Eva and I started running EIs in 1980. In fact Eva started Mastering a few years before I did. Initially we did one EI a year. However between 1984 and 1998 we ran 66 Intensives and trainings; an average of four and a half a year. Several years we ran 6 EIs, usually including one 2-week. There were also a few years where we only ran 3 – largely because of other activities in our life.
There are several major differences between running one EI a year and running 4,5 or 6. The first is that whilst we were running only one a year we had to remind ourselves of all the details each time. When running more than 4 a year the details all become second nature and we didn’t have to consult the manual to remember.
The second difference was that we were purifying our bodies more frequently. This had an effect on our health. We both suffered from caffeine withdrawal headaches, so when running more EIs we elected to give up caffeine altogether – it wasn’t worth the regular headaches.
But the third and most important difference was that we were regularly confronted by the Divine. By 1984 our EIs had between 16 and 20 people on them. So an average Intensive would have four or five direct experiences – which means four of five different people coming up to one or both of us presenting Truth. This has several effects. Firstly it showed me that anyone, including people who I thought were wasting their time, could have an experience. Second it broadened my knowledge of Truth because different experiences were being reported.
And lastly, and for me most profoundly, I found that if I was open enough to the participant’s presentation, then I could make contact with them in that Divine state. I explain more about this in relation to Sharing Participants’ Experiences. For now the point I wish to make is that it served to fulfil my own desire for more Truth, it encouraged me to be more open and sometimes would have to confront some belief I had about others, life or Truth. Having this happen with three or four people, four or five or six times a year seriously propelled my personal growth. For me this was a central part of the path associated with Mastering EIs and is why this Principle is so important.
This requirement is appropriate to the middle stage of growth, the Consolidation phase. In the Discovery stage the key is having experiences, especially a deep one. In the Maturation phase there is a lot less energy and motivation for running Intensives and one naturally shifts to different ways of serving others. So it is really only relevant for the middle phase of growth. I can imagine this lasting anywhere between 10 and 20 years. Running four or more Intensives a year for such a period also represents an enormous service to humankind.
Long Intensives
It is clear to me that running 3-day Intensives frequently for many years is an essential part of what I am calling a Master’s path. However I am not certain that running Long Intensives is so essential. I was attracted to it because I gained so much benefit from the long Intensives on which I participated. And participating in a long EI would be the first step in deciding whether or not to Master them yourself. If, after that, you are seriously considering Mastering a long EI, then read the Long Intensive Manual that I wrote; it will give you a good sense of what is required of you.
What that manual does not do is spell out the benefits for you as a Master. (As I think about writing this I am weeping with gratitude.) You witness, and possibly share in, many more deep experiences. The sort that changes lives and reminds you of the glory of being a human able to experience the Divine in all its beauty. Because you are with the participants for 15 hours a day for 14 days, without a monitor, you become more engaged with their processes. You will become their spiritual teacher for the duration, with all the responsibility and joy that brings. You and the participants become more and more open as the Intensive proceeds; you will see people transform before your eyes. For the process to work best you will disclose more of yourself in your lectures and interviews – and in return you will feel more seen and acknowledged. And there will come a time, around about days 10,11 and 12, when you and all the participants will tangibly sense that Truth is in the room, with you and most of the participants crying their eyes out with love and gratitude. All of this happens to some degree on 3-day Intensives, but it is deepened and amplified by the much longer time of openness. I know I was transformed by Mastering Long Intensives. I cannot recommend it too strongly.
A Master's Path 
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