Director's Message for August 2012

Greetings, Sacred Path Community,

We’re better than halfway through summer and two-and-a-half months from the 25th Anniversary Sacred Path Men’s Retreat.  Time flies and there’s so much to attend to with seemingly little time to do it.  Take a deep breath, drop your shoulders and give yourself a few minutes to just relax and enjoy breathing  in some invigorating, revitalizing energy.  I recommend periodic 3-minute breathing breaks where you take 20 connected breaths.  The benefits are immediate.

In this newsletter you’ll find what two of the men, Dan Stanton and Phil Jennings, had to say about their experience at the Sundance Ceremony on the Pineridge, Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota in early July.  You can also read a blog post on the Yoga of golf written by a friend of mine, Dr. David Surrenda, CEO of Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.  Dr. Jed Diamond, a long-time friend and colleague, is launching a campaign to save a million men’s lives.  Read what Jed has to say about the program and his latest book. 

As an update, I’ve been buttoning up the last details of my new book, The Sacred Path:  The Way of the Spiritual Warrior, byline: Journey to Mindful Manhood.  It will be in print by October.  Every participant that registers for the upcoming Sacred Path Retreat, October 18-21 will receive a copy.  I anticipate that the book may be available weeks before the retreat so if you register early you’ll probably be able to get your copy in advance so that you can start reading.  I’ve invited some men to attend the retreat and to present information that they have been working on that can be most helpful to you.

 

We’re gearing up for a moving and memorable experience when we gather together to celebrate 25 years of service to the Sacred Path community.  It will be a reunion and many men who have attended throughout the years will be onboard to commemorate our quarter century of good work.  I would like to have 100 men convening for this milestone event.   I am personally inviting you to be one of them and extending an open invitation from the Wisdom Council for you to join us.  This is a great opportunity to invite a friend, a relative, or simply a man-in-need to attend. 

We’re considering a pre-retreat event gathering in September.  This would be an opportunity for you to bring someone who is considering attending the retreat but who needs a little more information and a personal experience of who we are and what he’ll likely experience on the mountain in October.  We’ll provide more information about this event soon.  But for now, I encourage you to use the link to complete the pre-registration information and to commence the retreat experience.  It gets under way once you commit.  If you’ve  already made the decision to attend, please pre-register now to reserve your spot.  It makes it easier for us when we don’t have to contend with a deluge of 11th hour registrations. 

In the spirit of brotherhood,

Stephen

October 2012 Sacred Path Men's Retreat Downloads

To download the information flier for the Sacred Path Fall 2012 Retreat, click HERE

To download the fill-in application for the Sacred Path Fall 2012 Retreat, click HERE

Two Visions of Sundance

The Sundance was incredible.  The energy of the spirits, Sundancers, ceremonial grounds, and the five days was beyond words.  Grant, Phil, Tim and myself were there from Sacred Path and we all were asked to help as Fire Keepers which gave us a back stage pass to the ceremony since we were directly helping the Sundancers through the 5 days.  There were approx 70 Sundancers (50 men and 20 women) and our day started at 5:30am and ended at midnight each day.  We each teamed up in pairs to take our turn in staying up all night to watch the fire and prepare for the next morning Inipis.  Even though we were going non stop during this time the days went fast and we felt no sense of being tired until after the Sundance was completed.  The magic of ceremonial space and time.  Andrew pierced all four days that piercing was performed and he was strong the entire time considering the amount of dancing he did, the fasting as well as the heat and sun during the day.

We constantly felt the presence of spirits and even saw spirits and rattling sounds on numerous occasions.  I think all of us experienced something that we NEVER experienced before and we came back with a whole new appreciation and understanding of the Sioux traditions.  We all were cooked by the fire and the sun, which took another layer of our onion off of our touch shells.  I think we will look at life and sacrifice from a very different perspective from this point forward... 

– Dan Stanton

~~~~~~~~~~

 

During the first week of this month, I and fellow WC members, Grant Mays and Dan Stanton, traveled to South Dakota to attend Michael Cross’s Sundance in support of our two Sweat Lodge Leaders, Andrew and Thomas.  For me, it was the first trip outside of California since the river trip several members of the WC enjoyed several years ago, so I was immediately taken out of my comfort zone and moved from my usual places of stability. 

This would be more than going to the mountain; this would be a journey into the meaning of ritual; this would give a deeper understanding of what Andrew and Thomas endured for the People (Lakota) and us; this would provide a background for the why sweats were done.

The first day of Sundance, which is the Lakota New Year, is tree day.  All in attendance trip out to the site where the selected tree was.  There was a caravan of cars that stretched at least a mile down the road.  The tree is chopped down (no chainsaw here), and before it can touched the ground, it is lifted by all the men and carried to a flatbed for transport back to the Sundance site, where it is placed in a prepared hole – again without touching ground from flatbed to the hole.

From that moment on we are in ceremony.  There are many things that happened following that moment that I have yet to fully process.  All three of us worked as Fire-keepers and assumed the responsibilities of such.  They are not just to keep the fire going that heats the stones for the sweat lodges (there were four); fire-keepers are the go-betweens and go-fors of the ceremony.

There are so many moments during the five days of dancing that it may take a year just to assimilate them all within.  There is a day that all the dancers pass by everyone in attendance and bless them with healing.  And on the last day, all the dancers shake the hands of everyone there.  The tree is removed from its hole, again without touching the ground, and carried to its resting place.

There is so much more that I could write, but what I wrote in my journal four days after my return seems to place it all in a nutshell: I went to Sundance to learn who I was to myself.  I went to Sundance to find myself.  I went to Sundance to support.  I went to Sundance to understand, to help and to be helped.  I went to Sundance.  At Sundance I learned humility.  At Sundance I learned my ignorance.  At Sundance my heart broke because of stupidity.  At Sundance, I came to know that I was nothing and nothing held me to its bosom and taught me to be something other than myself.  At Sundance I bathed in enlightenment and waded into its pools of understanding.

–Phillip Jennings

Jed Diamond: Campaign to Save Men's Lives

“I grieve for the men and boys whose lives are cut short and for the women and families left behind.  I’ve been looking for a way to reduce stress that is simple to learn, easy to practice, scientifically sound, and, most importantly, effective.  I’ve found what I’ve been looking for, have tested it extensively, and now want to get this life-saving information to as many men as I can.  My new book, MenAlive:  Stop Killer Stress with Simple Energy Healing Tools, gives men what they need to stop the stress that shortens lives and destroys relationships. Here’s my simple idea:  We know stress kills, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  If we can reduce men’s risk of death to the same level as women's, we can save nearly a million men within three years.  Let’s get started.”  Within the next couple of weeks, MCLA will be providing more information about this campaign and how you can obtain a copy of Jed’s book.  This is his 10th book and for years Jed has been dedicated to helping men live better, healthier lives.  This book will make a difference in your life and you’ll be able to purchase a copy through our web site.

Golf's Yoga of Self-Discovery

by David Surrenda

In the summer, one of the things I do to unwind from work is play golf. Sometimes I have friends who laugh about why I would play a game that involves walking around a big field, chasing a little white ball that seems to go in lots of directions. I love playing for many reasons. The obvious part is a great walk, outside the office, around a beautiful park—that, in and of itself, is a lovely and relaxing experience. But the real reasons I love playing golf are subtler and a bit harder to explain.

Golf is a game in which failure and success seem to come in rapid succession. One great shot can be followed by another shot that is an abject mess. One moment you are feeling the joy and pride that comes with a great swing and the next you are watching your ball arc unceremoniously into the water or the woods. It is a test of one’s ability to be present with what is and to watch how your mind reacts to the pendulum of experience that is the golf game. Golf is more like meditation that any sport I know. It has all the experiences of having and losing control, all the sensations of flow and contraction, and all the elements of forgetting and remembering. No other sport seems to be such a perfect metaphor for the practices I do to explore the nature of my mind.

Even for the most successful golfers, it is a test of resilience and capacity to recover from errors and loss. The ongoing issue is how you will respond when you make a mistake. The most common experience (for just about every golfer) is to step into serious bouts of self-criticism, self-judgment, frustration, and depression—in that order. I can hear the screams and curses ringing across the golf course from the various players as they slam their clubs, look toward heaven for salvation, and tighten their faces into angry grimaces. It’s clear that most golfers feel cursed by some unseen god who is playing with them, torturing them with moments of joy followed by stinging experiences of failure. It is not uncommon for me to have a calm, mature, professional friend be reduced, in playing just a few holes, to a screaming, or conversely, uncommunicative person.

It’s all a matter of how you relate to your experience. For me, the flight and arc of the ball is an exquisite feedback system, revealing to me the mysterious components of the movement I have just performed. It tells me everything…if I am willing to listen and learn. It allows me to inquire, in my next swing, whether a small adjustment will change the physics and psychology of the experience. I can choose how I look at my experience: It can be the opening to power, clarity, and presence. Or it can be the hell of suffering, confusion, and emotional overwhelm. Golf is feedback that unfailingly reveals a complex system of movement in my body/mind. As I make subtle shifts in attention within myself, changes occur in my actions and the results that I get. Isn’t that what we tell practitioners to notice in any skill-building process?

We each hope for the “perfect shot” and don’t appreciate the remarkable experience of the learning curve when we don’t hit it. Expectations for certain results often distort our capacity to be with a learning process. The learning is actually equally as powerful and important as the result. I find that the journey is the destination.  

But really, don’t many of us just want the success? We resist the struggle because we fear failure and looking badly to others and ourselves. We wrestle with the process of letting ourselves go through the discovery process because we hate “not-knowing” and the fear of “not being enough” that is its sibling.

It is our ability to fully be with whatever experience we are having and to continue to gently explore adjustments that distinguish the learners from the deeply lost. Isn’t the same thing true in our relationships? If we are able to use the feedback from our relational experiences, we can flow with it and have the capacity for growth and joy.

There is a different challenge for those who consistently succeed. Our patterns of success can be the very thing that causes us to hit a plateau. Once we create a groove that helps us succeed, those habits become the path of least resistance. Often, we stop getting better. We pitch our “tent” at the spot in the mountain we have just conquered and fail to move on. The limits to learning are often set by the comfort we experience at a particular level of competence, even when it’s not all we are capable of being or doing. Many would rather have a limited level of success than explore the edge of what it means to be going for their full potential. 

Growth inevitably requires some risk: of falling backwards and not doing as well as before. The great golf players are constantly reinventing their game and discovering new dimensions of how to play. The great learners in life are continually evolving, exploring new capacities within themselves, new ways to think and act, new ideas, and new perspectives on life. The true battle we take on, when we are committed to self-discovery, is with how we approach our patterns of success as well as our habits of failure. The next step is always to discover how we are in our own way and to open the door to self-mastery, self-love, and joy in whatever work or activity you are doing.

I have found that when I am neither in self-judgment nor overexcited about how I am playing, I have experiences in which beautiful, flowing, and empty movement occurs. There is stillness in the movement that is breathtaking and results that are exhilarating and surprising. It is stillness that I find within movement and in this stillness I feel attuned to the Tao, the flow, and the wonder of life.

I think I know what is meant when they say I have “been bitten by the golf bug.” What “bug” has caught you, and how is it revealing you, in the most entertaining, frustrating, and powerful ways?

Blind Perspective, Vol. 8

Camp Shalom, Malibu, Memorial Weekend 1994. Dan and I are driving up Pacific Coast Highway in his silver-gray Eclipse with the sunroof open. The cloud cover has burned off and the blue of the ocean seems endless. It is our first trip together and we’re both so excited about his first Gay Cam0 experience.

We’ve been given our own private room for the weekend. We take our luggage out of the car and pass two teams of guys playing volleyball on the way. We get settled, create our name badges, and start meeting my friends from the past. This year the theme is about the masks that men wear. This weekend is about letting go of any mask that no longer serve us.

Our first workshop is outside. We’re instructed to make a mask out of Plaster of Paris. Dan and I help one another with forming our masks. It’s an amazing experience.

“Wow,” Dan exclaims. “It’s so weird to be stuck in a real mask. I’m painting my mask red to symbolize the anger I’ve carried and I’m going to let it go!” he proclaims.

“My mask is celebrating my creativity and the wonder of color in my world,” I tell him. “It’s got a native theme. It also depicts the light show that fires off in my right eye.” We both laugh.

“I’m having such a blast, Michael,” Dan tells me. “I’m so glad you talked me into this. If my ex could see me now, with an earring and blonde highlights in my hair!”

That evening, as the sun begins to set, we take a hike to one of my favorite spots on the campground. It’s at the end of a creek. We climb up the rocks and watch as the sun shadows the mountain.

“This has been the happiest experience of my life,” Dan says.

Director's Message for July 2012

Greetings Sacred Path Community,

You may be aware that we didn’t publish a June newsletter this year.  In all the years since the conception of the newsletter and then the blog, skipping a month is a first for us.  Preparing for and coming through the two events with Leonard Orr the first week of June and then preparing for my Mother’s Memorial on Saturday the 26th required a lot of focus and time.  Both events went smoothly and were very inspiring, and yet due to timing and capacity, the June newsletter had to morph into the July newsletter.

I had been invited to attend the Lakota Sundance on the Reservation in South Dakota.  It commences on the 4th of July and runs through the 8th.  I was grateful for the invitation and openly considered attending to support Andrew, Thomas and the others who would be dancing.  I wanted to see Soldier Bear and Standing Cloud and connect with many others in attendance.  In meeting with my editor on Wednesday, I came to the realization of what is required to finalize my book for publication by late summer. With heavy heart I had to make the decision to not participate in the Sundance this year.  We do have some men from our community who will be en route to commemorate Andrew’s 7th time dancing.

I know that I am called to remain here and put the time and focus into completing my book so that it will be in print and available before the 25th Anniversary Sacred Path Men’s Retreat kicks off on October 18th through the 21st. Each of you who attend the retreat will be given a copy of my book and a commemorative t-shirt.  The sooner I can bring it to print the sooner it will be available and those of you who pre-register for the retreat may be able to get a copy in advance so that you’ll have a chance to read it before we gather on the hill.

Please think of Andrew, Thomas and the other dancers during the 3 days that they will be in ceremony.  Reflect on all that they do for us on retreat.  The gifts that they bring and the sacrifices that they make for our benefit certainly deserve the Wopila thanks that we can at least offer through our prayers and donations to support them and the Sundance.

We are commencing the registration process for the October retreat now so that you can be among the first wave of registrants to reserve your spot.  We know that this retreat will be very well attended.  We will cap the attendance at 100 and we have good reason to believe that this retreat will be full.  I have heard from men’s teams that have been meeting for years that they intend to come as a group.  I have heard from men who have moved out of state and those who have not attended a retreat in a while that they plan to participate. 

At the 20th Anniversary retreat I considered that it might be the last, but on the Saturday night when men acknowledged what they had received through their participation in the retreats and that the Sacred Path Community meant so much to them, I decided to stay with it for a while longer.  That while has added 5 more years to the lifespan of the retreats. A quarter-century of events supporting men on a Sacred Path encouraging Mindfulness, merging with the significance of the 2012 “Global Shift” as we approach the prophetic date of December 21, does warrant a powerful celebration.

For many years we have left the fee for the retreat at $395 even though we have felt that the value far exceeds the cost and that our fee was way under what many charge for a retreat of this nature.  Our costs have gone up and we have been informed that our camp is increasing our fee starting with October.  Due to this we are increasing the charge for the retreat to $450, a fee that is still at least $50 less than what most charge.  The deposit to pre-register to hold your space is $225. The flier and registration form are included herewith.

I invite and encourage you to register right away by sending in your deposit to reserve your spot. I know it’s tempting to wait, and many have often waited until the last minute to register under the belief that there is always room.  We have tended to not turn anyone away and yet we do expect to have an outreach to many new men for this upcoming retreat with the intention of increasing our numbers.  We’re looking forward to seeing the regulars and several that haven’t been back in a while.  This will be a powerful event and we know you want to be there, so we recommend that you make the commitment now.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 4th,

Stephen

Fall 2012 25th Anniversary Sacred Path Retreat Downloads

To download the information flier for the Sacred Path Fall 2012 Retreat, click HERE

To download the fill-in application for the Sacred Path Fall 2012 Retreat, click HERE

Director's Message for May 2012

Dear Sacred Path Community,

My message this month is brief, yet heartfelt.  To begin, my Mother passed away on Thursday, April 26th.  She was such a light unto the world.  Not only was she a loyal friend to countless many for 92 years, a loving wife of 58 years, devoted mother for 65 years and beloved grandmother for 32 years, but also a remarkable human being who served her country selflessly during World War II.  She was the only official USO poster girl.  94 million posters with my mother’s picture on them went out to enlisted men stationed abroad, encouraging them to be safe and come home alive.  Margie traveled overseas with the Bond Cavalcade of Stars to entertain our troops.  She also visited hospitals to bring comfort to the wounded. Tributes to her are appearing in newspapers around the country, including the New York Times.  I’ve included some information about her if you’d like to know more about the Spiritual Warrior that I called Mom.

On another note, the April retreat was amazing in many ways.  Associate Directors Steve Branker and Dan Franklin have written about both the Call to Adventure/Rites of Passage and Sacred Path Men’s programs that ran simultaneously on the hill.  We’re including herewith a couple of brief videos as well as a clip from a talk I had with Standing Cloud, a Lakota Elder, and a clip from a 90 minute presentation I offered during a breakout session. 

We will now turn our attention to the 25th Annual Fall Sacred Path Men’s Retreat to be held next October (18th-21st).  This will be a significant milestone event in which we will commemorate and celebrate our 25 years of Men’s Work devoted to our Sacred Path Community.  Mark your calendars since I know you will want to join your brothers for this event.  Many familiar faces that have attended over the years have expressed to me that they will be there.

Our only other community program for men and women this year will feature Leonard Orr, who is returning to California in June (1st - 3rd).  Since the program he offered last year was so well received, we decided to expand it this year.  Leonard will give a talk on Friday night, June 1st, concerning important information for us on a personal as well as global level.  On Saturday, he will offer two separate seminars, and then on Sunday he will hold space for a Rebirthing Breathwork Workshop.  Read about the program in this newsletter, and if you register before Saturday of this coming week we will extend the early discount that was to end on May 5th.  The love that was present during Leonard’s visit last year was transformative.  Join your brothers and sisters in the love next month.

In the Spirit of brotherhood, Namaste...

Stephen

Two Videos with Dr. Stephen Johnson

Lakota Elder Standing Cloud speaks to Stephen Johnson. To view this video, click HERE

Dr, Stephen Johnson presents a brief resumé of the first four chapters of his book, "The Sacred Path." To view this video, click HERE

Three Events for Men and Women with Leonard Orr

I have invited Leonard Orr, my friend and mentor of 38 years, to return this June first and second to present three events for men and women at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino.  There will be a public presentation on Friday night followed by two seminars on Saturday.

Leonard is one of the elders of what we term today, “The New Age Movement.” As the founder of the conscious breathing movement, he has published more than 20 books in more than a dozen languages.  His International Rebirthing Movement has served over ten million people on six continents, and he is a pioneer in the field of how Physical Immortality can be actualized by us in practical ways. We can incorporate this knowledge into our lives today and begin to reverse the aging process and retain youthfulness and vitality.

Leonard is one of my most inspirational teachers and mentors. Our relationship commenced in the mid 70’s when I joined a group assisting him during the pioneering stage of his birthing the Conscious Connected Breathing Process (aka Rebirthing). Through this work I was privileged to co-found the Los Angeles Rebirthing Community. Leonard has many unique ideas and concepts that he will present throughout the three days that you can share with him.

I encourage you to not miss this opportunity. Leonard likes to suggest that learning and mastering the simple and pleasurable principles of spiritual purification can “be hazardous to your misery.” I can attest that my meeting and working with Leonard during the 70’s and 80’s made a tremendous difference in the quality of my life, both personally and professionally. He will awaken you to a higher realm of awareness regarding your true self, your relationships and your purpose for living on Earth at this most turbulent  yet transformational time.

We are alive today in the period that has been called the “Quickening,” also referred to as “The Great Awakening”  or “The Shift”, and each and every one of us is called to move beyond self-limiting thoughts, to expand our awareness and join the ranks of those who are enlisting to make a positive difference where it counts.

Along with such folk heroes as Ram Dass, Fritz Perls and Timothy Leary, who said of Leonard’s book, Breaking the Death Habit, “Leonard Orr’s book is the most realistic and practical one in the field of conquering death.”

There is no limit for enrollments for the Friday evening public presentation or the seminars on Saturday.

During the Friday Night Presentation Leonard will present on the importance of MASTERING ENERGY. He will also tell us that it’s the time to become proficient at the practice of tuning into our intuitive information as our eternal process. He states that, “The mind has 50,000 thoughts per day, the body has over 1 billion every second. The body is over 1000 times as smart as the mind.”

Leonard will speak about spiritual psychology and metaphysical biology sharing the keys of personal mastery on all levels including energy, thought, and form.  He will present examples of total mastery of body, mind and spirit and how it can be achieved.  This is a great opportunity to invest yourself in an evening with one of the most gifted and significant teachers on the planet today as well as to participate with other men and women that are traversing a spiritual path toward an enlightened way of living our lives to the fullest.

This presentation commences at 7:00 pm on Friday, June 1st and we’ll adjourn between 9 and 9:30pm.  The cost for this event is $45.

The Saturday Morning Seminar will feature the topic of BALANCING MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL SUCCESS and will focus on what constitutes true success, including money and complimentary money systems, investing, financial independence and spiritual values.  Leonard will show you how you can double your income through doing high quality work.  He will also show participants how to make a living from the self-improvement business. Leonard will address how to heal career burnout with the intent of restoring a natural state of balance evidencing perfect, radiant and dynamic health.

This seminar commences at 9:00 am and concludes at 12 noon.  Lunch is provided from noon to 1pm.  The cost for this event is $85.

The Saturday Afternoon Seminar will feature the topic of Spiritual Purification and the Power of Rebirthing Breathwork.  Leonard believes that it is very important that people learn the science and art of cleaning and balancing their energy bodies which is the science of renewal and the ability to always sustain a healing effect on all conditions.

Rebirthing Breathwork is a powerful tool as a vehicle to journey into oneself and unlock cellular memory, original imprinting, and stored negative emotions to create openings for

fundamental transformation.  Leonard believes that, “Until the death urge, that we learned from our family tradition, is healed -- all healing is temporary.”

This seminar will cover personal law and how it impacts one’s personal system of beliefs. A personal law is the thought that controls our life more than any other thought and by definition it is the most valuable knowledge we can have about ourselves.

We will also cover the 8 major sources of human trauma producing unhappiness and failure.  Leonard will focus on birth trauma, the parental disapproval syndrome, the misuse of the human mind, the unconscious death urge, karma from past lives, school trauma, religion trauma,and senility.  You will take away from this seminar the basic principles for healing them.

This event commences after lunch at 1pm and concludes at 4 pm.  Lunch is included and is served at 12 noon.  The cost for this event is $85.

Note:  The fee for those wishing to attend both Saturday seminars is $150.

Range of fee options:

Friday evening presentation fee = $45

Saturday morning seminar fee (including lunch) = $85

Saturday afternoon seminar fee (including lunch) = $85

or, Saturday full-day program fee (including lunch) = $150

Cancellations before Friday, May 25th will allow a full refund minus a 10% processing fee. Cancellations after May 25th will allow a 50% refund of fee paid.

To download the flyer/registration, click HERE

Conscious Connected Breathing and Spiritual Purification

by Stephen J. Johnson, Ph.D.

In 1974 I completed my Doctoral Dissertation and graduated from the University of Southern California with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.  The topic of my Dissertation was The Effects of Yoga Therapy on Self-Concept, Conflict Resolution and Emotional Adjustment.  The research was performed through the Kundalini Research Institute and I had significant results from my study evidencing the value of practicing Kundalini Yoga Therapy to support one’s personal well-being. 

I taught Hatha and Kundalini Yoga for about 5 years as an extension of my psychotherapy practice. Yoga is still very much a part of my life today.  Dr. Leo Buscaglia, Professor of Special Education and renowned lecturer on the topic of Love, had become an advisor, mentor and friend who sat on my doctoral committee. We had a mutual interest in Yoga and commenced our study together, taking classes on campus.

At the time I was also utilizing certain psychoactive plants and drugs to enhance the depth of my work selectively with some of my patients.  I was being mentored by Dr. Gary Fisher who was studying the effects of hallucinogens such as LSD in the treatment of severely disturbed patients.  He had written approximately 200 journal articles on the topic. 

In 1975 I met Leonard Orr at a Humanistic Psychology Conference held on the campus of UC Berkeley.  Leonard was exploring the power of conscious breathing and had coined the term Rebirthing due to his awareness that circular breathing could unlock the effects of traumatic events, including birth trauma, held in one’s cellular memory.  I was eager to experience the process and found it to be as powerfully effective in inducing an altered state of consciousness as the psychoactive elements I was working with at the time.  Rebirthing has also been referred to as Maha Yoga or supreme Yoga.

I went on to support Leonard in his pioneering work and along with two associates created Holistic Arts Productions and began to host Leonard’s Rebirthing Trainings in Los Angeles.  We established the Rebirthing LA Community and then hosted Sondra Ray’s Loving Relationship Training, becoming the LA training center for Leonard’s and Sondra’s work.  I joined the ranks of Certified Rebirthers and began offering my own workshops and trainings as well.

Sacred Breathing Sessions became central to the therapeutic work that I was facilitating through my psychotherapy practice, seminars, practicums and retreats.  Learning Leonard’s concepts regarding spiritual purification through the elements of earth, air, water and fire has served as a tremendous influence on my life personally and professionally. 

Rebirthing is essentially a conscious-connected breathing process that integrates body, mind and spirit, helping you to maintain a perpetual state of relaxation.  As you clean and balance your energy field, a profound sense of well-being is produced.  Effects on life are immediate.  As negative patterns held in the mind and body start to dissolve, you begin to experience your natural center.

The primary purpose of the process is to release restrictions in your breathing and resistance held throughout your body since birth.  The goal is to teach you to breathe energy as well as air.  Consciously breathing energy is the secret to deep relaxation and therefore plays a big part in a tension free and dis-ease free lifestyle. Over the years that I have taught people how to balance and clean their energy fields I have witnessed significant transformation and successful results in their lives.

I have found circular breathing sessions to be quite beneficial in treating patients who experience a lot of anxiety and are prone to panic attacks.  We have found that having approximately 10 one- to two-hour coached Mindful Breathing lessons can be just what the doctor ordered to transform your consciousness and put your life on the right track.

Steve Branker: A Review of The 12th Annual Call to Adventure

I had the distinct honor and privilege of shepherding this year’s 12^th annual Call to Adventure/Rites of Passage Retreat for Fathers and Sons, Boys and Mentors. Like it is so often said after a Retreat, this one was the best ever. We had about 30 participants, a terrific mixture including several Father and Son teams, Mentors and Mentees, youth and adult brothers. A special thank you goes to Richie Biren and his friends as well as Charlie Atkinson of the Millennium Oaks Institute for their generous support to provide financial scholarships and to make this Retreat a reality.

This year’s “Adventure” certainly lived up to the billing. As we began tracking the weather pattern prior to the Retreat, we knew that there was a good possibility of rain on Friday, when the Ropes Course is usually scheduled. Sure enough, on Friday morning the sky began to darken and the wind began to pick up. Phil Folsum and the crew from Fulcrum Adventures arrived to guide us through the Ropes Course experience. It was decided that as long as there was no lightning, the Ropes Course would proceed. Everyone gathered outdoors to begin some of the team-building exercises. The light drizzle and soft wind transformed into a solid downpour with strong winds. We all made our way down to the Ropes Course set-up and began the safety training session. Then, as spirit would have it, the clouds began drumming with loud thunder and the dark sky became bright with brilliant flashes of lightning. It was time to move everyone to the safety of the indoors to ride out the storm. The extraordinary men from Fulcrum guided us on a variety of team-building enrichment experiences designed to expand and strengthen leadership skills, interpersonal relationships and self confidence.

After lunch, the sky settled down and once again we went to the Ropes Course area. If you are not familiar with a Ropes Course, check out the Men’s Center website (http://www.menscenterlosangeles.com/events.html) for some videos from previous CTA Retreats. As the men and youth began to take part in the various aspects of the Ropes Course, once again the sky darkened, the winds and rain increased, and the temperature dropped, transforming the rain to hailstones. However, this did not deter the Participants. Instead of succumbing to the elements, they chose to continue with the experience. The group of youth and men grew even closer and more supportive of each other, thereby prevailing over the physically challenging course as well as the unpredictable weather elements. It was indeed quite an Adventure for all.

The next day, it was time to witness the Sweat Lodge (Inipi) experience. Justin “Bear” Annunziato began the ceremony with the lighting of the fire utilizing the “bow” method of using a stick, string and wood to create the initial fire. Most have not witnessed how to create a fire without a lighter or matches. It was quite intriguing. Then Bill Stover (Mahpia Naijin – Standing Cloud), a Lakota elder, shared some of his many experiences, insights and Tribal traditions. After the “stone people” were heated by the fire, it was time to enter into the Sweat Lodge. Water Pourer, Thomas Alvarez (Sungmani Tutankaska – White Wolf), led the youth and men through this experience. This was incredible as we shifted from the challenges of the wet and cold weather of the previous day into the heat of the Sweat Lodge. This Adventure served as a challenge to sit within the dark and heated confines of the “Lodge”. Like the challenges of the previous day, the youth and men pushed their own and collective limits. Their perseverance to move outside of the comfort level and into the “moment” was incredible.

The next Adventure was spent in an exercise with Phil Jennings, who amongst other things in life, holds multi-level black-belt degrees in various martial arts disciplines. The use of martial arts is quite often associated with fighting or other aggressive actions. However, this is not always the case. Phil utilizes his expertise in demonstrating how to transform various methods of martial arts into developing inner strength, self-discipline and being “centered.” The use of this knowledge and techniques can then be transferred into success with schoolwork, resisting peer pressure, further development of self confidence and making “good” choices.

The term “choice” was a central theme throughout the Retreat. It’s utilized to demonstrate that each youth and man has the option and ability to choose what Path he wants to pursue with his life. Given whatever circumstances we are faced with, we still have the “choice” of what action to take or not to take. Many of the attendees (past and present) live within the inner city of Los Angeles. Most of us reading this Newsletter have no idea what this lifestyle is really like.  Of course there are news reports and movies, etc. that provide some portrayal. Having spent a significant amount of time with the inner city youth and men over the years as part of the Call to Adventure Retreat, I have become somewhat “educated” concerning their trials and tribulations. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, it was “sex, drugs and rock and roll.” In the past 10+ years within the inner city, it has become “money, crack-cocaine and guns.” The pressures that these young men face in everyday life are astounding. Instead of primarily dealing with such things as schoolwork and girlfriends, etc., they are dealing with whether or not they will come back alive after they walk out of their homes each day. A tradition that we have at the Retreat is to set aside a time where an individual can light a floating rose candle in honor and memory of a significant person that has passed away in the past year, then place it in a water bowl. Year after year, the young men take part in this ceremony, each lighting several candles in memory of their fathers, brothers, uncles and friends who have been killed in the streets of the inner city. It has generally become a commonplace way of life (or death) for them, including one former CTA youth who was killed while picking up his father to take him home from a party. It is very heart-wrenching for me and others who witness this experience. Fortunately, there are Mentors who have attended the Call to Adventure Retreat like Cameron, Marvo, JT, Tim, Vernon, Clyde, Jelani and Boomer, who have stepped forward within their communities to help guide the young men in making different “choices.” They have personally been through similar trials and tribulations and are now working diligently to make a difference in the lives of the youths at risk. These men, and others like them, are today’s modern-day heroes.           

This reminds me of a very short story: A father and his son were walking down the beach one day. As far as they could see along the beach were thousands of starfish lying on the sand and dying. The father could see that his son was becoming very distressed seeing all the starfish like this. As they progressed further down the beach, the son stopped, bent down, picked up one of the starfish, walked to the water’s edge and gently tossed it back into the sea. The father then said to his son, “there are too many starfish on the sand to pick up, throw into the sea and make any kind of difference.” The son then looked up at his father and replied, “it will make a difference to this one!”

And this is why I, Stephen Johnson, the staff of the Wisdom Counsel and the many others who comprise the Sacred Path Men’s Community continue to provide support for the Call to Adventure/Rites of Passage Retreat for Fathers and Sons, Boys and Mentors. My/our hope and prayer is that we are able to make a difference in the lives of more than just one “starfish”.

Namaste, 

Steve Branker

Impressions and Reflections on the Spring 2012 Sacred Path Mens' Retreat

By Dan Franklin, MFT

My impressions of the spring retreat are from the wonderful vantage point of being a long-time staff member of the counsel of men that puts these retreats together. A lot of work goes into the preparation as well as the trickster energy that allows all of us up on the mountain to be surprised and somehow changed by what happens to us there despite the best laid plans. What we don’t plan is often what turns out to be some of the highlights of the weekend. Funny how that works.

The weekend is designed to shift our consciousness to another place… more open… more alert… more aware… even a bit more courageous. Something extraordinary occurs in the process of men gathering to trust each other, to share, to reveal, re-charge and re-invigorate.  It is a booster shot well placed for those of us who just want to get away for a while, or need to ask a life-altering question, or simply enjoy the congeniality of hanging out with a bunch of really good guys.

Over the years (and I’ve attended more than I can count) it never fails to fascinate me how the mere commitment to change animates that process. We tend to get what we focus on in life, and three days on the mountain can put a lot of things into focus. 

This retreat held a slightly smaller group than usual, but it created an intimate connection as each man got to know everyone up there.  For starters, the setting is spectacular, high above the blue Pacific. As you stand on a hillside edge, it’s easy to imagine the Native American experience of scanning a pristine landscape and that same blue ocean for generations. The drumming, sweat lodges, the ceremonial flavor of the retreat, all do justice to the sacred grounds. In another way, the experience gives modern men who live in the cities by and large, and with busy stressful lives, a rare rendezvous with their natural outward-bound terrain and numerous vehicles for inner-bound exploration.

How bad can that be? That’s why we always confidently predict each retreat will be uniquely special… and they all are.  I’ve never been to two that are alike, not so much in the sense that the approach to work on the mountain changes as how each man and the dynamics of the participants interaction has its own particular feel.

We staff members at times joke about our “best laid plans” to give the participants the best possible experience and watch as each man finds his way, in his own way. Lest we forget: you get a bunch of guys together, far from career and work, wives, lovers, kids, and some form of party can’t help but break out. It warms my heart to see good, earnest men at play. The dialogue can be hilarious, or serious, profound or bawdy.

Research and just plain old observation tells us that men need space… to breathe... to think… to stop thinking.  Men need to feels their hearts and minds… to get back in touch with their bodies, to walk in dirt, or even mud when we catch a little rain as was the case this time. We loved that stuff as kids. It serves us that we don’t forget the boy in us that needs a playground now and then.

Time on the mountain feels different. There is a suspended quality to it that is relaxing and engaging, call it what you will. You can feel the difference after a few hours. Some of the men got soaked coming out of the sweat lodge due to the rain. It was a joyous mess. We just don’t get to do that kind of stuff enough.

There were plenty of moments where men, either in their tribes, one-on-one, or perhaps on a solitary walk, had epiphanies, moments of clarity and insight. And they shared them with each other. My favorite times at our retreats are the one-on-one conversations. They sprang up all over the place. As I’d walk around the grounds, I’d see two or maybe three guys deep in conversation, or sharing martial arts moves, or just clowning around. Men can get pretty aggressive and competitive down the mountain, as they compete for jobs, contracts, women, sports victory - but all that somehow seems to get checked at the door of the container lodge where the opening ceremony takes place. Brotherhood can be an overused word, but there is a lot of relatively instant and spontaneous outbreaks of it as men relax and gather for common purpose.

I lead what we call a break-out session on the subject of worthwhile relationships, particularly of the yin-meets-yang variety, if you know what I mean. It’s amazing how willing men are to speak their truth about their relationships to women when others will speak freely as well. I’m always struck by the respect men actually have for their partners, even while admittedly being clueless at times as to how to proceed.  When men can tell the truth about any subject or situation, there’s an opportunity for greater wisdom and new growth.

Nick Rath offered his usual insightful view of parenting in his break-out sessions, which expanded the idea of good parenting to good modeling and leadership when men are in the company of young people, even not in their family circle. I think his teaching points speak to the family of man and woman.

Our re-birthing exercise is always interesting in that, while it sounds a bit mysterious and esoteric, it’s  really the elegantly simple act of breathing in a rhythmic way and getting in touch with your own energy. Stripped of the layers of responsibilities, agendas and encounters with time bandits “down the mountain,” we can get to the core of things.

There’s no right way to “do” our retreats.  Something just happens, and in a different way for every man. This retreat was no exception. I’m glad we do this. It’s good for good men to gather, good for the nervous system and good for the soul. What can be lost in the details or the telling is the sheer joy of freedom one gets for a few days. It’s a special time in a special place. It’s a gift all of us give to each other. If you are reading this and you haven’t done it… catch the next train going… up that mountain.  Peace. Out!

Dan is the Director of Counseling Services for The Men’s Center of Los Angeles and long time staff member of The Sacred Path Wisdom Council

Margie Stewart Johnson Obituary

MARGIE, the only official World War ll Poster girl, passed away on Thursday April 26, 2012 at Providence Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank.  She was 92. Originally from Wabash, Indiana, Margie attended Indiana University and began her career as a model at the Charles A. Stevens Department Store in Chicago. Within a short time she had posed for numerous ad campaigns and made her way to Hollywood where she soon was signed to a contract with RKO pictures. Margie appeared in twenty films, including “Bombardier,” “Wonderman,” and  “Gildersleeve’s Ghost” before she was tapped to become the “Face of the girl back Home” to every G I around the world.

Over 94 Million posters went out as part of a campaign to sell War Bonds and to boost the morale of the troops. It was so successful that Eleanor Roosevelt tried to stop the campaign, complaining that the boys were becoming too homesick! But thousands of letters poured in to the White House, and the campaign went forward.  While in Europe with the Bond Cavalcade of Stars she met and married Captain Jerry Johnson. They were married nearly 58 years before his death in 2003.  She arrived home at the end of the war. To this day she has fans around the world who visit her website and send her requests for autographed pictures.

This month she became a cover girl again when she appeared on the cover of Reminisce magazine and had an eight page spread outlining her career as a starlet to World War ll icon. She was a true American hero and died as passionate as ever about supporting our troops and the country she loved so much. She is survived by her son, Dr. Stephen Johnson, her daughter-in-law, Fran, and their three children, Derek, Ian and Dana. In lieu of flowers donations to the USO are appreciated.

http://www.uso.org/

Links to articles about Margie:

http://www.reminisce.com/2012/03/indiana-student-became-famous-world-war-ii-pin-up-girl/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9243800/Margie-Stewart.html