By marc on November 4th, 2009
I create opportunities for creative people to meet and engage
I research, review and publish resources that help people live richer, fuller, more loving lives
More than anything in the world, I love to write
I show people how to grow their web business and traffic
I know that the choice to be happy is available to me in every situation
I know that learning how to be happy and learning how to love are the same thing. “Love bears all things” [Corinthians 13:7]
I know that there is no difference between the lover and the beloved. Neither is better or worse since neither would exist without the other.
I believe that 90% of human upset and suffering has one cause: lack of empathy (failure to understand how another person thinks and feels). Fortunately for me, empathy is a skill that can be learned.
I believe that loneliness is the greatest scourge of Western civilization (and the cause of most other problems). I try and reduce loneliness, one person at a time.
I take what is offered to me and I give what is pleasurable for me to give, regardless of what other people think I should do (and sometimes even what I myself think)
I never apologize for my truth
I know that my wife Rebekah is the greatest thing that ever happened to me as a human being
I know the past has no power over me
I live a life knowing that everything I want is within me now
I realize that intelligence is not just in the mind
I believe it is possible to be spiritually aligned and wealthy
I strive for the impossible so I can call on a strength greater than myself
I believe I was put on the planet to experience joy and to teach it to others
I am intense and focused
Learning new things is as important to me as eating
Give me this every day and I am happy: a walk, a dance, a song, a visit with a friend, a new idea, and a big plate of steamed greens :)
– With gratitude and inspiration to Brooke Castillo
By marc on October 30th, 2009
From Brooke Castillo – Self-Coaching 101:
I learn from the best
I take what I learn and apply it in a way that resonates
I simplify the lessons that work most effectively
I teach the lessons to others
I focus on my strengths
I never apologize for the truth
I believe everyone deserves heaps of joy in this lifetime
I know the past has no power over me
I live a life knowing that everything I want is within me now
I realize that intelligence is not just in the mind
I believe it is possible to be spiritually aligned and wealthy
I strive for the impossible so I can call on a strength greater than myself
I believe I was put on the planet to coach, teach, and Be
I believe my happiness is the best gift I have to give my children
I know my husband is the best thing that ever happened to me as a human
I am intense and focused
I love my clients and feel it is a privilege to work with them-not the other way around
I am not better than you and I am not worse than you
Reading is as important to me as showering (sometimes more so)
By marc on October 29th, 2009
I just heard that Claire Zammit (one of the principals of Awakening the New Feminine Power program, and wife to Craig Hamilton from Integral Enlightenment) will be co-hosting a free online teleseminar series called Women on the Edge of Evolution. The format seems to exactly mirror Craig’s Great Integral Awakening Series – i.e. interviews with leading teachers and luminaries such as Sally Kempton, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jean Houston (she’s still around? WOW), Diane Musho Hamilton and Sofia Diaz (from iEvolve) and more – all my favorite women evolutionaries. The calls are free, along with downloads; and (I’m guessing) a paid course will follow. But hey, who’se to complain? I am just about through the Great Integral Awakening audios, and looking for more material ;).
On another note – I had already mentioned a free audio of Hal & Sidra Stone on Integral Life, talking about themselves and about the creation of Voice Dialogue (which was the precursor and prime inspiration of Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind). Well I just listened to it and it knocked my socks off. As much as anything it was the sweetness of their rapport with each other (the amount of respect and affirmation that they demonstrated) that made me want to take up the practice with my wife Rebekah. My immediate thought was “this is how I want to grow old together”. I will post a follow-up to this once we’ve had some time to practice together.
Enjoy…
By marc on October 19th, 2009
Update 5/15/2010: Be Scofield has published a new article that appeared very briefly on the popular Tikkun blog before being removed for “not meeting quality guidelines”. It was republished on the author’s personal blog and then later in Integral World. My prior article here.
Another Update 9/29/2010: Important contribution to the dialogue by Terry Patten in this article. It seems that Cohen is becoming more receptive to the conversation.
William Yenner was involved in EnlightenNext between 1988 and 2000 (13 years). He was a senior member of the community, board member of Moksha (predates EnlightenNext), and a key player in the search, acquisition and renovation of Foxhollow in 1994-1995. He is also the subject of Cohen’s famous “gag order”, legal document which was entered into in exchange for the return of Yenner’s $80,000 inheritance that he had previously donated to Cohen – a very unusual event, incidentally, for Cohen to return money. Cohen had denied the existence of the gag order, but it was made public in 2008.
Given the amount of information collected on EnlightenNixt about Cohen’s temper, shaming of students, abuses of power, ethically very dubious financial dealings, failure to respond credibly, and other behavior generally not befitting to a “totally enlightened being” (which is I summarized in my own research article, based on original sources that include Cohen’s writing, EnlightenNixt website, Luna Tarlo’s “Mother of God”, and Andre Van der Brack’s “Enlightenment Blues”), I wasn’t sure that Yenner’s account would bring anything new. And while it is true that his story seems quite typical, it contains many fascinating reflections on the narcissistic cult leader phenomenon, insights on Cohen’s attitude towards women, personal conclusions, and questions on EnlightenNext as a social phenonemon and on public endorsements of Cohen’s work. In this light, it is an original and important contribution to the dialogue around Cohen.
The key question of course – and why this is such a fascinating research topic – is how it’s possible for an individual whose dysfunctional relations with his students have been so fully exposed, to continue to attract not just students, but the support of many leading spiritual and developmental luminaries, including Ken Wilber, Genpo Roshi, Don Beck, and many others. Cohen’s last 21 day intensive in Florence, Italy (summer 2009) had over 250 students. The rest of this article covers this question, for the simple reason that our support of, and belief in, charismatic but abusive spiritual leaders reveals key aspects of our humanity, both our dysfunctions and our deep longing for meaning, connection and purpose – while illuminating our infinite capacity for self-deception in the pursuit of these ideals. My interest is in reviewing the book, but also in reflecting and sharing on this for myself.
Continue reading Review of William Yenner’s “American Guru – A story of Love, Betrayal and Healing – former students of Andrew Cohen speak out”
By marc on October 8th, 2009
The entire series of audios from the Great Integral Awakening project is available for download at this link:
http://www.integralenlightenment.com/pages/giaaudios/index.php
– including interviews with Andrew Cohen, Marc Gafni, Claire Zammit, Terry Patten, Don Beck, Steve Macintosh, Diane Hamilton, Genpo Roshi, Sally Kempton, Ken Wilber, Michael Murphy – in other words, all the leading luminaries – FOR FREE.
I have been devouring the series, having listened so far to Marc Gafni on “the unique self”, Claire Zammit on women’s unique developmental needs, and Craig Hamilton on the future of the movement, including the differences of opinion among the presenters ;). This series has so inspired me, in fact, that it brought me back from a three-month long funk about my own development, and prompted me to create another website (this site).
Here are some additional resources culled from the Marc Gafni interview (that was precious):
- Integral Life has a special running, that if you sign-up for a premium membership ($15/mth), they will send you all the talks on CD/DVD – and you can still cancel within a month. This a great site by the way, and there is a great deal of free content on there as well. Click here for example, and look for “The history of voice dialog” to listen to an interview with Hal and Sidra Stone, who inspired Genpo Roshi to create Big Mind.
- Marc Gafni is a rabbi and Kabbalist. Asked a good book to learn about Kabbalah, he recommends the 4th chapter and footnotes of Moshe Idel’s Absorbing Perfections, and Daniel Matt’s The Zohar. Neither of them light reading, I am led to believe…
- And check out Claire Zammit on the unique developmental needs of women – I totally related to it as a man and I’m sure that this would be even more so if you are a woman.
As an aside, I briefly met Marc Gafni over dinner at Shalom Mountain in early September, where he will be leading a program this fall. He is very sweet, but seemed a bit out of place and very shy. He completely changed during his presentation, which left me cold (I actually had to leave) – he has this kind of manic energy and “doing a performance” thing that rubs me the wrong way – but there was no doubt about his scholarship and the power of his ideas. I only mention this because I am as interested in the human side of the movement as much as the ideas, and I don’t intend to censor myself on this blog, or anywhere else for that matter.
By marc on October 8th, 2009
Excellent resource: the Wikipedia article.
The term “Evolutionary Spirituality” was coined (as far as I know) by Andrew Cohen in this article, but the concepts go back to the early 1900s from Sri Aurobindo and Teilhard de Chardin. Cohen has developed his own version and he calls it Evolutionary Enlightenment. Evolutionary Enlightenment is, to my mind, the most powerful and practical philosophy for human development and cultural change to hit the Western streets since the 60s “counter-culture” and since Victor Baranco started teaching. While Victor Baranco is still relatively unknown, Andrew Cohen has become quite well-known (although not quite yet a “superstar” – his committed students worldwide only number about 300 currently). Note that although Cohen himself is reputed a spiritual genius and gifted teacher, there is controversy around him. See EnlightenNixt.
Continue reading What is Evolutionary Spirituality?
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If not now, when?"
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If not you, who? If not here, where? If not
now, when?"
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"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet."
-- Frederich Buechner
"Describe the steps you would take,
the gifts you would buy,
the generosity you would bestow,
the kindness you would offer,
the enthusiasm you would have,
the attention you would give,
and anything else that appeals to you,
if you were able to give yourself the things you want someone else to give to you.
NONE OF US WANTS TO GROW UP"
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“This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one...being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, being a force of nature, instead of a feverish selfish clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy…
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as i live it, it is a privilege to do whatever i can. i rejoice in life for its own sake…
Life is no brief candle to me, but sort of a bright torch that i got hold of for a moment and i want to make it burn as brightly as possible, before handing it on to future generations"
-- George Bernard Shaw “Bright Torch”
"Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy."
-- Joseph Campbell
"If your mind is on the right path, it doesn’t matter how fast you go. If you’re on the right path, you’ll get there. Commitment keeps you on the path."
-- Steve Chandler
Throw away
Your begging bowls at God’s door For I have heard the Beloved
Prefers sweet threatening shouts, Something on the order of: Hey, Beloved,
My heart is a raging volcano
of love for you! You better start kissing me –
Or else!" -- Hafiz
"You don't need to get what you want if you can express what you want"
-- Strephon Kaplan-Williams
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