That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
The Outer Journey —
Public Presentations & Vocational Summary
Below is a summary of various public presentations, interviews, and other expressions of Jonathan’s vocation:
- 1992 — At 17, Jonathan wrote a booklet called “An Introduction to Meditation” for distribution to friends at school. At this time he was practising yoga, meditation, and Taoist Chi Gung daily.
- 1994 to present — Began privately providing spiritual and holistic guidance and mentoring to friends, acquaintances and clients.
- 1996 to present — He has written an extensive collection (450+) of articles online (on this website, and its earlier iterations) — the more popular articles have had hundreds of thousands of views.
- 1998 to 2003 — Developed and managed an international e-commerce business (“Thyrodine International“, and later as “Inspired Nutritionals“, manufacturing and distributing 16 natural health products and formulations (developed by a brilliant naturopath in New Zealand). Distribution was to customers and therapists globally.
- 2007 — Jonathan published a multi-award winning book, Peace, Power, and Presence.
- 2008 — Spent 70 days on the edge of the Amazon in Northern Peru studying with a traditional curandero.
- 2008 to present — By invitation, Jonathan has facilitated many workshops, meditation groups, lectures and retreats in Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the United States, Costa Rica, Canada, Panama, and New Zealand.
- 2009 — By invitation, he taught his ground-breaking Intelligent Nutrition workshops at Kripalu School of Ayurveda to their course students and faculty.
- 2009 — Presented a lecture titled “The Cosmic Conspiracy and the Intelligence of Life” at the 1st International Ayurveda Conference, Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2009, Pennsylvania, USA.
- 2013 to 2021 — Undertook an intensive apprenticeship with an Andean master of Spiritual and Solar Arts from Colombia.
- 2014 & 2015 — Interviewed by GreenPlanetFM (in New Zealand) — August 12, 2015 and June 12, 2014.
- 2015 — Featured presenter in the opening episode of the Mind The Matrix II documentary series.
- 2016 — Featured interviewee in an episode of the Consciousness series produced by Ickonic Media.
- 2016 & 2017 — By invitation, presented at two of the annual Voices of Sacred Earth Festivals at Kawai Purapura, New Zealand — sharing on the indigenous wisdom of the Divine Mother.
- 2016 & 2017 — Taught workshops at two annual International Yoga Festivals at Kawai Purapura, New Zealand.
- Current — Jonathan is producing a 9-part episodic docu-series called Being Human, and another episodic series called Selfishly Saving the Earth, as part of a wider media and educational platform called Project Being.
The Inner Journey —
Exploring A Pathless Land
Preamble
I am sometimes asked, “Tell me Jonathan, what’s your story?” It’s a question I’ve often struggled with—which in itself is an aspect of ‘my story’.
Is any answer sufficient? Probably not. And yet I appreciate the human soul is nothing but a vast tapestry of stories, interwoven with the life-force that maintains and expresses through them.
Stories and life-force—the warp and weft of the cosmically crafted rug draped over Great Mother’s shoulders as she creates her journey through infinity. Our stories arise from inner and outer journeys and experiences, woven into which are a great many archetypes, living-mythologies, and aeons of collective memory. It’s our stories that bind us—that open doors and windows into a new potential of relatedness between us. May the very condensed biography that follows serve as a door for our potential meeting, even if only in spirit.
The early years
As a child I often observed, and listened. Intensely so. I liked to participate in the immediate world around me, in particular that which I had a relationship to. Barely able to reach the stovetop, I got into cooking, because that was an important aspect of eating. I liked to clean (usually), because that was an aspect of enjoying a tidy space. If something broke or stopped working, I would do my best to take it apart, understand how it worked, and fix it.
In my early teens I started experiencing awareness of a deeper dimension of the world around and within me. Over time this awareness culminated into a visceral sense of the organising intelligence of Life, and the deeper nature and purpose of the Human Being. Eventually, this awareness compelled me to approach life through the innate Living Wisdom and Intelligence of the Heart—of the Human Spirit.
I started to experience what I know refer to as ‘future memories’ … memories of what will play out in my life. In the 35+ years since, most of those ‘memories’ have come to pass.
However, in my teens it wasn’t all rainbows and sunbeams …
In my teens I was into pushing boundaries.
I was rather rebellious, although not in a rowdy overt way. My rebelliousness wasn’t radical or obvious (at least I didn’t think it was). My teachers didn’t consider me a troublemaker. An intelligent underachiever, for sure, but otherwise pleasant and amicable.
A shy and self-conscious disposition prevented me from making a scene or intentionally standing out. My rebellion was one I kept to myself. It was more of an inner rebellion, which made me question reality, truth, authority, rules, politics, and pretty much anything that stood out to me as socially controlling and coercive.
As a 13 year old, when trying to figure out what subjects to study at school, I remembered my purpose in this life “Is to rediscover the true nature of freedom, and help others do the same.” At around 14 I noted in my journal, “Why is it the people around me are living like slaves? Do they not realise they are free beings?” My purpose, and that question, have been key foundation stones in my life since.
With two older brothers happy to introduce me to their new found vices, from 15 to 19, I dived into experimenting with entheogenic plants, alcohol, and dancing in nightclubs and parties. On the flip side, keeping all that partying and biological recklessness in balance spurred me into learning about herbs and nutrients that supported the body and brain—the beginning of my journey as a Traditional Naturopath. Those four years were replete with fun, danger, and exciting times, yet eventually a few years of yoga and other spiritual practices gave rise to such a deep love affair with sobriety—mental and emotional lucidity—that by 19 I felt my phase of debauchery and high adventures was more or less complete.
Parallel Realities
It wasn’t all alcohol, drugs, and ecstatically dancing to music in nightclubs.
Around the age of 16, an urge from within launched me into daily practices of yoga, meditation, and Taoist chi kung. Later, I studied herbal medicine, spiritual healing, aromatherapy, natural healing, naturopathy, and numerous other fields to which my heart felt drawn.
Since completing school, I’ve experienced many decades of training and teaching, and I’ve traveled to over 30 countries. From deep within, I felt compelled to pursue a path of self-enquiry, which revealed the nature of life and reality beyond the usual sense of separation, duality, and confusion that veils ordinary perception. At 20, I headed to the Swiss Alps.
Three months in the Alps with a profoundly inspiring and somewhat eccentric Buddhist monk set me on a path of exploring consciousness—not through mind-altering substances and artificially induced altered states, but solely through engaging with nature, yoga, meditation, and various other practices.
I found that staying true to the living wisdom of my heart allowed me to work through many of the obstructions of modern human conditioning—layers in the psyche that would otherwise prevent me from perceiving the subtler aspects of life. It also played a role in my path crossing with numerous spiritual masters who have provided, and continue to provide, indispensable assistance.
In retrospect, I see that I innately understood—and was being challenged to embody and integrate—a wide spectrum of empowering principles found within many of humanity’s core wisdom traditions. The primary influences on my inner journey have been Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga, Kriya yoga, Vipassana, Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Hindu and Buddhist tantra, Western mysticism, Toltec wisdom, Hawaiian Huna wisdom, Ayurveda, anthroposophy, esoteric Christianity, herbalism, spiritual healing, traditional naturopathy, and Andean shamanism.
What I came to realize is that at the heart of every genuine wisdom tradition is a fundamental truth or perspective (arising from the direct perception of the Spirit) that is also found in the heart of Man (male/female). The seemingly outer wisdom traditions are reflections of our innate inner wisdom.
The Writer
I have a passion for writing, although I prefer public speaking. In 2007 I published the book Peace, Power, and Presence. It’s the first in the Wisdom for a Life of Freedom series. The book received three awards in New Zealand and the United States. I am currently working on numerous others.
Award-Winning Finalist in the Spirituality category of the USA National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.
Winner of a Shortlisting Award in the Mind, Body, Spirit genre (2006) Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Unpublished Manuscript Award
Second place award the Mind, Body, Spirit genre (2008) Ashton Wylie Charitable Trust Book Award
Public Speaking
I feel most alive when I am engaged with an audience, whether it’s one person or hundreds. I find that a special quality of heart-centered focus arises for me when interacting with people seeking greater contact with their innate wisdom, spiritual reality, and soul connection. Simply put, such engagement lights me up, which I’ve been told is illuminating for those sharing in the experience.
Since publishing my first book, I’ve been invited to give workshops and seminars and hold residential retreats on a wide range of topics. For me, the topic is somewhat irrelevant or secondary. What’s primary is conveying the perspective of the spirit, the essential human being, and that which is natural. So whether it’s a yoga and meditation retreat, a workshop on The Christ Within, an exploration of intelligent nutrition, a seminar on human awakening, or the true purpose of humanity, what consistently comes through is a perspective people tell me is deeply liberating.
The most common feedback I’ve received over the years is that what I shared may be something the person has never thought about before, and yet they have always known.
In 2013, I began an eight-year apprenticeship in solar spiritual arts from an ancient Andean spiritual tradition.
A major focus of this training was the timeless practice of engaging my spirit with the sacred spaces of the Earth for the purpose of spiritual harmonization and sacred reciprocity. The teachings transmitted to me are known as the Original Living Wisdom of the Mother and are deeply connected to the practices of the Kogi people of Colombia.
These practices help balance and nourish the living Earth in spirit, which includes the holistic wellness and inner balance of the human being.
Traditional Naturopath
Since the early 1990s, I have studied, applied, and practiced the principles of natural and holistic living. It is a modality I refer to as Traditional Naturopathy. You can read more about this here.
In the late 1990s I worked extensively with herbal and nutrition based natural health programs for the restoration of thyroid and endocrine function. I developed a global ecommerce business and software system for marketing those products into different regions internationally.
I’ve found that the quality of which I feed and nourish my body has a profound impact on health and well-ness, in body, mind, and soul.
Mentoring: Bringing forth your Spirit
Since my late teens I have offered mentoring and spiritual training. Sessions are available for individuals, families, and couples.
If you are inspired by a sincere interest to know yourself as a spirit integrated into the human experience, and to holistically recover your natural state of well-being, feel free to reach out and ask for assistance. More information on these services can be found here.
Speaker and Interview Invitations
If you are interested in interviewing me for a podcast or any other media production, please reach out via my Contact page.