So many good things have been accomplished this workshop season, from The Hero’s Journey to Accessing Universal Mind to Instructor Training. As Laura and I return to the Institute to conduct the last workshop of the season the first week of October, I want to thank all the teachers who, at the Institute, around the country, around the world, introduced new people to this work. Everyday, we are hearing from people who are telling us how they found it, what they are experiencing, and how its opening up their world. This month I am pleased to share one such letter from Daniela in Romania, below.
So, to all who are new to this, a heartfelt welcome. We are here to support you with community, discussion, tips, and lots more to come. And we have many new workshops already in development. A first, preliminary peek at the 2013 workshop schedule at CI follows, below. And thanks to Batsheva who sent in notice of her group meetings in Tel Aviv and Toronto. Who else is doing regular meetings? Let us know so we can post it here.
Also in this issue we have an article by my wife Laura Lee, in which she suggests that many of our collective experiences, through the ages, in the Alternate Reality have become the “cultural artifacts” of popular culture. And also you may have seen in the news a new finding that confirms one of the key observations that Felicitas had over forty years ago that was a major clue that led to this work.
Thanks for reading! Forward this to your friends who will enjoy this! Let me hear from you! Blessings, Paul Robear
Featured Posture: Tattooed Jaguar Posture
This Olmec figure (photo above) from 1400 BC is one of two examples of the same posture. Exhibited by two different museums, one figure features a human face with tattoo markings; the other the face of a jaguar. Thus, Dr. Goodman calls this posture “The Tattooed Jaguar”. This posture is a metamorphosis, “shapeshifting” posture, offering an experience from an alternate perspective. In the words of Dr. Goodman, “Despite the fact that nothing in this posture suggests metamorphosis, it reliably leads to a change of shape. Without the Jaguar Spirit, as would be the case in an Olmec ritual, the transformation is not always into its likeness, although it does occur occasionally, especially if the practioneer has seen both the two figures together.” For posture instructions and to see drawings of both images side by side, visit the the Tattooed Jaguar page on the Cuyamungue Institute website. Here are the steps of the Cuyammungue Method. Share your experiences with us at experiences@cuyamungueinstitute.com
Last Workshop of the Season at CI: October 4 -7, 2012 Initiatory Training with Paul Robear and Laura Lee
Explore, experience, and expand consciousness through the Cuyamungue Method. This workshop is for those with or without previous experience in this work. Call soon, this workshop is almost filled. You will be introduced to a succession of trance experiences including healing, divination, metamorphosis, and initiation. Here is a complete description of this workshop. If you can’t join us this year, make plans to attend a workshop next spring, summer or fall at the Institute! Below is the announcement for scheduled workshops for 2013.
Experiences: Daniela in Romania
We received the following letter from Daniela in Romania. It is thrilling for us to receive communication from people around the world about their practice, and how they found this work. Thank you, Daniela for writing, and for permission to share this beautiful description of your experiences and impact on your life. Laura and I followed up with Daniela via Skype and email, and we’ll share more on that next issue. Here is Daniela’s letter.
I was inspired to write you all after reading the letter from Mike . I am a beginner too , but I had extraordinary experiences from day 1. I Live in Romania , Europe , and I am proud to know that this is where Dr Felicitas Goodman was born. I have 2 books containing ecstatic postures and I am using both of them ; I also have a notebook were I write everything that I saw and felt during the 15 minutes of trance. All of my experiences are absolutely fantastic.
I usually choose a position by thinking about an issue and then open the book randomly ; every single time, the posture was chosen perfectly to suit my needs ; I never read the chapter for the posture before I am experiencing with it , so that I would not be influenced by the stories of others; every single time, my experience was almost similar with the stories shared in the book and the nature of the posture (for healing , divination, etc) perfectly suited and answered my questions. I always start with a ritual , described in the books. I play the cd and I am using headphones with loud volume so that I could enter easily in trance… To view the complete letter
We love to hear your experiences and everyone is always invited to share experiences with us. Email us anytime with your experiences at experiences@cuyamungueinstitute.com . If you have any questions and comments about the Institute or the Cuyamungue Method, please feel free to contact us. We welcome all correspondence. Email me directly at paulrobear@cuyamungueinstitute.com.
Cultural Artifacts: Talking Animals and Flying Carpets by Laura Lee
Laura Lee proposes that many millennia of collective memories of spirit journeys in the Alternate Reality are imbedded as “cultural artifacts” in popular stories, from folklore to fairytales in which animals talk, and people fly. “I’m not comparing our profound experiences in spirit journeys to the escapades of Bugs Bunny and Winnie the Pooh,” says Laura Lee. “I’m suggesting that the stories our earliest ancestors shared of their experiences in the Alternate Reality — of flying, of communicating with animals spirits — seeded our collective memory with the talking animals and superheroes of popular culture. They are there in the night dreams of slumber, and the waking dreams of spirit journeys. Our communication with animal spirits in dreams and spirit journeys make talking animals familiar characters in fairytales and folklore. We resonate with Neo of The Matrix and Aladdin and his magic carpet because we are familiar with the exhilaration of flyng in our dreams.” … Continue to full article
“Mega” Ecstatic States
This newly released research on the effect of attending large gatherings for church activities serves well to confirm what Dr. Goodman observed over forty years ago during her field work with apostolic churches in the Yucatan. While she was searching for the essential steps to activate the physiology toward altered states of higher consciousness, she noted that, irrespective of doctrine, certain activities such as clapping and singing and the intonation of speech — a form of rhythmic sound, also known as sonic driving — was a key component.
And so we find notable this recently conducted research on the influence of the group experience in what is commonly referred to as mega-churches. University of Washington Professor Jim Wellman found that attendance of a megachurch can have an effect on the brain similar to the high one gets from illicit drugs. The connection, he says, is a neurochemical called oxytocin, which “strongly influences the workings, thoughts, decisions, and tendencies of the prefrontal cortex”. A megachurch sermon can create an “oxytocin cocktail” in your brain that includes other neurotransmitters and hormones. These combine to build a “sense of recognition, trust, and a reduction of stress.”… Continue to full article
Postures Group Meetings – Tel Aviv, Israel and Toronto, Canada
Gatherings led by Bat-Sheva Koren.
Bat-Sheva was born in Israel, and raised and educated on a kibbutz, a spiritual agricultural community on the shores of the river Jordan. Her focus is tacit knowledge, as it guides educators, and embodied wisdom revealed through mystic and trance experiences. A certified instructor of the Cuyamungue Method, Bat-Sheva also has taken an active part towards Global Collective Consciousness through her healing work and teaching of Authentic Movement, Dance Movement Therapy, phenomenology and narrative writing, in Canada and abroad. She is the Director of the Toronto Dance Movement Therapy centre and the author of From Golem to White Eagle: a journey into through and beyond life.
- Oct-7 – Toronto-Canada
- Nov-13- Tel-Aviv-Israel
- Dec-11 – Jerusalem-israel
- Jan,Feb,Mar – First Sundays of the month-Toronto-Canada
For more information: Tel: Toronto-416-787-6425 – Tel-Aviv-03-6352325
Bat-Sheva Koren PhD,BC-DTR,ICET – bat_shevak@hotmail.com
Here is the a preview of the many workshops that are being developed for 2013 at the Cuyamungue Institute. There will be some adjustments to dates, times and details but I wanted to give you the jump-start on making plans to join us at Cuyamungue next season. Invest in yourself! As Leonardo da Vinci put it “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” Much more detail to follow in the near future.
April 29 – May 10: German Workshop – Ki Salmen is trainer and teacher for the Felicitas-Goodman Institut in Germany and will host a full week workshop and bringing a group from Germany. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? If so, you are welcome to attend.
May 23 – 26: Initiatory Training Workshop – Paul Robear and Laura Lee. You will be introduced to a succession of trance experiences including healing, divination, metamorphosis, and initiation. Enjoy the power of the group experience.
June 20 – 23: Solstice Celebration and Workshop – Marianne Carroll – Marianne is a gifted astrologer providing dynamic insight for life path interpretations and who facilitates an ongoing posture group that meets monthly at the New Moon.
July 6: Cuyamungue Explorers Club – This is a gathering for those who are familiar with the practice of the Cuyamungue Method and what to participate in new posture research and verification. Hosted by Paul Robear and Laura Lee.
July 12 -14: Goddess Workshop – Laura Lee and Cynthia Devlin – Explore the many postures that embody feminine wisdom. Each has its own personality and power. We have lots of juicy, fun, empowering, arty activities. Men are welcome too! because hey guys, if you get this at this level, war will end and men and women will leave in peace; even the climate will settle down. Ask Shakespeare!
July 31 – August 4: The Power of Animal Spirit Guides – Nick Brink – Identifying a spirit guide, generally an animal spirit guide, to supplement the process towards healing, personal growth and going beyond in accessing the Universal Mind.
August 29 – September 2: Masked Trance Dance – Paul Robear and Laura Lee. Adventure into the depth of inspiration and intuitive guidance as we make masks, costumes, and our experiences will create a mythic story and end in a creation a sacred dance .
September 8- 12: Instructor Training and Certification – Belinda Gore and Paul Robear. How to teach the safe and simple six-step process, known as the Cuyamungue Method.
September 19 – 22: Ancient Egyptian Body Postures – Meredith McCord and Jill Schumacher. Delve deep into Egyptian ecstatic body postures, healing postures and Ancient Egyptian Teachings.
October 3 – 6: First Annual Men’s Conclave – Paul Robear. The time has come for the men of the institute to gather and share the power of the Cuyamungue Method as a group. This will the first time in the history of the Institute that an all male event will be conducted at the Institute.
Want to more information? Email us and we will answer your questions and connect you the the workshop instructor(s).
Dr. Felicitas D. Goodman – 100 year celebration
2014 marks the 100th anniversary of Felicitas’ birth. This is also an opportunity for special events at Cuyamungue to honor her life and work. We hope to host an international event and welcome all cultures, all languages and all around the world who are enjoying this work. We hope to come together, in person, and over the Internet, to share stories of how Felicitas and her legacy has impacted all of us. We are in the brainstorming stage for a conference in the Summer of 2014 and actively looking for knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers. We need your ideas and participation! We are hoping to add additional temporary accommodations and gathering spaces as needed. For those who need more comfortable accommodations, the beautiful new Hilton at Buffalo Thunder is a short distance away and very reasonable priced. We can negotiate a group of rooms depending on the demand. Pencil this in your calendar today! We intend to find a date and time that works for with the majority of the community. This event is open to first-time workshop participants as well.
Would you like to attend, suggest activities, or better yet, be part of the committee that plans and executes this event? If so, let me know. It can’t happen without people stepping forward and making it happen! Email me directly at paulrobear@cuyamungueinstitute.com
We need your support! The Cuyamungue Institute, like many non-profit organizations, has limited resources. We are proud of the scope of work we have already accomplished. However, there is much more to do, and we depend upon your support. There are several ways to participate:
- Be a Volunteer – Ask about existing, on-going projects you can help with. Or suggest projects that you can work on, fund, or both!
- Attend workshops at the Institute – Bless yourself and the Institute! Workshop fees directly support the land and buildings.
- Personal Donations – 100% of your donations and gifts go directly to the Institute, and are tax deductible.
- Corporate Donations – Your company can have a tremendous impact. Also ask us how we can bring our work to your company!
Please consider making a donation by clicking here. Ongoing research and new applications of this work with Ritual Postures is only possible because of donations made by people like you. Laura Lee, our Director of Outreach and Development, is available to answer your questions and to provide more information. Contact her at lauralee@cuyamungueinstitute.com
If you have any questions about the Institute or the Cuyamungue Method, please feel free to contact us. We welcome all correspondence. Email me directly at paulrobear@cuyamungueinstitute.com .
Blessings,
Paul Robear – September 2012