Invitation to Unique Self 2.0 – Portal 1: Intimacy, Eros, and Evolutionary Love

Kick-off Sunday, November 24/2024

An invitation by Marc Gafni (Transcript of Video):

Reality is evolution, and evolution is a series of transformations. My reality—my life—is my evolution. That evolution consists of the personal transformations I experience. To count means to be accountable, right? So, to be accountable is to answer one fundamental question: Did I live my unique self-story, the story that will shape how I face my death? Whether I find myself in a death chair, on a death walker, or even on death skis, the goal is to reach that final moment feeling fearless and fully alive—more alive at the moment of my death than ever before. A life well-lived is one where I realise the unique transformations that are the essence of my unique self-story.

Let’s get personal and talk about what we aim to do together. But first, one more critical piece: Part of the consciousness of the unique self is knowing that my transformation is connected to the transformation of the whole. My unique self-story is a chapter within the universal life story, and it uniquely contributes to the greater story of existence.

This is the adventure we're about to embark on together, and I’m thrilled to begin it with Claire Molinard, co-founder of the Unique Self Institute, a brilliant coach, teacher, and lineage holder in unique self-dharma. Alongside our colleague Andrew Sweeney, co-founder of the European Parallax community, we are preparing to launch a great journey that we hope will unfold over the next few years.

The journey will have individual entry points—portals, like in Dungeons & Dragons—each taking the form of three-week courses. Each portal will focus on a key aspect of your personal transformation, which also contributes to the transformation of the whole. These courses will have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and will be directly focused on the story of your life and mine.

The principles that guide this work have deepened and evolved since the publication of the Unique Self book in 2011. The world has changed, and so has the dharma, which is always in dialogue with reality as it unfolds. Each of these three-week courses will focus on a new, emergent, and immediately relevant dimension of the unique self—something not covered in the original book.

These courses are for everyone. Whether you’re new to the unique self conversation or have been engaging with it for years, this is the critical next step. Our first three-week portal will dive into how the unique self relates to intimacy—intimacy with ourselves, with others, with our "split-off" parts, and with reality itself. We’ll explore eros and what we call outrageous or evolutionary love.

In the original Unique Self book, these topics were only hinted at. Now, we’ll engage with them deeply: the experience of unique self as evolutionary love in person, as part of the cosmo-erotic universe. What does it mean to love both intimately within our personal circle of relationships and expansively, feeling connected to the whole? This course will be about living the unique self in relationship, both personally and universally.

Though three weeks may seem like the blink of an eye, it’s a moment that can be transformative. There will be study, practice, an online community held by Claire, and ongoing inquiry. This is the beginning—step one, portal one—like the stations of the cross or the stations of enlightenment in other traditions. These are the stations of realization.

It’s a big invitation. And if I may add something personal: I love you, and I need you. There’s no separation between the two. I need you to join this course, and you need to be part of it. We need each other because we’re going to exchange energy and find each other in this shared space. In this time of crisis—facing the second shock of existence and the potential death of humanity—this vision of identity is more vital than ever.

The answers to the questions “Who am I?” and “Who are we?” are the new source code for reality. This journey is both intimate and universal. It’s about us—about you and me—and it’s also about the whole world. Together with Claire, I invite you to this portal, this potential, and this promise. As our dear evolutionary friend Barbara Marx Hubbard used to say, “The promise will be kept.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you.