Beloved TT friends,
I recently received some important information which was a great
relief for me to learn related to the controversial sexuality thread
from several months ago.
For those who were members on the TT portal back then, you may
remember that the first big challenge for our beloved community came in mid-February in the form of a post I started with the title "How's your sex life?" Though I knew this piece had the potential to be a divisive subject and even stated so in the post, I was very hopeful that it would lead to a fruitful, supportive discussion on the issue of sacred sexuality and whether or not to censor the sharing of sexual experiences on the portal.
The first couple dozen or so comments on the post were generally
rich and supportive, even when there was some disagreement on what was
being discussed. A few people shared deeply moving stories about the
difficulties of sexuality in their younger years and how they had grown
and learned from them.
Yet eventually, a large number of sensitive topics were raised on
which we had many differing opinions. Some of the comments became quite
heated and less than loving and supportive. Because of my lifestyle of
having multiple partners (polyamory), one member stated she felt that I
was a sex addict. Others told me that I wasn't hearing what those who
were most upset were saying. In the end, four people ended up leaving
our team largely because of being triggered by this post.
Though I did my best to be loving and empowering throughout this
post, it ended up becoming quite divisive. I apologize for starting
one of the few posts ever on this portal which has gone this direction.
The entire thread is now moved into a special group available only for
those interested in controversial posts. I am grateful for all I've learned and grown from this
experience, especially after some new revelations I only recently discovered.
Thanks to Riversong, I recently found out some key information of
which I had not been aware as to why that post ended up being so
divisive. As Riversong was upset with me for being part of the team
that revoked his posting privileges and for his perception that I was not taking responsibility
for the sexuality thread, he wrote me a parting email in which he
revealed that he and others thought that I had used the TT community
portal to "create this cult of followers who fawn all over you (and
jump into bed with you)."
Though I was a bit shocked, I was actually extremely grateful to
Riversong for sharing this. Suddenly some things which had me quite
baffled on all this began to make sense. No one had ever mentioned this
suspicion to me before, and I had never considered it. After reading
Riversong's revealing comments, I emailed several people who were
involved with the controversy over the sexuality thread to ask about
this, including one of the four members who left. They confirmed what he said
and more.
Several people, including the one who left, verified for me that the
group of four TT members who left had been having a number of private
discussions among themselves and with a few others who continued as
members. Though they never expressed it on the sexuality thread or with
me personally, they talked in these discussions about their suspicion
that I might actually have designed the community portal at least
partially to get women into bed.
In my recent email exchange with the woman who left, she said that a
few of them also suspected that polyamory might be a tool of the New
World Order being used to corrupt moral values. A couple people in her
group even thought I might be a secret government agent out to corrupt
members of the portal through some form of sophisticated mind control.
Wow!!! Finally I understand now one of the main reasons why
Riversong and several TT members kept saying I wasn't hearing what
these women were saying. Their fears went much deeper than they ever
expressed on the sexuality thread. I wasn't hearing them at least
partially because no one ever told me of these deep fears.
The reality is that I very much understand some of these fears. Many
wonderful spiritual communities have gone to ruin because of the sexual
abuses of a powerful leader or guru. These things definitely do happen.
I only wish that all of this had been shared in the sexuality thread or
elsewhere on the portal, so that I and others following the thread
could have better understood what was going on.
What is most sad to me about all of this is that though a few of my
friends on the portal knew about this, they did not tell me what was
going on. A couple friends were even upset with me saying I wasn't
hearing these women, yet even these friends weren't sharing with me all
that they knew. Only after I contacted them when all of this came out
did they tell me that they had known some of these deeper suspicions.
No wonder the sexuality thread got so strange in places! I now can
understand several of the comments made there which
at the time made no sense to me. What a powerful example of what fear and secrecy can do!
I want to say thank you to Riversong and to everyone who responded
to my recent questions on this for eventually opening up and sharing
their real fears with me, even if it is months after the fact.
As I don't want to be seen as the community's leader here, I've now
removed almost all references to me in the transformation course. I so
don't want this to be any cult of personality. I was planning to do
this all along, but only completed it just a few days ago. The course
and this portal are not at all about me. I see us all as equal leaders
here with no one person in charge or leading. We are a community of
equals, all with leadership talent, working together to love, support,
and inspire each other.
I'm a bit nervous to bring this up here. Yet I feel it is very
important to show what secrecy can do, and to invite us all not to be
afraid to share our deepest fears. I know we can do this from a place
of love and support. I ask any of you who have them to share your
deepest fears about me. I very much would like to know your fears. I
definitely have my shadow side and am sometimes blind to it. You may be
able to help me better understand myself, so that I can better serve
myself, all of us, and All That Is.
My own fear is that if we as a community ignore the shadow in our
midst, it will end up somehow coming back to bite us, as happened in
the sexuality thread. By bringing this up now, I want to invite us all
to be willing to talk openly about our personal and collective shadows.
When done from a place of love and support, I believe this is some of
the most powerful work we can do to help transform our planet to a new
paradigm of love and cooperation.
Please share any thoughts and fears you might have about me or our
community in your comments below. Let's get it all out in the open. I
only ask that you do this from a place of love, respect, and support.
By fully acknowledging our shadows and our fears, I believe we can
better work together in our shared intention of loving and supporting
all of us and transforming our lives and world.
Thanks to all of you for your deep commitment to transformation.
Even after the challenges we've faced, I'm finding the community portal
overall to be a very loving, support place to connect and interact. We
really have a great bunch of people here. I ask you to help me and all
of us to be an ever more supportive and loving force for both personal
and global transformation. Thanks for being part of the Transformation
Team!
With lots of love, relief, and warmest wishes,
Fred
Dear Fred,
Your open conversation on this topic is great! I missed the original thread....but was here for the Riversong conflict. I found you most receptive to my opinions that I brought up to you. I felt a bit of that cult fear when I first got here. You and the team have proved yourself to me....I also feel that you listen to questions posed to you. Thank you! I Am happy to be a part of our TT ! Love, Mary
--- Post removed at author's request ---
Thank you Mary for acknowledging you had some fear that this might be a cult. Several people have commented on this. It's very good for me to know. If anyone has any ideas as to why some people have that suspicion, I would very much appreciate your thoughts. And yes fairyfarm girl, I love how we are all both teachers and students here. Every one of us has things to teach every other person here, and we can also learn from every other person. Let the wisdom flow between us all.
With lots of love and gratitude,
Fred
I can only speak for myself, on this topic....When I first became a member, the sex thread,slightly edited was reposted....I was new here and trying to get to know the team members...this is my first and only virtual community, I did not read it all...but got the cult? vibe from the thread itself..maybe from the origional fears felt from others? Then the thread ingnited more with the RS input. I am left-handed(different dominant brain hemisphere?) Female, I do not think in pictures......I am very sensitive to people(creatures,things) vibes. I process info differently than you, and probably most people! I am sure now that this was one of those challenges that while not enjoyable at the time, was a great gift.
As you both said,we are all learning,and teaching. I feel that this team is a great classroom,and we will be even more helpful in the world,by our time spent together here! Love,Mary
Thanks for opening an opportunity for us to express any concerns. I am glad to be here, and I feel that we all do what we can to support each other.
I felt kind of funny that the last two topics in the course were sex and money. To me, that gave it a feeling of ''ha ha, here it comes. '' but I came onto the site and got comfortable being here and now I see that it is a great source of information and loving support.
I feel like the sexuality topic should have come earlier in the course because it is something that could really help to transform peoples perception. Looking at sexuality as a sacred act, seeing the magic in it, can be a wonderful tool to bring about connectedness and empowerment. I wondered why it was less scary to put extra terrestrials and illuminati coverup near the beginning....and more scary to put sexuality in the mix until the end. Of course, taboo is not a big concern for me.....lol.......
I do feel that it can be easily misconstrued. I also feel a bit of disorganization with the site.
Having said all of this, I hold much hope and gratitude for this project. I love being here and I come here every day. I wish for success. I hope for us to grow and learn and love with each other.
My Love to you all.
thanks Fred.
Misty
--- Post removed at author's request ---
Thank you for those great observations, Misty. With everything that has happened, I think you may be right that it would be better to have the lessons on sex and money earlier in the course. Unfortunately that would be difficult to do now, as many are moving through the course. I'll have to brainstorm with others on how we might change it. If you have any ideas on this, I'd love to hear them.
I would very much appreciate more on what you mean by disorganization with the site. Are you referring to the course or the portal or both? If you can give any details, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for the feedback.
With love and gratitude,
Fred
well, what i mean by disorganized is that the posts seem random to me. I also wonder if like myself, people come onto the site and don't even realize that they can check older posts.
I dunno.....just an observation.
Love,
Misty
Good point, Misty. Maybe we need to make that clear in the welcome guide and consider ways to make it more obvious. Thanks for the suggestion! With lots of love and gratitude, Fred
just a thought or two concerning the comment:
Remember how well Christ was recieved? But, He had a great new Idea. Everybody stop fighting and LOVE one another. Boy that went down well for him! I seem to remember he was CRUCIFIED for his GOOD WORKS!
Was he crucified for his good works or was he crucified as a part of a larger plan knowing that his disciples and followers were becoming too reliant on him and not reliant enough on his message which was that we have the power within us to do even greater things than he and love is the only way.
I don't believe Christ came as a leader but as a messenger to convey to us that we are One, we don't need religion, gurus or teachers to show us the way to the Kingdom. The Kingdom is right here, right now and as we lift the veils between us and it, it becomes ever more clear.
We need the quiet stillness within each of us and we must learn to honor even the 'Riversong's' among us that bring up those shadows. A difficult decision amidst a group professing love, but to be truly Christed beings that is the requirement. Love thy brother as thyself. There is nothing selective about the process. We are all met by just exactly what is needed for our growth. How we respond indicates how well we have learned the lesson. Christ was not a wayshower by closing the door.
I suppose it becomes imperative that we decide how to meet situations like this with tremendous love in the future. So my question becomes what lesson did Riversong come to bring to our collective soul experience? kristyne
Hi Y'all:
My journey into this community was guided by my heart; not my head.
Love attracts love, and for me that is the focus of my presence here.
Fred could be a little grey martian and sleep with a frog and it wouldn't make any difference to me.
But it might to HIM! (lol)
Warmly and Positive-ly Yours,
Sharon in Mississippi
Love More. Fear Less! (And laugh a little, too!)
Please visit my Blog:
http://www.fearless-reader.com
Discover Your Life Power and How to Use It:
http://www.yourlifepower.com
Remember: You are of Infi-NET worth!
http://www.infi-net.us
Thanks for your great humor, Sharon, and for letting me be me, even if I do like to sleep with frogs ;o)
Kristyne, you raise a very important question about Riversong. What lessons did we learn here? For me, I am very clear that when I see someone exhibiting disempowering behavior in my life, I will do my best to stop that behavior, yet also to beam love and support to the heart of the individual causing it, even as I do what's necessary to stop the behavior. My work with WantToKnow.info is all about exposing and stopping the behavior of the power elite, yet also breathing sacred love with their hearts and inviting them to open to love even as I work to stop their destructive behavior.
I worked as a psychiatric nurse for 10 years, mostly with teenagers on a locked psychiatric unit. Many of the young patients I worked with were tortured souls who had to be on a locked unit because they would at times lose control, fly into a rage, and literally try to harm themselves or others around them. If you knew their severe abuse backgrounds, you would understand why this could happen.
Sometimes we would have to take these kids down and restrain them in order to protect them and the other patients. It was intense work, yet I really learned the importance of stopping destructive behavior, yet still supporting the individual in opening to a better way even as we stopped the behavior. Once the kids came back to their senses, many times they were thankful for how respectful we were even when restraining them. It was very sacred, empowering work for me.
For Andrey, Beth, and I, it was very clear that Riversong's behavior had become disempowering to a number of members (some left). And when we asked him, he would not agree to follow our community values and intentions. Thus, we decided it was best to suspend his posting privileges until he could show us that he was willing to follow these values. Both before and after we removed his privileges, he sent Andrey and I a few emails that were quite disrespectful, including the usage of a rather unpleasant four-letter word by him to describe my character.
There was actually not much new for me in how we went about this. I have been on the leadership committees of several communities where we've successfully dealt with similar problems and very occasionally had to remove members who clearly were causing problems and not willing to change.
What was new to me here was how upset some members became that Riversong's privileges were taken away. I was also quite surprised at how few voiced support of our decision. In the other communities where this happened, most members were very supportive of the decisions we made and relieved to have someone leave who was very divisive and/or not respectful.
I'm learning that working in virtual reality is much different than dealing with people in person. I also learned that many people here deal with conflict in ways very different than I am used to. We've now set up a conflict resolution group with the hope that if a similar situation happens again, it can be referred to this group. Anyone is free to join the new conflict resolution group. Had we had something like this conflict resolution group with Riversong, we might have avoided some of the pain and upset that occurred. We welcome any other ideas on how we might deal with situations like this in the future.
Thanks for your question on this, Kristyne, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. What did you learn from our brother Riversong? I have continued to breathe sacred love with him almost every day. I can feel his heart calling out for love. To me, he is still part of our team. You take care.
With much love and warm wishes,
Fred
Dear Fred and TT members,
I'll try to do this without being divisive, but not all of you will agree with me nor do I feel it necessary for you to.
We all come from our own perspective and live within our own reality constructs. We manifest what comes into
our realms of perception to learn how to act with love rather than 're-act' to what we believe is occurring outside of us. Like I have said elsewhere, the month of April was particularly busy for me. I looked into the portal almost daily, but I chose not to respond to discordant posts, as I will most likely continue to do in the future. I simply don't see much point in trying to 'change' anyone else or their opinions. Transformation isn't about changing others, it is about understanding that we aren't here to change anything but ourselves and our own vibration to that of a higher level of soul learning. Each of us will eventually come to it in our own time, at our own speed-many lifetimes have and will continue to be necessary for our enlightenment.
When I listen to comments about how Riversong 'disempowered' other members my comment is that no one can usurp our power if you understand from whence it comes. To that I say, anyone that felt disempowered needs to look at exactly why. How could one man really disempower any of us? No words on a page, yours, Riversong's or anyone elses, can disempower me. We are all elements of the I AM. Whether we are yet in recognition of that or not, we are all sparks of God consciousness, even to what some would consider the lowliest among us. That you are breathing sacred love to Riversong even now, and that you consider him part of the community even though at this point quietly behind the scenes, is commendable, I feel the same way.
What I don't want to learn from the experience:
That I have to censure my comments here as long as they are from a loving centered place.
That the TT isn't just another place on the web to air old paradigms and continue to be 'stuck' in them.
That no matter how much love we send out a little discord can even possibly dissolve that. It can't.
That you or anyone else here feels it necessary to 'control' any situation or person here, although by all means there is no place for profanity or abuse here. I am in favor of removal of posts that are flagged by many, although I would caution others that 'flagging' just because something sits in your gullet a bit, may just mean it's an issue you need to really look at within yourself. Life is like that. Things we need mirrored back at us have a way of doing just exactly that.
What I have learned:
We have a long way to go, all of us.
We don't want a 'leader' we just want a sacred space and we may have to work a bit to see that it remains a sacred space.
We can love enough to overcome anything we collectively agree is important enough to us all.
We can have a dialogue even when it is uncomfortable to some of us to do so, and we can hope above all else,
that dialogue with open hearts and open minds is the way we will ultimately bring our world to a better place.
I don't claim to have answers. I only claim to have great love for the world around me, in me and moving through me.
Every moment is a prayer. Every moment is a lesson. We are each other's teachers as well as students of the One.
Thank you for listening. There is nothing more I can ask of any of you except keep breathing that sacred Love.
Our world is in dire need of it. Here, there and everywhere. Peace, Peace, Peace. kristyne
I very much resonate with your words here, Kristyne. Not in the least do we want to avoid conflict or keep people from expressing their opinions. Constructive conflict is how we grow and learn. Yet this is not a place for people to come and call each other names or make frequent negative judgments of others. Constructive conflict means that even when we are triggered and feeling upset, we do our best to still come from a place of respect and support. If someone continuously refuses to do that, do you think they should be allowed to continue? If Dick Cheney were to become a member and start calling everyone names here and consciously try to upset as many people as possible, do you think he should be allowed to continue to do so?
I find it very important in my life to distinguish between the deepest spiritual levels where all beings are divine and everything is always unfolding in its perfect order and the more superficial, third-dimensional levels where some people are starving to death and others are being raped and tortured around the world as we speak. Do we just allow people to starve because it's all part of the divine plan? If we see a man about to rape a young girl, do we just stand by and say that he is a divine being who has a right to do whatever he wants? Clearly there are times when it is important to stop disempowering behavior. And though I don't at all support our prison system, if someone commits an act like murder or rape, I do believe there need to be consequences.
These are extreme examples, but it is important to consider these things. Are there times when people's disempowering behavior deserve consequences, even here on this portal?
I'd like to ask what you would do in this situation, Kristyne. I understand you were not reading the posts that were controversial. Yet, if you were the one who had to make the decisions on these matters, and you had seen that Riversong was not just once, but many times inciting arguments and implying people were fools, what would you do? If you then sent Riversong a polite, supportive message asking him to be more supportive, and he responded that you are the one who needs to change because you are on a power trip, how would you respond?
If you sent another polite message asking Riversong if he would do his best to come from a place of respect and support, and he then refused, what would you do? If you then learned that one of our first and most beloved and caring members of the TT had resigned largely because of Riversong, that another new member had resigned, and other caring members of our team had emailed you saying they were thinking of resigning too, what would you do? Do you just allow someone to continue to cause upset, or is there a time for consequences when the behavior is consistently and clearly divisive and disempowering of others. These are important questions. What would you have done, Kristyne?
Again, we very much welcome constructive conflict here. This is how we learn and grow. You and I are engaged in what I would call constructive conflict right now. We disagree on something, yet we are doing our best to be caring and supportive even as we discuss this sensitive issue. This is a wonderful exchange where we both have an opportunity to learn and grow from our interaction together. But do you agree that there is such a thing as destructive conflict? Do you just sit by and allow the war in Iraq to continue, or do you believe it is best that we sign petitions and do what we can to stop the war? If someone is clearly and consistently causing divisiviness and upset on the portal even after you have done your very best to invite him to come back to a place of support and respect, what would you do? I would very much appreciate hearing your thoughts on this. Thanks for caring.
With much love and warm wishes,
Fred
I very much resonate with your words here.....my words are a call to peaceful communication between parties breathing sacred love not an indictment of how anything should or should not have been handled.
Yet this is not a place for people to come and call each other names of make frequent negative judgements of one another... We all come from our own perspective and live within our own reality constructs. We manifest what comes into our realms of perception to learn how to act with love rather than 're-act' to what we believe is occurring outside of us.
Please look again at my words, Fred. They are in no way an attack of you or your decisions. In fact, by all means there is no place for profanity or abuse here, was my take on that.
You say I understand you were not reading the posts that were controversial. You should understand and I'm telling you now, that I have returned to each forum and spent many hours sifting through the Riversong stuff, since I first joined the 'conflict resolution group' and prior to either comment thereafter. If things have been permanently removed, or pertain to items that you received in confidence, yes those things I am unable to respond to adequately and I haven't tried.
You then go on to ask several questions regarding what if's, that speak to world issues like starvation, violence and abuse toward women and the war in Iraq.
I have never suffered from starvation, even when I had very little, I had loving friends that saw to it that I was fed. When I was raped at the age of 11, I learned that I was stronger than my assailants and no one could take my power from me and that the karma incurred from their act was far greater than anything I suffered at their hands and ultimately through many years of my own soul work, I have forgiven their brutality understanding that is the only way for true healing of anything in our lives. I've helped other young women, and grown women to understand they did nothing to perpetrate the violence brought upon them, and I've encouraged women to stand up, to stand together, to support one another and to teach their men and boys to honor and respect the Goddess' that each of us is and when necessary to walk or run if their freedom and physical safety were at all in question. As to the war in Iraq, on saturdays, you'll find me with a picket sign in hand, the other waving the peace sign at a weekly demonstration a few miles from my home. I've signed petitions, written letters and continued to advocate other alternatives to any war, anywhere, on this beautiful planet. You will not find me engaging anyone in conversations or anything else that contribute to continued confrontation of any kind.
We very much welcome constructive conflict here. This is how we learn and grow. You and I are engaged in constructive conflict right now. Are we? I am engaged in attempting to rise above conflict that has gone on here which I had nothing to do with and discuss my own feelings about what transformation is. Is the tone of your letter indicative of your need to be 'right' or feel vindicated regarding the decision you have made to remove Riversong? That isn't a question I want answered here. It is simply an observation from my own perspective. I'm not attached to the outcome of your handling of anything at all Fred.
I'm attached to making peace, to building bridges, to ushering in peaceful dialogue in a place where constructive conflict isn't welcomed, but is instead understood as a potential cry for help from the vast wilderness of chaos we call the external world.
I do hope you will accept this as my feelings without wishing to impose more of your own, because I really have no more time to spend on this discourse. I choose love. I choose to get back to my real world projects.
I choose to take up no more time trying to encourage the good folks of this portal to understand that unconditional love is what should be aspired to and that it is not the easy path some would like to believe it is. If we're going to talk the talk, we have to also learn to walk the walk.
Namaste Fred, which truly is me seeing and honoring the Divinity in you.
Our birthdays are very close, are we having this discourse because we are so alike or so different? Also just an observation Fred.
Peace. kristyne
Wow, Kristyne. I'm so sorry. From your message I get the impression that you feel I was trying to make you wrong and me right. Please understand that this was not at all my intention. I was trying to explain the reasoning behind what we did with Riversong and to ask what you would do in this situation. I did not at all feel your words were an attack on me and very much appreciated your thoughts.
I'm having a lot of trouble on the portal here because I find that often when I try to explain why I did something, I am seen by some as defending myself and trying to make others wrong. This is not at all my intention. I want to help others to understand me, just as I want to understand them, but I have no interest in being right. What I am working towards is mutual respect and understanding, even when we disagree.
Arrogance is my core challenge. Do you feel that there is a certain arrogance in my messages? I truly want to work on this and again apologize if you feel I was somehow making you wrong. I deeply admire and respect the work you have done on healing yourself and helping others who have been through rape to heal their wounds. I very much welcome your thoughts on how I might communicate in a way that feels more supportive to you.
Wishing you and all of us much love and support,
Fred
P.S. When you commented "I chose not to respond to discordant posts," I misundertood that to mean you were not reading discordant posts. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
Dear forum members,
Because a few TT members have replied in private regarding the posts of Fred and I above
I would like to make it very clear, that there is no standing disagreement between us. In private posts Fred
and I have discussed where we are both coming from and respectfully agreed to honor each other and
the intentions we both share. Please read my first post 'love thy brother' as commentary on what we might
consider before acting in the future regarding things that seem disrputive, not an indictment of how things were.
They all bring a lesson in how we act out of love, or how we 're-act', which is the point I was trying to make. Closing
doors doesn't open minds or hearts. I implore all of us to consider a better way should we encounter such things in
future.
For my part, and Fred's also i'm sure, there is only love here and commitment to transformation, which takes
different forms and brings different lessons for each of us. For those who felt it necessary to comment in private,
I appreciate your concerns about peace in the portal. Peace, Peace, Peace and many blessings, kristyne
Thank you, Kristyne, for your willingness to communicate privately with me from a place of love, respect, and support. Though all of us are going to have places where we may not agree, we can remain fully aligned in our desire to spread love and transformation to all around us. Thanks for caring. With much love and warm wishes, Fred
for no one in particular... one way to indentify the shadow in oneself: if you see qualities in others that you don't like, that is your shadow.
a woman was riding along with the dali lama and as they turned a corner came across a man savagely beating a dog with a stick. the horrified woman turned to the dali lama and asked him what the meaning of compassion was. he replied that it was to have as much compassion for the man as for the dog.
just some thoughts.....
I think this is probably one of the best threads I've read yet on the whole site. The comments are so insightful, and although sometimes there may be misunderstandings they are resolved quickly. This open method of conflict resolution and embracing radical honesty is, I think, one of the most powerful things we can learn through this community.
My two cents (Even more months after the fact), is that I've actually had some suspicions myself about elite involvement in the TT (Not about the sex-cult thing though). There are some semi-rational reasons for that, mostly having to do with my own lack of research regarding who is actually behind the formation of the TT and Fred's involvement with the government. But I'm learning more and more that I have a very suspicious nature, not surprising considering how cleverly we have been lied to in some areas and how external my focus has been for so long. Working with it has been quite a journey. I might also say that I've had a few concerns about the security of our site, same reason. But again, all one can do is intend and trust that the technical family who run the site are continually dilligent in that side of their work. Dispite any concerns, to the best of my understanding there's nothing that needs to change in the site, it's all in myself. That old chestnut
.
Love and Gratitude to All of You.
Hi Fred, for me you are an inspiring individual. I thank-you for your work but more so for the courage you show in dealing with these issues. I'm sure there is a biblical quote about judging someone by their works not their words (not that we should judge) and I was thinking before I came to your post how much I enjoyed the J.K.Rowling speech that you posted via your PEERS list. I was going to send you a private thank-you but in terms of the discussion about gurus and agendas I feel you have never displayed anything but love for this community. Moreover, you continually have pointed to the inspirational example of other people not yourself, so far as I know you have never said do something because Fred thinks it is the truth. I wasn't there for the first part but I sure was for the Riversong episode and I think you more then anyone gave Riversong loving support despite the various frictions. By loving support I mean that you always respected his point of view (and continue to do so) the Riversong experience has made me less inclined to participate in forum discussions only because now I can see the extent to which my ego became invloved in a negative (but ultimatly positive way). The thing I have learned via the TT is that the main thing that holds us together is the experience of having undergone the lessons but I am amazed how much difference there is amongst us. For me that difference will ensure that no-one here can rightly claim guru status (except me!). i do love that expression 'if you meet Buddha on the Road Kill him!' All learning comes from within, the TT is a vital link to information, inspiration and a network of people that are dealing with diffiulct times as best they can given what we know. Again, thank-you for your being and your achievment and for your honesty in dealing with this issue issue in a most transparent way. I send you love and light as I see it still causes you pain. As one, Rob
Thanks for your warm comments Rob and Jaime. I definitely believe that the most powerful teacher lies deep within each one of us. Though the sexuality and Riversong episodes were difficult and challenging for me, I learned a lot and am doing my best to find ways to support our community without becoming any kind of leader. I think it may be difficult to transition to leaderless community, or maybe better said to a community where we are all inspiring leaders, as we are so used to having powerful single leaders in our society, yet slowly and gradually we are making the transition. Thank you for stepping up to do your part in inspiring all of us to lead from within.
With much love and gratitude,
Fred
I was reading some of the correspondence in this forum again, and something Kristyne said just went bullhorn bold in neon lights when I read it again,
"Transformation isn't about changing others, it is about understanding
that we aren't here to change anything but ourselves and our own
vibration to that of a higher level of soul learning. Each of us will
eventually come to it in our own time, at our own speed-many lifetimes
have and will continue to be necessary for our enlightenment."
With so much from the Law of One so fresh in my memory, this seemed like an impeccable affirmation....
...is how long it took me to return to this topic and deal with it. I'm one of those who was sorely grieved by both the expulsion of Riversong, and the repercussions of the sexuality thread. I participated in some of the conversations with those who left, and at one point made an attempt to mediate some of the misunderstandings. It all happened early in the story of this gathering of people, and although it was a seminal indicator of how I would wind up feeling about the character of the community and its leadership, it is water under the bridge, and I join those who have no wish to revisit it.
Except to say that from the first, I thought a discussion of Sacred Sex could be of tremendous importance among people who are all about transcending our present level of density. The various cultures of the world have all had a thriving tradition of sacred sexuality. From the Chandela temples of Kajuraho and the ancient rites of heiros gamos, the Arthurian legends and the quest for the Holy Grail, up through Japanese pillow books and even including the modern proliferation of digital porn, sex has never been without its mystical side. There is indeed something sacred about this most basic act of living beings. And I continue to think this could be a fruitful area of exploration.
As so often happens however, the conversations veered off into areas that were decidedly non-sacred; offenses were taken and declared. Primal fears were stirred for some, and instead of staying to grapple with those and help guide the discussions back on-track, some of them chose to leave permanently. It was a sad episode, which I hope will not be repeated.
I suspect all of the foregoing has a lot to do with why so many spiritual leaders choose celibacy.
8-D