by Linda Decker

In l990 when I did my basic Avatar course, the changes in my life were immediate and dramatic. So dramatic, in fact, that my family wondered what I had gotten involved with. The unspoken suspicion was that I had become an Avatar fanatic, or that Avatar was some kind of cult. But of course, no one wanted to confront me by suggesting that! Now, where do you suppose they got this idea? Here’s a thumbnail sketch of some of the major changes that transpired:

For over twenty years before my Avatar course, my mother and I had been in and out of family therapy, fighting, criticizing each other, manipulating each other. There had even been a period of over a year when we’d barely spoken to each other. When my husband would answer the phone and hold it out to me saying, “It’s your mother,” my stomach would twist into a knot. On holidays, I’d drag my heavy heart to a card shop and stand before the display of flowery “Mother” cards with a lump in my throat, fighting back tears.

My basically solid marriage to a wonderful man had aimlessly drifted into a cul-de-sac of boredom that frustrated us both to no end. We were worried and clueless about how to change the situation.

At work, I had become an obsessive “Type A” potential ulcer patient. My manager persisted in giving me assignments I hated, my colleagues got on my nerves, customers were aggravating, political enemies and limitations on my success were everywhere. Every night, I’d bring home a 20-pound briefcase full of work and a racing mind full of judgments and complaints. I was usually too wiped out to do any of the work at home in the evenings, yet I could be relied on to toss and turn fitfully all night, fretting about how I’d ever get it all done. But I couldn’t leave “such a great job.” My family would have a fit, not to mention the damage my leaving would do to our financial situation.

And so, while my life looked splendid on the outside, my mind was frayed, and my spirit was reduced to a desperate, nearly inaudible whisper. To make matters worse, I knew that I was fully responsible for my life. The difficulty was, I had no tools or training that I could use to alter it. Great combo, huh? Heavy responsibility—no capability!

Then along come an Avatar Master. I don’t remember what words he said when I asked him about Avatar, but what I sensed was that this would be my final mile home. Wild horses couldn’t have stopped me. Within days I had arranged to fly from Los Angeles to Manhattan for three consecutive weekends to do the course.

Those November weekends, as I sat perched on the living room window sill of a Fifth Avenue apartment, gazing up at the Empire State Building, laughing and having a great time, something major inside me surrendered and fell away. I learned how to calm my mind and regained control over the judgments and interpretations I’d been cluttering my life with. Gently, it dawned on me that I’d been distorting my world and separating myself from my loved ones and my dreams. Gentler still, my power reappeared.

I realized that my world was not populated with enemies and flawed people—I’d been reacting to my own interpretation of them. And I could stop creating those aggravating and threatening ideas.

When I came home after my course, I was infused with an almost ethereal calm. But I was not off in a Pollyanna never-never land delusion. I was in full contact with life, confident in my ability to be as I decide to be, voluntarily participating in my world. And man, was I excited!

Over and over, I tried to tell my family and friends about Avatar. But it all came off sounding pretty weird. I had reached a state of being that defied description. Finally, I decided to be quiet and let them observe me. That would have to do.

They observed me create the position of my dreams at work and thoroughly enjoy it. They observed me suddenly relax and love my mother for the first time since my pre-teen years. They observed me take up English horseback riding—something I’d put off enjoying for years. They observed me experiencing peace and satisfaction. And they secretly phoned one another to worry about me.

By May when I decided to do the Avatar Masters’ course, they had it all figured out: they felt sure that I was involved in a cult! No one could be that content all the time. By George, it just isn’t natural! The plan was for my father to take the course and rescue me from the inside.

While I was in Orlando at the Masters’ course, my father entered the hospital in serious condition. Ironically, one of the things that got him out of that hospital bed was his conviction to “save” me. When I phoned him from Florida, he asked me when my first Avatar delivery would be. “Soon as you’re ready,” I told him.

In September, I delivered my first course, and Dad was there. He showed up with a brave and somewhat condescending smile, putting on a fairly good show of being earnest about exploring Avatar. He was ready to make his move. Then something odd happened.

He discovered that there were absolutely no beliefs for a person to adopt in the Avatar course. In fact, you’re actually introduced to methods of locating past indoctrinations and releasing yourself from their hold. You learn how deeply beliefs influence your life, and how to manage them for yourself. No one tells you what to believe or what to release. There are no gurus, no one invades your privacy, no one confronts you, makes any attempt to control you or pressure you into continuing farther than you want to go. It turns out that Avatar is the most effective powerful de-indoctrination program ever created. Relieved, Dad relaxed as we enjoyed a wonderful week together exploring new frontiers.

And you can expect this, too. As the distortion of “external influences” clears away, and the roar of fear and doubt dies down, what’ll be left is you, confidently back at the helm, guiding your own extraordinary adventure of self-discovery. Home at last, and free.

free—adj. 1) not under the control of some other person or some arbitrary power; able to act or think without compulsion or arbitrary restriction; having liberty; independent 2) able to move in any direction; not held as in chains, etc., unhindered, unhampered 3) not confined to the usual rules or patterns; not limited by convention or tradition 4) not held by prejudice or bias 5) clear of obstructions; open and unimpeded 6) not restricted by anything except its own limitations or nature 7) not constrained or stilted; easy and graceful.

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