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Life and its Brutal Beauty

Hi, I’m Marlon.

My journey began in the quiet of nature, in a valley surrounded by mountains and vineyards in Cape Town, South Africa. The school I attended, a boarding school nestled in that breathtaking landscape, offered more than just education—it was a crucible where I first encountered life’s raw contrasts. We climbed peaks, traced the stars, and dove off waterfalls, navigated the hardness and beauty of the country, the separation and togetherness, absorbing the full spectrum of being: the beauty and the brutality, side by side.

In the years that followed, I sought out different paths, trying to understand the world and my place in it. I studied horticulture and botany, latin really bring out my struggle with dyslexia, pushing me in to physical work, so I shifted to building computers before finding my hands in leatherwork, crafting Ugg boots and sandals. Eventually, I became a rope access worker, abseiling down tall buildings in Cape Town for painting and maintenance. Each chapter brought with it a new skill, a new way to witness the world, but the questions I carried within me never stopped. What is it all for? What lies beneath the surface of the daily grind?

It was in 1998, at a holistic fair where I sold organic fruits and vegetables, that I first encountered the subtle forces that move through us all. I had total trust, a confidence in, what will be will be, back then, a reflection of my inner search for something deeper, something true. I was introduced to Reiki and energy work, though it was more than just a passing interest—it was the beginning of an awakening to the unseen threads of life.

As time passed, I traveled to Europe and eventually joined the British army. Two tours and five years later, I returned to civilian life, finding myself in carpentry, set building, and boatbuilding. I was creating, but always asking myself: “What does this really mean? What is it I’m being called to do?” In the midst of it all, I met my wife, and together we built a family, welcoming our beautiful daughter into the world.

But life has a way of pushing us into deeper waters. A back injury put me out of commission for two years, forcing me into stillness and reflection. It was in that quiet, when everything I knew seemed to fall away, that the real journey began. I had no choice but to pause, to look inward. What had all this been for? What was I meant to do with the time and space I had been given?

It was through that stillness that I found the courage to retrain in a discipline that resonated with me deeply besides my fears of dyslexia—Transpersonal Coaching Psychology. This isn’t about healing others. I am no healer. But in the process of self-exploration, I discovered the power of presence—the ability to hold space, not to fix, but to support, to guide, to witness.

Over the years, I’ve seen the extremes of the human condition. I’ve felt the deep beauty of life’s simplest moments, and I’ve also been crushed by the brutality of war, of loss, of suffering. It’s in these extremes that I discovered something essential: a place within us all that is beyond the opposites, a space where beauty and pain, joy and sorrow, exist not as contradictions, but as complementary forces in the dance of life. This is not something I learned in books. It was in the lived experience of being human—of feeling everything, deeply—that I realized the truth that we are far more than our pain, our joy, our thoughts, or our circumstances.

I don’t claim to have answers, but I can share this: there is a quiet truth within each of us, something that remains constant no matter the storm. My work now is about helping others reconnect with that deeper self, that core of who they are, unshaken by life’s busyness . Through practices that encourage reflection, presence, and release, I help guide people toward a state of balance where they can witness their own experiences with ease, clarity, and self-compassion.

I am not here to heal you. I am here to help you reconnect with what is already within you—the wisdom, the strength, and the clarity that have always been there, waiting to be remembered.

Our journey continues…

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Transpersonal psychology was developed by Stanislav Grof, who explored non-ordinary states of consciousness to promote psychological healing, deep self-exploration, and personal growth. His research offers profound insights into the human psyche, aiming to unlock greater understanding and transformation.

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