Upcoming Trip to Bhutan: A Rare Opportunity

If you don't know about the country, Bhutan then you are in for a treat. Perhaps you have heard of the book, Shangri la. Bhutan is supposed to be the closest to that mythical place. It's an isolated, small country in the Himalayas that has managed to preserve its traditional customs and an easy way of life. Instead of the GNP (Gross National Profit), Bhutan has the GNH (Gross National Happiness). Instead of measuring the amount of money they measure how happy everyone is. One of the ways Bhutan has remained so unspoiled is that it's difficult to get permission to go there. Thus this upcoming trip with the Australian company, Journeys of the Spirit is indeed a rare opportunity. If you are free April 27th - May 6th by all means contact them and prepare for an experience of a lifetime. The tour guide, Peter Bliss will introduce you to the famous sites and lots of local people. The flight in departs from Bangkok, Thailand. The group will travel in a small bus as only 10-12 participants will be on this trip. It seems you will stay in hotels each night. Near the end of the trip Peter will lead you to the Tiger's Nest Monastery (Taktsang) high above the valley on a steep cliff. It's said to be a sacred place that every Bhutanese wants to visit at least once in their lifetime, sort of like Mecca for the Muslim. You will have a very experienced guide with Peter Bliss. It doesn't look like there are special classes in meditation, yoga or other more Indian past times. However, the scenery is so spectacular with virgin forests, rushing rivers and steep, high mountains  and the people so friendly that you will be refreshed. Here's what one past participant has to say:

Bhutan is more than just the prayer flags and pray wheels, it is the heartbeat of a time lost to the Western World.  A heartbeat that renews itself every time you spin a prayer wheel or fly a prayer flag.  Bhutan takes you on a journey within.  All you have to do is be there." Julianne 11/11

Want to know more?                                http://www.journeysofthespirit.com.au

A Truly Mystical Place: Bhutan

Most of us have heard about the small kingdom of Bhutan located near Nepal and India. A few people know that it is expensive to go there and a bit difficult to obtain a visa. But did you know that there is a great Australian tour company, Journeys of the Spirit, that takes care of all that for you? Here is the best part: you can go there this fall because there are a few spaces left. Check this out soon before they are gone. The dates are October 24 - November 6, 2015.

More about Bhutan - here's what one past participant had to say.

From the most warm and generous people, to the endless mountain tops peaked in the clear and crisp air, to the sound of the bells chiming with every round of a spinning prayer wheel, to the gorgeous echoes of nuns singing peacefully in the monasteries and to the young children's playful smiles and innocent giggles... my desires were to take in every blissful moment ~ and I did so gently and effortlessly.

Bhutan is a bit like the proverbial Shangri-la, that fictional place in the novel, Lost Horizon, that captured everything we want to see in paradise - happy, friendly people, little poverty, beautiful scenery and an isolated place that somehow keeps it from being destroyed by commercialism, invasions and exploitation. Is Bhutan truly like this? Why not explore it yourself and then let us know.

Here's what this trip will involve. Guide, Peter Bliss (yes, his real name!) will weave  "Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Mindfulness to your daily happenings". Then there are the hikes, the talks and the markets. Want to know more? http://www.journeysofthespirit.com.au

Spiritual Awakening Revisited

Spiritual awakening has become something of a catch-phrase these days. Everyone is looking for that experience - the new age high, the ascension to a higher realm.  It was with a bit of amusement that when doing a Google search for current articles on the topic that I found one on the first page of Google that I had written two years ago (http://www.mysticfare.com/experiences-of-spiritual-awakening/). Why this one had stayed so prominent is the mystery of Google. Today I found an entire website devoted to spiritual awakening, a Wikipedia page under "religious experience" and also 5 ads for groups that will for a fee help you towards that goal including a spiritual awakening test to see how advanced you are, supposedly. 

I suppose I no longer have to begin my article by explaining what spiritual awakening is, but still everyone seems to have a bit of a different idea. Suffice it to say that not only is there more interest in the subject than even 2 years ago when I wrote that first article, but there are more people having all kinds of experiences of a different kind. I know this because they come to me for readings and I tell them they are normal and not to worry. It's long been predicted that we are going through some kind of quickening if not actual evolution as a species. Maybe it's simpler than that. We are just starting to use our right brains, something we could have done at anytime. It's just that we were so in love with our industrial wonder that we overlooked that aspect of our being. OK. Enough philosophy. Let's see what people are experiencing. Jim Tolles on the website, spiritualawakeningprocess.com states that he deals mainly with three types of people. I often work with three main types of people:

• People who want to develop a spiritual practice
• People who are dedicated to spiritual growth
• People who need to heal
• People who are in awakening

So here we are back to the awakening. I suspect that the high some people experience with awakening, the blissful state, is a natural carry-over from the psychedelic drug days, a kind of natural high. What is curious is that so many people are now experiencing this altered state. Back to Mr. Tolles again who is helping people going through awakening.

Orient and Ground You in a Spiritual Awakening
Anyone in awakening can feel completely out of sorts. It's a bewildering and scary place initially because spiritual awakening falls so far out of the realm of what is considered "normal" in Western society. It's also a blissful, ecstatic, and extremely connected space. I'll work with you to find appropriate grounding and help you to fully embody this energy as you shift from an old way of being into your true self. I'll also remind you regularly that you are not "crazy," but are in fact waking up to real "rationality" from the insanity that we live in.

From my own experience with this state and from what people have told me, there is often a feeling of dizziness, feeling light-headed and a need to take a break from "deadlines", pressure and the rat race. Some people feel more connected to others, even people they just met. Others may know things before they happen, or at least what others are thinking. The Eco Institute has an whole list of characteristics. Se if you can relate to any of these:

• Letting go of once tightly held beliefs and views. 
• Zoning out for extended periods of time. A spacey feeling.
• Sensitivity to negative people, events.
• Feelings of “tingling” electrical-like energy running through parts of the body.
• Having more meaningful dreams.
• Becoming aware of “synchronicity”, the seemingly unrelated events & signs we see & experience.
• Wishing to break away from blind conformity, outdated institutions, unnecessary customs, & the overall status quo.
• Unexplained changes in appetite & eating habits, weight. May sometimes look younger.
• Wishing to spend more time in nature.
• Changes in what you read, do with your spare time, & watch on TV (or turning off the TV altogether).
• Greater “awareness” of yourself and the outside world. 
• A greater sense of inner peace and interconnectedness, with intermittent periods of emotional upheaval.  Read more from this source here.

Please leave any comments about your own experiences with spiritual awakening. It's only beginning and I see it as a hopeful process towards possible world peace and more harmony in this sad world.

Australian Tour Company: Journeys of the Spirit

Here's another spiritual tour company that is worth checking out. With the internet so easy to access these days and the use in international calling using plans such as Skype, there should be no problem making reservations from North America. Julie Barker is at the center of this company who says, "Her personal interests have always included a commitment to health and wellbeing of mind, body and spirit.."  The trips include some of the usual places such as Bali, Thailand and Machu Picchu. However, there are some other alternatives that look intriguing - Kerala Ayurvedic retreat including an audience with the Dalai Lama, Byron Bay Yoga, Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), and Bhutan (going on right now). There are also "tailor made journeys" available that let you and a small group of friends set up a private journey.  Here are some more details about a trip that is soon to happen to Peru and Chile (9/13 - 10/14). The website states there are only 4 places left.

Walking in the footsteps of the ancient Incas, we explore the many breathtaking natural wonders of this very sacred land. A soul nourishing and uplifting experience!

Perhaps we will be blessed with the sighting of the rare pink dolphins in the Peruvian Amazon, enjoy a hike to the Chacan Rainbow Temple in Cusco and explore the magical realm of the Andean spirituality. Magnificent, extraordinary, breathtaking - words cannot fully describe what you will receive from our experience at Machu Picchu.

It seems that these trips are very popular. For example, their Kerala Ayurvedic retreat sells out a year ahead of time. The tour guides that Julie hires seem experts in their own fields and worth accompanying just to get to know them.  Here are two examples - Peter Bliss and Cathy Brown. However, these are only two of several more very knowledgeable and colorful guides.

Peter ~ is a dynamic business educator who has a very practical yet holistic approach to business and lifestyle. He has studied, coached and presented through keynotes and seminars throughout the corporate world both in Australia and overseas and combines simple western business intelligence with traditional eastern wisdom. He has experienced and is very aware that stress affects us all in different ways. If unaddressed it can be detrimental to all aspects of our lives and halt our full potential. Peter is passionate about mental wellbeing and has a unique ability to impart techniques with humor and practicality, bringing awareness to support you in creating a more balanced and fulfilled life. He has changed his own life through practicing what he teaches. We are delighted Peter will be guiding our Bhutan journeys 24th October to 6th November, 2014.

Cathy started her healing journey 24 years ago when she was diagnosed with secondary melanoma and was told she had only a couple of months to a couple of years to live and that chemotherapy and radiotherapy wouldn’t work. Her children were only six and eight and she knew she had to find ‘another way’ to heal.

After visiting 3 other doctors and told the same story, Cathy joined Cancer Support WA, which was the first place to give her hope and support. Over the years she has facilitated and instigated Wellness Programs, Support Groups, Women’s Healing Circles, the Gawler Foundation Healing and Wellbeing Program and many other groups. She has also been teaching Reiki for 20 years which has allowed her to develop a deep understanding of the spiritual aspect of life. We are delighted to have CSA Wellness Facilitator, Cathy Brown guide our mid- September's upcoming Kerala journey.

There are also trips to spiritual places right in Australia such as this trip proposed for 2015 to Karijini, Australia to learn from the Aboriginal elders.

The magic of the Pilbara is a world in which land, people and culture are intimately linked. One of the last frontiers covering 500,000km, the Pilbara is home to some of the most striking landscapes in Australia ~ ancient rock art, spectacular waterfalls, pristine rock pools and magnificent gorges. Blessed with spectacular red beauty, we will explore the spiritual heart of the Pilbara in Karijini National Park, offering you a truly unique outback experience that you will never forget. We share this mystical area of the world with Aboriginal elders, immersing ourselves within the wisdoms of this sacred land & observing through the focused lens the many landscapes surrounding you. Our breathtaking walks will have you discover the hidden gems of this extraordinary natural wonder.

Have I got you interested? Best to visit their website: http://www.journeysofthespirit.com.au/ and find out for yourself what they have to offer. I found the website to be a refreshing change from North American companies with the Ausie bent on the spiritual world. Julie herself has an interesting story of working in some high profile companies and then returning to Australia to set up her own company. As usual, if you go on one of these trips please send a comment so other readers can benefit from your experience.

Spirit Skies Silent Retreat Center Reopens

Red rocks of Sedona, Arizona

Some readers may remember a past article about the man Bodhi Heart and his retreat center in the high pine forests between Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona. After finishing a third cabin, the retreat center has reopened and is available for a silence, yoga, meditation, writing, planning - anything you want to do away from the bustle of the modern world. The website suggests that you can also take a side trip to the Grand canyon or to hike near Sedona in the red cliffs. If you are looking for a good place to experience self discovery or relaxation, this is the place for you. You can contact Bodhi Heart by phone or e-mail, both of which are listed on the website. Here's what one of the past guests has to say.

"Of all the wonderful retreat places that I have visited, the private hermitage at Spirit Skies is my favorite. The elk are almost a daily treat to see. And the stillness and sounds of nature are sublime." ~ George M

"I traveled from Ireland to spend 6 weeks. The retreat experience is an open canvas that one can shape in whatever way spirit seeks." ~ Oonagh C

"I found myself settling easily in to stillness, taking time to meditate, to walk in the nearby National Forest, to do meditative dance and do yoga in the gazebo, and to talk to Bodhi about spirituality." ~ Emily M

If you tire of silence, Bodhi Heart will gladly talk to you. Here are some comments about his gentle way of helping others.

A gentle guide, an open heart, a place to find spirit and self. Bodhi Heart offers his land, his haven, his being to those who come to find peace in a fractured world. It is exactly what you make it ...and it is beautiful."   ~ Maggie D

Bodhi helped me clarify my intentions and laid the spiritual groundwork for my personal retreat. What started out to be a week of pure solitude ended up being a time when I wished for a gentle connectedness. Bodhi’s friendship was a gift.  I didn’t just stay at Spirit Skies; I brought it home with me." ~ Dawn D

"Bodhi Heart supported my process and fearless intention with integrity. He mirrored my spirit and helped me to release some fears and illusions and have a deeper experience of my true self and following the heart."     ~ Grace K

"This retreat was life changing. Time did not seem to exist while I was there. Bodhi gave generously of his time to help guide me in my purpose"       ~ Michelle B

Check the website for availability of the cabins. They do fill up so book one soon and enjoy this unique spiritual journey.

Sacred Journeys: Spiritual and Pilgrimage Travel

There are of course different types of spiritual journeys. Some people head off to explore ancient historical sites or to have an experience with others seeking some sort of spiritual enlightenment. Others are looking for answers or at personal direction. There is another group seeking more knowledge of a certain religion or spiritual path. These are the pilgrimage travellers. Here is a great article about these sites with suggestions about how to best benefit from these journeys as well as some recommended spiritual tour companies. The article, "In Search of Sacred Places: Spiritual and Pilgrimage Travel" is written by Peter Scheer, himself a tour company director, and is posted on the website Travel with a Challenge.

First, let's look at the suggestions to help the traveller get the most benefit from the journey. First, prepare yourself mentally and physically. Many of these places are not easy to reach and it's a good idea to do some research about the site as well how best to arrive there. In times past, people fasted for days or even took hallucinagenic herbs before approaching these sites. It's important to approach with reverence and respect for local customs. They are places that are very important some people.

 In the European Middle Ages, most pilgrims to Canterbury, Santiago de Compostela and other Christian sites went there on foot which allows one plenty of time to prepare mentally. Travel to sacred sites required planning, persistence and often great sacrifices. No wonder arrival created such excitement!

The second suggestion is to leave room in your travel schedule for unexpected events to happen or time to visit with people you meet. This will leave you time also to just stop and soak up the incredible energy of these places that has built up over the centuries. There is not only the energy of the place itself but layered on top is the energy of all the other pilgrims who have come and gone away again over the centuries.

In ancient Greece, sages built an Earth Goddess shrine at Delphi because of the abundance of plenum, an energy they believed bubbled out of the slopes of Mount Parnassus. In the Chinese tradition there is a similar life force called chi. Sufis call it baraka and Hindus know it as prana. If this invisible energy seems fanciful to you, don't forget that is how people felt about radio waves a mere 100 years ago. Perhaps 21st century establishment scientists will verify earth energies, but regardless of official endorsement, many travelers are creating their vacations around visiting places of power and spirituality.

American folklorist and mythology expert, Joseph Campbell once met a woman going to Greece to discover the spirit of the Goddess. After she showed him her elaborate, highly-detailed itinerary, Campbell said, "Dear lady, I sincerely hope that all does not go as planned." He explained, "Unless you leave room for serendipity, how can the divine enter in? The beginning of the adventure of finding yourself is to lose your way."

Lastly, Mr. Scheer suggests that you decide why you are going. What is your goal? What do you want to find or experience? Of course the answer may change during your journey. Are just looking for a special experience or are you wanting to explore religious connections? People will ask you why you are going and also why you are there, so it's a good idea to have some answer in mind. It will help you get more out of an experience that can end up being life-changing.

To read the original article and check out the spiritual tour companies listed at the end of the article, click here.

In sum then, it's best to loosely plan your trip, find out more about the place, don't cram in too much and be open to whatever happens. Remember that teachers come in all forms. The person living on the street might be one of them.

Red rocks of Sedona, Arizona

Stonehenge Mt. Kailash, Tibet. Pilgrimage site for 15,000 years.

What Happens with Spiritual Awakening?

For some decades now people have been talking about "raising your awareness" and "higher vibrations". However, there are now an increasing number of people who are experiencing physical symptoms that are linked to what is called Spiritual Awakening. Actually, this is nothing new. People throughout history have had religious experiences in which they saw visions, heard voices or at least felt different. What is different now is the number of people who are experiencing these states. Perhaps you are one of them. According to Wikipedia, there have been some common threads to these experiences.

• Transient — the experience is temporary; the individual soon returns to a "normal" frame of mind. It is outside our normal perception of space and time.

• Ineffable — the experience cannot be adequately put into words.

• Noetic — the individual feels that he or she has learned something valuable from the experience. Gives us knowledge that is normally hidden from human understanding.

• Passive — the experience happens to the individual, largely without conscious control. Although there are activities, such as meditation (see below), that can make religious experience more likely, it is not something that can be turned on and off at will.

Read the original here.

Now let's jump to the present and look at what people are experiencing in often less clear terms. Arlene Rich has described 10 common "symptoms" of spiritual awakening. While some of them may of course come from other sources, together they do form a nucleus for what people are going through. It's a kind of human evolutionary process.  Here is part of what Arlene has said.

• An increase in occurrences - (there aren't any coincidences) An increase in psychic, mediumistic, clairvoyant, and intuitive skills.

• Acute sensitivity to negative energy around specific people or environments.

• A desire to "find yourself", change your social group, behavior, job etc. Sudden extreme sensitivity to people or crowds. You may find that your once sociable nature suddenly disappears and you simply cannot bear to be with certain friends, family members, colleagues, or coworkers.

• Sudden awareness of recurring patterns or relationships- A noticeable inability to tolerate someone with whom you have had a previously close relationship.

• Sudden inexplicable panic or anxiety attacks occurring at any time with no valid reason. A feeling that something has changed within you.

• Acute sensitivity to shopping malls or crowded environments such as restaurants, clubs, festivals, and so on.

• Extreme sensitivity to mobile and digital phones, laptops, computers, wireless routers, and all microwave technology, as well as certain types of lighting.

• Falling asleep and then waking in the middle of the night at or around the same time, feeling wide awake and needing to be up, and oddly not being tired the next day as expected. (This is a sign of your consciousness adapting to new cycles of activity.)

• Strange electrical energy coursing through the body or body parts like legs or arms. (This is caused by the raised frequencies from the Galactic centre flooding the planet. These energies assist in the process of rewiring the physical and Light-Body in order to carry higher vibrating energies.)

• A whole range of physical experiences caused by detoxification as the body continues to release years of physical, karmic, emotional, and mental toxic waste, producing symptoms including: fatigue and exhaustion;excess thirst; stomach upsets, including cramps, headaches, especially at the base of the skull and migraines with pains over the crown and in one or both eyes; muscle, neck, and shoulder pains.

• Dizziness, balance problems, and feeling spacey (triggered by being in higher states of consciousness).

To read the complete list click here.

If you or someone you know can relate to some of these symptoms or phenomena, you are not alone. I suspect there will be counsellors and support groups  in the future specializing in helping people go through versions of spiritual awakening. It makes places such as retreat centers and monasteries even more valuable as centers to experience spiritual changes without the interference of modern life. And it is important  to remember that the end result of whatever mental and physical changes occur should be better - healthier and happier people and hopefully a more peaceful world.

Journeys of the Spirit Revisited

For those of you familiar with this website you might know that one of the regular listings under the heading, “Mystical/Spiritual Tours and Retreats” is Journeys of the Spirit. Sheri Rosenthal, a former doctor who was wealthy but not happy, found her focus in life through a spiritual direction and through journeys to sacred sites. She continues to create with her talented staff the journeys she herself calls, “transformational, soul-stirring and awe-inspiring”.

Upcoming journeys:
Heart Wisdom of Whales and Wild Dolphins, Panama, 9/15 – 10/11/13
Highlands and Mystical Islands: Sacred Scotland, 9/15 – 9/24/13
Reconnecting to Truth through Horse Wisdom, Tucson, Arizona, 9/18 – 9/22/13
Journey to Machu Picchu – Authentic Spiritual and Cultural Wonders, Peru, 9/26 – 10/ 5/13
Access your Dreams Retreat, Assisi, Italy, 10/12 – 10/18/13
Kindfulness – a Healing Retreat in the Himalayas, Nepal. 10/16 – 10/25/13

I like how this website is organized into categories such as By Region, By Trip Type, By Month and By Price. The home page features a map of an imaginary island with the types of trips such as Women’s Retreats, Mind-Body-Spirit, Spirituality in Business, Power Journeys, Volunteer Travel and Yoga Retreats. The option to plan your own retreat is also possible. Sherri has a recorded message for you which you can experience on this home page if you have Flash on your computer. Here a sample of what these trips are about.

Ready to move deeply inside yourself using ancient and indigenous spiritual traditions and ceremonies, meet local shamans, connect with other realms, trance dance or participate in a sacred plant ceremony? A Shamanic Journey is the perfect experience for you!

Is your business at a standstill, mental barriers and limiting thoughts blocking your abundance? You need a Spiritual Business Retreat to put you on the road to success!
Do you wake up wondering whose life you’re living? Feel like you’re lacking clarity? Find yourself short-tempered, frustrated or unhappy? Wish your relationships were more supportive and loving? Want to forgive and move on, but can’t?
If you crave freedom from your own life and mind you would definitely benefit from a Personal Intensive!

To read the original click here.

I understand from people who have gone on the Journeys of the Spirit tours that the service also includes travel and meals. Check out one of these great tours and let me know how it was. To contact them go to: http://www.journeysofthespirit.com or call 866-866-5566. If you mention MysticFare you will receive a discount on your trip.

Mystical Meditation in Action

The organization, Profound Mystical Meditation, has been in existence since 1965. It was founded and still led by Dr. Francisco Coll in Iowa. There is also an International Conference Center and the Americana Leadership College all initiated by Dr. Coll. There are 4 main concepts:

• Each of us is a soul with a physical body
• Everyone has Angels (Spiritual Guidance)
• We come to Planet Earth with a purpose
• We have been, we are, and we will always be

I couldn’t agree more, so I was eager to find out what they offered and what accommodations were available. Here are 3 scheduled workshops: Angel Encounter Workshop, Discover Your Sea of Tranquility and Tranquility and Accomplishment Technique Workshop. They also offer classes with titles such as “Meditation in Action” and “New Spiritual Horizons”. Also of interest are Angel Consultations and the course to become a Certified Spiritual Educator.
I’ve long wanted to find a group that combines mysticism with meditation, so I was very pleased to find this beautiful website and meet a group that has been going for over 35 years. Even more intriguing is the retreat center, part of the Americana Leadership College and located in Iowa. As they explain on their website:

Americana Leadership College
International Conference Center
Osceola, Iowa
FINALLY... A retreat center where you can

• Relax and unwind in nature
• Attain an integrated, balanced, conscious living lifestyle
• Learn deeper Angel communication techniques
• Discover your True Life Purpose

Nestled in the rolling hills of south, central Iowa is the 170 acre International Conference Center. For over 36 years people from around the world have come to discover their true inner self and their life purpose in a relaxing natural environment.

Read the original here.
The retreats occur on major holidays such as Easter, Memorial Day weekend, month of July, Labor Day weekend, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. For more information about this group, please visit their website at: http:// www.profoundmysticalmeditation.com  If you are lucky enough to visit and take a course or workshop, please leave a comment or contact me: contact@mysticfare.com
Unfortunately there is no mention of fees or accommodation on the website, so I can't share that with you at this time.

Spiritual Trip of the Week: Bali with Guides

The Spirit Quest Tours staff have done it again and now they are taking a group to Bali June 22-28, 2013. The itinerary sounds heavenly - massages, great restaurants, well here it is:

•Visit with Ketut Liyer, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Balian and teacher
•Enjoy a vitamin lunch at Wayan’s tiny restaurant – you can also book a body reading and healing
•Stay in an incredible hotel in the heart of Ubud, right down the street from where Liz stayed (but nicer)
•Enjoy Balinese Hindu temples as the Balinese do – learn how the locals pray
Meditate or practice yoga each morning, or sleep in!
•Meet Yude Andiko, the musician Liz toured Bali with, and listen to him play his own “Yudele”
•Delight in dinner in “Italy”
•Shop for Balinese batik, wood carvings, art, and silver jewelry – all made by local artisans
•Relax with a Balinese massage
•Many meals and all activities are included

Price includes accommodations, most meals, meditations, and all specified itinerary activities (see itinerary).

* DISCLAIMER

This tour is not affiliated with or endorsed by Penguin Books or Sony Pictures.  Elizabeth Gilbert will not be leading this trip.  Julia Roberts has probably never even heard of Spirit Quest Tours. Javier Bardem will not marry you. Richard from Texas (RIP) will not give you advice.  James Franco will definitely not make out with you.  Still, you should come on this trip.

To read the original of this quote, click here.

The number to call in case you are interested is 877-406-5206. Many of the meals and accommodations are included in the total price of $3995 for the Pool Villa or $2995 for the Delux trip. Deposit is $300. Air fare is not included. I liked reading some of the testimonials such as the one: "I have been forever changed by Bali. — Kiya, San Francisco". Bali is a special place in this world, amazingly small but just amazing. Why don't you find out for yourself?

A New Theory Regarding the Nazca Lines of Peru

Dr. Clive Ruggles of Leicester University and Dr. Nicholas Saunders of Bristol University proposed the theory that the figures etched into 50 miles of Peruvian desert between 100BC to 700AD are not there to be seen from the air but are to be walked like a labyrinth. Dr. Ruggles claims he was perhaps the first person in 1500 years to walk these paths.

Scientists claim that a "labyrinth" of geometric shapes and lines was not created to be seen at all, and was instead a walking path which played a role in ancient rituals.
Professor Clive Ruggles of Leicester University said, "Unlike some of the famous zoomorphic (animal) figures, its irregular form provides no reason to speculate that it might have been intended to be viewed from the air.
"It was not meant to be 'seen' from outside at all, but rather to be experienced from within. It was meant to be walked."
Ruggles and Dr. Nicholas Saunders, of Bristol University, traced three miles of paths during a five-year project, becoming the first known people to do so in more than 1,000 years.
Although parts of the lines have been washed away by flash floods, the remainder are well preserved and edges are still sharply defined.
Ruggles claims to have been the first person to discover the labyrinth among the patterns while studying the lines in 1984.
To read the rest of this passage click here.

What is more mysterious is why this idea has been somewhat hidden since 1984 and is now being publicized now. Also, the images I see look very much like animals, not labyrinths. However, it is curious that the edges of these lines are still so well marked as if they were walked as Dr. Ruggles suggests. What do you think about this idea? Leave a comment below, OK?

Spiritual Healing for the Cheyenne and Arapaho on Thanksgiving

The history of the initial contact between the natives and white men is grim as we all know. One sad chapter involves the massacre at Sand Creek where 160 Arapaho and Cheyenne were gunned down despite the fact that they were on a reservation and waving American and white flags. These were elders, women and children as well as their husbands and sons. This Thanksgiving there will be a commemorative walk in Boulder, Colorado called "One Action One Boulder" to try to heal the wound that still some people feel. None of these tribal members now live in Colorado as they were all removed from their lands.

Cheyenne and Arapaho runners will complete a 170-mile Spiritual Healing Run/Walk from the Sand Creek Massacre site to Denver in honor of LaForce Lee Lonebear. This is how they describe the Run:
“The Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run/Walk is a prayer. (It) is not a race. (It) is a commemoration for the victims and survivors of the massacre, and for healing ancestral homelands. (It) is led by an Eagle staff representing prayers of the spiritual leaders who had a vision of healing and reconciliation for the descendants of those killed at the Sand Creek Massacre site and for the future generations.”

The Cheyenne and Arapaho have invited local communities to participate in a variety of ways. To see the original article, click here. What do you think about this action? Is it digging up old pain or is it a good way to establish restorative justice? Leave a comment below.

                                              picture by Mike Fisher at the
                                              memorial site of the massacre

Featured Retreats of the Week: Wild Earth Journeys

Are you ready for a truly awesome trip, a memorable one you will remember always? Are you adventurous but would like to use a guide as you know you will see more that way? Then this is the company for you. Wild Earth Journeys is owned and operated by Carroll Dunham, a Princeton University anthropologist, writer, herbalist and yoga instructor and her husband, Thomas Kelly, a former Peace Corps volunteer, Care Program officer, photographer and documentary film maker.

Featured Retreats of the Week: Wild Earth Journeys

Wild Earth Journeys--pilgrimages to wild and sacred places of the earth. Where story, myth, culture, adventure and spirit come together. We love horses, we love to walk in the mountains, we love medicinal plants and traditional medicine, spirit traditions, stories, and we love healing and working with local communities engaging in dialogue between discovery, science and healing. We love the questions, and we love the journey, knowing that without exploring the furthest reaches of the last great wild places on this earth and in the elements, we can never know for ourselves. Come explore with us and tap on thirty years exploring Asia from the heart--foolishly. Come with us and meet extraordinary and ordinary people who could change your mind. Let us help you plan your pilgrimage or journey if you are ready to leave the familiar trail for the unexpected--if you are ready to explore more than just the surface.
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The trips are to India, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia or design your own trip. While I myself have not had the pleasure of going on one of these trips, from some of the testimonials it seems that the participants are very enthusiastic about their experiences. The guides, Carroll and Thomas (yes, they do these trips themselves) are able to take people into remote place few foreigners have gone but in a safe and comfortable way. These are not trips for people who want heated pools or room service; it would require some roughing it. I personally am re-assured that there are still wild places left on this planet for Wild Earth Journeys to explore.

World Heal Moves to the Olympics

The World Heal organization has invited people around the world to send their visions and intentions to the Olympic athletes as they come together to compete. The World Heal coordinator, Violet McBride in Portland, Oregon had the following to say in a press release from PR Newswire.

World Heal Moves to the Olympics

"We would like to create a vision of humanity as a team and our unity in creating a peaceful and sustainable world as the ultimate gold," says Ms. McBride. Using the model of the five Olympic rings, World Heal highlights the personal, interpersonal, community, international, and ancestral levels of healing, with the website offering dozens of inspirations for people to join in, ranging from the simple to more involved. Individuals, community groups, and spiritual organizations are all encouraged to create one contribution to global healing based on their unique gifts.
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If you watch this video you can learn more about how World Heal would like each person to light a candle and be a “cyber runner” with your own torch to envision world peace and harmony.

Spiritual Healing Journey in Vietnam for Veterans

This is a very moving article and accompanying video about a group of US veterans who returned to Viet Nam with a therapist, Ed Tick, in an effort to clear their continuing PTSD symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks and depression. The writer, Stephen Olsson, a video photographer and author has his own issues from covering war zones in Afghanistan. Let’s read part of what Steve Olsson has to say about this spiritual healing journey in Vietnam for veterans in the Huffington Post (Religion section).

Spiritual Healing Journey in Vietnam for Veterans

From the Mekong Delta in the south to Hanoi in the north, Dr. Tick led the vets back to the exact places where they suffered their most painful war experiences -- where they fought, where they killed or where they witnessed their closest friends killed. The goal of these trips, what Ed calls “their second descent into hell,” is to re-connect the fractured soul of the PTSD-wounded warrior and achieve some sense of healing, not only for the vet, but for the spouse and the entire family.
Besides Dr. Tick’s deep understanding of the disease we today call “PTSD,” I was extremely impressed by his deep knowledge of Vietnamese culture and the Buddhist faith. The attached video sequence, filmed in a Vietnamese Buddhist temple, is one of the short film segments within the GLOBAL SPIRIT program, "Forgiveness and Healing," now showing on many PBS stations (check local broadcast schedules at www.GlobalSpirit.tv) and also part of an upcoming feature-length documentary: "A Soldier's Heart: Healing the Wound of PTSD" (see www.CEMproductions.org).

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Please leave a comment below or click like if you found this article about a spiritual healing journey in Vietnam for veterans interesting.

Spiritual Retreats to Machu Picchu

This is a short video about the retreats offered by Yoga Retreat Peru. There is also a short clip from a TV interview with Deepak Chopra about the shamanic practice of taking ayahuasca. He very wisely advises anyone interested in trying this plant to choose a good shaman/guide to accompany you. Please enjoy and share this video on spiritual retreats to Machu Picchu.

Spiritual Retreats to Machu Picchu

 

The Yoga Retreats are given in 2012 in August 4 – 11, August 18 – September 1, September 1 – 15. If you are interested, please contact this website: http://www.incayogaperu.com There are different types of workshops such as High Altitude Training, Yoga and Synergy classes. The Shamanic Ceremony is optional and by special request only. If you would like to know more about the ayahuasca ceremonies, I recommend this book: Ayahuasca in My Blood: 25 Years of Medicine Dreaming by Peter Gorman.

How to Know You are Experiencing Spiritual Awakening

This short video describes clearly the physical and mental changes you might go through to the path of enlightenment. Do you think only gurus and highly evolved beings experience enlightenment? This is changing as more people evolve into the next stage of development. This video is a bit controversial as some Christians see it as against their beliefs. I think the ideas here are universal,but I will let you decide for yourself.   What are your experiences with this process? Please leave a message below. Do you think this is accurate?