Leonard Orr
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| Leonard Dietrich Orr | |
|---|---|
| Born | Walton, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Rebirthing-Breathwork |
| Religion | Christian |
Leonard Dietrich Orr is an American spiritual writer best known for developing Rebirthing-Breathwork, a "system" or technique of breathing that can help one to overcome the "trauma" of being born. Orr claims to have met twelve immortal yogis, including Haidakhan Babaji who died in 1984.[citation needed]
Many people value the tool of rebirthing, yet his idea of physical immortality has not gained widespread acceptance.[citation needed] Orr is also one of the earlier proponents of "prosperity consciousness" the idea that the state of one's mind, and beliefs about oneself are a key factor in "manifesting" more money. He also propounds an idea he calls "emotional energy pollution."[citation needed]
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Childhood and education[edit]
Orr was born in Walton, New York. During his teen years, he became a born again Christian. When he converted to Christianity and started to read the Bible, he took Jesus' words ("He who believes in me shall never taste death.") literally, that anyone who believed in Jesus would not die.[citation needed]
He attended seminary with plans of becoming a preacher. However, while in school, Orr said he felt a calling to be a minister to the unchurched.[citation needed] Pursuing this feeling of a calling and some of his curiosity about life, Orr soon was reading and practicing New Thought philosophy (such as Science of Mind and Ernest Holmes).[citation needed]
Teaching[edit]
He began teaching others that thoughts affect the outer world, and gathered a following. During this time he found he was spending increasing amounts of time in the bathtub, literally staying in for hours every day. He was having frequent flashes of memories of being in the womb or being born.[citation needed]
He watched this process for a few years and began to understand what was happening. He then shared his experiences and found that there were many people interested in experimenting with ways to recall their birth memories. Orr created "Theta House", the first Rebirthing Center to accommodate this interest.[citation needed] These early Rebirthers began breathing with a snorkel in a hot-tub while floating face down,(usually supported by 2 or more people), to stimulate womb memories. He noticed that a certain breathing rhythm would occur, which led to the start of the Rebirthing-Breathwork technique out of water.
Throughout this time, Orr was fascinated with the idea of not experiencing physical death, which he termed "physical immortality", and read, studied and searched for all the information that he could on the subject.[citation needed]
In 1973 he ran for mayor of Los Angeles, California.[citation needed]
Footnotes[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Breaking the Death Habit : The Science of Everlasting Life (1998) ISBN 1-883319-68-4
- Babaji: The Angel of the Lord (1995) ISBN 0-945793-18-9
- Breath Awareness: Breath Awareness for Public Schools, Medical Profession (1988) ISBN 0-945793-02-2
- Bhartriji : 2000 Year Immortal Yogi (1990) ISBN 0-945793-05-7
- Rebirthing in the New Age (1983) ISBN 0-89087-134-5
- Physical Immortality : The Science of Everlasting Life (1988) ISBN 0-945793-01-4
- Physical Immortality (1988) ISBN 0-89087-325-9
- Physical Immortality for Christians (1989) ISBN 0-620-13199-3
External links[edit]
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