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Trebbe Johnson's Newsletter
February 2009
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Dear Questers, Friends, and
Seekers of the Beloved,
Hope and despair continue to
ricochet around the world
and in individual lives as
millions of people greet the
first official acts of
President Obama with
enthusiasm and optimism,
even as bank accounts empty
and serious financial
problems plague us all. The
mission of every issue of
this newsletter is to offer
stories and suggestions for
taking advantage of the
abundant invitations the
world is constantly
offering, so we can
participate more fully and
joyfully in life.
To do so, we need
inspiration and guidance
wherever we can get them.
The good news is that
brilliant teachers abound.
They are everywhere. You
never know where you'll find
them... or when and how
those who are seeking
teachers of their own will
find you. This issue
explores the theme of
borrowing and adapting great
teachings. How can we siphon
wisdom and insight from
those around us, as
hummingbirds sip nectar from
the scarlet trumpet vine
blossoms?
To those who are receiving
this newsletter for the
first time... welcome! Here
you'll find news of upcoming
Vision Arrow
events, reflections,
profiles of extraordinary
people, and stories of
transformation that occur
when we accept, in small,
bold, startling ways the
invitations that the world
is always sending us.
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THE
NEXT SHAMANS
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On January 20 I returned
from guiding our annual
Vision Quest and Camel
Caravan with Sabina Wyss
and our hosts, the Tuareg,
the indigenous people of the
western Sahara. On many of
our Sahara quests we are
accompanied by the Tuareg
medicine man, Jumbo. During
the quest participants have
an opportunity to consult
with Jumbo and receive
healing prayers, amulets, or
remedies from him. (Often he
intuits the problem before
you even state it, or else
he identifies a problem more
deep-seated than the one you
think you've come to inquire
about.)
Jumbo is a slow-moving,
silent man with deep brown
eyes and feet that show
evidence of all the rocky
paths and sand dunes they've
walked through the desert.
Although he is the seventh
medicine man in his family
line, a role that is
traditionally passed from
father to son, he has stated
that he himself will be the
last person in the family to
carry this gift and burden,
since his own son is
retarded. This reality does
not sadden Jumbo, however.
In fact, a primary reason he
accompanies our vision quest
is because he views the
questers as the medicine men
and women of the future.
The Tuareg, a nomadic,
matriarchal people who
depend on nature for their
own survival and that of
their camels and goats,
can't help but find it a
little odd that a few
westerners choose to come
each year to the Sahara in
order to fast, deliberately
depriving themselves of food
for four days and nights.
However, they also recognize
that the questers have
chosen this path as a way of
seeking wisdom and guidance
that they can bring back to
their people, and for this
they have a deep respect.
Jumbo himself believes that
the role of the traditional
medicine man has changed,
and that the Swiss,
American, English, and other
women and men who undertake
the Sahara vision quest are
in fact, the new shamans of
the world. He blesses our
questers that they may bring
new medicine into a world in
need. And we are indeed
blessed to have the presence
of so wise and visionary a
man on our journeys.
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MANDELA'S PRINCIPLES OF
LEADERSHIP
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 Nelson
Mandela celebrated his 90th
birthday last July 18. A man
who suffered years of
prejudice and hardship, who
was imprisoned for 27 years,
and came to lead the
government of South Africa
against the most
extraordinary odds, he
managed to unite a badly
fractured country in a
peaceful and historic way.
Mandela angered many,
inspired more, and in the
end drew admiration from
just about everyone.
Richard Stengel, who worked
with Mandela on his
autobiography,
Long Walk to Freedom,
has described the first
democratically elected
president of South Africa as
a "warrior, martyr,
diplomat, and statesman." In
an article for
Time last summer he
identified Mandela's eight
lessons of leadership. For a
copy of the full article,
click the link above. Here
are the eight lessons in
brief:
1: Courage is not the
absence of fear--it's
inspiring others to move
beyond it
2. Lead from the front--but
don't leave your base behind
3. Lead from the back--and
let others believe they are
in front
4. Know your enemy--and
learn about his favorite
sport
5. Keep your friends
close--and your rivals even
closer
6. Appearances matter--and
remember to smile
7. Nothing is black or white
8. Quitting is leading too
These principles were knit
together by a man who knew
intimately and negotiated
wisely the natural world,
the prison world, and the
world of global politics.
They are valuable and
adaptable to any leader
today, whether you are
leading a kindergarten
class, a town meeting, a
family, or a nature walk.
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THE UP-SIDE OF THE DOWNTURN
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 The
first round of my new
three-week telephone
conference call program,
The Upside of the Downturn,
in which participants
explore their intimate
relationship with money,
determine what needs to
change, and embark on a new
partnership, has been a big
success and will conclude
this week.
Says one participant: "I had
never thought about money as
a force that I'm actually in
partnership with. Now I have
a whole new perspective on
the old attitudes about
money that I've been
carrying around all my life.
And I'm excited about
transforming that
partnership into one that's
more empowering and
conscious."
Another participant remarked
that she has suddenly
grasped a whole new meaning
of the word "income": that
it is not only financial,
but energetic and refers to
what values, attitudes, and
relationships we choose to
have "in-coming" in our
lives.
I'll be offering a new
three-week round of
The Upside of the Downturn
on Wednesdays and Thursdays
in February and March.
Level I Three Group Sessions
($50): 7:00-8:00, Thursday:
Feb. 26, March 5, March 12
Level 2 Three Group Sessions
and two Individual Sessions
per Person ($150--note
new lower price!):
7:00-8:30, Wednesday: Feb.
25, March 4, March 11
Watch for the updated flyer
to reach you soon.
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UITWAAIEN and OTHER ODD &
PERFECT WORDS
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You know the feeling. You've
just had a disagreement with
a friend or even an
unsatisfying encounter with
a store clerk, and just as
you're walking away in
frustration and disgust,
there suddenly swoops into
your head the one,
absolutely right and most
brilliant comment that you
should have made and simply
did not possess in time. The
French phrase for this
delayed flash of insight is
l'esprit de l'escalier,
roughly "the spirit of the
staircase." It's the force
that blows in your ear as
you're heading downstairs
after leaving the scene.
This phrase and many other
intriguing words and phrases
from around the world are in
a delightful little book by
Christoper J. Moore called
In Other Words. The book
is divided into sections
according to countries, and
each section contains words
and phrases that are unique
to the culture and that tie
together some attitude and
situation in a small,
perfect bow. If you love
words, and would love the
perfect phrase to
encapsulate some moment you
never imagined might have a
word of its own, you'll love
this book.
By the way
uitwaaien [OOT vay
en] in the title is Dutch
and means "to walk in the
wind for fun."
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NEW
WEBSITE!
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My
new website is
finished and ready for
browsing! I think you'll
find that the new site
conveys in a sleek, clean,
inviting way what Vision
Arrow is all about and how
our programs unfold. Have a
look! The site was created
by Kurt Dean, who also
designed the website of my
friend, the potter
Jordan Taylor.
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BOOK AND
WORKSHOP NEWS
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 The
Daily Om,
an online compendium of
inspiring thoughts, people,
and products, recently
featured my book,
The World Is a Waiting Lover.
Check it out for a teaser
and to read the first
chapter of the book.
When money is tight, we have
to choose carefully what we
spend it on. And sometimes
we need to spend money in
order to save our own life
and carve a path into our
own future. If any of the
programs mentioned here or
featured on the website call
to you, contact me and let's
discuss whether they might
be right for you at this
particular time in your
life. If so, let's work
together to find a way to
make that happen.
There is still space
available in my workshop
Desire and the Quest for the
Beloved at
Rowe
in western Massachusetts
February 20-22. As I have
done here before, I must
emphasize that the
collective energy in this
workshop is an incredible
high. Delving into what has
motivated your own most
passionate choices in life
and harnessing that energy
for the future, and doing
all this with a supportive,
explorative group of peers
is wildly inspiring and
empowering.
June 3-14 is our second
annual journey,
Bali From Within.
On this one-of-a-kind trip
we venture behind the mask
of that most intriguing and
beautiful island culture and
learn about it with and from
the Balinese people. This
year's highlights include
participation in a Tumpek
Kandang, or village blessing
of the animals ceremony; a
conversation with a village
priest who discusses the
difference between Balinese
and Indian Hinduism, the
complex and intricate
Balinese ceremonial
calendar, and other topics
you'd like to bring up with
him; a blessing ceremony in
the sacred waters of Tirta
Empul; and two days of
retreat at our own villa in
the seaside village of Amed.
For a complete itinerary,
contact me.
The Path of the Loverworkshop
will be held May 8-10 on
private land in beautiful
Sage Canyon, Colorado, near
Cortex, a landscape that
mixes canyons, river life,
and desert plateau. Discover
the inner force of passion
and allurement in your life
and how to make it part of
your path through everyday
challenges, invitations, and
momentary delights.
Here's an offer to take
advantage of: because of the
shaky financial situation,
and also because I'm really
interested in creating more
ways for people who know
each other to share in the
benefits of my programs and
to maintain a network of
support afterwards, I'm
offering a special discount:
15% discount off the cost of
any
vision quest or workshop if
you bring a friend (this
does not include the Sahara
trip or the Desire and the
Quest for the Beloved
workshop at Rowe). Check
with me for more details.
For a complete list of 2009
programs offered by Vision
Arrow, see our
website.
Call 570 727 4272 or
email
me if you have questions or
would like to talk about any
of these programs.
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Quick Links...
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Contact Information
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phone: 570/727-4272
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