Manager of the Nature Channel and our number six ranked member, Arvana has been hanging out on Videosift for a relatively short time but has managed to make quite an impact both with his video contributions and the unique approach to life which he offers through his comments. He has also offered some great advice for wanna-be top members on how to make a similar rise through the ranks.

The Sift could not be called a spiritual haven and yet within its denizens, lurk some of the most refreshingly spiritual people I've encountered on the internet, including Arvana himself.

What exactly do I mean by spiritual? Well, for me, it means being interested in exploring those eternal questions like "Who am I? Why am I here?". It is being willing to expose our shadow selves to the full light. It is recognising the patterns of one's life as having parallels to events of the world, both natural and human. It is seeking inspiration from nature and the earth and feeling a deep reverence for it.

It's also setting the goal of experiencing full consciousness.

I could go on, but here is Arvana's description of what consciousness is, just to kick the theme of this interview off:


Arvana: Well the Arvana theory of consciousness goes like this: All things have inherent consciousness just as much as physical structure, and that consciousness is not separate from all other consciousnesses. Only our egos divide us from the universal consciousness and the spiritual path is to dissolve our egos so that we can rejoin the collective.


For the more cynical, you may be thinking that Arvana was toking a little, when he answered my question "What does consciousness mean to you?", but the fact is that he was sipping jasmine tea at the time and although he may have imbibed stronger substances at different times in his life, he was deadly straight when I chatted with him.

So, the more curious reader may be wondering what experiences have led Arvana to seek expression of said theory of consciousness. One can only surmise that they have been life-changing ones.

You could say that he started out on the straight and narrow. His degree from the University of Waterloo was in engineering and if it weren't for a trip to India, he may have continued down that path. Here's what happened:


Arvana: I did a degree in mechanical engineering. I found the problem with that career is that there are too many engineers in it.

I was working in a high-tech company in Vancouver when I took a holiday in India. I sent them a fax saying I wasn't coming back.

Persephone: India got into your veins?

Arvana: It's definitely a part of me now. Have you been?

Persephone: No, not yet. One day...

Arvana: I think when it calls you, you're pretty much helpless to resist.

Persephone: Have you been back several times? Do you have a guru, or are you on your own path?

Arvana: I've been three times so far. I was with Osho, then later with Tyohar in Costa Rica. I've been really, really blessed to have had a number of amazing teachers.

What I love about Osho is that he took a vastly multidisciplinary approach to helping people develop their awareness, since each person has their own unique path and he wanted to help everyone develop in their own way. So I've practised many different forms of meditation.

Some of these experiences have given Arvana a clear perspective about human relating issues and this applies to his understanding of a community such as Videosift. He has this wisdom to offer:

Arvana: I've lived in a couple of intentional communities and it's funny how much VS reminds me of them. A lot of the same social interactions happen. There is the full gamut of emotions, hormonal responses, friendships, pettiness, etc. and it's all good, it's all part of what makes a community interesting.

The important thing is to have enough voices of reason around that none of the inevitable flare-ups take over the community, at least not for too long. If that's the case and the community leaders don't lose it or get on a big ego trip, then the community can bounce back from just about anything, and will continually change and evolve in character.

So we're counting on you to keep Brian's head at a reasonable size .

Arvana has made a number of humorous and enlightening submissions to the Sexuality channel, so it was with interest that I asked him about his interest in Tantric yoga.

Persephone: I was thinking of comments you have made about Tantra. What's your favourite practice?

Arvana: Well I'm not an advanced tantrika by any means. I love yabyam, genital massage, breathing exercises and following the energy flow.

Persephone: Was it you, or I, who posted a video about yabyam?

Arvana: I think it was you.... I miss those posts of yours

Persephone: Brian was reading something the other day, that said men who ejaculate 2 to 3 times a week, had better health overall, than men who did less. How does this fit in with the tantric idea of putting off or re-directing the energy of ejaculation?

Arvana: Well in my case it IS putting off to only ejaculate 2 to 3 times a week
I think it is an individual thing. I think that lots and lots of men are addicted to orgasm, in which case it is probably good for them to hold off more. Others have sexual repressions and need to open up.

Persephone: Have you worked on sexual addiction or repression?

Arvana: In myself? Both. I think I started out reasonably healthy sexually, but we all pick up a lot of weird ideas that are prevalent in society, so I had to go to a few extremes to understand what was the right place for me to be in.

Finding balance, sexually is a universal challenge, as is finding one's way in the realm of relationships. Arvana has taken an approach which lately seems to be on the increase, but which defies the traditional married/couple established mode of relating. He describes his approach here:

Arvana: I'm practising open relationship. I've done a lot of meditation, tantric practices and multitudes of therapy workshops. It feels like the natural progression.

Persephone: What does open relationship mean?

Arvana: That's hard to define. It's relating without contracts or certainty, yet with love and honesty.

Persephone: Open relationships sound good. How does it work when the people want to have children?

Arvana: Well everybody has to work that out for themselves I think. Personally I believe that kids should be born into intentional communities where they have many different role models and friends.

Persephone: Do you want kids?

Arvana: No, I decided pretty early on not to have any, for many reasons. It has simplified my life in some ways, and left out some experiences too, of course.

Persephone: Many of my close friends have decided not to have children, or commit to another person. I'm kinda the odd-one-out in my own circles.

Arvana: Interesting. It seems to be becoming a more common choice amongst conscious people, which I guess is not too surprising given the global overpopulation and the various challenges of raising kids in these times.

Persephone: Have you met women you wanted to be with, who really wanted children and you had to end the relationship because it wasn't what you want?

Arvana: No, surprisingly that hasn't happened. It's probably another sign that my path in life doesn't involve having my own kids

It sounds like Arvana gets opportunity to be a male role model for various children in his life, so there are children out there benefiting from some Arvana love and care.

Managing the Nature channel is a good indicator of a man who loves the natural world, as is one of his passions and line of work, which he describes here:

Arvana: I buy real estate with a business partner and with the help of investors, I do eco renovations and make them available as rent-to-own homes to people who aren't otherwise able to buy their own property. www.betterplanet.ca

Persephone: Wow. What a great idea. Was it your idea to start out?

Arvana: It was a gradual evolution. Both my partner and I are passionate about the environment, and we first partnered on one property then branched out into more.

Persephone: What kinds of renovations do you do, typically? Do you try to increase the energy efficiency of the home primarily, by making it solar passive etc?

Arvana: That is my ultimate goal, but so far most of my work has been cosmetic enhancement. I find a lot of reused materials, and use clay-based paints and sustainable flooring and other materials wherever possible.

Persephone: Do you have draftsmanship skills?

Arvana: I did a fair bit of drafting when I was an engineer, but I try to avoid that now

Persephone: Would it be useful for re-designing for solar passivity?

Arvana: Yes it would definitely be useful. Making a house solar-passive is more of a ground-up design than anything you can likely add to an existing house, and so far I've avoided doing any new development.

His passion for the environment has also led Arvana to get involved in some great community projects in his area which promote organic gardening and sustainable food production. Here's what he had to say about organic food and what he's doing to support it:

Persephone: How long have you been a health nut?

Arvana: I go in waves actually. I got into organic food when I lived in Vancouver around 1994-98, then slipped off the wagon while travelling around. Lately I've been into raw food to some extent, but not obsessive about it.

Persephone: Does raw food include meat, like jerky?

Arvana: It does for some people. I have a friend who eats raw elk, moose and such, but when I eat meat, once in a while, I like it cooked

Persephone: Is organic food sold everywhere near you?

Arvana: More or less. Most supermarkets have an organic section now, and most towns have one or more health food stores.
It's not as well developed as some areas, but more than others. In Canada, the west coast and Quebec are the most organic. I'm in Ontario, which is a little more conservative.

Persephone: Do you choose organic for the health benefits, or for ethical reasons?

Arvana: All of the reasons: taste, environment, health, supporting small farms, etc.

Persephone: Do you have a veggie patch?

Arvana: Actually I have a guy who does community gardening who is planting up my back yard with veggies. I'll share in the harvest.

Persephone: Cool! Is your soil rich?

Arvana: It's pretty good. Ontario has amazing soil. My yard is a little on the sandy side, so it'll be great for the root crops.

One could be forgiven for wondering how such an organic and sensual person as Arvana would feel at home sitting at a computer for the time required to maintain a presence on Videosift, but he has another side to him that makes a great foil for the spiritual seeker.

Arvana also happens to be a web-designer. He loves Videosift and feels quite at home on such a site. Here's how he describes his initial contact with the site and also where he sees it heading in the future:


Arvana: I found it because I was helping a friend promote a video she did. It didn't get published but I ended up sticking around. I never expected to be one of the more prolific sifters, and it still surprises me to see myself in the top users list.

Persephone: Yours has been a skyrocketing involvement. Did your friend stick around?

Arvana: At first I was a bit of a drive-by submitter, then gradually started commenting more. Lately I've been commenting less again as the Sift has grown and become less intimate, though I've been feeling like I want to push myself to be a more active part of the community.

I'm looking forward to the development of more social aspects to the site. In any large group of people it is inevitable that sub-groups will form with similar interests, and right now everybody is kinda thrown all together and there are some incompatibilities between different personality types.

It is absolutely my choice for video sites. Any time I come across a video elsewhere my first thought is whether it would make a good submission to the Sift.

Persephone: Would you say that it's a good thing, to make people aware of the great diversity that exists, or does it just cause conflict? Can't we all learn to get along?

Arvana: Well the reality is that people don't all just get along, and I don't really see that as an issue, it's just that the world is filled with many different types of people and not all types can see eye-to-eye.

I think what would make VS work better is some way for people to relate in their own like-minded groups. I'm not sure how that can be done exactly but I'll leave that up to the brilliant minds who make those things happen.

Well, there you have it. I'm certain that I only barely scratched at the surface of Arvana and would love to spend more time getting to know him. Thank you for revealing a little of yourself, Arvana and thank you for your contribution to this site.