An Interview with Master Charles Cannon

Author of FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE

This month I was very fortunate to have been invited to review a new book by Master Charles Cannon 'Forgiving the Unforgivable'. It was such an enjoyable read I asked if he would be available to answer a few questions for our magazine, and I'm pleased to say he agreed.

I hope you enjoy.

Colin.

Colin:- Master Charles thank you very much for spending some time to answer a few questions about your book FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE. What came out so vividly for me was how we can move from reaction mode to a more holistic view of each situation. Perhaps that is why you and your party were there in Mumbai at that precise moment, to experience first-hand a terrorist attack, then to pass on your learning? 

Master Charles:- Personal choice makes all the difference, which explains why two people in the same circumstance can have opposite experiences. Reactions are automatic, responses are deliberate. In Mumbai, all of us were challenged to examine our automatic reactions, such as fear and the urge to retaliate, then decide whether we really wanted to respond that way, and finally, consciously choose how to express ourselves. This 1, 2, 3 process can be practiced by anyone in any situation. Over time, it becomes a healthy habit. 

Colin:- One phrase that you use a lot in your book is ‘where your feet are’. This is a great way of describing what is going on ‘right now’. Can you give us a little more insight into what this means for you? 

Master Charles:- Your feet rest on the ground. They ground you in the earth, the here and now natural world. This is not theoretical, it’s real. So much of our activity is “head bound;” we’re in our heads, thinking about things. But where our feet are is our connection with nature, with reality. So, I like to advise people to pay attention to where their feet are, in order to make a conscious connection with their environment. It helps to get them out of their heads and relating to the actual circumstance they are in, which is always full of lessons to learn and service to offer.

Colin:- You say that Mumbai did not leave scars; it healed old wounds. How did that work for you and your group? 

Master Charles:- Traumatic events always shake you up. But who you choose to be within them determines whether you get scarred or healed. Victims get traumatized and often take years to get over what happened, if they ever do. We chose a different identity and it’s important to say that this was not a novel choice. It’s how we live. We didn’t really do anything revolutionary in Mumbai. We consciously chose as we always do, to be present in the situation and see what we could learn and contribute.

It’s true that the trauma of being in that life and death situation was stressful. But we chose to handle the stress in a way that minimized the damage. Time has told the tale; none of us are experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. In fact, the event did provide some healing relative to other traumas. Any time you can prevail in a challenging situation you come out strengthened. All those in my party have been on a learning track for many years. Each time any of them succeed in staying present in a challenging circumstance, it heals their memory of not having been as effective in some past encounter. Now they are!

Colin:- I love the idea of Masters being able to pass on their vibration by ‘entraining’ others. Have you seen this working within your own programme?

Master Charles:- Entrainment is the core value of what we offer through Synchronicity Foundation. It’s who we are, not just what I may say or write, that has the effect. We’ve seen this working for 30 years in the dramatically tangible results our associates have experienced, not in theory but in their increased happiness and fulfillment. And they will all tell you the same thing, that it’s the “field of energy” we share that does the most good. This is true wherever true mastery is available. The Master extends his or her amplitude of power through momentary livingness. It fills what they say and do and transmits throughout their associations. All those aligned with this frequency then become transponders, amplifying the signal. Entrainment is available this way to whoever chooses to come close and explore the meaning for themselves. And it emphasizes how important that originating broadcast is!

Colin:- An interesting reaction to your experience was how the media could not relate to your position of forgiveness rather than blame, of love rather than fear. Even now the word fear appears in every news broadcast; what would you say is the best way to deal with this phenomenon?

Master Charles:- Actually, many in the media we spoke to immediately after our rescue did relate to our position. Perhaps it was the shock of death, that two of our members had died in the attack. This made them naturally sympathetic, which opened their hearts. When they heard us speak about forgiveness many of them understood instinctively. Why? Because this was the truth, a life-affirming, healing response. It’s interesting how people will sort of “get it” in an extreme moment, like Mumbai was. Here were these veteran, world- tested journalists, and some of them really melted, they felt the truth of what we were saying.

Of course others didn’t. They trade on fear and supply whatever their audiences need to, as Eckhart Tolle says, “feed the pain body.” We all have one and if you’re devoted to feeding it, well, you’ve got to get your next meal. But some are feeding their love body, they are open to something more genuinely nourishing. We were grateful to meet quite a number of those in the media.

Colin:- Your book, associated videos and supporting text form a great basis for self-teaching the Holistic Lifestyle. Would you also advocate readers seek out their own Master who could help them assimilate the material?

Master Charles:- When the student is ready, the teacher appears. The ego does the seeking, the self does the living. Just live. Accept each moment as the teacher. You know, Masters show up in all sorts of forms. It can be your husband, your boss, a plane cancellation, bad news from the doctor, even a pet that teaches you about unconditional love! I always encourage people to live fully in the moment, to take full advantage of what is showing up for them right now. That will lead them from one Master to another.

Beware the self-promoting guru! Awakening to truth is not a business. When a person has evolved to the point where they are ready for what you might call “spiritual apprenticeship,” they will meet the teacher that is just right for them. They will be magnetically drawn to that particular one. This is how it has always happened in the great spiritual traditions. So, I encourage people to relax. They couldn’t be more on schedule if they tried.

Colin:- What other supporting materials have you made available for anyone who is inspired to begin practicing the Holistic Lifestyle for themselves?

Master Charles:- Meditation has always been the first and best tool for those moved to expand their self-awareness. I created High Tech Meditation over 30 years ago and it’s available on our web site, www.synchronicity.org in the form of a sample meditation cd that comes with a newly written introductory book, Modern Spirituality. This is probably the best resource for someone who wants to explore what we offer. There is an on-line course and a monthly meditation study program called Recognitions as well. Of course, we also welcome visitors to our sanctuary in Virginia where we hold a variety of retreats throughout the year.

Colin:- Master Charles thank you for your time today, it has been a joy to connect with you in this way.

FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE

The Power of Holistic Living

The True Story of How the Survivors of the Mumbai Terrorist Attack Answered Hatred with Compassion

By Master Charles Cannon with Will Wilkinson

Foreword by Eckhart Tolle

Afterword by Neale Donald Walsch

In 2008, terrorists attacked the 5-star Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, where Master Charles Cannon and 24 of his associates from the Synchronicity Foundation for Modern Spirituality were staying. Four from their group were injured and two, a father and daughter, were killed. Following rescue by SWAT teams, the survivors made surprising statements to the international media using words of forgiveness to express compassion and understanding toward their attackers, rather than anger or hatred. Even the mother who had lost her child and husband forgave the killers. Thousands of messages from inspired people poured in asking, “How were you able to do this?”

FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE: The True Story of How the Survivors of the Mumbai Terrorist Attack Answered Hatred with Compassion by Master Charles Cannon (SelectBooks, February 21, 2012), shows how principles of enlightened living proved themselves imminently practical during a traumatic, life-threatening circumstance. “This book is about forgiveness but, more essentially, it is about how to live in a certain state of consciousness out of which forgiveness arises naturally and effortlessly,” writes renowned spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle in the foreword.

From those who respect forgiveness as the final victory over those who have done them harm to those who seek the inner stillness of a lightened spirit, FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVABLE presents the spiritual practice that made it possible for the author and his colleagues to weather their ordeal with insight, compassion and unconditional love. Written in user-friendly language that readers can easily translate into their own results, Cannon remains a gentle and thoughtful guide throughout, inviting readers to see each moment as “an experience whose time has come” and to learn how to express the very qualities that may seem to be missing, like love in the face of hatred.

Master Charles Cannon is a modern spiritual teacher and founder of Synchronicity Foundation for Modern Spirituality.

Look out for the review next month.