Daring to be Yourself

Peter Shepherd Interview

May 4, 2013 by Peter Shepherd

Here’s a recent interview with Agnès van Gaalen, service provider of the Dutch Trans4mind website…

What was your idea in the beginning to set up T4M and do you think people picked up your idea in the 20 years T4M exist?

With a background for some years as a psychotherapist, helping people to resolve their problems and anxieties, I had become more interested in consciousness and mindfulness. I could see how psychology links with philosophical ideas, from Buddhism for example, which has been an interest of mine since childhood. The big breakthrough was when I studied transpersonal psychology – including the works of Ken Wilber, Assagioli and Peter Russell – which teaches how to transcend a limited identity built from genetics and upbringing, to help a person realize their full unique potential.

So I had studied this and also I had been working for a mind development company, which also had many methods to help people move forward in their lives. I’d done training and courses and devised my own methods. I put a synthesis of this knowledge into my book, Transforming the Mind, and that formed the basis of the web site, Trans4mind. The first impulse was to share, freely.

Is the purpose still up to date, or has the view changed over the years?

The purpose has evolved beyond sharing interesting information, to having a mission of sorts. I think that the human nature of Mankind has progressed little over the centuries. There are fundamental problems, like the schism between left and right brain thinking, between male and female ways of being. I think we need to evolve, to move forward as a race, and then we stand a chance of resolving the immense social, cultural, economic and ecologic problems that are staring us in the face. Human nature has to change. That’s all! We need to live lives of service based on compassion, instead of selfish lives based on a barrage of fears. We need to become conscious of who we really are, as human beings rather than merely human animals. Communicating and creating instead of enslaving and going to war. I try to contribute toward this evolution with the Trans4mind website.

Do you get a lot of feedback from your readers?

Yes, I get quite a lot of support, mostly through email. Many heartfelt messages, and it helps me a lot, to keep going. Our co-director, Wallace Huey, runs Life Mastery workshops in Dublin, and he receives very warm feedback from the students as well.

So, do you have some special story(s) in mind, to illustrate this feedback?

The most dramatic tale of involvement by people occurred when a group of friends in Libya started meeting every week to practice what they had learned from the site. They asked me to coach them by email and I did so. But their co-leader turned out to be secret police and the leader was put into prison and the group closed down. Fortunately he escaped to Algeria after some months of interrogation. A sign of the times though, as the Libyan people were showing that they wanted more freedom, and that’s how it turned out.

What was for you the most special opinion or remark, given to you about T4M?

It’s hard to single one out, but I really appreciate those who recognize that I put my heart and soul into the daily quotes service, that it really is a personal communication from me, a service of love.

If it was positive, how do you respond?

I just say thanks, that I really appreciate their getting in touch.

If it was negative, how do you respond?

Usually I just delete and ignore it, unless it is constructive criticism in which case I thank the person for that.

What kind of people are visiting your site nowadays?

I think it’s self-selecting. I get very little negative criticism as one might expect from political or religious fanatics. So people who visit the site are interested in the contents. I get the impression there are not so many young people and we’d like to address that with a special site for teens before too long. Most visitors – one and a half million per month – leave straight after they get what they want, in an article or something, but 20% stay for hours and come back regularly. 40% are from USA, 9% from India, 8% from UK, and other English speaking countries. The Trans4mind sites we have in our international network include most of the main world languages.

What are they looking for, and can they find what they are looking for on the T4M site?

Most come from Google, and the most popular searches are for inspiring quotes and words of wisdom. The most read pages are therefore the quotes pages, followed by my blog, the nutrition site, Ken Ward’s astrology pages and JavaScript teaching, free ebook downloads, and on and on. We have a huge and very diverse site!

Who are the people who want to set up a T4M site in other countries as a provider?

These are people who are inspired to contribute to their society, in the same way I am for Trans4mind in English. It’s a labor of love, not for money. We can earn a bit from Google ads and affiliate recommendations, and that helps to pay the bills, but it’s far from the primary motivation. So these are loving, compassionate people.

How do you keep contact with the T4M providers, and are they coming together ‘live’?

We email of course, and Skype when possible. But since moving into the country my connection is not so great and that makes conference calls unreliable. We do have an annual conference though, and the two we’ve held so far, the first in the Dolomites and last year here in your center in the Bourgogne, have been inspiring and memorable experiences. The next one coming up in July.

Is there a difference in reactions of the visitors of these sites in all these different countries?

Yes, there are national characteristics. Personal development is a new concept in some countries and the service provider really needs to make a splash in person, in their community, to get noticed and begin to communicate with their site.

Was there ever a period in time that T4M exist that you thought: “no more, thank you”?

No, because the site can just sit there even if I do nothing. I know it does a lot of good because of all the positive feedback, so I shall never take it away, and when I pass on it will still continue because we are making sure Trans4mind is here for posterity.

I may feel more or less motivated at times, like if there are computer and connection problems, or if there is lack of response to something I thought was really good – sometimes it can feel like communicating into a vacuum. But eventually you find out that all along what you were doing was appreciated, and so in future you remember that.

If not, where do you get the inspiration from? If yes, why did you pick it up again, what was your motivation to do so?

The inspiration is to make a difference in the world, a difference that is needed and wanted by all caring persons.

Do people get under your skin sometimes, and how do you live with this, or what do you do with this?

Yes, a person can be annoying, but one tries to be tolerant and forgiving – to remember the kind soul that is inside each one of us – that people have different views, it’s not a case of right and wrong. Then one can smile and life continues.

To answer all the questions of your readers, to provide new articles for your site, does this mean that you don’t have time anymore to write a book?

I’ve written my book, I don’t feel much of a drive to do another, though I would like to revise and update Daring to be Yourself. I am more interested in working with Wallace Huey to develop Life Mastery training into a world-wide success, reaching into communities world-wide with effective coaching to address all the challenges people face in life and to further my overall purpose of contributing in whatever way I can to the evolution of humanity. Of course, I wish there was more time in a day to get everything done I would like to.

Has it become for you a way of life, and what does this mean in your private life?

Yes, my life is built around two poles: running Trans4mind and my marriage. Fortunately those two poles are close together: my wife runs the Trans4mind site in French and we share the same purposes in life; there is no conflict and we support one another very well.

Is Peter Shepherd a different person in private life, as in the role of T4M?

No, I would hope not. I don’t really have a public persona in any case, I just work on my computer… this interview is a rare exception. I’m myself all the time and happy about that.

Who or what inspires you?

Musicians from my formative years, like Robin Williamson and Joni Mitchell. Their voices bring tears to my eyes, tears of love and the hope and wonderment of youth. Two favorites in the spiritual sphere are Timothy Freke and Anita Moorjani. Both know how to communicate profundity simply and without dogmatism – universal truth clearly understood and expressed. Harold Becker too, and there’s many others. The world is rich.

How is your view on the world of today?

One the one hand, corporate profit rules, way ahead of justice and ethics. It’s a world run for the rich to get richer, and they don’t even care if their grandchildren have a place to live, it’s just short-term profits. Less developed countries are also run according to greediness and corruption. But these selfish people are a small percentage, the majority of people are caring individuals. They need to become leaders, to have more influence than have now, to empower their communities and create reform. Hopefully personal development information and Life Mastery training will help them along this path.

How long will you continue working for T4M?

Until I die, and then it gets more interesting….

If you continue to do so, why?

Because it’s a fundamental instinct of the human being to try to do good, to be helpful, to express themselves. We’re not just warriors and enslavers!

Peter Shepherd answers lots more questions on his Bio Page.

What is Love?

February 9, 2013 by Peter Shepherd

Painting by Agnès Van Gaalen

How could one define love? It is put most simply and beautifully, I feel, in the words of Joni Mitchell: “Love is touching souls.” As we all know, the feeling we have from loving and being loved, brings a warmth and richness to life in a way that that nothing else can.

Love, in its purest sense, is unconditional acceptance. Unconditional acceptance of someone or something, the way they are, without judgment. Accompanying that, or substituting for that in many cases when love is felt in personal relations, is desire, caring, attraction and admiration – and of course those qualities are increased if the feeling is mutual. But essentially, love is accepting and welcoming a person just as they actually are, without them having to put on an act or behave according to some hidden standard.

The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well. Compassion and understanding, in other words, without judgment.

What I learned from Christianity as a child was the New Testament message of the power of love; and from Buddhism I learned the importance of acceptance and non-attachment. It was enough for me to perceive of higher consciousness as the quality of love, and that when we love (which is to say accept unconditionally) we are part of the universal consciousness. As the saying goes, “When we love, we are the universe and the universe lives in us.”

I realized that intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth was the way to go, since fundamental truths are simple and graspable when we look to our inner knowing. More simple than words can say. What remained complex and a mystery to me was the structure of mind, and the million and one ways that mind sneaks in to obscure or corrupt our natural insight and wellbeing, so that’s why I went on to study psychology.

It is often said that ego is the primary obstacle to enlightenment and living a life guided by love, but I beg to differ. Ego is your personality – your face to the world, as well as your inner thoughts – the verbal thinking process – along with the fears, likes, desires, needs that attach to thoughts and beliefs. It’s an essential part of being a human being, your everyday conscious thinking self. Without wanting to do well competitively, to play and win at the games of life, the world would be back in the Stone Age, yet we’re told how our selfish ego is such a barrier to spiritual growth. This is a misconceived put down of natural instincts; a fear of worldly things, really. Humans are spiritual beings incarnated in an animal body-mind; that’s no bad thing, indeed that’s why we are here.

Personal growth is about transcending the ego, not weakening it – it’s already too weak and afraid, which is why it’s immaturely selfish and hateful. The ego should be embraced and loved, like a child growing up, not rejected as imperfect. The stronger and more mature it is, the more transparent it becomes to the spiritual essence that lies behind the personality. The ego then becomes an instrument of love.

Personal growth is about integrating and loving; it is never about separating and destroying. Our spiritual path is not destruction of the ego, it is integrating and transcending the ego, to be purified by love. This opens a pathway for the illumination of love to lighten the shadows of our personality. The healing of fears is always love: unconditional acceptance. A beautiful aspect of love is that it never dies. You live on in all that you love; you live on because you ARE love.

Speaking of such matters it is easy to become dogmatic, to say “This is the Truth and none other.” Actually truth belongs to each of us, what we know to be true deep in our soul, and any other kind of truth is merely academic. Therefore we should beware the cultural influence of orthodox religions. There’s a line in the Flatlanders where Butch Hancock says, “Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you’re going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love.” This way of manipulation is called a “double bind.” It depends on acceptance of the lies of high authority (Hell and Original Sin in this case). It makes people neurotic and therefore unable to trust their own thoughts and feelings, and enslaves them to the religion that caused the damage.

The real enemy is dogma, per se. Like the Trans4mind motto says, “Minds, like parachutes, function better when open.” We each need to discover our own truth, not have it dictated to us by authorities. Truth is inevitably simple in essence but the network of defenses we erect to deny our own truth (driven by fears), and the sophistication of the conditioning we receive to imprint and then to safeguard the status quo (much of it misinformation), are complex filters through which to perceive our inner truth. As we progress in awareness it’s important to revise our beliefs accordingly.

The truth is so often being obscured by the mental defenses we have created, to protect the rightness of our current ways of being. The armor around our ego is too heavy and restricting to turn around and see that the war is long since over!

So many assume the truth is either black or white… It’s all evolution or it’s totally creation, for example. Reality creates consciousness; consciousness creates reality. Actually truth is inclusive, neither black nor white, nor a shade of grey. Indeed, truth is a multicolored spectrum, a beautiful hologram! Truth is inevitably simple, but it’s multi-dimensional too, like a koan.

How can truth be simple? In psychology, whole books don’t begin to describe the complex tapestry of the mind. It’s a labyrinth of fears and separations, identifications and attachments. But in spiritual matters, it’s quite the opposite. Fundamental truth is so simple that words are inadequate… truth is a serene state of being that accepts what is without judgment nor resistance, perceived with perfect communication, understanding and empathy. When an underlying truth is revealed, it is always a message of love, of unconditional acceptance, of oneness with what is.

One can make a lot of headway by applying some simple principles and disciplines…

Firstly, to always be guided by love, since love is the creative force, the intent, the quality, that is your essential nature. It always leads to truth… it IS truth. So whenever you act, ask “Am I doing this through love?” This is the best way to get in touch with inner guidance, to start to know your true self.

Secondly, be mindful before reacting emotionally. Take time to breathe, to get into the present moment – pull yourself in from attention trapped in the past and the future and be grounded and centered in your body. Here and now. Then respond, from love and not from fear.

And thirdly, remember that communication is the solvent of problems. When in doubt, or you’re anxious, or you feel stranded: communicate. That means to express your feelings and safeguard your rights – but equally to ask questions and listen intently, not just to spout off yourself.

These will take you a very long way.

Peter Shepherd

PLUS: See the Love is All You Need meditation program, free online at Trans4mind.

The Positive Approach

February 3, 2013 by Peter Shepherd

Introduction to the free online course in 30 lessons by Peter Shepherd:
The Positive Approach

Human nature is universal, something we all share. But that doesn’t mean human nature cannot further evolve; indeed it must, to meet the needs of Mankind’s present situation, where a greater degree of peaceful cooperation, reform and justice is critical for our future survival and prosperity.

Each of us can evolve consciously by undertaking our own path of personal development, according to our individual needs, weaknesses and strengths. The information and resources at Trans4mind.com websites are designed specially to aid your personal growth, so you can better meet the challenges of life, at home and at work. To make a really good start, the Positive Approach course covers a range of key personal development topics and most people will benefit from increasing their knowledge and abilities in these areas.

The key is to take what you learn and put it into practice in your daily life. To change the engrained habits of a lifetime, and even to change the nature programmed into your genes, is possible but it will take your determined application, over and over again, to reprogram your mind and transform yourself.

Negative or Positive?
Individuals tend to have a chronic emotional level; they go up and down in response to circumstances but soon return to the way of being that feels familiar to them, their habitual level.

Negative levels include being apathetic, depressed, fearful, angry, antagonistic, bored… that is the person’s approach to life, and that is what they attract more of and what they see most of in the world around them: reasons to be afraid.

Positive levels include contentment, appreciation, enthusiasm, exhilaration and serenity: reasons to love. Coming from these places the world seems much brighter and more inviting, a great place to play the game of life.

A negative approach to life is based on fearful motivations, caused by many kinds of negative thinking; a positive approach is based on the motivation to create an inspiring vision, powered not by self-serving greed but by caring and loving service for the benefit of all.

The foundation for a positive approach is not just saying positive things and denying how you really feel. That doesn’t work. A genuine positive approach is based on truthfulness and self-knowledge. It is based on self-respect and integrity, liking and being true to one’s self – one’s real self, not a version designed to appease or manipulate others, or to hide away from the challenges of life.

This course is designed to help you achieve a more positive approach to your life.

Remember, the guide on your path is your own true inner nature, your connection with the universal, and that is LOVE. Love is unconditional acceptance. At all times ask yourself, “Am I doing / thinking / saying this in love?” and you will not go far wrong.

“Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here. The spiritual journey is the relinquishment, or unlearning, of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts.” —Marianne Williamson

Why Do Personal Development?

January 24, 2013 by Peter Shepherd

All too often our personal development has already ended by the time we reach adulthood. We’ve ‘grown up’ and know enough to hold down a job. If we are fortunate we find our niche and as much as possible solve the problems of survival, then we stick with those solutions. But our upbringing hasn’t taught us most of what we need to know in order to make the most of our potential, to have truly fulfilling careers and relationships.

We’ve learned to play a role but our emotions may scare and mystify us. We may not have learned to express our needs nor to listen generously to others. We may have lost touch with the intuitive and creative faculties that we knew as children and now try to work things out analytically, hampered by the false information indoctrinated into us.

We cling to a set of beliefs and our minds become less and less open. We may not even like ourselves much, far short of recognizing the power and loving nature of our inner, spiritual selves. Our personal development has only begun; surely it should not stop there?

A natural trait of humans is to be constantly developing, growing and moving toward a balanced and mature way of being. Our present personality is determined by both who and what we have been and by the person we strive to become. The goal of personal development is to learn and apply that which enables us to attain emotional wellbeing, understanding and effectiveness, and mindful awareness, and to share this knowledge with others.

Personal development is the conscious evolution of human nature, and yet throughout history it has been sorely lacking! Although it is in our nature to learn and grow, we are held back by our culture, which is predominantly focused on survival needs, each of us in competition with others, and our spiritual inner nature is repressed. The animal rules. We make no room for unconditional love.

Even though the culture may have evolved with technological advancement and administrative complexity, human nature has not moved forward as it might. Our consciousness and mindfulness remain as always. We are now paying the price for Mankind’s selfishness and inconsideration. Going forward, the quality of our lives on this planet – even our survival – now depends on each of us taking responsibility for our personal growth.

The human being needs to awaken to the soul that inhabits each body and is our true self and source of inner knowing. Awaken through a process of self-discovery, leading to one’s own, self-directed spirituality. We need to become mindfully conscious instead of ruled by the dictates of instincts, past habits and fixed beliefs. We need to throw away dogma, open our minds and reconsider. Instead of fear about our survival and competitive angst, we will then be motivated by compassionate understanding and creative love.

For those that do move forward, the next epoch – that is upon us now in 2013 – will be a celebration of human cooperation and shared love. It’s our best hope for the future – and it’s in our hands.

New to Personal Development? Click here: Stop Worrying, Start Living

What Do You Imagine Beyond December 21, 2012?

December 21, 2012 by Peter Shepherd

By Joyce Shafer

The conversation about December 21st is certainly not a new one; modern books about it have been in print for decades. What it means for humanity is to be seen; what it means for you individually is a matter of choice.

Let’s quickly recap what is happening on December 21st, and is scientifically provable.

It’s the start of the winter solstice, when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun, the shortest day of the year for those living north of the equator.
It’s the actual start of the Age of Aquarius (where our axis will point).
It’s the end of the fifth Mayan long-count calendar cycle of 5,125.36 years.
It’s the completion of the Precession of the Equinox, which is 5 x 5,125.36 years long
We enter the Photon Belt (an energy cloud our scientists are aware of).
Alcyone, the sun in the Pleiades constellation that our Sun orbits, completes its 225 million year orbit around our Milky Way Galaxy, as it also completes its orbit around Sirius.

Because of gravity, we feel “in place in space” on our Earth, but we are always in motion. The Earth rotates each day, giving us what we call sunrise and sunset. Earth orbits around our Sun, which is one solar year for us. The Earth also tilts on its axis; and even where the axis points moves in a circle, called the Procession of the Equinox, which is how we move from one zodiac age to another. It takes 25,627 years to make one full rotation of the axis. This is the end of the more scientific part I wanted to include for those not familiar with it.

I recommend you watch a 70-minute YouTube video titled “2012 A-Z – A Galaxial Event of Disneyesque Proportion.” The astronomical science information is well presented with an often tongue-in-cheek or black-humor approach to the prophecies and possibilities. I offer this disclaimer: my personal knowledge of astronomy is pretty slim and based on what others share; so I can’t vouch for the validity of the video information, but it sure is interesting.

We got excited about changing millenniums because we could relate to that. What happens in space seems remote. Whatever your belief about this date or the significance of the celestial alignment is, in my opinion, it is especially significant that we, you and I, are here for it.

So here we are, at the time in our history when the rotation of the axis moves us from the Age of Pisces fully into the true start of the long-awaited and sung about Age of Aquarius, which is supposed to herald in elevated consciousness for mankind. According to Carolyn Myss, in her book, Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, as we neared the end of the Piscean age, and the two ages had some overlap, events happened that allowed cloistered people, now out in the world, to share Eastern and Western teachings not previously revealed.

Myss wrote: “Through this shift in focus, the word consciousness has come to denote the pursuit of the deepest mystical insights in combination with rationality and freedom. Armed with a vocabulary that was previously restricted to monastics and mystics, Western culture has broken through the boundaries of religion and begun plunging, largely unescorted, into the realm of the sacred. Aquarian consciousness is holistic by design, meaning that it draws people to view life through the lens of unity rather than the lens of difference and division. Aquarian energy drives us to change every part of our lives, especially where we have become too dependent on the familiar, and to investigate every unknown place we can find, particularly those within ourselves. Aquarian power fuels our exploration of our ‘higher’ selves, or the part of us that is beyond the boundaries of our physical bodies and the daily thrum of life.”

We are on the threshold of the Aquarian age and its energy, as well as the time of the completion of the Precession. We are here when the hearts of our planet, sun, and the dark rift of our galaxy align, and when the Mayan long-count calendar fifth cycle ends and a new cycle and Precession begins. This time, we aren’t reading about it years from any one of these happening; we are here when all of these celestial events, and a few others, are happening simultaneously. Whether you choose to believe your being here now is by coincidence or by design is up to you.

Then there’s the time involved, that number 11:11, eleven minutes past eleven (in the UK). I admit to being surprised when I saw that this is the time of the alignment, according to Mayan and other shamans around the world, as stated in Drunvalo Melchizedek’s book, The Mayan Ouroboros: The Cosmic Cycles Come Full Circle. It’s a number I’ve had a thing for, for around three decades, with special thanks to, first, LED clocks, and now digital ones. To this day, when I see those numbers aligned on a clock or computer, I feel and say “Thank you!” I feel a sense of relief, of joy, of calm, of appreciation, and that everything is okay, no matter appearances. I can’t as yet explain why I’ve felt this for so long. There are many others who have the same relationship with this numerical alignment of two elevens. Many guesses have been made, and some believe or state they know what it’s about. Most of us simply share this “mystery” and trust that it means something significant, and we’ll know what that is when we know it. Perhaps the time for that is now, or not.

You and I know there are changes happening on our planet, and we receive many hypotheses and explanations about them; some say they’re cosmic, even cyclical; others say they’re the results of our own actions or inactions, or a combination of both. Some people believe December 21st, 2012 means destruction is around the corner, whether from solar storms or Nibiru (Planet X) doing its 3,600-year orbit near Earth. Others believe deliverance by advanced beings, or the return of advanced beings, such as those some ancient cultures say were their teachers in the distant past, is the plan. And others believe ascension is what we are to expect, meaning that somehow an upgrade in the consciousness of mankind is to occur. Some believe that people will experience whatever it is they believe about this time. And some believe nothing at all will happen.

I’ve read a number of books (since the 1990s) and watched a number of videos on YouTube, all of which encompass what I mention in the above paragraph, and more. Personally, I won’t know what is to happen until it does, or doesn’t. But I like to imagine a wave of conscious awareness, or at least a sincere desire and commitment to amp up enlightenment, washing over humanity, my own consciousness included. It seems that “wave” would be necessary to simultaneously raise the understanding, compassion, consciousness, and thinking of everyone here so that we can cease harming ourselves, each other, and our planet as we have been, and considering such harm “business as usual” in our personal and global experiences and responsibilities. Wishful thinking on my part, I know. Whatever, I’ll continue to do my inner work and assisting others to do theirs.

I like to imagine us understanding the power of appreciation more deeply, feeling it, expressing it, causing it. I like to imagine all of us able to let our creativity flourish; all of us living in integrity with ourselves, each other, and our Mother Earth; that we grasp how our individual thoughts, words, and actions influence all of our experiences because we and our planet are all connected; that we pause to think and understand rather than react, and that we align with solutions based in integrity rather than harm or destroy without thought or care.

If anything being considered about this time has caused a larger number of us to commit to awakening, then all the facts, and any hoorah, served a good purpose. For too long we’ve believed and behaved as though money and what it buys was our top priority in life. We didn’t consider awakening and how it could serve all of us as important or more so. This isn’t in any way a judgment about money and what it can provide or accomplish in the system we currently embrace, but a statement about the fact that putting it before our own awakening has not been good for us, our brothers and sisters around the world, or our planet. We didn’t do this only about money, though, we also put fear and doubt and other things ahead of our awakening, if awakening was even on our list.

Whether we approach ascension, enlightenment, or destruction, we need to wake up. We need to do our inner work so we know who we are and can be, and operate from there; so we have a relationship of trust with the Creator Consciousness and our own divinity; so we behave better than we have been. Whatever happens or doesn’t happen, we’d only benefit ourselves, others, and our shared world if we’d put away resentments about our past, and anything else that no longer serves us and hasn’t for a long time, and exist in our present and move into our future with a new model of behavior based in integrity.

On December 21st, I intend to connect my heart energy with the heart of Mother Earth, Father Sun, the galaxy, and the Creator Consciousness, and envision a new energy and awareness for us all. And it’s my intention to wake and do my own celebration to welcome the new cycle, like the Maya and other shamans will do.

There’s one more YouTube video I’d like to recommend. It’s a 9-minute TEDxSF video, presented by Louis Schwartzberg, titled “Gratitude.” Its message is profound, especially the statement that we protect what we fall in love with. One main reason for us and the world being as it is today is that we either never fell in love with or have fallen out of love with life and what it really means and can, and we and our planet reflect this. As one man in the video stated, the only appropriate response for this gift of life and this moment, and the gifts the Earth provides us with is gratefulness. If you can watch this video as soon as possible, it would be ideal energy to carry with you through the day and the days that follow. You’ll understand why this is once you watch it. If you must watch it after that time, it’s still a worthwhile message to embrace as we move forward.

We can choose our vision for the present and the future (we already do this with our every thought) then do what we can to make it so. It’s a good practice, one you’ll appreciate.

Practice makes progress.

Copyright 2012 © Joyce Shafer
Joyce Shafer is a Life Empowerment Coach dedicated to helping people feel, be, and live their true inner power. She’s author of I Don’t Want to be Your Guru and other books/ebooks, and publishes a free weekly online newsletter that offers empowering articles and free downloads. See all that’s offered by Joyce and on her site at State of Appreciation.

What the Mayan Elders are Saying About Dec 21st 2012

December 2, 2012 by Peter Shepherd

Originally published by SERI-Worldwide – Subtle Energy Research Institute

Carlos Barrios, Mayan elder and Ajq’ij is a ceremonial priest and spiritual guide of the Eagle Clan. Carlos initiated an investigation into the different Mayan calendars circulating. Carlos along with his brother Gerardo studied with many teachers and interviewed nearly 600 traditional Mayan elders to widen their scope of knowledge.

Carlos found out quickly there were several conflicting interpretations of Mayan hieroglyphs, petroglyphs, Sacred Books of ‘Chilam Balam’ and various ancient text. Carlos found some strong words for those who may have contributed to the confusion:

“Anthropologists visit the temple sites and read the inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It’s just their imagination. Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed.”

“We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth Changes.”

He continues: “Humanity will continue, but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human. We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendars and prophecies. All the prophecies of the world, all the traditions are converging now. There is no time for games. The spiritual ideal of this era is action.”

Carlos tells us: “The indigenous have the calendars and know how to accurately interpret it — not others. The Mayan Calendars comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars such as the Tzolk’in or Cholq’ij, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years.

“All was predicted by the mathematical cycles of the Mayan calendars. It will change – everything will change. Mayan Day-keepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator and the Earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy.”

At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, The Tree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world’s spiritual traditions.

Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the Earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration. Carlos reminds us: “This process has already begun. Change is accelerating now and it will continue to accelerate.”

If the people of the Earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape without having destroyed too much of the Earth, we will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way.”

The date specified in the calendar Winter Solstice in the year 2012 does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with keeping the tradition.

Carlos tells us: “The economy now is a fiction. The first five-year stretch of transition from August 1987 to August 1992 was the beginning of the destruction of the material world. We have progressed ten years deeper into the transition phase by now, and many of the so-called sources of financial stability are in fact hollow. The banks are weak. This is a delicate moment for them. They could crash globally, if we don’t pay attention. Now, people are paying attention.”

The North and South Poles are both breaking up. The level of the water in the oceans is going to rise. But at the same time land in the ocean, especially near Cuba, is also going to rise. Carlos tells a story about the most recent Mayan New Year ceremonies in Guatemala. He said that one respected Mam elder, who lives all year in a solitary mountain cave, journeyed to Chichicastenango to speak with the people at the ceremony. The elder delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light.

“Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way. We live in a world of polarity — day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance.”
“Just now the dark side is very strong, and very clear about what they want. They have their vision and their priorities clearly held, and also their hierarchy. They are working in many ways so that we will be unable to connect with the spiral Fifth World in 2012.”

“On the light side everyone thinks they are the most important, that their own understandings, or their group’s understandings, are the key. There’s a diversity of cultures and opinions, so there is competition, diffusion, and no single focus.”

Carlos believes the dark side works to block unity through denial and materialism. It also works to destroy those who are working with the light to get the Earth to a higher level. They like the energy of the old, declining Fourth World, the materialism. They do not want it to change. They do not want unity. They want to stay at this level, and are afraid of the next level.

The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It’s too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. This is what leads to unity, a key concept for the World of the Fifth Sun.

Carlos said the emerging era of the Fifth Sun will call attention to a much-overlooked element. Whereas the four traditional elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water have dominated various epochs in the past, there will be a fifth element to reckon with in the time of the Fifth Sun — that element is ‘ETHER’.

The dictionary defines Ether as a “hypothetical substance supposed to occupy all space, postulated to account for the propagation of electromagnetic radiation through space.” Perhaps it could be defined as the “space between space”. I would suggest it could be manifest as the alignment of charged particles from our solar system (Sun), and our galaxy (Milky Way) surge. The Ether element represents spiritual energy.

“The element of the Fifth Sun is celestial. Within the context of Ether there can be a joining of the polarities. No more darkness or light in the people, but an uplifted unity. But right now the realm of darkness is not interested in this. They are organized to block it. They seek to unbalance the Earth and its environment so we will be unready for the alignment in 2012.”

“We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and unity now, to confront the other side and preserve life.”
“We are disturbed — we can’t play anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action. Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard but a special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history.”

Carlos says: “The prophesied changes are going to happen, but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are. We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the Earth.”

“Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action. It’s very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth. Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity. Eat wisely – a lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what you are taking into your body. Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy. Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have mastery of your breath. Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots.”

“We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything — people, plants, animals. This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun, for it is associated with the element ‘ether’ — the realm where energy lives and weaves. Go to the sacred places of the Earth to pray for peace, and have respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work.”

“One simple but effective prayer technique is to light white or baby-blue colored candles. Think of a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace.”

Carlos reminds us this is a crucially important moment for humanity and for Earth. Each person is important.

He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. “The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems. They know that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world.”

“The greatest wisdom is in simplicity. Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It’s not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It’s encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way.”

NASA scientists claim there is no evidence for a significant galaxy-wide alignment, that we will simply have the normal December solstice to end the year. But what isn’t being said? What is being hidden by those invested in the status quo and their tailcoats, the national media? For example, there is a very interesting planetary alignment that will take place on Monday, Dec 3, 2012. The Pyramids at Giza align in the sky with the planets Mercury, Venus and Saturn. Some astrologists and astronomers believe that it is an extremely rare, precise and significant planetary positioning – an important step as we enter the countdown to the December 21st Ascension. This December 3rd alignment provides energetic downloads that not only effect Giza, but the entire planet.

What Ascension Means as We Move Into 2013

November 21, 2012 by Peter Shepherd

It started in June this year when I read Marci Shimof’s book Love for No Reason, which I found truly inspiring, and a group of us who run Trans4mind sites around the world decided to get together on Skype and put the book into practice. We developed a program, freely online now (see Love is All You Need) designed to raise our vibrations by opening the heart chakra.

At the same time, we felt deep inside an inclination to move in that direction, in any case. The desire to make loving service a central theme in our lives all of sudden seems to be shared with many others too, friends, family and Internet contacts alike. This ties in with what lightworkers have been anticipating as we move toward the Dec 21st galactic alignment and the start of a new cycle of the way life is lived and felt on this planet, what they call Ascension.

It is said by those with NDE experience that what raises our vibration more than anything is selfless service. It’s not just “being enlightened” – it’s how you feel toward others and what you do in your life activities to demonstrate the compassion and togetherness that you feel. This determines the vibrational level that you attain on the other side of the valley of death and it also works to influence the degree of consciousness of humanity during our lives. We have that influence, without necessarily getting involved in politics or mass movements – we are all connected and a change within, manifested in our personal lives, affects how others feel and start to act as well. This is the time for ascension and that is how it works, nothing more esoteric.

I put together a page including all sorts of approaches toward Ascension… Ascension of the Consciousness of Mankind. My personal view is summarized as follows:

We are on the crest of great times, perhaps the greatest period in our history is nearly upon us. Ascension, at this time in human history, means moving from a very material, survival-oriented struggle through life, to a new and expanded consciousness where the world will appear as different as night from day. In fact you could simply describe the process as moving from Darkness to Light. Human beings will recover their true potential, and the spiritual dimension of our being will be united with mind, body and feelings. We will be whole and united as One: with each other, nature and God.

We do not need to split, or to destroy our ego. Ego is our personality – our face to the world, as well as our inner thoughts, fears, likes, desires, needs. It’s an essential part of being a human being, our everyday conscious thinking self. Without wanting to do well competitively, to play and win at the games of life, the world would be back in the Stone Age, yet often we’re told how our “selfish ego” is such a barrier to spiritual growth. Well, a selfish ego is a barrier, but personal growth is about transcending the ego, not weakening it – it’s already too weak and afraid, which is why it’s immaturely selfish and hateful.

The ego – our thinking mind – should be embraced and loved, like a child growing up, not rejected as imperfect. The more developed and mature it is, the more transparent it becomes to the spiritual essence that lies behind the personality. The ego then becomes an instrument of Love. The ego is ascended.

Personal growth is about integrating and loving; it is never about separating and destroying. Ascension involves clearing, integrating and transcending all barriers, to be one with God and also with the body-mind, purified by Love – since there is no separation in truth, in Love.

If you’re one with God and God includes everything, then you’re also one with everything, at the highest viewpoint of oneself – the Higher Self. The Higher Self may be better described as our connection with God. It is Self. It is God too… expressing and experiencing through us… it is our all-knowing, all-loving Source of being.

The more we are aware of our connection with God, the less reason the ego has to fear its awful loss of identity at death. This fear underlies all others and releasing it opens a huge pathway for the illumination of Love to lighten the shadows of our personality. The healing of fears is always Love: unconditional acceptance. A beautiful aspect of love is that it never dies. You live on in all that you love; you live on because you ARE Love.

Free at last, one might add. That freedom will demand all of our responsibility and energies, in order to create all that needs to be remade, and to restore the world to peace, justice and abundance for all.

A radical inner transformation and rise to a new level of consciousness might be the only real hope we have in the current global crisis brought on by the dominance of the Western mechanistic paradigm.” ~Stanislav Grof

Due to an influx of energies from the centre of our galaxy, because of the astrological alignment on December 21st, I believe the opening of heart chakras that has already begun in 2012 will expand to an opening of the crown chakra for many people, enabling them to ascend their vibrations if they have pure intent. This could really open up the game as manifestation will ‘work’ more easily and such ascended people will have great influence toward a better world. That’s the promise of December 21st: as Owen Waters calls it, the Shift.

How to Meditate

September 17, 2012 by Peter Shepherd

The All the you Need is Love exercises include guided meditations, but also there is free-form meditation, where there is no set contents of the meditation, and there are many varieties of this. The method of meditation that I personally prefer is simple and starts by focusing on the breathing (as we do at the start of the above program). The meditation continues by remaining mindful (conscious and objectively aware) of all the thoughts, feelings, sensations and stimuli from the environment that occur, accepting them, letting them pass by like a river flowing. Gradually and with practice, the river becomes a stream, and then a trickle, and then just occasional droplets.

One is aware of being aware, a mindful consciousness separate from and objective to the mind, emotions, body and environment – and at the same time one with and inclusive of the mind, emotions, body and environment. You are being your loving, essential self. This is an enlightened state and you can be this way. I like to do this with my eyes shut for about 40 minutes and with a beautiful “Aum” music track playing in the background, and to do this three times per week. The benefits are cumulative and include being much more able to remain mindful and free of the ego’s conditioning and reactions throughout daily life, in all kinds of situations.

Persist and, most important, enjoy. You’ll be so glad you did.

The Path of Love

September 15, 2012 by Peter Shepherd

Painting by Agnès van Gaalen

Peter Shepherd is interviewed by Dr. Keith Scott-Mumby as part of The Science of Being and Consciousness series of interviews. Dr. Keith asks Peter about his background, how and why Trans4mind was founded, what spiritual growth means in practice, and the heights that can be reached with The Insight Project, an advanced course which Peter developed and supervises. Here is the audio (1 hour)…

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Trans4mind Service Providers Conference – August 2012

August 20, 2012 by Peter Shepherd

Held at the Trans4mind Training Center in the beautiful countryside of Burgundy, France, this was the annual gathering of Service Providers – those inspired individuals around the world who run a Trans4mind personal development site in their own language.

We’re in the heart of France. The energies here are cleaner than clean; it is easy to feel serene in the silence and tranquility; mindfulness is a breath away.

In this short video, the participants will introduce themselves one by one, and you’ll see some shots of our activities. We included Tai Chi and meditation practice; healing with essential oils, massage and EFT; painting; lots of informative audios and videos; plus discussion and planning. Alongside, we had trips to the local countryside – swimming in the lakes, walking along the canals, exploring parks and so on…

If you’d like to bring Trans4mind to your country, it won’t cost you anything; what we do require is a burning desire to be of loving service, to help raise the consciousness of your society and bring the benefits of personal development to the world at large. We invite your participation.

Also see the Conference Photos – jAlbum online…