All About EUROTAS

The European Transpersonal Association (EUROTAS) was created in 1987 in Brussels, Belgium when a group of people gathered to discuss whether the transpersonal associations of Europe would benefit by having a pan-European organisation to support their work and to improve communication between the different organisations involved in transpersonal work in Europe. Those involved represented a diverse cross section of professions ages and nationalities. The group quickly realized that they were only a small cross section of the Europeans interested in transpersonal and meditative study. It was clear that an organization, centrally positioned to offer resources, assistance and advice to members and interested parties alike would be a great benefit and it was in this vein that EUROTAS was created.

Since these humble beginnings, EUROTAS has developed pragmatically. It was devised as, and remains, a non-profit organization, beholden to nobody, save it's members. EUROTAS was defined as "a non-political, non-religious, non-profit, multi-disciplinary organisation, composed of European transpersonal associations." By linking the various European national transpersonal organizations, EUROTAS saw the benefits of the free exchange of ideas and information which could quickly be filtered down to the grass roots level. The members who joined together to create EUROTAS saw the organization as having clear primary purposes which were set down in the newly written constitution. These purposes were:

1. To provide a context oriented toward reconciling the viewpoints of various disciplines, including science, spirituality, philosophy and art, such as to promote a holistic transformation of the human being in body, mind, soul and spirit.

2. To develop theoretical and applied research in the different areas of interest of the transpersonal perspective: transpersonal psychology and psychotherapy, creativity and learning ability, meditation and spiritual traditions, consciousness and its non-ordinary states, particularly the ones leading to the experience of the non-dual and unitive consciousness as described by mystics and traditional wisdom.

3. To help establish a network of organisations throughout Europe in the transpersonal field

4. To facilitate and promote communication among researchers, members of EUROTAS, and other interested groups and individuals, through conferences, seminars newsletter and other publications.

5. To facilitate inter-country projects on promotion of education, research and service.

6. To promote relations and co-operation with other groups and organisations, such as the International Transpersonal Association and the Association for Transpersonal Psychology in the USA, and the many other representatives of the transpersonal movement throughout the world.

7. To encourage the application of the transpersonal perspective and conceptual framework to education, the economy, ecology, politics, art and other areas of human life and society.

At its heart EUROTAS aimed to stimulate the development of the "new science of consciousness". This idea is based on inner experiences and transformations, which are then able to integrate different traditions, and to disseminate principles and methods for developing wisdom and perception of the unity of life and of the Sacred which underlies all. This "new science of consciousness" is based on love for humanity and reverence for life: its goal is a socially engaged spirituality, serving the purpose of planetary well being. Implicit in all this is the search for ways to transcend national boundaries.

Also written into the new constitution was an article outlining membership, which would have each European country represented by one formally established transpersonal organization. Each organization was allotted two delegates to the Council each of whom would have voting rights. The EUROTAS Board is composed of between three and six members and is elected by the Delegate Council. The Council is empowered to amend the constitution with a two thirds majority vote. The final document only contained three articles, perhaps epitomising the simple values of the organization. While the formalities of election times, quorums and other information, often found in the charters of other organizations was absent, the document gave the organization the freedom to operate in a flowing manner with consensus being the driving force behind getting things done. Few changes have been made to the original document, although the growth of transpersonal activities in Europe has seen an influx of new organizations, many in the same country. Recognising this, a Delegate Council meeting held in Dobogoko, Hungary in August 1999 agreed that any properly constituted organisation which supports transpersonal activities and philosophy should be able to request membership of EUROTAS.

EUROTAS grew strongly in the eighties and especially in the early nineties as more and more people began to reflect less on what their paycheck offered them and more on philosophical, religious and ethical questions about life, the world, and what lies beyond. By 1998, EUROTAS included 14 national associations representing some thousands of members as well as having observers from countries from North and South America and Asia. The organization does not maintain a permanent home in any country. Instead the portfolio of the organization resides with the current president of the Board.

Eurotas is currently based in Portugal where the President lives, while previously the organization's administration was carried out at different times from the UK, Italy, France and Belgium. As the coordinating body of European transpersonal activity, EUROTAS seeks to offer assistance not only to the national organizations and it's members, but to interested members of the public as well. EUROTAS was designed to be, and remains, a facilitation vehicle. The information we provide, via newsletters, our web page and other publications allows EUROTAS to contribute to the rapid changes taking place across our planet which involve the relationship of individuals to one another, the planet and to themselves. It is oriented towards reconciling the viewpoints of different disciplines, sciences, spirituality, philosophy and art. It offers a platform and a system of communication for promoting the holistic transformation of the human being in body, mind, soul and spirit. It is multi-disciplinary, embracing all sectors of life and society, but has neither religious, nor political affiliations and is not limited to any particular discipline, school of thought, or technique.

As a growing, living, facilitating organization, EUROTAS continues to thrive, often standing along with it's member association's as a oasis of peace in an otherwise hectic and unruly world. The beauty of the transpersonal is that it applies everywhere, and is free from the constraints of ethnic, religious or financial constraints. It is individual and unrestrained. It is creativity, love and art, but most important, perhaps, is that it is about you. We welcome your input and ideas to this web site. We encourage you to visit out links page where you will find the web pages and information about our member associations as well as many other links of relevance to the modern day spiritual person seeking a different path. Please email us with your thoughts for a better web site and a better world. We look forward to hearing from you!