Altamonte Springs, Florida - November 3, 2008 -- With economic crisis and turmoil dominating the news, conventional wisdom would say that an expensive self-development course ($2,500 for 7 days) would experience a drop in attendees. The reality, however, is exactly the opposite; Star's Edge International® has just completed one of its largest advanced courses ever.

 The Avatar Professional Course, launched in 1992, is offered twice a year: once in Germany, and once in Florida. This year, 2008, it registered 1,122 first time students from 45 countries. Another 567 former attendees showed up to review the 7-day course.

 These questions were posed to Harry Palmer, the Founder of Star's Edge International: Why is your company growing when so many other companies are downsizing or even closing their doors? And do you think it will continue to grow?

 Palmer: "If you want to contribute to making a better world, which I find most people do, personal development is the last thing that you skimp on. There are situations today that leave us feeling helpless: war, intolerance, economic meltdown, environment issues, and other circumstances that are leading us toward social decay. These things did not just happen. We are not just experiencing a streak of bad luck. They are happening because of choices that were made with too little wisdom and a lack of mental self-control. So the challenge that people face, especially in these complex times, is to effectively restore wisdom and mental self-control. That is something they can work on. That is what we are about. The word-of-mouth growth that the Avatar Trainings enjoy comes from exceeding our clients expectations."

 "I would also tell you that Avatar's growth, as well as the growth of the whole wisdom industry, is the path that will eventually lead the world out of its current difficulties. If you want a better world, create better people."

 Even though the students on the Avatar Professional Course come from many different nations, they uniformly agree on the benefits of practicing an effective method of mental self-control. Among the leadership lessons they encounter are: how to release attention from outside events, how to manage resistance, how to establish cooperative groups, and how to predict and direct the course of events. Along the way they explore the latent abilities within their own consciousness.

 As one student put it, "Just by learning how to deliberately create happiness, I made connections with people and saw opportunities that just weren't available to me in my former state of mind. I discovered that my own happiness does not depend upon the world."

 In the Avatar Materials, Harry Palmer wrote: "Each moment that you are happy is a gift to the rest of the world."

 This perspective on happiness is reinforced by Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, who spoke at the TED conference; he had this to say about creating happiness:

 "Happiness is not pleasure or joy. It is a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment. A state that underlies all emotional states and all the joys and sorrows that may come one's way. It is the mind that translates the outer conditions into happiness or suffering. Mind training matters. This is not just a luxury. This is not a supplementary vitamin for the soul. This is something that is going to determine the quality of every moment of our lives."

 Will Star's Edge International continue to grow?

 Palmer: "Yes, because it is provides a necessary training for life. Something that is essential is seldom affected by economic conditions. In the future, we expect more people will learn to create happiness and the world will reflect that choice."


 Developed in 1986, the Avatar Training is delivered in 20 languages and is taught by licensed Avatar Masters in 71 countries. Graduates report reduced stress, increases in personal happiness, and greater success in reaching their goals.  Sign up for Avatar Times Newsletter.

 For additional information on Avatar Training, contact me  and visit http://www.theavatarcourse.com/

 ABOUT STAR'S EDGE INTERNATIONAL - Star's Edge International publishes books, videos, online materials, and a series of experiential courses that guide people into and through transformative experiences. The company was founded in 1986 and operates worldwide. Avatar® and Star's Edge International® are registered trademarks of Star's Edge, Inc.

In this final issue  of the Avatar Times I am going to take you through the sections of Avatar one by one and roughly describe the changes that are expected to  occur in each section.

 Expected Results (Conclusion)
 by Harry Palmer



Section I of Avatar is called ReSurfacing®.  It refers to the action of disentangling you from your creations; it is  an awakening of interested self-awareness. This section could be called  a self-discovery course. It is waking you up from the movie you were  lost in.

 ReSurfacing reminds people that there  is a difference between the experience of self and the experience the  self is having. Later on the path, these two may again merge, but at  this level of awakening the direction is to realize that there is a  difference between the perceiver and the perception. There is a  difference between one's self and one's role model. There is a  difference between acting deliberately and reacting. There is a  difference between you and your problems.


 The fundamental change that occurs on ReSurfacing is a deepening of the  experience of "I am." This is a transformation from, "Oh sure, I am,"  to "Oh my God, I am. I really am." This is an "I am" that is  discovering personal responsibility. This opens the door to powerful realizations that break the grip of indoctrinated beliefs. Experiencing  "I am" as something more than a mental concept causes a transformation  and a healing. Personal responsibility replaces robotic reactions to  authority. Suddenly you can observe and choose how, or even if, you will act. When somebody talks about Avatar as a self-discovery course,  they're talking about this level of realization and change.

 Section II of Avatar is self-empowerment training. The prerequisite to  doing Section II is that on ReSurfacing you discovered a real self to  empower.


All  suffering arises from mental processes, in particular from beliefs and  judgments. Resistance to what is inevitable produces suffering. It is  no surprise that certain philosophies and religions consider life to be  suffering. They don't have an effective technology to handle mental  resistance. The best they can do is to still the mind by discipline;  when the mind is still, the suffering ceased, but so too do the lessons  conveyed by suffering.

 Section II is a modern  approach to achieving control over the mind; there is more subtilty to  the mind than turning it off and on. This control is such an unusual accomplishment that many people, until they experience it, do not  believe it can be done. But it can, and it is part of the changes that  happens on Section II of Avatar.

 After you sort out who you are and how your mind operates, the next issue is what can you deliberately create?

Section  II is where the path begins to wind. You might take a detour into the  material world. Ego development is built into the exercises in order to  prepare for the next transformation. After the experience of "I am,"  the next experience on the path is, "And I'm pretty darned cool."  Section II removes your limitations and releases your creative powers.  Your first response will probably be to create something that you have long desired. This is the ultimate pleasure of the ego, to create  exactly what one wants.

 Why, you might ask, would  Avatar encourage the development of the ego when we know the ego is the  source of many difficulties in the world? The answer is that it is the next necessary experience that you need to integrate. The ego is an  area that needs to be explored without judgment. Remember, sometimes it  is the egotistic efforts at self-aggrandizement that produce some of  our greatest cultural treasures. Developing the ego is a necessary rite  of passage to transcending the ego. If your ego fails to flower, there  is no harvest, and no further spiritual growth.


 The main change on Section II is achieving a balance in your life. If  you have experienced unhappiness, you can create happiness. If you have  experienced failure, you can experience success. If you have  experienced feeling submissive, you can balance it with feeling  dominant. The Section II Source List processes and Reality Creation processes afford an ethical way for you to achieve this balance.

 
Restoring balance is the real goal of self-empowerment. You could say  that Section II puts you on the route to achieving karmic balance with  the universe; whatever twists and turns your spiritual path has taken,  or needs to take, the balance can be restored with the Section II  tools.

 


On to Section III, the first rays of self-awareness are often paralyzing; they tend to brightly illuminate your shame and guilt,  rather than your deeper nature. This changes with the initiation of  Section III; self-awareness becomes functional, compassionate, and  empowering.



The  Section III rundowns are a journey inward to unlimited self. They bring  you into the space that has the power to define self. The rundowns identify and release the tentacles of the past, and you come effortlessly into a deep level of the  present. The present rather than the past now shapes who you are and  what you choose to experience. In this state, you act intuitively, are motivated by high principles, and operate from an awareness that is  independent of self.

 So these are the sections  that make up The Avatar Course. They are intended to be experiential  rather than intellectual.





I  hope you have had some realizations from reading the 26 issues of The  Avatar Times; I hope you do Avatar, but even if you don't, may you be  happy and well.

Sending you fearless love,
 Harry Palmer