I am writing to you three weeks after having completed the International Avatar course in Orlando, and I am still amazed at the effect that Avatar has had on my life. It has been so profound that I feel compelled to share my personal experience. I would appreciate it if this could be passed on to Harry.

    I dont know how typical I was for people doing Avatar, but throughout the week I was in and out of a state of conflict. I should tell you I am a member of a small but active religious minority, and as such I am deeply religious. Several times during the week I was reminded of how unique my religious faith is, and repeatedly it seemed to be in conflict with Avatar. Or so I was choosing to see it. Having completed the course, I can now take responsibility for that. It was silly of me to expect that every assertion in the Avatar materials would be in harmony with my religious beliefs, for I well know that my religious beliefs are not mainstream. I had accepted being different from the religious mainstream in all other aspects of my life and this hadnt bothered me before; I even welcomed opportunities for dialogue over these differences. So why was it bothering me so much in Avatar? I now see it as my own fears.

    One particular subject that caused me concern was a reference in the Avatar materials (actually in the advertisement brochure for the Wizards Course) to the "tools of divination". I became aware of this phrase being used while I was in Section 3 of the Avatar course. I found it curious that the Avatar materials are so careful to provide dictionary definitions of many words that are used, but it didnt do so for this phrase. Yet for me this phrase carried a big warning -- "Stay Away!" Divination is strictly forbidden by the Bible and hence by my religious faith, for according to the Bible it brings a person in contact with invisible evil forces. I could not continue as a member of my faith and use the tools of divination. And I did not want to give up my religious faith. So I had a dilemma.

    I presented this issue to the Master who was working with me on the final Sunday morning. After she checked with the Stars Edge staff, the Section 3 Avatar Materials were taken away from me and they suggested I do a mini-course on Integrity instead. Well, I wondered how this would help me resolve my issues, for to me, staying true to my religious faith is the ESSENCE of integrity. My religious brothers and sisters refused to "Heil Hitler" in Nazi Germany because to them, this would have meant breaking integrity to God. For this reason alone they were sent to concentration camps with the symbol of the purple triangle, the only group in Nazi concentration camps solely for their religious faith. They could have left the concentration camps at any time they chose if they would simply renounce their religious faith, but this they would not do. So to me, integrity meant I would not abandon my faith, but I would stop Avatar right then and there if I needed to! But I was willing to see what I might learn from the Integrity mini-course, and for that I am grateful.

   Its amazing, but with the patient help I was given, I was able to see what I needed to see. It took me ALL DAY Sunday to complete the mini-course and the five additional exercises that were recommended to me. But I finally got there, with barely enough time left afterwards for me to complete Section 3. So what did I realize? I do not know what was intended by the phrase "tools of divination", and nobody at Avatar seemed to be able to tell me to my satisfaction. I thought the worst, and would not move ahead unless I was assured otherwise. I had to KNOW before I would experience. And then it hit me. I could EXPERIENCE first, and then I would know. If I experienced anything that I considered divination, I could immediately stop. And with that realization, I felt at peace with the course and was willing to move ahead with the rest of Section 3. Needless to say, I never saw a need to stop.

   What a great lesson I learned that day. I dont have to know everything in advance before I am willing to experience something. Thats living in fear of the unknown. Instead I can courageously experience, and then I will know. I am so grateful that I was able to reach this awareness with enough time to complete Section 3. And as a bonus, the Integrity mini-course surfaced two core issues that I needed to face, just in time for me to deal with these in Section 3. So I dealt with everything I needed to!

     But now let me tell you what a difference Avatar has made in my life. The main issue I had been struggling over was my relationship with my ex-wife. She chose to divorce me five years ago for what I saw as the flimsiest of reasons, and I had not been able to attain closure ever since. I even relapsed into cancer during the divorce proceedings, which I now see as a sympathy ploy on my part. (It didnt get me any sympathy, only chemotherapy!) I had been choosing to see myself as a victim, and I was defining myself by this one event in my life. How sad! I was allowing my past to determine my future! The few times I spoke with my ex-wife, I felt nothing but resentment, and we locked horns. Well, a few weeks before the Avatar course she phoned me to ask if I could send her the alimony check a few days earlier each month, as she was having cash flow problems. I had been sending the check on the exact day of the month as agreed to in our divorce papers, and I told myself that if she was having difficulties, that was the consequence of her decision. After all, I wasnt unfaithful. I didnt leave her. She left me. So if she was having a hard time, so be it. And so I told her I couldnt send the check any sooner; I had my own cash flow concerns. What I wasnt honestly facing was the fact that I WAS able to afford to send the check a few days earlier; I just DIDNT WANT TO because I felt resentful. But realizing that required more honesty than I was willing to invest at the time. Well, the Avatar course changed what I thought was unchangeable. Where I didnt see a choice before, I now saw opportunities for choice.

     The very day I returned home from the Avatar course, I telephoned my ex-wife, HONESTLY apologized for the pain I caused her, and told her I arranged to send the alimony check a few days sooner each month. Needless to say, she was flabbergasted. I am certain that the change in me is somehow changing her, and I do not know the extent. But I do not need to reconcile with her to gain closure. As soon as I made that phone call I felt closure, because I KNEW I had done the right thing by taking personal responsibility.

     But there is more. I had been having difficulty in my relationship with my 25-year old daughter who lives with her mother, my ex-wife. I was choosing to see my daughter according to the stories I was telling myself, yet those stories were my creations based on my impressions, not necessarily reality! So after Avatar I chose to discreate those stories, realizing that the past doesnt exist, and chose instead to treat my daughter from the belief that she is kind and loving to her father. And yes, that created a new reality, the one I wanted. My daughter has visited me a few times since, and we now feel extremely close.

    Thats still not all. I have had issues with my weight for many years, as I have been a compulsive overeater. I dealt with this issue in Section 3 as a "persistent mass", and I have been amazed at the consequences ever since. I am naturally eating less and feeling full. I have not gone on a diet, but I have nevertheless lost over 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks! I created a primary to be at the right weight for me, and I am well on the way to that reality. For the past three weeks I have been integrating Avatar into my daily life (another one of my primaries) and I am seeing numerous benefits. My friends, even my boss as work, see the difference in me! Avatar has truly changed my life! I appreciate your taking the time to read this.  P.S. I will be at the Masters Course in Orlando in Nov/Dec.

M.W.- USA- 2009