History & Celestial Time

The following article will be one of the topics of conversation at the upcoming CPAK (Conference on Precession and Ancient Knowledge) to be held October 6-7, at the University of California, San Diego,' says Walter Cruttenden, who reports.

Giorgio de Santillana, the former professor of the history of science at MIT, tells us that most ancient cultures believed consciousness and history were not linear but cyclical, meaning they would rise and fall over long periods of times. In his landmark work, Hamlet's Mill, Giorgio and co-author Hertha von Dechend, showed that the myth and folklore of over 30 ancient cultures around the world spoke of a vast cycle of time with alternating Dark and Golden Ages that move with the precession of the equinox. Plato called this the Great Year.

Although the idea of a great cycle timed by the slow precession of the equinox was common to multiple cultures before the Christian era, most of us were taught this is just a fairytale; there was no Golden Age. However, an increasing body of new astronomical and archaeological evidence suggests the cycle may have a basis in fact. More importantly, understanding the cycle might provide insight into where society is headed at this time and why consciousness may be expanding at an exponential rate. Understanding the cause of precession is key to understanding the cycle.

The standard theory of precession says it is principally the Moon's gravity acting upon the oblate Earth that must be the cause of the Earth's changing orientation to inertial space, aka the ‘precession of the equinox'. However, ancient sources say the observable of an equinox slowly moving or ‘precessing' through the 12 constellations of the zodiac is simply due to the motion of the solar system through space (changing our viewpoint from Earth). Here at the Binary Research Institute, we have modelled a moving solar system and found it does indeed better produce the precession observable and resolves a number of solar system anomalies such as the uneven distribution of angular momentum within the solar system and the variable rate of precession. Beyond the technical considerations, a moving solar system might provide a logical reason why we have a Great Year with alternating Dark and Golden Ages. That is, if the solar system carrying the Earth actually moves in a huge orbit, subjecting the Earth to the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum of another star or EM source along the way, we could expect this would affect our magnetosphere, ionosphere and indirectly all life in a pattern commensurate with that orbit. Just as the Earth's smaller diurnal and annual motions produce the cycles of day and night and the seasons (both due to the Earth's changing position in relation to the EM spectrum of the Sun), so might the larger celestial motion be expected to produce a cycle that affects life and consciousness on a grand scale.

The hypothesis for how consciousness would be affected in such a celestial cycle builds on the work of Dr Valerie Hunt, the former professor of physiology at UCLA. In a number of studies she has found that changes in the ambient EM field (that surrounds us all the time) can dramatically affect human cognition and performance. In short, consciousness is affected by immersion in EM fields. Consequently, the concept behind the Great Year or cyclical model of history, consistent with myth and folklore, is based on the Sun's motion through space, subjecting the Earth to waxing and waning stellar fields (all stars are huge generators of EM spectra), resulting in the legendary rise and fall of the ages over great epochs of time.

In Lost Star of Myth and Time, we looked at some of the ancient myths about rising and falling ages tied to the precession cycle, explored current precession anomalies, outlined a dynamic solar system model that better explains the precession observable, and suggested a hypothesis for how a change in proximity to stellar-generated electro-magnetic fields might be the mechanism that induces cyclical changes on Earth. Here we would like to use this model as a guide to better understand where we have been in terms of consciousness and ancient civilisations in the past, and more importantly, where we are going in the future. As Graham Hancock stated, this ‘new – or very old – approach to the greatest problems of human history' could be ‘the ‘key to the mystery of the ages'.

Historical Perspective
Current theories of history generally ignore myth and folklore and do not consider any macro external influences on consciousness. For the most part, modern history theory teaches us that consciousness or history moves in a linear pattern from primitive to modern with few exceptions. Some of its tenets include:

•  Mankind evolved out of Africa ,
•  People were hunter-gatherers until about 5000 years ago,
•  Tribes first banded together for protection from other warring parties,
•  Written communication must precede any large engineered structures or populous civilisations.

The problem with this widely accepted paradigm is that it is not consistent with the evolving interpretation of recently discovered ancient cultures and anomalous artefacts. In the last 100 years major discoveries have been made in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, the Asian plains, South America and in many other regions that break the rules of history theory and push back the time of advanced human development. Specifically, they show ancient man was far more proficient and civilised nearly 5000 years ago than he was during the more recent Dark Ages of just a thousand years ago. In Caral, an ancient complex on the west coast of Peru, we find six pyramids that are carbon dated to be 4700 years old, a date contemporaneous with Egyptian pyramids and rivalling the time of the first major structures found in the so called ‘Cradle of Civilisation' in Mesopotamia. However, Caral is an ocean away from the ‘cradle', and we find no evidence of any writing or weaponry, two of the so-called necessities of civilisation. At the same time we do find beautiful musical instruments, astronomically aligned structures and evidence of commerce with distant lands. Clearly, such sites defy the standard historical paradigm. But what is stranger still is that so many of these civilisations seemed to decline en mass.

In ancient Mesopotamia, Pakistan, Jiroft, Iran and adjacent lands we see knowledge of astronomy, geometry, advanced building techniques, sophisticated plumbing and water systems, incredible art, dyes and fabrics, surgery, medicine and many other refinements of a civilised culture that seemed to arise from nowhere yet were completely lost over the next few thousand years. By the time of the worldwide Dark Ages every one of these civilisations had turned to dust or nomadic ways of life. Near the depths of the downturn there were ruins and little else to be found. And in some areas where larger populations still remained, such as throughout parts of Europe, poverty and disease were often rampant and the ability to read, write or duplicate any of the earlier engineering or scientific feats had essentially disappeared. What happened?

While records of this period are still very spotty, the archaeological evidence indicates consciousness, reflected as human ingenuity and capability, was greatly diminished. We just seemed to have lost the ability to do the things we used to do. Ironically, this is just what many ancient cultures predicted. The world's foremost Assyrianologist, Stefan Maul, shed light on this phenomenon in his Stanford Presidential Lecture when he tells us that the Akkadians knew they lived in a declining era; they revered the past and tried to hang on to it but at the same time lamented and predicted the Dark Ages that would follow. His etymological studies of cuneiform tablets show the ancient words for ‘past' have now become our words for ‘future', whereas their words for the ‘future' have now become our words for the ‘past'. It is almost as if mankind orients his motion through time depending on whether he is in an ascending or descending age.

We find this principal of waxing and waning periods of time depicted in numerous bas-reliefs found in ancient Mithraic temples. The famed Tauroctany or bull slaying scene, is often surrounded by two boys, Cautes and Cautopetes. One holds a torch up on one side of the zodiac, indicating it is a time of light, the other holds a torch down on the other side of the zodiac, indicating it is a time of darkness. As the accompanying chart will show, these time periods correspond with the Vedic description of when the Earth goes through periods of rising and falling consciousness.

Jarred Diamond, the well-known historian anthropologist and author of Guns, Germs and Steel makes a good case that it is primarily local geographic and environmental advantages on the planet Earth that determine which group of humans succeeds or fails versus another. Those that have the steel, guns and bad germs win. While this helps explain many regional differences of the last few thousand years it does not address the macro trends that seemed to have affected all cultures (including China and the Americas ) as they slipped into the last worldwide Dark Age. The cyclical or Great Year model overlays and augments Jarred Diamond's observations giving a reason for the widespread downturn. It suggests that it is not just the geography and environment of man on Earth that determines his relative success but it is also the geography and environment of the Earth in space that affects mankind on a vast scale. Just as small celestial motions affect life over the short term so do large celestial motions affect us over the long term.

Understanding that consciousness may indeed rise and fall with the motions of the heavens gives meaning to ancient myth and folklore and puts anomalous artifacts such as the Antikythera device into an historical context that makes sense. It speaks to why so many ancient cultures might have been fascinated with the stars and it provides us with a workable paradigm in which to understand history. It could also help us identify the forces that propelled the renaissance and that may be accelerating consciousness in the current era. Myth and folklore, the scientific language of yore, provide a colourful look at consciousness throughout the different ages.

The ancient Greek Antikythera computer & the Baghdad battery.

Character of the Ages
The Greek historian Hesiod tells us of the wonderful nature of the last Golden Age when ‘peace and plenty' abounded. Hopi myths tell us of cities on the bottom of the sea. Typically ancient peoples broke the great cycle into an ascending and descending phase, each with four periods. For example, the Vedic or Hindu culture tells us that when the Autumnal Equinox moves from Virgo to Aires we go through the ascending Kali, Dwapara, Treta and Satya Yugas (the golden era) before slowly declining in reverse order as the equinox completes its journey. The Greeks and other early Mediterranean civilisations used like periods and labelled them the Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden Ages. More distant cultures such as the Maya or Hopi used still other names such as ‘worlds' or ‘Suns', and labelled them ‘fourth or fifth', to identify the recent epochs.

A relatively modern proponent of the cyclical system was the Sanskrit Sage, Swami Sri Yukteswar, author of The Holy Science . He taught that the position of our solar system relative to another star now indicates we are in recent transition from the lowest material age, the Kali Yuga, into the electrical or atomic age, the Dwapara Yuga. In this period, it is said we begin to see the world as more transparent as we move from an awareness of self as a physical body in a strictly physical universe, to an awareness that we are something more, living in a universe filled with subtle forces and energies. The technological discoveries of the laws of gravity, electricity and magnetism just in the last few hundred years give this idea credence – and the trend is accelerating. In the last century it has even been discovered that physical matter is not really solid at all. We have found it is made of molecules and these in turn are made of atoms, which are themselves constituted of 99.9% empty space. The little bit of matter that does exist in the heart of the proton and neutron, is now thought to be principally vibrating energy, at least according to the latest String Theory. Indeed, reality is looking more and more ethereal just as the hoary Vedas predict.

Ages beyond the present are difficult to grasp because a lesser consciousness cannot behold a greater consciousness anymore than a cup of water cannot hold the ocean. So we tend to extrapolate the past material view of things when envisioning the future - more gadgets and technology. But the Oriental teachings about cycles indicate this is just a passing phase. They say the real trend is towards a god-like state where the physical is but a manifestation of something from the other, higher realms. And so it seems when we read Greek mythology or pages of Vedic scripture.

The Silver Age or Treta Yuga, the third age (from the bottom) is the Greek ‘age of the demigods', or to the yogis of India , the age of divine magnetism and the mind. While this is a difficult concept to grasp consider the story of Babel .

Supposedly before Babel (pre-3100BC in the last descending Treta Yuga) humanity spoke with one tongue and communed freely with nature. The Old Testament tells us mankind began to build ‘towers' and then languages were ‘confused' and people could no longer understand one another (Genesis 11:1-9). In the standard theory of history this story makes no sense but in the cyclical model it has great meaning. It would have occurred around the time of the first tower buildings in ancient Mesopotamia , probably between 3000BC and 3500BC. This is precisely around the time (3100BC) when according to Sri Yukteswar the world declined from the descending Treta yuga into the descending Dwapara yuga, a time when clairvoyance and telepathy were lost (Click here for chart – Adobe-Acrobat-file-21.7-KB). We learn from Paramahansa Yogananda, another proponent of the yuga cycle and the famed author of Autobiography of a Yogi , that this time will come again in the year 4100AD when we pass from the ascending Dwapara into the ascending Treta yuga. He tells us at this time there will once again be a ‘common knowledge of telepathy and clairvoyance'. Perhaps then we will better understand the meaning of the ancient myths.

The Treta Yuga is said to be the age of levitation, telepathy, a time of shaman and wizards of old, when tremendous physic and mental abilities were common, truly an ‘age of the demigods'. We have all heard stories about mythical powers of saints and sages who have these gifts. Now seen as rare, the majority of people don't take these reports seriously or realise that we too might have this same latent ability in a higher state of consciousness. Yet, this is exactly what the ancients told us. In fact, Christ was quoting the far more ancient scriptures of the Old Testament when in the depths of the last Dark Age he said; ‘Is it not written that ye are gods,' and he himself embodied this consciousness when he said, ‘These things that I do ye shall do also.'

The final stage in the cycle of time is the Golden Age or Satya Yuga. It is considered the highest time on Earth. If the Treta or Silver age is inconceivable to us today, then the Golden Age must sound like a myth or a dream. The Greeks called it the ‘age of the gods' and the myth and folklore of the Vedas and ancient Egypt hint that this was a time when gods literally walked the Earth and most of mankind lived in perfect harmony with nature and the heavens. While there now remains very little physical evidence of this long ago period, we do find that virtually every ancient megalithic construction prior to the year 1500BC seems to be oriented towards some astronomical or cardinal point. Going back further there are signs multiple structures may have been aligned to mirror constellations or the larger heavens. The Golden Age is said to be a time when we could perceive and communicate with astral or causal realms and directly know God without the intermediacy of any religion. Again, this sounds like little more than a fairy tale given our current state of consciousness, but it is a theme common to ancient peoples who spoke and wrote of the long lost higher ages.

Predictive Value
Admittedly, the higher ages sound incredible but we hope to show evidence at the next CPAK and through future papers, books and film that the cycle has a basis in fact, driven by the solar system's motion through space. Just as the seasons of the year, caused by the Earth's orbit around the Sun, can be forecast in time (through calendars and various astronomical means) so can the seasons of the Great Year be calculated by the slow precession of the equinox.

The cyclical model is not only precisely measurable (by monitoring the annual change in the precession rate, now about 50.29 arc seconds per year) but I believe it has predictive value. I am presently working on a new book showing changes we can expect over the next few decades to few thousand years as we progress through the Great Year. It is based on cross interpretations of myth and folklore, extrapolation of trends and interviews with futurists. During the current transition from the Kali age (of gross material consciousness) to the early Dwapara era (of an awareness of energy and finer forces) we are manifesting our heightened awareness and increasing ingenuity through an endless array of technology that allows us to annihilate the barriers of time and space. We can now fly just about anywhere on the globe within the time it takes the planet to make one spin on its axis. Likewise, we can instantly communicate with someone on the other side of the Earth and send them a picture or video of almost any event, real time. All these things were not only impossible but also unthinkable just 100 years ago.

Underlying this trend there is actually a greater concern for nature. We will see, more and more, a return to living in tune with Mother Earth and it will be facilitated by greater understanding and thinner technology. As technology becomes something hidden in the background, we can expect some amazing changes. For example, while we currently still need antennas to transmit communications (and soon power) or silicon to compute or store information even these may be outmoded in the future. Physicist John Dering has speculated that given the trend of compute power sometime in the not too distant future we will develop interface devices that allow us to pick up the wave forms captured by trees or the antennae of bugs, and we may be able to tap into and decipher all the information (waveforms) that have ever passed by a rock or any inanimate object in the landscape. Could it be that our ancient ancestors better understood the subtle qualities of stone? Another CPAK author, John Burke, has already shown that ancient cultures had a tremendous knowledge of electromagnetism as evidenced by the outer stones at Avebury where he has demonstrated all of the standing stones magnetic poles are identically aligned. He has also shown that some Indian Shaman in the American West can find areas of high electrostatic charge or geophysical discontinuities just by feel. They use these areas for healing purposes. Contemplating these ideas gives new meaning to the stories of our ancient ancestors. Understanding their wisdom may be key to understanding our future.

Send inquiries or comments to Walter@TheGreatYear.com and visit www.CPAKonline.com for more.

Walter Cruttenden is the Director of the Binary Research Institute, an archaeoastronomy think tank located in Newport Beach , California . His focus is on the astronomy, mythology and artifacts of ancient cultures, with an emphasis on history theory and cycles of consciousness. Walter is the author of Lost Star of Myth and Time - a studied look at ancient cultures throughout the world and their belief in a vast cycle of time with alternating Dark and Golden Ages. Previously, he wrote and produced the award winning documentary, The Great Year , narrated by James Earl Jones.

Physical Mastery

'One of the most common challenges that I have noticed in people over the years is that of the physical body and the material world. This is even more apparent in those who are seeking spiritual meaning and holistic living. Perhaps in our pursuit of the spiritual we forget that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Our physical world is as important as the spiritual. It is through the physical life experience that our soul learns and grows,' says Belinda Doveston, who reports.

This kind of karmic pattern is noticeable through certain behaviour, such as:

What we need to do is to work towards mastering our physical world, bringing our experience of our physical selves into balance with the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of our lives. Physical mastery develops our relationship with our physical body, helping us to realise that not only our actions, but our thoughts and emotions, affect our physical well-being and our ability to contribute positively. Take a look at the four aspects of physical mastery below and see which ones you could develop further in your life:

Being present in our physical body & environment
This means that we are able to connect to our physical body and environment, developing a balanced appreciation of our ability to hear, see, touch, feel and taste. There is so much that we can enjoy through our senses, if we are doing so in a balanced way. Just think of what it feels like to smell a delicious bunch of roses or the aroma of coffee wafting from a corner café. Can you imagine life without being able to feel the touch of another or seeing the rich greens of the forest? And let me not get started on food as a sensory delight. When we are so busy rushing from one task to another, we often forget to be fully present in our senses and environment. Go out into nature and spend a few moments connecting to everything you can hear, see, touch, taste and feel. You might even experience that time slows down in those few precious moments.

Understanding the mind-body connection
People are realising more and more that our physical ailments are a manifestation of a process of blocked energy that is seeking to release itself. These blockages could be created through our ancestry, toxicity in our environment and food, as well as negative mental and emotional habits. Our body is a wonderful feedback mechanism that tells us what is really going on. Our job is to listen to our body and understand how it is expressing these mental and emotional habits. If we are not fully present in our physical selves, it may take us a while to register what is going on within us. Every time you suffer from illness of any kind, reflect on what message your body is trying to convey to you. What locked patterns can you shift that would release the energy to bring the needed healing?

Making responsible & positive choices
The gift and curse of humanity is our free will. We have used it to soar to great heights of achievement and to fall into the depths of power abuse and harm against others. In our own lives we are faced with choice on a daily basis. Stress and busy lives hinder our ability to make the choices that are in our best interests. However, as our bodies are the living temples of our souls, we cannot progress on our journey without learning how to make good choices when it comes to our physical well-being. This not only involves making good choices. We also have to educate ourselves so that we are conscious of the choices we are making. I encourage you to pursue knowledge on nutrition, the food and water you drink, the products you use and what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle. Organic living in every aspect of life is something we can aim for to support this process. And remember that we are also responsible for making choices that positively affect our physical environment as well.

Managing stress & achieving balance
Stress is a killer. Our bodies are not designed to cope well with prolonged stress and without adequate nutrition, this is even further compounded. As time speeds up and we cram more and more into fewer hours, we have to learn to manage stress instead of wishing it away. Besides healthy eating, exercise, adequate hydration and rest, there are many simple activities we can do to help us relax. Meditation is the key practice that you can use to bring quietness and peace into your physical body. We should be meditating for at least half an hour every day, which can seem impossible to do, yet when you get into the habit you realise what a precious gift it is. If this seems daunting, even a few minutes a day of deep breathing can make a big difference.

Our physical body is there to help us grow and to experience pleasure of many different types. Instead of rejecting the body, why not fall in love with it and with all the incredible opportunities it brings our soul. Go out and enjoy your physical world in a balanced and harmonious way.

Belinda Doveston is the co-founder and managing director of MetaVarsity, a college of metaphysics focused on using practical, outcomes-based education to help you develop personal mastery in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of your life. For more information on MetaVarsity's learning programme, contact +21-27-426-4538, info@metavarsity.com, or www.metavarsity.com.

THE STORM

Elsa Davids recounts an experience of a flood, from a holistic perspective.

It all st art ed with the serenade of a frog in the pond. It sounded like a crow in distress, and on further investigation I found the biggest frog with a scrawny little frog hanging tenaciously to her back, and for most of the day he clung there. Odd I thought, not realising that perhaps the strange pair knew a thing or two that was yet to be revealed to me.

During the course of the day Billy called to say there was a warning out for possible flooding and very bad weather. Guess it was time to batten down the hatches and move possessions to the upper floor. I passed the message on to the rest of the folk in our little hamlet, and went about moving the dog food, preparing a bath of water for the koi fish, should they need to be moved from the pond. Books were moved and for the most I seemed to have everything under control and settled into the business of the day.

The rain came, the wind whipped through the garden and churned up the river. Night came. I was ripped out of my slumber by the ringing phone. A huge volume of water was on the way I was told, and my he art raced. I called all those in the village with whom I had contact with, ‘Time to move,' I said. I called the emergency services who asked me to keep them informed as to the situation.

I donned my rain gear and sloshed down the road to Thelma a pensioner. Loaded her into her car and drove her to higher ground, saw her safely into accommodation, then caught a ride home with Elina, my dear neighbour who had followed us in order to bring me home. There was already a lot of water on the road. I collected my vehicle and drove it to higher ground, and by 6.30am was at home to move the last items upstairs, which included lugging the lawnmower upstairs. I packed an overnight bag for the dogs and I, hoping that it would not be necessary.

I lit candles, put on music, and prayed that God be gentle with us. The rain was very heavy, the wind had whipped the trees up into a frenzy, and still I waited and watched. High tide would be at 3.00pm and that was when the peak of the flood was expected, still hours away, or it might never happen.

A silence enveloped our valley, a brooding silence, the sky heavy, the water rising. Not a bird call to be heard. The silence stirred my emotions, and I longed for my family who seemed so far away; I was feeling quite isolated.

9.00am , the river burst its banks, now the situation became very real as I watched this rich chocolate covered water encroaching on my property. Within 15 minutes it was halfway into my garden and rising fast. ‘Be gentle with us I whispered as I peered through the rain washed window panes, leaving a mistiness from my breath on the cold panes, ‘be gentle with the birds and animals, be gentle‘.

10.00am and the sound of voices over loud halers drifted through the storm, urging folk from low areas to move. The throb of helicopter engines were heard as they flew overhead, hidden from view by the driving rain and cloud. My he art quickened, the dogs were restless, huddling around my feet, the cat all the while slept peacefully on the pillow on my bed. I ran from window to window, from deck to deck, not believing what I was seeing. Garden gates forced open by the volume of water, logs and debris floating through my garden. My canoes, I realised. I raced out into knee deep water, and fastened the canoe to a tree. Wow the water was icy. Inside, I threw on dry clothes and had a quick cuppa. The temperature had dropped as quickly as the water had risen.

I leaned over the banister and looked down into the computer room, the water was oozing in through the outside walls and under the doors, pushing away the rolls of carpet and towels I had put in place, I went downstairs, opened the door leading into the garage only to find the garage awash, and shut the door quickly. Muddy water was everywhere. I peered into the flatlet and found the lounge suite was floating. The candle I had placed in a saucer and lit was still burning and was floating on the water. The water was running so strongly around the house, swirling around the pillars and corners. Every now and then there would be a thud as something bumped into the walls. The house sounded like a hubbly bubbly as water bubbled up through the floors downstairs.

It was scary, and I was completely at the mercy of the storm. The water table had risen so rapidly, and bubbled up through fissures in the dry clay (due to recent drought conditions), resulting in this loud bubbling sound.

Rubber ducks filled with wet and frightened residents whizzed back and forth, the water was now half way up the downstairs windows. It was so odd to see this amount of water inside, and the same depth running on the outside of the windows. My braai area had disappeared under the water. The water in the road was running way over the 4ft fencing, and where it ran between two vibracrete walls was running at about 5ft. My paddle ski floated into the computer room. I pulled on my backpack, put leads on the dogs and went downstairs. I tried to get the three of us onto the paddle ski to enable us to get to the road but they were too spooked and I aborted that mission.

The chopper flew in and hovered over the house. I raced upstairs and waved a towel. The chopper moved to the front of the house, but the wind had picked up, and the personnel signalled no go and that I was to go to the back. I ran to the back deck and stood ready, a dog under each arm, again the wind made it impossible and they signalled that I was to swim. I inched my way down the back stairs, feeling for each step hidden in the muddy water, stepped off the bottom step and found myself up to my neck in water, the dogs st art ed to swim and the water swept us through the lemon tree branches, past the top of the washing line and over the back fence. I grabbed a post and hooked my feet in, just in time to grab Noenoe, the granny staffie as she was swept by, and then Arny, the male. Their eyes were wild, and the pain in my groin from the wooden posts on the fence tore into my body. We clung there for perhaps 10 minutes, seemed like 10 days, no rubber duck came, so I decided to make my way back to the house. We were going against the flow of the river and I had to bounce on tippy toes to make any headway. The dogs inched their way forward as they swam in absolute terror. Noenoe would pause, and float back to me, swim around me, look at me with wild eyes and swim forward. Half way back to the house the rubber duck came and the crew called for us to swim. I turned around, the water tossed me like a cork, and threw us over the back fence again. ‘No dogs' shouted the crew. I became hysterical, there was no way I would leave my dogs behind, so they hauled Arny and I on board, by now Noenoe was being swept down the road, we picked her up as we passed. The force of the water pushed the rubber duck onto walls and stop street signs. There was a fury of activity around the rubber duck as the emergency team jumped on and off as they pushed the boat around obstacles. The passengers were all silent, and I clung to my two dear animal companions, after all we had been through so much together.

It was getting dark, and the night was filled with calls and shouting, with throbbing outboard motors and chattering teeth as we shivered. We were loaded onto the back of a parked utility vehicle to wait for a driver to drive us out. The water was rising. A front end loader came past with the bin filled with drenched survivors and their dogs. It created a mini tsunami, and the back of the utility was flooded. And still we sat – waiting. A fire tender came past, I waved for them to stop. They hauled the dogs and I into the cab and we waited for the next two boatloads of people who then scrambled onto the back. We were ferried out to high dry land where our vehicles were parked and where anxious friends and family were searching all the faces looking for a familiar one. I found my neighbours and we clung to each other sobbing – relieved the worst was over. Bystanders comforted my dogs. It was all too much. I headed for my vehicle and drove to Maggie my friend.

I knocked on her door, and only when she draped towels around the three of us did I realise how exhausted we were, and how relieved I was to be in a warm safe space. A mug of hot sweet tea was pressed into my hands and I sipped it gladly.

Dry clothes made a world of difference, so clutching a sleeping bag and pillow the dogs and I headed off to the van, clambered in and fell into a deep, yet dream filled sleep.

I awoke at 4.00am to a grey drizzly morning. I pulled on rain gear, took to the road and walked along the river bank alongside a turbulent and muddy river, carrying debris of every description out to sea. The beach front was badly eroded and the beach deep in timber of every description. The sea was muddy and brooding, the foam on the waves was all but white and pretty. The sea and river had claimed back a huge amount of land. In the grey dawn, figures appeared silently at the beachfront, some standing in awe at what had and was happening, others retrieving lumber from the shoreline. Here and there folk were hugging each other, or lost in conversation, heads bent, and shoulders hunched against the cold rain.

I felt so displaced and wanted to go home, even though it was wet and muddy it was still home. I walked back through the village lost in thought, climbed into the van and drove home only to be turned back by deep water, and so another day wandering on the shoreline, and camping in the van. I must say it was cosy, and the hot pies and vegies from Spar were pretty good. We were all exhausted and slept. One day slipped into another muddy wet day, day into night. Maggie tapped on the window of the van at 4.30am and called me in for coffee. We padded across the wet ground barefooted, made tea and hopped into her bed and snuggled down under the duvet and recalled childhood at Little Brak. It was good.

I drove home, and felt such happiness - the road was open. I walked into the house to be met by absolute chaos, mud and mess, and I wept, where do I st art ? I checked on my khoi fish in the bath, my two big fish which I had had for about six years had died, so my priority was to take the remaining four to a nursery and put them into one of their breeding dams. Crazy as it seems, it was hard for me to hand them over to someone else, but rather that, than to have them die. I felt very sorry for myself. No sooner had I returned when a policeman stopped me and said they were evacuating the area as more water was on its way. This is crazy, where must I go, I feel so displaced, I cannot go home, where do I belong. With that I spotted Elina, my friend standing in the middle of the road, shoulders hunched, her dog at her side, looking as dejected. I approached her, we looked at each other, and we both cried, and I took her in my arms, this is all I have to give. ‘Where now,' she said, ‘where now?'

A few hours later we were allowed to return home.

Back home, I emptied the downstairs section of the house and turned the hosepipe on and then began sweeping out mud, it was a thankless job. By night fall I was exhausted. No electricity or hot water, so I was still wearing mud splattered clothes. I fell asleep on the lounge floor, and slept well.

Early morning I went out onto the deck. A full pale yellow moon hung in a pink early morning sky, the image reflected on the still river, what a sight, ‘Oh God, how magnificent is all this'. I thought of a lotus pushing up through the mud in order to reveal the beauty of its bloom, and here in all this muddy surround I was given this picture of absolute unblemished perfection, it was a holy moment. ‘Thank you for having brought me through the storm and for presenting me with this magnificence,' I said.

I wandered through the quiet streets of the suburb. Not a sound was heard. Furniture and possessions were piled high in the gardens and carpets were hanging over garden walls. Garden walls were lying on the road, wet dogs sitting forlornly at garden gates, and yet there was a presence here in all this mud and stillness. I stood on the river bank and looked out through the grey misty rain, and as I did so, The Master Artist of life picked up his pallet and brush and with a single stroke created one of the most perfect rainbows I had seen. It was a living ribbon of myriads of colourful atoms, and I knew that the world was smiling, the storm was over and all was well. I breathed in and allowed the colour to permeate my very being, I felt the embrace of the Master of Life.

I passed the home of Ernie and Celia. They stood on their veranda, their home covered in a deep layer of mud. They lost everything, all that remained was a chair, and a sideboard, everything else was gone. ‘Hey pal,' said Ernie, ‘what a mess'.

I put my arms around this white haired gentle soul and hugged him tight. ‘This is all I have to give,' I said again.

I cannot remember which day it was, but I visited areas where there was absolute devastation and I was angry that there had been no follow up from the disaster management. I found folk in their 80s without a home, without food or electricity, and they were not the only ones.

After contacting the mayoress and then the emergency services I accompanied them on a tour through our area, and we came across folk living or existing in dreadful conditions, some had not eaten for three days and had no dry blankets or mattresses. We crawled through fences, walked up lanes, tramped through pools of sewerage and around each corner there was another situation.

The church stepped in and again I took to the streets and assisted with food hand outs. One man was sleeping on a table, and had not eaten in two days. I thought he was going to eat the jiffy packet that his sandwich was in.

A picture I will carry with me was that of three elderly people ranging from 70 to 80 sitting at an empty table, hands folded on their laps, and yet holding an air of dignity, I saw my mother in the face of the one woman as she said, ‘they say they are praying for me, but my stomach does not know what to do with the prayer as it wants bread, and my body is aching for strong arms to assist me to find my way'.

That afternoon, the folk of riverside drove through to the Mayors Chambers to attend a council meeting, in the hope that we would have some questions answered as to why draining areas had been blocked and roads had insufficient drainage, resulting in the flooding as water backed up into the houses. We sat in the chambers, a motley lot, and did not get the chance to speak.

The following day, I was busy sorting out tools in the garage, and sifting though the muddiness when the phone rang. The mayor's secretary informed me that my handbag was at the mayor's office. I drove through straight away and arrived at the office, blue Wellingtons , dirty hands and mud splattered clothing. ‘Please take a seat, the mayor wishes to speak with you,' I was told. ‘Oh my giddy aunt'. I felt like a student waiting at the door of the headmistress. I perched on the edge of the velvet chair. The mayoress arrived, immaculate in a pale blue outfit. She sat alongside me and enquired as to why so many people had been in the chambers yesterday, and I proceeded to share our dissatisfaction with events leading up to and following the flood. As shared my experience of finding the old and hungry folk, she st art ed to cry. I took her in my arms, and she sobbed. Her counsellors filed out of the chamber and headed into another. They paused a moment to witness this dirty woman holding their mayoress, said nothing and moved off. ‘May I connect with you in the new year?' she said. ‘Of course I replied, I would like to take you to sit quietly in the Karoo , and let the magic of that place heal you. I am a child of the Karoo , and it is a place of soul healing,' she replied.

I walked out of the municipal buildings and saw a man walking towards me. ‘Hallo, what is your name?' he asked. I replied ‘Sir I want you to know you are a beautiful soul'. Oh my goodness where did that come from? I felt elated, I wanted to skip and shout in the parking lot and drove home with a song on my lips.

God works in miraculous ways. We went to the Mayor en masse to share our grievances and got no joy, however God in his wisdom needed a spokes person, so hid my handbag, giving me the opportunity for a one on one, how marvellous is that?

It was such a privilege to experience and to be present in the storm, to be tossed about in the muddy water, to be scared, angry, emotional, and at the end to be filled with humility as I say not ‘Why me God,' but rather, ‘Why not me God?'

My gratitude for all who kept contact with me during the storm cannot be measured and is a treasured memory.

The river revealed the force of the water and if that is what it took in order to clear the water way of sand banks and debris that restricted its flow in order for the ebb and flow to be at its fullest, then it is good. I looked back on my life and now realise that at times some of the experiences I went through were very forceful and yet was it not due to those very experiences that I learned so many lessons, did they not bring to the surface many emotions allowing me to sit with them for a while, to take the wisdom and yes the knowledge that at no time was I alone, to a higher level of understanding, a stepping stone along my pat h.

I watched the storm toss out the debris, and for a moment it littered the beach and looked untidy, just as some of our emotional baggage might in our lives, and yet, that very flotsam had a use, that of re-stabilising the sand dunes, creating a foundation for new growth.

I learned from my experience in the flood that it is not about the trauma, and putting it aside and not visiting it again, it is about finding the light within that moment, finding the pearl within the oyster, that st art ed as an irritating grain of sand, and holding on to the value of that lesson, for it is through that very experience that we grow. I am not saying that we have to experience the worst in order to grow, I am saying it is about acknowledging the gift within that moment.

I walked down the beach, dawn just breaking, and way down the beach I found a friend. A root system of a tree that used to lie on the river bank near my home. I used to climb into the root system, it was my safe place from where I could pray, and I was delighted to find it. I climbed into the hollow of the trunk and silently thought back over the past week. I travelled deep within the self and found peace, I travelled back in thought and found the picture of the three old folks sitting around the empty table. I found deep within my soul gratitude of enormity for having been allowed to be present when the world seemed so volatile, and yet where the overshadowing peacefulness of the creator filled every cell of my being with love for life both physical and spiritual.

The rising sun spilt its orange glow over the brown sea, transforming it into a saffron coloured moving mass, and life breathed in and out once more. I found myself singing as I walked along the wet shoreline, the sounding filled the air, and it sounded like the ringing of a single big bell anchored on a buoy way out at sea.

The sea birds took to the sky and my soul flew with them as I experienced the freedom of life, of being-ness.

The storm is over, and because of that storm, the peacefulness of this place is even more tangible than before. The morning glow spun a cocoon of colour around me and I felt safe and warm, I felt ethereal, and yet real.

I expressed my joy in the only way I knew how. I drew a smiling face on the sand, and hoped that my loved ones in spirit, the beings of light and the Master would smile with me too.

The candle in the saucer had settled on the muddy floor.
The saucer filler with muddy water,
The candle caked in mud.
The light went out,
But gentle hands guided it over the water
And settled it gently on the tiled floor
As the water receded.
The light went out
But love preserved it.

- Press Release-

Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn to tour South Africa in 2008

Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the world's leading figures in meditation and a pioneer who has been instrumental in bringing meditation into the mainstream of medicine and society will tour South Africa for the first time in May this year.

Renowned as a scientist, writer and meditation teacher, Dr Kabat-Zinn's life work focuses on ‘mindfulness' – a concept that involves living in the moment, paying attention, and simply ‘being' rather than ‘doing'.

As a medical researcher, he has driven many of the breakthrough clinical and neurobiological studies that have allowed meditation to become a highly valued practice in hospitals and clinics globally – his empirical evidence over the past 25 years has broken down misconceptions and shown clearly that patients can either improve their health or simply come to feel better despite their illness by using these techniques.

He is being hosted by the Institute for Mindfulness South Africa and the UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) on his tour, which will feature public lectures and seminars as well as two retreats – one designed for health professionals, coaches and educators, and the other for corporate and thought leaders in South Africa .

Dr Simon Whitesman, Director of the Institute for Mindfulness South Africa, said the Institute felt privileged to be hosting someone of Dr Kabat-Zinn's stature in the global meditation and medical community, and added that mindfulness has particular relevance in South Africa.

‘Practising mindfulness is about working skilfully and compassionately, moment by moment with what we are experiencing in our lives. The kinds of issues we all struggle with in South Africa – such as illness, crime and social change – can all affect people deeply on a day-to-day level in life.

‘Being mindful though is not about controlling the world. It is essentially about the quality of awareness that you bring to each moment; it's a human and humane capacity that cultivates a deep sense of calmness and stability,' he said.

A Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr Kabat-Zinn was founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, and founder of its world-renowned Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts . The clinic has to date assisted over 17 000 medical patients with a wide range of diagnoses, conditions and disorders. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is now also offered at some two hundred medical facilities worldwide.

He has been extensively published in peer-review journals and as a writer he has also achieved widespread acclaim – he is the bestselling author of several books including Wherever You Go, There You Are and Full Catastrophe Living . He has also been featured on Oprah and has received numerous prestigious awards during his distinguished career.

For information of Jon Kabat-Zinn's tour and to book, go to www.mindfulness.org.za or contact Karin on +27 (0)83 270 9219 or jkztourinfo@kd-assoc.co.za . For details on the UCT GSB retreat, contact +27 (021) 406 1323 or abrahams@gsb.uct.ac.za .

To arrange an interview with Dr Simon Whitesman or for further information, please contact Michael Morgan or Melanie Blythe on 021 465 9568 or email info@rothko.co.za or melanie@rothko.co.za.

Cameron's Story

Christine of Link-up Garden Route & KleinKaroo, tells of healing involving a young boy.

After a magic weekend retreat, exploring Family Constellations, I found a pamphlet lying on the kitchen table which one of the participants, Beverly from Bloemfontein, had left behind.

It was an invitation to join into the worldwide ‘Fire the Grid Meditation'. Going into the Net to receive my mail I found another invitation from Christine, who is the editor of the Link Up for the Klein Karoo and the Garden Route , urging all her friends and community members to participate in the same event.

We love all excuses to meditate and so we gathered in the meditation hall of the Osho Neo Zen Monastery at the appropriate time. It turned out to be an incredibly beautiful meditation, very powerful and amazingly transcendental.

Since the above concept originated from an effort to help revive a child who was in a coma after nearly drowning in a car accident, a little boy came to my mind, named Cameron who lives in our area. His predicament had held my attention for a while already, although I had never actually met him.

His father, Mark, is selling goods at the Scarab Market in Sedgefield, where I am also selling, and so I asked him if he would consider to try help his son using similar guidelines as Shelly Yates, the originator of the Fire the Grid Meditation, had used for her little boy Evan. Mark discussed this with his wife Chantal and he phoned the same day, saying ‘yes' to the experiment, and it was decided to house the event at our Retreat Centre since we had the necessary facilities to accommodate such a process.

 The boy's predicament
(Chantal's letter)

Little Cameron is four and a half years of age. Since birth he has been faced with many challenges. Cameron has not developed as other children do. He is not able sit unassisted, hold his head up without support or hold a bottle. He is non-verbal, has very little if any vision and needs fulltime care.

Most of his life Cameron has suffered from intractable epileptic seizures. At the time of writing this, Cameron was experiencing approximately 40 epileptic seizures per day.

Despite all of these and many other challenges, Cameron has shown incredible strength and an almost unbelievable will to live. He has recovered from setbacks nobody thought he would survive.

Cameron and his family are exhausted. His parents urge all people who have the love, time and energy to spare to participate in an event dedicated to this very special child.  

The idea was that willing volunteers would spend about 30 minutes each with Cameron. During this time they would transfer positive energy and love to Cameron's body. They would do this by connecting their flesh to his, and by allowing their energy fields to flow with his. In this way they would give Cammie a ‘gift', such as a story, a song, some comforting words, prayer, healing techniques and so on. The process was going to be upheld for two consecutive days and nights.

We also invited volunteers who could not come to join us from a distance, lighting a candle and sending positive energy. Since there seemed to be a karmic involvement we asked everybody to join in a Meditation for Unconditional Forgiveness, because we were afraid that Cameron would use energy received to have more fits, which we certainly wanted to avoid. To help clearing karma collectively also seemed to be appropriate since all of us have lived for such a long time as a separate entity, suffering the consequences, going through all kinds of nightmares, which most probably could not have been avoided; ‘blaming' holding these nightmares in place. We hoped that this would help to bring relief to this innocent child and also to the world at large, in which case it would be the child who was bringing about healing. To forgive ourselves seemed to be a good start.

Guidelines suggested were:

We did a Full Moon retreat on the subject, discovering that forgiveness really could only happen by opening up to the wounds on the inner sky which led us and others to behave in ways which caused suffering. Meditating and exploring the human condition, it is becoming more and more clear that we all are living out different parts in the drama caused by a life dominated by greed and fear, showing up frequently in subtle forms, such as hope and resistance, not so easily detected as children of that union.

Since we all really are only one, all these reflections may need to be brought home and we may feel thankful for people who have acted out nightmares, since they may have done so to save ourselves from doing so. It also became clear that in absorbing particles which had gone away from home the furthest, the heart was stretching the biggest, releasing grace in the most unbelievable way.

We had no idea what this process would bring. I was a bit nervous, not sure how the boy would take to us and to the unfamiliar surroundings.

Sitting with him in the hall just after he arrived, it quickly become clear that this little boy was a little angel, bringing about the healing without even trying.

He made me feel at ease immediately, his hands warm and relaxed, despite his spastic movements.

Sitting with him again and again, I could see that this boy is living in a state of unconditional surrender, from moment to moment totally open and vulnerable and at the same time highly sensitive. In this surrender there is no one to give, since there is not even a separate ‘I' to start off with, and yet in that there is the most precious gift given. This boy certainly has the most beautiful diamond to share with us all, and I felt that giving him the space to allow him to give his gift was the only thing I could really give him.

The process was upheld beautifully, as nearly everybody honored their commitment, arriving in time for their participation at this somewhat remote place. People who were willing to do night shifts slept on the premises. Everybody was touched by this little boy, who did not cry even once, and who looked more and more relaxed and angelic as time went on.

During the second night mainly men arrived, and to see men in their softness was the most incredible flowering.

People from the most diverse backgrounds came, conservative Christians, Rastafarians, artists, housewives, healers, pensioners, children who were old enough to uphold 30 minutes of being present with Cameron, whites, blacks, coloureds and so on.

In the presence of this child all differences simply grumbled away. In the face of such innocence and purity all mind fell prostrate to the opening of the heart which embraced us all.

Everybody left deeply touched by the phenomenon, and people worldwide were giving feedbacks and offerings. One woman sent a song via her cell phone and it was received by the little boy lying in the Meditation Hall, some people met as groups in different towns and even continents to join in the process, others participated by themselves.

One dedicated woman sponsored Mark and Cameron to fly to JHB, to see Master Del Pe; they were fetched at the airport and accommodated in a hotel. Master Del Pe saw the boy three times.

It was incredible how much love was released by this little boy. Friends I meet in town are still tearful when talking about this event.

We are trying to house another event with Cameron in February, probably for a week.

Cameron needs a lot of care for his day to day living, and this can help to relieve the parents who have now another little child which is one-and-a-half years old.

We will feel privileged to have him here, and we will work out an appropriate framework, so that this can be a celebration of light, love and care.

We are thanking existence, Cameron, all our friends and other loving participants for the grace which showered and is still showering.

Image: Love Among the Ruins Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Soulmates

 As told by the couple Jillabelle and Bilben to Richard Benjamin.

Commencing the journey from the world of rank and possession, the pilgrims travelled silently through the histories of their minds, until all unnecessary harsh memories of that world evaporated. Only those needed for spiritual advancement, and all past beautiful thoughts, remained.

A crystal light penetrated into each soul and each pilgrim saw in one other, a reflection of the most treasured feelings each had previously known. Feeling irresistible attraction, they paired off, each couple developing a unique, intimate language.

The dance of the light-beams, created in the pilgrims an illusion that each had chosen a partner of absolute beauty - that perfect being they knew they'd always desired.

Farther along the path, the energy of enlightenment delivered to them the knowledge, that each had been reconnected to the mirror of their soul, from whom they had all once parted.

When he first heard her voice, it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. Her gentle, eloquent phrases streamed to him, like the song of a silver bird, praising Creation from the heart. As he told her of this perception, she felt glorious and he could feel the growing intensity of her glow.

When he talked to her, it made her laugh delightfully and he told her tales she'd always wanted to hear, but no one else could tell her. It seemed he knew that these were exactly what she'd wanted to hear. Even though she felt shy, she bravely told him this and felt encouraged that she was able to do so.

She confided that she had chosen the path to train, to help others feel whole again. He said he loved her ambition. It was so close to his. He'd taken the path to practice, to write poems and stories for others to read, and know about a spiritual concept called ‘healing'.

Simultaneously they realised they had chosen the same path and the same destination.

The boy pilgrim told his partner his name was Bilben. She responded that hers was Jillabelle. He said it was a perfect name because when she said it, it sounded to him just like she made him feel. He added that she was beautiful, but she shook her head sadly. He smiled and told her, he knew he was certain about this, because he had glimpsed deep inside her.

As they walked on silently, she placed her hand in his and they enjoyed the warming comfort of the first contact of their bodies. When they kissed, it was unlike any kiss either had experienced before. As their mouths joined and melted into gentle waves of delightful sensation, their kiss became one united consciousness - one blended soul.

The light faded and they lay down to rest together for the first time, grateful for the day they'd spent in one another's company.

Lying alongside her, he dreamed they were tiny children.

They crawled into the same space on the nursery floor and felt comfortable and secure together. She sensed that he didn't want to push and grab her as other boys had done. He was gentle and calm beside her.

Whenever they played together, they forgot about everyone and everything else, until the day was over and they were separated. Though they learned that they belonged in different homes with their own families, they knew they also belonged together and came from the same far-off place.

Together they had no need for toys. They were happy just to look at pretty flowers and trees. On the shore playing in the sand and picking up shells, they were happiest. In one another's presence, everything looked, felt and tasted sweeter.

After his dream, Bilben put his hand under her blouse to caress her breast, but she stopped him gently and held it tightly in hers. He worried that she found him unattractive, but she assured him this was not so.

They showed one another the remnants of their memories.

Once on earth, Jillabelle had a partner who bullied and hurt her and took her for granted. She then felt she could never love or be loved.

Bilben had loved one, who in his absence, forgot all about him and gave herself to another. He decided he could never trust a partner completely.

Unforgiving of herself for her misjudgement, Jillabelle chose solitude, rebuffing the approaches of would-be suitors.

Bilben bypassed the need to trust, by engaging in meaningless relationships with unsuitable partners, thinking he was escaping his solitude.

Separately they cried tears of sorrow and existed alone in the consciousness of a cold, meaningless static universe.

The experience of these broken relationships constituted the memories that remained, though these were no longer painful. The other beings involved in their unhappy experiences, now received their full forgiveness, and the memories became criteria, with which to avoid the choice of a wrong, painful path ever again.

By now both had been granted the gift to recognise souls. He tenderly affirmed the beautiful qualities she'd kept dormant, through guilt and the fear of another wound. His awareness of the need for restraint, allowed her to unlock and reveal her sensitive true self, at her own pace. She discovered she could trust his tenderness as the sincere expression of his love. He saw she was regaining the trust that long ago he'd also abandoned and he mirrored her recovery joyously.

They understood they'd been paired together, in need of mutual healing through one another.

Tears became a frequent mode of expression, but only manifesting an overwhelming sense of joy. Together they knew they had entered an infinite, warm universe and their journey had spiritual purpose.

Jillabelle and Bilben felt unsurpassed exhilaration whenever they were together. Each meeting exceeded expectation. Sometimes they asked each other why this should be so. Deep down they knew that it was meant to be like this - they'd earned this union, which demanded total gratitude and respect for whichever force united them.

Though he longed to make love to her, he loved her need to unravel and blossom at her own pace. When she sensed his vision of her whole being, she felt secure as never before and they became steadily and more confidently intimate. Both were aware that all their joy and happiness was related to the recovery of true feelings in one another.

Each kiss and touch transcended any they'd ever known, creating sensations beyond their dreams and imaginations and when they finally made love they became two healed and renewed beings - soul-mates who knew, that throughout the relationships of their separate pasts, neither had truly loved before.

The union of Jillabelle and Bilben made music with melodies they'd never heard, whose measures marked how far they'd grown, a duet they named ‘Rebirth'.

Bilben described the journey of their souls in his first poem of ‘Healing':

No landmarks where we wander.
No departure times,
milestones, destinations,
nor inn to break our journey.

Our passage – images in tales,
recounting separate lives we led -
down aeons of light
toward our last soul-overlapping.

 Through eyes and gaze we pass.
Beside smooth cheeks, our lips
explore each contour of one being.

With mouths entwined in dance,
by myriads of stars we drift,
reborn in grasping lost emotions.

No styles we step –
free form in re-awakening.

On songs we drift –
our dreams, in tune, unravelling.

A walk to the stupa ……
By Paula Marsh

If you find yourself in Southern Spain, near the city of Málaga , looking for a tranquil place to take visitors, you will find such a place just off the Trapiche junction on the way to Velez-Málaga.

Pedro and Dorrit Gómez bought the small hamlet of Aldea Alta back in 1981, after having received teachings from Ole and Hannah Nydahl, (among the first western students of the 16 th Karmapa), and decided to found a small Buddhist community. Lama Ole gave the name Karma Guen , ‘the place where the protectors of Karmapa reside'.

Since then the place has grown from the small community of volunteers to see the construction of a large teaching hall that has a capacity of 2500. The interiors were hand painted by artists from Nepal , whilst the beautiful wooden doors were also carved in Nepal and sent out to Spain .

For more information: www.karmaguen.org , www.stupabenalmadena.org

About Amma

Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, or Amma (Mother) as she is affectionately known, is healing the heart of the world. Her love and compassion has endeared her to millions. She is today recognised as one of the world's foremost spiritual leaders, and has been invited to speak at the United Nations several times. Her compassion crosses all barriers of nationality, race and religion. People from all religious faiths and from all walks of life come to her to experience her extraordinary love. Whenever Amma is asked about her religion, she replies that her religion is Love.

Crowds of up to 50 000 wait patiently in line, often well into the night, for a chance to receive a blessing, a motherly hug and a few soothing words from this smiling woman in a simple white sari. They know that their turn will come; she doesn't turn anyone away, even if it means embracing people for 24 hours at a stretch, nor does she charge any money. With equal love for all, she embraces everyone who comes to her. It is estimated that she has embraced 24 million people during the last 30 years.

Amma is also widely known for her vast, extensive humanitarian work for which the UN has made her organisation an affiliated NGO.

Almost 3000 people live at her ashram in India, where they are trained by Amma on the spiritual path and do selfless service, helping the poor and the suffering, including tens of thousands of tsunami victims in India. As the world-renowned Dr Jane Goodall said of Amma at the UN: 'She stands before us as God's Love in a human body.'

About Brahmachari Shubamrita Chaitanya

Brahmachari Shubamrita Chaitanya (pictured above, middle) has lived with Amma as a monastic disciple since 1989. He is one of Amma's translators and also one of Amma's most travelled monks, spending several months a year holding programmes and giving courses in Amma's Integrated Amrita Meditation technique (IAM) throughout Europe and India, and also in Kenya where Amma has a center. Shubamrita is also known as a wonderful composer and singer of bhajans (Indian devotional songs.)

During his programmes in South Africa he will give talks on spirituality, the Holy Mother, and her teachings. He will also hold meditation sessions, sing devotional songs, and conduct question and answer sessions.

All of his programmes will be open to the public and are free of charge. Everyone is welcome!

Email ammasmira@gmail.com for more.

A New Earth (CD): Jonny Noordhoek

The sounds emanating from the speakers as I listened to this CD immediately reminded me of the greats from the '60s and '70s such as John Lennon and Pink Floyd, along with more recent artists like Coldplay. This album can easily be described as rock ballads of yesteryear with a message that has never been more important than today. Jonny has some of Cape Town's leading music aficionados contributing to this album, such as Robin Auld, Chris Tokalon and Jo Rowlands providing a stunning platform for him to work with. The album was recorded in Noordhoek, a suburb of Cape Town, and the inspiration of that place is most certainly evident. This album is definitely one to put on while enjoying the splendour of the Earth's natural beauties. For more info visit his website www.jonnynoordhoek.com. Kevin Rule

AN EVENING OF MEDIUMSHIP WITH GORDON SMITH

Come and share an Evening of Mediumship with Gordon Smith in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg! Here you will witness for yourself Gordon's phenomenal psychic gift and the reason why he is "hailed as the UK's most accurate medium".  Hear about Gordon's incredible ‘awakening' to his astounding gift and touching stories about those who Gordon has helped transition from fear and uncertainty about their loved ones' passing to understanding, acceptance and closure.

Durban:   Wednesday 23 April, 6.30 – 9.30pm  Sun Coast Casino Conference Centre

Cape Town:  Thursday 24 April 6.30 – 9.30pm   Belmont Square Conference Centre

Johannesburg:   Saturday 26 April 2 – 5pm   Southern Sun Grayston Drive, Sandton

ADVANCED MEDIUMSHIP AND PSYCHIC AWARENESS WORKSHOP

Johannesburg only:  Monday 28 April 10.30am – 1.30pm  Southern Sun Grayston Drive, Sandton

DR DEMARTINI IN SOUTH AFRICA

PUBLIC TALK - LIFE WITH PURPOSE
CT - WED 26 MARCH; JHB - WED 2 APRIL; DURBAN - WED 9 APRIL; 19:00; R100

PUBLIC TALK - THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
CT - THURS 27 MARCH; JHB - THURS 3 APRIL; DURBAN - THURS 10 APRIL; 18:30; R180

THE BREAKTHROUGH EXPERIENCE
CT - 29 & 30 MARCH; JHB - 5 & 6 APRIL; DURBAN - 12 & 13 APRIL; 24 HOURS; R6300

www.drdemartini.co.za

 

THE POWER OF ONE: CREATING IN THE MOMENT This art-based workshop is a hands-on opportunity for you to introduce yourself to the new “energy-field thinking” in a creative and original way. It will be held in the beautiful tranquil surroundings of the Phakalane Centre for Living Ritual at Hout Bay . THE COURSE will allow you to: experience learning through the body, and through creating; feel your inner connectedness via the primary image of the Mother and Child, and discover what it means to each of us as a healing and creative force in our psyche; work creatively with different materials: clay, drawings, closed eye work, & movement; view related visual art images, time permitting; enjoy stress release, inner balancing, and awakening the Child within. Be prepared for some remarkable discoveries! DATES: 26 and 27 April 2008 VENUE: Phakalane Centre for Living Ritual, Hout Bay, Cape Town COST: R1100 p/p (includes materials & lunch) BOOKINGS: Sybille Nagel 082 774 5576 ABOUT THE FACILITATOR Sybille Nagel has a Masters in Fine Art, has trained in related fields both at a “Green” Art School in Hamburg and in alternative principles of art in Dornach, Switzerland. She has taught extensively in the fields of Fine Art and Architecture, She has spent many years working professionally as an artist in the field of art and its applications in building interiors, in healing, therapy and in collaborating with the unconscious.

Wellness Warehouse wow’s shoppers with a new range of planet-friendly household products. As save-the-planet sentiment heightens so consumers are driven to shop for earth-friendly products Green is the new Black Wellness Warehouse, a new chain of one-stop destination stores, had total wellbeing mind when they developed their winning formula for LIVING LIFE WELL. The retail success story is focused on products that assist shoppers towards living a balanced life with a consideration for items that are good for the body, good for the planet and good for communities. This means besides all your normal convenience items a growing range of green options. Brightening up the standard toiletries and cleaning aisles is a special ‘green aisle’ sporting chemical free cleaners, bleach free cotton goods and bio-degradable body products. The latest addition is a range from the U.S called Seventh Generation. Seventh Generation is so named to indicate that we must consider our impact on the environment for seven generations to come. Their range includes household cleaners, laundry products, feminine hygiene and tissue essentials including nappies. All of which use vegetable based cleaners and non chlorine bleaches. Even the packaging is environmentally friendly and recyclable designed in fresh and clean lines. Green products are more than just cleaning products; they are an attitude to life, a commitment to the earth. Flattening the perception that green products aren’t as effective as their chemical counterparts, Seventh Generation has superb results showing more than brain behind the bubbles. Displaying high levels of eco-chic they have chosen sensual fragrances like White Flower and Bergamot Citrus, Nutmeg, Blue Eucalyptus and Lavender, Peppermint Gum and Green Mandarin. What’s more these fragrances are sourced from whole plants from farms that use earth friendly farming practices. As green products emerge from the fringe to the fashionable what was traditionally a grudge buy has become sensually and ethically desirable. The detail involved in becoming truly green is staggering yet Seventh Generation comes out tops with a squeaky clean environmental bill of health. Even the packaging is environmentally friendly and recyclable designed in fresh and clean lines. As reporter Emily Simpson says, “You have to cut through the dull fog that descends on the soul of the average shopper as they wheel their trolley down the least inspiring aisle, not only do your labels have to be wittier and your bottles more easily recycled but your products must be more bio-degradable, they must work better, smell nicer and leave your hands softer.” Seventh Generation has certainly got that right. On satisfying these requirements, it becomes an attractive enough proposition to check the old stuff rolling under your sink and reach for products offering more than a clean conscience. It’s all about knowing your petrochemicals, phosphates and chlorine from your vegetable alternatives. The former damage the eco system, kill fish, cause mutations and contribute to cancer dangers while the latter bio-degrade, are sustainable and healthy. Green is not only the new way forward, it has become the only way forward. If you haven’t already embraced green ethics, now is the time to start. And you can do it with style knowing you are buying into quality products that are effective, healthy and safe at the same time. For more information or pictures kindly email Lanie Halligan: lanie@design-shop.co.za www.wellnesswarehouse.com

Amyn Dahya and Colleen-Joy share their inspiration to make a difference in the world today. What can you do today to make a difference in the world?  We are constantly surrounded by the struggles that challenge our world, struggles that become more personal with every passing day, struggles that often leave us feeling powerless to make a difference.  Environmental change, crime, political instability, crumbling systems, health problems… what used to be other people's problems is now everyone's shared concern. Join Amyn Dahya (international businessman, inspirational author, healer and motivator) and Colleen-Joy (professional international speaker, author and InnerLifeSkills coach) for this special double talk, as they share their vision to support a global shift in thinking and consciousness. Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear these two powerful speakers share their wisdom and inspiration on what you can do to make a difference in South Africa and globally. Come along and listen to each speaker give a one hour talk, and experience powerful guided healing processes and meditations. Date: Saturday 29th March 2008 Time: 09h30am (for registration) starts 10h00am until about 13h00pm Venue: Apple Tree Centre at The Academy of Metaphysics – 24 Watercombe Road Farmall, Chartwell West Cost: Donation R50.00 per person  Please bring your own refreshments. BOOK NOW SPACE IS LIMITED Please e-mail pages@iafrica.com or call +27 11 708-0000 to book your seats – booking is essential as seats are limited. There's more… Join Amyn on Sunday the 30th March at Emmerentia Dam, Johannesburg South Africa for:  A group Meditation For Global Unity and Peace March. "Our world is facing significant challenges in the form of wars, epidemics, natural disasters, crime and shrinking humanistic values, which are typically driven by negative energy and thought. Over the past decade, this deterioration has escalated at an unprecedented rate.  Therefore, it is essential that a counter-balance of positive thought and energy be engaged to reverse this trend.”  Amyn Dahya S.H.I.F.T. Shaping Human Intellect for Tomorrow is an initiative to 'effect change through the power of thought' by uniting and dedicating positive thoughts of people from all walks of life towards a world of unity, peace, and social and environmental care. SUNDAY 30 March 2008 Sunday's programme of events is as follows: 10h30 am - Meditation for Global Unity and Peace – Amyn Dahya  Dedication of Global thoughts for Unity and Peace. 11h00am - Transformational walk to honour all the religions of the world and the sacredness of all life. Please remember to: Donate-a-Thought everyday for Global Unity and Peace.  It is only through unity that we can make the S.H.I.F.T. No booking is required.  Join us at Emmerentia Dam. No charge. For more info: Tel: (+27 11) 708 0000, www.colleen-joy.com Enroll for Colleen-Joy's free weekly teachings, enjoyed by +6500 online students for over 6 years.

2 Weekend Workshops with Douglas Crawford 'Waking Up From The Dream' and breaking the cycle of birth and death April 5-6 and/or April 12-13 'Stone Cottage' Kirstenbosch ‘A Course in Miracles’ says we are living in a dream. Most of what we do in the world, including much personal development, is about re-arranging the dream to make things look and feel better. This is important, but the real work is about waking up FROM the dream. Only when we do that will we find lasting inner peace and break the cycle of birth and death. During these weekends, Douglas invites you to explore our dream state and how we can wake up. He will show that in order to do so, we need help from someone who has already awakened. The ascended master who authored the 'Course' is such a one, and he has presented a very practical way of using our daily 'classroom' to help us wake up. We will work with lessons from the 'Course' to help train our minds so that we can use events and relationships in our daily life to undo the ego and remove the blocks that keep us asleep. To help with removing these blocks, we will also be working with Rebirthing Breathwork and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Diksha will be available as well to help the process. More about these techniques can be seen on Douglas' website, see link below. There will be plenty of opportunity to share and ask questions. The paradox is that as we awaken from this dream, we find that we are able to function far better in the world, and our relationships with everyone and everything greatly improve. We let go of stress and have a lot more fun! Douglas has been working with 'A Course in Miracles' and has been a therapist and trainer in personal development for over 18 years. He is English and currently living in Denmark. This is a great opportunity to work with him while he is visiting the Cape! Are you ready to really wake up this lifetime? Place: 'Stone Cottage 2' Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Dates: April 5-6 and/or April 12-13 Times: Saturday 10.00-18.00 / Sunday 10.00-17.00 Price: ZAR 1200 for one weekend, ZAR 2000 for both weekends (ZAR 250 discount for early booking) Suggested reading: 'A Course in Miracles' and 'The Disappearance of the Universe' by Gary Renard. Full information about Douglas and his work can be seen on the main website at www.masteringlife.dk Talks introducing these weekends: Sund. March 30th 3.45-5.45 Waterfront Craft Market & Wellness Centre, Waterfront, Cape Town (Free) Tues. April 1st 7-9 p.m. 'Art At Work with Music To Nourish', 32 Bright Street, Somerset West (Free) Thurs. April 3rd 7-9 p.m. Seven O'Clock Club, Meadowridge Library, Meadowridge (R35 entrance) Registration: Hannah Powys Tel: 084 480 8861 or 021 683 7840 hannah@createflow.co.za