Charismatic Training
Charismatic Training is the intentional cultivation of a relatively distress-free spiritual presence — an open-hearted, spontaneous, creative, and self-transfiguring participation in the divine life of the immediate present experience. A charismatic person is not dissociated into some transcendental state beyond the world but grounded in their transfigured body and ego — they are a continuous environment of refreshing grace and dynamic presence and they participate freely in life/love energies. Their imaginal mind has unfolded into the further shores of subtle and spiritual being. Such persons have moved from identification with a separate ego to a state of being free from such separateness — as such they are free from spiritual narcissism.
There are three foundational pillars in this work: the first requires a deep commitment to the cessation of spiritual projection — (projection being an unaware displacement of parts of themselves onto others) as people re-own their spiritual projections (from gurus, etc) their own spiritual authority begins to flower and flourish — as creativity, spontaneity and Presence. A second pillar of the process is what can be called 'spiritual decolonization' the liberation from thousands of years of deeply held and unconsciously internalized spiritual authoritarianism and spiritual narcissism. The third pillar is what we can call 'attention to the between' charismatic persons learn to pay radical heed to the quality of spiritual life emerging between one another. We attend to and nurture the charismatic relationships between us.
A Charismatic Training Retreat is intensely focused group work in which participants work to release themselves and others into their healthy indigenous charismatic hearts. It allows participants the opportunity to 'reopen the ground' — to allow the flow of spiritually regenerative energies (closed off in the process embodiment, birth and childhood socialization). It is an intentional illuminated form of theatre in which peer charismatics explore and celebrate their embodied divinity. Central to this process is a potent form of intentional breathwork which is used to further open the 'dynamic ground' (see below).
Breathwork in the Service of Relationship
Put in poetic or spiritual way, our work with the breath is like a breeze that blows new life into dead spirits, opens the secret chambers of heart, straightens the carriage, refreshes the soul and fills the human body and ego to spiritual light. For the person committed to the soul's journey or the path of love — it is a key that opens the door to deeper mystical knowing, spiritual benediction and blessings. For others it refreshes our spirit making our hearts green, supple and new. At its most profound the breath can break open the cage that holds the bird of the soul and ready it for an encounter with the Eternal Divine.
However, it is vitally important to understand that divinity reveals itself in different ways to each person — thus we do not seek the same end since person's path of individuation is unique. We simply open and enliven ourselves in such a way as spirit will reveal its most beautiful form to us — to the capacity that we can open ourselves to spirit — spirit reveals itself. It is also important that we do not interpret this work as an attempt to leave the body behind and flee into the transcendent divine — it is, in fact, the opposite — we are waking up in the immanent divine — a divinity with which we are intimately wed and in which we thoroughly participate.
For others breathwork is a therapeutic practice enabling an encounter with the unconscious wounds that shape the way we see our worlds. Put in a more theoretical way; charismatic breathwork is a simple approach to somatic healing, self creation, and spiritual regeneration.
i I will briefly outline a model of trans/personal development in terms of 'primal repression', 'regression in the service of spiritual regeneration which I think usefully describes the breathwork process and the developmental emergence of charisma (an anthropologist has used the primal repression model to explain the emergence of charisma in Sufi saints — more about this in the article below).
ii
According to this idea of human personhood — spirit comes into being in and as the human body — it is seen as a transmutation of, so to speak, 'The Word Made Flesh'. Yet for God to become an embodied human person is not necessarily an easy or straightforward achievement — at least when it comes to developing as a person (think about teenagers). To become fully human we must successfully separate from the 'ground of being' — this 'dynamic ground' (i.e. spirit) is fundamentally the spiritual power and source of all that is — the fertile void from which everything arises. To make this important step into mature fleshy incarnation we must separate by growing a strong body-based ego and to do this we must repress our relationship and contact with the dynamic ground (sometimes called the Great Mother).
It is important to understand, especially for those of us who have felt alienated or separated (and guilty about it) that this process of 'primal repression'; is wholly necessary action carried out by the generative powers of spirit to separate persons from the ground — so it can have a fully human experience. To achieve distinction — a psychic and somatic activity takes place in the growing child that represses the 'ground of being' — this important psychosomatic act is achieved by 5 to 7 years and its purpose is to systematically shut down and close off the power of the ground — the fire of spirit is covered over but the embers still smolder beneath. A useful metaphor for all this is childbirth: for a child to be born he or she simply must separate from the mother — he must leave what has been called the "home of homes" and to do this the human body pushes the child out into the world with great organization, skill and intention - if the child does not leave the womb there is simply no life — it is the same with human existence. If we do not leave our spiritual home if we do not separate then we cannot be here and the 'dynamic ground, spirit or God/Goddess wants to be here and so here we are.
With the 'dynamic ground' properly repressed we then become fully identified with our bodies and egos and organize ourselves around finding what Freud called 'love and work' powerful urges to, procreate, find love, sustenance and security) urges in the human condition that seem to create endless novelty, happiness and suffering. Eventually, these ego projects fail sometimes in loss, agony, or crisis and the dynamic ground begins to re-open de-repressing the spiritual powers and life loving energies lost in the process of incarnation-these trans/personal potentials make themselves known sometimes unexpectedly and chaotically — this has been called a spiritual emergency.
iii While this is a difficult process at first — because the process of socialization and childhood wounding can amplify the ego's separation — making the influx of the ground somewhat alien and frightening. The ego eventually surrenders to the ground and ego and body become regenerated in spirit, open to the sacred flow from the dynamic ground, transfigured, charismatic refreshed, enlivened and relational.
Rituals involving breath, prayer, meditation, and physical exertion (dance) are geared to undo primal repression which begins a process of regeneration in spirit. Our use of an intentional breathing process does the same by engaging the soma and bringing the participant into contact with the 'cage of the body'. The undoing of original repression, (which has slipped into the unconscious) releases the power of the unconscious and the potent energies of the dynamic ground. The release of this smoldering energy can manifest in a variety of physical reactions including, surges of energy through the body, crying, shuddering sudden alterations of breath, and involuntary movements, roaring, storming, and release through animal sounds. Indeed, the effects of breathwork practice can produce a whole range of symbolic acts, fits of shaking, sobbing, weeping, screaming, or wild laughter accompanied by imagery and visions.
As the energy is released from the ground and begins its ascent back into the body it bumps up against the cage of muscular armoring created in original repression — the power is "inhibited by the remains of the physical infrastructure of original repression". The ascent of the energy of the Ground is "impeded by a multitude of petrified tensions and constrictions". This is where breath, bodywork and concentrated physical catharsis is extremely beneficial and totally warranted — catharsis enables a breakdown of the rigid cage and the flow of energy from the ground is channeled through the bodies energetic systems (e.g. Chakras, latif, meridians) All of this can lead to the "dismantling of body armor, a straightening of posture, and a development of atrophied muscles and occluded nerve pathways.
iv Breathwork can be used to do the vital work of unblocking these petrified tensions and constrictions which are often subtle or energetic and are not necessarily related to biographical traumas or childhood wounding but to developmentally (spiritually) ordained process of restriction, contraction and inhibition — the whole unconscious posture unawarely protecting itself against the glory of the ground within — and intimacy with the world without. Hunched shoulders, closed and protected chest, pulled in neck and tucked back pelvis, inhibited voice, are all signs of petrifaction. As this cage is opened and the body undergoes as resurrection which has a sexual flavor:
Resurrection of the body entails intensification of the most bodily of instincts: sexuality. The derepression of the body involves a release of energy from its genital organization. Psychic energy, which had been accessible primarily if not exclusively by means of sexual-genital arousal, is now permanently activated and begins being released from the sexual system without sexual-genital stimuli or stimulations. At first this release is intermittent and has the distinct character of a sexual discharge. In time, however, as the release of energy becomes more constant and the flow of energy reaches more of the body, the connection with the sexual system recedes into the background and what began, apparently, as an awakening of sexuality becomes an awakening of somatic experience generally: polymorphous sensuality. v
As I understand it, this process of re-embodiment, which occurs usually after a long period of integration and maturation, becomes a civilizing and relational process. As the ground flows freely into the "mystical body" and ego, the person naturally becomes "other-attuned". In a very real sense the more open to the ground we become the more we reduce the selfish and self-centered core that is narcissism. Thus breathwork can be used in the service or relationship.
The ego (that separate and separating instrument of spirit) is called back to the ground, here the ego is broken open, made porous, and filled with the flowing life/love energies of the Great Mother. The ego, much vilified by Eastern religion, is not discarded like some dead snake's skin, but transfigured and regenerated becoming a servant of Spirit in the world. Here a harmonious dualitude prevails; human nature is perfected and made whole in a celebration of unification and distinction. The power of the ground now circulates without inhibition, a dynamic presence that enlivens the world — the ego becomes aware of its spiritual body and uses its civilising powers to join with and enliven others. Taking its place in the Paradise of the world as a transfigured body and ego keenly sensitive to the world and able to attune to others in intimate thought and feeling — the angel/human fulfills its destiny and abides in Holy relationship with all that is.
