The Illumination Project

They came seeking Illumination. Did they find it? Well, how would they know? What makes you think you're "enlightened"? Maybe you're one of those false awakeners. How do you know that your "enlightenment" isn't illusory? What criteria are you using to determine what "enlightenment" is? Why those criteria? Have you ever even thought about it? And if you haven't, how can you possibly be enlightened? Enlightenment isn't ignorance. It's not about willfully ignoring the facts. It's not about turning your back on reason and logic. It's not about severe cognitive deficits. It's not about annihilating your mind ("nirvana"). It's not about unconditional love. It's not about your feelings at all. It's not about super-duper mystical intuition. It's not about perfecting your senses. It's about none of those. Project Illumination is about showing what Illumination is really all about. Come inside and expose yourself to the light of reason, the only thing that can truly Illuminate you. Are you ready to receive the light? Let's light this thing up.

Millions of people, whether leaders or employees, spend three-quarters of their waking hours in energy-depleting environments. Today's workplace is often a web of egos competing for power, managers disempowering employees, and co-workers hurting and sabotaging each other. The troubles within the auto and financial industries are simply extreme examples of what is occurring in many businesses and in government. In a complex, uncertain workplace environment, many feel on the brink, desperate for a way out of their sense of entrapment. This book reveals the source of fear and conflict in organisations and provides the solution for unravelling the complex web of interacting egos. It offers a personal restoration plan that leads to inner security and a path to freedom. As individuals connect with their higher selves, they are rejuvenated and can contribute to transformation in the workplace. This book shows us how to heal the workplace culture by rebuilding relationships to honour our own and others' spirits. When fear is replaced with trust and compassion, a shift in consciousness can occur. The shallow interpretation of ourselves as people who need to battle for power and validation belies our incredible authentic power. You will learn how to: Rebuild relationships throughout organisations; Give up the constraints of the ego and its need for external validation; Replace fear with trust and compassion so people can perform at their best; Build teamwork, co-operation and synergism instead of internal rivalry and competition; Expand productivity, creativity, profitability and enthusiasm of team members; Increase loyalty, respect, retention, and commitment; End power struggles, paranoia, gossip, personal agendas and drama that drain time and money; Develop leaders and managers who have the inner courage and authenticity of great leaders.

An expert in shamanic healing reveals how to let go of toxic emotions so you can embrace life as it is—drawing on the timeless wisdom of indigenous cultures and the latest theories in neurobiology The Illumination Process guides the reader on a healing journey. Through various stages in this journey of initiation, we grow to understand the causes of our suffering and how to free ourselves from the pain and drama of our unhealed emotions. Life itself invites us to be initiated through many means—the possibility of love, the loss of a parent or friend, the birth of a child, or a serious health crisis. True initiation is empowered by facing personal challenges and experiencing the spiritual rebirth—or illumination—that follows. Unifying this book is the sacred process of transforming toxic emotions into sources of power and grace. The Illumination Process shows us how to bid a joyful good-bye to the people and places we have met, discovering a sacred space where the spirit inhabits, uniting the body and soul. When we learn to let go from difficult situations and problems, to accept our lives as they are, we can begin to identify with a self that is eternal. Recounting his own experiences, tracing the mythologies of an array of cultures, and expanding his inquiry into the field of neurobiology, bestselling author Alberto Villoldo shows readers how they can benefit from these sacred practices.

The notion of paradox dates back to ancient philosophy, yet only recently have scholars started to explore this idea in organizational phenomena. Two decades ago, a handful of provocative theorists urged researchers to take seriously the study of paradox, and thereby deepen our understanding of plurality, tensions, and contradictions in organizational life. Studies of organizational paradox have grown exponentially over the past two decades, canvassing varied phenomena, methods, and levels of analysis. These studies have explored such tensions as today and tomorrow, global integration and local distinctions, collaboration and competition, self and others, mission and markets. Yet even with both the depth and breadth of interest in organizational paradoxes, key issues around definitions and application remain. This handbook seeks to aid, engage, and fuel the expanding interest in organizational paradox. Contributions to this volume depict how paradox studies inform, and are informed, by other theoretical perspectives, while creating a resource that enables scholars to learn about and apply this lens across varied organizational phenomena. The increasing complexity, volatility, and ambiguity in our world continually surfaces paradoxical dynamics. Thus, this handbook offers insights to scholars across organizational theory.

Burning Man is the premier countercultural event of modern times, growing over 25 years from a strange San Francisco beach party into an experimental city of 50,000 colorful souls in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, which burns brightly for a week before dissolving into dusty memories and changed lives. Longtime newspaper journalist Steven T. Jones embedded himself in this blossoming culture starting in 2004, a dispiriting year for American politics but the beginning of Burning Man’s renaissance, when it exploded outward in unexpected ways. The result is the most in-depth book ever written on this intriguing social phenomenon – The Tribes of Burning Man: How An Experimental City in the Desert is Shaping the New American Counterculture – which is being released in January, 2011 by CCC Publishing. From covering the Borg2 artists’ rebellion to learning how to make large-scale fire sculptures with the Flaming Lotus Girls, from helping Opulent Temple showcase the world’s best DJs to cleaning up after Hurricane Katrina with Burners Without Borders, from regularly interviewing event founder Larry Harvey to covering Barack Obama’s nominating convention speech, Jones gives readers an inside, meticulously reported look at a time when Burning Man hit its zenith just as the country hit its nadir. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have made the dusty pilgrimage to Black Rock City to take part in this experiment in participatory art, commerce-free culture, and bacchanalian celebration—and many say their lives were fundamentally changed by this truly unique experience.