Daniel Pinchbeck Interviewed on Colbert Report (2006)

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An entertaining interview on the Colbert Report with a modern Shaman, Daniel Pinchbeck.

I'm impressed at the amount of info he gets through while challenging stereotypes about shamanism. Still, Colbert’s classic whimsy is priceless.

Note, this is from 2006. Since then, interest continues to grow in the mainstream. 

8 Manifestation Tips Via Miklautsch's "Inner Voice" Method

I took part in an intensive retreat that combined Kabalah, Alchemy, and other mystical traditions at Villa Gaia a while back. The focus of the retreat was visualizations to help activate and manifest positive thoughts. In keeping with what some call the “Laws of Attraction,” “The Inner Voice” was a refreshing departure from hyperbolic, infomercial-driven approaches to manifestation a la brands like "The Secret." At worst, it brought a greater awareness to the process of how thoughts become reality, at best it contributed to improving my life in certain areas.

International spiritual advisor and conflict-resolution expert, Patricia Miklautsch, led the group through a number of visualization "journeys" and empowerment techniques like embodying and integrating the elements (earth, fire, air, water), and simple, practical observations like how time is spent on a day-to-day basis as clues to what stops us from making our dreams a reality.

We followed up with a couple of meetings that aimed to put into practice what was shared at the retreat.  At the time, each of us went round-robin with our visualizations and received support and feedback from the collective. Here are some manifestation pointers from my impressions of the follow-up meetings:

1. Being there is everything. One common misconception about visualization is that you ask for something as if you don’t already have it. Try to support a perception shift, by employing a visual as if it is already in effect. “Be in the moment of having it happen,” instructed Miklautsch.
2. Visualizations benefit from a natural state of harmony. If experiencing fear, phobia or doubt, clear the mind by redirecting concentration on the details and results of what's to be visualized. The fear on its own can become a source of negative attraction.
3. Note how your body reacts. Relish the moment in which you are creating the vision, be present to your body’s sensations and note your reactions to them: are you experiencing joy? duress? physical pain?
4. Be as clear and simple as possible. Specificity in the mental visualization itself, down to the last detail of your surroundings and the sensations felt, helps with realization. Put a finger on what you would like to happen. 
5. Avoid asking for dollars. Rather than asking for money, ask for abundant resources to support the vision—consider what money can provide instead of asking for hard cash.
6. Don’t get carried away by the story behind the vision. This can dilute the energy of what you are trying to achieve. Focus on the fundamentals of what you see rather than the logistics.
7. Keep developing your vision. Often, once a visualization becomes more clearly defined, it will shift and refine itself. A written log containing revisions of the manifestation in progress is an important part of the process.
8. Put service first. Finally, I experience that those visions linked to service and support of humanity tend to have stronger momentum and provide greater long-term rewards. Some masters believe that service-oriented visualizations can improve longevity, and repair “bad karma” which may have built up over generations.      

Patricia is currently in the process of establishing a silent retreat center in Bali. To contact Patricia, go here. For more information about the Inner Voice, read an article about the retreat:

Punnu Wasu and Indian Chant

 From my article about Punnu Wasu:

At an all-day workshop at the Yoga Barn, Bali , Punnu Wasu shared his extensive knowledge of Kirtan’s historic development, educated guests about related Hindu and Sikh devotional practices, shared stories behind the principal gods and goddesses honored, and discussed the benefits of chanting mantras in groups.  

‘Kirtan’ means ‘praise’ or ‘eulogy’, and is a traditional practice for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. It involves the chanting of powerful ancient ‘mantras’ (translated as ‘instruments of thought’), and has dramatically grown in world popularity since it was brought to the West in 1923, Punnu shared.

The typical Kirtan performance can involve theatrical storytelling, call and response song, and musical accompaniment. The aim is to create a state of “self-surrender,” to raise a participant’s level of awareness and connection to divine energy, Punnu said. “Our goal is to be highly elevated; we understand when we are fully awakened.”

Chanting hymns, clapping hands, closing the eyes, and repetition of mantras intently supports a Kirtan singer through mental concentration, alignment with breath and synching with rhythm, and this process can send a participant into a natural state of bliss.  “When the group is in synch, Kirtan is enhanced and the atmosphere becomes charged with spiritual energy,” said Punnu.

Punnu fondly recalled the unforgettable experience of chanting at the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar as an illustration of how centuries of non-stop devotional chant in one place can create a significant charge of positive sacred energy, “As you enter the Temple, you can feel the vibration is so great. Every cell in our body is vibrating—everything in theuniverse is nothing but sound.”

Repeatedly praising and invoking divine beings such as certain Hindu gods and goddesses enhances this vibration, according to Punnu. In these supercharged environments prayer, healing, initiation, and a stronger sense of self are more effectively developed and cultivated, he believes.  

Punnu closed the day by explaining the meaning and use of various mantras which are even today recited in the ancient language of Sanskrit. He also shared a few of his favorite hymns and mantras devoted to Hindu deities and shared the stories behind them.  

Punnu will be performing at the Yoga Barn in Ubud this Sunday, May 13^th at 730 p.m.

“Every person has all the possibilities of becoming a Buddha. We are nothing but gods; the only thing is we have to deal with so many layers of beliefs, concepts, practices in front of us. The goal is spiritual ripening.” ~ Punnu Wasu  

About Punnu Wasu:

Musician, spiritual scholar and recording artist, Punnu Wasu has over 35 years of experience in the devotional chant traditions of Kirtan and Bhajans. Born in Hyderabad, India and a devout follower of the Sikh faith, Punnu has been a fixture at the BaliSpirit Festival and regularly performs Kirtan and Bhajans at The Yoga Barn with his beloved partner, Harmony. He led his first workshop in May, 2012.

The Active-Observation (A-O) Principal

Art by Jerome Van Valkenburg

 What is “active-observation”? the Taoists might call it “Wu-Wei: effortless effort, and Quantum theorists might call it the “Observer Effect.” This is when you can step out of the automatic, passive or reactive experiences of life and bring in greater awareness and intention to enhance the experiences of observation and action.

I believe pretty much every aspect of life boils down to an action or an observation. If you “observe” your daily routines, they can be divided into actions/reactions or activities that are observed and recorded.

One involves outward expression that interacts with the physical world, the other involves receiving and inwardly processing info much like an antenna.(While receiving can be an act in itself, it can be done passively—so observation can also be viewed as a passive action).

Adding the element of conscious awareness to either of these two experiences transforms and enhances each one and provides a marble-colored layer of “active-observation” to the mix.

HUMAN AUTOMATONS?

If ‘passively observing’ as we go through life, it can feel like living alongside a conveyer belt, where all sensation becomes attuned to automated and narrowly focused stimulation—It could be tantamount to apathetic mechanistic living or a blind acceptance of whatever comes and goes in front of you.

Similarly, passive action—or action without the added ingredient of active-observation resembles the experience of being the conveyor belt or being on it. Many of our basic survival functions are passive actions, and that’s a good thing. But in these cases we are either preprogrammed to act in a certain way to fit a protocol, or we may be following the brain’s orders out of habit. Like passively observing, the defining feature is the same: a limited cause-effect experience of life. 

When reacting passively, it’s similar, except that the reaction may be an automatic emotional response traced to a wound. New and old hurts, resentments, and negative sensations (and a craving for thrills that get in their way) are a recipe for reactiveness. And in the case of passive reaction, a habitual association with emotions may interfere with life and develop into an addiction as we become dependent on ego-driven feelings giving the orders. 

ACTIVE-OBSERVATION and a MORE INTEGRATED LIFE

Active-observation could be one key to meditation. Indeed it could be the act of bringing a meditative mindset into any interaction with the world. The result is to move beyond survival, reaction and automation and into the realms of creativity, play, inspiration, spontaneity, and healthy natural being. Where the experience of whatever we are doing carries a natural flow of feedback between observer and observed and between actor and action.

Someone who is experienced at active-observation, may develop and refine these skills so they provide the basis for an integrated-existence. Here, a person becomes so familiar with their own unique place as an agent of constructive interplay with conscious observation and action that the two merge and synch guided by an intent of creating more sustainable access to active-observation. Perhaps this integrated state might even begin to wire a person to develop higher brain functions and bring forth Lao Tzu's state of "valuable, necessary, and long lasting service."

The Hindu’s believe that one ideal of life is to experience Satchidananda, or to break out of the action-reaction cycle of karma and live-out our true nature. Could they have considered “active-observation” and integrated-existence as ways of unlocking our highest potential on this path?  

Gaining an awareness of life's essential unity and learning to cooperate with its natural flow and order enables people to attain a state of being that is both fully free and independent and at the same time fully connected to the life flow of the Universe - being at one with the Tao. From the Taoist viewpoint this represents the ultimate stage of human existence. ~ Ted Kardesh