Canal Street Manchester

I was very privileged and honoured to be asked to write an article recently for Canal Street Manchester. I was so excited, especially with The Manchester Pride festival just one month away. This was something new for me and I have since written a further three articles for different publications. Things are really going well.  Read my article below:

Spirituality and Gender investigated by Midnight McBride

“The way I see it if you’re LGBT+, you have already climbed several rungs up the spiritual ladder! Let me explain. You see from the moment we arrive in this world it begins. We are being programmed. Now this isn’t done with malice, we are simply being given the same programming that has been handed down to us from generation to generation. Most people just repeat the negative thought patterns and processes without even questioning them. This is given to us by our parents, teachers and the rest of society. We are defined, categorised, labelled and put into a box. Well I for one don’t fit into any box. The moment we try to define ourselves and give ourselves edges, we become limited beings. This stunts our growth (spiritually) and hence our potential. We are actually limitless spiritual beings with unlimited potential. We were meant to constantly expand, evolve and grow in every direction. You see most of us go through life defined by others, and hence limited by them. Like it or not we become dependent on the good opinion of other people. We are given an identity and then spend our time trying to fulfil it and fit in, making decisions based on financial gain and born out of obligation. No, no, no! Stop! This is all wrong. The most important job you have in this lifetime, while you are briefly visiting this realm in this space suite we call a body, is to be happy! That’s right! You heard me correctly. You need to practice self love and put yourself first. Now don’t go thinking this is a selfish pursuit, on the contrary, this is the first step down the road to fulfilling your “Dharma” (this is your life’s purpose). This is making decisions based on what makes you feel good, and then using this as your new life compass, to navigate towards inner peace, joy and bliss. Only when your cup is overflowing can you really begin to help others. You can then go about your day giving out this energy to everyone you meet. After all you can only give away what you already have inside. If you are experiencing joy and bliss, you are then able to go into the world spreading peace and love. You can’t go and harm anyone else when you have a mind full of peace and love, and nor would you want to. All the wars in the world would cease overnight if everyone learnt how to self generate these feelings from within. Through a regular practice of meditation, we all have the potential to do this and experience inner peace, and I can show you how! So you see your happiness is of paramount importance and by no means a selfish pursuit.

So back to the spiritual ladder. For most of us when we approach middle age, we start to feel that something isn’t quite right and we go through what I call a spiritual awakening. You can also call this “the shift”, a “mid-life crisis” or a “nervous breakdown”. One morning I just woke up and realised that I was miserable, suffering my own thoughts and that everything I had been told was a lie. I had an epiphany or “Satori”. This is a moment of enlightenment.  A brief glimpse of the universe as a whole and experiencing the oneness of all things. I had a realisation that everything was connected, and for the first time in my life I had clarity, contrast and perspective. I then started to see that the programming I had been given was all wrong. For example – Men don’t have to be macho and expressing your emotions and feelings isn’t “silly” or  ”soft”. Is it any wonder that the rate of suicides in young men is so high, conditioning them to suppress their emotions. Well this is why if you are LGBT+ you are already part way up the ladder, inadvertently transcending your bad programming. In order to be part of this community, you have likely already addressed many of these issues to some degree. Most of you realised that the identity you where given did not match your true nature. You had to listen to your inner voice and became aware that you didn’t fit in to the gender stereo types that you were given growing up. You also realised that you are unique, special and perfect, just exactly the way you are. Once you know this, there is no turning back. It is a one way street. Connecting with your true self and following your dharma is then the only way forward. F**K their programming, labels and definitions. You are “you” and nobody else can ever do it better. You are the best in the world at this endeavour and you always will be. You are top of the class. Now is your time to shine and to let the world know who you really are. Refuse to be defined and labelled by others. There are seven billion people on this planet and we are all connected. We all have universal energy flowing through us and seeds of divinity within, each a perfect creation. In fact, we are all made of stars. Every single one of us. You are the best at being you and you always have been. Refuse to be anyone else. Don’t even try!

In short, when you embark on a journey of self discovery and start down the path of a spiritual awakening, being LGBT+ is a distinct advantage!

Peace, love and light

Midnight McBride(MM)”

“When you think from a beautiful garden, you will see flowers everywhere.” – MM

“Mediation softens the edges and removes the corners.” – MM