Some folks have asked what the Death Urge is. (I mentioned it in my newsletter that I sent out yesterday and it is part of the Sandbox presentation on 4/1/09
http://abundantmichael.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/3/18/Wednesday-Gathering-in-Rockville--More-AlivePhyscial-Immortality-4109

We have a lot of subconscious beliefs or programming - from our parents, schools, churches, TV, radio, commercials and society in general. A lot of these believes hold us in a state of fear and victimhood. One of the beliefs is that we age, get sick and die. The belief that death is inevitable and beyond our control kills more people than all other causes of death combined. In fact, it kills approximately 2 % of the entire population on the planet every year.  Sigmund Freud wrote an essay on the unconscious death urge called Beyond the Pleasure Principle  and the founder rebirthing Leonard Orr's wrote a book "Breaking the Death Habit".

The Death Urge is similar in concept to the nocebo effect (the negative of the placebo effect - see http://skepdic.com/nocebo.html for more info). When a doctor or another trusted source tells someone that they will get sick or die the person will often do exactly that. If that sounds like Witch Doctors curing some one with vodoo that is because I think it works the same way - the physical body reacts to messages that we believe. If you are interested in the science behind this check out "The Biology of Belief" by Dr Bruce Lipton or the books by Candice Pert.

The flipside is that if we remove the negative programming we can be healthier and live longer. An extreme example of this is the study of breast cancer patient who were split into two groups. Each received the same medical treatment but the first group also joined a support group. The ones getting support (and I imagine helping in believing that the treatment would work) lived on average twice as long as the women in the other group.

What can we do about the Death Urge? The secret is in removing the death programming. There are many ways of releasing unconscious beliefs so that you can live a totally vibrant and joyful life without end. We will learn about some of them at the talk.

What messages I have noticed with a death urge message - ads on TV "selling" various diseases. Yes I know that they are advertising their medicines but to me the ads seem to be saying "Hey got this symptom? Then you have XYZ disease - go see your doctor and get our pills". Another one I have heard a friend say is "This job is killing me". What messages have you noticed either in ads or from friends talking?

BTW I have heard several reasons for folks coming to this event that I want to share with the group:

1. Physical immortality is possible now and investing an evening of time will pay off with an infinite return of happy and healthy years of life
2. Not sure if immortality is possible but it would be cool to live happily and healthy into my old age instead of being grumpy and sick.
3. Learning how to let of of negative thoughts, depression and suicidal thoughts would be great
4. Skeptical but at least I get to meet some interesting people
5. Anything that Laurie Handlers (Butterfly Tantra workshops) is into is mostly likely interesting and life changing

This entry was posted on March 23, 2009 at 11:20 PM and has received 1743 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we do an Alchemical Fire Circle with Whittney. Since the dawn of time, human beings have gathered around the fire to make music, to dance, and to weave magic in the firelight. Alchemy is a paradigm of transformation, using the "fire of nature" to accelerate growth and change on interior levels. The fundamental components of Fire Circle Alchemy are comprised of voice, music, movement, and service, which correspond to the magical elements of air, fire, water and earth, respectively.

Fire Circle Alchemy is a ritual of transformation derived from a mystical tradition. Availing ourselves of imagery and processes cognate to those pioneered in early alchemy laboratories, we embark upon a mythic journey of re-creation, an adaptation of the alchemist's Great Work, or Magnum Opus: the Quest for the Philosopher's Stone.

The circle begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 11:07 AM and has received 673 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we look at the coming shifts in society with the economy, politics and spiritual changes as we head towards 2012. Sir James will be leading the discussion based on the article "the Coming collapse" at http://www.truthout.org/022709F

He says "I suspect my personal efforts will be a blend of what I can do in the spiritual realm, and what I can do in the "physical" realm. There are so-called practical matters like food, water, clothing and shelter, and there are more life-impacting matters... as any fan of post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies can attest.  I hope we're not living in that sort of history-changing time, but if we are... I expect that a deep examination of what is most important to each of us, and how we can prepare, plan, and protect... will be a good exercise no matter what the future events turn out to be."

In this  "Living in the New World" gathering we will look at

1- Avoiding chaos, spreading calm
2- Accumulating supplies for survival
3- Forming communities

Here are some questions to think on before the gathering:

1) Do you think it will happen - why or why not?

2) What is "it"?  What are your expectations, of what the future will hold?

3) Do you feel as if you have any input, control, or say... about the impact on you?

4) Given #2... about expectations of the future, what is your desired outcome, or goal?

5) Lastly... what resources do you think are available for you to draw on? Be creative, and
    list them out.

The discussion begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 10:59 AM and has received 634 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This special Wednesday Sandbox gathering we have guests Laurie Handlers, James Strole and Bernadeane from People Unlimited in Arizona. Experience your true potential for unlimited energy, health, love and prosperity.  The secret is in removing the death programming that has stopped you from living a totally vibrant and joyful life without end. If you feel you are unlimited, but still believe you have to die, you are missing who you really are. Don’t miss your opportunity to step out of the death paradigm and embrace the life that is truly without limitations.

I know the date is 4/1 but this is not an April Fools joke. If you have read the founder rebirthing Leonard Orr's book "Breaking the Death Habit" you will know how much we carry subconscious messages about death, sickness and struggle (aka the Death Urge).

Note: Due to the large number of people expected there will not be a dinner at this gathering.


“Since meeting these amazing beings, they are all I can talk about. I have waited my entire life to hear this conversation and be living the integrity that naturally follows. For anyone who has been through transformational work, this is really walking the talk! I’ve retooled my entire curriculum to reflect physical immortality. Why would I want to do all the work I’ve already done and then die?”

--Laurie Handlers


“To me what they spoke was life, when all I had been hearing my whole life was death, and depression.

 --Shereena Smith
 

“There was realness about these people and what they were speaking that made me want to keep coming until I found out for myself whether or not this life was for me.”

--Dean Moriki

 
“Since meeting them, I have grown in all areas of my being. I am healthier than ever and experience so much joy and zero struggle.”

--Ilana Arzt

 
PHYSICAL IMMORTALITY NOW


When:             Wednesday April 1st at 8:00-10:30pm

Location:        Michael Smith’s home in Rockville

Cost:               $25

PreRegister: http://abundantmichael.eventbrite.com/

You really want to be at this special engagement with James Strole and Bernadeane! Limited number of seats, this is the only event in DC area for People Unlimited at this time.

 More info on them at http://www.peopleunlimitedinc.com.

 

The talk begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 10:53 AM and has received 3804 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we work on better sounds of sex. Do you have difficulty making sounds during love making? Would you like to call in the gods and goddesses with making louder and more passionate noises and moans? Would you like to enhance your and your partner(s) orgasms with sound? The come and have fun at this workshop! We will play with sounds in a safe environment and practice different love noises. Either come with a partner(s) or be prepare to match up with new people or do solo sound sex work!

The moans begin after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 1:08 AM and has received 640 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we practice expressing our boundaries and giving hugs. Do you have trouble saying what you want? Or saying no to a request? Here is a safe time to practice and experiment in the Sandbox - where you know that any boundaries that you express will be supported by others and the group as a whole. We will also look at the different kinds of hugs that people give - the firm bear hug, the wimpy hug, the A-frame hug and the yummy hug. And how to graceful sidestep a hug if you don't want to hug that person right now. If you have other hug types to suggest let me know!

Ostara (spring equinox pagan holiday) is on Friday 3/20/09. So this is a great time to think about planting new ideas and habits for the coming year. So if you have trouble asking clearly for what you want, or saying No, or hearing No or saying Yes or hearing Yes then come to this gathering and we will plant some seeds for new behaviors in time for Beltane!

The hugs begin after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 1:05 AM and has received 1399 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This weekend I noticed my eyes were so dry that my contacts hurt. This is very unusual for me. And also some old patterns repeating so that I could clear them. If you are getting similar stuff it just might be Venus being retrograde (started on 3/6 and I think goes on til early May). I got this from Dana's Kundalini class:

"This week I’ll be sharing a chanting meditation for the heart and third eye. To open them both is to gain insight into one’s mode of relating. With Venus now in retrograde there might be a greater opportunity and tendency to rehash old relationships (money/job and love) and the beliefs that surround them. Yogi Bhajan said if you hold beliefs about relationships, you will keep waiting. When the third eye and heart is open, beliefs give way to “knowing” by that quieter wiser voice within you.

And this from Eric's website
http://planetwavesweekly.com/resources/venus_retrograde.html

"The Course in Miracles takes the position that the search for this kind of relationship is a substitute for finding our inner core and living from there. In effect, what we think of as "love" becomes a substitute for what we think of as "God" and at the end of the day, or the end of our lives, this particular effort typically leads to neither. [snip]

Venus retrograde in Aries takes us into the territory of the relationship we have with ourselves. For one thing, it emphasizes the point that we have an inner relationship at all. That relationship is often suppressed because there is so much misgiving in there, which we call things like "low self-esteem" or "depression." Most humans, so far as I can tell, have not come to terms with their own existence, and so our self-relating is fundamentally an exercise in doubt. [snip]

Plenty of what we experience in relationships -- the adulation, the cruelty, the admiration, the love -- is about projection. Venus retrograde in Aries is about taking back those projections, and seeking something within ourselves. That could be a feminine identity within the prevailing masculine concept of "self" that we exist with. That sounds like making a discovery of the inner goddess, a core feminine identity that is entirely different than what we normally think of as ourselves. For both men and women, Venus retrograde in Aries is about seeking the beauty we see outside ourselves, within ourselves.

This entry was posted on March 18, 2009 at 12:08 AM and has received 1074 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering  we look at how diet and amino acids can dramatically improve your mood. Do you want to lift the dark cloud of depression? or are you drowning in apathy but don't have to energy to take any action? Or are you feeling anxious and stressed all the time? Or do your overreact to others innocent remarks? Or do you want to let go of emotional eating, recover from addictions or find a reliable alternatives to anti-depressants?

Many people are in a bad mood. Depression and anxiety have tripled in the last ten years. The book "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross explains why and provides the good news that we can feel better emotionally, without the use of caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, or anti-depressants-and the even better news that we can begin to see the results in just one day with brain-fueling amino acids combined with a high-protein, healthy-fat, veggie-rich diet and other nutritional strategies.

I will have some samples of the amino acids to try on hand (available from health food store MOM or any other other vitamin shop). For me I felt results within 15 minutes of taking the supplement for my mood type (the Blahs).

Take the questionnaire to see what mood type(s) you have


Are You Suffering from the Blahs?

3) Do you often feel depressed - the flat, bored, apathetic kind?

2) Are you low on physical or mental energy? Do you feel tired a lot, have to push yourself to exercise?

3) Are you easily chilled? Do you have cold hands or feet?

3) Do you feel the need to get more alert and motivated by consuming a lot of coffee or other "uppers" like sugar, diet soda, ephedra, or cocaine?

Rest of Questions at http://www.moodcure.com/Questionnaire.html

Please read warnings at http://www.moodcure.com/aminoacidprecautions.html before taking any of these supplements.

The cure begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on March 4, 2009 at 12:21 PM and has received 816 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we celebrate Leonard's 40th birthday Sandbox style by doing desert on him. After dinner Leonard will lay on a table and be covered with desert topings, fruit, cream and chocolate then who ever wants to can eat desert off him. A sensuous and yummy experience. (The shower is available after for Leonard to clean up)

If you want to celebrate your birthday or some other special event this way just let me know and we can arrange it! You chose how much clothing to wear (swim suit or birthday suit are suggested attire and what kind of deserts you want putting on you).

The desert begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on February 2, 2009 at 3:16 PM and has received 586 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we learn some Kundalini Yoga to move beyond depression and despondency from yogini Dana Verkouteren.

The tragedy of depression is the lack of ambition, the motion towards caring for oneself. If your groove is under a rock somewhere please join us. In this gathering we'll be using mantra (sound current), movements, breath, relaxation, and meditation to open up a more balanced relationship between the true you and your psyche. These are fabulous tools you can use whenever needed.

Never done Kundalini yoga before? Don't worry Dana promises to make this workshop accessible to beginners! Be sure to bring your body, comfortable clothes and if you have one a yoga mat and blanket (I will have some spare blankets to use)

The movement begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This entry was posted on February 2, 2009 at 3:15 PM and has received 636 views. There are currently 0 comments. Print this entry.