Esoteric

Esoteric Experience


Esoteric Experience

Shamanic Training

2006-present
U.S. and South Africa

Merkava Descent

1994-present
U.S. and South Africa
  • Studied for many years with R' Levy Darby in Sausalito, CA.
  • Trained under Martha Joy Aft in Boston, MA.
  • Practised and explored some of R' Avraham Abulafia's methods.
  • Practising the method and protocol as expressed by R' Moshe Chavetz, who was the originator of this particular method of journey, called the Merkava Descent. It uses the ineffable name of G!d, the tetragrammaton, to initiate an experience of another realm, which many believe to be the Angelic realm.
  • Continued this journey and exploration in South Africa with R' Arthur Seltzer
  • Also studied for a while with R' Mervis in South Africa.

Facilitator

2012-2013
Temple Israel, Wynberg
  • Facilitated a small group on an in-depth explortation of the Kabbalah and some of its esoteric aspects. Used the "Seven Petalled Rose" by R' Adin Steinsaltz as a guide.

Guide

2014-2015
Temple Israel, Wynberg
  • Introduced the basic principles and some of the more mystical outlooks of Kabbalah to a beginner group. Series of 16 lectures.

Men's work:

Mankind Project (MKP)

2007-2012
Cape Town, South Africa
  • Completed the initiation weekend 2007.
  • Subsequently became involved in the running and maintanance of the organisation.
  • Staffed on a number of initiation weekends.
  • Held the position of elder.
  • Was active in the cleansing and purification ceremonies.
  • Implemented an alternative to the fire cleansing ritual in preparation for the weekend.
  • Organised a number of social events for the initiates and their families. Sat on the executive council.
  • Helped facilitate MKP groups in which the protocols of the weekend were shared and implemented in a more intimate fashion.
  • Was active in the Elder groups in MKP in both the U.S. and South Africa.

Head, Heart & Soul

2009-2010
Cape Town, South Africa

Head, Heart & Soul is a spin-off of MKP, geared towards trying to help "at risk" youth. It is a two-day guided exploration into what it means to be a man, questioning, and challenging, the participants to envisage what sort of man they would like to be, and exploring what is holding them back from achieving this.

  • Was one of the principal facilitators.
  • Held the space of the elder.

Men's Groups

2012-2015
Cape Town, South Africa
  • Was the principal facilitator of a number of men's groups over this period.
  • Held space for a number of men to explore and experience some of their deeper emotions and desires
  • Introduced them to some protocol and methods of relating and listening to one another that helped tremendously in their personal relationships.

Relationship Experience:

Human Awareness Institute (HAI)

2000-2006
North-east United States

HAI does work around body image, sexualisation, gender fears, expression of sexuality and sexual desires, communication—especially in intimate situations, and other elements of a similar nature.

  • Participated in a number of HAI weekends. Progressed up to Level 4 (of 7).
  • Participated in a number of HAI events.
  • Became quite involved in the widespread HAI community for a period of time.

Tantric training

1996-2006
North-east United States

Became involved in the widespread HAI community for a period of time.

  • Participated in a number of teaching events put on by David Deida, a well-known tantric teacher.
  • Participated in an event put on by one of David Deida's top trainess.
  • Went to a number of trainings by Julienne D?
  • Did a six-week course with Shakti Malan, one of the foremost South African tantric teachers.
  • Participated in a more active or less active role in a number of similar events over the period I was living in the U.S. in places like Harbin Hot Springs, Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, et. al.

Dance training:

1996-2006
North-east United States

  • Became deeply involved in Contact Improvisation Dance (CI).
  • Went to many dance classes, weekends and camps over that period.
  • Became involved in the local dance community
  • Attended the Massachussetts Dance Camp (2001–2006)

Even Deeper and Holotropic Breathwork

1996-2006
North-east United States

With a group of people who met as a large group a number of times a year for a long-weekend or longer. During this time, the group met and discussed and explored deep inner-spaces together, all centered around a day of Holotropic Breathwork. The idea was that if the group was kept consistent by mediating those who were invited to join, the intimacy of the group could be held in a more sacred and more trusting fashion.

Most of the people involved were also part of the local dance community, and thus there was interaction and meetings beyond just this group dynamic.

  • Became deeply involved in Contact Improvisation Dance (CI).
  • Went to many dance classes, weekends and camps over that period.
  • Became involved in the local dance community
  • Attended the Massachussetts Dance Camp (2001–2006)

Events:

Shamanic Gathering

Feb, 2016
Hogsback, Eastern Cape, South Africa

A week-long workshop with particants and facilitators from the U.S., Europe and Israel. Breathwork, water blessings, sacred fire-circles, morning blessings, shamanic journeying and experiencing and exploring the elements around us, and more were offered.

It was offered on our beautiful premises, Neshama, which is in Hogsback, a small town in the rural Eastern Cape, a province of South Africa.

Speaker at Limmud Conference of Jewish Learning

2012
Limmud Conference for Jewish Learning, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The Limmud Conference is the premier Jewish conference in South Africa. It is a place where different sects and practices of Judaism meet under one roof and discuss many and varied topics on the subject of Judaism, Judaic thought and practice, poetry and sacred texts.

  • Where Angels Fear to Tread   –   3.5hrs.
    Discussion on various aspects of angels taken from Old Testament sources, as well as some forays into the place and influence of this angelic realm.
  • Quantum Kabbalah   –   1hr.
    This lecture and power-point presentation draws many parallels between what is being descirbed in many of the texts pertaining to Kabbalah and what is being described mathematically in the realms of Quantum explortion.

Weekend Shamanic Festivals

2011-2013
Blue Hippo, Greyton, South Africa
  • There were two festivals, and people came from all over the world to attend. There were about 80 attendees at both. There were various events facilitated by a number of local and overseas facilitators. They were organised in collaboration with Lyn Spirit Eagle.

Talks

2011-2013
Cape Town, South Africa
  • ABC of Kabbalah  – 4hrs.
  • Four 1 hour lectures on the history, context, and some basic concepts as an introduction to the Kabbalah.
  • Mathematics for Esoterics  – 4hrs.
  • Four 1 hour lectures on the "esoterics" of mathematics. I might be sticking my neck out here, but just as the Pythagorians spoke of the energy of numbers, and many have delved in the arena of sacred geometry, so I believe that there is a poetry to mathematics, and that some archetypical interpretations are possible.
  • Quantum Kabbalah  – 4hrs.
  • An exploration into the incredible similarities between the descriptions of the Angelic realm of Kabbalah, and the realm of Quantum Mechanics.
  • "Where Angels Fear to Tread" – 1.5hrs.
  • A little foray into some of the interesting aspects of the Angelic realm, touching on some of the references in the Old Testament and other sacred texts and commentaries.

Skills & Proficiency

Skills:

Wide range of knowledge

Ability to track source of problem

Ability to drill down to details

Ability to communicate an idea

Esoteric Skills:

Kabbalah

Journey Work

Deep Spiritual Counseling

General:

Chess

Go (Wu Chi)