The Avatar Times

exploring consciousness
issue twenty-four

When we first started to deliver Avatar to the public, we considered that it was a good product, that it had many years of research behind it, and that it was simple to apply. The processes and exercises were amazingly effective at changing conditions. The course was self-paced, and respectful of what people already knew or believed. Those qualities made the course integrative rather than confrontational. People loved doing the course, and they told their friends about it. That was the beginning.

Contributing To The Creation Of An Enlightened Planetary Civilization ^®

Opening address to the Professional Course by Harry Palmer

What I would like to talk to you about tonight is the evolution of Avatar and my own personal evolution. There seems to be some connection.

In 1986, the trainers and I had just come out of a ten-year stint of poverty working 60 and 70 hour weeks for a religious organization, which for one reason and another, I had lost faith in. That's another whole story, but the point is I was tired of religions, ministers, and non-profit organizations, especially the non-profit part.

Actually, I had drifted away from that organization several years before the others, and I was quietly waiting for them to either confirm my skepticism or to renew my faith. Well, you know how that went. During that fence-sitting period, I began exploring the world as a small-business entrepreneur. In three years I started five businesses, all of which were more or less successful, but not very exciting.

So that is where I was in 1986. I was pretending to be a member of a religion that I didn't believe in; I was running businesses that I didn't enjoy; and I was waking up every morning feeling that the answers to life were slipping a little further away from me. Some of you have been there. That's the dark cloud part.

The silver lining was that this state of affairs led me back to my study of eastern philosophy and into sensory deprivation research, all of which eventually came together in the creation of The Avatar Course. I've pretty well covered this period in the book Living Deliberately. (You can download a free copy of the book Living Deliberately here.)

Let me describe the motivation behind our early delivery of the Avatar Course. We had a breakthrough mind training course that we could teach people to use, and they would pay us for the instruction and experience. The course was so effective that we offered a money-back guarantee, and there were virtually no takers. Graduates raved about the results, and with little or no advertising we continued to grow rapidly.

We had a simple business plan: people would pay us tuition, and we would ensure that they understood the materials and knew how to use them. It was a win-win transaction. Our marketing plan was that satisfied students would tell others, and those others would want to do the course. It worked and was unstoppable.

Now you will have to excuse my immodesty, but the reason why this worked so well was because no one else in the world was offering a mind training program that even came close to being as straightforward, simple, and effective as The Avatar Course. So we grew confident and probably even a little arrogant...okay, maybe a lot arrogant.

I imagined that our customers would say, "Harry, I see that I was mentally blocking myself, and now I realize I can create the life I desire."

And I'd say, "Thank you very much for taking the course. We're glad you enjoyed it." And the deal was done. But we had underestimated the benefits that delivering Avatar had on our own lives. We got better at instructing and the product continued to evolve until it worked better than we had imagined.

One day a prominent NY psychiatrist, who had sent his entire staff to do the Avatar Course, pulled me aside and with the most excitement I ever saw him display, exclaimed, "Do you really know what you've got here? Do you have any idea of what you have discovered? You're teaching methods of consciousness transformation that are more effective than anything I learned in eight years of training in advanced psychotherapy."

So maybe now you understand why we were arrogant.

Days or weeks after finishing the course, people's understanding of what they had experienced continued to grow. They realized they were truly free from their old restraints. Some experienced an ego-free consciousness. I paid attention. Their energy levels shot up. We received the sweetest letters describing how they had used the tools to create miracles in their own lives and in other people's lives.

At first, we considered the letters were just good marketing endorsements, but they were more than that. They were insights from people who were learning to turn the struggles and suffering of their lives into valuable lessons. And they wanted to share their transformation. That's how The Avatar Master Course came about.

Avatars were not only experiencing themselves as the source of their own thoughts and beliefs, they were edging up on the mystical experience of a cosmic source. After several hours of running one of the processes, one student commented, "I feel like I'm in god territory."

The majority of Avatar graduates continued to evolve into higher, wiser, more peaceful people. They gained confidence in their abilities to create. They felt secure, some for the first time in their lives. They made decisions without encountering guilt or doubts. They learned to align beliefs and actions with a goal. They became appreciative of life, and many became financially successful. They were awake and ready to participate in creation. I don't have to tell you this. You know what I'm talking about.

Sometimes when the graduates shook my hand, they were reluctant to let go. They would look into my eyes with a fully awake look that asked, "What should I do now? Is there something in the world that needs to be done?"

And I have turned myself inside out looking for the answer to that question. Is every attempt to better the world really just a resistance to be discreated? Is it enough to return to the peace and calm of one's own center and just watch the world proceed? Appreciating all, understanding all, forgiving all, beyond it all? Or is there something more to be done?

That is the question behind the look. That is what kept people holding my hand and wondering into my eyes. What do we do now? We have found the answers we were seeking, what do we do with them? In the past, we kept ourselves asleep by not knowing, but now we know.

I think that when you pose a question with enough sincerity, and are willing to have it answered, the universe will find a way to answer you. Was there something more that I would like to do?

An answer came back to me. It came in a dream image of a holy man who spoke to me in an Indian accent. He said, "The collective consciousness is not in your head. Your head is in the collective consciousness."

After I had repeated that a few times, I began to understand. It is not enough to work on self. There is a point where personal evolvement must go beyond self-examination into social responsibility. The collective consciousness is not in your head. Your head is in the collective consciousness.

The long handshakes and the looks from the Avatar graduates drifted back to me and began to make sense. They are evolving beyond self-examination. They have made it through the labyrinth of self-delusions. They are awake in the present and looking at the world.

So in its own way the universe explained why the Avatar graduates were sticking around. The question came down to this: if you have somehow acquired the ability to create a civilization that is more peaceful, wise, and of higher quality than what exists, is it responsible to go sit on a beach and contemplate your navel?

So today when the Avatar graduates give me that questioning look, I look right back and say, "I'm contributing to the creation of an enlightened planetary civilization. Would you like to join me?" Wow, would they ever!

This awakening to broader responsibility is why our Avatar Master courses are full. People get stars in their eyes when they think about delivering Avatar. It is fantastic. How would you like to present someone you care about with the experience that, knowingly or unknowingly, they have been seeking for lifetimes? Oh, and get paid for doing it.

Delivering Avatar as a for-profit business is a good thing all around. You are contributing to something worthwhile, but you're not doing it as an unappreciated sacrifice. I think that's why the network keeps growing. It delivers a paid-for training that is free of hidden obligations, belief systems, or guilt trips.

The first thing you will notice about a successful Avatar Master is that they are compassionate and real. This is no phony religion. You won't find Avatar Masters shuffling their feet, hat in hand, asking you for a donation. No. If they did, people would wonder how much to give. Did they give enough? Did they give too much? The whole transaction is surrounded with question marks. Masters just set a fair price and stick with it. They deliver a valuable service for a fair price.

Actually, it is better than a fair exchange, because the product does not wear out, and keeps getting better for the rest of your life. Don't you wish you could get a deal like that on a house or car, or even on a college education.

For me, and I think for all of the trainers here, it has been a long road from the sensory deprivation tank of 1986, up to tonight. I've dodged some of the worst people you can imagine, but also met many of the best and brightest. And I think the best and brightest are here.

I'm not sure how to express the deep appreciation that I have for your support and for your friendship. I think I'll just express my appreciation by continuing forward and contributing what I can to the creation of an enlightened planetary civilization. Feel free to join me if you like. Thank you.

The Story of The Avatar Course

How does Avatar differ from other practices or self-help technologies?

People usually argue for or against beliefs about what is true. They practice something because they believe it is true. Someone says, "This is the way to live," and because they are convincing, or a charismatic role model, or have some power over you, you believe their instructions. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it is the big difference between Avatar and most other practices. Avatar is not going to tell you what to believe.

Avatar will do two things for you: first, it will show you how to connect the dots between what you are believing and what you are experiencing in life; second, it will teach you how to dissolve a belief that is creating an experience that you don't prefer. The focus is on exploring consciousness and only changing the things in life that you want to change.

Extraordinary Moments

Words cannot describe the "awe" I feel. I always had a seed of a belief that there was some magic to help people heal and grow (apart from psychology, counseling, rebirthing, etc.) and I've found it – Avatar is the magic. Awesome creation, Harry!

I thought there might only be a couple of monks on a mountain top with this magic/secret and it's actually available to everyone. –A.B.

A friend invited me to go to an afternoon Intro to Avatar in Halifax on a snowy Saturday afternoon in March. I was interested enough to sign up for a Sunday session with a small group for 2 1/2 hours. I had been studying and practicing Buddhism for the last four years and really enjoyed what I was learning. 

I couldn't resist coming to the nine day course in Montreal two weeks later. I was hopeful that this course would enhance my practice by a lot. I had (of course) no idea what I was going to encounter. I was so thankful for your work, your dedication and your ability to put this material into this format. It seems so available. It seems to gently invite one to feel.

Today is day nine. I feel so light and joyful. I considered myself an optimistic person before this course. Now, I feel like I can freely give of myself to all the people in my life. What a wonderful gift to me and to all who I share it with. I will be going to Masters. Thank you Harry. –D.R.

...I am very happy because I've perceived how I can contribute to the creation and maintenance of an EPC to which you have dedicated your whole life. I am a doctor and I love what I do, and I know that I can help a lot working as a doctor, and I feel that I am doing what I want. I know how I can contribute by creating medical students that will be good professionals in the future, and with everyone that I live with, my husband, my kids, and my friends to help with their transformation with all my love and deeds. Thank you for all the love and compassion you have with all of us. I'll see you at Wizards 2009. –R.K.

Like so many other people on the course, I felt that my life had been limited by poor past decisions and transgressions that I had not found the courage and honesty to take responsibility for. These two weeks have been absolutely fantastic as my honesty with myself improved and my consciousness expanded. I felt able to go deeper into secrets and hidden agendas and float. Ultimately there were emotional times with many tears shed without embarrassment and the feeling of owning my own responsibility to my darkest secrets and moments was totally exhilarating.

The strange feeling of feeling quiet one moment and then revived the next was fantastic, shortly followed by the ability to laugh at myself. Is was an experience I would recommend to everyone.

One more small step closer to an EPC. Thanks to everyone that came on for the journey, and best wishes to all that follow and/or come back. –R.B.

All my life I have been searching – I've crossed plains and deserts. I've climbed mountains. I have practiced yoga. I've sat for hours in meditation, but nothing could compare to the teachings from Avatar and Masters and the finale of realizations, at Wizards.

All the pain, depression, illness, and limited horizons are gone, and I am soaring like an eagle. I have found my current of wind. I have come home. Thank you Harry. Thank you Star's Edge.  Thank you one and all. –A.P.

For more "extraordinary moments" from Avatar students, please visit AvatarResults.com

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With Avatar everyone wins. Every person who becomes an Avatar shifts the collective consciousness toward greater tolerance and understanding. Helping yourself with Avatar helps everyone else at the same time. – Harry Palmer

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