Tim Guest (16 July 1975 – 31 July 2009) (also known as Yogesh and Errol Mysterio) was an English author and journalist.

Early childhood

When he was four, Guest was left in the UK by his psychologist mother, Anne Geraghty, who went to

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and became involved with the emergent Rajneesh movement, founded by the Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, now known as Osho. She returned from her trip dressed all in orange and with a new name: Ma Prem Vismaya, a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

name which translates as "wonderful love". She dyed Tim's clothes orange and gave him a ''

mala Mala may refer to: Comics * Mala (Amazon), an Amazon from Wonder Woman's side of the DC Universe * Mala (Kryptonian), a villain from Superman's corner of the DC Universe Films and television * ''Mala'' (1941 film), a Bollywood drama film * , ...

'', a bead necklace with picture of Bhagwan. Tim was given the new name—Swami Prem Yogesh, meaning 'Love of

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...

'. Tim and his mother moved to Medina, a large

sannyas ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ...

commune in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

, England that ran from 1981 to 1985, here Tim went to the commune school, where English and maths were compulsory and history and politics were not taught. Guest spent his youth moving between Osho communes in England, India, Germany and the United States, a childhood he was later to describe as "somewhere in between

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

and ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...

''".

Return to London and teenage years

His mother left the movement when he was 11 years old and they returned to London.

Higher education

He attended

Sussex University , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil ...

where he studied psychology, and obtained a MA degree in creative writing from the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

Career

Guest had articles published in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...

'' and the ''Telegraph Magazine''. He published two books: '' My Life in Orange'' about his early life growing up in the Osho movement; and '' Second Lives'', about virtual communities where he was known as ''Errol Mysterio''.

Death

Guest died in July 2009 after a suspected drug overdose at 34 years old. He was found dead by his wife Jo; despite her effort to resuscitate him she was unable to revive him. Tests found 1,020 micrograms of

morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies ('' Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. Ther ...

per litre of blood. Barnet coroners verdict was that he died of non-dependent drug use.

Major works

* '' My Life in Orange'', London: Granta Books, 2004 * '' Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds'', London: Random House, 2008

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guest, Tim 1975 births 2009 deaths Alumni of the University of Sussex Alumni of the University of East Anglia People educated at William Ellis School English memoirists Rajneesh movement