Dear Reader,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Satvatove Newsletter. We want to offer our thanks to Jonathan Banks, who was our editor until now, and to Mark Burkbank and David Forest who helped with this issue and have volunteered to edit upcoming ones. David also contributed an inspiring article, which you won't want to miss.

We've installed a new invitation feature at www.Satvatove.org. You can read about it below in the article entitled, 'An Open Invitation.'

Sincerely,

The Satvatove Team

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Satvatove Institute Community News

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March 1st, 2006 - Volume2, Issue 2

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CONTENTS:

1. Be-Do-Have - by David Wolf

2. A Basic Human Need - Audio Inspiration

3. Cleaning House - by John Read

4. An Open Invitation - Bring Your Friends!

5. Day One - by David Forest

6. The Satvatove Archive

8. Get Involved With The Satvatove Community

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BE-DO-HAVE

- by David Wolf

In the Satvatove trainings we ask participants, “What are some tangible, material things for which people strive?” We then write their responses in a column on a board at the front of the room. Typically the resulting list looks something like this: cars, computers, a big house, an attractive spouse, children, a job, jewelry, vacation time, insurance policies.

Then we ask, “Why do people want these things?” On an adjacent column we list the new responses, which commonly include experiences such as happiness, security, power, intimacy, fulfillment, balance, love, vitality, freedom, strength, courage, joy, affection.

Then we observe the two columns and consider whether there are persons who, for example, possess a large house, a big car, and a prestigious job, who do not experience much joy, power or fulfillment in their lives. Certainly there are. And we consider whether there are persons who experience an abundance of happiness, intimacy and vitality in their lives, although they don’t have the items on the other column. All agree that such persons exist. In this way we establish that there is no intrinsic connection between the columns. Surely they sometimes overlap, though there is no inherent causal link.

“Veda” is a Sanskrit word meaning “knowledge”. According to the Vedic literatures from ancient India, three gunas, or modes of material nature, permeate all facets of existence, from psychology to diet, from work to recreation. There are said to be three gunas, named tamas, rajas, and sattva. With reference to the three gunas, we discover that there is no innate correlation between the “things” column and the “experience” column.

Tamas is a mode of inertia, where our consciousness clings to the paradigm of Have-Do-Be. In this paradigm we think, “If I could just have $100,000 in the bank, a nicer car, a job with paid vacation…then I could do what I want to do, and then I’ll be happy, satisfied, appreciated, vibrant…” “If I could just have a nicer boss, then I’ll be content and peaceful.” In this mindset, our experience is dependent on having. The difficulty with this attitude is that our higher nature is not satisfied by such possessions. This is indicated in the statement, "What profits a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul?"

Rajas is the mode of activity, where we adhere to the framework of Do-Have-Be. In this way of thinking we believe that, " if I could just do what I want to do, then I’ll have what I want, and then I’ll be free, strong, giving and vital." Our consciousness starts from the point of activity, and experience is contingent upon that.

Sattva guna corresponds with enlightenment. Sattvic consciousness is the natural state of the authentic self. Steady in sattva we live in the paradigm of Be-Do-Have. Fixed in this way of being, the experience of strength, beauty, security, intimacy, warmth, freedom, etc., is not dependent on doing or having. I don’t need to do or have anything to experience satisfaction, aliveness, courage, clarity, etc., because these qualities are who I am, they are my essential nature. It’s not that in a Be-Do-Have paradigm there isn’t doing or having. Rather, our doing and having assume full potency, as compared with tamasic or rajasic perspectives, because what we do and have flow naturally from our being. They are not separate endeavors. To experience joy, closeness, radiance, and all other qualities of our self does not depend on what we do or have. In Be-Do-Have, we naturally do things that bold, enlivened, successful people do, because our nature is bold, enlivened and successful. And naturally we’ll have things that powerful, confident, and trusting people have, such as abundance, meaningful work and fulfilling relationships.

The Bhagavad-gita, presenting the essence of Vedic teachings, delineates a Be-Do-Have approach to life. In that book Sri Krishna encourages Arjuna to “Be transcendental...be free from dualities…be without anxiety…and be established in the self.” The process of personal development entails uncovering qualities of our self, our being, that have been covered, and fully manifesting them in our lives.

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A BASIC HUMAN NEED

- audio inspiration with David Wolf

"It is such a basic need to be understood. So often, our conversations tend to be like two monologues..."

*To hear a live recording of the rest of this article, click on the link below and click play on the audio track named 'A Basic Human Need'.

http://www.satvatove.org/members/impressions/audio_clips.php

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CLEANING HOUSE

- by John Read

After having participated in the Satvatove foundational and advanced courses, things have been moving fast for me. It's like the doors to an old dusty room in a corner of my heart have been thrown open and the bright light and clean winds have poured in and blown hundreds of stories and unfinished works, letters and writings outside into the air. I'm running and scooping them up and reading some as I go and it's enlivening and scary and all new. It is a fascinating pandemonium.

Then I connect with Marie or David on the phone. They already know the filing systems and work required for me to order and file all this newfound information. They come with me and we sort, stack, and place these visions, fears, and aspirations in careful levels of importance.

I leave the phone calls calm and contemplative, having squared away another important area of the room, now scrubbed bright and clean. The wind may blow again, rustling papers as yet unseen by me, those slipped behind shelves or covered in dust, but I know the coaching is there if I need it. That helps me stand strong and peaceful, and ready to continue the work.

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AN OPEN INVITATION

The Satvatove Community Newsletter is meant to inspire and inform. It is a forum for sharing our own realizations, and a medium through which the transformational energy experienced in Satvatove's seminars and other programs can reach far and wide.

Now it is easy for you to share your inspiration by inviting friends, family and colleagues to receive this newsletter. If you know of anyone who would benefit from the services Satvatove offers or who might be interested in the topics discussed in this bi-monthly newsletter, you can easily invite them through our new online invitation form. The people you invite will promptly receive the latest issue of the Satvatove Community Newsletter.

To invite your friends, family and colleagues, go to the following address:

http://www.satvatove.org/members/invite.php

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As David Wolf mentioned in his article entitled, "The Seminar Starts Now," which appeared in our January issue, the seminar is only the beginning. The seminars help us to connect with our ability to transform each day of our lives into a powerful learning experience. In the following article, a graduate of a recent Foundational Course in Gainesville shares his experience of the first day after the seminar.

DAY ONE

- By David Forest

Before getting out of bed on Monday morning, I set the intention of having a day that allowed me to integrate the material from the weekend and established a pattern that will lead to a truly changed life. I was given an opportunity before 9am.

As I arrived at my daughter's preschool, there was an old Mercedes sitting precariously in the middle of the driveway and I had to go around it to get into the parking lot. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw the driver talking on a cell phone, so I just assumed (are we not being taught to challenge our assumptions?) that the man had just pulled off to make or take a call and was rudely blocking the driveway.

It didn't even occur to me that perhaps the person was having car trouble and hadn't had much choice about where the car stopped. I took my daughter inside, not really looking (or maybe not wanting) to see what was really going on (i.e. Reality). As I came back out, again out of the corner of my eye (perhaps true "reality" exists just outside the corners of our current, limited perception), I sensed that the person might need some help, yet I still chose to ignore the situation ("ignorance") and walked back to my car instead of going over to inquire whether I could offer any assistance. I backed out and saw the driver, an older gentleman, now pushing the car across the driveway into a space in the parking lot. Finally, reality kicked in and I got out to help him push the car out of the way.

He showed me that the car would start, but then immediately stall. Since auto mechanics is not my forte, I offered to give him a ride (which also, as is implied in the phrase, "gave him a lift"). He thanked me and suggested that I drop him off at a nearby shopping center where his wife would be able to find him. I said I was more than willing to drive him home and, after some gentle coaxing, he agreed.

We had a lovely chat (where I practiced my newly acquired empathic listening skills) and in the course of our conversation he asked me what I did. I realize, in hindsight, I had been given a golden opportunity by the universe to do exactly what I had set my intention to do this morning--to integrate the material into my daily life and set a new, positive pattern in place. To my credit, I did say I was a writer, although I didn't say it with much conviction. And instead of declaring with authority, "I am a writer and spiritual life coach," I added, rather unconvincingly, that I also hoped to be (not stated in the present [intention], but some vague future) a personal coach.

Again, to my credit, when he asked if I had published anything I responded, "Not yet. I am working on my first book and my goal is to have it published within three years." I was actually given a chance to state my intention to the universe (aloud--to another person), the very intention I established during the course.

Right now I dread having people ask me what I do because I "have to" come up with some tentative answer about wanting to write and be a coach. I realize that, instead, I should welcome that question as often as possible because then I "get to" share my life's purpose with someone--and in the process shout it to the sky and hear it myself which makes it more real for me every time I do it; share from my heart what I am passionate about; and assert with certainty that "I am a writer and spiritual life coach."

Not only was I given all of this, but I was able to give a kindly grandfather from France by way of Indiana a new outlook on his otherwise frustrating day and, in the process, restore his faith in humanity.

And this is only day one!

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THE SATVATOVE ARCHIVE

For those of you who are not familiar with the Member's Panel at www.Satvatove.org, please note that you can find all the previous editions of the Satvatove Community Newsletter there. Go ahead and take some time to browse through them. You will find many inspiring articles. The Member's Panel also offers a selection of interesting audio clips, videos, slideshows, and photos.

You can access the Member's Panel at the following address:

http://www.satvatove.org/members

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GET INVOLVED WITH THE SATVATOVE COMMUNITY:

In the communities of Satvatove graduates developing worldwide, many individuals are taking initiative to make valuable contributions. We are eager to facilitate anyone who would like to be actively connected with the advancement of Satvatove's transformational work. There is ample room for each of you to share your knowledge, skills, talents, ideas, resources, time, or any other personal gifts and qualities the community. Your contribution to the personal growth of others will strengthen your own inspirations and realizations.

Some areas in which you might like to be involved include editing audio recordings, videos, articles, and web pages; writing articles; designing artwork, drawings, paintings, and graphics; making posters; providing legal work; researching; and administrating. Finally, Satvatove also has many facilities and options available for people with an interest in marketing.

If you would like more information about any of these options, or if you would like to share with us any of your own ideas, please contact Marie Glasheen at marieglasheen@alltel.net.

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March 1st, 2006 - Volume2, Issue 2

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