From One to WooWoo

Jun 7 / Penny Burtenshaw


Have you ever watched water drain down a sink?

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Notice how the water moves slowly around the perimeter, but as it circles and moves closer to the drain, it narrows and speeds up? 


Now flip this image.


This is how I see human spiritual evolution.


We begin our first stages of life in this kind of observation phase. Watching and learning from the outskirts.

It is here that we are imprinted with particular beliefs and behaviours that we spend the next phase of our life trying to make sense of and ideally abolish.

We look to the past for answers and naturally, we look for the ‘why’ in “why am I like this?”

Whilst this phase is important, many of us get stuck here. We don’t even have the centre of the drain in our foresight because we are so consumed by finding the answers.

This is how we are wired – to make things make sense and to find the logic.
So how do we get from here to the centre of the drain?

The truth is, not everybody will. At least not in this lifetime – and that’s okay. It’s not their Dharma. They have other lessons to learn and things to teach.

For others, just as the water speeds up as it gets closer to the drain, the next phase often comes as a quick and swift wave. This can be experienced following or during a major life event.

And trust me, if the first wave hasn’t moved you into the next phase, you will continue to experience ‘events’ that are aimed at shifting you there – and when you do shift, it feels like you’ve gone from one to WooWoo.

The best word (and hardest pill to swallow) here is “responsibility.” This is where we move out of blaming others and the past for our behaviour and choices, and we start to own our role in it all. 


“Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame.
Therefore the Master fulfils her own obligations and corrects her own mistakes. She does what she needs to do and demands nothing of others."
(Translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995.)

— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching -


We look for the cosmic lessons rather than see the past as something that happened to us.
On a spiritual level – we chose all of this.

We are all consciousness (One), and we are all fragments of the One experiencing life. Your life is all about the way in which you choose to respond to… life. This is what is known as Karma.

On an emotional level, this is when ‘triggers’ become symbols for something within YOU that need healing. It is not anyone else’s responsibility (there’s that word again) to manage – and since people are mirrors to what is within us – if someone ‘triggers’ you, you may want to ask yourself “what is this person showing me in myself that needs healing?”

As we continue to move closer to the centre, something funny happens. We once again become the observer. Only this time, we are free of judgment and attachment.

We are more attuned to our essence and can move from a place of authenticity and our own uniqueness. From here, true purpose and creative expression are found.

We don’t create for an outcome or to receive praise. We create for the joy of it. A full expression of the soul.

An example of this is when we get chills from watching someone dance or sing – or when we read a book or poem that stays with us. We are witnessing someone aligned with their essence and we respond to it because it’s within all of us.

An important note here is that while we are social beings, and we create our reality through the observation of the other – this does not include comparison or copying, or imitating others.

Full expression of the Self is to become an original thinker and be courageous enough to risk having nobody ‘get you’.

It is to be comfortable in silence and aloneness and accept the possibility of becoming an ‘outcast’ – and since there are many, many ‘outcasts’, you won’t be alone for long.

Throughout my life I have been inspired by many great and original thinkers and little inspirational gifts. Here are a few:

But first, one last thought!

How does the analogue end once the water reaches the drain and flows through the drainpipes into a large pool of water?

Symbolically, to me, the ‘drain’ is just another shift from the 3D world where our soul flows back through the tunnel, and we return into consciousness or the One. We return home once again.


“The whole creation is the dance of one consciousness”.

— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar -

Thank you for taking the time to read my article ‘From One to WooWoo’, I hope it resonates in some way.

The below videos and links have sparked inspiration within me throughout the years. In fact, I created the logo for Beyond The Glass Jar with each of the messages in mind.

For example, the shadows in the jar are related to ‘Plato’s Allegory of the Cave’ (video of lecture below).

The Jar in the logo is related to the experiment with fleas (video below).

The arches are representative of our real or imagined limitations and also speak to the dimensional nature of quantum reality.

Oh! And the colour scheme is aligned with my lucky colours according to Eastern Astrology.

The creation of the logo, the websites and courses are all heart-felt and meaningful expressions of Me. They are not just an opportunity to ‘play in the field of life’, but the way I express love and serve the collective.

I hope you enjoy the material as much as I enjoy offering it.

With Love,

Penny Burtenshaw

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10 Principles by Wayne Dyer | YouTube: Wayne Dyer Official.

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Allegory of the Cave | YouTube: USU Student Success.
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“If you want to create new things for this world, never listen to anybody.”
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukallski | Official Trailer [HD] | YouTube: Netflix

Inspired by Nature: The Flea — Beyond The Glass Jar (article/blog)


Book: Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life

By Wayne Dyer who shares wisdom from the Tao Te Ching, including: “How can I serve?”
https://amzn.to/3WxMzuX (affiliate link.)

Yoga Mala - The Original Teachings of Ashtanga Yoga Master Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

“Sri K. Pattabhi Jois outlines the ethical principles and philosophy underlying ashtanga yoga and explains its term and concepts.” - Except from back of book.

https://amzn.to/3wq6KAA (affiliate link.)

Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender

By the great David R. Hawkins M.D. Ph.D.

https://amzn.to/3URFggv (affiliate link.)

Be Here Now

By Ram Dass

https://amzn.to/3UBcm32 (affiliate link.)

Becoming Supernatural

By Dr. Joe Dispenza

https://amzn.to/4bbdwsU (affiliate link.)

The Courage to be Disliked

By Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

https://amzn.to/3wswiwO (affiliate link.)

The Courage to Create

Rollo May

https://amzn.to/3WxPcgD (affiliate link.)

Friedrich Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil

https://amzn.to/3WAoVhK (affiliate link.)

Aristotle | The Nicomachean Ethics

https://amzn.to/3JT7h0Z (affiliate link.)

How Emotions are Made

By Lisa Feldman Barrett

https://amzn.to/3QAOZp3 (affiliate link.)

The Gene Keys: Embracing Your Purpose

By Richard Rudd

https://amzn.to/4a6VBm0 (affiliate link.)
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Sacred Geometry: Spiritual Science Trailer - New Gaia Series with Robert J. Gilbert Ph.D. | YouTube: Vesica Institute.
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Sound of Creation - Official Trailer | YouTube: Gaia.
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