Lucy Oliver

I was introduced to meditation and inner work by an unknown but inspirational teacher in 1975 when I was researching for a D.Phil at Oxford University on sacred symbolism. As I describe in the book, my 'field work' into the esoteric roots of the sacred took over from the academic, and I ended up finally moving to London and dedicating my life and activities to understanding and living a path of Knowledge in the circumstances of everyday life in the great metropolis. Himalayan cave or exotic Temple it was not; just a suburban street, two small children and a mortgage. But along with others, and under the guidance of an extraordinary sage, I received a systematic training in all aspects of the esoteric (ie. hidden) side of inner work. The practice of Meditation is the foundation for all such inner development. My book on meditation The Meditator's Guidebook (Destiny, Inner Traditions) was published in 1991. This new book Tessellations: Patterns of Life and Death in the Company of a Master is an insider's view of 40 years of working within the Western Esoteric Tradition. Perhaps deceptively light in style, it also presents many of the principles which underlie a quest to know the depths of life and experience, the scaffold upon which an integrated life is lived. I still live in London. My children are grown, and I like to sit by the pond at the end of the garden and watch my fish gleaming in the water, and meditate. Check out my website www.meaningbydesign.co.uk