January 1998
Hello Creators;
Happy New Year everyone. I hope the holidays brought you love and joy. May
1998 will be filled with creativity and growth for all of us. This month the newsletter
will return to the normal longer format.
Yoda vs. Yogurt: (Now there's an enigmatic heading)
Last year the Star Wars trilogy was released again. Though filled with "bang,
bang, shootem-up" special effects, the story beneath shows the struggle of one
individual's evolution to full potential. Our most personal creative task.
Yoda, you remember -- the little green guy, remains one of my favorite characters. A
"Master" in the guise of a fool. He provides a useful metaphor here.
Higher creativity, whatever the goal, transcends the individual or organization.
This is often a difficult experience as personalities are shredded, molded, and consumed
by the needs of the birthing creation. It is no coincidence that great artists,
inventors, and shamans often appear like a crazy fool during intense periods of their
work. It is their ability to surrender to the process and trust they will
reintegrate upon its completion that marks their greatness.
Unfortunately we, as society, often isolate great creators for being just too
"Yoda-like." They are after all inciting little beings pushing change on
everyone. These Yodas' willingness to commit themselves completely is just too
intimidating for many. Thus, it is easier to resolve the tension they provoke in
ourselves by assuming that they have something we don't, by assuming they do things we
never could. Or, maybe it was just luck. In short, we condemn them to being
Masters and thus absolve ourselves of the responsibility to do like them.
Then there's yogurt. (The kind you eat, not the Mel Brook's camp character.). "First
little green men and now bacteria" you say. What next?" Well indulge
me a bit longer.
Yogurt, the end result of a wee bacillus having plopped into a pool of milk. Without
fame or fanfare, glitz or glamour in a few hours (perhaps a lifetime for the bacillus),
this mighty microbe transforms its environment. The point is, sometimes acts of
transformation take place unseen. Whether in an organization, or in our personal
work, persistence presence -- even without praise -- produces growth and change in
those around us. It is the path of the "invisible master" disguised not as
a fool, but cloaked in the mien of everyday life. This is the path stressed on
Castaneda by Don Juan's teachings.
Both paths make for powerful change agents. As a creator, are you more like Yoda, or
yogurt? Each style has its rewards and responsibilities. Finally, regardless of your
level of visibility, as a creator the words spoken by Yoda to Luke Skywalker hold
true. "There is no try. There is only do, or not do." No
matter how many times it takes to do.
Site News!
New! New! New! For the past few weeks I have been moving the site to a new
server. The task was much larger than I expected but all appears to be well
now. The new home page url is: http://www.vantagequest.org/
We haven't lost or "vision" so you will still be able to reach the site at the
old url too. The new site features secure Order and Guest Book pages to safely
transmit your data. I am also really excited to have our new discussion forum.
It called "Mind Meld Discussions" http://www.vantagequest.org/mindmeld.htm.
You will find hyperlinks to it many places throughout the site.
This forum is on our site and is easy to use. "No Password Required" - I
hope you will use, and enjoy it.
This newsletter goes out to a very wide ranging group. Among your ranks are students
and teachers, shamans and scientists, artists, homemakers, programmers and
preachers. Whether you are seeker or sage, I hope you will contribute your
reflections for you are creators all. Each of you has something uniquely your own to
share. I look forward to hearing YOUR thoughts.
Tips from Users:
Here is the continuation of thoughts from Karen Berggren I mentioned in the last
newsletter. Karen's thoughts are excellent and so I have left them just as
written. (Congratulation to Karen as her book "Circle of Shaman" will be
released this week.) Should be in your favorite bookstore, or try EastWest on our
site.
"Here's the thoughts and reflections I've been promising to you in helping people
realize the benefits of VQ more fully. They come from my own experiences in
meditating, studying and working as a medium, and my subsequent experiences with
shamanism.
In helping people realize the benefits of Venture Quest more fully, I'd highlight two
important aspects. One is you may want to talk more about the other type of thinking
(non left-brain) you mentioned in your previous newsletter, namely right-brain, or what we
call the imagination or imaginal mind. The other aspect is to emphasize that VQ
works best as an "interactive" tool. These two are directly connected, for the
strongest benefits are realized when the imagination is set free to interact with the
sound matrices. Although I didn't share this next image with you in my last letter,
I'll mention it here to illustrate what I mean.
When I first began listening to the sound matrix I asked myself something like, what
does this sound like? Or what does this sound make me think of? Questions such
as this arouse and invoke the metaphorical, symbolic, imaginal mind inviting it directly
into the experience. What came back to me a few moments later was the image of a
projector playing a movie upon a screen, and the frames were slowing down enough where I
noticed that there were hints of other images interspersed between. (Sort of like the
subliminal advertising gimmicks they used to (?) employ in movie theaters and TV
commercials.) It's here where the journey I shared with you began.
Even though I had an intention to begin with, these questions helped jump start the
imaginal mind letting it know that I was now receptive and listening for its
'voice.' Now that I've worked with VQ several times I no longer have to
do this. I've found that such self-dialogue usually gets the inner imagery process
rolling, particularly when using a new inner work tool. All it takes is a dose of
curiosity (playfulness even) and the imaginal mind eagerly responds. So it may be
helpful to emphasize that VQ is most effective as an interactive tool designed to
facilitate communication between ego and unconscious, mind and spirit, or left-brain and
right-brain, etc.
Here you may still run into two issues, one more prevalent and stubborn than the other,
though each you can provide education or coaching to address. The first and more
challenging is that we have a prevailing mythology in this culture that devalues the
existence and abilities of the imaginal mind. This is evident in such clichés as,
"Oh, it's all in your imagination," or, "It's just a dream."
Although benign in appearance, such cliché's stem from much deeper and potent belief
systems that have, over several centuries, elevated our culture's value and appreciation
of left-brain achievements far above those of its right-brain sibling. So for people
to really get that the imaginal mind is their greatest ally in their journey to live more
creatively may take some loosening of old mythologies that dictate otherwise. They
may have to work hard to suspend disbelief and give the imaginal mind free rein.
The other challenge will be that some people are not particularly imagistic, in a visual
sort of way. I learned this through my own challenges in mediumship training.
What I learned there has a broad application for all people when it comes to working with
the imaginal mind. If I may digress a moment to explain. (And please excuse me if
I'm telling you something you already know.) There are three faculties that the
medium draws on to acquire information in the subtle realms: clairvoyance (clear-seeing),
clairaudience (clear-hearing), and clairsentience (clear-sensing). People usually
have a natural proclivity towards one of these modalities, (although a medium will often
use all three in various combinations at one time or another).
The faculty that most mediums gravitate toward is clairvoyance. Since vision is the sense
most people rely on to acquire information about the world, it's no surprise that
clairvoyance is the predominant modality for the majority of mediums. The next is
clairaudience, followed by clairsentience. I struggled in my early training because
unbeknownst to me, I was primarily clairsentient, which is the most challenging because
there are often no clear images, either visual or audible for the mind to grasp. I
would sense spirit communicators kinesthetically and emotionally. I'd feel them in my
bones.
As I mention in my book, my big break came one day when I realized I couldn't get a
clairvoyant read on a spirit communicator because I was actually looking out from his
eyes, as it were. Once I accepted that perspective, visual images began emerging
more clearly, because in effect, I was no longer trying to force the experience to fit my
preconceived expectations. When I allowed myself to simply look out through their
eyes, it was as if it enabled me to pull the clairsentient impressions through my body
into the imaginal mind where they were then rendered into visual images.
I suspect you will run into others who, like myself, are primarily kinesthetic and receive
subtle information in a clairsentient way. In fact, I was surprised to discover that
Joe Campbell, the master story-teller, was such a person. In A Mythic Life with Jean
Houston, he shared that he did not have any vivid visual images of the world's great
myths, rather he felt the stories he spoke so eloquently and passionately about in his
bones.
Another thing that may be very effective for the kinesthetic person is to try allowing
their body to rock or sway slightly as they listen to the VQ matrix, even inviting the
rhythmical matrix inside themselves to move their body spontaneously. Oftentimes
just putting the body into gentle motion will activate images for these folks.
Again, here's another instance where that interaction between mind, body, and tool comes
into play.
The other thing I would recommend is this. You have several excellent essays on the
power of healing through sound, though none dealing specifically with the healing power of
imagery. The two are an extremely dynamic combination, and I feel that your readers
and clients would benefit tremendously if they are shown more clearly the intimate and
powerful link between the two in tapping hidden pools of creativity.
I would also imagine that many type A, goal-driven personalities who generally have a hard
time slowing down could be challenged learning how to use VQ. I'd ask them what they
do to relax, (if that is not an oxymoron). Is it reading poetry, doing crossword
puzzles, working in the garden, taking a long bath, listening to classical music?
Whatever it is, I'd invite them to take some time doing it first and use it as a lead in
to VQ, then try liberating themselves in the experience to play with the imaginal mind
using a little self-dialogue and metaphorical inquiry.
That about sums it up. Hope these suggestions may be helpful in some way.
may sweet rhythms rock you!"
Karen
And The Winner Is!
Clifford Eastman
Lac du Flambeau, WI
Congratulations Clifford your this months winner. You copy will be sent
tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it.
The Special:
Some of you are very dedicated about entering the drawing each month. I wish I could
give away even more CD for your persistence. With that in mind, I am offering a
special to the recipients of this newsletter. It will not be posted on the site.
For this month (Jan. 98) if you buy a copy of Vantage Quest VI at the regular
price, you can get a second copy for half price. That's $37.45 (plus S/H) for two
copies. I will also skip the additional item charge for the second CD.
That should give you and a friend something to talk about.
I will extend the offer for another copy to customers who have purchased previously but
shipping will have to apply to those. Sorry. Just let me know your name when
you ordered to get the reduced rate on a second copy. I know this isn't as good as winning
a free copy but perhaps it will help some of you who have been waiting for the right time
to order.
To get the special price just say "Yoda sent me" in the comments on your order.
Newsletter administration;
I still do this the old fashioned way -- by hand -- learning as I go. The list
continues to grow dramatically so I apologize if you get two copies of, or if you don't
want to receive our newsletter. Just send me a note and I will groom the list.
As I've said, I want to build a community of creative folks, not make "email
enemies."
For those who do not know, I hold a drawing from the previous months Guest Book entries
about the 1st. of each month. The winner receives a free copy of our latest
release. YES, you can enter again each month, and many of you have, but ONCE per
month only. Please let me know in the comments that you're already on this mailing so I
don't send you multiple copies of this newsletter.
That's it for this first issue of 98. Thanks as always for you interest.
"Why not do some dreamin, you're not afraid to try."
Carlisle
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02/02/04
