ABOUT PETER
I am a psychologist by training
and currently manage a department of psychology at a tertiary
institute in the Wellington region of New Zealand. My masters
thesis looked at the evolution of human consciousness, and proposed
an alternative to the currently dominant physicalist-reductionist
model. The topic of human consciousness is a special interest
area of mine, along with the relationship between so-called psychopathological
states and human evolution. My doctoral thesis philosophically
and historically critiqued the development of psychology in New
Zealand.
My interest in transpersonal
psychology and related fields goes back a long way. Brought up
originally in a Christian Tradition I turned to Buddhism, then
to the ancient wisdom, as sources of answers to the puzzles that
my traditional up-bringing failed to provide. For a long time
I have followed an essentially Zen Buddhist path, but one informed
by esoteric teachings such as those of Helena Blavatsky and Alice
Bailey.
In addition to those practices
accessed during my Buddhist studies, my training as a psychologist
exposed me to a wide range of self-development practices. Thus
I have used, as key examples, the techniques of yoga (hatha and
raja), Buddhist meditation (Zen and Vipashana), encounter and
breathwork (rebirthing and Grof=s
holotropic variety). As a result, I feel that I have made some
progress in self-awareness and self-realisation. Both Bruce and
I are convinced that progress in this direction is a vital pre-requisite
for anyone who wants to teach and heal at the transpersonal level.
I have reached a point in my
own development where I no longer feel the need for afilliation
to or alignmment with any given set of doctrines or teachings.
My sources of knowledge and guidance are within me. My once strong
external focus (eg, on spiritual practices, teachers or teachings)
has all but faded. However, in saying this, I am not speaking
against the various systems that can aid one's
inner development. I would not be involved with this website were
that the case. Nor am I saying that I have reached the end of
my journey -- that would be arrant nonsense. Besides, there is
a sense in which the journey is more important than the destination.
In fact, perhaps there is no ultimate destination, only the journey.
My absence of alignment with creeds and doctrines facilitates
in me a high degree of intellectual and spiritual integrity and
honesty. My only agenda (fairly transparent) is to provide others
with the means whereby they can make informed intellectual and
spiritual choices during their own journey.
Although information, facts and
knowledge will be provided in the courses to be offered on this
website, they are offered in the spirit open enquiry. You'll not
find any dogmatism on this website (this is probably our only
dogmatic statement!). We must all take full responsibilty for
making ourselves whole. While there are those who can be there
for you in this process, only you can undertake the process. The
greatest teachers have stressed this, making it clear that salvation,
moksha, liberation, enlightenment, or what ever other term you
care to use, is our personal responsibility. One of the greatest
teachers said from his deathbed, "Be as a lamp unto thy self."