Five Shadows Slowing Down the Great Shift

Anyaa and I just spent an amazing two days with mystic and spiritual teacher Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope, one of my favorite books this year. 

Andrew is one of those teachers who is not all light and love. Don't get me wrong, he is light and love, but he's also a no-bullshit kind of teacher who understands, like Ken Wilber, that true transformation doesn't happen through new age platitudes like The Secret, avoiding negative thoughts, and not facing one's fears. Andrew takes people apart so they can be put back together again with new perspectives and awareness by being "in your face, disturbing you, terrifying you, until you radically awaken to who and what you really are." David Deida is also one of those teachers. Andrew is simply one of the most authentic teachers around.

Wait for the video to load or visit  http://youtu.be/SgK_pywP-84

Andrew believes, and Anyaa and I agree with him, that everything is collapsing; That we have passed the point where what passes for civilization can be "fixed." It's too far gone. He also believes that the whole concept of collapse is a necessary event for the new human to be born, for humanity to move to the next level, a more evolved human. I've shared this belief for a long time, and history shows us how major shifts in consciousness take place, and it ain't by wishful thinking. It happens by getting down in the muck and doing the work, and we're about to see a lot of muck, in ways that we can't even begin to imagine.

Harvey talks about the Five Shadows of Collapse, shadows we need to face and come to terms with, or we're just spiritually masturbating to make ourselves feel good and dull us out through light polarization and Spiritual Puffery.

The first Shadow is disbelief of the immensity of what is happening on the planet and how bad it will be, perhaps even beyond our comprehension to understand. All true change comes from standing in the fire, not from feel-good pats on the back or the saccharin "sweet path of stress reduction and egoic comfort."

The second shadow is Denial: The more ugly things get, the more I deny what I see and feel can be real. My denial allows me to detach from the suffering of others because it's not touching me....yet.

That leads us the the third Shadow: Dread. Immense dread. You cannot believe in "the oneness of all" and ignore what is already happening to millions of others. Collapse isn't a future event for 4 billion people on the planet. it's already happening, and it reveals the true nature of humans: all of us. We've ignored the warnings of 50 years and we've chosen  to ignore them. It's all of our responsibility, and we've done it because of the dread we feel about losing our comfortable lifestyles.

The fourth shadow then becomes Radical Disillusion with human nature: The systemic explosion of horror on every level. We are profoundly paralyzed by our own lack of substance. We've almost run out of fantasy and our schizophrenia has turned into psychosis. A mysticism that doesn't embrace the darkside of God is not real, and it's not sustainable.

The fifth shadow is the Death Wish - collectively and individually. The desire not to be here at all. I've heard over and over from people that id things get as bad as I think they'll get, that they don't want to be here at all. They'll just kill themselves. Collectively, we're already committing suicide, and individually we've each contributed - by our lifestyles, our belief in infinite growth on a finite planet, and our total consumptive mindsets. We have to own that we are doing this.We don't realize how our inner suicide claims our lives, and that we need to befriend that inner suicide.

Once we face and own our shadows around collapse, there are five things we must do to navigate these times so that the new human can be birthed :

1) Get real. Get out of denial and do what you must to transform; 

2) Develop practices and shadow work to help you cope; 

3) Be of service to ALL sentient beings; 

4) Think Globally, act local; 

5) make your vote, your expenditures, and energy congruent with the new birth.

Don't wait. Start now, There's not a lot of time. 

Thank you, Andrew, for your powerful teachings.

See the rest of Andrew's videos in this series at http://www.andrewharvey.net/sa_videos3.php

Sometimes I wish I'd Swallowed the Blue Pill....

Those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time know what my long-time perspective is on what's happening on the planet. I've not been shy about making my views on "collapse" known for several years, and a quick review of those blogs will show that I've apparently been listening to the right people.

Starting in mid-2007 with this blog, I began to wake up about the geopolitical realities that had already begun shaping the world we inhabit. In October of that same year, quite by accident, my world view on where we were headed shifted, again, into a deeper understanding about the "perfect storm" of the "Three E's:" - Environment, Economics, and Energy. That shift resulted in posting this blog about Peak Oil.

There were more articles, here, here,  here, and here, just to point out a few.

Okay, so I could see what was happening as far back as 2007, have written about it a lot, and have been shown to have pretty much nailed it. I wasn't ahead of the curve, I was at the back end of the leading edge, but that put me ahead of about 99% of the population.

This is the Red Pill from The Matrix. Once you go down the rabbit hole, you have to go ALL the way down, embracing the sometimes painful truth of reality. There is no unlearning what you've discovered...unless you take the Blue Pill of blissful ignorance of illusion and go back to sleep with no knowledge that anything is wrong.

Why do I sometimes wish I'd taken the Blue Pill? Because it would have been so much easier. The community we live in and some of our friends and family wouldn't think of us as "whacked-out end-of-worlders" (a term we've never used).

Last night, we watched an amazing video of Chris Hedges calling everything out, no bullshit, no pulling punches. Chris is an author and was a war correspondent for the NY Times until he got fired for speaking out against the Iraq war. In this powerful video, he offers a poignant and insightful analysis of the psychopathology of American society/culture; and how this "dystopian society" systematically drives its citizens to despair, disillusionment, and ultimate insanity. 

Chris Hedges: The Psychological Death of the West - Full Speech

Welcome to the Red Pill.

This is why Sacred Activism is the ultimate path of the Integral Warrior. Third stage Masculine ("Yellow," second tier consciousness in Integral terms) is no longer searching for freedom, but embodies freedom in their very being. The third stage man IS freedom, and third stage man cannot abide by any kind of tyranny (todays Fascism in the US) that constricts that freedom towards a man's highest purpose. This tyranny is the marriage of corporatism and government that rules the US today. This marriage results in corporate "terminators" who value nothing but profit, greed, and power, and third stage masculine, and all conscious beings, have a moral imperative to resist, no matter what the cost.

From the opening lines of my book, Awakening the New Masculine: 

It is clearly time for men to wake up. Just a little over one decade into the 21^st Century,  finding ourselves in the biggest struggle of our existence - a struggle where the outcome is still unknown - It is time for men to stop acting like little boys.

No longer faced with mere territorial struggles, the consequences humankind faces today are global, and we are faced with the very real possibility of our own demise as a species. To be sure, these are issues of patriarchal power and the light and the dark forces on the planet facing off against one another. It is the oldest story on the planet. It's time for the patriarch to be disassembled and for its sons to grow up.

Never before in human history has humankind been this close to a global psycho-social and spiritual awakening. At the same time, never have we been in such danger of being swept into a global totalitarianism, potentially more oppressive than any system known before. Technology, at the hands of little boys pretending to be men, has led us to this new geopolitical reality.

Never before have we been called to wake up on the scale that is required today.

Don't talk to me, I need to keep a positive attitude...

In her book, Sacred Demise, Carolyn Baker frequently receives emails that say something like, "I'm unsubscribing from your email list because your website is filled with negativity and I need to stay positive." Carolyn describes this perspective as "righteous," or a false sense of doing the right thing. The problem with a (self) righteous attitude is that it leads to detachment from reality. It's a "new agey" way of keeping a positive attitude so we never have to feel badly about what's actually happening. They're actually saying that it's someone else's problem (reality), not theirs.

I know just what she means, because I see it all the time and from people that I'd least suspect it from. I've been shocked and disappointed that it comes from people who are awake on so many other levels.  The addiction to a "positive attitude" in the face of the end of the world as we know it is beyond irrational. It is a uniquely human-centric obsession. I mean, what delusional person would argue that we're not killing the planet?

This disconnect and closed thinking often shows up for me with the words, "please don't share this with me...I don't want to hear it. I believe we create our own reality." For me, this is like ignoring abuse in a dysfunctional family and we and the planet are the family. We humans have been ungracious guests on this planet the moment we disowned our indigenous roots, and from that moment on, "civilization" has been trying to rid itself of the indigenous heart inherent in all of us.

As a culture, we're in extreme denial. We don't believe, it's not a problem, someone will fix it, or it's useless and we've given up..

Carolyn Baker points out that what "all forms of positive thinking about collapse come down to is our own fear of death." I've got bad news for some of you: We're all going to die. This doesn't mean that we can't plan for a good outcome, or that we can't sometimes effect the outcome, but the truth is, we can't always, and how we react to what is happening is really the only thing we have control over. The phrase "I believe we create our own reality" is the ultimate conceit and narcissism.

Not too long ago in meeting I was in, we were hashing out some issues around sustainability and possible collapse and one person was very uncomfortable talking about the whole subject and he uttered the words ""I believe we create our own reality, and what we think, we create."  Seeing how disturbed he was, I asked him, "then why are you at this meeting? Did you create this reality with your negative thinking?" This is, unfortunately, all related to magical thinking much like the movie The Secret. Sometimes shit happens. We desperately need to come to terms with and accept the limits of our general powerlessness. Once we can accept this emerging reality, we are empowered and no longer need to resist.

It's not my intention to make others wrong. They are entitled to believe what they want. But when people hold rigid beliefs in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it truly becomes a pattern of denial. It's essential that we stay present with what's going on in the world and stay available emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. Our survival may depend on it. Anything else is just checking out, and that is not being conscious.

Get the book Sacred Demise. It is a gift to us all.

"Collapse" is already happening, and it's speeding up.

What is it, if anything, you need to do to prepare for the changes it will bring to our lives? How will you thrive?

Here are some of the things going on in the world just from today's headlines (Mostly NOT in the Lame Stream media) that are going to drastically affect how you live and who you are.

• Japan's death agony continues  (Collapsenet.com) Typhoon Roke will pass right over Fukushima - 1 Million may evacuate.
• TEPCO says up to 500 tons of groundwater already flowing into Fukushima Power Plant (japantoday.com)
• China cannot save Europe when it's defaulting on it's own debt (Forbes)
• China Pulls The Rug From Under Europe, Halts French Bank Transactions, Makes Good On Trade War Ultimatum (ZeroHedge.com)
• Saudi King heralds the dawn of the new World Order (Yahoo Business)
• The new most dangerous cities in America (BusinessInsider.com) There are 25 of them....
• Eurozone crisis coukld push Britain back over the edge (independent.co.uk)
• There will be peak oil (Acklett's Energy Mix)
• Palestine: The move to vote on statehood begins Friday. I'm trying hard to imagine an outcome that won't trigger war or uprising. Pres. Obama has said the US will veto statehood (haaretz.com)
• Europe's Central banks load up on Gold (theglobeandmail.com)
•  Global energy use to jump 53% (CNN) The question is, how?
• The corporate bank run has begun (zerohedge.com)
• Mayor Bloomberg says world social unrest will hit America's streets (bbc.co.uk)

I could go on and on. The point here is not to be negative, but to be aware of what's happening on the planet. I'm not negative, but I am alarmed (as if that were an inappropriate reaction, and is a much better place than denial). Few of us are eager to contemplate, let alone truly face, these looming changes. Just the threat of losing chunks of the comfortable way of life we’re accustomed to (or aspiring to) is a frightening-enough prospect. But there’s no avoiding the current facts and trends of the human and planetary situation.

From The Waking Up Syndrome by Sarah Anne Edwards and Linda Buzzel:

What’s going on may or may not be inevitable, but we don’t have to speed it along. We can do at least one thing to ease or lessen the negative impact of these changes. We can join an environmental action group, plant a tree, bike to work, help with a protest march or write letters to our congressperson. Just doing our little bit to limit the damage eases the psychological distress we’re feeling, even if we’re not “saving the whole world.”  Taking even a small stand for what Joanna Macy calls “the life-sustaining society” (as opposed to the life-destroying one) gives us back our dignity and sense of agency.

Raise our level of consciousness so we can maintain some serenity and not burn out in the midst of all this change. We might adopt a spiritual practice of some kind, take up meditation, expand our understanding of ecology or history, or spend time reconnecting with nature, learning to live our lives in harmony with the rest of the earth.

To Learn More

Books

Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life by Cecile Andrews.
World as Lover, World as Self: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal by Joanna Macy.
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community by David Korten.
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change and other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century by James Howard Kunstler.
Middle-Class Life Boat, Careers and Life Choices for Staying Afloat in an Uncertain Economy by Paul and Sarah Edwards.
Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren
Peak Everything: Waking up to the Century of Decline by Richard Heinberg.
Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World by Richard Heinberg.
Reconnecting with Nature by Michael J. Cohen.

Documentary DVDs
The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream. www.endofsuburbia.com/previews.htm
Escape From Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
What a Way to Go: Life at the End of the Empire. www.whatawaytogomovie.com/
Crude Impact
Collapse

Organizations

The Post-Carbon Institute www.postcarbon.org

Photo credit: Jos van Wunnik

Foreword by Ken Wilber to Andrew Cohen's book "Living Enlightenment"

(Gary's note: My ego doesn't like Andrew's ego, but I do love what Ken has written here, and will be buying the book)

When it comes to spiritual teachers, there are those who are safe, gentle, consoling, soothing, caring; and there are the outlaws, the living terrors, the Rude Boys and Nasty Girls of God realization, the men and women who are in your face, disturbing you, terrifying you, until you radically awaken to who and what you really are.

And may I suggest?: choose your teachers carefully.

If you want encouragement, soft smiles, ego stroking, gentle caresses of your self-contracting ways, pats on the back and sweet words of solace, find yourself a Nice Guy or Good Girl, and hold their hand on the sweet path of stress reduction and egoic comfort. But if you want Enlightenment, if you want to wake up, if you want to get fried in the fire of passionate Infinity, then, I promise you: find yourself a Rude Boy or a Nasty Girl, the ones who make you uncomfortable in their presence, who scare you witless, who will turn on you in a second and hold you up for ridicule, who will make you wish you were never born, who will offer you not sweet comfort but abject terror, not saccharin solace but scorching angst, for then, just then, you might very well be on the path to your own Original Face.

Read more....

The largest virtual men’s gathering of elders, teachers and luminaries in history

Are you ready to be a 21st Century man (or empower the men in your life to be one)?

I’m excited to share that more than 75 remarkable global leaders such as Robert Bly, Jack Canfield and Sam Keen are coming together for an historic Ultimate Men’s Summit to chart the path forward for us – all for free.

As men, we are waking up to our true gifts – and stewarding the emergence of a new era. We’re evolving a new form of masculinity – one infused with integrity, authenticity, generosity and virtue. And we’re living more purposefully and finding ways to serve a cause greater than ourselves.

It’s not an easy path. We’re learning as we go – transforming our past, exploring our inner truths and expressing our strengths in new ways. We’re learning to lead boldly without dominating, feel fully and freely, and use our power to protect instead of destroy. And we have further to go – both for the sake of our liberation and the world’s.

That’s why I’m thrilled to invite you to attend the Ultimate Men’s Summit – a free 10-day teleconference June 10-19. I’m one of the presenters at this historic virtual gathering of more than 75 teachers, authors and elders who will offer their hard-earned, no-holds-barred wisdom about manhood, masculinity and personal development.

Click here to sign up now for this FREE virtual event - the largest men’s summit ever:
http://ultimatemenssummit.com/feature/Gary-Stamper

You’ll also learn from inspiring and transformational trailblazers like Neale Donald Walsch, Gary Zukav, Dan Millman, Hal Stone, Andrew Harvey, John Perkins, Claudio Naranjo and Gay Hendricks (plus a few great women such as Riane Eisler).

I hope you'll join me for the Ultimate Men's Summit. It's a fantastic opportunity for you to take part in accelerating the transformation of men into a new era, which will also help you achieve the ultimate version of yourself - successful, fulfilled, generous, awake and strong.

Of course, the Summit is open to women as well, who are warmly welcome to join us and learn more about 21st Century Masculinity. It’s clear we need to work together with women, hand in hand, to create a new Earth.

Each speaker will offer their deepest insights about what it takes to mature and grow as a man, and they’ll give you specific practices you can use to move your life forward. They are making it very practical and real – not just talking heads – helping you to accelerate your growth, evolution and expression as a man in the world.

The link again to register is:
http://ultimatemenssummit.com/feature/Gary-Stamper

I look forward to seeing you at the Ultimate Men’s Summit.

Warmly,

Gary 

P.S. The Ultimate Men’s Summit gives you live, personal access to the following leaders:

Robert Bly, Jack Canfield, Sam Keen, Kokommon Clottey, Neale Donald Walsch, Claudio Naranjo, Dan Millman, Gary Zukav, John Friend, Andrew Harvey, Satyen Raja, John Perkins, Hal Stone, Gay Hendricks, Derrick Ashong, John Robbins, Matthew Fox, Bill Kauth, Riane Eisler, Jed Diamond, Michael Tamura, Bill Plotkin, Saniel Bonder, Stephen Dinan, Caroline Casey, Lawrence Ellis, Arjuna Ardagh, Gordon Clay, Gordon Wheeler, Alison Armstrong, Brian Johnson, Steve Bhaerman, Gabor Mate, Michael Dowd, Ocean Robbins, Tom Pinkson, Keith Merron, Rick Phillips, Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Lion Goodman, Michael Taylor, Stuart Davis, Jim Channon, Terry Patten, Michael Scheisser, Craig Neal, Robert Augustus Masters, Tim Kelley, Brad Leslie, Michael Gurian, Warren Farrell, Herb Goldberg, Michael Kimmel, Ed Tick, Barnet Bain, Chris Kyle, Jayson Gaddis, Raz Ingrasci, Robert White, Gary Stamper, Tripp Lanier, Richard Platt, Bert H. Hoff, Mark Schillinger, Owen Marcus, William Harryman, Carista Luminare, Demetri Velisarius, Jim Benson, Paul Dobransky, Britta Johnson, Jeffrey Leiken, David Richo, Mikki Willis, Bryan Bayer, Martin Ucik, Dan Doty, Ronn Landsman. 

Event Co-Sponsors:

The Shift Network, The ManKind Project, Men's Divisions International, The Shift Movie, MaestroConference, The New Living Expo, Tribe of Men, Heartland Circle.

Ken Wilber on Conscious Love

Anyaa and I just returned from a weekend in Boulder with Ken Wilber where, for the first time in 21 years, he spoke of his experiences around Conscious Love in his relationship with his wife, Treya, and their battle with Treya's Stage 4 cancer diagnosis ten days after their marriage, and their struggle around it.

The weekend was primarily scheduled around Cynthia Bourgeault's amazing book, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity,  and was billed as "Mary Magdalene and the Path to Conscious Love." it was a great opportunity for both of us to meet Ken Wilber for the first time, and for Anyaa and I to share more of her work around Mary Magdalene.

The Reverend Dr. Bourgeault spoke eloquently Friday night about her book and Mary Magdalene and and her role in Christianity that is been suppressed for so many centuries. Bourgeault's intriguing  portrait of Mary Magdalene recognizes her distinct, yet intertwined roles as Jesus's disciples, apostle, and intimate beloved. Mary Magdalene's unique contributions to spirituality invite us all to discover a revolutionary path of transformation through love. She explored the relationship between Jesus and Mary, meditation, and kenosis (self- emptying love), and the uniquely Christian non-dual wisdom practice.

Cynthia and Ken have both personally experienced intimate relationships that forever shifted their spiritual practice. Her relationship with the Trappist monk, Brother Rafe, taught her how to embody a living Christian contemplative path; Ken's account of his loving relationship with Treya as she succumbed to cancer has touched millions in his book, Grace and Grit. By weddng the spiritual and the intimate, not only do these relationship have striking parallels to each other, they also embody the relational path of love modeled by Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The most radical claim of this path of conscious love is that it's open to all.

When Anyaa and I first met online, one of the things we immediately had in common was a love of Ken Wilber’s book “Grace and Grit.” It was, frankly, one of the things that attracted me to initially contact her. Ken’s reading from Grace and Grit, on Saturday afternoon, tearful and passionate, later spurred more conversation between Anyaa and I about why we came together and what our Sacred Purpose is.

We talked about how amazing it was that we initially came together partially because of Grace and Grit, how it had helped form our own paths into conscious relationship, and how incredible it was that we were in Boulder to hear Ken speak about his own experiences after 21 years of silence. It was difficult to think that this was just a coincidence.

Very early in our relationship, we had several conversations about the state of the planet and what we thought was unfolding, mostly around unsustainability, and that what was unsustainable, would eventually collapse. This was a test for us, to see if we shared what we thought was, and still do, a realistic shared worldview. 

Anya had no desire to be with another New Age Guy and wanted to be with a spiritual warrior. Someone she could grow with through the coming times. Gary wanted to be with a powerful conscious woman in community where they could build the base to survive and thrive through those coming times to help plant the seeds for the much-needed next stage of consciousness to emerge on this planet. Having done many past life regressions together where one or both of us had died for what we believed in, we have chosen to no longer be martyrs, something I'm sure many of you can relate to. And while we are still willing to die for what we believe in, we also believe that it's a higher strength and consciousness that challenges us to live for what we believe in.

We believe that part of our sacred purpose as a couple is to help usher in that new dimension, and that we are called to that by not only surviving and thriving, but assisting others to our own Full Moon Sanctuary Ministry. We've been further  inspired by Andrew Harvey and his path of Sacred Activism and Networks of Grace, and by Carolyn Baker who does transition counseling as her main practice through her book Navigating the Coming Chaos: A  Handbook for Inner Transition, with forward by Andrew Harvey and highly recommended by Carolyn Myss.

Anyaa And I highly recommend ALL of these life-changing books.

The Myth of Mercury Retrograde

Gary's note: Here's another perspective on Mercury Retrograde. I'm posting this because I'm not buying into the idea that there are certain things we should not do when it's in effect (i.e, enter into contracts, buy a computer, etc.). It's got too much of the same stuff The Secret is made of. My example: If I wait to buy a specific car three days from now, when Mercury Retrograde is over, my chances of having problems with it are greatly reduced...that something  has magically changed.

Feared, disparaged, and despised, the Mercury Retrograde is rapidly becoming the most maligned phenomenon in popular astrology. Without justification, this event stands among infamous superstitions such as stepping on cracks, breaking mirrors, and opening umbrellas indoors. The purveyors of astrological fear have managed to give the world a reason for all its woes, but who can blame us for accepting a ready-made scapegoat? Now broken cars, miscommunications, and botched performances are no longer the fault of human error—rather, they’re just a few of the many ills that belong to the irresponsible antics of Mercury.

This kind of thinking takes astrology back 100 years, when the planets were seen as evil forces that bore ominous warnings.

Many practitioners still echo the voice of the old soothsayers. They proclaim Mercury, the planet of communication, is moving backward, and then warn us not to sign or buy anything during this retrograde. It’s likely we’ve heard that warning more than once—which is why we can’t get rid of the gnawing sense of caution every time we hear about the Mercury Retrograde.

When using astrology as a tool to guide our lives, it’s important to recognize the issue of self-fulfilling prophecy, that unconscious desire to ensure we get the outcome we believe we will. In other words, if we proclaim that since Mercury is going to be moving retrograde, bad things will happen, then there’s a good chance they indeed will.

Why Retrograde?

All planets (with the exception of the luminaries: the Sun and Moon) go into what’s called a “retrograde phase.” Some go retrograde every year, while others may only do so every few years. Retrograde means that from the Earth’s viewpoint, the planet in question visually appears to pause and then begins to move backward through its normal path across the sky. (Of course, the planets don’t actually change direction.)

When a planet goes retrograde, the issues it reflects as it travels back through the sign (or signs) tend to have you revisiting the experiences you had when it moved across that point in its original forward movement. You see, prior to moving backward, a planet must first pass through the retrograde territory in direct motion. Because it will return to this point during the retrograde phase, this is called the “pre-retrograde zone,” as it allows you to take note of issues that may emerge before the actual retrograde. After the planet has gone through its retrograde, it then moves forward, traversing once again the same course it did while traveling backward. This is the “post-retrograde zone,” and since it occurs afterward, it often brings closure and clarity to those issues experienced throughout the earlier phases.

A New Perspective on Mercury Retrograde

In truth, Mercury Retrogrades allow us to tune in more closely to our intuition, heighten our senses, and gain a larger overview of our lives. Rarely has there been a Mercury Retrograde that didn’t assist in uncovering mistakes that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. This opportunity for reappraisal may account for why so many successful businesses were launched during the retrograde cycle.

Let’s try thinking of the Mercury Retrograde period as a big contemplation cycle. Contemplation is how we connect to our higher mind—and disconnect from our daily distractions—in order to look at life from a broader perspective. Certainly decisions made while in such a state are bound to be supported. It’s a time of review, and an opportunity to enhance decisions that we’ve already made. What other time of our lives do we get not just two, but three chances to make something work? This is the best time to look at our relationships and speak what’s on our mind. Mercury embraces communication—it encourages it. It’s time to take charge of our life and learn to live it fearlessly. Let’s move to make the Mercury Retrograde our comrade in wisdom:

Change those old beliefs that keep us in fear. 

8 Reasons to Welcome the Next Mercury Retrograde

I’ve made the following list of ideas to help you navigate and even look forward to Mercury Retrograde. So, the next time you hear that a retrograde is coming, return here and review the list.

More than 50 % of the top 100 Fortune 500 businesses were started under the Mercury Retrograde. Imagine what you could do:

1. Now, thoughts that have been lost to you can come back renewed and ready for consideration.
2. Finally, you can slow your obsessive mind down and start feeling your life.
3. You can now meet with (insert name of boss, friend, co-worker, sibling, parent, child, or what have you) and clear up that misunderstanding.
4. You can abandon your routine in favor of spontaneity.
5. This is a great time to re-examine that important decision.
6. Your mind is less attached to things—now you can release that “bad” habit without fear.
7. It’s time to give attention to your car, that toothache, or new computer.
8. And if you’re tired of the same boring vacations, Mercury Retrograde is ready to show you a good time!

Remember, this could be a time of celebration and grandeur, or of fear and isolation…you get to choose. (Hint: One choice is a lot more fun than the other!)

 Mark S. Husson is a man with a lifelong interest in the inner workings of the mind. Mark's astrological classes and workshops enabled psychotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and lay persons to become aware of astrology's ability to empower themselves and their clients. Visit: www.12house.com.

What does a 21st century priestess really want in a man?

A guest blog by Sherri L. McClendon, MA OM

Gary's note: Sherri is a Priestess through Anyaa's Priestess Process, a dear friend, and one of our excellent marketing gurus. Find out more about Sherri at the bottom of this post.

What does a 21st century priestess really want in a man?

First things first, I’d really like to turn in my penis.

I like men, I really do. I enjoy the company of men, and I’ve even been known to adore them on occasion. But there’s a problem. After plenty of life experience, I just don’t trust them as a species.

Yes, I agree with our friend Gary that women as well as men must “heal their own masculine and feminine essences before they can come together in sacred union.” Yes, I’m responsible for balancing and integrating the masculine aspects of my own psyche, hence the need to give up my “penis.” Given what passes for masculinity at the dawn of the 21st century, please forgive me if I have yet to come to full acceptance of this task. Forgive me if I am still working on forgiveness.

The reality is I frequently encounter wounded warriors, an archetype which no longer holds attraction for me.  I’d like men to dress and heal their own wounds, thank you very much, not wait for me to staunch the bleeding of their hearts, or pull marrow from my soul to make them feel whole again. Neither am I the Morrigan to whom the wounded warrior may look to be carried from the field of battle into shadow, nor am I the spoils of war to be pillaged for another’s gain. These are not my roles; please do not ask me to bear this mantle. Women are wounded, too, and some of us are angry.

Back in the heyday of ancient Rome, the eyes of the world were turned toward Capitoline Hill where the goddess Moneta and her sister Minerva, enjoyed equal status to the male godhead, Saturn. Given Moneta’s association with the flow of money and protection of resources, Minerva’s mastery of sustainability through ensuring the cycles of the year, and Saturn’s gift to the two of substance, it seemed a balanced act.

But the Romans had other ideas. The warriors of the day, bent on competition, accumulation, and power over others, dug a secret tunnel to the mint beneath the Moneta temple, where they removed the money created in order to fuel their war machine. Each New Year, they’d visit the temple womb of Minerva and “nail” the ending of the old year above the entry. Thus, they originated the version of the conquering warrior hero that is the dominant figure in Western culture’s coming of age stories for men. Women, it may be noted, do not have a coming of age tradition, and though we are taught the hero’s journey, men are not reciprocally given women’s stories. Instead, our society is left with men who exhibit Saturn’s over-reliance on structures, who cling to old thought forms of authoritarianism and righteous discipline in lieu of a better way of relating with their world. In order to receive Saturn’s gift of substance, many women have found that we must hand over our power to become chattels rather than partners, relegated to trophies, subordinates, or priestess/princess whores. In each of these cases, women have been deliberately disenfranchised to ensure the power of the masculine over and above the feminine. We became punished by our own consent to play by Saturn’s rules.

Those times, thank Goddess, are on the wane. Men and women today call forth a path of service in the evolution of the species on Earth as a living, embodied, divine expression of Spirit. When I read Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath’s Tale,” from the Canterbury Tales, or its modern interpretation in Mel Gibson’s portrayal in “What Women Want,” I understand the need for communication between the masculine and feminine, reconciling across time, space and dimension.

So, what does a 21st century priestess really want in a man? After all, the concept of the new masculine is integrating, grounded, loving. Priestesses everywhere are opening to its emergence.

First, the New Masculine male must be secure enough in his wholeness to hold space for divine feminine evolution.  This means his king, warrior, lover, and magician archetypes reconcile. His path of service through his work and actions aligns heart and mind, and exemplifies purposefulness. Almost certainly, his travel into shadow enables his return to the light. As a partner, he is a loving, present co-creator and able, ready, and willing to step into sacred union with the feminine both within and without.

Essentially, as a 21st century priestess, I seek to be fully partnered, not husbanded; self-determining, not stewarded; mated, not married. Gratefully, I mother a beautiful divine masculine child, now 5, and hope he may evolve consciously, fully into manhood. I celebrate the emergence of the Integral Warrior, the brave transformation for the future.  Finally, I celebrate a world where strong women don’t have to grow penises – or emasculate men - in order to survive the prevailing winds of change.  It’s a new Earth, and a new day. So be it.

Sherri L. McLendon, M.A., O.M., of Professional Moneta™, is known as Your Moneta Marketing Mentor™ and creatrix of the Moneta Movement™. She is a long-time advocate for the evolution of Gary Stamper’s work with the New Masculine and the Integral Warrior process. As a divine feminine marketing coach, she uses co-creative communication strategies, to assist spiritual, holistic and conscious entrepreneurs in the realization of their highest and best potentials. Find out more at http://www.professionalmoneta.com, or check out the done-for-you copywriting and publicity services at McLendon Bylines at http://www.sherrimclendon.com

Whose Fear Is It, Anyway?

I've been accused, more than once, of being in fear.

Wikipedia defines fear as a distressing emotion induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger and flee from it or confront it, also known as the Fight or Flight response. Fear is a distressing emotion induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger. In short, fear is the ability to recognize danger and flee from it or confront it, also known as the Fight or Flight response.

Fear is a 200,000 year-old finely honed gift of evolution, and when we experience fear, we need to pay attention. Fear can be related to future events, such as a worsening of a situation that is unacceptable, or an instant reaction to something presently happening.

There two types of fear: External fear caused by something outside of you which you are strongly motivated to avoid - like spiders or heights - and internal fear, such as fear developed out of low self esteem.

I've been accused, more than once, of living in fear....and I think it's an unfair accusation. I am also unapologetic. Let me explain.

The accusations of fear directed toward me are in response to all of the events of the world, what appears to be a perfect storm of conditions, mostly induced by ourselves, humanity, all bearing down on us at the same time. I've written and reported about those conditions on this blog several times (here and here).

Here's what I do fear, some of which is already happening: Massive population die-off due to starvation, the collapse of what America could have been, instead of just another nation-state-empire, deepening economic collapse, continued global warming, water, oil, and food wars, and much, much more. It is an external fear.

But even as I own my fear and that I am in fear, I am not fearful.* From an earlier blog:

I struggle for balance in the face of all the negativity thrust upon us as a result of increased awareness through being able to hold the "unholdable" perspective, and as a result, being more conscious than the average comatose individuals who have been intentionally lulled to sleep (the average people I know don't have a clue about what's going on or are in denial).

I look at these events with a belief that these are not random, meaningless events, but, rather, are occurring for the distinct purpose of waking us up, to stretch us into new territories of awareness. For me, that waking up is the profound realization that what we are now doing, as Americans, and as humanity, is simply not sustainable, and that there will be a shift, and things will be very different than they are now.

Things are going to change, and I hold that they will change for the better...but not at first. I believe things are going to get much worse before they get better, and that it's possible that "better" may be decades, or possibly centuries, away, mere specks in time. I don't believe that some magical shift is going to occur and suddenly everything and everyone is going to be "conscious," and that those of us who are able to hold the higher vibration will survive while others will not. That feels like a"new age" version of mythic religion's "end-times," or "rapture." Look up "End Time" on Wikipedia and see how how ingrained these themes are in our collective consciousness.

The term "higher vibration" will be interpreted at the level of conscious of the person using it, and will obviously mean different things to people at different levels of consciousness. For me, that "higher vibration" means being aware and conscious enough to see what is coming, to step out of denial, and to be as prepared as is possible, also knowing that you can't possibly prepare for everything.

When I hear people saying to me that, when I talk of these things, they hear a message of fear, what I believe they are experiencing is not my fear, but their own fear in response to what I'm saying. Where I'm at today is a place of getting as ready as possible by getting out of the city and being as self-sustainable as possible.

Once I've recognized the possibilities and done as much as I can do, I surrender and step out of fear, knowing that whatever happens, I've done what I can do. And surrendering is the key to freedom, regardless of how things unfold. What's coming is an ending...and a beginning, and no one knows what it will look like.

*'Fearful' in its original sense means full of fear in the particular sense of being afraid to do something wrong, almost in a sense of respect. Imagine a situation where you have to be careful about what you say, what words you use because if you say the wrong word, you will be in trouble. This describes the state of being 'fearful' as in: He was fearful of saying the wrong thing and as a result upsetting her.

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The Integral Warrior Men's Introductory Weekend

Are women really better at almost everything than men? Dan Abrams seems to think so.

"The evidence here will show, however, that women are living longer and evolving better than men.” It takes a lot for a man to admit his own weaknesses (there’s a chapter on how women tolerate pain better), so we wondered why Abrams would make the case for women. Turns out, it’s a man’s job.

So what does this have to do with men's work? It shows that we've got a lot of work to do, and I challenge you to step into that work!

I have two introductory weekends coming up in the next month: One at Isis Cove on March 19-20, and one in Cincinnati on April 2-3. It's possible these could be the last introductory weekends of the Integral Warrior/Shamanic Priest Process this year. These circles will extend into September and in October, Anyaa and I are going to be touring with Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.

The introductory weekend gives men a chance to experience the process, to find out more about how it can benefit them, and to decide if they want to continue the other five weekends spread out over 5 months. Read what one man had to say about the intro weekend I just did in North Carolina: 

 "I have worked with archetypes before and done shadow work but never worked with the two together, releasing one while embracing the other. I feel this is very powerful work and just what I need at this point in my life. I feel that when we complete this series of workshops that I will finally become the man I was meant to be. Thanks again and I look forward to this journey with you and my new found male friends." - John

We are all intensely aware that we are in the midst of the global shift humankind has been waiting for. At the very time this huge Global Awakening is going on, we're also in the midst of our darker side trying to gain control. It's why everything is breaking down. It's the oldest battle on the planet, and why it's more important now than ever for men to step up and embody the New Masculine as Integral Warriors following the path of Sacred Activism.

So I have two questions for you:

What's getting in your way and preventing you from living your purpose and your passion and being the man you know you can and want to be? 

What would you give to shift from your present level of consciousness into an entirely NEW WAY OF THINKING in just a few months time?*

I know....that's a huge claim for anyone to make. Normally, moving from one stage to the next is a five year process, and with intense practices and focused meditation, it might take two. But don't believe me....read here (almost at the bottom of the page) what men (and even a wife!) are saying about THE INTEGRAL WARRIOR men's process.

And more! Read what an initiated Mankind Project man from Cincinnati has to say about the process! Here and here!

I'm inviting you to take action to break through whatever might be holding you back in your personal, professional, spiritual, and planetary evolution.

Join me and other conscious men in Sacred Space as we explore the inner and outer workings of our being for the benefit of ourselves, our loved ones, and the planet!

Attend the first weekend and then decide if you want to complete the entire process.

For more information, visit The Integral Warrior website or email me at garystamper@yahoo.com or, call me at 206-779-5870 with any questions you might have.

Bodacious Blessings and Joy,

Gary

*The Integral Warrior is a proven process that moves men toward later stage consciousness and assists in our ability to hold ourselves as embodying the New Masculine. Using a cutting-edge Integral and developmental approach combined with the Wisdom of the Shaman (altered-states consciousness), Jungian Archetypes, Initiation and Ritual, we create a new paradigm of learning that greatly accelerates our growth.

Click on the flier to see a full-sized image.

Are Women Really Better At Almost Everything?

Dan Abram's book, Man Down, is the latest in a series of articles and books that challenge many of our long-held beliefs about women, and what it means to men. Having not read the book, yet (I ordered it yesterday), I don't know what it means to men in terms of the Abram's research, but I'm beginning to get a picture of how some men are reacting to it, which seems strange, since it's obviously a book meant to amuse, not prove.

Abrams is a legal analyst for ABC News and a former lawyer, and says he approached the topic as a defense attorney, using evidence that already exists to debunk popular myths about women.

“In nearly every field, statistics and studies show that women are better collaborators, are more cautious and more adept at navigating treacherous terrain,” writes Abrams in his book’s opening statement. “I am not convinced that women as a group play basketball or read maps better than men. The evidence here will show, however, that women are living longer and evolving better than men.” It takes a lot for a man to admit his own weaknesses (there’s a chapter on how women tolerate pain better), so we wondered why Abrams would make the case for women. Turns out, it’s a man’s job.

 The book touches on a lot of silly things, but apparently ignores the more serious questions like violent crime and child abandonment, much more stark differences between men and women. It's not a book about who's better.

The feedback I'm getting from men seems to come from two different directions.

The first, an egalitarian and relativistic perspective that seems to say that no one is better than anyone else, and that we are all one, and that comparisons create the illusion of separation. This approach, in my opinion, is a self-permission for men not to look at where they need to do their work. Improve? But we're all perfect just as we are!  It's an unwillingness to look objectively at what's going on and a shadow move to change the subject.

The second approach is defensive and reactionary, all the while making arguments that actually support Abrams' findings. The remarkable part of this approach is that it uses assumptions to argue against what it sees as assumptions. Have you read the book?

But the facts are undeniable: Women are surpassing men in leadership positions, valedictorian addresses, graduation rates, jobs after graduation, and even salaries. Women seem to have found their adaptability muscles, and men seem to be struggling with change. My experience is that women are better at evolving than most men. I've never been approached by a man and been asked, "where are all the conscious women?" On the other hand....well, you get the picture.

One of the reviews on Amazon called this book called it the perfect gift for your favorite male chauvinist.

So to wrap this up, let's move away from the book and take a deeper look at what's going on with men today - especially American men. This isn't about better, or some imagined hierarchy of right and wrong. This is about centuries of patriarchy, where even though most men were also victims of it and not perpetrators, it has numbed us as men. It's time for us to wake up. Those of you who are offended by what appears to be the duality and separation of what feels like a contest-like mentality demonstrated in the book need to back up and take a look at your shadow around this. Instead of Abrams' Man Down, maybe its' a wake up call to New Man-Up.

Here's the full title and a link to where you can buy the book: Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else.

For a more serious look at what's going on with men today, read the first chapter of my book, "Awakening The New Masculine."

Awakening The New Masculine: The Video Promo

This is the promo video for my book, "Awakening the New Masculine: The Path of the integral Warrior." It will be submitted to the Next Top Self Help Author contest on February 1st.

I'll be asking for support by way of your vote and will let you know when and how when it's time. Meanwhile, thanks to all of you who have commented to me via email on the first two chapters here. The support has been absolutely wonderful!

Gary

My Father Died This Morning....

 Wayne E. Stamper, 1919-2011

I got the call from my sister on the West Coast, about 9:15 their time. She told me our father had passed away in his sleep between midnight and 1am. We knew it was coming, and soon. He turned 92 last Friday and had been in the care of Hospice for a few months, and took a turn for the worse a couple of weeks ago. The cancer they couldn't find for several years had turned up in his stomach, and it was bad. They had him on heavy morphine for the last two weeks.

I've been calling him almost daily. His voice had been getting more raspy for the past few years, but the morphine had made it almost impossible to make out his heavily slurred words. Our communications over the past couple of weeks had been limited to "I can't hear you" from him, to "I'm sorry, Dad, I can't understand you" from me. There were a lot of silences where we just stayed on the phone knowing we were connecting without having to say anything. It was hard, though.

We thought we were going to lose him a few months ago when the doctors told my sister it was time to call the family in, that his kidneys had failed and he probably wouldn't make it through the night. When he did, I jumped on a plane, flew to Sacramento, rented a car, and got up to Redding where he was in the hospital. He didn't die. Hid kidneys somehow restarted amazing the doctors. We got to spend two days together. He was in and out of consciousness, and we got to talk about life and death. He wasn't afraid to die. I told him how different cultures and religions viewed death and about some of the philosophies around dying. We got to talk about his life, about my childhood, and I got to honor him - deeply - for his gift of great fathering, expressing my deep gratitude to him for being the father so many never get to experience in this world of under-fathered and over-mothered boys.

He  was born in Comers Rock, Virginia, in 1919. The house he was born in, built by my grandfather, Peyton Stamper, a farmer and a Baptist Minister, still doesn't have indoor plumbing and is in pretty bad condition. It's pictured above. We got to visit it on our honeymoon last August, when I took this photo. I found it on Google Earth. He was the second of seven children, and only two survive now. He was a depression teenager and had pleurisy. At 17, knowing he had to get well and out of the Virginia hills, managed to con his way into the Navy. He did get well.

A Pearl Harbor Survivor, he was showering when the klaxons sounded, and he thought, "what a time for a drill." He dressed, and got up on deck just in time to see bullets from a Japanese Zero strafing the deck in front of him. He was a turret captain on the USS St Louis, and they were the first ship out of Pearl harbor after the attack, as a decoy, where they knew the Japanese submarines were waiting for them. The photo below shows the St. Louis, at the right, underway out of the harbor. The St. Louis saw a lot of South Pacific action in WWII and became known as "Lucky Lou, the ship that couldn't be sunk."

He went on to teach naval Science at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, California, not far from Mare Island Naval Shipyard, before retiring as an honorary Lt. Commander after 20 years in the Navy as a Chief Gunner's Mate. Knowing he had two children to send to college, he became a successful businessman, first owning his own businesses and later in Real Estate.

My dad was always my best friend. We never had the problems many of my friends had with their parents. He was a loving, kind father. He wasn't perfect, but who is? He was perfect for me. He was a great role model while I was growing up and remained the same when I became a man. I could always talk to him, and he to me.

If we are truly able to choose our parents for the lessons we need to learn in this lifetime, then I chose very well. I got to tell him I loved him many. many times over the years and in the past few months and days. I will miss him, and I will always carry him with me. I am disappointed he never got to read the book I'm writing, Awakening The new Masculine: The Path of the Integral Warrior. He would have loved it.

'We do not know where death awaits us: so let us wait for it everywhere. To practice death is to practice freedom. A man who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave." - Montaigne

I love you, dad. Travel well. 

 My sister Suzy, My Dad, and me, 2001

Awakening the New Masculine: The book

Dear Readers and Friends,

I've been writing in this format for five years, and have always had the intention in the back of my mind that it might turn into a book one day.

Well, that day has arrived, and the book is well underway along with the working title, Awakening the New Masculine: The Path of the Integral Warrior, and is based on my workshop, The Integral Warrior." Here's the link to the introduction and the first two chapters. It is a pre-submission in draft form for your review and suggestions. It will be submitted to "The Next Top Self-Help Author" contest along with a short video (coming soon) on the 1st of February, 2010.

Right now, I need your help. Please read it and let me know what you think, do you like it, not like it, what can I do to improve it, any glaring errors you might see (don't worry about proofreading), etc. Please comment by emailing me at garystamper@yahoo.com with the subject line "Top Author."

I also want to elicit your help, as the publisher, Conari press, wants to see how much support I can gather for it, and I will be asking you to vote for it and my upcoming video in February. I'll be sure and send you the link when it's time.

I hope you enjoy it. I'm having a ball putting it together and writing it.

Love,

Gary

Off to Cincinnati, Again....

I leave tomorrow for Cincinnati again, for the The Integral Warrior workshop for men.

This is the 5th weekend in the 6-weekend series. This weekend we re-integrate the King Archetype, after "killing off" the Shadow King the 1st weekend and spending the 3 weekends in between integrating our Warrior, Lover, and Magician archetypes. 

To anchor the cognitive work we do around the healthy King, we will also spend a day with the Shamanic Breathwork Process. You can read more about that here.

In addition, I'll also be facilitating a stand-alone men's Shamanic Breathwork on Friday, before the Integral Warrior workshop resumes on Saturday.

Nice 7-hour drive to get there, and another Sunday night to get home. Good thing I love talk radio and my Sirius satellite radio!

I have a new series of The Integral Warrior firing up at the end of January at our Retreat Center  in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. Click here for more information.