William Spear

William Spear is an original Kushi Institute faculty member, senior macrobiotic counselor, and internationally known educator and consultant on health, environmental issues, feng shui, I Ching, 9 Star Ki, end-of-life care and personal transformation. At the heart of Spear's work is the five-day experiential workshop, The Passage: A Journey that Transforms Life, which he has conducted since 1987. The workshop draws on years of work in bio-energetics, in-depth training with the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Center, Tibetan lama Sogyal Rinpoche and three decades of assisting people face unresolved issues, illness, life challenges, and whatever inhibits a person from experiencing life fully in the present moment.

Spear was featured in Macrobiotics Today, September/October 1997. His popular book, Feng Shui Made Easy, was hailed by the New York Times as “the most user-friendly explanation of feng shui for American audiences.” Soon to be published will be Recovering Original Ability about the nature of consciousness and achieving a lasting personal peace from the inside out.

To learn more about William Spear visit www.fortunateblessings.org or www.intuitivefengshui.org.

Lectures and Consultations for the 2010 Cruise

Keynote Presentation: Living in the Present Until Our Final Breath
We will all die someday. In that human process, sharing both the wonder and fear of the end of life presents us with an extraordinary opportunity to bear witness to a person's final journey beyond time and space. It is truly one of life’s most intimate experiences and a means to learn the importance of just being present. Learning to be present at the end of life is learning to be present in life itself -- every moment.

At the end of life what matters most - what makes the difference - is taking the time to slow down, to hold a hand, to give support, to just be and share the silence. Knowing what might be taking place, regardless of how a person lived life, helps caregivers of all ages to let go into the present and go beyond preconceived ideas of separateness. Few may willingly want to step into this space, yet all of us will have to with loved ones, close friends and ultimately at the end of our own lives.

Tibetan Buddhists believe that death itself does not occur until we lose the polarities planted in us by our Mother and Father: our last two drops of blood. This fascinating perspective, together with insights into being with dying, will be the focus of this talk and discussion led by a long time end-of-life facilitator trained by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and Tibetan Lama Sogyal Rinpoche.

Lecture 1: Four Ways of the Spirit
Examining the early lives of Moses, Jesus of Nazareth, Ubu’l-Kassim (Mohammed), or Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), we discover that all these great teachers share the values that matter most. Each one’s personal decision to set forth on a spiritual path in service of community was always preceded by distinct changes in his personal life and the way he related to his families and community. This informative talk explores our tendency to be exclusionary and refocuses our personal insight and spiritual understanding toward the shared values of all paths: compassion, tolerance and selfless service.

Lecture 2: There Is Only One of Us Here
Compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on the recognition that we are all basically the same. A truly compassionate attitude doesn’t change even if others behave negatively. To instill a spirit of compassion and love, tolerance toward an enemy is indispensable. Georges Ohsawa and others throughout time have suggested that our enemies are our best friends. Because every human shares an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister -- our fundamental natures are the same. Come explore the illusion of our differences and cultivate the spirit of compassion.

Lecture 3: Staying Healthy in the Year Ahead
Diet is the key factor in maintaining health, but there is much more to consider than what we eat. Using the principles of macrobiotics, this class explores 12 areas that improve health and enhance everyone’s practice regardless of age, condition or locale. See how big “macro” can really be by thinking “outside the box” and use the Unique Principle to clear the mind and nourish the soul.

Lecture 4: How to Choose the Right Foods to Overcome Sickness
When using diet as a primary part of healing, Macrobiotics provides useful guidelines and general recommendations, not rigid rules and absolutes. Discovering which foods are best for certain conditions is easier when we utilize the same principles to understand how sickness manifests and how to restore health in any condition. This clear overview from one of the macrobiotic community’s long time senior teachers and counselors will help participants to return to a beginner’s mind and restore our ability to diagnose and treat both simple and complex conditions.

Lecture 5: Pushing Buttons: Macrobiotics and the World of Emotions
When attentive to the world of emotions within, we can sense more about our condition than merely poor digestion or an aching back. Ignoring long-standing emotional issues is often the main reason why more people who practice macrobiotics don’t heal. This class explores the “feeling body” from the perspective of our principles and helps transform your greatest liability into your most valuable asset. To do so, you must look below the surface of your skin and past your internal organs into the core of past thoughts, feelings and actions. Warning: don’t attend this course if you’d rather keep it all covered up.

Macrobiotic Way of Life and Integrative Health Consultation - $400/person.
Designed to address chronic problems and improve overall well-being, this 90-minute consultation utilizes various forms of visual diagnosis and integrative methodologies to identify the primary causes of imbalance. Spear will outline both broad and specific dietary advice as well as Macrobiotic Way of Life recommendations. In his 35+ years as a Senior Macrobiotic Counselor, he has helped thousands of people with a broad range of life issues and medical concerns, including serious degenerative and life-threatening illnesses.

Feng Shui Consultation - $300/person.
Good feng shui relieves stress and activates energy to improve all aspects of life including health, wealth, relationships and creativity. The energy of a space is assessed together with that of the occupants to determine if an environment is supportive. Simple, subtle cures are recommended to overcome problems and enhance benefits. Please provide occupants’ dates of birth 24 hours in advance and bring to the appointment an architectural rendering or a floor plan drawn by you on board the ship. Photographs and videos are helpful, too. This consultation is 60 minutes.

9 Star KI Consultation - $300/person.
9 Star Ki examines an individual’s life and destiny from the perspective of time and space by using an ancient, practical astrological system. It offers understanding of your inner 'tao,' your personal energetic blueprint, and how you can live in alignment with that sacred inner design. This 60-minute consultation also addresses health, relationships and may incorporate directionality (where/when to move) to assure an auspicious move. Please provide date of birth 24 hours in advance, and come with 5 questions to explore.