Hello friends, First let me say a huge thank you to you for being a Holistic Local member and for making it into the discussion forum. I really hope you take part in discussions here and become an active participant of this community. I generally don't enjoy writing about myself but as I'm one of the founding members and administrators of this web site & forum it's only right that I tell you something about myself (although there's not much to tell really!). Anyway here goes: I've recently turned 30 years old (28th November, so I'm a sagittarius). I currently live just outside Leeds in the UK. I'm actually living with my nan right now but that's a long story, and I'll be moving out soon hopefully! I'm currently single, have never been married or had kids, but I do have 2 wonderful young nephews thanks to my sister Sally. My background is in computers although I've been mostly involved in the creative side rather than the technical stuff. After leaving university in 1997 I spent 5 years working as a 3D computer graphics designer for a conference & events production company. That was good fun for awhile but I quickly realised it wasn't what I wanted to keep doing the rest of my life. In 2002 I quit my job and went freelance, doing 3D graphics and also web design. Since about the year 2000 I'd been studying internet marketing quite intensely and soon decided it was the internet where I saw a big part of my future. In 2004 I helped to launch HolisticPro http://www.holisticpro.com which is an internet business & marketing resource for holistic therapists. It was also right at the end of 2004 when I first came up with the idea for Holistic Local. Round about that time I was also getting to know a guy called Jason who I met on another discussion forum and it turned out Jason was an expert computer programmer who had all the skills needed to turn Holistic Local into the site you see today. Luckily (or more probably by cosmic design!), he was unemployed at the time and was also looking to return to the UK. I think Jason started work on programming Holistic Local around February of this year(2005), returned to the UK around April and we launched version 1 of Holistic Local in June. So things happened pretty quickly. As you can see Jason has done an incredible job in programming this site all on his own. At this point I must also mention Nick, an integral part of the team, whose guidance (and money) have been absolutely essential in getting us where we are today. I think the three of us have made a great team so far and long may it continue this way. So what got me doing this? Well I've been passionate about spirituality since I was about 19. It was reading The Celestine Prophesy while at University that first got me into all this. Even though it was all new to me, I knew as soon as I read it that it contained many truths and so I started my first babysteps on the spiritual path I've been on ever since. My thirst for more knowledge on this subject was unquenchable and along the way, so far, I've read and enjoyed many many books that have helped me grow and often changed the course of my life. I could list dozens of books I've enjoyed but I'll just list some of my favourite authors. They are: Eckhart Tolle, Stuart Wilde, Carlos Casteneda, Richard Bach, Alan Watts, Don Miguel Ruiz, Deepak Chopra, James Redfield, Thom Hartmann & Dan Millman. It was reading Thom Hartmann's The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight several years ago that really brought home to me what a terrible state the world is currently in, and how important it is for humanity to quickly change it's ways if we're to survive into the future. Whether we can change in time, I don't know, but it's imperative that we do what we can. From many angles our situation does seem unsurmountable, however, change definitely seems to be in the air. Something definitely seems to be happening. Many spiritual folks are talking about a shift that has started to take place - some say a shift in consciousness, others a shift in dimensions. I think it's probably all one and the same. There's no doubt in my mind that something's happening, and despite the odds being seemingly stacked against us, I remain positive and upbeat about our future. My main goal with Holistic Local is to help connect holistic & spiritually aware people, not just across the globe, but also across town. I want it to become a place where we can all exchange ideas and promote what we're doing. I believe that only by working closely together can we hope to make the changes that need to be made. I think it's clear now to all conscious people that our goverments are not on our side, and neither is the mainstream media or most traditional institutions. Maybe one day that will change, but for the time being we have to turn our backs on them and take full responsibility for our selves and create the world we want to live in. As Ghandi said we must "Be the change you want to see in the world." Anyway I'll finish around here. The last thing I want is to become a spokesperson for a movement. I tend to shy away from the spotlight. I'm just a fairly regular guy who knows a bit about the internet, about spirituality and who hopes to try and contribute a little something towards raising planatary awareness. I'm definitely very excited about the potential of Holistic Local. It still has a long way to go before it even comes close to achieving my vision but we're getting there slowly. Any help and support in spreading the word about us will be greatly appreciated! I also want to say a big heartfelt thank you to all the people who have written to me so far with their kind words and support, it's what makes it all worthwhile.  Thanks for reading Andy Metcalfe PS. I'd like to encourage everyone to introduce themselves, but in no way do I expect you to write as much as I have. Just a couple of lines about who you are and where you're from will be fine! Quote | 
