Highlights:

• Confessions and New Directions
• Two New “Spiritual Study, Mentoring Mysticism” Groups Announced!
• Updates: New Website, New Podcast, New iBook development and more!!
• Recommendations for 2011

 

A Confession, A New Direction, and A New Year!

When you look at the Unchanging Existence from the outside,

you call it God;

When you look at from the inside  

you call it “self.”  

It is but one. 

Swami Vivekananda

 

In 2010 I was blessed to have another book release, Inspiration Deficit Disorder, and I am thrilled at its success and the clear interest that continues. The world is hungry for balance, wholeness and a sense of restored inspiration. People want to put end to stress and reactive behaviors. As I traveled, spoke to groups, and appeared on TV and radio, a recurring set of popular questions followed me – “how do I find myself?,” “how do I know my calling,” and “what if my calling is not going to be liked or accepted by those I surround myself with?”

To each question I provide simple, (hopefully) clear, practical answers. Yet with each time I answered the questions for others, an echo grew in my own mind. “Am I being true to myself?,” “Has my calling evolved or changed?,” “Am I passionate about what I teach,” and “If approval and income weren’t issues, what would I be teaching and writing about?”

Like a seed slowly watered and fed by the light of teaching what I most needed to learn, I discovered that I too was drifting away from what is core to me. I realized that in the pace of work and responding to the requests of the world, I was slipping from a deeper request that was growing within me: Return to the Sacred!

My own message of how I understand healing, peace and transformation was missing a key ingredient. It is an ingredient I have written into both Return to the Sacred and Inspiration Deficit Disorder, and yet it is typically minimized or omitted from my day to day work – though it remains core to my day to day identity. That missing ingredient is GOD.

There, I said it!

GOD. G-o-d. No not “a God”, not “my God,” not the God of one group or another. But GOD – the Ultimate Source, Force and Substance Before, Within, and Beyond All Things. God. You may call it a Higher Power, or Spirit, Universal Energy, Consciousness, Great Spirit, Holy Spirit, Christ, Allah, Shiva, or any of the infinite names for that which is ultimately un-namable. The simple truth is that an awakening to the ultimate reality and direct experience of God was what started my path as a child, it’s what has fueled my journey, and it’s what keeps me in balance, connected and inspired. My understanding and experience of God is quite literally the foundation of who I am and all I do. Yet, my clients, audience members and coworkers rarely ask me to speak directly to the topic.

All research and surveys about God show that most people in the world believe in some form of God or higher power and most people pray. Even many atheists who reject the idea of a personal God, believe in governing forces, laws of nature, and the poetry of the natural world. Nevertheless, the topic remains almost taboo in social settings and is generally kept out of “credible” mainstream spirituality and personal growth, unless it falls under a clear religious framework. As far as television and mainstream print media, saying God is worse than saying a curse word, and there is more time and money for reality shows about conflict, materialism and vanity than there is space for discussing our ultimate origin.

So, I am going to make a change. I will begin 2011 with a commitment to promote, renew, and challenge the conversation about and with God. The majority of my personal work and teaching will address what some would call “God-Realization,” mysticism and the awakening of consciousness. This is a topic well covered and studied by many special interest groups, but not in our mainstream mind…

If this is not for you, then it is with much love and gratitude that I thank you for joining me this far, and wish you only blessings. Remember, the door is always open, and Only God Is Real. Of course my work in the areas of spirituality and its relationship to stress, health and achieving life balance at Canyon Ranch will continue as is, and my external consulting and speaking work will remain driven by the work that shows up.

For those who wish to continue to join me in 2011, I look forward to engaging you on topics like God and Science, God and healing, God and religion, Peacemaking, religious war, God and ecology, and whatever else you want to talk about.

Thank you for joining me this far, and may you all have a wonderful, healthy and enlightening 2011!!!

God is a metaphor for that which transcends all levels of intellectual thought. It's as simple as that.
Joseph Campbell

You Asked For It: Two New Study Groups!

Many of you have asked for more intimate ways to study with me, and there are a lot of people who are looking for mentorship, spiritual study and a sense of spiritual community. Starting in February 2011 I’ll be offering an in-person Tucson based spiritual study/mentoring mysticism group and an online program as well. These short programs will be entirely focused on the exploration of God-realization, non-dual awareness in daily living, oneness consciousness, and the experience of Spiritual Enlightenment. The online program will happen by Skype so you can be on the line in audio only (via phone) or with video via Skype! Please follow this link to let us know of your interest and we’ll include you on the study group updates and details.

 

Also, don't forget that we are offering two free teleseminars on mastering energy and connection at the end of this month!

What’s Next?

New Website – stay tuned for a brand new look and feel to my website!

New Podcast – I’ll soon be starting a new podcast, focusing on interviews with thought leaders from diverse fields and we’ll be discussing and debating the existence and nature of God and Spiritual Enlightenment. 

New iBook! Yes, by spring of 2011 I will be releasing an incredible multimedia book experience that will include audio, video and imagery. The working title: ONLY GOD IS REAL: HOW SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY GOT IT WRONG.

 
Facebook and Twitter will continue to a big part of my daily and weekly outreach.

New Vlogs – Video blogs with short commentaries, inspiring thoughts and challenging questions will become a more central part of my work and commitment to connect with the world.

I’ll still be a part of my greater community of wellness, spirituality and personal growth authors and teachers and I’ll continue to inform people of great new events and products through my webpage, Facebook, Twitter and seasonal newsletters.

New Year Recommendations

Three great new releases I am excited about right now are:

Soulmate Secret

by Arielle Ford

Have you ever wondered what it takes to find the love of your life?
Is it your dream to find a life-partner who will love, cherish and adore you?
Learn how in The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life With the Law of Attraction by Arielle Ford

Finding true love is possible for anyone at any age if you’re willing to prepare yourself to become a magnet for
love. Arielle Ford knows this from experience. She used the techniques in this book to bring her soulmate into
her life at age forty-four. They were engaged three weeks later and have been happily married for over ten years.
The techniques, rituals, and projects found within The Soulmate Secret will allow you to prepare your home, body, mind, and spirit for the soulmate your heart truly desires.

The Soulmate Secret works for men and women of all ages.  It even worked for Arielle’s 80 year old mother-in-law, Peggy.   

Earth Magic Oracle Cards

by Steven D. Farmer

Dr. Steven D. Farmer is the author of the bestselling Animal Spirit Guides, Power Animal Oracle Cards, Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards, Power Animals, Sacred Ceremony, Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides guided meditation CD, Earth Magic: Ancient Shamanic Wisdom for Healing Yourself, Others, and the Planet, and the newly releasedEarth Magic Oracle Cards. He's also host of his own radio show, Earth Magic Radio on ContactTalkRadio.com. Dr. Farmer is a Soul Healer, shamanic practitioner, ordained minister, and former psychotherapist, offering workshops on Soul Healing, various shamanic topics and private consultations. He makes his home in Laguna Beach, California with his wife, Jesseca and her two children, Serena and Ariannna.

 

Fried

by Joan Borysenco

Hope the new year brings you many good things.

Blessings,
Jonathan Ellerby