🔭 The Present Perspective Newsletter

👑 When life becomes majestic again

Beneath the busyness of thought and the struggles of daily life lies something we often forget: the sheer wonder of being alive. Mindfulness helps us return to this truth, not as an idea but as a direct experience of joy, intimacy and awe.

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.” — Thích Nhất Hạnh

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Dear Reader

The Mystery and Majesty of Being Human

There is far more to each and everyone of us than we think.

It is easy to lose sight of the majesty, mystery and profundity of human existence.
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As babies, we enter this world as a miracle—we all remember this when we see a baby.
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Something in us responds to the wonder of a new life being brought into this world—the majesty, innocence and magic of it.

These qualities—majesty, innocence, magic—and the related wonder are intrinsic in our life, intrinsic in the nature of the universe. And we have the privilege of being able to experience them.

Wonder in Science and Nature

From a scientific point of view, we encounter wonder when we contemplate the vastness of the universe, the mysteries of consciousness, the planets and stars, the mind-bending nature of quantum mechanics, black holes, the potential for multi-universes.

Individually, we can be awestruck, witnessing a majestic sunrise, gazing into the night sky and seeing the milky way.

We experience the bliss of love, forgetting our worries as we enjoy the warm connection and intimacy of a lover or friends, the thrill of excitement and inspiration as we pursue our passions, the wonder as we embark on a creative enterprise.

You Are Wonder

The same force that reveals the majestic, awe-inspiring sunset and wonders of the universe, is the same force that lives and gives expression to us.

It gives birth to us, grows us, lives us—allows us to have consciousness, to be both an expression of, and to partake and experience the sheer wonder of being here at all.

Forgetting the Mystery

Through habit, conditioning and distraction, we can lose affinity for this mystery, losing sight and awareness of the profundity of our existence and the inherent wonder and joy in life.
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We take the narrative in our head and the virtual reality it creates as reality, and be imprisoned by it.

Life shrinks into a series of problems and struggles. We can feel separated, isolated and depressed. A few brief holidays or distractions may give us relief, but the underlying sense of being trapped often returns.

Our life becomes small, constrained, isolated and in many ways lifeless.

A Resurrection of Aliveness

Many spiritual traditions speak of resurrection. This is not a literal resurrection, but a rediscovery of the authentic feeling of actually being alive—the tacit experience of joy, wonder and intimacy with life.

Coming Home to Ourselves

Mindfulness and meditation are doorways into this rediscovery. They allow us to relax deeply enough to remember our true nature—an expansive, mysterious, wonderous and profound nature that is the creative principle of the universe itself.

This is not special, is not a theory or even at heart, a practice.
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It is simply the felt sense of being fully here, in this moment, and of all the majesty and wonder that reveals.

🧘‍♀️ Mini Mindfulness Exercise: Awakening to Wonder

1. Arrival (2 minutes): Sit comfortably. Take a few deep breaths, noticing your body settle.
2. Remember (2 minutes): Bring to mind a moment of wonder —a sunrise, sunset, a starry night, the laugh of a child, or the intimacy and warmth of a close friend. Let the memory evoke its feeling.
3. Feel (5 minutes): Now, put the memory aside and notice any feeling of openness, wonder and aliveness right now—the rhythm of your breath, the beating of your heart, the sounds around you. Stay with this sense of being alive.
4. Rest (1 minute): Rest quietly in the feeling of being part of, and held by the wonder of life.

Why this helps: Recalling and sensing wonder interrupts the narrow story of life as a “problem.” It reconnects us with the depth, beauty and intimacy of simply being here.

🏫 Intro to Mindfulness Courses and Workshops​

Reduce anxiety, improve sleep and increase self-acceptance with mindfulness.
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These Intro to Mindfulness and Meditation courses and workshops are designed for absolute beginners and are offered by certified Mindfulness Works mindfulness teachers.

Queensland

​Bulimba – 30 September​

​Buderim – 11 November​
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Online and Live

​Online and live - Monday, 3 November​
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🆕 ***Starts This Tues 16th*** You Are Already Perfect — 3-Week Meditation Course​

Because of our conditioning, upbringing and culture, most of us have the sense that there is something wrong with us, that we are incomplete, unworthy of love and need fixing.

This can range from a subtle feeling of anxiousness to feeling overwhelmed, isolated, lonely and depressed.
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Mindfulness meditation helps us discover that we are completely unproblematic, whole and complete just as we are.
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This is not a belief or philosophy, but a tacit feeling and realisation.
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This meditation course offers you a chance to let go and reconnect with your already-OK and complete nature.

​It is a time to put down the struggle and come home to yourself in a way that feels natural, fresh and alive.
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This course is suitable for beginners and experienced meditators.
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​Date: Tues. 16, 23 & 30 Sept (3 x Tuesday evenings)
​Time: 6.30pm – 7.15pm AEST each session (45 minutes)
​Facilitator: Karl Baker
​Price: $45 (entire course)

❤️‍🔥 Awakening to Self-Love – 6-Day Silent Meditation Retreat, Healesville: Friday, 3 Oct – Wednesday, 8 Oct, 2025​

Final release tickets available now. Only 6 tickets left.

This silent meditation retreat focuses on our inherent ability to experience self-love and inner healing.

Price: $1,995 (all inclusive)
​Teachers: Stephen Archer and Karl Baker
​Dates: Friday, 3 October – Wednesday, 8 October
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🏢 Workplace Mindfulness Training

Nationwide in-person or online mindfulness training for workplaces.
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– Build team mental and emotional resilience.
– Improve mental fitness.
– Practical strategies for reducing burnout.
– Enhance team communication and connection.

​Get a customised program and free quote.
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