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" A good traveller has no fixed plans,

and is not intent on arriving "

Lao Tzu

Gurus, Magic, & Out of Body States in Portugal

May 14th, 2017

I’ve just received a newsletter from Muz Murray, a warm and down-to-earth guru who has made his way from running Gandalf’s Garden, a hippie hang-out in London back in the 60’s, to his current home in Portugal, via a spell in the South of France. He told me he met Gerald Gardner a few times. He specialises in mantras and chanting, so if that’s your thing, do take a look at his site – he’s trying to financially recover from a recent robbery so appreciates all the help he can get. Have a look at him here – he seems to have mastered the art of manifesting out of thin air, and claims in this video that 90% of spiritual practices are a waste of time:

Portugal is obviously a good place for gurus and magic of all kinds. Another teacher – Mooji – who has an ashram there, gives reasons why:

Guru Tony Samara has ended up in Portugal too. He is inspired by Jainism, which is how he and I ended up corresponding. Here is his ‘Forest Meditation’:

When it comes to Druids and magic you can do no better than to visit the stunningly beautiful Sintra, about an hour out of Lisbon. This is where the OBOD Portugal office is, set amongst tangerine trees, beside a Celtic pub and magical shop. They are all set in a garden, with an outdoor Druid temple and a charming hostel, which means you can stay a few days to soak it all in. See the OBOD Portugal site here, and the magical shop and events they organise here.

What other magic can you find in this beautiful country? One of the most extraordinary places I have visited is the research campus of the International Academy of Consciousness – a place dedicated to exploring the farther reaches of Inner/Otherworldly Space. A series of domed structures on the campus, in the Alentejo region of the country, offer different environments for exploring Out-of-Body-States and other phenomena. The most complex one has a bed suspended in the centre of a hollow sphere, shown below. It did feel very strange to lie on it! See their website for more information.

The ‘Projectarium’ designed to explored OOBS at the Research Campus of the International Academy of Consciousness

Finally:   Find a list of six ashrams in Portugal you can visit here.