The Storm That Closed the Castle
Inner knowing, inherited narratives, and the lives we build
Happy 2026! 🎉💙
I’ve been feeling excited to start a newsletter around Inner Authority vs Inherited Narratives this year.
Well something recently happened that felt like the right place to begin — a personal inner shift that’s been significant for me.
Many of you know that during Covid, while walking the Camino de Santiago, I had my only-ever lucid dream.
My subconscious said: “Stop travelling. Sometimes people need to stop talking about it and build their castle.”
That message eventually led me to a small village in central Portugal (above) — one with an actual castle on the top — where I settled, rented from a local family, and experienced something new for me: making a place feel like home.
Over time, that castle became what I call my “quiet zen man cave”. A small house at local rent in a quiet area with beautiful nature around and all the basics that I need to feel comfortable.
And then, on Tuesday 27th January, something shifted.
I realised — very clearly — that I want to travel again. Not a short trip, but my old nomadic way. Backpacking. Moving. Learning from change.
That very night, a storm hit central Portugal (👈 BBC) with winds up to 150km (95 miles) per hour.
Trees were torn out of the ground. Road signs bent. Parts of the village were badly damaged.
The next day there was no electricity, no phone signal, and no battery left in my laptop or phone. So I went out.
I spent the day at Mario’s — the local café — lit with an oil lamp, cash only, sitting with people I hadn’t really spent time with for months.
I’d been keeping to myself to stay healthy (the local pastime here being smoking and booze); the storm pulled me back into the warmth of the community. It was unexpectedly beautiful.
Later, I went to visit the castle.
Every entrance was bolted shut.
The castle was closed.
Whether you see that as symbolic or just a curious coincidence, it stopped me. It invited reflection.
What I realised is this:
Settling into a place, building community, making somewhere feel like home — that was my castle. I lived it. Fully.
Now that particular castle is complete.
But the deeper reminder was this:
Our real castle isn’t a place. It’s the life we’re living in alignment with our truth.
For some seasons, that truth looks like roots and familiarity.
For others, it looks like movement, curiosity, and change.
I am more of the second kind. I have gypsy (wanderlust, freedom, nonconformity) in my soul.
But both can be strong. Both can be playful. Both can be safe
(and play + strength + safety = a castle).
So right now, I prepare to leave — with a mix of feelings:
nervous, nostalgic, grateful, and excited — and now with a deeper sense of who I am than I had before.
So I would like to close with a simple reflection:
Is what you’re doing right now the building of your castle?
Or is it the moment when your next castle wants to be imagined?
It’s worth noting that the urge to travel again is not what’s important — it is the inner knowing that quietly arrives, without drama, justification, or urgency. That is how inner authority shows up: not as excitement, but as clarity.
Warmly on our journey,
Robito ♡
Build Your Castle 2026 Offer! ⚡
Send me an email to book one session and ..
your second session is on me!
No gimmicks, just a way for you to support me packing up and hitting the road while also exploring your own castle to start off 2026.
Let’s explore together! 🎉
Simply send me a quick email me at robito@freedomhypnosis.org or
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If this content resonates with you then that’s because we’re walking our own unique versions of the very same path.
The path to feeling free!
Your castle is built by your own authentic self. That is your freedom. That is what makes you fearless and free, and that can only be found at the core of you, in your own ‘unconscious mind’ (aka in your ‘subconscious’).
Freedom-focused Hypnotherapy for inner knowing, nervous system clarity, and building your castle.