Have you noticed that just about everyone
you know has “issues” about something, or perhaps many some things. It was
only a few decades ago when if someone was upset about something major,
they went to a psychiatrist and usually kept it to themselves. Don’t want
anyone to know that you’re “nuts” or have a “mental problem.”
There are several old schools of thought that support the notion that
forward progress in someone’s life is hard, hard work and can take many
years, perhaps even a lifetime and then some. Let’s review three popular
models that support this first notion.
The Psychotherapeutic Model
The psychotherapeutic model often has people “in therapy” for years and
years. They keep digging and digging, often times dredging up old, nearly
forgotten slights and hurts that then have to be examined and discussed.
People sometimes get into trouble with this model because when we start
digging up old issues and start paying attention to them, that is exactly
where your energy is going. If you keep putting your attention energy on
to these old issues you are empowering them and make them grow. This is
not a bash on the psychotherapeutic model, just an observation.
The Christian “Original Sin” Model
Then there is the Christian model of “original sin.” It basically tells us
that we are all born with the stain of Adam and Eve on our soul and that
the one and only path towards salvation is through the acceptance of the
Lord Jesus as your savior. Otherwise, it makes no difference what so ever
what you do with your life, you simply will not go to Heaven when you die.
There’s also the admonition of “Thy will, not my will.” The problem here
is that if you follow it to the letter, how can you ever relax and feel
safe? Should you not follow the dreams and aspirations that come into your
mind because they came from “your” mind? You’ve been given a mind, the
“gift” of the frontal lobes that separates us from the animals. It is a
sin to use the gift and act on your dreams? And since we all have the
ability to think and make our own decisions, why is it right to defer our
decisions to a priest or a person leading a congregation? If we are all
flawed, isn’t the priest or pastor flawed as well? If you really start
asking questions, this can get very murky. That’s why Christians are often
instructed not to “think about it” too much. Just believe.
Please, please understand, this is not a rant against Christianity. The
Bible is filled with insights and wisdom, but the implementation of the
ideas has had a very strange 2,000 year history.
The Eastern Reincarnation and Karma Model
And then there is the reincarnation and karma model. This model has it
that somewhere... somewhere... way... way back, you did “something.” You
did something bad and as a result, you now have “bad karma” and that’s the
reason why things go wrong in your life and that you suffer. It’s God’s
way of working the balance sheet.
Unfortunately, “how much” karma you have to work off is a total mystery
and you won’t really know how much bad karma is in your karma account
until your die. (maybe) So in the mean time, if you lose your job, it’s
just karma. Lose your family, it’s your karma. Lose your life... karma. No
matter what, it’s just karma.
Do you see a pattern here? The shrink says “your nuts” and it could take
years to work out your issues, the church says “you’re a worthless sinner
at birth and there’s only one way to salvation - their way,” and the
Easterners and the New Agers say that “if you’re having a rough time it’s
because you’ve been bad in a past life.” “How bad” or “what you did” is a
total mystery and no one knows how long you will be servitude to the Law
of Karma. The model says that you could be suffering for a very long time,
so stop asking and complaining.
The Landmark Education “Curriculum For Living” Model
As they sometimes say in Landmark, “Story, story, story.... Racket,
racket, racket.” The “Forum experience” is a conversation that lasts for
three days and one evening. By staying in the conversation of the Forum
and the later courses offered by landmark education, you see that your
life has been made up of stories, rackets, and winning formulas. All of
which are often anchors that hold you down and “ways of being” that are at
their core, false. This is part of what really shakes people up in the
Forum. Participants see and realize how and where they have been faking in
their life.
When you become aware of this, what is left is a “new realm of
possibility.” Please consider this. We are all made in the image and
likeness of God, the Creator. And what does the Creator do? The Creator,
creates... and creates... and creates... forever and ever... worlds
without end. Cutting edge physicists are finally coming to the conclusion
that there really only is One Moment... and that is the Forever Moment of
Now. Always has been... always will be. It’s an esoteric question than
makes most minds go on “TILT.”
So from here, an excellent seed question to plant is this, “Where could I
go and what could I do if all of my issues were resolved?” Ready? Here we
go...
The Way of the Forum
When the ‘70s came around we saw an explosion of self-help books written
by doctors and therapists. Self-help books lead to self-development books
and then self-actualization books. And as usual, there was all the
backlash centered around the misunderstanding of what these books were all
about. Many looked down at those that read self-help books claiming that
those people are only interested in themselves. It was a sign of their
self-centerness and selfishness. BUNK!
I didn’t read every self-help book back then but maybe it wasn’t clearly
expressed in those early books that when you “work on yourself” if you
stay with the process, you become more of a person. When you become more
of a person, there’s more of you to give to others. Also, if there are
things in your life that are causing you pain, it will color how you
interact with others as well as all of your interactions with your family,
friends, coworkers, and colleagues. “Working one yourself” is one of the
highest things a person can do for themselves AND their family, friends,
and co-workers.
One modality that was both praised and vilified was EST. Warner Earhardt
had distilled information from many cultures and came up with an
experiential program that was mind-bending and life changing for many, and
over the top for some.
Warner moved on to other things and now lives a very quiet life and is out
of the limelight. EST morphed into a kinder, gentler version called The
Forum and is facilitated by Landmark Education. In ancient Greece, the
brightest and smartest people would gather together to have conversations
about life, science, and the mysteries of life. They called it “The Forum”
because it was simply a “conversation.”
Landmark Education now offers a wide variety of educational programs that
are all designed to help you to see a “new realm of possibilities,” as
they like to say. So what is this “new realm of possibility”? I started
this section talking about “issues” and the fact that we all have them.
What was once a hush-hush thing has now become common place. Nearly
everyone talks about their issues.
The Forum is a 3-day and one evening conversation with 100 or so people
and a Forum leader. The Forum leaders are extraordinary people that have
been through rigorous training in the subtle distinctions of Life. Many
people are called to want to become a Forum leader, but very few are
chosen. And those who are chosen forgo whatever their previous career had
been. It is also a lifetime commitment, like joining the priesthood.
Since the Forum is a “conversation,” people attending are encouraged to
speak up and ask questions if they want to. It’s encouraged, but not
required. In fact, you could not say a word to anyone for the entire time
and still “get” what the Forum is about and benefit from the experience.
However, when people ask questions, share, and sometimes debate with the
Forum leader, what happens to those in the group is that they often relate
to what’s being said because it’s the same or similar to their own
thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. So even though you might be just
sitting there, the brain may be clicking away with thoughts like, “Oh wow!
That’s what I do too!” or, “I’ve had a similar experience and have the
same feelings!” So even though someone might just be sitting there,
they’re getting the benefit of the conversation because it’s addressing
their issues as well.
The Forum leader explains a handful of powerful truths that boil down to
these things - Stories, Rackets, Winning Formulas, and Inauthentisities.
Briefly, here’s how they breakdown.
Your Story
Everyone has “their story.” Something traumatic happened in their past,
usually in childhood, by a grown up or an older sibling. and you made up a
story about it to justify your innocence and label them as WRONG. Perhaps
your dad humiliated you by slapping your face in front of your friends. Or
your older brother exposed himself to you. Or your family was poor and you
were shunned at school because of your cloths. Or your family was rich and
everyone thought you were just a snobby little rich kid. The “stories” are
endless and we ALL have our stories.
Your Rackets
Based on our experience we develop “ways of being” as tools for getting
what we want. Rackets are most noticeably in bullies. Rackets show up the
most in overt, negative ways of being. They can become finely developed
methods for manipulating, dominating, and controlling others. Rackets show
up all over the place from demeaning teachers and bosses to politicians
and leaders, moms and dads.
Winning Formulas
These are closely related to Rackets, but are much nicer. Winning Formulas
usually show up as “nicey-nicey” ways of being, regardless of what’s going
on inside of you. Winning Formulas can be carefully honed into what
appears to be a successful career. I recall one woman who was a successful
business person who realized that she was a sneak and had been that way
all her life. She cheated every chance she got and did it all with a smile
and a sweet professional manor. The net result was that she’d been indited
for accounting fraud. Another man was functionally illiterate and covered
it up with his good looks, charm, and his ability to play football pretty
well. The net result was that when I finally took over the business from
his partner, because he couldn’t read well, he tanked the business
Not all Winning Formulas are that overt, but that all have one thing in
common. They are “Inauthentic.”
Inauthentisities
Inauthentisities are the conglomerate of Rackets and Winning Formulas.
Inauthentisities are always a form of manipulation and not telling the
truth or being evasive. They are the mechanism that carry on the process
of “dysfunction, programming dysfunction, that then programs dysfunction.”
We learn these things from our environment and our surroundings. It’s what
often times keeps our “issues” alive in a back door kind of way. We
justify our story, then use rackets and winning formulas to try to win at
the game of life, all the while being inauthentic because underneath it
all we’re still clinging to our story.
So How Does This Fit In With Designing Your Life?
Now here’s the amazing part and why Landmark Education is part of our
“Design The Life You Love, And Have Doing It” program. The experience of
listening to this extraordinary conversation in the Forum is often enough
to shake us out of our dysfunctional ways of being. By sharing and
listening in a safe, nonjudgemental facility where you don’t have a clue
if the person next to you is rich or poor, from your country or a
foreigner, or any sexual orientation, people are able to get to the root
of their issues, and are then shown a new realm of possibility.
What If You Were REALLY Free?
Have you ever considered what you could do with your life if all of your
issues were resolved? How much more mental focus and attention could you
apply to creating your dream life if you weren’t held down with the
anchors called your issues? Try to think past the things that was holding
you back because of your issues. Have you ever considered who would you be
without your issues?
Experiencing The Forum can take you there. It can show you the way out of
the maze of your past and thus, open up nearly everything to you. Landmark
Education provides everyone with a safe, secure space to do that kind of
deep interpersonal work. It’s really an amazing thing to see people have
major break throughs and then to see them on the phone or their cell phone
making amends often with people they haven’t talked to in years or
decades. We’re talking about MAJOR break throughs and reconciliations. I
have never seen anything like it!
Such A Deal!
The Forum also includes 10 follow up seminar sessions to help you to stay
in the energy of the Forum. After that they offer “The Advanced Course”
which is the same basic information, but taken to a deeper level. Then the
third part of the Landmark Curriculum For Living is the “Self Expression
and Leadership Program” (S.E.L.P). This program lasts for 3 months and
includes 3 all-day Saturday classes, then a once a week meetings. The
point of the S.E.L.P. is for you to create a project that is a stretch you
you, but it can not have anything to do with making money. It can be a fun
event, such as a block party or a social cause, such as creating a peace
park in your neighborhood. The point of the S.E.L.P. is to take you
through the process of creating a project, organizing the project,
enrolling others to help with the project, and to complete the project. In
the life cycle of your project a hundred things can pop up that could
derail your plan. The S.E.L.P. leader and the coaches are there to guide
and assist you through your inner challenges.
Landmark Education has several dozen courses besides the Curriculum For
Living, but the Forum and The Advanced Course or considered the core
essentials. You could take those two or possibly all three and leave
Landmark with everything you need to have an extraordinary life.
Not A Magic Bullet
Please keep in mind that the Landmark Experience is NOT a magic bullet.
Changing the flow and direction of your life is an on going,
moment-to-moment experience. Each and every moment of our experience of
life is an opportunity to pulse out our thought energy in either a
positive or negative way. The energy does not care, it will emanate from
you and do what it does. It is a very good thing to remember that any way
of being that we construct can be deconstructed by the thoughts we choose.
Our thoughts can build us heavenly mansions of joy and peace, and later
take up to despair and heartache.
This is why I call inner work the “work of a lifetime.” That’s because we
will all be working on this every moment of our life, all the days of our
life, and then some.
Going through the Landmark experience is not a guarantee that you will be
issue-free afterwards. But you will be miles ahead of where you were just
a few short weeks before your started with The Forum. My experience was
like I had gone underwater and cut the big chains that had me anchored in
the harbor. With most of your issues cleared up and dealt with you can
really begin to design an extraordinary life. The work you do at Landmark
is highly leveraged. That is, for a relatively little amount of effort,
you will get amazing results.
The Landmark experience certainly isn’t a requirement for designing the
life you love, but it sure will make things MUCH easier, clearer, and fun.
Why I Call Landmark “A Modern Urban Mystery School”
To close this out, I’d like to explain why I call Landmark Education a
“Modern Urban Mystery School.” In ancient Greece there were special places
where people who were so inclined, could go and learn the mysteries of
Life. They were called “mystery schools” because they taught things that
were generally unknown to most of the people then.
Most people today are walking around and living their lives with all of
their stories, rackets, and winning formulas FIRMLY in place with little
to no awareness of what they are doing by holding on for dear life to
these dysfunctional, inauthentic ways of being. Well the good news is that
there are places where you can go an learn all about these hidden aspects
of Life. Now there still are today, “metaphysical” mystery schools (such
as The Ramtha Mystery School), but they are few and very far in between.
Landmark Education has facilities in over 70 major cities in the United
States alone and over 20 in foreign countries.
Landmark facilities are in major cities because, well, that’s where the
most people are. What better places to put educational opportunities such
as this where people from not only the cities where the facilities are
located, but the surrounding suburbs as well.
So, since Landmark Education offers knowledge of what is for most of us
hidden and a mystery, and the facilities are in urban locations, that in
my book qualifies they to be called, “Modern Urban Mystery Schools.”
The End
This is an excerpt from Scott & Karen
Teeters’ soon to be available e-book titled, “Design The Life You Love &
Have Fun Doing It.” This dynamic new e-book will be available by the end
of April 2005. For more information about this e-book, go to
http://www.itstimetowakeup.com.
K. Scott Teeters is a Reiki Master and author of" It’s Time To Wake Up:
Reiki & Other Essential Tools For Spiritual Awakening" published by
Llumina Press. Scott’s website is a metaphysical candy shop loaded with
essays, insights, awakening tools and tips, and amazing images.
Scott and Karen will be offering “Design The Life You Love” ebook,
workshops, and teleclasses by early Spring 2005.
They also have a very cool, online metaphysical gift store. Stop on by for
a visit at: http://www.freespiritgifeshop.com
Scott lives in Medford, NJ with his wife and business partner Karen, Spudz
their beagle dog, Mittins the tuxedo cat and Twiggy the tabby cat. His
website address is: http://www.itstimetowakeup.com
