Remembering Henry Dorst

I met Henry Dorst when I was first exploring the realm of natural healing. Henry was already well established as a shiatsu practitioner and consequently I looked up to him as one might a mentor. We met at numerous healing gatherings and other holistic healing events.
Henry was always enthusiastic about selflessly sharing his growing knowledge and he often used me as a guinea pig for his explorations of bio-kinesiology. One of Henry’s wonderful qualities was his very inquisitive nature. Henry researched and developed every area of knowledge that he was drawn to, and his inherent curiosity made him a leader in every field that he embraced. It was a joy for me to watch Henry evolve from his work with shiatsu to biokinesiology and eventually dowsing and feng shui. Henry was an intelligent man of independent mind who thought outside the box. He was an inventor, compassionate and generous, a healer and a spiritually-aware man who lived by his convictions and exuded a quiet confidence. The West Coast healing community has lost one of its esteemed elders with the passing of Henry Dorst. God bless his soul.
Chris Shirley, Vancouver
Editor: In last month’s issue, the black and white photos of Henry Dorst were taken by artist and photographer Bill Gillespie, 604-684-3493. Here is one more.

Water ownership is insane

As a European by birth and upbringing, and a Canadian by choice for most of my adult life, I often find my spirit floating above the Atlantic waters which separate two continents, not sure where to rest in peace. For many years, Canada was my obvious choice, a proud and open-minded country, always at the forefront of democracy, human rights and social responsibility. Yet something is dramatically changing. Canada, as I knew it, is now disappearing in front of my very eyes. The maple leaf flag is still waving, while all the great values the flag represented to many people in the world are quietly being dismantled.
So when I learned that our own government opposes the idea of making the right to water a human right (Make Water a Human Right, Maude Barlow, March 2007), I wasn’t surprised or shocked. I was simply ashamed.
There are people on this planet who honestly believe that the privatization of everything – of every square foot of land and every drop of water – is the answer to the ecological disaster we are facing. They call it pragmatism. I call it insanity. One must be insane to believe that the Earth, with all its resources, is for sale. One has to be a pathological bully to believe that you can go around dividing it all, claiming your right to something, while denying that same right to others.
The Earth is not for sale. It belongs to everyone. So does its bounty – its resources that support human life. Water is one of those resources and free access to it should be the undeniable right of every human being.
Kris Kozak, Vancouver

Kudos and criticism for CG’s article on The Secret

I am very grateful for Common Ground’s commitment to truth; in particular, Geoff Olson’s bold debunking of the disturbingly-popular movie The Secret. (The Secret: The Big Mystery Everyone Is Talking About, March 2007.) This glorification of navel-gazing goes far beyond the self-evident value of positive thinking into the cultivation of delusional magical thinking: the belief that thoughts influence objective reality.
The film is popular because it coddles our inner child, a child unable to fathom prerequisites and consequences, a child who believes the universe owes him something, a child unwilling to face loss caused by greed. The website even offers a printable, blank cheque from the “Universal Bank (Un)Limited,” with instructions to “… Fill in your name and the amount you wish to receive.”
Ironically, almost everything The Secret teaches – to focus on things you don’t have, avoid facing effort or cost, believe you’re entitled and expect magical outcomes – defines poverty consciousness. To feel empowered and genuinely wealthy is to love what you have and what you can do, and to honour the humility that the power to create can also destroy. A healthy soul enjoys the ability to give to others and has no need for secrets about acquisition and domination.
Unfortunately, this secret way of thinking does yield results, as is demonstrated daily by corrupt politicians and corporate pirates, by spiritualizing avarice and justifying unbridled greed. For the fortunate, the so-called “Law of Attraction” serves mainly as a pathetic excuse for oppression and graft; that privilege is the product of positive thinking. This is naturally popular with North Americans who don’t want to admit how much they benefit from foreign, economic slavery. It also conveniently convinces us to not be angry about injustice, but rather to pity those less fortunate for not knowing the secret.
What the world needs now is love, not lust; co-operation, not competition; wisdom, not wealth. This secret, a supposedly hidden but desirable truth, stands in stark contrast to the undesirable, yet unequivocal, reality revealed in An Inconvenient Truth. The latter embraces global reality and inspires community, conversation, cooperation and creativity for the benefit of all, while the former encourages private fantasy in scheming for personal gain. The popularity of The Secret and its Law of Attraction depressingly highlights the commonality of dull-witted and desperate self-interest and how easily our vision is distorted by materialism’s “Lens of Acquisition.” Blessedly, however, many see past that illusion and value community more than commodities and choose connection instead of privilege. For genuine personal fulfillment and happiness, that is the true secret.
Patrick Dubois, Vancouver

Kudos to Geoff Olson for his article about The Secret. I had been hearing about this movie from so many people and was excited to check it out. However, I, along with the people who watched it with me, was extremely disappointed by the film’s blatant celebration of materialism and individualism. The ancient, secret concepts presented – used largely by the filmmakers to promote selfish consumerism – could have been presented as tools to help alleviate the disconnection from our planet and from our fellow human beings many of us are feeling right now. (Focusing our collective energies on creating more kindness and compassion on a community level, for example.)
I’m surprised and saddened that people continue to recommend this film. Next time, I will direct them to your article. Thanks.
Aleya Abdulla, Vancouver
I have personally interviewed several of the people that appeared in The Secret and I am continually amazed at my personal experiences of synchronicity; you throw that point in as a tidbit of concession near the end of your article.
Of course, snake oil salesmen are a dime a dozen, as are nay-saying critics. We are moving into an era where the world needs hope, and movies like The Secret hint at the greatness inside each and every one of us.
Even if it does herd consumers to the shops to buy a copy, and the latté-clutching crowd to chat over it in malls before spilling it to their CEO hubbies, it is better than the other garbage out there masquerading as truth.
So, Geoff, my view on your article is that you may be doing a disservice to all those who are numbed by a steady diet of negativity and fear-based media. I have been trying to get my wife to watch encouraging films such as this to boost her flagging self-esteem, but after she read your article, she is against it. As you did in your article, I will end on a quote; this one by Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
Peter Williams, UK

Thank you so much for Geoff Olson’s exposé of The Secret. I live on “New Age Island,” Salt Spring, where this shell game of desire-meets-big-business flourishes. As a person who has dealt with a disabling neuroimmune disease for 20 years, the finger of failure is levelled at me with tiresome regularity. Just last week, a “Secret” seminar organizer had the nerve to tell me that I could change it if I wanted to. I’m not sure what she thinks I have been doing for 20 years.
In Wicca, we work with attraction and intention all the time; indeed, it’s nothing new. We acknowledge, however, that our desires and goals are but a few threads in the vast web of being. We may tug the threads, but there are multiple forces at play and the outcome is never assured. That’s life.
Any philosophy that addresses the individual alone, ignoring the sphere of community, is missing the most important half. And any philosophy that has people pointing their fingers in judgement, at me or at anyone else, is forgetting the real golden rule.
I am reminded of the classic Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Aylwin Catchpole, Salt Spring Island