Suggested Topics

The site statistics of the Befinity blog show that the post which consistently attracts the most hits is Suggested Topics (posted September 10, 2009). I suspect, however, that the majority of those who have viewed the post to-date were disappointed. It was the very first post on the Befinity blog and comprises nothing more than a cursory list of generic ideas that I drew up when I was putting the Befinity concept together in July/August 2009.

In view of the fact that the 'Topics' post continues to attract regular hits, I have decided to prepare an updated list, including both an expanded version of the original suggested topics list, as well as a schedule of subjects covered in the past year or so. While this obviously won’t cover all topics discussed since Befinity’s inception, it will be a considerable improvement on what’s been available on the blog to-date.

Unfortunately, however, it is taking me longer than hoped to put together the list of topics covered in the past year (the info must be extracted from the meeting announcements), so I have decided to post what I have managed to compile thus far, and to append additional info as and when I get the opportunity to do so.

LIST OF SUGGESTED TOPICS (EXPANDED):

·         Keys to the awakening of consciousness (what are the kinds of experiences and ideas that cause significant shifts in consciousness?)
·         Past Lives and Life Between Lives
·         Near Death Experiences
·         Angels & Guides
·         Healing & Psychic Gifts
·         Healing Modalities (acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine, chiropractic, aromatherapy, homeopathy, reiki and energy healing, reflexology, kinesiology, naturopathy, body talk, biokinetics, journey work, etc)
·         Holistic Living Modalities (yoga, pilates, diet and nutrition, feng shui, etc.)
·         Meditation techniques
·         Spiritual Wellness (e.g. self-love, the power of the mind, affirmations, etc)
·         Science and Spirituality
·         The Great Religious Traditions
·         The Lost Books of the Bible
·         Other Spiritual Knowledge Systems (e.g. shamanic traditions, etc)
·         Relationships
·         Revealing Beauty (an opportunity for group members to share the things that arouse a profound sense of wonder and appreciation in them  – a beautiful poem or piece of music, etc)
·         Hypnotherapy
·         Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
·         Astrology
·         Numerology and/or the Human Pin Code
·         Psychotherapy (especially whether it has a role to play in spiritual awakening)
·         Gender issues in contemporary spirituality (e.g. re-emergence of the ‘goddess’ and balancing of feminine and masculine energies)
·         Indigo and Crystal Children
·         UFOs and Extraterrestrials

SUBJECTS COVERED SINCE APRIL 2011:

These are listed in the order in which they were presented. Where possible, I have included references and/or weblinks that will enable readers to access the resources used or to find out more about the subject.

·         Topic: “Conscious Intention: Transforming Your Physical Reality”. Talk by Dr John Demartini.

o   Format: DVD (available from http://www.drdemartini.com/products/type/dvds)

·         Topic: Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action (the quest for a fusion between spirituality and activism). Documentary by Velcrow Ripper.

o   Format: DVD (see www.fiercelight.org)

·         Topic: Emotional Clearing As A Way Of Opening To Your Authentic Self. Talk by Rod Edwards.

o   Format: Invited Speaker (http://uuconsultants.wordpress.com/)

·         Topic: Gary Renard, Author of ‘Disappearance of the Universe’ (a great introduction to A Course In Miracles). Interview by Alan Steinfeld.

o   Format: A series of Youtube clips (total duration approximately 35 minutes; series starts at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSO3SysWQus)

·         Topic: Does God Have A Future? Talk by Colleen Trotter on commonly held ideas about God and whether they are relevant in today’s world.

o   Format: Invited Speaker

·         Topic: Finding Your Life’s Purpose. Talk by Eckhart Tolle

o   Format: DVD (see http://www.eckharttolle.com/)

·         Topic: A Course In Miracles – The Movie. A film that blends interviews with leading teachers in the ACIM community.

o   Format: DVD (see http://nonduality.org/2010/07/12/a-course-in-miracles-the-movie/)

·         Topic: The Ethics of Money – Finding a Spiritual Perspective. Discussion based on first 25 minutes of video ‘Zeitgeist Addendum’.

o   Format: DVD (see http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/)

·         Topic: The Secret Sayings of Jesus in the Gnostic Gospels. Talk by Colleen Trotter on what scholars of the historical search for Jesus say about Him.

o   Format: Invited speaker

·         Topic: TRE [Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises] (see http://traumaprevention.com/). Talk by TRE practitioner, Brigitte Peel.

o   Format: Invited Speaker

The End-Date of the Maya Calendar: Remarkably Good Timing!

We are currently in the midst of a series of discussions regarding the '2012 phenomenon', and at our next Befinity (Hillcrest) meeting will be examining some of the ideas around the 'apocalyptic' perspective. Our intention, however, is not to promote a sensationalist view. This may be necessary to sell magazines and movies, but it’s not particularly helpful to those who are looking for a balanced, undramatised perspective. Our aim is rather to provide some insight into how the whole story has emerged, and thus to bring the hype 'back down to size', as it were.

The most important question to ask, in my opinion, is WHY is it happening? Is it because there really is some kind of looming threat? Or is it a kind of collective cry for help? Is it perhaps the case that we, as a species, are feeling more vulnerable, more threatended, more powerless than ever before, and need desperately to believe in some kind of intervention by some kind of higher power, whether from within or without?

We are continuously bombarded by messages of imminent environmental, economic and social collapse, and there is a pervasive sense that we don't have the answers. Could the various voices of the 2012 phenomenon - whether they say that disaster is upon us, or that we will be 'saved' by a transformation of consciousness - thus be nothing more than the expression of our collective mind, trying frantically to make something tangible and, in some cases at least, hopeful, out of our ill-defined, but terrifying fears? In this view, the end-date of the Maya Calendar simply becomes a conveniently timed 'crystallization point', around which the whole phenomenon has taken shape.

Perhaps, in the end, the why doesn't matter however. Perhaps the only thing that matters is that the vast amount of 'noise' around the 2012 phenomenon has served as a global rallying call to those who care about transformation - personal, social, economic and environmental. It's a call without precedent, which has reached all corners of the global village, in a way that would not have been possible 20 years ago. So, whichever way you look at it, the timing of the end-date of the Maya Calendar must be seen as remarkable.

From Mother Nature With Love: Permaculture

At the Befinity meeting last Thursday (26th January 2012), permaculture and sustainable development consultant Ezio (“Buzz”) Gori gave an outstanding presentation entitled:

The Relevance of Permaculture to Mitigate Climate Change and the Onset of Peak Oil

At the beginning of the meeting, I read a couple of extracts from the Editorial in the November/December 2011 issue of Odyssey Magazine (www.odysseymagazine.co.za), which are well worth repeating here:

“....there can surely be no question any longer that we really are on the brink of melting the planet down. Now, as far as the planet itself goes, that’s no big deal – Earth has been both much hotter and much colder than currently and many species have come and gone during all that change, but the planet itself was just fine. If a bunch of species die out, new ones will be along shortly (in geological-evolutionary time) to replace them. If we really screw things up, most, even all, of us may die. But the planet will be good. And then some other species will fill our shoes, perhaps literally, even if that takes some millions of years. No problem. Except for us, that is."

and a bit further on....

".....can a species capable of becoming utterly dominant on a planet to the point where it is the definition of a plague, then turn that dominance around and become one with its own source of life and nurturance? That’s the big question we’re being asked – not by God or some other-worldly beings, but by ourselves. Our own success has become our challenge. And in overcoming that challenge, in mastering our own self-destructive ways of being, we’ll be the better for that”

After giving a short introduction to permaculture and explaining how his passionate interest in it came about, Buzz screened an inspirational documentary entitled: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (see www.powerofcommunity.org). This was followed by an animated discussion, which concluded with the agreement that this was not a subject that should be relegated to the realms of academic interest, but warranted ongoing action. It was also agreed, of course, that without leadership the action is unlikely to gain any meaningful momentum. Whether anyone will step forward to take leadership remains to be seen.

For anyone living in South Africa (especially KwaZulu-Natal) who wants to learn how to go about it, Buzz offers courses on Permaculture, which are highly recommended. To find out more, go to www.permaculture2012.co.za or contact Buzz on +27 83 300 2385 or Skype (ezio.gori).

At the request of the Befinity group, Buzz provided a list of relevant weblinks for those with an interest in learning more about earthcare and sustainable living:

• British Permaculture www.permaculture.org.uk

• GAIA Education www.gaiaeducation.org

• Community Solutions www.communitysolution.org

• Global Footprint Network www.footprintnetwork.org

• New Economics Foundation www.neweconomics.org

• Post Carbon Institute www.postcarbon.org

• Transition Culture www.transitionculture.org