Alison Goldwyn: I reinvented my Self by seeking my Soul
Alison Goldwyn
I envision a world in which the Inner Marriage is awakened and cherished
Energy, in form. That’s who she is “and that’s who we all are” says Allison. “But we enter this world and forget this, consumed with the gravity of Identity (and I mean “gravity” in the dual sense – of a gravitational pull to “be” someone as well as the gravity of this growing global condition)”. In the soul sense Allison believes that she a quester, an explorer. She thrives on creative expression and inspiring others. She truly delights in helping people (including herself) to shift their perceptions about the life around them and the life within them. In this interview she shares her true self and a big vision that she aspires in her life.
What is Synchronistory and what motivated you to start this venture?
Synchronistory is an unprecedented global television event celebrating the history of Civilization from past to present via original music (the universal language) and style (the way we culturally and individually express ourselves). Synchronistory gift wraps the continents and presents them to the people via dazzling “edutainment”. It’s like a global selfie; bringing history to life and showcasing the uplifting side of our multiculti face like we’ve never seen before; live from the 7 continents.
Personally, Sync is a passion project … an outgrowth of divine inspiration motivated by a profound question posed nearly 30 years ago while staring at a map of the world and wondering who on earth we are and what would it be like if we literally connected, in a music-driven event about us all? Back in those days the notion was absurd. About a year later, along came Hands Across America and I realized that a Hands Around the World could also become reality – ideally, as a millennium event. The timing was premature, though. The mighty tech infrastructure wasn’t yet in place coupled with certain catastrophic events that began to bond us globally. Catastrophe has always existed, but unlike any other time in history we’re now experiencing it ensemble; in real time, through the medium of media. It’s a very perplexing conundrum of polarization and harmonization that we’re witnessing within ourselves, reflected onto our worldwide mirror.
It took me several pensive years to realize we neither need a millennium nor a catastrophe like 9/11 as impetus for global connection. When it dawned on me that there was a gaping-wide, open-ended invitation to create our date and make history in synchronicity (Synchronistory), Hands was then reborn as Sync. Now we’re at a complex yet fertile crossroads. In the best sense, we have to go out of our minds to get into our hearts. Talk about clarity and 20/20 vision, I think a “televisionary” event like Sync is ripe for the year 2020.
You’ve been traveling around the world and now live in Europe with a German-based company. What made you leave your home country and why to Germany?
I believe we all have the potential for two births in this lifetime. The primordial one is our physical birth, of which we have no choice (nor a User Manual – incredibly, the most powerful thing we’ll ever use is our Self and we don’t really know how it works!). The second one is the far more challenging Conscious Birth of which we do have choice but often opt not to because it rocks our comfort zones. For me, conscious birth was induced by a territorial one; the search for my true homeland. People refer to Soul Mates. I believe in Soul Places – areas that “speak” to us in a way that alights and aligns us from the inside out. I’ve always had a nomadic spirit. It seems I reinvented my Self by seeking my Soul and actually finding it – in Europe! I love New York and have much affection for America yet I’ve always felt like an outsider, born on the wrong side of the ocean. Every country like every individual has its particular attributes. In terms of business and my company, Germany’s solid infrastructure and strong work ethic are invaluable assets. The region of Bavaria is a blend of sophistication, international business (particularly media) and beautiful nature. And the people are wonderful. I thrive on this trilogy and if I thrive, that good energy permeates to others and promotes a great team spirit. So leaving my birth land for my homeland was borne purely of Inner Prompting. No career prospect got me here, no job transfer or family or lover awaited me. Just Me awaiting my Self, you could say.
I thrive on this trilogy and if I thrive, that good energy permeates to others and promotes a great team spirit.
Can you tell us about your childhood and your life before leaving your country?
My early childhood involved lots of fantasy and dreaming on a big canvas. I’m told I constantly and intently questioned The Universe as a toddler. We lived in a Chicago hi-rise near Lake Michigan for a few years and I was fascinated by the starlit skies and looking through our telescope to find signs of life. My father worked in the Christmas ornament business before his cosmetics career in New York. I recall going to the Christmas trade fairs in July and becoming lost in a wonderland of fake snow and glitter that most certainly influenced my fantasy life. Case in point: I didn’t believe in Santa but I did believe in Star Trek, particularly Captain Kirk. When I was 5 years old I had a huge crush on the series’ star, William Shatner. So every week before showtime I’d put on my fancy little party dress and patent leather shoes and sit in a special chair to watch the program. I actually believed he could see me through the TV screen! It was a letdown to learn the screen only worked in one direction. Now there’s Skype.
Scholastically I was bright but not in the academic sense and I was insecure. America is very competitive. Even moreso for kids vying for Ivy League educations. My high school pushed this big time and I was surrounded by very privileged, brainy achievers. I simply wasn’t up to par so I took refuge in Existentialism and The Performing Arts. I was musically gifted and found my salve and creative voice through these two avenues. I also “gave good party”, which made me very popular. You could say I was a popular oddball. I had a wild imagination and fairly liberal parents who both allowed and encouraged the freedom to explore. I always loved inspiring people and I believe it’s my inherent nature. It’s always sprung from pure and unbridled joy which continues to energize me. Especially via music.
When did you start to realise the power of Spirituality was with you and how did you manage it?
I was aware of “something” as a wee thing. It was like a quiet companion riding alongside my life path. The first real impact came at around 11 years old when Dad became an enthusiast of A Course In Miracles and opened a Health Spa in the Bahamas. He was involved with cutting edge, esoteric, and sometimes prominent names in the Entertainment World and the Wellness / Scientific-Spiritual community. My father’s own potent spiritual quest and unfoldment exposed me to the elements early on. And I didn’t like it. His zeal and enthusiasm turned into (well intended) proselytism. He was a spellbinding guru giving me spiritual indigestion. It alienated me from just the regular dad I needed. So I distanced myself from he and “it” for years thereafter. Meanwhile, those early spiritual seeds became the cherished lily pads on which I later landed during turbulent times. I’ve also been profoundly lucky to know and be guided by a gifted spiritual mentor. Spiritual unfoldment is a privilege, a responsibility, and a constant revelation for me. It’s huge. It’s deep. It’s hard. It’s enriching. It’s slippery like mercury. And there’s no turning back once you open that door. I hold this “mercurial expedition” with great care – and a healthy dose of humor.
It sounds like you were always interested to explore the roads that are less travelled – How do you recognize your path?
I think you recognize the right path when your spirits start to stir … then gently tingle and sparkle … then soar. When you feel slightly uplifted from within and the sensation lingers that’s a clue (different than that of a fabulous meal, great sex or the latest i-thing which all inevitably lose their luster and then you need more). Another clue is when you lose a sense of time because you’re so absorbed by your interest – no matter how insignificant. Sometimes the absorption in that little nothing ignites the eventual something which becomes your full-fledged path.
But recognizing one’s path isn’t always direct or immediate. It can be masked by a curly cue of circuitous roads steered by an imposing ego. So we get sidetracked. But I believe in alchemical transformation and that even a sidetrack can become a right track. That certainly happened to me. Greatest gift of my life. I also believe that any activity or experience which instills wonder, ignites a glimmer of heartfelt joy or passion is a signal – assuming it’s not harmful to you or others (unlike a compulsion, for example).
What are the biggest challenges you have faced following these paths and how do you experience this?
The biggest challenges for me are discerning between the Inner Voice (of wisdom) and the Ego Voice (of will) … of accepting that their coexistence isn’t a paradox (a word that incites conflict and separation) but a partnership (a word that inspires expansion and variety) … of trusting Life and its silences or apparent stillness – gestation is a necessary and natural part of life but society often dictates productivity – so I get antsy, insecure. I’m learning a lot from observing Nature. A tree. There it is, quietly existing. Yet below the surface is life-force in action. I use the metaphor of The Tree for The Me. I meditate to both quiet my active thinking mind and to learn how to manage it rather than it me. I learn to read life through its language of metaphor so it can inform me rather than me imposing my language upon it. Mindfulness brings me into further awareness of minute impulses and inner promptings about what to do or not to do at any given moment. Answers increasingly emanate from a place near my heart. When I “feel” an impulse, a surge of energy, or prompting from this heart area and it doesn’t feel fearful or harmful, I trust the impetus. I also greatly value the logical left brain. It’s a marvelously vital and instructive tool but I emphasize intuitive guidance more and more. Distinguishing between them is tricky but you get more attuned with practice.
I truly believe that beyond Climate Change lies a still more urgent call; Changing the Emotional Climate.
What do you think about the world today – what would you like to change and if you would have the power to change the world how would you like it to be?
I would like the world to be made of chocolate and eat my way around it without getting fat. Fantasy notwithstanding … I think we’re reeling between Crisis and Possibility. We’re morphing into bug-eyed i-beings who are addicted to the next gadget (me too sometimes, but everything in balance) while on the frontier of profound internal awareness. I was recently at a dinner with about 12 people from different nationalities. One person phoned another seated at the far end of the table to pass the balsamic and they wound up in a whole conversation during the meal. It was both amusing and sad commentary about this growing co-dependency. I truly believe that beyond Climate Change lies a still more urgent call; Changing the Emotional Climate. We’re experiencing a Global Identity Crisis in which the world of tech both connects and disconnects us. It’s fusion and confusion! What it means to be a human much less a nation needs to be refined, redefined, so we’re no longer meshed into nor crippled by restrictive thinking. It’s complex but the shift is en route – especially amongst the millennials with numerous illuminating, life-changing endeavors worldwide. And yet … we’re still unaware that we’re a “We”. It’s like a bunch of isolated limbs, organs, and cells that don’t quite get that they’re part of a global body yet there’s a hint something’s off – which tech (dis)connect ironically elucidates. From chaos can emerge calm but birthing it is like a bud through cement. So I’d like to inspire that bud with Sync, and nurture a global home in which our sense of Individuality and Community coexist in harmony.
Your ambition to invite the whole world and humanity to celebrate The Millennium sounds very powerful – where did this derive?
It’s probably a combo of an innate soul-urge coupled with longing for closeness to my parents and my fascination with cultures / travel. These threads have been consistently weaving through my life.
What is your vision for the future and what are your plans to achieve that vision?
I envision Nature and Human Nature coexisting with our respect for this intrinsic link. I envision a transformation from a selfish world to a world of self worth, in which Bling is balanced with Being. I envision a world in which the Inner Marriage (to Self) is awakened and cherished, and that we live more intuitively by learning the new universal language of Life through its innumerable metaphors. And my only “plan” to achieve this is to keep trying to live it … and to launch Sync into the global mainstream. After that I remain “plan” less, deferring to Guidance and Grace to steward the ride thereon. Trusting Life isn’t a flimsy proposition, nor is mounting Sync. It’s a tandem of commitment to the work as well as an astute appreciation that we are not the boss of Life. We are an expression of it. If ever there was a time to put the human back in humanity and take that global selfie, it’s now. And I can’t wait to see what we look like, in the best sense!
