This book is part true love story and part how-to guide. In these pages, I take you with me on the spiritual adventure of my life and share how I eventually found what I was longing for – deep trust in my own inner wisdom and a true love, soul mate and life partner that can meet me on all levels. Along with the story, I share the insights and learning that lit the way for me with the hope that this will also help illuminate your path of love and wisdom.
My quest for wisdom began when I was a child, trying to figure out if church had the answers to life’s big questions. Continuing by studying psychology at university, I was profoundly affected by the death of my father and discovered the practice of meditation. For nearly two decades thereafter, I trained for and became an ordained Buddhist.
But wisdom wasn’t enough. Although denying it for many years, deep down I also ached to be properly partnered by a soul mate – a true love that shared every aspect of my life. A series of experiences finally brought me to fulfill that destiny and the ensuing spiritual renaissance resulted in the resigning of my ordination and the founding of Thrivecraft – an inspirational coaching practice providing a universal path of love and wisdom for all.
Echoing my own journey, the first half of Pearls is about inner wisdom. Along with this part of my story, I share tips and teachings on meditation, mindfulness and intuition so that you too can tune in to your own natural inner wisdom.
The second half focuses on finding true love and includes my ‘Get Ready For Love’ step-by-step guide. I also describe how inner wisdom continues to serve a deepening relationship once you’ve met a partner (or, indeed, reveals when it is time to move on).
It is my dear wish that you will be inspired by my story and tips, transported by a special ‘Ask Your Inner Wisdom’ meditation I have created and recapture your natural entitlement to be completely guided and supported in all that you do. Go ahead and find the kind of love and wisdom that you so desire and so deserve. Dive for your pearls – they are right here and they are all yours.
Hot off the press – my episode as the guest on the Amit Kainth TV Show!
Amit is asking me about inner wisdom – Does everyone have inner wisdom? How do we tell inner wisdom from other, less helpful, inner voices? How do we access inner wisdom? And I guide a short experience of consulting our inner wisdom.
Here is the full recording of the show which was aired on Sky TV channel Star Plus in July.
As I complete writing my forthcoming book – Diving for Pearls: Discovering Inner Wisdom – I am concluding with my account of reclaiming my original name, Maggie Kay, last year. I’ve been looking at the videos I took at the time to remind myself of the magic of that occasion. And so, I thought I’d share it with you again and re-post my blog from the summer of 2013…
This summer I changed my name from Srimati to Maggie Kay.
I’ve been known as Srimati for 20 years – a spiritual name given to me when I was ordained into the Western Buddhist Order in 1993. And although I resigned my ordination 11 years ago and no longer consider myself to be a Buddhist (preferring to embrace all spiritual traditions), I kept my beautiful spiritual name until now.
So why the change?
The idea came out of the blue – well from the heavens to my husband Pat, as it was he who had the sudden insight to make the change after talking with me about some old unconscious beliefs I was letting go of. But it felt so right! I knew as soon as Pat suggested it that it was what I would do.
We could see that being called Srimati was keeping me subtly but powerfully linked to aspects of Buddhism that I no longer resonate with. And it was blocking me from claiming my true spiritual inheritance from my family name, ancestors and magical Scottish homeland.
I gave myself the summer to make the changes. It has been a profound, rich, intimate inner process (as anyone who has changed their name may tell you) and has also required a bit of practical work including re-branding my business.
In August, Pat and I had a wonderful holiday in Scotland. On our first night, wanting to honour my ancestors, we visited the birthplace of my Great Grandmother, Mary Kay, whose name has been passed down at least five generations on my mother’s side to me.
Here is a video I took that morning, speaking about my great grandmother, Mary Kay:-
After enjoying a delightful week with my mum on the Isle of Cumbrae, Pat and I spent our last night in Scotland near the Scottish Buddhist retreat centre, Dhanakosa, where I had been ordained and given the name Srimati.
In this video I am standing on the lochside by the retreat centre, reflecting on my ordination as Srimati:-
The following morning, I conducted my own private ceremony to lovingly lay aside my Buddhist name, Srimati, in the very shrine room where I was publicly ordained.
I took the video camera into the shrine room with me to catch this spontaneous but powerful ceremonial moment:-
And so Srimati ‘radiant mind’ has become Maggie Kay ‘pearl fire’.
My friends have been adapting with love and understanding (some of them affectionately calling me Srimaggie for a while to help them with the transition!) and my mum is very happy I’ve chosen to reclaim the beautiful names she gave me at birth.
There have been a few moments when I’ve missed being Srimati and have been feeling strangely ‘naked’ as Maggie Kay, but I know I am embodying more of myself than ever before.
Thrivecraft with Maggie Kay 