We Shall Overcome – the age of social change manifested by the young
John’s life was shaped by a series of traumatic events in the era of civil rights and anti-war movements that involved him and huge numbers of others in his generation. His whirlwind day in Paris, accompanied by a self-driven French woman at the time of the 1968 student uprising, captures the energies of those dramatic times and gives a sense of the driving forces within John that led to his major shift in later life from his left-brain professional abilities to his spiritual awareness as a practical intuitive. This was to be the beginning of his journey that led him to provide practical help to others through his shamanistic abilities of spiritual leadership, healing and teaching.

The Years of Personal and Emotional Growth 1968 – 1987
It was from age 27 to 46 that John’s career progressed rapidly holding the position of Chief Executive in various Insurance companies. With each progression in his career, he widened his skills and demonstrated the ability to turn weaknesses into strengths and to create practical positive outcomes through inspirational leadership and encouraging those around him to grow. These were all skills that he was able to apply in later life in becoming a practising Shaman in line with his growth in spiritual awareness. His personal life over that period was driven by a long term love affair which, on and off, covered a decade. John learned many lessons during and after the affair that permanently changed his attitude regarding future personal relationships. This chapter recounts many other experiences and lessons that John learned that he carried forward into later years and which prepared him for his future spiritual growth.

The International Dimension 1987 – 1992
At age 46 John accepted a position in Australia as the Overseas Chief Executive Officer of a major Australian Insurance company responsible for all its operations outside Australia. This provided the opportunity to work with and understand various different cultures including Hong Kong, New Zealand, USA and Europe. It was during his tenure based in Australia that he experienced several deeply spiritual events. One was with a spiritual Maori woman in New Zealand who explained to him that he was a Shaman. Another experience with dolphins showed him that he had a close affinity with them. At that time John was not ready to understand what he was being shown but he never forgot those experiences. It was only in later years, when he was more spiritually aware, that he was able to fully understand all that he had been shown. At age 51 John returned to the UK having retired from corporate life at which point his personal life completely changed for the better and his spiritual growth truly began.