Show notes
Dear friends,
I didn't want to wait too long before I give you an update on what is happening here. There has been so much going on in the last few days, that I felt like I really needed to write to you now (maybe in a totally selfish way). If you don't know what I am referring to, you can watch this video
To save you time, here is what I want to write about today, feel free to skip to whatever subject interests you the most. I will do a video and podcast episode on this also in the upcoming days.
1. Channel Updates
2. Meditation course renaming + scholarships
3. Book Club!
4. Free group coaching
5. Work with me!
6. Updates on the Stress Rehab Center
7. How to continue supporting the channel
Channel Updates:
You have probably heard of the challenges we are facing with the youtube channel and the podcast.
First and foremost, I want to thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. I would not have done it without you all.
In the last 72 hours, I have received hundreds and hundreds of emails of support, help, and so much love. It got me very emotional, and made me realize that this was a reality: Obstacles make you stronger!
This whole thing has been a blessing in disguise. I have spend the whole night of Friday and the last two days sending and replying to emails from you guys, as well as on the phone, zoom and WhatsApp helping me to dissect the letter and finding a solution.
I don't have the right words to express my gratitude for your time love and energy. This has made me so much stronger and more determined than ever in my commitment to this mission of spreading meditation and consciousness to a new level.
The plan for now is simple: I will change the wording of all the videos, delete many of them, and see what happens. Because it was the weekend, I have not heard from them again, but they will probably contact me again next week. I will let you know in more details what will happen. The deadline they gave me is October the 1st. everything will be clear then.
If we do have to shut down the channels, we will make a new one, and continue the great work we have started together.
One thing that I have been contemplating on a lot in the last two days, is that this is not MY channel.
This is OUR channel. It belongs to all of you.
We keep talking about our self not being separated from THE SELF, the universe, nature, and this is a reflection of all that. We are not part of the world, we ARE the world.
And to that extent, I want to find ways to make this even more on the forefront of our work: to have you participate more into what we are doing.
Meditation Course Scholarships
I have sent an email to all the people participating in the course. We are still in pre-launch, but it will start in 2 weeks. I have said it there, but I will say it here again, just in case. The course will go on. I have to work a bit more now to change a few words in the content here and there, I will change the whole title and structure, but the content itself stays untouched. The theory, the philosophy and the practice.
During the whole pre-launch of the course, I have offered you all 50% discount. I realise that this is not enough of a discount for many of you, and I would hate that you would feel left out.
And so, I am introducing scholarships.
If you are a student, a veteran, a single mom, or simply are struggling financially (I feel you... can be very stressful...), send me an telegram channel. We will start a book club to learn together. My initial idea was to give you a title of a book, that we will read and then I would make a video. But with all the events that have happened in the last few days, the idea grew to something different: I would like for us to all participate actively.
Here is how I thought we could do it:
1. We choose a book to read
2. We share some highlights and thoughts on the telegram group chat.
3. I organise a group Zoom meeting
4. We make a video TOGETHER where we can all talk about it and express our thoughts and share how it reflects on us.
I would love to start with the book by Ryan Holiday "The Obstacle is the Way". I have read it many times, and I would love to read it again with you guys.
If you want to participate, you can join the telegram group, and you can also send me a message or email if you would like to participate to the zoom group call. It will be recorded of course, as we will put it on youtube after.
This will, of course, be completely free. I am not sure how often we will do this, maybe once or twice a month? You decide, let me know.
Free group coaching
Maybe you already know, one of my main activities is life coaching and meditation / consciousness guidance. I do this 1 on 1 with people that reach out to me. Because of time constraints, this is not something that I typically advertise too much.
I would like to take this to a new level, and offer you group coaching, for FREE.
I know that not everyone can afford to get private coaching, so I thought we could do it this way. Instead of me talking alone on youtube or on the podcast, we can have some sessions together, via zoom, and then put it on the podcast and yt channel. This will allow you to express your opinions on our platform, and I hope that both the people participating and those just watching later will get value from.
Many issues we face in life can be scary, until we realise that we are not alone... If you would like to participate, please send me a message. Again, this will be completely free. I understand that not everyone wants to be on youtube, but we can also do it without video for people that feel more comfortable.
This is just an idea I am putting out there, please let me know what you think.
Work with me!
In the last few days, many of you have reached out to help with your time, skills and energy. I think we are doing something really great here together. If you would like to work with me, in any capacity, then do let me know.
I am not sure what I am looking for, but you might know. Again, this is in the spirit of togetherness, and we can talk about details privately. Again, just an idea I thought of shooting out there.
Stress rehab center / meditation retreats.
We talked about this in previous emails, and I am so happy to tell you that we are moving forward with this dream.
It is still just a dream, but with the help of you guys, we are actually making it happen.
The first center should happen on the Island of Korcula, in the south of Croatia. It is so beautiful there, it is the perfect place to meditate together, breathe together, pick fruits and vegetables together, cook together, eat together, etc. I can't share too many details on this project just yet, not because it is secret, but because it is not really clear in my head yet. It is still just a dream that we are working on converting into a goal, and then making it happen in the next few years.
Do let me know what you think and if you would like to participate. If you do, I will send you a little survey for you to answer a few questions to help defining the whole project. We are doing it together, and it will be fantastic!
Also, if you want us to do in person meditation retreats in other places, please let me know where, and we can see if we have enough participants to organize something next to you!
How to continue supporting the channel
Many of you have asked that I create a crowd funding to help the channel, pay legal fees in the future if we need to, and so on.
Although I really really appreciate the thought, I am not comfortable asking for money like this. I already do the Buy Me a Coffee thing in the beginning of each meditations, and that is as far as I am comfortable to go. We don't know how much such legal fees could cost, and their pockets have no bottom.
I would like to, as soon as possible, forget about the whole thing, change all the words so that they don't bother us again, and focus on what REALLY matters: our journey. our work. our purpose. our duty. our connectedness. our conscious.
We are doing great work here together, and we should not spend too much energy and focus on these people. If we do, they win.
From what I understand, and I understand very little, the law is on my side. They don't need me to lose though, they just need to proceed. Their whole business model is based on secrecy and exclusivity, and mystery.
This is why they are so angry. It has nothing to do with the actual meditation, or the technique... It's sad, but that's how it is. We move on and we are grateful for the opportunity to practice our philosophy, our virtues. Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome, wrote to himself in his meditations: "Respond to injustice with justice".
Epictetus, in his Discources, wrote:
"Eat like a human being, drink like a human being, dress up, marry, have children, get politically active--suffer abuse, bear with a headstrong brother, father, son, neighbor, or companion. Show us these things so we can see that you truly have learned from the philosophers."
I had journaled about it in my morning routine a few years back and here is what I wrote:
- It is important to study philosophy - of course it is!
- But it is also just as important, if not more important, to live your life. Create your experiences. It is the only way that we can truly understand the deeper meaning of what we study.
- We must not become old wisdom librarians - just collecting sterile knowledge - we must apply what we learn in our lives, and lead the people around us, not by preaching, but by being radiant exemplars.
- It is also only by living your life, that you will know if you have really taken these teachings to heart, meaning: can you walk the talk?
- It is so easy to preach, talk and write about such honourable principles as virtue, courage, justice and self-mastery. But can you actually apply them? Can you step in between stimulus and response? Can you respond to injustice with justice? To fear with courage? To vicious temptation with self-mastery? To adversity with love? It is action and experiences that bring meaning to the words of the masters you admire.
If you do want to support the channel, continue being who you are.
Continue on this journey, stay curious, practice your meditations every day, continue learning, challenge me, challenge yourselves.
We have so many beautiful things coming our way.
I know that I sometimes call you a meditation community, because I lack a better word.
We are a community, of course, but we are not "in-people" in conflict with "out-people".
This is the trap too many groups face. The danger of in or out, is exactly what Alan Watts talks about when he speaks of Spiritual Pride being the worst of all sins.
That is the problem with such cults or organisations we are currently having challenges with: They practice transcendence, and in their philosophy, it is about being connected to what they call the unified field of consciousness. We transcend the ego, the thoughts, to go beyond and reach the source of thought. The source of thought is the same for all: rocks, trees, bees, people, and even space. This is why it is such a paradox, the way they want to separate themselves as a group, or religion, or cult, or however they want to call themselves. They are practicing trying to connect with ALL, whilst at the same time, being recluse in an exclusive club.
That just does not work, and it is part of the reason why I have decided, years ago, to leave it. I have never liked certainty on such matters as the source of the universe, because the beauty of it all, is that there is none. There is no truth. There are perceptions, and these perceptions or just thoughts. We are all, when it comes down to it, thoughts. Ideas. Concepts. Symbols.
And so another way to support the channel is to keep me, and all of us accountable, when we sound too certain of certain things. Of course, I am sometimes very enthusiastic on a theory on consciousness, on the universe, but we must always remind ourselves, that it is just that: a theory. That enlightenment, for the lack of a better term, or awakening, self-realisation, happens during an inner dialogue created by awe in front of nature. We could talk about this for hours, but that was not the point of this email. haha.
I can finish with a quote that I shared with you already a few weeks ago in an email, by Voltaire, who said something along the lines of "Uncertainty is scary, but certainty is insanity".
On a more practical level, please continue to share all these videos and podcasts and emails and articles to all the people that might benefit from them. Youtube has an algorithm. This is how you have found me. The algorithm is secret, so we don't know really how it works, but they have made it clear that the more engagement we have, the more the platform will guess it to be a useful piece of content. So don't hesitate to like, comment and share all the meditations you like.
This has already been a long enough message.
Thanks again so much, from the bottom of my heart, for all your support, kindness and love.
Thank you for your presence and your trust, and let us make this new beginning a beautiful and continuously uncertain journey.
Love you all so much!
Your friend,
Raphaël.