Transformation: beyond the search for personal self-improvement.-In this article, Ms. Dantes takes readers beyond the goal of “personal transformation”, what too often becomes a limited, self-centered action. Differentiating between personal change and transformation, she shows the way to a deeper awareness of the existential need for transformation in humanity as a whole. I would like to propose that Human Transformation is a […]
Coping-“Time is money.” This American motto has been influencing our way of living ever since the invention of the “production line” and “piece work.” The faster we go, the higher the profits. We have evolved into a civilization of speed and hectic living: working to produce more quickly; eating on the run; driving fast to […]
Transcending Dualism-AH! A new day; the sun rises, reflecting the splendor of the dew on the grass and flowers, rosebuds flowering, birds expanding their wings and freely soaring over the tree tops. From this state of mind, we might perceive optimistically the state of humanity and the world as a whole. We may see our paradigm […]
Meditation & Emotions-Meditational energy is not emotional energy. However, within meditation, emotional energy may arise. It is wonderful when it comes up during meditation, when we are in silence, for it is an opportunity to observe what emotions really are. In meditation there isn’t any extraneous stimulus — anything from the outside to trigger emotions. When emotions […]
Blessing of a Silent Mind-Silence: the absence of sound; still, quietness (Webster’s New World Dictionary: Second College Edition). It must be obvious that we cannot find an environment totally silent; even in a sound-proof room we can still perceive the sounds of our own body, such as the blood pulsing through our arteries. To be silent, then, in our […]
About Ligia Dantes
Ligia Dantes was born in Uruguay in 1929 and came to California at the age of eighteen. She was educated at UCLA and California State University at Northridge, and studied Jungian and Freudian psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Los Angeles. She completed most of the requirements to be certified to practice psychoanalysis. But then, in a brief but intense vision, she had an experience of the suffering of humanity and the urgent need for a transformation in consciousness. She felt she could no longer pursue a profession that would help only a few, so she gave up her career in psychology and psychoanalysis and began an unusual path of self-inquiry and service to others that was not based on any particular tradition.
Following her intense experience, she investigated the Human Potential Movement, she trained with Zen Master Kobun Chino Roshi, and traveled extensively in India and Nepal, speaking with Hindu and Buddhist spiritual leaders as well as medical and healing professionals. Eventually, she began to present to others an inquiring approach to spiritual unfolding that was based on her own inquiry and experience rather than any specific tradition or belief system. Her approach is respectful of all religions and has never promoted any one religious or philosophical point of view. Rather, her work with others encourages each individual to take personal responsibility for awakening to their own inner wisdom. She has always avoided “being the guru”. Instead she has shared her non-traditional approach to spirituality with those who were interested; an approach best characterized by a word she coined: Cosmopsychophysicalness. Even years later, many people continue to write to her telling her how much she changed their lives. Her dialogues and retreats emphasize objective self-inquiry, mindful living, and service to others, a way of life that she herself demonstrated and continues to demonstrate in her daily living. It is an inclusive approach to spiritual awakening and renewal that allows people to go more deeply into their spiritual lives regardless of their religious or philosophical backgrounds.
For over 35 years, Ligia Dantes was the spiritual director for the Ligia Dantes Foundation (recently closed). From its inception in 1993, she was the inspiration for the Center for Holistic Living and is currently its spiritual director. For over 20 years, she resided at Woodhaven House in Nipomo, California where she offered retreats, private and public dialogues and seminars on a wide variety of topics.
Ms. Dantes has presented classes, workshops and retreats at the University of Southern California, Hancock College and San Francisco State University. She has given public and private dialogues and lead meditations and retreats in the U.S., England, South America, Switzerland and Canada. She directed numerous retreats at La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara, California. She is the author of three books: The Unmanifest Self: Transcending the Limits of Ordinary Consciousness, Your Fantasies May Be Hazardous To Your Health, and The Tao of Postmodern Living.
Transformation: beyond the search for personal self-improvement. - In this article, Ms. Dantes takes readers beyond the goal of “personal transformation”, what too often becomes a limited, self-centered action. Differentiating between personal change and transformation, she shows the way to a deeper awareness of the existential need for transformation in humanity as a whole. I would like to propose that Human Transformation is a […]
Coping - “Time is money.” This American motto has been influencing our way of living ever since the invention of the “production line” and “piece work.” The faster we go, the higher the profits. We have evolved into a civilization of speed and hectic living: working to produce more quickly; eating on the run; driving fast to […]
Compassion & Your Spiritual Path - We need to be Socratic in our investigative approach, questioning without prejudice, judgment or evaluation. Ligia Dantes Perhaps what distinguishes us from animals on this planet is the manifestation of our spiritual path, our compassion, and our unconditional love. We are ©Spiritupsychophysicalness. If this is a strange word to you, it is because it is my own […]
Transcending Dualism - AH! A new day; the sun rises, reflecting the splendor of the dew on the grass and flowers, rosebuds flowering, birds expanding their wings and freely soaring over the tree tops. From this state of mind, we might perceive optimistically the state of humanity and the world as a whole. We may see our paradigm […]
Meditation & Emotions - Meditational energy is not emotional energy. However, within meditation, emotional energy may arise. It is wonderful when it comes up during meditation, when we are in silence, for it is an opportunity to observe what emotions really are. In meditation there isn’t any extraneous stimulus — anything from the outside to trigger emotions. When emotions […]
Blessing of a Silent Mind - Silence: the absence of sound; still, quietness (Webster’s New World Dictionary: Second College Edition). It must be obvious that we cannot find an environment totally silent; even in a sound-proof room we can still perceive the sounds of our own body, such as the blood pulsing through our arteries. To be silent, then, in our […]
Ligia Dantes was born in Uruguay in 1929 and came to California at the age of eighteen. She was educated at UCLA and California State University at Northridge, and studied Jungian and Freudian psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Los Angeles. She completed most of the requirements to be certified to practice psychoanalysis. But then, in a brief but intense vision, she had an experience of the suffering of humanity and the urgent need for a transformation in consciousness. She felt she could no longer pursue a profession that would help only a few, so she gave up her career in psychology and psychoanalysis and began an unusual path of self-inquiry and service to others that was not based on any particular tradition.