1 year anniversary of Michael Domeyko Rowland's passing
This obituary was written by Dave Leser and sums up Michael's life beautifully. I'm sharing it with you here, and a slide show that we made so that we can celebrate his life.
Michael Domekyo Rowland lived many lives and two big careers – the first career being the one that dreams are made of through film, the second being the one that inspired the dreams of others through spiritual growth.
The first career began in 1966, in London, the city of his birth, when, fresh out of school, Michael secured a job as a seventeen-year-old unit runner on an MGM film starring Gregory Peck, Arabesque (1966) It was the beginning of a love affair with cinema, one that saw him working with other megastars of the big screen, people like Yul Brynner and Trevor Howard on The Long Duel, and here in Australia, on classics such as The Age of Consent and Wake in Fright, the psychological thriller that starred a young Jack Thompson and an archetypal Australian by the name of Chips Rafferty. (It was Rafferty’s last film.)
Born Michael Falloon in London in 1949, Michael moved to Australia in 1969 after falling in love with the north coast of NSW during a holiday. He joined the crew of Skippy The Bush Kangaroo as third assistant director, before directing two episodes for the hit Australian television series, Return To Eden (1986) as well as the last episode for the Australian television series, Spyforce, a drama based on an intelligence operative in the South Pacific.
Michael was forever captivated by the possibilities of film, having seen Stanley Kubrick direct 2001: A Space Odyssey, in London as well as been privy to the making of Casino Royale, starring Woody Allen, Orson Wells, Ursula Andress, Peter Sellers and David Niven.
After meeting and studying with the great Indian yogi Muktananda Paramahamsa, the founder of Siddha Yoga, Michael went on to write the best-selling book Absolute Happiness: The Way to a Life of Complete Fulfillment in 1993.
Michael’s goal – together with his wife Paulina Domeyko – was nothing less than achieving a global change in consciousness, and it was that goal to which he dedicated himself for the past 40 years.
Michael eventually wrote, directed and starred in his own feature film Being in Heaven, a self-funded project that, despite some critical reviews, explored the realms of truth and consciousness in ways that slaked people’s spiritual thirst. He also created documentaries such as the Ecstatic States and a series called Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of the Selves.
A life-long student of ancient wisdom and western psychology, Michael spoke and taught around the world, always to captivated audiences. Those who met him were forever touched by his inspirational words and insights, and by the warmth and humanity, he brought to all he did.
He believed it was possible in this life to change who we are, to go beyond our perceived limitations with integrity and truth.
Michael died peacefully in his sleep at home in Byron Bay on the night of January 16, 2019, one day after celebrating his seventieth birthday. He is survived by his loving wife Paulina and their two children, Isabella, 23 and Michael Jr., 19.
Michael Domeyko Rowland with his wife Paulina, daughter Isabella, and son Michael Jr.
