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…