An Amazing New Way to Instantly Create Any Reality You Desire

An Amazing New Way to Instantly Create Any Reality You Desire

This was the most fascinating class. It was free. But at first I felt fidgety. I didn’t want to stay long. The guy teaching it seemed a bit long-winded in his explanation. Boy am I glad I did not leave, I stayed through it. It may have changed my life in fact. Instantly.
The guy who taught it, Keith Varnum, himself has spent 40 years in the healing arts. He has had masters and teachers of all varieties, shapes and sizes. What’s funny is even the most advanced shamans say that the ceremonies that they perform, the feathers, the smoke, it’s all “show.” But it is a ceremony for a very special purpose. Its to distract your mind enough to get you permission to slow yourself down, to get yourself into this space.
Well Matrix Energetics gets you there immediately. None of the years of meditation, long hours of difficult yoga positions tying up yourself in a pretzel. You can actually get there instantly. As hard as it is to believe, it is true.
To access this special place of possibility Richard asked us some very important questions. And if you are reading along, take a few moments to go along with me on this journey:
1. have you ever had an experience in your life that time seemed to bend, or change, or happen differently from ordinary reality?
2. what special cartoon, mythical, saints, or other characters do you really resonate with who inspire you to enter into their morphic field?
3. have you ever experienced déjà vu? Can you take yourself to that special moment time or place?
4. What about an experience where you experienced your body differently, the physical world as more unreal, more of a flow than you can ever imagine? (in one extraordinary example Paige told the story of a man who drove headfirst through a child standing in the middle of a street. He was full speed ahead. But instead of crashing through him, the car screeched right through, and the boy and man were both equally shocked that nothing happened. The driver’s wife was on the phone at the time and she heard horrible screeching, and the man driving was shocked and feeling a bit hurt.)
5. What actually stops you from embodying, dwelling, and living within this special supreme reality all the time?
The point of all of these was that you all live in a special reality, it’s just important to look for it. And that was the other point: look for “what’s new and different in my life?”
The other phase of theory is quantum mechanics, quantum physics: the basic building blocks of the universe is energy, wave/particles. Asking ourselves “what’s the matter?” we overly focus on the most apparently dense but least relatively real aspects of ourselves. It is in focusing on our energy nature that we can perform miracles that the evolved masters on this planet, e.g. Buddha, Jesus, etc. have all performed, and that we are capable of. And we can experience in each of our lives the same miracles.
The next phase of this free demo class held at a Peace of the Universe this evening was experiential: each of us took turns standing up in the front of the circle. He then would ask to choose a point on our bodies that was tense, hurting, or otherwise drew our awareness. And then choose a second point, a reference point. A point in your body that feels “useful”. Don’t over think this. Then close your eyes, while he holds the space of oneness, of infinite possibilities in the quantum world in between his hands, each placed at these special points.
He did this for each of us. Everyone experienced a dramatic shift. Even in just a few minutes in this space, people standing up would wave back and forth, often falling back in surrender. Feeling instantly more relaxed. Sometimes beaming with a smile. Many reported experiencing waves.
I was among the first few of the dozen attendees to experience this. I stood up in center of circle. Chose a point on my forehead, and in back of my heart. Close my eyes and he held the space. Threw a pebble containing my dreams and wishes into the pool of life’s possibilities. And as I did that I felt those ripples enter my being. Or more accurately, I felt my being, my body dissolve into waves of oneness. Each wave passing through me as I became it. It became so pleasant and peaceful. I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
The woman in front of me observed my energy field turn into waves. She said, in fact, that she almost expected that I would become invisible as my body turned into waves. Keith remarked on my golden aura. What’s wild is that I was just thinking earlier during the class about hilary’s remark that I could become invisibile. And also my meditations as taught by Amma that I practice involve experiencing myself as golden. Quite the powerful feedback. And neither person made the same comment about any other individual present.
He asked us to continue remaining aware within the next 3-4 days, what is new and different in my life, financially, emotionally, physically?
So, you stand at the brink of infinite possibility. It’s easier than you think. That is, if you go beyond your thinking mind. Ask yourself these questions. Explore the quantum space that you are. You may be in store for a pleasant surprise.
Keith’s website is www.thedream.com, 602.861.2631, keith@thedream.com

What does the future hold for 2012?

This is an initial exploration of my thoughts for what the future holds for 2012 based on my latest research. Whether or not you believe in these changes doesn't matter. The fact is that countless people, cultures, and texts anticipate dramatic changes; these expectations alone are enough to affect behavior and world politics.

Hollywood expects apocalypse, if you believe the latest movie they released this year. Many people just consider it a superstitious date. Others expect a Judgment Day, and a time of cataclysmic earth changes. Still others in the new age and metaphysical community expect to be abducted or ascended.

After carefully reviewing the research I believe the future to be a hybrid of all the above.

Let’s look at the indigenous tribes prophecies. Mayans consider 2012, specifically 12-21-2012 to be the end of time. Note this does not mean the end of the world. This means the end of one epoch the beginning of a new. Drunvalow Melchizadeck has participated as an initiate in some very special Mayan ceremonies and a representative of this culture. He has direct knowledge of a very fascinating time predicted and has an excellent youtube video that has been released. Watch it and you will learn and see.

From the Mayan perspective, the earth

Apparently David Wilcox indicated that the great pyramids of Egypt also contain a calendar, that coincidentally ends at the year 2012.

The age of aquarius also dawned upon us in 2007, this signifies a new age of spirituality, harmony, technology, and possibility.

Interestingly on this date in Dec 21, 2012, the earth will be in the precise physical center of the galaxy. Also it will have completed its precession of the equinoxes.

There are also a 26,000 year cycle and approximately 5,000 year cycle that both culminate on this date as well. 13,000 years ago it was speculated that the poles actually reversed. The shifting of poles, which was associated with dramatic almost violent weather changes, could account for why wooly mammoths were discovered flash frozen in North America; why the dinosaurs went extinct. Another interesting bit of data is Egyptologists confirmed the great sphinx has water damage not wind or sand erosion. This happened about 13,000 B.C. Great civilizations during this Golden Age perished almost overnight as a result of this cataclysmic change.

It is more likely a process not a destination that something will happen on an exact date.

Other interesting astronomical facts include that the other planets appear to be experiencing dramatic changes as well. Solar flares are at an all time high, and highest in 40 years. Solar flares tend to be associated with increased accidents and agitation and the fall of the stock market.

The earth’s magnetic field is changing rapidly. Whereas pilots decades ago can rely on previous magnetic maps to navigate, now they must check these every time they take off and land.

Combine this with the fact that we have some very dramatic trends affecting us today. Knowledge is increasing exponentially, thanks to the internet boom and our increased connectivity. More knowledge was generated in 1900s than in previously 1000 years. Knowledge kept doubling every decade, then every year, now every month…approaching the speed of light.

The global economic system is at the brink of collapse, caused by greed and unsustainable practices. Other unsustainable practices are our society’s reliance on oil and other fossil fuels, overconsumption, and waste. The critical turning point we are approaching as a civilization literally force us to evolve into a new level of human being, discover advanced solutions to our problems, or perish, as have many other advanced civilizations before us. This is a daunting challenge, but one that we can tackle.

The experience of time is certainly changing. Most people are stressed because they can’t seem to pack all their experience into one single day. This is a common complaint I hear from all my most productive friends and associates.

David Wilcock, currently developing a movie Convergence with the producer of the movie Contact, states a much more promising vision. This includes the possibility of disclosure, that someday soon the government will finally reveal the truth that has been hidden in plain sight in many of the so-called “science fiction” movies…that there is life on other planets.

Some of the more promising vision include that there is a possibility for a life 100 times more beautiful and pleasant than we ever imagined in this current epoch. That we are done learning through struggle stress and suffering, a period for humanity to discover who it is, its divine nature. Wilcock believes that the Second Coming of the Messiah, the Rapture, all refer not to the physical arrival of a spiritual leader but rather the discovery of that leader within. An evolution in consciousness.

Wilcock also spoke of major world-changing events occurring more rapidly than ever, with less time in between. For example, the fall of berlin wall in 1980s followed by fall of soviet empire in 1991, then the 9/11 bombing in 2001, then the banking crisis of 2008, these were dramatic sudden changes—we will begin to see these yearly, then monthly, then weekly, then daily as we approach 2012. Each major announcement of dramatic news changes our entire world view.

2012 is a revolution of consciousness as the very least. What can we do to prepare? Meditate daily, yoga, engage in spiritual practices of one form or another that can keep you calm and centered in these challenging yet exciting years ahead. This will help make sure you are awake, aware, and tuned into what you need to do in the coming times.

Orgnonomy at Gunpoint

Philadelphia, PA. 22nd street and pine, September 1998. A gun is pointed in my face. I was parking my car for my first appointment with Dr. Herskowitz, DO, a psychiatrist, the last student personally trained by Wilhelm Reich before his death.

It happened like this: as I am opening my door to get out of my car, a 1990 Chevrolet Corsica with North Carolina plates, a large Afro-American man approaches me an asks if I am a "narc." I say no and forget about it.

I go back into my car to gather a few more belongings, and the car door is still ajar. Moments later, the same man points a gun to my face through the crack fo the car door.

He has my complete undivided attention. He tells me this is a gun and unless I do exactly as he tells me he will kill me. He tells me to leave the car, and with gun still pointed, gets in the car and forces me to get in the car as well.

His eyes are glazed as if he is high, and he starts demanding personal information. The gun is still pointed so I am not at liberty to resist. He paws through my wallet. He then asks me to take him to an ATM. I didn't know my way around Philadelphia because I moved to the area just a few months ago. We ended up in South Philadelphia where I pulled cash out of an ATM.

Next we ended up at a jewelry store, with gun hidden under his jacket we walked into a jewelry store. I attempted to charge a $2000 gold necklace charge on my AMEX and it was declined. I kept trying to hint to the employee I was in danger at the same time while not jeopardizing myself.

He got increasingly upset and we returned to the car where things escalated. Next we went to modell's sporting goods store, next door. He was belligerent to the staff and started grabbing shirts and shoes which he piled on for me to buy. He whispered that he will shoot me if I try to run away. So I am in line, charging the purchases of the clothing, and with shaky hand I try to signal to the staff that I am in danger but they do not notice.

As we are walking towards the exit, I feel increasingly alarmed that unless I get out of this situation immediately, I could be the next homicide story. As we walk through the exit gates, with the bag in his hand, the alarm goes off...apparently staff forgot to remove the tag on one of the items and the alarm went off. That is when I shouted for the police and immediately ran back into the store for cover and hid in one of the back rooms. I was concerned he may run into the building and hold everyone hostage. Instead apparently he ran outside with the bag of purchases.

This whole ordeal took place from about 10:00 AM to noon, so I was held hostage for about 2 hours.

The police arrived and took me down to the station for questioning. First they asked the staff at modell's sporting goods and then they asked the jewelry store what happened. The jewelry staff seemed incredulous that I didn't signal to them otherwise that I was in danger. Perhaps I could have indicated and written down on the receipt "call police." but the charge was declined, which I suspect because the amount was so high and such an unusual purchase.

They then took me to the station for questioning. Ted Wolkiewicz was the detective who interrogated me. I was placed into a dank room with nothing but a table, swinging lamp, and his enormous body and mine. I told him my story, which he didn't believe. He threatened obstruction of justice, jail time. I still stuck to my story. He even questioned whether this is some sort of credit card scam or gay cartel I was running.

Ted asked me the million-dollar question: "why didn't you run away sooner?" I was dumbfounded by the question. But my later answer would be "where was your fat ass when all this happened?"

Then he brought down my significant other at the time, Diane, for questioning. He said that the majority of people who come down to the station change their story because they lie, and that's why they have to treat everyone so harshly--because some may change their story under pressure and others who are telling the truth will stick with what they originally said. He threatened to interrupt one of Diane's classes to question her, but she stood firm.

The irony is that I called Dr. Herskowitz from the station apologizing that I missed the appointment because I was at the station held for questioning after a hostage situation. He later told me that he thought I was making up my story.

After giving me a lineup of possible culprits to look on the computer, Eventually they released me. But not without impounding my car and the beautiful leather jacket that my father bought me years ago in high school. They apparently were searching for prints. Weeks later, after calling repeatedly, I finally got my car back but it was ransacked; the locks were forced open. The police were unsympathetic.

Diane's sister Michelle, a probation officer, assisted by helping me get in touch with the District Attorney's office to file an official claim against the city. Eventually I was reimbursed about $1,800 for damages and the car was restored. Also she put me in touch with Inspector James Tiano, with whom I discussed my mistreatment at the hands of the city.

For weeks, months even, I was traumatized by the event, and did not want to live alone in my apartment for fear the man would track me down and return. I was also shaky and paranoid, feeling very unsafe. The police never caught the man, or at least never notified me that they did

The sunny side of the story is that this traumatic experience triggered me so intensely, a perfect state for me to do my inner work and take this into the NWTA, a men's weekend retreat. Also, to continue working with Dr. Herskowitz releasing sense of lack of physical safety. I can't say for sure whether all my fears have been cured, as I still feel unsafe at times in this planet when I think of all the violence. But at very least I am more in touch with it and know that I can survive and live through virtually anything.

Happiest Highlights from Monroe Institute

Since I first read about The Monroe Institute in Ostrander and Shroeder's revolutionary book: SuperLearning, I was fascinated with their work. Around 1991 I had mailed a letter to them requesting an information packet; their address was in the Appendix of SuperLearning.

I promptly received a package chock full and brimming with information. This package included a reprint from Omni magazine detailing the author's journeys into vast new realms of consciousness during a Gateway Voyage, a weeklong group journey featuring audio excursions using Hemi-Sync technology. I was enchanted by the photo in the article featuring the beautiful property nestled among the lush hills of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

I absolutely had to participate. So I sent them a letter requesting an interview, telling them I wished to contribute. My sweetheart Emilie and I drove down there, from Virginia, where she attended Mary Washington University. It was fall and the leaves were absolutely beautiful. My heart thrilled at the opportunity to visit this place.

The first sight that opens up is the Gatehouse, and on top of that hill are the main buildings including a studio and research lab and a main guest house featuring a cafeteria, hall, and dozens of CHEC units.

I remember being first greeted by the laboratory engineer Dave Wallis, and then the musician and editor Mark, also the Professional Division manager Shirley Bliley and Skip Atwater, Research Director. They were initially skeptical about my participation, as they never had a staff intern or volunteer. A further writeup about my experiences can be found in the TMI focus journal and in several articles I've published.

I had a mind-blowing week at the Gateway Voyage, which the staff comped me for my contributions to their week.

I kept in touch with TMI over the years. Phillis and Arnie Popkin lived in a home literally a block away from the New Land. Arnie was an opthamologist who ran a private practice and invited me to listen to him play the piano. Phyllis reads the spirits of deceased people and pets and was written up in publications about this.

I also kept in touch with David Wallis and Leslie France, and stayed a few nights in their beautiful home carved into a mountain wall at a meadow at the end of the last road before the hill leading up to the Gatehouse. The house overlooked a large green meadow, at the end of which was a huge hill with a stream running through it. There they would throw a massive 4th of july party which was as close to heaven as I could ever imagine. Beautiful spirited people, lovely food, music, fireworks, kids and families playing, all sprawling along their beautiful two acre field.

Dave Wallis was definitely not of this world. I remember having such profound discussions about the cosmos, engineering, other life forms. One night we were driving back to their house in the snow and he revealed to me his age, I was stunned to discover he mentioned he was in his 60s.

That same summer I met Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and volunteered at her Death and Dying center in West Virginia, an hour or two drive north of the New Land. There was a beautiful carving from one angle looked like a suffering dying man and on the other angle was an angel bringing him ascension. We were all helping to paint her center. Then one day, sad news, I heard that the center was closed because of rumors that the locals were accusing her of polluting the stream with AIDS water. I also heard rumors that the locals had burned down her house.

Also once I drove to Yogaville, VA, Sachitananda's ashram. I also went to the New House? a home near Monroe Institute in which someone from a different religion lived in each room, which was lavishly decorated with fabrics and books.

I attended this with Rita Fisher.

While at 4th year at Duke, I drove up to spend a halloween with Rita Fisher, a Swiss-German woman who was taking care of Phyllis Whitney, a writer who was living off of Robert's mountain road. I stayed at Rita's home underneath. and dressed up as Stephanie, much to the entertainment of Phyllis. Phyllis at the time was in her 70s. Her daughter and son-in-law lived next door. Ed I believe was son in law but what was daughter's name?

I also stayed at the home of Emily and Dennis Galumbeck. Looking back at these experiences I realized that I experienced such incredible bliss, why did I ever leave?

Around 1995 I also reunited with the group from the Gateway Voyage, who attended another workshop: Guidelines or Lifelines. Trish was there, so was Jennifer Lewis who lived in Atlanta.

During my gateway voyage, I also remember David Mulvey and Franceen King moderated the group experience. One of the attendees worked for the Wall-Street Journal and wrote up an article which was subsequently published in WSJ that summer but it did not accurately portray the institute slant. "Institute Shows People a Way out of their Bodies" He was an undercover reporter. I also recall Jessica a psychic, Trish Smith, who I am still close friends with and she and I are part of an extended "Psychic Friends Network." I also remember Claudius, an Austrian being of light, as well as David ?? whose last name i do not recall.

Meeting Bob Monroe in 1994 was a fascinating experience. It was one of my last few days of work or employment there. I first met him and shook his hand and he said "oh I heard about you" and I felt an electrical shock. I later suspected this electrical energy could have been something he accessed to go out of his body which he wrote about in Journeys Out of the Body, Far Journeys, and The Ultimate Journey.

I met Robert Monroe again at my going away send-off party which the staff threw for me on one of the last days of my employment. Robert appeared and told me that it would be interesting to see how my interests would expand and evolve into the future. I mentioned my integrative interests in medicine and computer science, and pre-med.

That same summer I won a scholarship to the Institute for Humane Studies and George Washington University to study Objectivism and Liberty at Bryn Mawr College. I drove through a huge hailstorm to get there.

They paid me a stipend of $100.00 per week and I was amazingly happy with that stipend, living in that area. The cost of living is amazingly cheap.

The back road which led to 151 also drove past Synchronicity, a compound run by Master Brother Charles, which offered a similar technology.

Jim and Stu lived at the top of a beautiful ski mountain just nearby TMI.

During 1995-1996 I drove up to meet Trish and Jen at their completion of Lifelines or Guidelines. I also visited some guy's house which was filled with crystals and beautiful gemstones, he built this cabin off of Roberts Mountain Road.

There was also an ice storm which I visited Rita during, which I think was around 1996-1997. amazingly we drove up to skyline drive and the ice melted on the road but stayed intact on the mountains. And we drove up to this abandoned mansion near the 151 and 29 and the highway which

Also took skip out to lunch and he wrote me letter of recommendation for medical school, which eventually I had him rewrite for graduate school

Also the new CFO comped me for the Guidelines workshop because of my ongoing contributions to TMI.

during 1994 I met Barbara Bullard, who discussed and taught Accelerated Learning to special children in Orange County and shared this at the Professional Division seminar the first one that I attended. I performed some work for her doing literature review for her.

subsequently I attended the professional division seminar during which I met Edgar Mitchell.

I also did lectures promoting the monroe institute technology and offering free demonstrations. For example, in Durham NC during a spirit in business meeting, where i met AlexSandra Lett.

How Meeting Deepak Chopra Changed My Life

Durham, NC. An interesting chain of events led me to meet Deepak Chopra eventually.

Around 1993, as a sophomore in Duke University, I founded a mind-body medicine studies group. This founding was publicized by a reporter from the Chronicle, the Duke University campus newspaper. At the time I was a pre-medicine student, and took intensive demanding classes involving hard sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, organic chemistry...although I wanted to become a physician, I found something lacking in the soul of my education. This inspired my reaching out for alternatives, as I found no organized group providing integrative medical approaches that complement the hard sciences.

To get started, I made some inquiries starting during my first year of college about who was most actively involved in these activities--apparently there was a Mind-Body Medicine Studies Group at Duke University Medical Center; I was directed to contact Larry Burk, M.D., a Radiologist at Duke University Medical Center. His secretary Mirjana Cudic first answered. I indicated my interest in integrative medicine, and she told me I came to the right place.

We hit it off immediately. I introduced myself by telling him that I began my "field research" in alternative and complementary medicine by writing to all the integrative health centers in the back of the book "SuperLearning" and "SuperMemory: The Revolution" a revolutionary book by Ostrander and Schroeder about how to accelerate learning and retention by over 30% simply by listening to baroque music in a light alpha-state, breathing rhythmically. They listed fascinating resources in the back of the book. This was a revolutionary book for me that I read in high school because it indicated the vast underutilized potential of the mind, perhaps accessed by only a few.

So I wrote to all the resources in the back of the book, and heard about the Monroe Institute, which I eventually landed the first intern position ever offered.

Larry was impressed by my unusual initiative, and after a few discussions, agreed to serve as my faculty sponsor for this study group. I also enlisted the help of a colleague to co-found the organization with me, Ali Zomorodi, now a full fledged neurosurgeon at Duke.

On a monthly basis I began inviting community practitioners from the local community. For example, Carol Sanks, RN, an integrative nurse and bodyworker, who discussed an integrative model of the human by overlaying transparencies, one over the other; Jon Seskevich, nurse clinician at DUMC, who taught simple energy work and therapeutic touch; Jim Spira, tai chi; Mark Eisen, M.D., to discuss anthroposophical medicine; Larry Burk to discuss peak performance through anodyne imagery, a special visualization protocol to minimize chronic pain and enable peak performance, and Jon DiJianne (sp?) offering an acupuncture demonstration.

The study group took a peak when I participated in the promotion of Deepak Chopra came to speak at a large auditorium on West Campus. I landed several free tickets, and invited Ali Zomorodi, Ally McCoy, and Leila, and my girlfriend at the time, Emilie Slechta to attend.

From the vantage point of the upper balcony, I watched and listen as the internationally renowned Ayurvedic physician Dr. Chopra spelled out the concepts of integrative medicine, and the quantum physics behind the concept of "ageless body, timeless mind" which is also the topic of his latest book.

In one of the most influential (and prophetically accurate) intuitive reading of my life, Tomiko Smith, elaborated in a reading Chopra's concepts: although our cells atoms and subatomic particles are comprised mostly of empty space, this so-called empty space is teeming, vibrant with energy particles. This energy responds to our consciousness, in fact, it IS our consciousness. Through an awareness of our ageless nature, we regain a quantum awareness of our timelessness, as the concept of time as a human construct.

Hearing Chopra's concepts rang true to me; the vast, incredible success he experienced sharing his integrative medical concepts, bringing the ancient wisdom of Ayurvedic medicine from the East to the West indicated to me how hungry the public was for this type of knowledge. Instead of becoming a neurosurgeon, I decided that I wanted to become a doctor but not not in the conventional sense of a diagnostician who is attempting to label and identify disease, but rather as a creative practitioner who looks deeply to the root cause of an ailment, and doing so systemically, not simply looking at the physical body.

Following the speech I attended Chopra's book signing, and introduced myself. I shared with him how inspired I felt by his words, that it was a privilege for my group to promote his appearance. He autographed his book Ageless Body Timeless Mind, which I displayed proudly on my bookshelf of autographed books.

Chopra serves an excellent role model for what it takes to pioneer a field and the enormous success that can come to someone who is a leader in a new field.

Celebrity Jane Seymour Revealed to Me When I Met Her

First during a phenomenal exhibition of her artwork creations at a special exhibit at Simic Galleries in old town Scottsdale, Arizona around 2003. She was unusually talented in painting still lives that brought her and others joy. I felt inspired by her work and approached her to an interview.

She obliged and shared with me the contact information of her publicist in the LA area. As a reporter and regular columnist contributor to the Scottsdale Times, I knew my editor would be interested.

When I interviewed her, she revealed how painting was something she took up during an especially challenging financial period of her life resulting from a divorce. She painted in between filming as well, and her work caught the eye of the film crew. Her work caught wind and eventually she was approached by major labels to feature her work, e.g. Discover Card, and other cosmetic companies.

This interview was eventually published in the Dream Network, (Vol. 24 No. 4 & Vol 25. No 1), Interestingly the editors published this interview, because Seymour reported having a near death experience on the Larry King Show, May 23, 2005. Click here for further details about her amazing experience.

The near death experience is indirectly related to dreams because it occurs in a state of consciousness related to the dream state but surpassing it.

I found Ms. Seymour to be classy, sophisticated, and gracious in the way she carried herself. I respect her humanitarian efforts and her public encouragement of "green" values. In fact, Jane mentioned that she was recognized by the Queen and received a title comparable to knighthood.

What the 6th man on the moon personally taught me

December 1995, Little Silver, NJ. I was busily shoveling snow out of my parent's driveway over winter break from college when my mom called me "Stefan, Dr. Mitchell is on the phone!" Breathless I ran inside and took the call...

It turned out that Edgar Mitchell, the 6th person to set foot on the moon, was an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon, the same university where my mentor Larry Burk's father graduated. Larry Burk, MD was a Radiologist at Duke University Medical Center and served as faculty advisor for the Mind-Body Medicine Study Group I founded, which was a forum for inviting and sponsoring leading integrative health practitioners to enlighten and inspire the undergraduate community.

What inspired the call? I had phoned Dr. Mitchell to informally interview him about his latest book in its final editing stages. In this book he proposed a dyadic model of consciousness, and this was subsequently named The Way of The Explorer. A dyadic model states: "any model of consciousness that is rigorous and complete must be compatible with both the way that we experience consciousness subjectively and consistent as well with what we know about the physical world through the protocols of science. "

He forwarded me a pre-publication galley draft, not intended for distribution. The subject book was especially relevant to my recent travels based with Dr. Burk to an "Intuition in Business" conference we attended in fall of 1995.

This conference was so-sponsored by the Intuition Network and Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) which Dr. Mitchell played a role in founding. The purpose was to explore consciousness and develop applications for what we discovered.

I love to learn from world-class minds of leading individuals. Interacting with Mitchell was definitely a rare privilege.

Years later, I heard Mitchell speak at the Professional Division conference of The Monroe Institute, around 1998. During the Apollo 14 mission, Mitchell conducted some of the very first documented ESP and parapsychology experiments, which I cited in my dissertation: Dream Homes - Dreams that seem to predict real estate sales.

In one of my first conversations, Mitchell acknowledged acclaimed anthropologist, human potential trainer, and U.N. delegate Jean Houston for her work. He participated in her Possible Human workshop years prior, which appeared to have inspired him.

Mitchell is a controversial figure for taking a public stance that some UFOs are geniunely extraterrestrial beings. For example on Dateline NBC in 1996 he spoke out against the government-sponsored suppression and disinformation about this topic.

Mitchell also appeared in the documentary the Phoenix Lights, which chronicled arguably the world's most famous UFO sighting, reported by thousands of Arizona residents. /Although the local authorities deny this event, science cannot explain away the phenomena. (Some of the most famous footage of this event occurred within a mile of my residence in Scottsdale, just west of me on Camelback mountain. This mountain is clearly visible from my balcony and looks like 2 peaks of a pyramid, hence the name- Camelback.) Twice during her public appearances I met Lynn Kitei, MD a hard-nosed Radiologist who personally filmed the footage from the balcony of her Paradise Valley home and suddenly became a believer.

One of the lessons I learned from meeting Dr. Mitchell is to be true to yourself, be true to your deepest held convictions even if they go against prevailing public opinion. Based on his personal experiences, Mitchell is convinced of the existence of extraterrestrial life even if the mainstream media denies it or ridicules him.

Is Your Prosperity Consciousness Tuned Up? Here's a brief abundance quiz

This was a flyer provided by Paige, a spiritual teacher and reader who presented this information around June 2009 in Scottsdale AZ, at a PeaceOfTheUniverse.com. This is a charming little new age bookstore in the plaza tucked away, behind the northwest corner of Shea and Scottsdale Road. She taught a class that I attended, and here are some of the gems of insight I took away with me from the class:

"Rivers of Gold" Prosperity and Abundance

"At this moment, the seeds of a perfect destiny lie dormant within you. Release their potential and live a life more wondrous than any dream." -- Deepak Chopra

Questions to ask yourself:
1. Abundance - what is it?
2. How will you know you're there?
3. What is the form of what you want?
4. What is its essence?

The univers is a mirror. To visualize this, consider shouting things out across an echoing canyon. You get back what you shout of to the Universe.

Activities you can do to jump-start your success:
1. Before you go to bed at night, think of 5 things about the day that you truly appreciated (Tony Robbins).
2. Breathe in an angel (Faith).
3. Find your "happy place" (Faith).
4. Practice the Holon of Ascension (Tom Kenyon).
5. Flip it (Lynn Grabhorn).
6. "Warm Fuzzies" (imagine success as if it is already yours).

Shakespeare Arts Fest Itinerary Aug 20-23, 2009

Ashland, OR. I accompanied my friend and mentor Dr. Stanley Krippner to an annual excursion here. Thousands flock here every summer to enjoy some of the finest plays featuring a talented cast. For instance, Anthony Heald played leading roles in several of the plays we watched.

Aug 20, 2009. The Music Man
Aug 21, 2009. Equivocation
Aug 21, 2009. Henry VIII
Aug 22, 2009. All's Well That Ends Well
Aug 22, 2009. Don Quixote
Aug 23, 2009. Paradise Lost

It was a marathon indeed. I left Ashland fully satisfied that my appetites for fine theater were sated for another year.

Are Your Dreams Haunted by the Real Estate Roller Coaster Ride? (New York Times Reprint)

Excerpt from The New York Times link here

August 27, 2009

The House of Your Dreams

By SARAH KERSHAW

AMERICANS aren’t just living the real estate collapse. They’re dreaming it.

Foreclosure, eviction and an uncertain real estate market are providing material for disturbing dreams and nightmares about home, which has an especially powerful place in the psyche, psychologists say, symbolizing safety, comfort, identity and — to the Freudians — mother.

At a time of collective angst and fear of economic insecurity, psychologists say more patients are recounting stressful dreams that revolve around the theme of home. Fear of homelessness, they say, is one of the most primal feelings on the emotional spectrum. A deep sense of disillusionment, betrayal and mistrust resulting from the mortgage and banking crises is also pervasive.

“People are trying to make sense of this big unknowable, overwhelming, insecure world,” said Henry M. Seiden, a psychologist in New York who published a paper in April, “On the Longing for Home,” in the journal Psychoanalytic Psychology, arguing that the concept of home has not drawn enough focus from academics in the field, beyond the classic Freudian interpretations.

While some people ignore the messages in their dreams, others look to them for guidance.

Susanna Cohen, 31, a nurse practitioner and midwife in Salt Lake City, was feeling spooked by the mortgage crisis and began having disturbing dreams in May, while contemplating buying her first home. Many were about people forced to live in places they didn’t want to live.

“I had heightened anxiety because of everything that’s happened,” Ms. Cohen said. “Was this an appropriate investment for me to be making at this point? Am I going to look back in five years and find out that I’m in a similar situation as all these other people who have had their houses foreclosed? And I didn’t know if I wanted to be part of a system that is so morally corrupt.”

After deciding to make a bid last month, she was torn over what to offer for the house, a two-bedroom brick bungalow listed at $250,000. She said she felt some obligation to make a bid that was fair to the seller, but she feared overbidding, and wished she had some way of finding out about the seller’s finances.

Then she had a dream that she saw the seller’s mortgage statement and that he owed $80,000 on the house. She woke up, she said, thinking that her bid, which she did not want to disclose, was fair, and so she made the offer.

As the negotiations continued, she had several more vivid dreams, some reassuring her that her hunches were leading her down the right path and others involving danger, fear and what she interpreted as cautionary messages.

The night after she made the bid, she dreamed she was sitting on the porch of the house eating ice cream with a friend, when they decided they wanted root beer floats. They walked over to a nearby supermarket and, as she was standing at the vending machine, an aggressive and threatening man approached. Another man appeared to save her, but he ended up stabbing her in the arm with a hypodermic needle, and she slowly slumped to the ground.

She made eye contact with a passer-by and called for help, and then woke up. She was left with the feeling that, like the men in her dream, all the players involved in her real estate deal — the agents and the seller — were out for themselves, and she wasn’t protecting herself.

“I’m not shy about the fact that I let my dreams influence my behavior,” Ms. Cohen said. “The times in my life that I have discounted a dream because I felt, ‘Oh, that’s just a dream,’ it comes back to bite me. But that’s sort of my internal struggle: trying to figure out which of these dreams do I allow myself to believe in.”

The day after her dream about being stabbed with a needle, she heard from her real estate agent that there was another offer on the house. She wrote a letter to the seller expressing her appreciation for the house and its history, promising to maintain its original details and charm.

He countered with the same offer the other bidder had made, $230,000, and she accepted, but then he decided to go with the other buyer anyway, and she was crushed.

In the end, she said, it was not her dreams, but the people involved in the negotiations that led her astray. After she decided on a bid, the broker delayed the meeting where she was going to make the offer by several days, Ms. Cohen said. During that time, the owner held an open house, inviting the other bidders into the picture.

Still, “It is an inanimate object after all,” she said. “So I will recover.”

WHILE many ancient cultures have used dreams as guideposts, the practice has not been as common in modern times. But a surprising study published last March found that more people see dreams as informative than had previously been believed.

The study, “When Dreaming Is Believing: The (Motivated) Interpretation of Dreams,” by Michael I. Norton and Carey K. Morewedge, researchers from Harvard and Carnegie Mellon, involved a survey of 1,000 people in the United States, South Korea and India, including engineering students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who, the researchers suspected, would be less likely to give weight to their dreams.

They found that most of the participants believed their dreams contained more meaningful information about the world than similar thoughts they had while awake. And, generally, the dreams people had confirmed their beliefs and biases about the subjects of their dreams.

The study was done amid a long-running debate between scientists and dream psychologists about whether dreams are a result of the brain sputtering out random impulses, anxieties and data, or are meaningful barometers of emotion and a source of insight into real-life conflicts.

Paul Thomas, 47, who sells motorcycles at a Harley Davidson dealership in Stamford, Conn., said he had a series of dreams that helped him decide what to do about his housing situation.

In 2006, he and his wife moved from Stamford to Brooklyn, where he took a job in the restaurant business, and she found one in banking. Soon, they got into a legal battle with their landlord over problems in their apartment building, including lack of heat, water leaks and the building’s legal status. The court ruled in their favor, asking them to pay one month’s rent and leave by the end of 2007, but they were not out by the deadline and were evicted.

The city marshal showed up at 7:30 one morning, giving them 15 minutes to move out all their belongings. While they stayed at a neighbor’s house, Mr. Thomas said, he dreamed that he was begging outside a coffee shop in Union Square, holding a bucket and a sign that said he was homeless. “I’ve never been homeless in my life,” he said. “This feeling in my dream was such panic and such hopelessness.”

They found another apartment in the same neighborhood, but two months later, a court officer appeared on a Saturday morning with a notice of foreclosure on the building intended for the landlord, who lived at another address. They moved again, only to discover that their new landlord was constructing what appeared to be an illegal apartment in the basement, and was working on the gas and electricity lines. They complained and a nasty confrontation ensued.

At this point, Mr. Thomas had a nightmare that was both frightening and highly entertaining. In the dream, he was looking out a window of the apartment, which was surrounded by cartoon and movie villains — Yosemite Sam, the Penguin and the Riddler from Batman — with guns, and was shooting at them through the window.

When they started advancing toward the house, he ran upstairs, where his wife was waiting with his “troops” — the cast of “Sex and the City,” and Cat Woman from the 1960’s TV show “Batman,” who was, he said, “always on the edge of good and evil,” but in the dream was a force for good. The dream made him laugh, but it also “reinforced the fact that I knew I had to get out of there,” he said. “My dream mind was telling me if you don’t get out of there, you are going to be shot at, at some point. The landlord was boiling mad.”

They returned to Stamford and are now looking for a house to buy.

In recent years, the field of dream psychology has begun giving more credence to the dreamer’s interpretation, rather than the analyst’s. According to Ellen Y. Siegelman, a Jungian psychoanalyst in Berkeley, Calif., patients in therapy often find that dreams of home, in particular, offer a way to chart their progress.

“I’ve seen people in therapy go from dreams at the beginning of houses falling down, needing to be propped up or in disrepair,” Dr. Siegelman said. “If you follow the sequence in dreams, quite often at the end, there are dreams of houses fixed up, new light and extra rooms. That’s an interesting marker of where somebody is psychologically.”

MANY psychologists caution against taking dreams about houses too literally.

“Things are not necessarily what they seem to be,” said Gemma Marangoni Ainslie, a neo-Freudian psychoanalyst in Austin, Tex., who, like many other therapists, sees recurring dreams as clues about personal struggles and ongoing conflicts.

For nearly 15 years, Cara Letofsky, 45, a housing policy aide to Mayor R. T. Rybak of Minneapolis, had a recurring dream that she was moving into a new apartment with her college roommates. After all the roommates had chosen their rooms, they suddenly discovered an extra one, something that caused a feeling of anxiety and loss of control, because order was disrupted — what would they do with the extra room?

No matter what her living situation, the dreams continued: when she was living in New York, getting a master’s degree, when she was single, when she moved to Minneapolis, got married, bought a house with her husband and had children, now 6 and 9.

Finally, a few years ago, when she and her husband completed a renovation, adding a guest room and a storage room and expanding the kitchen and master bedroom, the dreams stopped.

“I was still seeking this place that was home to me,” she said. “I was still seeking the emotional security of a physical space. Even though I had one, it didn’t have the marker of being mine until the house was finished.”

The fear of intrusions like burglaries can also produce vivid dreams, psychologists say.

Pamela Mink, 46, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, had recurring dreams about calling 911 after someone had broken into the house she rented there. In some of the dreams, she said, the 911 operators were speaking languages she could not understand; in one, she was swearing at the operator, who told her that if she kept cursing she would get no help.

Dr. Mink had other recurring dreams that were less obvious in their symbolism — most notably, one about her father burying bodies in the garden, which she began having when she was a child. In the dreams, she said, she never knew whom he was burying, and never asked.

She said she has not discussed the dreams, which are more mysterious than scary, with a therapist. But around the time of her father’s death, in 1996, she had the final version of the dream, perhaps resolving a conflict or revealing something she did not know about her father, but certainly solving a mystery played out in her unconscious.

Around this time, in her waking life, she said, she asked her father a lot of questions because he was dying, and in the last dream, she tried to get him to tell her whom he was burying.

In the dream, there was a coffin laid on a large, thick sheet of ice. At first, her father refused to tell her who was inside, saying only that it was someone famous. Then, after swearing her to secrecy, he agreed to tell her, revealing it was Frank Lloyd Wright.

She asked him repeatedly why he was burying the architect in their garden, and then said, “Wait a minute, is this because you think your property value will go up?” Her father gave her a knowing smile, and she glanced up at her bedroom and saw a Chinese man in a red silk robe staring at them.

“There was something very ceremonial about the whole thing, and the property value thing was weird,” she said. “My dad wasn’t a financial mogul, he was a college professor,” a psychologist who ran a sleep lab.

The dream ended as she and her siblings sang Simon and Garfunkel’s “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright,” while her father worked in the garden.

Ashland Oregon: The New "Athens" of a cultural renaissance?

20-24 July 2009, Ashland Oregon. This was my third annual pilgrimage to Ashland where I accompany my dear friend and colleague Dr. Stanley Krippner to enjoy theater shows at during the Shakespeare Arts Festival.

In between shows I spend time at what is regarded as one of the finest organic health-food co-ops in the country. A fresh salad and fresh food bar, excellent wine and cheese selection, fresh organic fruits some of the tastiest and most affordable ever-- a pint of organic strawberries $1.98, organic adriatic figs $2.98, dehydrated mangos $1.09 for a package. Also hard to find foods, such as raw organic cacao butter $19.00. Organic peaches that burst in your mouth.

At the co-op the people were especially friendly to talk to. I struck up conversations almost instantly at the similng people. Ran into Tavis who was living in Ashland up from Scottsdale, to Kiwina, a kava kava distributor from Hawaii who freely offered the opportunity for us to sample his beverage, during a ceremony he spontaneously arranged outside. It was probably the best I have ever had: mango kava, and put me in a euphoric state for the rest of the day.

I love how I can easily walk within minutes to virtually any part of the city, from the show, to the hotel, to the co-op, to Lithia Park.

After the co-op I would walk a few blocks to the sprawling cool green Lithia park, which cuts right into the downtown Plaza. It has miles of park literally, a central swath of cut green grass with plenty of shade trees. All within hearing distance of a tranquil bubbling creek. On that Sunday, couples, families, and kids would laze around and lay or sit down on the grass. Kids would play and laugh. Life felt so good and simple to me. I even saw three deer within a hundred feet from where I was sitting and meditating, blissing out under a tree.

Ashland is nestled in one of the wonders of the world, one of the most biodiverse, agriculturally sustainable areas on the planet. As Jean Houston once told me, at the peak of the Golden Age, Athens contained 20,000 citizens. Ashland has a similar population.

In general I find the people spiritually progressive, friendly, financially wise and culturally savvy. Many are interested in outdoor activities, farming, and creating a new sustainable future. My kind of people.

Stan has plenty of friends as well, some who live in Asland, others who drive in from other parts of Oregon to spend time with him and visit over meals.

This was the third year in a row I had the privilege of visiting Jean Houston at her home. She lives in the last property designed by the late genius Buckminster Fuller. I am almost speechless with admiration for her life's work in her presence. Recently a talented housemate Connie shares the huge home with Jean. Jean and Connie's latest project is a master's level certification program about "The Necessary Human" for the artistry of social transformation.

I have spoken and met many luminary individuals who have been influenced by Jean Houston's work. Edgar Mitchell, the lunar astronaut, mentioned attending her workshop the possible human. So did Bill Schmukler, an 82-year old psychotherapist who ran a 40-day retreat that I participated in. Apparently Deepak and Jean know each other well; I met Deepak Chopra around 1993, when as a founder of the Mind-Body Medicine Study Group I co-sponsored and promoted his appearance at Duke University.

I have also begun collaborating on a marketing joint-venture with Peter Schultz, a highly successful marketer and newsletter publisher on options trading. He has tens of thousands of paid newsletter subscribers. Recently he expanded his business model to now feature other authors and experts. For this venture he has appointed me as his expert in credit and real estate.

To kick off this project, Peter arranged to have a local internet-tv studio film him interviewing me about my products for selling your home quickly and building your credit. This studio is called DenizenTV.com

A Visit to Sacred Land to reconnect with ancient wisdom in modern times

Yreka, CA. Kalpull Kiej Juju (Deer Mountain Center). From left to right, Stefan Kasian, Jean Houston, Stanley Krippner, and Tata OmeAkaEhekatl Eric Gonzalez, MA (Tata Eric).

Friday August 21, 2009. We visited this special land, approximately 1800 acres donated to this Guatemalan healer and tribe. It is located in Rogue valley, with its own water supply and lush rolling hills.

Eric leads gatherings pilgrimages ceremonies throughout the world to facilitate healing and spiritual growth.

Time did not permit us to participate in the beautiful peyote ceremony that was planned for us, but we did get an opportunity to receive a beautiful blessing on the higher land, a short drive up from the house.

I was touched by the hospitality of Eric and his family, who offered a generous banquet of food upon our arrival, and gave us a gift of a handmade bag with sage, copal, and Guatemalan coffee. In exchange I gave Eric a book written by another wise "elder" who I esteem highly: Bernando LaPallo, born 1901. It is a book about his life.

This would be a beautiful land to participate in a ceremony and reconnect with this special tribe. For more information please visit www.earthpeopleunited.com

Do You Know About the Hidden Dangers in Your Food? "Food, Inc." The movie holds nothing back

August 5, 2009. I picked up BigDaddy, my 107 year old health bug and drove together to watch Food, Inc. open up at the Harkins Theater, in Scottsdale, Arizona. A yoga teacher Shanti, My raw-foodie friend Emma, and her boyfriend Adam joined us.

The movie covered the devastating effects of mass producing food has on our food quality. In the name of efficiency, most forms of meat are overprocessed. Scenes of the horrific conditions chickens, cows, and steer endured: from being hormonally and antibiotically-injected so chickens are virtually blind and almost cannot walk--which promotes allergies in those who eat them; to cattle and cows being fed corn instead of wheat--which led to an e. coli infection which killed a young boy Kevin within a month; to animals wallowing in their own feces, which promotes disease and bacteria. The conditions the workers toil under is also miserable; unsafe unsanitary conditions that aliens labor under, and they are constantly at risk of being deported.

The horror of this young boy Kevin dying from renal failure as a result of eating beef contaminated with e. coli is unforgivable when congress, lawmakers, and even the meat packaging companies refused to acknowledge the death or make any corrections or adjustments to their process. The law attempting to instill higher meat processing standards is called "Kevin's Law".

The movie contrasts this corporatized meat production with a natural farmer, who raises chickens and livestock under open air and with fresh hormone free organic feed. Although he states the health department tried to shut him down, the bacteria rating of the meat under his conditions was 3, compared to the meat produced under the mass-production facility, which was a hundred times higher.

Unfortunately, these processed foods are also much cheaper, which encourages consumers to purchase them instead. Also families on low incomes cannot afford higher quality organic foods. These foods that contain preservatives, including salt, sugar, etc. are highly addictive, and lead to obesity. Obesity, and diabetes in the U.S. have reached epidemic proportions because of the incredible amounts of sugar poured into processed food.

Worse yet, the FDA is in bed with the biggest food packagers and producers, which have now begun monopolizing the food production and distribution chain. For example, the movie cited several examples of attorneys who worked as executives for these companies also serve high level positions for the FDA. This leads to self-serving laws and policies that protect these companies at the expense of the consumers, and even farmers.

One tragic example of companies monopolizing the food chain is Monsanto, the food giant who is attempting to patent Genetically Modified (GMO)-soybeans which do not produce seed for future generations. Any farmer caught growing these Monsanto plants without permission is subject to copyright infringement and prosecution. Even a farmer who grows his own soybean crop could have an adjacent GMO crop contaminate his.

Despite the gloomy snapshot of the food supply, the promising news is that consumers are starting to vote with their wallets. This is impacting the buying decisions of big suppliers, including Wal-Mart. For example, Wal-Mart is now carrying many organic food labels to meet the consumer demand.

Here's what you can do:

1. Read and understand your food labels. Limit purchasing foods that contain sugar and preservatives.
2. Insist on purchasing organic foods whenever possible.
3. If you do purchase meat, insist on cage-free, organic, and hormone free whenever possible.
4. Write to your local representative and demand full disclosure of GMO-enhanced foods. In the same way that tobacco and cigarette labels now state the health risks as a result of pressure from public outcry, so can food producers eventually disclose food that is GMO.
5. Watch Food Inc and share it with your loved ones.

The New Warrior Men's Training Adventure (NWTA)

June 1998 I had relocated from Durham, NC to Blue Bell, PA, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. Around September 1998, when I was getting out of my parked car at 22nd/Pine, a man pointed a gun in my face and held me hostage for several hours. I managed to escape a few hours later within inches of my life.

Naturally, I felt traumatized by the experience. A friend, Dr. Joe Klemas, of Norristown, PA, had recommended I attend the New Warrior Training Adventure (NWTA) to help me work through this experience and improve my relationships overall. After attending a preview, I accepted.

This turned out to be an intense 3-days retreat led by men and held only for men. It has its roots in the lost ritual of male initiation, a more common practice among indigenous cultures, in which men acknowledge other men's growth through a rite of passage. Also, the retreat was based loosely in Carl Jung's concept of archetypes: king, warrior, lover, and magician. This retreat was geared to help men to get in touch with these four archetypes with an intent to lead more constructive lives. The book, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover, by Robert Moore and Dougles Gillette, beautifully describes these concepts and how men can use this awareness to improve their lives.

We were also taught lessons including: accountability, integrity, and clear communicate--we discussed topics and problems that were rarely discussed among other men, including our own fathers. Men were also shown the concept of "shadow," the repressed energy that we often are not aware of, that is often acted out in a destructive manner. We were asked to keep the specific processes and protocols confidential to preserve the power of the experience for others who may experience it in the future. I left in high spirits and with improved skills and appreciation for what it means to be a man.

To follow up and incorporate these experiences, we held weekly integration groups, I-Groups, in which we practices these new skills, practiced communication, etc. I stayed with this program for several months.

I did a brief search about NWTA and came up with criticisms about the weekend. Some consider it a cult because of the confidentiality and the nature of the processes. Others found the experience to be highly traumatic because some of the processes were designed to deliberately provoke painful experiences and uncomfortable emotions. They complained that the workshop was not properly staffed by licensed psychotherapists; had the aforementioned been fully disclosed they would have had second thoughts about participating. In an especially poignant criticism, one family claims that the NWTA experience was linked to their son's suicide a week or two later; their son struggled with cocaine addiction for years prior to this experience.

Despite these criticisms, I consider the experience a beneficial one. It wasn't always easy during the retreat, but I did not consider it harmful in any way. However, any man who participates will be provoked and challenged to face his demons and shadows, which is as challenging as fighting any war. My one caution: is that if someone has any severe medical or psychological issues, to consult with a competent professional before proceeding. However, these risks are disclosed upfront prior to one's participation.

For more information: The Mankind Project

The equivalent to this experience exists for women, called The Woman Within.

The 5 Mindfulness Trainings: Your North Star to a Happy and Peaceful Life

On or around October 1999 I had the privilege of attending a week-long workshop with Diane, my significant other at the timed. It was led by the beloved Zen Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hahn. This workshop was called "The Art of Mindful Living," and he was accompanied by the Monks and Nuns of Plum Village, a peaceful community in France that practices this way of life. This was held at Omega Institute, in Rhinebeck, New York.

The purpose of the retreat was to give attendees a full experience of "The Art of Mindful Living". For example, retreat consisted of breakfast, lunch, and dinner lovingly prepared by the staff, and the attendees would sit down next to monks and nuns and enjoy their food mindfully, in loving silence and a present-moment appreciation. In other words, we would eat it as if it were our last meal. We also participated dharma talks, in which we all sat in a large hall and practiced meditation and relaxation, led by Thai, or other monks or nuns. The children also were separated for a section in which they experienced a mindful community and sang songs..."Where is buddha?" "No coming, no going..." One especially fond memory I had was watching Thich Nhat Hahn lead a mindful walk through a meadow, holding childrens' hands. When it began to rain, his mindful walk turned into a mindful run. Lauren, Diane's youngest daughter, held his hand and remarked: "His hands have the power to make peace."

The essence of mindfulness is to live and be completely in the present, with full awareness. One way to bring yourself into the present with mindfulness is to focus on your breath. Also ask yourself a question about a random part of your body: what am I feeling behind my knees? In this busy rushed culture, we often do not take time to smell the roses, let alone focus on our body.

But another benefit of mindfulness is that by becoming fully present, you begin to free yourself of habits and behavior patterns that may not serve you. You can rise up and beyond habitual thought patterns, get out of your mind, and thereby experience truly original thoughts and creative inspirations. Beyond the cognitive benefits, there are many studies about how regularly practiced mindfulness meditation can enhance relaxation, decrease anxiety, and assist in dealing with chronic pain.

Towards the conclusion of the retreat, we were offered the opportunity to accept formally the mindfulness trainings and accept Thai as our teacher. These mindfulness trainings consisted of 5 precepts, or practices of awareness. They were committments, not commandments, a "North Star" as Thai called it, to guide us and protect us in life. They were based on the awareness that certain behaviors cause suffering, and based on this awareness we can make different choices:

The Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings

(formerly "The Five Wonderful Precepts")

The Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings below are Vietnamese Buddhist Thich Nhat's Hanh's translation of the 5 basic precepts as taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni. The Buddha offered these precepts to both his ordained and lay followers so that they could have clear guidelines to lead mindful and joyful lives on the path to awakening. Thich Nhat Hanh has updated the precepts so that they are beautifully appropriate and relevant in today's society. In his book entitled "For a Future to be Possible", Thich Nhat Hanh describes in detail how the Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings can be used by anyone in today's world to create a more harmonious and peaceful life.)

The First Mindfulness Training:

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life.
Thich Nhat Hanh has a commentary on the 1st Precept.

The Second Mindfulness Training:

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well being of people, animals, plants and minerals. I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy and material resources with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.
Thich Nhat Hanh has a commentary on the 2nd Precept.

The Third Mindfulness Training:

Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct.
Thich Nhat Hanh has a commentary on the 3rd Precept.

The Fourth Mindfulness Training:

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.
Thich Nhat Hanh has a commentary on the 4th Precept.

The Fifth Mindfulness Training:

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society." (Reference: "http://www.dharmamemphis.com/buddhism/five_wonderful_mindfulness_train.htm")

These are the basics for a peaceful and happy life. During an ordination ceremony, I formally accepted to practice these trainings, and also received a spiritual name from Thich Nhat Hahn. As part of the teacher-student contract, Thai requested that we read aloud or practice these trainings at least every 90 days. I recommend anyone study and formally consider adopting these principles as a way of life.

Chakra 4: A charming herb tea house/apothecary, organic vegan raw food restaurant

Phoenix, Arizona. 20th Street/Camelback, in the shopping plaza on the Southeast corner. Past Trader Joe's.

We all joined for a lovely Sunday afternoon brunch. My fellow raw foodie Emma, Jen, Ally, Sarah, Sarah, and Holly, along with Sarah's boyfriend.

I ordered a calming, soothing chai tea with almond milk, agave, and kava kava. As my entree I ordered a kale wrap with blueberry spinach filling, which was surprisingly tasty.

Service took a bit longer than I would have liked but I loved the food, tea, and ambiance. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes this type of food.

I hope this restaurant does well. The biggest challenge I see is attracting enough clientele because it is not easy to find, and unless a friend had told me about it I would have been in the dark. It is not visible from the street. Apparently this restaurant has been around for a while.

But I am sure the seekers of this quality cuisine and the higher nutritional lifestyle will find this place. "When the student is ready the teacher appears."

Get Showered with "Deeksha" Oneness Blessing

For the past few months I have attended almost weekly the Oneness Blessings offered Thursday nights at the Yoga center in Scottsdale.

The Scottsdale group is a circle facilitated by my brain state conditioning practitioner Hilary Bee, along with other certified Oneness instructors.

The attendees, usually two dozen or so, sit in a semi circle, introduce themselves, set intention, and then sit and receive blessings from the other half dozen practitioners. When they feel complete, they lay down on a mat and continue to rest. Beautiful music is played meanwhile.

The event starts at 7:30 and usually ends 8:30PM on thursday Nights. Address is 2334 N. Scottsdale Road, on the oak plaza, west side of Scottsdale Rd, just south of thomas. Love donation offering.

What is the Oneness Blessing?
The Oneness Blessing (also known as Oneness Deeksha or Diksha) is a non-denominational benediction. A unique and specific blessing. It is the transfer of Divine Energy which, over time is designed to bring about the state of Oneness in the recipient. This energy has been brought to the world through Divine Grace and is being bestowed upon humanity.

What happens during the Oneness Blessing?
The Oneness Blessing initiates a neurobiological change in the brain that when complete enables the senses to be free from the interference of the mind. When the senses are unclouded by the mind’s interpretations, a natural clarity of perception occurs with accompanying spontaneous feelings of joy, inner calmness and connection to the Oneness in everything.

How is the Oneness Blessing transferred? What might I experience?
Oneness Blessing is transferred by the Oneness Facilitator by placing his or her hands onto the crown of your head, usually for about 1 minute. Experiences during the Oneness Blessing vary, sometimes strong, sometimes subtle, sometimes delayed until even days later. The recipient may experience a tingling sensation in the head, or blissful energy flowing through the body, or sometimes nothing at all. Whatever the experience, the recipient can trust that the process of Oneness has begun, a process designed by Divine Grace for your own nature that will lead gradually (or sometimes spontaneously) into your own Awakening.

Who can offer the Oneness Blessing to others?
The Oneness Blessing can be transferred by anyone who has received the transmission and training during a special process at the Oneness University in India or at the new Oneness University campus on Fiji. These people are often referred to as Oneness Facilitators or Oneness Blessing Givers. The Oneness Blessing Giver then works, as an empty vessel, for the energy to transfer to the recipient.

Can anyone receive the benefits of the Oneness Blessing?
Yes. It is not necessary to attend the Oneness University in order to receive the benefits of the Oneness Blessing. Most adults and children can receive the Oneness Blessing at any time. The exceptions are: Pregnant women after 16 weeks and people suffering from serious psychological illness.

What about if I wish to become a Oneness Facilitator and give the Oneness Blessing to others?
Then it is necessary to attend the Level 1 Course at the Oneness University.

Does the Oneness Blessing adhere to any particular religion or belief?
The Oneness Blessing does not adhere to any religion, nor any particular belief nor spiritual path. The Oneness Blessing is given each day to people all over the world, people of all races, all religions, all spiritual beliefs or no spiritual beliefs, and to people of all nationalities. It is not necessary to change one's religion, nor adopt a new guru or spiritual master to receive the Oneness Blessing - nor to offer the Oneness Blessing to others.

Why has the Oneness Blessing come at this time?
Our planet, and all of humanity, is currently undergoing a major evolutionary transformation. This is impacting our environment, our social structures, and our individual and collective consciousness. The co-founders of the Oneness University, Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma, are here to help with this transformation.

For more information you can visit the oneness university at Onenessblessing.com

A simple daily diet secret from my 107 year young friend BigDaddy

My dear friend and mentor Dr. Bernando "BigDaddy" LaPallo, born 1901. He is still alive and well and looking half his age. We will share one of his most important dietary secrets.

It's So simple that you will probably ignore it and go on with your life. But if you ignore it, you may miss out on a simple breakthrough that could have revolutionized your health, and prevented unnecessary suffering and disease.

So I will convey it anyway: Consistency.

Since the 1970s, LaPallo has ingested a particular breakfast drink called "SuperFood". He has done this like clockwork, without fail, for 30+ years. First thing every morning.

Its a proprietary blend developed by Dr. Schultze, and LaPallo actually collaborated with and has stayed in touch with Scultze over the years and provided ongoing input.

One may argue that LaPallo may still be alive and healthy without having taken this superfood. But he outlived one of his sons, who passed on when he was in his 80s. His son drank alcohol, smoked, and did not adhere to such simple but vital nutritional habits such as superfood.

LaPallo and Schultze will share with you countless stories involving seemingly miraculous cures and health benefits from their clients and patients who have used this product consistently and benefited. In fact, one of LaPallo's clients in her 60s had some minor weight problems when she began taking the superfood daily. Years later, she introduced herself to LaPallo again, and she was so transformed he almost didn't recognize her! She was slim and radiant.

I've begun taking superfood a few days after I met LaPallo, around October 2007 when I first met him. He was a speaker at a rawfood potluck on a Saturday around that time. I take it every day without fail. And if I am traveling I take superfood tablets. Plus I hear there are mini-portable blenders that are easy to transport, so you can have your blend whereever you are in the world.

My skin and eyes are clear. My energy level is high, and I don't find myself having much of any food cravings during the rest of the day because the superfood helps stabilize my blood sugar. Breakfast is considered the most important meals of the day, and I refuse to have even a day go by without it.

To make the superfood, you put 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup water, up to 1 cup fruits, and 2 T superfood. If you don't follow these simple instructions you won't like the taste and you won't find it palatable. Others who do not follow this I personally know, don't stick to it.

It contains all the essential nutrients, especially high in B12, and consists of raw organic algae, greens, barley, etc. One client I know cannot take it because she has a thyroid problem and the superfood is high in iodine. So do consult with your health care provider of any risks.

There are other green blends on the market but I will stick to this one because of the benefits and history.

The consistency of doing this daily communicates to your body a steady supply of fresh organic nutrition. I hardly take any other supplements--I don't need to, which cuts down on huge nutrition bills. Plus it only costs $1.30 per day. It more than pays for itself: short term you're not as hungry, so you will not waste money on impulse junk foods; and long term, you may spare yourself treatments that could cost you a fortune.

Bernando also implements consistency into his dietary habits by eating smaller portions at regular times during the day, e.g. 7AM, midday, and early afternoon. He usually doesnt eat after sunset, a practice that my rawfood physician Dr. Gabriel Cousens also discourages.

You can obtain superfood directly from Bernando in person, or from herbdoc.com

Ready to "unstuck" those unhealthy patterns? Try a world-class brain tune up with "Brain State Conditioning."

Scottsdale, AZ: I was suffering from side-effects of an emergency brain procedure in late 2006 to remove a life-threatening benign brain anomaly. I tried many of the conventional approaches, but none of them seemed to work, and I started feeling hopeless.

Then a friend suggested Brain State Conditioning. This was an advanced but very simple brain-wave repatterning technology pioneered by Lee Gerdes, a theologian who himself created this to treat his own PTSD. I was willing to give anything reasonable a go, so in 2008 I began this journey.

Basically I came in for a 2-3 hour assessment to the Scottsdale headquarters, where I was hooked up to a few electrodes while my brain was monitored when I was completing simple tasks such as reading, thinking, relaxing, meditating. What blew me away is how accurate the computer came up with its assessment, such as indicating I had a head trauma on my left frontal area (accident), and the ages as a child I experienced a trauma.

What makes this system unique is that it helps your brain reach its own optimal state, not to program or entrain the brain to be prescribed norm or standard.

I have done over a dozen sessions at the home office of Hilary Bee, a phenomenal, gifted healer based in Scottsdale. As an additional benefit, Hilary trained in India at the Oneness university, and provides "deeksha" energy transmission blessings with her hands, perfect if you are seeking a trainer with spiritual perspective. (Contact me if you want her contact info.)

Each session lasts about 2 hours, and involves specific customized sequence of programs based on my unique brain pattern. I lay back and relax, and visualize pleasant positive experiences as directed based on the program. The headphones play back symphonic music with tones designed to "reward" the brain when it produces an optimal pattern. This creates the feedback loop the brain needs to "see" itself.

This is not for the faint of heart however. Although you rest during these sessions, it does feel like mental gymnastics and you may feel exhausted, like after a marathon of sorts. Also, you may uncover and re-experience pain and trauma from the past that is haunting you right to the present. But if you are sick of unhealthy patterns and want to shed them once and for all, this is for you.

These sessions helped treat my anxiety, insomnia, depression, and even concentration and memory issus, that I was told was all too normal following a major brain operation--and this was following a miraculously successful procedure.

Brain state conditioning can also help you sleep better, relieve anxiety, alleviate depression--even improve your golf swing. In one study, parolees who participated in Brain State Conditioning showed zero recidivism--they no longer felt the need to commit crimes because the deficiency in the brain was healed.

Everyone can benefit from this technology because we all have brains that can function more optimally--especially in today's stressful, fast-paced world, we need every advantage we can to think ahead, adapt to overwhelming change, and maintain a Zen-like attitude throughout.

This may sound hard to believe, but Brain State Conditioning can also help resolve persistent psychiatric disorders safely--without the side-effects and risks of prescription drugs. The cost is reasonable, $120-250 per session. Unfortunately, it is not covered by insurance. Perhaps some day.

For more information visit BrainStateTech.com. Your brain will thank you for it.

Visit this world-renowned rawfood rejevenation center--Right here in Southern Arizona: Tree of Life

Patagonia, AZ. 2003. After conventional medicine failed to help me get rid of a dental infection caused by a botched up dental procedure, I searched the alternative spectrum.

I discovered Gabriel Cousens books Conscious Eating and Rainbow Green: Live Food Cuisine at a bookstore and was amazed by the extensive research he assimilated about the health benefits eating pure organic foods, and in the other book, simple, easy, delicious recipes using raw foods.

Around 2003, I first heard about the Tree of Life when I saw an announcement that Gabriel Cousens, M.D. was speaking about Rawfood Nutrition across from the Gentle Strenth Natural Foods Co-op in Tempe, AZ.

When I scheduled a consult with Gabriel, I filled out an extensive history. In person, he tested my live blood under a microscope, and performed BTA/BBB tests administered by a nurse. (Bio-terrain analysis, and Blood-Brain-Balance). He integrated multiple tests as "windows" into his comprehensive treatment plan.

From this first visit I received deep insights into the percentage and quantity of raw foods that best suited my body, clear nutritional guidelines (Phase I diet), and pharmaceutical-grade supplements that targeted specific issues.

The Phase I diet was designed to eliminate common health problems including hypoglycemia, parasites, candida, yeast, and bacterial infections. After 6-12 months I found my persistent health issues resolved, and I felt my body and health enter into a new octave of well being. I ate very strictly "raw" for 12-24 months as a conscious personal choice to upgrade my health; after feeling myself plateau to this new octave, my eating is more relaxed and socially sustainable.

Also the Tree of Life cafe' prepared stunningly delicious meals lovingly blessed and prepared by the apprentices and chefs. It was where I personally trained and took classes on how to make rawfood staples such as crackers, breads, soups, brownies and chocolates, smoothies--and how to use the basic tools for rawfood preparation--dehydrator, blender, juicer.

Viola, My sweetheart at the time, flew in from Australia, apprenticed there for 3 months in the kitchen.

TOL is a living-foods community, and I participated in friday night Shabbat services, sunset meditations, treatments, and detox programs.

I owe alot to Gabriel for getting me on a solid nutritional and health foundation that can serve me for the rest of my life. He is not for everyone however; some of his nutritional programs are intense and can result in detoxification symptoms, such as headache, nausea, fatigue--but these are signs that the body is releasing and healing.

It is a 3 hour drive south of Phoenix: 2 hours to Tucson, and then 1 hour to Patagonia. I also take friends and visitors there for splendid Sunday brunch, and TOL even holds a huge Thanksgiving potluck, with hundreds of visitors.

So if you would like to experience first-hand a peaceful vibrant raw-foods community, and receive a comprehensive medical assessment to help establish healthful patterns suitable for YOUR body, please visit www.treeoflife.nu