Interview with Diana Sandalwood

Diana Sandalwood is the Director of the Dreamweaving Meditation and Counselling Centre.  An adept teacher and healer, her life and work shows that we develop skills, enter into situations and create relationships that our Soul knows is best for our evolution.  We appreciate her willingness to be candid about milestones and during her own journey.  Thanks for offering examples of compassion and courage, inspiring us all to be grateful for every moment and lesson that presents itself.

Share some pivotal moments in your life that guide you to where you are today.

A radical transformation of my own Consciousness has come from my collective life experiences. Some I readily accepted, and others, I initially resisted. All of them have shaped this ‘raw gem’ that is me. All our life experiences mold or sculpt us into who we become as adults.

Sounds like your view about life echoes how Michelangelo felt when he said, ‘Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.’

You could say that. Earlier in life, during search for answers and belonging, I found great solace in the Christian Church Community.  Though I have now respectfully and lovingly distanced myself from it, I am grateful as it guided me to a solid base on which to build my life. 

Feeling gratitude and excitement reflects the knowing you have always had that destiny is on the way. Our desire for connection and love runs deep, to the point we may compromise who we are, to find belonging.  Brene Brown's book, Braving the Wilderness: A Quest for True Belonging to Stand Alone, invites us all to explore our own vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame that are tied up in the concept of belonging.  Tell us about how you come to trust yourself more...

I recall cases where I felt stretched, almost to breaking point.  Yet, I hung in there, believing answers would come, and they eventually did.  It was scary, but I developed faith and trust in myself out of necessity.

Developing trust in oneself and the unknown is part of human evolution.  Many people reach stages where they feel ready to give up, and some do.  Yet, many, like yourself, do not.  As we each  come to realize, challenges offer opportunities to grow stronger,  to tap into what we are truly made of. It is as if we let go of logic to trust other modes of operating.  We shift gears, switch focus.

Searching for Truth and meaning did bring its share of challenges, yet, it also allowed me to gain Spiritual Knowledge then access a depth of Knowing.  This process helps me sort the junk from the Truth… and shows me who I REALLY am, how powerful I am.

What you describe triggers goosebumps. As we feel positive emotions while visualizing different segments of our lives unfolding, feelings we would would feel as we see our vision happening and coming true, this is so powerful.  Meditating on our vision regularly changes everything.  As we bring in all our mind's senses, the sounds we would hear, the smells, colors and what other senses detect, we feel the light and energy of inspiration giving us all we need to go forward.

From your view, what is the REAL meaning of Christianity and Spirituality?

It is not about religion or ‘crowd control’.  Holiness and sacredness are found within.  I sense what is expected of me involves ‘how to live and BE Love.’ I would not call myself religious, but my life experiences prompt me to feel I am a combination of; philosopher, mystic, psychic, seer, healthy sceptic and Optimist.

Optimism is like a happiness magnet that draws more reasons to feel joy, guides us everywhere the Soul invites us to go.  Love that your life illustrates everything falls into place with perfect timing. We must learn patient.  Now, which dream truly motivates you to make new shifts?

My big dream is for a better world - not just a nice, fluffy one, like that described in storybooks - but a world of real Unity and Harmony. I believe we are anchoring the seeds of that in Now, with each of our heart felt activities, a world that is slowly evolving and unfolding before us.

The dream of creating and living in a better world of course, invites us, as Gandhi echoes, to be the change we wish to see.  So often, people are taught to focus on changing the external, but that turns out to be ineffective.  Please be more specific about your personal vision.

Sure! I see authenticity as heartfelt living, coming from within, not being ego-driven.  This translates into finding our own unique voices and celebrating them.  My personal vision is unfolding in the evolving programs at the Dreamweaving Meditation and Counselling Centre.

How is your view of success changing?

Ego-driven success is purely self-centered. Heartfelt living takes shape in how we contribute to the wider world. Success here involves a balance, merging into a collective pool of authentic consciousness.

What you imply rings true.  Ego seeks to be loved in return while Soul simply loves without expectations. One common, widespread belief is we can be spiritual OR wealthy. As Henry Ford reminds us, 'Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.'  Self-confidence is a powerful. The meaning of wealth varies and what people do with abundance also does.  You may be familliar with views on spiritual wealth alongisde this as well. 

As we each awaken at our own pace, our sense of wealth, abundance, and insight into our talents and how we wish to live, changes.  Individuals exist and function at differnet stages or levels of consciousness.

Could not agree more. NYT Best-selling author and teacher T. Harv Eker teaches one can be healthy, conscious and really rich.  He has helped over 1.5 million  people move closer to their goal of financial freedom. From his view, spirituality and wealth are only mutually-exclusive in the mind.

We are certainly far more than what we think. Moving from thinking to feeling-based living changes how we view ourselves and our priorities. As we discipline ourselves to do healing self-work and evolve individually, we,  as a consequence, raise the Collective Consciousness to that of Peace, Love and Oneness. THEN we will see ‘the New Earth,’ a beautiful New World.  It is in seeding THAT, that motivates me on a daily basis!

What an uplifting vision, that the New Earth emerges from a sense of heaven within ourselves. Widespread restlessness leads peopel to seek peace and tranquility.  Nina Goncharova wrote an inspiring book: Rainbow Earth: A Vision for the Future and Jose Arguelles envisioned a rainbow Bridge encircling Earth. Although unique, these visions point to awareness of the same core understanding of Love.  Imagine the world emerging as we all speak honestly about how we feel in the moment.

Wow! More people in harmony with themselves.

This brings us to your calling.  Tell us about the DreamWeaving Meditation & Counselling Centre. Why create it? What purpose and Who does it serve?

DreamWeaving is a communal, Sacred Space.  People come to feel safe to just stop, exhale, unload and detangle their thoughts and lives, to be the Observer and to allow me to lovingly ‘turn the runway lights on’ for them.  I guide them to see their OWN truth, their own Magnificence and still allow them to make their OWN choices, for their OWN life lessons, and to help them see that they DO have ALL that they need Within, that they came fully prepared and equipped for this life.

Share a piece of insight you find helps many.

We need only 'be Still and Quiet’ long enough to hear, and to then follow that intuition, for it is the Soul and it knows the way home. Sometimes life gets so busy and we get so distracted or overloaded that we can no longer tune into that ‘wee small voice Within’, and we just need someone to help us hear our own song again.  Stepping ‘off the merry-go-round’ and breathing is always possible to unburden and listen.

So, how would you describe your passion?

My Passion, my Purpose and my Joy… is seeing people have that ‘a-ha moment’, and to ‘awaken’… and then even better when they ‘pay it forward’… THIS fills my cup.

You may recall "My Cup Runneth Over" is a quote from the Hebrew Bible (Psalm 23:5) and means "I have more than enough for my needs.  You remind us we can each choose to see goodness and blessings, to see the cup half or more than half full, just as easily as half empty.

Let us in on some of your mentors.  Who are they? How do they guide you?

I have been blessed with many beautiful Mentors along the way, I firmly believe in the saying, “When the student is ready the Teacher arrives.” For it seems that when I have been at my spiritual hungriest, someone walks into my life that has all the right answers and wisdom, I have a ‘growth spurt’ and go on. One of those was moments was at age 11-12 when I was visited by Jesus Himself. In a moment of desperate loneliness, He heard my cry, sat with me, comforted me, and has walked with me ever since.

Anything else?

Another pivotal experience was when my husband was away at sea with the Navy, I was at home with 2 small children, with no money due to a pay mix-up, and had come to the end of our food supplies after breakfast one day, with no money and no-one to turn to. I had recently started visiting a local church and felt impressed to call one of the women on their phone register and go around for kids playdate. I also felt impressed not to mention any word of our dire situation, just to trust. So after a lovely day with this lady and her friend who visited also, several cups of tea and a lovely fruit platter, a fun day for the kids, (who also were provided with a sumptuous afternoon tea), as we were leaving her husband arrived home and after a few moments I was asked if I could ‘please take home the fish he had caught today as they already had a freezer full and didn’t need them”… imagine my relief - at the eleventh hour, once again, my trust was rewarded… not only did our pay come in to the bank account the next day, but also - we had beautiful fresh red emperor and sweet lip for WEEKS. 

This touching example reminds us that the more we trust, the more the universe comes through, the more we have reason to strength and deepen our trust in life and the unknown. 

My life has been a series of these types of experiences, challenges, stretching of my faith and trust, and often right at the last moment a bounty arrives… so, as the old saying goes… “I walk by faith not by sight.” “I LIVE this stuff!” THIS is why the Universe uses me to teach this principle.

What advice would you offer people in the process of responding to huge changes in their lives? 

Change is motion, movement is good. There is a beautiful saying, 'The comfort zone is a wonderful place, but nothing ever grows there.'

Embrace change, allow it to have it’s perfect work in you. Look for the gift - there ALWAYS IS one.  Hang in there - never give up on your dreams.

How can you relate?

Based on my experience, with wisdom, discernment and great compassion, I would remind people that this is what they “dialled up” for themselves for this lifetime, and that they are exactly where they are meant to be, to look for the lesson and the beauty in every situation, to be flexible and to embrace change.  To change and grow, I call on my own life experiences to paint a picture of how life brings us the very experience we need for the evolving of our consciousness and personal empowerment. Nothing is ever wasted or for nothing - everything is our teacher. “Everything is Perfect.” Nothing is ‘right or wrong’, it “JUST IS.”  Release the need to control or to understand and just Trust and allow.

The power of acceptance and being non-judgemental is often underestiamted.  What prompts you to laugh and have fun?

It’s often the simplest little things… doing something silly or childlike, watching animals or children at play. Sometimes I just stretch my arms out and ‘fly’ down the supermarket aisles and giggle at people’s reactions, have a swing at the playground or dance in the rain. We’re WAY too concerned about the judgement and opinions of others. Don’t take yourself or life too seriously, lighten up… a wise lady once told me, “If it isn’t life threatening, don’t stress about it.” Enjoy your life.

What can you say about interacting with family and friends?

Spend quality time with them - they’ll keep you grounded! :) Make sure you take time out JUST FOR YOU!

Share one or more big challenges you have encountered and what you learned about yourself.

In the early days of our marriage, I used to get all het up about what ‘he’ was doing wrong, and all HIS faults and how ‘he’ should change, but after getting some very wise counsel I realized that ‘he’ was not my responsibility, and that ‘his’ journey was actually none of my business.  I could not change ‘him’, I could only change MYSELF… and that over the years, as I did that, as I did the self-work, ‘he’ and all those around me often but not always, changed also, or at least responded differently… even at a sub-conscious level, they reacted more positively.

How is your sense of gifts and blessings changing?

Over a lifetime I now know that ‘he’ is my gift, my balance, my teacher and the catalyst that I have always needed to mirror to me and prompt me to see in myself, that which needed working on… and I am now grateful not resistant or resentful.

Share your greatest lesson learned to this point in your life.

The greatest lesson I have ever learned is that, “Everything is Perfect”, to release the need to control or to understand, and that regardless of what the outside picture looks like in any given moment, that there is a powerful work of metamorphosis going on INSIDE, and to trust and to ALLOW this process to have it’s perfect way… and that NOBODY else’s life was my business… hands off! Because by interfering, I might just be depriving them of the very catalyst experience they needed to make a better choice in their life… you never know what’s going on the inside… remember the butterfly story… don’t try cutting butterflies out of their cocoons, you might disable them - or worse!

The metaphore of ourselves each undergoing the metamophosis is very powerful and humbling.  After all, a caterpillar does not consciously know what is happenign, it simply surrenders to the transformation unfolding, allows turning into the chrysalis, and liquid form before becoming the butterfly.  That it is to only live a brief time does not evoke fear. The insect simply lives moment-to-moment in joy, not fear, a valuable lesson to us all.

What's something you're really proud of? Why?

My Children. Both adults now and with their own families, I have watched them grow and go through life and emerge the amazing parents and people that they are. Scarred and wounded, but wiser for it all, I have seen them both bloom into beautiful, strong people… still with a long way to go, but with an amazing start. Makes my heart glow.

Anything else stand out here?

Doing volunteer work - paying it forward. I’ve immensely enjoyed working the Entry Gate at the Conscious Life Festival and the Discovery Festivals each year, as well as other things I like to be a part of as they come up.  

I love the theme of what you describe here. It reminds me of the inspiring movie Pay it Forward as well as what people in communities across the globe are intuitively doing because it feels right. When disaster strikes, people drop everything to help strangers not because they have to, but because they can.

Tell us about one or more mood or mind- altering experiences that shifted your focus and priorities.

Almost losing my Son in a motorbike accident back in 1999. Learning that I could not control things, nor shield him from life’s experiences. That there comes a time when you, as a parent, have to “take your hands off” and ‘let them go’, trust them to the Universe and allow them to lead their own lives, have their own experiences, learn their OWN lessons and live out their OWN purpose… and to trust in that.

If you discovered the opportunity to live forever (immortality), would you want this? 

We DO. I believe in reincarnation and that life is simply a serious of ‘acts’ in an ongoing ‘stageplay’… we just re-enter ‘stage right’ in a new ‘costume’ (body), with a new script (life),  and start again.

I LOVE that we get to work on each lifetime or facet of our eternity, authentically, (via the spiritual amnesia upon each incarnation.) The lessons are profoundly deep and immensely fulfilling.  I’d much rather do it like this, in bits, than all at once in one long lifetime.

Indeed. So many views and visions exist about immortality.  A lingering feeling, intuition and also recurrent vision in future (hynotherapy and breathwork) regressions is that humans are evolving from physica carbon body to crystalline form.  This would definitely prompt review or discarding of physical time and complete transformation in the nature of existence!

What advice would you wish to leave with our audience?

Let your dreams direct your sails, listen to your own intuition and FOLLOW THAT… be like a leaf on the water in the flow of life, don’t fight the ‘current’, do not be ‘distracted by glitter’, the demands, expectations and opinions of others, (no matter how well meaning they may be)… and do not allow the fears of others to extinguish your inner fire! JUMP AT EVERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY & LIVE WITH NO REGRETS!  Tomorrow isn’t promised. Life is not a dress rehearsal - LIVE IT TO THE FULL!

Reflecting and living life more fully in the moment is certainly something we can all benefit from doing and being.

NO-one knows the answers to all the questions and the guidance that you seek, but YOU… it is all Within - go there… seek the silence and the wisdom of the Presence Within… TRUST THAT EVERYTHING YOU NEED WILL COME TO YOU AT THE PERFECT TIME… and above all - ENJOY THE JOURNEY, EVERY MOMENT OF IT!!!

 Any quotes stand out?

A favorite quote of mine is:

“I alone cannot change society for the better. But I can radically transform my OWN Consciousness,

overturning the conditioning that limits my potential. We can all do this, one by one.

Over time we can change ourselves to the degree that society changes from the inside out… Giving birth

to a new way of being. Manifesting our birthright of living in a peaceful and abundant world. Have no fear.

Trust yourself. Live your full potential.”

 Thanks so much Diana for this mind-blowing conversation.  You raise lots of issues that resoante deeply.

Add anything else you wish.

Here at DreamWeaving we offer “Intuitive Colouring Mornings”, Journey-Boarding Workshops, LifeBook Workshops (for keeping you in step with Moon Phases, Important Dates, Astrology, Numerology and much more), Oracle Reading Workshops, Ajna Light Therapy (Activating the 3rd Eye & DMT type experiences), WayShower Counselling and Liquid Crystal Therapy. Read more on our Facebook pages: Diana Sandalwood  and  DreamWeaving Meditation & Counselling Centre

We are located at 29 Arthur Street, Woody Point and Diana can be reached on 0412 429920.

Encourage everyone to connect and deepen relationships, make their own heartfelt contributions to the world and create lasting impact.