Zen Buddhism/ Big Mind process; Genpo Roshi; Kanzeon Sangha.

Inspired by a friend in the Conscious Evolution community I decided to go to the annual retreat with the Kanzeon Sangha led by the US Zen teacher Genpo Roshi (Roshi means honorable teacher in the Zen tradition.) Genpo Roshi's layman's name is Dennis Merzel and before becoming a Buddhist scholar he was an Olympic swimmer. He was one of the people who got introduced into Zen Buddhism during the first wave of introduction in the early 1970s.

The retreat was held in January 2007 on the Dutch Island of Ameland, off the north coast of the country. The ten days I spent there where fascinating to say the least. The weather varied between the biggest storm the country had in the last ten years and a snow covered beaches five days later. The island was breathtaking, the group connected and intimate, and the spiritual insights where exiting in their own way.

What struck me during this retreat was the openness of the teaching. Here no Guru scene whatsoever. Sometimes I would see Genpo sit in his apartment enjoying his morning tea when I was walking through the cold Ameland weather to the morning meditation at six in the morning. The schedule was very clear. In the morning there was time for meditation, two hours before breakfast, one before lunch, and in between there was time for service work and a walk on the beach. The afternoons where spent with the innovative Big Mind process, which I will describe in more detail below. The evenings where usually spend with the different Roshi's of the Sangha (= spiritual community) teaching. This teaching was very different from the teachings I have seen with other teachers like Sai Maa. Here no enlightened beings telling me about the ultimate truth. It was fascinating to see the openness and vulnerability. Genpo talked much about the toughness of the original teaching, how hard it was in the beginning. He literally called the years under his own teacher Maezumi Roshi hell. Students would be shouted at, and when a student would fall asleep during meditation he would be hit with a bamboo stick. Voila, the archetypal picture we have of Zen Buddhism and of Japan. He also talked about the realization that this might not work very well for western people, and the reflection he got from a Rabbi friend who suggested that it might not work very well in the East either. Otherwise one would expect more enlightened beings. Genpo even suggested that his teacher Maezumi Roshi might have killed himself when he realized that he was basically blocking the evolution of Zen in the US and beyond by his teaching methods and his cultural heritage. Further on he openly talked about the slow innovation of the practice, and the fact that this was difficult since the Roshi's did not know what to leave out.

One thing became clear to me and that is that the Big Mind process that Genpo Roshi developed is a huge contribution to both the development of Zen and that of spirituality in the 21^st century in general.

After leaving the ancient spritual site of Truvanamalai in Tamil Nadu, India. I was left with some questions. Was this all there is to say about the spiritual path. Living on the edge of a dusty mountain surrounded by saddhus and beggars, and having dinner in a place that is nicknamed "the Dirty Corner" since it looks like a cave and sells dinner for about 20 rupies (30 eurocent). Maybe there was more

My next stop is Puna, to go to the Osho meditation resort. A meditation resort you might ask? A crossing between Club Med and an Ashram? Yes that is exactly what it is about. Befomre coming here I wondered if it was still very much alive, since old time followers of Osho who I knew had not been here since ten or fifteen years. And yes it is alive. The center is set up very professionaly and it is a true oasis in the busy city of Puna. Once on the outskirts it is now in a parklike suburb. With a private park, extensive gardens,  a swimmingpool, tenniscouts etc, it a\has all the anemities that one might need.
Every day there is a full program of all kinds of meditations starting from 6 AM, with the famous dynamic meditation up to late at night. During the two weeks I spent here I experienced that the Osho meditations and vision help me ground myself more and get stronger.

The place was renowned for sexual openness in the 1980s when the master was still alive. I feel it is now more an open place, not expecially focused on sex. What strikes me the most is the amazing number of. opportunities to dance. I dont remember having this many chances to celebrate. And that is exactly one of the key points of Osho's teachings. Sprituality does not have to be lived in the archetypal cave to meditate. It can be in the world, and it can help you live life fully. That's why the title Zorba the Buddha is so beautiful. Osho used this for the many discoteques that the internaitonal community of followers started in the 1980s.

Of course, since the master is dead, new ideas are not really there. Every day there are Osho talks both on video and audio, which helped me to connect deeply with the vision and especially the very powerful energy of the Osho consciousness.

To summarize it: I have had a wonderful time in one of the true Oasis in Indian spirituality. And I would not know any place in the world that has the same opportunities. So I might be back next winter.

more info and pictures on www.osho.com

I am sitting here in Tiruvanamalai, one of the most holy places in the south of India close to Chennai. And wondering how holy this  place is. For the last four days I have been wondering around town, being chased by beggars and sadhu's for money. It is dusty, hot and humid here. So best to be down for a sietsta between 12 and 4PM.

BEfore this place I have attended a course at the Oneness University, the second level. Amazing work. And somehow I ended up here. What is the catch? Not the beautiful temples, or golden beaches here. Maybe it is just the mysterious power of India that grabs me here. The feeling is sometimes very overwhelming. I don't want to be bothered by beggars and dont want to see the mess. There is no way around it. Maybe I was wondering a difference between here and lets say the average church is that life and death are all around you. Here no sorrow about the suffering of a man who lived two thousand years ago. But very real suffering just in front of the temple, where beggars and sadhu's flock to get some food (India's holy men who renounced all worldly possessions). Slowly bit by bit I sink trough my own resistance to face this all. And hopefully sink into a deeper level of compassion, and be able at the same time not to take all the suffering of this country as a burden.

As the locals say it is the combination of the sacred mountain Arunachala here and the presence of the ashram of Ramana Maharshi that takes care of the transformation of illusions and helps people find peace of mind.

Before coming here I did not plan this trip. I knew that I had to experience something new. Not as a tourist but really being here and connecting with all of life. It will somehow prepare me for the next step of my journey. And make it easier and more enjoyable to travel in this country.

The day after I walked up the mountain and visited the caves where Ramana and other have meditated for years. It was hot, but it felt great. Wonderful views over the great temple of Tiruvanamalai, one of the biggest in South India. In  the caves could enter a deep state of meditation. And when walking back more and more silence came over me. Back home I slept for two hours. So the mountain really did something to me. I presume there is something in the earth there, certain minerals, or a change in the earth magnetism that makes this place so special.

A couple of days later we went to see one of the enlightened beings there, called Ohm Amma. It was a blast. In a deep state of meditation she started throwing flowers at the audience, and everone got a hug, blessing en kisses. A really heart opening experience.

The next day I felt that the sadhu's frightened me sine they reminded me of my own mortality. Maybe that was a lesson of this place. India is a country where life and death are all around. In the west we have basically tried to get death and deep suffering as much as possible behind the scene. In India you stumble over a beggar or even death people all the time.

All together this was a wonderful experience of some traditional Indian spirituality, influenced by a lot of new age to be honest. But somehow deep inside I felt there was something missing. Maybe my next stop would give answers on that.  

The next stop: the Osho meditation resort in Puna.



Namaste for now!

Oh my god, love really does make you see every part of the universe. One week I was in heaven, and the next week I was in hell.

On a weekend I had the most wonderful time with a new girlfriend. It was playful, everything just seemed to flow, and come at the right time. Every now and then we used a set of dice to decide who could choose the next step of our little love adventure. Whoever won, could choose where to go next, what do do next, or let the other choose. It was everything we dreamed of. Including the intimate details that I keep secret for now, but you might be able to guess about what happened. The day after she mailed me and thanked me for opening heaven on earth.

And then the following weeks, slowly a new reality emerged. It looked more than like hell. She could not open herself for my affection, I didn't know whether to call her or not. She was sometimes not available, other times I was not in the mood. And eventually I got pretty frustrated and decided to drop the whole thing altogether. At least I wanted. But was still clinging on to this beautiful past and wanted more of it of course. I know the story, but it still repeats itself. I could not get angry at her, I understood everything she was going trough. She could not get angry at me, since I was such a considerate and sweet guy.

It all changed in a flash. What was the start? I don't know. Maybe it was this hidden frustration in me, and in her. Maybe it was a building up of energies, and the deep knowing that something else had to happen. And then it exploded with some emails, not very well thought of. Painful words going forth and back. And I thought for a while: I have had this I have seen it, time to move on! This is not my piece of cake. Better fall in love with somebody else.

Sounds familiar?

Well a couple of days later I read a beautiful little book written by spiritual teacher Osho, called seven heavens, seven hells. The basics of the story I knew, of course but it was the way Osho described it that I could rest in what had happened and see the bigger picture again. We are all deeply conditioned by our bloodline into how to relate to our loved one. Indian spirituality has known for very long that the intimate connection with a loved one goes trough stages, and has pointed out seven heavens and seven hells. I was simply going from a heaven into a hell.

What do do about it? First of all be in it like a Buddha. The more you can keep the meditative peace of mind and the ability to see things from a distance, the less chance that you deeply suffer and can't take any more. And just let it be. When the other withdraws. Let it be. When the other looks at other men or women let it be. It is all part of the game, it will go away in time.

The other advice had more to do with how to deal with the negativity. In theory there are three ways. The first way is for starters. Just deal with the negativity yourself, and don't dump it on the other. Take a pillow and go for it, tear it apart if you wish, with foam on your mouth caused by all the frustration.

The second phase can only be done when the first is over, and then only in a controlled setting where both partners decide to take a specific period to get rid of negativity. Just throw it out, and do not say; “You offended me” , but “I feel offended”.

Then the third phase starts, the real life. You are now ready to be negative and positive. The two of you can be spontaneous. In this way love becomes a true partnership.

 

So when you are in the middle of one of these love hurricanes: just think of it in this way. It is all a game that the two of you play. It will go away. Do you like playing the game with this person? Or do you choose to move on, and maybe play the same silly game with another victim? As long as you can see it is a game the game does not take you over...

source: Osho; Seven Heavens, Seven Hells.

 

Maya Calendar: The unfolding of Galactic & Universal Consciousness.

For a long time I was aware of the fact that things just don't go faster than they supposed to. With the work of introducing the meme of Conscious Evolution in the World I have been noticing this, and yet struggling. Sometimes the time did not seem right after trying to introduce something new. But, when is the time right. Is just keep trying the only way? Or would there be a timeline to follow.

I was quite surprised to read in the book The Maya Calendar and the transformation of consciousness by Carl Johan Calleman exactly such a time line. And more stunning was the fact that some of the periods described in that time line seemed to match exactly the circumstances I faced during that period.

Unfortunately Calleman can not explain the deeper background of the patterns. Which are the driving forces. This still is a question I have. But, if the patterns of unfolding are accurate, why not use it.

So here is a description of the unfolding of consciousness according to the interpretation of the Maya Calendar by Calleman. In the description of the different levels it pretty much seems to follow the layers of consciousness as described by Spiral Dynamics and in the work of Ken Wilber (Integral Psychology) when they relate to human or human like consciousness. It actually goes further thus including the areas that for instance Teilhard the Chardin and Sri Aurobindo described in their explorations of consciousness.

Underworld	Level of Consciousness Developments Frame of life	Scientific start time of first signs
Universal	Evolution of Cosmic Consciousness No limiting thoughts, timelessness. No orginizing limitations	February 11 2011 260 days
Galactic	Evolution of Galactic Consciousness Exceeding of the material framework of life, telepathy, living on light, genetic technology. Organized in galaxies	1999 4.680 days (12.8 years)
Planetary	Evolution of Planetary Consciousness Materialism, industrialism, Americanism, democracy, republics, electrotechnology. Organized in Planets	1769 256 years
National	Evolution of Civilization Consciousness Writing, Great buildings, historic religions, nature sciences, fine arts. Organized in Nations	3100 BC 5125 years
Regional	Evolution of Human Consciousness Homo Sapiens with the ability to create complex tools, speech, art, first religions. Organized in regional cultures	100.000 BC 102.000 years
Tribes	Evolution of human like Consciousness Human like creatures (Homo) creating tools and knowing rudimentary verbal communication. Organized in Tribes.	2 million years ago
Families	Evolution of Primate Consciousness Maki's, monkeys, australopitici with the ability to walk and use tools.	40 million years ago
Mammals	Evolution of Mammal Consciousness Development of multi cellular creatures, sexual polarity, continental land-masses and the plant kingdom on behalf of higher forms of life. Higher mammals	850 million years ago
Cells	Evolution of Cellular Consciousness Step by step development of the physical Universe; galaxies, stars and planets, the development of chemical elements. Higher cells	15-16 billion years ago

Unfolding of Galactic & Universal Consciousness.

It gets much more interesting with the following table that describes the prophetic progress of the unfolding of Galactic consciousness the one preceding Universal consciousness. Each period, in Maya terms called an Underworld has an unfolding that seems inspired by the unfolding patterns from seed to harvest and has 13 steps (7 days and 6 nights). The uneven days seem to have more feminine qualities, and the even more masculine..

Day/ Night Duration	State of growth occurance or prophecy
Day 1 Jan. 5 1999-Dec 30 1999	Sowing IT-revolution;living on light; Wars between the West and Iraq and Serbia; first protests (Seattle) against the Global materialistic powers
Night 1 31 Dec 1999-Dec 24 2000	Repercussion of the IT-revolution; period of rest after the first day of the Galactic Underworld
Day 2 Dec 25 2000-Dec 19 2001	Germinating Further protests against global materialistic powers; terrorist attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon; Western War in Afganistan
Night 2 Dec 20 2001 Dec 14 2002	Deep Economic recession; Western predominance reestablished; reaction on the expressions of the high frequency of the Galactic Underworld; cultural search for answers in old civilization
Day 3 Dec 15 2002-Dec 9 2003	Sprouting Western war in Iraq; stronger force against the Global power of materialism; establishment of new expressions of spirituality; living based on intuition; revival of Maya Calendar, spiritual healing
Night 3 Dec 10 2003-Dec 3 2004	First Venus passage (June 8 2004) crucial in preparation for the unifying synthesis of Day 4
Day 4 Dec 4 2004-Nov 28 2005	Growth Formulating of the core of the unifying synthesis of East and West and of spirituality and rationality
Night 4 Nov 29 2005- Nov 23 2006	Spread of the unifying synthesis
Day 5 Nov 24 2006-Nov 18 2007	Expanding/ Budding Breaktrough of a new, advanced form of unifying synthesis (manifestation of Galactic Christ-consciousness)
Night 5 Nov 19 2007-Nov 12 2008	Deep crisis for the Global materialistic culture; Destructive reaction; “Armageddon”; European Union and Germany in the heart of the chaos
Day 6 Nov 13 2008-Nov 7 2009	Flowering Rebirth of highly developed unifying synthesis; tense relationship between East and West and of new spirituality and the remnants of the Global materialistic powers
Night 6 Nov 8 2009-Nov 2 2010	Period of rest in preparation for the manifestation of balance between East and West; Second Harmonic Convergence (Nay 27 2010), first experience of the galactic pulse of cosmic consciousness
Day 7 Nov 3 2010-Oct 28 2011	Ripening Balance between East and West established; end of the control of one soul by another; the start of the Universal Underworld (Feb 11 2011) and the development of non-dual cosmic consciousness

Universal Consciousness.

The period in the Maya Calendar dedicated for the unfolding of Universal Consciousness which also includes the meme of Conscious Evolution is from 11 February 2011 until October 28 2011. This is quite short and will again have the same kind of sequence with 13 steps as the unfolding of the Galactic consciousness.

Personal Experiences.

To illustrate the accuracy of this unfolding let me share some occurances in my own life and area of living. Again, do note that according to Spiral Dynamics researcher Dr. Don Beck the Netherlands is among the most advanced in terms of consciousness. I invite you to verify this also with your personal experiences.

Day 1.	In 1999 one of my great teachers Barbara Marx Hubbard, who is one of the pioneers of universal consciousness addressed a speech in Santa Barbara, California. That was the seeding of the first community of people focused on manifesting Conscious Evolution. This pioneering effort is still alive now in the Global Gateway to Conscious Evolution community.
Day 2/ Night 2	Of course the tragic events of 9-11 happened during this period. Just four hours after these events I was on the plane to Australia to see if I could find my own paradise under the sun (old world thinking). During that same time there was a political earthquake in the Netherlands with the spectacular rise of a new right wing party led by Pim Fortuyn (who was assassinated two weeks before the national elections). One of the focus points of this right wing movement was a addressing the problems of immigration in the Netherlands in a seperatistic way (us against them). At the same time Christian CDA party of prime minister Balkenende was inspired by the thoughts of US sociologist Amitai Etzioni. This was in my opinion again old world thinking. A pattern that could be seen in many countries in Europe at the same time, sometimes a bit later.
Day 3	International launch of the Gateway to Conscious Evolution program, which I took. First international students allowed at the Oneness University in India. Both these organizations thus made the shift from working locally to working globally and spreading their seeds and wisdom.
Night 3	Back from Australia I was a student of the postgraduate program in Cocreation and Cocreative Sciences. This was the first of its kind in this country and also one of the first in the world. This early effort of manifesting integral sciences in the Netherlands collapsed in 2005, in my opinion because the people carrying it where simply not ready to cocreate. I left and started my own Institute for Conscious Evolution.
Day 4/ night 4	Looking back this period for me was very much a period of healing, and transforming all sorts of old patterns especially in the area of relationships and family patterns and by this getting ready for the real work.
Day 5	I clearly remember that in September 2006 I first saw images of Christ during my meditations and could also feel the very high vibration of the Christ Consciousness. I am not raised in the Christian tradition and was never attracted to the image of Jesus Christ before. During this year I spent a lot of time in meditation retreats with different teachers. This all feels as preparation for what was to come. During this same period new elections in the Netherlands led to the formation of a new government. This process inspired by integral thinker and World Bank director Herman Wijffels resulted in a three party alliance that was in my opinion more balanced than the previous alliances. Parties could each bring in the best they had to offer.

Prophecies; the dark age of 2008

Looking what happened is interesting, but the real thing is to see what is lies ahead of us.
Calleman continues in his book with some reflections on the coming years (the book is actually written in 2004). In an update written for his website he sheds more light on the coming years.

Calleman states that when looking at the world we can distinguish three areas. The West with the USA as the only current world power and including the UK. Note that the UK is the main partner of the US in the war in Iraq. Then there is the Middle, consisting of the rest of Europe and the Middle East. And finally the East, with the upcoming super powers India and China and also Russia .

One of the main things that will happen during the coming years starting 2008 is a shift in power between West, Middle and East. We can already see that mainland Europe does not follow the USA for some years. The East is still quiet.

The scenario that Calleman describes for 2008 and beyond is a chaotic period. Looking at the energies he suggests that the focal point will be in the Middle region of the planet. Maybe by an intensifying of the war in Iraq or new turbulence in Israel. Part of this would also be some kind of collapse of the global financial system. And Europe is in some way also in the middle of these conflicts.

Financial markets.

Based on my own research I have the following suggestions on this. There are several factors that very much influence the Worldwide power balance. The first is the power of the USA. Due to the costs of the war in Iraq the USA deficit on the trade balance has been growing tremendously over the last few years resulting in a weakening of the US $ (sept 2007: 1.36 US$ per Euro/ Sept 2005: 1.24 $ per Euro; Sept 2003: 1.09 $ per Euro and Sept 2001: 1.09 $ per Euro). Martin Feldstein, a long time top advisor of the US government, and advisor of the current government is one of the leading voices who is sure about the further decline of the value of the US$.
There have been some speculations about a collapse of the US $. How could this happen?

Oil
Here we need the another factor influencing the balance, and that could very well be the thing starting this time of chaos. And this is the price of oil. Remember the 1970's with two oil crises in 1973 and 1975. The interesting fact is that the first oil crisis in 1973 coincided with the fact that more than 50 % of the World oil supply was coming from the OPEC countries. And of course this gave them the opportunity to suddenly raise the oil prices following the Yom Kippur war between Israel and Egypt and Syria.

After these events we have seen a surge in oil production in countries outside of the OPEC.

According to oil watchers who predict the peak of the global oil production (Peak Oil theory), in 2008 more than 50 % of global oil production will come form OPEC countries.

Credit crunch.

A third factor is again connected to the Global financial markets. And this already started during the time of the first two oil crises. The whole Western world was faced with an Economic crisis and basically borrowed its way out of this into a new economic boom All Western countries still have national debts ranging from about 70% of the National income up to 130%. A rise in the interest rates created by a sharp rise in oil prices will increase the interest payments on these loans.

Over the last few years there has been an enormous rise in real estate prices. It is well called asset inflation. I have been in places in southern California where the prices have gone up 300% in the last 5 to 6 years. Banks have been easy about lending money. But now this is slowly reversing. This can only get worse when oil prices go up considerably, which in turn will make interest rates rise. This is a huge bubble that has been building up for years that has to bust at some time.

Male & female.

A third factor is the upcoming presidential elections in the USA, with at the moment a good chance that the US will choose Hillary Clinton as its first female president. This may give a shift towards more feminine values.

Scenario 2008

The scenario for 2008 could be a conflict in the Middle East, either around Iraq or Israel or both. This could be followed by Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia taking their power and raising global oil prices and Global interest rates. And this in turn would weaken both the position of the USA and of the US$, and could cause a collapse of the US$. Which in turn would be a kind of earthquake on the global financial markets and result in a big shift in power.

Positive signs/ promise ahead; 2009 and beyond

At the same time I see the pioneers of change getting more together. Over the last few years I have witnessed different subgroups of pioneers and also that one could not get very well along with the other. Sometimes they did not even know each others existence. Especially during 2007 I have seen more connections between groups. I myself felt drawn to connect with other groups than my own Conscious Evolution community. And as a natural next step we started to invite a new series of guest teachers.

These pioneers are leading the pack. And if we can not manage to cooperate and see the unique and complementing value of each others work, then who can? So I predict an intensification of these connections leading to a rise of new strategic alliances that could be a powerful driving force in getting the innovative spiritual/ ecological/ integral subculture becoming mainstream. This is exiting news, and is thus an important focus point for 2008. I have seen in my own community and also in others a kind of inward looking culture, which is quite natural for pioneers. Nobody seems to understand me other than my community friends. But the outside world is also changing. So to get rid of our own xenophobic culture is another focus point for the coming year.

Sustainability pioneer Paul Hawken reports in his latest book “How the Largest Movement in the world came into being, and why no one saw it coming” that there are literally huyndreds of thousands of organizations and groups in the world, set up by ordinary people to do good in any field in society. Largely unnoticed, and not yet well organized or interlinked. As a sort of immune system of the planet these organizations will grow in effectiveness, cooperation and power. I am sure in the coming years we will see many new and beautiful initiatives sprout from this movement into spaces that are left open by the crubled down remnants of the old world. Which will eventually been institutionalized in new forms of Constitutions or agreements how we can live together in a more humane way on planet Earth in the 21^th century and beyond.

We won't get into this new world without any struggle. But as Calleman states. The so called Thirds World War may well be totally different than the First and Second WW's. It may be passing largely unnoticed to the mainstream public and media and not be accompanied by lots of bloodshed. Lets hope so!

Reference: the unfolding of Planetary Consciousness and Evolution of Democracy.

As a reference for finding more clues on what is to come in the forthcoming years Calleman offers the unfolding of the previous Underworld, the Planetary. Here we can see step by step the introduction of democracy and dismantling of autocratic kingdoms, communist empires and colonialism. Actually quite inspiring for those who wondered if we as a human species made any progress at all.

With this framework at hand you will be able to fill in more details yourself and see the patterns. Remember that every Underworld has the same dynamics as mentioned before. And that during day 7 of the Planetary underworld the Galactic Underworld will start, and during day 7 of the Galactic, the Universal Underworld will start.

28 October 211
1992	DAY 7	Start of Galactic Underworld. (1999) Fall of the Soviet Union (1992)
1972		Worldwide democratization movement (1989-1992)
1952	DAY 6	De-colonization of Africa ((around 1960) Start of Fourth World; de-colonization of Asia ((1947-1949)
1932		Great Depression, Nazism, Holocaust, Second World War. Atom Bombs and finally the Korean War. This is the dark age of the Planetary Underworld Democracy in West and Northern Europe (1921)
1913	DAY 5	Russian Revolution (1917) Worldwide dismantling of autocratic kingdoms (1913-1918)
1893
1873	DAY 4	Start of social-democratic parties in Europe (1874)
1854
1834	DAY 3	Revolutions in Europe (1848)
1814
1794	DAY 2	Wars initiated by the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. (1794-1815)
1775		French Revolution (1789) Independence of the first United States of America (1776)
1755	DAY 1	Congress in Albany, first effort for a democratic union in the English colonies in America (1754)

See here that the Fifth night from 1932 till 1952 seems to be the dark age of this Underworld. If we look further back: in the National Underworld the Fifth night was from 434 AD until 829 Ad. During that period we have seen the collapse of the Roman Empire by invasions of the Huns and subsequently the era referred to as the Dark Middle Ages.

And during day six of the Planetary Underworld we see the decolonization process starting. We also see the start of the United Nations (1945) in this period as a first governing body for the entire planet.

In the National Underworld following the Dark Middle ages we can also spot this same pattern. In England the Magna Carta issued in 1215 by king John. It was a document describing the rights of the king in relationship to the Church and the English nobelty. It is now seen as a forerunner of the English and US constitutional law. It is considered one of the most important legal documents in the development of democracy. At the day of writing Sotheby's auctions an original version of this document with an estimated value of 30 million Euro.

Experience at the Oneness University August 2007.

About two years ago I had already heard about this organization. At the time I was connected to a group of critical, integral scientists. We all felt mixed feelings around the phenomenon, since we picked up on some people who went trough the process and where dysfunctional for some time. But I did remember the warmth, enthusiasm and heart opening I felt when meeting one woman who just returned from India. Several times afterwards I looked at the website of the Oneness University. The whole thing did not leave my mind. But I only looked.

But it was only when I attended a teleconference with Kiara Windrider, and subsequently read his book that I really got interested. The energy I felt combined with some remarks in Kiara's book about the endless search for liberation without success that touched me deeply. I decided to join some events where people gave the Oneness Blessing. The first one I will never forget. I felt such a warmth, joy and sense of contentment coming over me, a feeling that stayed with me the whole night when I was sleeping and the next day. The following weeks in the spring of 2007 I went to several more events, talked with blessing givers and pretty soon decided to do the 21 day process. After doing the introduction weekend that is required before going to India, I could already feel shifts happening. A little more happiness in my life and especially on a physical level some unrest in my digestive system.

The 21 day process.

The course, a program especially for Dutch and Belgium started at August 2. We where with about 50 people, varying in age from about 25 till 60, some more women then men. The first week or so I had some minor problems with diarrhea, which ended after I took a few pills to stop it. For the rest of the three weeks my digestion was somewhat stagnated. For the rest I felt pretty good throughout the program, physically and emotionally. I seriously picked up the suggested silence, and pretty much did not talk for those three weeks, which was a very nice and rare opportunity to keep looking on what was happening in me. The few times that I did talk to other people I could see how easy it is to pick up other people's “stuff”. And the interesting thing was that I would only get approached when I was in some internal conflict, like the time when I saw almost everybody socializing and wondered if I was taking the whole thing to serious. That night I was approached by a woman who asked me about my silence, and liked it on the one hand but questioned weather I was not distancing myself from the group. We talked about it for some time, but only the next day did I realize that it was just my own confusion that she mirrored back to me. So, after that realization I stepped back into the silence, that I only left after the initiation session that took place about five days before the course was finished. It was wonderful!

Transformations.

The content of the process was a very well balanced set of lectures, combined with group meditations and sessions where the oneness energy would be transferred trough a blessing. The teachers (called Dasa's: the Indian word for monk or nun) where all young people of around thirty years. They really impressed me. Great teachers, good public speakers, well educated in the subjects they talked about and most of all: they did walk their talk. They where approachable, full of humor, human in the sense that they openly talked about their learnings and mistakes and really embodying oneness consciousness. This was especially felt during sessions where they transmitted the Oneness Blessing, either directly or from distance.

The teachings where except a few areas, which I will mention further in this article a pretty complete covering of the essential personal development curriculum. We talked about sub-personalities, persistent patterns in our lives, family stuff, spiritual ideas, the working of the mind, beliefs we have about ourselves, relationships, stages of development and more.

What struck me the most was the fact that every time the teachers seemed to masterfully pinpoint the essence in every area. And when, later in the day we would do a blessing or a group meditation, I could normally feel that I was releasing some issues. I started jawing, and felt energetic shifts happening in my body. And at different times I would sleep quite some time during the breaks, also a sign of healing and transformation. We all slept a lot anyway.

When we talked about relationships I became very aware of the fact that I felt regularly that people where intruding on my space. So I would move, and the person that was doing this, would afterwards also move... closer to me again. Until I realized a pattern again, looked at it, and could drop it afterwards. Nobody seemed to bother me afterwards.

In the first half of the course I got more and more fixated on some of the beautiful women in the group. Sexual fantasies abounded. Again, after some time, I decided to look at this, discovered that I was playing with the flirtation that was happening without words, and decided to drop it. Afterwards this much less bothered me.

So in this sense, every day would bring something to explore for myself, followed by some release after a session with a blessing. I have worked on these issues for many years, but this course seems to reach deeper levels of my being.

The Initiation and the work.

Five days before the end of the course we received an initiation. I caught myself afterwards a bit disappointed: I still expected a big liberation experience, although the teachers warned us not to look for this. But later on during the day, while giving my first series of blessings to the other people in our group, I felt an enormous flow of energy go trough my body. I felt like in heaven. So this was it: by giving the energy through blessing others I would feel great too! A strong incentive to give many blessings! This is the work of bringing oneness in my life and also spread it in the world.

Afterwards.

After the course I first spent a week in Auroville, and other spiritual community in the south of India. I was there with a few others from the group. I could see that my interaction with them was different that what I knew from before. I saw quicker when I would lean on people or they would do that with me. Games we played before became transparent and could be dropped. Back home I noticed the same: there was something distinctively different when meeting people. It seemed I was stronger, more centered, and less inclined to just be the nice guy and go with whatever would happen, like I would do before. (I'm a Pisces!)

And I felt a growing sense of warmth, enthusiasm and contentment in myself. A joy for life that I had not known for ages is pretty much present every day. And the feelings of underlying sadness, lack of purpose and emotional numbness seemed to be pretty much gone. It seems easier to enjoy life and being with others.

And it is also absolutely great to give people the Oneness Blessing. I can feel a strong sensation of energy going trough my body, and feel that by giving I also receive. Before doing the 21 days process, I felt energized by attending a Oneness Blessing event. Now I feel double energized and happy afterwards.

I am very grateful for this, and am so glad I took this journey, and hope I can keep growing into this direction of inner joy, contentment and energetic vitality that is with me at the moment of writing this.

Questions.

As I mentioned before, the teachings felt pretty complete. I did however not hear much about the great insights of modern western psychology: family psychology and projection mechanisms, which felt like a weak spot. In this sense the course did follow the line of most spiritual teachings, which do not cover these essential areas very well. I also missed any mentioning about evolution of consciousness as brought forward in modern integral thinking. Examples of this can be found in the work of people like Ken Wilber, Spiral Dynamics (Don Beck), and evolutionary thinkers like Barbara Marx Hubbard (Conscious Evolution). This makes me suspect that the growth process from the Oneness process will do what the name say: bring me more into oneness, or non-dual consciousness. And not necessarily help me evolve towards higher stages of development. This subtle but essential distinction is referred to as the Wilber-Combs-Lattice. (See Ken Wilber, Integral Spirituality; p.p. 84 – 102). I think including some of the integral evolutionary teachings will be essential in order to achieve the goal that the Oneness University has set in helping to liberate humanity, and open the doors for an golden age. Either by going to these teachers yourself, or by incorporating it in the curriculum of the Oneness University. (see www.integralinstitute.org , www.spiraldynamics.org and www.evolve.org for more on this subject)

Cult or not?

After I got back, I also got involved in some discussions around the Oneness University, as maybe being a new dangerous, money sucking cult. I have not seen anything like this myself. On the contrary: the fact that during the process we where told that the special visit (darshan) to the founders of the Oneness University Sri Baghawan and Sri Amma would not take place since they wanted to modernize the teachings and wanted to make it accessible to mainstream people as well as guru followers impressed me. It makes me feel this is a very mature and intelligent organization.

Thie only thing I could come up with is a transparency of the finances of the Oneness University.

The ambition of this movement is big when looking at the words. But when walking past the giant Oneness temple that is being built at one of the sites right now, I realized every day that it is not only words, but something that is put into reality right here, right now.

And being part of that makes my heart glow and makes the future seem brighter than before.

These people walk their talk and I am walking with them....

for more information visit www.onenessuniversity.org and see if you can visit one of the oneness blessing events in your part of the world.

Thierry M. de Wijn

director Institute for Conscious Evolution

Netherlands

www.consciousevolution.eu

thierry@bewuste-evolutie.net

 

Holodynamics is a transformational method developed by Dr. Vernon Woolf. It helps people to deal with problems, emotional blockages and addictive behaviors. In my experience it is one of the most powerful techniques that I have encountered, and it is yet simple to use. It is widely used in therapy, coaching, psychiatric hospitals, drug addictions and also in the business environment. In my experience there are basically two kinds of people, one group who learns by experience and one group learning trough knowledge and scientific understanding.

This article describes some of the scientific backgrounds of the method and the basic practical principles of the method to satisfy the needs of both.

Holodynamics is grounded in advanced science, and basically builds on the fundamental understanding of Quantum Physics. It also builds on the understandings of trans-personal psychology and some of the wisdom of ancient religions.

Quantum Physics as a science breaks with most of the linear sciences taught in today's schools and universities. It teaches the interconnectedness on all levels of life and matter. The consequences are far reaching. Many people have seen the movie “What the Bleep do we know”. Or have read about it. The real thing in my experience is more difficult to grasp by the mind and becomes much more accessible trough experiential understandings. It also explains some of the traditional and oriental healing modalities. The understandings of Quantum Mechanics we find back in Holodynamics in terms of the interconnectedness of emotions and feelings in the body, and also in the healing of family patterns (we will describe this later in this article).

Holodynamics also builds on new insights in microbiology. Researchers have found new parts of the intelligence and adaptive behavior in cells and organisms. It turns out that every cell has information channels called microtubules, connecting it with its environment (other cells or the environment). These information channels are filled with fluid (mainly water) and can hold information. They are the main way cells can adapt to their environment, can gather information and change their behavior. In the ancient Indian medical tradition these channels are called Nadi's. Scientists have now proven that these channels can store information and also can be blocked. Clearing a blockage with a Holodynamic tracking process or for instance energy healing can give a feeling of relieve. It also causes the related microtubules to open up.

It also explains why we act and feel so different in the workplace than at home or on holidays. We just adapt to the circumstances and pick up the vibes that are around.

Psychological Principles.

In this area Holodynamics basic premises come from transpersonal psychology and especially shadow work. There is a long tradition to treat symptoms rather than solve problems. There is also a widespread addiction to feel good. This prevents many people (myself included for long) to really go to the heart of the matter. The amazing conclusion I got time and time again is that when we have to courage to look into the pain, problem or emotion there is something else that reveals itself. Trough the fire of the pain is a silent voice that teaches people exactly what to do to heal and transform themselves. Sometimes it takes some sessions, sometimes the job is done in one single session. People get rid of long lasting pains, problems or addictions in one or a few sessions. I have experienced many methods for transformation and healing that focus on just getting rid of the emotional problem, pain or addiction. The deeper I searched the more I realized that in every pain, problem or blockage there is a message. A message to change certain behaviors in our life. If we change these, the problem, goes away. Otherwise it will keep popping up.

For people who like to read more about these backgrounds, there are some references to reading materials in the end of this article. For now I would like to tell a bit about the processes that Holodynamics uses and finish with a short story about some of the experiences of Dr. Woolf, the founder of the method.

Applying Holodynamics; working with Holodynes.

You can work with Holodynamics if there is something youn want to work on, something to transform. This can be an emotional problem, a pain, an addiction, etc. In Holodynamics language we call this a Holodyne

The first step of the process is to get into a relaxed state of mind (theta brain wave). We normally do this by a light relaxation exercise and by letting a person imagine themselves being in a beautiful tranquil place in nature. This brings you very quickly from your thinking mind (alpha brainwave state) into the more receptive and connected theta state where thinking and subconscious knowing are connected.

The guide in the process is the full potential of the person. The solutions that come up are therefore always in alignment with the evolution of the person treated. The Holodynamics practitioner facilitates the process and does not force his or her opinion on the person being treated.

When in this relaxed state and connected to your full potential the next step is connecting with the problem, pain or blockage. And from there on it is a delicate process of discovery and communication. This process includes a transformation phase and a phase to potentialize the issue. Transformation frees up the blockage and gives a feeling of relieve, increased vitality and peace. Potentialization is the start of the homework: in different areas of your life you will receive guidance on how to apply the understandings that the problem, the Holodyne has given you.

The most interesting application of Holodynamics is when it is applied to heal and transform patterns that have been inherited from family. This is where we can really see the interconnectedness of life. It can not only free yourself of problems but also open the new potential for your family members. It is also much needed in this world where rapid change is needed in many ways and people often do not know how to free themselves of these limiting patterns their families, communities or nations have been in for sometimes centuries.

Holodynamics in the World.

The method is first used in all kinds of therapy environments in the USA and Canada (Dr. Woolf comes originally from Canada). It is used in family therapy to solve some of the deep rooted patterns that people and whole families are suffering from. It has also been used in mental hospitals and in drug problems in different cities in the USA. The results where sometimes amazing. In one case in a psychiatric hospital in Utah, a program with Holodynamics resulted in 80% of the patients being released out of the hospital in two years. After that, the direction of the hospital stopped the program. It was too successful and too confronting for the existing medical staff.

The method has also been widely used in Russia, during and after the period of Perestroika. Around the year 2000 there where about 100 centers for Holodynamics in Russia.

At the moment I am working with the Foundation for Conscious Evolution to apply the principles and techniques for group processes and group transformation.

Further reading:

www.holodynamics.com (especially the interview with Dr. Woolf)

By Dr. V. Vernon Woolf:
Holodynamics (1990); this book gives the best description of the method.

The Dance of Life (2005); This gives more information about the underlying scientific ideas and also some great stories of experiences with the application of Holodynamics.

Dr. Bruce Lipton; The Biology of Belief (2005); An amazing book describing the new insights of microbiology and the intelligence of life.

Karl Pibram; Quantum Information Processing (1996);

S.R. Hammeroff: Information Processing in Microtubules. (1982)
S.R. Hammeroff & R. Penrose; Conscious Events as Orchestrated Space-time Selections Journal of Consciousness studies, 3, No.1, 1996 p.36-53

Debbie Ford: The secret of the shadow : the power of owning your whole story. - San Francisco : HarperSanFrancisco, cop. 2002

The Institute for Conscious Evolution Netherlands.

The institutefocuses on transformation processes for people, communities and organizations. We offer transformational coaching for individuals and transformational training programs based on the Conscious Evolution curriculum developed by the Foundation for Conscious Evolution.

For communities and organizations we offer culture change and innovation consultancy with a strong focus on personal learning and transformation.

Visit our website for more information at www.consciousevolution.eu or www.bewuste-evolutie.net

Just back from a visit ti the US for four weeks and filled with insights and new inspiration. A piece that I started working on in September 06 is what I call Essential Transformations. Over the last few years I have been connected with a wonderful group of peope trough the international Conscious Evolution community.
Being the change in we wish to see is the theme we choose for this year. Wow, what a change did that create. For some people it meant for instance a heart operation, or othere deep healing experience. For me it was seeing the deeper levels of transformation that had to be done.
It all started for me when I realized that I still had a lot of judgement when looking at the world of today. And this simply means that whatever I have any attention on I help get stronger. If I like it or not. Ok, I thought.... then what to do with this? How to deal with this.

It took another few months and a lot of research trough which the door really started opening for me. Of course from a spiritual perspective I knew about these things. But that is just knowing with my mind and not really being able to live it. Trought reading different books like the Global Brain written by Howard Bloom, in which he presents the evolution of consciousness from the promordial soup with bacteria up to the current human societies and clearly shows that we use the same kind of intelligence. Another book was Ask and it is Given, by Jerry and Esther Hicks. They give such clear advice on how to have an internal vibration focus: whatever we think, feel, know and believe inside us we will atract. Not only words here but also practical tools to do it.

And then I went on a meditation retreat, a ten day Vipassana. During that time I got the inspiration to start and write a book on Essential Transformations. For now the culmunation of my work.
After that I went to the States, and spent three weeks in Santa Barbara California. I did some work with one of my teachers Barbara Marx Hubbard. And the new thing I picked up this time was trough two workshops on a new technique called Holodynamics. This gave me the insight on how to actually transform whatever hinders me, blocks me etc.
The simple insight that it is not a matter of getting rid of these things, but see the deeper lesson, the inner gold in it. The techniques itself are simple. The results amazing. Especially when used to transform family issues. Vern Woolf who developed this technique has been a member of the Mormon Church. He told that one of the spiritual practices in the church is to take care of the genaeology of the community, and now of the genaeology of the world. Chech their website out with about 1 billion people in it.
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp

The next step was of course to practice with this all. and the results up to now are quite astonishing. People I work with do have big transformations, and much easier than before.
I also started using the techniques in group healing sessions. Which gives us the power to not only create a beautiful healing energy together and bath in it, but transform very specific issues with people in the group. This is an ongoing experiment within the Conscious Evolution community, and probably not before March '07 will we go bigger with this. But for now it feels like an important next step in my individual and the collective transformation has been taken.

Please stay tuned as the next steps unfold. I will keep sharing my insights and new ideas on this blog. And if you wish to be part of an Essential Transformation group, please let me know. I will then inform you when this is available.

 

Freedom  
How could I consider heaven,
unless you can come too?
How could I ascend and
behold the beauty prepared for us,
unless I know
that it is for everyone?
How could I leave you
loving you as I do?
I would have to refuse heaven
if it closed its doors
to even one single soul.
Those who claim to know
the way to paradise
must enter the gate
through their own hearts
to awaken to the Great Love
that flings open the door
to all Creation conceived
from a Love so Pure,
I bow to the earth
to even write or speak of it.
Let us join hands
across the universe
and walk together
into a new way of being
that allows us
to see it together as One.  
Naomi

 

It is a big thing living in this time in history and being aware of everything that is going on in the world. Will it be the thread of terrorism, bird flue or the ticking time bomb of global warming and environmental collapse that keep you awake at night and depressed during the day? For most people the solution seems either to try to be oblivious of it or somehow find a way to change something for the better. One of my teachers, the visionary biologist Elizabeth Sahtouris offered another option. How about taking a universal perspective? This article is about taking a universal perspective on life and our time, and is the first and powerful lesson in Conscious Evolution.

For a long time scientists have pondered the question how ancient seafarers have crossed the oceans. Take for instance the ancient people living in Hawaii and Polynesia. How did they get there, how did they find their way across thousands of miles of ocean? They knew how to navigate on the stars, and use currents and prevailing winds. But when everything else failed, or they really went for something new they used a different technique. They stood tall in their canoe, and just imagined land beyond the horizon. They shifted their conscious awareness to the sky and took a wider perspective. On a deeper level this somehow made them feel and trust that there was land beyond the horizon, and gave them the courage to continue and find these tiny island in an enormous ocean.

We can do this too, right now! This is what we call an universal perspective. When the first astronauts returned from space every one of them was in awe. They where the first people seeing our planet in its entire magnificence and glory. Please take a look at the picture of earth yourself. Isn't it amazing, this blue-green pearl, vibrant with so much diversity in life.

Why not take a new larger perspective right now.
Just relax for a moment and feel your connection to the earth. If you try, you can actually feel it moving trough space and turning around its axis. You might see birds or clouds passing by.
Now, raise your awareness and imagine that you, just like these astronauts are leaving earth and entering the vast universe. After a while you can see our planet in its entire glory. Blue, green, clouds, oceans, deserts, fertile fields and rainforests, cities, glaciers, and maybe you might see the Chinese Wall too.

Now take a next step. Feel how our planet is circling around the sun and surrounded by other planets. Feel the warmth of the sun as it lights you and the earth.

You can take an even bigger perspective and feel how our solar system is circling its way in the vast galaxy we call the Milky Way. Millions and millions of stars, solar systems, nebula, black holes and you name it. Now imagine how this all came about, starting with one Big Bang, one cosmic creation moment, about 14 billion years ago. And since then the universe is ever expanding and developing. Stars and galaxies being formed, stars exploding and becoming black holes. And again new stars are being formed from the substances left by the dying of others. Feel how the universe is still now expanding, every day, every minute.

And we are just a tiny little part of this vast universe. The universe that  is our home.

There is more to say about this universal perspective. Before humans actually got the capability to see the earth from above different visionaries and scientists have pointed out the interconnectedness of all life.

Taking this bigger, universal perspective helps you to see beyond the things that are happening today and the crisis we may feel we are in. And it puts you just like these ancient Polynesians in the ideal position to start navigating to real solutions, to a world that lies beyond the current crisis. This is the first lesson of Conscious Evolution.

Take a look at the magnificence of the universe at: www.hubble.nasa.gov/

How it is to be in space: http://worldspacecenter.org/overview.htm
or dive deeper in the work of Elizabeth Sahtouris at http://www.sahtouris.com/

Or the work of cosmologist Brial Swimme: http://www.brianswimme.org/