Over a hundred people around the world participated in the first Virtual Meditation  retreat.
It was led by Jeff Careirra and Katherine Miller, senior students of Andrew Cohen.
9 of us who have recently completed the Evolutionary Enlightenment course here on Vancouver Island, participated in the virtual retrat..
This morning,  I wrote this to those involved and I pass this on to all of you Zaadzsters.

I've been thinking about our time together yesterday,  our  EE Vancouver Island Holon, and trying to identify in what discernable way  the group  moved forward. I was reading a blog ( posted at the end of this email) this morning,  and it inspired me to  share some thoughts with you.

 First of all, I know we are all involved in many groups,spiritual, evolutionary etc, but in some way, however small or large we see our involvement in EE,  we are part of this particular holon and we have an affect on it. . It's interesting to think of us as a holon, (thank you Wilber) because then we can see  both individual and collective development, and ,that way, consiousness evolves. .  It's so helpful to me to see it that way.  (simply, by definition,  a holon is a part that is also a whole)..

In this email, I want to identify  how what we are doing in this holon,   is

-different than any "coming together " or group we are involved in,

-why, even though we don't like to talk about our deepest  experiences ( because talking spoils  "our experience"),

 we need to express and talk anyway..

-and why it's important to    struggle with languge , and make effort with this.

I read this morning where Andrew Cohen  said  something like  unless we effort with this, and share this, these new structures  ( not deep experiences  but new structures)  will not stay around.We will fall back to our former stage after brief glimpses at these higher levels.  We can know that intellectually, the difference between states and stages, but what are we prepared to do about it? It really struck me this morning how important it is for this holon to "hold"  what we have pushed in to together, what we have experienced as a holon, the new structures that we are building together... and that we keep sharing it with each other.  In diads, triads, in emails on blogs  however we do it.  Or else this all becomes about  our personal journey , and,   we simply don't get it. It's the same old.   I was thinking about how sharing and talking about this new consiousness is different from all the sharing and  evangelizing I've done in the past.  And this is how it is diifferent for me.  I guess it's about motivation.

I've  had a lot of  spiritual realizaions, and have done a lot of teaching and sharing of the same.

There is a difference between learning or realizing something valuable and true, and wanting others to  "get it"...by sharing it or teaching it,

And,

coming together with another to share and explore  a  new consiousness. And I really mean a new consiousness. . It's the difference between  giving a good speech about some higher truth, and really and truly, creating something new together, on the spot!  Once we've experienced the latter, it just compels you  to get together with others for that reason. It's not about helping others by sharing with  them with what I  already know. Which I've  done so much of.

We are talking about egoless consiousness with another. The many being one , not just as an idea, but in real time.It is sooo different.   

At the end of the retreat yesterday, there was such an interest in discovering what was new here. The questions, the listening to each other the probing for the new , the leaning in.. I used to get so tired of hearing this "leaning in" expression. But it really is a symbol of surrender of separate self. Its'a leaning in to this "together thing," and not holding back as ego, looking and studying it.  Leaning in together and inquiring is the way we build new sturctures.

Didn't our Wilber group last Wednesday notice the difference in the quality of our discussion , once we recognized this as a new consiousness and consiously engaged with it?? So cool

Andrew has just met with his core group, now 80 people, who are pioneering  a new stage in consiounsess. Not giving their lives to serve the whole.. as many are already doing.. but giving their lives to pioneer this new consiousness. And he said to them. ‘if we can't share this new perspective with others, it is only a matter of time before we lose it'.  I noticed he said "can't"  , not just won't.  And it made me realize how we have to struggle with the language if we want to do this, ( and we don't like to struggle with anything) and how we have to talk about our experience and our understanding... even though we don't' like to because we may look foolish, and like we don't already know. And everyone is busy and  they don't have time for this. So its' easier to talk about what we already know.  And  I think we all  know this simply won't work. It's the same old. And boy oh boy do we have enough of the same old!!

So it takes a tremendous amount of courage to work with each other,  to talk about this, and to talk about it in a way that makes us totally vulnerable and implicated.  So over the summer, let's  keep talking about this new stage.. this new consiousness with each other. Whether it's in emails with each other or anyone, and I'm going to keep trying to get together with some and all of you as much as we can.... So I hope you don't take it as evangelizing, or trying to convert you, or get you involved with Andrew.

I'm doing it because it's  the only way  we know how to  create an egoless culture. A new world.  And that's our goal.   It's   by coming together, because that is what culture is and how it's created, and by exploring this higher consiousness...because  the latter is  the best tool we've found so far for creating  a better world. Exploring because it's new, and, making effort  because  it's an egoless consiousness by definition!   And we know it  takes effort to   come together beyond ego.

For those of us committed to doing this, we need to keep talking and engaging together,...... or we will fall back.

  http://arjan.zaadz.com/blog/2007/6/co-creating_a_new_culture_for_real#comments

Here' the link to that  blog, if you're interested.

I am so excited and thrilled about what is happening with a Group of Seven here on Vancouver Island!  Not the famous Canadian artists Group of Seven,  but part of a Ken Wilber meet -up  who have become passionately interested in Evolutionary Enlightenment . One reason for their interest is as a result of collective recognition of a higher consiousness that some of us  experienced at our meet-up a few weeks ago. One of the people involved described it as the most forward moving, positive rush of collective energy imaginable. And this person is well experienced in collective intelligence fields, group synergy etc.  This was a different emergence. And it was so compelling that this group wanted to pursue  it further through taking the Introduction to Evolutionary Enlightenment  course asap. We've just finished class 3.  At one point,  a couple of the students in this class would have said that their  life purpose was  "to contribute  to an enlightened planetary civilization".   But as we've explored the EE teachings , we're  recognizing that participation is one thing. Taking  responsibility for, and clear intention and result,  is another. What would it mean to take on  the evolution of our human species, as our very own purpose, each one of us, individually, together?    There was a moment of recognition of what this would mean when one of the participants referred to our role as creator of the universe.  It's hard to fathom that we're getting in to considering these huge questions,  with the humiltiy, interest and authentic longing that I see in the faces of this relatively small group of people.   Way out here! There is a sense of knowing that what we're looking in to here,  is not about us, but we are connected with a world-wide network who are inquiring in to this, all engaging with THE process that we're beginning to recognize we ARE,  not knowing really what to do, but that we are going somewhere, together, that is so very positive.  Creating the future. What is the difference between paritipating in an enlightenened planetary civilization,  that anyone reading this blog is probably already doing,  and taking on our role as the creator of the universe?    Someone said that the latter is either megalomania, or, what if it's true?  What do you think?

Our last class of the EE course I've been writing about in this blog, ended up with everyone stirred up!  Not what was expected. Most had signed up for the course hoping to learn something new about consious evolution, to support their spiritual development, or to be able to incorporate the teachings into spiritual work  they are already doing.  To get a glimpse of the huge evolutionary context oulined in this teaching, and to consider the demand and responsibiltiy placed on the serious spiritual seeker at this particular time in our history,  can be overwhelming.  Too much for some. But  some of us are pressing on.
This teaching has stirred up  the deepest and most real part of ourselves in a most positive way that wants more, together. Some of us are  audacious  enugh to believe that we can create heaven on earth, even here, in Victoria now.  And as John Lennon says, "we aren't the only ones".
This Saturday, I begin another class in northern Vancouver Island.  It's awesome to find interest in consious evolution here... and the level of excitement in these folks for Evolutionary Enlightenment is truly inspiring.  It takes big heartedness to press on in the face of the cynical society we find ourselves in.  But there is big heartedness on Vancouver Island!
We'll keep you posted.

Locating ego and authentic self in our own experience, and speaking to that, is totally different from merely  a discussion about ego and authentic self.  I've been thinking a lot since last night about what could have improved the quality of our inquiry into Ego and Authentic Self, Class 4 of the EE course.  The  "already knowing" position that seems to be our set point as spiritually experienced consious postmoderns,  cracks only when we recognize in our very own experience what an obstacle that position is to evolution.  It takes a lot of humilty for us to see and accept this. And how much do we care about our collective development, not our personal development, but our collective development,  to not  already know? 
There is so much desire in our group to move forward, to do the right thing. We're continuing this discussion this week,   to be in an optimum place for our study of The Five Tenets, the 5th class in the EE course.

Last night was Class 3 of The Evolutionary Enlightenment Course here in Victoria, and this class is on Meditation. There are some amazing blog entries by other instructors who have delivered this class, that speak clearly to the experience and practise and purpose of meditation, in the way Andrew Cohen teaches it.   (Kevin's blog)
One of the objectives of this class is that participants will leave inspired to meditate!  We have some experienced meditators in our class. But something new happened for us. We began to identify new reasons to meditate... that indeed, if we are in any way serious about being the caring activists that we say we are,  compel us to meditate, a lot, and more, and together. When we begin to see what a big leap it is to this new and higher context  and consiousness we've awakened to ,  there is no way we are going to make it without letting go completely and absolutely of where we are at.  I started meditating because Ken Wilber identified it was the one practice certain to  help people "move" up developmental stages. Personal development was my thing. Motive evolves.  I've  been meditating as a Student of Andrew's, because it is part of my committment as a Student to do so ( Hey, I was a good Catholic and obedience to chosen spriitual authority is not negotiated in my book)  But I'm beginning to get what Andrew means when he says we have no hope of pulling off the Universe Project unless meditation, or the enlightened perspective is our natural state. So we have an even bigger reason to meditate. The salvation of our species depends on it.....It's  the way out of ego,  it's a moral obligation, it's the way to Authentic Self, and it's our job.  And , we have to do it. If we aren't inspired enough yet,  maybe we can think about what will happen if we don't do it.  Not much more to say about meditation at this point. 
The class ended with participants committed to meditate this week, following Andrew's simple instructions. 
Next week we talk about Ego and Authentic Self.

Last night was Class 2 of the EE course, which actually was entitled "Context is Everything"
We  wrestled with reaching for the biggest context that human beings at the leading edge in an evolving universe have recognized,  the Universal and Evolutionary context that is the perspective taught in this course, and, our centre of gravity, or where we do life from, which is our postmodern, individual-centered existence.  There were moments when Andrew was speaking about this higher consiousness, or the Kosmocentric perspective, and we experienced this state of consiousness beyond ego together.  Ego , our separate self sense, drops away in this Evoltuionary context, when we see ourselves as just our current form in a 15 billion year process.  But that momentary glimpse disappears as we cling to what we know and fall back to our familiar perspective, because that is what "feels" right.  It reminds me of a dream I had where I was trapped in a confined space under a building desparately trying to crawl to a phone to call home to be rescued. I would awake and remember it was a dream but then slip back in to the dream until I finally awoke and all the trapped feelings were gone. I was thinking about what it would take to over ride those feelings of being trapped and to remember that the truth is, I am already free, whatever I feel. The truth is, I'm getting sucked in to a dream that feels real but disappears in a flash when I see it for what it is. It takes an amazing amount of courage to over ride what we feel is real and true, for what we know is real and true.  When we awaken to the truth of the biggest context, and we ourselves recognize it's true, we have to cling to that Context for dear life. Whatever we feel. Pushing the edge of our contextual understanding means choosing for this bigger context and it will take everything, when we don't feel like it's the thing to do.  It was amazing to see everyone hang in last night. And my email box had messages from almost everyone in the class, commenting on their experience, continuing to contemplate the implications of  this new perspective. The implications are what Andrew calls '"An Evolutionary Theology."  Wow. This video left us speechless,
ready to be released from the world to fall in to The Ground of Being, which is what Class 3 on Meditation is all about..

"Change your mind and change the world, it's all about your attitude, it's not what  you feel but what you think about what you feel..." We've all heard these truisms expressed in so many different and more eloquent ways for so long...
But what does it mean to us, human beings at this particular time and place, to really get and then act upon the belief that Perspective is more important than experience?  Is it just a belief? How many of us even want that to be true?  What if it is true.. what happens to the belief that it is feelings...  blissful awesome experiences and feelings and the sharing of those experiences that are the basis of intimacy and it is that which sets us higher up on the food chain?   Can we really live the liberating perspective, that Enlightenment has nothing to do with the content of my experience, or is it just a lifleline thought we jump to in the midst of an experience we don' t  want?  Does Enlightenment, the difference between heaven and hell, have nothing to do with the content of my experience, or my feelings? What is my experience of letting in that perspective?
When we widen back and look in to what comes "up" for us as we take this in, and we speak to that  in an impersonal way in a group setting with others all intending to discover something new, rumblings occur in the interior of the cosmos.
Last night, in our first class on  Andrew Cohen's teaching of  Evolutionary Enlightenment , 8 women who I consider heroic, intentionally set aside what they already knew , if only for our 2 hours together, to explore these radical and evolutionary  teachings. They simply cared enough to put themselves through  the kind of stretching collective inquiry  necesary to really change our world.  Perspective is everything... and  the liberating perspective we can learn in the teachings of Evolutionary Enlightenment  truly does address the concerns we have, being a human at this time in our history. And more.
As I was thinking about what I would say in this blog that would convey the "experience" we had with Class one,   I checked my emails,  and this was in my box , from one of the course participants.
"As I awoke this morning...I thought...."MAN!!!....I have a big job to do!  Suddenly, it seems I have a BIGGER "raison d'etre"!  I LOVE IT!!!  
What an  experience, and what a  shift in perspective.
And , as the fifty plus Instructors of this course all over the world, have said so many times in response to their experience of the first class,
" And this is just the beginning??!"

This Wednesday, a group of 8 women, along with me, are taking a leap in to the unknown to explore the teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment.  This is the first course to be offered in Canada, on Vancouver Island, ( which is not Vancouver but an island off the mainland of British Columbia. )  Geographically I've often  felt  far away from the hotbeds of Evolutionary Enlighenment, but Consiousness (and communication technoglogy) is not a local nor limited thing. I'm excited about discovering in these women, a deep yearning to spiritually grow and evolve, a passionate interest in change and Evolution,  and an excitement about pariticpating in the creation a new culture, right here, right now. In beautiful remote Victoria.
So, we're going for it!
There is still time to register for this course...
And courses all over the world by registering at
www.eecourse.org