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December Salon
Dec 23, 2002
The Divine Child in America
Last month I talked about the role of the Founding Fathers and Mothers in transmitting to the Constitution of the United States, and the young nation itself, their mystical vision of freedom. In equating "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" among the "unalienable rights" with which all humanity was endowed by the Divine, as written in the Declaration of Independence, the Founders were making a statement about the transcendental nature of existence. On the practical, physical level, the Founders were certainly concerned with protecting property rights and not being unduly taxed. But by emphasizing the ultimate value of being free to pursue happiness, however that may be defined, they brought the country's reason for existing to a higher level, a level on which physical freedom and protection is essentially a jumping-off point for pursuit of the spiritual life.
Child of History
But let's get back to the Divine Child for a minute. Some of the world's best known religions share the tradition of a divine or semi-divine child possessed of superior knowledge, wisdom, and even physical abilities. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus being discovered by his parents at age 12 speaking with the wise men in the Temple of Jerusalem. "And all to whose ears it came were full of wonder at his knowledge and the answers that he gave" (Luke, 2:47). Wonder is an emotion that is often evoked by the Divine Child. Long before the time of Christ, a tradition had developed that when the Buddha was born in the foothills of the Himalayas, he immediately stood up, took seven paces to the north and declared, "I am the leader of the world, the guide of the world. This is my final birth."
The Divine Child and Father Christmas
Christmas and the whole holiday season is famous for being a time when many people fall into a deep depression. By now we're all familiar with most of the reasons for this, chief among them the high expectations, left over from our own childhood, of endless excitement, cheer, and lots of big presents under the tree. Add to that the pumped up holiday spirit injected into the atmosphere by merchants hoping to make up for a lousy year by getting us to believe that we can buy our way into feeling good. Except that for anybody who is remembering a lost loved one, or a lost love, or a childhood that didn't fit the all-American image, or just all the stress to be happy and cheery, dammit, the holidays can seem filled with unrelieved gloom.
A Spiritual Nation
A new poll of 44 nations just released by the Pew Global Attitudes Project has found that "the United States is the most religious of the world's wealthy nations, and that inclination for belief makes it more akin to poorer countries than to other industrial societies." The striking thing about this new poll is that it finds a general discrepancy between poor and wealthy nations when it comes to the level of importance its citizens place on religion in their lives. People living in most of the industrialized nations of the world, including France, Germany, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Japan, and South Korea, rate religion as not very important in their lives. In the U.S., about 60 percent of the population said that religion is "very important" in their lives, compared with about 33 percent in Canada and Great Britain, 11 percent in Czechoslovakia, and 12 percent in Japan. Those figures include all religions of course, such as Buddhism in Japan, or Christianity and Buddhism in South Korea. Even in heavily Catholic Italy, the rate is less than 30 percent.
Holiday Homework
Didn't you always hate it when your teachers gave you homework over the Christmas holidays? Sorry to have to disappoint you, but the truth about Mystery School is that it's always in session. So your assignment for the rest of this month is to observe your inner responses to all aspects of the holiday panorama as you encounter them. Are you feeling uplifted by the angels and Christmas trees and lights and department store Santas? Or are you fighting off your resentment at the superficiality of so much of the commercial aspects of the holidays? Can you look at a religious display and view it symbolically, whether or not it reflects your own religious tradition?
And so, to all of my beloved students and companions on the journey, here's wishing you a warm, happy, and fruitful holiday.
Love,
Caroline
To register for the Salon
The Miraval Retreat
Date/Time:
January 17-20, 2003
Description:
In January 2003, I will introduce the first of what will be an annual retreat program to be held at the Miraval Spa in Arizona (Catalina). The beginning of the year inspires so many people to want to engage in a fresh start -- to let go of old patterns and to introduce new dynamics for healthy lives and healthy relationships. Starting fresh is supported by body work and beauty treatments accompanied by a cleansing and revitalizing nutritional program. My goal in hosting a retreat in an exquisite health spa is to explore our creative intentions while nurturing our bodies. Miraval provides precisely the right atmosphere to accomplish this goal. It is the perfect location for a five-day program of creative interior and exterior relaxation that will address physical, emotional, and spiritual rejuvenation. Most of us find it so difficult to treat themselves to exquisite self-care, and yet this is precisely the gift that infuses us with the energy we need to handle a demanding life, regardless of whether the demands come from the business or personal world or both.
I have created a schedule that will facilitate both pleasure and inner work. We gather in the morning for three hours of intensive interaction, and the rest of the day and evening is set aside for relaxation and spa treatments. The setting is extremely peaceful and the spa is very small, which is why it is ideal for this kind of retreat. We will focus on a specific area of spiritual direction each day, as my intention is to lead participants through a directed cleansing of the mind, body, and spirit, closing the week with two days of creative exploration and planning for the year ahead.
My teachings will be drawn from the classic writings of renowned mystics and spiritual teachers, as well as from the work of contemporary teachers whose guidance will remain a valued tool for years to come. It is a pleasure for me to create this program because it allows me to step out of my usual workshop role in front of hundreds of people. In this more intimate setting, I will share experiences and profound teachings that are more suited to a peaceful atmosphere than to a large workshop setting. Exploring the interior work and healing guidance of mystics, saints, and spiritual teachers refreshes one's soul in a way that few things can. Absorbing their wisdom is like bathing in hope, inspiration, and faith. This is one of the most life-changing programs that I have been given the privilege to create. I extend a warm invitation to you to join me on this unique retreat.
Caroline
The Miraval Retreat
Sonia Choquette and Ron Roth Seminar
Start the year off right with the Sonia Choquette and Ron Roth Seminar! Don't miss this opportunity. These two authors will come together for the first time to share their healing perspectives on spirituality and balanced living.
Saturday, January 18, 9am-5pm
Transitions Learning Center
Transitions Bookclub Members $75/Non-Members $85
New Caroline Myss Workshop
Developing Your Self-Esteem Through Archetypes
Caroline Myss will discuss a completely unique process of self-discovery and spiritual archeology. Attend this workshop and receive a gift copy of Sacred Contracts.
Thursday, February 13, 7pm-10pm
Transitions Learning Center
Transitions Bookclub Members $79/Non-Members $89
Transitions Learning Center is located at:
1750 N Kingsbury
Chicago, IL 60614
For More Information Call 312.951.READ (7323)
Caroline Myss Wayne Dyer seminar on CD!
BRAND NEW!!! Two of the most widely-known and respected pioneers in the human potential movement collaborate on stage for the first time ever. Both Caroline and Wayne were received with such high praise at this sold out event. This seminar covers discovering our human energy range and how to gauge its effects on our health.
Set of 4 CD's
Caroline Myss Wayne Dyer Seminar
Caroline Myss Streaming Video (Atlanta 2002)
"Since audio web streams have been a huge hit, we at myss.com have taken it one step further.
This video web stream will knock your socks off!"
Live in Atlanta Ga.
As always, Caroline Myss is brilliant in making you think outside the box of your comfort zone. Her information has become so rich with experience that you will find it easier than ever to consider how you may apply her information to your life. This video will give you a taste of Caroline's humor and humanness as she teaches how powerful your life can become when you make conscious choices. Caroline has a way of teaching that we are not victims in our lives but rather are in the driver's seat by virtue of the choices we make. Fasten your seat belt, she is a guide to the fast lane of consciousness.
This Video Stream runs 6 hours. It is divided into 4 chapters.
Caroline Myss Streaming Video
