Malcolm Elvet (Elfed) Lewis
— Practical Mystic and Teacher
I went through a major spiritual experience in 2015, a point approximating the end of the second third of my life. I was awoken from a metaphorical ‘deep sleep’ and was guided to gradually “re-remember” the reason, and the ‘latest best understanding’ of my purpose for this lifetime.
ABOUT
THE HERMIT/TEACHER
“A Hermit stands in the silence of the dark of the ‘Unknowing’, attempting to surrender to the Light of Illumination, Wisdom and Love, which is held in our hearts, to perceive from ‘Spirit’ what is our next steps.”
As the phrase goes, “the Teacher will appear when the student is ready” and so it is for all of us — whether it pertains to the lessons in handling particular situations and events or in seeking guidance in life. However, as we progress along our spiritual path we will come to the realisation that the true Teacher (Master and Higher Self), who we’ve been searching for, has always been inside us. Though for the ultimate student/Master it will be the realisation that even that isn’t true!!
The key aspect of the Teacher refers to somebody who leads through ‘personal example and spiritual embodiment’ by being both “the message and the messenger” in their role as guide. By embodying “the message” the vibration itself will be “the messenger”.
LAST THIRD OF LIFE
Over the last eight years, I have become even more passionate about helping to establish ‘Sacred Space’ for individuals, groups and organisations so as to allow the ‘Spirit/Essence’ of what is being called to emerge in the moment, to flow through and guide the future direction and actions.
By setting the space of enlivened consciousness and then by ‘getting ourselves out of our way’, the Higher Self (Spirit) and Soul of that energetic field can emerge and communicate a message for the next stage of our learning in that moment of Now.
My favoured approach is the circumambulating (Going around and around) of Sacred Space to sense into the frequency/vibration of an issue and then exploring and discerning what higher mental reframing will enable transcendence and transmutation of any tensions arising. Finally, it is important to then discriminate and take action around any discernment so as to continually build faith in each of our respective innate Spiritual guidance systems.
I believe that the key competencies for success on this path is the silence of the mind in the heart (The Hermit) so as to allow the embodiment of the Light of Spirit (Both the Light Transcendent and Immanent) (The Teacher) to guide each of us.
I realised some years ago, through the support of two loyal spiritual pilgrims, that a key connection of mine into the Spiritual World is through the Western Mystery Traditions and especially the Druidic, Celtic Christian and Gnostic traditions but also including Hermeticism, Alchemy and Cabbala.
One of my ancestral “Spiritual Guides” is my Great Grandfather Dr Howell Elvet Lewis MA DD, (1860-1953) known as “Elfed”. He was a Companion of Honour to King George VI (1948), former Arch Druid of Wales (1924-1929) and Bard of Wales, Arch-Preacher, Arch-Poet and Hymnologist (193 in the Welsh Congregational Hymn Book). Elfed represented the very best of Spiritual Guidance writing many books on “The Christ” and the relationships of the working miners and population to the Divine.
Now I try to operate as a Practical Mystic and Teacher by surrendering to the silence of Divine guidance in an Interfaith and spiritual way.
1ST THIRD OF LIFE
Malcolm has been based in Bristol in the UK for most of his life, although for his first 13 years he grew up in Nigeria during the initial 12 years of Nigerian Independence (1960) and the sad internal Biafran civil war.
Having gone to school in both Northern and Southern Nigeria (Kaduna and Lagos) he then came back to the UK at Clifton College in Bristol before going to the Bath University in the mid-late 1970’s where he won the 2nd ever Sports Scholarship in the UK (Instead of going on Scholarship to College in the USA); Malcolm studied Business Administration as a degree alongside the sport of golf. The University has subsequently grown into a leading UK University (Started 1967 as a Technology University) for both academic study and a Centre for UK Olympic sports excellence.
During the initial part of his working life, Malcolm consulted, advised, coached and facilitated empowering organisations to turn their base commercial strategies (Base Metals) into financially valuable companies (Gold).
He had considerable business and commercial experience having graduated in both business administration (BSc) and financial management (MSc) along with qualifying as a practising Chartered Accountant (FCA) (Ex-KPMG) and Certified Management Consultant (CMI).
To support the ‘harder’ business skills, Malcolm supplemented his training with a range of ‘softer’ psychological/spiritual modalities, mystical esoteric lore including psychological kinesiology, integrated healing and systemic constellations and coupled with traditional psychological training around Myers-Briggs, Firo B, 7 Levels of Consciousness etc. This development opened his mind to a new way for working with the ‘Soul and Spirit’ to support individuals on a more one-to-one basis so as to work through tensions, triggers, passions and attachments.
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On the psychological side he has trained as: an Evolutionary Coach, in Barrett 7 Levels of Consciousness, Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI), Advanced PSYCH-K™ (Psychological Kinesiology), Integrated Healing, Leadership Development Framework (LDF), Systemic Constellations (Foundation), Type Dynamics Inventory (TDI) (MBTI), 15FP, MTRi (MBTI and Belbin team), Firo Element B, NBI Whole Brain Thinking.
Malcolm has extensive knowledge and application in also using and applying Pearson Archetypes, Spiral Dynamics (SD), Management Derives, NLP, Intuitive Reading, Astrodrama and Theory U.
2ND THIRD OF LIFE
Malcolm then moved into the second third of his life, and while the first third had allowed him to build the traditional commercial expertise and specialisms, this second third allowed him the opportunity to reflect much deeper on the meaning of our human existence and try to start to bring his own consciousness back to wholeness through working with the shadow side of the Unconscious.
To reflect this shift in worldview he changed his title to be a Wizard and Corporate Alchemist.
Becoming a teacher for others very much supported Malcolm’s passion for being an avid learner himself (He is almost never without a book), as he also got involved as an academic lecturer, visiting fellow and external examiner at a range of leading Business Schools (Bath, Bristol, Henley, Bradford, Exeter, UWE, Deakin (Australia), Gloucestershire) delivering Executive Development and Executive Masters/MBA/PhD modules across a spread of subjects. Furthermore, he delivered commercial training around the world through a number of global training groups.
Awaking from his spiritual slumber in 2015, it caused Malcolm to realise that he was importantly here to “help people to recognise that we are all spiritual beings, placed on this Earth to come back to conscious wholeness through balancing our archetypal energies during our specific human lives”. Experiences in the previous 18 years showed him that a lack of spiritual awareness and deep listening can cause many of the symptoms being experienced by this current world.
THE GOLFER
Above: Malcolm and Tom Watson, 5 times Open Champion.
In his younger days, Malcolm was lucky enough to be an international golfer playing in two Open Golf Championships (British) (1978 and 1982 - Winning the Silver Medal in 1982 at Royal Troon as Leading Amateur) as well as playing and captaining England at all levels (Men, Universities, Youths (U22) and Boys (U18)) and playing for Great Britain and Ireland including the Walker Cup vs. USA.
He won a range of international National titles (British (22), All-India, Dutch and Greek) and has been a member of the Royal and Ancient golf club of St Andrews, an honorary life member of Henbury Golf Club, Bristol for over 40 years whilst starting at Ikoyi Golf Club, Lagos in Nigeria 1969 on ‘browns’ rather than greens.
Malcolm stopped playing seriously after University to join KPMG. Regaining the joy of this sport has been a significant spiritual learning for him but he now laughs saying it can very definitely risk being a good walk spoilt!