When I first began to
teach classes, my original intention was to impart basic metaphysical
concepts designed for the novice -- those just beginning to explore
non-religious spiritual ideas. But for some time now I was becoming
increasingly aware that I no longer resonated with the teacher
/ student paradigm, and have therefore made a decision to depart
from "teaching" classes. While this is to inform visitors
of that decision, at the same time, I feel there is something
valuable I can offer in explaining my decision in a bit more
detail.
I do still think there is a need for clear, simple and concise presentations of metaphysical concepts easily available for beginners. There are many books available which can serve that need. And there are also many other people teaching classes. From my point of view, there are advantages and liabilities to each of these.
With books and internet articles, you can follow your own guidance and pursue your personally designed course of study. I am very much an advocate of that. You have the advantage of taking a look at the book or a quick scan of an internet article before deciding if it resonates for you. The liability for some people is that they aren't readers and prefer listening to content, such as in classes or on tape.
With classes, there is that added aspect of sharing and discussing ideas with others that many are drawn to. Classes offer the advantage of being able to ask questions and obtain clarity on the spot. But there are problems I noticed when it came to classes. One of them was that there were virtually no offerings of classes of the nature as I described above -- clear, simple and concise presentations of basic ideas and principles. That is a niche I felt there was a great need for and why I devoted some effort to trying to fill it.
Alas, as I looked at the class offerings of most venues, the subjects of the classes were presenting either teachings of a particular spiritual wisdom tradition or very complex and demanding schools of thought, healing arts, reading arts such as Tarot, numerology, and astrology, information on minerals and essences, and many others. I'm not suggesting anything critical regarding these subjects themselves. My point is that they are the dominating offerings, and none of them are basic metaphysical principles for beginners.
As I state elsewhere on this site, spirituality is supposed to be simple, or it is lost. I believe in something A Course In Miracles (ACIM) states -- to the effect that all complexity is of the ego. Alas, I discovered that many people gravitating to metaphysics still love complexity and argument. That's fine I guess. That is a stage along the way of our evolutionary paths. It's just that it can make it a bit difficult sometimes for those who want to present these spiritual concepts. Though I have not ever been a student of ACIM, I have found many insightful ideas in the bits and pieces I have been exposed to (mostly through teachers of ACIM who have written articles or books for the general public) But to the extent that size and complexity are related, at a minimum it could be said that even ACIM itself is a quite huge course (which is evident just by looking at the textbook).
Anyway, at some point in teaching, whether through classes, articles or through an e-group that started a few years ago amongst visitors to my site (since disbanded for lack of time on my part), I began to recognize a common theme. And that was that students of metaphysics could learn the principles quite easily, but still feel let down in that they aren't seeing the real change in the actual experience of their lives they had envisioned.
This concern began to make a deeper and deeper impression upon me. I finally decided that it was more important to me to bring people over that seeming barrier between learning the Principles and living them. I realized that the problem was really one of identity. Is the individual going to live in identity with ego or in identity with one's Infinite, Eternal True Self, i.e., in identity with their Divinity. The reason that's important is because one cannot live the Principles while remaining in identity with the ego self. It became clear to me that making that identity move from ego to True Self was the key to experiencing change.
We cannot make that change by toiling alone in the fields. It was meant that we are to assist each other in discovering each of our Divine Magnificence. This inspired me to design the Consciousness Sharing (CS) Groups. They are specifically designed for this purpose. These groups are a very powerful tool for those interested in being in flow with the movement of the Universe. To read about the concept and format of these groups click here or on the link on the left side of this page.
I began CS Groups with the idea of trying to go around the country to facilitate start-up groups where there was interest. I soon discovered this was too inefficient and financially costly. Now I am relying on motivated individuals to form and organize groups in their area. I am available for advice and support.
Please note that this is not a class or seminar.It all begins with a person or a group of people in an area who really desire to experience the power of these groups. From there a core group of participants (generally about 10-12) is formed. The groups are meant to continue with new participants joining as earlier participants experience the intended purpose and progress out.
To learn more about starting a group or to discuss further details regarding scheduling or to otherwise assist William in bringing this wonderful tool to the world, please email him.
To close, while there may be some form of events or appearances in the future, they likely will not be in a class format.
Copyright ©, 2007, William
Gunderson
All Rights Reserved
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