REGISTRATION: Register with the paypal button at the end of the conference section.

We have an exciting line up for this year's Paradoxica Nondual Psychology conference June 13 & 14, 2013.   Confirmed for 2013 are Scott Kiloby, author of Love’s Quiet Revolution: The End of the Spiritual Search and Reflections of the One Life: Daily Pointers to Enlightenment and Canela Michelle Meyers, nondual satsang facilitator and best-selling author of Right Here, Right Now Meditations – Satsang Invitations for Expanding Awareness.

As well, we are excited to announce leading edge nondual facilitators Jac O'Keeffe from Ireland and Shayla Wright from Nelson have confirmed they will be joining us. Nondual therapist & professor Gary Nixon, author of The Sun Rises in the Evening a book on nonduality and addiction recovery, will be back this year with more on transformation at the frontiers of awakening.

Tom Crockett will pick up on the leading edge of transformation with his talk Beyond Enlightenment: Postcards from the Edge. Brian Theriault, nondual therapist, will also be back this year with his work on grief and life issues as well as nondual therapist Jason Solowoniuk. Nondual healer Silvija will also be joining us from Calgary as well as southern Alberta satsang faciitator Aha. Sally Ross, satsang teacher and author of The Selfward Facing Way, will be landing here from Victoria to talk about her bare essentials meditation way to discover the reality of existence.

Post Conference Group/Satsangs

We also are pleased to announce there we will be post conference group/satsangs again this year. After last year's intense group satsang, Canela Michelle Meyers and Gary Nixon will be back together co-facilitating on June 15, and Jac O"Keeffe will be hosting a satsang on June 16. We are happy to announce that Scott Kiloby will be giving a satsang on Thursday night, June 13, and Sally Ross will be hosting a meditation satsang on Friday night, June 14.

Register separately for these satsangs through the contact person listed below.

For program inquiries, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , for other conference issues,  please contact conference coordinator Jelena Antonic at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2013 Paradoxica Nondual Psychology Conference
June 13 & 14 (Post conference sessions  June 15-16)
Anderson Hall 100, University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta
CANADA

Thursday -- June 13

8:30 - 9:00 am  Registration

9:00 - 10:10 am Gary Nixon, PhD Relaxing into the Bedazzling Mystery

Coffee Break

10:30 to 11:30 am Shayla Wright, The Heart of Integrity: Staying True to Myself as I Dissolve

11:30 to 12:30 Scott Kiloby, Targeting Compulsion: A Tree that Only Grows in the Dark

Lunch

1:30 pm to 2:30pm Brian Theriault, MEd, Every Evening Comes the Moon: Awakening to Freedom in the Darker Pockets of Human Existence

2:30 pm to 3:30pm Jason Solowoniuk, MEd, The Black Chasm of Being and No Knowing: The Journey Beyond Awakening

Break

3:45 to 5:00 pm Canela Michelle Meyers, The Inclusivity of Nonduality/Awareness

End of Day

6:00 to 10:00 pm Post-Conference Satsang with Scott Kiloby (e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 321a 6 St. S, $50 fee).

Friday -- June 14

8:30 am to 4:00 pm

8:30 am to 9:45 am Jac O'Keeffe, Prior to Non Duality

9:45 am to 10:45 am Tom Crockett, Beyond Enlightenment: Postcards from the Edge

Coffee Break

11:00 am to 12:00 pm Trent Leighton, PhD, From Object to Opening: The Therapuetic Power of Metaphysical Inquiry in Nondual Psychotherapy

Lunch

1:00pm to 2:00 pm Silvija, Shall We Dance?

2:00pm to 3:00pm Aha, Spiritual Transformation: The Art and Science for the (No) One Now-Here

3:00pm to 4:00 pm Sally Ross, Abiding As The Immensities

4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Wine and Cheese Closing Celebration.

6:00 to 9: 00 pm Post-Conference Meditation Satsang with Sally Ross (E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or come to Markin Hall Room 1004, U of Lethbridge campus, free).

Saturday -- June 15

10:00 a.m. to 5pm  Post Conference Satsang/Nondual Group with Canela Michelle Meyers & Gary Nixon (e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 321a 6St. S., $75 fee).

As well, Canela will be available for individual sessions on Monday June 17 (to book e-mail Canela at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Sunday -- June 16

10:00 a.m. to 5pm  Post Conference Satsang with Jac O'Keeffe (e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 321a 6 St. S., Lethbridge,  $75 fee).

2013 Presenters

1) Gary Nixon heard the call of the eastern non-dual path in the early 1980's and never was the same. He was just completing law school at the time, and instead of becoming a lawyer dove into the journey of awakening first using insights of Osho, and then other nondual teachers like Trungpa, Krishnamurti, Papaji and Nisargadatta. He devoted himself to years of intense meditation and seeking, reading and trying everything under the sun. Finally, in a place of absolute hopelessness and total failurehood many years later, he was able to see through the illusion of seeking and the narcissistic separate self, and come to rest naturally in what is. Gary knew he needed to live his nondual passion in everyday life, and thus completed his Masters and Doctorate in transpersonal-nondual approaches to psychology and psychotherapy in which he integrated the transpersonal work of Ken Wilber and A.H. Almaas with eastern contemplative traditions. After working in addictions and mental health fields, he joined the Addictions Counselling Program at the University of Lethbridge in 1998 as a professor. Since then, he also has maintained a private practice in nondual psychotherapy, working with both individuals and groups. He also is editor of Paradoxica: Journal of Nondual Psychology, and is a  author of a book on addictions recovery and nonduality, The Sun Rises in the Evening. Gary is back this year with his blown wide open presence, and more pointers and invitations for abiding in nondual being. Website: www.nondualbeing.com .

Title: Relaxing into the Bedazzling Mystery. This presentation is an open inquiry invitation to look at deeper patterns within that maybe preventing a full relaxation into nondual being. Secret bargains with existence, grabbing onto the "I", desires and striving, fear and trauma, resisting death, all can be like a "closed fist" that interrupt the natural state and the flowering of stillness. The invitation is to be an "open hand" and let go of our grasping and motivations so that the radiant dance of existence can be embraced in this moment.

2) Shayla Wright is a lover of inquiry, nondual intimacy and presence. She participates in life as a teacher, a master, a coach, a writer, and a friend. She has spent a lifetime studying and teaching inquiry, meditation, and the transformation of consciousness with people all over the world. She was a senior teacher in her spiritual community in the Himalayas, and, was engaged for five years as a nondual coach, facilitator and trainer with Peter Fenner and The Radiant Mind course. However impressive these qualifications appear, do not be fooled by them! Almost everything she has learned, she had to unlearn. She had to say goodbye to all of her teachers, and find her own way in the unfathomable wildness of life. She is grateful to all of them, and to all of the catastrophes and triumphs, and completely ordinary days that have brought her to where she is now. Which is nowhere -- just the indivisible openness of presence. Her current focus is on supporting the full embodiment of integrity, presence, and wide awake love in the midst of human life. She offers coaching, courses and retreats internationally, through Skype, online and in person.

Title: The Heart of Integrity: Staying True to Myself as I Dissolve. What does it actually take to live undefended and transparent in our human lives, so that we close the apparent gap between being fully human and fully awake? The Heart of Integrity is about the ongoing embodiment of nondual presence. We'll be looking at how the egoic patterns of avoidance, hiding and saving face can continue to operate in the midst of profound spiritual clarity. How can we face into and work with the aspects of our lives that are still unresolved, lacking creativity and vitality? And how can we recognize and remain true to where we actually are living in integrity and presence? The skillful means I am offering is learning to share the unfolding edge of our awakening with others, whether or not we are a teacher or a coach. This commitment aligns with the nature of unconditioned generosity. It calls us out of hiding, and radically accelerates our embodiment. This kind of sharing and free expression is an alchemical process, a mirror that reveals everything. We see precisely where we still cling to an image or an idea of who we are. True integrity is where our full magnificence and our deepest vulnerability are fearlessly offered, as a free gift. This presentation will be experiential, dynamic, and participatory. Participants are invited to relinquish any position connected with being safe, separate and passive.

3) Scott Kiloby states "There is nothing sweeter than seeing the emptiness of all things." This is what Scott Kiloby's work is all about. Scott Kiloby is the author of Love's Quiet Revolution: The End of Spiritual Search, Reflections of the One Life: Daily Pointers to Enlightenment, as well as Living Realization: Your Present Experience As It Is, and Living Relationship: Finding Harmony with Others. He also is the creator of a new addiction/recovery method called "Natural Rest for Addiction"  along with an effective tool for dissolving addicton called the Compulsion Inquiry. His main websites are www.livingrealization.org and www.kiloby.com.

Title: Targeting Compulsion: A Tree That Only Grows in the Dark. After a twenty year battle with addiction, Scott began looking in a different way. Instead of turning way from negative thoughts and feelings from the past and looking for release in the future, he began to face his suffering directly. He began to allow all negative and positive energies of thought, emotion, and sensation to be as they are. He began to rest and recognize presence as the stable foundation in which these energies temporarily come and go. Through inquiring into the nature of the belief in separation, and how it arises, and making presence primary in his life, Scott discovered that the key to release from the addictive cycle exists in the one place addicts refuse to look - the present moment. In the  summer of 2012, Scott began experimenting with Colette Kelso, a facilitator of his Living Inquiries. As a result of those sessions, Colette and Scott developed the Compulsion Inquiry. Scott will be speaking on this topic at the conference.

4) Brian Theriault completed his master's degree in counselling psychology and embraces a nondual-transpersonal approach in his clinical work counselling patients. Brian was introduced to nonduality through Gary Nixon and has done personal work with him for several years. He has worked as a therapist in a number of counselling environments, including addiction and mental health agencies, and has his own private practice (www.luminousawakenings.com). He is also an associate editor for Paradoxica: The Journal of Nondual Psychology and has several published articles illustrating the transformative power of nondual psychotherapy. He utilizes the work of nondual psychologists Gary Nixon, A.H. Almaas, Ken Wilber and the profound Zen and mystical teachings of Osho and Lao Tzu.

Title: Every Evening Comes the Moon: Awakening to Freedom in the Darker Pockets of Human Existence. Awakening is not revealed in a nice, neat, little package. It is a journey into oblivion where one's entire sense of self and conceptual world is completely exposed and burnt up. With no effort at all, a gapping abyss can open up in the centre of our being and magnetically draw us similar to a black hole opening up in space, swallowing everything we have ever identified with. Everything we held dear to ourselves. It is not surprising that the mind can conjure up many clever strategies in avoiding the full brunt of such a cosmic napalm. But, a vast freedom can be found in this endless blackness of existence; a luminous freedom can emerge through a deep acceptance and surrender to the incinerating abyss reflecting the clarity of light of who and what we are as human beings. It illuminates everything in existence, from our own lack of clarity and unconscious obsessions to the darker pockets of existence; and even non-ordinary states of existence. This presentation explores the decent into no-self and the freedom found in waking up out of the mud of conditioned existence; working through difficult unconscious material; dealing with non-ordinary states, and resting in our natural stateless state of no-self in all aspects of life.

5) Jason Solowoniuk after experiencing a sudden spiritual awakening ten years ago, went on a journey to understand the nature of his True Self. Filled with fear and anxiety, but swept under a current of spiritual energy he has learned to relax into being. Today, utilizing the wisdom of surrender and integrating Eastern and Wetstern appraoch to counselling/psychotherapy, he now offers these insights and practices toward helping clients ameliorate and transform their own suffering in whatever form it manifests (e.g. depression, panic, addictions, eating disorders, trauma reactions, relationship difficulties, grief, bereavement, etc.). He also teaches and conducts research at the University of Lethbridge, within the Healath Sciencs faculty.

Title: The Black Chasm of Being and No Knowing: The Journey Beyond Awakening. This presentation will explore the psycotherapeutic tenets of A.H. Almaas's "Black Chasm of Being" while integrating the teachings of Bodhidharma, most specifically the concept of "No Knowing." Taken together, cleints and seekers alike will be given a context to challenge habits of spiritual by- pass while bring an unshakable vulernability into daily living.

6) Canela Michelle Meyers is back again this year, as her radical invitation of nondual consciousness given with both love and fierceness, impacted so many people. When her sons were born, Canela Michelle saw that they were innocent and whole, absolutely no doubt in that.  Her inquiry became:  How to allow the felt sense of Being innocent and whole… because at the time, she did not feel that way.  After many deep and life changing experiences, that whole innocence became manifest with Canela – seen, felt, heard – while in direct connection with Isaac Shapiro.   She asked him – “Is it beyond perception?” and he answered “Yes.”  Awareness became consciously aware of Awareness in that moment and has been so ever since.  Emptiness recognized its play in emptiness.  This then created the inclusion of Canela in the lineage of Ramana Maharshi, Papaji, and Isaac. Her way of supporting others is in the full acceptance of who they are – to directly feel the innocence and wholeness in each moment.  Vibrationally,  the essence of That is very present in all offerings that she participates in, making it much easier for people to see and accept themselves, no matter what.  Being a Kundalini Yoga Instructor, teaching and practicing Reiki for over 18 years, and having travelled in over 30 different countries, has honed not only the sensitivities already present in her, but also the ability to share with words what is being pointed to in a way that is understandable and straight forward to those listening.  She is a scientist of energy, following her interest in that and accumulating vast direct experience in the play of That. Canela Michelle Meyers is the best-selling author of Right Here, Right Now Meditations – Satsang Invitations for Expanding Awareness which is a book of ‘Invitations’ using everyday scenarios, or details, to become more and more present to ‘What Is’. Her website www.canelamichelle.com includes invitational videos that display many aspects of her way of seeing & Being (including Satsang) as well as a number of interviews.  There you will also find the schedule of events, along with feedback from participants.  No matter what the format, Canela invites people to relax open to every little bit of who they are, welcoming that which might appear (at first) to be adverse or unwanted, which gives space for a shift in how it is being perceived, supporting an embracing of no more and no less than All That Is.

Title: The Inclusivity of Nonduality/Awareness. The invitation came to speak of this topic through witnessing many people mis-take what non-duality is. As if it could be defined...which it cannot. However, it can be pointed to, experienced, then when in the direct experience, words about it may make more sense. The mis-take appears as if there is any part of What Is that is not "Self" or "Consciousness" or "Love" or "Oneness" or "Advaita" or "Nonduality"....I reckon you get the picture, enough said, yes? So this "talk," this happening of speaking as That, within the direct experience of "That," will point to, and perhaps dissolve, misconceptions about what nonduality is or is not. It is ALL of what Is, including what might appear at first glance to be negative, or else we are not speaking of nonduality. Simple and not so simple. Let's see what happens. You are invited! You are invited with Love.

7) Jac O'Keeffe travels extensively facilitating satsang. At these spiritual gatherings and in her writings she assists spiritual seekers of Truth by offering clear pointers to that which is prior to and beyond the mind. Her first book Born to Be Free, DVD's, music CD and subsequent publications are available from her web site www.jac-okeeffe.com.

Title: Prior to Non Duality. Non duality is a concept within duality. From the non dual perspective duality is a concept. The dual and non dual perspectives can infinitely dance together. There is a sequence form the dual to the nondual perspectives just as there is a sequence from contraction to expansion. What is sequentially prior to non duality? Non duality is subject without object and the arising of existence is the birth of the subject. Can existence be transcended? Can one be open to allow existence to reveal its conceptual essence? Is there anything that can exist that is independent to either a dual or nondual perspective? Prior to existence itself, prior to all of it, prior to the idea of prior,  prior to conceptual thought....this is your invitation.

8) Tom Crockett is the Executive Director of the Together We Can Foundation, which helps disconnected youth transition to adult life and healthy and successful independence. He has spent much of his life working with young people as a teacher, mentor, counselor and program director. Tom works at the intersection of visual art, poetry, prose, indigenous wisdom, Eastern philosophical traditions, nondual awareness and depth psychology to nudge people past their own self-induced suffering. He is an ordained minister and spiritual counselor and a pioneer in the development of Integral Shamanism. He coaches people in the game of creativity, helping them complete projects of personal expression as books or visual artwork. He is the author of numerous books including: The Artist Inside: A Spiritual Guide to Cultivating Your Creative Self; Stone Age Wisdom: The Healing Principles of Shamanism; One Drop Awareness: Picturing Enlightenment and Nonduality and Pillowbook: Deepening the Art of Sacred Sexual Play.

Title: Beyond Enlightenment: Postcards From the Edge. If you read or are simply aware of the enormous literature available on the topic of enlightenment, you could not be faulted for coming to the conclusion that waking up is hard, but that once you have awakened, staying awake is effortless. I actually think we have these ideas backwards. Waking up is easy. We have awakening experiences all the time. Some are profound, some are mild. But, we are constantly coming awake and there are all sorts of experiential and intellectual paths to awakening. The challenge, it seems to me, is in actually staying awake or living from "awakeness." That can be very difficult. Teachers who sell enlightenment as both instant and permanent, without realizing it, end up contributing to more suffering and confusion in the long run. Awakening experiences are very personal and very subjective and describing the "state" of being awakened as if it were a "stage of awakeness" contributes to our mistaking a transient experience for a stabilized ground of pure awareness. Most teachers avoid describing the qualities of being-ness that flow naturally from a stabilized awakened state. In some cases, this is self-serving and reflects a desire to avoid being judged as less than enlightened for the egoic clinging they still manifest. In other cases, it might simply reflect a desire to avoid giving hungry egos new identity merit badges to claim. It seems to me, however, that with the growing number of teachers and students claiming enlightenment, it might be time to begin the discussion of whether there are actually signs of enlightenment that we might agree upon. It's time for a more mature and practical exploration of nondual awareness. Postcards From the Edge is not your father's satsang. It is a playful and visual answer to the question: What does it feel like to live in a state of pure awareness?

9) Trent Leighton for over 20 years has been passionately pursuing the marriage of psychology and the nondual wisdom traditions of the perennial philosophy. His current focus is on the development and application of assessment and diagnostic tools for clinicians based on the subjective emptiness of nonduality. Dr. Leighton's influences include Carl Jung, William James, Adi Da Samraj and Jesus, to name a few.

Title: From Object to Opening: The Therapeutic Power of Metaphysical Inquiry in Nondual Psychotherapy. This presentation will look at the utilization of emerging nondual assessment tools as a means of helping clients configure their metaphysical and subjective belief systems. Theoretical and practical examples will be provided from counselling vignettes to highlight the application of nondual clinical tools in psychotherapy.

10) Silvija comes from a typical past: raised in Calgary, husband and kids, and what looked like an outward life of contentment, but inwardly there was a separate world, a hidden snarl of discontent. Spurred by a lack of understanding and knowledge of the personal self, Silvija began exploring her own self through extensive courses, teachers and travels. Her techniques of Spiritual Energetic Healing arose from this exploration -- not as newly learned skills, but, as a remembering and understanding of a condition (healing) that has been functioning throughout her entire life, formerly, without her realization. A session of Spiritual Energetic Healing provides an avenue for one to be able to sense the quiet perfection of self as Self, and, intrinsically be awoken to the expression that is beyond the constraints of thought, emotional and physical limitation. Website: www.DivineEcho.com

Title: Shall We Dance? Chaos of the mind, turmoil of emotions, and fixation on accomplishments constantly distract us and lock us into the mundane. We are duped into enduring an ever narrowing life: shackled to our anarchic thoughts that circulate limiting beliefs, laid bare to the onslaught of our emotions, and, condemned to the confusion called life. The wisdom of the heart is playing out before us in each moment, and, yet it is seldom seen as a path to be accepted and embraced. Simplicity and acceptance is the road home to Self. Wanna dance?

11) Aha, in this Great Theatre of the Dream we all share, is the realized presence and Force of the NOW-HERE. As a Transpersonal Undoing Agent, he has, for the past several years, taught scores of students both Eastern and Western techniques of illumination at workshops and in private consultations throughout Alberta, California and BC. He has been conducting Satsangs (gatherings of Truth) regularly since 2004. Early on, at the age of seven, Aha began investigating ideas of various religions and occult paths. At twenty-one, after graduating with a degree in philosophy, he fell into God-realized company, and, began to live disciplines of conscious realization of the Transpersonal Heart condition of Truth. His wide-ranging philosophical and musical interests have been channeled into the service of Awakening, and providing good company for those undergoing initiation into the powers of Self-Realization. Aha is featured in the award-winning documentary, The Nature of Existence, and gives weekly tarot divinations and commentary on Nicole Whitney's internet radio show, News for the Soul (see NewsForTheSoul.com, Sundays, noon to 1 pm PST). Aha is currently residing in southern Alberta and invites contact through email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Visit his website at www.templeofbeing.com

Title: Spiritual Transformation: The Art and Science for The (No) One Now-Here. How does one apprehend the fullness of infinity in the midst of one's ordinary theatre of existence, rather than clinging to moments of polishing an act for the sense of fleeting control? First one awakens to one's nature as a Witness through which one's conceptual universe passes and extends one's feeling-awareness to embrace each event as revealing one's fullness As It Is. Then a journey takes place whereby the world of differentiation, name and form, praise and blame returns to consciousness as Oneness and endless renewal. The presentation will begin with a scene from the 1967 movie The Trip and conclude with a Q & A session, time permitting. Come with cosmic wheels spinning.

12) Sally Ross lives in Victoria, B.C. After receiving her Masters in Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia in 2001, she worked as a program coordinator in diverse fields: Early Childhood Development research, Mental Health & Addictions, youth volunteerism, and later architecture. Her experience of a difficult and prolonged auto-immune illness beginning at the age of 21 was the catalyst for her search. When she was 30, Sally met her "Spiritual Father," Claudio, and was a committed member of his Sangha on Vancouver Island until he moved to Hawaii in 2011. Sally now offers Satsang with a focus on direct Self-Inquiry through quiet Sitting Practice. She recently published the first volume of The Selfward Facing Way: A Course for Living the Direct Experience of Your Eternal Nature. Website: www.faceselfward.net

Title: Abiding As The Immensities. Even conceptually, we can grasp the fact that, in this very moment, endless galaxies are spinning. The Earth is a grain of sand in a never-ending universe of cosmic beaches, all in continuous and effortless operation NOW. This same moment is that which lives your body, itself an awe-inspiring complexity of interconnected biochemical processes and electrical dynamics. From the infinitely huge to the infinitely tiny, the only thing here is an indestructible reality that forms and reforms itself in unbroken fertility. In the face of this Immensity, what can one say "about" it? What can "actually" be understood? How can concepts possibly touch its Omniscience? What is there to "do"? This talk will provide the "set-up" of understanding to be taken into Satsang during the evening, where we will sit "exactly as we are."

Register below for the conference with the paypal button, regular admission $195, student admission $75.