Illuminated Pathways

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“I once was lost, but now I'm found” -- Amazing Grace.
The story of my (Don Basler)experience in Origins.

This is a story about my experience as a participant in Origins™, a five-day course by Illuminated Pathways built to raise individual consciousness. It was led by Jmîchaeĺe Keller and Paul Klein – I worked with both of them at MeetingMatrix and helped build the Illuminated Pathways BV website over a year ago. And while my experiences in Vietnam play a role here – and they are somewhat dramatic (to me anyway) they are a subset of a greater happening. Although I was freed from 40 years of Vietnam b.s. I also freed myself from a variety of personal limitations and behaviors that were just as significant.

My Origins experience took place in Delft, The Netherlands. I arrived with minimal expectations. I knew Jmîchaeĺe and Paul were somehow different and onto something. But I was not sure just what; except they both always directed 100% of their attention to anyone they interacted with. I was curious to see where this was going.

Day 1 – Awareness

I was introduced to a roomful of 12 people -- all Dutch except for Jmîchaeĺe, Drei (a Romanian), and me. English was the common language. There are no course materials, no books, no summaries, no taking notes. This course is based on doing and experiencing.
The day was spent developing an increased ability to concentrate and to really see things as they are.

We shared our observations as a way of expanding what we actually were seeing – for often one person would see a detail from a different angle that highlighted the limitations of a single perspective.

By the end of the day I think we were becoming better at controlling our attention, putting it somewhere and keeping it there and observing with a higher degree of clarity.

We expanded from awareness by removing mental constructs that cloud our perception of what is really happening around us. Using a variety of exercises we explored how we perceived and learned how to begin to see more clearly. A good day of foundation work. Looking back who would know that these simple beginnings would lead to such profound changes in my life.

Day 2 Filters

Filter – something that interferes with perceiving something as it truly is.

With specific exercises it became clear what the “stuff” is that clouds our vision and the appearance of an intuitive understanding of how to get rid of this dust.
We continue with another series of exercises. For one the task was to select a place and revisit it -- this time from an outside viewpoint – to see the place form a different perspective.

When we were told to select a place, my mind went immediately to a hill in Vietnam. Not sure why it did, but I went with it. That hilltop in the jungle was beautiful. I remember seeing the most rich and colorful rainbow I ever saw in my life there. The downside was the dead North Vietnamese and the stench of death as it grew during the three days I spent there.

Somehow the previous exercises of helped me here.. Without realizing it my awareness was able to perceive what was really happening around me 40 years ago. The filters that clouded my vision were leaving gradually.

So from the outside I revisited that time in Vietnam. I walked around observing the younger me and the radio I lived with. From the outside I took it all in and viewed it from this new perspective.
During the sessions both Jmîchaeĺe and Paul showed an awareness of the underlying consciousness in the room and identified numerous unspoken things. It was an impressive display of awareness and sensitivity. Maybe they are really more like real Mentalists.

After lunch we got back at it. This time we selected a larger place with the objective of seeing more clearly. Me, feeling cocky after my successful foray into the Vietnam hilltop, decide to take on the whole country. So I jump in with both feet and begin to explore the Filters I have about the country of Vietnam.

I start to see them: dangerous, brutal, murderous, destruction, death…and I get sucked down into the past. Next thing I know I’m sitting there with my eyes closed with tears streaming down my face. I had been here before and it was a place of pain and sadness that I had been working hard to avoid over the years. I couldn’t breathe. I opened my eyes and looked across the room.

I was bent over trying to contain the cramping in my midsection. More importantly I was wrestling with what I had discovered – the filters I was applying to Vietnam were really filters I was applying to myself. As Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
I eventually forced those thoughts into words and “shared.” We took a break after that.

It is worth noting that my experience here was the exception. There were no other overtly “cathartic” episodes. I think that my buried history just jumped up and bit me in the ass. The above summary touches on some of my issues – but there was a lot more under the surface. And to be honest I was not looking forward to more of the same. Fortunately that did not come to pass with the same intensity.

Day 3 – Perceiving and Appreciation

Wednesday was a day of more exercises. Appreciate – the act of consciously extending love. It’s a bit more than that but I’m not sure I can articulate it.

So on Wednesday we practiced perceiving, or in action a “Perceive-It”. We also explored some our thoughts. Thoughts that regularly pop up in your mind. In one of these exercises we each selected a thought. Interesting thing about thoughts is when you examine them closely and allow yourself to view them from different angles you quickly see them for what they are.

We viewed experiences from a variety of perspectives; they take on a different color! And thoughts or experiences become just an idea or experience with no substance – and it loses its ability to drive my behavior or emotions. No more “Poor me, I got screwed.”

I think the key to this process in perceiving –learning to “see” something in its bare essentials. Once I started to do this it was easier to put things in their rightful place – in the past. When we perceive we are by definition in the present. It becomes difficult to give power to the past –regardless of its one time impact.

The second part of the day focused on appreciation. Appreciation – as I understand it is consciously “allow something to be with appreciation” and bringing that to whatever your focus is on. Now this can sound kind of dumb – in fact it was a very cool exercise. No words are exchanged and we focused on feeling and sharing appreciation that to whatever your focus is on. This exercise is almost the ultimate prove of “What you give is what you get."

Day Four -- Illumination and Manifesting

Today we spent the morning working with a more formal structure. I noticed that all exercises we’ve been doing until this moment almost brought about a new, clear and effortless state of being. I began to understand why we were practicing instead of gathering knowledge. We had been practicing parts of a whole what they call “Illumination” during the first three days.

After lunch we moved to manifesting. Manifesting is an alignment of your consciousness-approach-to-living, into your daily live. It’s almost like an alignment of who I’ve always been (the real me) into my life situation. Being abled to adapt my life situation to my thru consciousness as it has emerged during Origins. Doing this exercise, I felt a lightness I hadn’t felt for years – if ever. All of my Vietnam crap – the big one-- was gone. Other junk that I was carrying was also gone.

And I was laughing. Because it all felt so damn good.

Day Five – Origins and Personal Manifest.

On Friday the final day of Origins, I completed the Origins Manifest. And it was easy. I think the heavy lifting was done earlier so things flowed.

In the afternoon we all developed Personal Manifests. This is about how I can use the full potential of what I’ve learned about who I truly am. About what I really want to experience in this live an what I can contribute. This was collaborative with Paul and Jmîchaeĺe helping distill our ambiguous ideas into practical matter. I know that sounds vague but like most of Origins you need to experience it rather than try to understand it through written words.

I spent Saturday in Delft with Jmîchaeĺe, Drei, and Hans (Paul’s brother). It’s hard to describe the connection that exists among us – the entire Origins group. Sure there’s the bonding of shared experience – but also something deeper –a spiritual connection based on love and trust. I write this from my perspective but in so many ways my experience intertwines with everyone else. And I can’t quite do it justice here.

It’s been three months since Origins. Back in the USA. Back on the job.

Everything changed – NO, I changed. My job at Rave has become stress free. I see people and situations more clearly. I am so much lighter in spirit. I smile a lot more.

I enjoy being.