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Shankari's Story

I awoke one morning in a panic. I had been so focused, so hardworking, that my life was perfect. My children were in an excellent private school; my business was healthy; I had a beautiful home by the beach and a handsome husband. I was living the Australian dream.

So why was I in a panic?

I had a sinking feeling in my gut and I was overwhelmed with fear that this was all there would be to my life! For the rest of my days, the greatest challenge was going to be building a verandah on my beach house! I had a husband. He was not the father of my four children. He was a nice man and we looked good together but our life was based on convenience rather than passion with no personal commitment or common goals. I had become aware of the insidiousness of my comfortable prison and I was ready to leave my old life behind. I had a vague distant notion that I needed to set off on my adventure before it was too late, that I needed to search for my real dream.

Following my inner guidance, I sold my houses, paid every debt I had in the world and left Sydney with all of my children, our dogs and AU$51,000.

We were lured to Perth by a man who presented himself as my saviour—but what he turned out to be was a very expensive illusion. He sensed the void in my passionless life and filled it with his dreams and schemes. He made promises of success, prosperity and adventure. He encouraged me to believe that anything was possible, that my artistic talents were of international standard, that with his help, I could truly express my potential in the world of business. But what actually occurred was that this new relationship lasted only as long as my money! As soon as I ran out of money, he ran out of interest.

Within four months I was the penniless mother of four children.

Furious with myself for putting my children in such a position, enraged at my vulnerability, white with anger at my gullibility, I knew I was facing an Armageddon - the death of the life I had known, the death of all I had thought of as me!

For many years, I had studied natural medicine when it certainly wasn’t as fashionable as it is now. At the same time, I commenced a parallel study of ritual magic with a group who worked in silence. With the power of silence, I learned about energy and healing, alchemy and light bodies. I subsequently studied the teachings of the Siddha Masters, devotional yoga and chanting with Swami Muktananda. It was this master who gave me my name, Shankari, which is the Sanskrit description of the perfect balance of male and female energy. This was all truly wonderful, but it wasn’t enough to answer all my questions. I was on an intense personal search for answers to the great questions of life—who am I? Where do I come from? How do I fit in?

Finally, feeling spiritually bankrupt, I escaped one day to a coffee shop, desperate for a clear space to think. I borrowed a pen from a waiter and on a paper serviette I redesigned my life. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to create the most beautiful silver jewellery for powerful people. It would be handmade in “sacred space” with precious stones. I wanted to design and produce beautiful healing Talismans of Power in service to the world.

So, listening to my inner guides once again, I headed off to Bali, a single parent with four small children, knowing no one, with no money, no safety and no language. I’d just lost everything I’d worked so hard for.

I was prepared to rebuild my life from the ground up.

In twelve short years, I have been able to accomplish that and more. I now live in a beautiful palace by the sea on a sacred river on the West Coast of Bali where I married a Prince. There, we have also built an International Retreat Centre. And, last year I published my first book, entitled “True Tales from a Red Truck with the Cat in the Glove Box,” the first in a series of autobiographical works.

My jewellery is completely handmade by a team of more than 40 local artisans, who live and work on the grounds of my home. I personally oversee the design of every aspect of my collection. Our efforts are collaboration. The day begins with group meditation, designed to foster a communal spiritual atmosphere. The jewellery that results is imbued with a tangible energy and harmony.

These days, I now find myself travelling the world with many new and wonderful experiences in my life. Over the past months, I have been to Japan, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Ireland and Sedona where I visited many sacred places, met amazing gifted people and worked with many new students. I have been teaching workshops in Japan, Bali, the Continental U.S. and Hawaii with many more to come in many new venues. I have also been taking workshops for my own enrichment, such as a sound healing workshop in Norway that I was fortunate to participate in. I hope to pass my new wisdoms on to my students in future workshops of my own.

My work has now taken me to the Big Island of Hawaii where I am building a “Mystery School,” a haven that will be dedicated to the truth in all its forms, ancient magic, Hawaiian and Balian magic, sound healing, Reiki and colour healing, to name a few.

Its purpose will be to discover and research, share and store the ancient wisdoms from all cultures and powerful new wisdoms. There we will teach workshops and train teachers. I like to call it a “ Univers-ity” that will proliferate all the information the universe has to offer that is different from the academic mainstream.

A project of our Mystery School will be to develop renewal forests of teak trees. The plan is to ultimately help the Mystery School be self-sufficient, bring employment to local people and contribute to local industry and their economy in a “green” way. We also have plans to develop a Mystery School in Bali where teak trees are already being planted for the same purpose.