kevin's journey
The spiritual path decorated with obstacles, initiations and side-quests, each one divinely orchestrated to guide us through profound metamorphosis.
Our human story is not a stand-alone one. It is one link in a chain of soul group incarnations where ancestral imprints are energetically handed down, for better or worse.
This is how my parent's journey rippled into mine – serving as an invitation to break intergenerational patterns and uncover deeper states of peace, freedom and connection.
chapter 1
My mum worked as a nurse at a hospital in downtown Saigon. My dad was conscripted as a medical aide after losing his brother to the war. Leaving their homeland was a sacrifice they were both willing to make for a life away from conflict and government control.
Under the cover of nightfall, they boarded overcrowded fishing boats and set off into the open sea. Needless to say this voyage was sketchy AF with limited resources onboard and opportunistic thugs lurking off the coastline.
My dad's boat made it to Malaysia, my mum's boat docked in Indonesia. After 9 months at refugee camps, they were accepted into Australia as refugees. They met at English school, married shortly after, and settled in the humble western Sydney suburb of Blacktown.
Growing up, I was an empath and didn't know it. I could energetically pick up what other people were feeling – often far too easily. This emotional sensitivity was not only confusing for me, but also my parents who were more focused on survival and security.
The repercussions of war echoed on through my parent's unresolved trauma, coping mechanisms and worldview. As a product of my environment, this is how I inherited my parent's dysfunctional patterns.
The mental and emotional wounds took its toll on family life — manifesting as financial strain, intense conflict, verbal abuse, alcoholism, gambling, infidelity, depression and eventually a bitter divorce. I absorbed a lot of this tension and I recall nights going to bed with a heavy heart.
chapter 2
From an early age, I was drawn to art, frequently dipping into my imagination to create quirky characters and scenes. My mum was supportive of this interest, providing the material and equipment to draw and paint.
In high school, I continued to pursue artistic expression dabbling in mixed media and sculpture. Following that, I completed a 4-year Visual Communication degree at University of Technology, Sydney and started freelancing as a graphic designer. Alongside this, I hired a studio space to develop my own art practice and experiment with making music.
A desire to connect with something bigger and more profound trickled subconsciously through the work, exhibiting collections called 'Between Two Worlds', 'Strobe', 'South Of The River' and 'Cosmic Pilgrim't.
Making art was therapeutic and navigating the creative process was training my intuitive muscles – many of the figures that emerged were spirit animals of people, places and experiences.
chapter 3
Home wasn’t a peaceful place so I sought refuge with friends. Just like dad, I turned to alcohol to escape the volatility of home life. I started indulging in Sydney's hedonistic nightlife: gravitating to clubs, music festivals and raves. I was irreverent, carefree and hell-bent on having a good time.
Binge drinking and partying was not only socially acceptable, it was culturally celebrated. This was my permission slip to push the limits, a risky game that eventually landed me in court for possession and driving under the influence. Even after these obvious red flags, I ignored the warning and continued chasing external highs.
In 2010 I moved to London and persisted with my self-destructive lifestyle around Europe. Things got out of hand again and in 2014, I felt disconnected from everything and spiralled into depression. I was barely keeping it together and after a brutal weekend bender, I resigned from my job and booked a flight back to Sydney. That was my rock bottom moment – my first dark night of the soul – coincidentally during my Saturn Return.
chapter 4
Now back in Sydney, I felt beaten down and broken. My body began to detox, breaking out in allergies, food intolerances and even a bout of shingles. It was tough to be back at my mum's place sleeping on a sofa bed. After 4 years of reckless self-indulgence, I had crash landed back to reality and it was a bitter truth to face.
I was unsettled by the doom and gloom externally too — from wars to poverty, environmental concerns and injustice. I started asked the big questions about the meaning of life, contemplating: "How can I use my skills to do more good?"
This existential crisis motivated me to co-found Luka, a branding agency for social impact and sustainability with my friend Damien.
Behind the scenes, I was battling stories of guilt and shame but didn't know how to escape these heavy emotions. I had hurt people I cared about while in London and was worried my erratic and impulsive behaviour would get me in trouble again. My inner world was a war zone — looping thoughts, volatile reactions and a harsh inner critic that would berate me for winding up like this.
I didn't trust my ability to navigate my relationships with maturity and was desperate for a lifeline. I was a sponge for information, turning to self-help books, workshops and meditation retreats in search for a better way. Eventually, some concepts began to click and I started incorporating psychology, energy work, somatic healing and spiritual philosophy into my self-healing practice.
chapter 5
Alongside self-healing, I felt a strong call to research esoteric traditions, metaphysics and ancient civilisations.
I was guided to research the Sumerian Tablets and the Annunaki which led me down a rabbit hole about Ets and the hidden history of humanity. I would spend hours learning about ancient civilisations like Atlantis and Lemuria, and was magnetised to channeled material like The Law Of One. During this time, I also stumbled upon the concept of spiritual Ascension and the role of humanity in Earth's evolution. The reality I thought I knew was not just bending, it was breaking and rapidly reorganising itself.
I remember a strange feeling that grew from within me – like recalling a distant memory – and I became mesmerised by the concept of New Atlantis.
This obsession with dolphins and Atlantis became the creative launchpad for spirituality-inspired streetwear brand, Key And Isle.
Throughout its variation incarnations, I collaborated with friends Tom, Adele and Ryan to explore how esoteric concepts could woven into a streetwear brand. With yin/yang dolphins as our signature motif, we had fun launching clothing collections, dance parties, mixtapes series and even an exhibition with invited artists to respond to the question: "What does spirit mean to you?"
One of our first t-shirt designs featured the words: International Academy Of Transcendance... a phrase that would find new life in years to come.
chapter 6
During my partying years, I randomly mixed psychedelics with other substances but had never used it intentionally for self-discovery or spiritual connection. This changed when I met a group of psychonauts.
In my first acid trip with them, I slipped into a trance-like state. The top of my head was tingling and I felt a magnetic force pulling up toward the sky. I felt words wanting to spill out and had an intuitive knowing of which message was meant for who. There were raw expressions, tears and a sense of connection that was hard to translate into words. That impromptu healing circle left me and the group shook.
chapter 7
That acid trip inspired me to collate what I'd been learning about healing and spirituality and figure out a way to share it with others.
I could feel a new project wanting to birth through me and it felt big. The first question was: "What do I call this thing?"
The playful words from that Key And Isle t-shirt drifted back into my awareness and despite feeling a little intimated, Academy Of Transcendence was born. The logo represents transcending dimensional realms, and a global shift from divineness and separation into unity and wholeness.
Academy Of Transcendence launched in 2019 with my first 'Introduction to Self-Healing' workshop series — eight jam-packed sessions about meditation, shadow work, emotional intelligence, breathwork, brainwave frequencies, and self-care rituals.
I continued to run iterations of the workshop series, developing and refining the material each time with new research and personal insights. Eventually, I distilled these workshops into The 8 Pillars Of Inner Work — a suite of self-healing tools and practices that people can reach for whenever their thoughts or emotions get too overwhelming. Today, I teach others how to use this empowering Inner Work framework in our signature online course, Self-Mastery Circle.
chapter 8
Up until this point, my primary focus was mental and emotional healing. While Inner Work was effective at healing trauma and navigating the world of emotions, I was craving a physical embodiment practice. So at the start of 2020, I booked a flight to India to investigate the art, science and philosophy of Yoga.
2 weeks into my yoga teacher training, the pandemic hit and India went into strict lockdown.
The global travel restrictions were a blessing in disguise that upgraded my 6-week trip turned into a 10-month spiritual pilgrimage. I embraced the opportunity to study the healing art forms that Rishikesh had to offer, from reiki, Himalayan singing bowl therapy and 500hrs of training in Hatha, Ashtanga and Kundalini yoga.
This time in India showed me the power of committing to a Sadhana (daily spiritual practice).
Through daily yoga asana, breath work and meditation, I developed more control of my energetic sensitivity and developed an experiential understanding of the chakras and the movement of subtle energy throughout the body.
At the end of the year, Australia tentatively reopened its borders and I was finally able to book a flight home. On the flight home, I was inspired to open an Inner-City Ashram in the heart of Sydney to share the new concepts and practices I had learnt.
In April 2023, I did a teacher residency at Swami's Yoga Retreat in north-west Sydney.
It was great opportunity to put my training into practice and teach classes on yoga asana, pranayama, chanting and meditation. I also facilitated workshops for retreat guests about inner work, balancing masculine and female energy, intuitive development and ecstatic dance. After my time here, I felt more confident in facilitating group sessions and enjoyed a new state of contentment and bliss.
chapter 9
In 2022, I felt drawn to join a healing circle led by Anne Tucker who channels the Angelic realms.
Over 6 months, I worked with Anne and the angels to identify and heal repeating trauma patterns from past/ parallel lifetimes, including incarnations from the Holocaust, ancient Mongolia and Neanderthal eras. Needless to say this experience communing with the angels reshaped my understanding of reality yet again.
The grand finale of the healing circle was like something from a sci-fi meets fantasy film, working with the planetary grids of Gaia and anchoring divine masculine energy through the waterways. The angels left us with an empowering message for the future of humanity and I was inspired to expand Academy Of Transcendence into multidimensional spaces.
To my surprise, the deeper I dove into spiritual topics, the more frequently I would encounter references to extraterrestrial species.
I was sceptical at first but open to hear more – watching documentaries, listening to people who channel off-planet beings and even attended an alien conference by myself. This curiosity in both channelling and aliens led me to join a psychic development course with Galactic Ambassador, Rubia Lacerda, who channels the Arcturian Council of Light. This course fine-tuned my psychic sensitivity, giving me the confidence to trust my intuitive downloads and facilitate group energy activations.
Similarly, I stumbled upon Jenny from Starseed Academy and felt a resonance with her channeled information about Galactic History and The Orion Wars. I enrolled in one of her courses where I was introduced to some of my galactic parallel lifetimes as a White Tiger Lyran Monk, Red Dragon and Blue Mantid who is an ambassador for the Galactic Federation.
One of the biggest gifts from the Starseed Academy course was learning that writing a book is part of my mission here on Earth.
According to my spirit guides, my soul has completed 2 Decension & Ascension cycles. During the Ascension phase of this third round, I've given myself the task to record the Inner Work and Ascension process and sharing my insights as a self-help book.
The news was equal parts inspiring and daunting... I mean, the evolution of the soul is an intimidating topic to tackle :/
Regardless, 'HOW TO TRANSCEND' is currently being written as a guidebook for spiritual awakening, self-healing and Ascension. I've been publishing pre-release content fortnightly on Substack for subscribers, feel free to follow along.
Final words
From the challenging situations we lived through in our childhood. To the speed-bumps and detours which all had meaning and served a higher purpose. And all the contracts and agreements we made with family, friends and foes alike that invite us to really see and know ourselves.
The spiritual path guides us to experience more love, both inside and out, and remember the divine spark that resides inside each and every one of us.
It's my highest joy to see others break free from limitations, step into their power, and share their gifts and light with the world. If you're feeling called to work with me, check out our offerings below.
With love,
Kevin