Management of pain has led one Cypriot to put pen to paper. PAUL LAMBIS meets him

A captivating, intriguing and spiritual memoir about his inner power to live with physical and mental pain for a very long time, Evagoras Evagorou marked his publishing debut this year with the release of Ten Lanterns: Light Your Way-Lighten Your Pain.

Learning how to manage it in the process, Evagorou has strived to synthesise a story through his self-help book with positive, affirming advice, “all woven together in an intriguing and thoughtful fairytale within real life.”

From the heartfelt reviews received from around the world to becoming a best-seller in Cyprus in less than three months, Evagorou considers it a blessing to be surrounded by all this positivity, which he refers to as the “fuel” that will lead him to “tomorrow’s stations.”

feature2 2“The ultimate goal is not the finish line, but the journey itself,” he said. “Having a victorious finish means that people will be waiting for you at the last station to applaud you on your achievements and efforts; however, I still have a long way to go.”

Evagorou uses the word ‘pain’ to characterise both the physical and emotional experiences throughout the book, reflecting feelings of sadness, despair, anxiety, panic, loneliness, and all other emotions associated with suffering.

After being diagnosed with Spontaneous Pneumothorax syndrome in 2000, Evagorou underwent five painful lung procedures. To add to his physical and emotional despair the loss of a loved one, as he reveals in the book, was an additional challenge.

Pain needs systematic management and should not be ignored, he said. “My book is about facing pain head-on, not avoiding it,” he told the Cyprus Mail. “The phrase ‘Let pain come but not be welcome’ frequently appears, referring to the immediate, active, and drastic management of pain.

“If the right choices are made, one can transition from a painful to a painless path. Thus, helping individuals all around the world transcend their existing selves and become the finest versions of themselves is my main objective. For this to occur, pain needs to be eliminated,” he added.

The inspiration behind Evagorou’s book is his “wonderful, peaceful, and illuminating” childhood memories as well as the knowledge and experiences that followed.

While desperately trying to make sense of the grim reality of the pandemic during lockdown, Evagorou realised that the need to return to basics was necessary.

“Fortunately, and if I may say so, the pandemic encouraged most of us to start anew.

“In my opinion, Covid-19 corroborated a point of view made by Pray Big author, Alistair Begg, stating that ‘the main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things.’

“Therefore, I truly believe that the simplicity of the spiritual language of my book will be transmitted from the heart of the author straight to the heart of the reader,” Evagorou said.

When asked if he views his writing as a spiritual practice, Evagorou believes his view is not relevant. “The most important is how my audience views and reviews Ten Lanterns: Light Your Way-Lighten Your Pain.”

“You will discover something worthwhile, let’s say, once you spend some quality time with another passenger. It is vital to switch hats, jobs, and practices to learn. For example, students can become teachers, patients can become doctors, a captain can become a coach, readers can become authors, and vice versa.”

Evagorou believes that stepping in another person’s shoes will lead to understanding that person’s viewpoint.

He knows firsthand the challenges that many of his readers may be striving to overcome. In doing so he developed the technical and empirical skill to support, explain and subsequently coach individuals in overcoming their own psychogenic suffering through a step-by-step process that involves lighting each of the Ten Lanterns, one at a time.

“It took me over 12,000 hours of training and mentoring other travelers to finally complete this learning journey,” he added.

His deepest desire is to always have his ninth lantern constantly lit, referring to having a good purpose in life, never losing hope and wanting to provide help and support to his fellow ‘passengers’. “That is how we will become higher beings; how we will approach the likeness of our higher God.”

While enjoying the ride on the Ten Lanterns train, Evagorou is considering his options and future moves. “Even though the long journey of writing my first book is over, the journey of my personal evolution continues unabated, with the curiosity to observe and search for something new that is yet to be discovered.”

Evagoras’ insatiable interest fuels his desire for positive development, and rekindles his pure, childlike urge to turn on yet another lantern. “Who knows, then? There could be an eleventh lantern on the way if that is God’s will.”

For more information on the author, and to get a copy of Ten Lanterns: Light Your Way-Lighten Your Pain, visit www.evagorou.com