marja de vries
Soul-Based-Learning & Universal Laws
by Marja de Vries
2004, written for the webbook “Releasing the Power of Love in Learning - initiatives and visions for education” by Charlotte Korbee, at www.shapersofeducation.org; also published in Anthology 2004 "Path to Peace - Soul in Education", Global Meeting in Budapest 21st-24th october, 2004, published by SEAL-Hungary Foundation and the Institute for European Connections, oct. 2004, Budapest, Hungary; p. 61-72.
Why Soul-based-learning
Flavio Cabobianco, a boy born in the early 80s in Argentina, wrote at age 8: “New children are being born. They are different human beings, although they don’t look different. I am just one of them, one of the first ones. Humanity is changing. The connection with the spiritual world becomes more open. All children can now maintain the oneness with their essence.” He adds that the new children have different needs and that to help those children the adults themselves need to become more open and less tempted to impose their ideas and worldviews. In his book Vengo del Sol (I come from the Sun), published in 1991, he tells that he can remember all details from the time before his conception and his birth and that he came this time to Earth to be a cosmic messenger and to speak about spiritual matters.
Recently, more and more people worldwide are becoming aware of the fact, that we are indeed living in a time of big changes concerning many areas of life. They realize that old worldviews rapidly are being replaced by new ones and that indeed there might be an evolution in consciousness taking place. And also there is more and more information available about these Children of the New World, some of whom display special skills. Skills that are in fact a natural expression of a developing consciousness, like telepathy and clair-voyance. So it is about time that world wide also the existing educational system becomes part of this movement of change and that we bring education to the position relevant to the souls that are entering now. Souls who have not forgotten where they came from, who realize that they chose to be here on Earth at this moment in time and souls who have the capacity to do anything.
Questions that rise are: What on Earth is going on at soul-level? What does it mean to be a soul living in a physical body? What does it mean to be a human being living on Earth and what does it mean to be a human being living on Earth NOW? Does there exist a continuum of consciousness? Are we as humanity not only participating in a physical evolution, but are we also involved in an evolution of our consciousness? What is the history of humanity at soul-level? Is there really a big shift in consciousness taking place right now? And if so, what might be the role the children of today are playing in this shift?
All around the world there are universities and colleges where we can study about anything, but where do we go to explore the fundamental questions of life, mentioned above or questions like “Who am I?”, “What am I?”, “What is the purpose of our existence?” Using my intuition for direction and my inner knowing as touchstone, I started an interdisciplinary study to explore our lives and human existence viewed as souls in physical bodies. I draw from many different sources – ancient wisdom, new scientific insights and channeled information – and I study creation stories, information about involution and evolution, consciousness and sacred geometry looking for Ageless Wisdom. On this exciting journey I am discovering that, covered under the dust of all outer apparent differences and dogmas, there are indeed surprising correspondences.
There seems to be a Golden Thread of Universal Truth that runs through all these different traditions and sources. This is a Wisdom that is not restricted to any period in time nor to any specific culture and is found at the base of all religions, spiritual traditions and belief systems. It is found in the worldview of indigenous people worldwide and it becomes again available to us through recent channeling. I am also discovering that at this moment I am not at all alone on this fascinating journey of discovery. Many more are crossing borders and are comparing information from very different sources, disciplines, cultures and periods in history, finding connections and missing pieces, together making the underlying essential correspondences more and more visible.
The new paradigms coming in view this way, will form the foundation for insights about life as a soul in a physical body and so too the foundation for a new way of for Soul-based-Learning, maybe best described not as a school, but as “an atmosphere where learning is possible”. A way of learning which will be – given the work is done well – the foundation for life in love, balance and harmony with All That Is.
Universal Laws
As one aspect of the Golden Thread of Universal Truth that runs through all traditions and sources of Ancient Wisdom of the World, I discovered the existence of the Universal Laws. While I am only in the process of beginning to understand the working and implications of the Universal Laws and realize that I absolutely have not yet reached the total understanding of their far reaching effects, I’ll try to share here what I got so far.
The Universal Laws, also called Universal Principles, tell us how things work in our Universe. They are the laws, that have been working in harmony from the beginning of time to create worlds and universes. The Universal Laws work on all planes of existence and are the guidelines which define order and structure in the Universe. When we understand these principles and know how they work, we can use them to our advantage.
Whether we like these Universal Laws or not, they are not to be defied or argued away. So long as the Universe endures, they will endure, for the Universe exists by virtue of these Laws, which form its framework and which hold it together. They are constant, immutable and can not be bent. We cannot escape the Laws or rise above them entirely. They are universal, because they apply to anyone, any time any place. They do not discriminate.
Everything happens according to the Universal Laws. We can imagine nothing being outside of this Laws, because everything that exists including all the Universal Laws emanate from the Divine Oneness.
We, human beings, have the option of using our Free Will, so we are free to choose to get to know these Universal Laws and learn to work in line with them or we can choose - consciously or unconsciously - to work against them. Might we choose to work in harmony with these principles, then we are on our way to live in harmony not only with ourselves, but also with nature and the world around us. “Masters” are those who understand the workings of the laws to such an extent that they can overcome the lower laws by applying still higher ones.
Insight in the workings of the Universal Laws helps us to understand how and why things happen and comprehension of the laws gives us the opportunity to be in charge of our own life. When someone lives in harmony with these principles, all things can be created and manifested.
Knowledge of these laws are essential for all who want to make a connection with their soul, because these principles rule over the process of growth of our soul. Once understood, they can be used as formulas for leading our soul to a higher level of consciousness. The working of the different Universal Laws intertwine and intermingle, thus creating derived- or sub-laws. When we consciously bring our lives in line with these laws, we will receive support from the Universe in many surprising ways.
The Universal Laws have been revealed by the mystics of the ages and are confirmed by many philosophers. They concern the wisdom of the mysteryschools of the past. They are found in the populair books about “How to be successful”, but also in the holy scriptures of all religions, in mythology, in fairy tales, fables and allegories. In short, in all those works concerning the essence and nature of the human being. In each spiritual tradition a version of these laws can be found. Recent pioneering scientific research is well underway to confirm the working of these laws. Although I am in the process of comparing this new scientific information with the Universal Laws, for the purpose of this article I can’t go into these details.
According to some sources these laws were given to the Earth by many known as the old masters, among whom Hermes Trismegistus, the “Oldest of the Old” and have there origine in Ancient Egypt and probably even before that, in Atlantis. According to others they have their origine in the Vedic tradition from Ancient India, where they were written down for the first time more than five thousand years ago.
The Universal Laws are known under many names. In the Hermetic Philosophy they are called Hermetic Principles. They are called Cosmic Laws as long as the Cosmos is considered to encompass all that exists in the Universe. They are called Spiritual Laws to emphazise that they (also) work on the spiritual plane and can be used for our spiritual development. And they are called Laws of Nature not only to indicate that Nature, left alone, works according to those laws, but also when Nature is considered to encompass all that exists within the Universe.
Many of us have not been aware of the existance of these laws and have experienced that as a great lack. The Universal Laws have been kept secret for a long time, while they were part of the esoteric teachings – in contrary to the exoteric, public teachings. For that reason they are also called Esoteric Laws. It really is a delight to me and many with me to rediscover them now because they seem to be of precious value in this time of great imbalance and worldwide changes. This is an invitation to you to find out for yourself their working and to arrive at your own conclusions.
| I have often felt deprived that as a child I was unaware of the existence of mental and spiritual laws. It brought me so much joy when I discovered them, and I kept thinking how important they are to all children. Children deserve to know that such truths exist, even if they are not yet ready to work with them. Knowing that the Universe is not happenstance – that it can be trusted at all times – helps children claim their birthright of joy. (Peggy Jenkins in The Joyful Child, 1996, p. 16) |
The seven Universal Laws
While the Universal Laws are known under many different names as mentioned above, in the many different sources we also find a great variety of synonyms for the individual Universal Laws and there is not an overall agreement about what is considered a Universal Law and what not. I decided to use the classification based on the Hermetic Philosophy as described in The Kybalion, because this classification seems to me the most complete and consistent system.
The Hermetic Philosophy mentions seven Hermetic Principles or Universal Laws and emphasizes that all of those work on all planes of existence. Those seven are:
I – The Law of Oneness (= The Principle of Mentalism = The Law of Unity = The Law
of Universal Mind = The Law of Pure Potentiality = The Law of Perfection)
II – The Law of Correspondence (= “As above so below, as below so above”)
III – The Law of Vibration (= “Nada Brahma”, “The World is Sound”)
IV – The Law of Polarity (= The Law of Reconciliation)
V – The Law of Rhythm (= “Panta rei kai ouden menei”, “Everything streams and nothing stays” – Herakleitos)
VI – The Law of Cause and Effect (= The Boomerang Law = “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”)
VII – The Law of Dynamic balance (= The Law of Creating or Generating)
A short description of the seven U niversal Laws
I – The Law of Oneness (= The Principle of Mentalism = The Law of Unity = The Law
of Universal Mind = The Law of Pure Potentiality = The Law of Perfection)
Underlying all outward manifestations and appearances (so, underlying all creation) exists a unified field of intelligence, that permeates and connects all visible and invisible aspects of creation. This field of intelligence can be considered as an universal, infinite, living consciousness and as the Oneness, that lies at the foundation of everything and from which everything originates. This pure, living consciousness is pure potentiality, the field of all possibilities and endless creativity. Because this unified field of intelligence, this field of thought-energy, connects everything and so us, human beings, too with all else, at the higher energy levels, we are one with everyone and everything in the universe. There is no separation between us and this field of energy. This pure consciousness is our spiritual essence. It is infinite and unlimited, and it is pure joy. The better we know our true nature, the closer we get to this field of pure potentiality. While everything, that emanates from this Oneness - from this Universal Consciousness – as an expression of wholeness and perfection, is permanently changing, this Oneness itself is immutable. It is perfect Universal Love, and we, humans, too are inherent and perfect expressions of this perfect Universal Love.
II – The Law of Correspondence (= “As above so below, as below so above”)
This Law helps us to see the unity and wholeness of the universe and how everything is connected to everything else. There are different planes of existence in the Universe: the physical (including energy), mental (thoughts and emotions) and spiritual planes. All is in harmony and agreement with the All, the Oneness and because the same Universal Laws work on all planes, there is also a harmony, agreement and correspondence between the several planes of manifestation, life and being.
The different planes shade into each other, so in fact there is a continuum and this explains the inter-dimensional working of the universe: While the different planes shade into each other and everything is connected to everything else, all changes in one layer influence all the other layers. This is also true for thoughts, words, emotions and actions.
III – The Law of Vibration (= “Nada Brahma”, “The World is Sound”)
Everything is energy. This energy is consciousness and therefore possesses intelligence. Energy never rests. Everything moves and vibrates. Everything that exists has a vibration frequency. There are no two things the same in the universe, because everything has a unique pattern of vibration and everything is recognizable by this specific rate of vibration. This Law explains that the differences between different manifestations of matter, energy, thoughts, emotions and spirit, result largely from varying rates of vibration. Between the two extremes (the highest forms of spirit and the lowest forms of matter) there are millions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. Physical objects vibrate slowest. All thought forms are energy. Our thoughts, feelings and desires each have their own rate of vibration, which we send out into the universe. Our inner thoughts and emotions, so also our (conscious and unconscious) beliefs, determine a person’s vibration.
IV – The Law of Polarity (= The Law of Reconciliation)
Everything is dual. Duality is the nature of the universe. Everything has it pairs of opposites. All paradoxes may be reconciled. Opposites are just two extremes of the same thing with many varying degrees (as a continuum) between them. For example: heat and cold simply indicate varying degrees of the same thing (temperature), which manifests in different rates of vibration. The different degrees are always relative, because they shade into each other so gradually that it is not possible to indicate where one stops and the other begins. So opposites may be reconciled by moving to the next level to discover their relativity and sameness. Spirit and matter are also two poles of the same thing, because they are different rates of vibration.
This is also true for our different states of mind. We can use our understanding of the Law of Polarity in combination with our Free Will to consciously change our vibration concerning a certain state of mind (e.g. fear) toward the direction of the opposite pole. This way we are able to consciously change our vibration. This skill is called the Art of Polarization. The tendency of Nature is in the direction of the dominant activity of the positive (higher frequency) pole. With our Free Will we can choose to go against this tendency, but when we bring our will in line with the Universal Laws they work in our advantage. Higher vibrations will consume and transform lower vibrations. When we master the Art of Polarization, we can use this skill in combination with the Law of Vibration, to consciously influence the vibration of people around us, and change their state of mind toward the same direction.
V - The Law of Rhythm (= “Panta rei kai ouden menei”, “Everything streams and nothing stays” – Herakleitos)
While everything moves and vibrates (Law of Vibration) and has it pairs of opposites (Law of Polarity) everything also moves according to a certain rhythm. Everything flows and has its tides and cyclic movement of rise and fall. Nothing stays the same, because everything is always changing. Rhythm compensates. Because Universal Laws work on all planes of existence, this is true as well for Universes (being created, reaching their extreme low point of materialization and from there start again their upward movement) as for the seasons of the year, and for cycle of permanent renewal, like birth and death. While this cyclic movement knows evolution and progress, in the meantime it warns us about chaotic periods that must exist so as to create a new order. The unfolding of the evolutionary process is permeated with non-linear dynamics resulting in a spiral like movement of growth.
The Law of Rhythm also works on the level of our emotions and state of mind. Recognizing the working of this law, helps us to understand that our mood swings not necessarily always are caused by people or events around us. And also, like with the Law of Polarity, we, human beings, can use our Free Will to (consciously or unconsciously) choose to go against this rhythmic movement or to understand this principle so we can work with it. Our personal growth as a soul (spirit) in a body (matter) also shows this ever returning cyclic movement or rhythm. The Law of Rhythm tells us that rhythm compensates and according to this principle, we can recognize in our pattern of growth two compensating dynamics, one being the dynamic of harmonizing rest and the other being the dynamic of urge to action. We can not escape the Law of Rhythm or cause it to cease its operation, but we can recognize this pattern of growth and escape the undesired “highs” and “lows” first by observing ourselves and recognizing where we are in the rhythmic cycle. Next we can learn to rise above the level, where the swings of our emotions and mental states take place, to the level of our soul and feel not effected by it. In other words, by recognizing but consciously not attaching energy and weigth to undesired emotions and moods. This is called the Art of Neutralization.
VI – The Law of Cause and Effect (= The Boomerang Law = “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”)
The Law of Cause and Effect is the expression of Divine Order in the Universe. Every cause has its effect and every effect has its cause. Everything works as in a eco-system, interconnected and working impeccable according the variables influencing the chain of events. Every thought we think (according to the Law of Vibration) and every action we perform (individually and collectively) influences directly or indirectly the events, that are part of the chain of cause and effect. This law teaches us, that every behavior results in either positive or negative effects. There is no such thing as a coincidence of circumstances or chance. Nothing happens by chance. Chance is merely a term indicating cause existing but not recognized or perceived. Maybe we are not always capable to identify the often complex events causing certain results, but that is because of incomplete knowledge. Maybe this law looks complicated, for there are so many dynamics working together to cause effects, that we miss the big picture. Different planes of existance (physical, mental and spiritual) are operating simultatiously within the Law of Cause and Effect. And the results of the Law of Cause and Effect can manifest themselves in the short or long term. Though right now at this moment in human evolution the results of our thoughts are manifesting themselves faster and faster, so the working of this law will become more clear.
If there is no chance, there are no accidents in the Universe and there are no victims either. What we experience is either what we have agreed to experience or what we believe. Nothing can come into experience uninvited. Our experiences are, according to the Law of Vibration, often a result of our unconscious beliefs. Understanding the working of this law, shows us the importance of making conscious choices. We can use the Law of Cause and Effect in combination with our Free Will to become conscious “Causers” instead of merely “Effects”. This law plays an important role in “Learning through experience”.
VII – The Law of Dynamic Balance ( = the Law of Balance = “Yin & Yang”)
While everything moves and vibrates (Law of Vibration) and has it pairs of opposites that are varying degrees of the same (Law of Polarity) and while everything also moves according to a certain rhythm with a compensating dynamic (Law of Rhythm), the universe is also made up of two active dynamics. These are in fact the only two forces in the universe, being the masculine and feminine principle. Everything that exists has its masculine and feminine aspect. This is true on all planes, the physical, mental and spiritual and even in the creation of Universes and without these two forces creation is not possible. So while the Law of Polarity relates to two extremes that are different degrees of the same with many varying degrees in between (as in a continuum), the Law of Dynamic Balance concerns two complementary dynamics or divisions of labour both necessary in the process of creation. These two dynamic aspects work in partnership and create, when left undisturbed, a state of balance. This is why in everything there is always a balancing force.
The masculine energy concerns the definition, the direction and the purpose and initiates the creation process. This direction indicating aspect is also called “positive” or yang. It is the foundation of ideas and actions. The feminine energy concerns the form, the means and the action and in fact does the active, creative work. This receptive aspect is also called “negative” or yin. This is the dynamic that creates, that forms images out of ideas and that weaves the threads into a work of art. The masculine energy will be attracted to the feminine energy and when they unite, their connection ensures the process of creation. This attraction exists on all planes of existence and is the greatest mystery of the universe.
In order to be able to restore balance on Earth, we first have to restore the balance of the masculine and feminine dynamics in ourselves. The balance between the masculine and feminine principles inside ourselves creates a state of mental balance, necessary to be able to co-create in balance with All That Is.
Laws derived from the Universal Laws
Beside the seven Universal Laws mentioned above there exists an infinite number of laws derived from those seven basic laws, which I’ll call “Derived Laws”. In this terminology Derived Laws can be those laws that are a logical consequence of one of the seven above mentioned Universal Laws, but in contrary to those Universal Laws, are not concerning all the planes of existence but concerning only a part of the planes of existence.
Since most of the seven Universal Laws deal with a certain kind of balancing dynamic and the working of the different Universal Laws intertwine and intermingle, it is easy to understand that there is a multitude of consequences possible. Some of these consequences are recognized as derived- or sublaws, which sometimes work on all planes of existance or sometimes concern only a part of the planes of existance.
I will only mention a few of these Derived Laws:
The Law of Attraction (= "Like attracts like" = The Law of the Cosmic Magnet) (III)
The Law of Attraction concerns that part of the Law of Vibration, that deals with the thoughts and emotions we are sending out into the universe, whether we are conscious or not conscious of those thoughts and emotions. Because energy follows the path of least resistance, where our thoughts go, energy flows or simply, energy follows our thoughts. The result of this is that our reality is the outward manifestation of our conscious and unconscious inner beliefs. This is how it works: high or low vibrations can resonate in others and awaken similar vibrations in those persons (as long as these similar vibrations are present in those persons in a more or less slumbering state). For example, when we send out thoughts of criticism or jealousy, the same thoughtforms will be activated in others and send back by them. This is why the vibrations we send out attract similar vibrations and how we create things, events and people as they appear in our lifes. And this is why it is so important to consciously choose our thoughts as being congruent to our desired results, because this why we will attract the energies that will support those results.
The Mirrorprinciple (III)
The Mirrorprinciple concerns that part of the Law of Attraction, that deals with the thoughts and emotions we unconsciously send out into the world. When we understand the working of this principle we realize that others are but mirrors of our unconscious thoughts and emotions. And once we understand this we can read our reality as a reflection of ourselves. Whenever things happen that we don’t like, we can ask ourselves how we did create this into our lifes. By looking inward to discover the cause that created this result, we can use this in our advantage to get to know parts of ourselves we were not yet conscious of. Once we become conscious of those thoughts, feelings and beliefs we can decide whether or not we want to transform them into something else. This way we can use the Mirrorprinciple to make our reality more the way we want it.
The Law of Attention (III)
The Law of Attention concerns the Law of Attraction in those cases in which our thoughts are accomplanied by our attention. As we saw, energy follows our thoughts, but by attaching our attention to our thoughts, so by focussing on our thoughts, we not only attract this toward us, but what we focus on also expands. And this happens as well with positive things as with negative things. This is true whenever we focus on the problem instead of on the solution, whenever we put all our attention to whatever we don’t want instead of what we do want and also whenever we resist something, because by the act of resistance we put a lot of attention into the thing we don’t want. But it is also true for our positive thoughts and for our highest ideals. When our highest ideals are in line with our soul purpose, and we focus all our attention on these things we really want, we will draw energies with high frequencies toward ourselves and as a result we will feel very much supported by the world around us in reaching our dreams.
The Law of Compensation (= The Law of Giving = The Law of Reciprocity = The Law of Giving and Receiving) (VI)
This is the Law of Cause and Effect concerning the blessings we receive and is applicable to the material and spiritual fruits (presents, money, inheritance, friendships and blessings) we receive in life. Whether we do or do not receive these blessings is a result of our conscious and unconscious beliefs which give direction to the events in our lifes. Positive thoughts, attitudes, words and deeds are always necessary to keep the flow of energy going. Holding on to what we have only blocks the flow of energy to us. We can use this Law of Compensation to our advantage to release our scarcity-belief patterns and instead see the world as a place of abundance with enough for everyone. With our willingness to give that we like to receive, we make sure that the abundance of the universe keeps circulating in our lifes. The key to the Law of Compensation though is integrity, because according the Law of Attraction our conscious and unconscious thoughts, emotions and beliefs behind our actions determine our reality. So knowing that as we give we receive, we can give joyfully form the heart. And we will discover that our receiving often comes from an unexpected source and in a form that surpasses all our expectations. This specially is the case when our soul is working in line with our purpose in life and/or in service of others. This is why “Giving is better than receiving.”
Synchronicity (I & II & III & VI)
The Law of Attention (III), together with The Law of Divine Oneness (I), the Law of Correspondence (II) and the Law of Cause and Effect explains the phenomenon of synchronicity. Exactly at the right moment our need is fulfilled: e.g. the page of the book we turned up, provided exactly the information we where looking for, or the stranger sitting next to us, who answered a question we were thinking about or the money that showed up exactly at the moment we needed it.
The Law of Power and our free will (= the Law of Mental Transmutation) (I & II & III & IV & V & VI)
When left undisturbed the working of the combination of the different Universal Laws not only results in a dynamic balance but also in an non-lineair evolutionary process. The direction of this evolutionary process is determined by the tendency of nature to move in the direction of the dominant activity of the positive (higher frequency) pole. This Law is a one-direction-law, because higher vibrations will consume and transform lower vibrations, as we saw already.
This is called the Law of Power, because it gives us the powerful opportunity to consciously make use of it in combination with our free will, to change all circumstances in our life. This is so, because according to the first three Universal Laws, everything is energy, everything is One with everything else in the universe and everything is interconnected and influences everything else. In addition we know that because of the Law of Attraction our thoughts create our reality. And because positive thoughts have a higher vibration than negative thoughts, we can raise our vibration by applying the Art of Polarisation. By consciously choosing positive thoughts our experiences of Love, Joy and Peace will bring us automatically to a higher vibration. That is why we can embrace darkness and bring it into the Light. The reason not everything is permanently absorbed into the Light so Love and Light reign on Earth is because we, human beings, have free will: we have the freedom to choose something different in order to create and learn through experiences. With our free will we can choose whatever we want. So we can choose (for whatever reason) to go against the movement of the Law of Power. And with our free will we also can choose to learn how we can have this Law of Power working in our advantage, which is the key to Harmony, Peace and Love.
The Law of Action and Co-creation and manifestation (III & VII)
Like the Oneness we too create with the power of our thoughts. Because, according to the Law of Oneness, we are one with the field of thought-energy and so with everyone and everything in the universe, we have the power to influence everything around us. So how does manifestation and co-creation work?
We can us our intent (the masculine energy) to determine definition, direction and purpose and next our attention (the feminine aspect) to focus and receive information about form, means and action necessary to achieve our purpose. If we are able to receive this information while having our Free Will in line with the Universal Laws, whatever we co-create this way will be in balance with All That Is.
The Law of Action tells us, though, that as long as we live in the 3-dimensional physical world these thoughts needs to be accompanied by a physical action in order to reach manifestation. This physical action, that is in alignment with our desired outcome, is required to activate the intangible forces in our world. Without physical activity directed toward manifesting the goal, there is no physical movement of energy which is needed for the attraction of compatible desires to come together in manifested physical form. So, in fact we are creating a circuit of energy with a “positive” charge (our intent), a “negative” charge (our attention) and a ground wire (our physical action). Mental doubt is like a poison to us when it comes to activating the Universal Law of Attraction in our lives, so in order for us to be able to create what we really want, our thought forms must be clear and concise. So, manifestation (of the change required) is generated by an elegant fusion of spiritual power of our mind and a follow-through physical action. The physical action in line with the desired goal can be anything from speaking out loud what we want, drawing it, dansing it or just taking the first steps without doubt that our desired goal will be reached.
Flavio Cabobianco, the boy from Argentina who wrote Vengo del Sol, explained at age 6, the Law of Attraction to his parents. He called it the Magnet of Love. (p.89/90): Dad – How are you doing at school? |
Pioneers in applying Universal Laws in Soul-based-learning
While I was still in the middle of studying Ageless Wisdom, I discovered that already some people had developed ways to teach children about the Universal Laws. The first steps on this new path seem to be done not in the context of education at schools but in the context of new parenting. A few pioneers started already in the 90s.
One of them is Peggy J. Jenkins, Ph.D., the founder of Joyful Child which offers the magazine The Joyful Child Journal. She is known and loved internationally for her work on empowering children through activating joy within them. In her book Nurturing Spirituality in Children, first published in1995, she says:
With my background of mother, parent/teacher educator, and student of spiritual and universal principles, I felt it was only logical to bring these fields together in the hope of accelerating the consciousness growth our world needs. As a parent, I felt a great need for more information on mental and spiritual principles in a form easy to share with children. The result was the combining of two favorite teaching tools – visual aids and analogies – to teach children the principles of truth. |
In this book she gives 50 ways to visually and practically demonstrate the Universal Laws and several of the derived laws by using every-day materials. They are beautiful examples of simple lessons that parents can teach to their children in less than ten minutes at a time and are adaptable for any age group. While they are divided into Seedlings, for the beginning learner, Sprouts, for the more advanced learner and Full Bloom, for the experienced learner, it is very well possible just to pick and choose lessons depending on the needs and interests of the given situation.
In her book The Joyful Child – A Sourcebook of activities and ideas for releasing children’s natural joy, published in 1996 and written as well for parents as for teachers, she goes deeper into explaining the Universal Laws and put them into practice as she explains why joy is an ‘inside job’ and why joy takes such a central place in her work with children:
…parents and children alike learn to focus on joy, not just for the joy of it, but because joy is such a powerful causative factor. Joy lifts us into a wonderfully high vibration and through the law of attraction, we experience that like attracts like. Therefore, joy attracts to us greater good which, of course, is different for each person. The same law reminds us that if we focus our attention on anything we dislike, or don’t want, this puts us into a universal vibrational match with that thing or condition. I see joy as a quality of the soul which is realized when the personality and soul are in harmony. Therefore, joy is an ‘inside job’, and this makes it different from any ordinary happiness, which is affected by outside circumstances. |
She considers self-esteem, values and Universal Laws as the foundations for joy. One could compare the "outer education" to values education and the "inner education" to Universal Principles. In a more recent article in Odyssey, a leading South-African Magazine, she makes the link with the New Children: The new children are here in ever increasing numbers; the new energies are here; there is a planetary awakening. So, isn’t it time we started practicing a new type of parenting? This new way of parenting she called Soul-Based Parenting where the child is seen first and foremost as a soul, not merely a physical being. This Soul-Based Parenting knows several new paradigms which all have their origine in understanding the working of the Universal Laws. Those paradigms she mentions are: separation is an illusion – we are ‘One’ with the Creator or Source and with all people because there is only One mind; there are no accidents or victims, only lessons and volunteers; people create their own reality through the way they think, feel and speak; the reality we live in is not a chaotic, haphazard universe, but a beneficent universe in which divine order is always taking place because it operates through Universal Laws, so at a deep level ‘everything’ works together for good; what you believe you will experience; knowing that all children are perfect at their core helps the children to manifest perfection and alleviate their value judging, which is the major block to joy. As we focus on their gifts, we enhance them because ‘what we focus on expands’; acknowledge and understand that each person is a mirror for the others; maintain a non-judgemental environment that focuses on lessons chosen by each soul; unconditional love is our essence and joy is its expression.
An other person on the path to a new way of parenting and to teach children about the Universal Laws is Deepak Chopra, M.D., author of many books in which he makes the connection between modern physics and philosophy, between the practical and the spiritual, and between the eastern wisdom and the pioneering western science. After he wrote The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, published in 1995, a philosophy mainly based on some of the Universal Laws, which Chopra calls the Spiritual Laws for Success or the Spiritual Laws for Life, readers asked him how they could share these insights with their children. So a few years later he wrote The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents which was published in 1997. This book, like the first book of Peggy Jenkins is written in the first place for parents and offers family applications of the Universal Laws for each day of the week. In the introduction he writes:
I benefit a lot of from the spiritual laws, but I wish I had gotten to know them years ago. It has been a whole struggle to break through the destructive habits with which I have grown up. As a parent I don’t want to teach my children the same bad habits so they also have to go through the same trouble to change. My book shows that it is possible to put the spiritual laws in a language that is understandable and workable for children. (p. 11/12) |
He explains that success not only is about material gains, but also has to do with the dimension of inner fulfillment. Understanding the working of the Universal Laws and how we can use them to create our own reality will help children to lay the foundation for this inner fulfillment. He emphasizes that, when we work with children, it is necessary to find simple and less abstract words for the Universal Principles, for example we can call: The Law of Pure Potentiality simply “Everything is possible”; The Law of Compensation “Give what you want to get”; The Law of Cause and Effect “With every choice you make, you change your future” and The Law of Attention “Don’t say no, but go with the flow”.
Linda Redford is a family counselor and program development consultant, specializing in healing destructive behavior through the transformation of “Infected Belief Systems”. As the founder of Honor Kids International (HKI), a non-profit organization, her mission is to restore honor, respect and value to Children across the globe through the fostering of community awareness. HKI’s primary purpose is to partner with others who share a common desire to prevent child abuse and violence. With that in mind, Linda Redford has created projects for education and entertainment based on, what she calls the “Adawee Teachings” (in Cherokee this means Guardians of Wisdom). The Adawee Teachings are an integration of Indigenous philosophies and modern psychological concepts, whose synthesis created a potential Universal Code of Ethics, the foundation for all of HKI’s projects. One of her projects is called the HKI Honor Code – principles for Planetary Citizenship. And in this Honor Code we find several of the Universal Principles. Like Chopra, for each principle she comes up with the adult version, followed by a child’s perspective:
HKI HONOR CODE IMAGINATION: I am aware that my imagination inspires my creative talents and abilities.
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An other person who makes the connection between education and entertainment is Barbara Ann Simone. She is the founder of Master Maker Productions and developer of the The Masters’ Classroom. This is a video with an apprentice workbook created for children to use along with their parents and designed to teach the Universal Principles in a fun, entertaining way. Barbara has been an Elemetary School teacher and is currently teaching a monthly Parenting Class emphasizing Spiritual Principles and creating new materials for The Masters’ Classroom program. While looking for ways to teach our children to feel empowered about life, and not feel like victims of any situation in which they may find themselves, andafter she saw Oprah Winfrey introducing the Universal Laws on prime time television in 1998, she realized the importance of millions of adults across the planet now being challenged to discover that each one has the power within them to create whatever life they choose. She also realized that when we, as a society, develop our spirituality, we naturally aid our children to do the same.
As we work with the laws of cause and effect, understanding that our consciousness IS the CAUSE that produces the experiences of our lives, we naturally show our children how to work in that partnership. We are then the ideal models for our children. WE are not perfect parents and teachers, but we understand and demonstrate the perfection of cosmic law and divine love. |
Her next step was to create a special program for the children themselves, which she believes is the first of its kind in this nation [USA] and we believe in the world:
The show begins with a group of children searching in a park for an “AWESOME” classroom, but where? It takes a magical, magnetic mirror for them to find it, and once they do – the teen Masters appear! In a fun setting, children are guided by two teen-age Masters. The Masters introduce what it means to be the “MASTER of YOURSELF”. The children learn the beginning ideas of becoming the “commander of their lifes” and that they have the inner power to choose what they wish to experience each day, by thinking positive thoughts about themselves and their world. The foundational lessons are presented in the first video in a series – “It’s TIME!” and in the Apprentice Workbook that goes along with it. |
Meanwhile Barbara Ann Simone also developed the Master Thought Cards for Children, each card containing one Master Thought to be read each day to empower children of all ages.Barbara Condron teaches, together with her husband, already more than 20 years at the School of Metaphysics, Missouri, USA. She describes metaphysics as the study of Universal Laws and says: I want to help all children remain awake, using everyday to become more Self aware. I want to aid others to do the same. This is why I teach adults the principles if Universal Law and how they apply these principles through life. She is the author of How to raise an Indigo Child - 10 Keys for Cultivating an Child's Natural Brilliance, published in2002, and in this book she shares her personal experiences, lessons and insights gained from raising her own son during the first seven years of his life:
He [her son] wants to learn about anything and everything in his world. (…) His appetite for learning is limitless. I had to ask myself: What limits do I want to put on my son? I use these questions: 1. Is it safe? 2. Is it moral? 3. Is it legal? 4. Does it make sense? About the legal question: (quite often) we would be learning about laws far beyond man’s inventions! We would be learning about the Universal Law of Proper Perspective, Creation, Cause and Effect, Relativity, and more. (p. 32/33) |
While again this book seems to be about parenting, Barbara consciously chooses to home-school her child, so it is definitely about educating too. In her book she mentions that her next book will be about her visions on new learning/new education. As far as I know, this next book is not yet published. One other aspect, which she mentions is using "Intuitive Health Analyses" (a kind of Psychic Reading) to advise parents about the specific needs of their child at a specific moment in their development.
Vickie Falcone, Founder and Director of the Positive Parenting Network since 1993, and author of Buddha Never Raised Kids and Jesus Didn't Drive Carpool, published in 2003, wanted too to make Ageless Wisdom practical for parents while raising their kids. While distilling these lofty spiritual teachings down to their simplest terms, seven principles emerged, along with practical applications parents can use... And she too discovered some of the Universal Laws.
Most of the above mentioned initiatives are mainly designed for parents and children. All of them, Peggy Jenkins, Deepak Chopra, Linda Redford, Barbara Ann Simone, Barbara Condron and Vicky Falcone don’t just focus on educating children, but acknowledge the importance of working on a change in attitude and worldview of the adults that work with the children too. The ‘Activating Joy’ courses of Peggy Jenkins
…are just as relevant for the adult, because in order to activate joy within a child, we need to access the joy within us. And to do that we need to rediscover and liberate our child within. In her courses she shows her adult students how to experience the true joy inherent within us. |
Deepak Chopra points out the importance of the parents as the living examples of their own worldview. So instead of teaching the Universal Laws as rules, the message will get across much better by the example of who we are instead of by what we say. While Linda Redford and Barbara Ann Simone focus both on adults and children combining education and entertainment, Barbara Condron and Vicky Falcone emphasize that to work in a new and honest way with children inevitable means acknowledging the working of the Mirrorprinciple: how the children confront us permanently with all our unconscious beliefs. This is a phenomenon acknowledged by almost all authors, who write about their experiences of working with the Children of the New World.
While of course everything concerning parents can be of use for teachers too, Emmanuel Petrakis D.Sc., already realized the importance of a new kind of schooling program for the teachers themselves. So he developed a new trainings program specially for teachers, which he called: A New Education for the New Millenium:
Education for human fulfillment is a holistic approach to develop all the faculties of an individual so that he (or she) may be in harmony with Creative Cosmic Intelligence, with himself, his fellow humans, and nature. Happiness and joy for all should be the fruits of such training, which implies a knowledge of the Laws of Life and their applications to daily living.(..) The most urgent task today is to train the future trainers, the catalysts of this new lifestyle, in the Science of Creative Living, Self-Realisation, and the Art of Loving. This is a multidimensional approach to the total human being based on universal values and natural laws." |
At an other place in the world, a group of trained, screened and qualified teachers is already working in an educational program with the universal laws. This is at the Kabbalah Centre in New York. (Kabbalah is one of the many wisdom traditions that reveals the spiritual and physical laws). Their program Spirituality for Kids is an initative of Karen Berg and aims to make a big difference in how children learn and grow. It is a weekly and weekend after-school program based on the Kabbalah teachings, tailored for children of any background or faith. This unique educational program teaches children practical tools and techniques to handle life challenges successfully and pro-actively in a fun, interactive learning environment. The course is divided into 6, 8, and 10 week sessions. Each session is approximately one hour. She emphazises that everyone can benefit from the information, no matter what their background, ethnicity or religious beliefs:
We believe that each child deserves to develop into a strong, clear, happy human being, who is in control of their destiny, on the path to achieving their full potential, living a bright extraordinary life defined by tolerance and human dignity. |
One of the lessons is called: For A Happy Life Without Regret Respect the Law of Cause and
Effect, and helps the children discover “why things happen.” They find out that nothing in the world is random and that everything is the result of some prior action, thought, feeling or belief. During an other lesson, called Create a World that is Good and Kind Using the Power of Your Mind the children discover that thoughts are the seeds of reality and during the lesson Actions, Thoughts and Feelings are Magnets they discover that they are responsible for the people and situations that are in their lives and that moods, habits, thoughts and actions are like magnets or boomerangs. In other words, the children learn to see that what they put out into the world comes back to them. Because Spirituality for Kids is a program that provides children with the tools required to make smart choices, solve real problems, overcome obstacles and become self reliant, the Kabbalah Centre also developed an outreach program for at risk children and their families, who are living in high crime, poverty-stricken communities. This outreach program is given free of charge to the students. Parents are invited to participate during the program and join their children in the fun and learning. This program has already touched and influenced the lives of more than 1000 children and their parents. Today there are almost 200 graduates of the outreach program, and almost another 200 current students.
An other person, who also mentioned the importance of teaching the Universal Laws to the Children of the New World is Rowena Pattee Kryder, artist and author of many books e.g., Sacred Ground to Sacred Space – Visionary Ecology, Perrenial Wisdom, Environmental Ritual and Art, 1994 en Source – Visionary Interpretations of Global Creation Myths, 2000. Because she acknowledges that the New Children learn in a different way, she is using her artistic skills, her knowledge of Sacred Geometry and her visionary understanding of Creation Myths to create a DVD for this purpose. While recently interviewed by Julia Griffin for the webzine Spirit-of-Ma’at, jan. 2004 (www.spiritofmaat.com) she says:
The New Children need to be introduced to Universal Law so that everything has a meaning, a center, and interconnectedness. Everything has a resonance or a harmonic system. So I consider harmonics as a parallel to Sacred Geometry. The different tones and colors are ratios. It is all a Universal Language. This is the language that the new race of children needs. We can assist by being the anchor points, with a promise of creating a new culture. |
Sarah Wood, a mother and former school teacher, who currently teaches meditation to children and teaches adults how to teach meditation to children, developed The Satya Method, an new education philosophy with the purpose to create a passionate learning environment. She describes it as an effective way for teachers and students to learn and grow together:
The Satya Method inspires us to respect our students and form a partnership with them, which allows both the teacher and student to experience the transformation we are all seeking. |
While she herself does not mention the Universal Laws, they seem to be completely integrated in her educational philosophy. The beautiful way in which she describes the partnership of teaching seems to me a reflection of the balancing dynamic of the Law of Dynamic Balance:
The duality aspect of teaching brings us to the partnership of teaching: because the facilitator and child both encompass the dichotomy of teacher and student, the facilitator and child are in partnership. Webster’s dictionary refers to partners as two people who dance together. Like dance partners, a facilitator and child are dancing together cooperatively. As a teacher and student dance with one another they look to each other for inspiration, co-creating their experience. |
Although her method was developed meanly through her experience with teaching meditation to children, her approach can be integrated into any teacher’s or parent’s existing philosophy and is not meant to replace it. Her book Children, Meditation and Growth - The Satya Method, will be published by Satya International this fall.
As a very beautiful example of how a school already applied the Universal Principles as a fundamental part of the way their school system worked, Mary Bell Nyman shares her experiences in her article A Guide for Raising Your Child, in the book Raising Psychic Children, edited by James F. Twyman (2003). In this article she tells about her experiences as teacher/guide at the “Childrens psychic school, Yin Yang”. This school was founded by Susan Bostwick after her two children were born. Her husband, Lewis Bostwick, created the Berkely Psychic Institute (BPI), California, as a sanctuary for psychic, sensitive people in 1975. People learned here how to use and refine their psychic skills. After Mary Bell took classes in meditation and clairvoyant reading at the BPI she started to work at the Yin Yang school. She writes:
Susan developed most of the curriculum we used with the kids, creating a school that would validate children’s spirit along with their minds. When I took over the school in 1980, we had five children and over the years it developed into three pre-schools. My partner, Natasha Lynn, ran the two elementary schools for psychic children. Over half of these children were born in our birth center run by the Church of Asclepion, affiliated with BPI. I learned how to be a spiritual midwife (one who works with the spirit of the child instead of the body) and was present when a number of these babies came to the world. We started our communication with the spirit of the child while it was in utero… |
These schools existed about ten years Unfortunately, due to the rising cost of liability insurance, the schools closed in the early 1990s. Mary Bell writes that by validating both the spirit as well as the body they were ahead of their time by creating a sacred sanctuary for children to experience life from both perspectives. And they discovered from their own experiences that when a child has both sides honored from day one, they grow in love and certainty and carry that grace with them their whole lives.
Of course the teachers at this school were unique in that they were all trained in clairvoyance and completed a minimum three years of training as a clairvoyant healer and psychic reader. This way they could be the guides and the children the creators. While Barbara Condron works with a kind of psychic reading called “Intuitive Health Analyses”, Mary Bell tells how already before birth:
A team of clairvoyants would read the family agreements and look to see why this particular spirit was joining this family and what each person hoped to learn from on another. |
While the children were taught to work with their own energy the children were not taught how to be psychic – they already were!
Creative expression, discovery, and scientific examination become magical when the child is the explorer, open to all experience and given permission to find its own truth. One of the techniques they taught the children is to match the energy of the school which was consciously set for that day by the teachers. This meant for the children matching a vibration for permission to learn and discover for themselves. This vibration was usually a color: blue for certainty, pink for happiness, green for growth, etcetera. |
At this school children not only learned about the existence of the Law of Attraction, but also learned to observe what they might have attracted energetically and how to deal with it:
With their eyes closed, children looked inside their bubble (= aura) to check its color each day. They cleaned out their bubble with an imaginary sponge, wringing any yucky energy down their grounding cord and into the center of the earth.(Here the energy was transmuted back into neutral energy and given back to the earth). They filled their bubble with a special color that felt right to them along with a quality of energy. |
To get comfortable with the Law of Polarity they worked a lot on dichotomies:
Foods they liked or didn’t like, things that made them happy or sad, things they liked about being an older sibling and things they did not like. This gave them permission to own both sides of an issue and work through them. |
And working this way with the children, who felt honored from the day they were born, she witnessed children being able to not only create their own reality but also manifest material things. This is her story about a moment she wanted to go to the library and was looking for the old books to return:
While sitting in front of a bookcase and searching for “Farmer John goes to the Barnyard”, I was frustrated because I had twelve of the thirteen books I wanted. Ann walked up to me and suddenly I felt heat pulsing in my hand. I looked down, only to see her materialize the missing book in my hand, molecule by molecule, complete with library card! Nothing in my life had prepared me for that experience! I was just flabbergasted. Blown away. Dumbfounded. Then she looked at me, with a twinkle in her eye, and asked if she could ride in the front seat with me when we went to the library. (I hadn’t even said we were going to the library yet). What could I do? I said yes! |
She emphasizes that none of the teachers had set out to teach those types of psychic abilities to the children; it happened because the energy of the school was set at permission to discover and no one ever told these children they had physical limitations. So her conclusion is that these kids just demonstrated that all children are more capable than we give them credit for. In fact she comes to the conclusion that children have no limits, because they taught her this over and over again. They were a living demonstration of the Law of Pure Potentiality or in other words showed the reality of the statement that “Everything is possible!” An other story she shares in this article is about healing and is an other confirmation of this. Ramon was on the playground and while running towards Mary Bell, he tripped and slid face first into the gate breaking two board. He scraped the whole side of his face into a bloody mess. She jokingly pointed out to Ramon that he had two new healing projects – healing his face and fixing the gate! She tells that after cleaning off his face:
Ramon used his hand to direct his own healing energy to his face. Then, he went outside with a hammer and nails and had a grand time fixing the gate. The next day when Ramon came to school, there was no sign of the scrape from the day before – he had completely healed it. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. I guess Ramon took his healing project pretty seriously! |
Once we, adults, get more familiar with the Universal Laws, we come to realize that many of the Children of the New World already live according those principles. Sharyl Jackson, a former public school teacher and an Associate Editor of Children of the New Earth magazine, compiled in her article The Attributes of a Crystal Child (CNE, winter 2004, p.47/51) a list of attributes of the children of the Crystal vibration. One of the attributes she mentioned is: They are bright, “big-picture” individuals with an instinctual understanding of the spiritual laws, and of how it all works, indicating that they are indeed “Souls who have the capacity to do anything.”
Books and websites
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Cabobianco, Flavio M., Vengo del Sol, 1991/2003, Deva’s, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Chopra, Deepak, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success – A practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams, 1994, New World Library, California, USA.
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Chopra, Deepak, The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents, 1997, Harmony Books, New York, USA.
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Condron, Barbara, How to raise an Indigo Child – 10 Keys for Cultivating a Child’s Natural Brilliance, 2002, School of Metaphysics, Missouri, USA. Website: www.som.org
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Griffin, Julia, Sacred Geometry; Designs for the Soul – interview with Rowena Pattee Kryder in Spirit of Ma’at, Vol 4 January 2004, www.spiritofmaat.com. Website of Rowena Pattee Kryder: www.Creative-Harmonics.org
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Jackson, Sharon, The Attributes of a Crystal Child in Children of the New Earth magazine, winter 2004, p. 47/51)
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Jenkins, Peggy J., Nurturing Spirituality in Children, 1995, Beyond Words Publishing, Oregon, USA.
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Jenkins, Peggy J., The Joyful Child – A Sourcebook of activities and ideas for releasing children’s natural Joy,1996, Aslan Publishing, California, USA. Website: www.joy4u.org
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Kryder, Rowena Pattee, Sacred Ground to Sacred Space – Visionary Ecology, Perrenial Wisdom, Environmental Ritual and Art, 1994, Bear & Company, New Mexico, USA.
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Kryder, Rowena Pattee, Source – Visionary Interpretations of Global Creation Myths, 2000, Golden Point Productions, Colorado, USA.
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Milanovich, Norma & Shirley McCune, The Light Shall Set You Free, 1996, Athena Publishing, New Mexico, USA.
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Nyman, Mary Bell, A Guide for Raising Your Child in Raising Psychic Children, edited by James J. Twyman, 2003, p. 122/136, Findhorn Press, Scotland, UK.
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Petrakis, Emmanuel, D,Sc., A New Education for the New Millenium, leaflet, 2003.
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Redford, Linda, website: www.honorkids.com
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Reynolds, Dona, Spirituality For Kids – making BIG things happen, in Children of the New Earth magazine, spring 2004, p. 107-109. See also www.spiritualityforkids.com .
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Small Wright, Machaelle, Co-creative Science – A revolution in science providing real solutions for today’s health & environment, 1997, Perelandra, Virginia, USA.
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Simone, Barbara Ann, website:www.themastersclassroom.com
The Upanishads, selections translated by Alistair Shearer and Peter Russell, 1978/2003, Bell Tower, New York, USA. -
“Three Intitates”, The Kybalion – A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece, 1912/1940, The Yogi Publication Society, Chicago, USA.
- Wood, Sarah, The Satya Method, 2004,www.indigonetwork.org/BookletTheSatyaMethod.pdf
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Wood, Sarah, Children, Meditation and Growth - The Satya Method, will be published by Satya Internationa, fall 200