooh which we find scattered across our lives: relationship issues, financial problems, our incapacity to reach our fullest potential, phobias, addictions and many, many more. Hypnosis, Coaching and NLP offer amazing ways to deal with all this stuff, similar to the way the beetles do on the African grassland plains. If we didn't, we would find ourselves endlessly stepping in our own mess, soiling ourselves more and more as our issues pile up. But, what appears to be worthless dung, can also be transformed into precious resources to give us wisdom and an advantage in life. It is from these pockets of wisdom that new generations of ideas and inspiration are hatched and nurtured thus positively altering our lives so that we can start living better.

Our minds understand the world in a series of diametrically opposing distinctions: where there is light, there is darkness; where there is pleasure there is pain; where there is knowledge there is ignorance;

where there is love, there is fear

The one cannot exist without the other — just like a coin cannot exist having only one side. Similarly, as impossible as it is to tame a ball on a slope, we restlessly seek pleasure to avoid pain, and love to conquer fear. Yet, in the dual world of opposites, to cultivate love, we must produce an equal amount of fear — it is an inescapable principle of duality. To addictively chase a high of love is to tempt the devilishness of fear, for in this model of reality, we perceive love and fear as things that we try to keep apart. But, actually, these beliefs do not exist outside the human mind. Here in the universe, free from interpretation, these notions of love and fear are not.

This is the sacred space of indifference where all opposites collapse. Without interpretation, things remain what they always have been — an illusion!

 

There have been stories for years about experiments where a clear glass plate is placed in a fish tank and left for an extended period. When the plate is removed, the fish generally remain on their respective side of the tank. The same thing happens when you put gnats in a covered jar for a while, and then remove the cover. Only a few adventurous creatures emerge, but the bulk of them remain in their self-imposed isolation from the rest of the universe. One of the primary attributes possessed by those few adventurous individuals who escaped is awareness (awareness of the environmental context, and a sense of the "potential beyond") and knowledge that exceeds that of the general population. What happened to the fish in the tank and the gnats in the jar? Somehow, their original intent, freedom and nature was subverted by something else, first imposed from an external source and then willingly, but unconsciously, self-imposed with equal vigor in deference to the perceived existence of the status quo … because they believed that it was so. It wasn't. — Val Valerian, Matrix V: The Golden Edition, Quest of the Spirit - The Ultimate Frontier. (2003).

Our obstacles to inner freedom are usually formed during childhood. As children we know how we feel about things, and we seldom hesitate to make our feelings known. But pressure from family and friends leads us to adopt the more narrow views and patterns that conform to what people expect. When our natural ideas and feelings are discouraged, we grow out of touch with our senses, and the flow of communication between our bodies and minds is inhibited; we no longer know what we truly feel. As the patterns of suppression grow stronger and more fixed, our opportunities for self-expression diminish. We become so used to conforming, that as we grow older we let these patterns rule our lives; we become strangers to ourselves. — Thartang Tulku, Skillful Means: Gentle Ways to Successful Work. (1978).

Q1

How do Hypnosis, NLP and Coaching work?

Hypnotherpy, NLP & Coaching Info

---

Q2

What are these modalities used for and how will they benefit me?

Hypnotherpy, NLP & Coaching Applications

---

Q3

How much time must I set aside and how often will I need to come?

Appointment Duration & Frequency

---

Q4

What will it cost me?

Appointment Pricing Table Payments and Payment Options

---

Q5

Where will I have to go and where can I get maps and directions?

Venue Maps & Directions

---

Q6

Who is Thomas Budge and how do I know if he is able to help me?

Thomas' Profile & Awards

---

Save Contact Details

Save Contact Details for future reference.

  Download vCard

You are invited attend our next gathering.

We are a group of like-minded, ordinary folk from all occupations and lifestyles, and across all spiritual and religious beliefs who gather informally in a safe, open-minded and non-judgemental environment to talk about interesting lifestyle topics and ideas. The Circle began in 2007 as an alternative to mundane social chitchat and provides a convivial environment with intellectually stimulating conversation over lunch.

The Circle of Friends happens regularly at Protea Ranch. See the calendar below for forthcoming dates and click the [ maps ] link at the foot of the page for directions. You may arrive at any time from 10 AM onwards and may leave whenever you choose. The function closes at 3 PM. You don't need to book in advance. Dress is casual. It is also free of charge but we ask that should you stay for lunch, that you be kind enough to bring along a vegetarian contribution to add to our combined meal. Salads, soups, bread and butter, cheeses, a pasta dish, vegetable curries, bakes, puddings, fruit juice, etc all make up an interesting and surprising menu for the day. Why vegetarian you may ask? Well, it simply makes the logistics of taking care of all dietary preferences much easier to manage. Lastly, this is an adult function and while participating children are welcome it is not a safe venue for unsupervised children as there are dogs, open ponds, an open swimming pool and other hazardous features on the property.

Thomas's book is autobiographical.

It reads like a novel. As one of an initial group of white English-speaking conscientious objectors to refuse military training under South Africa's former regime, he was held in military custody in the Detention Barracks in Voortrekkerhoogte, Pretoria shortly after matriculating in the early 1970's. Of the 512 days of his incarceration, most of them were spent in solitary confinement and as much as a year in total isolation with a concurrent period spent in the notoriously awful dark-cells, a punishment that broke the spirit of many a young man.

Whilst detention was an obviously difficult period for Thomas, it was extra tough because he had to hide his sexual orientation from his family and friends out of fear. He had to live a double life: on one hand being the faithful child adhering to the strict dogma of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the religion under which he was raised; and simultaneously suppressing his sexual identity which he couldn't ignore. Deeply conflicted and misunderstood, matters soon had to come to a head and he was excommunicated from the Witness faith because he chose to be himself.

Trace his story by ordering your copy of It Is What It Is online. A copy is also available for sale directly from Thomas.