The Conscious Life Expo
An Interview with Robert Quicksilver
Vision Magazine: The Conscious Life Conference and Exposition is heading into its fifth year. Why did you decide to put this annual event together and why do you feel it has been so successful?
Robert Quicksilver: In 2001, the work I had been doing for the previous 25 years came to a close. But as they say, “when God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” That window was the Conscious Life Expo. The old Whole Life Expos had become history after 9/11 and some friends and I decided there was a huge need for a large expo and conference in Los Angeles and created the first Conscious Life Expo in 2003. Why are they so successful? Because of the surging interest in alternative values. The Cultural Creatives are taking over the world and we need a place to come together, to share values and vision, to network and learn.
VM: What has been your biggest obstacle in putting this event together?
RQ: While there are the ordinary day-to-day obstacles––computer glitches, missed calls, et cetera––the community support and the innate power of a show like this make any obstacles inconsequential. The Expo has a life force of its own that propels it forward into each new year.
VM: In the past five years the Conscious Life Expo has grown into one of the largest 3-day events in the U.S. Why do think this is?
RQ: The community responds to the high quality mix of exhibitors and speakers. Friends bring friends. This is the premier event in Southern California, bringing together the spiritual, alternative, and progressive community. There is a great hunger in the community for these kinds of ideas and for the energy that is generated when thousands of like-minded individuals gather together. Also, we want to celebrate, to meet new and old friends. The Conscious Life Expo is a place where all of this comes together.
VM: What inspired you to pursue a spiritual path and lifestyle?
RQ: How far into the past do we look for cause? In this life? Our past lives? Perhaps the seed cause in this life was my grandmother Lena. She was an incredibly spiritual woman in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, NY. Everyone always told my father that his mother had the Shekinah, the kabbalistic spiritual force of the Jewish faith. As a little boy I remember her sitting in her chair reading her Torah … the image is still strong in my heart.
VM: Who are your spiritual mentors?
RQ: More recently I have been blessed to be mentored by a number of incredible people. Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri, founder of the California Institute of Integral Studies; Dr. Rina Sircar, a Buddhist nun; His Holiness Taungpulu Kaba Aye, a forest monk in Burma who, it is said, achieved the final liberation; Frank (Sa'shwa) Douglas, who formed a “family” of like minded people in the '70s in the Bay Area. And many teachers have inspired me through their books and teachings––Ramana Maharshi, Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, and even Albert Einstein who saw through the illusion of this world into the mysteries beyond. And then there's my wife, three children, and new grandson, all of whom push me daily to live in the most spiritually aware and conscious way I can.
VM: In your opinion, what is one action that anyone can take to help improve the state of humanity today?
RQ: I think it is really pretty simple … we have to love our neighbor … we have to go through the day living consciously, extending compassion and loving kindness into all of our interactions and toward all creation. So we say thank you to store clerks when they give us change, we help old ladies and hold open the door for the next person. We don't vote for toxic waste dumps or war because that would be unconscious towards the earth and humanity. Every aspect, every moment of our lives is an opportunity to bring love and compassion into the world.
VM: What are the highlights of this year's Expo?
RQ: This year's Expo is shaping up to be the most dynamic and powerful Expo ever. The conference program is huge as well as dynamic and particularly relevant. We have Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements; Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who will talk about the proposed Department of Peace; Arianna Huffington, George Noory, Stanislav Grof, Dannion Brinkley, Richard Hoagland, John Trudell, Steven Greer, Martha Beck, James Twyman, Leonard Shlain, and many more. With regard to the exhibition hall, we have invited exhibitors that represent a blend of practical, spiritual, social, and health oriented practices. This blend of scientific and spiritual modalities will make for an interesting and compelling collection. And then there are the exhibitors and speakers that go to the edge, or even past the edge––with information on crop circles, UFOs, inner earth expeditions, angelic ministries, clairvoyant training, and more.
VM: This is your third year for the Film Festival. What does it look like this year?
RQ: Well, we have many more submissions than we could possibly show. We might be expanding the Festival to a second day, Sunday. Included in this year's Festival is the new James Twyman film, Indigo: Evolution; a fantastic movie I watched just the other day, Spiritual Warrior, produced by John Roger; The Secret, revealing the power of the Law of Attraction; TRUDELL, a captivating documentary about John Trudell, recording artist, poet and champion of indigenous issues (followed by a Q & A with Trudell); and an assortment of shorts and documentaries. The amount of creativity and skill behind these alternative movies is just fantastic.
VM: You have a number of special events. Can you tell us about some of them?
RQ: Well, besides the Film Festival, on Saturday night we have back-to-back concerts with James Twyman and John Trudell. James Twyman, the “Peace Troubadour,” is currently traveling throughout the country creating awareness for The Season for Non-Violence. John Trudell’s powerful spoken words, set to the musical backdrop of traditional tribal chants and the rocking blues of Bad Dog fills the air and spirit of audiences everywhere who come to hear what Trudell has to say. I can't wait. And then there are the post conference events––all day Monday, 3-hour seminars will be offered by our awesome speakers––Steven Greer, Richard Hoagland, Sri Ram Kaa, Sean David Morton and others.
What else? Did I mention the free panel discussions on everything from Death and Dying, Pathways to Healing, Transforming Hollywood, and Countdown to 2012, to a conversation about the phenomena known as The Secret with the film producers and co-stars, including John Gray? Did I mention the 95 free lectures?
VM: Well thank you for putting this all together. It must be overwhelming.
RQ: I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world to be able to do this work.
For information on this year's expo, visit www.consciouslifeexpo.com. The entire program is online, in addition to an easy interface for ordering tickets. You can also order tickets by calling 800/367-5777. And bring a friend!