Update from Burgs and what’s happening in 2023
Dear Friends
I know it is a long time since I have been in contact with you all.
As many of you know, I have had to take a sustained period away from my work to recover from health issues. Basically, I started having seizures in February this year and was hospitalised for a while. I seemed to to be recovering well, but they started again when I returned to work on my latest album just before summer. As a result I have embarked on a sustained rehabilitation programme which has required me to abstain both from holding energetic space and working with technology. This has had huge implications with regards to my work and my commitment to support you all with your practice.
So thank you all for your patience and support during this time. I am hoping that my full recovery is just a question of time and, in the last couple of months, I have seen a marked improvement in my health. I held a small retreat for a group of old students in November which was really encouraging, but it is a reality that I am going to have to readdress in a number of ways my previous mode of working.
Moving Forward with The Art of Meditation
Over the last two months, I have been tentatively exploring how I might gently return to work in a way that is more sustainable and manageable in the long run. I recognise that part of the problem will have been caused by the unprecedented demands of providing support to so many people during the immensely challenging period of the pandemic. Now that is over, I am reflecting on how to create a long term strategy for The Art of Meditation and my role as a teacher within that.
One decision I made this year was to take down my public presence on YouTube. This was partly to give me time to energetically recover and partly because I had found myself coming under attack as my public profile grew beyond those who I had come to know personally through our programme of retreats and workshops. The public domain of the internet is not an easy space to navigate as a spiritual teacher, nor something I was trained in or had any guidance about from my teachers. It was uncharted territory for me and I had to learn as I went.
Deep spiritual teachings and practices are not for everyone and need to be shared with great care. That said, I do want to continue to share my knowledge of meditation and Dharma in an appropriate way.
Going forward, there are four main ways in which we plan to do this (beyond our website, podcast, Insight Timer and other platforms):
App
Patreon
Online Courses
In-person Retreats
1. App
We have set up a free app (available on iOS & Android devices) where we will share what material we feel to be appropriate for general public consumption. It was my wish that this was a free access app supported by the donations that come from its users. Its development was supported by the tremendous generosity of two key members of our community to whom I am immensely grateful. However, it does not bring in enough revenue to pay for its upkeep and maintenance.
2. Patreon ( Community Platform )
We are launching a community driven portal through Patreon. This will enable us to offer up a broad range of material to our more committed audience. Essentially, Patreon provides a medium whereby you as a community can directly contribute to the ongoing support and development of both AOM and me as your teacher, thus enabling us to continue to develop our offerings. It is there for those of you who value this work a little more than as casual consumers and allows you to play a part in the ongoing growth and development of AOM and its community while allowing us to maintain our ethos of “giving forward” which is something I remain deeply committed to.
We have an initial offering already published on the site and over the coming weeks and months we will populate it with the material we have removed from the public domain on YouTube. In addition, we will be releasing an extensive archive of new and previously unpublished material that I would wish to share.
As we move forward, Patreon will provide a safe space for me to return to work and engage with you again. It is my hope that by structuring things in this way, we are able to communicate with a discerning audience who genuinely value the material while avoiding the dangers of becoming over exposed in the public domain. It is easy to join and you can each individually choose the level at which you would like to support us.
So for those of you who have missed regular contact with me as your teacher, Patreon will be the place where you can re-engage with the teachings I share and enjoy a new variety of offerings forthcoming in 2023.
JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
3. Online Courses
As part of my return to work next year I'll be offering a new programme of teachings and courses to my committed students, soon after the new year. There will be a follow-up email to you later next week.
4. In-person Retreats
We hope to run a small number of in-person, residential retreats in 2023. More details coming in the new year.
Wishing You a Happy Festive Season
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it is not a brief email but I needed to take some time to explain to you what has happened and the rational behind these new initiatives.
I know that I am not alone in having found this last year challenging and I want to extend my love and encouragement to all of you, wherever you are on your journey. I have put a great new team together and, with their help, I genuinely believe that we will be able to continue to provide you with support, guidance and inspiration on your journey going forward. We will be updating you regularly - both through Patreon and our newsletters in the coming weeks.
I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and holiday season and pray that you will be safe and well.
With much love to you all
Burgs
