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ClifNotes 12
December 2002

1) Deep Field Relaxation (DFR)
2) Family Patterns – Whakapapa

Intentional Healing has become known as Deep Field Relaxation (DFR). Read about that here. The change has been welcomed by doctors, academics and the rest of us! I’ve wanted to do this for a long time because I have become more and more uncomfortable with the way people think of ‘healing’. In truth the ‘Healer’ doesn’t ‘do’ the actual healing. That comes from a source far beyond our local mind’s perception. New Science tells us that we live in a continuous Field and that is what we are accessing when we allow our own mind to create the conditions for others to drift into complete relaxation. It is a simple practice yet it requires training to accomplish it.

Family Patterns – Whakapapa is also the result of long-time consideration. So many people have unresolved repeating patterns in their lives – largely around guilt, bad relationships, things they wished they hadn’t ever done to others. Frankly, in many years of counselling I have seen that the practice of psychotherapy doesn’t work for large numbers of clients and so, with whakapapa, we come together to unmask the mysteries.

Gatherings are going to be more and more a part of the work. As you’ll read, my approach is based on much I learnt from the people of Polynesia. Their idea is that they ‘walk backwards into the future’.

Looking back you can see where your ancestors walked, looking forward, you can see where next to put your own feet. Coming to see your family inheritance, the negative and positive patterns, as a primary opportunity to grow, you find your purpose for living, loving and singing all the day long.

Don’t forget to visit the new web site for many articles, next year’s seminars, conferences and workshops, plus previous editions of ClifNotes. Please feel free to copy ClifNotes and send to interested friends.

Accessing The Field

One of my first books was titled, ‘Dancers in the Field’. My casual research began in the early 1970’s when I first read a short article in the Reader’s Digest. Farmer John Kepple, in Ohio, had tried unsuccessfully to uproot an old half-dead sterile peach tree. Even attacking it with his bulldozer. Despite his best efforts the tree survived. Imagine his surprise when, next season he was rewarded with a record crop of very large, very healthy peaches.

Many years later, a doctor friend from India told me that when trees in India stop bearing they get an elephant to ‘shake the daylights out of it’. Next year, the trees produce baskets full of fruit!

Aitutaki is one of the world’s most beautiful atolls. It is deep in the South Pacific Ocean. The year before I was there the islands had been devastated by a powerful hurricane. Flying pieces of the church roof had destroyed many small trees while the larger mango trees still had sheets of iron imbedded in their trunks. That year, after so much devastation, was a bumper year for mangoes. It wasn’t difficult for me to see that even the trees that had been sheltered and not damaged at all were covered with fruit.

As I became more sure of what I was assuming, I read of the work of Professor Van Houten in South Africa. He discovered that when an animal, such as an antelope or giraffe eats the leaves of a tree, tannin is immediately pumped into the leaves, making it taste badly to the animal which must move on. The point of interest when looking for the Field reaction, is that trees up to a full kilometer away also increased their tannin.

How lucky we are today to be able to travel and look into each other’s cultures with curiosity and respect. I was fortunate to be in New Mexico, U.S.A., to watch with fascination at a pow-wow in Taos as local Indians did their spring fertility dance around the cornfields. The drumming and stamping of many feet looked like a man-made mini earthquake. Why would they do that? Connection with the Mother?

In my quest, so far I had only gathered anecdotal data. I needed some convincing way to demonstrate my theories.

Then, when I looked at my own country of New Zealand and also at California and Japan, I realized that we shared the most seismically active parts of the world – known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Here were giant examples of activity!

At first I looked at the crop rates of annual crops such as wheat or maize but there were too many variables such as economics and weather patterns.

Finally I went to the agricultural data banks and, after months of searching I was able to focus on the yields of orchard crops. Fruit tree acreage does not change rapidly year by year.

I compared the yield per bearing acre to the yearly earthquake figures from 1950 to 1980 in California and Nevada.

According to my figures some fruits (especially stone fruit) showed up to 60% increased yield the year after an increase of quakes.

The same applied to beef calves in California, sheep in New Zealand and crops in Japan.

So, does it work for people? I looked at the biggest population in my data who were also the least likely to be affected by fluctuations in economy, war and so on.

What I saw was that the Californian human birth rate averages below that of the whole of the USA, except in almost all the years following increased earthquake activity.

Trekking in Nepal from Lukla to Namche Bazaa, I was invited one evening to a wedding party in a small hamlet. During the ceremony the bride and groom were greeted by many friends wishing them, “may your children fill the valley.” Bearing many children is important there because of the high mortality rate.

Throughout the night the young couple were ‘serenaded’ outside their bedroom window by drumming and horns blowing and surreal noises. Was it the percussion which was expected to increase the possibility of pregnancy, or the gathered Field of expectancy from the villagers?

Just as the trees and the birth rate reacted as a Community of Field of cohesion, so do all the corals of the largest living being in the world – the Great Barrier Reef off the shore of Australia. It covers thousands of kilometers, yet on the full moon evening in November each year, all of the coral polyps, throughout the full length of the reef, rise to the surface as one body to meet the ripe eggs.

Are you with me? Is that a Field or not?

Subatomic science – about which I know next to nothing - tells us that we have to realize that none of us are separate. We live in a contagious Field.

Dancing in the Fields: Arthur Koestler reported a scientific experiment to see how the bees danced to show other bees which direction the best nectar was. Each morning the scientists would move the beehive and video the changed dance. The beekeeper noticed that half an hour BEFORE the scientists had decided where to move the beehives, the bees were already waiting at the new location.

Deep Field Relaxation (DFR)

The Field of existence has no boundaries, it spreads across the universe like a warm breath.

It permeates our thoughts, our bodies, our pains and our feelings of disconnectedness. It forms the galaxies and at the same time, the smallest particle of energy.

It breathes into our lives, and it creates the illusions of material substance.

And yet it is impossible to describe the Field in such a way that we can ‘taste’ it, feel it or use it in any way.

Mystics have spoken of it, modern physics has attempted to clarify the practical ‘laws’ of the universe but still it remains at a distance from our experience.

Instead of continually confronting the question, we have begun to see the ancient truth of ‘allowing’ events to take place without indulging in skepticism.

In that mood of acceptance, it is possible to relax and sense the broad tapestry of universally interwoven life.
Each of us affect all others.

If ‘I’ bring myself to a state of deep relaxation, if my intention is to be of help, then ‘you’ will be positively affected without further effort. If one part of the Field shifts then all parts must accommodate the change.

Deep Field Relaxation as a therapy depends on the understanding, not of a complex theory, but entirely on personal experience, which is transmitted by a trained helper.

Deep relaxation occurs when the mind and body is calm and settled, feeling safe. Daily concerns fade, moods soften and new possibilities became clear. The Life Force is able to act without interference from the constant babble of the chattering mind. Doubts dissolve as physical, mental and spiritual change occurs naturally without confusion.

This golden link between the intention, the mind/body reaction and the greater cosmos has eluded science for centuries.

Yet gaining practical experience and the use of this powerful knowledge is not new. It has always been known and taught by skilled teachers. For many centuries it has been classified as 'mysticism' - a well protected secret; now, finally dissolving away the veils of religions, politics and intransigent academics, we can share, through DFR, ways to access and recognize the measurable outcomes - the healing results - of accessing the Universal Field.

We can acknowledge the importance of our 'local mind', as Dr. Larry Dossey (USA) has called it. These are the very real feelings, emotions and illusions of everyday life. They are just as necessary, perhaps more important, as any perceptions of ‘spirituality’ if we are to be effective at bringing profound benefit to others and clarity to ourselves.

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion, which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.” Albert Einstein "The World as I See It", originally published in Forum and Century, 1931

Even though we may not understand the full impact of modern sub-atomic science; even though some might name the ‘Field’ a holograph, and others might explain it using words such as ‘angels’ or ‘spirit guides’ our sensible mind can certainly experience the release from suffering, and the return of Love when it appears, as if magically, by the skilful action of Deep Field Relaxation.

Most of my childhood I lived in a semi-rural area of the South Island of New Zealand. Our house faced a main road which was straight for nearly 2 kilometers (1 mile) with very little traffic. From the age of about 8 years, I discovered that if there were just two cars in view, one approaching from either direction, often they would pass each other exactly opposite where I was sitting. I found that if I relaxed and ‘pretended’ to be reading then I would get up to 90% success rate but when I tried hard to affect the outcome, my chances were miserable. Later, in higher schooling, I asked mathematics, physics and science teachers what that meant. The only answer I ever got was a stupid look!

The question is, if God does the healing, what does the healer ‘do’?

To see the connection between Deep Field Relaxation (DFR) and Family Patterns-Whakapapa we need to look again into the insect world.

Many species of butterflies live no more than a few days. Yet when the weather turns cold they migrate thousands of miles. This means that no individual can make the whole trip – in fact when they launch into their flight they will go through many generations before the community reaches their destination. Their guiding principle is the overshadowing Field – as though their protection, or their ‘protector’, keeps them safe. The Polynesian view is that we are like the butterfly. Each of us carry forward the knowledge of our predecessors – we each have our own ‘karma’ but the significant purpose of our lives is to create harmony for the entire community through service to others.

If you are trying to resolve a problem which repeats itself constantly…if you are torn apart by conflicts with your parents, children or partners…if you fail to achieve certain goals in professional and private life…the answer can lie in tendencies prevailing in your family of origin.

One day we suddenly look in the mirror and realize that we have inherited our father’s square chin or aunt’s smiling eyes. But if we can inherit the way we look, we can also inherit the way of thinking and behaving. Very often we can hear “you sound exactly as your father!” or "you are so strong headed as your grandmother!” Sometimes as a tribute to the memory of our ancestors, we are called their names. Later we find that not only we carry their name, but we repeat the story of their life. We tend to be haunted by old fears, ideas and reactions, which create our present psychological upsets and health problems. They could be not our own, but inherited along the line from our ancestors on both sides of the family.

We also can inherit our parent’s talents, and in this case we are told that we have good genes.

Different world cultures - Chinese, Native American, Indonesian, Polynesian – talk about one person’s life as if it were a thread being woven in the family or tribal tapestry, about responsibility given to each generation in preserving the flow of life. In Tibet, I discovered the same concept.

One of the most well-known Buddhists is the actor Richard Gere. In 1987 he came to me for a counseling session in Dr.Terry Cliford’s apartment in 33rd Street, New York. He told me he noticed that he kept making the same mistakes as his father. Instead of a one-hour session he stayed for four! I explained the principle of whakapapa and you can see how successful he became!!

There are answers for our present situation hidden in our family history. We can predict certain results basing conclusions on the stories of our family members. Not only tribal cultures, but Swiss psychologist C. J. Jung recognized the importance of the family archetypes (energetic patterns of behavior and thoughts) on one individual life.

In the world of ancient knowledge, each person is seen as an instrument in the family ‘orchestra’. If one instrument in the orchestra is out of tune, then the entire musical creation lacks harmony. Perhaps many generations in your family passed anger to each other, or the family is known for having a history of alcoholism, or always women in your family outlived their men. Then your role is to bring that harmony back to the family line, to neutralise the negativity which has been inherited.

In these Gatherings we share the patterns we already know in our life, beneficial or destructive. The destructive ones will be seen as powerful learning opportunities. We will understand that everybody has these patterns and by revealing them, they can be overcome. They will be transformed by the powerful medium of story telling, chanting and creating a special Mask.

In such way we allow Love to make all the necessary corrections within any Time frame. It may be hard and on-going work, so be patient! Very soon we might discover, that we have transformed not only our own life, but the lives of our children, grandchildren and parents. As a supportive community The Gathering does not embarrass anyone. There is no need for other members of the family to be present, or even alive.
The key element in transforming the old family field, re-tuning the old patterns, is the Intention.

Ancient texts talk about the power of guided Intention or the ability of consciousness to directly affect one’s own physiological as well as psychological state. When a person with a strong focused intent thinks of healing his own family patterns, very often the whole life experience improves, even without any specific action. Mind-Intent healing is instantaneous and does not depend on the proximity of the family members or time when it happens. It does not use psychotherapeutic methods.

Ed Mitchell (the astronaut) wrote: ‘Matter at its most fundamental level cannot be divided into independently existing units or even be fully described. Subatomic particles aren’t solid little objects like billiard balls, but vibrating and indeterminate packets of energy that cannot be precisely quantified or understood in themselves. Instead they are schizophrenic, sometimes behaving as particles and sometimes a wave and sometimes acting like both a wave and a particle.’

Impossible as it seems (to those of us who don’t understand Subatomic science) if you cough I will be
affected; if a molecule shifts position, it will affect the entire universe.

The Field can be seen as a holographic illusion of existence, and what’s more, shows that your memory exists, not within your brain as we thought, but is connected to something like a massive computer in the sky which records every experience of all time!

‘The Field allows us to hold the whole of the universe inside us’, Hal Puthof

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