I have discovered one of Canada's Best Kept Secrets: the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) radio!
Radio 1 is a general magazine, news and information type of programme while Radio 2 is music/cultural. As there is no mast in the area here for Radio 2 (which was very good in Vancouver) I am listening to, and very impressed by, Radio 1!
Today I heard a fascinating interview with the author, Maria Coffey about her book published by Tarcher in May 2008 called ... wait for it ...
Explorers of the Infinite: The Secret Spiritual Lives of Extreme Athletes-and What They Reveal About Near-Death Experiences, Psychic Communication, and Touching the Beyond.
It is a book that probes the ecstasy of extreme sport.
Details are here . (This is the Amazon site.)
She and her husband run an Adventure Company here and, I see, are based in Victoria, B.C. (She is from England.)
She said she was with Joe Tasker for 3 years. She was intrigued: why did he do those climbs when he was suffering so much? For ordinary climbers, they get a sort of peace; for Joe, she said, this did not happen.
A very articulate lady who talked about the 'out there' experiences of people who take risks where they push themselves to the limits of consciousness, those moments of extended reality undertaken by extreme mountaineers, kayakers, divers and the like.
She said she was with Joe Tasker for 3 years. She was intrigued: why did he do those climbs when he was suffering so much? For ordinary climbers, they get a sort of peace; for Joe, she said, this did not happen.
These people have to go 'out there' (in nature) and push away the safety nets. It gives them another realm of experience.
Does a belief system come into this? Well, she says, it is a component. Mystics in various religions also go into this sort of space, i.e. focus, awe, suffering (and fear) are involved.
She said that these sort of 'Extreme' people have to develop Extreme Intuition. (Think of our ancinet ancestors ....). Are these people tapping into powers that we all have? She also said that of the people she talked to, they were all comfortable in their space, e.g. a lady diver who went down, down, down right to the edge of her ability was 'at home' there. (Eghghgh!)
Does a belief system come into this? Well, she says, it is a component. Mystics in various religions also go into this sort of space, i.e. focus, awe, suffering (and fear) are involved.
She said that these sort of 'Extreme' people have to develop Extreme Intuition. (Think of our ancinet ancestors ....). Are these people tapping into powers that we all have? She also said that of the people she talked to, they were all comfortable in their space, e.g. a lady diver who went down, down, down right to the edge of her ability was 'at home' there. (Eghghgh!)
Lastly, she had something for us ordinary folk who could/would never put ourselves in that sort of situation: be open and aware to 'nature' around you; be open to the moment, e.g. if you are sitting having a coffee in a street cafe and a butterfly lands on your shoulder, savour it!
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Photo: When searching in Google I was unable to find John's mountain photos on Flickr. But Lo and Behold, I ran across Arctica's photographers who have been busy. I gratefully acknowledge that the photo is theirs.
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