East West Bookshop of Seattle's Blog

by L. Steven Sieden author of “Buckminster Fuller’s Universe’ & the forthcoming “A Fuller View, Buckminster Fuller’s Vision of Hope and Abundance for All”  www.BuckminsterFullerNow.com

Inspiration and enthusiasm filled the room when world-renowned author of Notes from the Universe Mike Dooley completed a whirlwind weeklong tour promoting his new book Leveraging the Universe, 7 Steps to Engaging Life’s Magic in Seattle on October 8.  The Leveraging the Universe tour began Oct. 2 in Baltimore, and the always-energetic Dooley spoke in a different city every night for a full week.

A crowd of over 300 enthusiastically cheered him on when he walked onto the stage at Seattle Unity Church.  Dooley answered back with his trademark “Jambo!” greeting and launched right into sharing the details of all of the seven steps for connecting with what he calls life’s magic.  He also peppered his ninety-minute presentation with classic Dooley humor and stories to illustrate the points of his talk.

In Leveraging the Universe, Dooley recounts many stories of the last ten years of his life as he moved from a very stuck life to becoming an international best-selling author and speaker who travels around the world having fun with his work.

Throughout the night, he came back to the theme of being aware and using the Universe for support as he shared with the audience how he is still asking himself, “How did this happen to me?”

Dooley often reminded the crowd to remember his trademark slogan that “thoughts become things,” and chided them to wake up and recognize that each of us has far more power than we are even aware of or that we put to constructive use.

Following his take, in a genuine act of generosity, the bald, photogenic (so he says) Dooley joyfully signed books and posed for pictures with each and every person in line.  Some of those people carried a stack of books for friends, but Dooley maintained his characteristic smile until everyone in that long line got what she or he wanted.

Then, Dooley moved on to his next adventure.  If you can’t see him in person (or even if you can), I recommend signing up for his daily Notes from the Universe email in the same way I recommend the work of Buckminster Fuller.

By L. Steven Sieden author of “Buckminster Fuller’s Universe’ & the forthcoming “A Fuller View, Buckminster Fuller’s Vision of Hope and Abundance for All”  www.BuckminsterFullerNow.com

Ainslie MacLeod, world-renowned psychic, conducted a past life, transformational workshop on Oct. 7, 2011.  The focus of the event was billed as his latest book “Transformation: Healing Your Past-Life Fears to Realize Your Soul’s Potential” (Sounds True, 2010), but MacLead gave his audience much more than a book reading.  In his laidback yet potent style, he provided the packed room of about 80 people with everything they needed to explore past lives and heal wounds that they may have been hold on to for lifetimes.

In less than two hours, he shared a multitude of success stories from his work with clients and led participants through a brief, yet powerful guided meditation in which they could experience a past life and possibly release any trauma that the life was still causing in this life.

The beauty of MacLeod’s work is its simplicity and his focus on empowering others to do what he does.  Rather than attempting to sell people on the idea that he (or anyone else) is the person needed to heal or contact spirit guides, MacLeod recommended people do this for themselves.

Before he took the entire group through what I experienced as a profound, potent and brief (15 minutes) process he reminded the audience was so simple it could be done by anyone any time anywhere.  MacLeod also reminded participants that to become accomplished at anything, including being a psychic, requires practice.

The evening created the space for people to take a journey into their soul’s past and come out feeling lighter, more confident and healed.  MacLeod showed them how to uncover the source of their fears, phobias, limiting beliefs, and other blocks to fulfillment in this life.  Even in this short event, people were able to begin uncovering the source of soul-level trauma and overcoming blocks to achieving their true potential.

MacLeod is a humble man who says …

“As your psychic guide, it’s my privilege to take you on a voyage to another realm—to a place where, together, we can uncover your soul’s purpose, and overcome blocks to fulfillment in this lifetime.”
Hopefully, Ainslie will return often to share his insights in Seattle.

Suffice it to say little did I know that I would be spending my Friday evening dancing around the East West Bookshop with friends and colleagues listening to Lady Gaga. Author of The Secret Language of Your Body: The Essential Guide to Health and Wellness and creator of Visionary Intuitive Healing™ Inna Segal teaches a message of healing that is practical, profound and fun! Inna’s presentation style is dynamic and engaging, with clear intention and confidence Inna offers this work from her heart and also her personal experience, asking those who REALLY want to heal to join her.

For those present Friday evening May 13th, we got an intimate look at the path Inna has walked and what has lead her to become so passionate about showing others how to heal themselves. Inna describes that the development of her unique and effective techniques was born from her own crippling back pain that threatened to take away ease of physical mobility. Just over a decade ago Inna was playing the healing dance; seeing any and everybody in an attempt to get “fixed”. On her last trip to the chiropractors office Inna was stuck with the worst pain she had felt to date and upon arrival was told by her chiropractor, “I am not going to fix you this time, you will have to do it yourself”. Admittedly enraged, Inna left the office and subsequently the healing dance and began a new journey towards self-reliance, trust and grace.

Inna began her next steps by transmuting her frustration and anger into self-confidence and began to ask, “If help is available to me or anyone, please show me how to help myself”. Within moments Inna described her body being filled with luminous white and golden light. Inna continued to ask questions, her new found sense of openness was a sacred window where no limits were set and nothing was held back. Using color visualization, breath, chakra work and strong intention Inna transformed body, mind and spirit. Inna was imbued with a renewed sense of Self and a worthwhile message to share with others.

Ok, so how did we get to Lady Gaga? Again I said Inna’s methods are very simple, accessible for ages 9-99. Movement! If we aren’t warmed up than energy is unable to flow through us, right? The music choice was set into place to ensure that participants would have no trouble figuring out what part of the body needs to be moving, I’m sure. Inna describes the base of our spine in conjunction with our hips as our center of support, without support our body has no base to work from. Inna explains that even upper back and shoulder pain is often the resultant manifestation of a lack of support at our base. Tightness and pain are the body’s way of telling us what we need to work on and where.

Inna’s overarching message asks us to enter into a new agreement with our body. This agreement is one where we listen to what our body is saying, we trust in the information that we are being given and we work with our own individual needs. Many of the methods Inna shares offer an immediate sense of relief and clarity but Inna explains that true healing takes time, keeping the end goal in mind is where we want to be, even if you only improve 2% a week just think of where you will be in a year!

To learn more about Inna and her techniques on how you can heal yourself visit her on the web www.InnaSegal.com or go to your favorite book retailer, Ahem…and pick up a copy of The Secret Language of Your Body: The Essential Guide to Health and Wellness.

How can SuperBrain Yoga™ and Pranic Healing™ improve your life? Complete with practical techniques members can practice at home Stephen Co blends humor, knowledge and inspiration into his lectures leaving audiences feeling uplifted and empowered.

 
Stephen Co spoke at East West Bookshop Wednesday March 23rd 2011. We shuffled arranged and continually adjusted the room temperature as over 100 people piled into the event space. Dedicated to spreading truth and the transformative healing power of Pranic Healing Master co’s message is one that has been passed down from his late teacher Master Choa Kok Sui, who told Master Co that his own would be a life of teaching. With grace and candor Master Co gave Wednesday’s audience a taste of the techniques mostly through anecdote and personal encounters with this no-contact, seemingly thought activated method of healing. Master Co also touched on different levels of chakra theory and explained how traditional wisdom directly correlates to differing traditions and also to how these specific practices relate to us living at this point in time. Stephen explained that at first we are taught that we have seven main energy centers that control or determine how energy is expressed from the soul through the human form and later we accept that there are actually 11 main centers, and beyond that there are even more. For tonight’s purpose 11 chakra centers were explored and how they correlate to the Kabbalistic tree of life, the Lord’s prayer and even the Papal staff often times seen in processions.

Tonight’s main topic was SuperBrainYoga a technique used to increase energy flow to the brain and higher energy centers. A seemingly simple, short exercise seems to give even the most unwilling participant a chance to make daily attempt at this strange yet invigorating pranayam. For fun I will describe the exact technique: starting with the left hand, grasp the ear lobe so that the thumb is facing nail up on the outside of the ear, index finger on the inner side of the lobe. This feels funny at first but makes more sense when continually practiced. Do the same for the right side once you’ve secured the left. Please note that it is of extreme importance that you start from left to right, just like trying to jump start a car battery there is a right technique and a wrong technique. In this scenario if you cross you signals the wrong way you will be sending a huge pay load of energy down to your lower energy centers, leaving you feeling mentally dull and agitated to say the least. Once in place spread your feet at least shoulders width apart, from this point you are going to be using your knees to press yourself up and down, if this is uncomfortable or painful feel free to use a chair for support, the effect will be exactly the same. As you come down, bending the knees breathe in and as you stand up exhale. Kind of like building pressure in a vacuum system. The suggested amount is 14 times per engagement. It is also suggested to not practice this technique at night before going to bed. My challenge to you is to try this technique in place of afternoon coffee, notice that I didn’t tamper with those who would consider themselves ritualistic morning coffee people.

Beyond technique Master Co exemplified how a pure heart conquers all doubt in all that one endeavors to do. For those of us who commit to learning and practicing a specific type of healing energy work as a service to humanity it is always ourselves who end up getting the most healing benefit. In regards to those who wish to know more about Pranic Healing and SuperBrain Yoga you can visit the website: Pranic Healing and for those living in the northwest, note that Master Stephen Co will be holding a level 1 Pranic Healing training course and a Pranic Crystal Healing course in Bellevue April 15-17 2011 click here for more details: NW Training Opportunity

Our best Skype to date!

Tuesday Dec. 7th with Ram Dass was a heartfelt night for the many who attended. The night opened up with a brief introduction by co-author of Be Love Now: the Path of the Heart Rameshwar Das, long time friend and devote of Maharaj-ji. Rameshwar Das also played a short video made by the God son of Ram Dass which included clips from Fierce Grace played over a live talk given by Ram Dass. The video alone was very moving and well done and can be found with the Be Here Now eBook.

After the video we connected with Ram Dass, immediately the room was filled with a tangible presence of deep love and joy. After practicing living in the moment for some 50 years Ram Dass exudes those peaceful qualities of non-attachment and acceptance. Ram Dass took questions from guests and shared experiences that were relatable to his own life but also to our own lives. We were grateful for the spiritual questions that people asked but also for the more analytical questions which seemed to be relatable to blindly plunging ones’ hand into a ripe full treasure chest as Ram Dass would pull out simple inspiring answers or would look directly at the camera and release a stunning smile that seemed to melt any superficiality into bliss.

One question inspired a story not as rarely shared by Ram Dass in public. The question involved the idea free will vs. predetermination. Ram Dass at this point brought us along on his second trip back to India, explaining that since his arrival, for several days he had not yet met up with his guru Maharaj-ji. After searching for him in the ashrams Ram Dass was told to go to a Buddhist meditation retreat and he did. Ram Dass met people there, who inspired by his stories also wanted to meet the great man that he had been looking for. By the time he was to leave the place of the meditation he had about 23 other people, one of which had a bus who was escorting everyone in search of the guru. Ram Dass was told to go to the site of the Kumba Mela. Later in the day the bus came to a cross roads that would either take the group to Delhi where ice cream and other sweet body-soothing treats could be acquired or to head off into the unknown dry desert. Dessert vs. Desert if you will, ahem. Ram Dass took the high road toward the flat open plains, as he explained, and as they were driving through this sacred site of meditation someone from the back of the bus yelled, “hey, there’s Maharaji”. Turns out that someone was no other that Rameshwar Das who was in our presence at this point hosting the event.

All of the people exited the bus at this point and touched his feet. Maharaj-ji told them to follow him back to the household he had been staying at. Everyone piled into the bus and followed the rickshaw that was slowly carrying Maharaj-ji back to the household. When the group arrived, the woman of the household came out and smiled, saying, “we’ve been waiting for you”. Stunned, Ram Dass replied, “for all of us”? The women deepened her grin explaining, “oh, yes, for all of you. Maharaj-ji woke me earlier telling me to make food for 25 people who would be arriving later in the afternoon”. Our in-house audience laughed furiously and Ram Dass told us, “that is when I gave up the idea of ‘My own’ free will”.

Friday night Gay Hendricks revealed himself as a joyful genie giving heartfelt advice to a receptive and engaged crowd. As Gay himself put it, his 31st book Five Wishes, recently released in paperback, was among the easiest to write and consequently one of the most helpful books to share with people. I will relay what the 5 wishes are without ruining the story which can be read about in the book Five Wishes and also viewed on YouTube in a 17 min. short film that shows how Gay’s initial idea to create the Five Wishes was born.

The first wish is to have a lasting loving relationship with another person, the second is to complete any incomplete actions involving other people; clearing all “debts”, the third is to learn to write from the heart, the fourth is to have an experience of the the divine creative force that animates all life, and the fifth is to savor every moment in life no matter what the circumstances.

Gay’s enthusiasm for life was tangible throughout the room and many left Friday with a greater sense of overall purpose, understanding and direction. As Gay mentioned, he and his wife Kathlyn run the Hendricks Institute, www.hendricks.com which is a center for conscious living and loving, helping couples to attract more love, abundance and vibrant wellness. Gay’s style combines the idea of personal self-inquiry and non-criticism of others, he mentioned the some 2500 couples that his wife and he had counseled over the years and how so many who were on the verge of divorce left with a renewed commitment to their marriage and each other.

Of the questions asked, one received extra special attention. The question was, “if you had to make a sixth wish, what would it be”? With a big smile Gay closed his eyes and remarked,   “of all the interviews I have done regarding Five Wishes, that is the first time anyone has asked me that question”. Gay took one of his classic full bodied deep breaths in and upon exhalation said, ” if I had to create a sixth wish, it would be that everybody, everywhere on Earth would be able to feel a deep sense of joy, live totally in the present and savor every moment”. Simple yet profound. Gay’s “on the spot” answer rang with truth and struck a deeply felt chord with the in-house audience.

I was dubious when our events coordinator first announced a Skype event.  Pervious experience with televison and videoconferencing had left me inclined to view Skype as merely another “talking-head experience”;  where I could see and hear the person on the other end, but had no sense of connection with them.

 In the meantime, we’ve done several events via Skype with our authors; with Dan Millman  of Peaceful Warrior, Jon Gabriel of The Gabriel Solution, Sonia Choquette  of Traveling at the Speed of Love, Bruce Lipton of Biology of Belief, Steve Bhaerman of Spontaneous Evolution and Gay Hendricks of Five Wishes.

 And I must say that I’m quite impressed with the Skype experience!

 Having an author in person is always great—you get the chance to meet and take measure of the author as a person, ask questions, and enjoy their company as part of the audience.  Of course the experience often depends on the size of the audience, as speakers often project themselves differently to a large group than to a small one, and for the audience there’s often less sense of connection with the author in a large setting.

 This is where Skype has really surprised me—that as part of the audience in a Skype event, I actually feel a sense of connection to the author.  It’s like they’re sitting across the table and talking with me.  Part of it has to be that the authors are quite relaxed, for instead of the stress of travel through airports and across time zones, they can do a Skype event from their home office instead.

 And somehow authors are more personal on Skype, often sharing insights or stories that might never come up in a more formal setting.  I guess most of all I just get a sense of their energy and who they are as a person, the experience of which provides a whole different insight into their books.  Through books I often get a sense of what an author thinks; through Skype I get a sense of who they are. 

It’s a rewarding experience!