Shin-Terayama > Invitation

Findhorn

Findhorn is situated in the northern part of Scotland by the North Sea. It started as a spiritual community in 1962 and afterwards became an educational trust called The Findhorn Foundation. Nowadays it is well-known all over the world as a place of spiritual education. Since 1992, Findhorn operates as an NGO (Non Governmental Organization), associated with the department of public information of the United Nations, proposing new ideas on how to protect nature and increase people's consciousness to ecological threats to our planet.

My connection with Findhorn started when I was invited as a speaker to the International Conference held in October 1988. I was the only person from Japan there. At that time, I still had cancer in my right lung. Fearing that my condition might get worse, my wife, friends and doctors objected to my going to Findhorn. I was at a loss and could not decide whether I should go or not. My dear friends, Mrs. and Mr. Yamakawa, helped me by channeling my future. The channeling indicated that I was meant to go to Findhorn and by visiting there I would change the direction of my life and find my Guardian Angel. I decided to accept the invitation. The subject of my talk to the participants of the Conference was "The Rise and Fall of Japan"...from a Japanese man's perspective. I talked about how the increasing pollution in Japan affected the growing number of cancer patients, producing data as evidence. Then I spoke about my own experience of recovery from cancer and how I was helped by playing my cello daily. At the end of my talk, I played Pablo Casals' "Song of the Birds" and felt that the participants were deeply moved by the music. I stayed in Findhorn about 40 days loving my cancer and enjoying the hugging and loving energy of Findhorn people. On returning to Japan, I went to the hospital to have an X-ray examination and my lung cancer could not be found. It had disappeared. Some time later I received a letter from Findhorn informing me that at a fellowship meeting, they had decided to nominate me a Fellow of the Foundation. Being thus honored, I felt it my duty to introduce the spirit of Findhorn to Japanese people not yet acquainted with it and, since then, it has become a constant part of my activity. I have organized several group tours from Japan to Findhorn with an interpreter for the benefit of people who are not English speakers. In 1999 I wrote a book in Japanese titled "An Invitation to Findhorn". By reading this book many Japanese now know about Findhorn and even go to visit there.

Because I have experienced recovery from cancer, I can be consulted by many cancer patients who fear death by their disease. I explain to them how to activate the natural healing power that exists within the body.

In the past, I was a co-founder of "The Japan Holistic Medical Society" and served as an Executive Director for 8 years since 1987 trying to increase the number of Society members. I attended conferences of Holistic Medicine including the annual conference of The American Holistic Medical Association. I met many masters of Holistic Medicine. One of them is Dr. Andrew Weil who became one of my best friends. Through connections in the USA I became acquainted with Esalen Institute.

Esalen

Both Findhorn and Esalen were established in 1962. Since then they have been connected in many ways. Esalen was influential in the USA as a human potential movement during the sixties and seventies. It is situated in California at a place that has been sacred to Native Americans for 5000 years and it includes a hot spring.
I visited Esalen for the first time in 1989 and since then I have made 3 additional visits. I joined workshops and gave a talk there as well. I felt that Findhorn and Esalen share a common aim in some ways, as their goal is to help people to expand their consciousness in a spiritual direction.
My present connection with Esalen started in 2000, when I invited Lev Seller, a holistic massage therapist from Findhorn to Japan. Looking for a place for his private sessions in Tokyo, I rented a room from Amu Co. in Waseda Shinjuku and met Mari Kamada of Amu Co. She studied Esalen massage in Esalen, became a therapist and is now trying to spread Esalen Body Work all over Japan. Ms. Kamada was born in Hanamaki, Iwate Pref. where my favorite Japanese poet the late Kenji Miyazawa was born. By this coincidence I feel more deeply connected to Esalen.

I feel "Body Work" may help people to open their charkas and increase their sensitivity to Subtle Energy. Therefore, it can be helpful to students of holistic medicine who wish to apply their knowledge of Subtle Energy to their medical work. Since that includes a more spiritual approach, it may bring on a transformation in today's conventional medicine in the direction of a more humane attitude towards people seeking medical help.

Esalen is world famous for its initiation into Body Work. The term Body Work came to use in the 1960's, when Esalen contributed to the recovery of soldiers suffering from emotional trauma after their battlefield experiences in the Vietnam War. They could not tolerate the noise in the cities and were helped by the peaceful atmosphere in Esalen. Their therapy in Esalen included work relating to their body, mind, emotion and spirit. The total therapy was called Body Work and became recognized by practitioners in the therapeutic world. Since then its popularity has spread all over the world. I consider Body Work an essential aid to spiritual growth which will play an important role in the future. Body Work makes people discover their true selves by expanding their consciousness through many experiences. They can transcend their physical body, help their spirituality to grow more easily and learn to enjoy life. My intention is to make people aware that the Body Work therapy offered by Esalen can help their spiritual growth, sensitize them to subtle energy and thus enhance their ability to use it for healing purposes.