Psychosynthesis Quarterly March 2018

PSYCHOSYNTHESIS
QUARTERLY
The Digital Magazine of the Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis
Volume 7 Number 1 March 2018
Assagioli’s “Extraterrestrials” — Isabelle Küng

The Trouble With Mindfulness — Richard Schaub
A Florentine Retreat With Roberto Assagioli — Abigail De Soto
A Call for Your Reflections: “Being Psychosynthesis” — Sara Vatore
And Still I Rise: Becoming a Psychosynthesis Trainer — Julie Rivers
Honoring Mt. Agung, the Balinese Volcano — Margret Rueffler
My Association with the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation
and Its Pioneers — John Parks
Indovedic Psychology and Psychology - Part I — Cristina Pelizzatti
Remembering John Parks, MD, and Massimo Rosselli, MD
Poetry by Stephanie Sorrell
New Book: The Call of Self: Psychosynthesis Life Coaching
New Training Classes: Psychosynthesis Coaching Philadelphia

Synthesis Center San Francisco
The Warrior’s Heart: Grief and Loss Retreat in Arizona March 5-9
Bringing Psychosynthesis to Life: Workshops in Mass. May 19

Psychosynthesis Quarterly Notes from the Editor
Editor: Jan Kuniholm This past three months witnessed the passing of two beloved members
of the psychosynthesis community—John Parks, MD, in Kentucky,
Assistant Editors: Audrey McMorrow, Walter
Polt, and Douglas Russell USA, and Massimo Rosselli, MD, in Florence, Italy. All of us are deeply
saddened by the loss of these wonderful men, and we send our
Design and Production: condolences to their families and close friends. This issue includes many
Jan Kuniholm, Walter Polt
tributes to and memories of John and Massimo, who were teachers and
Psychosynthesis Quarterly is published by colleagues to so many. We will miss them.
AAP four times a year in March, June, September
and December. Submission deadlines are February 7,
In addition to the memories and tributes we are sharing John Parks’
May 7, August 7, and November 7.
memory of his connections with the Psychosynthesis Research
Send Announcements, Ideas, Reviews of Foundation in the early days of psychosynthesis in North America.
Books and Events, Articles, Poetry, Art,
Exercises, Photos, and Letters: Tell us what In this issue Cristina Pelizzotti traces the connections between
has helped your life and work, what can help others, psychosynthesis and Indovedic Psychology, showing some of the
and examples of psychosynthesis theory in action. sources of Assagioli’s thinking and practice. Richard Schaub also
Notice of Events should be 1500 words or less, and
examines a practice with ancient roots—mindfulness meditation—but
articles should usually be 4500 words or less. We
shows how psychosynthesis adds an important element to it:
accept psychosynthesis-related advertising from
members. Nonmembers who wish to run psycho- imagination.
synthesis-related advertising are requested to make
a donation to AAP. Send submittals to: Isabelle Küng playfully tells us how Roberto Assagioli responded to
newsletter@aap-psychosynthesis.org her report of UFO’s in Geneva in 1967, and takes the opportunity to
give us glimpses of Freud’s and Jung’s lives as well as the subject of
The Association for the Advancement
duality as it appears in plays by Goethe and Pirandello—and more!
of Psychosynthesis:
Founded in 1995, AAP is a Massachusetts nonprofit
Margret Rueffler takes us to a more elemental level, celebrating the
corporation with tax exemption in the United States.
multi-dimensional experience of living close to an erupting volcano—
It is dedicated to advocating on behalf of psycho-
synthesis and conducting psychosynthesis educa-
Mt. Agung in Bali.
tional programs. Membership and donations are tax
deductible in the United States. Stephanie Sorrell takes us yet another level, with her poem I am
AAP membership supports this publication and Bending the Days.
the other educational activities of AAP, including
scholarships. To become a member or to donate to A new book on Psychosynthesis LIfe Coaching will come out in the
AAP, Click Here. or you may contact us at summer of 2018—The Call of Self edited by Dorothy Firman.
(413) 743-1703 (leave a message if you call)
or email info@aap-psychosynthesis.org Abigail DeSoto answered an inner call and found herself traveling
If you are NOT a member we invite you to join south instead of her planned trip north, renewing her connection with
AAP and support psychosynthesis in North psychosynthesis in what turned out to be a retreat in Florence.
America and the world.
Views expressed in Psychosynthesis Quar- We share the announcement of a new training program beginning
terly are not necessarily those of the editors or of this autumn at Psychosynthesis Life Coaching Philadelphia, and an
AAP. AAP makes every effort to ensure the accura- opportunity for those immersed in grief and loss to attend a Warrior’s
cy of what appears in the Quarterly but accepts no Heart retreat in Arizona this March.
liability for errors or omissions. We may edit sub-
missions for grammar, syntax, and length. We hope this spring brings you new life, wherever in the world this
Psychosynthesis Quarterly is available as a finds you. Psychosynthesis is a pathway that crosses many dimensions
free download to all current AAP members and to of life and can touch people in so
others who are interested in our work. To view pre- many different ways. This issue of
vious issues and an index of articles click here. the Quarterly flows from one
dimension to another and offers
© Copyright 2018 by AAP you a real bouquet of reading.
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2
contents
Assagioli’s “Extraterrestrials” - Isabelle Clotilde Küng 4
Memorial Service for John Parks 12
About John Parks, MD 13
John Parks: A Journey Home 14
Personal and Spiritual Psychosynthesis - John Parks 18
Memories and Thoughts of John Parks 19
My Association with the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation and Its Pioneers
- John Parks, MD 22
I Am Bending the Days - Poem - Stephanie Sorrell 26
Massimo Rosselli - In Loving Memory 27
Thoughts and Memories of Massimo Rosselli 28
Spring Conference at The Synthesis Center in May 32
And Still I Rise - Becoming a Psychosynthesis Trainer - Julie Rivers 33
Psychosynthesis Coaching Philadelphia 35
A Florentine Retreat With Roberto Assagioli - Abigail De Soto 36
Honoring Mt. Agung, The Balinese Volcano - Margret Rueffler 39
The Warrior’s Heart - Carole Dawn Harward 42
The Warrior’s Heart Retreat 44
A Call for Your Reflections: Being Psychosynthesis - Sara Vatore 45
Indovedic Psychology and Psychosynthesis Part I - Cristina Pelizzatti 47
The Trouble With Mindfulness - Richard Schaub 60
New Book - The Call of Self edited by Dorothy Firman 61
Coast to Coast: Psychosynthesis Coach Training for the New Century 63
Psychosynthesis Archives 65
3
Assagioli’s “Extraterrestrials”
Isabelle Clotilde Küng
H ere is an anecdote that I am not exactly “proud of”—but I wish to share it because it holds a few seeds of wisdom that
have been useful to me, despite the circumstances that helped me find them! It is about what Assagioli told me in
answer to my question on UFOs—or rather, other forms of life.
I would like to focus on a walk into

history of the early years of my
association with Dr. Roberto Assagioli,
and his approach to Humor with the hope
that it will call forth your own
cheerfulness—or at least to stimulate
your ‘zygomatic muscles’!
Today the benefits of laughter are

common knowledge. But did you know
that in the early years of the last
century—and even more in the previous
one—people felt it necessary to make a
long face in order to be taken seriously?
Laughter was suspicious: it could
indicate a “substance (alcohol)
problem,” idleness, bad manners or “low
class.” It was acceptable for peasants to
laugh, but for the “well born” only
boredom, gloom, spleen or depression
A portrait of Roberto Assagioli in Switzerland, 1965, were the lot—the only alternative was
with a sun-shot superimposed – by the author rebellion or nonconformism. Thus,
diseases of the (frustrated and
suppressed) psychological human nature became a subject worthy of the attention of philosophers and doctors
(psychology was not a “subject” yet). Often the victim of such diseases got shut up in an asylum—worse than
prison! Prominent professors and doctors (Charcot, Janet, Kraeppelin, Coué, Freud, Adler, Husserl, Bleuler, Jung)
became fascinated by the study of pathological or abnormal behavior; they were sincerely dedicated, and published
papers on the cases they observed, which of course attracted the curiosity of the public of the time.
This started a movement which slowly led to the birth of the science of psychology! It had been (secretly) gestated
by the clergy and held in custody by philosophy and literature. Amongst the many serious publications that came
out at the turn of the last century, one was different—shocking! (Real meaning: “interesting!”) It came from the
pen of Sigmund Freud and discussed “Jokes” and therefore laughter—but, so as to safeguard its author’s credibility,
it considered the subject in its relation to the human unconscious. With his short essay on “Jokes and Their Relation
to the Unconscious,”1 Sigmund Freud was thus almost the first writer to break the thick ice of congealed seriousness
that had petrified much of the western academic world and the culture at large. Assagioli, then only aged 17,
happened to be in Vienna and read it. He was enthusiastic, and judging from a letter he wrote to a friend, he
probably thought, “Ah! Finally a doctor who acknowledges the role of humor!”
We do not know whether Freud and Assagioli met then—probably not. There is, however, evidence that already
in 1905 Assagioli was active in introducing Freud’s views to Italian medical circles, mainly via the reviews where
he published his own articles.
(Continued on page 5)
4
(Continued from page 4)
It appears that Freud’s essay on the relation between jokes and the
unconscious inspired him, for he published his own paper “The
Effects of Laughter and its Pedagogic Applications” in the
March/April 1906 issue of the Rivista di Psicologia applicate alla
pedagogia e alla psicopatologia.2 This was four years before he
obtained his medical degree! While studying with Bleuler and Jung,
Assagioli was invited to become a member of the very select
International Psychoanalytical Society founded by Freud. Eventually,
both Jung and Assagioli—and also Bleuler—distanced themselves
from Psychoanalysis, while recognizing its relevance when
considered as part of a wider approach. Assagioli, after practicing
psychoanalysis in Rome, would develop the model of
Psychosynthesis, where noninvasive techniques and methods,
including Freud’s contribution, would find their place—but applied
within a synthesis-oriented approach. It might be worth recalling also
that already in 1907 Assagioli had met some of the “big names” of
this unfolding science like Emil Kraepelin in Münich, Eugen Bleuler
at the Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik (Burghölzli), and then Carl
Gustav Jung. With Bleuler, he had relevant discussions on the issues
of split personality.
Assagioli took the time to teach me about issues of mild and severe dissociation because of their importance in
self-development and education—which was my reason for studying with Assagioli from 1963 to 1974. He told
me that a characteristic of intelligence is this human tendency to compartmentalize, whereas that of consciousness
is to relate. He designated the products of this tendency subpersonalities. He added that subpersonalities could
easily be controlled by the right use—that is, the conscious use—of the psychological functions, along the lines
he indicated in the character-building and self-actualizing method he had developed. Assagioli said that Bleuler’s
position as an eminent psychiatrist probably colored his orientation toward pathos, and he had therefore given the
name schizophrenia to the pathological—thus uncontrollable—form of this human tendency. But of course, as
Assagioli has shown, the processes of personal identification, given the appropriate education of the will, need
not degrade into their extreme form, where control of the play of personality clusters is lost. In the extreme form,
when control is lost, the person may even feel compelled to act out the one that has temporarily gained power over
the others—in a way that is even inimical to her own (and other people’s) safety. This is much like what nations
are acting out in the field of world affairs, if humanity were to be considered as being like a person.
Jung and Assagioli had become friends and had exchanged views on all the topics that interested them both.3 After
intensive contacts with these eminent psychiatrists and others, Assagioli prepared to graduate in medicine in 1910.
To do so, he would be required to submit his thesis on Psychoanalysis to Prof. Eugenio Tanzi, director of the San
Salvi Asylum and its psychiatric clinic in Florence. But Tanzi, like most of the doctors then, was eager to prove
that psychic phenomena were generated by physical causes. So he was not a fan of Freud’s Psychoanalysis, nor
was he inclined to welcome any other non-mechanistic hypothesis. Can you see Assagioli’s dilemma? How could
he call attention to the fact that it is psychic energy that is the origin of behavior—and of pathological behavior
such as hysteria? He was hoping that emphasizing this would re-open a door that had been barred and outlawed
by the mechanistic point of view! He was indeed hoping to foster a sane study of the mind-body tandem, which
is the essence of every human, and through this work help protect the sane development of society and humanity.
He realized that the consequences of the mechanistic approach (whose advantages he also recognized) represented
a dead end for human intelligence! So how could Assagioli—without hurting the sensibilities of his doctoral
5
program supervisor, possibly be able to make it clear that the causative factors of behavior are to be found in the
psychic body and not in the outer physical body, which merely expresses and acts out these psychic forces? How
could he make it clear that the body, while being a masterpiece of interdependent physiological systems, is
nevertheless only a “relaying system” and not the real cause of behavior?
Despite his gentleness and physical frailty, the 22-year-old doctoral candidate had an indomitable will and was
therefore determined to stand for his truth. So how could he present a scientifically based paper advocating views
that his program supervisor was obviously opposed to?4 Fortunately he took a pragmatic approach in general (yes,
he greatly appreciated William James) and despite his already knowing much about the psychic processes at work
in man, he limited his thesis to the subject of “Psychoanalysis,” so as to stay in fairly well-known territory.
But Assagioli’s main vocation was to be “soul mapping.” We have a letter to Giovanni Papini dated August 6,
1910, in the archives of Fondazione P. Conti in Florence written a month after his graduation. Here are his own
words:
“You will understand that, given the nature of my studies (the human soul in its known and unknown
aspects and potential) much time will elapse prior to my disclosing to the public the results I will,
as I hope, obtain.”
I include this statement because it has, as you will see, much to do with our subject. It is interesting for us to
discover that Assagioli had already intended to rewrite his thesis on Psychoanalysis, so he confesses in that very
same letter to Papini;
“That which I will publish for some time will certainly not be the most important part of my studies
[researches]. Firstly I will prepare a volume on psychoanalysis (giving a wider span and making
anew my graduating thesis). Then I will publish something on psychotherapy (…) but above all I
will practice psychotherapy, from which I expect great benefits for the sick, and precious
observations and experiments for myself [my research]”.5
Meanwhile Jung had developed his own approach under the name Analytic Psychology, putting emphasis on the
vastness of psychology and the need to understand its many processes. When you read Freud in German, you will
notice that he also really wanted to examine the psychological processes at work in the human psyche in a critical
light, but I feel there is a possibility that he fell victim, so to speak, to his own emphasis on one of them: the libido.
The word “libidinous” acquired its modern meaning from Freud. However, the origin of the word is in the ancient
Sanskrit root LUBH, meaning “to release (L) strong (U) vital energy (BH).”6 In Europe the root “LUBH” eventually
transformed into the Latin “Lubido” meaning “erotic desire.” I wonder why holy concepts of the orient are so
often distorted once the western mind seizes them? Assagioli would probably answer that it all depends on the
level on which the personal self is centered.
In general, Assagioli was not judgmental, though he had opinions. He cultivated a truly scientific attitude—“observe
well!”—to see what works in view of the aim to be achieved (psychosynthesis). This also explains why he firmly
intended to include Freud’s points, and yet transcend them. He considered problems and limitations as useful
ground to begin the process leading humanity from selfishness to self-actualization, and to realization of the
transpersonal Self, a process which serves the purpose of participating in the transmutation of humanity while
attending to immediate duties with a relativity-conscious perspective.
Would you believe that humor plays a significant role in this moving from nonessentials to essentials? It does,
because humor implies detachment, and therefore has affinities with the key technique he advocated: identification
6
with the transpersonal Self. Humor helps one to progressively disidentify oneself from trifles, once these are
recognized as having served their temporary purpose.
As to C. G. Jung, he was the son of a protestant minister and had therefore a solid background in approaching
spiritual matters; he was also a realistic boy who had to fight his way through his youth. In his time, living in a
small village and being the son of the (not wealthy) minister, exposed a boy to the scorn of school pals, and all
sorts of insidious challenges.7 Fortunately for him, he was very curious, and this literally drove him to transcend
the limited and limiting but also protective attitudes of his family, and the shortcomings of his village’s dwellers.
He transcended them by diving wholeheartedly into the study of the many other forms and expressions spirituality
takes worldwide to fulfill its role of fostering the growth of humans from simple to more complex beings. And
this is how he, the single human, could contribute to the individuation of humanity, by accomplishing his own
individuation—a process Assagioli names Psychosynthesis.
Jung’s approach presents many affinities with that of Assagioli, whose Psychosynthesis process means to
accomplish one’s successive ideal Models and in so doing, incidentally, transmute the world; but the difference
is that Assagioli tackles the tools with more precision—and decision!—and solicits the patient’s active collaboration
to his harmonizing process. Assagioli provides a general model that can include other techniques, while nevertheless
offering his own techniques as options. This general outline is even tailored to include future techniques, provided
the principles of the process are duly taken into account. Primum non nocere8 is, not coincidentally, the first
principle Assagioli advocates, inspired by Hippocrates. From this all the other basic principles derive.
Now we can plunge into the funny story on extraterrestrials, and Assagioli’s fist-hand opinion:
When I was a young adult, but still far from mature, I

was fascinated by the occult mysteries … which my
mother had exposed me to before I even was a
teenager: angels, UFOs, pyramid forces, various
philosophies and religions. She felt a genuine attraction
for spiritual matters, while nonetheless being an able
business woman. And whereas my older sister was
completely allergic to these unconventional matters, I
felt “at home” in them. But the truth is that I did not
really understand them, nor were my own
psychological functions, such as imagination, desire,
thought, feeling and will, yet properly educated so as
to handle these matters adequately.
For if you intend to deal with unusual matters like

psychic powers or “extraterrestrials,” and continue to
simply manage yourself in everyday life, it is of
paramount importance to know how to see (facts and
details), to be able to visualize instead of fantasize, to
“The Angel of Life” by Isabelle Küng (1985):
be successful in holding emotions in leash (that is, to The geographic pole (knee of the angel) points to planetary
transmute them), and to keep all in balance and right nebula 6543 in Draco, heart of the “Platonic year” ecliptic
proportions—including the time factor—lest havoc (after passing through Polaris at the edge of said ecliptic)
ensue (and a whole life be wasted).
So let’s face it: I was at the very beginning of learning these skills; I was gullible—in perfect innocence, of course.
7
And I was mystical, in perfect good faith! I was extreme,

convinced of my viewpoint, not realizing it was so just
because I was very impressionable! As an excuse I might
say that I believed, as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in the
fundamental good nature of humans. Only later, once I
learned from Psychosynthesis that there are various levels
on which that original goodness manifests, did I realize the
difference (of inner “altitude”) between Soul qualities and
personal qualities and their forms of expression. And on the
personality level, things are more as Voltaire saw them:
matters of fact! No wonder these two never agreed on
anything! Goethe also hinted at this duality between spiritual
Soul and personal soul, by making his Dr. Faust say, at verse
1112 of the first part of the tragedy: “Two souls abide, alas,
within my breast!” Animal nature versus angelic nature; iron
pot versus clay pot; personal nature versus spiritual nature;
This polarity has existed since time immemorial.
We owe a debt to Assagioli for putting an end to this

“dichotomy” and antagonism; for while indeed the Self or
soul is effectively one on its own level of consciousness
(oneness, feeling of unity, pure identity), it will seem two,
“Faust,” Etching by Rembrandt and even many more, depending on the level of personal
awareness at which it is experienced.
Interestingly, novelist and playwright Luigi Pirandello, who was Assagioli’s

neighbor in Rome, wrote a novel called One, No One, and One Hundred
Thousand, exploring the problem of multiple personalities. His most famous
play, Six Characters in Search of an Author is also an exploration of issues of
identity and personality, and one wonders whether the two neighbors influenced
each other.
When the light of the one Self enlightens the area where consciousness focuses
at a given moment, by way of its quality, which is “pure identity,” the
characteristics of the level where it is experienced may be mistaken for it—and
lo, a “duplicate” of the self appears… and keeps “I” under its charm. Once the
feeling of identity gets hooked by “this, that or the other” thought, image, or
whatever is drifting by in the field of consciousness, “I” gets trapped—identified
“in” what it was looking at. The drama is that in this process, the Soul—that is,
the light that enables one in the first place to distinguish with detachment, to
see—is instantly (but temporarily) forgotten. Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936)
The “I” identifies with something, and so the Source or true identity is forgotten. And usually the “I” passes from
one identification to the other without ever getting a chance to remember its origin. A person held captive like that
on the carousel of her identifications wastes her life, and in the long run suffers always more. This is why in his
approach Assagioli focuses first, or at least as quickly as possible, on the means for a person to identify with the
transpersonal Self, so as to provide, so to speak, a safe harbor from whence to launch the various “personality
transformation operations.” Successful Self-identification allows one’s personality to become a fit—that is
harmonious, responsible, reliable—instrument of expression.
8
Assagioli9 explains the illusion of the two selves, and states that the experience of the transpersonal Self is not
spontaneous, except in favorable cases to some extent. This is an important piece of information: it is our
responsibility to induce the connection; no one, no matter how exalted, can do it for us, because it must be our
own will, and no one else’s, to decide whether we choose freedom or endless error. But then the paradox is that
once you do have the experience, (and it comes then naturally, when the habit of inducing it becomes “embedded”),
you experience this feeling of communion that transforms feeling “alone” into feeling “all one.” Had Dr. Faust
known this, his Gretchen would not have died in prison because of him.
So—due to my interests in esoteric matters,

and my being identified with the thousand and
one ideas I got from my reading, and other
theoretical references, I was eager to meet with
extraterrestrials, but at the same time terrified
by the possibility! Some instinct in me was
probably protecting me from becoming an
astronaut—but some ambition was pushing me
to be special! And I was also fascinated by
Egyptian mysteries… Did they, or did they not
communicate with beings on the star Al Nilam,
as our Egyptian guide would affirm to us in
1996, showing us, behind a pyramid, a kind of
seat meant to connect with that star? Orion over the pyramid at Giza
But let us come back to the sixties. I had begun studying Psychosynthesis with Assagioli in 1963. I was learning
to come to terms with myself, my many selves! Slowly! I felt there were so many things to do—like getting
married. With my husband, I was helping to manage my mother’s international boarding school, where we both
lived and where I was introducing Psychosynthesis to the students.
One evening, probably in 1967, we were watching the news on our Swiss TV. Suddenly there is a commotion in
the television studio; what is going on? What do they say? What is that saucer-shaped thing doing on the tarmac?
Where is it? The speaker announced that a spaceship of unknown origin had landed at Geneva airport! I lived only
80 miles from there.
Wow! This called forth all my teenage longings to know more about extraterrestrials! I was so excited that I did
not notice that my husband was just grinning mischievously. I jumped to the phone and immediately called
Dr. Assagioli to announce the big news! Guess what he answered: “Yes, yes,” he said, “we will speak about it
when you come to Florence! Good night!” I was more than disappointed by his lack of interest! Why would he,
who had in more private conversations told me about the existence, in subtle levels of consciousness (Atma and
above), of the beings who had preserved continuity of consciousness at the end of their earthly cycle, not find this
information extraordinary? As to that event—which I did not question in the least—I thought, “Here they are,
coming to help us poor little humans!” (I was not remembering that the first reaction of any “little human,” faced
by the unfamiliar—especially something dominated by fear with a host of vices following in its ‘bootsteps’—will
usually be to eliminate it).
I gather that by now you have guessed the date on which this happened! Yes, you are right… April first.
Oh, boy! Did I feel ridiculous for having disturbed Assagioli with this! Today I laugh at it wholeheartedly. It
reminds me that what we believe certainly determines our morals and our behavior. This is one reason more to
9
train our mental tools to function correctly in the tricky field of illusion and glamour where beliefs, ideologies,
truths of all sorts fight for supremacy, and above all for possession of peoples’ minds, and thus their outer
appearances.
The story of my ridiculing myself could finish here, but if you are interested to know what Assagioli told me about
it, do read on!
So there we were, at a later date, in Assagioli’s studio in Florence, and I apologized for having disturbed him on
April Fool’s day, and told him and how stupid I felt. He bypassed my self-accusing blather, and chose this as an
opportunity to tell me how this event is symptomatic of the extreme extraversion which afflicts mankind. And he
spontaneously confirmed: “higher beings,”10 more evolved beings, do exist. But they exist in the inner dimensions.
When we develop our inner competencies, like intuition, spiritual will, etc., we become receptive to their presence.
It is up to us to raise our consciousness first. Then Assagioli reiterated that the world-wide recurring interest in
UFOs shows how extraverted humanity is. Instead of searching inside, in the inner realms, men look outside—and
they project outwards. Perhaps jokes like the one on the Swiss TV illustrates this world-wide extraversion.
All right, I understood—but I felt he was somehow eluding the problem, so I bluntly asked him whether
extraterrestrials existed. Again, the answer was “yes and no.” People project outward their inner psychic world;
so “yes,” in their own inner world there are many forces they need to know—inwardly—and then understand and
harmonize. This reminded me of his mentioning in various of his lessons that humanity has made huge progress
in harnessing outer forces, but those we need to master most urgently—so as to make appropriate use of the outer
ones—are the inner forces. Our fears, our greed, our ambitions—to name but a few—are the “aliens” we must
contact and transmute in our inner world. Of course, there are also virtuous inner forces, like generosity,
compassion, joy, kindness…. You name them! These should be befriended as early in life as possible, in the family
circle, and then at school also, but in a non-coercive manner.
Years later I stumbled upon a book in which there was an interview with Assagioli regarding the landing on earth
of extraterrestrials. Here an excerpt of his words: “The point that I really doubt is that of a landing—a physical
landing of these beings.” I mention it because it confirms what he had told me personally.
This is consistent with his approach to life: humanity is designed to develop physically to a certain point of
perfection, and from there on accomplish, within the body’s sheltering form, the development of its psychospiritual
reality. Even birds, before they fly, first grow wings. Similarly, this inner evolution is an organic process. Yes, the
qualities of love, compassion, kindness, patience are the feathers of our inner wings. Matter has various “states”
from gross to subtle. And if “these boots are made for walking” in the gross world, the spiritual qualities can only
blossom in the subtle atmosphere of our psyche, from where they radiate through us, “pervading our daily
existence,” coloring every single benevolent thought we experience, enlightening every appropriate but kind word
we say, supporting every help we give, and pervading with its “tone” anything we do.
I know the world is not rosy and this sounds too good…, but we can exercise it as a game! See if it works… we
have the ideal playing ground for that: our life circumstances here and now on our spaceship earth!
International Psychosynthesis Isabelle Clotilde Küng was trained from 1963 to 1974 by
Meeting in August 1965 Roberto Assagioli to teach Psychosynthesis to the stu-
at Institut Bleu-Léman dents of Institut Bleu-Léman in Villeneuve/ Switzerland.
Dr Roberto Assagioli, aged 77 After deliberately closing her school, Isabelle worked in
(with Isabelle Clotilde Küng, international corporations and now writes about her
then aged 21) experiences as a pioneer in teaching Psychosynthesis,
Picture by D.B. both as a subject matter and simply as an “Attitude that
matters.”
10
NOTES:
1 Der Witz und seine Beziehung zum Unbewussten, published in a volume by Franz Deutiche – Leipzig und Wien 1905
2 The Italian version is available on line at www.psicoenergetica.it
3 See the article Jung and Psychosynthesis (1966) by Assagioli, which is download #119 at
http://www.synthesiscenter.org/PDFgallery.htm
4 See Alessandro Berti. Roberto Assagioli: Profilo Biografico degli anni di formazione –
http://www.psicosintesi.it/istituto/psicosintesi/bibliografia-psicosintetica/1685
5 Bracketed notes added by the author.
6 See “Comparative Etymological Dictionary of Classical Indo-European Languages by Franco Rendich, 2nd Revised edition,
translated by Gordon Davis. www.books.Googlebooks.com. P.478

7 See Chapter 1 of Carl Gustav Jung by Frank McLynn. St. Martin’s Press. This includes accounts of Jung’s being bullied in school
even though he was taught nonviolence at home.

8 “First, do no harm” is often taken as a basic premise of the so-called Hippocratic oath of doctors.
9 See p. 20 and 112 §3 of Assagioli’s Manual of Psychosynthesis
10 Goethe refers to them in the above passage, but in line 1117 of Faust calls them the “Ancestors” which in German also means
predecessors.
Here is the extended passage:
Two souls abide, alas, within my breast,
And each one seeks for riddance from the other.
The one clings with a dogged love and lust
With clutching parts unto this present world,
The other surges fiercely from the dust
Unto sublime ancestral fields.
If there are spirits in the air
Between the earth and heaven holding sway,
Descend out of your golden fragrance there
And to new life of many hues sweep me away!
—Faust, Part 1, Lines 112-1121
Translated by Charles E. Passage
11
John Parks, MD
I t is with a deep sense of loss and sadness that the members of the Kentucky Psychosynthesis community
announce the passing of John H. Parks, MD, on December 13, 2017, at age 90. John devoted much of his life
to advancing Psychosynthesis not only by founding the Kentucky Center of Psychosynthesis, but by being one of
the early members of the original Psychosynthesis Research Foundation (1957-1976), and long-time member of
the Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis (AAP).
John was inspired by his meeting with Roberto Assagioli, MD, and went on to inspire others by being a model
of psychosynthesis principles. Many AAP members have served with John on Steering Committee, Professional
Development Committee, Research Committee, Conference Committee, and others, and know first-hand of his
ability to see possibilities and bring a far-range vision for the organization.
Dr. John H. Parks was born on Sept. 2, 1927. He is survived by two children: David and Ann, and two
grandchildren: Rebecca and Jonathan Parks-Ramage. He was preceded in death by his first wife and life partner,
Elvira and his second wife, Kathleen. We celebrate the life of John Parks and have profound respect for the many
lives he touched.
Memorial Service for John Parks
On Saturday, May 5th there will be a Day of Remembrance for John Parks held at the Unitarian Universalist
Church of Lexington with events to happen throughout the morning into the afternoon. People are welcome to
gather at the church at 8:45 am. The first event of the day will begin at 9 am, a Lecture/Workshop conducted by
John’s friend, Tom Yeomans, featuring work on the “Corona Process.” The Workshop will be followed by a
Memorial Service at 11:30 am and a luncheon at 1:00 pm.
John Park’s children, Ann and David, would like to invite the Psychosynthesis community to take part in the
Day of Remembrance. For planning purposes, please RSVP by contacting David at: dparkram@gmail.com;
include the subject line “John Parks Lecture/Workshop.”
Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, KY

3564 Clays Mill Rd, Lexington, KY 40503
8:45 am Doors Open

9:00 am Workshop with Tom Yeomans
11: 30 am Memorial Service
1:00 pm Luncheon
12
John Parks, MD
[We extracted and edited this piece from the Spring 1998 issue of Psychosynthesis Community News —Ed.]
J ohn Parks, MD, retired from his private practice in psychiatry in 1992 and developed new programs in
psychosynthesis with the cooperation of professional body workers. He established one of the oldest centers
in North America, the Kentucky Center of Psychosynthesis, and was involved in community synthesis programs
which brought together individuals and groups in which spirituality was the chief guiding principle. John was on
the Advisory Board of the Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis (AAP), was a member of its
Steering Committee for six years, and initiated and guided AAP’s Trainer Development Program. He was the
founding editor of Psychosynthesis in North America: Discovering Our History 1957 to 2010, and the author of
Biopsychosynthesis, a pamphlet which was published by the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation and is still
available as a PDF download from The Synthesis Center.
As a board member of the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation of New York City since the early 1960's, and
having studied with Roberto Assagioli, he carried the light of Roberto's spirit down through this century and
continued it by passing it on to his students and colleagues in Kentucky and with AAP. His experience as a
psychiatrist was of benefit to those in his private practice, classes, and supervision. His presence as a warm, gentle
man has been uplifting to those who recognize the face of the divine in an ordinary person. As an astute observer
of the interplay of the dark and light sides of psychosynthesis, John Parks was able to hold its polarities and to
demonstrate stability and faith in the underlying spiritual principles. John converted to Islam in the 1990s and
lived his faith with a deep devotion; he found it to beautifully complement psychosynthesis in his life and work.
Thank you, John, for walking with others through the valley of the shadow of death, and for fearing no evil. Thank
you for creating holy spaces, for ministering to broken spirits, and for holding the sacred and the profane in the
same hand. Salaam. ◙
13
John Parks: A Journey Home
David Parks-Ramage
I n the last months of his life John told stories—these stories all reaching beyond the literal, opening into the
dream world of metaphor. There were stories of keeping chickens in the backyard in downtown Los Angeles,
the grade school bully, winning the hundred yard dash for Dartmouth at the Yale Bowl, playing the bugle for his
Boy Scout Troop 121, and his adventures with good friends. Here is one story that he told many times over the
last months that seemed to have power for him. He was at summer camp chasing butterflies with his friend
Kazuki.
Kazuki was Japanese and spoke very little English, so John and Kaz had
a relationship and very few words. And in this case, one net. They spent
the afternoon quietly collecting specimens, careful to not cross camp
boundaries (the penalty for such an offense was cleaning the camp
latrines). As they were winding up their hunt, Kaz spied a Blue Copper
just over the boundary line of the camp. They exchanged glances and
with no forethought whatsoever, leapt over the fence. Sometimes actions
are just clear. They caught the butterfly and spent the next week cleaning
latrines.
This story was a touchstone for John as he reviewed his life. For John
and Kaz the camp’s fence was no boundary. The act of crossing over itself was a celebration of the beauty, life,
and vitality that is possible as one lives a life on the margins. John’s life was lived on the margin, a deep dive into
the liminal, “the space between.” From here he had courage, was reckless enough to bridge the gap between what
he knew and was comfortable with and the vitality and life of the not-known.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

(It Always Comes Down to the Wizard of Oz)
In 1939, when John was 12 years old, the Wizard of Oz
was released. The story of Dorothy and Toto imagines
the fantastical journey home, not as something to be
discovered out and about, but as an awakening to the
facts that are right under our feet: the Ruby Slippers.
There was a deep longing in John’s life to know God.
Much of John’s spiritual journey was one spent looking,
searching “over the rainbow” for something beyond and
transcending human life. In the end, he saw the paradox-
ical fruits of his journey. Just a few hours before he died
—“keep close to the One,” he said, “it has already hap-
pened.” In his death John was fully awake that home was right where he was, in his dying.
John’s deep quest, his search filled his whole life: across friendship, family, career, and religion. In this search
John was no respecter of boundaries as he sought life’s cohesion where it was to be found, in love for God and
neighbor.
14
Love for God and Neighbor1
John was raised in a “divided” household. His mother, Miriam, raised within an academic family and with whom
he was quite close, held the scientific view. His father, an orphan raised by a Presbyterian minister (it’s a long
story), worked hard to find himself a graduate of Harvard Medical School. He was a physician and a bit of a
fundamentalist Christian. John’s father was long in professing the tenets of belief and less centered in the darkness
of faith and religious experience. John followed his father to the ivy-covered walls of Harvard University but
retained his heritage of the evidence-based quest for knowledge, eschewing fundamentalism as he pursued a life
lived in love for God and neighbor.
Adult Life and Career

Following his graduation from medical school, John returned home to Los Angeles to undertake a residency in
surgery. He married Elvira as they arrived in Los Angeles. He discovered that he had no gift for surgery and left
Los Angeles (and his father’s dream for him) and moved to the Tohono O'odham nation to serve Native Americans
in Southwestern and Central Arizona. While a doctor in Sells, Arizona, John helped to establish a hospital for the
Tohono O’odham. Also, he earned a place in the history books as the young physician who in 1955 pronounced
Ira Hayes, the Tohono O’odham war hero who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima, dead from exposure.
Following his time on the reservation, John trained in psychiatry in Boston. This is
when John and Elvira met Swami Akhilananda,2 the spiritual leader of the Vedanta
Center of Boston University, who became the spiritual mentor to both John and Elvira.
It was Elvira who suggested the first visit. This was, for John, another excursion outside
of the boundaries of 1950s America. The riches he found with Vedanta multiplied
throughout his life, opening his spiritual life so that he became a hybrid of sorts, a living
example of what might be called “interspirituality.”
The Vedanta Center was a Hindu mission to the United States. Interviewed by the
Boston Globe at that time, Swami Akhilananda was asked, “Why a mission to the United States?” He replied, “So
that Americans can know that they can experience God.” Swami Akhilananda was John’s spiritual father. John’s
lifelong quest? To experience God. In his work as a psychiatrist and in his personal life, the search for God was
the guiding light of John’s life.
Following his psychiatric training in Boston, John and Elvira relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia. Here a daughter,
Ann, joined the family in 1960. Professionally, John joined Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia Medical
School. At the time the psychiatric department under Dr. Stevenson was known for its parapsychological
exploration. While at UVA, John was instrumental in unlocking the units of the regional psychiatric hospitals and
helped train psychiatric residents. He also participated in early experiments exploring the entheogenic effects of
psychedelics, and he underwent Jungian analysis. He became aware of Psychosynthesis while at UVA and began
to work with Jack Cooper in New York City.
John moved to Lexington, Kentucky with his family in 1966 to establish Community Mental Health Centers
throughout Kentucky. This important work made mental health care available for all people regardless of their
ability to pay. He worked with ministers and community leaders to make mental health care available to all. With
Jim Bergman, his dear friend, he wrote a program to further mental health in the community, Biopsychosynthesis:
Behavior Modification Training Program.
15
During the late 60’s and 70’s, John became known throughout Lexington and beyond as a “unique” psychiatrist
and one who took the spiritual life seriously. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, John resigned from his work with the
state of Kentucky, began private practice and pursued his work in Psychosynthesis in earnest, soon becoming a
leader in this movement. After he visited Roberto Assagioli in 1973, wasting no time John founded the Kentucky
Center of Psychosynthesis with Mary Greene, Margaret Irby and Jim Bergman in 1974. The Kentucky Center
became an important training center educating many professionals and lay folk in the practice of Psychosynthesis.
At the 2000 International Conference in Bologna, John was honored by the Association for the Advancement of
Psychosynthesis (AAP) with the Distinguished Career Contribution – Education and Training Award, and his
lifetime achievements were celebrated. John went on from there to serve on AAP’s Steering Committee for six
years, to initiate its Trainer Development Program, and to spearhead the publication of Psychosynthesis in North
America – Discovering Our History 1957 to 2010.
With Psychosynthesis John found a method within the world of psychology and medicine to approach personal
and societal transformation. He had found a way to express himself professionally in love for God and neighbor.
In the late 80’s and 90’s, John’s quest again took a more traditional form—as he tested the boundaries of and built
bridges between world faiths.
Spiritual Direction and Christianity

In the late eighties and early nineties, John participated in an ecumenical program for
Spiritual Guides with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, at the time the only
ecumenical program offered in the country. This was a Christian program that was
open to different faith traditions. At the time John had a Christian Catholic spiritual
director, Father McKinney. For a time he attended the Catholic Church and then, with
Elvira, the Episcopal Church. This was a period of conversion for John, and a return
to established religion. However, this is not to call John’s faith mainstream. Far from
it. It was the mystics, those who live on the margins of their particular faith groups,
that attracted John’s attention. For a time John was particularly interested in the Desert Mothers and Fathers,
third-century Christian mystics who settled on the margins, out in the desert, as they pursued, and were pursued
by, the hounds of heaven. And this is where John chose to dwell in relationship to his newfound spiritual home
—in the desert, on the margins with those such as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. In the last week of John’s life
he was reading about Christian Orthodoxy, those who most clearly inherited the Desert Tradition.
On the margins one is aware of the gaps that separate, and one desires to bridge these gaps. From his exploration
of Christianity, John then moved to Islam.
16
Islam
In 1990 the United States went to war with Iraq for the first time. This
war was seen as a “clash of civilizations.” John realized that he knew
nothing of Islam. One Friday he went to the Masjid in Lexington and
asked to be instructed. He had three weeks of instruction in Islam when
he decided to take Shahada (become a Muslim). At the same time he
returned to the university and earned a Master’s degree in Middle East
history. In the late 90’s he went to Mecca on pilgrimage or “the hajj.”
As a follower of Islam he practiced prayer five times a day, attended
Masjid, all conventional practices. He was also a member of a Sufi
order, the mystical side of Islam.
With Islam, John did “his Dorothy,” clicked his heels and found his spiritual home. The remarkable thing is that
John did not leave any faith behind. He honored his parents, his spiritual father, Swami Akhilananda, Jesus,
Buddha … and the rest.
A guiding principle of Vedanta is that all religious faiths are

pathways to God. Ramakrishna, the figure who inspired Akhi-
lananda, practiced each religion of the world. So did John
Parks. He was in turn a Hindu, a Christian, and finally, a
Muslim. His guiding light the whole time was to experi-
ence grace and love at its source. Along the way he met the
likes of Swami Akhilananda, Jesus, Muhammad, Rumi, Hafiz,
Buddha, Roberto Assagioli, and Gurdjieff. He was able to cross
over — the boundaries for him becoming liminal space as he
bridged gaps that ordinarily divide, as he possessed the spiritual
courage to follow life’s beauty wherever it might lead.
Huston Smith and John Parks
at the AAP Conference, Kentucky, 2006
Last Years
John’s life partner, Elvira, died in 2004. His daughter, Ann, who had been watching over John and Elvira throughout
the 1990’s, cared for John, helping him to manage his affairs until 2010 when he married his second wife, Kathleen
Cummings. They lived together on a farm in Madison County until Kathleen died in 2016. While on the farm John
kept chickens, tended garden and surrounded himself with a menagerie of cats, dogs, horses, chickens and goats.
He also held meetings at the farm exploring transformation of self and society.
In July of 2017 John’s son, David, moved to the farm to care for John. This was a time of rapidly deteriorating
health for John. John died on December 13th, early in the morning, with David by his side. ◙
David Parks-Ramage is John Parks’ son.

1 To speak of God is difficult these days. The word “God” conjures up that old infantile, Bearded Guy in the Sky sitting on his throne
ruling and judging humanity. As we use this word here, we might as easily say, “the One,” or use the word “Presence” to denote that
which cannot be known, explained or contained with words. God could be understood here as the seamless reality within which we all
are a part.
2 Akhilananda may also have influenced John’s eventual interest in spiritual psychology, for he was the author of Hindu Psychology: Its
Meaning for the West
17
PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL PSYCHOSYNTHESIS
John Parks
I traveled to Italy in 1973 to meet Roberto Assagioli in person and to ask his blessing on the founding of the
Kentucky Center of Psychosynthesis, which was founded in 1974. At that time I was a member of the Board of
Trustees of the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation and for ten years had been mentored in Psychosynthesis by
Jack Cooper, MD, the President of the PRF Board. I had also been an active student of the School for Esoteric
Studies since 1968.
I asked Roberto to explain the differences between personal psychosynthesis and spiritual psychosynthesis. He
answered me in this way:
“The human being is like a house that has two floors. The first floor represents personal
psychosynthesis, work on one’s personality. All persons need this personality work. Such work, if
followed diligently, leads one up a ladder to a door. This door is unique and special for every human
being. This door, when opened, leads the person into the attic, which represents spiritual
psychosynthesis, the unique spiritual path for that particular individual.”
Roberto went on to elaborate that personality work is not, per se, a person’s spiritual path. However,
psychosynthesis work, when carefully followed, will often assist a person in finding the spiritual way that is unique
for him or her. I remember him saying, in another context,
“For me, the Arcane School is my religion (my unique spiritual path). This is not to be confused
with psychosynthesis, which is not a religion. Other students of psychosynthesis will find their
own unique spiritual paths which will not necessarily be the Arcane School.”
◙
18
memories and thoughts of John Parks
The synchronicity of several events led me to meet John Parks, MD, at a public presentation, and I was drawn to
him for an unknown reason at the time. A month later, I set up an appointment that would be the beginning of my
being invited to learn about psychosynthesis at the basic training offered by the Kentucky Center of Psychosynthesis.
John’s gentle guidance led me through the Kentucky Center’s training, the Spiritual Growth Network he had
founded and in 2004, to The Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis (AAP). John was a father figure
for me as a guide but more so, a model of spiritual maturity.
On the road trips to pick up Psychosynthesis Research Foundation archives in Asheville, North Carolina or to
attend AAP Steering Committee meetings in Chicago, we had time to brainstorm ideas and discuss hopes for
various projects. John’s creativity and scope of strategic planning was amazing.
One thing that comes to mind (and there are many) was a trip back to Lexington after presenting a program to
teachers a couple hours away. It was getting late. He was driving and having to listen to me rehash my boring
problems. Gently he asked me to roll down the passenger window and look up. When I did, there was the vastness
of stars on a clear night. There was nothing to say except to marvel at the majesty of the universe. The problems
seemed to be minute and disappear. I can still see that starry night and recall the lesson respectfully presented.
—Sharon Mandt
I was saddened to hear of John Parks’ departure from this incarnation, and I know he lives on in the hearts of the
psychosynthesis community.
I met John in 1973 while my husband Jim and I were studying with Roberto Assagioli at his summer villa in
Capolona, Italy. We shared a few dinners together and compared notes on our experiences with Roberto, bonding
us from then on. I loved his clarity and broad vision, as well as his good heart.
Over the subsequent years, I had the privilege of working with John on several occasions on the AAP Professional
Development Committee, the Trainer Development Programs held in Kentucky and elsewhere, as well as a couple
of pre-conference workshops.
One of my strongest memories is John’s story of his conversion to Islam, and the beauty of the Islamic prayers
he shared at gatherings. His story helped me appreciate Islam at a critical time: post 9-11. Knowing that John
found spiritual sustenance in Islam, I had to look with new eyes at this rich tradition. I also remember his faithful
and loving care of his wife Elvira through her long illness, often leaving events early to care for her.
John, you beautiful, loving, and wise soul, I will never forget you. May you rest in peace and joy!
—Molly Brown, MA, MDiv
19
(John Parks - Continued from page 19)
Here is a memory of a great guy. I'm sad.
It was a hot and humid summer day in the late ’70s in an old building that was part of Bement School in Deerfield,
MA, and I was the newest part of a team offering Psychosynthesis Training. The theme of the day was “Facilitating
Deep Emotional Release,” and the specific topic was the use of repetition to help amplify the experience. A novice
therapist volunteered to guide a mini-session in front of the group, and John volunteered to be the client. John
went to the front of the room in his plaid Bermuda shorts, knee socks, and street shoes, sat down in a large wingback
chair, and soon got into a personal issue that was alive for him. The guide picked up on one word that seemed to
have an emotional charge and asked him to repeat it, and then to repeat it more loudly. This worked—in that John
got into it so enthusiastically and somatically that the wingback chair tipped over, and John was on his back with
one leg, shoe and knee sock thrust up into the air. The therapist was unsure of what to do, but took a risk and said
“Say it again!” and John didn’t miss a beat in repeating it even more vigorously and with more affect.
Perhaps this is a “you had to be there” story, but it has stayed with me for years. At the time we were all impressed
with the gumption of the novice therapist, and with the willingness of John to just stay with the process. Reflecting
on it now reminds me of John’s easygoing way, his humility in allowing himself to be a student (he always seemed
open to learning), and of his generosity in volunteering to be a client to help others learn.
I always felt honored to be able to teach at the Kentucky Center, and always appreciated John’s friendliness and
enthusiasm. I will miss him, his humor, and his commitment to spiritual life.
—Philip Brooks EdD, California Institute of Integral Studies/ICP
There are so many memories of John and his ebullient spirit in action, where to begin? He was a force for good
in Kentucky, having started a health care system that helped meet the needs of ordinary poor citizens needing both
health and mental health care. This Comprehensive Care system still serves this population throughout the state.
John was a psychiatrist and a teacher. He was inspired by bio-psychosynthesis, as articulated by Robert Assagioli,
and remained loyal to that vision throughout his career. He was a pioneer in mental exploration and was choosing
the path of Will as a way of honoring the relationship between awareness and action. He and his wife Elvira worked
as a team to care for the patients and students, each of them present to specific needs in their own ways. Their
shared faith provided strength and fortitude to people around them. John's devotion to God expressed itself as
service to Elvira as well as to psychosynthesis and the students. The discipline of his medical doctor father,
combined with his mother's love of nature, allowed John to continue in his duties with a joyful perseverance and
great humor. He accomplished so much during his time. This Joyful Will in action was magnetizing to those in
his sphere.
These qualities, so much the essence of John Parks, remained until his final days. In his last days, he asked to
speak with people to reconcile any misunderstandings. His clear and simple presence radiated love, forgiveness,
and blessing. His mind was clear and sharp, curious and humble. The energy of his body had waned but his heart
and mind were active as ever. It was remarkable and an honor to be in the field of such a compassionate human.
—Judith Broadus
A grateful student, Lexington, KY.
20
(John Parks - Continued from page 20)
When I think of John Parks, I feel the presence of a strong soul and a span of consciousness that stretched from
the very practical and down to earth to the mystical and esoteric. He was a wonderful combination of qualities—a
doctor and psychiatrist with great knowledge and a strong will to understand and heal, and a mystic that could
burst into flame when he was reciting an invocation, or prayer. He was also a devoted husband and father and a
respected figure in the community of Lexington and Eastern Kentucky.
I worked with John for decades on the development of Psychosynthesis, and always he had a next project that he
was envisioning that would further this discipline and movement he cherished. He was a member of the first
generation of practitioners in the United States who studied Psychosynthesis with Roberto Assagioli and introduced
it through the Psychosynthesis Research Foundation in New York City. Later, he founded the Kentucky Center of
Psychosynthesis and worked with succeeding generations to continue this development. He initiated the writing
of the volume Psychosynthesis in North America: Discovering Our History 1957-2010 and oversaw its editing
and publication in 2011. And in an email, shortly before his death, he wrote me of plans that he had for next steps
in his work. He was tireless in his devotion to Psychosynthesis and eternally optimistic about its usefulness and
increasing scope.
As a person he was very dear and humble, and always interested in the other person and in what he could learn
from them. His was a quiet and durable compassion, and his keen intelligence penetrated the depths of the issues
he was thinking about without show, or exaggeration. He had a twinkle in his eye and a warm heart, and I was
always glad to see him when we met. His standards were high, but he never imposed them on us. Rather, he held
them as possibility, and we were all left free in his love to do what we could do.
I am so grateful to have known John and to have worked with him over these many years. He was a blessing and
fond companion to us all.
—Thomas Yeomans
21
My Association with the Psychosynthesis
Research Foundation and Its Pioneers
John H. Parks, MD
[This is an edited selection from an article that appeared in Psychosynthesis in North America: Discovering Our
History 1957 to 2010, of which John Parks was founding editor—Ed.]
T he Psychosynthesis Research Foundation, Inc. (PRF), functioning during the years 1957 to 1976, changed
my life and career in a gradual and miraculous process. The Foundation also changed the lives and careers of
hundreds of spiritually minded professionals.
I was raised in Los Angeles, California, with two brothers and a sister. My forebears were dedicated to ministerial
and educational service on my mother‘s side and farming on my father‘s side. My father was orphaned but
managed to receive a college education and succeeded in becoming a physician. I was the oldest and was
identified strongly with the medical profession, as were my brothers. I did my premedical studies at Dartmouth
College and graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1950. My psychiatric residency training was at the
Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Harvard Health Services (1955 to 1959). While still in medical school
I met my first spiritual teacher, Swami Akhilananda of the Boston Vedanta Society. My wife and I learned to
appreciate Neo-Hinduism as articulated by the widely known Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda. We took
householder initiation from Akhilananda in 1955.
Manley Palmer Hall, founder of the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, was my second spiritual
teacher. I took a two-year correspondence course with him (1953 to 1955) during the time I worked as a general
practitioner on the Pima and Papago Indian Reservations in Arizona.
The year I came to the PRF, I was 36 years old, married for 11 years, with two small children. I had chosen
academic psychiatry as my career; my first job was as assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of
Virginia School of Medicine. I was enrolled part-time in the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, where I spent
four years in training. In 1963, I connected with the PRF, which had recently moved from Valmy, Delaware, to
New York City. I met William Swartley, and through him, joined the PRF and the group of members who were
dedicated to the growth of psychosynthesis, which included Frank and Hilda Hilton, Jack and Rena Cooper,
Bertha Rodger, Nancy (Tara) Stuart, Audrey Beste, Martha Crampton, James and Susan Vargiu, Frank Haronian,
and Roberto Assagioli. Such a dedicated group of deeply spiritual world servers and pioneers in psychology I had
never seen before gathered under one roof!
It all began in 1963 when a friend gave me a copy of Assagioli’s article Psychoanalysis and Psychosynthesis, an
Italian article translated into English and published in the Hibbert Journal in 1934. (This article later became
Chapter 1 of Roberto‘s book, Psychosynthesis: A Manual of Principles and Techniques.) My first two spiritual
teachers had instilled in me the extreme importance of meditation as part of spiritual practice. Reading Assagioli‘s
article, which stressed meditation, influenced me to contact the PRF immediately. Only a few weeks later, I was
in Philadelphia paying a personal visit to William Swartley, an early member of the PRF.
The first day of our meeting, the two of us spent long hours sharing our respective spiritual paths. Bill told me
that the purpose of his life was to study super-normal psychology. He thought the psychologist‘s role was to be a
psychological midwife. Prior to graduate school, Bill had studied some Jungian therapy and then traveled to
Zurich where he had a personal interview with Carl Jung. Jung advised him to go to India, find a teacher and study
yoga, which he did. Bill then moved to California and became a student at the American Academy for Asian
22
Studies, where he obtained his MA and PhD in clinical psychology. He attended the teaching seminars of Fritz
Perls while in California and later traveled to Europe and studied with Wolfgang Kretschner, MD, and Hanscarl
Leuner, MD, pioneers in meditation and imagery. In 1956, he attended a seminar led by Dr. Assagioli at his
summer home in Capolona.
Returning to the United States, Bill worked first with a juvenile delinquent program and later as prison psychol-
ogist in New Jersey. Deciding to switch to industrial psychology, Bill began to do management training in 1961,
and he also started a part-time private practice. When I first contacted him, he had just opened a Self Analysis
Training Institute where he would take students and help them gradually develop their supra-normal potential.
When the conversation turned to my own path, I outlined my 13-year experience with Swami Akhilananda, which
brought me major life changes and commitments. Bill‘s validation of my experience was very important to me at
that time. He advised me to see Frank Hilton and to ask for the transcript of the First Valmy Conference of the
PRF, which took place in 1958. This conference, highlighting the incorporation of the PRF in 1957, allowed
Roberto Assagioli a chance to present psychosynthesis in person to the United States. He also advised me to
obtain from Frank Hilton a mimeographed copy of Assagioli‘s Manual of Principles and Techniques, which Frank
had quietly circulated to a few close friends since early 1963.
Bill Swartley referred me to an important Jungian teacher, with whom I underwent seven months of dream work.
A significant dream occurred in December of 1963, giving me a visual image that became symbolic of my future
path.
I was on a train traveling to an important meeting. I noticed a tall blond Nordic-appearing man who
was walking forward in the central aisle of our passenger car. He was carrying a large white object
in his arms. He stopped at my seat and sat down next to me. My eyes explored the object he was
carrying. It was made of a white ivory-like substance shaped like a beehive with a round, circular
base several feet in diameter. There was a parabolic planetarium-like roof that rose several feet
from the base. The man introduced himself as Theodore Reich. He told me that it was very
important that he show me his model. He showed me that the roof, with the shape of a half-egg,
was hinged and could be completely opened up so as to rest upside-down beside its the base. As
he opened the roof, I could see the inside of the model. The outside wall of the base formed a
perfect circle. Within it were approximately 20 spaces or rooms. The remarkable thing about the
walls of these rooms was that they were serpentine. This produced a mosaic effect when looked
upon from above. The rooms seen all together resembled a round, completed jigsaw puzzle with
each piece different, and when seen as a whole, made a perfect fit within the circular base of the
model. Thus, each room had the single, large, parabolic, planetarium-like space above for its
ceiling. The model was a beautiful flowing geometric symbol of the synthesis of diversity and
unity.
The beehive in the dream, I believe, is a model of psychosynthesis, the egg-shaped roof representing the higher
unconscious, and the cylindrical base with the many unusual rooms representing the personality. The rooms
represent the many theories and techniques of different schools of human psychology, which together form the
composite personality of psychosynthesis. The space under the egg-shaped roof is like the space in a planetarium,
open to the entire cosmos. It is symbolic of transpersonal psychosynthesis, in which each human being finds his
or her unique spiritual direction.
Dr. Swartley was my door to the PRF; having validated my path, he invited me in. Through him, I contacted Frank
Hilton and was placed on the PRF mailing list, receiving regular newsletters about the activities of key persons
associated with the PRF. I learned about the monthly seminar series just being started by Jack Cooper, MD on
psychosynthesis techniques.
23
Frank Hilton was one of the most influential persons in my life. Born in England, he started his career in business
specializing in marine insurance, shipping, and marine law. He met Roberto Assagioli in 1938, and Frank and
Roberto were intimate friends thereafter. In 1946, Frank moved to the United States to be with Alice Bailey and
the Arcane School she founded. After careful consideration, in 1957 he helped Roberto incorporate the PRF based
at Valmy, the Dupont family mansion, in Greenville, Delaware. In 1959, Mrs. Alexis du Pont de Bie donated
Valmy and its adjoining property to the PRF. At her death in 1963, the house was sold and the proceeds from the
sale were invested. The PRF rented an office in New York City.
In 1955, Robert Gerard, PhD was the first American clinical professional to meet Roberto Assagioli at the
International Congress for Psychotherapy in Paris. In 1959, he traveled to Italy and spent three months with
Roberto to assist him in writing his first English-language book, Psychosynthesis: A Manual of Principles and
Techniques, which was finally published by Viking Press in 1965. In the 1970s, he established his own Integral
Psychology Training School in Los Angeles, and lectured to hundreds of psychologists and psychiatrists at
colleges and universities.
Robert Gerard and Bill Swartley were acknowledged to be the two most important clinical members of the PRF
in the late 1950s. Both turned down the salaried position of Director of Research at the PRF. Finally, Jack Cooper,
an MD and clinically oriented psychiatrist, accepted the position as vice president of the PRF board of directors
in 1963. In 1968, Jack became president of the PRF board. He was not a researcher but had vast experience in the
clinic with patients.
Frank Hilton and Jack Cooper invited me to lunch in 1963. It was another landmark meeting for me; I revisited
my spiritual journey while they listened and responded with some stories of their own. As our meeting was
coming to an end, Jack quickly and skillfully suggested that I do personal work with some of the exercises that
were available in the mimeographed copy of Roberto‘s first book. He asked me to send him the results of my
work; I accepted his challenge. For the next 13 years (1963 to 1976), Jack was my chief mentor in psychosynthe-
sis. From 1963 to 1966, my contacts with the PRF had been largely by mail. When I moved to Lexington,
Kentucky in 1966, my contacts with Jack Cooper, Frank Hilton and the PRF became more frequent.
Using Roberto Assagioli’s terminology, my learning loosely could be described as a group didactic analysis. It
was a complete immersion in the energy, teaching, and work of the PRF. One could call this intense group work
a living process of psychosynthesis.
It was with Frank Hilton’s approval and indirect suggestion that PRF members came as guest teachers to both the
Virginia Psychosynthesis Study Group and the Kentucky Psychosynthesis Study Group. Bertha Rodger, Ira
Progoff, Bill Swartley, Jack and Rena Cooper, Martha Crampton, Nancy (Tara) Stuart, and Jim and Susan Vargiu
all came to teach. Bill Swartley visited the psychiatry department of the University of Virginia and met with the
residents and members of the faculty. He demonstrated some of the interviewing imagery techniques he had
learned in Germany from Hanscarl Leuner and Wolfgang Kretschmer. He also did individual diagnostic sessions
with members of the Virginia Study Group. Later, Psychosynthesis Study Group members from Kentucky always
were invited to the public PRF meetings in New York City and to the yearly board of directors’ meetings. Ann
Anderson, Ron Barnett, James Bergman, Michael Kavanaugh, Edward Moles, PhD, and I all made regular visits
to PRF.
In 1965, I participated with Bill, Jack Cooper and other SES members in some preliminary experiments with
extra-sensory perception (ESP). Shortly after this time, Bill left the PRF and I did not see him again. Several years
later, I heard that he had died suddenly from a tragic accident. In 1969, Frank nominated me to be on the PRF
board of directors. I served on the board until 1976 when the PRF closed down.
24
Frank was aware of my work with Jack Cooper over the years and with Bertha Rodger in the 1970s. When I
communicated with Frank, I felt I was communicating with Roberto Assagioli himself. Actually, I felt this with
all the PRF members. Frank spent many hours helping me with the writing of papers that I presented to the
monthly public psychosynthesis meetings in New York—one paper on Will and the other on Biopsychosynthesis.
Frank was always willing to go far beyond the call of duty. His occasional well-timed words of caution to me
concerning my administrative work in Kentucky were extremely accurate.
What I learned from Roberto and Frank and Hilda Hilton included information from the School for Esoteric
Studies (SES) in New York City, where they were also key leaders. I joined the SES. I read many of the Bailey
books, on which the work of the School was based, and sent in monthly reports to its headquarters for seven years.
In 1976, I dropped the SES work in order to focus all my time on the psychosynthesis training at the Kentucky
Center.
I will always remember seeing a copy of Manley Palmer Hall’s magnum opus, The Secret Teaching of All Ages,
which Frank Hilton kept in the SES waiting room. This remarkable book, first published in 1928, is an
encyclopedic outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic, and Rosicrucian symbolic philosophy. I had obtained it
when I met and became a student of Manley Palmer Hall. Seeing it in the SES office was a sign for me that all of
the above influences were true components of my spiritual path.
From 1963 to 1973, Roberto Assagioli had communicated with me indirectly through Frank Hilton and the other
PRF board members. I didn’t personally meet and work with him until 1973, the year before his death. In July
1973, the PRF sent me as its representative to the Ninth International Congress of Psychotherapy in Oslo,
Norway. After the Congress, I flew to Italy to stay for one week with Roberto Assagioli at his country villa, Ilario,
in Capolona. (Ilario was the name of his only son, who died at age 28 from an illness acquired during World War
II.) Ilario was situated on top of a small hill overlooking the gorgeous Italian landscape. When I first entered his
study, Roberto was dressed in a purple house jacket and was seated at his desk, supported by several pillows. He
was shorter than I expected, and seemed quite frail. There was one of his evocative word cards on his desk with
the word ENERGY written on it. Because of his deafness, I had already communicated with him through writing
the day before. I tape-recorded all of our meetings and after each session transcribed Roberto‘s words.
Roberto was gracious enough to see me, even though another group (Edith Stauffer with High Point students) was
visiting him at the same time. He spoke in a quiet voice about the process of therapy. At first, he did some brief
personal work with me. He then discussed some of the important exercises that a therapist might use for didactic
psychosynthesis, such as writing a letter to the Higher Self, free-hand drawing, journal writing, and the crucial
importance of writing an autobiography. Roberto then addressed the importance of both personal and spiritual
psychosynthesis. He said that most Americans rush too quickly to spiritual psychosynthesis, and need to spend
more time with the personal and psychoanalytic approach. He used the image that personal psychosynthesis is
like the ground floor of a house. Everyone needs that solid foundation on which the spiritual aspect is built.
At the end of my visit, Roberto wholeheartedly endorsed the idea of establishing a psychosynthesis center in
Kentucky. This in-person endorsement formalized what I had been experiencing for ten years (1963 to 1973) in
my contacts with Frank Hilton and the PRF.◙
25
I Am Bending the Days
Stephanie Sorrell
I am bending the days,
no longer the sickle-sharp
metering out of the hours;
those regimented soldiers dressed as minutes
patrolling the clock-face of my life.
The chequer-board of Old Khayyam’s
nights and days lies empty.

Orion—Painting by Ashleigh Dyan Bayer
The compass of time has spooled out and out
and I do not have to grasp at it – only marvel.
Last night my soul stretched
out beneath the stars and plucked at Orion’s Belt.
Swam through the Pleiades: bright-eyed ambassadors
of the world’s night.
I am caught in the endless
drift of the universe,
sky-born, star-born,
Unfettered, homeless and free..…
26
Massimo Rosselli – In Loving Memory
Kristina Brode
On the night of December 26th, Massimo Rosselli passed away

without warning at the age of 73. With his death, psychosynthesis
has lost a great teacher, one who had been carrying on the legacy
of Roberto Assagioli, together with Piero Ferrucci, for over 40 years.
After the initial shock, what remains is my deep grief at this tragic
loss. While I reflect on our work together, the funeral service is
taking place in the beautiful church of San Miniato al Monte,
perched high over Florence.
For me, Massimo has always been deeply connected with psycho-
synthesis—he lived and breathed psychosynthesis. From our very
first meeting on Easter in 1991, when he opened Assagioli’s office
for me so that I could study the precious written materials kept in
the villa on Via San Domenico 16, he always made me feel
genuinely welcome.
Then came his phone call in 1997 asking our Circadian Institute to
join a planned Europe-wide organization devoted to spreading word
of psychosynthesis, to giving it a voice within the circle of all the
other great psychotherapy methods. It was to take on a higher
profile and greater political weight (for example in the European
Association for Psychotherapy in Vienna). From that moment on,
we were in regular contact, and for over 20 years we were colleagues in the European Federation for
Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy (EFPP) and several years members of the board.
I was witness to Massimo’s commitment and his tireless efforts to secure for psychosynthesis the place it deserves
as the most effective and spiritual form of transpersonal therapy. His wife, Susie, told us that he worked many
nights on putting together programs and guidelines. Massimo worked hard to keep the schools together. With great
humility, never insisting on his personal expertise or professional status (as professor, physician, psychiatrist,
clinical psychologist and psychotherapist), he lovingly and nonjudgmentally united us all behind a common cause,
always showing the greatest of respect for the work of his colleagues. With his warm, humorous presence, he also
made our EFPP board of directors feel like a close-knit family.
When we convened in London in 2014 to search for a new vision for the EFPP and decided to make working
toward peace our agenda, he was just the right chairman to launch this program. The wonderful, healing Peace
Summer School this summer was a highlight and once again demonstrated Massimo’s outstanding qualities to us
all. (We will cherish the above photo forever.)
At noon on the day before his death, he sent us a beautiful short film of people all over the world singing and
playing John Lennon’s “Imagine – Playing for Change, Song around the World.”◙
27
contents
Massimo Rosselli drummed as part of his presentation of “The Relational Self and the Vulnerable Soul”
at the International Psychosynthesis Conference in Rome in 2012.
Drumming was part of his emphasis on the body in the psychosynthesis process.
Massimo Rosselli, MD, was born and lived in Florence, Italy. As a student at the Institute of Psychosynthesis in
Florence he was trained by Roberto Assagioli, becoming one of his early collaborators. He co-founded SIPT
(Società Italiana di Psicosintesi Terapeutica) for the training of psychotherapists in 1973. Massimo had a particular
interest in teaching and training in the area of the body in psychosynthesis (biopsychosynthesis) from a diagnostic
and psychotherapeutic perspective, and global psychosynthesis from a transcultural-ecological perspective.
Massimo had extensive experience, having worked in the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of
Florence for 40 years as a researcher, consultant psychiatrist, psychotherapist and teacher. He was also Professor
of Psychosomatics and Clinical Psychology in the Faculty of Medicine and of Clinical Psychophysiology in the
Faculty of Psychology. Teaching and training internationally, Massimo worked in private practice since the ’70s
with a special emphasis on the inclusion of the body in the psychotherapeutic process.
memories and thoughts of Massimo Rosselli

When I think of Massimo, personal memories are the first ones that come. I met him in 1975 when he came to
California to visit the Psychosynthesis Institute’s summer school held at Stanford. His wife Susie and their baby
daughter traveled with him, and I found them an apartment nearby. Their daughter celebrated her first birthday
here in California. What a loving father he was!
—And then there was the afternoon lunch at Massimo and Susie’s home in Florence where I learned for the first
time to sprinkle lemon juice and a bit of sugar on fresh strawberries. Who would have known? I didn’t, and he
had a good laugh about this.
28
—And in 2005, when John [Firman] and I attended the luncheon feast after the Roberto Assagioli street dedication
in Capolona. With a sly smile Massimo warned us about pacing ourselves, and we understood what this meant as
one course after another arrived!
—And Massimo extending to us the invitation to stay in his mother Luisa’s apartment along the Arno when we
taught for SIPT one May. When we entered the apartment we felt we had traveled back in time, to an elegant and
earlier period in Italian history. We could feel the genteel environment in which Massimo must have been raised.
—And in May of 2006, when I became ill when John and I were in Italy for our annual stay in Cortona. We were
scared, so John phoned Massimo, and Massimo instructed him to bring me immediately the next morning to the
hospital where he worked in Florence. We left Cortona very early the next morning, and Massimo was there at
the hospital, awaiting us. He had a colleague examine me and order tests to evaluate and diagnose my symptoms.
Massimo interpreted the results of the tests for us, and fortunately, it was determined it was not as serious a situation
as it seemed. Massimo was so kind and reassuring during this episode—John and I truly felt held by him.
Massimo had a face that could show such serious engagement in theoretical thoughts but in an instant could break
out in a glorious smile. I will always remember the smile and his kind and generous spirit. Grazie, Massimo. Buon
viaggio.
—Ann Gila
We are devastated, incredulous, dumbfounded. Just a short while ago we had seen a smiling Massimo Rosselli on
a large screen conversing with Irvin Yalom. It was a gift to us all. And now he is not here anymore.
Writing from a faraway country where family matters are detaining me, I feel my heart to be with his family—Susie,
Matteo, Elena. I think of the loving expression on Massimo’s face whenever he spoke of them.
For forty-eight years Massimo was always there for me when I needed him: I knew he was there, knew this
goldmine of warmth, shared memories, knowledge, intelligence, and support, was present and available. His was
a presence that simply couldn’t not be: it was guaranteed. He was like an oak, with roots grown stronger over
time. Now the oak has been felled by a bolt of lightning—perhaps the best way to die for the one who goes,
doubtless one of the worst for those who are left behind.
My thoughts go to so many moments in which his life and mine have intertwined. First, the hours spent with his
family, which I saw come into being and transform through the years. I remember how I would play with his
children when they were little: the joy and fun of those unforgettable times. And I recall the encounters with our
teacher Assagioli; the meetings with colleagues, and how he would often come up with an idea that clarified the
issue at hand and pointed the way; the work he did to our advantage, such as the official recognition of our School;
his pioneering work in psychosomatic medicine, through which we can conceive of a worthy physical home for
the human spirit; our collaborations abroad; our lunches at the San Domenico pizzeria, where we would discuss
all manner of topics.
It was on those occasions that we spoke of how demanding our psychotherapeutic work can be. He described a
study that showed, through the monitoring of cerebral activity in real time, how the travail of the therapist during
a session runs parallel to the phases of greatest suffering in the patient. And in that moment I saw in him the lucid
29
vision of the scientist combined with the compassion for human suffering. And I understood yet again what our
work meant for Massimo: the tireless job of accompanying people, of understanding, sometimes of shaking them
up, and of healing.
Surely Massimo, like all of us, also had his shortcomings. The one that had most impact for us—and for which
we would sometimes tease him—was his, well, subjective conception of time. His lateness was legendary. He
would turn up at our meetings calm and carefree—one hour late. So we would have to start over. And yet, how I
would love right now, dear Massimo, to see you walk through the door late, even very late, in ritardissimo, once,
a hundred times, a thousand times more, with your cheerful and innocent air! But that door is now closed forever.
For those of us who believe that after death there is life, Massimo, or that part of him which is not captive of time,
is on the way to a destiny we do not know or cannot remember. And here I think of Massimo when, smiling, he
related experiences of his deep Self: felt as a space free and full of light, without boundaries, unrestricted by the
constraints and the hardships that life imposes.
This is how I want to think of him in this moment.
—Piero Ferrucci
We are very sad to write this. Massimo was our friend and our ongoing connection to Florence and psychosynthesis
and Assagioli. We have met other wonderful people there, but Massimo and his wife, Susie, were constants through
30 years.
Massimo died at home suddenly the night after Christmas, 2017. He had been traveling and teaching and, as far
as we knew, was in good health. We last saw him probably when many others did—at the conference in Montreal
in 2015. Driving down afterwards from Montreal to New York together, we got detained at the American border
for a few hours. It was something about the Rossellis’ visas. Susie was understandably upset, and Massimo walked
around the detention center commenting on how “interesting” it all was.
They hadn’t been to New York before, and we were their tour guides. We went to the 9/11 Memorial and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and ate in a Florentine restaurant in Greenwich Village where Massimo and the
owner compared notes and traded stories.
A quick Massimo and Assagioli story: Massimo had not planned to be one of Assagioli’s chief students or a
worldwide teacher of psychosynthesis. When he was finishing his training in psychiatry, he went to a lecture by
Assagioli. He liked Assagioli personally but wasn’t drawn to the psychospiritual perspective. He was a scientist
looking for more science. As he left the lecture, Massimo thanked Assagioli but said he wasn’t interested in the
work. Assagioli smiled and said a most curious thing: “When you have the time.”
Massimo forgot about it. A year later, his training required that he go into psychotherapy. He thought about the
various psychiatrists he knew, and then was struck by feeling drawn to working with Assagioli. They had their
first meeting together and, in the course of it, Assagioli said something funny, and they both started laughing. As
the laughing quieted down, Assagioli looked at Massimo said, “And now we have the time.” There is an Italian
phrase, Sforza del Destino. Force of destiny. It is what happened to Massimo that day in Assagioli’s study.
30
We wish we could have had more time. We send our regards to his
wife, Susie, his son, Matteo, his granddaughter, Elena, and their
families.
—Richard and Bonney Schaub
Drs. Ching-Tse Lee, Massimo Rosselli,

and Richard Schaub in New York, 2015
discussing mind-body issues over a meal
31
The Synthesis Center &
The Psychosynthesis Northeast Community
Present a Spring Conference Celebration
Bringing Psychosynthesis to Life:

A Day of Workshops & Exploration
by Emerging Psychosynthesis Teachers
The 2018 class of the Synthesis Center’s Psychosynthesis Teacher Training Program,
taught by Didi Firman, will be celebrating our graduation by offering
a day of workshops and inquiry to the psychosynthesis community
Saturday May 19, 9:30 am - 4 pm in Amherst, MA.

A diverse group of emerging teachers will be presenting our personal approaches to
bringing psychosynthesis concepts to life.
We invite you to be a part of this intimate gathering
filled with conversation, shared vision, and inspiration.
The program: Choice of sessions, each one to two hours, running simultaneously.
Come away with the experience of taking 4 different workshops!
Lunch is included with a post-conference wine and cheese gathering.
Admission is by donation
with proceeds going to scholarship funds for Psychosynthesis Training.
Note: Venue space is limited

—pre-registration is required at didi@synthesiscenter.org
Presenters: Patricia Breen, Trissa Elkins, Karen Harold, Lisa Holabird, Jane Katz,
Brianna Nichols, Julie Rivers, Jim Rogers, Guadeloupe Chavez, Carlyn Saltman, Emily
Samet, Amy Spalding-Fecher. Host and speaker: Didi Firman.
Join us as we express our Selves through the lens of

our experiences and our inspiration!
32
And Still I Rise: Becoming a PS Trainer
Julie Rivers
A s I write this, it is January 2018 and I am in the middle of a 50-hour (four-weekend) Psychosynthesis
Train-the-Trainer course with the Synthesis Center, Amherst, MA. I rise. I rise to attend the training. And
I rise now to write in response to my Call of Self, which seeks both understanding and expression in describing
my journey toward becoming a Psychosynthesis Trainer. What has brought me here and what has this part of my
life journey meant to me? How is Psychosynthesis emerging in this space?
My journey is a convoluted one, with many rungs on the jungle gym of life. Missionary kid, traveler, musician,
teacher, composer, publisher, programmer, business process specialist, compliance training specialist, mother,
lover, family member, cook, home maker—all visible roles even to those who don’t know me. These are all the
outside bits. However, it is my internal process and evolution that is likely more relevant to the journey that’s
attracted first Psychosynthesis Coaching and then Psychosynthesis Training into my life.
Thinking back on my internal journey, I was a willful child, a doubtful teenager, a confident young adult, and a
searching middle-aged adult. I am now living with 52 years of wisdom, and with that wisdom I have more ability
to withstand the emotional waves of life, to stay present with the uncomfortable and the unknowable, and to defer
judgment. Along the way, I’ve become intimately engaged with my will and its various forms of presentation,
with my Self and Higher Self, with the collective unconscious, and with the many challenges of navigating the
internal and the external simultaneously.
Perhaps it is the case for everyone, but my experience in the external world has felt difficult. As a self-expressed
and self-directed person with little natural drive toward conformity, I have found many life realities to be
discouraging, limiting, and even painful and, as a result, have redefined my route many times over.
I will share one example of my external/internal life challenges: I’ve worked for 20 years in a corporate environment
where I truly don’t fit in. It’s a compromise I made because the job provided the means to raise my children after
divorce and to have flexible time with them when they were young. However, this has not been the primary tension
I navigate; rather, it is the reason I’ve stayed in the poor fit. The primary tension is how to navigate a working
environment which is unaligned to my Call of Self. In this job, I’ve been called a “Peacock in a Henhouse” on
good days, and have been told I was “not a good cultural fit,” and that “your feedback isn’t welcome” on bad days.
I likely have too much will and interest in speaking truth to power for traditional corporate structures to welcome.
Redefining my route has also meant redefining “success.” I’ve shifted away from externally recognized reward
systems (e.g., promotions, opportunities, and competitive pay) to personally meaningful and values-aligned choices
and activities. One particularly meaningful choice was to become a corporate coach: to build a new skill set in
addition to my full-time day job. It was a significant commitment and it turned out to be a fabulous fit for me. As
a corporate coach, I’ve been a “connector”—connecting my Self with my work, and helping people at work connect
with themselves. That feels like success today.
But, back to my journey: the corporate coaching model worked for me on many levels—as a connecting tool, as
a living expression of my purpose, and as a balance to the unfulfilling nature of my day job. However, I shortly
came to the realization that the initial coaching tools I had been taught felt too light. I didn’t want to just work at
the top level of a problem when I could see the patterns and limiting beliefs which drove inner conflict and that
sense of “stuckness.” In some of my master level coaching teachers, I had observed a presence and depth of skill
I knew I wanted. I craved it. In observing them, I intuitively knew this presence was the result of a journey of
inner self-awareness and acceptance. I was once again hearing the call to “rise.”
33
A search for this knowledge brought me eventually to Psychosynthesis Coach training and Internal Family Systems
counseling (it was the closest thing I could find to a Psychosynthesis Coach in the Philadelphia area). The result
has been a deepened life experience of courage, patience, openness, and love within and toward my Self, and then
by extension, with others. This deepening life experience, and the maps and tools that are Psychosynthesis, were
the ideal partner to corporate coaching.
I started by “clearing the blockages,” as Assagioli says, by identifying with the behavior patterns and parts of me
that held old wounds and often still thought they were necessary for Self-protection. For me, the biggest obstacles
were indignation/self-righteousness, aggression, victimization, coldness, and anger. I worked with these from a
disidentified perspective and in doing, learned these were all just coping mechanisms and NOT my personality!
I learned to listen closely to my body and intuition. I explored my purpose and values more deeply and expansively.
I wanted to experience what is—to know the full range of emotions and truth, in stillness and presence. The result
was that I effectively recontracted with my Self what I was willing to feel and experience. I can now more ably
(though not always comfortably) sit with truth, and the unknown or even unknowable, because I can disidentify
from single perspectives that induce filtering and judgment. The practice of Psychosynthesis has been intentional
and has yielded many rewards.
For one, practicing Psychosynthesis has allowed me to bring more to my coaching clients. We thrive in this space
together—each of us continuing on our paths of Self. Just as I was attracted to Psychosynthesis Coaching for
reasons of “connection,” I have seen the parallel expansion of Self-awareness, too, and indeed am starting to know
more of the collective unconscious, as I work with clients. The journey toward becoming a Psychosynthesis Trainer
is the marriage of these many threads, including the navigation of the external and internal paths. And the paths
continue to unfold.
As connections, presence, and growing intimacy with Self and the collective unconscious evolve within me, I
know that I can follow my inner calling without having to have all knowledge, emotion, truth, or perfection of
any sort ahead of time! I can follow as I’m called by Self and create the space that will be Psychosynthesis
Coaching Philadelphia. It will emerge externally and internally as I proceed, just as Psychosynthesis has emerged
and continues to emerge in me.
I smile as I consider how much more I will learn and experience as a Psychosynthesis Coach Trainer. It feels big.
It feels daunting, and yet my inner voice calls and I must listen. “Still I Rise,” Maya Angelou said many times.
Still I Rise. ◙
Julie Rivers, MA, MS, ICF, BCC, is Global Training Manager and Corporate Coach working at
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals. Originally a music teacher by training, she has advanced
degrees in the very unrelated fields of Quality Assurance/Regulatory Affairs and Peace Studies (emotional
intelligence focus). In 2013, she completed corporate coaching training offered at GSK and from there
continued to pursue coaching both within and outside of GSK. She completed 120 hours of Psychosynthesis
training through the Synthesis Center, and is now a Steering Committee member at the Association for
the Advancement of Psychosynthesis (AAP). Outside of work, she enjoys travel, Reiki, good food, the
outdoors/exercise, and musical pursuits as a french horn player in a community orchestra. What is
emerging within her? Love, intuition, and a ritualistic path.
34
Psychosynthesis Coaching
Philadelphia
Discovering Self, Finding Purpose, Connecting
to What Really Matters
We invite you to accelerate your own growth through
psychosynthesis and learn how to coach others using a
psychosynthesis framework.
Psychosynthesis, sometimes referred to as the ‘Psychology of Hope’ or ‘Yoga

for the Soul,’ is a set of psychological models that support personal growth, a
sense of wholeness, self-awareness, and engagement of the will. It is highly
experiential and practical.
Coaching has become a popular non-therapeutic way for people to get

support in achieving their personal and/or professional goals. Coaching helps
people grow in self-awareness and focuses on taking actions that are aligned
to goals, values, and purpose.
New training class September 2018 – April 2019

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Affiliated with The Synthesis Center, MA.
Earn a Certification as a Psychosynthesis Life Coach (PLC).

For many this offers the opportunity for national accreditation
as a Board Certified Coach (BCC).
For information and registration: synthesiscoachingphiladelphia@gmail.com
35
A Florentine Retreat with Roberto Assagioli
Abigail De Soto
“May I suggest to consider and believe this week as a retreat—a retreat for not only the ordinary
environment and activity, but also for our habitual interests, occupations and mental activities, in
fact as much as possible for our personality.”
—R. Assagioli (Istituto di Psicosintesi Archivios, subject: Meditation)
T hese words gave a resonant framework to my unexpected presence in the front room of Roberto Assagioli’s
house in Florence to consult his archived writings. Alone with little Mimi sitting quietly on her blanket in
pure presence, I spent six days at the Institute’s archives in Florence, deciphering Assagioli’s small notes and
detailed writings, while he looked on benevolently from two photographs on the wall.
It had all happened suddenly, fallen into place easily, unlike my desired end-of-year holiday plans to visit the UK.
One day in meditation, while still organizing my UK visit, a message dropped into my head out of nowhere:
“January is the time to go to Florence and consult Assagioli’s archives.” Where did that come from? I was planning
on going to the UK to see old friends I had not seen in years. The trip was not coming together, but I hadn’t been
thinking of going to Florence, or consulting Roberto’s archives. Yet there it was.
“Now there’s a thought,” thought I. Somehow it felt ‘right’ and I felt a strong feeling of peace, so I let the idea
simmer, and decided to test it by looking for possible accommodation—just for fun. A small apartment entitled
“Carpe Diem” leapt out at me from the computer! The studio apartment seemed well-suited and potentially
affordable. Though Florence offered no friends or people to stay with, it felt like I should explore further. The next
day I dug up the address and phone number for the Institute and called. In a short conversation with a gracious
Italian ‘angel’ (Lucia) working in the archives, she offered to welcome and help me during my archive consultation!
Her name and gracious manner reminded me of Dante’s guide in the “Divine Comedy.”
In record time the studio was reserved—a mere 12-minute walk from Casa Assagioli—with friendly, helpful
owners; an airline ticket to Florence bought; and passage confirmed for Mimi, my 10 lb. well-behaved,
internationally-traveled therapy dog. The trip was set for early January when the archives reopened after the
yearend holidays. My U.K trip fizzled, which in hindsight turned out to be the best plan of action.
The Archive Experience/Adventure
“Fascinating…fluid…eye-crossing…warm-hearted…” describe my Florentine archive adventure. There were

many subjects to consult…so much to sort through and read, or try to. Roberto Assagioli’s handwriting was the
proverbial doctor’s scrawl, quasi-impossible to read. How blessed to have Lucia who could not only read his
handwritten texts, but was willing to translate from Italian into a mixture of English and French! My time in
consultation quickly became rich and warm, and even Mimi seemed to enjoy our daily routine of short walks to
the archives mornings and afternoons with lunch break in-between, and three hours sitting and reading at a stretch.
Perhaps the immediate attraction between Mimi and Lucia clinched Mimi’s cooperation more than interest in my
work; whatever her motivation, she was a perfect angel, exemplary and patient.
I read and read, took notes day after day, and let Assagioli’s words rain gently down upon me. It was a kind of
personal retreat, things different and out of the ordinary…. surroundings, residence, routine, nourishment, and
musical incomprehensible language reverberating wherever I went. I lived in a kind of urban ‘loud’ silence with
surprising friendly interludes on the street going or returning from Via San Domenico, due to Mimi’s mesmerizing
36
attraction to Italians… “Piccolina…,” etc., were expressions used repeatedly with broad smiles and dancing eyes.
Mimi was a definite Italian hit!
My time in the archives progressed; amidst so much novelty and foreignness, what felt known, not foreign, arose
from the pages of the archive folders: psychosynthesis. Psychosynthesis was the unifying center reassuring and
comforting as I spent time reading Assagioli’s substantive notes and references to people and ideas that supported
and nourished the creation of his comprehensive, creative work. As I said…so much to read…
Coming to the archives I had defined a few objectives, one concerning my growing sense that Assagioli was
strongly influenced by Eastern philosophy (Buddhist and Hindu) in developing psychosynthesis. As a trained yoga
instructor and mindfulness practitioner, I had lived only two hours from Thich Naht Hahn’s Plum Village in
southwestern France, and had visited intermittently since the late 1990’s, more regularly since 2015. For the past
several years I had immersed myself in Buddhist psychology and was struck by its similarity with psychosynthesis.
I was thus eager to research this link and one with yogic thought and practices.
The similarities were striking; ‘dharma’ teachings presented a solid foundation for psychosynthesis. Assagioli
wrote not only about the importance of meditation, but also about yoga as a tool for taming the personality and
bringing it in line with a greater purpose. Apparently I was not the first to discern this similarity and found in
Assagioli’s library a thesis entitled, “Psychosynthesis and Indian Thought,” written by S.K. Johri from Agra
University, presented to Assagioli at the Fifth International Psychosynthesis Conference in Rome in September
1967. When my eyes were too crossed or bleary from reading difficult scrawl on bits of paper, I took a break to
read a captivating comparison from Johri’s thesis, which ended with the following conclusion:
“The thought of Assagiolian Psychosynthesis and the Indian fountain of knowledge are so identical
to each other that one who has a faith in the theory of reincarnation, after going through them,
with deep satisfaction says that a great Indian Yogin and a Vedantist is reborn with all his Sanskaras
and spiritual experience in the name of Assagioli.”
I smiled and laughed at the degree to which my feeling and hunches had been corroborated.
Another objective in consulting Roberto’s writings was my desire for personal sharing and acknowledgment of a
‘mystical’ experience to support the importance of Higher Self in the psychosynthesis model. Unfortunately this
desire resulted in disappointment. No personal sharing came to light, and Lucia explained that Assagioli had
purposely destroyed any personal information or notes. The first destruction happened during his imprisonment
by the fascist regime in WWII, and the second performed by himself shortly before his death. People like me,
motivated and encouraged by personal anecdotes in our learning process must remain frustrated in our desire for
stories of Roberto’s personal experience, other than notes on his experience in jail and exploration of acceptance.
He felt the scientific approach was crucial for the recognition and longevity of psychosynthesis; in the writings
this is palpable and ever present and there is much to learn and be inspired by, so disappointment is not long-standing.
I would like to share a final, unconscious, late-to-be-known motivation in consulting Assagioli’s archives, which
only became clear after my return home. In learning the Ideal Model exercise ten years before, a prominent
experience had helped me articulate my own Ideal Model, something I recorded in a drawing September 2007. In
my drawing old, magnificent trees symbolize ‘ancient wisdom’, with strong, deep roots in a time-tested, solid
foundation for living.
Since that drawing ten years ago, repeated challenges had shaken my foundation of life, including my beliefs about
what was possible and how to move in desired directions. In the face of loss, death, and repeated disconfirmed
37
expectancies, I lost faith in a dimension greater than suffering, and lost resilience to bounce back and live joyfully.
I felt psychosynthesis no longer presented options that worked long term for me. Lacking available psychosynthesis
support, I turned to what was local—Plum Village/Buddhism and mindfulness practices, with my personal practice
of yoga and inner work. For a long time, little moved.
As already mentioned, in December 2017 I had no ‘conscious’ desire to renew with psychosynthesis, visit Florence,
or the archives, despite my strong initial introduction in 2007, which I experienced like an authentic coming home
when I attended the Psychosynthesis and Education Trust in London. Thus, ten years later, at the end of 2017
when this idea to consult Assagioli’s archives dropped into my mind, I was genuinely surprised. In ‘testing’ it,
affirmative results came up in many ways, not only in favorable outside circumstances, but in my feelings of peace
and ‘rightness’. So I went ahead with the idea, choosing Florence instead of a desired plan to go to the U.K.
Although my stay in Florence was fascinating, I did not yet know totally why I was there. Only after my return
to France, allowing the Florence experience to age like good wine, a deeper flavor and body revealed themselves.
Something within me called to reconnect with old wisdom, strong roots, and a solid foundation in life—symbolized
by the ancient, majestic trees in my ‘Ideal Model’ drawing, which by the way I had forgotten. This realization
came to me after I completed my trip to Florence and after asking several times in quiet reflection, “Why did I
go to Florence? What did I need to learn?”
Surprisingly the answer rolled over me like a sweet, warm mist….‘ground and
reconnect with ancient, solid wisdom.’ I needed to see for myself, hear it from
the horse’s mouth, to understand that Roberto Assagioli had brought ancient
wisdom to the Western mind—“tried and true” practices and teachings for an
authentic path to a fulfilling, conscious life of joy. It is interesting to note that in
my work with psychosynthesis, other answers have also been revealed to me
after the fact… sometimes eight to ten years later! Thank goodness I have kept
drawings and journal records of psychosynthesis exercises and questions over
the years.
Whether Roberto Assagioli was an ancient Yogic master reincarnated in the West
is of little import. What is extraordinary and meaningful is that psychosynthesis,
with patience and attention excavating layers of symbolism, offers more insight
and possibility than is immediately obvious. The journey is ongoing, surprising,
and joyful if we will only open to it. ◙
www.abigaildesoto.com Abigail and Mimi
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Honoring Mount Agung, the Balinese Volcano
A Multidimensional Approach to
the Eruption Activities of Mount Agung
Margret Rueffler
[Note: Mt. Agung first erupted in modern times in

1843. A series of eruptions in 1963-64 was among
the most catastrophic events in modern Indonesian
history, killing nearly 2,000 people. The most recent
series of eruptions began in November, 2017. —Ed.]
Bali, the island of the Gods and the Demons.
In Bali, the awesome raw power of the eruption of

a volcano is a close-at-hand experience. Small
rumblings and tremors, coming from deep within,
reach far into the island as the shaking of the
surrounding earth layers creates a pathway for
releasing the gases and lava the volcano has held for
the last 63 years in its deep caverns. Animals leave the mountain. Dogs bark throughout the night.
To the residents of the volcano’s hills and valleys hurriedly making their exodus while the volcano is trying to
birth its inner being, the mountain is their nemesis. Leaving home and livelihood behind and settling in camps,
they panic, feeling their existence and livelihood are threatened. This generates a vast collective energy field of
fear that interacts with its surroundings and, thus, with the volcano’s behavior as well.
It is an energy field that stimulates compassion and much active engagement of individuals and organizations to
support those who left their homes and livelihood behind, with food, love and care. This in turn creates a collective
energy field of love and compassion in which the collective fear can be held and embraced. This loving vibrational
field flows towards the volcano.
Just as each of us influences others through thoughts and emotions, so energy fields influence the individual. The
vibrational field of love surrounding the mountain will allow it to go through its process more smoothly.
Balinese priests hold intense ceremonies high up, close to

the crater and at the mother temple, an extensive
conglomeration of buildings on a hill below the mountain.
The mother temple is the holiest of Bali’s temples. The
highest priests, the Brahmans, bless and soothe the
mountain’s activities through various powerful rituals and
animal sacrifices. They chant mantras and recite old texts
in the original Sanskrit. They call strong rains to come,
and, indeed, they come.
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The ash released into the atmosphere and the lava flowing down the
volcano’s green ravines, flanks, and valleys, brings life-giving elements
from deep within the earth back to the abused soil and surface of our
planet. The clouds of ash and fiery lava, once cooled and decomposed,
will, in time, foster rich, nourishing soil; and flora and fauna will
eventually re-emerge and thrive, healthy and strong. They are blessings
in disguise. The whole island is a volcanic creation; its earth and soil are
not independent of the rumblings of the holy mountain and the center of
the Balinese world. The soil at Jiwa Damai originates from the many
eruptions of the island’s volcanoes and the subsequent erosions of the
fallout.
Eruptions are important from a permaculture garden perspective.
As conscious caretakers and co-creators developing permaculture and

re-establishing a natural balance with the earth, we have a responsibility
to engage in aligning with the cyclical process of renewal and blessing
the earth that allows values to come alive—earth-care, people-care,
sharing surplus, supporting the natural process of the growth of flora and
fauna, allowing the soil to recuperate from abuse. Nature and the
mountain are the teachers to follow for designing the garden.
Mythical Volcano
A relationship between humans and the mountain has existed for eons. Guardians of volcanoes who had special
abilities and were chosen at a young age by the reigning sultan existed in the Indonesian archipelago in olden
days. It was a great honor to be called. The guardian learned to live on and with the huge majestic volcano, to
sense each of its slightest moves, outbreath and inbreath. He was in awe of the mountain but at the same time it
became his closest friend. He knew each breath of the mountain intimately. It was the guardian’s duty to inform
the people when the volcano was going to move and erupt—to guide them to leave the mountain. Eventually, with
age, the guardian was revered by the local people as a wise man.
Sometimes a guardian stayed on the mountain to embrace death in the fiery lava flow when his time came. He
could be found later in a kneeling and praying position, having chosen to leave his body on the much loved and
revered mountain.
Expansion of consciousness
She-Soul, witnessing the funeral of the beloved guardian, experienced all of a sudden a huge expansion in her
energy bodies, extending into an unknown deep distance with infinite peripheries. She was surprised. What was
her relationship with this old man on the mountain? As she saw the small body covered with a cloth, lifted on
many shoulders carried past many more to his resting place in the earth, she merged with his incredibly deep dark
and warm earthy vibrational field, which seemed to extend infinitely in its multidimensional expansion. Being
one with this field, She-Soul became one with the old man on the mountain as well. She became his feelings and
perceptions, his incredible deep love for the mountain, whose majestic being he so honored, befriended and was
in great awe of. She-Soul allowed herself to sink deeply into this sea of intense respect, greatly expanding the
heart space, embracing the dark breath and warmth of the earth, all living beings—flora and fauna—at the same
time. Ahhh! What a miraculous multi-dimensional experience extending and transcending space and time. A deep
trust and homecoming, appreciation and awe of being held in this love energy field.
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Deep insights ensue. The mountain is a living, conscious

being, an expression of the movements of Gaia. It has a deep
interconnectedness and continuous communication through
channels in the innermost with all other volcanoes on the
rims of the tectonic plates at the mantle of the earth. The
volcano does not intend nor like to be the cause for human
suffering. It is an archetypal and physical expression of
Gaia, created in the distant, ancient beginning when time
had not been invented yet. The mountain was ensouled at
the beginning of Gaia’s evolutionary path, circling the outer
rim of our milky way star system.
As a child of Gaia, the mountain is ever transforming and

evolving in consciousness. Having witnessed eons pass and
many civilizations come and go, it demands awe and
reverence, to have its presence honored and to be aligned with Gaia’s moves.
The mountain is surprised to have people living in the path of its possible expressions of gas and lava flows.
“Why do they go there? They know I will eventually express through pyroclastic clouds, mud and lava flows. I
am accused of bringing pain, when in reality settling on my slopes is their choice. They forget that I have a
different rhythm.”
Now is the time to witness this process of transformation being brought to the surface and
seen by the world, and to have the knowledge deep
within us that the mountain needs our love and Dr. Margret Rueffler is a transpersonal
acceptance for the work it is doing to support the psychologist, acupuncturist and
earth in its transition to the next density. permaculture trainer, and the founder of
Lagu Damai Foundation and Jiwa Damai
A deep bow to the mountain and its activities.◙ permaculture gardens in Bali.
www.jiwadamai.net
(Photos courtesy author & internet)
41
The Warrior’s Heart
Carole Dawn Harward
“A warrior of spirit is truly that: a warrior of the spirit; fed by spirit, directed by spirit. A warrior
of spirit, seasoned by long experience, knows and trusts the voice of spirit and will continue
following spirit’s lead into the unknown – off the beaten paths into the newness of creativity. In
this way, fires of life are born.”
—George Breed
L ife was less than perfect, not because I was not happy, but because I had one demanding teenage daughter
still in high school, a son who was just married and expecting a child, and another who was having serious
emotional problems who had moved to Minnesota. I worked full time as the owner of a wedding planner and
catering business, I was on the city arts council as the art director, and I had my hands in fifteen different projects
at any given time, between home, family, and community volunteerism. I was happy as can be, living what felt
like, and appeared to be, a perfect life. I was very content. I had a supportive husband, I could engage in meaningful
work, I felt safe, secure, loved, and valued. While I was joyfully living my life, my husband was living a fairy tale
life he had created with my support, living away from home, with a career he professed to enjoy, and one he was
extremely good at. He worked as a computer games programmer. He was working for Sony Entertainment after
having worked for Microsoft on XBox games. It was a dream job that most people only get to wish they had. He
fell into it because he had a natural knack for it. Between the two of us we had a six-figure income and a lot of
freedom because of this. While I was happily engaging in life, I had not noticed that my husband’s life was slipping
away one depressive thought at a time.
My husband had suffered from major depressive disorder since he was a kid. He recalled his first depressive
episode as being when he was 17 years old. While we were dating he told me that he had tried to overdose but,
as young person myself (20), I did not realize the weight of what he was saying. In other words, I did not understand
that he had a serious mental illness that can, and often does, result in an untimely death by suicide. While my
husband was in and out of remission, his depression grew worse and more resistant to treatment. He was eventually
hospitalized for suicidal ideation where I first witnessed emotional distancing, “failed belonging,” and depressive
rages (1992). Over the course of the nearly 30 years of our marriage he was in and out of treatment, and not one
time did anyone ever teach me what to do should he go into a crisis. Not a single person mentioned how devastating
and life changing it would be for those left behind and how society would extract judgement and social punishment
by projecting blame.
I, like so many other survivors, was left twisting in the wind when the call came that derailed my life and broke
my heart. The shock and disbelief threw me into a spiritual crisis. I was on a runaway train: destination unknown,
with absolutely no idea how I was supposed to live with this experience. When he died I effectively died too, along
with all my long-held hopes and dreams. My daughter described the experience as an emotional tsunami. His
suicide rushed in with little warning, it destroyed everything in its path, including interpersonal and family
relationships, and I was left to pick through the debris for anything I could use to start over; and frankly, the
pickings were slim. I needed help and a lot of it. There was nowhere to turn and very little understanding and
compassion. Then one day I discovered an online support group, which offered me a lifeline.
I was an active member of SOLO Partners for a couple of years. I met people from all over the world who were
not only going through the same things, but had the same unmet needs. Most of the survivors were women, many
of whom were older women who had lost their primary financial support. I witnessed women losing their homes,
their health, and ultimately hope. Recently I was going through my friends list and was reminded how many of
these women died from a broken heart. As a survivor I discovered that grief support groups and counseling only

42
take you so far. I also learned from this experience that you need long term support because trauma-informed loss
has a way of re-awakening.
Therefore, I am offering life-affirming soul support to the bereaved through individual creative grief coaching and
transformational and playful retreats.
Grief is a normal response to love and loss. My intention is to assist those working through the grief process
by facilitating a holistic, positive, fun, spiritual approach to healing, thereby fostering optimism and hope in a
future complete with meaning and purpose.
One day while I was ruminating with a friend about how society still shuns survivors, and how morally and ethically
wrong it is for these women to be without life support, my friend said something to me that was life changing:
“Why don’t you be the one to help them?” For Christmas this same year (2009) he purchased a web address and
told me to “get to work.” Since that time, I have been actively engaged in working to develop a program that
would provide “long term soul support for suicide survivors.” This is what I believe to be the meaning and purpose
for suicide having come into my life. I have been conducting my life in a way that is reflective of the philosophy and
techniques that I am asking others to believe in. This is how I have earned the title of a master grief warrior, and
this is true for my co-hearts as well. Each one of them has experienced unimaginable loss and been spiritually
awakened and profoundly changed in ways they never expected. While it is hard to imagine when you are deeply
bereaved that there are many blessings and rich offerings hidden in our darkest hours, the blessings are there if
you have a warrior’s heart (a spiritual perspective) and the tools to discover those blessings.
“I have always quested and still do for the Holy Grail, but I stopped looking in the earthen caves and in the stars.
I started questing through the valleys and mountains of my own soul.”
—David Paul Kirkpatrick
The Warrior’s Heart Grief and Loss Retreats is my Holy Grail. It is my vision of hope and healing
which was manifested in my awareness through my own quest for meaning. It has come to fruition with the love
and support of six very special transpersonal psychologists with whom I attended Sofia University in Palo Alto,
CA. I stepped into my story as a grief warrior with a return to college in 2008, with the intention of integrating
my experience as an artist and art educator, community servant, event planner, and now suicide survivor. We have
developed a program that utilizes creativity, spirituality, fun, and communal support to help other survivors,
regardless of the type of loss, discover meaning and purpose for their loss with the goal of creating a life they
love because of their loss. I graduated from Sofia University in June 2017, with a master's degree in transpersonal
psychology and specializations in creativity and innovation, and transformative life coaching. This was my
opportunity in my tragedy.
The Warrior's Heart Retreat is your call to the Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell), a rite of passage, to discover
your own holy grail (meaning and purpose). This is your opportunity to be transformed from a survivor to a
sacred warrior for your own life. You can do it: one perception, one fresh thought, one act of surrender, one
change of heart, one leap of faith, can change your life forever. This is your opportunity in your tragedy, and
it is mine too. Just say yes.
“The darker the night, the brighter the stars, the deeper the grief, the closer is God!”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
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The Warrior's Heart Grief and Loss Retreats are guided

transpersonal heroes’ journeys into the transformative grief process as
well as a communal rite of passage facilitated by the Soul. Death and
loss create spiritual distress. Our ability to heal is reliant on creative
problem-solving and innovative solutions to transcend our sorrow and
suffering. Creativity is an innate survival skill that has allowed humans
to thrive since the beginning of time. Imagination is integral to a healthy
response to grief and loss.

The workshop focuses on the power of intention (a mindful decision),
fostering hope (imagining the possibilities) and intuition to discover
meaning (spiritual significance), and creativity and innovation to
manifest divine purpose (the reason this happened in your life).

Seven spiritual masters will share their personal experience and
facilitate a retreat that can, if you are open and ready to receive your
call to the hero’s journey, evoke the powers of the creative process to
develop your intuition, expand your vision, and stir your imagination.
Then you are ready to be awakened to your own Warrior's Heart.
Facilitators:
Carole Dawn Harward, MATP, Grief/Psychosynthesis Coach, Artist, Suicide Survivor Advocate,
Grief Retreat Facilitator
Eldon Stephen Rogers Jr., MATP, Transformational Coach, Reiki Master/Teacher, Intuitive
Sheila Williams, MATP, Transformational/Psychosynthesis Coach
Elisha Caster, MATP, NLP Life Coaching, Reiki, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Psychic Mediumship
Miranda Heaton, MA, Creative, Impromptu Envisioner, Community Activist
JoAn Smith, MATP, Transformational Coach, Adjunct Professor
Dela Hayes, MA, Artist, Life Skills Development Facilitator, Military Veteran Advocate
The Retreat will be held March 5-9, 2018

at Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David, AZ
For more information:
Phone: (520) 982-4203 (B) or (520) 247-3676 (H)
Webpage: www.suicidesurvivorcoach.com
Email: suicidesurvivorcoach@gmail.com
Facebook Pages: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuicicdeSurvivors.info/
https://www.facebook.com/SuicideSurvivors/
https://www.facebook.com/SuicideSurvivorCoaching/
Event tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-warriors-heart-grief-and-loss-retreats-tickets-38051501064#tickets
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A Call for YOUR Reflections: “Being Psychosynthesis”
Sara Vatore
Synthesis San Francisco is looking to find out how psychosynthesis permeates your life.
What does “being psychosynthesis” mean to you?
If this phrase resonates, we want to hear from you! What are the ways this is showing up for you on your journey?
In your work? Your life? Your family? Your relationships? Your unfolding?
Share a story, poem, or blog post with us and we will share widely with our community. How are you "Being
Psychosynthesis"? Please submit your creative words to sara@saravatore.com and we will post on our social
media avenues and through our website. Let's share with the world how we each, in our own unique way, are truly
living and breathing towards wholeness by being psychosynthesis.
Here is a reflection from Sara Vatore, a member of the Leadership Team and Core Faculty at Synthesis San
Francisco:
Being Psychosynthesis: A Parenting Snapshot
“Mr. Grumpy-Stinky-Poopy-Pants” is the name we give

to a part of my four year old son, Allister, who comes
out and rages. Sometimes known as “Hangry,” (combo
hungry turned angry), his presence is a frequent occur-
rence in our household and out in the world. As we have
worked with these parts, gotten to know them, and
started to figure out how they tick, the intensity of their
spiral has lessened, and at the same time it is clear my
child has a strong will. While my husband and I have
uncovered some of the mystery behind the factors that
contribute to the arrival of these intense expressions
(explosions?!) of personality, we are in a continuous
learning exploration.
Mr. Grumpy-Stinky-Poopy Pants tends to show up when

Allister’s iron-strong will is pushed up against or
challenged, i.e. when he has to follow ANY instruction
that doesn’t resonate 100% perfectly in the moment, or
when he is offended by the people sharing his space (mainly his 12 year old brother Caleb). This makes transitions
or any time when the two of them are in the same room or car a more complicated experience.
The mornings have been particularly complex. Getting both kids out the door, so I can drive them to their respective
destinations and make my commitments on time is not a relaxing part of the day. I have worked hard to create an
environment for the most success. I started scheduling my clients later in the morning, so there was not a “need”
to rush. We have a visual schedule. I have learned many of the things that trigger Mr. Grumpy-Stinky-Poopy-Pants’
arrival and we adjust accordingly. For example, Mr. GSPP likes to be the first one out the door. It is important for
him to be the first one who goes down the stairs on the deck. If for some reason that routine gets interrupted, hold
onto your ears.
45
However, this part of Allister continues to present challenges and frustrations. I often feel like I do not know what
to do in the moment, and there is a part of myself that gets triggered by the intensity of his anger and wants to shut
down. My strategies, tricks and tools do not work all the time (and I have a lot of them!). Success rate is limited
and varied. With a background in teaching preschool, in education, and in trauma/nervous system regulation, I
have another part of myself that expects that that I should be able to get this more under control. That part gets
critical, angry and frustrated at myself, and then frustrated at Allister’s behavior.
During these experiences, when I notice that I am being hijacked by a part, thought pattern, physiological response
or an emotion, I make the choice to come back to my internal observer, a centered place, so I interrupt the spiraling.
What is really going on right now? Sometimes that is an immediate awareness and I am able to prevent a habituated
response or thought pattern occurring, and other times that part might take over for longer before I catch myself
and make a choice to return back to nonjudgmental observing.
This practice of returning back to my self is the foundation of my BEING and experiencing in the world. To take
the time to view and experience the situation from this different vantage point, a fresh orientation. To disidentify
from all that is swirling around and witness all points of view, seeing all of the moving parts. This is my practice.
This is the foundation of my being psychosynthesis in the world.
For Allister, my next steps with the mornings is to continue to explore what is going on for Mr. GSPP in the
complex transition time of morning. What is it about the mornings that are not working? What are the current
expectations? Are they reasonable? Does he need even more time to sync to his unique transitional rhythm? What
need is not being met?
For myself, I will explore the parts that are frustrated and triggered. What do I need as mom? Do I need help and
other suggestions? Do I need a different outlet to express my frustration? I have set the intention to spend time
journaling and letting these parts really have their voice.
I am not saying that everything is easy now. Parenting and the role of “mother” certainly continues to be one of
my biggest growing edges. My intention however, is to be present and aware in my interactions, invite in the
quality of LOVE and to notice when I get hooked (identified). Being psychosynthesis, living embodied in presence
and awareness, is how I experience this process with the most grace and freedom in each moment. I am able to
look more objectively and to make choices from a more connected place. ◙
Sara Vatore M.Ed., SEP, BCC is a Board

Certified Life Coach, Somatic Experienc-
ing® Practitioner, Somatic Educator, Cer-
tified Nia White Belt Instructor, and a Peak
Performance Coach. She is a member of
The Synthesis Center Board of Directors
and the Leadership Team and Core Faculty
for Synthesis San Francisco. Through her
understanding of the nervous system and
the body, Sara uses an integrative model in
her teaching, workshops and session work
blending Psychosynthesis, Somatic Experi-
encing and Peak/Sports Performance the-
ory. Sara helps her clients and students
build capacity and resiliency in their systems, to more dynamically
and easily negotiate life challenges, overcome fears and blocks and
set and manifest goals.
46
Indovedic Psychology and Psychosynthesis
Cristina Pelizzatti
The idea of this work is to explore key concepts within the Ancient Vedic Wisdom Tradition, highlighting the
correlations with Psychosynthesis and its wide background, thereby contributing additional perspective to
Psychosynthesis itself.
The founder of Psychosynthesis, Roberto Assagioli, was a profound connoisseur and student of the Vedic Wisdom
Tradition, as can be seen from his writings and notes.
Through a synthesis of key concepts, I will attempt to point out the universal values that underlie Psychosynthesis,
finding their foundation, among other traditions, in the Vedic Wisdom Texts—universal patrimony of “Knowledge
of the True,” as the Vedic Tradition itself is defined.
This is part one of a study divided in five parts, in the following order:
First part: The True “Plan of Life”: the Soul-Atman/Self

Second part: The Unconscious - Cittā and Hiranyagarbha, the Egg Diagram or Cosmic Egg.
Third part: Ahamkara-personal self, Praktiti (ontological Nature/Matter), and the Self or Purusha/Atman
(ontological Spirit)
Fourth part: Involution and evolution of the Psyche - Sāmkya-Kārirā as a process of Self-Realization
Fifth part: Kama and Tapas: Love and Will: the way of Synthesis through Liberation (Kaivalya).
Part I: The True "Plan of Life": the Soul-Atman/Self
handwritten notes: R. Assagioli archives
47
translation, handwritten notes: R. Assagioli archives

The true “plan of life:” that of the Soul ... Develop
What I am I do not know. Vague, lonely, oppressed by the mind.

When the Firstborn of Truth came to me, I gained participation at that same Word.
—Rig Veda. I. 164.37
The enigma that surrounds our true nature and the desire to solve this incomprehensible secret belongs to humanity
as an archetype. Human beings are a mystery even to themselves: although one is aware of being a spark of Being
(I Am), the main instrument with which one is able to know oneself—the mind—leads one to explore the objective
side (what am I?), in the process tending to hide or ignore the subjective side (who am I?). Asking oneself what
the Self means is to objectify the subject, and formulate a question that one can try to answer through the rational
mind.
The authentic question to be asked is, “Who am I?”
To this question, the rational mind cannot respond, being endowed and limited by instruments suitable only for
the exploration of the manifest layer of Reality, or Maya (that which has form, or “matter”).
During the process of Self-Realization, the subject—“Who I am”—becomes aware of the object “what I am,” and
about “what I am not.” We can think of this process as “informing” the matter, forming it to the “image and
likeness” of the Source, the Self. In Psychosynthesis we work on this process through the Ideal Model.
What remains of the object once the form is known? —its True Nature or Svarupa (its true form), the Self, removed
from the wrappings (Kosha, the wrappings of Being, made up of Prakriti, the Ontological Nature/female archetypal
principle, corresponding to Eros/Love). Beyond the Prakriti there is the substratum that underlies everything, the
Self: by definition pure consciousness, will, without content.
At the moment in which the Self is embodied, manifesting itself in a specific form based on the contents present
in the unconscious, or Cittā, it is “enveloped” by layers (Kosha) of material energy at various levels of
condensation. The ultimate goal is to enable a subject to experience oneself through the form (by “informing” the
matter) and, through the process of Self-Realization and Synthesis, to finally attain freedom
48
(Kaivalya/Moksha/Synthesis), in the process reacquiring the awareness of one’s true Nature, the Self, reaching
the state of “Nonduality” or “Oneness.”
I have a body and I am not just my body

I have thoughts and I am not just my thoughts
I have emotions and am not only my emotions
I have desires and am not only my desires
I am not only what I was yesterday, what I am today, and what I will be tomorrow
Who am I deeply and truly?
Who am I along my wandering, along my changes, along the expression through Being in any
form?
Simply, I Am.
In his “Yoga Sutras” (a compendium of an oral tradition of philosophical and scientific knowledge handed down
from time immemorial), Patanjali, one of India's great philosophers or Rishi (2nd century BC), explains that due
to Avidya (cosmic ignorance, first and root of the Kleshas -the “great conditioners”) the Self (Atman/Purusha-
representing the male archetypal principle- Logos/Will), of infinite nature, is deeply identified with its distorted
Self-reflection, the Ahamkara (conditioned ego, or personal self), perpetuating its karma through unconscious
actions rather than acting consciously. This ignorance (Avidya) leads to the construction of an illusionary world
in which the Jiva (incarnated being) sees itself as separate from everything around it, developing a dualistic vision
and consequently dualistic relationship with life itself. The lack of fundamental awareness of the “True Nature”
of its origins binds the Jiva to material existence, clinging desperately to this life, therefore to suffering.
Avidya—asmita—raga—dvesha—abhinivesha—klesha
—Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2.3
According to Patanjali there are five psychological states related to the personal self, or Ahamkara which are
considered obstacles or “afflictions” of human existence and to Self-Realization. These, called the pancha klesha,
are rooted in the subconscious mind, Cittā, corresponding to the unconscious, in particular the prepersonal or
lower unconscious, in the Psychosynthesis Egg Diagram:
1. Avidya (ignorance)
2. Asmita (egoism)
3. Raga (cravings)
4. Dvesha (aversions)
5. Abhinivesha (clinging to life)
Avidya, the “root klesha” on which the others are based, is the obstacle that must be overcome in order to reacquire
the awareness of “True Nature” (being a Self/Atman/Purusha manifested in a material form). Due to the bounds
set by Avidya, the Jiva/Incarnated Being is profoundly identified with a finite form, ignoring its “True Origin,”
experiencing the limits of its finiteness, suffering, and longing for “Liberation/Kaivalya/Moksha” as a return to
the “Awareness of one's original True Nature,” the Universal Self (Ishvara / Brahman).
Only through the constant practice of discrimination between object and subject, with the help of
a Guide, can Ignorance (Avidya) be transcended and therefore Reality realized through the higher
mind or intellect (Buddhi).
—Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Samadhi Pada, 26
49
translation, handwritten notes: R. Assagioli archives
Realizing the value of my detachment.

This is richness, power, freedom - joy -
Remain always, “serenely Lord..—Doing everything from the
“highest,” nimbly, without identifying myself, as a Lord — Wu-
Wei — Communicate to others, teaching them the detachment,
the dispassion (vairagya), the inner freedom.
Yoga Cittā-Vritti-Nirodha
—Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Samadhi Pada, 1.2
This sutra is Patanjali's definition of yoga: the process of quieting the mind to the point where one experiences
life as it is—Ultimate Reality: a necessary step on the path to Self-Realization. Discrimination occurs through
emotional detachment or Vairagya (literally “away from attachment:” the “disidentification” of Psychosynthesis)
from psychic contents, so that the conditioned ego or personal self/Ahamkara, can discern between objective and
subjective, quieting the incessant flow of thoughts (Vritti) in the mental field (Cittā), realizing the intimate
connection with the Transpersonal Self, spark of the Universal Self, which by definition resides in the meta-space
of the heart.
Bright, well-fixed, moving in the heart, great and the support of all; in him is all this universe
centered, what moves, breathes and winks. Know this which is all that has form and all that is
formless, which is to be sought after by all, which is beyond the reach of man’s knowledge, and
the highest of all.
—Mundaka Upanishad, 2.2.1 (Continued on page 51)
50
Through constant practice (Tapah) in the discipline of Yoga and disidentification from “what is
not,” identifying itself in “who I am,” the conditionings to which the rational mind is subject vanish,
no longer take hold of the Ahamkara and the light of the Self is reflected as pure consciousness in
the field of I awareness.
The quiet stability of the mind (nirodha) is obtained by constant practice (abhyasa) and non-
attachment (vairagya)
The word Yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means to unite, bind, join; and indicates the encounter
that must take place first between mind and body, then between individual soul and universal soul. In
Psychosynthesis we reach the state of Yoga when the light of the Self shines into the field of consciousness and
the I reaches a content-less state of pure awareness and will.
To experience this union, a state of consciousness called Samadhi or Synthesis, is the ultimate goal of Yoga.
Therefore Yoga is the art that brings the Ahamkara/personal self, through the use of the mind as an instrument of
the Self, to a reflective and coherent state of union (reconnection) with the Transpersonal Self, calming its
fluctuations and regulating the rhythm of breathing, following eight specific stages named Ashtanga Yoga:
Yama- deals with one's ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on behavior and how to conduct
ourselves in life.
Niyama- self-discipline and spiritual observances.
Asana- the postures practiced in yoga.
Pranayama- breath control. This fourth stage consists of techniques designed to gain mastery over the
respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, the emotions and the
Self.
Pratyahara- withdrawal or sensory transcendence. (Continued on page 52)
51
Dharana- focus, concentration. Having gained freedom from outside distractions, we now deal with the
distractions of the mind itself (Vritti).
Dhyana- Meditation, contemplation, uninterrupted flow of concentration. At this stage, the mind has been
quieted.
Samadhi- state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator merges with his or her point of focus reconnecting
with the Self. State of “Nonduality” or Synthesis.
Within the space of Nirodha or Silence, Synthesis occurs between the personal self and the Transpersonal Self,
represented in the Psychosynthesis map of the psyche, the Egg Diagram, by the ray that unites the “I” in the field
of consciousness immersed in the Middle Unconscious with the Self in the Higher Unconscious. The Liberation
in life (Moksha/Kaivalya) or Synthesis occurs at the moment when, as human beings (jiva bhuta), we fully live
our divine condition, aware of the limitations of the human form.
As Maestro Assagioli said: “Become a Self in expression through the personality.”
On the self-same tree the Jiva is drowned in grief because of delusion and impotency. But when it
beholds the Other, the Supreme honored Lord, His glory, it becomes free from suffering.
—Mundaka Upanishad, 3.1.2
Foundation of Indovedic Psychology and Correlations with Psychosynthesis

The term “Indovedic” refers to all the literature of the millenarian Vedic Wisdom Tradition, regardless of the
modalities of western classification. Indovedic psychology deals with the study of the Scriptures of the Vedic
Wisdom Tradition from a psychological point of view. Its purpose is the knowledge and dissemination of the True
Nature of Being, with the aim of reactivating and developing the faculties and transpersonal qualities present in
potential in each individual so that choices can be consciously and responsibly made throughout the changes in
life, acting in line with one’s essence, the Self. Within this context the “I” is called Atman or Purusha: once aware
of having, therefore being, the same quality as the Source (the Higher Self), although different in magnitude
(Acintyabhedābheda Tattva theory), the Jiva (incarnated being) has the power to choose how to act in line with
Dharma, the Universal Cosmic Order, through actions free of conditioning.
The ego or personal self is called Ahamkara and it represents the primordial wounding occurring at the moment
when the Atman/Purusha enters in contact with Prakriti, the ethereal, fundamental substrate from which all matter
arises. In the Indovedic concept Prakriti consists of three primary forces called the gunas: Sattva (Light,
Consciousness, Purity), Rajas (dynamism, will, drive, rage), and Tamas (stasis, heaviness, crystallization). This
encounter breaks the quiescent equilibrium of the gunas, creating energy, matter, and the separate sense of
consciousness. This is the moment when the spirit loses the awareness of “Being,” becoming a “doer,” conditioned
by continuous input, binding to Karma.
Through the study and practical application of this knowledge, through conscious action, the incarnated being
(Jiva) reaches the awareness of his/her own essential Nature: that of being a Self in expression. This is accomplished
by means of a bodily instrument (form) that uses a spark of itself (the “I” or personal self that has a personality
with contents) to evolve from a state limited by psychic conditioning to that of Synthesis through the process of
Self-Realization.
52
In the Vedas it is explained with objective and considerable detail how all the experiences lived in life accumulate
in the unconscious, called Karmashaya (literally “unconscious tank,” a large part of the Egg Diagram in
Psychosynthesis), where every experience is processed and then transformed into energy that accumulates in the
form of psychic agglomerations, called samskara (“the ensemble-sum” of “everything that has been done--kara”).
Each samskara is characterized by a specific energy, residues of emotions (anger, joy, fear, sadness and the various
nuances related to them) and like a magnet attracts energies of equal value. This generates over time huge
accumulations of unconscious energy that release powerful discharges (vasana) conditioning the unaware being,
who seems to think and act, but in truth is driven by these accumulated and unconscious energies. A real, unlimited,
and latent energy reservoir.
Translation,
Latent Energies ignored

It is as if one had a large deposit available in
his bank
and did not know it!! —
It is an unlimited deposit!!
Develop
53
The Vedas explain how these latent energetic contents (samskara) encase the Self to the point of losing sight of
the original awareness of its “True Nature,” identifying only with the form, acted upon unconsciously by these
energies instead of acting consciously. The samskaras accompany the Self in its transmigration from one form to
another, up to the “Final Liberation” (Kaivalya or Moksha) which consists in the reacquisition of the awareness
of one’s Ontological Nature: The Self, an infinitesimal particle possessing the same high transpersonal qualities
of the Universal Self, being an emanation therefrom but different in magnitude, experiencing itself through the
form.
Hence the meaning of “informing” the substance (Self/Atman) that enters the form (Maya), to know itself and
then its origin, giving a positive sense to the process that in Samkya (the oldest school of Indian systemic philosophy
that is studied in parallel with the Yoga Sutras) is termed “Involution of the Psyche” and subsequently “Evolution
of the Psyche.” In Psychosynthesis this process is called Self-Realization. Maslow referred to it as Self-
Actualization.
The “meta needs” in this context refers to the needs of the Soul/Self/Atman/Purusha to experience life itself by
reconnecting its instrument, the personal self (Ahamkara), through the intuitive mind (Buddhi), to its “Source,”
the Transpersonal Self—and successively to the Universal Self. The meta needs can be seen as a “necessity of the
Soul, therefore a right” to satisfy in order to learn and grow in awareness during the journey in the manifest (Maya).
The satisfaction of the primary needs forms a solid basis from which to refine the personal self, the Ahamkara,
the instrument with which to gain experience in the physical world, and which is in turn a primordial distorted
reflection of the Atman/Purusha/Transpersonal Self, manifested in physical form (Prakriti).
In Vedic thought, the definition of the manifest at whatever level of “condensation,” i.e. from very subtle
psychological processes to the physical body, is termed “Maya” (“the big illusion;” i.e. “that which is not”).
Because of Avidya (cosmic ignorance) the incarnate or manifest being, Jiva, identifies itself with Ahamkara/the
personal self, losing the awareness of its own “True Nature,” the Self. Therefore, since Ahamkara/the personal
self is a subtle manifestation within the more condensed manifestation of Jiva, the Ahamkara/personal self does
not in fact exist. It is an “illusion” with which the Jiva fatally identifies itself, developing a dual state of
consciousness, perpetuating suffering. The process of Synthesis (Kaivalya/Moksha) refers to becoming a Self in
expression in every moment, continuing to live life, but no longer being attracted and attached by Prakriti, the
Ahamkara/personal self and its contents. This is the attitude of Vairagya (disidentification) that gives freedom
despite the experience of the incarnated form.
The dancer dances for those who are still conditioned, whereas the one who has achieved Kaivalya
is no longer attached.
I have a body but I am more than my body
I have emotions and I am more than my emotions
I have thoughts and I am more than my thoughts
I have a story and I am more than my story
I am pure consciousness and will
I am
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Kaivalya Pada:

“Thus, the subtle material nature, having fulfilled its purpose, its progressive alterations end.”
—4.32
“The process, of which moments are a counterpart, and which causes the alterations, comes to an
end and is clearly perceived”. —4.33
“Separation of the spirit from the mento-emotional energy (kaivalyam) occurs when there is
neutrality in respect to the influence of material nature, when the yogi’s psyche becomes devoid
54
of the general aims of a human being. Thus at last, the spirit is established in its own form as the
force empowering the mento-emotional energy”. —4.34
The inner Self shines as pure consciousness. This is Kaivalya, the Synthesis, the absolute freedom.
In Psychosynthesis Life Coaching we recognize conscious action, the act of will exercised moment by moment
in a state of Presence, chosen and executed following the “Call of the Self” in line with one’s Ideal Model, as the
project of the Self/Atman demanding manifestation. Being Present means returning to the original state of pure
awareness and will and feeling the “Emerging Self” that calls for manifestation.
The Vedas
The term “Vedic” references the oldest Indo-Aryan language, present in Shruti literature (Revelations) and distinct
from classical Sanskrit which is written in the Smriti literature: a tradition which is based on the older, Shruti
writings. Shruti and Smriti represent the “Sacred Revealed Scriptures,” through various schools that constitute the
Vedic Tradition (Sampradaya). The linguistic difference that is found in the Vedic Scriptures has led scholars to
draw up a classification of texts based on different eras, an unsuitable modality in this context because it does not
take into account that both the works of Shruti and Smriti describe ontological truths of divine origin (Aparusheya),
universal and eternal (Ananta), from immemorial time revealed and transmitted orally from Master to disciple,
through the practice called “Guru-Parampara,” the transmission of the “Sacred Knowledge.”
These truths and teachings were put in writing only in relatively recent times, for reasons of epochal changes and
loss of awareness which occur in a circular time vision, called Yuga or “Cosmic Cycles.” The term Veda derives
from the verbal stem Sanskrit Vid “to know, to see,” what the Rishis (Masters, great sages) have known through
Intuition, which is considered the only suitable faculty to access the perception of “Ultimate Reality” (darshana),
through the practice of deep meditation. Divine enlightenment and the perception of “Ultimate Reality” are not
accessible in their entirety by means of the rational mind, able to grasp only the superficial envelope (Kosha) or
Maya, of ultimate Reality.
The immense knowledge of ancient India has inspired the contemporary cultures of the western world and of
south-east Asia. For example, the treatise known as Shulba-Sutra or Shulba-Shastra, (2000 BC) contains the
theorems on the right triangle which were later attributed to Pythagoras in Greece.
The precious gift inherent in the Vedic Tradition belongs to all of humanity and represents the most ancient heritage
of knowledge that humanity possesses. In it are treated with meticulous detail many disciplines such as psychology,
logic, archeology, architecture, arithmetic, law, physics, sociology, exploring the physical and metaphysical world
and their correlation.
The last unchanged substratum of the manifestation, the Universal Self or Brahman, is always underlined, present
in every being and unknowable with the ordinary mind (rational mind/manas) that can grasp only the objective
layer (the form or Maya) of the manifestation. Every living being reflects Brahman, the Universal Self, as the
center of individual consciousness, which remains beyond sensory perception because of the contents present in
the conditioned consciousness field of the personal self (Ahamkara). It is however possible to know the Absolute
at the moment when the personal self (Ahamkara) frees itself from the magnetism that binds it (Avidya) to the
relative (Maya), through the practice of emotional detachment (Vairagya—which corresponds to the concept of
disidentification in Psychosynthesis as mentioned earlier—disidentification from the contents with which the
personal self identifies itself and becomes consequently enmeshed, losing sight of its “True Origin:” the Self.
55
The apparent and inconceivable simultaneous difference and equality between the Creator, the Creatures and the
Creation, between the Universal Self and the personal self as the harmonic expression of the Unity in the
multiplicity (Acintyabhedābheda Tattva) is understood and achieves Synthesis at the moment in which the
substratum that transcends any dimensional parameter (space/time) is perceived. Realizing the Self means
experiencing it (the Self), crossing the veil that conceals the Center, the consciousness inside and beyond the
manifest vehicle, thereby acquiring the fundamental understanding that the “Who” which gives awareness is
always and only the Transpersonal Self (Purusha), the unchanged substratum of multiplicity, the support of
everything that exists.
The “unveiling” of one's own True Nature, the Self, and the awareness that, when it is manifested in a form, the
Self experiences itself and its limits in order to evolve and enrich one’s lived experiences, is the ultimate goal of
the Vedas and finds full correspondence in Psychosynthesis .
The “Subject” (Self/Atman/Purusha) is always present in the unconscious, despite being hidden and veiled by
conditioning, and is the “Who” thanks to which the mind thinks, thanks to which we can see, thanks to which we
can feel, thanks to which we can listen, thanks to which we can breathe, thanks to which we are manifest and
experience life itself through our psychological functions. The ultimate goal is to learn and grow in consciousness
through these experiences, by reconnecting with the Source, the Higher Self.
The Bhagavad Gita, also known as the Gitopanishad, represents the essence of Vedic knowledge and is one of
the most important Upanishads in Vedic literature. As seen from this note and numerous other references, Assagioli
was an avid student:
handwritten notes, R. Assagioli archives: "Poetical Translation of the Bhagavad Gita"
12. In truth there never was a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the
future shall any of us cease to exist.
13. As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the
soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.
16. Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the non-existent (the material body)
there is not endurance and of the eternal (the Soul) there is no change. This they have concluded
by studying the nature of both.
17. That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to
destroy that imperishable soul.
56
18. The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come
to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata.
19. Never he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for
the self slays not nor is slain.
20. For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not
come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existent and primeval.
He is not slain when body is slain.
22. As a person put on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts a new material
body, giving up the old and useless one.
24. This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is
everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
25. It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not
grieve for the body.”
—Baghavad Gita, Cap II, Samkhya yoga
As the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.2) and the Śvetāsvatara Upanishad (4.7) describe:
Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and
moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But in some way or other he turns his face to his
friend who is the Lord and knows His glories, at once the suffering bird becomes free from all
anxiety.
Indovedic science provides knowledge and methods that concretely favor the harmonious development of the
personality, in a process of strengthening through integration of the subpersonalities, the synthesis of opposites,
the harmonization of the unconscious elements, the reconnection with the Self and the direct experience of the
transpersonal planes of Reality. This process leads to attainment of the state of “Nonduality,” the object of the
field of Transpersonal psychology, from which emerges the “Call of Self” to act by actions free of Karma (Karma
Yoga - Dharma), in line with the “Purpose of Self.”
The precious values contained in Vedic knowledge are not generally known and have hardly been captured in their
true essence. The subjugation of India by the British Raj opened this ancient Indian tradition to the West, and
Western scholars found themselves confronted by a culture much more remote in space and time than all those
known previously; in consequence derogatory propaganda was put in place within the cultural, religious and
political context of the time in order to diminish and weaken the Vedic thought, reducing it to myth and distorting
its most authentic meanings.
Let us consider, for example, that the core foundation of the Vedas is polymorphic monotheism, not polytheism,
describing with precision the details of the Unity/Universal Self which manifests itself in many forms, while not
losing its wholeness (Achintya-Bheda-Abheda theory). The foundation of Vedic knowledge is the realization of
the Atman-Purusha (Self) which is obtained by the overcoming of Avidya, the cosmic Ignorance generated by the
interaction with the Gunas (Sattva-Rajas-Tamas), energies that structure the Universe, constituents of Prakriti,
Ontological Nature or archetypal female principle.
I dwell in the heart of every being. Memory, knowledge and forgetfulness originate from me; I am
that all the Vedas reveal, I am the author of Vedanta and He Who knows the Vedas.
—Bhagavad Gita, XV, 15
57
Lead Us From the Unreal To the Real,

Lead Us From Darkness To Light,
Lead Us From Death To Immortality,
Let There Be Peace Peace Peace.
— Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.
The teaching of both the Vedas and Psychosynthesis consists in seeking and giving value to what remains
unchanged during all that changes: the Self. Through recognition of the conditionings (identification) and distancing
ourselves from them through non-attachment (Vairagya-disidentification), accepting the Self as Source with which
to identify ourselves (self-identification), we actively participate in the Self-realization process. This continues
through partial Synthesis, up to the realization of the state of Unity in diversity, or Nonduality, (Achintya-Bheda-
Abheda Tattva theory) or Synthesis between the personal self and the Transpersonal Self. ◙
Bibliography:
Bhagavad-Gita as it is. (1983), A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust reg.
Contesto e Fonti della Letteratura Vedica (2004). Marco Ferrini. Ed. Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, dipartimento
delle Scienze Tradizionali dell’India
Psicologia del Samkhya (2004). Marco Ferrini. Ed. Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, dipartimento delle Scienze
Tradizionali dell’India (Continued on page 59)
58
Psicologia della Bhagavad-Gita (2004). Marco Ferrini. Ed. Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, dipartimento delle Scienze
Tradizionali dell’India
Psicologia delle Upanishad (2004). Marco Ferrini. Ed. Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, dipartimento delle Scienze
Psicologia dello Yoga (2004). Marco Ferrini. Ed. Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, dipartimento delle Scienze
I Veda (1977) Raimon Panikkar. Ed. Burr
Assagioli’s handwritten notes from the Assagioli Archive, sourced through various channels
References for Psychosynthesis Life Coaching from “The Synthesis Center” materials.
Cristina Pelizzatti, PLC, is a Certified Psychosynthesis Life Coach with The Synthesis Center (TSC), and Staff
Member of TSC. Cris is co-founder and lead instructor of The Synthesis Center’s TransAlpine training
Program. She holds a Masters Degree in Indovedic Psychology from the Bhaktivedanta Study Center (Centro
Studi Bhaktivedanta/CSB) of the Academy of Traditional Sciences of India, affiliated with Yorker International
University and Bhakti Yoga College/BYC-Florida, (USA). These studies form the foundation from which her
other specializations have followed, as pearls on a single common thread: the study of the Transpersonal in
all its many facets.
59
The Trouble with Mindfulness
Richard Schaub, PhD
M indfulness has improved many people’s lives. Originally promoted to reduce stress (e.g. in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s
mindfulness-based stress reduction), it has since been applied to many other clinical issues. Its research
base in neuroscience has helped to legitimize meditation in general as a health practice. This is all good, and its
acceptance also offers support for other meditative-based approaches, including psychosynthesis, to promote their
benefits. The trouble with mindfulness is that it ignores the imagination.
I make this point from a practitioner’s perspective. I trained in Zen starting in 1971 and sat zazen (Zen meditation)
weekly at the Zen Studies Society in New York for years. I eventually got assigned a koan (a Zen riddle you use
for contemplation); mine was “Show me your face before your parents were born.”
You are supposed to periodically return to the teacher and demonstrate your understanding of the koan. As soon
as I would start talking, the teacher would say “No.” He was correct. I was supposed to show my face before my
parents were born, not talk about it. In other words, I was to show my teacher that I was in the state of consciousness
that continuously exists beyond the timeline of me and my parents. In psychosynthesis, it can be described as
Assagioli’s “consciousness without content.” Similar terms for it include non-duality, oneness, and absolute unitary
being.
When I started training in psychosynthesis in 1975, and my teachers talked about the observing self and/or the “I”
space (the part of us that is conscious and observes our experience), I knew it experientially from the Zen training.
(In Zen, you observe your breath and ignore everything that pulls you away from your breath.) At the same time,
my wife, Bonney, was studying for her master’s degree as a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatry at Adelphi
University, and she met a philosophy professor there who had just returned from a year’s retreat in Thailand in
insight meditation (vipassana), now better known as mindfulness. The professor and I began to sit in meditation
together, and we compared and contrasted Zen and insight meditation and psychosynthesis. So from the inside
out, I can say that neither Zen nor insight meditation/mindfulness pay attention to the imagination. The respect
for the imagination is, for me, an added benefit of psychosynthesis in its meditative aspect.
In some instances, of course, ignoring the imagination is wise. If my imagination generates a fearful image that
is not based in reality, it is healthy for me to turn my attention away from it and return to observing my breath via
Zen or mindfulness practice. Assagioli also recommended this, calling it disidentification. But when my imagination
generates a creative or intuitive piece of information, I want to engage with it and follow where it takes me. Einstein
famously said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” and we want to be open to what our imagination
is showing us.
It is not that you stop imagining things when you practice Zen or mindfulness. Sometimes, because you are ignoring
and/or suppressing it, your imagination gets even more vivid than usual as a result of your practice. A
little-advertised negative side-effect of Zen, for example, is what is called makyo, an imaginative experience of
almost hallucinatory vividness. There is no Western psychology built into Zen or in mindfulness that is established
to process such experiences, though in recent years the teachers of these traditions who are also mental health
professionals are beginning to develop more integrations of psychology/psychotherapy/mindfulness. For those of
us working with psychosynthesis, we see that this is what Assagioli did 90 years ago.
The other trouble with mindfulness as it is often practiced is that it does not take advantage of the benefits of the
imagination. Practicing as a psychiatrist in Florence, Assagioli would send some of his patients to contemplate in
front of the Renaissance paintings and sculpture that exist throughout the city as ways to expand the patients’
60
consciousness. When I think of the stripped-down bareness of the Zen centers (decorated
with perhaps one Buddha stature or scroll) and compare them to the Florentine
transpersonal/spiritual art in which people are depicted “in the light” of higher
consciousness, it seems clear that engaging the imagination helps to educate and inspire
us and needs to be part of the path.
Mindfulness is a profoundly helpful practice, and at the same time psychosynthesis has
something to add to it. I know others trained in psychosynthesis have had this same
insight, and it would be great to compare notes for the benefit of both practices.
Richard Schaub, PhD, is a counseling psychologist and co-director of the New York Psychosynthesis
Institute and the Huntington Meditation and Imagery Center. He can be reached at
drrichardschaub@gmail.com
COMING SUMMER 2018 from the Synthesis Center Press!!

I am extremely pleased to be editing this book on
psychosynthesis coaching. I am honored to have so many
authors, from around the world, contributing to the book.
I am equally excited to have authors who are long time
psychosynthesis practitioners and trainers, and voices
from the new generation of psychosynthesists!
The book will include sections that cover core

psychosynthesis theory; Roberto Assagioli’s history; the
field of psychosynthesis coaching in its many
applications; the themes, populations, philosophical and
social implications of our work; effective strategies &
practices; case studies and unique perspectives from
coaches themselves; (and a section chock full of
exercises and other goodies).
Here’s a peek at some of our chapter titles:
Coaching for Liberation;

Coaching Through Trauma;
The Path of Self Realization: Yoga, Psychosynthesis & the Goodness of Fit;
A Synthesis of Gender;
Soma Wisdom;
61
Transforming Family Life through Psychosynthesis Coaching;

Future of Psychosynthesis through Life Coaching;
New Stories, New Possibilities;
Psychosynthesis & Corporate Coaching;
A Systems Perspective and Psychosynthesis Coaching;
Valuing Self: The Gift of the Cosmos:
The Ecological Self;
Psychosynthesis Career Coaching;
Spiritual Psychosynthesis in Times of Global Crisis;
Psychosynthesis Dreamwork;
Harnessing Contentless Awareness for Change in Coaching Conversations;
Leadership in Existential Crisis.
And there are more.
We look forward to sharing this with the psychosynthesis community and out into the larger world
of life and business coaches. A few issues ago I authored a very brief article, “Please Write.” Many
of you are doing this and so many of us are jumping in to this new book to continue planting the
seeds of psychosynthesis in the world! The Synthesis Center thanks you all, our authors, our
supporters and soon, our readers.
May all beings know peace,
—Didi Firman
62
Coast to Coast:
Psychosynthesis Coach Training for the New Century
Synthesis Center San Francisco, in collaboration with the Synthesis Center, is delighted
to announce our NEW “hybrid” 12-month Board Certified Coach training in
psychosynthesis, with in-person options in New York and San Francisco, combined with
online remote training, beginning June 2018!
This program is offered under the direction of Dr. Dorothy (Didi) Firman who has led the
Synthesis Center in training hundreds of individuals from across the US and Canada, Europe,
Australia, Mexico, Asia and South Africa through their in-person and distance learning
teleconference Transformational Life Coach Programs. Based in Amherst, Mass, the
Synthesis Center now supports affiliate psychosynthesis coach training programs in
Vermont, Italy, Florida and San Francisco with a new program planned for the Philadelphia
area in the fall!
Synthesis San Francisco was founded in 2016 in collaboration with the Synthesis Center
and will be graduating its first cohort of psychosynthesis coaches in March 2018. This
program, while based in San Francisco, is inspired by a vision to provide transformational
learning experiences that support and build a new generation of psychosynthesis coaches
and practitioners around the world. Our growing team is weaving together the many threads
that connect the past and the future of psychosynthesis, Synthesis San Francisco Founder,
Susan Jewkes Allen, and the Center’s growing team, are actively engaged in exploring ways
to support the work of the Istituto Psicosintesi and Gruppo alle Fonti. And, to more fully
63
join together as a global community, through a blend of technology and in-person trainings
and events.
The 2018-19 hybrid program will bring together people from a wide range of geographic
locations to facilitate the development of a new generation of psychosynthesis coaches and
practitioners. Participants can join us in either New York or San Francisco for 3 in-person
weekend sessions in June 2018, October 2018 and February 2019, with an optional weekend
of master classes in May/June 2019. Between live training weekends, participants
will engage in 12 months of live and on-demand webinars, facilitated by Didi Firman,
Synthesis SF Core Faculty and trainers. We will incorporate a blend of learning opportunities
including: peer and individual training support, a bounty of resource material, and co-guiding
practice.
This program will offer a total of 150 hours of psychosynthesis coaching theory, application
and practice that will fulfill the training requirement toward application for the Board
Certified Coaching credential (BCC). Participants will also have access to a bonus series on
Building-Your-Coaching-Practice and another on BCC exam preparation.
Our hybrid approach has been developed in response to those who have expressed a desire
to take action toward answering their inner call of self, while also managing busy and
complex lives. Participants will undergo a rich and powerful personal and professional
growth experience within a workable and more flexible time frame. This blend of in-person,
remote live and on-demand learning offers the opportunity to connect more deeply and
authentically with others, while engaging in the unfolding expression of individual and
inter-individual purpose, values and meaning.
We invite you to visit our website: www.SynthesisCenterSF.com to learn more!
64
PSYCHOSYNTHESIS ARCHIVES
AAP has begun a major initiative to preserve historical psychosynthesis documents,

archives, and materials. We are gathering English-language papers and recordings to
be scanned and made available to the public online or stored at AAP’s permanent
archival home at the University of California at Santa Barbara Library—Humanistic
Psychology Archives: Small Collections. You may see their website by clicking here.
Archives are one of the resources that will be available for psychosynthesis research.
This work takes time and money. We need help in a variety of ways. Work includes
scanning documents, cataloging both paper documents and electronic documents,
preparing the paper document for transmission to UCSB, and preparing electronic
documents for online posting. Jan Kuniholm is the current AAP Archivist, however
he needs to pass this task on to another supporter by June of 2018.
We need funds to support the shipping of the documents and purchase of archival
folders to preserve the paper documents.
You can also volunteer to help with the work!

If you have questions, please email Archives@aap-psychosynthesis.org.
You are invited support this effort with a tax-deductible donation to AAP.
To make a donation, go to https://aap-psychosynthesis.org/Donate
and write a note “For Archives” in the “comment” section.
Thank you!
65

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PSYCHOSYNTHESIS

Volume 7 Number 1 March 2018

Assagioli’s “Extraterrestrials” — Isabelle Küng

Remembering John Parks, MD, and Massimo Rosselli, MD

Poetry by Stephanie Sorrell

New Book: The Call of Self: Psychosynthesis Life Coaching

New Training Classes: Psychosynthesis Coaching Philadelphia

Bringing Psychosynthesis to Life: Workshops in Mass. May 19

I would like to focus on a walk into

Today the benefits of laughter are

When I was a young adult, but still far from mature, I

For if you intend to deal with unusual matters like

And I was mystical, in perfect good faith! I was extreme,

We owe a debt to Assagioli for putting an end to this

Interestingly, novelist and playwright Luigi Pirandello, who was Assagioli’s

So—due to my interests in esoteric matters,

(Continued on page 10)

translated by Gordon Davis. www.books.Googlebooks.com. P.478

even though he was taught nonviolence at home.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington, KY

8:45 am Doors Open

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

(Continued on page 15)

Adult Life and Career

(Continued on page 16)

Spiritual Direction and Christianity

(Continued on page 17)

A guiding principle of Vedanta is that all religious faiths are

David Parks-Ramage is John Parks’ son.

Meaning for the West

—Molly Brown, MA, MDiv

(Continued on page 20)

Here is a memory of a great guy. I'm sad.

—Philip Brooks EdD, California Institute of Integral Studies/ICP

(Continued on page 23)

(Continued on page 25)

I am bending the days,

no longer the sickle-sharp

metering out of the hours;

those regimented soldiers dressed as minutes

patrolling the clock-face of my life.

The chequer-board of Old Khayyam’s

nights and days lies empty.

and I do not have to grasp at it – only marvel.

Last night my soul stretched

out beneath the stars and plucked at Orion’s Belt.

Swam through the Pleiades: bright-eyed ambassadors

of the world’s night.

I am caught in the endless

drift of the universe,

Unfettered, homeless and free..…

On the night of December 26th, Massimo Rosselli passed away

memories and thoughts of Massimo Rosselli

(Continued on page 29)

(Continued on page 30)

This is how I want to think of him in this moment.

(Continued on page 31)

—Richard and Bonney Schaub