May 14, 2010

We have been busy giving introductory talks about the work we are here to in Uruguay. Giaccomo and I are both working in Montevideo two days a week. He is doing bodywork and I am teaching a course on The Enneagram for Awakening. We are also beginning to share these things in La Barra, the small town where we live. La Barra is a town of many artists, and in January and February, it is packed with tourists from Argentina and Brazil who come here to enjoy the beautiful beaches and party. Its chaotic, noisy, and for these two months, business is booming. Things slow down a lot the beginning of March, and after Easter, it becomes a ghost town. For those who live here year round, it is a real paradise. The bar that in summer is full of party goers is now a place for locals to gather, and my gatherings will begin this Monday. Satsang at the Splendido Bar. Funny, but true. My translator, Ana, just happens to be one of the owners of this bar (along with her husband Gonzalo who is a musician). 

Several land possibilities have appeared for us to explore, and in doing so, we are learning about what is available in this regard, and getting to know the countryside, so we can figure out which area is best to locate the community.

The challenge of the moment is: how to introduce the opportunity of Awakening to a population that is very spiritual, but not familiar with what Awakening is or the Advaita Vedanta approach to it.

April 15, 2010

Many things have unfolded in the last month to support the development of TCFA, most importantly the relationships with certain people that have begun. There is no doubt that we have met additional members of our spiritual family, and coming to Uruguay to team up with them was definitely in the cosmic plan.

                                                                  

Some of our Montevideo family                                       Some furry friends in Punta                                      Punta del Estes harbor                                         Our fish market at the pier

L-R: Martha, Giaccomo, Aruna,

Yoney, Fabrizio and Steve

(and the local beer is terrific)

We have joined forces with the owners of three spiritual centers, two of which are in Montevideo and the other in Maldonado.

I will give satsang in Maldonado on April 21 and Montevideo on April 29; at these satsangs I will offer the opportunity to sign up for a 10- week series of Awakening Coaching that will include learning the Enneagram.

One member of this growing spiritual family runs an organization that is working on the legalization of industrial hemp in Uruguay. He has secured a permit from the government to do research and a pilot planting, and this could lead to our ability to plant industrial hemp at our community. Hemp production, and the products that can be made from hemp could become a major income resource for this small country of Uruguay, which could certainly use a shot of income adrenalin. A large diversity of products can be developed from this plant, and many cottage industries can evolve from its availability, some of which could translate into income possibilities for those people from other countries, who would like to join our community. It was relied upon all over the planet, 100 years ago, by mankind and mysteriously disappeared around the turn of the century (1900).

For those of you who do not know anything about industrial hemp, you might want to check out its history and potential online. There are several species of this plant family, and only one of them contains enough THC to make you high. We are definitely not considering planting or even talking about that one. What we want to plant can be turned into fabric, food, building materials, body care products, health supplements, etc.

Dr. Masaru Emoto is now promoting a worldwide resurrection of industrial hemp because of the vibrational support it contributes to the environment and anyone who consumes it, wears it, or lives in a building made of it. We are helping our new friends bring Dr. Emoto to Uruguay in July to assist in the campaign for hemp legalization here.

My book project is also in full gear. Six chapters are now being read for feedback by a small group of friends. The first chapters were the hardest to write, and my editor says that the next chapters won’t be as challenging to edit because: 1. My ability to recall recent events is a lot easier than digging into the past ones, and 2. My writing ability is improving. We are looking forward to having this book in the marketplace soon. So for now . . .

La vaya bién.

June 15, 2010

We have been learning that things move slowly in Uruguay. Many of the things we have initiated here have not gotten off the ground, either because of lack of interest or lack of expendable income available here. The money was not able to be raised for Dr. Emoto's visit, and participation in spiritual activities at all three of the centers we are connected to has slowed down substantially. The world wide economic crunch has definitely reached Uruguay.

The present focus of our small community is PATIENCE, and creating a more world-wide outreach, which brings us back to our original plan. Everything is still possible, but it is clear that it will not be funded with Uruguayan money. With only 3,000,000 residents in the whole country, and high import duties and VAT added to the price of most commodities,the cost of living is higher here than we were led to believe from what we read online. But one thing that Uruguay does have, which most other places don't, is the opportunity to become a resident  with just a small income from outside sources. And residency is what is in the forefront for us right now. The three of us go for our immigration interviews this week.

We are now holding weekly satsangs at our home (headquarters), and have turned our attention to increasing the visibility of this Awakening website. Saint Germain has requested that I create a daily blog for him, linked to the homepage, and his posts are becoming more interesting by the day. If you haven't been reading them, you definitely want to check them out.

I am still working on the book, but revamping what I originally wrote to make it more of a teaching book and less autobiographic. There's still a long way to go with that project. So much for expediency in anything these days. Here's some photos from our life in Uruguay:

                                                                                                                      

                       Awakening Coaching                                Our visiting breakfast guest                          Our central heating system                  Friends with their morning mate

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    (Uruguayan tradition)

July 15, 2010

Winter in Uruguay slows everything down. It is cold. Not colder than in the places we came from, but the houses here are built of cement with no insulation, and the particular house we are occupying now is a summer vacation home, not built for year-round living. Meanwhile, Saint Germain has asked us to focus these cold months on helping him get his messages for Ascension out to the world, and we have agreed to help. So every day I meet with him (in silence) to receive the message of the day, and then post it on his blogsite, http://comptedesaintgermainsblog.blogspot.com. I find the messages interesting from a human perspective, and very clear about the importance of more people having a spiritual Awakening. This is no longer something that has to take lifetimes of devotion and sacrifice. It can happen in an instant. All that is needed, is an accurate understanding of what reality is and what it isn't, and someone who is Awake to guide you to a direct experience of it. Hence, the mission of The Community for Awakening.