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Dear Friends, We are now celebrating twenty years of the Aramaic Prayer work. Thanks be to the One! In the years since 1982, I developed the translation and interpretation work now available in three books: Prayers of the Cosmos, Desert Wisdom, and Hidden Gospel. Over the years, many people have been inspired and have responded to this work by asking for permission to lead or share it in various settings. I have been asked to clarify the expectations for preparation and how to obtain permission to publicly present the Dances of Universal Peace to the Aramaic Prayer (as well as the Beatitudes cycle and other expressions of the Native Middle Eastern work). This work is experimental, not only for the Dances of Universal Peace but also for spiritual practice in general. Because of this, the way that these particular Dances, and all other facets of the Aramaic work, are presented to the public is very important. For those who are not familiar with the Dances of Universal Peace, this is the context/crucible in which this work first was created, presented and developed as described in the booklet Dancing with the Aramaic Jesus (available from Abwoon Study Circle, see contact information below). I deeply appreciate the many people who have felt touched by the Aramaic work, have taken it to their hearts and have developed their ability to teach it. The information and suggestions contained in this letter are based on their positive experience over the past 20 years. Additionally, some of these guidelines have been created in response to situations in which the work has not been presented with the proper attunement, respect or embodiment, and consequently has alienated people from the work. In the latter case, individuals have assumed that experiencing the Aramaic Prayer Dance cycle once then qualified them to teach workshops on it in public. It is perhaps a societal-level problem that we have lost the concepts of ripening and deepening which, of course, take time. This letter presents guidelines for appropriate offerings at different stages of experience with this work. The Aramaic work calls for dedication. These Dances are not easy to lead, and the attunement necessary to present them in context with the scholarly work that developed from them also takes study and patience. In general, I now say to people wishing to publicly share this work that they should plan on at least five years' study and experience, no matter what their background. Encouragement for Any and Everyone: In order to share something, one must have integrated and embodied that which is to be shared. With the Aramaic material, this means that first a person must integrate the work into her or his spiritual practice. To deepen in one's own knowledge and understanding with guidance means taking the time to study, pray, chant, and move with the lines. Some may choose to do this alone, others may choose to gather a small group together for study and spiritual practice. This is the singular best way to begin to work with the Aramaic Prayer. Specific Instructions for Those Who Desire to
Lead For those who are already involved in a mentoring relationship through the International Network of the Dances of Universal Peace (INDUP), the certification guidelines state what many consider to be common sense: longer, more complex Dance cycles require greater experience. There is information below that can guide you as you integrate your commitment to the Aramaic and Native Middle Eastern work as part of your training as a Dance leader. If you are not a part of the INDUP and would like to begin leading the lines of the prayer as a Dance cycle (moving beyond study, prayer, and chanting) you can begin this process by choosing an approved Dance Mentor. For specific details concerning the Dance Mentor relationship and a listing of approved Mentors, I refer you to the website www.dancesofuniversalpeace.org and click the tab marked "MTG" for the Mentor Teacher's Guild section. For Dance Leaders of All Levels (including beginners): I freely encourage teachers of the Dances of Universal Peace of all levels (including beginners) to: 1. Dance the first line of the Aramaic prayer, with
counter-melody peace prayer, wherever and whenever they can. The basic
music and movements must remain as they are transmitted in the booklet.
Of course, you would have experienced this Dance with a knowledgeable
teacher several times before sharing it. Similarly, you can also share
the Dance to the First Aramaic Beatitude, if you have experienced it
at least three times. For all Supervised Dance teachers: I encourage all supervised Dance teachers (that is, those who have a certified teacher or Dance Mentor as their supervisor) to: 1. Work gradually with the Dance movements to the other
parts of the Prayer cycle (in the Dancing with the Aramaic Jesus booklet),
presenting them step-by-step in their Dance meetings or study groups
if you have experienced the entire cycle at least three times. This
does not include permission to teach public "workshops" or
"retreats" in the Aramaic Lord's Prayer or other work based
on Prayers of the Cosmos. For All Certified Dance Leaders: I will give permission to any certified teacher of the Dances to: 1. Present the entire Aramaic Lord's Prayer cycle as a public Dance ritual (for instance, around the Winter holidays) if she/he has danced it at least six times (at least three times with me personally) and has gradually worked with all the individual parts in a small study group over at least two months, progressing from the first line to the first half, then the second half as mentioned in the Aramaic Prayer booklet. Please take this up with your Dance Mentor first as part of your overall program for development in the Dances. This again does not include teaching public "seminars"
or giving lectures on the scholarly research in Prayers of the Cosmos,
Desert Wisdom, or Hidden Gospel. It is the latter situations which have,
in some past cases, cast discredit on the Aramaic work because the person
was not qualified, either emotionally or intellectually, to field the
questions and responses which arose. The clear distinction here is to
keep your presentation on the level of a teacher of the Dances of Universal
Peace, to stay with the sacred phrase, the movements, and music given
and your own experience. You do not help the work when you attempt to
give scholarly explanations which you are not qualified to give, and
I have not authorized anyone to represent my own research in public
in this way. Please request this permission from me personally. If you have followed the gradual process outlined above, having worked first with a small, informal study group, I will be very happy to give it! Other Permissions Granted In addition, I have given permission to a very few advanced Dance teachers to proceed beyond this and to give experiential Dance and process-oriented retreats and workshops based on the Lord's Prayer and Beatitudes cycles or to include the Prayer cycle or individual or other Beatitudes as part of their Dance teacher training retreats. Finally, I am working directly with several ministers and priests in the established Christian church to whom I have given special permission to bring this work into more mainstream settings. Currently we are developing a support network for professional religious workers (whether Dance leaders or not); information on this network can be obtained by e-mailing abwoon@abwoon.com. There is a web-based group that has been formed for professional clergy and spiritual workers to share creative ministry ideas with the Aramaic Prayer as well as other Abwoon Study Circle materials. You can join this group, Sacred Space, by first registering with Yahoo Groups at Yahoo.com and then sending a blank email to: sacredspace-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Referrals and Scheduling For persons or groups desiring this Aramaic and Native Middle Eastern work to be brought to their local areas, there are two routes for obtaining leadership. First, for those that would like me personally to lead a workshop, seminar, or retreat, please note when extending your invitation that I currently schedule two and three years in advance. Secondly, Abwoon Study Circle maintains a list of recommended leaders who have trained with me over a number of years. Since such a listing is in constant flux, we make referrals individually in lieu of publishing a set list. If you desire someone to lead a retreat in your local area, please contact abwoon@abwoon.com to obtain current referrals. Here I will mention that for those persons interested in the more scholarly aspects of my research and writing, we now post some of my academic papers on the website. Again, I refer the reader to www.abwoon.com. Prohibitions I have not given permission for anyone to: 1. Change any of the words, music or movements for
the Aramaic Prayer cycle, as notated in Dancing with the Aramaic Jesus,
for the Beatitude Dances or for the "I Am" Dances. Acknowledgements and Credits If you use a lyric sheet for the Aramaic Prayer, please make sure that it is the one that includes the following credit at the bottom. Alternately, if you include quotes from Prayers of the Cosmos, Desert Wisdom, or The Hidden Gospel listed in church bulletins or other programs, please use the appropriate credit line(s) given below. This greatly helps spread the work, and failure to include the credit has had very unfortunate consequences: Transliterations and translations are from Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus (Harpers SanFrancisco, 1990). Copyright 1990 Neil Douglas-Klotz. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved including the right to reprint in whole or part. (Alternately)..From Desert Wisdom: Sacred Middle Eastern Writings from the Goddess to the Sufis (Thorsons, 1995). Copyright 1995 Neil Douglas-Klotz. (Then as above). (Alternately) From The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus (Quest, 1999). Copyright 1999 Neil Douglas-Klotz. (If quoting from the German, Dutch, or Portuguese translations, please substitute the appropriate publisher information.) For more information on this work,
including recordings of the Aramaic Lord's Prayer and Beatitudes, please
address Tax Deductible Donations for Outreach Since this Aramaic and Middle Eastern language research is not financially supported by any group, including the International Network for the Dances of Universal Peace, I have requested that those who receive payment for any public presentations of any of my Aramaic Dances donate a tithe of the proceeds to the Abwoon Study Circle. These donations help further this work not only in support of research and writing, but also primarily through the partial funding of retreats and trainings in non-hard currency countries where the interest is great. If you would like your contribution to be tax-deductible, it must be received through the Shalem Center by mailing to: The Shalem Center, 885 High Street, Suite 106, Worthington, OH 43085 (marked: for Abwoon) or simply contact donations@abwoon.com. Thank you for your interest and dedication in this work.
7 East Champanyie Abwoon Study Circle |