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
He and I met in a rehabilitation hospital in Winnipeg, Canada. At the time, I was an intern in a spiritual counseling chaplaincy program. I was making my rounds, checking on the patients of the spinal-cord-injury wing. As I approached the last room in the long, wide corridor, a pretty woman, about 30 years old, had just left with two beautiful young girls, maybe ages five and eight.
I knocked on the door and a man's bright voice answered, "Come on in!" A bit surprised, I walked in and glanced around the room. One of the beds was empty, and in the other was a young man about 33 years of age. He had a mustache and shaggy shoulder-length brown hair that was brushed back. I introduced myself, and he told me that his name was Alex.
I explained why I was there and let him know that if he needed someone to talk to, I'd be happy to hang out for a while. He asked about the title of my department, saying, "'Spiritual Care,' huh? Is that like religion?"
"Well," I stammered, unsure of his perspective, "for some, it could be about religion. But spirituality is really more personal. It's about how you answer the big questions in life: what matters, why you are here, which relationships are most important—stuff like that. I try to help people answer those questions."
"Ah, I see. I'm glad you do. I'll tell you what . . . I don't know how I'd make it through this if I didn't know them things. But sure as shit, I'm clear about true things!"
Alex's confidence and word choice confused me. "What do you mean?" I asked.
"I might not know much, but I know enough. My dad made sure of that. He said that in life there are 'true things,' and as long as you know some true things, you can get through anything. Now that I'm in a bit of a predicament, I see he was right. The true things always last."
Intrigued, I sat down beside his bed. "Tell me more about 'true things,' Alex."
"Sure. First off, my true things aren't your true things. For me, they've always been the smell of a campfire, the feeling of the soft earth in the spring after the snow melts, the smell of wet hay in the fields, old Chevy trucks, and the music of John Denver and Gordon Lightfoot." He grinned and got a far-off look in his eyes.
"One month ago I was in an accident on an icy road. I'd been putting off getting new tires with a better tread for the winter because I wanted to save money. I was working as a plumber's assistant. One night I was driving home from work and hit a patch of ice. My car started to spin out of control, and I skidded right into a lane of oncoming traffic . . . and bam! I was hit in the driver's side by a big ol' semitrailer.
"My car was pretty much crushed, and so was I. My legs were broken in a bunch of places, and my spine was damaged, too. They say I'll never walk again.
"Who could have seen that coming?! Now we're shopping for a handicap van for me and my wheelchair. My brother is building ramps in every part of our house you can imagine so that when I get home, life can go on. And it will . . . because that's a true thing. Life always goes on—you can count on that. You just have to decide if your life is going to go on!"
"Aren't you angry? You're a very young man to face something like this," I offered.
"Well, I was at first. Mad at myself and feeling guilty for not fixing my tires. Angry at the ice on the road. Angry at the truck coming my way. But then I realize that I'm glad I didn't crash into a car with a family in it. Others could have been hurt. It could have been worse. I could have been killed. There are a lot of maybes in any situation, but I can only face the true things: I'm here and I'm glad.
"I love my wife and two little girls more than the world. That's a true thing. I'd do anything for them, and the last thing I'd ever want is to leave them without a daddy. My family is the most important thing to me. That's a true thing. I've seen other folks in here. They lose their ability to walk, have sex, or what have you . . . and yeah, it's awful. But you know what is more awful is that they get so sad and angry that they lose everything else, too. They pay so much damn attention to what they lost and who they used to be that they can't see what they have. That's what my dad would call a wasted life. I guess they just don't understand true things."
"You have a smart dad," I added.
"Yes, and I'll make him proud. I know he's watching over me, remindin' me to be grateful. I survived, I still have my family, no one else was hurt, and I still got my hands. I was always good with my hands . . . I'll find something else to do.
"My motto has always been to stick close to the ones I love, try to brighten other people's day, and find a way to get the bills paid on time. The true things about me can't be wrecked in a car crash—they're mine and they're untouchable. That's how I know I'll be fine."
I never found out what became of Alex, but I'll never forget the way he inspired me with his spirit and his "true things." I still feel emotional when I think of how courageous and positive he was. Somehow he knew that if he just stayed soul centered, everything else would be okay. I'm sure that it was.
