Author: Aerin Alexander

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Community Events

Mother Mountain, Father Sun – Our Retreat in Schweibenalp

Dear friends,

Miles and I just came back from teaching a six-day retreat in Switzerland, and it was not until I arrived to the Los Angeles airport that I realized how quiet my mind had been. At the customs line, there were a couple of ladies behind us wearing a turban in their heads, and they were asked several times for their passports. Two men were removed from the immigration line, just because their skin was darker and looked “suspicious”. Interesting enough, police didn’t question the white ones like me.

I crunched and held my breath confirming once again the racial discrimination in the US. And this thought felt like a sharp knife cutting through a field of yellow flowers and a rain of blessings that I had groomed while teaching in Switzerland. Before my arrival, my mind was quiet, entertained by the poignancy of the present moment, admiring nature and catching up with trains, taxis and planes.

Experiencing inner calm and peace for a week became so “normal” that only after being removed from that state brought me the self-awareness of it. Isn’t that funny? I guess I needed darkness to see the light that I already had inside. It made me think of when my teacher said that one only becomes cognizant of having been in inner silence after the silence is over. There is no self-reflection in inner silence—we are simply IN the state.

Our retreat took place in the dreamlike mountains of the beautiful city of Brienz, on the Bernese Overland region of Switzerland. The village, on hour and half from Zurich airport, is surrounded by turquoise large lakes and the Brienzer Rothorn mountains.

Maurice, who had been dreaming this event with us the entire year, drove us from Zurich to Brienz and we couldn’t stop gazing at nature with our noses glued to the windows. The quality of the sunlight shining through the orange and reddish autumn leaves took our breath away. We saw a few boats as if pained in the background of turquoise and deep blue lakes. The outstanding beauty of the snow painting the peaks and the freshest wet and clean air made us feel as if in a dream.  Then, we arrived to another dream, that of Schweibenalp.

The Schweibenalp Center for Unity was founded in 1982 by Sundar Robert Dreyfus, Fredy Aly and Silvia Bollag, upon guidance from the Indian teacher Sri Haidakhan Baba. It is a place where traditional religions and cultures meet a new religion of the heart; founded as a place for multicultural community on the way to the realization of Truth, Simplicity, Love and the experience of Unity.

The center has a powerful venue built is an octagon, with large windows where we could watch deer coming while practicing energy passes. The wood floors and the natural sunlight accompanied us throughout the week in our quest to find our real selves.

We walked to the forest mountain stream in the early morning, among the fresh foggy air, and ate delicious meals between our sessions. Truly, organic, vegetarian and CLEAN! Swiss perfect and clean kitchen that made me feel at home.

I was moved by the sincere and honest welcome of Sundar, Schweibenalp’s founder and his staff. They walk their talk and practice daily the returning to the heart!. Sundar took us on a walk around the property and shared about a very auspicious finding just before our arrival. In their property they found three trees of different species living together, joined into a common base tree trunk. They saw it as an omen and a symbolic expression of their vision.

Highlights from the six-day retreat:

  • Sundar also invited us at 7:00 am on a rainy day to a full Fire Ceremony, to thank mother earth and to ask for the removal of obstacles in our dreaming
  • An amazing 3-hour hike in the mountains towards a green alpine lake, hiding between granite peaks and high forest terrain

And, the long recapitulation-witnessing exercises that gave us the time and depth to liberate our hearts and brought clarity and sobriety to our minds

Ah, wait, something important. For our entire days we explored, experienced and worked with the “four natural enemies” of man described by Carlos Castaneda: fear, clarity, power and old age! Below find some feedback form the participants.

It was so good that we are coming back to Schweibenalp on October 26-29, 2017!

With gratitude and love,

Aerin Alexander

Here is what the retreat participants said:

“Everything about the Schweibenalp retreat was a joy–the energy movements, especially with music, the mountain setting, the delicious food and the energy of the place, a place dedicated to mindfulness and the unity of all seekers.  However, for me personally the very best part was the deep exploration into places where each of us has vital energy stuck in the memory of an event.  I cannot describe how powerful it was when my group of three, each willing to be honest and open, really listened to each other, without judgment or criticism, just being present and reinforcing the wisdom that each of us already carries within.  Thanks so much to Miles, Aerin and all the participants!” – Tom Reavley, USA.

“What a pleasure it was to see you guys, to spend such an amazing week together and to get to know Axel! I so enjoyed it all even though it was also a very deep and intense experience to go through the recapitulation sessions. I will be processing it for a while! Heartfelt thanks for your energy and excellence” – Ena Xena, England.

“Now that few days has passed, I can examine with more clarity what happened during our “energy boot camp” in Scheweibenalp retreat.

1) Schweibenalp is truly a place of power. I never felt such a harmonious, nourishing and gentle energy and if you’re looking for a boost for your transformation process, it’s the place for you. Seems like it’s almost impossible to act like an asshole there. Almost.  And the food was truly great and so was hiking in the Alps and that lake…my god…never seen such a beauty.

2) We did some serious energy work during those six days. We examined and recapitulated four enemies of man: fear, clarity, power and old age and did some other interesting stuff. All those exercises were truly powerful. At the end of day, you were just exhausted, but it was a good exhaustion, because you felt you did something very, very important to yourself.

3) But most of all, it was a BE family meeting. It was truly a pleasure to see you in flesh, chat with you, crack jokes with you, listen to your stories, have a lunch with you. I’m deeply grateful for that and I will keep it in my heart. We are a band of brothers and sisters because we share the same trenches, the same battles. The seed of freedom is firmly planted into ourselves and there’s no escape, so we move on, following Intent with open hearts. Thank you all who were there in flesh and in Spirit” .- Sami Penaman, Finland.

“Dear Aerin and Miles, you really hooked me with your program. I enjoyed these six days with you very much and I already set the intend to be there next year again. Thank you for the wonderful pictures.

I’ve done many retreats and workshops of various kinds and most of the times I couldn’t get the experience back in daily life. But I’m really confident that this time it will work. If it’s interesting for you, I will write some more in a couple of weeks. Really daily life will begin tomorrow for me again. I’ve also decided to join your upcoming Path with Heart Class in December. So, I’m looking forward to see you there again. Love” – Andreas, Germany.

“The six-days retreat in Schweibenalp was extremely interesting and very well organized, sharing body movements and witnessing exercises allowing us to, as you say, update old beliefs and misinterpretations…The group was extremely open minded and respectful and it was a great pleasure for me to have participated in this workshop. I thank Miles for his very attentive and kind listening during private consultation. In fact his suggestions how to see our lives in a positive manner were very much appreciated.

I would not forget to congratulate Maurice for the tremendous work he has done in order to make every thing perfect. His kind “omnipresence” was very much appreciated by all the group. And I will either not forget you Aerin for what you have done, showing perfectly exercises, giving explanations and being attentive to each of us. With my warm and kindest regards.” – Zina, Switzerland.

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Community

Congratulations Valery! A New Life in the World

A new life in the world! One of our wonderful BE teachers has just brought a daughter into the world. Elizabeth was born at the end of November. Mom Valery writes:

I had a wonderful 9 months of pregnancy and gave birth on November 28th, 2015, t o a lovely girl, Elizabeth. My practice of Being Energy was very important throughout my pregnancy. Every Friday in Moscow for 9 months, I practiced together with a group. The practice and support of my group members helped me to feel healthy, gave me strength to engage in professional activities during my pregnancy, and helped me lead an active life and even go swimming. The birth of my daughter, too, was amazing–light and full of positive emotions.

I’d like to thank Valentine, Kate Paul, Masha, Cyril, Marina Julia, Andrew Olga and Arina for the support, love and warmth during this period of my life. Aerin, I want to tell you thank you very much for your attention to my challenges and advice.
I wish all the new dreams and discoveries.
With love,
Valery M.

Categories
Community

GONGS: Creating Balance, Health and Harmony with Sounds

We are beings of energy, and we are vibrational Beings. Because we are energy, we vibrate. Everything in the Universe is vibrating, moving all of the time. This motion generates frequencies, which become sounds.

A sound, vibration or frequency can be harmonizing for us, or can create disharmony, leading to physical and mental dis-ease. Conversely, a vibration that has a certain resonance can spark a fundamental balance in our being, affecting powerful healing for our bodies, minds and emotions.

Enter gong healing. We’ll be featuring this transformational and time-tested healing experience during our October workshop weekend in Amsterdam. We think you’ll all love the feeling of harmony and Inner Silence that the gongs so immediately activate.

Gongs have been made and used by people from a variety of cultures for many centuries, dating back to at least the Bronze Age. Yet their demonstrated ability to create a sense of peace has never been more needed. We are bombarded by all manner of vibrations in our modern lives. The sound frequency of the gongs can help us feel more harmonious, and balance the experience of energetic chaos that puts roadblocks in the way of our true energy shining forth.

The ripples of sound from gongs that are played with intention bathe your body in waves of balancing vibration. You can think of it as a sound massage that has a positive impact at the cellular and even molecular levels. The effect can be both subtle and dramatic.

The vibration of the gong creates a bridge to connect to your energy being. It penetrates to the subtlest levels of our physiology. We could compare the effect of gongs to the flow of energy crossing the assemblage point and illuminating a segment of fibers.

Christof Bernhard, the gong master who will be with us in Amsterdam, says that, “Every sound we encounter is a painting, a painting created by vibrations of varying complexity. These paintings act on our bodies, minds and emotions.”
Every sound has an effect on us. The sounds that gongs create resonate in a very positive way. We can use the sound of Gongs to dissolve blockages that prevent our full expression.

Categories
Tools and Tips

Boost Your Immunity in ONE Simple Step!

Imagery for Immunity

Research shows that our thoughts and feelings impact our physicality, from increased cortisol levels when we’re stressed to lowered immunity if we’re feeling depressed. Most of the time, we don’t consciously direct our thoughts for the benefit of our health, but we do have the power to do just that.

Visualization is a practical tool we can use at any time to deliberately and positively influence our immune system. When we say “visualization,” we really mean much more than seeing with internal eyes. Some of us are not visually oriented, and may not connect to the idea of seeing images with our eyes closed. Instead, let’s think of visualization as image-feeling. The feeling, whether we can cognize images or not, is really what we’re after. The emotion is what has the greatest influence on our health. (For more on that, see Dr. Reid’s blog post: The Power of Words.)

For example, visualize a tree. If you can’t see the trunk, branches, etc. in your mind’s eye, then cognize the feeling of a tree. In either case, when we imagine a tree, there is a feeling that we likely associate with concept of tree. This is what we mean here by visualization. So even if you can’t see that tree, you can still use visualization techniques for your benefit.

How does visualization impact us physically? It becomes part of the chemical conversation going on in our body, creating a blueprint that influences our neuro- and immunotransmitters.

From our earliest moments of life, the brain and immune system are engaged in a constant dialogue. Each influences the other by means of chemical messengers. In fact, the immune system has neurotransmitter receptor sites in white blood cells, lymph nodes and elsewhere, and the brain has receptor sites for immunotransmitters called cytokines.

Three important cytokines are:

  • Interferons
  • Interleukins
  • Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)

Examples of neurotransmitters include:

  • Seratonin
  • Norepinephrine
  • Dopamine

Neurotransmitters circulate throughout the body with specific immune system receptor sites, as mentioned. Emotions impact neurotransmitters and thus affect immunity specifically, and our health generally.

The immune system responds to messages from the brain formed by images or emotions. We can deliberately create mental images or encourage emotions to impact our immune systems in a positive way. Instead of letting our unconscious thoughts steer our health, we can consciously direct thoughts and feelings for greater energy and vitality.

You can use visualization in any moment to influence your experience, or you can use guided visualization for a different and often deeper effect. One of the simplest approaches is to use a counterbalancing visualization. Let’s say, for example, that you feel nervous—you can imagine yourself being calm and strong. Or maybe you feel tired—consciously imagine yourself being active, feeling what it feels like to have more energy. If you’re cold, you can imagine sitting in the sun on a tropical beach, or if you have high blood pressure, you can visualize your blood pressure going down.

If a person is dealing with cancer and thinks “I’m doomed,” it certainly doesn’t help the immune system. Indeed, fear may be the most weakening emotion for immunity.

If we let negative thoughts run unchecked, they can weaken us, versus consciously visualizing life and vitality. We can use the tool of directed visualization on the spur of the moment when there is a need or when we notice an unhelpful thought.

We can also use guided imagery to potent effect. Being Energy, our educational program on health on vitality, recently released the CD Into Your Heart, a guided visualization from Dr. Reid.

The visualization is designed to help you regulate the flow of your hormones and neurotransmitters in a way that reduces stress in your body and increases happiness. Dr. Reid guides you to opening yourself to the energy of your heart, to heal emotional hurts and find out what really matters to you.

Available for purchase from the Being Energy online store, it’s a tool that you can turn to again and again. Listen to a sample:

Dr. Reid also created a wonderful CD entitled Guided Explorations to Our Internal Organs, which is also available from the Being Energy online store.

In addition, you can try this guided visualization, or “recapitulation” for resolving past hurts. It guides you to evoking the feeling of safety and nourishment that one experiences in the mother’s womb for greater energy and vitality in daily life: Remember that you can use visualization to benefit your life any time you like, whether it’s a quick image that you form in your mind to help you manage a situation, or whether you sit down.

Categories
Community

Change, Release and Free Your Story

Dear Community,

Below, Tom Reavley, a Being Energy® teacher from US is sharing his experience teaching this work and facing his fears. Enjoy it! – Aerin

“As a BE teacher, I often have to face all of my fears and insecurities when I begin to plan a class. I find myself asking: Who am I to be offering instruction to others in something so elusive and difficult to talk about as turning the wheel of time? How do we create a pause in the seemingly unceasing repetition of our own stories? How can I honestly stand before others when I really don’t understand anything myself?

Carlos Castaneda used to say that no one “understands” anything. A real understanding would require going behind or beyond the assumptions on which all attempts at understanding are based—something that we can never do because at the base of everything is pure mystery, the unknowable. It’s like the child who responds to every step of an adult’s explanation with “Why?” until finally his parent has to tell him that there is no “why” for some questions. However, even without understanding anything, we can handle and enjoy life and the world perfectly well; we can function wonderfully.

When I guide Being Energy classes or teach it to others, my only option is to suspend my own story—which includes plenty of self doubts about handling something that can’t be reduced to logic or reason—and let the spirit channel through me, even if only for a while. Under the pressure of my commitment to present something, I have to relax at some point and let ideas flow—what to emphasize, how to express it, what sequences of movements to do—and then connect to the energetic feeling that the movements and practices create. This is especially true when presenting the Code or guiding a recapitulation session. It is a complete mystery why the movements of the Code silence the mind, but I do experience that silence and I feel it as a direct connection between me and those who I am guiding, even when we are on different parts of the globe, communicating by Internet but also through our energetic link.

Recapitulating in a group is even more mysterious. If each one of us is reviewing his own distinct life experiences, what is the value of pursuing this as a group or class activity? For one thing, we are conditioned to the discipline of a schedule and an agreement to meet together, so the class format helps us take that initial step—just do it! Beyond this practical advantage, the group format helps create and reinforce a certain mood—of silence, of courage and determination to face ourselves without judgment. The suspending of judgment also applies to the act of recapitulation itself. Even when nothing comes to us as an experience worthy of recapitulation, we accept this without self-criticism and with a mood of curiosity and wonder. Even the most seemingly mundane experience we happen to remember can lead to discovery and self-knowledge.

The challenge of integrating our innermost core, the essence of our being, with our behavior and choices is not a goal against which we judge ourselves as winners or losers. It is a path, a process that continues throughout our lives. Everyone has doubts, and each of us loses the feeling of fluid energy and silence over and over. However, if we have tasted this energy and silence, we know how to find it and keep coming back, trying to go deeper and maintain this position longer.
By deciding to teach, you are committing yourself. You are choosing to put yourself on the line and rally your energy each time you lead others, even though you have no guarantees that you will succeed. When a class approaches and you feel lost, the commitment comes to your aid. It focuses your attention and activates your intent so that you can genuinely connect to the inexhaustible source of life and creativity. You stand before others not knowing exactly what you will say, but with a feeling of certainty that expresses itself in your voice, your eyes and your movements. And in that moment you have changed your story—you are someone or something else, an expression of the infinite.

What a great gift is this opportunity to share beauty of spirit with others!” – Tom

Categories
Tools and Tips

Energy Redeployment: More Energy! Reclaiming Your Vitality through Movement

During our apprenticeship, Carlos Castaneda emphasized practicing sequences of movements to regain focus and alertness.

“When paying attention, not only to what movement comes next in the sequence, but even more importantly to ‘how’ you are practicing each movement,” he said during a class break, “you align your mind and body, working in unison with a clear purpose. That is what don Juan called energy redeployment— bringing back one’s energy flow to the center of the mind-body unit.”

It was a hot, dry summer evening in LA; my mind was meandering and inner thoughts jumping while I watched myself performing movements in the mirror, trying to not mess up the sequence. For several months, I had followed the practice of not watching myself in the mirror, even when brushing my teeth or applying facial lotion. It was Castaneda’s suggestion, and I found it very liberating. Looking at myself in the mirror had become torture—I couldn’t stop judging myself. However, in the yoga studio in Santa Monica were Castaneda used to teach his classes, there was a long mirror and it was difficult to avoid watching myself as I practiced and getting lost in thoughts such as, “I am good at this move,” or “Oh, I can’t get this move like he is doing it”—an endless comparison.

“Energy redeployment is required to meet It,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. “LO Infinito,” he added, with piercing eyes looking towards me. A shiver ran through my sweaty spine.

He went on to say that seers of his lineage described “Infinity” as a field of infinite energy where we can expand and evolve as beings of awareness. Infinity, the universe or source, as named by other traditions, is where our lives originate, and where we return after our journey of awareness on earth has ended.

Castaneda came closer and almost whispered in my ear, “redeployment of energy beings about your energy body.” I didn’t understand it and felt a bit spooked by the idea of another body that resembles me, but is not really me.

He then continued telling the rest of the class that there are caches of energy that exist within the self. Don Juan told him that these caches are composed of energy that originates in the body itself and becomes displaced, pushed out of reach by the circumstances—the wear and tear—of daily life. In this sense, the practice of movement sequences with focus, precision and alertness, gives us a means for redeploying our unused energy.

“In the alignment of mind and movement, pay attention to your breath,” he said to all. “That is when Spiritwhispers you.”

In Being Energy’s upcoming workshop in Amsterdam, we will practice the same movement sequences that Carlos Castaneda taught to me (Aerin Alexander) and Miles Reid. Redeploy your energy to bring daring and purpose to your actions and allow the Spirit to speak through you.