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The European Transpersonal Association Newsletter
Number 6 Dear EUROTAS Council Members and friends of EUROTAS Welcome. There are so many things happening in transpersonal Europe that it is difficult to know where to begin. The wonderful conference which Laura Boggio-Gilot and the AIPT are bringing together in Assisi is described in previous newsletters. Details are available on the AIPT web site www.mclink.it/assoc/aipt) It is also the 5th European Congress of EUROTAS and we are very pleased as a co-ordinating and communicating organisation to be associated with the initiative. Please sign up if you have not done so already. 1. The Second General Assembly of the EUROTAS Creative Initiative and the Annual Council Meeting of EUROTAS Thursday 25 - Sunday 28 May at Bad Kissingen, Germany Plans for the meeting are developing well and we appreciate greatly the invitation from Joachim Galuska to hold it at his Psychiatric Klinic, a very special place, run along holistic and transpersonal lines. It specialises in psychiatric rehabilitation and in medical psychotherapy. It is recognised by the German government and is unique. We shall have the opportunity to meet and observe the staff at work at the clinic where our special sessions will be held in a beautiful meditation room and our working meetings in seven conference rooms. We will have meals at the Klinic. Bed and breakfast will be in local hotels and guesthouses. If you have not already signed up: (1) Make your travel arrangements. You fly to Frankfurt and then the train is about 2 and a half hours and the return cost is about Euro € 60. To get from Frankfurt airport to Bad Kissingen, you take the "local" train from the airport itself and change at Gmunden for Bad Kissingen. (2) Make hotel reservations. The list of hotels has been sent to you and you should make your own arrangements directly with the hotels or fax the Klinik with a reservation request form (sent to you recently). The hotels have English speaking personnel. If you want to stay with the Klinik Staff, please write to Joachim Galuska at the address below: By now you will have received the invitation leaflet for the meeting and also the Creative Initiative Progress Report. The Initiators and Co-ordinators have put a lot of work into this and we are most appreciative. Special thanks to Rumold Mol, the father of the Creative Initiative who also arranged the printing and publication of the Progress Report. If you have any administrative queries please contact Frau Vollert. Fachklinik Heiligenfeld If you want copies of the report contact your national association or Rumold Mol at Heemsteedsedreef
The Recommendation of the Creative Initiative Committee 2 on Communications was to establish a web site. Christopher Hall has very kindly agreed to help us. He is a skilled web-master and I am delighted with the work he is doing. We need your help to make the web site effective and would ask you to give some serious thought to it and also how it could signpost your own site. Please reply to Christopher and myself at the latest by 30 April. Chris is helping us from his heart as well as his head. His delightful wife Kari, who is a web designer, has already redesigned the EUROTAS logo, incorporating the previous one for your approval.We will be able to approve, review and improve the site at Bad Kissingen Chris writes: "We need to know: 1. Have you any ready artwork for your site? If so please send it to Chris Hall - chrishall@palatte.com and to John Drew - profdrew@eurotas.org 2. Please give agreement to the use of your names and logos. 3. Please send any information, which could help develop the web site. 4. Give any email addresses which you would like in the address book - there will be a confidential entry code for EUROTAS members. 5. Do you have a calendar of events or any other material, which you would like to put on the EUROTAS site? 6. Do you have any thoughts about a chat page, presentations, articles or other material which you would like on the EUROTAS page? We will improve the web site continually with Christopher’s help, so please make sure that you send him a reply (copy to me.) If you do not have a web site, please consider it. Perhaps Christopher can help you with it.
Vladimir Maikov writes: " We are fine and looking forward to meeting in Germany. Last week we spent working with the current chief shaman of Tuva, studying shamanic diagnosis, healing and the journey to upper and under worlds, receiving shamanic initiation. This summer we will go first to Khakassia (for our joint transpersonal shamanic workshop with local shamans) and then to Tuva to continue our studies. My book "Elements of Transpersonal Psychology: Sources, History, Modern State" will be published soon. For the second edition I will substantially extend the Chapter dealing with the transpersonal tradition in Russian culture. This volume is the first in a three-volume series. The next are "Elements of Transpersonal Psychotherapy "and" Anthology of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy. Also I continue working on my two favourite projects: a book about Stan Grof and the holotropic approach and a book: "The Psychotherapeutic Time Machine" Warm wishes to everyone, Vladimir
There have been a number of concerns across EUROTAS about the word "transpersonal". And indeed much discussion at the Cyber Conference ( see below) Not everyone is happy with it, but is it here to stay for ever? I have recently been reading Aldous Huxley on " The Perennial Philosophy. (1946)." His books, like much of the Quaker’s philosophy are antecedents of the modern thinkers and writers on the transpersonal. Vitor Rodrigues who has written a seminal transpersonal novel (see below) writes the following. I wonder what you think? " To begin with, I am quitting the use of the word "transpersonal" referring to psychology, psychotherapy and so on because of the connotations it has gained nowadays. It is beginning to be equated with "New Age", charlatanism of all kinds, channelling and so on. So I would prefer a more neutral (and more precise) wording like "Psychology of Consciousness". The reason is mostly the same as for the change currently ongoing in Parapsychology's terminology, where we prefer to say "Study of anomalous interactions" or "Research on anomalous communication" because of the charlatan’s use of the word - and also because it is closer to a realistic translation of the object of parapsychological study (the "old" words such as telepathy or clairvoyance are also under change for the same reasons). My issue with "transpersonal" is also a matter of epistemology. If we say someone is religious we must be careful (as Vivekananda once posited): if we mean someone with direct experience of God and of "real" Cosmic Consciousness, than we will have very few humans - and therapists - who can be honest with themselves and claim to know what they are really talking about. The problem with "transpersonal" is that we use this word to mean going beyond the personal level. This is what most therapists and the majority of clients will not do: they will extend the limits of their usual personal consciousness but this is all. They will not really go into Nirvana, Satori, Neti-neti states or the like. So what is it that we really are doing with "transpersonal" psychotherapy? We are dealing with consciousness changes. Some of them could even be transpersonal in nature but the majority is not although consciousness change is anyway a very powerful therapeutic tool. This is why I believe "Psychology of consciousness" and "consciousness changing psychotherapy" would be more accurate words and meanings." What a contribution! I am sure our Research Committee and others will have much to discuss at Bad Kissingen around this on-going subject. Perhaps we will be able to post material on our web site.
Jan Hesselink recently come to Europe and wanted to know about EUROTAS. He writes: "I am a business person (partly) myself and was VP at Bayer headquarters for many years. To help managers developing new values in this hasty world must be extremely fulfilling. I am quite sure you will be familiar with the writings of Greenleaf and Jaworski, with which I worked some time at a Dutch institution for management. Apart from my teaching job at a German university (psychopharmacology) and a part time senior consultancy in science management, my main interest at the moment can be captured by the following key words: Reiki, Tibetan Buddhism & meditation techniques, psychosynthesis, lucid dreaming and the influence of natural psychotropic compounds such as in mushrooms and Ayahuasca on the mind, especially as a guidance towards transpersonal values. A bit exotic, I agree, but I find these topics to be quite closely interconnected in my life." Shawn Katz has also come to Europe and is settling in the UK with his wife who is a dentist. He has a doctorate from ITP in 1999 and an MA in East-West Psychology. He has worked with a wide variety of adult and adolescent groups in California in psyco-educational and counselling groups and in family counselling. He too is looking for contacts and opportunities in the transpersonal teaching and counselling in universities, schools and health care settings
Mirjana wrote: In September I travel to San Rafael, CA, to A Conference on Shamanism and Alternative Modes of Healing. I shall give a presentation there and want to say a few words on EUROTAS. After the conference I shall attend training for a practitioner in DNA healing techniques at Oughten House Foundation in Coarsegold, CA. I would love to present the techniques to EUROTAS members sometimes. In Dance, in Light, in Love Mirjana
Pia Keiding, EUROTAS Director of Research, who attended writes: "The Stockholm Conference: Exploring the Spiritual Dimension was indeed a rich experience, with the areas: Spirituality and the Scientific Paradigm: Spiritual Emergency, Spirituality, Personal Growth and Management and Religion, Mysticism and Spirituality, each are having a day. The opening lecture was The Re-enchantment of Science and the World! My Intervention (Lecture/workshop) was called: The Science of Spirit — a Paradox? Subtitle: a European Vision on Research. Within my presentation and on many other occasions, I told people about the Creative Initiative which was received with a lot of interest. I had discussions with two Danes to encourage them to create a Danish Transpersonal Association. The organisers organised the conference in a transpersonal spirit. It was great and inspiring to meet and exchange views with such lovely people. "
Tanna writes: "Thank you so much for the wonderful Creative Initiative Brochure. Give my thanks especially to Beata and Rumold. I'm proud of all of us. I also received the pictures of Dobogoko - nice memories. I hope you are well and ready for next adventures. This is the Year of Dragon we just entered and I know the Dragon is a deft magician balancing on a tightrope between zaniness and brilliance- good year for us the Tricksters. Also he is a master of connecting different worlds. So let this magnificent Dragon be our leader! Lots of fire and love, Tanna
Kate Bartha tells us that the Hungarian Transpersonal Association has had a fruitful and eventful year. Membership has increased to 140, and " our colourful programmes attracted many people. In February, Ted Verhamme gave a weekend course and Rumold Mol was our guest. Marjolein Pieterson held a training: "Who do teachers learn from?" In April Ajanta Graf and Serge Vidal from Belgium visited us and held two partnership trainings, the first introducing couples into the possibilities of a more conscious experiencing and deepening of their relations, and the second gave useful guidelines to singles. Beata Bishop held a lecture entitled "Mother" which had a great success and put entangled connections hidden in the depths of problems repeating themselves like patterns into light. In May we could take part in a holotropic breathing workshop facilitated by Nico and Ariette Vissel, now for the third time in Hungary. The 3rd Hungarian Transpersonal Summer School in July attracted about 50 participants having the ambition to develop themselves. There were 9 workshops altogether, held by facilitators from Holland: Anja Brasser, Margreet von Roosmalen, Trudy Heemskerk and a shaman-couple Nisa és Mark Hoek. The depths and heights explored together and the common experiences developed a team spirit, and very special energies could be felt in the air. Because of the large number of people interested, Anja held an extra weekend-workshop. This year the Hungarian Transpersonal Association organised the EUROTAS meeting. From 4-8 August the representatives of Europe’s transpersonal organisations were in Dobogóko, and started the Creative Initiative, made decisions completing works of long years, had conversations, meditated, danced, made verses and sang together. When the bus arrived to take the participants back to Budapest, no one wanted to take notice of it. People were just standing in the sunshine talking and embracing. In the Autumn two facilitators of the Summer School came back to Hungary to bring us further pieces of the ancient Indian teachings. The attendees could get acquainted with the 4 chacras system of Black Bear, take part in soul retrieval and sweat lodge-ceremonies. November saw the successfully organised 2nd Hungarian Transpersonal Psychological Conference titled "Ariadne’s Thread — The female principle in our changing world", which attracted nearly 150 professionals and other interested people. Lectures were given thanks to Beata Bishop, Kati Orosz, Dr. Lajos Pressing, Anna Verseghi and Nándor Donauer. Beata Bishop gave a lecture entitled "Father" as the continuation of "Mother" in February and repeated its success. MTE has started the first transpersonal councillor training. The first group started with 14 people and we planned it for 4 years. In co-operation with other associations we prepared a training for psychotherapists. We close this year with a common Christmas celebration. The year 2000 looks equally busy and we hope it will be a worthy continuation of last year."
Michel, an old and respected friend of many EUROTAS members writes: "It is very nice to hear from you. I am still remembering our talk in that restaurant each time I pass by it. I have very good feeling about the energy of EUROTAS. I wish a good - good working atmosphere for your Bad Kissingen meeting. Hugs from Michael Vancura"
Thanks for your letter with all the information and details concerning the EUROTAS meeting in Bad Kissingen. In these days I am mostly working at home creating-writing-... (+49-441-64344). I will attend the meeting from the very beginning. With best wishes for a good touch with the cosmos Wilfried
The address of our GTA-office is: Danziger Str. 121 The members of our board are: Dr. Martina Bley Martin Gruber wrote a really helpful letter recently about the web site. DTA has a well-developed web site. " Our German domain www.transpersonal.de contains one of the - I believe - most complete collections of internet-links in the transpersonal area, many of them in English language. This collection has been conceived and put together, over the years, to offer possibilities for online-studies in the transpersonal and integral field to every person who is online and seriously interested in the matter. We therefore grouped the materials roughly around certain general topics, such as "Ken Wilber", "Classics" or "Organisations" with transpersonal orientation. A selection of pages, providing a start-up overview concerning the field could thus easily be made
Marc writes: "Many thanks for the invitation. It is the first invitation I received from EUROTAS since a long time. Thanks to have not been forgotten. I may not be Able to participate because I am possibly invited to lecture in Sweden at that time. My trip to California has opened up some new possibilities, nothing yet fixed. Wait and see.….Best wishes to all friends in EUROTAS". Très amicalement Marc
The Deutsches Kollegium für Transpersonale Psychologie und Psychotherapy (DKTP) would like to apply for EUROTAS membership. Wilfried Belschner, President of DTKP whom many of us met at Dobogoko will give a presentation at Bad Kissingen. We believe after our meeting in Dobogoko that we should enable as many organisations as wish across Europe to join EUROTAS. We hope not to spend too much of our time together on these issues if we prepare them well beforehand, but we must ensure that we are all happy with the new approach. See below for the agenda of the EUROTAS meeting The Psychosynthesis and Education Trust.
Evgueny Faidych writes: Sorry for keeping silent for such a long time. I was travelling a lot and I have returned to Moscow only now. My trip to Austin Texas and Hawaii was very interesting. In Austin and Hawaii I held workshops on Karma (one more synchronicity at the end of the Millennium). At Big Island in Honolulu, we were in a very interesting volcano park. There were a lot of powerful synchronicities. We made very interesting computer scans in two different craters connected with powerful Hawaiian goddess, Pele. She is female with a similar archetype to the Indian goddesses Tara and Kali. When we made this scan, the background showed different mandalas associated with Tara and Kali. Then towards the end of the day, we got to walk over freshly cooled lava (very HOT) and see the red flow into both the ocean and on land. Also at the same time a rainbow was over the ocean. Very awesome! The experience of the energy of standing on such young freshly made earth made me think of the beginning of time. On Dec. 21 we had a very great celebration on the top of Mauna Kea (me and a lot of Kahunas). That was so wonderful a time for prayer: on the solstice which commemorates 133 years and this will be the first in 133 years that this moon has shown in it's brightness. There is supposed to be amplification of everything during this one. It is very important. I begin Christmas celebration in SF and than had a fun Christmas on the aeroplane. Than in Russia I went for New Year and Russian Xmas (7 th. of January) to the Caucus mountains. It was very nice there, the place was called Red Glade. In Russian tradition red means not only a colour, but first of all beautiful, so originally the name of this place is beautiful Glade. The microclimate there is very unusual, and when it s snowing the snowflakes are of a size of a saucer." P.S. You may look at Mauna Kea through a web site http://hokukea.soest.hawaii.edu/current/ from the observatory. Every 5 minutes a real time photo is made and posted on the web site.
The draft Agenda for our meeting is as follows. 1. Minutes of the last meeting. (You have all received them and there have been no comments or queries) 2. The Constitution and ByeLaws. (There are some minor proposed changes, which will be circulated shortly, and also the changes agreed last time are included. If you have any comments, please let me have them by 17 April. Any issues should be resolved as much as possible before we meet by previous discussion as we agreed that our meetings should really be for transpersonal work, not for too much administration.) 3. Applications to join EUROTAS from: a) DTKP b) Psychosynthesis and Education Trust (We shall need to vote new members in with a simple majority vote) 4. The Board and Officers of EUROTAS There are no new nominations, but members may wish to review the situation for next year. ( Are there members interested in becoming board members?) 5. Treasurer’s Report and 2001 subscription (Katalin Orosz will report and propose the subscription for next year.) 6. Creative Initiative Meeting and EUROTAS Council Meeting 2001. (Thoughts for venue and dates.Should we go back to August. Which country next?) 7. Any other business. Please let us have any issues you wish to raise by 24 April at the latest so that a final agenda can be circulated.
This was a remarkable first. There were a number of EUROTAS representatives "present" in cyber space, including Mario Simoes, Laura Boggio-Gilot and Sandra Goncalves. We were able to take part in cyber discussions, post information and articles about our work and about EUROTAS. It confirmed my belief that we shall need to use the Internet a great deal in the future to bring together across the world people interested in matters transpersonal. Message from Jim Fadiman. During the Cyber Conference Jim wrote:"Hi John, Nice to see you here. I find the work you are all doing in EUROTAS very important to move us all forward. Could you send us a long letter to the Journal or certainly the US newsletter to get your news out to the whole transpersonal community in the US? Also are there any national associations that would like to work out any arrangements with ITP to take classes or co-offer certificates? ITP is open to seeing how to best serve the international world. ITP was fixated on US needs while it was undergoing the government licensing process. Now, with that behind it, I’m hoping to open back out to the world. " Afterwards I wrote the following to the Organisers: We in EUROTAS must congratulate you and your colleagues. You have put your heart and efforts into the cyber conference and had great success. You have opened our eyes. ..…all in all a brilliant effort. May we congratulate all concerned… and please pass this on to you very special colleagues who have helped to write history! "
Andrej Gostev writes: "I am continuing my Christian way, learning to read in Slavic in the Church for people. It is an important and very powerful next step, a very deep mystical experience, people say, because it is prayer for and with people in a Church space. I also continue my scientific work at the Academy of Science. Love and hugs to you all." Andrej
Many of you will be interested in this book, edited by Elizabeth McCormick and Nigel Wellings to be published in July 2000 by Continuum (Cassell). The book was inspired by, and is based on the UK Centre for Transpersonal Psychology’s teaching for the current modular training in Transpersonal Psychotherapy. The work is intended as a basic text to support the training programme and will be of interest to anyone wishing to understand the theory and practice of Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy
Anita Somers. After many years of service to the transpersonal movement, Anita Somers has decided to step down as Secretary of the UK CTP in the summer. I am sure that many EUROTAS Council Members will want to send their love and best wishes to her. Many will remember the way she ran the London EUROTAS conference with Ian Gordon Brown and the unfailing and loving support she gave to Ian when he was President of EUROTAS, as well as to the whole transpersonal movement in the UK. Those of us who found our paths crossing with hers were fortunate and will remember her kindness and deep devotion to matters transpersonal. John McCormick. We were all sad to hear to the passing of John, the husband of Elizabeth McCormick. Many will remember him from the EUROTAS conference in Warsaw. He very much wanted to come to Dobogoko with Elizabeth as he was a keen ornithologist, but it was not to be. The thoughts of many of us have been with Elizabeth over the past year at this very sad time for her. Tanna’s Father. Tanna’s father who was from all accounts a remarkable man passed on this year and Tanna wrote a beautiful letter telling us of his life and achievements and her friends have we have been feeling for her family and remembering him and honouring him in our different ways.
Much love, as ever John
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