Wheel of Initiation...
Enter the Wheel of Initiation.
As a Transpersonal Consultant I have lead individuals and groups through the Wheel of Initiation, creating a means for people to create the conditions of an initiated life. The Wheel begins in the South where you set your intention, on to the West, where you move through resistance and release of old patterns; into the North which is the direction of meditation and unity and then the East, the direction of Initiation and new beginnings. My yearlong Initiation Course, as well as The Wheel of Initiation Retreats are available to you and your circle. Please refer to my calendar for up coming classes and retreats. My next Initiation Course begins April, 2012, Thursday nights in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.
Take the inner pilgrimage of a lifetime with Julie and others. To get more information about the Initiation Course contact: julie@julietallardjohnson.com
Endorsements for Wheel of Initiation:
“For me the highest plane of creativity is found in one’s practice, and Julie offers the reader a real means to follow through on one’s creative and spiritual intentions. The read is straightforward and gratifying; the pilgrimage itself a worthwhile, even required engagement for the spiritual hero.” (Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art and The Legend of Bagger Vance )
“Wheel of Initiation combines wisdom and practices from multiple religions and belief systems, and it gleans valuable insights from a wide range of teachers. Stories of the author’s own initiation rituals and daily practices are combined with those from her students, people she has led in yearlong initiation circles. This book is both practical and inspiring, and deserves a wide readership.”(Meg Cox, ritual expert and author of The Book of New Family Traditions)
“Wheel of Initiation is a well-written guidebook for transformation and intentionally living life’s most profound questions. Drawing upon a wealth of ancient teachings and stories of awakening, Julie Tallard Johnson guides you on a pilgrimage toward spiritual growth, meaning, and wisdom. Anyone of any faith will greatly benefit from the timeless journey and practices offered in these wise and kind pages.”(Donald Altman, author of The Mindfulness Code, Living Kindness, and Meal by Meal)
“A useful and insightful guide to the purification and transformation of the bodymind, drawing upon the mandala wisdom of ancient indigenous traditions to create a practical alchemy of initiation and therapy for these modern times and our challenging ways of life.”(Peter Gold, author of Navajo and Tibetan Sacred Wisdom: The Circle of the Spirit )
"Prisons have been described as "houses of failed initiation" and many adults at mid-life feel imprisoned in a life that isn't authentic or fulfilling. What Julie Tallard Johnson does in this fine book is provide a blueprint for grownups seeking a focused, spiritual initiation into their own true lives. It's like an adult version of her previous book for teenagers, The Thundering Years, which I constantly recommend to teachers, therapists, religious educators and teens. Like that amazing guidebook, Wheel of Initiation combines wisdom and practices from multiple religions and belief systems, and gleans valuable insights from a wide range of teachers. Stories of the author's own initiation rituals and daily practices are combined with those from her students, people she has led in year-long initiation circles. This book is both practical and inspiring, and deserves a wide readership." – Meg Cox, ritual expert and author, The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays & Everyday (Running Press)
“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.” –Joseph Campbell, from The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers
“We have to take personal responsibility for uplifting our lives.” ?– Chogyam Trungpa, taken from SHAMBHALA, The Sacred Path of the Warrior
The Wheel of Initiation is an organic template that takes you on a personal spiritual pilgrimage. With the Wheel you incorporate your own chosen spiritual practice and traditions. You create the conditions that give you the foundation and the means in which to initiate yourself and to regenerate your life and community. The aspects of yourself that are frozen in habitual ways, that remain uninitiated, will be thawed and released when you choose practices that create the conditions of an active and initiated life.
Table of Contents for The Wheel of Initiation: Practices for Releasing Your Inner Light
Preface: A Useful Tension—Religious Beliefs and Spiritual Practice
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Entering the Wheel
1. Entering the South: The Power of Agreements
2. In the South: Getting On the Horse of Intention
3. Entering the West: Following the Right God Home
4. In the West: The Symbolic Death
5. Entering the North: Tat Tvam Asi
6. In the North: Taking Hold of the Sacred Thread
7. Entering the East: Crossing the Threshold
8. In the East: Initiation and the Return Journey
Appendix: The Tao of Not Following: Groups and Teachers
Resources
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
"Most important, participants have a deep and genuine commitment to the spirit of pilgrimage-recognizing that the destination is ultimately not so much a place as a new way of seeing. "
– Ian Baker
"Those who are dedicated practitioners follow a multitude of paths. From this, it becomes clear that, given our diversity, no single religion satisfies all humanity. "
– His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
"The grounded writing in Julie's books makes for an appealing invitation to self-discovery."
– Mothering Magazine