Here’s the link to 42 new photos from Assembly 2016 on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/146928620@N03/albums/72157673818969275
Monday, September 5, 2016 – 5:45 p.m. I’ve just looked down at my phone, there is a text message, that just said “Thank you for this life changing weekend.” I smile, I am feeling the exhaustion from all that had lead up to and during the Assembly weekend. I felt touched that someone would text to acknowledge, that they had gained greater insights into the tools, and would make changes to their life. I took another sip of my fruit tea drink trying to get hydrated after the Sunday night wine, excellent food, and festivities of the night before at the Prosperos banquet. Rob Klopfenstein on the piano was a wonderful addition to the evening.
My attention returning to my fellow guest at this annual Bar-B-Que party hosted by internationally known music teacher and singer Carver Cossey and his partner Tim Mountain. I found myself in conversation with several noted Librarians from various cities and Universities that I have known over the years, Tim being one of them. While switching off my phone, the conversation turns to a new book by T.V. screen writer Steven Bochco, called Truth is a Total Defense. What perked up my ears was a quote from the book “… Most of us, at some point in life, have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves – to allow our better, or stronger, natures to prevail. It takes courage and hard work, but it’s possible.”
I felt that the last two days of Assembly was about that. I laugh within myself thinking that here is yet another incident of synchronicity – This conversation, the text, the Prosperos Assembly, the E Hula Mau Hula& Chant Competition at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, and our co-guest at the Westin Hotel … So much activity, it is no wonder that I am tired.
Sunday, September 4, 2016. This was the 2nd full day of activities for Assembly attendees. The central focus for many presenters was the better understanding and stewardship of; Identity, Ego, Creator, and creation. The morning session opened with the Song “Pure Imagination” sung by Gene Wilder. As emcee, my opening greeting for the Assembly were to reflect on: “[the] I Am [of ourselves] the ability to create govern and manifest thought.”
Heather Williams, H.W., M., was introduced and came to the lectern with her presentation called“Drawing with Empathy.” Heather, besides being a Mentor and teacher for the Prosperos, is also an educator within the Southern California’s middle school system, in San Diego. Heathers School is part of a pilot program, looking for teaching innovations that will encompass a child ability to use critical thinking. Heather’s teaching method includes the use of Art as part of the pilot program to explore critical and creative thinking for the 21 century and beyond.
Heather told us that some of the concepts she was sharing with us, were from her book “Drawing as a sacred activity.” available from online book sellers, as well as further information found on her website –http://www.drawingtogether.com. She took us through the creation process of drawing, by having us draw a hand. This came after, explaining some basics of creating a drawing, beginning with the understanding that there are three different ways to approach creating an art piece. To be aware of the kinds of differences in learning and visual Thinking [i.e. Left and Right Brain Seeing and Thinking taking place within all of us] necessary and available for our use to combine and/or balance in Empathy. She described Empathy as a feeling of connectedness with ‘Other’. Heather suggests when issue arise in our life, call upon your fair witness and: 1) Relax. 2) Tolerate not knowing what to do. 3) Focus on knowing that back and behind appearances is a fundamental Reality that is Whole, Complete and Perfect. You will be Translating the situation from the language of duality to the language of Oneness. Know that out of this situation, only GOOD will come. Furthermore, remember that a greater understanding is ready to reveal itself to you. Heather in her classes, teaches students to listen to the deeper part of themselves. The artist within us who knows how to temporarily suspend judgement and just BE … loving and accepting themselves exactly as they are right now in the midst of change. Know you are the artist in the midst of change, awakening to the artist within. “Our children’s future depends upon our becoming more conscious of our inner life. The Arts can help us do this. The Power is within YOU. Draw it out!”- Heather Williams.
After the short break and medley of music playing the last song being from the musical RENT called “Seasons of Love.” The bell was rung to settle down.
Alana Fennie, was our next presenter and a bit of a surprise. Alana, is a known Instructional Designer that travels for business at various conferences around the world and is considered on the leading edge of ‘next generation’ communications – usually working in developmental environments for University, Non-profit, and Corporate based firms, doing such task as writing static outcomes, assessment evaluations, and/or in discussions on competencies, and “backward” design theory.
Alana’s surprise for us, was that her presentation was on the “Astrological implication of this Assembly for The Prosperos Community,” and to point out key factors for its future. A Prosperos Chart was casted and diagramed for the time when the Assembly began. Alana presented her diagram of the collective constellations based on the Assembly start date and time. and Alana with participation from members in the group were able to spot some insights into long-range processes which seems up for review or reintegration within the Prosperos organization, as well as some therapeutic inner developmental issues both as a group and as individuals highlighted where such areas as: inertia, fantasy, and restriction. The analyses of our community chart reminded me to watch the logic of our emotions, to do straight thinking in the abstract, and together as a community look for techniques that will raise the standard and effectiveness of our School.
William Fennie, H.W., M was our next speaker, the title of his talk was “Walker Between the Worlds.” William is a member of the Prosperos executive council, and developer of the Prosperos Audio Center Website [and the wonderful developer of my personal website}. He is currently an information specialist for the University of Maryland Population Research Center.
William was a member of Thane Walker’s (Dean and Co-founder of the Prosperos) staff during the latter part of Thane’s life in Hawaii. Thane, during that time period, was in development of a class called Metonymy Translation, in which William was in involved.
William over the years since, through continued investigation and honing of Metonymy Translation, continues to encourage others to use the technique in their practice to illuminate the reality of the Self.
Metonymy is a journey of consciously paying attention to everyday hunches, tips, intuits which is to say that understanding yourself as something more than just the information in your head. It means to know or understand (something) because of what you feel or sense rather than because of evidence: to know or understand (something) through intuition. More in line with a Somatic understanding of yourself. Thane is reported as using this technique often and had an intuit come as just a word – ‘hitchhiker.’ He told one of his assistants, while doing errands on the Big island, to be alert for a ‘hitchhiker.’ That hitchhiker became one of the more efficient and effective staff members in Thanes household. While Metonymy is to shift the balance of believe in what we think we know, likewise the concept Ego needed a second look. William in his talk did a great job of exploring the concept of “Ego” and its function in our life. What I took away from his talk is that most folks are of the belief that Ego is the ‘opinion’ you have about yourself. That idea could lead some to believe that Ego is not necessary and may need getting rid of. William gives a clearer definition of Ego as the vehicle in which we operate in a three-dimensional world. Ego is also that part of the mind that senses and adapts to the real world.
For the Prosperos I would interpret that Ego as that intersection between the unconscious [Caliban], the conscious [Prosperos] and the Supra conscious [Ariel] Reality Self. Ego then is the somatic expression of Consciousness – manifesting, organizing, clarifying, illuminating, mediating and orbiting between that which is so – (Reality) and the 3-dimensional misperception, projection and adaptation to reality. Understand your role as The Creator and The Author of your story. Not anyone else’s but yourself! YOU (local ego self and Essential Self) are the sole author of your reality. When ego alone is authority, someone is above and someone is below. When Essential Self is authority, you recognize yourself in the “other” and you dialogue to find the shared center space of Beingness. Thus Ego is the tool, we use to maneuver though the intersections of narratives in our world, and with the use of Metonymy Translation, our somatic journey leads us to the “I Am” dialogue of the Indescribable Reality Self.
As with most conferences/events of this nature, we find that the Lunch period has to be adjusted as our program has run over a bit. We are instructed that after lunch, to go to the break out areas/and group assigned.
Once back from lunch and in our break out groups, our task was to, with our groups recorder, review, clarify, add and perhaps identify more action items form RHS/ECT process. We, at an appoint time, re-assembled and discussed our finding and summations and about 3:45 pm, adjourned for free time and preparations for our evening Banquet.
It’s 6:45 p.m. I’ve come into the Shoreline Room of the Hotel for our celebratory dinner of the Prosperos 60th year. Rob Klopfenstein has gotten here and is already on the piano playing. I smile and view my Companions, I think yes, but not at the Crossroads, more on a path to our next chapter. The line from Auntie Mame came to mind – “Live, Live, Live, Life’s a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.” Yes, we are here together to celebrate Life. … Everything in life that has happened, has become as a gift, If we choose to accept it as a gifting. Thus allowing us to do more than survive. To thrive. I think I am a somatic being engaged in the story of life. A conscious transition between one condition and another – clearly a movement away from anxiety, inertia and toward freedom in matters relating to everyday life.
The movie Lost Horizon, came to mind again. Looking around I see my fellow students that put forth the effort to be here, no matter how arduous or difficult it seemed. Their efforts were not to escape from fear, danger or death or even about securing safety–that is not why we were here. It was the effort to be in fellowship with likeminded students, to take the action of dropping our masks, thereby being delivered to a very different and unexpected reality. The Transformative power of unlearning in action through fellowship and courage to move forward together, and tonight is our celebration of that journey.
Rob is on the piano, playing a melody of the song, many we have heard from our time together this weekend. “Pure Imagination”, “Love Song”, “Seasons of Love”, “For Good,” and then finally at the end of our evening together he played “To You Sweet Heart Aloha.”
Its morning Monday, September 5, 2016 – 6:43 a.m. I’m not awake yet, just looking for a drink of water. And then pull the cover up and close my eyes for another hour. I think of Al Haferkamp H.W., M., who had after every evening event, conference, dinner or counseling session no matter how late it was, had to rise and be ready in the meeting room by 7 a.m. to provide physical exercise in the form of Qigong, Tai Chi, what we called somatic body breakfast.
It’s 8:43 a.m. and I am in the meeting room awaiting Heather Williams workshop which is the final presentation for the event. As I scan the room I am surprised at the number of students still here for this Workshop. Many times after events of this kind, students are so busy trying to get on their way, that attendance on these last day’s sessions get lost–but not this time. This participant representation chose to be engaged, and were supported by reliable allies from the instinctual side of life present here.
Heather Williams, H.W., M., was introduced and came to the lectern in workshop form with her presentation called “Big Ideas, Essential Questions – Touchstone for Teaching.” Heather went around the room and in break out group fashion, put us into small groups to use a group dynamic approach for coming up with ideas that were one word or one short sentence. Then in a Translation format we process those ideas into critical steps that will be used by us in future session in the understanding and presentation of our teaching.
The Assembly adjourned with Love Song.
Postscript:
Michael Zonta H.W., M., was not able to be with us but sent this message:
“Here’s the talk I would have given at this year’s Prosperos Assembly held over the recent Labor Day weekend. It’s short and sweet:
“We are so privileged to have this teaching (Translation, Releasing the Hidden Splendour, Crown Mysteries, 4th Way, Find Yourself and Live, Lucid Dreaming and so on), to know ourselves (to the best of our ability through self-observation and self-transcendence) as unique expressions of Infinite Mind, unique expressions of God Him/Herself, unique expressions of Life Itself (and not just as reflections, as some have suggested).
“We are not just doddering, old, gray-haired 60- and 70-somethings celebrating our ability to still perambulate around the room.
“We need to take this moment of reunion as an opportunity to refortify our efforts, wipe clean our glasses and resume (or assume) our ministry, directly or indirectly, with the youth (and the youthful) of this country, or whatever country we are part of, with renewed vigor because . . . that’s why we’re here.”
Blessings and Aloha
Calvin
The Night Circus is a 2011 fantasy novel by Erin Morgenstern. It was originally written for the annual writing competition NaNoWriMo.
The Night Circus is a phantasmagorical fairy tale set near an ahistorical Victorian London in a wandering magical circus that is open only from sunset to sunrise. Le Cirque des Rêves, the Circus of Dreams, features such wonders and “ethereal enigmas” as a blooming garden made all of ice, acrobats soaring without a net, and a vertical cloud maze where patrons who get lost simply step off and float gently to the floor. The circus has no set schedule, appearing without warning and leaving without notice; they travel in a train disguised as an ordinary coal transport. A network of devoted fans styling themselves “rêveurs” (“dreamers”) develops around the circus; they identify to each other by adding a splash of red to garb that otherwise matches the characteristic black and white of the circus tents. The magical nature of the circus is occluded under the guise of legerdemain; the illusionist truly transforms her jacket into a raven and the fortune teller truly reads the uncertain future, and both are applauded for their ingenuity.
The circus serves a darker purpose beyond entertainment and profit. The magicians Prospero the Enchanter and the enigmatic Mr. A.H— groom their young proteges, Celia Bowen and Marco Alistair, to proxy their rivalry with the exhibits as a stage. Prospero teaches his daughter to hone her innate talents by holding ever larger and more complex magical workings in her mind. Celia takes her position on the game board as the illusionist who makes true transformations, adding tents and maintaining wondrous aspects from the inside. Mr. A.H— trains his orphan ward with books in the ways of glyphs and sympathetic magic and illusory worlds that exist only in the mind of the beholder. Marco takes a position as an assistant to the producer of the circus; he works from the outside in, connected to the circus via a magical link to the central bonfire, but not a part of it. The two beguile the circus goers and each other with nightly wonders, soon falling in love despite being magically bound to a deadly competition with rules neither understands.
As the competition continues, straining both competitors with no sign of a conclusion nor of how a winner will be determined, others connected with the circus start to notice strange events connected to it; the blueprints disappear from the designers’ offices, and the performers appear bound to the circus and can never fail, leave permanently, have accidents, or even age. Two children – Poppet and Widget – born to a performer on opening night were the last members of the circus to be born, and have developed magical powers. The producer of the circus has his memories erased and one of the initial investors is murdered by Mr. A.H- when they begin to discover the underlying truth. When the building tensions between Prospero and A.H- and the jealousy of Marco’s ex-girlfriend spurned for Celia result in an innocent “rêveur” being accidentally stabbed in a circus tent, Celia begins to search for a way to end the game as quickly as possible while preserving the circus and those involved with it.
Celia learns from Prospero that the game must continue until one of the participants is unable to go on, which usually means their death; and that the circus contortionist, Tsukiko, is a magician herself and the winner of a previous contest in which her opponent committed suicide. After Celia and Marco’s negotiations with their mentors fail, Tsukiko declares that she can no longer stand the contest continuing and plans to magically kill Marco to end the contest, believing him to be less important than Celia because he was not part of the circus. At the last moment, Celia rushes to save him, resulting in both of them being ripped from reality and becoming incorporeal spirits bound to the circus. With its magical keystones removed, the central bonfire goes out and the circus environment begins to break down; Celia and Marco preserve the circus by magically rebinding Poppet, Widget, and their new friend – a keen circusgoer called Bailey – back to the circus, relighting the fire and bringing back the spirit of the circus .
With Celia and Marco both existing only as ghosts, unable to compete but content to haunt the circus together forever, the contest is declared complete via stalemate with no winner. Poppet and Widget negotiate the release of the remaining circus properties from the former producer and Mr. A.H-, and the book ends with the revelation that Poppet, Widget, Bailey and the circus still exist in the modern day, preserved for a century and more.
(Recommended by Hanz Bolen, H.W., M.)
This Full Moon is quite close to the Earth and is considered a Supermoon, in addition to being a lunar eclipse. This is a very subtle eclipse known as a penumbral eclipse, where the Moon passes through the edge rather than the center of the Earth’s shadow, visible from the Eastern Hemisphere. Since the Moon is beneath the horizon as it becomes exactly full, those of us in the Northern Hemisphere will not be able to see it. For those living in the Eastern Hemisphere, the experience will be very subtle and you may not see it at all as it will appear only as a dark shading of the Moon.
Even though, visibly, it is a very subtle lunar eclipse, its gravitational and electromagnetic influence will be profound. An Eclipse creates a reset or re-calibration of consciousness while it interrupts the normal or consistent flow of electromagnetic energy to earth, which affects us all. When it is dimmed or blocked for a time, our perceptions change and we have the possibility to see things anew. This happens with a lunar eclipse on a subconscious and/or emotional level. This can bring to our awareness that which needs to be addressed that we may not have seen before. It can also represent emotional disturbances coming forth from our shadow side, below the surface of our awareness. This gives us the opportunity to take positive steps moving forward with a greater depth of knowledge and understanding.
It is helpful to understand the energies of the Pisces/Virgo axis (12th and 6th houses). This is called the serve or suffer axis which means that if we don’t serve humanity in some way, we suffer. This is an important message for us at this chaotic point in humanities evolution. We were each born with special gifts that can be helpful to others and to the planet. We were born at this profound time of awakening to interject our gifts into the matrix. Large or small interplay is needed now. some of us have an easier time for large participation, while others can only make small contributions. Whatever we can manage to put on the altar of these shifting times is beneficial. Remember there is no contribution too small or insignificant. This Full Moon lunar eclipse is a powerful reminder of our obligation to serve in some way.
There are other powerful influences pulling at us now. Mars in Sagittarius is in a T-square with the Moon and Chiron in Pisces and the Sun in Virgo. Mars represents the challenge point and pushes us to act and serve with courage if awake and conscious, or to war like aggression and destruction for those still blinded by deception. Chiron influencing the Moon in Pisces represents our core wounds and the betrayal that we have felt of late as our eyes have been opened to so much deceit. Chiron helps us to learn from pain as Pisces helps to compassionately heal our wounds through service and love.
Jupiter has finally left the sign of Virgo (where it wasn’t very happy) and moved into the creative and pleasing sign of Libra. We can expect a much more creative year moving forward. All you Libras out there can expect a boost of some needed good fortune and progress.
Both Pluto and Mercury have been retrograde and will be changing direction soon. Mercury turns direct on September 21st at 15 degrees Virgo and Pluto turns direct on September 26th at 15 degrees Capricorn. This will be a pleasant shift for many who have been struggling with these potent retrogrades.
And last but not least, Uranus in Aries is in a trine to Mars in Sagittarius and in opposition to Venus in Libra. This is a quirky configuration and can mean sudden actions and explosive and aggressive behaviors but with hope for creative solutions. Fortunately, the Mars component doesn’t last too long!
Written by Wendy Cicchetti
A Full Moon symbolizes the fulfillment of the seeds planted at a previous New Moon or some earlier cycle. Each Full Moon reminds us of the seeds that may be coming to maturity, to their fullness, to fruition, to the place where the fruits or gifts are received. It may seem that fulfillment of our goals takes a long time. Some intentions may manifest within the two week phase prior to the next New or Full Moon. Some however, depending on their complexity, may take a much longer time. Just remember that our thoughts and emotions set Universal Action in motion and much work takes place behind the scenes as everything is orchestrated for fulfillment. Keep visualizing your goals as though you have already attained them and they will eventually manifest. Do not concern yourself with current conditions or worry about controlling it. The universe takes care of those details. Just keep seeing what you want, and move in that direction with your actions, and give no energy to what you don’t want. Patience is required.
‘Morning Dew' by The National, from ‘Day of the Dead’, a tribute album to the Grateful Dead curated by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, with all profits going to Red Hot Organization. ‘Day of the Dead’ is released on 20th May via 4AD.
Pre-order CD: http://smarturl.it/DayOfTheDead_4AD
Pre-order from iTunes: http://smarturl.it/DayOfTheDead_i
Pre-order from Amazon: http://smarturl.it/DayOfTheDead_a
Pre-order from Google Play: http://smarturl.it/DayOfTheDead_a
Stream on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/DayOfTheDead_Spotify
Find the full line-up and more about the project: dayofthedeadmusic.com
Matt Berninger – vocals
Aaron Dessner - electric guitar
Bryce Dessner – electric guitar
Bryan Devendorf - drums
Scott Devendorf - bass
Sam Cohen - electric guitar
Conrad Doucette - drums
Josh Kaufman - piano, synth, electric guitar
Walter Martin - organ
Produced by Aaron Dessner and Josh Kaufman
Recorded by Jonathan Low (Dreamland Recording Studios – West Hurley, NY)
Mixed by Jonathan Low (Miner Street Recordings – Philadelphia, PA)
By Michael Brown
Copyright Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI); used by permission.
(Dobson / Rose)
Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, writer and host of “Closer to Truth,” a public television series and online resource that features the world’s leading thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. This essay, the first of a four-part series on the “Self,” is based on “Closer to Truth” episodes and videos, produced and directed by Peter Getzels and streamed at closertotruth.com. Kuhn contributed it to Live Science’s Expert Voices.
My mom just celebrated her 100th birthday. This once vibrant, eloquent, stylish lady with a sense of pride and a touch of vanity can no longer walk or talk. But she recognizes family, smiles when her great-grandchildren visit or her fingernails are polished, and utters rough phrases of displeasure when caring aides must intervene bodily. She makes an angry face when she senses (quite correctly) that people are talking about her, and she expresses overt frustration at her incapacity to communicate orally by scrunching up her face and balling her fist.
Is she still a “self”? Of course she is. She may not be “her self” — that is, her old self. But though diminished, she is surely a self.
What about her fellow residents in an assisted-living unit specializing inmemory impairment? Some have advanced Alzheimer’s and can no longer recognize their loved ones. Are they still selves? When does one cease being a self? [10 of the Biggest Mysteries of the Mind]
What is a “self,” anyway? What does it mean to be a self? What are the requirements of selfhood?
The nature of self is one of philosophy’s perennial and persistent questions. Self is easy to describe, yet maddening to decipher. Partphilosophy of the mind, part biology of the brain, it combines two elusive ideas: the philosophy of continuity (how things persist through time) and the biopsychology of psychic unity (how the brain makes us feel singular). I see; I hear; I feel. How do separate perceptions bind together into a continuing, coherent whole? How do sentient properties congeal as “me”?
Look at an old photo, perhaps from primary school. Then look in the mirror. Those two people are the same person. But how so? They don’t look the same. Their memories are different. Almost all of the cells that composed that child’s body have gone from that adult’s body.
I feel myself to be the same person who attended high school, went off to college, started a family and struggled through careers — the same person, until I look in that mirror. Decades roll by. Experiences accumulate. Memories multiply.
Yet I sense myself, inside, all together the same. “I” am always “me.” Not just continuity, but unity. Some say my feeling is an illusion.
“The problem with personal identity is, we feel there is a fact that ‘I’m me,'” John Searle, a philosopher of mind at the University of California, Berkeley, said on my TV series “Closer to Truth.” “But that’s hard to pin down philosophically, because all of my experiences change, all of the parts of my body change, all of the molecules in my body change.”
(All quotes are derived from “Closer to Truth.”)
The 18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume denounced the very notion of a self. Paraphrasing Hume, Searle said, “Whenever I grab my forehead and wonder, ‘Where is the self?’ all I get is a kind of headache. I feel my hand pushing against my head; I may feel a vague hangover from last night. But in addition to all of my particular experiences, there isn’t any self.” [The 7 Biggest Mysteries of the Human Body]
To Searle, we can try to define continuity of self — that is, a self that remains even as every other aspect of a person changes — by continuity of body (or of memory, personality, etc.). But we find that none of those criteria suffices, because any or all of them can be altered, even eradicated, and we still sense a continuing, unified self.
“You have to postulate a self to make sense of rational behavior,” Searle said. “We want to find a ‘soul’ that is at the bottom of all this … but, of course, there isn’t any.”
British philosopher of mind Colin McGinn agrees. To him, our confusion about the self is essentially ignorance about the brain. “The self is something real,” he said, but “the self has got to be grounded in the brain — the self’s unity over time must be a function of what’s in the brain. We don’t know how that works, but it must be so.”
McGinn stressed that we don’t yet have a clear definition of self. “Our grasp of the concept of the self is very limited because we experience it from our first-person point of view when we say ‘I,’ but we really don’t know what that thing [‘I’] is at all, except as the bearer of mental states,” he said. “Our imaginative adventures with the concept reflect our ignorance about what the self actually is and what constitutes it in the brain.”
McGinn worries that theories of the “self” seem “too thin to ground the idea of personal identity” persisting through time. “All we’ve got is the idea that you, at a later time, are causally connected to you at an earlier time,” he said. “That isn’t the same thing as you persisting through time.”
But McGinn rejected any sort of supernatural entity, which he called “a kind of receding transcendent thing that is capable of strange feats.” “People imagine themselves to be capable of all sorts of strange things, supernatural things, where a self can exist independently of the brain,” he said. “I’m saying that the self is rooted in the brain. … But we have a really thin conception; it’s just the idea of ‘I.'”
But how could a conscious self be rooted in a physical brain? By what mechanisms? I can’t even imagine what could count as an answer.
Some say there is no mystery because there is no self; the self does not exist.
Could our internal sense of personal identity — about which we seem so sure — be an illusion? I asked former parapsychologist, now skeptic, Susan Blackmore.
“There’s no reason to suppose that we have real continuity,” Blackmore said. “Because if you look at what a body and a brain are, there’s no room for a thing called a ‘self’ that sort of sits in there and has experiences. So then, the question becomes, why does it feel that way?”
To Blackmore, we invent that feeling ourselves. “The illusion of continuity is created only when you look for it,” she said. Though all things about us change from moment to moment, when we connect all of our experiential dots, we conjure up our inner sense of self. “So you imagine this kind of continuous stream of consciousness when you’re awake, but actually, it’s not like that at all,” she said. “There are multiple parallel things going on. And every so often, we go, ‘Oh, that’s me,’ and we invent the self-story. [Are We Living in a Computer Simulation?]
“This so-called ‘me’ is really just another reconstruction,” she continued. “There was an earlier one 30 minutes ago, and there will be others in the future. But they’re really not the same person; they’re just stuff happening in the universe.”
“So there’s no self to die,” she concluded, because there is no self prior to death and “there’s certainly no self to continue after death.”
Sue appears rather cheerful in her inexorable mortality, so I asked if she thinks that “no self” is “good news?”
“I’m smiling because it’s so beautiful when you get it,” she says. “You can let go and just accept that it’s just the universe doing its stuff. It’s not me against the world because there really isn’t any me at all. Death has no sting, because there never was a ‘you’ to die. Every moment is just a new story.”
To Tufts University philosopher Daniel Dennett, our conception of a self is an illusion created by our experience of the world. He offered an analogy of an object’s center of gravity, which is an abstraction, not an actual concrete thing, yet we treat it as something real. “Faced with complex human sentience, we do the same thing: We try to make everything cohere around a single point,” Dennett said. “That’s the self — the center of narrative gravity.
“What makes a self is a big collection of memories and projects, desires and plans, likes and dislikes — a psychological profile,” Dennett continued. “Well, what holds that all together? Opposing processes in the brain, which tend to abhor inconsistency.” And so when inconsistencies arise, Dennett said, either you have to jettison the thing that’s inconsistent or concoct a coherent story to explain the inconsistency.
How, then, does the self persist through time, notwithstanding all the changes to the body and brain? “The notion that the only thing that could persist is a little, special, unchangeable pearl of self-stuff seems like a fairly lame solution to the problem,” Dennett stated. “That’s just gift wrapping the problem and pretending to solve it.
“But more to the point, what makes you so sure there has to be an answer to these questions?” he continued. “The conviction that there has to be a single right answer is a leftover from metaphysical absolutism. And we should just dismiss it.”
But, sorry Dan, I can’t just dismiss it. My sense of self — my inner feeling of personal identity and unity through time — seems so real.
Am I fooling myself?
Check back for the next in this four-part series on the “Self: Possibilitiesand Survival for Your ‘Self.'”
Kuhn is co-editor, with John Leslie, of “The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything at All?” (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). Read more of Kuhn’s essays on Kuhn’s Live Science Expert Voices landing page and Kuhn’s Space.com Expert Voices landing page.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
(Courtesy of Gwyllm Llwydd.)
By Calvin Harris, H.W., M.
Saturday, September 3, 2016 – 9:45 p.m. My thoughts are reeling about what has transpired thus far, as I attempt to quiet myself for sleep. and yet the mind feels fully awake reviewing all that has occurred today and yesterday. It is the end of day two of The Prosperos Assembly 2016 at the Westin Hotel, in Long Beach, California. This was the first full day of planed activities.
Friday, September 2, the central focus for many of the participants was just getting there, be it drive or fly, then, to settle into the hotel, to acquaint themselves with events, existing attractions, restaurants, and local transportation. That evening, the Assembly attendees made first contact as a group, in an informal meet – and -greet with Prosperos Dean Al Haferkamp H.W., M.
As the Coordinator of the event, I came to the hotel, about 11:00 a.m., to check myself in, and if need be, to be of assistance to anyone that might have questions. I was keenly interested in who would be there, even though I had an inkling of who might be there, in the form of a pre-assembly registration report. As Prosperos students started arriving, I was delighted and surprised to see and greet so many of the participants as they entered the Westin Hotel. Some of them, I knew for months were coming to Assembly, others I found out just days before the event, like the phone call from Tom Charlesworth,H.W., M., of Seattle, or the E-mail from long-time students: Mary Ann of Colorado, now in Hemet, Ca, Jerry Glasgow of Colorado, now in Northern California, Amy Cuff-Wall of Central Calif., Sara Walker of Oregon, Bo Lebo of Hollywood.
I was really excited and eager to welcome our first-time assembly students: Annie Becker of Arizona, and Richard Branam of Washington state. Of course I was looking forward to seeing those students that I have long-term bonds with. Some go way back over 40 years, yet I have not seen for a long time. I was ready with that big hug, that embrace of Aloha – There was Greta and Sarkis Balayan, Hanz Bolen, Anne Bollman, Debi and Larry Byrnes, Janet Cornwell, Al Haferkamp, Alana and William Fennie, Cookie James and Richard Hartnett, Hugh John Malanaphy, Maureen Malanaphy, Tibor Nagy, Rick Thomas, and Heather Williams. There were those who I would have to wait until the banquet dinner to add to the list of Aloha’s: Bob Biddle of Long Beach, Kathleen Malanaphy of Hawaii, and Rob Klopfenstein of San Pedro. I am sure I may have missed one or two other names in my recollection, but as you can see we hailed from the east to the west coast, the Hawaiian island, and parts in between.
From September 3 to 5, it was my privilege to emcee the Assembly, as emcee I had the honor of introducing my fellow Mentors before their presentations or workshops. As part of introducing them, I presented them with a ti-leaf lei, as well as a special symbolic teaching lei that Zoe Robinson H.W., M. (now in Greece) had sent to us for the Assembly. This special lei was ceremoniously presented to me by Rick Thomas, H.W., M., President of the Prosperos, and I subsequently passed it on to each presenter as they came to the lectern.
My opening remarks for the Assembly was a brief talk about the meaning of Aloha and the Aloha Spirit, to have the participants evoke that spirit within our Assembly community. According to old kahunas (priests), Aloha is a most ancient Hawaiian word – “ALO,” meaning presence or face, and “HA,” meaning breath, being able to live the Spirit of Aloha is to live Face-to-Face with the Breath of Life, thus Aloha is a way of living whole.
“Aloha” also means Love. Another word we use concurrent with Aloha, in the Prosperos is the Greek word “Agape” also meaning Love, what then is at the core, the essence of relationships, in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. Thomas Merton wrote, “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.” Thus our focus for those few days, was to work in concert with the Aloha Spirit, so we could hear what is not said, see what cannot be seen and know the unknowable. Following my opening remarks, I asked for Elton John’s tumble weed album version of “Love Song.”
After the break, I introduced Al Haferkamp, H.W., M., Dean of the Prosperos, who gave a welcome speech called “Introduction to the Crossroads.” Al expressed some of the goals for this assembly, which began by reminding us of our Assembly theme, “Companions at the Crossroads.” After a few words about that, he reminded us about our work, which is to bring straight thinking from the abstract into our lives, not to just feel better and go on until the next crisis hits, but to encourage us to use the powers that the practice of RHS and Translation releases within us, the powers of the Supra Conscious that can break the chains of “fear” and “inertia” caused by unresolved unconscious conflicts and contradictions, which keep us from satisfying achievements.
During the short break after Al’s talk, Janet Cornwell, H.W., m., and Anne Bollman, H.W., M., were finishing up with everyone’s registration for the event. Sarkis Balayan, H. W., was doing an excellent job with running the video, and sound equipment. Hugh John Malanaphy, H.W., M., was of great assistance with the music portions of the Assembly. He queued up and had playing Gene Wilder singing “Pure Imagination.” from the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
After the Break, Anne Bollman, H.W., M., was introduced and came to the lectern with her presentation called “Understanding your Unconscious Drives in a Time of Change.” Anne’s presentation touched on the astrological aspects of the unconscious interpretive apparatus of the individual, family and social survival dynamics active within each of us. Her focus in this presentation, was on the transits of Uranus and Pluto as far as clues to upcoming challenges and changes in our world that give us the power of choice to act or react.
During the break after Anne’s talk, the song that was played, was a duet or conversation in song from the musical Wicked (the retelling of the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy came.) It was between Elphaba (the so called wicked witch) and Glinda (the so called good witch), after their first-eye opening encounter with the Wizard of Oz. The song was called, “For Good,” the lyrics gives a pretty good indication of where we want to be after an RHS: “I’ve heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return … I know I’m who I am today because I knew you … And now whatever way our stories end I know you have rewritten mine … And just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness [to Give-For], For the things I’ve done, you blame me for. But then I guess, we know there’s blame to share. And none of it seems to matter anymore [Release] … I do believe I have been changed for the better… because I knew you … I have been changed … For good.”
Up next was one of my favorite talks, it was presented by Richard Hartnett, H.W., M., it was called “To Awaken in the Dark Forest.” Richard, like Mary Ritley H.W., M., before him, reminds us of our symbolic, archetypal stories that we all reenact. And what makes the Prosperos teaching so powerful and effective is our ability to take courage and to shine enlightenment within the dark side of ourselves. Richard used the archetypal story of “Dante’s descent into hell” to walk us through the spiritual journey from the dark forest to the heavens. After which we listened to Peggy Lee’s version of Love Song. We then adjourned for lunch.
After lunch we heard Elton John’s version of Love Song. The room had been rearranged for a demonstration of the Empty Chair Technique (ECT), coupled with the Releasing the Hidden Splendour (RHS) process.
Richard Hartnett was introduced as an RHS/ECT facilitator. He began by going over the 5 steps of RHS: 1). Retrieve the memory, 2) Re-live feelings as you knew them then, identify yourself and others in that then state of awareness. 3) Re-Act to act out the emotions of the scene, saying what could not be said then. 4) Release – let go of or release yourself and others in the scene from anger, blame, guilt, etc., as mind unfolding the truth. 5) Re-file – the memory automatically refiles when we give up the understanding that it is not about the non-survival mechanism, and “to Give-For” our identity, as Joseph above Pharaoh, “Consciousness Unfolding”.
Rick Thomas H.W., M., then joined Richard to present a demonstration of the RHS/ ECT, process. (Rick, Richard, Al, and myself had gone through an eight-week intensive lead by Zoe Robinson, H.W., M. in honing our facilitators skills in the use of the RHS/ ECT).
Rick and Richard prepared to do a RHS/ECT process that include the Assembly participants. But before they began, we were all admonished to uphold the Confidentiality Agreement that nothing is revealed or passed on about what you have witnessed or heard other than what you gained from your experience, your own insights as to your relationship to the experience. The Confidentiality Agreement is to be treated as sacred and binding.
There are three roles that are performed when RHS/ECT is done in a group situation.
There is the Participant (some may know this role as the protagonist in pyscho-drama).
There is the Facilitator, who support the participant through the process.
And there is Witness Participant, the rest of us in attendance who witness and support the process by intense listening not only of the participant triggers and releases, but of our own self-dialogue as well, using self-observation to see where we might be triggered or stuck, how we can better enhance and perfect the use of the tools when we are working with them on our own, and to be present in your sharing during the gratitude circle at the end of the workshop.
After the RHS/ECT demonstration, we were assigned to break-out groups in various locations. A recess was called, and afterward we met up with our various break-out groups.
The break-out groups each had a trained facilitator acting as moderator. The facilitator’s goal was to help identify, clarify, and review issues. As in our tape groups, there was also a group recorder who through group discussion, would jot down identified shared issues when we look more closely at the 5Rs, or the concept of the Observer Self or Joseph above Pharaoh. Concepts that we could dive into and work to release.
The breakout groups were organic in nature, not to be analyzing but rather a process of inward listening. And if something bubbled up the facilitator was there to provide a safe environment to support a participant if they would want to go through a RHS/ECT session.
At an appointed time, we regrouped in the main meeting room, still in an environment of Loving Listening, we shared our break-out groups summations. For me, what stood out were statements like a move towards balance, straight-thinking in the abstract, and getting back to source. Issues of reclaiming our power and somatic balance by letting go of false identities and unresolved emotional memories, transforming fears into self-actualizing servants of Consciousness.
We had come to the end of our program for that evening.
My deep breath and release, reminded me, Aloha is a way of living whole, to live Face-to-Face with the essence of life.
As we adjourned for the evening, we filed out of our meeting room with Hawaiian music playing in the background into the main hallway of the hotel, into a larger world filled with the larger world filled with sound of drums, gourds, chants, music and the sway of life.
To Be Continued…