Emerging Futures

That we change is not what separates us from the rest of the world. HOW we change, is.

We are not the first (and likely will not be the last) who claim to have found a way to accelerate their personal evolution; to create profoundly meaningful lives for ourselves. Given that I’ve been in the ‘personal growth’ world both as a participant and as a facilitator/coach/educator for more than 40 years, I’ve seen more come and go than most people experience in a lifetime! I have made it my life (not just my life’s work) to explore, experience and express all that offers a gateway to transformation.

My explorations of what was ‘out there’ to help me change my life covers a wide range of what was and ‘has beens’, starting in the late 60’s all the way up to the current moment. I’ve been through every kind of therapy/process known to both novice and avid practitioner, alike.

I’ve been analyzed (from a range of counsellors, psychologists and mentors/guides to twice a week for 52 weeks with a psychiatrist… and for sure, after THAT, I really needed therapy!) and self-actualized. I’ve EST’ed, been tested (diagnostic kinesiology) and wandered the world of energy (Reiki attuned and chakra balanced from stem to stern). I’ve spent two decades of my life in ‘traditional’ therapies, not to mention 12 years spent in 12-Step programs for addictions and families of addicted people.

I’ve stretched my body (10 years of high-impact aerobics, running, weight lifting and yoga), my mind (read everything I could get my hands on from ‘New Age pookie-pookie’ as Anne Wilson-Schaef would say, to quantum physics, neuroscience, anatomy and physiology, NLP and hypnosis) and my soul (searching for god in all the wrong places… where even god would never hang out!). I’ve searched close to home and travelled across North America and Europe in my desire to discover…. myself.

And through it all, I launched myself body, mind and soul into every new discovery! I journaled, meditated and grouped process’ed. I sat in silence and talked myself silly! I held my breath, pinched my nostrils and twisted my body into as many tight little balls as I could manage. I read and I wrote. I talked and I listened. I struggled with it by myself and I shared myself into oblivion! And over time, I generated the most impressive and expansive library of books and audio/video programs that you’ll find anywhere in the world! Guthy Renker and I were on a first-name basis. I should have just given them my bank account number and had them put me on a monthly stipend and keep the rest!

Through it all, I learned a great deal. I could hold my own with anyone trained academically in human behaviour, often knowing more than they did. My entire life for more than 20 years had been devoted to finding myself! That’s a lot of discovery and information and education - and it was also a lot of disappointment and (sometimes) hopelessness.

Not that long ago, I sat across the table from a woman about my age who had just decided to engage in one of our intensives. Tears streamed down her face as she declared: “I can’t take one more disappointment! I can’t take one more unkept promise or undelivered result! I am spent - physically, emotionally and financially - and I don’t have much left to see me through one more failed attempt!” I knew exactly what she was talking about.

From 1968 to 2008, I’ve seen a lot of ‘pet rocks’ of the human evolution kind. I’ve seen things repeat, as they drifted onto the stage in one form, reappearing in new clothes 10 to 12 years later. In truth (at least my truth and that of many others), not much is really ‘new’ in this whole area. So much of what is touted as ‘revolutionary’ is a rehash of what already was expressed some four decades ago. The good stuff recycles - and so does much of the useless.

The arrival of Deepak Chopra and the notions of a quantum world began to touch the edges of something different and compelling; something that we could not easily parrot and yet, instinctively knew was worth exploring and figuring out. In the decades that I had been searching, there was finally something that was an invitation for me to reconsider WHAT I was and not just WHO I was, moving me beyond the content of my ‘psyche’ or personality and offering me a significantly and profoundly different perspective on my humanity and its expression.

So, color me radical in my approach to transformation! And ‘radical’ is a word that has been used to describe the things I say and a WEL-Systems perspective. And radical it is, when compared to what has been going on in this world of personal transformation for more than 40 years!

That we create change is not considered ‘radical’ - it’s how we do it that either really catches people’s attention in pure delight or with great annoyance. Because ‘how’ we change is really what makes the huge difference - in both approach and outcome.

It’s radical to consider that we are not WHAT we’ve been told to believe we are. It’s radical to consider that we are the very god we seek. It’s radical to consider that our bodies are quantum biological processors and that what they process are signals or chunks of energy/information that ultimately define the quality of our lives. It’s radical to consider that what goes on inside of me is far more relevant, pertinent and significant to the quality of my life than anything that goes on outside of me. And it’s radical to consider that the future is not something that we are captive to but is a constantly emerging invitation of potential and possibility that we have been taught to say ‘no’ to… and can learn to say ‘YES’ to!

I, for one, have found a very different way to consider my own evolution…. my own accelerated evolution. And I am not alone on this journey. Many, many more have discovered that when they become willing to reconsider WHAT they are, they become able to reconsider HOW they are.

Breathing is good….

My time in Hawaii is almost complete.  Tomorrow, I leave the Big Island until the spring of 2009 when I return for a four-day retreat for women.  Emerging Futures:  Power, Passion and Purpose will change lives… including my own! (More information will follow on this ‘Emerging Futures’ retreat re dates, etc.) 

I am already a changed woman.  During my time here (as it is on every visit) the flow of Fire transforms who I believe myself to be, making way for discovery and new ways of moving through my world.  This trip has been no exception.  If anything, it has happened faster than ever before.  With Kiluea more active than it has been for 25 years, I am mindful of my body engaging more quickly in ways that invite insight into my own intentions, interests and personal evolution. 

In these last 10 days, I have awakened to a couple of truths that I carry deep within my cells:  my body knows things that cannot be rationalized outside of me (and thank you, Danny, for helping me relax more easily into that about ‘being’ Hawaiian!); and almost 40 years in the ‘human evolution’/personal growth movement means that I have seen more things come and go than most people will ever discover, from the ‘pet rock’ of human potential to the ‘everything old is new again’ song that can be sung about so much that exists today.  The good news is that I know what I know AND I know it profoundly changes lives!  I now trust that like never before.  In this domain of human evolution, I am claiming my place at the table as a Tribal Elder.   

For some time now, I have been aware of a desire to move forward in the company of 10 other women who are also feeling the ‘pull’ to accelerate their own evolution.  It is not just about creation or co-creation - it is about co-creation for (as Paul has awakened me to) mutual evolution.  That last part - the ‘mutual evolution’ part - is extremely important to me. 

Creating things for their own sake does not light me up like creating things that will press the edges - FAST! - of my own evolution.  Co-creating with others carries the same interest;  will our manifesting X result in us each becoming ‘more’ as a result of engaging?  If not, I have to ask myself:  why would we invest our energy/time/effort in this way?  If I am not pressing myself to discover more, I am being who I have already been.  That’s not good/bad, right/wrong - it’s just way too familiar to capture imagination for very long. 

Some time ago, we became aware that a ‘critical mass’ for the creation of Intention 2009 would be for 200 unique women to engage in ‘Decloaking… and living authentically’ in one 12-month period.  Why 200?  Because when we consider the notion of ‘contagion of an awakened collective’ and the number of people that are touched by 200 women, the potential impact goes beyond linear, sequential impact.  To me, it’s about creating a new way of moving through a new world.  

We already know the impact of contagion of a collective in a coma:  it is what has produced the world we know.  Imagine the impact of contagion of an awakened collective; a collective whose greatest force lies in the awakened genius of each individual choosing to move mindfully forward and engaging with mindful intention to shape the world they desire, rather than learn to adjust to the one they think they’re stuck with. 

It’s also about acceleration… finding ways to speed up the process; to move beyond the capacity of the intellect to manage 7 plus or minus 2 items in conscious awareness and to move instead, to using the intellect to engage the body directly to process at the speed of 3 trillion cellular interactions per minute!  The intellect does have a role and processing isn’t it!  The body (as a quantum biological processor) is the most powerful processor we have - what’s missing is that we don’t know how to get out of the way! 

And so, I prepare to leave the Big Island with plans already in place to return.  I also leave knowing that the next 3 months will find me connecting to those 10 women who are also seeking to co-create  for accelerated mutual evolution and the global change that will come with it.  I welcome contact from women who are called to this same consideration.   Already, three have come into my awareness since being here that I did not know 10 days ago.  Be careful what you ask for!  

Aloha goes with me as I prepare to re-enter my ‘regular’ life.  I leave with a great desire to once again be ‘home’ with my family; and I also leave the Big Island knowing that I belong here and will be back, time and again, to reconnect with the Earth and Water that ground and soothe me, and the Fire and Air that propel me in ways and into expressions that I cannot find anywhere else.  In these moments, I know what it is to be whole. 

Breathing is good…

They’re almost all gone, now… with only 5 remaining on the Big Island and most of them leaving tomorrow.  It has been a magical time through the Mauna Lani Experience and Huna conversation and is, I know, the beginning of more things to come. 

We gathered to explore connection - to the elements, to each other and to Self.  The conversations were powerful and compelling; the environment, at all levels, was nurturing, considerate and life-enhancing.  The outcomes were, as always, life-altering, profoundly awakening and offered a platform for the ‘more’ that we have come to know ourselves to be.  

I loved every minute!  The conversations were rich, textured, authentic and filled with lots of big belly laughs!  The participants were fully engaged, courageous and willing to move outside their comfort level.  All was in flow - and I know that we are all changed.  

As always, it wasn’t always fun… even in Paradise.  And equally as always, it was worth every moment! I never cease to be amazed at the desire people have to live a meaningful life.  The willingness of each person to be open, honest, clear and direct; and to be present when that was happening for someone else.  

Already, we are exploring coming back, seeking to find the ‘right’ time to return to the Big Island and the beautiful Mauna Lani Bay resort.  I know that there will be a gathering of women to explore POWER in an Emerging Futures context.  I also know that there will be another exploration of Huna in an Emerging Futures context.  More will follow…. 

There are many pictures on the WEL-Systems World! Facebook group.  The smells, sounds and sights were a feast for one who has been facing mountains of snow and cold for way too many months!  My favorites are the ones of the hammock by the ocean, the sun gleaming off the water and the folks gathering for the Aloha Reception when we arrived.  I think I just might learn to love this ‘Where’s my camera??’ thing! 

I’ll be heading home in a few days and look forward to the next creation.  I know that Hawaii will be on my schedule at least once a year, if not twice.  There is something very special about being there. 

Aloha!  

And so, we begin.  

I am on the Big Island of Hawaii, at the magnificent Mauna Lani Bay Resort.  Slowly, over the last few days, ‘ohana’ (or family of choice) has been gathering in this place to spend time in shared discovery.  Our first time together will be in about an hour, at the Aloha Reception for the 22 of us who are here.  

In this moment, my heart is full…. of a sense of connection; of hope for the times that are coming; and of the desire to touch and be touched by those who desire to be awakened and stay awake!  I know that as this ohana gathers, I am in the good company of others who are seeking the ‘more’ that they know themselves to be. It is not about finding it - it is about allowing ourselves to be found by it. 

Tomorrow, Day 1 will be a time to connect with the Elements…. to find the Earth, Water, Fire and Air in their unique expressions and in how they come together to shape the ‘whole’ that each of us is.  Here, in Paradise, we are surrounded by these in ways that are impossible to NOT notice, experience and become.  

Kilauea is ever-present, with an intense, constant pressure as an expression of intensity.  What this says to me is that intensity will be found in the coming days, from inside ourselves.  How will we vent?  What will the plumes of our own emissions look like/sound like/feel like to ourselves and to others around us?  When we consider what moves inside of each of us, what surprises await? 

I am thrilled to be here - and I know there will be many more. Already, an ‘Emerging Futures’ four-day retreat for women exploring POWER… redefining it and reclaiming it… it taking shape for April of 2009.  I can feel the rumblings already…. 

For now, what I know more than at any other time:  breathing is good!  

I decided a long time ago that what lights me up - what makes my life worth living - is engaging with others for lives to change.  

This came profoundly into my awareness today as I listened to a CBC report on babies being abandoned at birth in some far-away country because these were ‘incest babies’ (babies conceived as a result of rape by a family member) and are believed to bring ‘bad luck’ to the families if they are kept.  As a result, these newborns are being left in the mud in fields, in latrines in men’s bathrooms and in other remote places, to die alone.

What struck me about the reporting of this story is that with all the attention placed on the babies and who was finding them and what people were doing with them; on the horrific plight of these young women - many of them barely out of the category of ‘child’ - I heard not a single reference… not a word!… about the cause of the problem:  the men who rape.  That seemed a little strange to me!

Funny, that…. that the source of the problem is completely avoided.  How does one solve a problem when we are unwilling to address its cause?

I sought out a conversation with someone whose world view I respect and opinion I value and said those same things:  how come?  How can it be so?  The ideas we then explored were about what people are willing to hear; what sells books and newspapers; and what people can tolerate before they feel overwhelmed by their own powerlessness and terror.

As I listened, I realized how my life has never been about selling books or programs or CD’s.  My life has always been about changing lives - my own and that of the person I am engaging with.  Maybe that’s what makes me such a gigantic pain in the ass to so many people!  I just will not quit as long as one of us is still breathing!

I’m not interested in dancing around the edges of someone’s miserable life and finding ways to ‘manage’ it!  I’m not interested in wandering around and telling stories and mapping out how or what someone else ’should’ do or ‘could’ do; and how its everyone else’s fault but our own.  What I’m interested in is:  what do YOU want?  What are YOU going to do?  How do YOU want to live?… and then get on with it!  It’s not always easy, it’s not always fun and sometimes, it gets downright ugly.   But the outcome is that if we want it; if we’re willing to stop lying to ourselves and ducking the truth of what we know deep in our bodies, our lives change.  Why?  Because we say so and not for any other reason!

And this brings me full circle, back to my first point:  how come we don’t say so on behalf of these screaming, dying babies?  Where are the voices of outrage from the men who are reading and listening to the same reporting as I am?   Where does the line get drawn in the sand when the truth is, men have been standing by, silent, for generations and watching other men wreak havoc in the lives of so many - and done nothing about it.  The problem is not that men are bad or evil - the problem is that they are silent in their own truth of knowing that what grows and feeds on innocence can also devour them - and they too, are afraid.  

I can change the world by changing my own world - one moment to the next.  I can change the world by being willing to engage my world, from one conversation to the next; one person to the next; one truth to the next.  I can change the world by being willing to take a stand in my world, and trust that the ripples will go out and touch the world around me.  And I can change the world by getting honest with myself and determining:  do I want to change my world… or just talk about it?  

Breathing is good….