I’ve written a few books that mention my rags to riches tale – of how I once was poor, fat, lonely and single – and of how I became rich, slim, successful and happy. And as you may know, in my early magic books, I gave a set of instructions for making your life better by manifesting money, people and circumstances, by ‘making stuff happen’.

However, my latest book, Becoming Genevieve,tells of how I eventually came to the same conclusion as so many others before me – money really can’t buy you happiness. Neither can houses, cars, circumstances, or even other people. It literally isn’t possible for them to do so.

Happiness is there for the taking, but it comes from somewhere completely different.

True, lasting happiness and good feelings don’t ever come from possessions, circumstances or anything in the outside world, they come from within you. It sounds like a pointless and redundant cliché, until you see it as literally true.

So, for the past six months or so, I’ve been in something of a dilemma. What do I teach now? What do I write about?

The thing is, I know that learning a little more about the true nature of human experience aka ‘spiritual stuff’ is ultimately the only thing worth learning. But when you don’t have the money to pay your rent, being taught spiritual awakening just doesn’t seem relevant. In fact, it can feel a bit like an insult.

Just recently, I’ve been writing new material for the Becoming Magic online course. But the dilemma has meant I’ve been flip-flopping back and forth, not knowing in which way to go. Should I carry on teaching you how to make stuff happen, to create money, material things and possessions? Or should I be pointing you in the direction of spiritual awakening and a deeper understanding of the human experience?

What should I teach? Making wads of cash or enlightenment?

It doesn’t help that my own viewpoint on this changes from day to day. Sometimes, I need nothing. I am blissfully aware that I have no need of money, possessions, people or circumstances to make me happy.I am basking in ‘magic’, watching the miracle that is my life unfold, marvelling at every wonderful and less-wonderful event. Taking it all in my stride and smiling, dancing with life.

On other days, such as when our central heating stopped working at the beginning of December, it seems completely bloody obvious that having enough money to pay for a new central heating boiler before winter sets in is abso-flipping-lutely essential to my happiness. On those days, telling people to ‘be more spiritual’ just feels like arrogance.

Some days I’ll feel Christ-like and Buddha-tastic . On other days I’ll be lost in my own churning, tempestuous thoughts, despairing because someone looked at me funny.

Sometimes it appears the outside world does make me happy. On other days, I know that can’t be true. On those days, I can see quite clearly that genuine happiness comes only from within me. But why? Why can I see this sometimes and not others?

Then it became obvious…

This is life. This is how it is for everyone. Even those who have seen the truth can’t always see the truth.

Sometimes, I lose sight of ‘the truth’ for weeks. Sometimes I lapse into misunderstanding, forget how things really work and start blaming the world for things in my life I don’t like. Then, I catch myself, remember the truth, and before long I’m back on track again – back in the magic.

And this, bizarrely, is precisely why I’m happy to carry on teaching you how to ‘make stuff happen’.

Because we all fall for the illusion, at least some of the time. All of us.

Now I’ve realised this, I find myself more than comfortable teaching you how to create cash, houses, cars and material circumstances. I’m happy to show you how to create just about anything you can think of. Because for a while, you are going to be delighted with the results. For a while, you are going to feel happier, more successful, more confident and complete.

And, when you start to question the idea of ‘making stuff happen’, and to glimpse something bigger, something beyond. When you start to grasp the wonder and magic beneath all of this, I’ll be here to help with that, too.

So the upshot is – while we are lost in the illusion of believing the world can make us happy, and before we start to see where our happiness is really coming from, and until we all ascend into heaven, and sit with Christ and Buddha and spend every second of existence in a blissed-out state of loveliness, I reckon it’s a great idea to have lots of fun ‘making stuff happen’.

To be one of the first to hear about the launch of the Becoming Magic online course, just visit the course page and add your name to the list. I’ll be in touch very soon with details.