Purpose

What do I want to do with my life?  What’s my purpose?  Am I missing something? Is there some larger purpose…

Being Becoming

Beyond enjoying the freedom and fullness of existence, do we need to be more?

Consciousness and Personality with Fax Gilbert

A look at how spiritual awakenings define our identity and the evolving effects these transformations can have on the personality.

Core Identity Inquiry Meditation with Fax Gilbert

In this meditation you will be led through a simple self-inquiry process toward a deepening recognition of your fundamental nature.…

Van's Conscious Awareness Guided Exercise, 9/17/15

This audio recording is of an improvised guided exercise (with some explanation) that Van offered his small group one afternoon…

Van's Flute Improvisation, 2019 Teacher Retreat

Van shared this beautiful flute piece at the at the end of the first night of the teacher retreat, Wednesday,…

The Forever Connection

During one of my online sittings I spoke about the fundamental field of consciousness that underlies and supports all of…

What do we mean by consciousness? audio format

Cielle’s video with the title “What do we mean by Consciousness?” is now available in “audio only” format. Click here…

Listen to Van's Talks:

September 18, 2015 – Northeast Deep Dive Retreat: Beholding the Supreme Divine Beloved Dharma Talk July 01, 2015 – Transfiguration…

Listen to Van's Beautiful Flute Playing

Heartful Healing Song Poignant Heart She Calls to Us Love-Bliss of the Heart

Usness

When you said that thing I didn’t like,I didn’t like you for saying it. “Bad person you! Bad!” For saying that poisonous thingthat means somethingsomething about me. And that “don’t-like-it”

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Related practices that Cielle uses

Thanks for finding me. I am Cielle Backstrom, and I am deeply dedicated to supporting individuals on their journey toward awakening to their true and total nature. My path spans

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Surprising Grace

Sharon and I spend our winters in a small Mexican town along the Pacific ocean. The town is an amalgam of contrasts. Snow birds from Canada, America and Europe live

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Who Knows?

It seems to be getting harder to count on established sources of truth, justice, and knowledge necessary to deliver the clarity, confidence, and safety needed to navigate life. Parental wisdom

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Where Are We Now with Mutuality?

Edited Transcription of a presentation by Fax Gilbert followed by a Discussion of Trillium Teachers at our Teacher Retreat, June 14, 2017 Fax: In light of the events leading up to and

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Character and Consciousness

Several middle school principals independently came to me in 2000 to see if I could use my performance skills to put together a program on character development to enhance their

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The Simplest Gift We Have to Give

One of the countries most insightful social commentators once remarked that as a society we’ve all gotten away from the true meaning of Christmas — “the birth of Santa”. Homer

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Challenge and Opportunity

I tremble like a flower in a storm.The strong winds push methis way and that-but around my rootsthe solid ground sustains meAnd tomorrow, when the new sun rises,my petals will

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What’s in a Name?

Eight years ago Trillium Awakening was chosen as the new name for our organization, formerly known as Waking Down in Mutuality. After an intensive search, the name Trillium Awakening was

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Restorative Interdependence

June 1, 2024 “I call this approach Non-violent Communication, using the term nonviolence as Gandhi used it — to refer to our natural state of compassion when violence has subsided from the

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That Sense of Annihilation

May 2, 2024 Humans don’t realize the cost that self-awareness brings with it. In the wild, the animal brain has many functions that support their survival. The oldest region of

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Layers of Reality

April 17, 2024 We grow up thinking that this physical world is all there is. Oh yeah, maybe there’s those places called Heaven and Hell that some of those religions

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Leaning into Aging

Using collage as an integrative tool of self-discovery. About ten years ago, I noticed increased worry connected to aging. Part of me was not willing to accept that it is

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