Frequently Asked Questions:
Who is John Nickolas
Barakitis?
ANS: I was born on April 29th 1968 raised in a rural New England town 45 minutes North of Boston.
In this present moment in time I practice a daily choice of what influences I cultivate to expand, evolve and grow upon. Influences that are not in alignment to my intentions I dissolve from my life through various practices that apply through all of my relationships. This practice of cultivation and dissolving is in essence Sciences of Spirituality. The embodiment of an intention set forth into motion by my thoughts, words and actions. My mission statement is "There is got to be an easier way" and in my journeys I have discovered easier and easier ways of living. My suspicion is there are never ending cycles of deliciously easier ways of living throughout time! So the old motto of whomever dies with the most toys wins for me is translated to whomever dies with the easiest and most fulfilling life wins. Winning also translated as at the end of the day not end of one's life!
My nature is curiosity, my passion is to find the answers that I question. My acknowledgment of protocol following the essence of science and observing with an arrangement of tools to check and re-check my results of what I AM observing. The tools are similar to rungs on a ladder. In order to achieve a broader view of what is, letting go of tools and trusting in new ones presented along the way allows the expansion to take place in my awareness and exploration.
My inner dialog questions is this the answer? Is this answer my truth or a Universal Truth? What have I learned from this and am I able to share this with others to Inspire, Enhance and create the environment for Healing? As with any commitment and practice I now understand that alone I find answers through many forms of practices, but none more profound than through that of my relationships. Every interaction creates the possibility of learning more about myself than any practice ancient or modern by myself could create.
This is the gift we all have and that gift is interaction. Science calls it interference patterns of two or more wavelengths of energy... That's OK we know science means well and holds its purpose. Sometimes for contrast to my answers! More on this awareness later.
My intention continues to expand into areas of my life that are amazing to be apart of and witness my own evolutionary process through the observation of my relationships becoming the checkpoints and the driving momentum for this journey. I am so grateful to bear witness to a life unfolding full of wonderment and amazing experiences.
Music is an expression of self, my passion is to initiate musical group gatherings is very rewarding for me. Especially when everyone participates in the process of playing and singing. To celebrate life through music, organic foods and friendship is for me living easily and fulfilling.
Blue and White are my favorite colors, (could you
tell?). My gifts are the results of my Greek heritage and my parents
Nikolaos and Coula Barakitis. Dad a research and development
engineer for GTE Sylvania and Mom a public school music teacher and
piano teacher. If I wasn't downstairs helping dad invent a better
light bulb I was tickling the ivories on my mom's Steinway baby
grand.
I consider myself grateful for the life experiences I
shared with my family, the perceptions and opportunities to be
involved in so many events. My two sisters Demetria and Tiffany
completed the circle of being the younger brother and older brother.
Demetria was an incredible gift for me. Thalassemia is not commonly
known, but for Mediterranean, African and Asian
families who have heard of it, it means someone in the family
has it. Thalassemia is a blood disorder that effects the
hemoglobin of the red blood cells of the body, so much so that
the red blood cells are unable to sustain life and
require regular blood transfusions. Thalassemia major is what
Demetria was born with and struggled with for 13 years until her
death in 1978, I was 10 Tiffany was 9.
The impact of the death of
a sibling is by far the most emotionally intense experience I had
ever felt, it helped Tiffany and I prepare for the cascading events of
loss and grieving to follow. As with any family experiencing such
a loss the foundation for the marriage is put to the test,
in our case the foundation gave way to my father having an affair, to
moving out, to leaving the country. 15 years of anger and judgments towards my father had kept
us apart with little or no contact. My father lived in Costa Rica for
17 years with his new wife and two daughters. In 2003 he and his
family settled in the United States creating an opportunity for he
an I to reconnect as father and son. Six months later my father died
of alcoholism. During that six months I had an opportunity to
get to know my dad as an adult, gaining a broader perspective about his life experiences and the choices he made. I also realized I was so much like him on many levels.
My father's death created another intense wave of emotional content to the surface of my experiences. A month after his death I left New England and participated in a 6 day detox and rejuvenation program on Hilton Head Island, SC. I realized that I had reached a point of emotional saturation. I knew on an intuitive level there was something else my mind, body and soul needed to reveal to me aside from the loss of my father. On the morning of the sixth day of the detox program memories flooded in with the experiences of rape and molestation between the ages of 8 to 11. Some memories of the perpetrator were clear as day, others so emotionally intense to even express them still remain a mystery to the timeline of events. I was shown what I needed to see and what I saw was a path to healing and transformation. This moment in time was the most influential answer into solving the underlying behaviors and fears of my 15 years of failing relationships and orientation questions. This was also the beginning of learning to guide the enormity of emotional energy released into my consciousness. I realized if I chose to ignore them for too long, I feel I would have stagnated in a repetitive path of living in intense anger, hatred, despair, guilt and remain into the deepest shadows of shame and reclusion.
This responsibility at first was overwhelming, my coping mechanisms were drugs of varying intensity and duration. Escapism took on many hats all were short lived and all were shortening my life and health. My genetic tendency leaned towards my father's fate and his fathers and so on. I had the choice to follow and chose differently. To withdraw from such genetic momentum was daunting at first, I realized that I also possessed the strength in my genetic momentum to shift, alter and guide my thoughts, words and actions to where I chose, even if it meant measures of intense focus. My search for total mind focus led me to a group of Lakota, Cherokee and other Native American communities. The Lakota elder was compassionate and recognized my intention to heal and to learn the way of The Red Road. The sweat lodge ceremony transformed my life in many ways and many levels of my being. For four years I participated in some of the most mentally, emotionally intense sweat lodge experiences, many with visions others forging the core essence of survival instincts. Each time I emerged with a greater understanding of myself and my Greek lineage. My intention is to apply what I have learned and create a sweat lodge community with my wife and family. I was granted an incredible opportunity, the knowledge and wisdom of a Native people who with a fierce grace guided my parasitic mind to a momentum of freedom of the past, present and future ideology. To become aware of our sacred connection to all of N.A.T.U.R.E. and with all of our relationships. I was introduced to a world of beings that practice such a high regard for how precious life is, how important to say what you feel is, to forgive and embrace every relationship as if the Sun may not rise the next day. To give to your fullest potential and receive with grace and gratitude all of which life has to offer you.
This continuing journey of healing and transformation became my life and
my vision. My vision and my life became Sciences of Spirituality...
There
are so many authors of self discovery work that perpetuated this
realization. In 1989 I witnessed a man who changed the direction of
my life of depression and abuse to inspiration and hope, his name is
John Bradshaw. His work, his dedication and talents to create books
and videos I AM forever grateful. It is John and his works that
inspired me to believe in myself. I hold a dream, a vision of
telling him personally to look into his eyes and say thank you for
being there when all I saw was darkness and despair. His words, his
truth and his experiences illuminated my reality and echoes to this
day in my passions and dreams.
I have been
blessed with spiritual teachers, incredible women who provided me
the awareness of the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine ideology.
What an incredible time to be aware that so
many people want to help you believe in yourself as unlimited
potential. H.U.M.A.N. beings that live, laugh, Love and are
fulfilled in every moment in every breath, how wonderful it is to
know this reality exists.
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