An overview of Mentored Self Mastery Programs.
Walking a Sacred Path through life requires honour.
Honour for yourself, honour for other beings, honour for the Earth and honour for the mysteries of life and the aspects that are 'unseen' - the spiritual. The challenge of this path is to have enough awareness to be self directed and to attain a level of self mastery that enables you to do this.
Read the article "Walking a Sacred Path in Our Material World [3]"
Self Mastery is the ability to determine what you want and then to master your emotional and physical responses to enable you to be that person. It is the ability to balance the inner ‘being’ with the outer ‘doing’.
The challenge is best described by analogy – 70% of people who have open heart surgery don’t change their ways after surgery even though they know they should. Why is this? Why is it that most of us have something in our lives that we are not happy with or know we should or should not be doing but we simply, for whatever reason do not do it?
Most people learn Self Mastery through adversarial or challenging life experiences. The Self Mastery Program seeks to empower you with these skills without the adversarial life conditions.
This course draws from the fields of Ontological Philosophy, Neuroscience and Quantum Physics then blends this with real life practicality.
The key steps in the course are:-
The Self Mastery Course incorporates 8 one hour sessions,email contact in between sessions and reading where appropriate.
The initial session goes through the underlying philosophy and sets the stage for how we work together. Then approximately every 4 weeks we review what you have done in the last month – focusing on what you are doing right, any issues that have come up, what you plan to do for the coming month, and where you are at with regard to your overall plan.
Each month also introduces core practices based on the 8 Self Mastery Principles.
The key guiding principles of this course are:-
The course is only available to graduates of The Self Mastery Course.
It assumes that one has atained a level of proficiency in the 8 Self Mastery Principles
and then builds on these to take particpants to a much deeper level of being.
Walking a Sacred Path explores the notion of honour in four directions:
The Self, other Beings, the Earth, and the Spiritual aspects of life.
Courses are available Worldwide
All you need to access the Program is an Internet connection capable of running Skype.
For further information email selfmastery@acping.net [4]
"A.C. Ping took me on a journey of Self Mastery and Self Exploration. I found his style and support to be very positive, encouraging and motivating. The program has contributed towards a wonderful change in both my professional and personal life. I have grown as a person and as a leader, and I have developed skills that now help me through some difficult & challenging situations. I really enjoyed the time spent with A.C. and the journey we took together. The outcome is very satisfying and I would highly recommend the program."
Senior Executive, Adelaide, Australia
"At a time of deep self doubt and questioning I was given courage to confront my fears, face the world asking the relevant questions, and look for the control I needed in my life. All of this was made possible by the inspirational approach A.C. Ping offered in his books BE, DO and FAITH.
From there I went on to have 1-1 coaching sessions which offered clarity of vision, defeating my perception that my problems stemmed wholly from victimisation and bullying within the workplace. Over a period of several months of coachingI was able to take ownership for my actions and build for the future by defining my goals. From this I now have a successful consultancy business in fashion retail and I am pursuing my dream of writing poetry and fiction. His books BE, DO and FAITH are a constant source of reference and support."
Fashion Consultant, London UK
Are you in a period of life transition?
Have you finished a course, scaled a mountain, built a business, raised some kids, or achieved another long held goal and are now wondering WHAT'S NEXT?
Have you lost the vitality that comes from having a bold, grand and inspiring life vision?
Take a DEEP breath and plunge into a 4 week program of thought provoking and challenging exercises all designed to get YOU onto your inspired life path.
You can do this program no matter where you are in the World. As long as you have an Internet connection we can talk face to face using Skype and I will guide you through the process.
Introduction
The first session I will take you through the theory behind the program, how it has developed and what you might expect. This session is free of charge and obligation (on both sides). After we have met and gone through the material we will both go away and decide if we want to commit to working with each other over the following 4 weeks. It is important to make sure that this program is right for you and vice versa.
Week 1
We look at connecting to your Passions, what you believe you DESERVE from life and what have been the Defining Moments in your life so far.
Week 2
The Vision Quest exercise incorporating physical, mental, emotional, material and spiritual aspects of being.
Week 3
Connecting with FutureMe, Creating Milestones on the Journey, and Getting Beyond Thinking.
Week 4
Creating a Circle of Honour, Building a Daily Practice and Monthly Rituals to keep you on track.
I will hold you to your truth and provide a solid sounding board for you.
The quest involves meditation, visualisation, drawing and other more quantitative planning tools. It draws from the latest findings in neuroscience and quantum physics mixed together with ancient wisdom and ontological philosophy all rolled together and applied to the REAL world.
Quests can be done wherever you are in the World. You just need an Internet connection capable of running Skype. Total cost for the Program is A$2000 including all support materials.
Don't get to the end of your life and wonder 'What if?'
Every moment of every day offers you a new opportunity to create the future you wish for. So what are you waiting for? This Program will change your life - read what people who have completed the Program have to say
http://www.acping.net/testimonials#Vision_Quests [5]
If you would like to know if this is for you then email me to book a FREE one hour Skype session. I will explain to you the theory behind the program and the process involved. You can tell me why you want to do the program then we can decide if it is suitable.
You can also try a sample exercise by clicking on the link below
If you would like to go through a Vision Quest on your own then it is now possible to do the Vision Quest Program Online. For a cost of A$30 I will set up a user account for you so you can have access to the member site for one month.
This includes the 12 exercises, readings and the Personal Development Plan.
Please email me for further information.
For more information email info@acping.net [7]
Feedback has included the following:-
"Alistair brings amazing clarity and understanding to one of the most
difficult things a human being can do- make change and design a vision to
lead a rich meaningful life.
I reached the age 46 and was finding myself at wits end, struggling to see
anything positive in the world.
The mental slippery slope down began following a major heart operation 5
years earlier. For the last few years I have found myself in and out of
depression, desperate to find my place in the world and just struggling to
embrace anything in life.I found myself trying to make change but quickly sabotaged any efforts. So
of course my mind was ruled by negative self talk and poor self belief. I
had almost given up any hope.After just having spent four weeks doing my Vision Quest with Alistair I
have finally been able to see the sun shine again. The work has given me the
ability to create a clear meaningful vision and be able to embrace every
little thing in life along the way. I believe this to be the clearest vision
I have had in my life.I had previously done a lot of work and retreats in Buddhism, Yoga Tai Chi
etc but it was Alistair's ability to translate many of these philosophies
into a practical usable and skillful manner that made all the difference. He
understand the human mind very well and has the skills, wisdom and ability
to take us to where we all deserve to be.Thanks Alistair you are doing some very important work and I look forward to
continue working with you into the future."Philip
A new Permaculturalist, Environmental Educator, Earthship Builder and
Transition Town Facilitator!
"While cruising along in my consulting and renovation company but knowing that I was not following my ‘life passion’ I needed the impetus and a set of tools to help me find my ‘life passion’, commence the right path and then have a check list to determine if my life was running in synergy.
Then A.C Ping came into my life – Alistair has managed to break down life forces in to energy and energy consumption, simple mechanisms to allow new ideas and approaches to flow into your life, relinquish the need to dwell on past experiences, allow a synergy between right and left brain, encompass a vision for an ‘ideal life’ incorporating the nurturing of all areas of life and much more.
Alistair and I worked well together exploring the key aspects of moving from a reactive energy draining life style to a proactive energy conserving life style and finally developing a Personal Development Plan. Alistair’s practices are simple, easy to understand and very effective and in my case made vast improvements in happiness, time management, creativity, goal setting and achieving my goals I would highly recommend Alistair to anyone from people finding life difficult, to those ‘treading water’ and those who may need a few life adjustments – it is life changing.”
Vision Quest Participant, John Ellen, Managing Director.
"After reading "BE" I set about tackling the exercises and making a plan.
It looked OK on paper but I didn't really see myself doing it. I thought it would probably end up at the bottom of my desk drawer. After two, four hour one-on-one sessions working through the exercises and being forced to confront issues and work through ways and means, suddenly life was breathed into my plan. It was not only a plan on paper, it was in my head and in my heart too. The techniques I learnt were simple but so very effective.
I felt very comfortable and feel I learnt things I can carry with me for ever. I look forward to a 12 month review next year!"
Overview
One of the key things that I have learned from working with people to connect them with their passions is that the first step may be to THINK about what you want from life but true connection does not occur until you FEEL what that future is like.
The exercise below is an example of the type of exercises that are in the Vision Quest Program. The key to getting the most out of it is to allow yourself to FEEL deeply and allow your intuition to inform your mind.
Once you have done some 'thinking' about your Vision and have written it down or possibly drawn a picture of it try the following exercise:-
Go off to a quite place where you can meditate and get yourself into a calm centred and relaxed state. Now take yourself forwards in time to the end point in your Vision (whatever time frame you set for your Vision – e.g. 6 months, 2 years, 5 years etc).
Come into the reality of your Vision as an observer. Find yourself – your ‘FutureMe’ - in your Vision and sit and watch and observe ‘FutureMe’.
How is FutureMe being? How is FutureMe behaving? How is FutureMe feeling?
Watch and observe FutureMe for as long as you can.
When you are ready come back to the present and reground yourself.
Now ask yourself – Am I in love with FutureMe?
That is, when you reflect on what you saw as your future self – did you absolutely 100% unreservedly LOVE FutureME??
If yes, your Vision is good. If not then you need to revisit your Vision and revisit and refine FutureMe until you do get to the point where you are in LOVE with FutureMe.
Once you are at that point you then need to practice Walking between the Worlds. Taking time to go to the future and observe FutureMe and the world in which he or she lives. Charge this world with as much emotional energy as possible. Ask yourself WHY you want this will stir emotions. Visualise it with as much clarity as possible so as to begin to put some spin and momentum into the Future/Present loop that you wish to create.
Remember the aim here is to train your mind to seize the moment of opportunity that arises in between thought and action and to take action aligned to the Future you desire rather than the Past that you are addicted to. By visualising the Future with emotional intensity what we wish to do is to start to tap into our feelings about this Future and hence create the corresponding chemicals AND replace our old addictions with new ones.
Make sense?
The more you Walk between the Worlds the more you will build a relationship with FutureMe. The more you will create a strong link between your Present reality and the Future you want.
Once you have done this - when faced with a decision in the Present you can simply ask – What would FutureMe do in this situation?
When you have your answer don’t try to rationalise it. Don’t try to justify it in any way. Just do it and slowly but surely you will become FutureMe.
The second part of Walking between the Worlds is walking backwards and reclaiming your power.
In this exercise, you need to identify any past issues that bother you or somehow limit you from being who you want to be.
Take yourself off somewhere quiet once again and get yourself centred and grounded. When you are ready go back to the time in question. Observe your PastMe for a while until you feel you have truly connected. Now sit down with PastMe and have a talk with them.
What do you feel you need to say to your Past self? What does PastMe most need to know so that they can be truly whole and truly powerful?
Make peace with PastMe and nurture them as much as possible. Help them to release whatever fear, doubt or anxiety they may be holding onto. Lastly, bring them into a space of joy and see them happy and playing.
When you are ready come back to the Present and reground yourself in the moment.
Now you know how to Walk between the Worlds.
Next challenge is to practice it until you are fluid in the skill and able to float between the Past, Present and the Future as your needs desire.
Through working with organisations on Leadership Programs, what has always amazed me is that so much time and money is spent on short courses - some as brief as half a day. Participants are then expected to go back to their workplaces and 'bingo' be transformed into great visionary leaders who can, not only remember, but also apply what has been taught.
In my experience this approach might work for about one person in ten, but for the rest of us it is just too much to take in.
In the course of running Leadership Programs I kept asking
"What is it that makes a great leader great?" and
"Can you learn it?" or "Do you have to be born with it?"
My conclusion is that there are 8 Key Leadership Principles that you need to be able to master:-
Of course, it is not enough to simply be able to understand these Principles, one must be able to master emotional and physical responses to enable you to be a great leader - in other words "You can't fake it!"
The Honourable Leader Program incorporates the learnings from The Sacred Path Program and hence draws from the fields of Ontological Philosophy, Neuroscience and Quantum Physics then blends this with real life practicality.
The key steps in the Program are:-
The Honourable Leader Program incorporates 8 one hour sessions. The initial session goes through the underlying philosophy and sets the stage for how we work together.
Then approximately every 4 weeks we review what you have done in the last month – focusing on what you are doing right, any issues that have come up, what you plan to do for the coming month, and where you are at with regard to their overall plan.
The key guiding principles of this program are:-
So "Does it work?"
"Our interstate business was growing strongly but the team responsible for a large amount of the work was under stress, with interpersonal relationships severely stretched. Tension at work was high and the personal health and performance of the team members began to suffer. There were a string of historical factors at play - performance, people and business issues that had not been effectively dealt with led to an impasse between management and staff.
Individually, the manager and team members showed a strong desire for things to be different but none of them could see a clear path to improve the situation and their motivation to seek change was at an all time low. It was obvious that some fast and constructive intervention was required.
A thorough team review and skilled counseling from our internal HR consultant identified the most effective way to create a fast change was to empower and motivate the local manager to lead from the front and create the change the team needed. Through her recommendation we engaged A.C. Ping to undertake a 6 month executive coaching program.
What can I say?
The transformation was amazing at both a personal and team level.
The individually adapted approach provided by A.C. cast a new light on the situation and empowered the initially skeptical manager to not only challenge and change their own behaviour and responses, but to take responsibility for setting standards for the team.
Over a short period of time, they moved from a closed, individual and quite often hostile group to an open, communicative and collaborative team that were able to enjoy and create more success - all instigated by the management turn around.
Twelve months later, it's hard to believe this group of motivated and happy people is the same team we despaired of. I'm very glad A.C. Ping was part of our team."
—KPMG Australia
For further information email info@acping.net [7]
The Re-Invention Retreat is a weekend retreat beginning on Friday evening and finishing Sunday evening.
It is conducted in groups of no more than 12 and focuses on three tasks –
Feedback on the retreat has included the following:-
"This is powerful work, deeply intuitive and yet firmly grounded in the real world - a synthesis of eternal truths and cutting edge technologies - which facilitated for me a profoundly transformative experience in a most fun and enjoyable environment."
"Thankyou so much for your insights and for your shared love of life. You helped me organise my box in a new way and I would not hesitate to praise you to sky high."
"This retreat was a life changing experience because it helped me to focus and get clear and then gave me the skills required to facilitate change."
"This retreat was well organised, practical, real and very helpful with simple tools to create change in a friendly and relaxed environment to share and grow in."
- All reinvention retreats are limited to 12 people -
To book a place for Retreats in 2010 email us at info@acping.net [7]
NOTE:- In additon to the Reteats in Australia there will be a Retreat in London on the weekend of July 17th and 18th please email Deborah Campbell at deborah_campbell@btinternet.co [8]m to book a place
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it"
—Goethe
Links:
[1] https://acping.net/self-mastery/mentored-program/sacred-path
[2] https://acping.net/self-mastery/mentored-program/guided-vision-quests
[3] https://acping.net/catalyser/walking-sacred-path-our-material-world
[4] mailto:selfmastery@acping.net
[5] http://www.acping.net/testimonials#Vision_Quests
[6] http://www.acping.net/self-mastery/mentored-program/guided-vision-quests/guided-vision-quest-program-outline
[7] mailto:info@acping.net
[8] mailto:deborah_campbell@btinternet.co