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."