The two pillars in the High Priestess card in the Tarot represent Involution and Evolution.
Involution is like a winding down, or curling up, and it leads to evolution when it unfolds again.
Reflecting on this natural cycle, the High Priestess sits on a Cube (more on this coming up over the next few months) and holds the scroll of Tora, which contains all wisdom.
It’s no coincidence that this last month has seen much involution as the next phase of evolution is about to arrive.
Just for Today
After nearly four years of writing them, and two years of having them illustrated by the wonderful Siri Stiklestad Opli, the last Just for Today will be posted today. Is that the end of them though? No way! They begat from a meditation and every month going forward I’ll be publishing a new meditation based using the words “just for today” as the seed.
This is the meditation that started them off – eponymously called Just for Today …
You can listen to the others for free on Insight Timer
and just sharing my favourite illustrated JFT again here (must get that T-shirt done!)
Non-fiction to fiction author
Soulwaves will be back from the editor today and I’ll be spending the next three months getting it ready for publication. This will involve incorporating the edits, updating the science (thanks brother John) and narrating the audiobook as the final process of the edit. If I can’t say it “out loud”, readers won’t be able to experience it “in loud”.
I’ve also been learning about how to get a book made into film or TV. This book would need a serious rewrite so I’m looking at either an adaptation, or a new series of sequels/prequels written for telly using the principles of soulwaves as a seed. Black Mirror is my muse!
Surrey to Wiltshire
After over 20 years in our wonderful house in Surrey, this month it came under offer and we’ll (hopefully) be permanently moving to the new ‘passive’ and eco-friendly house in Wiltshire in July. This passing represents a huge transition too, from living in a 100 year old energy inefficient house to one which virtually runs itself and in Summer sends energy to the grid.
With much less energy drain, finances free up too. In addition, my latest courses on Insight Timer are now providing a decent sleeping income. All of which means, I will be free to write 24×7 (ideas come in dreams too).
What goes around, comes around … listen to this podcast for a summary of the journey so far.
NEXT MONTH : How cogs whir when pebbles are dropped in the pod … and you keep a quiet mind to allow the ripples to come back.
This month sees a couple of new crossings over. One of them was planned and the other unexpected and accidental.
Crossing #1 : Non-fiction to fiction
The first planned crossing is from non-fiction author to post-dystopian cyberpunk novelist as the first draft, at 100k words, is now with the editor. It started 14 years and 16 books ago and I’m now turning th handle on the publication process. I am hoping ebook, audiobook and print book will leak out into the world between June and September this year.
To signify this first crossing, I have assumed the de plume Töm Evans, in memory of my Irish godmother Eileen who often called me “Thom”. This will be the fictional author name going forward – a kind of soft and subtle nom de plume which I hope doesn’t come across as being slight affected.
The book covers are also in production, featuring Valles Marineris on Mars and a special kind of non-spherical supernova – both key elements in the plot.
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Crossing #2 : Selling Time to Providing Content
It’s the dream of any artist to make money while they sleep so that they can focus on their art. The arrival of my second course on Insight Timer seems to have helped me make that crossing, somewhat unexpectedly.
What’s more the feedback for my new Mindfulness for Busy People Course, surpasses even my expectations and has encouraged me to start thinking about the next course (and the next work of fiction)
“Some days I feel like you’re sitting next to me at the kitchen table, sharing a nice cup of tea, and musing on life. Each meditation is exactly the right thing I need to hear on exactly the right day. Bless you, Tom.”
“The title of your course jumped off the screen at me and I was hooked. As the saying goes, when the student is ready the teacher appears, so I thank you sincerely. I am on day six, and am loving this.”
“I know I’m going to sound funny saying this but it’s like this guided meditation course was made exactly for me. Every word was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. This path of meditation and awareness is still fairly new to me and it’s so easy to let the ego and negative moments in my life to take over. This course is exactly what my soul needs. Thank you Tom.”
“Dear Tom, you have one of the most amazing voices here on Earth. I’ve listened to you quite a bit and I’ve become familiar with the tone of your voice, which means that I am now instantly relaxing within seconds after starting any of your meditations.”
This month I did something I have been meaning to do for ages, I had some new photography done for my site.
The wonderful Maria O’Brien of Haiga Photography popped over to my house on a glorious pre-spring day. You’ll find my mugshot on all main pages of the site now, as opposed to me hiding away down somewhere deep.
I am so pleased at what she did and am wondering why I spent so long just hiding behind my voice on meditations, audiobooks and my podcast. Time to be seen, as well as heard.
Now the first draft of Soulwaves, the novel, is in the can – more on that in the next blog – I dusted off The Zone Show podcast this month and started it up again.
In this episode, I chat to Jelena Adzic about her transition from meditator to meditation guide on Insight Timer.
You will hear from Jelena again in the next episode when she turns the tables on me when we talk about said novel … and the next page I am turning.
A Meditator’s Journey
by Tom Evans chatting to Jelena Adzic
Being Heard Even More
I’m thrilled that my new 30 day course, Mindfulness for Busy People, is now live on Insight Timer.
The new course format has allowed me to collate meditations from many sources of mine into the app into one cohesive container. The course contains a mix of remastered existing meditations along with brand new ones that link the whole 30 day narrative together.
A stroke for my father in law, the death of my mother in law and a hip replacement for my wife all conspired to delay the publication until my 62nd orbit. No more books are getting in the way. It will be out before I am 62!
The book came out as planned on the 8th August 2018 – a significant date for my wonderful co-author, Laurence Udell. It’s the first book I have published simultaneously in hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook formats – with four brand new meditations from yours truly. It is already opening hearts and minds and will be spawning two other programmes – the Bigger Ü and the Biggest Ü. It has also lead to high-end mentoring as well as talks, keynotes and workshops in the corporate sector. It’s turned out to be not only a mind-opener but door opener too.
Around May 2018, I reached over 1 million meditations on the app … it’s currently at 1.6m and climbing. While still free, a significant event happened and my first 10 day course went live – The Art of Timefulness.
It’s just about to be joined by a second 30 day course – Mindfulness for Busy People. The result is that a steady income is now flowing which takes the pressure of having to take on billing work.
You might thing that this lot is enough for most people but three other projects are coming along already. I can’t say too much about them but can just share that the next orbit of the Sun is already looking bright.
Project X – there is a new initiative bubbling on Insight Timer to make things grow still further.
Project Y – The Zone Show podcast has been dormant while I finish off the novel. Listen out for two new episodes this month as it’s just about to take off again, in a bigger and brighter way.
Project Z – just imagine that everything you had been working for was meant to be. Things are coming together in to a new phase.
This January, I did something that I had not done for a number of years. I started out by taking my foot off the gas. Partly ticking off something from the bucket list and partly winding up my 60th year with some fellow sexagenarian friends, I went to Northern Finland, saw the Northern Lights (on two evenings), went snowmobiling, husky sledding and Nordic walking (or is that Finnish walking?).
Anyhoo, the break combined nicely with completely forgetting about anything to do with what you might call “work”. Lo and behold, on return 2019 seems to be falling into some sort of shape – but importantly without any tight grip on the reins.
Key 7 of the Tarot, The Chariot is a good example of how this all works. The Charioteer (the self-aware mind), thinks he is driving the bus. The two beasts at the front (the unconscious mind) think they are pulling the whole show in the right direction. All the time of course, the road itself (the higher self) is what is dictating the path we follow. Therein lies the lesson. Let go of the reins and find out where you are really heading.
Sometimes this involves encountering a turning point or three – here’s what came to meet me on my return to marginally warmer climes.
Soulwave
I now have a much more relaxed, sensible and do-able publication plan for novel, which formed towards then end of last year. It’s now being actioned and is producing tangible results … and deeper more cohesive storyline.
This month I am spending one day each week going over what I’ve written and one day working on one of the remaining chapters.
The new plan on track as follows :
– to have the first draft written by March 21st
– to then record the audiobook version (best proof read ever)
– to publish the Kindle and audiobook versions by the 21st June
– to publish the print version by 21st September
– to use the 21st December as a tentative back stop should things go awry
Just for Today Nuggets of Mindfulness
Back in July 2018, we moved Just for Today messages from a freemium to contribution currency model. After a promising start, we flat-lined and didn’t quite hit our first target. This year the model will flip back.
So, in March we are having a month off to reflect and regroup. The plan is that, from April, the daily nuggets of mindfulness will revert back to being free and two new exciting and affordable tiers will be created.
A new seed project will also start germinating too!
Insight Timer
The wonderful people behind the app have changed their model for the better and opened even more doors for me to migrate my archive. I already have one 30 day course going live soon and a second will appear before the year is out. This latter course will share what I haven’t ever shared yet about the nature of thought.
I hosted the Daily Insight on the 19th January, which was alot of fun and will be doing the next on the 8th March – and after that, one every two months.
I also took my meditations in a new direction this month. This We Know is the first of a series of philosophical meanderings in a guided visualisation. And here’s Siri creating the artwork live, while listening to the meditation.
To cap it all, they have just asked me to provide the Daily Insight for Christmas Day this year. Guess what? Its title will be The Turning Point.
p.s. Some amazing Big Ü news popped along too, and is forming nicely with no effort on my part, but that will have to wait for next month’s blog
This month saw the unexpected passing of my mother-in-law. She has been in a care home for 8 years and wasn’t ill (for once). She had had a happy day, laughing and joking and was chatting to my father-in-law watching TV early evening. She was alive one second and gone the next. We had just moved them to their 3rd care home as my father-in-law had had a stroke and needed more care.
It was peaceful and painless for her and we were lucky to get a funeral slot just before Xmas. We are now left with a bereft person who doesn’t want to be around.
It makes you reflect and realise about the cycles of life. We have been in elderly care mode for at least the last 10 years and this gave me the impetus (and opportunity) to write at least 10 books and create hours of meditative visualisations and resources
Efforts Redoubled
So now our care and attention will increase, as father-in-law will need company, before the end of this year, next year is mapping itself out. When we encounter death, it is natural that we think about our own mortality. The fear of death left me many years ago but I do have a desire to leave behind a legacy of what I have learned for others (and possibly a future incarnation of myself/my soul). So this puts a focus on the next orbit of the Sun.
Project 1 : Soulwave : The Novel : I’ve now decided not to pressure myself on this and just to get the 1st draft written by my next birthday in March. Then to produce the audiobook by the 21st June, which will double as the the best proof read and edit you can get. And then to make the publication date, the 21st September.
Project 2 : Just for Today : These daily nuggets of mindfulness have been going out for well over two years now, latterly illustrated. In the New Year, Siri and I will be taking them to a new place where community involvement sits at the core.
Project 3 : Meditations : My free meditations are already on Insight Timer and more will be coming. One short story (from the Germinatrix) and one new free meditation will be published a month. Plus a new 30 day course will appear Q1 of 2019 which will replace three of my existing standalone courses.
Project 4 : The Big Awakening : While all of my creative output has been finding its way to the world, a massive amount of esoteric wisdom has yet to see general release. Some 1-2-1 mentoring clients have seen and experienced small snippets. I am giving no shape to how it gets out there but I know, with publication of The Big Ü, a channel now exists. Watch this space and it will be revealed – and all I know is that projects 1 to 3 above are the foundations.
The two pillars in the High Priestess card in the Tarot represent Involution and Evolution.
Soulwaves will be back from the editor today and I’ll be spending the next three months getting it ready for publication. This will involve incorporating the edits, updating the science (thanks brother John) and narrating the audiobook as the final process of the edit. If I can’t say it “out loud”, readers won’t be able to experience it “in loud”.
After over 20 years in our wonderful house in Surrey, this month it came under offer and we’ll (hopefully) be permanently moving to the new ‘passive’ and eco-friendly house in Wiltshire in July. This passing represents a huge transition too, from living in a 100 year old energy inefficient house to one which virtually runs itself and in Summer sends energy to the grid.
This month sees a couple of new crossings over. One of them was planned and the other unexpected and accidental.
Crossing #2 : Selling Time to Providing Content
Anyhoo, the break combined nicely with completely forgetting about anything to do with what you might call “work”. Lo and behold, on return 2019 seems to be falling into some sort of shape – but importantly without any tight grip on the reins.
Soulwave
