We live in a dualistic Universe; hot and cold, day and night, masculine and feminine, good and bad, etc. These are all two sides to the same coin, Oneness, expressing itself as twoness.

In the 60s, a stalwart group of people labelled as Hippies, broke out of post-war conservatism to explore more creative ways of living. Music, clothing, hair, sexuality, altered states of consciousness and communal living were all part of this creative movement, which took shape around the world.

In essence, an awakening was taking place among these vanguards of humanity, leading up to what we know now as the Age of Aquarius.

For some in that era, the idea of materialism, capitalism, and living on Earth, was not very appealing and their pursuit centred on escaping this realm, to reside in a more conducive place, another dimension. Now there is nothing “right” or “wrong” with this idea, it was merely part of the experience and experiment.

This idea of escapism has to some degree been carried forward to this day, whereby some people cannot or do not want to acknowledge the reality of two sides of the coin, but to become totally focussed on one side only.

Popular books like Napoleon Hill’s “The Power of Positive Thinking” helped sway some of this thinking, to only think positively and avoid at all costs, our “shadow side”, the other side of the coin.

There is a huge difference between acceptance and denial.

Our pursuit of completeness or wholeness, must embrace both sides of our personalities, the good, the bad and the ugly – whoops, that’s three!!

Focussing on the good side will definitely provide some slight, temporary relief, but will eventually lead us down a path of destructive, compulsive and addictive behaviours, in pursuit of more “goodness” to mask and deny the “badness”. It is rather like a drug, the drug of avoidance. The more we avoid the reality of the other side of the coin, the more antidote we will require and the antidote referred to here is, distraction.

Much of our modern media, TV reality shows, News bites and movies, are designed to distract us from the real issues occurring in the world and within us. It is the easy route out of our woes, to get hooked on this type of “entertainment” and it directly opposes the principle of “The way out is the way through”.

In my estimation, it is almost impossible to become whole and awakened without embracing our shadow side, or put another way, the dark wolf that reside within. For it is within this side, that I believe the route to our true power lies. It is well hidden amongst our pain and suffering, our darkest thoughts and feelings, our abberated behaviours and only by turning, with courage, and facing these demons, can we find the joy and relief we seek.

Hiding our head in the sand may give us some temporary respite, but no long-term gains.

Rise above your fears, but first of all, acknowledge their existence and characteristics.

Towards a new humanity – authentic in every way.

Each year, I give myself a retreat into a completely different element of spirituality, letting go and radically surrendering to the unknown.

Last year (2012) it was participating in the Template Ceremonies and this year, The Way of the Shaman – four utterly amazing days.

Now most people conjure up an image of an elderly man in traditional costume chanting unidentifiable words, whilst circling a fire and shaking a rattle and yes, in some customs, that still occurs.

But there is more to shamanism than that and thanks to Michael Harner’s The Foundation Institute for Shamanic Studies, core shamanism is being resurrected, where it has been fading and being taught to willing students all over the world.

I was one such willing and eager student this week in Ubud, Bali.

According to the founder, Michael Harner: “The word “shaman” in the original Tungus language, refers to a person who makes journeys to nonordinary reality in an altered state of consciousness”

Well, I have always been interested in altered states of consciousness and have experienced them on many occasions, so it was with a great resonance in my heart that I signed up for four days of extraordinary journeying.

The process of moving out of ordinary-reality into non-ordinary reality at will, is remarkably simple and highly effective when one knows how and Kevin Turner, our remarkably humble teacher, showed us how with ease and great skill.

In no time, I was confidently journeying to my animal spirits, which have always been with me and found myself communicating with them at the deepest and profoundly loving level. One serves as my guide to soar to greater heights with everything meaningful in my life, another reminds me to remain flexible of mind and body, another represents my inner strength and lastly, one serves as my protector.

As an animal lover, it was wonderful to make contact with a menagerie of close friends, looking after my welfare.

Of course this is nothing new to many people, as traditional shamans and tribal folk have been in contact with their inner guides since the earliest times. But for me, I have only had fleeting contact, whilst always acknowledging their presence; they have been somewhat illusive to my desire for contact. More like I was probably ill equipped to know how to journey successfully, but not now, as the results are both lasting and growing.

The following represents the first two days activities based on the work of Michael Harner:

The Way of the Shaman

In the basic experiential workshop participants are introduced to core shamanism, the near-universal methods of the shaman to enter non-ordinary reality for problem solving and healing.

Particular emphasis is on the classic shamanic journey, one of the most remarkable visionary methods used by humankind to explore the hidden universe otherwise known mainly through myth and dream.

Participants are initiated into shamanic journeying, aided by drumming and other techniques for experiencing the shamanic state of consciousness and for awakening dormant spiritual abilities, including connections with Nature.

You are also introduced to shamanic divination and healing, and methods for journeying to meet and study with their own individual spirit helpers in non-ordinary reality, a classic step in shamanic practice.

Participants learn how the journey is utilized to restore spiritual power and health, and how shamanism can be applied in today’s world.

On both days I met my Power Animals (Animal Spirits) and my Teacher, an extraordinary Being who has been present and guiding me throughout my life. While the conversations took place in Non-ordinary reality, they were as real as when one communicates face-to-face with any person. This is truly using one’s imagination as a faculty of perception.

The following two days were equally enlightening (although I hesitate to use that word!!)

Being a healing practitioner, this modality really appealed to me as shamanic work addresses the spiritual aspects of an illness or problem.

The practical aspects of the course were delivered in a superb sequence that allows the trainee to assimilate the process and gain more and more confidence. Under Kevin’s expert tutorage, one could not help but become more competent on an hourly basis!!

Shamanic Extraction Healing Training (advanced): Participants are initiated into the extraction method of healing, including how to see, sense, and remove localized illness and pain connected to spiritual factors. This is an important part of shamanic healing training.

You will also learn how shamanic practitioners can work in partnership to increase the effectiveness of this work.

The Extraction Healing Training workshop is designed exclusively for people who want to bring shamanic healing work into their practice with others. It is not designed for people looking for personal healing. 

The final practices were truly breathtaking with similar results. Calling on and merging with our guides to detect and deal with areas in need, one simply gets out of the way and allows them to do their work.

Always with the intention of compassion and service, using the processes of shamanism is a very real and a beautiful, authentic experience.

For more information, please see these two links:

The Foundation for Shamanic Studies – http://www.shamanism.org

Explore Multidimensional Consciousness – http://www.shamanism-asia.com

Its been quite some time since we introduced our very effective Heart Mastery Series to the world and it is always reassuring to hear the wonderful gains that people have acheived by attending.

“….how surprised I was that I could walk down the street and just feel Love, joy and that every tree and every person I met was just wonderful, perfect and I felt good and happy for them, for the situation they were in.”  ”A feeling of life being perfect and each day bringing new surprises and gifts”. – Maria – Denmark.

However the Universe, or should I say the Multiverse, is ever expanding and the time has come to expand our services through the fusion of Heart Mastery and SoulYogaDance.

Commencing in March 2013, we will offer four spectacular retreats during the year at our Namaste Retreat Centre in the mountains of Bali (please see our events page for dates).

For many of us,  we store the mental and/or emotionally “charged” areas of our lives at a cellular level, which creates dis-ease and eventually can manifest as disease, so it is vitally important that we embrace and let these go to be free of its effects.

And this is where Taryn Neild comes in. She is an expert on body work, yoga, dance, shamanic healing and other fine modalities, which release the stored “charge” to bring an extraordinary sense of relief and freedom.

We piloted the processes in October 2012 and are now ready to invite you to five (5) days and six (6) nights of amazing, lasting transformation – are you up to this?

Among other elements, we will cover the following modalities:

• Heart Mastery Series presentation and processes
• SoulYogaDance & SoulYogaHealing Tuition
• Morning Yoga session
• Life/Spiritual Coaching
• Shamanic Breathwork sessions
• 6 nights Luxury accommodation ( see here and here for the two villas that make up Namaste Retreat Centre
• 3 x healthy, delicious meals (including coconuts & fresh juices) prepared daily and served in a stunning Bale overlooking the mountains…
• 2 Swimming pools, spa, massage…
• Movie night

Please us the Contact Page to register your interest and reserve your place.

Please feel free to “Like” us and join us Facebook

Goodbye 2012 – Welcome 2013!!

As with many emerging nations, Indonesia and in this case, Bali, has its own challenges in terms of balancing economic growth with sustainable practices. One of these notable challenges, is preserving and protecting the environment from harm.

In days of old, it was common practice to wrap all edible, raw or cooked foods in banana leaves, which to this day are in plentiful supply. One merely unfolded the green wrapping, ate the contents and threw away the biodegradable leaf, which soon became compost. The process is the same today, unfold, eat and throw away the container, accept in place of leafy green material, food now comes in plastic bags or polystyrene and therein lies the problem.

In the outer regions and some of the more inhabited areas, where the infrastructure for rubbish collection is minimal or non-existent, the build-up of discarded plastics, polystyrene and other petrochemical by- products has reached alarming levels. As you are probably aware, depending on the size and type of plastic, it can take 450 years or more to degrade. Not only is it an eyesore, but also the chemicals added through processing, are causing an inordinate amount of damage to the surface and waterways of our precious home, Mother Earth, while the products themselves are causing injury and death to numerous wildlife, fish, other species and the very ecosystems that sustains us.

There are consequences which we label good or bad, for all of our actions and the foremost question we need to think about as a throwaway society is, where is away? There is no “away”. We all inhabit just one planet, so what we do in terms of environmental degradation to our Mother Earth, we will all bear the consequences of our actions, along with our children and our children’s children ad nauseam.

Clearly, if we are to survive as a human species, who is totally dependent on what Nature provides for us, then something has to change and that change has to come from within each and every one of us!

Whoa!! You mean we can’t point a finger at our local authorities, governments or anyone else and absolve ourselves from any responsibility?

No dear friends, we cannot!

With this alarming news in mind, a group of caring individuals belonging to the newly emerging Taman Petanu Eco-Neighbourhood, decided to give the gift of paying forward to the future generations who will inherit whatever legacies we leave behind, in the form of The Living Classroom Program.

The Living Classroom Program in Bali was initiated by two permaculture experts, Dan & Aaron of Elemental Permaculture and is to emulate that which is proving to be successful in Australia.

What is the Living Classroom Program?

Bali’s first “Living Classroom”, is a model or example school for piloting eco-literacy, healthful living, good nutrition, environmental protection and rehabilitation, as part of the school’s standard local curriculum.

What the Living Classroom Delivers

Training and resources for schoolteachers, so that they can be motivated and able to deliver vital environmental education. These teachers, when supported and motivated, will play a major role in developing the capacity and awareness of the local community, for environmental protection. Local communities need to re-learn how to grow organic food at home, how to manage wastes and how to protect the rapidly reducing resources of the island before it’s too late.

Bali’s youth also very much need to learn about eco-systems and how they, who will inherit many of the impacts of Bali’s current unchecked, rapid development can address increasing environmental impacts over time. There is an urgent need for developing model schools that can provide eco-literacy and environmental education solutions for the island in both the short and longer terms and the Living Classroom Program fills this need.

To be able to make this program a reality your help and support is very much needed.

We have commenced our fundraising, which currently stands at US$ 650 from the Living Classroom Project’s supporters, with another US$1,000 pledged by the Taman Petanu Eco Neighbourhood . What is needed is another US$5,000 to support the purchase of schoolbooks, games and tools for the program’s implementation. The funds are needed to allow the team to be able to be here in Bali working with the school and empowering the project into fruition. Also very much needed is in-kind donations of books and volunteer support for teaching English to the eager-to-learn children.

When we have raised the funds needed to make this project happen, the initiators of the Living Classroom Global Project, Aaron Sorensen and Dan Deighton, will come to Bali to set up the baseline for the program, in cooperation with their local counterparts here.

Over time, as the project unfolds, opportunities will be established for teachers and or students of Australian Living Classroom projects to come to Bali and share their personal experience, knowledge and skills with their Balinese counterpart Living Classroom schools.

This wonderful program provides opportunities for building life long friendships, and cross-cultural sharing, filling in some of the gaps that rapid globalization has created with mutual, shared vision for a better, healthier, more understanding and caring world of inspired global citizens.

The community of Kemenuh, just south of Ubud, is very enthusiastic about this opportunity for the development of their local school as Indonesia’s pioneering Living Classroom. They have high hopes for their children and also many stories, traditions and ideas to share.

Please help us realise this vital and worthwhile program, by making a donation at: “Namaste – The Spiritual Shop”, Jalan Hanoman #64, Ubud, or please contact Rick at spiritualitybali@gmail.com for details of how you can contribute from overseas.

Please follow The Living Classroom on FaceBook, by clicking on the button below:

Thank you for caring and making a difference

The ego on the other hand, steeped in fear, separateness and superiority, along with its myriad of subsets like judgment, cynicism and victimhood, thrives in the past and pushes us into the future, denying us the fullness of the present moment.

When we are totally present, the ego cannot influence us.

So when we find ourselves longing for those peak experiences to remain or come back again during our meditation or whatever practice we may be engaging in, we should recognise that the longing is coming from the ego. We need to be present and accept whatever is arising at the time, rather than being stuck in the past wishing some other state or condition will present itself.

We are the creators of our life. We are standing in the middle of an infinite field of potentiality, drawing to us, opportunities, people, circumstances to experience, in order to grow our awareness. The impetus to become more conscious lies behind our every choice, decision, thought, word and action. It is the driving force that propels us along our chosen Path. If this is the case, how can we possibly be anything but the creators of our life, working in concert with the Source of Creation? How could we possibly deem ourselves victims?

There has to be some intervention that convinces us that we are something other than magnificent beings of light with endless potential and that is the work of the ego.

At any time we feel less than magnificent, less powerful, less connected or less creative in our lives, we are being offered on a silver platter, the opportunity to view our thoughts, words and behaviours and guide them to a higher vibration that inevitably will bring about a feeling of wellbeing and wholeness.

On a grander scale, we are experiencing these less-than-peak experiences due to the human condition, which through genetic manipulation has us caught up in a fear-based, dualistic paradigm, which is not our native state. At this time, where the bulk of humanity is stuck in this old paradigm, it is not always possible to maintain our true connected state of brilliance and so we experience our ups and downs from time to time. But remember, this is not our true nature and by continually nibbling at the opportunities presenting themselves to be more conscious, we can change ourselves and in doing so, we change the field in which humanity dwells.

This is why your inner work, your journey along your Path and the changes you make are so important, because they ultimately affect every sentient being on this planet and beyond. That is how important you are – stay with that thought for a moment. Breathe into it. What you are doing to become more awake, more conscious, is having a profound effect on the matrix/grid and the whole of humanity!! We are nearing the tipping point, the critical mass where humanity has the opportunity to morph into a new way of being and what you are doing IS important and is making a difference.

When we find ourselves in a less than optimum state, we can choose to remain there, projecting our fears outwards and blaming others or we can take responsibility for what we are creating, accept the is-ness of this present moment unfolding and consciously choose to acknowledge that we are drawing these circumstances to ourselves in order to grow. It is merely a change in perspective as to how we see ourselves and doesn’t have to manifest as some hyped up, ultra phony positiveness, but a real sense of who we are beyond the veils of illusion.

That which is unfolding in your life is the reality of the present moment you have created, consciously or unconsciously. How much richly rewarding would our lives be, if every moment was consciously created?

It pays to be conscious in every moment.

Pay it forward!!

I have never been particularly drawn to ceremony or ritual, perhaps because the Taurus within needs more left-brain facts, however and ironically, I now find myself living on an island that thrives on both!!

Every day, throughout the “Island of the Gods”, as Bali is affectionately termed, ceremonies are taking place in temples, family compounds, outside every shop, factory or mode of income and extended to motor cars, motor bikes, swimming pools and even on special occasions, on the top of our stove!!

These ceremonies are conducted to appease the gods and to demonstrate appreciation and gratitude.

The Template, as described by the founders, Jiva and Juliet Carter, is “ A Holonomic Model of Transcendence”. Let’s go to the dictionary to gain a better understanding of these few, immensely powerful words; but first; let’s be very clear it goes beyond the label “hologram”:

Hologram – noun – a three-dimensional image formed by the interference of light beams from a laser or other coherent light source.

 Holonomic means to operate on all levels, with all senses

Transcendence – In philosophy, the adjective transcendental and the noun transcendence convey the basic ground concept from the word’s literal meaning (from Latin), of climbing or going beyond (Source – WikipediA)

To define The Template in my over-simplified words (with some of Juliet’s thrown in, will read something like this (with apologies to Juliet and Jiva):

 The Template is a set of highly workable processes, that work on all levels and senses, which takes us beyond (well beyond) our fear-based, dualistic paradigm and allows us to translate and utilise the full spectrum of life force emanating from Source, which results in a new consensus reality – steeped in Love and Light, Compassion and Forgiveness.

 Imagine if there was a pot of gold buried in your back yard and intuitively you knew from a very young age, that it was there. When questioning your parents, they fobbed you off with it is only in your imagination, no such thing exists and certainly not in our back yard. Every time you brought up the subject, you were discouraged to pursue it, lied about it, invalidated, disempowered and told to believe a completely different story. Soon you would give up, unless you truly connected to your intuition and transcended everything that stood in your way of discovering for yourself, the truth about this pot of gold.

The Template provides the tools to uncover, that which was never lost, the pot of gold that lies within us all that has been dormant and well hidden, due to external manipulation, but that remains available to us in all its pristine glory and magnificence.

 The Template is not an intellectual/philosophic exercise but a way of being and seeing, seeing the almost forgotten concepts of sentient sovereignty, of true Human freedom as a reality.  Juliet & Jiva Carter

You may well ask – “How is this different from other great spiritual traditions of processes?” and a good question to ask I might add.

The answer lies in the full realisation that our current human, fear-based, dualistic condition is brought about by the long ago, genetic modification of our DNA, which resulted in a massive reduction of vital, life-giving bio-circuitry and a withering of our vital organs, (The Pituitary Gland, Pineal Gland and Hypo-thalamus), Endocrine and Chakra systems. And we have been trying to fix this for eons by tackling it head on with the same thinking that created it in the first place and just ask Albert Einstein what he thinks about that as a solution!!

 The Template model’s prime purpose is the reconnection of Human bio-circuitry.     Juliet & Jiva Carter

Reconnection certainly does occur, I can attest to that and it is brought about through the six Ceremonies entitled:

 Original Innocence

The Sacred Marriage

Sacred Breath

Source

The Temple of Time

Worldbridger

Sacred Geometry

Sacred geometry (Jiva is the Geometrist) along with spoken codes and sounds are used to activate the dormant circuitry. After the first ceremony, I felt totally energised, alive and connected. The light codes of each piece of sacred geometry are remembered. They are familiar and stored in the cerebral cortex and have been patiently awaiting our re-visitation. I wrote this as an attempt to describe that which is near indescribable:

For me, the Template Ceremonies are spectacular, to say the least. In fact I am pretty well lost for words to describe all six ceremonies, so let me offer these as a token:

Staring into revolving sacred geometric patterns, transforming into fractal, shards of light, dancing golden, laser beams of Source Intelligence moves my heart and soul into resonance.

The transformation of the outer world of form, mirroring our original blueprint, Light Beings that we are.

 And this as a token acknowledgement and gratitude to the founders Juliet and Jiva Carter, I read this out at the conclusion of our amazing journey – thus far:

 Our imagination can only just touch the surface of what you both must have gone through and experienced, in order to bring this extraordinary body of work to us and humanity.

 For your courage, commitment, determination and immense hearts, we are deeply grateful.

 For your wisdom, guidance, humility and love, we are forever appreciative.

 You have mirrored what is within us all and it is a beautiful reflection.

 And to this awesome group of connected circuitry, it has been an honour to share your journey and space.

 Our gift back to you Juliet and Jiva, is to take this newly-remembered, profoundly important work and spread it liberally around our families, communities and the world.

 To spread it like honey on toast (or if your are an Aussie, like vegemite on toast and for you raw foodies, like bee pollen on flax seed crackers!!).

 We are the ones we have been waiting for and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for bringing our waiting to an end. Namaste.

So a new chapter of my life has begun and what an extraordinary year 2012 is already unfolding to be, with still 10 months to go!!

I can highly recommend The Template and I leave you with this final quote from Juliet & Jiva, inviting you if this resonates, to explore more about this subject here:

 As the stargate of 2012 approaches, the celestial alignment is opening a portal of opportunity of a magnitude never before experienced on this planet. A massive influx of radiant intelligence infuses the crystalline chambers of our Sun to be translated upon every ray of light transmitted to Earth. The reconnection of circuitry, instigated by the alchemical ceremonies of The Template, will enable you to embrace and prepare for this journey of transcendence by resurrecting the Human ability to translate the full spectrum of light – for light is the language of transcendence

 www.thetemplateorg.com

Exposure to salt water will do this to non-aquatic species, as I had personally observed years ago in Hong Kong, when I witnessed the bloated and highly deformed bodies of several friends, drowned in a massive, life-taking typhoon.

My attention to the dogs was suddenly diverted to another object, that of a human form and likewise, in the harrowing grips of fear.

No one on the vessel was moved to action. I was stunned as trained, experienced seamen stood motionless at the handrail as if in a hypnotic trance of seizure.

Kicking off my shoes, I leapt (I’ve never been a very competent high diver) into the briny and swam purposefully to the writhing, near-corpse, now observably a male in midlife.

Once the struggle to get back alongside was over, many willing hands reached out to help bring the man onboard and to retrieve me from the ocean.

The two Dalmatians were unceremoniously fished out of the water at my insistence, one perished and the other on finding itself alive, profusely licked my face with gratitude, once it had regained its strength and composure.

I then awoke to the first rays of a spectacular morning creeping through the curtains and into my warm cocoon of a bed.

Not unlike our predominantly unconscious lives, it had been a dream and as I do with every remembered dream, I contemplated its deepest meaning in the most generialised form, without going too much into the content. Fear was the predominant emotion within the dream – fear of the crewmembers getting involved and the consequences thereof, fear of death. So through mustering our courage and bravery, we can overcome our fears and by transcending our fears, more of our Authenticity appears.

What did this have to me?

The answer came back very quickly and clearly

So here we are, just the second day of the highly transformative year 2012 and the Universe is sending me clear message as to what my focus should be on for the next 12 months.

I can but surrender and happily obey.

Personally, I don’t believe any of these events will take place in a sudden and singular event, but more likely to continue to unfold, as we have witnessed throughout 2010 and 2011.

Numerology is an exact science of vibration. Everything in the multiverse is energy and all energy vibrates at differing frequencies and speeds. These vibrations are measured in mathematical numbers and the year 2012 is distilled down to 5, by added each number 2 + 0 + 1 + 2 = 5

A Five (5) Year in Numerology is about change and transformation, so lets take the word – transform and dissect it to gain a deeper understanding of it’s meaning.

Form – that which represents the material world, which comprises of consciousness manifesting itself in tangible shapes and sizes that vibrate at different frequencies and speeds. A gossamer thin wisp of smoke arising from incense is vibrating at a faster and higher rate than that of a wooded chair.

Trans – Let’s take a look at what the dictionary says about the word “trans” -

As a prefix

• across; beyond: transcontinental | transgress.
• on or to the other side of: transatlantic
• into another state or place: transform | translate.
• surpassing; transcending: transfinite.

When we put the two together to create the word transform, it can be deduced to mean “going beyond the material world”.

This is what I believe 2012 will mean for humanity, we will continue on our glorious Path of moving beyond our fear-based obsession with the material world and connecting more with our true nature, which is Consciousness manifesting as love.

It will be a rocky road for some, who resisting change, will be stuck in fear and not want to lift their vibrational frequency to accept the higher vibrations emanating from Original Source. Does that mean those that are vibrating at higher levels will be in for a smooth ride? Not necessarily, as I believe we will all be challenged in some way or another, to make the shift. The last vestiges of superiority, separateness and their root cause – FEAR, must be transcended in order to raise our vibrational frequency and move from ego-based fear, into heart-based love.

What an amazing journey. What an amazing time in the history of Humanity. What an amazing opportunity for growth and transformation – moving from fear to love, from the head to the heart.

Bon voyage fellow travellers and remember to pay close attention to the journey, whilst having a clear idea of your final destination

While I have to confess to the occasional lapses into some really yummy chocolate cake, Chardonnay and chips, overall, my diet is not too bad.

I do enjoy a leafy salad and rarely eat red meat, always trying to keep a balance, without become an extremist. Being brought up on a farm in England, with fresh goat’s milk, duck eggs, organic fruit and vegetables, certainly formed a good foundation for my eating habits.

Up until 40 years of age, too preoccupied to concern myself with food, my metabolism was lightning fast and my weight was stable. After passing that milestone age, it slowed down considerably; I took a liking to food and regularly nourished my sweet tooth, in line with my typical English mother’s routine of always dishing up “pudding” after every dinner.

I was introduced to colonics some 15 years ago in Hong Kong with some excellent results, so with the opportunity to use Suki’s services at Alchemy in Ubud, Bali, I saw it as a great opportunity to make some much-needed lifestyle changes.

A few days of drinking healthy, green vegetable juices, eating salads and my diet devoid of any cooked food, sugar, coffee, alcohol, etc., (in other words all the supposedly “good” stuff in life), I started to feel physically different in a very pleasant way.

After the first colonics treatment and my amazement at what passed, I discounted any idea that I was in good shape and boundlessly healthy. I had a compacted lump of sugary material that had taken on a life of its own (everything is energy) and demanded more and more sugar, never to be satiated.

With this gone, I felt immediate relief and re-energised, my bloated stomach diminished somewhat and my whole colon area softened. While I have never had surgery, I imagine the results I experienced could be likened to having a growth or tumor removed. The changes were palpable and noticeable to others, spurring me on to continue.

And continue I did, with more raw food, colonics, exercise and a lasting feeling of well-being. My wife, Lita underwent the same treatment and I could see first hand the transformation in her.

So to explain the title of this piece “Colon or Semi-colon”; I now choose a healthy, active colon, free of toxins, over a half-full colon, slowly but surely poisoning my body.

As part of our spiritual journey, which I believe is not to rid ourselves of these bodies, or desperately seek relief from our everyday life in a blissed out state on Cloud Nine, but to embrace life in its fullest sense in these bodies. In essence, we don’t ascend out of these bodies, but bring Source into and through our bodies and it is through this embodiment, we project out this Source energy (unconditional love) mixed with our character, abilities, and the gifts we have to offer the world.

Getting the body into better shape is essential, not only for our own well-being, but to be able to receive and give out to others, the higher vibrational frequencies that are emanating from Original Source.

Do yourself a favour, BE well, and choose a colon!!!

While I had a working knowledge of most of the topics covered, the presenters pulled them all together in a simple, non-emotional and non-judgmental way, which resulted in many people letting out gasps of disbelief and nods of agreement.

I urge you to download this free gift to humanity here: www.thrivemovement.com

It is vital that we become informed of the truth of what is transpiring on this planet at this time. Informed from reliable and honest sources, not necessarily the mainstream media. We need to be discerning about what we  read, see and are told about, as blindly accepting information as the “truth”, can lead us down a labyrinth of confusion, fear and indecision

Only when we are truthfully informed, can we make intelligent decisions that are based on what is good for all living species and our precious Mother Earth.

We then need to become more responsible, by taking more and more responsibility in alignment with our level of awareness. We cannot sit back, bearing witness and do nothing about it. I believe as we are awakening, we are being called to action, non-violent peaceful actions that bring about change. Civilian disobedience as promulgated by Mahatma Gandhi, is one such example of non-violent action. Peaceful protests as exhibited by the current Occupy Movements garnering more and more support is another way of making a difference.

And the best way and ultimately the ONLY way forward for Humanity, is for all of us to do our inner work and WAKE UP!!

Every time you transcend the ego’s fear, you push out the boundaries of consciousness, expanding awareness, which is shared by our entire human family. Do you see how important your inner work is?

Keep nibbling away at the ego’s compulsive desire to be always be separate, superior and steeped in fear and as you no longer feed the ego, it slips away and more of your Authenticity appears – viola!!

Keep going for your sake and the sake of humanity.

Our latest Heart Mastery Series Retreat coincided with the deeply spiritually significant date, 11^th November 2011. And so appropriately enough, at 11 minutes past 11am on the 11.11.11, we launched into a quiet, but powerful meditation to the extraordinary sound of Tom Kenyon’s haunting voice, chanting the Pituitary Dimensional Attunement.

Cherie, Cheryl, Paula, Shauna, Teri, James, Barrie & Delia

We were a diverse group from Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, UK and of course, Bali. Drawn together to continue our journey home to the heart, we instantaneously bonded in a deep-seated way, rarely encountered in our modern, hectic world.

The process of direct, inner self-enquiry and utilising the six heart virtues is the quickest way I have found to align ourselves with our Authenticity. It is no journey for the faint-hearted and requires bravery and courage to go within and face our shadow side, the “demons” that turn out to be our greatest teachers.

Systematically we worked through the theory of the processes and converted the intellectual understanding into experience, through deep meditations and Deeksha.

The “ah ha moments” and epiphanies crept in as perspectives on lives shifted, sometimes dramatically, sometimes subtly, as they do.

As part of the 11.11.11.11.11 (that’s a lot of 11s!!) Shauna from Australia conducted a silent ceremony to herself, which was the marriage of herself to herself. By her own volition, she admitted that she had neglected herself over the years and lost sight of the little Shauna that lived within. Shauna’s marriage ceremony to herself, was a commitment to pay more attention to herself, whilst continuing to give to others.

On the last day, we formalised the marriage with a lovely spontaneous ceremony, which included all the women acting as bridesmaids and us three men holding space. As it was, we were blessed to have a wonderful photographer in Barry, who has been connected to the film industry for years and has a great eye for detail.

James from the UK, who now lives in Bali, introduced us to the spectacularly heart-centred Biodanza routine. Biodanza, meaning to dance with life, is a fusion of music, movement and emotion. You can learn more about James and Biodanza here: (www.biodanzabali.com/) We all found it both energising and exhilarating, not to mention bringing one into the heart and the hearts of others. It was a perfect ending for the retreat, bringing together everything we had embraced over the past three days and fusing it to the sound of vibrant music and James’s sage guidance.

Only one thing remained and I have to confess I was the instigator and that was to leap, fully clothed, shrieking at the top of my voice into the swimming pool, followed by everyone else. After that we all transferred to the toast-like warmth of the Jacuzzi, to savour our inner glow and reflect on our journey thus far.

It was a wonderful retreat, made so, by wonderful people!!

We are deeply grateful for you coming into our lives.

“The Times they are a changin”- thus sung Bob Dylan, a vanguard for social unrest back in the 60s and no truer words are appropriate for today!!

The Occupy Movement may well be the catalyst for change, a defining moment in time that thinking people all over the world have dreamt about and are now enacting.

And clearly, we as humanity needed to change, as our behaviours towards each other and our precious Mother Earth were no longer sustainable, nor serving all of humanity.

And so people all over the world are forgoing “silence is consent”, personal apathy and are uniting in a common cause, to bring back balance to our species and the world.

It is a historic moment for humanity, which if permitted to unfold, will mark the end of an era, an era driven by greed, fear, control, suppression and inequality (to name a few) and allowing a new paradigm of unity and cooperation to be truly birthed.

It is a modern day renaissance, a non-violent expression of “enough is enough” and an opportunity for us to create a future of peace, unity and harmony.

Sages of old predicted such a new age, but who would have believed we would be here to witness it unfolding before our very eyes?

PHOTO: Stephen O’Byrne

Young and old, people from all races, religions, continents, backgrounds and vocations are showing their support, by joining their local chapters, quietly demonstrating, writing, filming, photographing and using the social media network to promulgate the idea of change.

Daily, people and communities are becoming empowered by a prevailing sense of community that seeks cooperation, not competition.

Like all great movements and in fact any action, it started with an idea and that idea blossomed into what we are seeing today.

“A journey of a thousand miles, starts with the first step” – Lao Tzu

A dozen people determined to make a difference strode that first step gingerly forward on The 2nd August 2011. I wonder from their idea of a sustained popular uprising within the USA, if they ever could have envisioned such a massive turnout and support from around the world?

We all know that any great change has to start with us and so I propose that we Occupy Our Hearts

#OccupyWallStreet is a people powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to sustained occupations in over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,700 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people who are writing the rules of the global economy are imposing an agenda of neoliberalism and economic inequality that is foreclosing our future.

Lyrics – “The Times They Are A-Changin” – Bob Dylan

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’. 

The transformation has spawned an estimated one million groups that are working towards the betterment of our human family and our Mother Earth and that number is growing daily.

Watch this speech by Paul Hawken made four years ago and the number of groups has increased markedly since then.

The Occupy Wall Street movement started with a few die-hards and has grown into a worldwide call for change, such is the need for a new way of being and doing, which is resonating deeply within people’s hearts.

It has to be done peacefully, lest we fall back into the old paradigm of violence, war, misuse of power and greed, which clearly hasn’t ever worked and needs to be replaced as it is now, with a peaceful revolution – Gandhi style.

So I decided to start my own movement called Occupy Your Heart and when we do this at the deepest level, how could we ever wage war on anyone – it’s impossible!

The Heart Mastery Series is one of the quickest and easiest routes into our sacred heart that I have encountered and once you occupy your heart, miraculous transformations begin.

“I was SO deeply touched by my experience and the love that was so evident! ” Beata – Australia

“During the Heart Mastery Series Retreat, I became aware of quite a few beautiful things that I didn’t know about, love, life and where I see myself in it. ” “ This retreat re-introduced me to my authentic self, infallible spirit, and my connection to All. ” - Angela – USA

“I feel like I have been sleep walking my whole life and now I am totally awake, it feels great” . ” I have a completely different perspective towards life and the Universe now “ - Roudy – Canada

Come join the revolution, from the inside out!!

Now that is pretty extreme talk from a self-appointed, compassionate, human being, but I stand by my claim, because I have seen first hand in myself and so many others, that the Seeker only takes us further and further from what we are so-called seeking.

How can that be so – you may well ask?

Well if I invite you to “Come and read these words right now”, you would say “ I am already doing it” and you would be correct. If I slightly modify my request to “Come and sit in front of your computer or laptop and read these words right now”, you might look at me askance and in an slightly exasperated voice say “But I just told you, I am already here, reading”!!

The Seeker convinces us there is something to seek. That somehow, who and what we are in this moment, is not good enough or complete and one has to seek something better.

When we go down this path, it leads us to a variety of different people, experiences and perspectives and there is no doubt this can be quite a journey, but inevitably, we are barking up the wrong tree. Why? Because ultimately we are basing our pursuit on a false premise that there is something missing that the Seeker can lead us to, which will provide the missing ingredient and we will all ride off into the setting sun, in a gloriously joyous state forever!!

There is nothing to seek.

No thing, so how can no-thing be found?

Where will you look?

How will you know when you find nothing that it is the nothing you were looking for in the first place?

We finish up like dogs chasing their tails, kind of fun and amusing, but not really getting us anywhere. Note: For all you dogs reading this, please forgive me, I mean no invalidation of your pursuit of your tail and the happiness it produces!!

When we look the Seeker fair and square in they eyes and gently let him or her know that his or her services are no longer required; then we make a clear statement of intent – there is nothing to seek.

In this moment of true and complete surrender, giving up all semblance of seeking, in allowing everything to be as it is, in being fully present and totally open, a magical experience can occur and suddenly, you discover that what you were seeking all this time, was never lost!

It was always there.

It could not be any other way. It is who you are at the core when you strip away the illusionary veils.

Don’t worry about all the redundant Seekers, they will find a more meaningful vocation and eventually, you will meet again, in another timeless time and spaceless space and you will be thanked!

Kindly reprinted from The Bali Times – 6th to 12th August 2010

BT – Do you believe people arrived in their present form on Earth?

Rick – I think it is apparent that we are evolving as a species, from a simple organism to the more complex organism that we inhabit today. Our brains have evolved from the simplified reptilian brain, to one of amazing complexity and detail. So no, I believe we have evolved.

BT – Do you think a supernatural force has been guiding our evolution?

Rick – I believe a supernatural or higher force is the Source of all things and that there is a plan which is unfolding. We are co-creating within this process. The Source is sometimes referred to as the Unified Field, from which everything arises.

BT – Does it trouble you that we descended from apes?

Rick – This is a one-sided question addressing physicality only and we are much, much more than meat bodies. What if we were a combination of evolution and Darwinism? What if the consciousness that we are, chose to evolve through the mono cell in water, merged into amphibians, took to the forests and became the ape and onto the human form we inhabit today. Is this reason to be troubled? I don’t think so! What is important is what are we going to evolve into next, spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally?

BT – What does it mean to you to be human?

Rick – For me it means to be whole, authentic, genuine, heart-centred and in service to others. This means transcending the ego’s fear and separateness, which dominates much of humanity at this time, but is changing rapidly

BT – Philosophers say that human suffering proves the existence of God, that some people must endure enormous tragedy and sadness in order to find their path to God. What do you think?

Rick – One cannot experience God through the mind; it has to be through the heart. So we could pose philosophic questions all day and never reach a consensus. The heart, I believe, is the Path to the Soul, which in turn is connected and inextricably linked to Spirit or the Divine (whatever name we choose). Personally, I don’t wait for a tragedy or suffering to occur as a catalyst to find God, when it is so much easier to find Source through direct self-enquiry and practicing being and living in the heart.

BT – What about the Asian tsunami of 2004 that killed around 250,000 people you’re your opinion, where is a god in such a biblical natural disaster?

Rick – To assume there is a judgmental, vengeful God, who punishes us for our sins, is a very primitive and outdated mindset. The Asian tsunami and other ecological disasters are a result of our collective thinking and behaviours. The Earth is a living entity (Mother Earth) and we as a human species have caused an inordinate amount of damage and disharmony and she is trying to bring about balance and stability. Every one of those who “perished” in the tsunami knew before they incarnated, that they would sacrifice their lives for the growing consciousness and increased responsibility of human kind. It took the tsunami to really awaken humans to the environmental and ecological damage we are inflicting on our Mother Earth, just as it took the World Trade Towers collapse, to awaken us to the insanity of our separateness and unfounded fears.

BT – Do you think the chaos and trouble caused by people, including wars, is the product of a Devil-derived evil or purely free will?

Rick – We undoubtedly are the cause of these events, brought about by the individual’s and our collective ego-minds, relentless needing to be separate and superior to everyone and steeped in its own fears. As long as we choose this path, wars, terrorism, poverty, crime, etc, will continue. When we choose the opposite which is love, we see the emergence of the new human being who operates from the heart, showing appreciation, compassion, forgiveness, humility, understanding and great courage.

The “Devil derived evil” is a human construct, designed to entrap and control people into subservience and compliance with social norms.

BT – Why do you think the Universe is such a gigantic place, yet the only apparent intelligent life as far as we’ve been able to detect is on Earth?

Rick – You have chosen the right word “apparent”. It is an apparency that we are the only intelligent life in the Universe and the source of this idea is the ego and ignorance. We have not even explored the minutest portion of the Universe and yet we claim we are the only ones!! We need to open our hearts and minds to other possibilities, beyond the five senses of the three dimensional body and when we do that, we discover more life than we could ever imagine.

BT – Scientists tell us the Universe started off from an incomprehensibly dense dot and exploded into what we see today, and is expanding. In your imagination, what did the cosmos blow up into?

Rick – Ha, ha, you are standing in it!!! From the Big Bang occurring some 14 billion years ago, the Universe and its bigger brother, the Cosmos, began and is still expanding. The Universe is just a small portion of the Cosmos and encompasses everything imaginable and un-imaginable, beyond description and labels. The Source of this is unknowable through the mind, but can be experienced through the heart.

BT – Although impossible now, if a probe could reach the furthest parts of space, at the point where matter was still expanding, and if that probe could jump ahead of the matter, where would it be?

Rick – There is only one time frame and that is NOW. The future and past are time-space constructs. Everything that has ever happened or is yet to happen, exists now and that is where the space probe would find itself!!

BT – Atheists maintain that religion is nothing more than a fairytale and that adherents are deluding themselves. They say there’s no proof of the existence of any controlling entity or creator and that it’s foolish to believe in one. Are they deluding themselves?

Rick – No, they are just like you and me, voicing an opinion. The proof of existence of a “controlling entity” or “creator” cannot be found through the mind alone. Quantum physics is now saying what the sages of old have been telling us for ages, so we are getting closer to the acceptance of a Source. Once we dismantle the inauthentic myths and stories about our existence and replace them with our own personal experience, we will find like-minded people who have discovered the same “truths”. While it may be true for some people at this point in time (and it will not always be this way), that the existence of Source cannot be unequivocally proven to everyone without a smidgen of doubt, then that doubt will remain. But can they prove that Source does not exist? We are alive are we not? We came from somewhere did we not?

BT – Does it worry you that your presence on Earth might be nothing more than a chance alignment of primordial amino acids and that we are totally alone and when you die, that’s the end of your consciousness?

Rick – This idea does not bother me at all, as I do not subscribe to it. For me there is no such thing as death. Yes, the body stops breathing, trees fall down, fungus shrinks lifelessly away into the ground, but life-form energy persists and in some cases chooses, another form or body. Everything is energy and energy merely transforms into another form. And so the energy or consciousness that is really us, passes into transition into another form.

BT – What’s the wonder of being alive?

Rick – Beautiful question, but you do not have enough space for my answer!! Here are a few: The extraordinary process of a tiny sperm penetrating an egg and finishing up like you and me. How full of wonder is that? Or a sunset, birdsong, taste of French vanilla ice cream, the touch of a child’s cheek on yours, or the smell of freshly baked bread. Then there is stepping on dog poo on the pavement, getting a tax bill, tasting durians (!!), hearing the piercing cry of an injured puppy or seeing the atrocities of war. You see if we just chase after the good stuff, we finish up disappointed and disillusioned, but when we embrace everything as One, then we lead very richly rewarding lives full of wonder. After all, they came from the same Source.

BT – If you could say something directly to a God and get a direct answer, what would it be?

Rick – Having spent 33 years in Australia, it would probably be “G’day mate”!!

Seriously though I would say, “Thank you for this gift of life, I am so grateful for being part of this amazing journey and for everyone and everything that has crossed my path along the way”.

“How may I serve you better?”

See the original article here

There are many ways of activating the heart, from utilising crystals, chanting, energy healing and listening to celestial, soothing music, to name a few.

The Heart Mastery Series seems to cut through some of the “fuzziness” and gets down to the core values that lie within us all.

So what is it that makes the Heart Mastery Series so effective?

First of all, we tackle that which stands in the way of us opening our hearts to be able to give and receive love, that element about us, The Shadow Side, that seems to sabotage our willingness to change and maintain a path of love. As it turns out, the Shadow, our Shadow Side, is our greatest teacher and master that leads us to make more aware, responsible and intelligent choices in our lives

Once we have defined the shadow and established its patterns and modus operandi, we take each of the six heart virtues and embrace them fully, dissecting each element piece by piece and connecting with each one at the deepest level, i.e. within our sacred heart space.

Moving on, we see how we can take Gratitude and Appreciation and apply them not only to the people, places and circumstances that are pleasing to us, but to those people, places and circumstances that make us feel uncomfortable, irritated and disconnected.

Next comes Compassion, with all the fine attributes that make this virtue so desirable and recognisable within ourselves and others. Grounding compassion in our hearts, makes it easier to really see the other person, who may need help to alleviate their pain and suffering.

Following compassion, comes Understanding and its three key components that once applied, can mend broken relationships or broken equipment, help us easily learn new skills and to better understand ourselves and others at a deeper level.

Forgiveness is next and it is not surprising that we need to forgive ourselves first, before we can truly forgive another. This virtue, as are all the others, must be experienced and practiced in order to become a new way of thinking, saying and doing in our lives.

The Heart Mastery Series is not an intellectual exercise designed to make us feel good, but rather  a process of direct self enquiry, which enables new neural pathways to be formed. A shift in perspective, leading to a change in what we believe about ourselves and others. Then we feel good!!

Humility is the next virtue and we explore ourselves in respect to the vastness of the Cosmos.

And finally, for the heart virtues at least, we see how Valour, which can be termed as Bravery and Courage, are needed to bring about the inner changes that will reflect our outer world back to us. Undergoing this process is not for the faint hearted, if it were that easy, we would all be awakened and living in harmony with ourselves, with others and Mother Earth!! Clearly we are not here yet (but moving closer and closer every day) and it takes true valour to push through those barriers and social norms that prevent us becoming free beings.

When we master the  heart virtues and rest assured, the Universe will present us with opportunities on a daily basis to practice, then we are in vibrational resonance and harmony with our true nature, the big Self, and gradually the Shadow Side will succumb to the Light.

But don’t take my word for it, if you click on the Testimonials button, you can read what others have experienced and gained from this process.