June 1-10, 2007
The mission of Avatar in the world is to catalyze the integration of belief systems. When we perceive that the only difference between us is our beliefs and that beliefs can be created or discreated with ease, the right and wrong game will wind down, a co-create game will unfold, and world peace will ensue.
When I heard that East and West Germany had re-united into one country, I desired that also for Korea.
The deep political divisions between North Korea and South Korea began with a civil war in 1950 and then escalated to a war between the major Communist countries and the major Democratic countries. A cease-fire was agreed to in 1953, but the country was split. The South took a path toward capitalism and the North took a path toward communism. These two belief systems were so antagonistic to each other that the only way to preserve the cease-fire was to create a fortified buffer zone across the Korean Peninsula, the D.M.Z (Demilitarized Zone). Except for one small area called Panmunjeom, North and South Korea were disconnected: no roads, no rail lines, and no communication lines. The people in the North could not travel to the South and the people in the South could not travel to the North. So where to start?
After I experienced the power of Avatar, and it’s ability to integrate beliefs, I had my answer. The split in my country was not only a separation in space, but also a separation in consciousness. It grew out of a difference in beliefs, and as long as the two sides remained isolated from each other, there was no hope of integrating beliefs. When I became an Avatar Master and trainer, I made a primary to find a way to help integrate the division between North and South Korea.
For a long time, I couldn’t find any opening, but then I heard the story about the late chairman of the Hyundai Group, Chung Mong-Heon, who had left his family in North Korea. He had a strong primary to visit his homeland one time before his death. He persuaded his company to offer North Korea US$ 1 billion for 50 years of access and exclusive rights to the Kumgang Mountain region. Kumgang Mountain has a strong spiritual allure for Koreans. After years of heartbreaking negotiations, a deal was finally struck. The Hyundai group then spent an additional $400 million dollars to build a five-star floating hotel, which opened in 1998.
Kumgang Mountain is the most beautiful mountain in Korea. There is an old Korean saying, “One cannot die before he sees Mt. Kumgang.” The mountain is hard granite polished by time into beautiful, seemingly organic, shapes. Nature is generous on its slopes, creating waterfalls, wild flower meadows, forests, and enchanting glimpses of the sea. A perfect place for an Avatar Course!
It is not easy for tourists from the South to visit Mt. Kumgang. There are visa applications that must be completed 10 days before departure. Visitors must have approval from the South Korean government, as well as the U.N., before a trip can be planned. North Korea has rules too, no cameras with telephoto lens, no cell phones, no unsupervised travel. But my heart primary was already made, “I organize an Avatar Course from June 1st to June 10th in North Korea.”
Our Master team had 25 days to create the course. Everyone worked around the clock to register students, make hotel reservations, obtain visas, arrange buses, and organize finances. Some people were fearful of visiting North Korea and needed to be reassured that our group would be safe. They have had years of fearful political indoctrination about the dangers of North Korea. Some elderly Koreans jumped at the chance to visit or re-visit Kumgang Mountain. The spiritual attraction was strong. Some younger people didn’t have to be asked twice to participate in the adventure. They were ripe for an event that could change the history of Korean consciousness, even if only a very tiny change.
The Journey North
At 5:30 in the morning on the 1st of June, people began arriving to board the four buses we had rented. By the time the bus doors closed, and we pulled out of Seoul, an excited group of 53 masters and 65 students had climbed on board, the youngest 15, the oldest past 80.
After five hours of riding, we arrived at the border of South Korea and immigration checking began. It was friendly and jokes were made. Outside, four different buses arrived from North Korea to takes us through the D.M.Z. with its mine fields, electric fences and barbed wire. Another 15 minutes of riding in this no-man’s land and we arrived at the border of North Korea and again immigration checking began, only this time it was more serious. The energy and the atmosphere had changed. Instead of the civilian government employees in the South, there were grim-faced North Korean army regulars manning the North Korean immigration office. No jokes were made.
Most of the Masters filled in their occupation on the visa form as ‘Avatar Master’. As I passed through the immigration gate, a North Korean Army Officer stepped up to me and asked, “What is Avatar?”
“It’s a self-development course that works on reshaping our belief systems so that we live a better and happier life,” I replied.
He was the first North Korean who had heard about Avatar. He thought for a moment, relaxed, and then said, “Oh, that’s good.”
Traveling in our third caravan of buses, over a mostly deserted road, I reminded the Masters to use the Compassion Exercise and to deliberately practice kindness. We soon arrived at Hyundai hotel. The atmosphere was very different than Seoul. There were no high buildings, no complicated crossing over bridges or roads, fewer people. Everything seemed simpler and less complicated. As soon as we stepped off the bus, the air that greeted us was pure and clean. The landscape was preserved in its natural beauty, No artificial gardens or trimmed trees, just the mountains with their very unique wild beauty. The hotel staff was cordial and reminded us again that mobile phones must be turned off and left at the desk.
The Course Begins
The course was awesome. Because there were no distractions, everybody was much more engaged in doing the exercises and participating in the group discussions. I once read an article in a Science magazine that said that when we close our eyes, 95% of the information that reaches the brain stops. This is the impact of meditation. And this is also the impact of Kumgang Mountain. There are no phones, no Internet to distract, no movies, no place to go. Life slows down, and you realize how many things you take for granted. This special situation allowed the students to connect with Harry’s materials on a deep level.
Students started going outside to do the Section II exercises. Many of them stood quietly in front of rocks, flowers, and trees. One day an elderly lady was standing for a long time in front of flowers. A North Korean soldier asked her, “Are you talking to the flowers?” She replied that she was doing a feel-it exercise. He nodded his head and the word spread that our group was talking to nature. Soon more soldiers showed up to watch. They sensed that something special was happening at the hotel. And it was.
On the last day, lots of people were announced as “The Newest Avatar on the Planet,” hearts were touched, the collective consciousness softened. As Harry says in one of his lectures, “You can’t see the ocean rise from adding a single drop, but surely it does.” We added our drop toward raising the awareness of the possibility of a unified Korea.
Ilu Kim is a Star’s Edge Trainer from South Korea.
return to issue 21.2 | return to Journal archives | top of page
All content copyright 2008, Star’s Edge, Inc. EPC is a service mark of Star's Edge, Inc. Avatar®, ReSurfacing®, Thoughtstorm®, Love Precious Humanity®, Enlightened Planetary Civilization® and Star’s Edge International® are registered trademarks of Star’s Edge, Inc. All rights reserved.