Coleston Brown Bio

This is where most writers, teachers, etc, give out information about themselves and their accomplishments ~ usually
in the third person. Why in the third person? I've never really understood that. Even if, like Aristotle, they had an
amanuensis eagerly following them about, recording every word as they paced and pontificated, why not express
themselves in the first person? Ahhh, the great mysteries of the universe!

Of course I have certainly done it myself in the past ~ written autobiographical bits starting with phrases like
"Coleston Brown is a writer, teacher, artist, ..." and so on. I suppose doing it in the third person suggests that not
only are we writers, but we are written about (even if it's by ourselves), which must mean we're somehow special
and deserving of attention.

Now as neither I nor you are any more important than anyone else in the great scheme of things, I've decided to give
up writing these biographical details about myself in the third person. Fortunately for us all, I've never gotten into the
habit of speaking about myself in the third person (well, maybe once or twice while burning the midnight oil, after a
couple of shots of Irish Mist ... and there was that one workshop .... )

So we're all equally important. As you might guess, I'm no fan of the "great man" theory that underlies a lot of
people's perceptions of historical and spiritual development. Certainly the world of spiritual teachers is rife with prima
donnas who seem to spend much of their time jockeying for position, not to mention lusting for the cash of innocents
and not-so innocents seeking knowledge and power.

My understanding of things is much more in line with the age-old esoteric "doctrine of sympathies" or spiritual
resonance. Currents of power stream through the world and human consciousness. Some personalities resonate
closely with a particular current and may become spokesmen or representatives of it. There are always plenty of
resonant people, however, and no one is indispensable or especially important. So if one person messes up, there's
always someone else to carry on until the energy is spent and a new current comes in. But I digress. Back to the
biographical stuff.

I have lived a charmed life. I attribute this to my work in the sacred magic of the Mysteries, with which I have been
involved for more than thirty years. I received my first formal training in the esoteric arts from Gareth Knight and his
Mystery School in the late 1970's. I well remember knocking on the door of a lilttle cottage named "wisteria"
clutching a scrap of paper with the address that had been thrust into my hand at the last minute as I boarded a plane
on a visit to Britain. Something drew me there ~ no doubt it was "resonance," which always seems to play a role in
people linking up with the Mysteries. In 1986 I was initiated into the Greater Mysteries in a private ritual at
Hawkwood College in Gloucestershire. Since then my work has developed as the fruit of my own experience and
contacts with inner streams of tuition.

When I say I've lived a charmed life, I don't mean my experiences have been much different outwardly than a lot of
other people. I've had ups and downs just like anyone else, perhaps even more than most experience within the
relative comfort of modern western society. My life is charmed because all of my experiences have been meaningful
and empowering ~ even the difficult ones ~ and I've come to realise that the greatest magic is worked in the midst of
daily activities, not in a secluded lodge or a darkened room. My spiritual practice, teaching, writing and other
activities are all geared towards helping others achieve this kind of meaning and resonance in their own lives.

Although born in the UK (where I've returned many times), I've lived most of my years so far in Canada and the US.
I've been fortunate to work in a large number of professions. I've swept floors in a high-rise, worked as a tradesman
in building construction, as a financial administrator in New York City, as the office manager for a large Roman
Catholic parish and school (though I'm not Roman Catholic), as a librarian, and as a publisher of esoteric books. I
have learned a great deal from all of these activities,which have helped me immensely in my spiritual work.

I am fortunate enough to be able to work these days as a professional writer and teacher of spiritual things, with
related forays into music and painting ~ all of which, I am well aware are notoriously capricious activities when it
comes to earning a living. Nonetheless, my spiritual practice has always brought me plenty ~ often from strange and
unexpected sources ~ which is as it should be, if we are tuned to the flow of spiritual energy in life.

Additional details on my personal experiences, especially in regards to the spiritual currents that run through
Glastonbury and the Glastonbury Zodiac can be found here.