I come from a remote island called Lewis and Harris, where there are more sheep than humans, and where a relatively large percentage of locals still speak the endangered indigenous language of Scottish Gaelic. Although it is an official language, only 1% of Scotland speak Gaelic. It is the first language of my dear Mother.

I was football crazy when I was a kid and I played many years with my local team. A family from Liverpool moved to our village when I was 6 years old and they introduced me to Liverpool Football Club who I supported ever since. LFC have been blessed with incredible players during my years as a fan, Gerrard, Salah, Van Dijk, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano, Hyypia, Torres, Alisson, Carragher, but the best of the lot was the most controversial, Luis Suarez!

I was born on Halloween which might explain why I am plentiful in personality peculiarities.

I am a songwriter and I earn money through street performance, singing with a guitar, or a banjo ukelele.

I don't smoke, drink, or take drugs. I did far too much when I was younger, which inevitably led to trouble, so I decided to turn my life in the opposite direction. Since 2012 I have been focused on improving health. Like Sufi mystic Rumi wrote "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."

I love animals, but if I had to choose favourites then perhaps Cat, Tortoise, Owl, Snake, or a weird hybrid of all.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've been part of the Couchsurfing community since 2015 using another Couchsurfing profile with 70+ references which I cannot access or locate anymore. I'm so grateful for this website because I met so many kind-hearted and like-minded locals who included me in their everyday life, introduced me to new people, places, and experiences, or simply provided a welcoming and safe environment to share special moments together. When I am settled with my own place I hope to host travellers from every part of the world, whether using a website or not, because aside from the CS community I recall the many kind strangers who offered me a place to stay without knowing much about me. I accepted their offer when I felt they were genuine and those turned out to be some of the most memorable travel experiences.

Interests

My primary interest lies in the concept of unity consciousness. Through years of study and several transformative life experiences, it has become evident that heaven and hell are symbolic representations of the human state of consciousness. My personal philosophy aligns most closely with the teachings of Sufism, which offer insights into the interconnectedness of all things. Below are a few favourite quotes from revered Sufi masters:

For those that realise that everything is from God, everything is the same. — Rumi

There is no God but God. I worship everything and everyone. — Hazrat Inayat Khan

God sleeps in the rock, dreams in the plant, stirs in the animal and awakens in the man — Ancient Sufi Teaching

The difference between the divine and the human will is like the difference between the trunk of a tree and its branches. As from the boughs other twigs and branches spring, so the will of 1 powerful individual has branches going through the will of other individuals. So there are the powerful beings, the masters of humanity. Their will is God's will, their word is God's word, and yet they are branches, because the trunk is the will of the Almighty. Whether the branch be large or small, every branch has same origin and root as the stem. — Hazrat Inayat Khan

One of my other favourite quotes is: "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience". There are innumerable written accounts about Divine experiences throughout history, and I believe this is because, at our core, we are expressions of God consciousness. We are spiritual beings, who may become aware of our true essence and potential through this human body and mind experience, just as enlightened masters like Gautama Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, Rumi, and Jesus Christ have exemplified. The aforementioned is believed to have said "The kingdom of God is within you" and "Ye are Gods". These teachings invite us to recognise the divine presence within us all.

Music, Movies, and Books

Strange face, with your eyes
So pale and sincere
Underneath you know well
You have nothing to fear
For the dreams that came
To you when so young
Told of a life
Where spring is sprung
("Cello Song" by Nick Drake)

Music: Bob Dylan. Bob Marley, Leadbelly.
Books: Siddhartha. Songs of Innocence and of Experience.
Movies: Into The Wild. 12 Angry Men, The Wizard of Oz.

...and many more!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelling homefree (not homeless!) street performer since May 2015. Some interesting parts of my travels included:

* Volunteered for four different eco-communities for a total of more than one year in the Amazon rainforest, attempting to restore cattle grazing land into a sustainable fruit forest with the use of permaculture farming techniques.

* 7000km bicycle and street performance journey of travelling through 17 countries spread across 18 months, which included the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage with my older brother. We chose to do the Portuguese route, beginning in Lisbon and ending in Santiago, Spain.

* 310km walking journey through Bali, Indonesia, which took me 12 days. The longest I walked in one day was 49km and I swore afterwards that I'll never do that much walking in one day again as the last 10km was too tough.

* Travelled for long distances hitchhiking through large parts of Scandinavia and South East Asia, and shorter distances while travelling in many other countries.

* Participated in a 10 day silent Vipassana meditation retreat in Germany, a 10 day holistic health lifestyle retreat focused on energy cultivation with the use of Qi-gong meditation in Kenya, and a 4 day Yoga course in England.

* Lived in a cave for several months on the side of a mountain in the Canary Islands (near the Morocco coast).

* Took part in Rainbow Gathering's in Spain and Estonia, i.e. temporary counterculture communities known as "The Rainbow Family," who congregate in wild natural areas for 1 month to promote unity, spirituality, and self-sufficiency, with particular focus on music, art, and environmentalism.

* Participated in an Ayahuasca plant medicine group ceremony in the Amazon rainforest lead by the local Shaman and his friends from the Shuar tribe in Ecuador.

* Countless days and nights spent wild camping/stealth camping/urban camping/hiking with many interesting, bizarre, or beautiful places to sleep.

* Performed music at countless restaurants, bars, workplaces, cafes, and streets around the world.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have undergone many prolonged and short fasting periods, I have also studied the subject extensively, and listened to countless hours of people who documented their remarkable healing journey. I had one of my own. For a five year period I had almost zero hearing in my left ear which I cured by prolonged fasting. Below is a link to an empowering talk by a man named Loren Lockman, the founder and director of Tanglewood Wellness Center in Costa Rica. Since 1997, he has guided more than 10,000 people from all walks of life through water-only fasts ranging from 1 to 9 weeks in length, and has coached several thousand others back to better levels of health. He explains how the body can cleanse and heal from sickness and disease if we simply allow for complete physiological rest by ceasing the energy consuming digestive process. This is how animals seek to heal when sick or injured in the wild. Symptoms are the result of a system overburdened with toxicity, mostly coming from physically taxing food choices. Fortunately we are self healing organisms that are always trying to cleanse and heal and we will return to optimal health if we adequately meet the needs of the body. Mucus, common colds, flu, headaches, allergies, blindness, deafness, digestive gas, bloating, fatigue, sleep problems, breathing difficulties, skin inflammations, body odour, bad breath, bleeding gums, PMS and menopausal symptoms, back pains, joint pains, thyroid issues, etc. All symptoms can be reversed and will become a distant memory when the body has finished the cleaning process and returns to equilibrium. We just need to allow Mother Nature in to do her work. https://youtu.be/pvAa-szlZ_g

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to help around the home.
Happy to help with English vocabulary.
I could teach how to play guitar or ukelele.
I could even perform live music, or we could sing together, but not everybody will appreciate that, so let me know!
I am able to teach a specific type of standing qigong meditation, sitting meditation, or yoga.
I will bring my host a gift of fruit.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Viet Nam, Wales