I'm on the plane coming back to Australia.

I can't sleep.

I need to process these past six weeks.

It seems such a long time ago now that I walked down to the ghats in the heart of Bombay, set up my camera, and filmed the early morning rituals of worship.

That was my first day.

Since then I've filmed at the Ganges, in the shadows of the Himalayas, at the Duomo in Florence, and at the Vatican in Rome. I've also had the privilege to interview a living saint, and to engage with some of the wisest and most spiritual minds in India and Italy.

I didn't get to speak to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but I will. I dreamt that I would, and so I have no doubt it will happen.

I've learnt to trust the veracity of my dreams.

Some of the people I've interviewed have said some pretty powerful things to me – things which I need to think deeply about.

I've been so flat out, intent on the making of the film and all the technical and practical detail associated with that, that I haven't had a chance to really stop and think about the larger ramifications of these past six weeks.

You can't embark on the making of a film about intuition, and not delve into spirituality. Even science, at its most profound level, defaults to an acknowledgement of something greater beyond quantification.

Einstein's quotes on intuition and God are the stuff of t-shirts. And Steve Jobs, a consummate mathematician and designer, was an ardent follower of Hindu beliefs. Google search Steve Jobs and intuition, and see what comes up.

Plenty.

I have about four weeks in Australia before I go to the US, and film The Dallas Prediction, which I guess is what I'll call it.

In these next few weeks before I leave I have to liaise with the editor and review everything I've shot, and begin to discuss style and content. And I have some Adjunct Professor work to do up in Queensland with my university, which I'm looking forward to.

But first I have to recalibrate.

That for me is a five day water fast, which I'll begin once I return to Mudgee. That purifies my body and mind. Gets me focused again.

I also need to reformalise my yoga practice, which means 75 minutes each morning at sunrise. Like I used to do…

And I'm going to begin to meditate again. I used to meditate when I was studying Buddhism, when I was young – and whilst I never became an adept practitioner, I found it helped me enormously in the way I structured my thoughts and emotions.

It was a Jesuit Priest in Rome who advised me to meditate. Strange that he should tell me to meditate, and not pray. But he said that now I've embarked on this intuitive and spiritual journey, I should deepen my connections.

So I'm taking his advice.

It was Pujya Swami Chidanand – the living saint – who also said to me: You have been guided. Now you must guide.

That hit me hard.

I guess I should meditate on that one hey?

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The reason we came back to India was to do an interview with Swami Chidanand, regarded as one of the country’s most revered living saints, and one of the world’s great spiritual leaders.

I’d been unable to secure an interview with him whilst in Rishikesh.

The interview this afternoon was extraordinary.
The power of the man was potent.

It wasn’t a long interview – he only had a short amount of time to give me – but almost every thing he said was absolutely on song with the themes I’m exploring in the film.

It was worth coming back to India just for this interview. He was able to explain intuition in ways that will connect profoundly with an audience.

Tomorrow we leave to return to Australia. Looking back, it’s been an amazing time. We’ve done about twenty interviews and shot a lot of visual material, representing about 25 hours of footage.

And this is just the start!

We’ve filmed in Bombay, Delhi, Rishikesh, Chandigarh in Punjab, and up in the foothills of the Himalayas in Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama. We also filmed in Florence and Rome, at the Vatican.

We’ve gathered a wide range of views from spiritualists, church leaders, academics, mystics, and lay folk. Interestingly, there seems to be a general consensus. The majority are saying very similar things about intuition, but using their own home-brew vernacular.

I’ve met some extraordinary people in the past several weeks. And each was incredibly generous with their time. I think what they responded to, and the reason they were so generous, is that they realised this was a very personal quest.

Many years ago I heard a voice that saved my life. I’m now making a film that tries to determine what that voice was, where it came from, and why my life was saved. Using those three very simple entry points, the film will then explore the nature of intuition, and it will proffer ways for us all to become more intuitive, should we wish to…

Everyone I spoke to realised that this was a genuine – one fellow said “authentic” – exploration of mine, and they saw that the film could ultimately change the way millions of people around the world live each day. Live each moment of each day.

I believe it will.

Personally, I’ve learnt a huge amount. I won’t elaborate here on what I’ve learnt. I’m going to save that for the film. But these past weeks have had a deep and lasting impact on me.

Tomorrow it’s back to Australia for a few weeks. I need to sit down and review all the footage, and begin to put it all into a style and shape. And then mid November we head off to the United States, and to Dallas, to see if the Astrologer’s predictions will come true…

If you haven’t seen it already, here is a clip about his predictions for me…

https://vimeo.com/106721457

This current trip has been a big success. There’s no doubt. I’ve got better material than I ever could have hoped for.

But there’s still so much more to do. A lot of filming in the US, and elsewhere too. And then a massive post production job. Our filming schedule though is finance dependent. We’ll need more money for this next round of filming.

Overall I’m very excited about the way it’s coming together. There’s never been a film like this. It’s going to have a big impact on a lot of people all around the world.

Already it’s had a big impact on me.

Puyja Swami Chidanand Saraswati Parnarth Niketan Mission – Rishikesh

Because of our prior filming at the Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, Jennifer and our assistant Ratshit and I were … hold on, I mean RaChit… and I were invited to the launch of the International edition of the Encyclodedia of Hinduism.

Attending was the Vice President of India, along with a plethora of saints.

The biggest Saint of the lot though, and the bloke who invited us, was Swamiji Chidanand. The encyclopedia is his baby

It's 11 volumes in all, over 7000 sections, and more than six million words. Twenty years ago Swami Chidanand instigated this massive work, and now it's been published. On Amazon it costs US$720.

I'd pick up a couple of sets for Chrissie pressies but I'm concerned about excess baggage.

Anyway tonight was a huge event, covered extensively by tv and press, and Jennifer and Ratshot and I were treated as VIPs. Sorry, I meant Ratshit.

In part, out VIP treatment was because of the blue jacket.

I call it the “power blue” jacket. I'd picked it up in Rome on a “promotion” for €99. Beautifully tailored – a smokey Dean Martin kind of colour.

One thing I've learnt, if you wear a snazzy jacket – even if you're wearing Stubbies and thongs and you smell of Four X, people take you seriously.

They took me seriously tonight.

Holy men came up to me and gave me their business cards, and said how wonderful it was to see me again. I said yes, you too – you're looking great. Meditation does wonders for the skin.

There was a Sikh dignitary in the front row. He was wearing a striking blue turban and a blue vest. We later passed each other in the gents and nodded our joint approval at each other's blue splendour…

As I was leaving, a bloke wearing saffron robes, and with a huge supplicant entourage in tow, suddenly stopped when he saw me. The whole circus behind him had to stop too, each devotee bumping into the one in front with the sudden de-escalation in ambulation.

How wonderful to see you again, he said, extending his hand.

I'd never seen this dude before in my life.

Wonderful to see you too, I said. Meditation does wonders for your skin, I added.

You must come visit me at my ashram. My special guest, he said, and gave me his card.

I took a look at the card. I had absolutely no idea who he was. But obviously given his entourage, he was important.

By this stage, a swarm of photographers had encircled us, and was taking photos. I proffered my best side, which showed off the blue jacket.

I would be delighted I said. But tomorrow I'm off to Bermuda, and then Madagascar. Work, I said, and sighed.

Ah yes, and how is your diplomatic work going, Ambassador? he asked, querulously.

I paused for a beat, quickly constructing a reply which might sound plausible.

The Middle East is still problematic, I said, frowning with concern. And of course there's ISIS. Cheeky buggers. But thank God for drones! I said, and slapped him on the back and quickly got lost in the crowds.

During the interminable speeches, which lasted a couple of hours and were made more interminable because they were in Hindi, I watched the Swamiji, whom I'm interviewing tomorrow.

He is an extraordinary man. A true activist. He not only initiated and brought into being this amazing encyclodedia, but he's started up a string of orphanages across the country, he's active in educating the poor, he is a big stirrer internationally on environmental matters, and very vocal on climate change, and is regarded as one of the world's most important spiritual leaders. He counts as friends world leaders, rock stars, and the Dalai Lama.

This is not some monk sitting in a cave up in the Himalayas. He's out in the real world working hard to make it a better place for us all.

So the interview is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and I'm very excited.

I'm thinking I might wear my blue jacket…

(note: pic taken by Jennifer, and hence it's out of focus…)

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Italy turned out to be very important for the film.

I did nine interviews in all, and I also shot some wonderful visuals at the Vatican and elsewhere.

Each interview in its own way gave a crucial slant on intuition – and I know that there are some terrific “grabs” from each interview that I'll definitely be using in the film.

In overview I was surprised at the modernity of the views. And the lack of religious proselytising. For instance I did an interview this afternoon with a very esteemed Professor of Philosophy from one of the Vatican universities. (There are six in Rome.)

The Professor had traveled extensively in India, and had studied Hinduism and Buddhism. And so her take on intuition was informed by this much wider world view.

What's come through in these interviews though is that the voice that I heard in the car that warned me of an impending accident was an intercession from God, or one of God's agents – being an angel or a form of the Holy Spirit.

But the interviews went much deeper than this – and ranged from the spiritual to the philosophical to the scientific aspects of intuition.

All up I've shot close to 200GB of footage. That's a lot. About 8 hrs of interview from nine interview subjects.

The Italian contribution to the film might cut down to 15 minutes all up. But it will be fascinating, and intriguing, and it will provoke a lot of thought and discussion.

From a personal point of view there have been times when I've been deeply affected by what's been said in some of the interviews. And if I can capture that emotion quixotically within the film, then it will be a very fine film indeed.

About to board a plane now to return to India for an interview with a Swami, that could be the highlight of the entire movie!

On the way to Rome airport

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It’s getting dark here now as I sit in my hotel room near the Pantheon in Rome – with busker street guitar drifting in through the window – James Taylor’s You’ve got a Friend. 

I feel like crying.
Today was so emotional.

Two fantastic interviews – and in both I was told that I had a friend – a Guardian Angel – which is what saved my life in New Orleans.

@bill bennett

The first interviewee was a wonderful scholar from a University inside the Vatican. He was a world renown physicist – and in studying the cosmos, he came to believe there was more to the universe than science could explain, and so he joined the Church.

He subsequently got his PhD in Theology, joined Opus Dei, and began to use his knowledge and understanding of science to understand the divine.

The second interviewee was also a member of Opus Dei – a Professor of Philosophy, again at the Vatican University. He spoke clearly and lucidly about Guardian Angels, and said that each of us has not only one, but many angels guiding us through life.

And here’s the thing, he said: We don’t have to believe in Christianity, or be religious at all. Our angels will still work for us – providing that we ask, he said. We have to ask. Otherwise the angels think we’re not interested in them, and they get bored. If we pay them attention, through contemplation or meditation or prayer, then they pull out all stops to help us.

He then went on to describe how the angels communicate with us – and talked of coincidence, synchronicity, numbers, songs on the radio, chance encounters, and other ways the angels try to give us messages.

Both men were articulate and highly intelligent, and they put their points of view forward in simple concepts devoid of religious dogma. If anything, they were almost reluctant and even embarrassed to bring religion into the discussion.

Opus Dei it turns out isn’t the big bogeyman that Dan Brown made out in The Da Vinci Code. They are made up of mainly lay people who basically believe that anyone can achieve sainthood or Christ consciousness, and that there’s sanctity in everyday life.

In that sense they’re not dissimilar to the Buddhists, who believe that anyone can become a Buddha, if they follow certain precepts.

Both interviews today fed the film wonderfully – not only because they open out the discussion to include spirituality from a religious point of view, but also from the perspective of science and philosophy.

As the sun began to drop we then went to St. Peter’s square, and filmed right under the noses of the Vatican police. Because we are a tiny crew with a small discreet camera, we were able to get away with shooting our required sequences without being put into a dungeon and being given the Spanish Inquisition.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
(thanks Monty Python…)

@bill bennett

A great day of filming – and tomorrow we have two more interviews lined up that promise to be just as fascinating. Then tomorrow night we jump a plane back to India, to get our interview with the Swami from Rishikesh, who will be in Delhi to launch his six million word encyclopaedia on Hinduism.

This is going to be an amazing film…

Bill Bennett at the Vatican @bill bennett

When I walked the Camino Frances last year, I came to a crucial junction.

I was about 10 kms outside of Burgos, and there were two routes into the city; one which went through the industrial outskirts, and was evidently a tough bit of walking – noisy and polluted and on tar all the way.

The other way went through parkland, but it wasn’t properly way marked, and many people got lost.

My situation was that I was in agony from my knee, and I didn’t particularly want to walk any further than I needed to. Equally though, I didn’t want to walk 10kms on bitumen through a dirty industrial wasteland.

The industrial route though took me into a small town where I knew there was a bus – and the Camino Bible – John Brierley’s Guide – said there was no ignominy in getting the bus and avoiding that horrible 10kms into Burgos.

I mean after all, if Brierley says it’s ok to get a bus, then who am I to argue? Especially as my swollen knee was putting it’s argument for a bus very vociferously.

So I was standing at this junction – the point at which the road went either towards the parkland route, or the industrial (bus) route – when I heard a voice yelling out to me from behind: “Hey, come with us! I know the way!”

And this is how I met Ivan the Terrible and his Beautiful Wife Giovanna.

Ivan the Terrible and his Beautiful Wife Giovanna – Camino Frances 2013

Ivan’s father had named him after the Russian movie, Ivan the Terrible – hence his name. Giovanna has a pixie beauty about her, hence her name.

I wrote in my book later that they turned out to be my Camino Angels. They saved me from possibly catching a bus – not that there’s anything wrong with it, to paraphrase Seinfeld – and they guided me effortlessly into Burgos through green parks and past cascading waterfalls.

In the book they feature prominently, because we subsequently intersected many times on our walk to Santiago. We had many laughs together.

That’s the magic of the Camino. Through a chance meeting outside Burgos, a friendship was established that will last a lifetime.

They live near Milan, and Ivan always told me that should I ever come to Italy, then Jennifer and I should stay with them. And so this past weekend, that’s what we did.

They hosted us in their beautiful house near Burgamo, east of Milan. They took us out to dinner at their favourite restaurant, and walked us around the glorious old town of Bergamo, which has to be one of the most stunning towns I’ve been to in Italy.

The following day they took us to their place on Lake Gardia, not far from Lake Como.

Giovanna cooked us her favourite pasta recipe, which was as good as any you’d find in a fancy restaurant, and that evening they drove us around the lake to a tiny little eatery tucked down a back lane in a small village and we had the best seafood pasta I’ve ever had ever in my entire life. Ever.

The next morning we had breakfast in a beautiful little cafe by the lake, then we said our goodbyes before driving down to Rome, to continue work.

Ivan the Terrible and his Beautiful Wife Giovanna could not have been more kind and generous this past weekend. And that’s what they were like on the Camino as well.

Beautiful gorgeous people whom I met on a long walk somewhere in Spain, and now they’re friends for life.

Further to my post the other day about signs being all around us…

I wrote how I've noticed that it's odd we keep getting hotel rooms with the number 4 in the room number, and I attached a photo of one of our rooms – Rm 414.

This is after waking up at 4:44am from a dream that told me to go out and make the film. I left Australia on the 4th of September to begin production.

I received an email overnight from Matt and Megan. Matt is Jennifer's brother- he provided the inspiration for my movie THE NUGGET, Matt and Megan are the couple that had the “miracle baby” which I wrote about on this blog some time ago.

If you haven't read the story, do a search on the blog under “miracle baby” because it's a fascinating and moving story.

Anyway, overnight they sent me this article on the significance of the number 414.

Do I believe in this stuff? As hard headed and pragmatic as I am, I've come to this point in my life where I simply can't ignore these things.

So yes, I actually do believe in signs.

Here is the story he sent me…

NUMBER 414

414 is a combination of the attributes and energies of number 4 and number 1, with number 4 appearing twice, amplifying and doubling its influences.

414 is a message that you are being Divinely and angelically guided. Pay attention to your persistent ideas and thoughts and be aware of your dreams and daydreams.

The angels are assisting you with aligning your vibrations with your life purpose and soul mission. Trust that you are being led along your Divine life path and are being fully supported by the angels, Archangels and Ascended Masters.

Listen to the guidance from the angels and take positive action.

Angel Number 414 is a message from your angels that you are to look to new ways to go about getting your work done more effectively and efficiently.

Listen to your intuition as your angels are ushering positive energies towards and around you. Keep your thoughts positive and optimistic as you undertake an important new role or venture.

Your positive energies, intentions and actions will manifest your expected results. Trust your angels to deliver all that you will need.

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Whilst in Florence we stayed in a fairly insalubrious hotel – it was pleasant, affordable, and clean. It was also within walking distance of where we needed to go, which was important.

In short, for our current purposes, it was perfect.

Breakfast was simple continental fare – breads, croissants, brioches, sliced cheeses and meats, and of course espresso coffee to order.

The breakfast room was smallish and sparsely decorated, and contained 12-15 tables. But there was also a narrow balcony outside that contained two tables. The tables were in the sun with a view out over a garden and across to some Tuscan houses. Most mornings there was a sweet breeze.

I noticed that each morning, the tourists that came down for breakfast immediately checked out the balcony to see if there was a table free. If there was, they grabbed it immediately. And rather gleefully. If there wasn’t, they found a table inside, rather dejectedly.

I thought about that.

When did they set up their expectation for a table on the balcony? The night before? When they woke up? As they were coming down in the lift? At the moment they realised there were tables outside and perhaps it would be more pleasant to have breakfast there?

The expectation was that their breakfast would be a more enjoyable experience if they ate outside on the balcony in the sunshine, with the breeze. If they ate inside, in the cramped breakfast room, their experience wouldn’t be as good.

So at the moment their expectation was set, two things were inevitable: they would either be delighted, or they would be disappointed.

I then began to consider how at the moment of setting that expectation, it impacted on their emotional state.

Did it make them anxious that they might miss out on a table on the balcony? Did they hurry to get to breakfast fast? Did they regard it as important to the start of their day, or was it inconsequential?

If it was important, did it mean they got out of bed earlier? Did they rush through their shower? Did they neglect to give their partner attention? A kiss? A compliment? Did they bundle out of the lift in front of others so that they could get to the balcony first?

Each morning, I watched the tourists come to the balcony to see if a table was free, and realising the tables were already taken and that they’d have to eat inside, I could see they were clearly peeved.

And I wondered how long that sense of loss, that disappointment, would last.

Would it affect their breakfast? Would they be churlish to those around them? Would they carry that disappointment with them into their morning’s sightseeing? Or would they simply dismiss it as being bad luck, nothing to worry about, no big deal, and get on with their day?

How it impacted on them would depend so much on how important the expectation was, and what their prior life experience was –

Were they of the belief that they always missed out? That someone else always got the best table ahead of them? That “life” was stacked against them? Did they envy others who had a better car, a better house, a better wife/husband/partner/pet? Were they prone to bitterness?

Or did they have a storehouse of life experience that had taught them to brush off disappointments, because something better was always around the next corner?

As I watched these people checking out the balcony I thought that it was so much like life. This little moment in this small rather ordinary hotel in Florence.

In life we set up expectations. Moment to moment, day to day, year to year, throughout our lives. And moment to moment, day to day, year to year, throughout our lives we’re either delighted or disappointed.

Mostly we’re disappointed, because life rarely delivers us the sunny breezy table out on the balcony. Instead, most of us have to eat our breakfast in the cramped room with everyone else, looking at fake Tuscan pictures on the walls.

What if we had no expectations? What if it didn’t matter? What if we were happy eating in the cramped room with the fake pictures? Then there would be no disappointment.

It happens on the Camino all the time. Pilgrims set their heart on sleeping in a particular albergue. And they rush through their day to get there, only to find that the albergue is full. They miss out on so much by rushing through their day. And then they’re disappointed.

So what’s important – where you sleep?
Or what you do through the entire day?

Did those people who ate out on the balcony really have a better breakfast experience? Maybe the sun was in their eyes. Or maybe the breeze kept blowing their napkin off the table. Or maybe because the balcony was so narrow it was difficult squeezing in and out past the tables to get to the buffet.

Perhaps it was a pain in the butt eating out on the balcony. And perhaps your expectation of the better experience was an illusion. A fantasy. And in fact you were actually better off eating inside.

It’s all about expectation. Or detaching yourself from expectation – and savouring what you have right here, right now, right at this moment, right in front of you.

And when you look at it, what you have right now, you have to admit it’s pretty bloody good.

Yesterday was again flat out.

Jennifer and I were musing at the end of the day that here we are in one of the most magnificent cities in the world – Florence – and we’ve had no time for sightseeing. No popping into the Uffizi for a squiz at some Botticelli – we haven’t even had a chance to go into the Duomo.

We’re here to work – to film – and yesterday gave us another couple of little gems.

First we went to Florence’s oldest bookstore – only 50 meters from the Duomo in fact, and a store that’s been in existence for centuries. Our purpose there was to film a sequence of me researching ancient texts – and the bookstore certainly provided some wonderful visual opportunities.

It was a store that dealt specifically in antiquated books – books hundreds of years old. And it had shelf upon musty shelf of books with cracked leather covers and parchment paper that took you back to medieval and ancient times.

While shooting the sequence I got to talking to the owner of the store – the store has been in his family for six generations – and he began to talk about intuition in wonderfully literate terms.

He talked about “signs,” what he called “hidden” signs that were all around you, should you be prepared to look for them. And even though we were already running late for the next interview, I decided to get his views on camera.

And he was wonderful.

Articulate, sensitive, and wise – he spoke with eloquence about intuition manifesting as signs, which because we live in confusion most of our lives, we fail to see them.

We then quickly packed up and walked about a kilometre across to another piazza, where we met an esteemed theologian – a Emeritus Professor of Theology – who was a wonderfully colourful character.

Tall, imposing, dressed in a black suit with a white unbuttoned shirt; long scraggly white hair, white beard, and academic spectacles, he looked exactly like a Florentine theologian should look.

His interview again was fascinating – and what was interesting about it is that in many ways it connected with what some of the Hindu spiritualists had said in India. The professor spoke about the Holy Spirit, but not in rigid Christian terms, rather in a more open way about the cosmos – his word – and consciousness.

I’ve been expecting the Italian interviews to be more hard-line – more obviously Christian – but it’s proving not to be the case. There seems to be a more “modern” sensibility coming through.

However we go to Rome on Monday, and I’m interviewing someone from Opus Dei, so we’ll see what he has to say!

Just a note: remember that I made the decision to do this film after waking up from a dream at 4:44am? At the time I regarded that as a very real sign that I had to get on with it.  And consequently I booked my flight to India to depart on the 4th of September.

Well, this might sound crazy but it seems that on this trip – both in India and now in Italy – we’re constantly being given rooms with the number 4 in it – such as Room 414.

Coincidence, right?