Are There Stages In A Spiritual Awakening?

Each spiritual awakening is unique to the experiencer, and yet, there are also common themes on the journey.

During your awakening, you may have asked questions such as:
Am I crazy?
Where can I find the truth?
Where do I fit in?
How do I share with others?
How can I best serve?

In the 1980s and 90s, Drs. Rhea White and Suzanne Brown pioneered research and classification of hundreds of non-ordinary experiences. Over 400, in fact! They called them exceptional human experiences (EHEs).

What they found from reading through hundreds of experiencer accounts is that there are 5 clear stages on the journey from having a spiritual experience to fully potentiating it.

In this exclusive interview with Dr. Suzanne Brown, we dive into the 5 stages of an awakening, the key questions asked along the way, the challenges, and what needs to be reconciled to move to the next stage.

And how cool is this? Some photos of the late Dr. Rhea White from Suzanne’s personal collection.

here’s a bit about Suzanne:

She was born in Oregon, USA, and has lived in 10 States and 23 homes. She lost her parents when she was 18 years old, and their emphasis on curiosity, exploration, and learning has never left her. She sadly lost her husband, Ed, almost 16 years ago.    

Author of 2 memoirs and her book on Exceptional Human Experience (EHE), Suzanne received her BS in Psychology at Virginia Tech, MA in Cognitive Behavioral Research with Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. later with St. Johns University, a theology school in Louisiana in Parapsychological Psychology.

Suzanne’s career has been widely diverse, beginning with selling mainframe computers, academic Journal Editor, to supporting people through recovery of addictions and/or mental health issues.

Yet, what still lives deeply within her was her time working as Vice President, Director of Research and Theory Development with Dr. (hon.) Rhea A. White.  In 1995, Suzanne and Rhea formed the EHE Network and were in contact almost daily until Rhea’s passing in 2007.   

Today, Suzanne is semiretired, but not slowing down. In fact, she has a several irons in the fire.

You can email Suzanne directly at if you are interested in having her speak with your group, personal coaching session, or purchasing her books.

7 Simple Ways To Boost Your Psycho-Spiritual Health Through The Pandemic So You Can Emerge Even Stronger And Shinier

Here’s a little video I made for my Agents of Awesome tribe on riding the waves of this pandemic (or whatever it is) so that you, me, we, can all emerge stronger and shiner through and beyond it.

You can watch it via Facebook here.

Here’s the 7 ways:

#1: Take time for you to do whatever you want, and to just be

#2: Make time for quality relationships

#3 Take care of your physical health , your ecosystem : strong roots = strong shoots

#4: Spend time in nature — even short doses can reset

#5: Cultivate joy — find ways to sprinkle your life with moments that give you joy

#6: Stay focused on the things that give you a sense of meaning and purpose

#7: Be mindful of what you’re feeding your mind

If you'd like to join our LIVE chats and an AWESOME community committed to living life full of power, purpose and pizzazz, join us at Agents of Awesome: purpose driven tribe creating ridiculously radiant lives 💛

Big love, beautiful people. Shine on!

Talking Spiritual Awakening With The Passion Harvest Podcast

Loved this interview with the wonderful Luisa from Passion Harvest!

We discuss:

• what is a spiritual awakening and how you know if you’ve had one

• going crazy or waking up: when no-one understands you

• how relationships change and are challenged as we wake up

• why addressing all aspects of wellbeing is important for spiritual peeps (but so often neglected)

• the game-changing question: what seeks to come through you?

• harnessing awakening experiences and getting on with your purpose on this planet

• what is passion and how to follow it to create a life we love (without spiritual bypassing)

• and I share a bit about my samurai heritage

You can hear the podcast here or watch it here.

And you can stay connected with Passion Harvest on Facebook and Instagram.

2 Essential Keys To Manifesting Your Greatest Potential (aka The Shiny Pyramid Method)

Don’t you love it when a burst of inspiration hits?

Lately, this has hit me in the form of short videos.

Here’s a little FB LIVE that I’d love to share with you on manifesting your greatest, deepest, most expansive potential.

From the hundreds of people I’ve spoken with over the years, the yearning to make life meaningful and the best it can be seems to be a common human desire.

In this little video, I share 2 keys that I think are essential in the adventure of living and fulfilling one’s potential. They are: inner game mastery and outer game mastery. In-joy!

I’d love to hear your thoughts about it, so please do leave a comment below the vid!

And if you’d like to speak with me about your gorgeous Shiny Pyramid and how we can make it even more phenomenally bright, book your FREE Optimum Wellbeing Strategy Session here.

To your highest, deepest, most expansive, and delectable life,

Nicole

Transforming Personal and Planetary Trauma with Merle Conyer

Welcome to another episode of Agents of Awesome TV: the place to be to meet spiritually savvy people making the world a more awesome place. 

Today we meet Merle Conyer. She’s a psychotherapist and counsellor who supports individuals, teams and organisations responding to interpersonal, institutional, political, and cultural trauma. She’s also passionate about social and environmental justice. 

And she’s a great friend of mine who has taught me much over the years. 

This is a beautiful deep dive that will especially appeal to highly sensitive people who are greatly affected by the planetary changes we are now going through.

This is also a marvellous episode for all you Agents of Awesome who are on fire about taking radical action to address the great problems of our times in conscious and collaborative ways.

In our deep dive conversation we cover:

• Merle’s journey from maths teacher to senior corporate leader to sitting at the meeting point of human rights, trauma, justice and wellbeing. 

• The power of listening with “two ears”. That is, acknowledging the trauma with one ear and listening for strength and resilience with the other.

• 4 themes of empowerment that can help pull us through our greatest challenges:

1. to be witnessed & believed

2. healing body and mind wiring

3. safe relationships and healing our social nervous system

4. self-compassion and forgiveness

• The planet’s ecological crisis and how it can prompt profound grief and spiritual crisis BUT ALSO bring about radical actions for a better earth.

• Re-enchantment with nature: what is it and why it’s essential for total wellbeing (personal and planetary) 

• Choosing courage over “doom and gloom” through inspiring examples happening right now of reconciliation, restoration, and rejuvenation.

• Why Agents of Awesome are so needed at this time. We need people who can walk through the fires with eyes wide open that are committed to taking positive and radical action, wherever they are in the world, in whatever way they best can. 

• The importance of community, community, community. Go find your tribe and make amazing stuff happen! 

• Joy as your birthright. YES!!!

Loved it? You can connect with Merle here or on LinkedIn.

For a brief overview about the impacts of trauma on physical and mental health, check out this article from Alpha Healing Center.

Here’s to your spiritual health and life wealth!

Nicole xox

p.s. Please leave a message below the post with your thoughts. I always love hearing how this has resonated.

The 5 Stages of Integrating A Spiritually Transformative Experience

Have you ever struggled after a spiritual experience? You’re not alone!

If you’ve had a transformative spiritual experience, then you’ll know that you have to grapple with being understood, shifts in relationships, adjustments to lifestyle, and potentially even a refreshed life path.

Some people get a complete life script re-write!

Although everyone’s experience is utterly unique, there are some maps out there that can help give some overall guidance of the terrain.

One that I’ve found really useful is the 5 Stage Exceptional Human Experience Map. It evolved out of the pioneering work of Dr. Rhea White (who coined the term EHE) and Dr. Suzanne Brown. To my delight, I’ve been in a wonderful exchange with Dr. Brown this past week and she’s agreed to an interview for Agents of Awesome TV! So stay tuned for that.

Back to the map. Here’s a brief video outlining the 5 stages of integration and the key questions asked at each stage (excuse the coughs!).

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, feelings, and about whatever resonates.

Shine on, gorgeous!

10 Traits of Spiritually Savvy Leaders

Spiritual savviness is an essential ingredient for our times. 

In this day and age, people who want to learn how to be a good leader want to know what it takes to be a respected one.

There are numerous leadership qualities, skills, and traits that make a great leader, but one that’s rarely spoken about is spiritual intelligence. It’s not taught in schools and it’s not always obvious in the great school of life.

In fact, in the modern world, one’s spiritual journey and development often take place quietly and privately. 

However, times are changing and people with great spiritual wisdom are stepping out more and more as leaders with heart, mind, soul, vision, pizzazz, and a desire to meet the world’s problems with eyes wide open.

The definition of "spiritual" is "of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit", according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

There’s something magnetic about a leader whose spiritual intelligence and belief are so fine-tuned to the needs of the people and cause they serve. 

Given the crises of the environment, politics, religion, poverty, inequity, mental well-being, the list goes on, our world desperately needs spirituality and savvy leaders who can harness it more than ever.  

The good news is that we currently live in a global spiritual candy store. Never have we had such easy access to tools for our spiritual growth and transformation.

As such, more and more people are reporting spiritually transformative experiences. This is terribly exciting as we open the door to the possibility of a more elevated humanity. 

But, it’s also slightly terrifying in that there’s currently a lack of grounded support systems in place to truly and compassionately deal with the complexities of awakening experiences.

These days, if you have visions and hear voices you may be given a swift diagnosis and medicalized, whereas in another time and place, this may have been seen as a gift. 

We must remember, too, that not all spiritual experiences lead to a more awakened way of being. Just because someone experiences a moment in time where they touch upon a greater version of themselves or an expanded appreciation for others, it doesn’t mean the changes are lasting or permanent.

Joseph Campbell, who gave us the wonderful phrase, "Follow your bliss", later realized the potential danger of his words and towards the end of his life, said that perhaps it should have been "Follow your blisters."

So how do we gage spiritual intelligence when we don’t yet have the language for it? How do we identify spiritual savviness in ourselves and others? How do we look beyond appearances and really see what's going on?

Spiritual savvy leaders have integrated their spiritual experiences and developed in spiritual maturity.

With that said, here are 10 leadership qualities, skills, and traits that spiritually savvy people have. ​

1. You care deeply

Increased sensitivity and compassion go hand in hand with expanded spiritual awareness. The interconnectedness of life becomes obvious and so too the knowing that one’s actions matter in the great web of existence.

One of the challenges faced by many spiritually-centered people is feeling too sensitive or overwhelmed by the world’s woes.

Spiritual savviness invites us to develop a healthy and vibrant core self so that we can respond appropriately whilst maintaining a soft and open heart. 

2. You laugh loudly

The Universe (or whatever you want to call that infinite force of grand mystery and creation) has a wicked sense of humour. Anyone committed to a path of growth and exploration will soon discover the paradoxical nature of human life.

For example, how can everything matter and nothing matter all at once? How is it we can be infinite and finite simultaneously?

At some point, one surrenders to the head-spinning paradoxes and chooses to laugh.  

3. You love adventurously

Increased spiritual awareness often comes with an expanded experience and understanding of love. Ancient Sanskrit has 96 ways to describe love, ancient Persian has 80, and we have one in English. One!

In many spiritually transformative experiences, love in some form is often present whether it’s a love that transcends any one person or an intensely deepened personal love.

Spiritually savvy people often become a vehicle or vessel of love, embracing life as an adventure whereby love is infused in all that one does and in all encounters with others. 

4. You listen openly

Spiritually savvy folks listen beyond the words. They are attuned to the whole person speaking, what’s not said, body language, vibes, and the overall resonance of what a person is communicating.

Listening takes place with more than the ears — it is full of presence on all levels, body, mind, heart, and spirit. It’s the ability to hear a person in their own words and through their perspective. 

5. You share generously

Spirit operates beyond and through boundaries. In fact, spiritual experiences are known to often dissolve boundaries. As such, what we call "my family" can easily grow from blood-relations and a nuclear unit to one’s community, humanity, or even all of life itself.

Sharing generously becomes natural in a paradigm where everyone and everything is interconnected.

6. You learn continuously

Spiritually savvy folks understand that life and planet earth are wonderful classrooms. Every single experience is a potential opportunity for growth and learning. It won’t always be pleasant, but there’s always a takeaway, especially from life’s most challenging situations.

As one ripens spiritually, wisdom is a natural consequence. In other words, they become more Yoda-like. 

7. You create meaningfully

One of the sweet symptoms of spiritually transformative experiences can be an increase in the creative flow.

As one develops spiritually, there will often be a yearning to serve others in meaningful ways now and in generations to come. That means all that one creates is done so consciously, with clear intention, and for the greater good.

For some, they may feel they are a vessel in full service to a greater force, for the greater good. 

8. You walk authentically

Awakening spiritually is like getting naked. Far beyond shedding the clothes, it’s about getting comfortable with vulnerability, openness, simplicity, imperfection, and acceptance of oneself on all levels.

It means genuinely being ok with who you are, how you are, what you are, and where you are, and where you’ve been. It’s about embracing the natural beauty that is you and just doing you in the word, whatever that is.

9. You lead gracefully

Walking an authentic path in life means you’ll inevitably lead in some direction. This is by the simple virtue that when you’re being true to you, you shine your light. And when that happens, people naturally gather.

Spiritually savvy folks understand the responsibility and privilege of leadership and work in partnership with Grace to lead and be led. 

10. You live spontaneously

Waking up spiritually alters one’s sense of time. Boundaries on time-space reality loosen and expand. Being spiritually savvy invites us to stay connected to the eternal through the present ever-unfolding moment.

Although it’s perfectly possible to make plans and work within structures, there is also an aliveness accessible in the present moment that will often lead the way. As many spiritually savvy folks will know, there’s the "plan" with a little "p" (the personal plan) and then there’s the "Plan" with a big "P" that we don’t have control over.

Allowing space to live spontaneously means responding appropriately to the plan and the Plan as needed. 

Does any of this resonate? Are you one of the spiritually savvy stepping forward to play your role in this time of urgency on the planet? If you’ve read this far, I suspect so. 

Welcome aboard. You’re in good company. The world needs you. 

---

Originally published on Your Tango, expert thought leaders.

Photo credit to @edulauton

Coming Out of the Spiritual Closet with #EmergingProud Movement Founder Katie Mottram

Have you ever felt alone on the spiritual journey?

Or perhaps you wondered if you were going mad?

You’re not alone.

There are many reasons why people hesitate to bust out of the spiritual closet and fluff their rainbow tail feathers. Perhaps others will think you’ve lost the plot. Or you have a reputation to protect. Or you fear losing a loved one. Or stepping into a new more authentically you simply feels way too daunting. The list goes on.

This is exactly why Katie Mottram started the #EmergingProud campaign. Now in its 3rd year, it’s become an international movement, where events are held on almost every continent.

As part of this year’s #EmergingProud event, it was my great privilege to host a live online global event with Katie (albeit rather crazy as we tried to capture several timezones at once!).

On the event we also launched #EmergingProud Through NOTEs (non-ordinary transcendent experiences)—the first in a series of 4 pocketbooks of hope and transformation. The books are all part of a non-profit venture with the vision of distributing these little beauties throughout public hospitals and mental health facilities to folks who could do with a little ray of sunshine. For every 2 books bought, it enables one to be gifted.

There were several guests who joined our live event, diving deep into numerous aspects of spiritual experiences and the power they have to change lives and the world. Among them were Seán Patrick (That Guy Who Loves The Universe), Lisa Monaghan (Open Dialogue Trainer), Altazaar Rossiter (Partnering with Spiritual Intelligence), Mick Collins (The Unselfish Spirit &The Visionary Spirit), Sean Blackwell (Am I Bi-Polar Or Waking Up?) and Catherine Lucas (In Case of Spiritual Emergency).

It’s a 2 hour event, so settle in with a cuppa, enjoy, and know that you are a part of a growing interconnected global community of awesome. Pure gold.

Here’s to your spiritual health and wealth!

Nicole xox

Dilemmas And Paradox On The Spiritual Path with Amir Freimann

Welcome to Agents of Awesome TV—the place to be to meet spiritually savvy people doing awesome things to make the world a more awesome place!

Today we chat to Amir Freimann, author and philosophical-spiritual explorer.

Amir left medical school at the end of the 5th year of his studies to seek answers to life's questions. Yes, really.

He then spent 2 years in a Zen monastery in Japan and over 20 years in a spiritual community in the USA. Since moving back to Israel in 2009 he co-founded the Israeli Education Spirit Movement; co-published two books connecting education and philosophical-spiritual inquiry; and recently published Spiritual Transmission: Paradoxes and Dilemmas on the Spiritual Path. He’s currently writing a PhD dissertation on Living Transcendence: Phenomenological Study of Spiritual Exemplars.

In this episode we discuss:

• Amir's existential crisis and why he left medical school for an unknown path of spiritual seeking

• The challenge of living in "two worlds", (i.e. the unknowable mystery of existence and our lives here)

• The beauty and challenges of the guru-disciple relationship

• When spiritual teachers behave "badly"

• The importance of staying open to life's big questions, even when there's paradox and contradiction, and what happens when we stick with it

• Revelation vs. enlightenment

• Living transcendence and how it relates to peak and plateau states

Grab a big cuppa, get cozy, and settle in for this wonderful conversation.

Find out more about Amir's work here.

Want to become an Agent of Awesome? Fabulous! I want that for you too. Get started here.

3 Keys To Make Your Dreams A Reality

How many times have you set out with a big vision of what you want to create, only to have it flop?

This can be disheartening. I get it. Even for the most uber motivated people.

In this quick video I share 3 keys to overcoming resistance when following your dreams.

Key 1: Acknowledge the resistance

Annoying but true. As soon as we put our attention towards something, it’s inevitable that a part of us will resist it at some point. This is especially true for the BIG things in life. The bigger the vision, the more time and energy we have to invest in making it happen, and the more change we have to make to the way we’ve been doing things.

Yep. You can bet resistance will arise!

But rather than denying, ignoring, or fighting the resistance, what if we acknowledged it? Like an old friend, what if we took it out for a cup of coffee and asked it what it wants to tell us? What might it divulge? Chances are it has some valuable thoughts to contribute to our grand scheme. Just like doing weights at the gym, resistance is important in building muscle. Let it help you along the way.

Key 2: Open to the possibility of your big dream

Really owning your dream is no small deal. It means you are stepping into a calling, into your power, into something magnificent that you truly, madly deeply want (for yourself or others). Now if that dream seems out of reach from where you are right now, then really committing to it and admitting this could actually happen can be challenging. Even somewhat frightening.

Strangely, it is surrendering to our own potential that often holds us back.

But opening to the possibility of your dreams coming true, simply means that—opening to the possibility. This is a gentle step in the right direction. We must first know it is possible before it becomes probable, and then inevitable. Trust that this essential small step can lead to big things.

And give yourself FULL PERMISSION to dream.

There are many reasons why you (or others) may not have given yourself permission to this point. Don’t worry yourself too much with all those reasons and restrictions. The point is, you’re here now. And YOU, my friend, are a powerful creator of your destiny. It beings with your vision of what you really want. So let yourself have this vision, at the very least.

Key 3: Tap into previous lived experiences of success

When in your life have you experienced a feeling of flow? Of joy? Of timelessness?

These are really important moments to stay connected to in order to make your dreams a reality. By re-exeriencing the feeling state of these lived moments, you are able to create more from this space.

These moments are important because they hint at the true essence of you—your most natural self. When you can live from and create from this place, you’ll find the quality of your thoughts and actions are more in alignment with what you really want. Decisions will be easier to make. Life path will be clearer. And all that is most useful when navigating the journey of making your best life your daily reality.

In the comments, I’d love to hear about your big dream and what’s worked for you in overcoming resistance to making it happen.

Shine on! Be amazing. Big love.

Nicole xox

The Power of NOTEs Launch Party (a sparkly & spirited extravaganza)!

Well, it’s official . . . The Power of NOTEs has wings and is now flying throughout the world!

Our exclusive launch party in Sydney was a magical full-moon night. And I now know there’s no such thing as too many fairy lights!

On arrival, all guests received a traditional cleansing smoke and welcome to country from Uncle Neil Evers, a well-known and respected First-Nations elder of the region. Neil was assisted by siSTAR Eve Langford, the wonderful creatrix behind these awesome eco-wraps (which were actually inspired by a NOTE in the form of a dream)!

We were blessed with a suite of very special guest speakers.

First up was Susan-Moylan Coombs, proud Gurindji and Woolwonga woman, previous TV Producer for ABC and NITV, mental and spiritual wellness advocate, community empowerment rockstar, and running candidate for the next federal election. I first encountered Susan at the Happiness And Its Causes Conference (the world’s largest conference on happiness). She was speaking about the importance of spiritual health in moving forward as a people. I could not agree more.

On The Power of NOTEs Susan said,

When I was reading this amazing book, I was reminded of notes in perfume . . . There are high notes and low notes in a perfume and depending on how long you wear it, those notes come out. This book reminded me about the notes we have in our life, and how they can be anchor points. We can choose how we view them, and we can choose how we use them to either allow us to drop or to rise. And if we continue to rise with those NOTEs, life is limitless.

We heard from special guest Jonathan Gravenor, foreign correspondent and broadcast journalist who used to deliver news to millions of people. That is, until a NOTE came along in the form of cancer, awakening him to a journey of healing and discovery of self. He shared with us some personal stories along his journey, and an eventual realisation that:

Enlightenment is not a place we get to; enlightenment is simply a path we walk.

Also sharing story was Karina Machado, former senior editor at WHO magazine. Karina has published numerous books relating to NOTEs in the form of spiritual awakening, contact with deceased loved ones, paranormal experiences, and supernatural encounters. She shared that she senses a greater shift taking place, of which NOTEs are an integral part.

From the USA, we were joined by Elizabeth Sabet, president of ACISTE (American Centre for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences).

And popping in from the UK was Katie Mottram, author, blogger, mind-spirit health advocate, co-founder of ISEN (International Spiritual Emergence Network), and creative force behind the #EmergingProud film and movement.

And of course, lots of book signing!

And a whole heap of sultry music thanks to Matt the mysterious wandering musician.

And a word from my publisher, Gerry Roberts, President of Black Card Books.

The passport to explore how to get more out of life is this book. . . It’s practical knowledge on how people can enjoy more happiness, more health, and more wealth.

And a whole heap of healthy, wholesome, home-made delectable treats. Mmm…

Special thanks goes to the amazingly talented Sherree Maniks for her decorative vision that made the night truly enchanting. Thanks too to Cloud 9 Events for generously sharing unheard of reams of fairy lights and sheer gold curtains — you truly made my night!

And, of course, there’s nothing quite like waking (like a lavish goddess) to a house full of flowers the next day and sinking into the wonderful feeling that these marvellous books have started floating around town, sparking sacred conversations and opening minds, hearts, and spirits.

I am in deep gratitude for all who came and all who have helped to launch this book into the big, wide world.

You can catch the online launch of the book here, where I give a tour of the book and also have some other special guests speak about their NOTEs.

Go here to buy a personally signed copy of the book — signed, sealed, and posted by yours truly. Or jump on Amazon for the digital version.

And if you’re ready to dive deeper with me into the power of your NOTEs, come along and check out The NOTEs Mentorship. It’s an intensive 9-month journey for people ready to step big into the life that truly calls and to use the gifts unique to you.

It’s a call to Agents of Awesomeness.

Yes, YOU! Your time is now.

Lift Off! The Power of NOTEs Online Launch

. . . and so another book is born into the world.

Here’s the replay of the official online launch for The Power of NOTEs: How Non-Ordinary Transcendent Experiences Transform The Way We Live, Love And Lead. Join me for a walk through the book, including practical tools on how you can elevate, celebrate, and harness the power of your NOTEs towards right livelihood and true life wealth.

Watch the replay here.

We’re joined by several special guests:

• Katie Mottram: author, activist, co-founder of ISEN (International Spiritual Emergence Network) and founder of the #EmergingProud campaign

• Elizabeth Sabet: transformational coach and President of ACISTE (American Centre for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences)

• Chuck Swedrock: President of IANDS (International Association for Near Death Studies)

• And NOTEs experiencers Linda Cull (artist, author, publisher) and Lisa Wheeler (therapist)

3 Common Challenges After A Spiritual Experience & How To Overcome Them

Have you ever had a profound spiritual or beyond-the-ordinary experience that rocked your world?

If so, you’ll know that integrating such experiences is no smooth road. There are things to deal with in the short term, as well as more long-term. Changes can happen on the physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and social levels, making for a complicated mixing pot!

In this webinar I share 3 of the most common challenges faced by people who’ve had a non-ordinary transcendent experience—a NOTE. Examples of NOTEs include awakening experiences, near-death, near-death-like, kundalini, out-of-body, big dreams, and so many more. In fact, over 500 types of NOTEs have been documented!

I also share 3 time-tested ways to overcome any challenges along the spiritual path, so that you can get on with living a wholesome existence that’s in alignment with who you’re becoming.

Stay until the end to find out about my mentorship program, starting at the end of January 2019. It’s the support I always wanted whilst meandering on my path for many years, itching to live that force of something-so-much-more that wanted to come through.

Share with people you know going through this journey or with any professionals who work with NOTEs experiencers.

Shine on!

Big Love,

Nicole xx

The Power of NOTEs ebook now available worldwide

BOOM! The Power of NOTEs is now available worldwide through Amazon Kindle.

Of course, you can still order a personally signed hard copy too!

The Power Of NOTEs: How Non-Ordinary Transcendent Experiences Transform The Way We Live, Love, and Lead is a self-empowerment guide for anyone who’s had an experience that took you outside your usual self, and beyond your regular understanding of the world. 

There are over 500 different types of NOTEs, such as out-of-body experiences, spiritual experiences, awakening, near-death-experiences, visions, lucid dreams, peak experiences, and so many more. For some people, even falling in love, birthing a baby, or losing a loved one can bring about a NOTE. In essence, it’s an experience where time warps, a sense of something so much more than the ordinary happens. It’s often a sacred experience that changes us on a deep level. 

My own NOTEs journey started with a near-death experience more than 20 years ago. Whilst white-water rafting in New Zealand, I was thrown out of the raft and into deep water under a gushing waterfall and everything around me was black. After the panic of my last breath subsided, everything became calm, and a horizon of light appeared. Some loved ones came to greet me. 

From that time, I’ve been on a quest to better understand NOTEs and I’ve had the great pleasure of speaking with hundreds of NOTEs experiencers about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the miraculous. 

This book is a short and sweet introduction to NOTEs, packed with practical tools to help you understand and make the most of your experiences. 

Often, people who’ve had a NOTE feel a strong urge to make significant and sometimes drastic life changes. That might mean a reshuffling of personal priorities, changes to relationships, choosing a new life path, or all of that! Relationships can often break down because NOTEs can be so hard to describe and difficult to share. People might think you're nuts if you share about something others can't see, hear, feel, or understand. It’s like trying to explain a foreign country to someone whose never left their neighborhood. 

The Power of NOTEs: 

• has quizzes to help you find the type of experiences you’ve had

• explains the aftereffects that can happen physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially

• presents some of the leading neuroscience on spiritual experiences

• shares stories from many experiencers on how NOTEs transformed their lives

• has coaching tools to help you harness these wondrous experiences and start living even more of the awesomeness you are designed to be

 I want for you to live a happy, wholesome, deeply satisfying life that inspires others and does good in the world. I want your genius to have a chance to shine through. At the end of your life, I want you to look back and feel you lived the best life possible. No regrets. Not one. 

That’s why I wrote this book.

Grab your digital copy or hard copy today.

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Join me in January for a NOTEs Extravaganza!

 On Jan 8, I’ll be doing a LIVE and FREE interactive webinar called 3 Common Challenges After a Spiritual Experience & How To Overcome Them

On the 12th, I’d love you to join me for the Official Online Book Launch of The Power of NOTEs. We’ll have special guests, people sharing their NOTEs stories, Q&A, and giveaways of the book!

On Saturday 19th, I’ll be having an in-person book launch on Sydney’s beautiful northern beaches in a gorgeous venue overlooking the ocean. It’s going to be an enchanting evening with special guests, tasty treats, and a whole heap of goodies. Stay tuned Sydney…

And on Jan 30th, drumroll…The NOTEs Mentorship begins. I’m so excited to be offering this because it's the heart and soul of my work with people. Over 9 months, this awesome group of people will meet every 2 weeks online for the sole purpose of working with your NOTEs to create your best life. The mentorship is for people who've had a transformative experience that awoke something within and you're now looking for guidance and support in the next steps. It’s for people ready to make your calling a living, breathing, prosperous reality. Available worldwide. Enrolments are now open. 

Wishing you a magical and wonder-filled festive season. 

Shine bright,

Nicole

The Power of NOTEs is here!

The gifting season has arrived early!

Hot off the printing press, The Power of NOTEs: How Non-Ordinary Transcendent Experiences Transform The Way We Live, Love, And Lead is finally here!

You can grab your signed copy here. It will be lovingly packaged and posted by yours truly.

I’ve got to admit there’s nothing quite like cracking open that box and holding that new book for the very first time.

I’m thrilled that it’s finally ready to be shared with you.

Here’s some of what folks have been saying about the book:

“As William James pointed out, what we think of as ‘normal’ awareness is just one out of a whole spectrum of different states. With great clarity and energy, Nicole Gruel explains why non-ordinary states have such significance and may even hold the key to our future as a species.”

—Steve Taylor, PhD, author of The Leap and Spiritual Science

“This book is a wonderful support for those who experience non- ordinary transcendent experiences (NOTEs) and a clear perspective to help everyone understand their potential for life transformation. Gruel blends the perspective of noted scientists and psychiatrists like Carl Jung with remarkable stories of experiencers and offers ways to integrate the insights from these moments into the flow of life. She offers an impressive contribution to the field of transpersonal psychology and spiritual emergence.”

—Bonnie Greenwell, PhD, Psychotherapist, Non-dual teacher, and author of When Spirit Leaps: Navigating the Process of Spiritual Awakening.

“Dr. Nicole Gruel’s common-sense and inspirational style of writing, along with her ability to blend research with direct experience, makes this book the new required reading in the field of Spiritual Emergence and Emergencies. Her ability to address complex theories and research in way that is readable will enable both professionals and experiencers alike to develop an understanding of and appreciation for, the potential of NOTEs to create transformative shifts in a person’s conscious growth. Not only is it difficult for experiencers to shape into language the experience they have undergone, but it is also difficult to explain the personal challenges and changes most NOTEs create. This encouraging book will help solve that problem. Nicole’s graceful handling of these issues gives us a common language we can use to communicate regarding these experiences which helps create a much-needed bridge of understanding between the experiencer and the non-experiencer.”

—Elizabeth J. Sabet, PCC, ASCLC, President of The American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, Transformational/Transpersonal Coach

8 Gifts Arising From Transcendent Experiences

Often, when someone has been through a transformative non-ordinary experience, peculiar gifts can arise.

Those gifts may be extensions of what the person could do before, like singing, but now to a whole new level of sublime. Or they could be completely foreign abilities, like telepathy, that can sometimes freak a person out.

The gifts that arise from NOTEs (non-ordinary transcendent experiences) can be a mixed blessing. It can take time to get to know them and learnt to harness them well. They’re kind of like superpowers, which of course, should be respected.

But if we learn to work well with these new abilities, magic can truly happen.

I had the great pleasure of presenting at this year’s IANDS (International Association for Near Death Studies) Conference on one of my favourite topics: the gifts of extraordinary experiences.

Rumi sums up these transcendent gifts as only Rumi can:

“You have no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring you. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So I brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me.” Rumi

Here’s the recording of the complete presentation plus Q&A. We cover a lot of territory.

Hope you enjoy it!

Shine on.

Nicole xx

What Happens Beyond Extraordinary Experiences?

I often get asked if I’ve ever had extraordinary experiences. And if so, what happened?

As anyone who’s had such an experience can attest, it’s often difficult to sum up such transformative live events in a few neat sentences. So, it’s a real pleasure to have the opportunity to share some of my story and to extend the discussion into what life is like through and beyond these experiences.

Those familiar with my work will know that I’m passionate not only about the wild variety of NOTEs (non-ordinary transcendent experiences)—of which there are more than 500!—but also life AFTER these profound experiences. Specifically, how they change us and what we then feel pulled to do in the world.

In fact, I love this stuff so much it’s why I do what I do every single day as a coach for NOTEs experiencers and those seeking a life of spiritual health.

I’m most grateful to Sheryl Gottschall, Barry Taylor, and the Afterlife Discussions community in Brisbane, Australia, for the invitation to share in a wonderful conversation.

If you desire a safe and supportive space to process your NOTEs and to explore the changes in your life they have prompted, it would be my honour to work with you.

Here’s 3 was to join me in live coaching: a new Shine Brighter Success Circle starting early 2019, The Emergence Salon, or a one-to-one Deep Dive Intensive.

Love them all and not sure which one’s the best match for you? Book a FREE 30 minute Discovery Call with me and we’ll figure out your best road forward.

Shine on!

Why The World Needs A Spiritual Science

Voila! The latest episode of Take NOTE, the place to be to make the most of your non-ordinary transcendent experiences. Today we speak with Prof. Steve Taylor about his newest book, Spiritual Science: Why Science Needs Spirituality To Make Sense Of The World.

Here's what Deepak Chopra said about the new book:

With elegance and lucidity, Steve Taylor explains why spiritual science is the only hope for humanity. A science based on the superstition of matter as fundamental reality could lead to our extinction but a science grounded in the understanding of consciousness as a fundamental reality – as described by this book – could be our saving grace.

In this conversation, we touch on:
💎 why and how current materialist science is outdated
💎 how a spiritual science can explain phenomena that seem to defy reality, such as near-death and awakening experiences 
💎 how depression can be reframed from "broken brain" to something so much more (and therefore navigated more wholesomely)
💎 what an awakening experience is and who has them
💎 introversion, extroversion and the spiritual journey
💎 the cultural shift taking place right now that is ESSENTIAL for the future of our species and planet

May you enjoy these diamonds and share with those who you know will dig this too. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my Youtube channel so you never miss an episode.

Get your copy of the book at https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/

Got someone you'd love to hear an interview with in a future episode? Let me know!

Shine on! ✨😊✨ #thepowerofNOTEs

The 8 Transcendent Gifts Arising From NDEs

Looking forward to presenting at the upcoming International Association For Near-Death Studies (IANDS) conference. 80 amazing speakers including NY Times bestseller Dr. Eben Alexander and PMH Atwater, a pioneer of NDE studies. It's an honour to be part of this conversation into the aftereffects and gifts of NDEs--one of my favourite topics!!

I'll be speaking on...

The 8 Transcendent Gifts Arising From NDEs and Other NOTEs (Non-Ordinary Transcendent Experiences)

This presentation shares experiencer stories and key findings from doctoral research that explored if and how personality plays a role in life-changing NOTEs (non-ordinary transcendent experiences), their aftereffects, and the meaning experiencers make of them. Examples of NOTEs include NDEs, NDLEs, kundalini awakenings, out-of-body experiences, revelation, divine encounters, paranormal experiences, psychedelic experiences, spiritual crises, and other STEs. The findings suggest there are transcendent dimensions to personality that are “switched on” or enhanced by profound NOTEs. These transcendent dimensions provide indications of the types of gifts experiencers come to know through their experience(s), often significantly shaping their life after their experience(s) and may eventually become gifts they choose to share with others.

Although I was meant to be there in person, my circumstances have changed and I won't make it physically. BUT thanks to the wonders of technology, I'll be presenting via LIVE video. In the meantime, I'll continue to practice bilocation.

If you have an interest in NDEs or are an experiencer yourself, this is THE place to be. It will be marvellously enriching on all levels. If you can't make it in person, be sure to register for the live stream option. Gold be here.

Darkness To Light To A Global Movement featuring Kelly Walsh (aka The Positivity Princess)

Welcome to the latest episode of #TakeNOTE ~ the place to be to make the most of your Non-Ordinary Transcendent Experiences!

NOTEs often bring about an insatiable desire to help others and make the world a better place. In this episode, we speak with Kelly Michelle Walsh (aka the Positivity Princess), who is one such person. Her purpose is "to help you shine so friggin bright the world needs to wear sunglasses!" 

We discuss:

•  Kelly's suicide attempt that led to a near-death experience and gave her a mission to fulfil on planet earth
• the ups and downs after an awakening experience
• the importance of an anchoring person or community as one goes through transformation
• navigating the mental health system as a NOTEs experiencer and how you can help as a loved one or mental health professional
• Kelly's experience-based perspective on suicide and what happens beyond the physical with those who suicide
• the birth of a movement to create more positivity on this planet (with the help of those in the physical, those no longer in the physical, and other non-local forces) and how you can get involved

A whole heap of loving goodness and real talk in this interview.

You can get in touch with Kelly here

And join the Positivity Power movement here

The book "The Transformative Power of Near Death Experiences: How the Messages of NDEs Can Positively Impact the World" with a prologue from Neale Donald Walsch is available from Amazon and other online sellers. Highly recommended.

SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and never miss an episode of quality content to grow your spiritual health and life wealth.

Shine on beautiful people.