Francis’ bio

Comments on my writing

With my Moon, Uranus and North Node in Gemini 3rd House, I’d say that reading, writing and communicating are in my blood.

Like many of us, I’ve kept diaries through phases of my life. Back in my twenties I went through a phase of writing poems; I managed to get one or two published too. Later it was articles, leaflets and posters on a range of topics, then it was user guides for my teaching.

But even though I made copious notes around the spiritual subjects I had become interested in, I came late, in my sixties, to doing anything with them, such as writing a book.

I really should add at this point too, that I don’t consider myself a writer in the true sense of the word, more a person with a need to communicate what I’ve discovered on my journey.

 

Learn to Read Your Birth-chart in 5 Steps

Until 2021 I focussed my writing on mind, body & spirit, and spiritual health matters. Hence my first book, Life and Death: Making Sense of It, followed by  Steps to Health, Wealth & Inner Peace, and then Love’s Story of Why We Are Here. But on a slightly different tack (some might say it is still the same) in 2021 I added astrology to my writings.

Finally, after over 40 years of involvement with astrology – including gaining diplomas in the topic (yes you can do that) – I brought out a series of books on astrology. Yippee I thought. But then, in 2023, I decided to drop them all and write one good astrology workbook: Learn to Read Your Birth-chart in 5 Steps. 

 You can find out more on this book here…

Let me just say that I have put a lot of myself and knowledge of astrology, into this book. I hope, if it interests you, and you get hold of a copy, you will find it really beneficial. I’ve also launched a simple astrology course – Beyond Your Star Sign for anyone interested to begin moving on from the star sign level of astrology. Follow this link to find out more…

Going back some…

Born on the south coast of Ireland (Waterford), we moved to the UK when I was 2 years old with my parents. My mum was truly a mum who also worked in many different manual jobs. My dad was a merchant seaman – on the Queens, Mary and Elizabeth no less, as well as many other ships during his time, mainly as a boatswain.

Being Irish, you might guess I was raised as a Catholic, but, that said I became a fully-signed up atheist by my late teens/early twenties, and by then was spending Sundays involved in motor sport, instead of going to Church. Certainly it was more fun than Church, as I recall – although there were moments when Church and prayer seemed a better option.

But not to belittle prayer, I do use prayer in my life these days, if not as I was taught, or if not the prayers I was taught.

 

Is this my road to Damascus?

I would have continued in my comfortable atheist direction except for one or two paranormal experiences that rocked my boat some. Also seeing the occasional UFO didn’t help either. The cruncher, I describe as my “Road to Damascus” experience, was after discovering a book by Carl Jung – Memories, Dreams, Reflections. What a home-coming that was for me! 

I would say that, from that point on I began to explore and try to understand life from a spiritual perspective. In my reading I was still ploughing through books based upon reductionist and mechanistic thinking, on psychology and animal behaviour, but now I was also taking a look into all kinds of “fringe” topics, that included my taking a serious interest in astrology. Well yes I know… My medical records show I was of sound mind at the time…

Have a read of an article I put up on Freud and Jung worlds apart… In some ways it symbolises the dialogue I was also having with myself too.

 

Did you say, “Work!?”— what’s that?

Work-wise I was all set for following a conventional path in life, an apprenticeship in cabinet-making and later employed as a sheet-metal worker. However a worker’s strike, and not a little of, what I would call, the Law of Attraction, and/or synchronicity, put paid to all that. The strike proved terminal for my making steel cabinets ever again.

By my mid-twenties I had entered into a career in archaeology and could be found supervising rescue excavations (on prehistoric through to post-mediaeval sites) in the UK. I also ran my astrology practice. I later took a degree in psychology and became a lecturer in adult education.

Have a read of my Steps to Health, Wealth & Inner Peace book to get more on the Law of Attraction component of this part of my story – I think you’ll find what transpired interesting.

That’s my girl

I must just tell you this bit: Some twelve years later (from the strike I mentioned above); now living in London and completing on a degree, I was regularly listening to an album of relaxation music.

This was Portraits by Annie Locke.

By a twist of fate — or another dose of synchronicity — two years later I met Annie (while I was helping the UK healer, Matthew Manning, at one of his exhibitions). We got on surprisingly well, sparks flew. Annie invited me to her birthday party at the time…

Well, not all that long after, we moved to the Cotswolds to try living together. After one or two odd forks in the road – it nearly didn’t work out – we have been together ever since.

Apart from my own work/interests I help Annie with making some of the finished products and videos of her music. Following her last modern classical piano album, A Glimmer of Hope many beautiful piano singles have followed. You can find out a lot more about her, by visiting her website: AnnieLocke.com.

Keep on truckin!

Not all of this journey, thus far, has been nearly so smooth or seemingly an adventure as I might portray it here. There have been some tough times and big gaps in this journey; of course there are. Formally I have now retired but my writing, and supporting Annie, keeps me going…

Comment on our life on Earth

It never ceases to astound me how awesome and magical our situation on the Earth is, either by considering human beings in juxtaposition with the other lifeforms that we live with, or by the paucity of life on other planets for millions of miles around us. And yet how easy it is for us to overlook this marvel of existence in the noise and dust of our day to day existence, with all its demands, stimulations and woes.

Similarly how ignorant a great number of us prefer to remain regarding our death — let alone see it in context with spiritual development. Sure the idea that we are going to die, or, as I believe, more accurately lose our physical vehicle, scares us. Well okay, it scares most of us let’s say, as any major life turning point will.

But far from being a final interruption to our travels it is, I argue, a meaningful and dynamic part of our bigger journey, and a sound reason for our needing to do everything we can, to understand it and prepare for its inevitable and timely arrival.

2024 Update

The above text and comments under That’s My Girl and Comment on our life on Earth seem so much more appropriate now, closer and more meaningful. In March of this year sadly my beautiful partner and very best friend, Annie, passed over to the Other Side. I miss her physical presence terribly – although I know she is still with me in spirit. If it interests you, have a read of her Bio. I am so fortunate to have her in my life. 

 

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