Why Come To Wilderness Dance Camp?

Last year at camp our beautiful camp manager "Wash Your Hands Helen" put it beautifully. Imagine that huge wide smile on her face, hat crammed down to her eyebrows, and an angelic twinkle in her eye as she pulls herself from the heap at the end of a session, exclaiming, "This is what people are meant to do!"

I agree with Helen. Not only are people meant to come together in a way that lights up the night, but something is happening in the world right now that makes it more important than ever to discover ourselves as a true unified consciousness; able to engage and act beyond the limits of our small egos. Something is happening to make over a million people sign up on their computers to study enlightenment and ego death with Eckhart Toole! Teachings are becoming more available, and the collective consciousness expanding.

If that isn't enough, thousands of people, who have reached a certain stage of awakening themselves, are starting to connect in new ways over phone lines and the internet to create a web of engagement that surrounds the entire planet! With the Dances of Universal Peace we have a beautiful, passionate tool for group awakening. It's our responsibility to hone and perfect our dance and our love to create this new earth.

At camp we are going to be exploring our best selves as we uncover deep inner wells of curiosity. What if every human being on the planet was living up to her or his highest potential? What would that be like? I want to inquire deeply into the possibility. I want to find out.

And no need to wait... start now by checking out our blog website at http://www.oxygenproject.com/. We are going to use the site to organize people to bring vegetables to camp, create ongoing classes on things like electric cars and community activation. We want to know what makes you excited, what you can contribute, what you are curious about. So join us online, and join us at camp.

See you there!

Zareen

What a great time to be alive! As I'm writing this blog post we are starting to bring in the new year, and that is very exciting. 2008. Wow! It's going to be 2008 and this year could be the most exciting year in the whole history of humanity. People around the planet have woken up to the global warming problem and are starting to embrace solutions. We are on the brink of some of the most exciting discoveries in how to live and develop as a species. And most exciting of all, whatever we may discover on any day of this year can instantly be swept around the world into the consciousness of billions of people through the amazing communication tools we have at hand.  

I feel like I have spent most of my life, and (really) we as human beings have spent most of our existence, struggling with how bad things are and waiting for doom to strike. But suddenly I feel the curtains are falling open and a clear, shining, positive path is before us.   I feel like we have been hypnotized by the negative: all the news, and wars, and the realities of environmental problems. Not that these things aren't true, and real, and dangerous, but that the fear it generates has stolen the better part of our brains and souls and left us immobilized and separate.

As the veils drop from my eyes, I see that we aren't the victims of society, but the creators of it. The way we talk with each other, the things we hold as valuable and true, the things we dream about: these are the things that create society. If we call ourselves to our true and noble natures we can start to see that we can use our greatest consciousness to start creating our society and culture on purpose, and with an amazing and uplifting positivity.  

I love to follow the news, read inspiring books and magazines, and watch creative movies. I've learned lately about electric cars, and even cars that run on compressed air. New technologies are being created at break-neck speed to make solar energy accessible. People are starting to look at the wind and see energy. Young, creative minds are bursting forth with incredible ideas by the day. Women are planting trees in Africa by the millions! Arabs and Jews are helping each other on the subways.  

The great advantage of a population of over 6 billion worldwide is that there are more geniuses alive today than any time in the history of humanity: more enlightened people, more poets, more dreamers and visionaries. And we can see each other online, talk to each other cross-country, chat late at night on our computers. The more awareness, love and light we bring to this process, the faster we can sweep positive change across the globe with a revolution in consciousness and culture.  

That's why it is so important for us to come together to dance as often as possible. When we dance we create a field of human consciousness. We create interconnections of the heart and mind. If we choose consciously to develop and evolve, and even make that development a value for creating a positive future, then we will start to generate an electric current of change that can transform the world.  

As dancers, we started feeling this early in December at Lava where the group generated a new term: Oxygen Positive! By this we mean coming together in a way that is not just carbon neutral, but to make our gatherings such a positive creation that we are giving back to the entire global situation more than we take. We can create oxygen, and positivity and the energetic force that is necessary to awaken our neighborhoods to the point where the individuals involved can will start moving in the right directions for change.  

The solutions for all the worlds problems are either at hand, or on the verge of creation. It's our job as mystical brethren to co-create a culture that will accept the solutions as they are brought forward. The Dances of Universal Peace are a part of Murshid Sam's global peace program. We are the creators of this program, and responsible for it's execution! We are marching in the light of God.  

I hope to see you all at our next Lava celebration and then at Wilderness Dance Camp in August. At Wilderness we will use our innate Divine Curiosity to inquire into the human ability for highest participation in the evolution of our world.   If you'd like to chat with each other, and us all about all this.

Please come to OxygenProject.com where we have put together a website with chats, and blogs and all sorts of stuff so we can begin participating right now. We are also putting together action groups for creative car-pooling and other oxygen positive activities at camp. Please email us, chat with us, and feel free to call us any time with ideas. We are on fire.

Creating a new consciousness is very ticky business. I'm reminded of that more and more as I flail around in my attempts.

Back in the old days, when I believed that creating a new consciousness would only happen in my head, it was easy. Hours of meditation, dedication to the teacher, scouring myself for the ways I was holding myself back with my own ego, submitting to having that pointed out by fellow travelers, dark night of the soul. All that is really nothing - particularly for the active control freak in us all. As long as it's just in my own bodily sphere, at least I could have the feeling that I had accomplished something.

The problem with unity, though, is that it includes everything. And that includes everyone else! So a real development in consciousness can't happen without all conscious beings involved. The inner control freak has nothing to grasp on in that sphere, because the only tool I have to integrating my own realizations with that of others is communication. As we all know, the lines of communication are usually blocked, and without an open line, anything coming out of me is just, "Bla, Bla, Bla."

Only time will tell if my attempts in this new venue of consciousness will bear fruit. I'm planting and fertilizing every day and blowing on the flame to ignite it. Please join me if you want to grow and burn!

hee hee

Connie Zareen

We had class two in Evolutionary Enlightenment in Hamilton Montana yesterday. We were talking about the global context in which we all live. How societies have evolved from tribal, to national, and then global, and that the next change needs to be a change to a cosmo-centric orientation. As we were talking, the enormity of our cultural conditionings became obvious. Not only are we conditioned to our post-modern culture, but we still retain conditionings from all the previous stages - especially because there are still many cultures on the planet operating within the previous stages of conditioning.

I can remember taht I used to think of conditionings as something the society maliciously did to us. And, consequently, if we lived in a "good" society, or an "enlightened" society, that it wouldn't condition us. now I realize that it is the natural state of a human being to be conditioned. In fact it's an evolutionary wonder ath enabled our survival. This tendency and reality is totally integral to our human nature - and yet we have an ability to bring illumination to this part of our self. Amazing.

That's a lot of conditioning, and, consequently, a lot of ego. As we were talking, I thought that our particular conditionings for any given time are in-built structures. It's deep, like the structure of our pallet that is formed as a young child when we learn a language. It seems that the native language we learn actually forms our pallet physically, so that if we learn a language after the age of 12 or so, we can't ever speak the new language accent free. A person who learns a new language has to work to form the words with as little accent as possible. So it's safe to assume that a person born and raised in a particular tier of development would have to apply consciousness their whole life to go beyond the "ego' created by that  tier.

Good news is that we all are capable of tremendous amounts of will and intelligence. With practice and care we can bring large quantities of light and illumination to our inner reality and learn to respond to life from a totally different tier than we were born in. That is liberation.

Let's chat about how to change our global culture of carbon emmission at oxygenproject.com

Yea to YouTube! Here are some great little videos of students talking about their experiences with Andrew Cohen.

Here is Katherine Miller (now Teacher Trainer of the EE Course, and head cook at Foxhollow). She is teaching a course and tells about being with Andrew in the early years.

See Katherine on YouTube

Chris Parish talks about his first meeting with Andrew.

It's really useful to listen to these heartfelt experiences of people who have seen and experienced something that is real, poignant, and passionate.

Have fun listening!

Big flashes of revelation this weekend in teaching Evolutionary Enlightenment in Missoula. We had a fantastic group of very heartfelt and honest people diving into the inquiry of what it means to be a human being in the 21st century.

Through our conversations I realized that it is a firmly held belief in our modern, luxurious society that spiritual search should always feel good. We believe that spirituality means opening of the heart, and only opening of the heart, and that should always feel good. The end point of the spiritual search should be the ultimate feel-good, and we should experience ever increasing waves of bliss as we get nearer.

I realized that this is one of the major obstacles in wanting to be free. If we demand a feel-good experience from our spiritual teachers, then we are basically asking (no demanding) that we be lied to.

The truth of the matter is that going beyond ego is a very difficult and feels painful and stressful. It's actually HARD! Imagine laying down the part of yourself that feels like it always has to be in control. that feels like it already knows everything, that feels like you are special and unique. The real experience is like standing up to a wild herd of horses, but that herd is in your head. It takes an emense stance of will, confidence and strength to even begin the process, much less stick with it to ultimate succees.

It takes a heroic soul with a huge heart to believe that the end result of all this stress and agony will actually be a place of freedom. But it's not like a ladder, where you climb up each rung, feeling better the higher you go. In fact, the search for egolessness has been termed, "The Dark Night of the Soul." And it can feel like that.

If you are reading this and saying, "Hey! That's not for me!" I don't blame you at all. The post modern narcissist in us all feels like we have a right to happiness, and that happiness is the measure of us. But what if there was something with more depth and reality than a fleeing happiness? What if there was a place of freedom where you could drop the chains of conditionings, where you could become a fully participating member of the human species, where you could join the new wave for humanity. Would that be worth a little stress, a little struggle with your inner demons and fears?

I am so lucky to be a teacher of the Evolutionary Enlightenment course from EnlightenNext, because evolution is pushed forward so tangibly from DOING something. And teaching is doing. Last week most of the teachers of the Evolutionary Enlightenment course got together for a training phone call with Jeff Carreira.

As practitioners of Evolutionary Enlightenment we all participate in regular calls where we discuss what the realization that we, as human beings, are participating in a deep-time, deep-space evolutionary event means. A topic like that ultimately brings the best possible responses from us all, but when the EE teachers get together something happens on a whole new level. The reason is because evolution is something you do - not just something you think or talk about.

When we DO things that lead towards more development, and notice at the same time what is happening, the whole event of evolution takes on a deeper meaning for us all. In our last call as teachers this was evident as we started talking about marketing.

We had already challenged our deep assumptions about being a personal entity watching evolution in the training session with Jeff (see Jeff's blog about it here). So when we started talking about marketing we were already experiencing an ecstatic authentic self amongst the group. The more we talked, the more we realized that our marketing efforts were actually evolution in action. Every single person we talked to about Evolutionary Enlightenment was not only a part of the process of our own development in how to talk about the course, but was actually being engaged as an agent in evolution. Whether or not they ended up signing up for the course, the very act of talking with them was pushing the envelope of human consciousness forward. Maybe they would come, maybe they would not come, but now little seeds of the new idea were in their mind and consciousness, and whatever their response to us had been was in our consciousness. That in turn was then shared amongst the group of teachers creating group development.

That realization was a mind blower. It suddenly felt so passionate to be marketing the course for the sake of the marketing itself. Maybe people would come to our course, maybe they wouldn't. But one way or another people had been engaged across all sorts of previous boundaries.

That's pretty amazing when you really think about it. It gives such a poignant and deep meaning to everything we do.

Like, I am sitting here typing this blog. And it is this time right now. You are now reading the blog and it is at whatever time you are in. Not only has something happened for me as a result of typing the blog, but something happens for you as a result of reading it. Maybe you think I'm an idiot, maybe you think I'm smart, Doesn't matter which way because all the same something has been shared.

What an exciting time to be alive to be able to start seeing these things, and join into the process consciously.

Ya Fatah!
Connie

I am just back from a week long dance camp in a beautiful meadow in southern Montana near the north entrance to Yellowstone park.

100 people met here with the theme "Bridge to the Future." And we experimented with how we could explore such a forward-moving theme with the Dances of Universal Peace.

I've done a lot of dance camps, but the thing that struck me most about this week was the passion to do something radical about our deteriorating envirionmental condition. There is something very powerful happening in group consciousness as we realize that we, as a species, are having a detrimental effect on our very atmosphere.

This is a huge envolutionary leap, when you think about it. It is only the present generation of humanity who have even figured out that we have an atmosphere at all. Those of us in our fifties, or older, saw the first people and rocket ships to break through the atmosphere and attain space. That was a huge evolutionarly leap, and we are still learning what that means to us as a group consciousness.

Today we are called upon to drastically change the way we live in order to bring harmony and life back to that atmosphere - that we just realized existed - It's so wonderful to be a part of this!

As we danced this weekend, we often explored how moving as a body of people in dance and song was a metaphor of dropping the group ego. We can experience in a song and dance together how uplifting even a small moment of egolessness can be, and that gives the courage to strive for the full experience.

Next year, at Wilderness Dance Camp, we will continue the theme in exploring our own human ability to be curious in Passionat Curiousity.

 There is a science to human magnetism, and because of that it is important that a person interested in the spiritual search first concentrate on their motives before thinking about gaining of powers. Otherwise this science can be used simply for personal gain, and to manipulate.

One of the misconceptions that have come to the west with the interest in eastern spirituality is that the show of powers is the first important sign of spiritual attainment. But it's important to understand that the western mind starts from a different viewpoint than the eastern mind. The man from the east was raised in a culture with very strong mystical customs, which instill a beginning attitude of respect and humility. This doesn't prevent a seeker from the east from abusing powers gained, but is a good starting point for success on this type of spiritual quest.

The eastern mystic also lives in a different culture where it is, on the one hand, unseemly for the mystic to be selling his services, and on the other hand honorable for the population to support them. It's not a prefect situation because it does not lend itself to any sort of innovation or change - because the population is not likely to support someone who is bringing in something new. But, for this discussion, it is important to know that the differences in culture lend a very different attitude towards the creation of magnetic powers in a mystic or shaman who comes from the east, and us who come from the west.

The science of magnetism can be used by anyone regardless of their motives. This is well proven in the wild success of the new video, "The Secret" which is sweeping through new age circles. This movie teaches spirituality as a blatant search to get everything you want. It teaches how to gain magnetism for pure economic gain. This isn't entirely bad, because in the west the mystic needs to have a certain ability to gain wealth in order to be useful to his or her society. But it's in our best interest to consider these things before beginning a study of magnetism.

Purity of motive for the modern western mind comes from two main sources. One is care for the whole. We must cultivate a true and deep concern for something that is larger than ourselves, and since we are so educated we need something really really big to care for. Nothing less than a care for the whole of humanity, the whole of the planet, and the whole of the evolving cosmos will do the trick!

The second source is trustworthiness. Us modern new age seekers suffer from a deep case of narcissism. It's a cultural phenomenon caused by being raised with the idea that we can have, keep and do anything we want. But more, it comes from a deep wound of believing there is something wrong with the world itself. This is manifested in a constant cry of, "Why me?" or more specifically, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" Sufis call this the narcissistic wound.

We blame the world itself for deserting us, for not giving us what we want, which means, more deeply, that we see the world itself as untrustworthy. Something must be terribly wrong with the world for me to be treated this way! Some, who were raised with untrustworthy parents, have this wound more deeply than others.

The only cure to this deeply set narcissism is to become totally trustworthy. Only through becoming completely trustworthy ourselves can we prove to ourselves that trustworthiness can exist. As anyone can well imagine, this is a huge and daunting task! Yet, it is completely possible to achieve with enough dedication.

So first, it is very useful for the modern seeker to work on care for the whole, and total trustworthiness. This quest itself will help us begin to develop magnetism.

Once we are firmly established in a conscious cultivation of purity of motive, we can begin the study of magnetism itself. Sound and movement are excellent tools to use for increasing our psychic capacity. Because this capacity is cultivated through relationship, the Dances of Universal Peace are an excellent tool for growth.

In the dances we join hands in a circle and, following the leaders instructions, sing phrases from the spiritual traditions of the world, while moving together with simple movements. A well tuned group, and skilled leader, can bring the circle past ego resistance into a space where harmony tunes the many into one voice.

The sound, the movement and the companionship of the dances softens the heart, and opens us to divine possibilities. This can be the beginning of a very interesting journey to a far off land!

As a person gains more sensitivity, they will begin to notice that sounds in the environment have an immediate positive or negative effect the body and soul. Hazrat Inayat Khan says that this effect is the source of the mystical use of bells and gongs in the spiritual traditions of the world. We can learn a lot from these traditions to keep our environments pleasant with sound. It is also a great idea to manage the fragrances and colors of our environment - but only to a certain degree. In the end, it is the magnetism of the heart that matters. If we think that manipulating our environment so that we feel peace means we have now become a peaceful person, we are greatly mistaken. Getting on board for a full heart/body/mind transformation is where the real juice is!

These are all quotes from our calls. This is the kind of wisdom that can come from every day people when we take the time to consider important things.

ON MEDITATION
March 1, 2007
"In meditation, if we are not waiting, but sitting down as if we are already whole, and giving ourselves totally to that, then we get up off the cushion whole."

March 1, 2007
"The more you choose the Authentic Self, the more you create the Authentic Self.

March 1, 2007
"The moral responsibility is huge. We are sitting down not to feel good, or get out of something, but to change, to develop, to bring this into the world."

March 1, 2007
"Our sense of being whole can grow and develop beyond our own individual self sense."

Feb 25 2007
ON FAILURE & HUMILITY
"Whenever I thought I was failing at anything my walls would go up, and I would blame the outside world. Now I see that if you get humble in your failures, you have already succeeded

Feb 25 2007
"Moving forward slowly or quickly, all that matters is that you move forward."

Feb 25 2007
"I remember a quote from Edison - It wasn't that I failed a thousand times to create the lightbulb, it just had a thousand steps."

2-24-2007
"Evolution of consciousness is something you do."

2-18-2007
"I've been thinking about peace a lot lately, and realized, peace is about what you do. Peace is only experienced when you are doing what you are supposed to do. Peace is dynamic and rich, affecting everything around you."


Anyone is welcome to join us for our calls.
Sunday Evenings. 7:00 pm MT
Call: 712-580-6300, enter access code 598664#