What does it mean to be a Spiritual Punk ? - Spirituality for men, for blokes.
- THE SPIRITUAL PUNK
- 24 hours ago
- 9 min read
I’m Psy, I’m the mister, the fella, the masculine energy, the Dad in Be Nothing Like. So here’s a bit about me and why I am the SPIRITUAL PUNK.
Being a man, being spiritual, being a Dad. Means being different things, but all the same.
I don’t want to be a typically spiritual type of person, blogger, YouTuber whatever, because I’m not a typical spiritual guy.” I want be a bit different, a bit of a rebel so here’s why I became THE SPIRITUAL PUNK and started this as a bit of a movement, for people that feel the same as me.
I’m nearly 50, I am a former (still a bit of a) raver, clubber and I still like to go out and have a dance in a dark room with nothing but a strobe light, I’m a DJ, I’m a Dad and a digital nomad living in Bali. I'm also having a spiritual awakening. To be honest i still don't like saying that as it sounds, I don't know, just a bit, well far out. But that's what's happening and I've come to peace with the fact that it doesn't have ro be such a "thing". It's simply learning more about myself, the universe, frequency, vibration and the fact that we are all connected. So yes, I'm having a spiritual awakening, but I want to do it my way.
Now if things like spirituality etc all feel a bit woo woo, a bit hippy dippy then SPIRITUAL PUNK is for you.
This is the start of the THE SPIRITUAL PUNK MVMNT. I'm going to be sharing it all on my youtube channel. Subscribe and join the SPIRITUAL PUNK MVMNT here.
Find out more the SPIRITUAL PUNK movement on my youtube
What was it like growing up in inner city Manchester in the 80's & 90's
First up, let’s go back to the beginning. I grew up in North East Manchester in the 80’s and 90’s. I always felt a bit different, I dressed different, I thought different and I just felt like I liked different things to other people my age. As an example, this is how I looked. My dad sent me this picture of me, as a teenager, wearing a bright pink coat, an embroidered patchwork Tibetan hat, some sort of tie dye pants and I’ve got my walkman on listening to music.
Now I know this was the early 90’s, but this wasn’t how kids dressed in school. Maybe in the hacienda, or at an illegal rave in a field, but not for school on non uniform days, or hanging out on the streets in the rain, in Manchester. But I did. And this made me look different and in all honesty a bit of a target.
I read a book a bit ago by Dave Haslam, on the history of Manchester. Dave is a DJ, former hacienda resident and author. He writes some amazing books, so they are well worth reading and if you get a chance to hear him DJ. Take it, he’s got such a broad history of musical
knowledge and a great selection of tracks. He’s also a fantastic writer and in this book there was a quote that stuck with me.
Me, as a rather stand out
teenager (circa 1991)
A quote that really says a lot about where I grew up.
This particular book is called "Manchester - England. The story of a pop cult city" and it talks about Manchester, my home city and all about it’s history, it’s time as an industrial town right through it becoming the city known for the Hacienda, Manchester and becoming an iconic place in music and popular culture. Now in it he is talking about inner city areas and he quotes Jeff Noon - author of Vurt and Pollen and in it he’s talking about growing up in a place called Droylsden, which was literally around the corner from my childhood home in Openshaw and is where I used to go to the shop, or hang out - he talks about how being creative here, made you look like a madman or a homosexual.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with people thinking that you are a madman, or queer. A lot of people think I am both and that’s something I’m actually very proud of, but it’s just a little example of how being different back then, growing up made me a target.
The streets of Higher Openshaw where I lived. Home sweet home.
I'm not trying to pretend that I grew up on seriously mean streets, like some Dickensian character, or mini gangster, but just to illustrate that as someone who was a bit different, they weren't the most forgiving of places to spend your formative years. The streets were actually used as one of the locations for the film East is East and these images were taken from an interesting blog post that I found by artist - John Halley, which you can see more of here.
So, this being different, meant I didn’t really have many real friends, I was crap at sport a bit weird and not in any of the cool groups. I was just walking around in my mad clothes getting shouted and being a bit mental. That teaches you early that being different comes with a cost—but also a power.
Can a nightclub dancefloor really be a spiritual place ?
So I was always a bit of a loner, a bit out there and I didn’t really feel like I belonged or fitted in with a set group, or crowd. This carried on all through school and into college, until I went to a club called golden at Sankeys Soap in Manchester. This was where things made sense. I walked in this nightclub. In the wastelands of Ancoats. Through a shuttered door, past a moody doorman. Then I walked to a heavy 4/4 beat, slamming kick drums, flashing lights and a literal wall of heat and moving, dancing bodies. I could not believe it. Everyone was wearing flamboyant clothes, dancing together, smiling, hugging and just generally loving each other and life with loud house music smashing out of the speakers.
An old soap factory with banging music & sweat dripping from the ceiling - that changed my life
This moment literally changed my life, my outlook, my vibe, my feeling.……. Everything about me. I honestly felt like I'd come home. It’s a massive moment in my life. This was my fiest spiritual experience and one that I will talk about in more detail, in a future post.
Now e’s were a part of that time yes, but I’ll talk more about this in the future.
So fast forward a bit to now. I still DJ, I’m still a rebel, I have spiky blonde hair, dress a bit mad. But I am a Dad now, I have 3 kids and I live in Bali as a digital nomad, but I’m learning more and more about the spirituality side of things. Frequency, vibration, meditation yoga and all of that, whilst still being me and having a beer and a laugh with it all. I didn’t abandon who I was. I expanded who I was.
I’m not a guru, I’m not a monk, I’m not here to preach. I’m just a guy trying to grow, to feel better, to live better and I want to share that with you.
How do you know you are having a spiritual awakening ? What are the signs ?
So what were the turning points ?
Like I said, I’ve always been different. I’ve stop out and I’ve literally been beaten up, a few times actually for looking weird.
So this changes you.
The main thing that changed me was feeling that there was more to life. I was working in the UK, running a business, struggling with everything, the economy, the people, the weather and more. I am so so happy with my personal life, I have an amazing partner, my kids are so special and as a family we are happy. But I just thought there was more.
It felt like life was asking me to change.
This got me learning more about spirituality. I learned about the 12 laws of the universe, I learned about frequency, about vibration, about yoga and meditation.
My parter suffered with depression and after losing almost all of our money in crypto we felt a pull to move, to Bali. A place we had never been. Then we started getting signs from the universe. “I’ll tell that whole story in another post, because frankly it was mad.
But to cut a long story short, we ended up selling everything in the UK, setting off with the family and one way tickets to explore Bali and south east Asia.
Now Bali is a super spiritual place, full of mad energy and lots of things like ley lines passing through and this is something that you can really feel.
Along the way I’ve spent time with buddhist monks, learning about meditation yoga and more. Recently even though I’m living well here I was still feeling like I wanted to do something more. So, that’s why I’m starting this. The spiritual punk.
What can you expect from The spiritual punk. I want this to be something a bit more than just me spouting off, I want it to be a bit of a collective, a place for like minded souls, the ones that think a bit different, the outsiders to all gather and feel ok to be themselves.
I want this to the Spiritual Punk Movement.
Why punk and spirituality are actually pretty similar.
So why The Punk Side ?
I want to bring this ethos together with spirituality, as although they seem so far apart. They are petty similar vibes.
Punk represents a bit if rebellion, a bit against the man, a bit Fuck the system. I like that. I also LOVE the aesthetic. The style, ever since I saw the image of Jonny Rotten, spiky orange hair, neon pink Vivienne Westwood DESTROY top, studded belt and leather pants. That is a strong look and one that I have always loved.
This is the very definition of "A strong look"
Spirituality is about ignoring the news, not following religion. Trusting you, your intuition and being connected to everything.
So, the two mindsets go pretty hand in hand as a way of life.
Now for me personally a lot of the Spiritual content online feels a bit out there, it’s not really aimed at people like me and honestly the majority of it feels female led, so I want to be speaking to the blokes, the men. Bringing a bit of masculine energy, but real masculine energy into the space.
So what sort of topics will I be talking about.
What is the Spiritual Punk manifesto ?
There’s spirituality, obviously, but what it really means. To an everyday person, living a life. How does it feel, how can you learn from it and how can you implement it into your everyday life. So that will lead on to topics like meditation, yoga and living well.
I’m into biohacking, exploring biohacking as a way to bring in some ancient practices, with a modern twist that can help you live better, feel better, look better and be on top of your game physically and mentally. This is all part of the The Fitness & Yoga Side — Building a Spiritual Warrior Body.
There’s the DJ/music Side — Why Sound, Frequency & Vibration Matter ?
I have DJ’d in Ibiza, Berlin, Sankeys. Seriously underground clubs and I’ve literally seen, heard and felt the physical effect of sound on people. When you’ve seen a whole room vibrate together on the same frequency you understand energy in a different way. So I’m going to talk about how frequencies shift emotions, energy, state of mind, Linking this to spiritual concept, kind of like a “Raise your vibration” explained through music. I will also be sharing some of the music, the mixes etc that I like to listen to, maybe catching up on some old 90’s house mixes etc.
DJ ing in Space - Ibiza. Such a magical place.
If you want a listen to some of my music then have a listen, have a dance to my Soundcloud here.
I spent a lot of time in Ibiza. A place known for wild clubbing, but also a magical, almost spiritual like energy going on. I always loved my times here and it used to be the only place that i felt like I wanted to live. The island has changed a lot recently and the vibe has definitely shifted. I did write a post all about my time visiting ibiza, so have a read of that ibiza in the 90's post if you want a teaser of some 90’s house music nostalgia.
What about spiritual clothing for men ?
As part of the Spiritual Punk, I’m also starting a clothing range. This is something I love. I’m all about being connected and spiritual, but, call me vain……. I like to look good whilst I’m doing it. Now, in all honesty when you look at what is classed as spiritual clothing, it’s a bit crap. It’s naff and it’s not what I want to wear. So you know what, if you want something, go create it.
Creating Spiritual clothing for men - That people will actually want to wear
So, as an overview it’s going to be clothing with a spiritual vibe, but with punk energy and an edgy streetwear aesthetic. I’m going to be creating some one of one pieces, built on vintage military pieces with hand crafted prints and elements to them, so stay tuned for those.
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So, that’s what this is all about. Welcome to the Spiritual Punk Movement.”
I’m going to be writing regularly on here, adding videos to the YouTube, but I also have all of my own channels, so if you want to join the SPIRITUAL PUNKMVMNT then I’d love to have you along for the journey.
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Peace out and good vibes.
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