The Rune Guy

31/08/2026

I'M LIFTING THE LOAD FOR MENTAL HEALTH

A few years ago, in 2019, I shaved off my beard to raise money for Beyond Blue.

Mental health is something I've continued to care deeply about ever since.

This year, I'm taking on a different kind of challenge.

I'm participating in Lift the Load for Mental Health — carrying weight for 50km throughout October to help raise funds for young men's mental health.

The challenge calls for 10kg.

I'll be carrying at least 20kg.

Not because I need to prove anything...
But because if I'm going to ask people to support something I believe in, I want to put some real effort behind it.

The idea behind the challenge is pretty simple.
Some people carry a weight that we can't see.
The pressure.
The anxiety.
The isolation.
The things they don't talk about.

And sometimes, particularly for men, we get very good at pretending that weight isn't there.
So for October, I'm going to make that weight a little more visible.

At least 20kg.
50km.
One month.

One reason bigger than the challenge itself.
I'm doing this because I believe mental health deserves the same attention and care as physical health.

And because sometimes starting a conversation can be the first step toward someone realising they don't have to carry everything alone.

If you'd like to support me, donate, or simply follow along with the challenge, you can find my fundraising page here:

https://www.lifttheload.org.au/a-owers

Every bit of support helps.

And if you're carrying something yourself...
You don't have to carry it alone.

17/08/2026

A few copper bracelets under way 🙌

Never made anything like this before 🤣 so thought id give it a crack.

They should be finished in the next week or so..... waiting on some material to finish them up.

06/08/2026

𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑺𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑻𝑼𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑯 𝑴𝑬𝑬𝑻

This is something I've wanted to talk about for a while.
Not just as someone who works with people...
But as someone who's lived it.

During my time in the Army, I resisted seeking help for my own mental health for a long time.
Partly because of the stigma that still surrounded mental health.

I also watched people around me carry that same fear.
People who were struggling...
But worried that asking for help or taking medication would somehow be seen as weakness.

Years later, working with people in a spiritual setting, I've encountered a different kind of stigma.

I've had clients tell me they're afraid to start medication because they've been told it will block their intuition...
- Disconnect them from Spirit...
- Or take away their gifts.

I've even had people tell me that someone who is genuinely spiritual shouldn't take medication.

Personally, I think that's one of the most harmful messages we can give someone.

Today, I'm open about the fact that I take medication for my mental health and my ADHD.

Not because it "fixed" me...

But because it became one of the tools that helped me function more effectively, think more clearly, and continue doing the deeper work on myself.

It hasn't made me any less compassionate.

It hasn't taken away my intuition.

And it certainly hasn't stopped me from doing the work I'm passionate about.

Over the years, I've also had many conversations with clients about medication.
Not as a doctor.
Not as a psychologist.
Simply as someone who's walked a similar path.
One thing I've noticed is that people often talk about medication as though it's all the same.

It isn't.
Sometimes the first medication isn't the right fit.
- Sometimes the dosage needs adjusting.
- Sometimes another approach works better.
- Those are conversations to have with your
doctor or treating team.

But I think it's important to remember that one difficult experience doesn't mean every option will be the same.

Finding the right support can sometimes take time.
And there's no shame in that.

Do I believe there can be a spiritual aspect to mental health?

Absolutely.
- Our experiences...
- Our beliefs...
- Our relationships...
- Our trauma...
- Our sense of purpose and connection...
All of these can influence how we experience the world.

Sometimes healing comes through self-reflection.
- Sometimes through meditation.
- Through nature.
- Through ritual or spiritual practice.
- Through difficult conversations.
- Through learning to reconnect with ourselves.

But that doesn't mean medication has no place.

Sometimes healing also comes through doctors.
- Through psychologists.
- Through counsellors.
- Through psychiatrists.
- Through medication that helps quiet the storm long enough for someone to actually begin the deeper work.

I don't see spirituality and modern medicine as enemies.
I see them as different tools.

If someone broke their leg, we wouldn't tell them to meditate until the bone healed.
We'd set the bone...
And then support the healing.

For some people, mental health deserves that same compassion.

Needing medication doesn't make you weak.
It doesn't make you less spiritual.
It doesn't mean you've failed.
And it certainly doesn't mean you've lost your gifts.

If anything, when someone is no longer overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, trauma, or the constant noise of their own mind, they're often in a far better place to reconnect with themselves and whatever spirituality means to them.

Perhaps true wisdom isn't found in rejecting one path in favour of another...
Perhaps it's found in having the humility to recognise when each has something valuable to offer.

I don't believe spirituality and science have to compete.
I believe they can complement one another.
Each offers something different.

Each helps us understand ourselves in different ways.

There's no shame in seeking help.
Whether that help comes from a therapist...
- A trusted friend...
- A spiritual practice...
- A prescription...
Or, in many cases, a combination of them all.

Just as we don't expect one healing modality to meet every need we have, we shouldn't expect one approach to healing our mental health either. Sometimes healing asks us to draw on more than one source of support, and that's okay.

Because healing rarely happens because of one thing alone.

Sometimes the strongest thing we can do isn't choosing between science and spirituality...

It's allowing both to help us heal.

Healing isn't a competition.
It's a journey.

And if sharing my own experience helps even one person let go of the fear or shame around asking for help, then it's a conversation worth having.

If our beliefs ever convince us to avoid seeking the help we genuinely need...
Perhaps it's worth asking whether those beliefs are supporting our healing...
Or simply becoming another obstacle to it.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever felt pressure to choose between your beliefs and getting the help you needed?

04/08/2026

𝑨 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑯 𝑺𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯

Think about the people you admire most.
Now ask yourself...

Do you admire them because they're perfect?

Or because they're genuine?

We spend so much energy hiding our imperfections...

Yet authenticity is often what draws us to others in the first place.

What part of yourself would become lighter if you stopped trying to hide it?

Because sometimes the question is more important than the answer.

Until next Wednesday...

04/08/2026

Confession time...

How many unfinished books are sitting on your bookshelf because you got excited by a new one?

No judgement...

I'm just trying to work out if it's a personality trait or an occupational hazard.

17/07/2026

𝑩𝑬𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑫 𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮...

Before every reading, I remind myself of one thing.

•I'm not here to impress anyone.

•I'm here to listen.

•Not just to the runes...

•But to the person sitting across from me.

Every reading begins with a conversation.

Sometimes people arrive with a clear question.

Sometimes they simply know something feels out of place, but they can't quite explain why.

•There are no rehearsed answers.

•No script.

No two readings are ever the same because no two people are walking exactly the same path.

For me, a reading isn't about predicting someone's future.

It's about helping them see their present with a little more clarity.

Sometimes all it takes is one conversation...

One symbol...

Or one different perspective...

For something that once felt confusing to finally make sense.

That's what keeps me coming back to this chair.
And why I still love what I do.

If you've ever wondered what a reading is really like, feel free to ask me anything in the comments—or send me a message.

15/07/2026

𝑨 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑻𝑯 𝑺𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯

Most of us spend years asking:

"Who am I?"

But perhaps there's another question that's just as important.

Who am I trying to be?

For myself?

Or for everyone else's expectations?

Sometimes the hardest part isn't discovering who we are...

It's letting go of who we thought we had to become.

Who would you be if you stopped trying to meet everyone else's expectations?

Because sometimes the question is more important than the answer.

Until next Wednesday...

14/07/2026

Shared this post a while ago. But wanted to share it here.

One of the questions I ask myself from time to time is this:

What am I investing my life in?

Not my money.

My life.

Because every hour we spend is an hour we never get back.

This story is a simple reminder of something that's easy to forget, especially when life gets busy.

Take two minutes to read it.

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"

The father was furious.
DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: 'Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $50 and he really didn't ask for money very often.'

The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"

SON: "No daddy, I'm awake".

DAD: "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling.

SON: "Oh, thank you daddy!"

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"

SON: "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do. Daddy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

Do remember to share that $100 worth of your time with someone you love? If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for would replace us in a matter of days. But the family and friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

Some things are more important.

12/07/2026

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑩𝑶𝑫𝒀 𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑺

Some battles leave scars.

Others leave wisdom.

The world celebrates the victories everyone can see...

But rarely notices the quiet battles fought in silence.

The ones where nobody applauds.

The ones where the enemy isn't another person...

• It's fear.
• It's grief.
• It's self-doubt.

The version of ourselves we've slowly outgrown.

Sometimes surviving is the victory.

Sometimes standing back up is enough.

And sometimes the strongest people you'll ever meet are carrying wounds you'd never know existed.

What battle has taught you the most about yourself?