TRUTH & MADNESS
from the Editor, Vijay Director

Spring comes…and the grass grows by itself. — ancient Zen saying

Here are some of the “revelations” that have come to me after a long Winter’s nap ...

Over 20 years ago, in one of the first Tarot readings I ever had, the first card I pulled was "The Hanged Man." It sort of scared me, but the reader assured me, "This is a good thing, because, by being upside-down, you get to see how upside-down the material world truly is." Somehow, with the state of humanity today and the quality of information and “disinformation” we receive, "The Hanged Man’s" perspective seems more needed than ever.

It’s always a great pleasure to present the wisdom of one of my favorite teachers, Stephen Levine. I made it a point to read Who Dies in the days before my spiritual rebirth– from Zed to Vijay– aware that I was preparing to leave behind certain parts of what I had considered to be me. And, in the work on relationship he did with his partner, Ondrea, I remember Stephen saying, Once your heart has opened, when it closes– even just a little– it feels more closed than ever before.

Speaking of my favorite teachers, I have mixed emotions about the news I have to report concerning John Lee. Not only has he been a fixture in Creations for 8 years, but he’s also been one of the world’s most visible, prominent and profound teachers of emotional understanding and release over the past 15 years. After this year, John will be retiring from offering many of his workshops, including Facing the Fire: Anger and Grief workshops, the introductory phases of the P.E.E.R.™ training in emotional release work, and others. He will be "releasing" the reins of these programs to his staff of senior trainers, which includes Connie and myself.
I’m happy for John to be spending less time travelling and more time at home. This will also allow him to devote more energy to writing. He’s started a new book, which may turn out to be his most important yet! However, I will miss his humor, courage, vulnerability, brilliance and humanity. If you’ve been waiting to work with John in P.E.E.R.™, or want to have one last taste of his presence at PEER I– Awakening the Emotional Body, mark June 15 & 16 on your calendar. (Sign up early as space is limited. Congratulations John! If only a small fraction of all the love you’ve showered on people over the years comes back to you financially, you’ll be very wealthy.

More change is on the way: We’d like to welcome one of the first yoga centers in New York City to its new home in Long Beach. Watch for the grand opening of Mark Becker’s Serenity Yoga Center April 15. We hope Serenity helps Long Islanders find health and awareness as it did for so many in Manhattan, since 1975.

Alert to all Yankee fans: I really like the additions both the Yankees and Mets made in the off season. Some “man-to-man” advice for Jason Giambi: If you haven’t already, please get yourself a personal trainer. You’ll soon be finding that your body goes through changes as you approach 30. So, if you want to stay healthy, it will require more attention– ask Mo Vaughn! The team that strengthened itself the most is the Boston Red Sox. If– and it’s a pretty big if– Pedro and their other major stars can stay healthy, their 84 year skid could end this year. They deserve it, just for staying in Fenway Park, the best ball park in America. Oh, come on, let the Red Sox fans have some fun– at least once every 80 years or so. Yes, I may be crazy, but it’s Springtime– and hope springs eternal.

Speaking of which, few things in this world inspire my sense of hope like Cirque du Soleil. Some people make an annual spiritual "hejira" to Mecca, Lourdes or some ashram. Connie and I go to Cirque. We gave out a number of their videos as holyday gifts in December, to spark our loved ones sense of hope.

The other major gift we shared was HBO’s new series, Six Feet Under, one of the most intelligent, provocative shows ever, created by Alan Ball of American Beauty fame. I enjoy The Sopranos, but have to shield myself emotionally when watching it. I don’t do that with Six Feet Under– though I do get ready for anything! I guess that makes sense, afterall the show is about death. Be sure to catch some of the episodes directed by Kathy Bates.

For a frame of reference, I’ve listed my Top 12 favorite shows below. We’d love to know yours! Send, fax or email your Top 12, we’ll compile them and present a composite of our reader’s favorites next issue.

Six Feet Under
Northern Exposure
Hill St. Blues
Frazier
NYPD Blue
The Simpsons
Seinfeld
30 Something
The Sopranos
St. Elsewhere
The Wonder Years
Friends (for Joey & Chandler, the modern day Laurel & Hardy)

A joke via my friend Osho: Do you know the difference between Heaven and Hell? Heaven is where the British are the police, the French are the cooks, the Germans are the engineers, the Italians are the lovers and the Swiss are the organizers. Hell is where the Germans are the police, the Italians are the organizers, the Swiss are the lovers, the French are the engineers and the British are the cooks. I like this joke as it reminds me that we all have a place, with our strengths and our weaknesses.

I also got a good chuckle from this quote in an ad for the Jim Hightower Lowdown. In a remark about George Bush Sr. he said, He’s a guy born on third base, who thought he’d hit a triple.

Over the years I’ve poked a lot of fun at US Airways, aka USeless Air. Perhaps the best thing I can say about them is most of the other airlines have gotten so bad that now US Air looks okay. But I must commend their chairman, Stephen M. Wolf, for the bold, lucid and compassionate articles he writes monthly for their magazine, Attache. It’s surprising and refreshing to see so much knowledge and concern about the environment, education, social welfare and creativity from the head of a major corporation. He’ll be glad to know that his views encourage me to choose US Airways over other carriers. Mr. Wolf, feel free to submit your articles to us anytime!

The birds
brought seeds
& flowers & bits
of brightly colored
string & placed them in
her hair while she slept so
that she would remember
the wild joy of
Spring
when she
finally
awoke.
– Brian Andreas

This may not be the best column I’ve written, but I had a good time doing it. Besides, as a very wise man (my father) once said, Hey, if you bat .300, you qualify for the Hall of Fame.
Take time to enjoy your self this Spring,plant some seeds– and smell lots of flowers, with love,

Your other sincere comments are also welcome.

Send emails to: vijay@creationsmagazine.com