Journey, Our Story

Science to Sage

I n t e r n a t i o n a l Freddy Silva Dr. Joe Dispenza Dr. Jude Currivan Byron Katie Joseph Campbell Michael Meade Caroline Myss

E - M a g a z i n e

Journey Story

Krishna Madappa Vldimair Kush Francesca Mason Boring Mara Alper Jim Britt

This Issue

Journey

story We are born into a family and cultivated into roles, customs, cultures, costumes and love of country. Each of these territories is looking for ‘brand loyalty’ and a ‘buy in’. Each has a flavor, an icon, a flag and/or a family crest. These icons give us an identity, a status and define our place in space.

These identities and stories also give us a point of comparison to others. Within these domains we can also create limitations.

Crossing the line just might result in character assassination--who would you be?

Yet, technology is giving us a new world view. From space, we are simply a dot in the grand gallery of our universe. The borders of ‘old’ do not appear as defined from this vantage point.

Maybe we are just all actors on the grand cosmic scene, all playing different parts and exploring endless combinations within the cycles of life and putting our own spin on it.

•

CONTENT

Volume 21 Featured Authors: Vldimair Kush • Metaphors Tell a Story Michael Meade • Soul in Exile • The Divine is Calling Joseph Campbell • Excerpts - Hero with a Thousand Faces • Freddy Silva • A Personal Journey Krishna Madappa

Colours of Water Festival Info Here

Special thanks to the contributors. I am grateful for their articles and inspired work. Their contribution and fascination which enriches and transforms our understanding of our designer universe.

All material is copyrighted by Science to Sage or is copyright of the authors.

Science to Sage reprints these articles with the consent of authors.

• Thought is Energy Dr. Jude Currivan • A New Y-era Caroline Myss • Archetypes in a Story Christina Baldwin • Cups Full of Story Byron Katie • What are You Without Your Story?

Dr. Joe Dispenza • The Brain: A Record of the Past, or A Map to the Future?

Francesca Mason Boring • Healing the Past Mara Alper • Forgiveness Feature Artists and Photography Vldimair Kush • Metaphors Tell a Story Jim Britt • His story Karen Elkins • Excerpt from “InsideOIUT” the Wisdom of Our Designer Universe

Subscribe or Order Single Issues

Related Issues

RADIO scientists best selling authors innovative thinkers researchers artists

meet our contributors

starting march 5th SCIENCE TO SAGE Science to Sage Radio at Awakening Zone Network, brought to you by Crimson Circle

1st and 2nd Tuesday of the Month Guest - March 5th The New Knowledge of Water that will Change Every Aspect of Your Life

your host karen elkins producer of science to sage on-line magazine Shows Time Zones 1pm West Coast 2pm Denver 3pm Chicago 4pm New York 8pm London 12mid-night, St. Petersburg, Russia

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho- Author, Scientist & Artist Gerald Pollack, Professor - Author, Scientist & Water Expert

Guest - March 19th The Human Energy Field - Consciousness, Light after Life.

Dr.Konstantin Korotkov - Author, Scientist, Bio field Researcher

About the show About Awakening Zone

www.sciencetosage.com http://www.awakeningzone.com/ http://www.crimsoncircle.com/

“Why Am I?”

And the Voice answers:

“I am an expression of the universal passion of creation.”

“God created me that I should fulfill his purpose. God gave me desire to create and the power of creation.”

“God dwells within me. I shall not deny the power within me which is God within me.”

“I shall not close the ears of my soul to the whisperings of my soul, which make me dwell on the mountain top in ecstasy of inner thinking.”

“The universal desire is expression of idea through the rhythm of thinking, in accord with the law, in endless sequence throughout end-less space.”

The Universal One by Water Russell

a r t

b y

V l a d i m i r

K u s h God: perfect being. He is eternity, and He is always creating. In the words of Bernard Shaw, "God is in the making." In Herbert Wells' Eternal Fire, God works in a laboratory that is poorly equipped. He complains that He has to struggle with unyielding material. This material is evil itself, which needs to be reduced. If we are intelligent and talented, we help God to create.

In this case, we feel that est deus in nobis —there is God in ourselves"). In an artist's imagination, God is not unwilling to do ordinary jobs. In the artist's depiction, God, climbing a ladder and dressed in a work robe, oils the gears to enable the advance of time on the world's clock.

According to the Bible, "What is a second to God is a millennium to Man." The unstoppable motion of time and the cyclic nature of birth and death are associated with the sprouting of the new from the ruins of the old. The beating of the human heart is forever connected To the ticking of the celestial clock, First wound by the master of the universe To maintain harmony and perfection in all He created.

In the simple robe of a watchmaker, He moved the hands of the clock. To start the newborn millennium. All the Creator's children look joyfully To the beginning of each epoch.

When the rays of the sun shine like a golden pendulum Through the haze of time, beyond To the blue firmament of the future.

Millenium Watchman

The Soul in Exile story by Michael Meade

a r t

b y

V l a d i m i r

K u s h

“The egg symbolizes the rising Sun and the beginning of life. In many myths about the creation of the world, a cosmic egg is laid by a giant bird in a formless, ancient ocean. The egg splits into two and the sky and the earth appear from the halves of it, while the sun is seen in the yolk. You can see in the picture that the newborn Sun still hasn't taken its final shape yet. Shreds of primary matter continue to stream from the burning sphere rising over the ocean. According to Polynesian myth, the Hawaiian Islands were born from such an egg.” - Vladimir Kush

from

“Why the World Doesn't End” An excerpt from the newly revised and expanded edition of Fate and Destiny

One way to view the condition of loss that permeates modern life is an increasing loss of the soul connections that make life meaningful, beautiful, and truly rich.

Great crises and impossible demands often provoke the inner wisdom and hidden resources of the awakened soul. Thus, the threat of collapse and utter loss can also provoke a deeper sense of wholeness when nothing but total involvement and whole-heartedness will work. When the structures of life loosen and everything seems about to fall apart, the hidden unity inside life may be closer to the surface and calling for attention. Modern cultures, so dedicated to the outer world, may find more solace through revelations of the deep soul and creative self within and the underlying, in-dwelling sense of a unifying principle and guiding force in each life.

In the midst of radical changes in nature and the rattling of cultural institutions, the point may be to turn again to the inner realm where old practices and deep awareness can produce moments of wholeness.

When the whole thing seems about to fall apart, revelations of the deep self and "old soul" within may be closer than ever. Rather than the need to save the whole world, the real work of humanity may begin with finding greater wholeness within.

http://www.mosaicvoices.org/

T h e Divine i s Calli ng b y

M i c h a e l

M e a d e

Waiting for luck “The jumper has stalled for a moment before the resilient force of the trampoline throws him into the water.The image of the morning is connected with entering a new day. The golden light of the morning ensures optimism and hope for all the best awaiting us ahead.” -by Vladimir Kush

What truly calls to us is beyond what we know or can measure. It uses the language of hidden treasures and distant cities to awaken

The soul knows that we must be drawn out of ourselves in order to truly become ourselves. Call it a dream or "the treasure something sleeping within us.

hard to attain;" call it a vocation or the awakening of one's innate genius. Call it what you will, upon hearing the call we must follow or else lose the true thread of our lives.

A true vocation requires shedding anything that would impede or obscure the call. A true pilgrimage requires letting go of the very things most people try to hold onto. In seeking after what the soul desires we become pilgrims with no home but the path the soul would have us follow. As the old proverb says, "Before you begin the journey, you own the journey. Once you have begun, the journey owns you." After all, what good is a dream that doesn't test the mettle of the dreamer? What good is a path that doesn't carry us to the edge of our capacity and then beyond that place? A true calling involves a great exposure before it can become a genuine refuge.

The inner thread of one's vocation began in the otherworld and it will lead us in that direction again. Each life is a once-in-a-lifetime experiment through which we attempt to decipher the errand the gods have sent us on. Any true calling has something of the divine in it; for our dreams and visions are given by the divine and the gods have an interest in the paths we take in this world. As the old saying suggests, "each person imitates as best he can the god in whose choir he belongs." The point is not to prove or disprove the existence of one god or another; the point is to answer the call and learn where the divinely designed path might lead.

A certain kind of

courage is

required to follow what truly calls to us; why else would so many choose to live within false certainties and pretensions of security? If genuine treasures were easy to find this world would be a different place. If the path of dreams was easy to walk or predictable to follow many more would go that route. The truth is that most prefer the safer paths in life even if they know that their souls are called another way.

In this life a pious journey is required. It is pious in the sense that a genuine path brings out our devotion, but also because it cleanses and clarifies our sense of self. The result may be pious, yet the process may look and feel like a stripping down to bare bone. From the common comforts, we must go to the edge of life; from simple self-assurance we must go to the extremes of our nature.

a r t

b y

V l a d i m i r

K u s h

Above the World

The Birth of Love

From the view of the soul, having a calling is not a matter of choice

finding one's calling is a great necessity. Until or just another option in the plan of life;

people hear the call they have no idea where they stand in this world. They may inherit wealth or gain great status, yet will have no genuine ground to stand upon and nothing to truly offer to others.

Failing to answer the call of one's soul means living an unexplored life; it also means dying without having fully lived.

People say that "many are called but few are chosen." See it another way; each receives a calling yet most chose not to hear. The usual problem in life is not the lack of a calling; the problem is usually a refusal to answer the call. The true problem is not the lack of a career, but the absence of a genuine vocation capable of provoking one's genius and inspiring one's heart. Out of fear of failing or being seen as foolish, most refuse to listen to what calls to them. Many go to the grave complaining of a bad fate, unjust treatment and great disappointments. The real appointment involves encounters with one's own destiny and each true destination involves something divine.

In answering the call we learn how we are threaded and where we are aimed. Not responding to the call that comes to us leaves the soul aching and makes the mind anxious. Failing to heed the call can cause a depression of the spirit; for both spirit and soul are poised to respond and both are expecting the call. Under the banner of practicality, most of life becomes arranged to obscure and distract from what called us to come to life in the first place. Most people remain unwilling to be extravagant enough to wander where their soul would lead them, adapting instead to an endless series of short-term goals. People easily misplace their deepest longings and tune themselves to someone else's idea of life.

each pair of feet finds its way to the great dance of life.

Flown With The Wind “The powerful breath of wind brings us freedom from the heavy burden of the past, we experience a dreamlike sensation of flying to the new horizons. But a swarm of people sailing into uncertainty against the crimson sky background is also a bright metaphor of the dramatic nature of our life. But we nonetheless believe that the diaspora of courageous aeronauts will fall on the rich soil and germinate giving rise to the new civilizations” - by Vladimir Kush

story by Michael Meade Ultimately, we are called to become ourselves and since each self is unique, the calling comes uniquely to us. In responding to the call we join the lineage of those who are burning with an inner fire; not simply fired up with the heat of ambition, but awakened to a dream and flame that flickers in one's heart of hearts. A genuine calling further ignites the eternal spark originally carried into life by the soul and nothing can sooth that inner flame except that we fully respond and follow it through the world.

Soul and sole are related words that also have shared roots. Sole carries the meaning of "being the only one of its kind" as with an exceptional item or a unique and extraordinary person. Sole can also refer to the bottom of one's feet. In order to become a unique and extraordinary person we must

"walk our walk" and move the way our soul would have us move. We must

find the original speech of the soul and become the vehicle of its true expression.

The Old English word sawol speaks with the same soulful tone of the "spiritual and emotional part of a person" that animates their being and also resonates with the song of existence. The purpose of life can be seen as an effort to create and make more soul and thereby bring more of the song existence into being. The only way to accomplish such a lofty goal is to draw energy from the inner roots of one's soul and bring it up and out to the light of day. What then appears is the unique way each soul sings its inner note and the surprising pattern through which each pair of feet finds its way to the great dance of life.

a r t

b y

V l a d i m i r

K u s h

The treasure we desire most hides where we would never choose to go on our own; were that not the case many more would already have set out. Meanwhile, the soul sits at the intersection of time and timelessness, at the junction of dreams and waking life. It never tires of life's confusing journey because it finds hints of the divine in every event. Each night it shapes a bridge intended to bring the two worlds closer so that the divine might pour more freely into the mundane; so that the unseen might help us to see. In order to have such a soul vision we must be willing to be foolish for the sake of life's great song. Dreams can seem ephemeral and dismissible; yet they are an essential to both individual and collective life.

Being foolish for the dream of our own life turns out to be how we help sustain the dream of the world.

story by Michael Meade a r t

b y

V l a d i m i r

K u s h

Heavenly Fruits “Island gardens resembling clouds drift slowly across the golden ether over biblical hills. We see here a miraculous hovering ladder. Migratory pickers of Eden harvest, manipulating this ladder skillfully, "stride" leisurely, as if walking on stilts, from one fruit-bearing crown to another, filling their baskets with celestial oranges. Weary faces of the pickers of celestial fruits are blown by ethereal breezes and washed with clear drops of nectar.

"Every man will be awarded according to his work,' this is a well-known biblical precept. And, indeed, the pickers' labor is crowned with welldeserved fruits! The key point of the picture is the exchange of roles between the Sky and the Earth. Their mutual changes-over symbolize the cosmic unity that man is able to fathom when he determines his place in being.” - by Vladimir Kush

About Michael Meade Michael Meade, D.H.L., is a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He combines hypnotic storytelling, street-savvy perceptiveness, and spellbinding interpretations of ancient myths with a deep knowledge of cross-cultural rituals. He has an unusual ability to distill and synthesize these disciplines, tapping into ancestral sources of wisdom and connecting them to the stories we are living today.

He is the author of Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of The Soul, The World Behind the World, The Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of the Soul; editor, with James Hillman and Robert Bly, of Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart; and editor of Crossroads: A Quest for Contemporary Rites of Passage. Meade is founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a nonprofit network of artist, activists, and community builders that encourages greater understanding between diverse peoples.

Books, DVDS, CD Sets, Events http://www.mosaicvoices.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMeadeMosaic

MICHAEL MEADE

a u t h o r, m y t h o l o g i s t a n d s t o r y t e l l e r F rid ay, F eb. 2 2 7 pm, $ 1 5 Wh y t h e World Do es n ’t En d Even in g Le ct ure Un it a ri a n Ch u rc h of Va n c o uv e r, BC

Sat u rd ay, F eb 23 9 :3 0 a m- 5:30 pm Wo rks h op , $ 9 5 F in d in g G en ius in You r Lif e

BANYEN BOOKS & SOUND Tickets: (604) 737-8858 1-800-663-8442/(604) 732-7912 3608 West 4th Ave,Vancouver BC http://www.banyen.com

This workshop will focus on the nature of genius, the importance of talents and one's natural style or way of being, and practices through which genius can be found. We will consider the ways in which our genius will lead us into the "right trouble" and the ways that genius can trouble our lives in order to grow our soul. Genius often waits to be found where the world seems most dark and fearful to us. When faced with obstacles and trouble our genius would have us expand our life rather than become diminished.

The inner genius is what our "calling" calls forth as it tries to become known throughout our life. Whether younger or older our job is to answer the call and risk our unique destiny.

For, enduring stability and true happiness require that we awaken to the inner spirit that brought us to life in the first place.

Metaphor has its own story to tell.

Metaphor leaves the mind open to grasp onto the hidden likeness of things and events. And the more distant these things are, the greater the effect. The unexpectedness of the connection and sudden insight, which takes your breath away, is the true measure of the painting's value, according to the artist. Different from art that leaves us in speechless admiration (realism) or suggests we solve a puzzle made of symbols (abstract art), metaphorical art challenges our subconscious with the symbolism of artifacts.

Any metaphor has its own story to tell. Metaphor “sees” through centuries, unveiling the images of the world and connecting notions created by civilization.

At the same time, metaphor can easily reflect the complexities of our modern life, with its ambiguity and contradictions. The painter's mission is to find a metaphorical “parallel” for every side of real life. The element of unexpectedness will shake up the viewer and awaken his artistic nature.

A b o u t

V l a d i m i r

K u s h

Vladimir Kush was born in Russia, in a one-story wooden house near the Moscow forest-park Sokolniki.

At the age of seven Vladimir began to attend art school until late evening where he became acquainted with the works of great artists of the Renaissance, famous Impressionists, and Modern Artists.

Vladimir entered the Moscow Higher Art and Craft School at age 17, but a year later he was conscripted.

After six months of military training the unit commander thought it more appropriate to employ him exclusively for peaceful purposes, namely, painting propagandistic posters.

After military service and graduating the Institute of Fine Arts, Vladimir painted portraits on Arbat Street to support his family during the hard times in Russia.

In the year 1987, Vladimir began to take part in exhibitions organized by the Union of Artists. At a show in Coburg, Germany in 1990, nearly all his displayed paintings sold and after closing the exhibition, he flew to Los Angeles where 20 of his works were exhibited and began his “American Odyssey.”

In Los Angeles, Kush worked in a small, rented home garage, but was unable to find a place to display his paintings. He earned money by drawing portraits on the Santa Monica pier and eventually was able to purchase a ticket to his “Promised Land,” Hawaii.

In 1993, a dealer from France noticed the originality of Kush’s work and organized an exhibition in Hong Kong. Success surpassed all expectations. In 1995, a new exhibition in Hong Kong at the Mandarin Fine Art Gallery brought more success. In 1997 he had a new start in the USA exhibiting in the galleries in Lahaina, Hawaii and in Seattle. In 2001 Kush opened his first gallery, Kush Fine Art in Lahaina, Hawaii. He now has 4 gallery locations in the USA with future plans to open more galleries around the world.

Books, DVD’s,Calendar Galleries Home

The Monomyth

Throughout the inhabited world, in all times and under every circumstance, myths of man have flourished; and they have been the living inspiration of whatever else may have appeared out of the activities of the human body and mind. It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into the human cultural manifestation. Religions, philosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sleep, boil up from the basic, magic ring of myth.

The wonder is that characteristic efficacy to touch and inspire deep creative centers dwells in the smallest nursery fairy tale—as the flavor of the ocean is contained in a droplet or the whole mystery of life within the egg of a flea. For the symbols of mythology are not

manufactured; they cannot be ordered, invented, or permanently suppressed. They are spontaneous productions of the psyche, and each bears within it, undamaged, the germ power of its source.

What is the secret of the timeless vision? From what profundity of the mind does it derive? Why is mythology everywhere the same, beneath its varieties of costume? And what does it teach?

Today many scientists are contributing to the analysis of the riddle. Archeologists are probing the ruins of Iraq, Honan, Crete, and Yucatan. Ethnologists are questioning the Ostiaks of the river Ob, the Boobies of Fernando Po. A generation of orientalists has recently thrown open to us the sacred writings of the East, as well as the pre-Hebrew sources of our own Holy Writ. And meanwhile another host of scholars, pressing researches begun last century in the field of folk psychology, has been seeking to establish the psychological bases of language, myth, religion, art development, and moral codes.

Most remarkable of all, however, are the revelations that have emerged from the mental clinic. The bold and truly epoch-making writings of the psychoanalysts are indispensable to the student of mythology; for, whatever may be thought of the detailed and sometimes contradictory interpretations of specific cases and problems, Freud, Jung, and their followers have demonstrated irrefutably that the logic, the heroes, and the deeds of myth survive into modern times. In the absence of an effective general mythology, each of us has his private, unrecognized, rudimentary, yet secretly potent pantheon of dream. The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.

...far indeed from the contemporary view; for the democratic ideal of the selfdetermining individual, the invention of the power-driven machine, and the development of the scientific method of research have so transformed human life that the long-inherited, timeless universe of symbols has collapsed.

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls Joseph Campbell

A Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Hero Today

In the fateful, epoch-announcing words of Nietzsche’s Zarathustra:

“Dead are all the gods.”

One knows the

tale; it has been told a thousand ways. It is the herocycle of the modern age, the wonder-story of mankind’s coming to maturity. The spell of the past, the bondage of tradition, was shattered with sure and mighty strokes. The dream-web of myth fell away; the mind opened to full waking consciousness; a n d m o d e r n m a n e m e rg e d f ro m a n c i e n t ignorance, like a butterfly from its cocoon, or like the sun at dawn from the womb of mother night.

It is not only that there is no hiding place for the gods from the searching telescope and microscope; there is no such society any more as the gods once supported. The social unit is not a carrier of religious content, but an economicpolitical organization. Its ideals are not those of the hieratic pantomime, making visible on earth the forms of heaven, but of the secular state, in hard and unremitting competition for material supremacy and resources. Isolated societies, dream-bounded within a mythologically charged horizon, no longer exist except as areas to be exploited. And within the progressive societies themselves, every last vestige of the ancient human heritage of ritual, morality, and art is in full decay.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. - Joseph Campbell

The problem of mankind today, therefore, is precisely the opposite to that of men in the comparatively stable periods of those great co-ordinating mythologies which now are known as lies. Then all meaning was in the group, in the great anonymous forms, none in the self-expressive individual;

today no meaning is in the group— none in the world: all is in the individual. But there the meaning is absolutely unconscious. One does not know toward what one moves. One does not know by what one is propelled. The lines of communication between the conscious and the unconscious zones of the human psyche have all been cut, and we have been split in two.

The hero-deed to be wrought is not today what it was in the century of Galileo. Where then there was darkness, now there is light; but also, where light was, there now is darkness. The modern hero- deed must be that of questing to bring to light again the lost Atlantis of the co-ordinated soul.

Obviously, this work cannot be wrought by turning back, or away, from what has been accomplished by the modern revolution; for the problem is nothing if not that of rendering the modern world spiritually significant—or rather (phrasing the same principle the other way round) nothing if not that of making it possible for men and women to come to full human maturity through the conditions of contemporary life. Indeed, these conditions themselves are what have rendered the ancient formulae ineffective, misleading, and even pernicious. The community today is the planet, not the bounded nation; hence the patterns of projected aggression which formerly served to co-ordinate the in-group now can only break it into factions. The national idea, with the flag as totem, is today an aggran dizer of the nursery ego, not the annihilator of an infantile situation. Its parody-rituals of the parade ground serve the ends of Holdfast, the tyrant dragon, not the God in

The Hero Today

A Hero with a Thousand Faces whom self-interest is annihilate. And the numerous saints of this anticult— namely the patriots whose ubiquitous photographs, draped with flags, serve as official icons— are precisely the local threshold guardians (our demon Stickyhair) whom it is the first problem of the hero to surpass.

Nor can the great world religions, as at present understood, meet the requirement. For they have become associated with the causes of the factions, as instruments of propaganda and self-congratulation. (Even Buddhism has lately suffered this degradation, in reaction to the lessons of the West.) The universal triumph of the secular state has thrown all religious organizations into such a definitely secondary, and finally ineffectual, position that religious pantomime is hardly more today than a sanctimonious exercise for Sunday morning, whereas business ethics and patriotism stand for the remainder of the week. Such a monkey-holiness is not what the functioning world re- quires; rather, a transmutation of the whole social order is necessary, so that through every detail and act of secular life the vitalizing image of the universal god-man who is actually immanent and effective in all of us may be somehow made known to consciousness.

And this is not a work that consciousness itself can achieve. Consciousness can no more invent, or even predict, an effective symbol than foretell or control tonight’s dream. The whole thing is being worked out on another level, through what is bound to be a long and very frightening process, not only in the depths of every living psyche in the modern world, but also on those titanic battlefields into which the whole planet has lately been converted.

We are watching the terrible clash of the Symplegades, through which the soul must pass—identified with neither side.

The Hero Today

But there is one thing we may know, namely, that as the new symbols become visible, they will not be identical in the various parts of the globe; the circumstances of local life, race, and tradition must all be compounded in the effective forms. Therefore,

it is necessary for men to understand, and be able to see, that through various symbols the same redemption is revealed. “Truth is one,” we read in the Vedas; “the sages call it by many names.” A single song is being inflected through all the colorations of the human choir. General propaganda for one or another of the local solutions, therefore, is superfluous—or much rather, a menace. The way to become human is to learn to recognize the lineaments of God in all of the wonderful modulations of the face of man.

With this we come to the final hint of what the specific orientation of the modern herotask must be, and discover the real cause for the disintegration of all of our inherited religious formulae. The center of gravity, that is to say, of the realm of mystery and danger has definitely shifted. For the primitive hunting peoples of those remotest human millennia when the sabertooth tiger, the mammoth, and the lesser presences of the animal kingdom were the primary manifestations of what was alien—the source at once of danger, and of sustenance—the great human problem was to become linked psychologically to the task of sharing the wilderness with these beings. An unconscious identification took place, and this was finally rendered conscious in the half-human, half-animal figures of the mythological totem-ancestors. The animals became the tutors of humanity. Through acts of literal imitation—such as today appear only on the children’s playground (or in the madhouse)—an effective annihilation of the human ego was accomplished and society achieved a cohesive organization. Similarly, the tribes supporting themselves on plant-food became cathected to the plant; the liferituals of planting and reaping were identified with those of human procreation, birth, and progress to maturity. Both the plant and the animal worlds, how- ever, were in the end brought under social control. Whereupon the great field of instructive wonder shifted—to the skies—and mankind enacted the great pantomime of the sacred moonking, the sacred sun-king, the hieratic, planetary state, and the symbolic festivals of the world-regulating spheres.

A Hero with a Thousand Faces Today all of these mysteries have lost their force; their symbols no longer interest our psyche. The notion of a cosmic law, which all existence serves and to which man himself must bend, has long since passed through the preliminary mystical stages represented in the old astrology, and is now simply accepted in mechanical terms as a matter of course. The descent of the Occidental sciences from the heavens to the earth (from seventeenthcentury astronomy to nineteenth-century biology), and their concentration today, at last, on man himself (in twentieth-century anthropology and psychology), mark the path of a prodigious transfer of the focal point of human wonder. Not the animal world, not the plant world, not the miracle of the spheres, but man himself is now the crucial mystery. Man is that alien presence with whom the forces of egoism must come to terms, through whom the ego is to be crucified and resurrected, and in whose image society is to be reformed.

Man, understood however not as “I” but as “Thou”: for the ideals and temporal institutions of no tribe, race, continent, social class, or century can be the measure of the inexhaustible and multifariously wonderful divine existence that is the life in all of us.

The modern hero, the modern individual who dares to heed the call and seek the mansion of that presence with whom it is our whole destiny to be atoned, cannot, indeed must not, wait for his community to cast off its slough of pride, fear, rationalized avarice, and sanctified misunderstanding. “Live,”

Nietzsche says, “as though the day were here.” It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse.

And so every one of us shares the supreme ordeal—carries the cross of the redeemer—not in the bright moments of his tribe’s great victories, but in the silences of his personal despair.

Excerpted from the book THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES © 2012 by Joseph Campbell Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com 800-972-6657, ext. 52.

The Rapture of being

ALIVE...

People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking.

I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with its own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. - Joseph Campbell

Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain - Joseph Campbell

Excerpted from the book THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES © 2012 by Joseph Campbell Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com 800-972-6657, ext. 52.

WHAT’S AN ARCHETYPE? An archetype is a pattern of behavior.

It explains who you are and how you engage with the world around you.

Welcome to the Archepedia, where you can explore the universe of archetypes. From understanding the Rebels and Intellectuals in your life to learning about thinkers in the field such as Carl Jung and Caroline Myss,

this is your library for looking up d e s c r i p t i o n s , d e fi n i t i o n s a n d illustrations that will illuminate the complex world of persona and identity, spirit, soul, myth and psyche.

who am i?

How can I become more fulfilled?

What is my purpose?

Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to certain people, ideas, or products and turned off by others? Are you constantly searching for something you can't put your finger on, or wondering whether you are living a life that truly fits?

None of us begins life knowing who we are or why we're the way we are. We have to search deeply for that knowledge. Once that first stirring of curiosity about yourself is triggered, you initiate a quest for inner knowledge: Learning which archetypes best describe you is just the beginning.

You can then use this knowledge to make more conscious decisions about everything from careers to relationships, avoiding common pitfalls of your personality type while playing up your strengths. The result is a happier, more authentic you. It's never too late to change your life by embracing your archetypes to the fullest.

In Archetypes: Who Are You?, New York Times best-selling author Caroline Myss delves into the world of archetypes, which have been the subject of her work for more than 25 years. Archetypes are universal patterns of behavior that, once discovered, help you better understand yourself and your place in the world. In short, knowing your archetypes can transform your life.

Within the pages of this book, Myss writes about ten primary archetypes that have emerged in today's society: the Caregiver, the Artist/ Creative, the Fashionista, the

Welcome to the Archepedia, where you can explore the universe of archetypes. From understanding the Rebels and Intellectuals in your life to learning about thinkers in the field such as Carl Jung and Caroline Myss, this is your library for looking up descriptions, definitions and illustrations that will illuminate the complex world of persona and identity, spirit, soul, myth and psyche.

Intellectual, the Rebel, the Queen/ Executive, the Advocate, the Visionary, the Athlete, and the Spiritual Seeker. In each chapter, she explains one individual archetype, showing how it has evolved and then in fascinating detail lays out the unique characteristics, the defining graces, the life challenges, and other information to help you understand if you are part of this archetype family and if so, how you can fully tap into its power. She also offers tips and practical advice on how to fully engage with your archetypes.

FEMALE

MALE

Creative

Creative

Athlete

Athlete

Rebel

Rebel

Caregiver

Caregiver

Visionary

Visionary

Queen/ Executive

King/Executive Spiritual

Spiritual Gentleman Fashionista Advocate

https://www.archetypeme.com/archepedia#

Advocate Intellectual Intellectual

Screen Writer Andrew Stantonr

Andrew Stanton: The clues to a great story...

New Y-era Earth’s Evolutionary Story & How it Plays on Our Consciousness

by Dr Jude Currivan At the December Solstice of 2012, a great cycle of time completed as the socalled 5125 year so-called long count Mayan calendar came to an end. Whilst scare-mongers in the media and on the internet spoke of this time as heralding the end of the world, the ancient Maya had never viewed it in such a way.

The Mayan Elders of today as well as many other indigenous peoples also say that this time

is not the ‘end of the world’ but

the ‘beginning of the whole-world’

as

humanity re-members our connections with the living Earth and the wider Cosmos. They and many other wisdom keepers see this New Y-era of 2013 and beyond as the birth of an evolutionary epoch, embodying a Shift of our collective awareness and the emergence of a peaceful and sustainable global community – if we choose to make it so.

Such wisdom understands that all that we call reality is cosmic consciousness exploring itself on many levels of sentience. As a c o h e re n t e n t i t y, o u r universe evolves through dynamic cycles, or more so spirals, of experience and evolution. Interacting and progressing at all scales of existence and all aspects of its univer-soul, it and we are able to perpetually learn and evolve on personal and collective levels.

F ro m t h e t i n y c y c l e s embedded in the minute world of the quantum scale to the cycles by which we m e as u re t h e d ay s a n d years of our lives to the enormous cosmic cycles played out both astronomically and astrologically, meaning and purpose pervade our universe.

Indeed, the 2012 December Solstice was marked by such significance. The Sun’s position at an even longer point in a nearly 26,000 year cycle known as the Great Year that measures his precession through a complete journey through the twelve signs of the zodiac, now appears from Earth to be crossing the centre point of our galaxy.

manifestation, with Jupiter the planet of expansion located at the tip of the arrow.

Whilst unaware of the astronomical huge black hole here equivalent to the mass of some four million Suns, they considered this to be a cosmic point of death and regeneration.

And within our own Soular System the planetary alignments from an astrological perspective a l s o s i g n i f y t h e p ow e r f u l potential for the evolutionary rebirth of our collective psyche.

Jupiter the planet of expansion is in Gemini, the sign of new ideas and here these especially relate to our philosophical and spiritual beliefs. As the focus of the Yod he receives and enhances the strong energies from Pluto and Saturn for us to embrace and expand an emergent view of the whole-world.

The most momentous configuration in the astrological chart of 21st December 2012 is a socalled Yod or Finger of God, which

looks like a triangular arrowhead and which designates powerfully transformative potential. Here the two base points of the arrowhead are fo r m e d f ro m t h e positions of Pluto the planet of transformation and Saturn the planet of

In their current positions, Pluto and Saturn are in what’s known astrologically as being in mutual reception. This means that each planet is in the sign that the other ‘rules’ and so their combined influence is further and mutually strengthened

A Yod generally reflects a fateful point of choice; a fork in the road; a tipping point. With these powerful planets, here it depicts an almost unavoidable end to the unsustainable status quo and whilst challenging, an enormous potential for positive breakthrough.

The opportunity of this tipping point moment for collectively ushering in a whole-worldview is enhanced by the position of Neptune, the planet of reality and Chiron the wounded healer in the chart which form a square aspect with Jupiter. Conjunct together in Pisces this speaks to a difficult but necessary choice; whether to embrace an expanded vision of reality and the healing of wounds within our collective psyche or to desperately try to hang on and retreat into fear and a likely breakdown.

This pivotal moment in our evolutionary journey embodies huge positive potential, if we choose to physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually go with the flow of its requisite change.

Astrologically, this period also energises the transition from the last two thousand or so year cycle of the Age of Pisces to the emergent Age of Aquarius.

For the last two millennia the Sun has risen against the stars of Pisces at the March equinox; for the same duration before that, he did so against the stars of Aries. And now, as we enter the Age of Aquarius, for the next cycle his equinoctial rising will be set against that sign of the zodiac.

Whilst astrologers continue to debate how each era is manifested in our collective psyche, my own view is that such zodiacal influences are energised as a three-fold wave where the sway of the sign giving its name to an Age starts during that era but only reaches its fullest expression in the one following before falling away during the third.

The essence of each succeeding Age forms the context for the evolutionary consciousness of humanity. The transition between Ages, rather like a changing ocean tide, isn’t immediate. It can last hundreds of years, but within that span, as the old Age dies away, there are seed-point events, new ideas, social developments and the incarnation of individuals that embody the essential character of the Age that is emerging.

The energy wave of the Age of Taurus, which lasted from around 4000 BCE until 2000 BCE, manifested cardinal or expanding Taurean Earth energy, a peaking of the Gemini Air energy of the preceding Age and the mutability or falling away of the Cancerian Water energy of the Age before that.

In many parts of the world, the emergence of the energies of Taurus, a fixed Earth sign, denoted the formulation and adoption of new ideas of how to relate to Gaia. The hunter-gatherer lifestyles of the previous so-called Mesolithic era gave way to the

new technologies of the Neolithic, including the domestication of animals (including of course cattle, the animal denoted by Taurus), the growing of crops, the development of pottery (from the clay of the Earth) and the progressive increase of more settled ways of living. In a number of early Neolithic societies in Europe and the Middle East, the archetypal Taurean symbol of the bull and its feminine counterpart the cow were venerated.

The inspiration, communication and adoption of such radical new ideas reflected the mentality of the Gemini Air sign that peaked during this Age. And this period of transition to more fixed abodes within increasingly larger settlements reflected the falling away of the heart-based and feminine Cancerian energies where love of the traditional ways of the past and living in harmony with the land had formed the basis of Mesolithic life and shamanic beliefs for many millennia.

The feminine natures of both Taurean and Cancerian energies also continued to be balanced by the masculine energies of Gemini, enabling the new ideas of the Neolithic to be adopted peacefully and inclusively.

The next Age; that of Aries lasted from around 2000 BCE until 0 CE. The Fire energy of Aries that emerged was forceful and aggressive. The discovery and adoption of metalworking through fi re d eve l o p e d a d v a n c e d we ap o n s . A n d environmental and social upheavals at the beginning of this era around 2200 BCE and at its height around 1200 BCE led to greater levels of societal stress. The consequential Arian aggression ultimately led to the competitive growth of empires, also powered by the peaking of the Taurean energies during this Age. And the Gemini energies, whilst falling away, were still influential in expanding the adoption of new ideas.

The essence of each succeeding Age forms the context for the evolutionary consciousness of humanity.

But, unlike the balance of previous eras, the Age of Aries ushered into our collective psyche energies that were strongly masculine. And by its end, its emergent assertiveness had shifted our collective psyche into the pattern that would continue to be strengthened during the subsequent Age of Pisces, within which we’ve played out the last 2,000 years.

The Piscean Age saw the spiritual inspiration of a multitude of world teachers being seeded within our collective consciousness. In this Age the emergent wave lasted an unusually long time. The philosophic teachings of Gautama Buddha in India, and Confucius and Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching, in China in the sixth century BCE were amongst the earliest of the emergent Age. Spanning the teachings of Master Jesus, which marked with beginning of the current era, the Piscean seeding of the Age was essentially completed by the revelations of Mohammed in the early seventh century CE. But these spiritual seeds of the Piscean Age took root within the peaking Arian energies from the preceding era and the Taurean energies of the Age before that. So the Piscean characteristics of spirituality and altruism were played out through powerful Arian and Taurean influences that progressively transmuted the teachings of their founders into organizations. Whilst the earlier philosophies, such as Buddhism, avoided the rigid aspects of their successors, Christianity, after substantial alteration from Jesus’ original teachings and their essential inclusion of the divine feminine, became the authorized and masculine religion of the Roman Empire. And the revelations of the later Mohammed were immediately enshrined in the social theocracy of Islam.

The spiritual inspiration of the Piscean Age did, however, find eventual expression in the progress of human rights, especially as the earlier influences began to wane and the discoveries of

revolutionary Uranus in 1781, communal Neptune in 1846 and transformational Pluto in 1930 awakened their archetypal energies within our collective awareness.

And so now the emerging Age of Aquarius is sowing its influences of personal empowerment and co-creativity and the return of the divine feminine within our psyche. The Piscean attributes of empathy and spiritual wisdom, seeded by the great teachers such as Jesus and Mary Magdalene two millennia ago, will exhibit their highest expression in our psyche so far in our evolution.

And the ego-based individualistic characteristics and authoritarian structures of the ebbing Age will finally fall away.

Our evolutionary Shift of awareness that is energised and supported by these powerful cosmic influences is offering us all the opportunity to take personal and collective leaps into the transpersonal awareness that I describe as the 8th chakra of the univers-soul heart. And by in-togreating our hearts, minds and purpose in this higher level of love, we can access the insights, inspiration and co-creative empowerment to release ourselves from the limitations of the past and undertake transformational change.

Already, on group levels, there are revolutionary developments in organizations, technologies and societies that are extraordinary in that there are often no identifiable leaders as such, or if there are, they are facilitators of the whole. Structures are essentially transmuting from rigid and hierarchical organizations to holographically intelligent organisms and the progressive emergence of a truly global community which celebrates our diversity whilst recognising our fundamental unity.

The Shift is not only in-to-greating our human psyche, but also and c r u c i a l l y, e m p o w e r i n g o u r awareness to commune with the consciousness of Gaia and the wider Cosmos.

And as we re-member and transform our perception of ourselves and the whole-world, with compassion and care for all beings and the recognition that we are truly All One, we can heal the remaining schisms within our collective psyche and come together to envisage and co-create a wondrous New Y-era.

Dr Jude Currivan is a cosmologist and healer who has experienced multi-dimensional realities from the age of four, has a Masters Degree in physics specialising in cosmology and quantum physics and a PhD in archaeology researching ancient cosmologies and the creation of sacred spacetime. She has lived in the sacred landscape of Avebury, England, the epicenter of the crop circle phenomenon, for seventeen years, has journeyed to some seventy countries around the world and has worked with the wisdom keepers, both living and discarnate of many traditions. Her award-winning books include The 8th Chakra, The 13thStep, CosMos co-authored with Dr Ervin Laszlo and most recently HOPE – Healing Our People & Earth. Previously also a very successful international business woman, in 2010 she was presented with the Circle award by WON Buddhism and sponsored by the UN, cited for her ‘outstanding contribution towards planetary healing and expanding new forms of consciousness'. www.judecurrivan.com © Jude Currivan 2013

For decades I've walked countless sacred places around the world, taking in both their spatial and special qualities. After a while it became apparent that sacred sites speak.

A mythical, invisible spirit of place is aware of your

Freddy Silva

presence and purpose.

It scans your human energy field. Should your PIN match, you engage in an intimate conversation. And your relationship with the temple begins. Eventually you will realize there is a library of knowledge being shared. Its contents are boundless and timeless, the sum of all there is: Universal codes of energy, ancient systems of knowledge, measure and proportion, and how these are applied at any given moment in our life to enhance both your potential and the quality of life around you.

Depending on what you are seeking,the experience will alter your consciousness. Which is precisely the ultimate purpose of such places of power.

A Very Personal Journey.

O

nce upon a time inside the Great Pyramids. The call to prayer by the mu’adhdhin, his sonorous voice drifting like an ibis across sun-baked mud brick roofs, is the romantic ideal of Egypt. Except when it occurs at six in the morning and you are not genetically equipped to awaken before Ra has risen at least thirty degrees above the horizon.

I admit it, I’m one of those people. But once the bedroom curtains were drawn to reveal the towering peaks of the Giza pyramids I knew this dawn would require a break from my habitual sleeping pattern. Besides, the small group I was with had to reach the plateau by 7 a.m. or risk missing out on the daily allotment of passes into the Great Pyramid.

It was my privilege to be part of this group, under the stewardship of Isabelle Kingston, a former bank liaison officer who took a leap of faith to develop her natural gift as a trance medium under the wing of another psychic luminary, Roger St. John Webster. Since then, her work as an intuitive and healer has earned the respect of even the English police. Over the years Isabelle and I have become great friends, and by studying alongside her for a decade I can confidently call her one of my mentors.

The sign of a great teacher is not in the way they teach, but the way they refine you through subtle guidance while you experience the world of the invisible for yourself. And that, I believe, is Isabelle’s great gift.

... And felt the hillside thronged by souls unseen, Who knew the interest in me, and were keen That man alive should understand man dead...

King’s Tomb

~ John Masefield

Once in a while we visit sacred places and quietly go about the business of cleansing subtle energy where it may have been polluted from centuries of neglect or wrong action. Sometimes we are asked to be conduits of light and reenergize the effulgent spirit of place; along with similar groups around the world, we tend the grid. Through these experiences one quickly discovers just how powerful we humans really are, and by developing our sensory perception we are also able to sense and see the invisible universe. Like driving a car, the more you do it the more adept you become. Everyone is born with this ability, but somewhere along the path to adulthood or the towers of statistics or the halls of analysis we lose sight of this gift and become skeptical that other realities can possibly exist. But as our predecessors knew all to well, they do, and they lie but a whisper away.

On any given day the inner passages of the Great Pyramid are a-howling with the refracted echoes of over-excited children and wide-eyed tourists; my first reaction was disappointment, to have traveled this far (and to have risen at the crack of dawn) to stand in a musty, humid tunnel filled with a decibel level I last experienced at a Black Sabbath concert.

Nevertheless, along with five members of the group I was probably happier than the rest of our party, who had been unable to secure tickets, and would be experiencing this monument from the outside. For anyone who has never been inside a pyramid, the notion that millions of tons of stone are carefully balanced all around you is disconcerting, to say the least.

Claustrophobes need not apply. Breathing can be problematic, the air is laden, the smell of musty stone is everywhere. For someone like me who is 6” 5’ tall, some passages are torturous and humiliatingly short. Yet none of this bothered me as we ascended the Grand Gallery in the barren light. I felt very much part of the structure, as though the building and I were one and indivisible.

The six of us reached the voluminous vault of the King’s Chamber, it’s perfectly bonded, monolithic red granite blocks showcasing the ancient’s world’s fluent ability to work the hardest stone on earth like pastry. The two women in the group immediately felt uncomfortable in the chamber and exited, along with the hordes of tourists. Within minutes, the three men and I had the whole temple to ourselves, an incredible stroke of luck considering that only a suitcase of bakshish can buy you private, quiet time in this wondrous monument. And yet, there we were, alone and silent as gold.

Unusual things began to happen: the pump from the contraption that passed for an air conditioner stopped churning; then the lights turned off. We were immersed in total darkness, in the core of the Great Pyramid. Out of the four, Aaron and I had had more experience in the ways of sacred space, and he suggested we do what we were taught to do, which is honor the spirit of place; one of the others then suggested I lead toning of the chamber, to which I acquiesced, since I’m generally not comfortable in the limelight. But since there was no light, there was no problem. I tried to find a sweet spot in the coal black chamber, about a third of the way back from the ‘sarcophagus’. Again, that sinuous feeling between building and body overcame me, and sounds the likes of which I had never made before, or since, came out from my throat.

As the others joined in, the natural acoustics brewed our voices into an intoxicating melody. It was at this point that my life and my perception of temples changed forever. Emanating

out of the granite walls came a group of tall people, all dressed in a type of white silk,

and circled the chamber. I still remember turning my head to look at them all (remember, this is in total darkness), there must have been thirty or so. They bowed their heads and I bowed mine. It felt like a reunion with a long lost family, I did not want them to go, my head was filled with many questions to ask. I don’t know how many minutes this lasted, it didn’t matter... we were in a conclave with magic.

No sooner had we stopped toning when the two dim light bulbs slowly glowed back to life. I looked across at the others, and although no words were exchanged I knew each of these people had also experienced something profound. We took turns lying inside the ‘sarcophagus’, maybe five minutes at a time. When my turn came I was concerned that, being so tall, I would be a bad fit. But no; the granite, softened by centuries of visitors, embraced my body like a pillow, the flat of my head and the soles of my feet being exactly the length of the receptacle, my shoulders being the precise width. I remember making a mental note that I ought to get a bed made to these specifications on my return home. Further chamber activity was curtailed by the sound of an excited Arab voice hailing from somewhere deep below. We’d probably overstayed our welcome and decided to make haste. In perfect silence.

The bright desert light blinded our exit into the fresh air. Aaron and I exchanged dazed glances, it was obvious we both wanted to say something, so I initiated: “Did you see what I saw up there?”

“You mean the priests, in a circle, all in white!?”

You can’t fake moments like this. As the other two came into earshot I remarked on how the ‘sarcophagus’ had been such a perfect fit for a tall guy like me. To which each of them replied in turn, “It was the same for me.” Now, here are four men with different heights – and girths – ranging from 5”5’ to 6”5’: a variation of one foot. How could a solid stone box be one-size-fits-all?

We walked back to meet the rest of the group, probably looking shell-shocked.

“So, how was it?” Isabelle asked. Seeing that I was struggling for words, she told of the rest of the group’s morning – how they ‘tunedin’ to the origins of the pyramids, among other things, then decided to ‘look-in’ on us to see if we were behaving ourselves inside the pyramid. “Well, that was a fun experience, wasn’t it?” she said, “how you went there with right intent, honoured the site, and the priests came out of the stones.” By now it was obvious Aaron and I had not been hallucinating. “But what about the thing with the sarcophagus?”

I mumbled.

“It’s living stone. If you use it for the right reasons, and the site understands this, the stone moulds itself to you. Did you go somewhere nice?”

Indeed I travelled far, visiting several interesting people whose names I do not recall, or for that matter what they told me, except for snippets of information which no doubt would be important in my future work; I also travelled to a number of extraordinary environments I’d never seen before, yet which felt all too familiar. In a matter of a few minutes I had been transported to faraway universes. Makes one marvel at the quality of initiatory experience

Needless to say, the experience in the Great Pyramid altered my perception of the world as well as my understanding of why temples were created, and what they can do for you, and to you.

Throughout ancient cultures the temple was looked upon as a divine being, and as such, its foundation and construction gave material shape to a divine force who originally had been conceived as a god. In Egypt, the temple was awakened by the Morning Hymns, later adopted by the Cistercians as chants, during which all the parts of the site were addressed as an animate being who is awoken from slumber during the hours of darkness.1 But it’s one thing to be book-smart about these matters and another to have direct validation of the process. For me, the experience in Giza was that more valid because I had not searched for it, I hadn’t gone seeking an otherworldly encounter so I could talk (and write) about it later. Such a position serves little purpose other than to validate what you so desperately want, and in the end, it will not be constructive. But walking into a sacred place and allowing yourself to be open to possibility, that’s the place where fascinating things occur. It is the thin line between rational and mystical, the abode that painters, musicians and other creatives seek. It is the assembly room of inspiration. The sceptic will never understand this, for by staking a concrete and antagonistic position, the spirit of place will respect that and will never find him. The spirit of

place is not there to work for you, it exists to meet you halfway along the bridge, should you make the effort to cross it.

excerpts from the Divine BluePrint by Freddy Silva

“The Book of the Dead '”The Mighty One appears, the horizon shines. Atum appears on the smell of his censing, the Sunshine- god has risen in the sky, the Mansion of the pyramidion is in joy and all its inmates are assembled, a voice calls out within the shrine, shouting reverberates around the Netherworld.''

(Emboldened words are my emphasis) Spell 133

Freddy Silva is one of the world’s leading researchers of sacred sites, ancient systems of knowledge and the interaction between temples and consciousness.

He is best-selling author of 'First Templar Nation', and 'The Divine Blueprint'.

His first book ‘Secrets in the Fields: The Science and Mysticism of Crop Circles’, is a critically-acclaimed work, published in four languages, providing the only thorough appraisal of this much misunderstood phenomenon.

He has also directed several documentaries, including Stairways To Heaven: The Practical Magic of Sacred Space; Templemaking; and In The Footsteps of Isis.

The elements that make the Universe

He has lectured worldwide for over a decade, with keynote appearances at the International Science and Consciousness Conference, the International Society For The Study Of Subtle Energies & Energy Medicine, and the Association for Research and Enlightenment, in addition to appearances on Discovery Channel, BBC, and radio shows such as Coast To Coast.

geometry, sacred measure, sound—

Described by the CEO of Universal Light Expo as “perhaps the best metaphysical speaker in the world right now.”

is possible to open a portal of

He leads tours to Britain, France, Malta and Egypt.

tick —magnetism, water, sacred

converge at sacred sites. By carefully blending these principles together, it

possibility to other levels of reality.

It is even possible to apply the same principles at home.

Cymatics Experiment in the Great Pyramid http://www.cymascope.com/cyma_research/egyptology.html

The Divine Blueprint Temples, Power Places and the Global Plan to Shape the Human Soul.

A fresh and insightful account of the role played by sacred sites in raising human consciousness.

First Templar Nation How the Knights Templar created Europe's first nation-state.

Their greatest accomplishment is the one never told.

Tours

Fr e d dy S i l va www.invisibletemple.com

Books Healing Fine Art

Connect with

Meaning & Purpose

By Caroline Myss Excerpts from Defy Gravity, with permission of Hay House

The quest for meaning and purpose is one the most profound rituals common to all cultures in some form, extending back even before the advent of written language. It marks a transformation of consciousness from the self-centered ego to a Self that is empowered by inner or spiritual resources. From the worship of the Mother Goddess that predates recorded history, through the earliest cultures of Mesopotamia and the rich mythologies of the Romans and Greeks, the ancient spiritual texts from a multitude of traditions reveal that human nature has a this fundamental design: we are made to pursue the mythic course of one’s our own lives, to seek out and follow our own greatest quests.

This desire

we all share is

an archetypal appetite to transcend the ordinary, because along with the burning need to shed our limitations we are also discontented with the mundane aspects of our life.

We are predisposed to find the normal and ordinary uncomfortable, even to disdain it if it becomes overbearing. We may not speak about this truth directly, but we constantly project its consequences into our world. That is, we project this disdain of our ordinariness onto other people and conditions in our lives that seem unable to protect us from humiliation or failure. If our negativity is blended with feelings of helplessness, we can become destructive by externalizing our struggle against a demon that resides within: for example, the need to feel superior over others or to bully others or to exert other forms of control often comes from a desperate compulsion not to be controlled by ordinary rules and authority. Or we might spend our lives running away from ourselves, always believing that something outside of ourselves is the solution to this bizarre inner sensation of discomfort.

Caroline Myss

And yet the solution is not to be found in the physical world, because the material domain is by its very nature imperfect, transient, unsatisfying. We may find a temporary solution, but eventually the core of our suffering will reemerge in the new setting. The deeper truth that we must ultimately confront is that the healing of the inner self that is required to release us from these depths of suffering and despair—and make no mistake, feelings of inadequacy and constant emptiness are a suffering—is more than an ordinary healing. For suffering like this to end, you need a spiritual transformation. This is a mystical truth, one that is beyond ordinary thought and reasoning. Like so many truths, its value and power remain hidden until you need such wisdom to survive a personal ordeal or a health crisis. Then, turning within to look for the greater meaning of your life becomes a quest that often leads to profound inner transformation and personal healing.

! Not surprisingly, the archetypal

heroes of all cultures are figures who have accomplished precisely this inner journey.

Caroline Myss Suggestions....

•! Say only what you believe and believe what you say.

•! Power originates behind your eyes, not in front of your eyes. Once power becomes visible, it evaporates. True power is invisible.

keep your fears at a distance is an achievable goal. ! Mystics did not set about learning the nature of God or the higher mystical laws so that they could literally defy gravity—that is,

•! Thought precedes the creation of matter. Therefore, your thoughts are instruments of creation as much as

so that they could levitate while they meditated, heal others spontaneously and at a distance, bilocate, or develop telepathic abilities. The great mystics of India warned that such remarkable powers—or siddhis, as

your words, deeds, and finances.

Become conscious about the quality of your thoughts, because each one sets patterns of cause and effect into motion. Every thought is a tool. Every

they are known in their tradition—could be a great distraction on one’s spiritual path.

Those capabilities they viewed instead as fruits that fell from the single tree in their garden, which was their passionate love for

thought is a prayer.

all things divine. The mystical approach to life is not to see life from without, but to perceive it from within, to sense your energetic field before you allow your body to move into action.

•! Judgment anchors you to the person or thing you judge, making you its servant. Judge others too harshly and you become their prisoner.

Sense the many currents of information that ! Every day we will slip in our efforts to live a congruent, conscious life. So what? Get up, try again, slip some more. Imagine life without being controlled by the illusions of fear—fear of not having enough, fear of rejection, and fear of failure. Imagine your fears as having less influence over you. A completely fearless life may be unrealistic, but a life in which you

are electrically charged in the atmosphere and interpret that information. Respond to that information, run it through your spiritual senses, and then let that data enter your ordinary mind. Learn to utilize all of your spiritual senses as naturally as you breathe, and always within the consciousness that you are living in a field of grace.

Mystical Law

By Caroline Myss Excerpts from Defy Gravity, with permission of Hay House

Maintain Spiritual Congruency

!

Whether you strike out on the path of

consciousness in order to heal yourself or

signs of the stress when you become incongruent with a truth.

to engage more profoundly in matters of the spirit, one way of describing your goal

Falling into Harmony with Congruence:

is to say that you want to become a

There is nothing easy about living a

congruent human being. Congruency can

conscious life, but it’s even more

take many forms, but in essence you are

treacherous to live an unconscious one.

congruent when your beliefs match up

I’d like to say “a fully conscious life,” but

with your everyday actions and your

that might seem idealistic to the point of

spiritual practice. Say what you believe

impossibility. Simply being as conscious

and believe what you say; act on your

as you can be at each moment is a full-

beliefs and follow through on guidance

time job, because becoming a conscious

that comes from inner reflection. In this

person is all about realizing the full

way, body, mind, and soul finally come

potential of the power of choice. And of all

into an alignment that allows for the

the choices that you can make, none is as

harmony of the graces to flow through

empowering as the decision to live in a

you as naturally as your breath. You

spiritually congruent way. Each of the

maintain congruence by honoring the

mystical laws I’ve described is in its own

spiritual truths that you have consciously

way supportive of all the other laws. But

made a part of your interior life. Only you

perhaps the most helpful practice for

know what you believe to be true about

maintaining a congruent life is referring to

the Divine. Only you know what you

Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths outlined

believe to be true about your purpose in

earlier in this chapter. The wisdom of

life and what qualifies as real or illusion

those teachings will help you to identify

for you. Once you make those choices,

illusions in your life that are draining you

compromising them is an act of self-

of your energy and stamina. It’s always

betrayal, because you are violating your

important to return to inner balance

personal truth. And truth is its own

before you engage in any action. In

monitoring device; that is, you can never

addition to the Four Noble Truths, you can

lie to yourself about compromising a

enhance the practice of spiritual

truth. Further, your biology itself will show

congruence by following this advice:

Caroline Myss Worthy of Reflection •" A s k y o u r s e l f , “ W h a t p s y c h i c , emotional, or mental weight am I carrying that is unnecessary to my journey? Why am I carrying this?” Be tough with yourself. Don’t carry extra emotional baggage. It doesn’t serve you or anyone else.

•" Seek the truth in all aspects of your life. Ask the constant question “What is the truth in this situation?” Search for wisdom, for understanding, for insight at every opportunity.

•" Learn to endure. Remember that no plan unfolds in an afternoon. Have no expectations of anything. Let everything be a surprise.

•" Give up the need to know why things happen as they do. How do you know what success or failure is?

You’ve never had a scale that can measure either one of those two ends of the spectrum. Everything is just experience. Reflect on whether experience empowers or disempowers you—that is all. Does each experience make you more aware, more honest, more grateful, k i n d e r, m o r e g e n e r o u s , m o r e compassionate? That’s where you should focus your attention.

•" Act on your guidance without c o n s t a n t l y s a y i n g t h a t y o u ’ re frightened and require proof that you will be safe. You will never get that proof. Every choice in life is an act of

faith. Stop letting fear be the one constant voice you listen to with unremitting faith. Be outrageously bold in your belief that you will be guided but do not have expectations of how that guidance will unfold.

Keep your attention in present time— always in present time.

•" Develop a truly devoted prayer life.

Go inward. Find a way into your soul that serves who you are at this stage in your life, but wean yourself of just speaking your surface thoughts to the Divine in a conversational way and discover your interior graces. " These are times of change, and among the most crucial changes is the need for people who would not ordinarily seek mystical teachings to turn to them now with a soul-felt passion. We are past the point when just reading about healing and human consciousness is of any value. All sojourners must awaken and cease the search for who they are in this world. What answer do you need other than “I am a soul in search of truth”? ! Your soul knows it can defy gravity. And you know that you can learn the mystical laws. The question is whether you can transcend the boundaries of ordinary reason: that is the great challenge in this human life that binds us all.

Visual Meditation

By Caroline Myss Excerpts from Defy Gravity, with permission of Hay House http://www.myss.com/

New Science Ancient Wisdom Open Your Mind to a New Perspective!

SCIENCE TO SAGE E-ZINE Your magazines are treasures. They are magnificent. I am blown away. Wow! James L Oschman, Ph. D

Your design, the contributor art, and the themed articles all track perfectly, energizing each other and the reader.

Wow --

it's fabulous!

- Leslie France, Monroe Institute

OMG.! This is beautiful, Karen.! This is absolutely stunning.! Thank you for putting so much time and effort into it. Lauri Willmot/Executive Director of Wisdom Traditions, Gregg Braden

The jewels presented in each issue convey the infinite wisdom of our cosmic nature as was the inspiration of a Nobel Laureate in Physics at 33 yrs of age ; Professor Josephson in 1973 at Cambridge conveyed “An entirely new world view may emerge where consciousness, mind, intellect and life are primary and matter secondary.” OM Karen's joy is the gift of weaving the sciences of Life from the visionary explorers/scientists/cosmic presences of the planet, in the fields that affect our whole and integral well being. OM Krishna Madappa

Subscribe http://sciencetosagemagazine.com/

EVENT The new knowledge of water will transform every aspect of life.

New findings in the quantum physics of water are profoundly changing our understanding of life, and what it means to be a real organism instead of the mechanistic simulacrum that has dominated biology and our social institutions for hundreds of years. The new knowledge of water – and I mean knowledge in all senses of the word that involves complete comprehension with heart, senses, and mind ‐ will transform every aspect of life: from health and education to

the pursuit of happiness.

artists musicians scientists

Learn More About How Water is the Solution for Life click here

Click Here to See Full Brochure Designed by Science to Sage Design www.sciencetosagedesign.com

COLOURS OF WATER

BOOK

Shift Your Understanding

!"#"$%2&'"$()*2+,-

RECOMMEND Illumination... !"#"$% &'"$()*

As I was writing all that down, a sudden illumination flooded my mind. A great calm took

+,-

hold, and the turbulence that had obscured my view crystallized into a limpid pool.

.'/01'$2+)

Water

is the medium, the message,

+) :RUOG 6FLHQWLÀF

This book is a unique synthesis of the latest findings in the quantum physics and chemistry of water that will tell you why it is so remark- ably fit for life. It is the story of water in living cells and organisms as told by many scientists carrying out theoretical and empirical studies published in the scientific literature, especially within the past five years. It starts from first principles, building up the narrative by degrees, from simple to increasingly complex. My hope is to take the most naïve readers step by step towards the secret of the living rainbow within, which I can reveal to be the special water in living cells and organisms that makes life possible.

I have tried to reduce scientific jargon to a minimum in the main narrative, and to define all the terms used, which are also presented in a glossary at the end, to be consulted with ease whenever required.

and the means; it is literally the mother of life, as SzentGyörgyi told us more than 50 years ago. It is the rainbow within that mirrors the one in the sky. The veil is lifted, and a dazzling pot of gold appears at this end of the rainbow. Nature is speaking once more, and I must transcribe as quickly and clearly as I can. Mae-Wan Ho January 2012

by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho scientist, researcher, & artist

Guest March 5th Science to Sage

RADIO

Cups full of story —the legacy of our words

By Christina Baldwin

The teacups always rested at the back of the china cabinet, and I was twenty years old before I finally touched one. I knew these cups were special, but I didn’t know why. “Where did you get these?” I asked my grandmother.

“There’re from the farm,” she said, and the image of her Minnesota homestead sprang to mind. A big Norwegian family, stern faced in their photographs, taciturn in their language, people Garrison Keillor tells stories about: people who didn’t tell stories of their own.

Grandma’s teacups went to my mother, who at eighty-five is sorting the contents of her own china cabinet. “Who wants these?” she asks me, her fifty-something daughter arrived to help her move into a condo. I know she is listing her granddaughters in her mind and dividing up the collection.

“No one wants them,” I tell her as gently as I can. “They are all hip, mod girls who haven’t started to settle down.

The cups are not meaningful to them, at least not

now.” I watch my mother’s eyes for sadness…

“Why?” “Because they have no story. family story, part of their childhood memories.”

To be valuable they have to be part of our

Story is really all we leave each other.

Even the

most precious heirlooms, including the ones I tend in my own home, will not last: someday they’ll end up in an estate sale or a house will burn down or they will simply lose meaning.

What has the most lasting value is the story of who we are, who we come from, where we aspire to go. “You want to give these girls something?” I ask, “Write your story. Tell them what it was like to grow up in the Depression, to marry during World War II, to raise children in the 1950’s, to wake up to feminism in the 1970’s … Write about that.” The cups sit around her on the carpet waiting to be filled, not with tea or coffee, but with my mother’s life.

Story gives objects meaning, and meaning increases value.

When I turned fifty, my mother had a ring designed for me that incorporates my grandmother’s wedding band, a diamond from my father’s aunt and birthstones representing three generations.

Even diamonds and gold have value added by story.

Story is legacy.

My mother is a talking history lesson of the twentieth century. And because she carries stories of her parents, and grandparent’s lives, she carries a family memory that spans nearly 150 years. If I can help her save these stories, in writing, recorded on tape, transferring stories and photos in ever changing technology, I will carry a family memory of about 200 years. And if I speak these stories to my grandchild generation, they will have memories of over 300 years.

What good this will do them, how stories of family will serve them in a future I won’t live to see is a mystery. What I know is that seemingly insignificant stories of my parents parents parents have meaning to me that they could not suppose; and this leads me to believe that my stories will have meaning in the future that I cannot suppose. So I gather and preserve stories and trust the mystery.

Here are suggested ways to work with story as legacy.

When you look at the things around your house that you want to bequeath family members, write down what makes them interesting and valuable in a personal way. Literally attach the story to the object. I have a Victorian loveseat that came to me because my aunt taped a card on the back that read, “For Christina, someday.” I

Story can also heal legacy.

put a card in the wooden box in the corner of the living room that explains this is the chest our Norwegian greatgrandmother carried onto the boat that brought her to America.

A grandmother I know set aside a year to write a letter to each of her twelve grandchildren. The letters are not to be mailed, but when she is gone each young adult will have a loving statement of her special regard.

While cleaning out her parents’ estate, my sister-inlaw discovered a box of old photos and swiftly went to visit a remaining elderly aunt. They spent hours with a magnifying glass and archivist pen, identifying people in the pictures.

A Jewish friend reports, “Celebrating Seder, the youngest person present asks the questions that elicit the story of the Passover. We adapted this tradition to help the children develop questions to elicit stories about our own family. When Aunt Esther broke her hip she transcribed five years of intergenerational interviews, so now we’ve started a notebook for everybody.”

A seventy-five year old friend openly shares the story of five generations of alcoholism in her family because she sees the benefit of this work, “It took my grandfather his whole life to sober up, and if my father hadn’t gotten sober and shown me the way, I might not have been able to do it at forty-three… When my grandson showed up alcoholic at age twenty, he had a mom and uncle ready to intervene, and a grandma carrying everything I’d learned from his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather.

Understanding the story of his vulnerability helped him out of abuse in just a year.”

Even a few words can be precious.

A little notebook in a purse or pocket in which you jots notes. Notations made on a calendar. Little anecdotes to accompany photos that expand or explain the scene. Something you wish you’d said in a moment long gone by can still be shared. In our families and among our long-time friends there are people who want to know what we carry in our hearts, our histories, our philosophies of life.

Our invitation is to sip tea from an antique cup and speak anyway, write anyway, contributing our stories to never ending tale.

Christina Baldwin is the author of Storycatcher, Making Sense of our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story. She has devoted her life work to helping people honor the importance of story. www.storycatcher.net Based on the book Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story © 2007 by Christina Baldwin.

Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com /800-972-6657, ext. 52.

Personal Style We are all a cast of characters, qualified by the uniqueness of our personal style.

Naming is defining the qualities of the creation. But naming often creates a limited or false perception.

Yet without definition, a chair is just a chair. How we decorate it, shape it, color it and style it...well, now we have something worth talking about!

By what standard do you name it?

We each have our own style of what we present to the world. Just remember...it’s only us who can define self for self. We cannot control how others label or think of us. We are all raised with different standards and therefore have different lenses. So, enjoy your creation. Remember, it’s not for everybody and not everyone wants the rocking chair...at least, not yet.

Over the past twenty years, Byron Katie has become known around the world as one of the clearest and most inspiring teachers of our time. She teaches a way to happiness, and those who meet her respond instantly to the delight she takes in whoever and whatever is in front of her.

Yet, as she is quick to explain, her

own teacher was suffering. " Amid the circumstances of what should have been a satisfying life in a California desert town—successful business career, healthy children, beauty—Byron Kathleen Reid (everyone calls her Katie) was overcome by a depression that lasted more than ten years. She kept to her bed in deepening rage and despair. Eventually she committed herself to a shelter for women with eating disorders—the only place that would take her health insurance. One day she woke up in her attic room to find that all her suffering was gone, replaced by a joy that was unlike anything she had ever known:

“I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being.

Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, alwaysz’.

The difference between her experience and other experiences of spiritual opening is that in the moment of waking up, she discovered a method of sustaining that extraordinary lightness. The four questions and turnaround that she later called The Work were already present in that first moment. !

Katie knew that the joyous clarity she was

experiencing is available to everyone. And, in her downto-earth American way, she began to share her method of self-inquiry with the many people who were immediately drawn to her. Katie’s primary realization was that every painful feeling—anger, loneliness, fear—is the result of believing a thought that isn’t true. To identify what that thought is and then to write it down and examine it with the questions that Katie discovered has an unimaginable power—unimaginable until you do it for yourself. !

To do The Work, alone or with others, you begin by finding the particular

thoughts that are causing you stress. Perhaps one thought is: My husband doesn’t love me. You write the thoughts down on what is called a Worksheet then examine the thought using these four questions: ....

The Worksheet— asks questions such as “Who angers, frustrates, disappoints, or confuses you, and why? What is it about them that you don’t like?”—helps identify and pin down the thoughts that are the causes of suffering.

Byron Katie has one job: to show people how to stop suffering.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS "

•" Is it true?

"

•" Can you absolutely know that it’s true?

"

•" How do you react when you believe that thought?

"

•" Who would you be without the thought?

TURN IT AROUND After this, you turn the thought around to its several opposites—for example, My husband does love me, I don’t love my husband, and I don’t love myself—and you find three genuine examples of how each turnaround is as true as or truer than the original thought.

THE DIALOGUE - CHAPTER 13 “I’m not enough”

is one of the most painful stories of all.

But if you know that peace happens inside you, you can enjoy the world as it lives you. If we all understood what success is, we would all love ourselves.

CLICK HERE TO READ.....

More examples on-line... http:www.thework.c om/watch.php

...the thought that is causing you the most pain is sometimes not the one you first think it is. If you ask the questions diligently, your answers will reveal other thoughts that seem questionable. Notice those. Then jot them down, too, and inquire about them next: Is it true? Can I absolutely know it’s true? How do I react when I believe that thought? Who would I be without the thought? Then turn the thoughts around and find three genuine examples of how the turnarounds are true in your life. " It can be good to do The Work with a trusted friend asking you the questions. Then you switch around and ask them. Some people do better on their own. The important thing is to do The Work slowly. As Katie often repeats in these dialogues, The Work is meditation. Don’t second-guess or think you know. Instead, wait quietly for your answers. ! The wonderful thing about The Work is that if you do it for a while, eventually it starts doing you. It simply becomes harder and harder to believe the thoughts that are not true for you. The freedom and happiness that this brings pervade every part of your life.

Printed with the permission of Hay House Publications www.hayhouse.com®

Byron Katie's six books include the bestselling Loving What Is, I Need Your Love—Is That True?, and A Thousand Names for Joy.

Byron Katie The Work consists of four questions and the turnarounds, which are a way of experiencing the opposite of what you believe. When you question a thought, you see around it to the choices beyond suffering.

ABOUT THE WORK Click Here to Start the WORK www.thework.com

Energy of Thought b y

k r i s h n a

m a d a p p a

A noble sage expressed these words

teaching is not talking, teaching is not

while giving a discourse on " Training

imparting doctrines, it is communicating.

the Mind for Wisdom" relating to the

The essence of spirituality can be

propelling force of thought.......Very

communicated just as really as I give you

few understand the power of thought,

a flower and this is true in the most literal

for if one goes into a cave, shuts

sense.

himself in and thinks one really great

Weʼd shared the simple truths in that

thought

that

Meditation and Purification, which is

will

Faith - Thought - Word - Action - Life -

and

thought

dies,

penetrate the walls of that cave, vibrate through space and at last permeate the whole human race.

Effort - Remembering - Prayer.

Most of us realize the potential energy that resides within this fabric of life and the capacity for refinement that can ensue when we process from the gross to the subtle. We, as a human race are at this collective juncture of connecting to the time honored disciplines of practice,

Such is the power of thought; so be in no

which would enable the essence of our

hurry to give your thoughts to others.

Divine substance to glow, unhindered.

First have something to give, for

Energy of Thought

In this universe where nothing is lost, where we live in the midst of death in life, every thought that is thought, in public or in private, in crowded thoroughfares or in the deep recesses of primeval forests, lives. They are continuously trying to become self-embodied and until they have embodied themselves they will struggle for expression and any amount of repression cannot subdue them.

Nothing can be destroyed - those thoughts that caused disharmony in the past are also seeking embodiment, to be fi l t e r e d t h r o u g h repeated expression, and at last transformed into perfect good. So, needless to say, the quality of content in our thoughts can effect our cumulative well being and of those around us.

Let us look into a simple metaphor of our lives. Human life is like a wonderfully turbulent stream, strewn with rocks and pebbles; the brave step into it, for by sitting on the shore and enumerating about the hurdles we will never get across. So, leave behind the burden of your fears, guilt, weaknesses and the

cumbersome attachments, thus freed from all disturbing energies smoothly cross over the stream. This may seem very casual, however for the disciplined mind this is no effort, for pure intellect is aglow by the active participation in Divine duties which unfolds hidden truths behind all superficial values.

This simply outlined process is constantly being refined by the energy of breath (Prâna).

Prâna is the sum total of the energy that is in the universe.

It's the great expansion and contraction as we see in the Mandelbroth set and as the high and low tides of the ocean. This gross universe of ours which we see, feel, touch, smell and taste has it's cause and explanation behind in the thought. Let's observe this via our human b o d y. O u r e x t e r n a l movements of hands, legs etc. are activated by fine nerves etc. which we cannot trace with our senses, yet we know they are the cause of the grosser movement.

These nerve movements in turn are the resultant action of thought and that is caused by something still finer, which we call the Atman(self). So in order for us to understand ourselves we need to probe deeper and deeper into our own nature. Prânayama enables this process of refinement to be vital within us. Our powers of concentration meditation will be very alert and thereby infusing us with vital energy.

breathing exercise This simple P r â n a y a m a (breathing) exercise when conducted with due diligence will enable the r e fi n e m e n t o f thought, thereby increasing vital energy and hence providing us with the thought of great healing.

We shall envelop the Prânayama into three parts. 1.Breathing in, which in Sanskrit we call Puraka (filling) 2.Kumbhaka (retaining), filling the lungs and holding the air from coming out. 3. Rechaka (breathing out).

These three sequences constitute one Prânayama. The breathing cycle is 4seconds inhale, 8 seconds hold, 4 seconds exhale.

Instead of counting silently we have been taught to recite the syllable "OM" which is the mantra of purification and connecting to the Divine. Two very important notes are to stay upright and to think of the body as sound and perfect, healthy and strong. Then envelop your field with a current of Love and think of the universe as radiating vital energy, pray and then begin. Always pay attention to the volume of air intake and outflow from each nostril. We have been accustomed to plant infusions during all practices as they open the bronchial channels and increase the oxygen

b y

k r i s h n a

flow into our system. Some of these plant infusions comprise of leaves, seeds, flowers, gums and woods of particular botanical species like Tulasi, Cardamom, Jasmine families, Orange blossom, Frankincense, Sandalwood etc., to name a few.

As the discipline of one's practice continues, certain physical/emotional transformations will begin to occur, like twitchings all over the body, emotions like crying etc. Observe these patterns because in essence one's system is being reformatted. New channels for thought will be awakened and a rebirthing process has begun. Remember patience!!!!!

Om Shanti----Om Shanti----Om Shanti.

Krishna Madappa The Essence of life Krishna@krishnaprana.com Krishnaprana.com

m a d a p p a

The Brain: A Recor d of the Past or the Map to the Future? memories habits

fantasies

fears hopes skills

Everything that makes us up; the "you" and the "me"--our thoughts, our dreams, our memories, our hopes, our secret fantasies, our fears, our skills, our habits, our pains and our joys-

-is etched in the living lattice work of 100 billion brain cells.

If you learn even one bit of information today, tiny brain cells will make new connections between them, and who "you" are will be altered. The images that we create in our mind as we process different streams of consciousness leave footprints in the vast endless fields of neurological landscape, which contribute to the identity called "you."

For the "you" as a sentient being is immersed and truly exists in the interconnected electrical web of cellular brain tissue. How our nerve cells are specifically arranged by what we learn, what we remember, what we experience, what we feel, what we envision, as well as what we think about ourselves defines us individually and it is reflected in our internal neurological wiring.

We are a work in progress.

b y D r. J o e D i s p e n z a

The brain is the organ of change.

The concept in neuroscience called neuroplasticity demonstrates that the brain alters itself every time we learn something new. It also changes when we have a novel experience. (This idea begs the question, “How many new things have I learned recently that I can remember and how many new experiences have I had lately?”) Our gray matter is also rearranged during the times we choose to modify our behavior in order to do a better job in life. In other words, when we really change our mind, the brain changes… and when we change the brain, the mind changes.

Break the Habit of Being Yourself.

Here is what I mean. According to the working model of neuroscience, mind is the brain in action. Mind is the brain at work. It is the product of brain activity when it is animated with life. With 100 billion nerve cells seamlessly wired together, it becomes apparent that we can produce many different levels of mind. Virtually, we can make the brain work differently because we can influence the brain to fire in different sequences, different patterns, and in different combinations in order to produce many diverse states of mind.

For example, the mind we use to treat patients is different than the state of mind we use to drive our car. We make the brain work differently when we brush our teeth compared to when we play the violin. Equally, we make a different mind when we play the victim in contrast to when we demonstrate joy. All of this is so because we can, quite simply, force gangs of nerve cells to fire in unique ways.

Not more than thirty or forty years ago, there was a unanimous belief in biology that the brain was hardwired, meaning that we are born with a certain amount of neurological connections and the finality in life was that we were going to turn out like our parents. It was an accepted perception that this delicate organ was unable to upscale its hardware. But with the advent of the latest technologies in functional imagery it is apparent that it is very possible to make the brain work differently. In fact, the research out of the University of Wisconsin has proven something as simple as attention or focused concentration is a skill just like golf or tennis.

In other words, the more

you practice being conscious or mindful the better you get at it.

Brain Activity

In addition, functional

imagery

has clearly proven that we can also change the brain just by thinking differently.

For example, people that never played

the piano were divided into groups. The first group physically played one-handed finger exercises like scales and cords, and as a result of the new activity, their brains changed. The before and after results of the functional brain scans showed new areas of the brain activated. In essence, not only did they make a new mind, literally new brain circuits flourished.

Body Mind Connection

However, when a second group was asked to mentally rehearse the same scales and cords in their mind for the same amount of time, they grew the same amount of brain connections as the group who physically demonstrated the activity. Simply put, when we are truly focused and attentive, the brain does not know the difference between what is happening in our “minds eye” and what is happening in the external world.

Other research has proven similar results not only in the brain but in the body as well. These tests have shown that there is a veritable mind-body connection---in fact, the mind changed the body. In one study, subjects who were asked to do a finger exercise against the resistance of a spring over the course of four weeks for an hour a day showed a 30 percent increase in muscle strength. Nothing special here. However, the second group never lifted a finger. They mentally practiced the same activity for the same length of time and demonstrated a 22 percent increase in muscle strength without any physical activity.

dream a new reality This research is significant because it clearly showed that the body as well as the brain changed before the experience of really pulling the spring. In other words, without touching the spring or physically doing the exercise, the body was stronger to reflect a mental effort not a physical effort.

These two studies show that

physical changes can occur by our thoughts, our intentions, and our meditations.

So, when you take the time out of your busy schedule and begin to intentionally dream a new reality, plan a new life, set a new practice goal, or design a new event for you to experience in your future, just remember that your brain is rewiring itself to your desires and your body is being reconditioned in order to prepare itself for that new event. Therefore, if you would mentally rehearse daily what it would be like to experience any event (just like the piano players), there would be internal changes taking place as if you were already beginning to experience your dream.

By applying this understanding to the quantum model, which states that our subjective mind has an effect or control over our objective world (consciousness creates reality), we can begin to explore the idea that if our brain and our bodies are evidencing physical changes to look like the experience has already happened as a result of our mental efforts well before the physical manifestation has occurred, then theoretically the experience will find us! http://www.drjoedispenza.com/

March 24 April 21 May 5

I Can Do It - Austin TX I Can Do It - Vancouver BC I Can Do It - Atlanta GA

7 Tip s How to Beat Those New Year’s Resolution Blues & Make Change Stick

Contrary to what you might think after having set out to keep your New Year’s Resolutions in the past, only to see them dissolve in frustration and failure, the brain is the organ of change. The concept in neuroscience called neuroplasticity demonstrates that the brain alters itself every time we learn something new. In other words, when we really change our mind, the brain changes…and then we can effect permanent, lasting change.

1) INTENTION, INTENTION, INTENTION! Write a clear and simple resolution statement. This tells your brain that you mean it. Make sure your mission statement creates a positive feeling for you. Avoid words such as not and don't. Make your resolution specific. Instead of saying you want to eat healthier, say, "I will eat a fresh healthy salad once a day so that I look better and feel better about myself." Your intention is your mental compass. The clearer your purpose, the better you know where you are going and how you will get there.

2) SPONSORING THOUGHTS! List strong reasons about why you want to change. This is the biggest secret to making change stick. You should feel passionate about each one of these thoughts. Be specific. For example, if you are interested in losing weight, one reason could be to wear your mother’s wedding dress for your wedding ceremony in five months. If intention gives you your direction, then your sponsoring thoughts are the fuel to get you going each day in your direction.

3) REVIEW, REMIND AND PRIME! Create a plan. Then review your actions steps daily. To get yourself in the right state of mind, review your specific behaviors for the day when you wake up in the morning and/or before you go to bed in the evening.

This little exercise literally sets up your day so that you stay conscious of your change. If you imagine yourself making the necessary

decisions for that day, you will begin to prime your brain to automatically follow your intentions. Your mental rehearsal can install the neurological hardware and software so that you have the circuits in place to use when executing your changes appropriately.

For instance, questions like: “What do I have to do to get there?” Write down the steps.

“When do I need to have those steps taken?” Decide what steps you can take this day or even right now. Review and remind yourself of the entire plan and then take the first step. Think of this as reviewing your map on your journey to change. The more you do it the easier it is to get to your destination.

4) ALIGN YOUR BEHAVIOR TO MATCH YOUR INTENTION! Hold yourself accountable by demonstrating change in your entire day. One of the hardest parts of breaking a habit is to not make the same choices you made days, weeks or months prior. When you decide what you are not going to do that day, it will help keep you on task. The biggest reason most people fall short of their vision relates to giving into familiar feelings. Get clear that when those feelings, cravings and bodily urges come up during your day that drive your devilish thoughts to concede, that you have the will to conquer them. This is when you take your ‘new you’ for a test drive. Your daily goals will always be in alignment with your ongoing intention. Think of this step as small destinations or towns you arrive at along your journey.

5) TRACK YOUR CHANGES! Create a reward system for yourself. If you can create a chart that you can see or a ledger you review daily and then check your wins off daily, you will begin to make your discipline and changes a new habit….and build a new feeling of self esteem, worth and belief that you are doing it. If however, you fall from grace one day, make the choice to get back into your routine the very next day without wallowing in failure, guilt and selfdepreciation. These emotions will surely undermine your efforts and cause you to return to the old self that may have already felt that way for too long. It’s always good to see how far you have come and how you are doing.

6) COME OUT OF YOUR RESTING STATE” CHANGE YOUR ENERGY Change can be uncomfortable. When we are in the midst of change, it feels unnatural, unfamiliar and uncertain because we are no longer ‘being’ the same person. You are in the unknown. We are changing how we think, how we act and how we feel. Therefore, each day when you begin you must lift yourself into a new state of being and raise your energy.

Questions like: “How would I have to ‘be’ today to master my day?” “How would I feel in my future when I am this person?” These are key ingredients. I like to say, “I cannot get up today as the same person who sat down, I must be in a new state of being and live from this level of energy.” Get excited that you can conquer yourself in some way.

7) CUE YOUR ENVIRONMENT There is nothing more satisfying than to have little reminders in your life to keep you on track. Place pictures, notes, word phrases, and/or vision boards where you can see them daily, such as at your desk, on the refrigerator or pasted to the bathroom mirror. You can even play certain motivational CD’s in your car, or MP3 files while you exercise or inspirational music. These will keep you on task by reminding you that what you are doing is important. The more you stay conscious of your future, the more inspired you will be to overcome your present reality.

These are but a few starter steps. There is much more that can be done to ensure that you can Make Change Stick. But simply know t h a t i t i s p o s s i b l e t o c h a n g e . Tr u e transformation is possible—and it is possible for YOU! http://www.drjoedispenza.com/

More Articles

Live Teleclass

Video’s

Quantum Factor with Dr. Joe Dispenza

“All thinking is creative thinking.

All thinking is creating that which it is thinking.”

Nothing can be without the desire to be.

Walter Russell - The Universal One

Mara alper

I

n our culture, we often hear the phrase, “Forgive and forget.” But

the challenge isn’t forgetting. It is about regaining the energy tied up in anger and hurt about past stories, and using it for far better purposes. Forgiveness is a choice that allows us to heal on our own, without the offender apologizing or even acknowledging their part. We can also choose to forgive ourselves; sometimes this can be even harder than forgiving another. !

When we lose a cherished ideal, a loved one, our innocence,

faith in someone else or ourselves, we become vulnerable in a way that feels exposed beyond endurance. To protect ourselves, we many harden into anger or explode with blame, as we attempt to restore our sense of safety. Deep hurt may propel us to say or feel, "I can never forgive you" or "I can never forgive myself."

Healing Stories

Forgiveness: H e a l i n g

S t o r i e s

Forgiveness W e m a y b e c o m e fi x e d i n t h a t moment of time.

We may become fixed in that moment of

mother-daughter

time. We create a story about our

incest went on to be heard by thousands

grievance and repeat it to others and

of people. We tell ourselves repetitive

ourselves. Our outward lives continue,

stories about how things were and stay

but our anger and hurt tie us to that

locked in these tales. Yet, shifting the

point of pain and it lives on, consuming

story to consider other possibilities, new

our life energy in ways we barely realize,

ways to see the situation, has positive

until one day if we ' re lucky, we may wake

effects in a short time. Our eyes are

up and say -- enough, this exhausts me.

opened, our hearts softened. We can

!

move on from a place of depletion

I came to this place twice in my

and

brother-sister

life. The first time I faced difficult

toward renewed energy.

childhood recollections and began my

!

journey to forgiveness. The second time

forgiveness, I ask them to write down

healing from betrayal allowed me to

their story the way they tell it to others.

understand how forgiving heals the

We tend to develop a few set sentences

forgiver in ways we cannot imagine. The

or paragraphs that tell our tale. We write

turning

the

our usual story, and then distill it into a

realization that my anger kept me

few brief sentences and say them aloud

completely connected to the one I was

to someone we don’t know. They listen

angry at, that I could not move on while I

carefully and repeat it back to us as they

was caught in this trap. I inadvertently

heard it and felt it. We hear it in a new

became

way. A perceptible shift begins.

point

an

each

expert

time

in

was

forgiveness

because of my life circumstances and unwillingness to let the past deflate my life energy any longer. !

I choose to tell my stories publicly

so that others will have the courage to tell theirs. Stories can heal us. My healing

process

includes

making

documentaries about my path. When I titled one piece Stories No One Wants to Hear, it was ironic. These stories about

Stories can heal us.

When I work with people about

Forgiveness Forgiveness is a choice.

!

Hearing our own story in a neutral

leader, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The

way, hearing the compassion someone else

stories

feels for our story softens us toward our

forgiveness after suffering a loss—loss of

self. We feel tenderness for ourselves as if

innocence, trust, loved ones or liberty. They

the story were someone else’s. From this tender place, we begin a meditation on forgiving ourselves. In gradual steps, we bring light into our dark places. By the end of the workshops, each person experiences

portray

different

aspects

of

tell us how they moved on with their lives instead of staying locked in anger. As Tutu says, "I forgive you, whether you want to be forgiven or not. You are not going to forever

a shift toward hope. It happens when they

make me a victim." This thought provoking

learn to retell their story with forgiveness for

documentary

their

others’

discussion in the hope of encouraging more

humanity. It is most gratifying to experience

options for conflict resolution. It is for

this shift in others and oneself.

anyone who has been hurt, but has not yet

humanity,

acceptance

of

The process that led me to this work

is

designed

to

foster

healed.

were a meditation technique based on agni

!

fire yoga. It emphasized the idea that

Forgiveness,

thought directs energy and where

approaches. The ones I resonated with were

thought goes, energy follows.

those closest to my own process. One

I

In

making I

the

documentary

researched

various

applied this to my angry, hurt thoughts,

approach that especially interested me is

redirecting them and diffusing the energy.

that of Robert Enright, at the University of

Acknowledging heart connections was also

Wisconsin-Madison. He uses a model that

part of this esoteric work and I did my best

emphasizes forgiving as a benefit for the

to establish these connections with the

person who forgives, not for the benefit of

person who hurt me. My forgiveness journey

the wrongdoer. It does not mean what the

began.

other did was right. This distinction is

!

important. It often stands in the way of

Years later, I made the documentary

Forgiveness. I joked that it was the sequel to

forgiveness.

Stories No One Wants to Hear. It uses a

empathy and compassion for the person

psychological and philosophical approach

who wronged you, understanding their

to forgiveness to tell four powerful stories

story. In the case of forgiving yourself, this

from a prisoner, a recovering alcoholic, a

can often be even more difficult.

grieving mother and the renowned world

Enright

also

believes

in

“Forgiveness is not

we consider spiritual because it requires

condoning, excusing, reconciling.

It is a courageous act of giving compassion and mercy to one who hurt you.”

conscious development of a caring attitude

The Enright model of forgiveness:

capacity for compassion, but it is often not

!

the first response most people have in

He

says,

- Know you’ve been treated unfairly

toward those who are not like us, or who may have wronged us. Everyone has the

(or have treated another unfairly)

challenging situations. Buddhist teachings

!

- Confront your anger.

encourage

!

- Decide to forgive, knowing what

kindness toward oneself as the first step.

compassion

and

loving

forgiveness is and is not.

This can be difficult for the Western mind,

!

conditioned to be stern taskmasters for

- Think about the offender as a

human being.

ourselves.

!

- Experience a ‘softened heart,’ with

We are all faced with the question of

empathy and compassion for the other,

whether or not to forgive many times in our

followed by ! an emotional release.

lives. We can choose to forgive not because we ought to, but because it helps us heal.

!

The emotional heart and the physical

This possibility for profound healing is

heart are intrinsically linked. Enright and

worthy of exploration

others

workshop

have

studied

the

connection

between heart health and stress. Not forgiving creates high levels of stress. One man’s story clearly mirrored the scientific findings. He had a heart transplant several

Forgiveness: A Way to Lighten Your Life

years ago, and he told me, “I used up my first heart by not forgiving.”

Lecture & Workshop -Vancouver, BC

!

Clearly, we don’t want to use up the

Lecture at Banyan Books and Sound

heart we are granted for this lifetime.

Sun. March 10, 11:30 – 1 p.m. Free

Forgiveness is not an instant process. It takes time and soul searching. But the

Workshop: Sat. March 16,

outcome is the release of a heavy burden

Center for Peace, Vancouver,BC

that stifles life energy. In our culture,

10 a.m.-5 p.m. $85

forgiveness is in the realm of religions

.For more information,

because it involves compassion, an asset

contact Mara at www.maraalper.com

MARA ALPER is a teacher, media artist and

writer.

Her

documentaries

Stories No One Wants To Hear (1993) and Forgiveness(2006) have reached world-wide audiences about healing past

pain.

She

is

an

Associate

Professor at Ithaca College, NY where she teaches media arts, water issues and leads workshops on forgiveness.

FORGIVENESS Documentary, 28 min.

A ground-breaking documentary on forgiveness designed to stimulate discussion...

An excellent resource for community groups, counseling centers, therapists, social workers, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, mediation/negotiation programs and educational settings.

www

.

MaraAlper

maraalper.blogspot.com

.

com

The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want!

Life is not a destination; itʼs a journey. Itʼs not a series of goals; itʼs a series of steps, of events unfolding as you make your way. Life is not all about accomplishment: itʼs all about doing, participating, progressing, growing and learning.

Boldness has genius, power and the magic in it.

Begin it now.

Know what you want and be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish it.

From"The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want!by Michael C. Hernacki, © Michael C. Hernacki, Inc., used by permission of the publisher, Pelican Publishing Company, Inc.

MARA ALPER Su n da y, M arc h 10 1 1:30 - 1 pm L e c t u re F re e at Ba ny en

FORGIVENESS DEVOTION TO MOTION..

Mara Alper's affinities with dance, animation, film and video as expressive media have shaped her life. Her themes focus on social issues, older traditions and questions about people's similarities, differences and motivations.

These questions led Mara to study world mythologies and religions, particularly the work of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell.

Her enthusiasm for first-hand experience of the wisdom of older traditions has led her to study sacred dance from around the world and to unique travel experiences in Europe, Asia and Central America. www.maraalper.com Click Here to View Documentaries Clips

BANYEN BOOKS & SOUND Tickets: (604) 737-8858 1-800-663-8442/(604) 732-7912 3608 West 4th Ave,Vancouver BC http://www.banyen.com

Past Healing

Through Constellation, Ceremony & Ritual Francesca Mason Boring, author of Connecting to our Ancestral Past Healing through Constellation, Ceremony & Ritual, combines the grounded Wisdom Traditions of indigenous roots with the innovation of family and human systems constellation, which is one of the most powerful innovations in the last quarter century.

Coming from Shoshone and European and Canadian immigrant roots Francesca also

brings to her work a reverence for place and honoring ancestral resilience.

Family, and Human Systems Constellation is an elegant and encouraging method which reveals hidden dynamics which have

interrupted the flow of love and lightness in one’s life and personal/familial relationships.

reveals hidden dynamics

As is often described: this work reveals hidden dynamics which have been experienced as barriers to joy and fullness of life. In constellation work people gain clarity regarding which fears, judgments, and hesitations are actually their own and which in fact are the echo of experiences of parents, grandparents and even ancestors further back in their family history.

One has the opportunity to surrender a life of judgment.

And,

strangely enough, one also has the opportunity to say without condemnation that a life of judgment may be the path of choice. This is not a moralistic practice and as a result people seem to more honestly be able to look at ‘what is so’. The work can be done individually or within a group Circle or even as community. Family Constellation incorporates a ‘knowing field’, which I compare to the indigenous knowing field which has been utilized by all peoples for many generations. The awakenings which come as a result of working within the ‘knowing field’ may also be experienced through systemic meditation or visualization which incorporates ‘the orders of love’ which have been described by Hellinger and implemented in constellations by facilitators internationally. The work has many aspects and may reveal barriers to joy within a family system, but may also be used to ‘heal’ sick organizations, or support healthier community dynamics. Originally, family constellation work looked at the expanse of a family system, but as time has passed the work has continued to expand its application to many systems. Waking again a truly ancient sense of a holistic view of healing.

The resonance that constellation work engenders is multicultural and crosses all socio-economic strata. It is not manufactured and it is not psychodrama, but ‘representatives’ for members of a family system are represented and people who have no connection at all with the participant’s family state clearly- they ‘know’ where the tensions, confusion, or sadness may lie within a family system.

FRANCESCA MASON BORING In facilitating Family Constellation, Francesca brings to the work the structure of many Native concepts which support individuals to find their way back to their strength, within the context of their family system, goals and destiny.

Honoring individuals as spiritual beings, not only organisms, invites all of the resources each person has in making their own healing journey. Including indigenous story, ritual, and utilizing Circle Technology, each person comes into the Circle as a teacher and a healer.

In workshops, trainings and writing, Francesca introduces ‘universal indigenous technologies’ such as smudging. Having learned from many, she shares that sage, cedar, tobacco and sweet grass are among those North American native tools for honoring ancestors, clearing space, and inviting well being, but the use of smoke to connect with or honor ancestors is utilized throughout Asia in the form of incense, as is the burning of eucalyptus, gum tree, sandalwood and other traditional plants and herbs in ‘smoking ceremonies’ for many Australian aboriginal peoples. What is not often discussed, but is shared through interviews in Connecting to our Ancestral Past, is that European indigenous peoples also used burning of rosemary, St. Johns Wart, and a variety of other plants and herbs in order to support the dead in leaving, to bring about well being and for a variety of other interventions.

This book and this approach to Constellation work which finds power in honoring and humility invites one to walk the labyrinth of paradox which is often neglected. www.allmyrelationsconstellations.com

FRANCESCA MASON BORING Tu e s . , M a r c h 5 6:30-8pm Lecture & Book Signing Free at Banyen

Healing Through FA M I LY C O N S T E L L AT I O N S , C E R E M O N Y, & RITUAL

Francesca Mason Boringʼs new book, Connecting to our Ancestral Past, integrates a deep understanding of Family Systems Constellations with indigenous life & wisdom. Francesca Boring is a Family Constellations facilitator who has trained with many masters of Family Constellation as well as with her own Elders & aboriginal teachers.

BANYEN BOOKS & SOUND Tickets: (604) 737-8858 1-800-663-8442/(604) 732-7912 3608 West 4th Ave,Vancouver BC http://www.banyen.com

Become a Master of Light

Your reflection is your projection.

Your lens is your point of view.

Don’t cast your shadow.

Don’t block others’ light.

Be a Light Source.

It is wisdom to know others: it is enlightenment to know oneself.

To conquer others is power: to conquer one’s self is strength.

The Tao Te Ching

Excerpt from “InsideOIUT” the Wisdom of Our Designer Universe by Karen Elkins

Jim Britt

My journey to a career in photography seems to be the most circuitous of all.

My career was really a surprise to me. From the time I can remember, all I ever wanted to be "when I grew up," was a singer.

I

was born in San Francisco, and during that

the hungry i, the Purple Onion and finally

time at around eight, I started singing with my Mom while she played piano." When we moved to Guerneville, California, I started singing in my Dad’s bar." At ten years old I was singing Lucky Old Sun and Jezebel!"

landed a job as MC and singer at Ann’s 440.

Ann Dee’s nightclub at 440 Broadway was known as discovery club." Ann put myself and three other male singers together as a vocal group, called The Cables of San Francisco.

Frankie Laine was an influence." At Stadium high school in Tacoma, and college at the University of Washington in Seattle, music and especially jazz was my major passion. I received a BA in Communications with minors

We put together an act, honing our skills in clubs in and around The City. Our first road trip was a long drive to Edmonton, Canada. In those days you worked at least two weeks in club and I had an idea to buy a camera." I

i n E n g l i s h a n d M u s i c ." I a l s o s a n g professionally with bands and at The Colony Club, a major nightclub in Seattle. The jazz musicians in Seattle were amazing mentors."

They would call me up to sing and work with

bought a Petri Half-frame Jr. 35mm camera and a light meter. I figured if I liked photography I'd buy something better. The next step was a CanonIVs2 and a telephoto lens. We recorded for RCA Victor, played Las

me many times in the afternoons to give me an education." One time I was called up on the stand to sing and the pianist asked what song I wanted to sing." I was tired of the same tunes and suggested another."

Vegas, our career was going pretty well and when we returned to San Francisco I purchased a LeicaM3. I definitely was serious."

I had never bought anything that expensive.

“What key?” he asked.I said “I don’t know, maybe…”" He looked at me hard and said “Pick one you know and show up at my house tomorrow at 12!”" When I showed up he told me never do that again, “you get on the stand pick the tune, the key and give the tempo. You take charge." Now let’s go to work.”"

Work we did, he made me a musician and not just a singer.

After graduation I moved back to San Francisco and auditioned at

I took the camera, developing reels, chemicals on the road trips with me in my Austin Healy in a trunk that also contained an enlarger and set up darkrooms in every motel room I stayed in. That was my schooling. Shooting, developing and printing. Looking at all the mistakes and learning from them as well as reading voraciously everything I could find. I ended up being as passionate about my photography as I was about the music. Little did I know where it would lead me.# I learned very quickly that what excited me was working with people and photographing them. I started shooting available light performance photos of entertainers I met along the way as well as posed publicity pictures. I photographed Don Rickles in 1961 when he was working in a nightclub in San Francisco. Later on in the 80’s I photographed Don again at my studio in Los Angeles.# In the beginning I had no lighting equipment, so I learned to really "see" available light. From this type of photography I learned to see people's faces, their flaws and attributes and make flattering portraits. At the same time, since there was no studio, I really learned to use the world as my studio.

My aesthetic discipline came from my jazz mentors who told me at the beginning of my singing career, that jazz was a process of “woodsheding, learning your ax, playing not what you practiced, and never playing the tune the same way again.

There were many changes in the vocal groups eventually ending with a group called The Other Three.# Our last job was in 1967 at The Purple Onion in San Francisco.# My wife and I moved to Las Vegas where she was in a comedy show and I eventually got a job in the darkroom of the Flamingo Hotel.#

In 1968, my wife got a role in a movie and we moved to Los Angeles."

Through an ex manager of mine, I got a job at Lloyd’s Camera’s in Hollywood as a salesman. "It was a very difficult time."

The groups had broken up, the kind of music I sang was no longer in vogue, and I was married with two daughters, but separated and living in a small apartment. I was trying to find a new career."

One day, my apartment was burglarized; all my camera’s were stolen."

Not that I had much, but a Rollieflex 2.8, a Nikon Ftn and three lenses and my Leica M3." I was devastated." The next morning, I received a notice in the mail that I had won second prize in the Nikon International Photo Contest and I would receive a silver medal, a Nikon camera and any lens of my choice." I chose a 85mm f/1.8 as it would do most things in portraits and low light levels."

I guess I was destined to be a photographer."

I would work at Lloyd’s Camera for four years, with occasional singing jobs." Lloyd Berman told me I always had a job there and even took me back after being on the road for almost a year in 1969.

In 1972 I had a career change, becoming the photographer/art director at Motown Record Corp. when they moved to Los Angeles. In the three years at Motown, I honed my studio skills, which included studio lighting, concert work, and all the other skills involved in producing a majority of the album covers. I was able to manipulate the

d a d y b

images in the darkroom, becoming proficient in color printing, black and white, special effects, layout and design and of course work with some very special artists along the way." I think the fact that I had been an e n t e r t a i n e r, a n d s i n g e r h e l p e d m e understand how uncomfortable my subjects could feel in front of a camera."

As I mentioned, in 1969 I had my last year on the “road,” and learned one of the best photography lessons from a photographer who wanted to photograph me." I was working in Milwaukee at Fazio’s On Fifth and he came in and saw me." I went to his studio dressed in my suit, he had a Hassleblad, background paper, great lighting and I thought, “This is going to be great!”" I stood on the background, gave a smile and he didn’t press the button!" My smile turned to cement, my expression froze, it was terrible."

It went on like that the whole session." I was not a model, and I realized he had no idea where the “moment” was. I knew then that as a photographer myself, I had to keep the energy going and keep the subject involved."

t t i r B m i J y b

In 1975 a new Art Director came to Motown and he didn’t need an in house photographer." I was let go." I had made friends with a photographer, Bruce Talamon and he was doing work for ABC Television." He told me they were looking for a head photographer and I should go see them." Ten days later I was Head Photographer for ABC Television Network." During that time at ABC Television, I was able to create many images for different shows and events. Most of the photos were just publicity shots for shows like Charlies Angel’s. The Time Cover for Roots was my favorite. The photo of Lavar Burton is a double exposure, done in the camera by rewinding and reexposing the whole roll of film. The magazine stripped in my portrait of Alex Haley." I actually had to fight for that photo." The session included photos with Ed Asner who appeared as the slave ship captain." He was only in the first episode and I wanted a photo that would represent the whole story, the tragic story of slavery." I had a black model friend of mine and we did some testing and worked out the photo using double exposure and special lighting." During the 5-hour photo-session we were coming to the end of our time and I asked to do this special shot." My boss told me we didn’t have time for that photo." I told him that if we didn’t have time for that photo, then I didn’t have time for any other photos." He was a bit taken aback, but realized I meant what I said and so he told me, “ five minutes!” Some years later I was watching Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt and they had a piece on Rhodes Scholars doing a story on the oral history of the struggle for voter registration in the South." They had given children in this school, tape recorders and then they would transfer the interviews into word documents on computers." As the camera panned around the children’s schoolroom, it paused on a painting one of the children had done." It was a copy of my Time cover shot minus the portrait of Alex Haley." I had achieved my goal.

After three years at ABC, it was time to move on. I opened my own studio at 140 N. La Brea and from 1979 to 1989 photographed TV Guide covers, portraiture, and fashion.""

I was able to do some "work for Signature Magazine and traveled to China, Mexico, Tahiti and Yemen. Work was booming and in 1989 I moved my studio to a much larger space in the Helms Bakery Complex. Many of the models we worked with in the fashion shoots had worked in New York and had come to Los Angeles to find a career in television or movies. I remember one instance when we were doing a bathing suit catalog shoot on one of the beach resorts we used as a location. I always worked fast and one model said to me as we were working, “you get it don’t you?”" I said “Yes I do.”" She looked at me with a great mile and said, “Get this,” and we were off." I didn’t waste my subject’s time or energy." I was always looking for that moment, or spark or glint and when it happened, I got it.

Richard Feynman.# Nobel Prize winner."

Photographed for Time Magazine, he was an amazing bundle of energy." While not particularly into being photographed he was generous and open and signed his b o o k “ S u re l y Yo u ’ re J o k i n g M r.

Feynman”# … “To Jim Britt, who made so much fun to have my picture take (150 times!)”# The truth is, he made it so much fun and it was more than 150 times."

I figure I shot at least four rolls of Tri-X.

Jim Britt and I , the creator of Science to Sage E-Magazine, worked together for 23 years in LA . My first creation was to start an advertising agency at the age of 22. I specialized in fashion & stereo speakers.

Those 23 years of spontaneous creation was fun!

Jim and I worked effortlessly in our passion.

Karen Elkins

I worked in the Helms studio until 1994 when my lease was up and I realized I no longer needed a big studio. One of the lessons from the 1991 recession was that you could rent any size studio you needed, you didn’t need to own it. I began shooting much more on location for television and film as well as corporate portraiture. An interesting sidelight to the Helms studio era, was the creation of the Jazz Bakery. I had a Steinway piano in the studio and soon began having friends over to play. The studio was 1800 sq. ft with a curved 30 ft. ceiling." The sound was amazing." I contacted Ruth Price, a woman who was booking and singing in clubs around L.A. and invited her to the studio." She had major connections with the jazz world and we began producing jazz concerts in the studio. "I built the stage, designed the lighting and ran the sound." The room was so live we had put a carpet down."

We did concerts on Friday Saturday and Sunday nights." After the last concert, I would stack the chairs and roll up the carpet, turning it back into a photo studio again. I began singing again and recorded a CD, but photography was still my main career." One day, I had a call from my piano player from San Francisco, George De Quattro and he said, “hey Jimmy, how’s your old lady.”" I said, George I’ve been divorced for 10 years.”" “No man,” he said, “music.”" I cracked up.

In January of 2000, I found myself back involved in music, this time as a booker of talent in the Los Feliz/Jazz Spot, a restaurant owned by my friend Rick Clemente." Together

we designed the Jazz Spot, a 65 seat acoustic room decorated by 5 4x5 foot photographs of jazz greats that I had done." I also sang occasionally at the Jazz Spot." By Feb. of 2001, the Jazz Spot was well on it’s way to becoming a nationally recognized jazz venue and my life made another turn." I met my future wife, Kathleen, and left the Jazz Spot, relocating to Ketchum, Idaho where we live most of the year." I also have a small studio in our home in Los Angeles." Much of my time now is scanning and working on images from my past, iconic images of Michael Jackson during his years at Motown, Marvin Gaye, Mohammed Ali, Joe Namath and many other legends I’ve had the privilege of photographing.

I’ve also continued to sing with jazz musicians in L.A. and Ketchum. In 2010 and 2011 I produced two shows called 65 Years Of Music (66 the next year) where I tell the story of my musical life with songs." "The two 1 hour shows are " different than the jazz jobs. The jazz format is usually, I sing, band plays and I sing."

These shows were continuous music and talk, harking back to the old saloon and nightclub days."

It was great fun and a great challenge. " I could never have predicted my story, but the lessons from my jazz mentors have stayed with me." Keep practicing, keep doing, be in the moment and keep creating." Never play the tune the same way twice or as the great jazz drummer Shelly Manne said, once!" The story continues.

Jim Britt

Order Individual EMagazines $10 ea.

Related Issue

Extra’sFEATURES b y

K a r e n

E l k i n s

SEE OUR SAMENESS...

THE TREE & ME CLICK HERE

Designed by Science to Sage Design www.sciencetosagedesign.com

THOUGHT ON EDUCATION

BY KAREN ELKINS

Science to Sage International E-Magazine http://sciencetosagemagazine.com/