Peter Oppermann, host of the Future Self Summit, pictured on an LA rooftop wearing The Visionary Winged One by Parashakti.
With the future seemingly uncertain due to a global pandemic, social unrest, upcoming elections, and threatening climate change, it is more important than ever to unite people and to catalyze global change.
This effort begins with the Future Self Summit, a free four-day virtual retreat hosted by Peter Oppermann. Taking place from Oct. 1-4, this online event will bring together over 30 pioneers of the future; including speakers, facilitators, artists, incubator graduates, and musicians from seven different countries. These thought leaders will come together to share their visions and solutions for a better future.
The call-to-action for Oppermann’s summit is simple yet poignant: Society is at a tipping point — a catalyst to engineer change is needed.
An Invitation to the Future Self Summit
When it comes to future self-actualization, there’s nobody to lead the journey like Peter Oppermann, a brilliant mechanical engineer turned meditation teacher and coach. Oppermann’s decades-long career in mindfulness meditation and spiritual teaching reached its peak when he developed the Future Self Method, a technique that allows individuals to access visions of their Future Selves, allowing them to manifest those visions in the now.
The concept for Oppermann’s Future Self Summit was birthed from the vision that curating a better future for the collective begins with manifesting improvements in ourselves. Oppermann will facilitate this four-day virtual retreat with the help of more than 30 faculty members and speakers that are experts in their respective fields.
“We are calling in all pioneers of the future to contribute in their unique ways to a better future we all know is possible,” Oppermann says.
Notable faculty members will include co-founder of Cafe Gratitude and Kiss The Ground, Ryland Engelhart, composer and founder of MindTravel Music, Muray Hidary, Nicole Landers, co-founder of Community Healing Gardens, and wellness leader, Douglas Drummond. I’ll also be facilitating Conscious Dance workshops based on my Dance of Liberation™ modality to help participants step into their Present selves through the art of movement.
To view the complete line-up of presenters, visit www.futureselfsummit.com.
This versatile line-up of speakers is part of Oppermann’s goal to explore the future of various societal components.
“This summit serves as a collective dreamcatcher,” Oppermann says. “That’s why we’ve chosen voices to represent the future of medicine, movement, finance, and so on. Through a panel format, transformation leaders will share their visions and the audience participants will be able to share their idea of a better future, to together explore new opportunities for growth and innovation.”
Each day of the retreat will follow a different theme, with relevant thought leaders and facilitators assigned to each day based on their corresponding focus. The first day will focus on the Present self, helping participants embrace the totality of their physical and expanded being.
“Our itinerary begins with the Present self because it is the only state in which we have freedom of choice [as opposed to the Past or Future self],” says Oppermann. “This is where we determine whether we act habitually or respond with intention.”
Day two of the summit will focus on the Past self, a practice which primarily involves “shadow work”, as Oppermann refers to it. This consists of deconstructing the self: past traumas, limited beliefs, and the concept of time as a linear entity.
Finally, the third day of the summit will take the concepts learned on the first two days to introduce participants to their Future selves — the version of themselves that they aspire to be and can obtain through study of their Past and Present selves.
Oppermann applies many scientific principles in his work, particularly when discussing the efficacy of the Future Self Method. He refers to the biology behind its effectiveness as a rewiring of neural pathways in helping individuals condition their coping mechanisms.
Virtual Feast to Create Community
The virtual retreat will conclude on its fourth day with a feast, where participants will be invited to prepare a meal and sit down to eat together. While the feast will take place over Zoom, Oppermann envisions it as one long communal table, where multiple dialogues ensue.
He believes that bringing people together to engage in the simple, necessary act of nourishing themselves is one of the key ways to create connection. It is at this virtual feast that participants will be invited to share their idea of the world they want to live in, and begin the process of actualizing that change.
“I strongly believe that creating a better, livable, functional future can only happen if everyone realizes their personal dream,” Oppermann says. “When we strive to create a better future for ourselves, we become better equipped to take collective action in our communities.”
From Engineer to Transformational Leader
Looking at Oppermann’s history as a mechanical engineer in Germany, one might wonder how he ended up down the more spiritual path. However, even his entry into the world of science was driven by his desire to create technology for the betterment of humanity. Unfortunately, he soon realized it was not the most optimal path for him to achieve this goal.
After discovering the benefits of mindfulness meditation in the late 90s, as well as touring attending meditation retreats all around the world, he decided to pursue a more gratifying practice. He left engineering and began woodworking Japanese furniture, specifically Shoji screens. Production expanded to the United States, allowing him to traverse from Berlin to New York City.
While his time in woodworking ended shortly after due to his desire to work directly with people instead of materials, it was pivotal to his realization for his true calling. From there, he founded a non-profit called Karmabuilders in the Bronx with the aim of helping former prisoners reintegrate into society.
“Around that time, I was in a surfing accident that rendered my right shoulder and arm immovable,” Oppermann recalls. “Looking back, I see that event as somewhat of a shamanic intervention, a call to pursue my true dharma and purpose.”
After the incident, Peter moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and finally began making strides toward beginning a career as a healer. He started off leading large corporate meditations for firms like Netflix.
“My background as an engineer allowed me to weave scientific knowledge into the world of spiritual practice,” Oppermann reflects. “I think that’s why it appeals to a large group of people.”
It was shortly after he pioneered his coaching career that Oppermann was introduced to the concept of Future Self through the work of Arjuna Ardagh. Ardagh serendipitously discovered the concept while leading a patient through a past life regression, in which she uncovered her Future Self in the process.
Oppermann has expanded the concept into a method, by providing the tools so that people can become their Future Selves and live in alignment with their visions of the future.
“To this day, people will come up to me in Whole Foods and say ‘Remember that workshop you led five years ago? Well, I am that person now,’” Oppermann recounts.
Oppermann’s logical and scientific approach is what keeps people coming back to it. He finds that its measurable and scientific nature allows it to produce tangible and fathomable results. In fact, he’s approached his work with the Future Self Method much like he approached his work as an engineer: by developing a thesis, testing it extensively, and then collecting testimonials from individuals who underwent the process with him — all of which were overwhelmingly positive.
Future Self Meets Dance of Liberation
For each day, a unique program has been created that reserves time for the introduction of new approaches to personal growth, mindfulness, and inner work — all while allowing enough space for a plethora of art, music, and dance practices.
Attendees will be invited to embrace their Present selves through dance, riveting music, and vibrant, soul-opening festivities that serve as a celebration of life.
“Dance is completely woven into the Summit,” Oppermann assures. “We’ll be hosting artists and musicians every evening. Embodiment is the key to transformation.”
In addition to a powerful Dance of Liberation opening ceremony, there will be other immersive Conscious Dance experiences hosted by DJ Sabo, Nacho Arimnay, Murray Hidary of MindTravel Music, and more.
Peter Oppermann, host of the Future Self Summit, pictured on an LA rooftop wearing The Visionary Winged One by Parashakti.
The Summit will begin with a powerful Dance of Liberation™ experience hosted by myself, in which I will invite attendees to release their inhibitions, accept themselves as they are in the moment, and move mindfully without any qualms, fears, or expectations.
With dance and music entwined so deeply into my own Dance of Liberation practice and accompanying Winged Ones jewelry line, Oppermann and I can certainly promise a collaboration that provides something for everyone.
In fact, Oppermann has been a major proponent of my trademark Eagle Medicine practice and beautifully relates the experience to that of uncovering your Future self.
“The Eagle as a symbol is a very powerful portal to the Future self state,” Oppermann says. “I imagine the journey to Future self discovery being like riding on the back of the Eagle heading toward the sun.”
Oppermann’s extensive years of experience as a Future Self Method practitioner, Life Empowerment Coach, and overall spiritual healer all culminate to this upcoming Future Self Summit. As Oppermann sees it, it’s finally his opportunity to use this meaningful framework to generate a change that is bigger than all of us.
“My dream is a future where everyone is found and embracing their full potential. That is what will elevate us as a species and ensure our collective survive. That’s why the goal of this Summit is to weave a new collective story where every voice counts and everybody brings something.”
CLICK HERE to enroll in the Future Self Summit, Oct. 1-4. This four-day, virtual retreat will explore the concept of creating lasting societal change using the framework of Peter Oppermann’s Future Self Method. RSVP for free before Sept. 30 at 11:59 pm PDT.
Join Parashakti in the Lineup of Pioneers as she concludes each day’s events with a Conscious Dance experience, based on her modality Dance of Liberation™ and The Winged Ones. She will be facilitating her workshops out of the Integral Yoga Institute in New York, where she acquired her teacher training. SPECIAL THANKS to IYINY for lending this sacred space.
Starting on Oct. 18, Oppermann will also be hosting the Future Self Incubator, a deeper 8-week journey through the Future Self Method.
Parashakti’s shamanic healing work is born of more than two decades of experience facilitating workshops, trainings, and retreats around the world, in Los Angeles, New York, Mexico, Bali, Guatemala, Indonesia, Israel, and Greece. As a lifelong dancer, her path as a healer followed a severe injury – a period of what is often called shamanic dismantling, after which her mission shifted towards healing. Over the last 20 years, Parashakti has developed the Seven Foundations and the Dance of Liberation™, as maps for her spiritual practice, living and breathing these foundations in daily ritual. Dance of Liberation™ has been practiced by over 10,000 dancers around the globe. It’s was born of a mission to help people experience ecstasy – without taking it.
Above all, Parashakti is dedicated to serving community and creating a sacred container where people feel safe enough to experience their deepest essences, honor their voices, and shine their brightest light. Join her on the Dance floor: www.parashakti.org