Introducing John Birch

Brother JOHN BIRCH developed an interesting method of raising money for charity! He embarked on a home-made retreat that included renunciation and self-sacrifice for a charitable cause. John has worked as a UK tutor for "An Introduction to Contemporary Spirituality - The Soul's Journey" by William Bloom and ran the Spiritual Path Network in the UK to help people discover their spiritual path. He has trained mediums and healers. 

John Birch developed an interesting method of raising money for charity! He embarked on a home-made retreat that included renunciation and self-sacrifice for a charitable cause. He restricted his environment by reducing general distractions and cutting out modern comforts and necessities, such as food, electricity, and contact with friends. With these indulgent pastimes out of the way, John went into solitary confinement in his home to raise awareness for the plight of the fast diminishing Amazonian rainforest. His retreat also had the added advantage that John could put the money that he saved during this time towards a cause that helps the world's largest endangered rainforest and the people that are dependent upon it.

The Amazon Cry Foundation is a registered charity that was founded to prevent illegal logging and mining in the Amazon region and also to provide a school, language lessons and a workers' co-operative for the people of the Amazonian basin. The Amazon is a natural temple and its destruction is a threat to the planet's future health. Throughout John's silent week, his feelings of emptiness and a connection with the struggling people of the Amazon surfaced. His solitary confinement became a vision quest. During his deep meditations, John, who is a visionary made spiritual contact with a native shaman, and clearly saw the man's face, with beads of sweat, tattoos and fish bone piercings. John feels his self-imposed week of hardship gave him an empathy and compassion towards the Rainforest people. He noticed that his sense of time slowed and he adopted a more natural pace of life. He also appreciated the solace and calmness of silence and heard bird-song and other natural sounds with new ears. 

John has worked as a UK tutor for "An Introduction to Contemporary Spirituality - The Soul's Journey" by William Bloom, and William provided the preface to John's book of his experience. John has worked with William Bloom on 'the Holistic Spiritual Project' which endorses the wonder of life and celebrates diversity, ecology and health.

John's intention is to challenge buying habits and to use purchasing power. He suggests we reduce the demand of the hardwood trees of the rainforest by avoiding buying hardwood furniture. We need to be aware that the Rainforest is being cleared to raise soya crops for animal food. This is an extravagant use of land for meat eaters and, if we reduce our meat consumption, we also reduce the loss of this extraordinary rainforest.

John ran the Spiritual Path Network in the UK to help people discover their spiritual path. He has trained mediums and healers.  

He worked as a Production Buyer for a Brewery in the North of England and in his spare time is dedicated to conserving the Amazonian Rain-forest and to protect the tribal people who are dependent on the forest for their livelihood. John has become an ordained brother with an interfaith fellowship that believes in leading by example and sowing the seeds of ecology, peace and kindness.

When I interviewed John, I asked: What country or place has had the greatest impact on you? And John replied "I think that the town of Glastonbury has had an enormous impact on me in recent years. I first went there several years ago to work with William Bloom on the final drafts of his course, 'An Introduction to Contemporary Spirituality: The Soul's Journey'. I then relayed it back to my teaching the course at the Blackpool & Fylde College. William and I became good friends and he kindly provided the narration for a spiritual film I made a few years later. I facilitated a Hand-fasting Ceremony in the Chalice Well Garden on the request of one of my former students. It was a very moving and memorable day. I have fond memories of Glastonbury when I sat with a friend in silence on a bench in the Chalice Well Garden for a period of two hours. Time seemed to disappear and we  both had tears of pleasure in our eyes. It was a special soul-enriching experience for both of us." John has also facilitated retreats and workshops in remote UK woodlands and has been involved with One World, a festival that has been running for 14 years on macrobiotic principles.

Asked to describe which books John would you like to recommend to readers and why, he describes several. "I moved away from reading books a few years ago because I more often found that the words and experiences of others did not synchronise with my experience or fit with my inner truth. If I were to recommend a few books, however, I would choose Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now and Ram Dass' One Liners. The first is a little difficult to get into, and the second, a 'dip in - dip out' coffee table book.  Both provide the reader with a way to consciously and compassionately engage in the world in a mode of acceptance and presence. Both carry transformative insights that are simple to grasp as the greatest of truths usually are."

John edited a monthly newsletter offering a variety of spiritual paths which has been read by thousands of people and published free of charge. This newsletter has been central to John's mission, to help to increase a 'collective' sense of planetary responsibility.  He is currently creating a retreat centre in France and is writing a book about his spiritual journey.

Wendy Stokes interviewer, columnist and author of The Lightworkers Circle Guide - A Workbook for Spiritual Groups' which raises awareness and funds for The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. H-H readers are welcome to join Wendy on Facebook.

Here are links for John Birch 'Spiritual Paths'
http://happy-duck.co.uk/blog/?p=2204

http://leicestershire.thespiritguides.co.uk/Article_Spiritual_Path_Woodland_Retreat_5038.aspx

www.thespiritguides.co.uk/Article_Spiritual_Path_5033.aspx

Or search for Spiritual Paths Bro John Birch into youtube, to watch a series of his videos.