November, 2008 show full year Event: Healing the Whole Being, Holland Date: November 14th, 2008 (3 days) In conjunction with the annual Fall gathering of the Dutch Association of Macrobiotics, William Spear will teach and give private consultations. The weekend takes place at the De Stipe in Balk, a beautiful resort in the countryside, 120 km North-East of the Amsterdam Airport. www.destipebalk.nl Interspersed with various activities, including exercises, cooking classes and other lectures, William Spear will progressively teach "Healing the Whole Being" over the weekend starting Friday evening at 8 pm, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. On Sunday afternoon, he will conduct an optional group consultation. HEALING THE WHOLE BEING Because human beings are whole - comprised of body, mind and spirit - we must be aware of each aspect of our being to more fully transform ourselves and live a healthy, happy life. As Western society brings its focus more to diets, treatment modalities and health insurance, are we losing contact with our true essence and what it means to heal? Using a macrobiotic perspective, this weekend returns us to the inescapable reality of the many levels of the nature of human beings. The term "macrobiotics" was used in ancient Greece as the art of health and longevity through living in harmony with the environment. In modern times, the term represents a healthy way of life, reflecting the spirit of what a healthy person experiences: macro, meaning large or great, and bios, meaning life great life. As a macrobiotic student, teacher and counselor since the 1970's, William Spear shares his personal reflections on the Great Life and the challenges of Non-Credo. It is heartening to know that many practitioners of macrobiotics want to make the world a better place - to contribute their understanding to make a difference where it counts. The real change in the modern world, though, is not happening outside. We are in the midst of a major shift in consciousness - our inner topography - that is dramatically changing our perception. The fundamental globe that is changing is inside our skull. The illusions under which we live have become so big that we actually think they are real. We have forgotten who we are - so how can we know anything else? How can we possibly begin to understand where or when our life is lived if our basic assumptions of life and death are so distant from the source? Macrobiotics is about the individual and his place in the infinite, and about each one of us in relationship to time and space. While in concept it may be possible to accept the idea that linear time is a convenient distraction, few of us are able to live in the moment. Time is an illusion - to be sure - but what difference does it make if we play along provided that we "know" the truth? How would our lives be different if we were to align with "now" and abandon the beckoning call of past and future? It is here, in the moment -- and nowhere else -- that we catch that glimpse of eternity. Forever can only exist in now -- and inside forever lays the eternal dream. And a flexible, aware practice of macrobiotics is about being in the right place at the right time. Movement and placement are not separate. Questions of "where" must be answered while also considering "when." Macrobiotics is a method of understanding the relationship between our external environment and our consciousness within. When properly practiced, a polarity is created between these two worlds, stimulating movement and change. Deep within each one of us lays the possibility of peace, health and freedom. How we realize these endless dreams externally has little to do with the political agenda of our time. Every person, through cultivating the space within, reflects a different reality around him. When we are able to keep our priorities straight, while transforming ourselves, miracles do happen -- from the inside out. As people's lifestyles begin to include a more holistic understanding - combining physical, spiritual and emotional health - the informed practitioner and therapist must be able to contribute an understanding of appropriate modifications in diet and life style. Even American investment bankers at J.P. Morgan identified this among six emerging trends of today's wealthy culture, saying in an annual report: "the affluent consumer will pay more attention to the principles of feng shui, as well as organic and macrobiotic food in their home." WILLIAM SPEAR Biography: Recognized internationally as a Senior Macrobiotic Counselor, William Spear has lived, taught and counseled according to the principles of the healthful Macrobiotic way of life for over thirty years. He is an original Kushi Institute faculty member, and is highly regarded as an insightful and articulate educator and consultant on health, complementary and integrative medicine, feng shui, 9 Star Ki and personal transformation. He has conducted numerous studies on the effect of the environment on health and the relationship of diet to disease. Spear founded the Nutrition Information Center in 1977 which edited and published Macrobiotic Dietary Recommendations. The booklet sold over 150,000 copies. He has also contributed to many books on health and the East West Journal (now Natural Health magazine) about the relationship between diet and heart disease, and he was featured in Macrobiotics Today in 1997. Spear conducts transformative healing workshops drawing on years of work in oriental philosophy and complementary medicine. His work with the Center for Living with Illness and Dying at Yale University Hospital in 1978 led to his association and in-depth training with the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Center in the early 1980's. He has undergone extensive training with Tibetan lama Sogyal Rinpoche, and has three decades of experience with people facing trauma, health challenges and death. He is sought after by many seeking advice on recovery from life-threatening illness as well as for his expertise in design and geomancy. Spear's best selling book, "Feng Shui Made Easy: Designing Your Life with the Ancient Art of Placement" published in 1995, has been translated into twelve languages. Applying and lecturing on feng shui principles for over 30 years, Spear is a teacher of feng shui teachers. Around the globe, Spear provides design advice to corporations, hotels, health care facilities and schools as well as for private residences. Spear is the founder and director of the non-profit Fortunate Blessings Foundation focusing on education and international trauma relief, most recently active in Sri Lanka following the tsunami and Indonesia. He maintains a private consulting practice in Litchfield, Connecticut, New York and London. - - - - For information about the gathering in Holland and to register, contact: Peter Temars in Holland Tel 003 1206 735 027 info@nvvm.org www.nvvm.org COST of the weekend: - for an adult, prices start at 150 Euro, depending on type of accommodation selected. Cost includes accommodation, all macro/vegan meals and complete weekend program through Sunday lunch. - For participation in the optional group consultation with William Spear on Sunday afternoon, there is an additional charge of 25 Euro per person. - Families with children are very welcome. Staff will offer a special children/teenager program (2-16 yrs) during course hours. There is a special family price of 300 Euro for 2 adults and 2 children 2-12 years old. November, 2008 show full year