About Christina Newdawn

Christina (not her real name) is a typical Australian woman, raised by loving, middle-class Christian parents, however her story is anything but typical. Despite her Christian upbringing, her longing for a deeper spiritual connection and unconditional love caused her to make questionable life decisions throughout her search.

“My Dad was very strict and rarely showed my two older sisters and me love and affection. Mum was the opposite, but a girl also needs the love of her daddy, so I spent a lifetime trying to find it in other men. The first guy to show interest in me at the age of 15 lured me into an international religious cult, which forced me to grow up very quickly. I spent ten years in it, had five children to three different fathers, but still didn’t find the true love and spiritual fulfilment that I needed so desperately.”

“After my 21 year marriage ended, I was middle-aged, still lost and making poor decisions based on fear. I just wanted to be loved and accepted, but ended up in an even more abusive relationship. If we don’t learn the lessons, we just keep repeating the same mistakes over and over until we get it! I thought that I had always been a victim of other people’s mistreatment, locked in a metaphysical cage,  until I finally realised that I had not only put myself there, but the bars that were keeping me imprisoned were my own fears. Instead of waiting for my knight in shining armour to come rescue me and carry me away to a “happy-ever-after” (which is an illusion), I knew that I was the only one that could melt away the bars so that I could be free and find the love and fulfilment I had been seeking all along.”

“My reason for writing this book is not for self-promotion or money, but hopefully to empower other women (and men) who want to free themselves as I did. I just wish I had read something like this when I was young… I would have made very different decisions!”

“I am now living in a Buddhist community, which is a new adventure, and loving it. I no longer feel trapped or in a cage and my inner tiger is able to roam free and be itself.  It doesn’t mean that I’m not still challenged as I have a lot more growing to do, and occasionally someone innocently knocks the scab off of an old wound which brings up feelings of unworthiness, but at least now I am fully aware of this and take ownership of my reaction rather than feeling like a victim. I am in full control of my life and decisions and have a great relationship with myself. I’m still single, but I don’t need anyone else to make me feel happy and loved as I have learned how to find that from within. My heart, which had been closed off in self-protection for most of my life, is starting to open and blossom, like a lotus flower. My happiness now comes from making others happy and connecting with them, whether it’s cooking them a great meal seasoned with love, or just stopping to make conversation and asking how they are.”

 “To everyone out there who feels trapped, I just want you to be brave, despite the overwhelming fear, and find the courage to free your tiger within.”