possibilities
and after Rumold Mol travelled to Luxembourg to review them, the meeting
from Wednesday evening 9th May to Saturday 12th
May is confirmed at the Institut d"Europe in Munsbach, Luxembourg.
Alfred writes that the venue " is a good choice. It is close to railway
station , airport and hotels and is situated outside the town in the
green shade of a Castle with a long history. We can have meals and
accommodation at the Institute and there are good rooms for our work.
The price for four nights is very reasonable. Please put it in
your agendas now and mention it to your friends
4. News from LUXEMBOURG.
Alfred Groff writes: "We started the « LCI », the Luxembourgish
Creative Initiative this summer with five groups. They are each
symbolised by one of the five elements : EARTH-group : « The transpersonal
and society : economical, social and economic matters » (coordinator
: A.Groff). The work
of this group can help to prepare the ECIgroup « Consciousness and
Society », which by the way is a title I like very much. As one
base of discussion we use the ideas of « Threefolding the Social
Organism », which are connecting spiritual insights and practical
realisations in society, not by the means of any ideology, but through
the ongoing developing work from free, conscious and creative individuals.
For those who are interested in this topic I recommend the following
web-pages as an introduction : http://www.anth.org/socialthreefolding.
I hope some inputs for a preparing paper of this committee will
come out of a workshop I will give at the conference « Mystik und
Weltverantwortung » in Todtmoos, organised by Pieter Loomans for
the Rütte-Forum and SEN Germany from September 5-10, 2000.
WATER-group : « The transpersonal and health » This group includes
questions about spritual emergence (SEN). The work of this group
is done mainly by the « MTK-therapists-circle »
AIR-group : « The transpersonal and education » (coordination
: Marie Rose Fritz and Margret
Frosch )
FIRE-group : « The transpersonal and creativity / art » (coordination
Tilly Wengler) The first activities of this group are preparations
for the Eurotas meeting in Munsbach in May 2001 - to make the surroundings
look nice creative and inspiring for all participants.
SPACE (« Aether »)-group : « Meditation and every day practice
»
We will be pleased to get a lot of emails for ongoing discussions
(mtklux@hotmail.com). You
can have more information about our activities by consulting our
webpage:
http://www.geocities.com/mtk-ltg.
A big hug for you all from Alfred ."
5. Eurotas and EAP.
At Bad Kissingen, the Expert Committee on Training in particular and
the Creative Initiative as a whole asked the Board to discuss relations
with EAP. Vladimir Maikov has been very helpful (see below) and this
is the letter I wrote to the President, Professor Makarov.
The European Transpersonal Association (EUROTAS) and EAP
EUROTAS and the training of European transpersonal psychotherapists
I am writing to you to let you know of some of the activities
of EUROTAS, our interest in EAP and in particular our work over
the past two years on a European training for transpersonal psychotherapists.
We have been established as the European Transpersonal Association
(EUROTAS) since 1987. We are an umbrella organisation of 15 Transpersonal
Associations from 13 different European countries. Inside each association
there is a large number of psychotherapists and an existing training
in transpersonal psychology. Eight of these Associations have built
a training for transpersonal psychotherapists during the last 20
years.
At our recent meeting in Bad Kissingen in Germany, there was unanimous
support for EUROTAS to investigate the possibility of applying to
join EAP and looking at whether the work we are developing could
help form the basis of a joint certification programme for European
training. We are aware of EAP criteria for training psychotherapists
and we are working in the same direction. There is interest in respecting
your criteria and adding our specialised knowledge and experience.
We would be pleased to share the progress we have made and to inform
you of our reports, articles and books on the way our training is
developing.
During the last two years we have established seven EUROTAS committees
which are working on different subjects. One of them is the EUROTAS
Committee on the Training of European Transpersonal Therapists.
This Committee was co-ordinated in the first place by Monique Tiberghien
from Belgium and now by Vitor Rodriguez from Portugal. Below is
a list of the EUROTAS delegates and associates who are participating
in this Committee.
If you could let me know how we could begin to apply for EAP membership
and also tell me where I should send further information, it would
be helpful. We have a web site - http://www.eurotas.org
and this will be updated as a result of the work we did in Germany
.
We have received welcoming support for our interest and we will
report back in due course.
6. The University of the Spirit Initiative.
Sir George Trevelyan in the early days of the Wrekin Trust wrote
" it is very clear than many minds are now questing for deeper meaning
and a new understanding of the great oneness of life…..we may in
a true sense be preparing for what might be called the University
of the Spirit." In June the Trust hosted a Round Table to which
I was invited to explore with about 30 representatives of centres
and organisations involved in re-integrating the dimension of the
spirit into the field of learning to explore the kind of framework
that might best serve this impulse, the values, beliefs and criteria
that will underpin it and the kind of programmes and projects it
might incorporate or develop. The weekend discussions were remarkable
and for those interested, I will let you have more details. In particular
it was exciting to find some 30 interesting people representing
so many organisations so close to the transpersonal path - one of
them is described below - The Scientific and Medical Network.
There is much that our Expert Committee on Education and others
interested might learn from and contribute to, especially on the
European aspects of the work. It also links also to the work I am
involved in at the University of Durham where there is a continuing
series of seminars and publications on "The Idea of a University"
which has brought together senior academics from Germany and the
UK in particular to discuss the Newman and Humboldt influences of
the 19th Century on 20th century learning and to reflect on the
possible changes over the next decades. Please let me know if you
have an interest in this area. I will be giving a talk on this at
Assisi.
7. "Transpersonal Psychotherapy; Theory and Practice" Book
launch in London.
"This timely book represents a milestone in the formalisation of
transpersonal psychotherapy… It stands as a shining example of how
pyschotherapists can not only make their work comprehensible to
readers, but can convince us of its ability to make a profound difference
to the lives both of their clients and themselves." David Fontana.
The book which is edited by Nigel Wellings and Elizabeth Wilde McCormick,
encapsulates the experience of the Transpersonal Training Courses
developed over more than 20 years and which were begun by Barbara
Somers and Ian Gordon- Brown. There were 138 friends, students and
former students at the launch.
Contents: The therapeutic relationship. Once upon a time, beliefs
and myths. The wound. Masculinities and femininities. Women and
men. Images of liminality in the masculine. Changes and transitions.
The wisdom of the dreamworld. Naked presence. Techniques: focusing,
spot treatment, dream recording; the body in psychotherapy; creative
expression: sand play and masks. active imagination.
Orders and copies for review from Continuum, Wellington House,
125 Strand, London WC2R OBB
Fax +44207 2408531 Price £16.99
8 .Degrees in Transpersonal Psychology at John Moore's University,
Liverpool.
At the University of the Spirit weekend (see above), I met Les Lancaster.
He is a very special man. In addition to his position as Principal
Lecturer in Applied Psychology at Liverpool, Dr. Lancaster is Honorary
Research Fellow at Manchester University's Centre for Jewish Studies
and an Associate of the Academy of Jerusalem. His research has included
studies of hemispheric asymmetries in brain function, the integration
of cognitive neuroscience with Buddhist concepts of mind, and the
psychology of Jewish mysticism. In addition to his academic work,
he has taught traditions of Jewish meditation for over twenty years.
He is author of the award-winning Mind, Brain and Human Potential:
the Quest for an Understanding of Self (1991) and Elements of Judaism
(1993), as well as a wide range of articles He is joint course leader
of the MSc
in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology. The University
runs several degree courses. I have met participants on the courses
who are very enthusiastic. Les Lancaster explains: "The course is
designed for those who wish to pursue an intellectually challenging
course of study in the areas of consciousness and transpersonal
psychology. We also encourage students to integrate their academic
studies with an exploration of their own potential for personal
and transpersonal development.
The course covers a number of subject areas, all of which have
been at the forefront of change within psychology over recent years
(as demonstrated by the recent establishment within the British
Psychological Society of Sections for Consciousness and Experiential
Psychology and for Transpersonal Psychology. These areas include
the psychology and neuropsychology of consciousness and self, humanistic
and transpersonal psychology, and the psychology of religious experience."
You can find further details on the EUROTAS website links page
or direct on: http://www.mdani.demon.co.uk/trans/msctitle.htm
9. From Russia with love again and again and again.
Again,
Andrej Gostov emails me as do all our Russian friends - I would
like to hear from more other countries too! - " It is so nice to
see your email message on my computer and to remember our global
discussions at Bad Kissingen. This summer I am working hard on my
main topic - Imagery. Also went for a pilgrimage in Russia to some
monasteries.
As for the Zem project - there is an idea from the American side
to arrange in 2003 in Moscow a small conference to discuss 'sharp'
questions of the negative sides of the new world Order and other
'political-not-so-correct' issues in order to get near to the Truth.
I think it is good for you know my concern about this issues. What
is your opinion?
Love in Christ
Andrei
Apropos of different thinking in different cultures on matters
spiritual, Mark Luyckx has written a very profound and yet simple
article on the premodern, modern and transmodern visions which have
changed my thinking about relations between East and West . It is
called: "The transmodern hypothesis: towars a dialogue of cultures.
Please let me know if you would like a copy.
Again,
Evgueny Faidych writes:
" I've just come back from Netherlands where I was invited by
my Russian friend who now works in the bank, in order to help him
with design of his new flat and some house problem. This was my
second visit to Holland. As you know marihuana and prostitution
are legal there but all this does not make an impression of a scene
but rather a big factory conveyor.
In August I'm going to Baikal lake and will be back on the 11th.
I'm going there with my students for a workshop. We'll be living
on the ancient Shaman island, Olhon. This is one of the most mystical
places of our planet.
…. I've just come back from Poland where I've had one of my seminars.
The most important thing is that at the very same time Dalai Lama
was there. That was a very special moment for me, for I haven't
seen him for a few years and missed him a lot. My Polish friends
had managed to get invitations to his lectures which was not that
easy, for His Holiness is very popular in Poland. I came to Poland
with two friends of mine, one of them was Tsyren - the grandson
of Hambu Lama, Bouriat Buddhist leader who restored Buddhism in
Siberia after the Stalinist repression.
An astonishing synchronism took place at the day of our arrival.
We were picked up at the station and immediately taken to Polish
radio where the meeting with Dalai Lama was supposed to take place.
We entered the rest-room in order to change and refresh after the
trip. It took Tsyren ages to put on his native garments and to put
everything on in its proper place. We asked him to hurry up not
to be late for the meeting but he was very slow. Finally he was
ready and we left the room I was going out first and walked towards
our friends. Their eyes got round and they shouted I should look
back. The Dalai Lama with his party was coming right behind us.
He came to our group recognized Tsyren and me and shook hands with
everybody. This was an unbelievable synchronism. If Tsyren wouldn't
be so slow we wouldn't see him that close!
So you never know what will bring good luck to you. In foto from
me the nape of neck is visible only.
Much love,
Evgueny
And Again!
Vladimir Maikov has been very helpful in furthering our application
to join EAP as suggested by the Training Committee. The action with
Vladimir's support is making progress. He writes:
We have very good news concerning next year EAP conference in
Moscow. Stan and Kristina Grof accepted invitation to give talks
(The Psychology of the Future and The Thirst for Wholeness, respectively).
There are also many chances that we can adjust the schedule and
organize two-days pre-conference workshop on holotropic breathing
under guidance by both of them. As co-ordinator of the transpersonal
section of this conference I am inviting you to give a talk. I think
Eurotas can use this conference as a big forum to make more links
with mainstream psychology and psychotherapy. Would you so please
to include this information in the Eurotas newsletter and invite
everybody for active participation to form a powerful transpersonal
program?
Kristina and myself participated in a ten days intensive course
in Tibetan medicine with Dr. Nida (from Tibet) and a five-day retreat
with Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Our group of 15 people just returned
from an expedition from Khakassia. I'll be unable to meet you all
in Italy. At this time we will go to Vladivostok and Krasnoyarsk
with workshops. I've just published new editions of Stan Grof; "
Beyond the Brain and the Cosmic Game" and Christina Grof: " Thirst
for Wholeness." This Fall three new books will be published: "The
Psychology of the Future" by Stan Grof, "Essential Spirituality"
by Roger Walsh and "Eye of Spirit" by Ken Wilber.
Warmly,
Vladimir
10. News from Austria.
From Hans Peter Weidinger:
I regret that neither me nor Anna could come to Bad Kissingen.
For me it is a very busy time and just on this weekend my wife has
an important meeting, where she cannot take care of our children…..Please
send our best greetings to the other participants, especially to
those who were in Hungary last August. I hope that I can come next
time. Here is my note for Bad Kissingen.
Since August we are working on our next training-curriculum for
Transpersonal Psychotherapy and Holotropic breathwork. It will start
in March 2001. I was glad to hear, that there will be soon be a
Eurotas website. So the group I was in last August did good work.
Thanks to the "webmaster" of the Eurotas website and to Rumold,
who - I am sure - managed it. Our web-address is: http://www.transpersonal.at/aktrans/.
It is in German and you can find many interesting things on it.
While I am writing these lines, I am thinking back to our "multicultural
evening" in Dobogoke. It was so funny and I rarely laughed so much.
I hope that humour will accompany the meeting and I wish you all
very successful days. Also greetings from Anna Maurer.
Best wishes
Hans
Dear Hans,
"You can always as can anyone else put details of activities on
the EUROTAS website and in latest news items draw attention to conferences,
book launches and the like. We missed you at Bad Kissingen, but
we did laugh a lot again! "
John
11. The Journal of Transpersonal Studies.
The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, published twice
a year seeks transpersonal contributions of special merit, including
literary and artistic works. Subscription is $24 for two issues
and there is a wide variety of articles from across the world. A
number European transpersonal organisations subscribe and if you
can too it will help as both this journal and Caduceus about which
in the next newsletter need your subscription to survive. If anyone
would like one of the last two copies, please let me know and I
will send it to you. More details on http://panigada.hypermart.net
12. The Scientific and Medical Network.
David Lorimer mentioned above is also Director of this Network which
has several thousand members in more than 50 countries. It brings
together professionals - prominent scientists, doctors, psychologists,
engineers and philosophers with the common objective of deepening
understanding in science, medicine and education by fostering rational
analysis and intuitive insights. Many of its members feel the world
is best comprehended by the view that the visible universe around
us is part of a larger reality. It takes seriously the possibility
that spiritual experiences and paranormal phenomena may reveal this
greater whole and that consciousness may extend beyond body and
mind. Its journal "Network" is profound, wide-ranging and is the
best publication I have read. Beata Bishop is a member and Monique
Tiberghien could not put the journal down! It is profoundly transpersonal
in its approach. Vitor and Sandra who like quotations would appreciate
Sir Francis Bacon who is quoted in their brochure: " Let the mind
be enlarged, according to its capacity, to the grandeur of the mysteries,
and not the mysteries contracted to the narrowness of the mind."
More information from e-mail
or http://www.scimednet.org
13. Welcome News from Martin Gruber and Bruno Demattio from
German Transpersonal Association.
From Martin Gruber:
"Compliments for the good work again. Hope to hear from you after
Bad Kissingen, where I wish you a very pleasant stay and good forthcomings.
Very good, by the way, that you finally decided to be there, Christopher.
Somehow important, it might be.
greetings from Berlin
Martin
Hello John, Hello Rumold,
Regrettably, I shall not be able to attend the Bad-Kissingen meeting,which
is a pity, indeed. So there will be no representative of the German
Transpersonal Association this time. But we will participate in
Spirit and wish You all the best success and tangible outputs.We
are standing by to contribute to the up-coming website as well as
we can, if desired. Bruno Demattio has agreed to put a little graphics/illustrations-pack
together, to be used as you desire. He provided the background for
our site as well. Look at http://www.transpersonal.de/homepages/bruno-demattio/index.html.
Rumold, if possible I would like to be put on the Expert Commitee
for "Communications". Please be so kind as to include me in the
list, although I cannot come, to share the related information and
participate more closely in the future. "
…Thank you all for your initiative and contribution to the growth
of the whole. My greetings to the Delegates of all other countries.
With regrets, hope for the future and best wishes for the work
Bruno Demattio writes:
Dear John,
Got from Martin Gruber the news that you will be in Bad Kissingen.
Sorry I can't come, must be here for an opening on Friday and next
morning in Dortmund for an Art-association-conference. Too bad we
won't meet this time. Obviously you can use as much as you like
for your website out of my collection. Stay in contact and have
a good time in Germany. All the best - Greetings."
14. No news from France.
On 31 May we wrote:
Dear Marc-Alain
We hope your projects are developing well. We had a successful
meeting at Bad Kissingen with over 50 participants and EUROTAS meetings
for the next three years will be in Luxembourg, Portugal and then
Croatia or Russia.
It is now nearly two years that we have not heard from you and
after Ispra you said that you would write to us. We have written
to you many times including asking for subscriptions. This year
the subscription has been held at Euros 120. Do you wish to remain
in EUROTAS? Until we hear from you, we have kept your Association's
name on our records. We have some interesting research activities
which are now going ahead with funding and of course would like
to know your plans. We will put web links to your site if your wish
on the EUROTAS web site which was worked on at Bad Kissingen and
has now been improved and will be available in depth during the
next two weeks.
Many of the participants at our meeting in Bad Kissingen send
their best wishes.You will be able to access our improved website
at www.Eurotas.org
in a few days time.
With best wishes and see you in Assisi. The research which we
are now proposing will be continuing and perhaps of interest. I
will send you the next newsletter and the minutes of our meeting
in Bad Kissingen After that we shall have to reflect on what the
Constitution says about those members who are in arrears with subscriptions.
This is particularly so as you do not write. We now have 15 members
in EUROTAS.
15. News from Poland.
From Tanna Jakubowicz -Mount:
Thank you all so much for your great initiative on EAP (very special
thanks to Vladimir). Polish Transpersonal Association is ready to
join EAP for our joint certification programme for European training.
For several years PTA has been leading what we call the Polish Model
of Transpersonal Training- (in short POMOST means a bridge) for
psychology students and professionals who wish to receive additional
transpersonal education. The yearly visits, lectures and workshops
of well known western and eastern transpersonal therapists are integral
part of this trainee programme. ..I am busy with a tour of 5 lectures
and workshops on transpersonal themes which I'm leading in the main
cities in Poland in June- Karkow, Katowice, Zakopane, Warsaw.
As ever with love Tanna
16. Short but interesting news from Spain.
Manuel Almendo, who is always coming to London, but never quite
makes it, writes: "Very nice to hear from you. Our secretary has
sent to you our Eurotas subscription. We are going to have a meet
with our Alubrat friends in Portugal in November. I will go to American
in summer….." The Spanish Transpersonal Association had a very good
conference at the time of the Bad Kissingen Meeting and we hope
to meet them again in Luxembourg next year."
17 Transpersonal Perspectives - Wilfried Belschner's University
of Oldenburg Conference.
Wilfried writes:
The First Conference on Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy
at the University Oldenburg last weekend was very successful - we
had a large audience, a interesting program, an art exhibition,
the organisation was excellent, the president of the University
made very officially the opening! So, I am glad that the DKTP was
founded and could organize in such a short time this event. And:
from Luxemburg Alfred Grosch and Margret Frosch participated - we
had a small Eurotas meeting.....
I read your email asking if anybody is interested for a seminar
on "The idea of a spiritual university". I would be interested -
as one of my goals is to participate in the change of this institution.
In May 2000 I organized a conference at Oldenburg Univesity on "Health
Promotion" which is a technical term to get people interested to
move in such a direction.
Warm regards,
Wilfried
18. Christopher's Bad Kissingen Poem.
Those of you at Bad Kissingen will remember that Chris Hall actually
wrote and delivered a poem while we were enjoying the Soul of Europe
evening entertainment. Some of you asked for a copy and here it
is. It also stands as our thanks to Joachim and the patients and
staff of his clinic for the memorable time we had.
A group of people gathered
in a sunny German town
to bring alive a message
and to spread it far around.
As guests of the good doctor
and of his friendly staff
from far and wide we traveled
our banner...EUROTAS
We laughed and cried, debated
our agenda it was set
by the time we had departed
we were on the internet!
So friends our gracious thanks
to Joachim and his crew
for hospitality unsurpassable
we've made new friends anew.
But now our time is over
for we must bid adieu
for the strides that we have made here
and friendships since renewed
let all of us remember
of the good times there have been
at the time spent at this special place
we call BAD KISSINGEN!
Well dear friends, please keep emailing me your news so that we
can share it both within EUROTAS and via our website to others interested.
As ever
love
John
PS Sandra and Vitor have very exciting news, but I am not allowed
to tell you what it is!
49 THE RIDGEWAY LONDON NW11 8QP. O044181 455 5054 t 4516f profdrew@compuserve.com