Announcements

Marc Gafni and Sally Kempton workshop at Pacific Coast Church

Everyone of us wants to be a lover. We want to love the people in our lives. We want to love ourselves. And we want to love the world. But, what does it really mean to live as a lover? And is love something we can practice?

In this workshop, we’ll explore three powerful and necessary skills that let us receive and give love–in any and all circumstances. Powered by Marc’s revolutionary insights and concept-busting humor, Sally’s gift for bringing meditation alive, and Marc and Sally’s shared capacity for heart-to-heart transmission, this workshop will be illuminating, heart-softening, dynamic and fun.

Where: Pacific Coast Church, Pacific Grove, CA
When: Sunday, April 14, 2013 1:00PM to 4:00PM
Cost: $50.00 at the door

We have two exciting teachings on the Peninsula coming up on March 17 and April 5.

Marc and Sally are now in the third class in their series of nine monthly classes at Pacific Coast Church, “Loving Your Way to Enlightenment: Living the Way of the Lover.” Last month, Sally shared her wonderful wisdom on Hindu feminine deities based upon her newest book, Awakening Shakti, and led us in a deeply warm contemplation and communication with our Inner Beloved.

On this Sunday, March 17, Marc will be returning from teaching at the Wisdom School of Shalom Mountain, and leading us along the “The Path of Outrageous Love.” Deep thanks to Dr. Bill Little and the staff and members of Pacific Coast Church. (click flyer to enlarge)

We are delighted that Marc has been invited to share an evening hosted by The Pilgrim’s Way Bookstore on Friday, April 5th, 7;00pm, with the talk held across the street at the Carmel Art Foundation, on Dolores between 5th and 6th. The title of the evening talk is “The Seven Levels of Pleasure in Unique Self-Realization.” Life is meant to be pleasurable, and we will explore Pleasure as Spiritual Practice. Marc’s recent book, Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment, won the 2012 USA Best Book Award in the General Spiritual category.

Actualize: The Source Code of Success

We are delighted to report that the Actualize event, “Actualize: The Source Code of Success,” led by Eben Pagan and Marc Gafni this past January 23-27, 2013, was itself a smashing success. Eben said, “At this event, we were able to take things to the next level.”

Participants reported deep experiences of awakening, evolution, and transformation. A field of meaning, entrepreneurial creativity and deep dharmic insight were woven together in what turned out to be an event that surpassed all of our very high expectations in preparation for this gathering.

Eben brought to bear his profound understanding of entrepreneurship, creativity, and marketing. Eben entered the stage, gathered the tribe, and gave deep transmission as the great pragmatic philosopher that he is. Marc transmitted deep structures of new evolving consciousness” maps of Pleasure, maps of Self, and a vision of Outrageous Creativity and Outrageous Love. Marc and Eben’s teaching literally danced together in a higher integration, producing a dazzling experience of interior awakening, a vision of the patterns that connect, and a glimpse of what might be yet to come in the evolution of consciousness.

Two major themes ran through the entire event. The first, in Eben and Marc’s language, “Actualize is a memory of the future.” This was a theme returned to again and again. Accessing the memory of our potential future as the strange attractor drawing us to the evolution of our Highest Self.

The second theme articulated by Marc and Eben was the Democratization of Enlightenment, and the Democratization of Greatness as the next step in the evolution of Love. It was a great event, and the ripples are still now being felt wide and far, all over the globe, with new creative projects being born, new relationships formed, and new seeds of emerging consciousness planted in the fertile soil of Actualize.

Many people have asked whether there will be an Actualize event next year. Our answer”¦ It’s too early to tell. It might not be called “Actualize” because we never do the same thing twice, but there will be a next step. The tribe will gather again to take the next emergent step required, demanded and invited by the evolution of Love.

Marc Gafni and Adam Gilad in Dialogue

Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 12pm San Francisco Ӣ 3pm New York Ӣ 8pm London

Unique Self: “To be awake is to be a lover: alive, aflame and open as love. Therefore, at its heart, to be a lover means to be willing to participate in the transformation of consciousness.”

Sex is play. Sex is surrender. Sex is profound and dangerous and exhilarating discovery – of our truest selves and the selves of our lovers.

After all, the ancient Hebrew mystics didn’t say, “And Adam banged Eve.” They wrote, he “knew” her.

How can your sexual self be the crucible of knowing yourself anew? Of knowing your lover with both profundity and lightness, with both fierceness and the tenderness of a newborn’s touch?

Sex can be entertainment, distraction, obsession — or it can be revelation of our truest selves, our most infinite consciousness. Through our bodies touching, we can touch the divine.

And we can feel – when we drop our anxieties, our bills, our status, our egos – what we can be as human in the act of “becoming.”

Few speak on this subject with Adam Gilad’s remarkable insight and infectious enthusiasm. The 50,000 followers of Adam’s dating and relationships newsletter already appreciate his unique mix of global wisdom traditions, spiritual cheekiness, advanced education and expansive practices. His legendary audio trainings and special programs cover topics like: learning the “language” of the other gender; cultivating a dance of the sexes rather than a battle; playing the spectrum of sexual polarity; and always, always, always, opening to fearlessness in self-awareness, self-evolution, compassion, forgiveness and really good wine.

Now you can join Adam and his guests for a 6-session live, interactive video course — part of the Evolver Intensives series for the emerging consciousness culture — that will stoke your imagination and answer your questions. Each session will be a dialog between Adam and one or two featured guests. And you will be part of the discussion, able to ask your questions on camera, just like a Skype call.

Continuing our theme of connecting your intimate life to the evolution of the species, in the third Evolver session he enters into dialogue with Marc Gafni, Director of Center for World Spirituality. Steeped in kabbalistic and other world wisdom traditions, Marc brings a unique blend of perspectives to love, Eros and the divine. Marc will lead you into a profound appreciation for what he calls your “unique self” – where ancient understandings of being one-with-all meets post-modern insight into the dignity of personal, individual perspective.

How can you raise pleasure into “the Eros of divine pleasure” – literally “God’s” pleasure in self-evolving through you and your body? In this session, you will access some mind-blowing ideas, synthesized and delivered by one of the most eloquent and heart-opened teachers of our time.

Dr. Marc Gafni holds his doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University and rabbinic certification from the chief rabbinate in Israel. He is also ordained and holds a doctorate in religious science. He is the initiating thought leader, together with Ken Wilber, of World Spirituality, based on integral principles, as well as the leading theorist and teacher of Unique Self Enlightenment. He is the director of Center for World Spirituality. A rabbinic lineage holder in Bible, Talmud, and Kabbalah, Gafni self-describes as a “dual citizen” of both integral World Spirituality and classical Hebrew practice. His latest book, Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment, was named #1 in Spirituality by USABookNews in 2012.

Course description provided by Evolver Intensives.

The Center for World Spirituality is pleased to share with you a letter we received from Rob McNamara, an author, performance coach, psychotherapist, and professor based in Boulder, Colorado. Rob’s book, Strength to Awaken, An Integral Guide to Strength Training, Performance & Spiritual Practice for Men & Women (2012) is a definitive work which is reshaping the integral spiritual approach to embodiment and physical fitness.

Dear Friend,

In my work and teaching, I am committed to helping people resolve their persistent painful limitations to become more powerful, proficient and aligned with what matters most in life. Becoming more elegant and aligning yourself with your largest excellence is the most important action we can take right now. Creating, refining and stabilizing your larger abilities as a human being is my passion.

That is why I’m confident that you will love this free dialogue with myself and Marc Gafni, one of the most brilliant minds in spirituality today. We will be discussing the rich intersection of our books Strength to Awaken and Marc’s new book Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment.

This Free Call is this Thursday, Feb. 21st at 6pm PT / 9pm ET. To join us reserve your place as soon as you are able:

>>> RESERVE YOUR PLACE

Our call will be about an hour long. This conversation will highlight some of the central teachings Gafni’s new book outlines and we will explore fitness and spirituality in a way that simply is not available anywhere else. We will close with a short Question and Answer session to field some of the biggest questions you have regarding spirituality, awakening and it’s intersection with strength, fitness and embodiment.

Looking forward to connect!
Rob McNamara
author of Strength To Awaken and The Elegant Self

PS: You can get Your Unique Self HERE and Strength To Awaken HERE if you haven’t already.

John Peterson is a lifelong visionary organic farmer, and a highly regarded member of the Center for World Spirituality’s Wisdom Council because he is such a powerful voice in Conscious Agriculture.

We hope you will give a boost to John’s recently launched Kickstarter campaign to complete the renovation of Angelic Organics’ barns to create a vibrant cultural hub for biodynamic farming, food & education. This wildly special farm deserves our crowd support to ascend to a new level of community and educational engagement.

Farmer John writes:

Through this Kickstarter campaign, I’ll be able to make essential roof repairs, install interior stairwells, emergency lighting and fire escapes, and complete the renovation of the barn and the corn crib so they can serve as classroom space and community center.

The completed farmstead will serve as both vibrant campus and robust farming hub. We presently harvest and pack about 1600 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes per week during the growing season. That’s a lot of robust farming activity!

Angelic Organics Farm and the Learning Center draw thousands of guests annually for workshops, tours and agricultural meetings. You may have been a guest on our farm or you may someday eat the vegetables grown by a future farmer who was trained on this farm.

The improvements will transform a successful working farm into the premier gathering place for children’s groups, beginner farmers, members of our CSA, national organic and biodynamic farming associations, and people who just yearn for the chance to smell fresh-cut hay in summer, hold a newly-hatched chick in their hand, and taste a carrot still cool from the earth.

I believe that all of us need a farm to love, and I want Angelic Organics to be such a farm for you.

John has managed Angelic Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Biodynamic farms in the United States, since 1990. John was featured in Taggart Siegel’s 31-time award-winning documentary film The Real Dirt on Farmer John, a powerful story of transformation and renewal heralding a resurrection of farming in America. John melds the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, all integral to the ever-unfolding social organism of the farm.

Join us for a new free event, “Unique Self and Creating your Life on Purpose”! On Thursday, Dec 6 at 6pm PT (9pm PT) Marc Gafni with be joined by Anodea Judith, author of Creating on Purpose, for a spirited discussion about the ideas contained in both their new books.

For more information, see:

http://uniqueself.com/welcome-friends-of-anodea-judith/

http://www.creatingonpurpose.net/Home_Page.html

Long concerned with the future of humanity, and passionate about awakening our collective potential, Anodea Judith has dedicated her life to healing the wounds in our personal and collective psyches. Her best-selling books on the chakras and global change have placed her among the evolutionary thought leaders of our time.

Anodea Judith holds a doctorate in Health and Human Services, with a speciality in Mind-Body healing, and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology. Her best-selling books on the chakra system, marrying Eastern and Western disciplines, have been considered groundbreaking in the field of Transpersonal Psychology and used as definitive texts in the U.S. and abroad. With over 500,000 books in print, and translations in 15 languages, her books have won her the reputation of solid scholarship and international renown as a dynamic speaker and workshop leader.

Anodea is founder and director of Sacred Centers, a teaching organization for life-affirming paths of wisdom. She taught with Lion Goodman for many years, co-creating the material for manifestation through the chakras through their many workshops worldwide.

On December 4 at 9 a.m. PT, Dr. Marc Gafni will be in dialogue with Dada Nabhanillananda, known as the Yoga Dude ”” a teacher, yoga activist and musician, on his free Imaginal World teleseminar series, “Creating a World Based on Love.” Marc and Dada will explore Unique Self enlightenment and diverse facets from Marc’s award-winning new book, Your Unique Self: The Radical Path to Personal Enlightenment. Tune in as well for special offer of a one-time-only curated set of Marc’s wonderful teaching resources.

You can check it out and sign up here:

http://www.imaginalworld.com/love/marc/invite/

Acharya Nabhaniilananda normally called “Dada”, is a senior meditation instructor of Ananda Marga, an authority on Yoga philosophy, a published author and a popular musician. In 2011 his song “The Love Remains” was a finalist in the prestigious Song of the Year International Songwriting Contest.

Dada was born in New Zealand in 1955 of English parents. During his early life he studied classical music and poetry. At the age of 11 he started composing music for the piano, and his teachers had high hopes of him becoming a concert pianist. However, during his time as a University student he developed a deep interest in Eastern mysticism. In 1975 he left his native land for Australia, and later Nepal and India where he studied the disciplines and philosophy of Yoga and Meditation within sight of the Himalayas, and was ordained as a Yoga Monk in 1979.

Dada plays melodic folk rock in the style of Simon & Garfunkel or Cat Stevens. He sings about spiritual experiences and ecological or human rights issues, and derives many of his ideas from myths and legends of different cultures. His early musical influences include folk singers Donovan and Don Mclean, and 70’s bands Yes, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Genesis & Santana. Dada’s immersion in eastern mysticism adds a deeper dimension to his music, giving it a lasting quality.

Dada has been recording and performing since 1984, and has played on every continent save Antarctica. He frequently appears at ecological protests or alternative festivals where his songs and audio-visual presentations about the environment are always well received.

As these words are written, Malala Yousafzai is in critical condition in a hospital. The girl, now 14 years old, came to fame when the world learned she was the pseudonymous BBC blogger who advocated for girls’ education and criticized the atrocities of Islamic extremists in her city. She has been a contender for a prestigious international peace prize for children. Yesterday, on the eve of the International Day of the Girl, she was shot in the head and neck.

The world is outraged at the Taliban’s act of terror which is described like so by the Christian Science Monitor:

“Which one of you is Malala? Speak up, otherwise I will shoot you all,” a hooded, bearded Taliban militant asked a bus full of schoolgirls on their way home earlier this week. “She is propagating against the soldiers of Allah, the Taliban. She must be punished,” the Taliban militant shouted louder. Then, recognizing her, he shot her at a point blank range.

We pray for Malala’s recovery and honor her courage and contribution to peace and the rights of girls. Let us keep the 14-year-old girl, truly a world leader, in our thoughts and prayers. Taliban officials claimed responsibility for an attack on her which leaves her in critical condition at this time, citing her work on behalf of education for girls as an “obscenity.” Let us keep them in our prayers as well, praying that fundamentalist extremists everywhere would wake up and grow up!

The struggle for girls’ rights is one face of Spirit’s next move, and we are all called to love and compassion to aid them. It is fitting on this day that the leadership team of the Center for World Spirituality expresses our support for the International Day of the Girl, a new day for working to make the world a better place for girls everywhere.

Together with many other organizations and cities in nearly 100 countries around the world, we proclaim our support. We announce:

WHEREAS, the Center for World Spirituality is a leading voice in the emergence of a global spirituality based on the best ethical insights of the wisdom traditions of pre-modern, modern, and postmodern cultures;

and WHEREAS, the Center for World Spirituality recognizes that every girl is no less than the personal face of essence, God having a You-as-a-girl experience;

and WHEREAS, the United Nations established October 11 as the annual International Day of the Girl Child supported and co-sponsored by 98 countries;

and WHEREAS, The “Day of the Girl” campaign calls on communities across the globe to recognize that girls worldwide face many injustices such as discrimination, gender stereotypes, child marriage and lack of education; and empowers girls to fight for their rights;

and WHEREAS, the Center for World Spirituality supports the goals of other organizations participating in the “Day of the Girl” campaign including increasing girls’ participation in sports, science and math-related activities, high school graduation rate, and providing equal opportunities for all girls by speaking out against gender-based injustices, celebrating all girls’ potential, and encouraging all girls to pursue their dreams;

and THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED that We, the Leadership Team at Center for World Spirituality, hereby do proclaim October 11, 2012 as the Day of the Girl throughout our organization across the world.

God bless Malala Yousafzai and girls everywhere.

The CWS Leadership Team

Marc Gafni Seminar by Invitation Only. Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire. May 1-2, 2012.

Shalom Mountain

We are delighted to announce that Shalom Mountain has developed a Wisdom School which is deeply rooted in the teachings of Unique Self Enlightenment, Eros, World Spirituality Teaching and the Enlightenment of Fullness.

Dr. Marc Gafni serves as the teacher in Residence. The next session- which will be the eight session of the Wisdom School will be March 8-11th at Shalom Mountain in upstate new york. The teaching is Sold Out however work is being done to make ten more spaces available so if you are interested register now or be put on a waiting list.

For more information click here. 

What: Unique Self Process: Taught for the First Time Ever in Public

When: May 19 – 21, 2012

Where: Venwoude Retreat Center in Holland. Inexpensive flights available.

Who: Dr. Marc Gafni and Mauk Pieper: Unique Self Process: First Three Days

Who: Dr. Marc Gafni and Chahat Corten, Pauline Botden

The Principles and Practices of Unique Self Enlightenment

The Democratization of Enlightenment Begins with You!

Principle and Practice 1: The Invitation and Responsibility of Unique Self

Unique Self: The Evolutionary Context
The Four Pillars of Unique Self
Two Tastes: Being and Becoming

Principle and Practice 2: The Glory of the Story

Personal and Impersonal Enlightenment
Live Your Story: Mythologize Don’t Pathologize
Details Matter: The Time Line and Trajectory of Your Life

Principle and Practice 3: False Core, False Self, and the Trajectory of Identity

Personality Types
False Core, False Self WHOLE WEEK ON THIS

Principle and Practice 4: Awakening: Evolution Beyond Ego

True Self, True Identity
Paths of Practice to Awaken Your Unique Self
Unique Self and Transcendence

Principle and Practice 5: Awakening: Evolution Beyond Ego

Five Differences Between Unique Self and Ego
The Democratization of Enlightenment
The New Enlightenment

Principle and Practice 6: Unique Wound and Unique Shadow

The Shadow: Three Steps Beyond Jung
Shadow and the New Enlightenment
Follow Your Shadow to Your Unique Self

Principle and Practice 7: Unique Gifts, Unique Delight and Unique Obligation

What is your Unique Self?
What are your Unique Gifts?
What is your Unique Purpose?

Principle and Practice 8: Evolutionary We Space

The creation of the Unique We
Five Principles and Practice which invoke the Miracle of We
Public Enlightenment: The Next Evolutionary Leap

Evolution of Love

by Marc Gafni

Are you ready to participate consciously in the Evolution of Love?

If you are then come to study and practice with spiritual luminary Dr. Marc Gafni.

For registration Click Here

More info on Venwoude

Short video

Dates:
3 day workshop 11-13th nov 2011
1 day workshop 15th nov 2011

“I love you.”

Consider the impact that these words””spoken in the right place, at the right time, by the right person, in the right way””have had on your life. In our time, so many of the old words of the sacred have lost their capacity to move us, dethroned by the rigorous critiques of modernity and postmodernity. But the authentic expression of love always holds a radical power to touch and even transform our lives.

We sometimes wait our whole lives to hear “I love you” spoken with total authenticity.

We may wait even longer to be able to say it. But to hear or speak these words sincerely is a complete affirmation of all that is sacred. For many of us today, the words “love” and “meaning” are virtually indistinguishable.

Yet, what do we mean by “love”? Is love simply the tender feeling you have for a friend or a relative, a lover, or a spouse? Or is there something more profound about love’s meaning, something that accounts for its power to transform a life, in every way?

Love is more than just a feeling. Enlightened teachers through the ages have told us that love is the dynamic ground of all reality. If that’s true, then love can be seen as the actual force that drives evolution””the force the Greeks called Eros””as well as the enlivening joy that opens the heart.

So what is love, when we see it from both a personal and an evolutionary perspective? How do we find it, nurture it, and sustain it? Modern science and philosophy point out that all levels of reality are evolving. The world of today is wildly different then the world of yesterday. Matter, body, mind, and even spirit are in flux. When we understand the profound evolutionary context of life, we realize that love must be evolving as well.

Wow: The Evolution of Love

What a wild, important, and profound idea! Simply put: the meaning, purpose, and vision of love is changing. In our time, the great truths about love””taught in different languages by teachers of every tradition are being re-shaped by modern and postmodern considerations. In this unique conversation, we engage these truths through an Integral lens.

The Essence of Relationship is Love

Some hold Love to be the animating core of all of reality. Love is the Eros that drives evolution, even as it is the joy that moves our heart and fills our being. And, put simply: if all levels of reality evolve, then love must evolve as well!

This Evolution Needs Your Participation

We are gathering at Venwoude to explore and experience: The Future of Love – Evolutionary Integral Relationships to transform our “love lives” on a personal level and map a vision of where relationships will evolve for all humankind.

Guiding Inquiries

• ”In an evolving universe, and in our evolving lives, what is the future of love and relationship?
• ”As you evolve personally, how do you tap the great depth and fire locked inside each of your relationships?
• ”How do you turn your relationships into the ultimate spiritual practice?
• ”What startling insights and possibilities come alive for you when your relationships are seen through an Integral evolutionary context?
• ”How do your relationships””your friendships, romantic partnerships, organizational encounters, and spiritual connections””help raise your level of consciousness as an individual? And how do you help raise others?
• ”What is your totally unique way of being in relationship and what unique practices should you be doing to make your relationships even better?
• ”What do the great wisdom traditions reveal about the “second person of spirit”””and how do we move beyond myths of the traditions while living more of the meaning?

Workshop Marc Gafni
November 15th
Integral Leadership: Your Unique Gift.

Every human being has a particular set of gifts that they can offer in the world. What are your unique gifts? The nature of the gift, like the perspective held by every human being, is utterly unique. The ability to offer this gift freely in the world depends on our ability to free ourselves of limiting and false notions of who we are, and identify with our larger service. Some of our gifts are modest, private, and intimate ””some are larger than life and have dramatic impact in the public sphere. However, every Unique Gift arises and may be offered in all four quadrants. From a non-dual perspective, your unique gift creates your unique obligation. In the language of one teacher of Unique Self, Man’s deed is God’s need.

God needs your service. God, in the first, second, and third person, needs your service. To live your Unique Self and offer your Unique Gifts is to align yourself with the evolutionary impulse and fulfill your evolutionary obligation as a Lover.

Living as an Evolutionary Lover is the passionate path of the New Enlightenment. The way you make this path real and alive in your life is by identifying and giving your Unique Gifts. Buddhism teaches the Enlightenment of Emptiness. To do this you must dis-identify with you personality story. And this is fully half the story.

The second half of the story is the Enlightenment of Fullness. To realize the enlightenment of fullness you must fully inhabit, embody and Live Your Story.

There are four key steps in this process:

1. Evolve beyond exclusive identification with ego
2.  Take off the mask of your particular false self
3. Identify your Unique Gift
4. Begin to give your Unique Gift in the world