Revealing the Mystic Within: An Active Imagination Journey
Revealing the Mystic Within, the fourth in the Psychemagination Series is out now. Revealing the Mystic Within is a record—in the form of a narrative poem—of the active imagination that unfolded during an online course I did in 2025 with the Centre for Applied Jungian Studies. My active imaginations up until this point—shared in the previous Psychemagination books—had come into my mind of their own accord, springing naturally from my examination of how neurodivergence manifested in my mind and life. At that time, having never heard the term ‘active imagination’, I coined the word Psychemagination, meaning ‘using the imagination to examine the psyche’. Only later did I discover that Carl Jung described the same kind of process as active imagination—essentially the practice of entering a meditative state and allowing the elements of our unconscious mind to reveal themselves in a kind of waking dream. I began by sitting in meditation,…
Blue Dragons Revealed | A World Beyond Reality
Fantasy worlds. My imaginative mind has always created them. From the time I was very young, I created imaginary worlds and lived in them every day after my return home from school. (Interesting note: Carl Jung did too. He talks about it in his autobiography.) That imagination created visual theatre performances – my living for 20 years – came up with the Diamond Peak Fantasy Series, and the Ella Smith Series – presently comprising World Within Worlds and The Locksmith’s Secret – and now, with the assistance of AI, it’s creating more visual theatre but in video form. What I love about AI art is the ability to make those worlds come to life, and my blue dragon realm, filled with lizard people, flying horses and, of course, blue dragons, is one of those worlds. I first created it back when AI video generation was pretty poor, so I thought…
Why Your Value Isn’t Tied to Productivity
What If Your Value Had Nothing to Do with What You Produce? Imagine a world where your worth wasn’t measured by how much you achieve, how many hours you work, or how productive you are. What if your value was simply in your existence? In a culture that glorifies busyness and ties success to financial gain, It’s a radical idea. But what if this belief is not only incomplete but also deeply flawed? The Productivity Trap In Western culture, success is often synonymous with money. Whether it’s climbing the corporate ladder, selling art, or running a business, the underlying message is clear: your value is tied to what you produce. Even at a smaller scale, we’re judged by our usefulness. Are you contributing? Are you achieving? Are you doing enough? This mindset keeps us on a relentless hamster wheel of busyness, where rest feels like a luxury we can’t afford. …
Healing the Inner Child with Expressive Arts
I used to occasionally explode with rage and had no idea why—until I realised my sudden outbursts weren’t random. They were echoes—low‑grade trauma lodged in a younger self who had never been seen. For decades I ignored that small presence. I thought I was simply ‘too sensitive’ or ‘overreactive’. It wasn’t until I sat down and invited her to speak that the pattern revealed itself. She told me what had happened. I used imagination to go back, to stand between the past and the child, to protect her in the way she needed. The memory shifted. The charge eased. The rage that had surprised me for years began to dissolve. The process I used to meet and embrace my inner child was what Carl Jung calls active imagination, and part of that process is recording what happens in your mind through words or one or more of the expressive arts.…
When a Stranger Reads Your Soul: On the Power of Reviews
As authors, we pour so much of ourselves into our books — our ideas, our experiences, our imagination, our heart. But once a book is out in the world, it needs something essential to keep travelling: reviews. They’re not just a courtesy; they’re social proof. Most readers won’t take a chance on an author they haven’t read before without seeing that others have gone before them and found something worthwhile. Reviews help people decide whether a book is for them, and they help the book find the readers who will truly resonate with it. But beyond the practical side, there’s something deeply moving about receiving a review from someone who not only enjoyed the book, but understood it — someone who recognised its intention, its depth, its value. Those moments feel like a quiet meeting of minds across time and space. They remind me why I write, and why I…
Psychemagination: Healing the Inner Child Coming Soon
I’m delighted to share that Book 2 in the Psychemagination Series, Healing the Inner Child, will be released in late February. At the same time, I’m deep in the process of completing Book 3, Unmasking the Essential Self. I’m also currently in an ADHD‑fuelled hyperfocus on Jungian psychology—particularly the practice of active imagination. This immersion has made me realise just how much the Psychemagination books themselves are living examples of active imagination in practice. Each book is both a mythic journey and a self‑help guide, showing how imagination, art, and symbol can lead us into profound healing. Why Start With Into the Underworld? Before Healing the Inner Child arrives, I encourage you to read Book 1: Into the Underworld – A Neurodivergent Journey through Myth, Art, and Psychology to Discover Your Authentic Self. This first book lays the foundation for the series, inviting you into the depths of psyche and…
Novel Writing Mastery: Your Essential Guide to Writing and Publishing Success
It’s done. Finally. Tick. Finished. Move on to the next thing. That’s how my creativity urges me on. Oh, wait—I need to tell people about it. No one will know it is exists if I don’t, and someone might like to read it. So, here I am, letting you know that I’ve written another book. It’s called Novel Writing Mastery: A Step-By-Step Guide From Conception To Publication. I keep forgetting to mention it, which is silly because I genuinely think it’s a book that could help anyone who’s writing. It’s been formatted. The cover’s done. I’ve uploaded it to the printer/distributor, and it’s on Amazon, ready for you to order. What’s in the Book? This book is a culmination of everything Rose and I have shared on our Alkira Publishing YouTube channel over the past couple of years. I actually started writing it long before that, but life got in the…
My Journey of Autistic Self-Discovery Expressed in a Surreal Music Video
My AI art music video below, set to a song about a late-diagnosed autistic discovering their neurodivergence, illustrates the first chapter of my book Psychemagination: Into the Underworld — where myth, art, and introspection meet, not only to tell my story but also to help you find your own way into discovering who you really are. But the Psychemagination story doesn’t begin—or end—with the book. Psychemagination is a living creative exploration, a multi-modal journey into the depths of self through myth, introspection, and art. It takes form as prose, poetry, visual storytelling, and AI-generated music videos. Not all of it fits between the pages. Some of it sings. Some of it dances. Some of it flickers across the screen in images that speak where words fall silent. The story first emerged two years ago as a series of videos set to my husband’s music. Those early pieces were heartfelt, but…
It’s Real. It’s Here. In My Hands – Plus Other News
It’s here. I’m holding Psychemagination: Into the Underworld in my hands—and I’m so proud I could burst. This book is the result of several years of introspective art, neurodivergent healing, and poetic storytelling. It’s part memoir, part picture book for adults, and part self-guided art therapy journey. In the video below, I unwrap the paperback and share what this book means to me. It’s the first in a series that explores the neurodivergent experience through symbolic art and contemplative practice. Whether you’re neurodivergent or simply curious about your inner world, this book is an invitation to reflect, imagine, and heal. I’m still waiting on the hardback, and it should be an even better print job – at least I’m hoping so. I’ll show you that when it arrives. Join me on this journey. This is just the beginning. The Substack Project If you’re interested in exploring the deeper layers of…
Begin the Journey: Into the Depths and Heights of Being
The journey begins. The short work of videoart below illustrates the inciting incident for my book ‘Psychemagination: Into the Underworld,’ the moment when my sister suggested that our whole family was autistic. Set to an original song and visionary AI art, it invites you to follow the Psychemagination series – illustrated books and videos about a contemplative, neuro-affirming path of healing and transformation—using the expressive arts, imaginative meditation, and modern psychological insight. But Psychemagination isn’t just a book series—it’s a personal and universal journey of exploration of our psyche through the expressive arts. It’s looking into ourselves and expressing what we find through writing, art, music and dance. The act of putting our inner world outside ourselves helps us to process what we find. The Psychemagination books combine my story, written in lyrical prose, and my art, plus introspective art exercises for you, so you can also take a journey…