EUROTAS NEWSLETTER 22          13 February 2005

Dear Friends,

1. A letter from our President
2.The Moscow Conference 23-26 June 2005
3. The EUROTAS Board
4. “Ways through the Wall” EUROTAS/CTP book to be published in May
5. Proposed European Spirituality Project – Vitor Rodriguez
6. A letter from France
7. A letter from Switzerland
8 A note from Chris Hall about the website
9. A letter from a new Swiss Institute
10. Research Project – collaboration sought for
11. Transpersonal Perspectives UK Programme
12. The World Spirit Forum
13. Spirituality in Economic and Social Life Forum
14. A Last Thought from Hungary about the Newsletter
15.A note from the Editor

1. A letter from our President

Dear Member Associations, Delegates and Friends of EUROTAS

The Board of EUROTAS have unanimously invited me to be President of EUROTAS and I have after some careful reflection agreed to this. However, I have asked for my name to go forward at the next Delegates meeting in Moscow in June 2005 as I would wish to have the confirmation of all Member Associations and Delegates that they are happy with this. You will see below a few lines about me and what I believe. I hope that this will be welcome to you!

I think you would all like to join me in thanking Wilfried Belschner who was President of EUROTAS from 2003-2004 for his contribution to our Association during this period. He brought an academic and research aspect to our Association which I hope I will be able to continue as well as welcoming so many from so many different backgrounds and countries to contribute to our network and meetings.

My first thoughts are as follows, but I hope you and your Associations will write to me during the next few months so that we can work out ways ahead for EUROTAS at this important time of European integration and global changing times:

1. To develop further efforts towards building a network of relationships within the “transpersonal” field in Europe (which as you know I prefer to call the field of “consciousness studies”). For this, I propose the continuation of some great work that has been done, like the EUROTAS website and the EUROTAS newsletter and, after this, to go for a EUROTAS Directory not only of delegates and associations but of contacts within each country, including relevant organizations and individuals like therapists, experts in consciousness studies of several different kinds. Included in the Directory would be fields of interest, work previously done, types of support needed or wished for.

2. To help organise each year’s EUROTAS Conference. For next year, I would propose “European Spirituality: past, present and future” and this would be discussed with Bernadette Blin who has very kindly agreed that GRETT, The French Transpersonal Association will host the 8th EUROTAS European Conference in the Loire Valley in France in 2006.

3. To develop projects that will help enhance European spirituality in a way that makes a healthy difference. For this and as a start, I propose the development of the “European Spirituality Project” – you will find below at No 7. You will see that it is rather ambitious and also highly feasible.

4. To define in a precise way the communication channels within EUROTAS so that each one has a voice and a contribution to be honoured. For this, I believe we should have a complete list of EUROTAS delegates and we should, when sending “global” emails:

• indicate exactly to whom it was addressed first and why it is being addressed to everybody;
• assert what is expected from each one as an answer, so that all becomes clear;
• make clear who in this general email is expected to answer and to whom they should address their reply.

I look forward to working with you and hope you will bring your Associations into even closer relationship with EUROTAS. We do need your effort and expertise in a world that needs some leadership in finding new values and new ways forward.

The Board of EUROTAS is at present: Vitor Rodrigues, Portugal; Christer Claus, Sweden; Ovidiu Brazdau, Romania; Vladimir Maykov, Russia and Agnes Furedi, Hungary.
If you are interested in joining the Board, please let us know as we will wish to have new people proposed at the Moscow Delegates Meeting.

Best wishes
Vitor Rodrigues

Vitor has been a Psychologist and a Psychotherapist since 1985. He has a PhD in Educational Psychology and is the President of the Portuguese-Brazilian Transpersonal Association. He is the author of eight books including four self-help manuals, a science-fiction novel, and two ironic essays on our contemporary ways of “stupidity” and a novel on consumerism. He lectured and conducted workshops in the field he calls “Psychology of Consciousness” and he practices meditation since he was an adolescent (which he still is!).

2. EUROTAS 7th CONFERENCE, Moscow. Human Consciousness, Human Values in an Interconnected World; a Transpersonal Approach - Moscow 23-26 June

Visit www.citizenshipconference.org or www.eurotas.org

You are warmly invited to take part in this Seventh EUROTAS Conference which will be held at the Moscow Academy of Public Service at the Presidency of the Russian Federation. The detailed programme is send to you in the next Newsletter no 23 which follows this.

The conference is for all those in Europe and elsewhere who are interested in the relation between the inner aspects of their lives and the outward living of them. It will bring together like minded people from many different countries. The emphasis will be on our meeting together and learning from one another. It is not a conference at which you will just sit at the feet of great people and hear their views, although there will be expert lecturers and workshops from all over Europe and elsewhere. It is also a time for personal reflection on the contribution we might make in our own special ways to the complexity of the fast changing global, regional and local societies in which we find ourselves living.
Please decide to come, register your interest and if you would like to lead a workshop/discussion group please let us know and we will send you the framework briefing material. Participants will come from all over the world but most of them will be from Europe and from Russia in particular.

Many conference lectures will be presented and published on the EUROTAS website. There will be between 30 and 50 different workshops to choose from during the Conference offered by participants at the Conference.

This will be a meeting of transpersonal people and those interested in wisdom and the inner aspects of life and living. Each day will have themes which consider transpersonal aspects of society. The four days will cover the Transpersonal and Health, the Transpersonal and Education, the Transpersonal and Society, the Transpersonal and Consciousness. Subsumed in these will be sessions on transpersonal connections with the environment, the faith traditions, management, and spiritual emergency and at least two afternoon research seminars for specialists in the field. This will enable you to hear others reflect on their current views, to discuss your work with those present informally and formally and to develop your own thoughts and feelings in the company of a lively and interesting group of friends and new contacts from Russia, Europe and other Continents. This is a conference for taking part in, not for just listening and those who give workshops or speak will be conference participants themselves This European Conference is sponsored by The European Transpersonal Association (EUROTAS) and its members from 18 European Countries. It will also number supporters from other eminent transpersonal and other associations including the Association of Transpersonal Psychology (ATP) and the Scientific and Medical Network (SMN). The aim of EUROTAS is to facilitate communication between national transpersonal associations and groups and to promote joint activities in the transpersonal field. You can find more about us on www. eurotas.org.

It will be fun, worthwhile professionally and socially and an opportunity to learn more about the great Russian transpersonal tradition in values, spirituality and research. This programme is a follow up to the EUROTAS meeting in London in August 2004 which was the inspiration for the Moscow Conference. Participation in the Conference is invited from: psychotherapists, psychologists, medical doctors, social workers, and experts as well as the general public interested in aspects of wisdom, spirituality, values and ethics in an interconnected world.
The scientific program of the Congress will include plenary lectures conducted by Russian and foreign professionals, discussions, round tables, demonstrations, workshops.

The cultural part of the program includes excursions across Moscow and nearby cities of “the Gold ring of Russia” and participation in the “Soul of Europe” concluding party.

Pre-conference and Post-conference trainings/lectures will be conducted by Russian and foreign professionals.
The Conference is organised in Russia by the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy with the participation of the Moscow Open Centre, Transpersonal Foundation and the partial collaboration of the Professional Psychotherapeutic League (Russia).

Please find a moment to reply as soon as you can to our administration centre: both to psyche@GB4205.spb.edu and vmaykov@mars.rags.ru to have further details about the programme and registration. If you do not have email access you can contact Gennady Brevde at the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy tel. 7 (812) 351 1873, or send a letter to the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy, Pavlovskaya 18, Moscow, 115093

Chairman of the Conference:
Vladimir Maykov, Ph.D., President of the Association of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy (Russia) email: vmaykov@mars.rags.ru; http://www.atpp.ru; http://www.transpersonal.ru

Program Board:
Vladimir Maykov, Ph.D. (Russia), Prof. Dr. Wilfried Belschner (Germany), Dipl.-Psych. Bernadette Blin-Lery (France,
Chairwoman Conference 2006), Dipl.-Psych. Ovidiu Brazdau (Romania), Prof. John Drew (UK), Agnes Furedi
(Hungary), Prof. Dr. Olga Louchakova (US), Prof. Dr. Vitor Rodrigues (Portugal), Prof. Viktor Makarov (Russia)

Send your Submissions to:
Vladimir Maykov, Ph.D.
Email: vmaykov@mars.rags.ru

Chairman of the organizing committee:
Gennady Brevde, Ph.D.
E-mail: psyche@gb4205.spb.edu
Ph. 7 (812) 351 1873

3. The EUROTAS Board

At the London Delegates Conference the following were elected to the Board of EUROTAS: Agnes Furedi, Hungary and Vladimir Maykov, Russia. Professor Vitor Rodrigues, Portugal has been unanimously nominated by the Board as President until June 2005, following the resignation of Professor Wilfried Belschner, Germany. You can find their emails if you wish to write to them on www. eurotas.org and click on “Contact Us”

At the Delegates Meeting in Moscow on 23 June Members are invited to put forward candidates wishing to fill the remaining place on the Board. They should have a Proposer and preferably a Seconder and nominations should be sent to Vitor Rodrigues before 1 May 2005. Vitor Rodrigues has asked that members vote formally on his election as President for the next three years 2005-8 at the 23 June Meeting.

4. “Ways through the Wall” EUROTAS/CTP book to be published in May

The book of the London Conference is going to the publisher this week. There are nearly thirty contributors from a wide number of countries. More details soon. It is hoped to have the book available in April/ May before the Moscow Conference when copies will be available for sale

Dear Colleague and Friend,

AIMS:

To develop a broad perspective on European spiritual traditions respecting each country in its own soul, its unique spiritual richness and contribution to Europe as a vast field for Culture and, within it, for Spiritual Culture.

To develop a consensual perspective on modern Spirituality in Europe, finding definitions, meanings and values that are common to each country and are compatible with its unique spiritual experience and traditions. 

To publish a book on European Spirituality that will bring together articles from each individual country, to be obtained by each association from acknowledged experts.

COORDINATOR:

Vitor Rodrigues, PhD, Portugal

I would like you to collaborate in the “European  Spirituality Project” which is, for me, a first step towards a major global project for epistemological convergence between spiritual traditions and great world religions and, later on, between scientists. So I am now asking you to:

-          Write down, or find someone in the position to write down, a high quality article about the spiritual traditions of your own country – directly in English or to be translated into this common language; also a synthesis about the main contemporary movements in this field

-          Adopt, for this article, a mainly anthropological and psychological perspective, considering:

b.     Present day spiritual culture in your country: what is going on, what developments are taking place, what is practiced and valued.

c.      the meaning of MAN and of MANKIND; DEFINITIONS OF MAN; DEVELOPMENT OF MAN; MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE for such past spiritual traditions and for contemporary movements.  

The article you will be taking responsibility for will be published in a book on “European Spirituality” bringing together a broad perspective on the tapestry of spiritual traditions in Europe and both their diversity and common ground – deeply respecting and honouring the tones of national soul in different geographical and historical areas.

I will be coordinating this project, finding a good Portuguese article, reviewing the articles and writing an overview of the whole book along with comments and a consensual synthesis of the work.

6. A letter from France

Jacotte Chollet writes from Paris about her remarkable discovery of a musical pathway to transpersonal consciousness and vibrant health:

After exploring the world with a movie camera during 14 years for French National Television, I was abruptly pushed into discovering the spiritual dimensions of life. At that time I had just completed two films about death and dying, viz. the Tibetan Book of the Dead. When the Tibetan trumpets and gongs began to resonate in the Stupa, my body became paralyzed, it no longer obeyed me, and I was transported into spiritual realms; it was a strange initiation.

Two weeks later my mother suddenly passed away, and I realized that something in me had probably subconsciously foreseen that event, and that this was the reason why I had planned a new series of eight films, called "The Wheel of Life". Along with other synchronistic events, this made me switch from an outer quest to an inner one. I was eager to discover my true identity. How was it possible to know future events? How could my physical body be entranced by sound and music? How could I bridge the gap between the unconscious, the subconscious and the conscious levels?
I spent the next 20 years trying to answer these questions and explore the multiple dimensions of my Self, with the aid of sound synthesizers. Sessions of spontaneous musical creation would take me into transcendental states of consciousness, making my body vibrate, get energized, transformed and healed. Whenever I reached that sacred space of inner bliss and unity, the sounds I was creating would act like laser beams, dissolving dissonant pockets of suffering and uniting in a conscious way the multiple dimensions of my Self.

I began to run workshops, and when tests were done with participants in order to see whether there was any correlation between psychic experience and physiological constants, surprising jumps in hemoglobin levels were observed during sessions with my music. It soon became obvious that coming into resonance with the music caused changes in the body as well, and that the innate intelligence of our body was utilizing these sessions to cleanse the blood and create healthy cells. Blood that was dark red before listening to the music turned scarlet after doing so; this was one of the physical results of renewing contact with soul and spirit. I then realized that I had been creating a vibrant Jacob’s ladder of sound, able to transport others to their source of unity.

A series of eight CDs, "Listening to the Self, Restoring our Wholeness", lead to these transpersonal adventures. Eventually measurements were made of participants’ brainwaves, showing a great many Alpha and Theta waves, as well as the synchronization of the brain’s hemispheres during listening to what I finally named "Multidimensional Music".

I am convinced that the true fabric of the Universe is musical, and that each one of us is a vibrant instrument, learning how to tune into the concert of life. Let’s hope we can speed up this tuning, so that we may develop harmony both within us and also on a global scale.

To find out more about "Multidimensional Music" and its effects on body and psyche, please visit www.multidimensionalmusic.com.

Best wishes

Jacotte Chollet

7. A letter from Switzerland.

Fausto writes:

We are at the moment in the process of reorganizing our association. A new address list is being made so that we can get in contact with all those people in Switzerland that have an interest in the Transpersonal. In 1-2 years time we are planning to hold a national conference in order to activate the forces that are silently present all over. We intend to invite speakers from EUROTAS also and make it an event, that will trigger off a new impulse in the activities of our association. We (at least two of us) are coming to Moscow next year, where I hope to be seeing you again. I intend to present a paper about Transpersonal Art Therapy. I will inform Vladimir Maykov soon.

Big hug

Fausto Sergei

8.  A note from Chris Hall about the website

The EUROTAS website continues to grow and we continue to receive communication from like-minded groups who use our internet presence as a means of global communication. It is hard to believe that it was five years ago when we first launched the site! It seems as if it were yesterday.

I must repeat the mantra that I have been espousing in recent newsletters: While the information contained on the website serves as a useful promotional and reference tool for all EUROTAS members to spread their messages to the online community, it would be a good time for all members to review their individual sections on the EUROTAS site to ensure a timely and relevant presence is maintained. There are still many links on the website that are orphaned, i.e. they don't go anywhere, primarily becuae your association's website has moved and you have not told us. Please let us know of changes to emails and websites as many people who find us on the internet immediately go to the members section to look for their local contact. Not having updated information means that like-minded people who wish to get in touch with you are unable to do so! So take a moment to look at your area on the website and do email me should any details need to be updated.

Please continue to keep your contributions, stories and pictures flowing to webmaster@EUROTAS.org

visit www.eurotas.org

The EUROTAS site offers links to our member associations as well as news, information and details about conferences. In addition a section for abstracts allows members to post information and papers that are of interest to the community at large. The website serves as the global face for EUROTAS to introduce our aims and culture to the world. It serves as a vehicle for communcation, helps to cut down on phone calls and keeps us environmentally friendly working in a paperless environment as much as possible. The website is run and organised by Chris Hall who works out of Stevenage, 30 miles north of London. He reports to EUROTAS Newsletter Editor John Drew who reports to the EUROTAS Board.

visit www.transpersonalcentre.co.uk

CTP offers professional preparation for transpersonal psychotherapists and accreditation in the Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy Section of the UK Council for Psychotherapy. The CTP is an expansive and informed site that offers information, opinion and information about upcoming couses at CTP.

visit www.citizenshipconference.org

The Citizenship Conference web site will give regular updates on the conference schedules, workshops, accommodation, meals, and directions. Also featured are a secure online registration system and a Discussion Board to preview some of the proposed topics.

We have now added a Discussion Board and we hope you will now begin to use this. It takes only a short time to register and there are a number of tools for allowing you to automatically be notified when someone replies to a post as well as other informative tools. The Discussion Board truly allows us to be globally communicative in the widest sense and we are able to talk in real-time about important global issues and really feels as if we are in touch with one another and supportive of one another's initiatives and goals. However with all such ventures, it is only really successful when it is used so do visit the Discussion Board, regiater and post to it. You may access it from the citcon website or the EUROTAS site. We look forward to your continued participation.

Best wishes for a peaceful and happy 2005

Chris Hall

9. A letter from a new Swiss Institute

Dear John,

Now that I have started with my Institute for holistic psychology (transpersonal psychology), I would like to ask you, if it is possible to let it be acknowledged by EUROTAS? The training is not a training for professional psychotherapists, but for people in all kinds of professions, who want to integrate their knowledge into their field. I cannot be officially acknowledged by the Swiss Organisations for Psychology, SPV.

The students get a certificate at the end and this would mean more, if the Institute would be acknowledged by EUROTAS. I will provide documents or supporting material and perhaps could do a poster presentation at the Moscow Conference?

What do you think about it?

Sincerely,

Barbara Henke

The Newsletter Editor has passed this on to the Board of EUROTAS for consideration

10. Research Project – collaboration sought for

My name is Janet Thornton and here is my research interest for which I am seeking academic and/or financial support including an institute that would sponsor the research so I can apply for funding

I am using a transpersonal model of reality as the basis of the research

Purpose

Justification

Primary drawbacks to research questions using these assumptions

Results of these drawbacks

Look forward to hearing from you,

Janet Thornton

Writer, Research, writing - 1994-96, 1997-present, US and UK Philosophy, paradigm development, health issues and well known writer. Facilitator, Programme Development - 1977 - 85, 1997 - 2000, US and UK Developed and taught courses, seminars, training programmes, wrote materials, procedures manuals in personal development field in California, New York and UK Wrote Course Book “Harmonics: A Workbook for the Spirit” Awarded Millennium Grant to facilitate Discussions across Scotland, titled “Taking the Sting Out of Anger’s Tail: Peacemaking for Ordinary People”, 2003

For further details and detailed outline and Janet’s impressive CV please contact

Janet Thornton
Rosebrae Organics
Greeness, Cuminestown AB53 8HY
077 6203 8986, jlthornton@supanet.com

11. Transpersonal Perspectives UK Programme 

Transpersonal Perspectives is a network of like-minded souls who wish to share their creativity, authenticity and personal power in a way that provides warmth, love, trust and acceptance of differences.

Many of its members had the privilege of experiencing the life-changing work of Ian Gordon-Brown and Barbara Somers who always emphasised that transpersonal psychology "is a perspective, not a system or doctrine."

At a time when the familiar certainties are crumbling, when chaos seems to have become the norm, and when life's true purpose is receding in confusion Transpersonal Perspectives aims to maintain, develop and disseminate the core values of the transpersonal approach.

Perspectives welcomes links and contact with individuals and groups who share these values.Membership is open to all who have encountered the power of the transpersonal, both in their inner lives and in their everyday existence, and for those who are open to that experience.

An annual membership fee of £15 gives members access to a regular programme of open gatherings, small group events offered by members, and a newsletter. Up to now events have taken place in the London area where there is a concentration of members. This geographic focus will change as more regional and international members join

For an additional fee of £10 members may advertise their own workshops, personal development work, counselling services and therapeutic practices; providing these are congruent with the values of the Transpersonal Perspectives network

Transpersonal Perspectives announces its new website;

www.transpersonalperspectives.org  In addition to the well known Introductory Workshops I, ll and lll, the website will contain a programme of activities offered by members around the UK.

If you would like to use the website to advertise your own workshops, personal development work, counselling services or therapy practice, please let Sheila MacLeod have them. Correspondence should be addressed to Transpersonal Perspectives, e Holly Bush Hill, London NW3 6SH

12. The World Spirit Forum  

http://www.worldspiritforum.org/en/index.php

Traugott Elsaesser, who was at the London Conference writes:

“The Second WSF World Spirit Forum was held from January 16th - 19th 2005 in Arosa in Switzerland. The theme this year was 'Open Your Heart - United Responsibility'.

The WSF World Spirit Forum is an annual world congress for spiritually oriented leaders and participants from various fields such as science, economy, religion, culture, society and sports. It is an independent but complementary event to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The goal and vision of the WSF World Spirit Forum is to provide a global, ideologically independent platform and venue where creative minds from all fields of society can meet and develop ideas and opinions on the main issues challenging our world today. The encounters between scientists, theologians, policy-makers and practitioners encourages the mutual exchange of visions and experiences as well as the planning and implementing of projects and plans.

It is the future annual meeting point of spiritually oriented world leaders seeking exchanges, dialogue and contact with their peers.

We look forward to your participation at future meetings.

Greetings from very snowy Switzerland

Traugott

PS The team from WSF would also be interested to be linked with EUROTAS. Perhaps in April some colleagues and I will found a special interest group "integral or transpersonal education" within the DGfE (German Society of Educational Sciences)! It would be within the Section 13.  It is a group which is rooted in the humanistic psychology and Gestalt psychology.

If you are interested in this colleagues (all university professors) here are their websites (I think there also English versions) (please contact Traugott for further details)”

13. Spirituality in Economic and Social Life (SPES) Forum

The aim of the SPES-forum is not primarily to elucidate the meaning of spirituality in philosophical or abstract terms but to disclose the genuine meaning of spirituality within concrete economic and social practices, e.g. within actual practices of leadership and governance, sustainable business, social and environmental policies, ethical investment, conflict regulation, inter-religious dialogue, family life etc. What is the impact of spiritual motives in those practices?

Activities

Each of the partners of the EUROPEAN SPES-forum is free to take initiatives which are consistent with the mission of the forum. This initiative could be:

For further information please refer to the SPES web site http://www.spes-forum.be/spes and click on SPES European Forum. 

This is a very interesting initiative with the support of Universities from across Europe including Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary

14. A Last Thought from Hungary about the Newsletter

Agnes Furedi from Hungary sent this letter about the Newsletter.

Heartful thanks for this wonderful and moving newsletter. I am rather alone in this sad period, working hard with tiny daily successes and failures, most of the time feeling to be at my place and doing my duty, but a bit isolated. Though I am very busy, I read all the 11 pages of the last Newsletter in one go, and it gave me a lot of strength, support, and the feeling not to be alone. It is already more than two years I have been missing the company of EUROTAS, and I confess that for a while I have not perceived much growth. Having read this long and colourful Newsletter I realised that efforts have really started to bring their results - so many known and unknown friends and connections - and as a nice company of my tears I felt a vague feeling of proudness that I have been part of something really good and precious that is growing. Thanks for all of you for it.

 Love, Ágnes

15. A note from the Editor

Dear Friends,

Please let me have information and news from you and your associations. This is your Newsletter and you will see from what Agnes wrote above that the Newsletter has a role to play in Europe and I hope you will write soon! Also let me know of email addresses of others who might like to receive it.

As ever,

love,

John
Newsletter Editor
Email: Profdrew@eurotas.org