The History of Aura-Soma in Japan
THE HISTORY OF AURA-SOMA IN JAPAN
Aura-Soma has long had a rich relationship with Japan, which began more than 30 years ago - post the passing of Vicky Wall - in the early 1990’s.
During this time, chairman of Aura-Soma and principal of The Aura-Soma Academy, Mike Booth, has enjoyed teaching many courses in Japan.
Ahead of returning this month for Embodying the Light Body in Tokyo (25th – 28th of October) Mike has been reflecting on the history of Aura-Soma in Japan.
How did Aura-Soma first come to be in Japan?
These things are always very peculiar to describe in terms of how the sequence of events took place. I had a chance meeting with a lady, who had arrived in England saying she wanted to do something with Aura-Soma in Japan. I thought this was unlikely at the time, but we always try and give attention or a basis to what it is that somebody has specifically requested. That person then ended up being the main distributor and ran the Academy membership in Japan, building up a good and active community.
That led me to hold Aura-Soma workshops there, and the expansion in Japan was largely through the contacts we made and how it is that people came to seminars. At one point one of the most popular pop singers in Japan came along to those seminars, and she really popularised Aura-Soma in a completely different demographic than we usually have in Europe!
So, that was the beginning. Since then, there are a number of people who have been very important to the development of Aura-Soma in Japan, some of whom still work closely with us today.
Why does Aura-Soma have such a stronghold in Japan?
I think that the aesthetic component of Aura-Soma, the colours, the relationship of balance within the Equilibrium bottles, and also the appreciation of smell is part of the culture in Japan.
With that question, what also springs to mind is a book called The Roots of Colour and Nature with the head of the Koshinto lineage, Yasuyosi Sakata which speaks to this. How it came about was that there’s an Aura-Soma student in Japan who really got in touch with her roots, and that took her to Koshinto, and she became his personal assistant. That's what eventually led to this book.
What are my observations from teaching the Aura-Soma colour system in Japan?
I think that the difference, and it's a very significant difference, is that in most countries in the West people take things in intellectually as a first step. It’s something that is conditioned, from four or five years old, to intellectualise about everything really, and that's part of what education means in the West. In Japan I think that culturally and part of the societal thing is much more to do with something that is not just the feeling but to do with the being. So, when people are asked to relate to the Star, and to come to the belly, then there's a familiarity in the consciousness of the culture, that is also something that is rooted very deep in the past.
What can people expect from the next course in Japan, ‘Embodying the Light Body’?
Embodying the Light Body is a profound opportunity for self-discovery. What that really means is being less judgmental, or being in a position of not judging oneself and coming to more acceptance of those parts which you would have previously judged. As your self-awareness grows you will see more of what emerges from the shadow of ourselves, relative to conditioned patterns, and how it is those conditioned patterns influence day to day behaviour, particularly when it's really difficult to be the best that we can be. Ultimately, you will learn how to allow yourself to be the best that you can be.
Love Mike x
