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As many of you know, in 2013 I was able to attend training and become the first official facilitator of the Samurai Game in Canada. We have had the pleasure of offering the program a number of times since then and are excited to be offering it again first thing in the New Year, January 16th-18th, 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Samurai Game\u00ae Workshop is a powerful opportunity to experience the way of the warrior as a path to deeper self-awareness and enlightenment.<\/p>\n In Japanese, the word samurai means \u201cto serve.\u201d The samurai lived and died by the code of bushido, \u201cthe way of the warrior.\u201d For the true samurai, iron self-discipline, 100% commitment, inner calm in the face of danger, willingness to die rather than be dishonored, and unwavering loyalty to leader and team were a way of life. The Samurai Game\u00ae allows you to take on these qualities of the samurai warrior, and experience for yourself the way of the warrior as a path to deeper self-awareness and enlightenment.<\/p>\n At the same time, the Samurai Game\u00ae is an amazingly accurate mirror that allows you to see exactly how you live your everyday life. As the game unfolds, major life issues will come to the surface for you to confront and deal with. For some people, the main issue is commitment\u2014the willingness to persevere, not give up, in the face of setbacks, difficulties, and even pain. For others, it\u2019s honesty and integrity\u2014the courage to speak the truth, even when speaking the truth means the possibility of rejection or becoming an outcast. For others, what surfaces is the struggle between cowardice\u2014giving in to fear\u2014and courage, the willingness to risk, for what you believe in. And for still others, the issue brought up by the game is trust\u2014trust in yourself, trust in other people, trust in life itself. The list of major life issues that may surface in the game is endless, since the game is simply a mirror. But you can count on being challenged to face up to yourself in a deep and meaningful way.<\/p>\n Another challenge in the Samurai Game\u00ae for many people is the challenge of (symbolically) facing death. As you confront the possibility of dying in battle, you have an opportunity to contemplate the meaning of your life\u2014and to face up to how brief this lifetime really is. For many participants, this is a chance to re-evaluate their priorities, and to gain a new level of clarity about what really matters.<\/p>\n The Samurai Game\u00ae is also an exercise in leadership and teamwork. Throughout the game, you will be presented with opportunities to lead\u2014and opportunities to surrender completely to the leadership of others. The game will test you, and expose for you to see clearly your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and as a member of the team.<\/p>\n Participation in the Samurai Game\u00ae demands a high level of personal commitment and willingness to participate. Playing the game does not, however, require a high level of physical fitness or physical contact. Men and women from 18 to 80 years old, from all walks of life, have participated fully and created tremendous value in the Samurai Game\u00ae. As with any experiential process, the value you create will depend entirely on your willingness to participate fully and face up to yourself honestly.<\/p>\n The Samurai Game\u00ae was created by George Leonard. George was a founding member and former president of Esalen Institute. He held the rank of 5th Degree Black Belt in the Japanese martial art of Aikido and authored twelve books including: Mastery, The Ultimate Athlete, Education & Ecstasy, The Way of Aikido, The Silent Pulse, and (with Michael Murphy) The Life We Are Given. The Samurai Game\u00ae is now used globally in classes, seminars and corporate retreats, and has served hundreds of thousands of people.<\/p>\n Whether you have participated in our other programs or not, or if you have participated in many of other programs this program will launch you into personal development or enhance what you are already doing.<\/p>\n Please consider joining me January 16th-18th, 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n Our next Gift course is March 13th-15th, 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n Learn more about it here<\/a>!<\/a><\/p>\n We are super excited to let you know we have brought back a modified version of our old Level 3 program! Many of you that have done the program asked us why we did away with it. The answer to that question was because people were struggling with the 90 day commitment. We decided Creation Circles would eliminate that by giving people only a couple of commitments per month for 12 months. As fate would have it, we may have missed the mark — people struggle with commitment, period!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n So we have heeded the call (I missed it too, there is something magical about 90 days of growth with a group that stays the same), and the program now branded as Creation, Connection and Community will launch the first weekend of training in January. If you are interested in more details drop us a line. This is a great program for those of you who completed the Launch and are feeling like you could use a good dose of consistency to help you sustain all you have learned so far!<\/p>\nThe Gift<\/h3>\n
Level 3<\/h3>\n