They say you are what you eat—and as we learn more about the gut microbiome, we’re finding out that’s literally true. But we are also the sum of everything we experience. I’m from London or New York; my parents are from India or Hungary. I’m male, female, or non-binary. I listen to this, I eat that, I vote for him, I hate them. It goes on and on—a long list of labels and habits most people carry on autopilot, with almost no real thought or consideration. They just are these things, usually without ever asking why.

Now, imagine bringing a conscious intent to this process. As a Court Master, this distinction is crucial; it is what makes me and my work individual and unlike any other. My pupils, for example, don’t just receive a lesson; they receive the energy of an Anglo-Indian boy from the 60s who trained in a centuries-old craft and philosophical tradition, knew George Michael and has walked from London to Durban, worked across 47 countries for royalty, popes, heads of state, and celebrities etc.

This is the Baraka in me, of me—the gift and the blessing my life has afforded me. Through my training, I have made a deliberate choice: as I have curated my life everything I hold is relevant and used in my work, for this reason I refuse to take on the negative. I have chosen not to become bitter, racist, homophobic, or sexist, because I understand that those shadows are born from nothing but ignorance and fear. By consciously filtering my experiences, I have turned my history into a specialty rather than a burden.

Why is this so important? Well, you can meet a person who seems dignified, impressive, and not to be messed with just by their presence. People who talk nonsense about alpha males think this is “body language”—which would assume a puffed-out chest, a clenched fist, or an angry look—strength at the expense of others, but those things just show weakness. It is the energy of the person that you are feeling. And there is enough to go around, we can all be strong.

Through years of training, when teaching or carving, I have learned to tune my Baraka for the specific task as if by a mixing desk in a recording studio. A little less London and a bit more Rome; less male, more female; less 1970s and a bit more 1570s. My clients expect an energy in their sculpture or the teaching I give, and I can adjust this for their individual requirements.

As a Master Court Carver, I work with clients who expect an energy in their piece that is personal, intrinsic but not necessarily visible. The energy is imparted by my concentration and intent. We call this Baraka. It’s the same idea as a relic in a reliquary—the working part of a Cathedra that sits above the reliquary containing the relic so the Bishop may be bathed in the holiness the relic emits.

People question this, but isn’t it the basis of the art and antique trade that most accept? I could paint a Mondrian, but it wouldn’t have the weight of the original because I’m not Mondrian. It’s why when you lose an heirloom or a wedding ring, it doesn’t work just to replace it with an identical replica. The replica is hollow because the history isn’t in the material. People suggest this is all a placebo effect and not actual “all in the mind”. Everything is all in the mind. One person’s heaven is another person’s hell and they have the power to change one to the other.

As with the Kalpavriksha you get what you wish for, or put another way, you are what you think, and what you think is governed by the experience. If you don’t learn to curate your “mosaic” (your experiences and thoughts), the tree will still grant your wishes—but those wishes will be born of “autopilot” fear and ignorance rather than conscious intent.

When the techniques are learned, you can put this invisible energy into anything, with intent: your food, your relationship, your health or your work. With training and intent, this is available to us all. We are all individual and amazing in our own way.

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