| Contents
/ Aug. - Issue #25 |
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Event
Spotlight |
A
"Consciousness Cruise," November 15th to 20th, 2008
You are invited to join us!
Let the sea breeze run her fingers through your hair.
Travel the Mexican Riviera from San Diego, Cabo San
Lucas, to Ensenada & back. Enjoy five delightful
days of relaxation, stimulation, sea, fun, meeting kindred
spirits, building life long friendships, great food,
and spectacular beauty. Join us for this unique first
ever "Consciousness Cruise" conference . Enjoy
face to face interactions, wisdom circles, fun, dyads,
cafes and more... Starring you and your fellow
participants - you are the luminaries!
Take home a tool chest of techniques, ideas, support
team in a new network, great memories and new friends.
Prepare to energize your own communities with these
consciousness tools.
All
for only $79 a day - which is part of why it is filling
fast!
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IONS
Campus and Retreat Center Events
Petaluma, California |
New
Equations - The Physical Expression of the Soul
Training Program
August 9-16,
2008
November 11-18, 2008
February 25, 2009
June 13, 2009
New Equations directly addresses human spirituality
and how it is physically expressed in the world
today. Participants in this multi-session training
program learn how to connect and communicate with
people in such a way that those with whom they engage
discover the physical expression of their own spiritual
nature.
Rejuvenate
Your Practice Intensive
August 21-24, 2008
November
13-16, 2008
Learn how to build your successful Holistic or Coaching
Practice using heart-based strategies so you can
help more people and make more money than you ever
thought was possible.
Skan-Reichian
Therapy - Exploring the Body of Emotions
September 5-7,
2008
Skan Therapy is based on the work of Wilhelm Reich.
Skan can be defined as a process of re-establishing
the unobstructed flow of the body's own life-energy.
This can be felt whole bodily as a sensation of
"streaming" and pleasure, and emotionally as love,
enjoyment and happiness.
Regression
Therapy Intensive Training, Level I
September 15-20,
2008
Barbara Kauffman is a prominent board certified
regression therapist, educator, lecturer, and researcher
with over fifteen years of experience in the field
of past-life regression.
Creative
Memories Scrapbooking Weekend with Felicia Schonborn-Young
September 19-21,
2008
March 20-22, 2009
Celebrate and preserve your memories into treasured
keepsakes - your life, your story, your way. Felicia
will show you how with top quality photo albums
& organizing products.
Metzner
Alchemical Divination Training, with Ralph Metzner
September 21-26, 2008
February 1-6, 2009
The Metzner Alchemical Divination® training is offered
in three 5-day modular workshops that can be taken
in any sequence. In these workshops, participants
will experience the divinations for themselves as
well as light-fire purifying energy meditations
(Agni Yoga); and they will practice guiding them
for others in dyads and small groups.
Making
Money Make Change
October 2-5, 2008
A national gathering for young progressive people
with wealth, creating space to support and challenge
each other to use our financial and other resources
to contribute to social change and join fully in
movements of social justice.
Foundation
for Shamanic Studies (Journeywork)
October 26-31, 2008 (part
1 of a three-year series)
Originated by Dr. Michael Harner, this course is the most advanced training in shamanism and shamanic healing offered by the Foundation for Shamanic Healing, and generally is considered unparalleled in the world. It involves intensive extended training in progressively higher levels of very advanced shamanism, including initiations into rare and little-known practices and principles.
Meditation
Specialist™ Certification
October 18–20, 2008
March 11-14, 2009
June 4-7, 2009
October 19-22, 2009
This four-part course for healthcare professionals
provides in-depth training in the theory, science,
and practice of meditation therapy with a focus
on the use of meditation as a true healing science.
Peter
Russell
November 14, 2008
Potluck dinner followed by a meeting with visionary
scientist Peter Russell, who has just released an
updated, tenth anniversary re-release of his award-winning
1998 bestseller Waking Up In Time: Finding Inner
Peace in Times of Accelerating Change. This
book was considered a classic manifesto for awakening
to the planetary crisis—and much of it was prophetic
as to what has actually come to pass in the last
decade. A Friendly Favors event - registration required.
Stillpoint
School Women's Program - Spirit Heals: Awakening
Your Inner Knowing for Self-Healing
February 20-23, 2009
April 24-27, 2009
Meredith Young-Sowers, spiritual teacher, medical
intuitive and energy healer, has created this new
intensive program to help women step fully and confidently
on the path to spirit-driven healing. This is a
one-of-a-kind opportunity to involve Meredith as
your guide over an extended period of time, which
will include 2 in-person Intensives, mentoring,
and on-going support from Meredith and the team
at Stillpoint.
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Special
Events |
Integral
Education Seminar
August 1-6, 2008
Whidbey Island, Washington
Integral education stands out as one of the most
pertinent and practical means to create positive
change in yourself and the world. This 5-day seminar
will bring educators together from around the globe,
educators who are seeking the necessary vision,
skills, and processes to fully serve students and
the world that we inhabit.
Three
Modern Mystics: A Celebration of Living Consciously
August 9, 2008
San Rafael, California
with Neale Donald Walsch, Dr. Jean
Houston & Joan Borysenko, PhD
Join these three visionary authors at the Marin
Civic Center for a full day discussion of their
leading edge perspectives on the transformation
of individual and collective consciousness, and
how we can apply them to our most pressing personal
and social issues. Box lunch included. To order
tickets, call (415) 499-6800.
Integral
Life For Generation Next Seminar
August 10-15, 2008
Santa Cruz, California
Are you between 18 and 35 years old? Come and explore:
- Community
and relationships
- Livelihood
and spirituality
- Integral
Life Practice and leadership
- Perspective
taking and stages of development
- Experience
BIG MIND and shadow work
And
have the time of your life networking with peers
in the Redwoods of California!
Academy
for Guided Imagery 20th Annual Conference: Imagery,
Suggestion, Mind/Body Medicine
Webcast available
through August 15, 2008
with Jeanne Achterberg, Stanley Krippner,
Dean Ornish, Andrew Weil, and more
Members and friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
are eligible for a 10% discount off conference registration
fees when they enter the IONS Co-Sponsor Discount
Code INS 0508 on the Webcast Registration
Form at www.acadgi.com
3rd
Annual International Conference on "Engaging the
Other:" The Power of Compassion
September 4-7, 2008
San Mateo, California
with Marianne Williamson,
Dennis Kucinich, Don Beck, Corinne McLaughlin, James
O'Dea, Stanley Krippner, Sharif Abdullah, and more
An international, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary
conference examining concepts of "The Other"
from a universal, cross-cultural perspective to
promote wider public dialogue about concepts of
"Us and Them."
The
Power of Practice: An Integral Approach to Realizing
Your Fullest Potential
September 19-21,
2008
Mercer Island and Kenmore, Washington
Enhance the quality of your life through Integral
Transformative Practice (ITP), created by George
Leonard and Michael Murphy of Esalen Institute.
This workshop, led by senior ITP teachers Barry
Robbins and Pam Kramer, offers the direct experience
of Integral Transformative Practice, involving movement,
meditation, and mind/body practices to create a
long-term, daily practice for increased vitality,
fulfillment, and joy.
Living
Deeply: Transformation and Healing in Everyday Life
October 3-5, 2008
Big Sur, California
with Marilyn Schlitz &
Cassandra Vieten
Opportunities to actively engage in your own transformation
and that of our world are woven into the fabric
of everyday life. Learning more about the terrain
of consciousness transformation at this special
workshop.
Living
Deeply Signature Education Workshop
October 29-30, 2008
Vancouver, British Columbia
with Marilyn Schlitz &
Cassandra Vieten
On Oct. 29, Dr. Marilyn Schlitz offers an interactive
presentation based on the book, Living Deeply,
followed by a book signing. On Oct. 30 both presenters
facilitate the Living Deeply workshop through dialogue
and direct experiences.
2012
Conference San Francisco: Shift by the Bay
October 31-November 2, 2008
San Francisco, California
with
James O'Dea, Daniel Pinchbeck, and more
2
Day Conference on leadership towards 2012, the coming
shift of the ages, bringing together national leading
authors and scholars.
Expert
Presentations Think-tank insight Sessions Maya,
Q'uero and Vedic Sacred Ceremonies Film Premieres
and cosmic music
Toward
a Global Shift: Seeding the Field of Collective
Change
The Institute of Noetic Sciences' 13th International
Conference
June 17-21, 2009
Tucson, Arizona
Save the date!
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Products
Spotlight |
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VISIT
THE BLEEPSTORE Information • Community •
Networking
At
Bleepstore.com
you can find inspiring, enlightening, and intriguing
books, music, videos and more. PLUS there are monthly
articles online about the latest in
Consciousness
studies • Science • Green living •
Alternative health • Conscious parenting
There
are also articles and book and movie reviews from The
Bleeping Herald as well as The
Global Intelligencer.
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Media
Spotlight |
The
2008 Shift Report: Changing the Story of Our Future
You
can get a PDF
or hard
copy of this year's Shift Report
at the Bleepstore.
About
the Report
Over the past several decades, new scientific discoveries
along with a surge in grassroots initiatives addressing
social and economic injustices have begun calling into
question the view of the universe-and essentially of
ourselves-as ultimately cold and mechanistic. Revealing
both the mysterious directionality of the evolving cosmos
and the irrepressible humanity within our own natures,
new evidence is emerging that we are innately capable
of far more than we realize. Yes, the evidence is compelling
that the arc of the human species is on a self-destructive
decline, and yet once the pieces are put together, there
is no denying that another reality is fighting through
the cracks of the dominant narrative. We are just beginning
to tap into our potential as human beings despite, or
perhaps because of, the multiple crises that we are
facing.
For
a discount on 10 or more copies, contact Tiffany at
tmitchell@noetic.org.
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| From the Editor |
|   Jeffrey
David Kihn / In
August, we continue to enjoy the warmth of summer, while
knowing that the peak of light and heat has passed and
that we must soon begin the process of gathering in
the harvest for the months to come so that they can
be a happy and nourishing time. Likewise, in this issue
of iShift, I invite you to consider the many
aspects of "peak moment," that time at which
we acknowledge not only the peak of our resources and
enjoyment but also the peak of awareness, genius, and
generosity to which we are now being called.
Although
the Institute of Noetic Sciences has been exploring
paradigm change and multiple ways of knowing since 1973,
the material structures of the traditional way of being
have continued to sustain us for these 35 years. But
now many of our most time-honored institutions and practices
are showing their inadequacies. A consistent theme among
Shift in Action luminaries and members is that
we live in uniquely challenging times. Indeed, the social,
political, and economic landscape of today is not only
challenging in its own right, but it demands that we
grow personally so that we may best support the people,
planet, and things that we love. Many of today's finest
minds are now passionately engaged in working on global
issues with "consciousness tools," bringing
previously hidden issues into the light of public awareness
and looking at humanity's problems and solutions from
the broadest possible perspective.
Thus,
there is no better time than the present to start living
deeply! As part of its Living Deeply
campaign, IONS continues to offer a $1 trial membership
in our dynamic Shift in Action program. Upon
joining, you'll receive the book, Living Deeply:
The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life
written by IONS researchers Marilyn Schlitz, Cassandra
Vieten, and Tina Amorok; a Living Deeply practice
CD with audio from 11 transformational leaders in wisdom
traditions from around the world; the acclaimed 2008
Shift Report; and all the offerings Shift in
Action members enjoy, including weekly live teleseminars
and one of the largest archives of downloadable audio
content on the web. To join, or to invite a friend to
join, click
here.
We
also encourage you to invite friends to subscribe to
iShift (the e-zine you are reading right now!)
free at www.noetic.org.
Finally,
remember to save the date for the Institute of Noetic
Sciences' 13th International Conference: Toward
a Global Shift: Seeding the Field of Collective Change,
June 17-21, 2009 in Tucson, Arizona. |
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| The
Edge |
|  Peak
Moment
Peak
Moment is a weekly, half-hour internet TV series
featuring conversations about local food, renewable
energy, transportation alternatives, preparedness, economics,
and other areas of concern as we move into a period
of climate change and declining fossil fuels. This featured
episode is an interview with
Bruce Anderson, who begins by asking, "What's going
to happen to our kids?" He goes on to describe
his experience reading The Limits to Growth
in the 1970s, in which he learned that the human economy
cannot grow indefinitely. In a thoughtful and thought-provoking
discussion, Bruce raises the moral, ethical, and emotional
aspects of a "crisis of adaptation" that humanity
has never faced before. (view
now) (Peak
Moment website)
 Edgar
Mitchell Sets the Record Straight
Edgar Mitchell and IONS respond to the recent
wave of media attention following Edgar's recent interviews
on Larry King Live and Kerrang! Radio.
 Larry
King to feature What the Bleep!?
The Sunday, August 2nd edition of Larry
King Live will be a feature on the hit film What
the Bleep Do We Know!? The shows airs at 6PM PDT,
9PM PDT and Midnight PDT, or 9PM/Midnight/3AM EDT on
CNN. (Check local listings for other areas.) The live
panel will consist of JZ Knight, Dean Radin and Candace
Pert, and video guests will include Fred Alan Wolf,
Edgar Mitchell, and What the Bleep!? producer
William Arntz. (website)
 Peak
Oil - Believe it or Not?
An outstanding article on how cognitive biases
affect important discussions about our future. (read
the full story)
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| Affiliate
Spotlight |
|
 Catherine
Austin Fitts
Although it was recorded in 2006, our Shift
in Action teleseminar with Catherine Austin Fitts
has never been more timely. She stresses the need for
clean water, fresh food, sustainable infrastructure,
sound banks, lawful companies, and healthy communities,
and that it is our responsibility to ensure that these
resources are financed and governed ethically. (listen
now)
To
this end she has a new two-part audioseminar CD called
"Positioning Your Assets for Growth in Uncertain
Times" ($60 plus shipping, or $50 for an MP3).
It explains how to protect and grow your financial assets
in a way that not only cares for you and your family
but also transforms our communities and networks.
IONS
is partnering with Catherine on this and other Solari.com
products. Simply go to the Solari store (www.solari.com/store),
make your selection, and enter the code E1/NOE
in the Comments Box on the sales form when you order.
You can also mention this offer if calling in your order:
1-800-695-2241 (U.S.); 001-931-964-2241 (International).
For a seminar description and audio clip, go here.
(Note:
Catherine will be conducting a workshop in Mill Valley,
California, on August 29-30, 2008. Details, registration,
and more free media are on her
website.)
 Earth
Cinema Circle
With actor Ed Begley Jr. as its spokesperson,
the Earth Cinema Circle (ECC) is the only DVD film club
exclusively devoted to expanding environmental consciousness
and is doing so in a way that entertains, informs, and
sometimes inspires. Recent films have ranged from a
26-minute lesson in eco-literacy by David Suzuki to
the life-cycle of to-go coffee cups and why corn truly
is "king." IONS has partnered with ECC to
help educate people about the need for global environmental
sustainability. By joining the
club you help both the Institute and the people
who are making these much-needed films. (website)
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Media |
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Film
 Food
Matters - Food Matters is a documentary
film, made by nutritionists-turned-filmmakers,
which focuses on helping us rethink the belief
systems of our modern medical and health care
establishments. Our teachers point out that not
every problem requires costly, major medical attention
and reveal many alternative therapies that can
be more effective, more economical, less harmful,
and less invasive. The film is available on DVD
or online pay-per-view. (website)
(view
trailer)
 Crisis
as Opportunity: Living Better on a Hotter Planet
- Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris presents
this unique sound and slide show, which can be
viewed on Macs and PCs or shown to audiences by
digital projection, and includes a 30 minute video
interview. Elisabet sees climate change as an
evolutionary process, presenting a beneficial
challenge that will help people learn to live
together as they never have before. (buy)
Books
 Shift:
Change Your Words, Change Your World, by
Janet Smith Warfield. By using "word-sculptures"
- playful tapestries of poetry, stories, illustrations,
quotations, and questions - Warfield aims not
to state Truth, but rather to provide readers
with creative tools to find their own truth. Shift
explores the attempt to use analytic, divisive
language to communicate about unifying, holistic,
mystical experience, using words to look at words,
meanings, human perception, emotions, and action.
(website)
(buy)
 The
Art of the Start, by Guy Kawasaki.
Kawasaki (author of Rules for Revolutionaries)
draws upon his dual background as an evangelist
for Apple's Macintosh computer and as a Silicon
Valley venture capitalist in this how-to for launching
any type of business project, whether you are
dreaming of starting the next Microsoft or a not-for-profit
that’s going to change the world. Each chapter
begins with "GIST" - Great Ideas for
Starting Things - including Kawasaki's field-tested
techniques for bootstrapping, branding, networking,
recruiting, pitching, rainmaking, and building
buzz. (buy)
The
Green-Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix
America's Two Biggest Problems, by Van Jones.
You will soon be able to pre-order Van Jones'
first book, which will be published by Harper
One on October 7, 2008! We'll feature the book
in a future iShift, and you can find
the latest news on the Green
For All website.
Audio
 The
End of Your World, by Adyashanti.
Sounds True offers these twelve bold sessions
from Adyashanti, delivered in a direct teacher-to-student
context, for those in the shift between what he
calls "non-abiding" awakening and the
ultimate state of "abiding" enlightenment.
With straight talk and penetrating insight, Adya
helps to navigate the pitfalls and cul-de-sacs
along the journey of personal transformation and
spiritual awakening, including: meaninglessness;
how the ego can "co-opt" new awareness
for its own purposes; the illusion of superiority
that may accompany intense spiritual breakthroughs;
and the danger of becoming "drunk on emptiness."
(buy)
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WebWatch |
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 Global
Public Media - Founded by Julian
Darley of the Post Carbon Institute (Sebastopol,
California), Global Public Media is designed to
support existing public service information organizations
by providing a discussion platform that is not
driven by profit and entertainment values. GPM
actively explores the topics of climate change,
energy, & relocalization, and features contributors
such as Al
Gore and Richard
Heinberg, along with Shift in Action
luminaries Frances
Moore Lappé, Hazel
Henderson, and Van
Jones.
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Top
Ten |
In
honor of the upcoming Space Center trip with IONS
Founder & Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell,
we present the Top Ten Cool Moon Facts:
1. According to the leading theory, the Moon was
created when a rock the size of Mars slammed into
Earth, shortly after the solar system began forming,
about 4.5 billion years ago.
2.
Because of the Earth's gravitational effects,
the Moon's orbital period and rotational period
have come to be the same, so that the Moon always
shows us the same face. (Thus, what some of us
call the "dark side of the Moon" is
more accurately called the "far side of the
Moon.") Many of the moons around other planets
behave similarly.
3.
In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa took
a bunch of seeds with him and, while Alan Shepard
and Edgar Mitchell were busy walking on the surface,
Roosa guarded his seeds. Later, the seeds were
germinated on Earth, planted at various sites
around the country, and came to be called the
"Moon trees." Most of them are doing
fine today.
4.
The Moon's heavily cratered surface is the result
of intense pummeling by space rocks between 4.1
billion and 3.8 billion years ago. These "scars"
have not eroded because the Moon has no significant
volcanic activity or weather.
5.
In 1999, scientists found the Moon isn't our only
moon. A 3-mile- (5-kilometer-) wide asteroid may
be caught in Earth's gravitational grip, thereby
becoming a satellite of our planet. Cruithne,
as it is called, takes 770 years to complete a
horseshoe-shaped orbit around Earth, the scientists
say, and it will remain in a suspended state around
Earth for at least 5,000 years.
6.
The Moon is not round (or spherical). Instead, it's shaped like an egg. If you go outside and look up, one of the small ends is pointing right at you.
7.
Apollo astronauts used seismometers during their visits to the Moon and discovered that the gray orb isn't a totally dead place, geologically speaking. Small moonquakes, originating several miles (kilometers) below the surface, are thought to be caused by the gravitational pull of Earth. Sometimes tiny fractures appear at the surface, and gas escapes.
8.
Our Moon is bigger than Pluto. And at roughly
one-fourth the diameter of Earth, some scientists
think the Moon is more like a planet. They refer
to the Earth-Moon system as a "double planet."
9.
Tides on Earth are caused mostly by the Moon,
because the Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's oceans.
High tide aligns with the Moon as Earth spins
underneath, as well as on the opposite side of
the Earth because gravity pulls Earth toward the
Moon more than it pulls the water.
10.
All of that tidal tugging has another interesting
effect: Some of Earth's rotational energy is stolen
by the Moon, causing our planet to slow down by
about 1.5 milliseconds every century, while the
Moon is propelled about 3.8 centimeters higher
in its orbit. Researchers say that when it formed,
the Moon was about 14,000 miles (22,530 kilometers)
from Earth. It's now more than 280,000 miles (450,000
kilometers) away.
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Shift
in Action / Live Teleseminars |
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Our
weekly LIVE teleseminar series, now on both Tuesdays
and Wednesdays. All Tuesday teleseminars are in
the Living Deeply series, which features spiritual
leaders and practical visionaries who share their
practices for living a deeper, more fulfilling
life.
This
month's schedule of live calls:
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Tuesday,
August 5th at 11am Pacific - Marilyn
Schlitz with Mary Jo Kreitzer
on "Creating Optimal Healing Environments"
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Wednesday,
August 6th at 5pm Pacific - Angela
Murphy with The Junior Attractors
on "Manifesting Planetary Awesomeness"
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Tuesday,
August 12th at 11am Pacific
- Cassandra Vieten with Beth
Lisick on "Helping Me Help Myself:
The Lighter Side of Transformation"
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Wednesday,
August
13th at
5pm Pacific - James O'Dea with Robert
Thurman on "Why the Dalai Lama
Matters "
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Tuesday,
August 19th at 11am Pacific
- Cassandra Vieten with Joanna
Macy on "Taking Heart in a
Dark Time"
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Wednesday,
August
20th at
5pm Pacific - Marilyn Schlitz with
Jean Watson on "A Caritas
Model of Caring Science"
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Tuesday,
August
26th at
11am Pacific - Angela Murphy with Sheila
McKeithen on "Living Your
Life on Purpose"
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Wednesday,
August
27th at
5pm Pacific - Belvie Rooks with Thomas
DeWolf on "Inheriting the Trade"
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Join
Shift in Action today to participate
in these calls! |
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Shift
in Action / Recent Releases |
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 Free
samples from the Shift in Action program
One
Minute Shift Contest Winner Gets Scholarship!
The winner of our last OMS contest, 13-year-old
Shannon Leonard (view
Shannon's One Minute Shift), was offered a
scholarship to a film camp this summer from an
iShift member who saw his video in our
email to you! The
Oxbow Summer Arts Camp for teens in Napa, CA is
a unique residential "art-immersion" camp. The
final show of the students' work will be from
7-9 pm Tuesday August 5th, at the Napa Valley
Opera House, 1030 Main Street in Napa, and is
free to the public. Further inquiries can be directed
to Barbara Bitner, Camp Director, at bbitner@oxbowschool.org
or 415-531-2161.
Shift
in Action Website Training
Please note the following special website
training teleseminars. If you are interested in
attending, send
an email to Angela.
- Wednesday,
August 6th at 4:00 pm Pacific - This training
will be specifically for Community Group Coordinators.
Others are welcome to listen to the training,
but some of the information covered will not
be relevant for non-Community Group Coordinators.
- Monday,
August 25th at 6:00 pm Pacific – This will replace
our normally-scheduled training on the third
Monday of the month.
Join
Shift in Action today! |
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Noetic
Books |
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Each
of the first two titles published under IONS'
new Noetic Books imprint have won prestigious
Nautilus
Book Awards! The bestselling The
Untethered Soul was a Silver
Award winner in the Spirituality category; Living
Deeply was the Grand Winner
in the Personal Growth/Psychology category. By
purchasing and reading these books, you support
our work while furthering your own process of
personal transformation.
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Shift
Magazine |
|
 Here
is a sneak
preview of our upcoming Shift
#20, entitled "Art,
Science, and Consciousness."
If you join IONS today, you can still receive
this fascinating issue! (Join
now)
Table
of Contents
WHY SCIENCE NEEDS ART
by Jonah Lehrer
The more we know about reality-its quantum
mechanics and neural origins-the more palpable
its paradoxes become. The author of Proust
Was a Neuroscientist believes that by interpreting
scientific ideas and theories, the arts offer
science a new lens through which to see itself
while furthering our inquiry into the nature of
consciousness.
POETIC
MEDICINE: A KIND OF MAGIC
by John Fox
Western medicine's zealous preoccupation
with technology, prescription drugs, and financial
return has taken much of the healing out of health
care. Citing new research and his own experience
with patients, poetry therapist John Fox offers
another path; he shows how the reading, hearing,
and writing of poems can be a healing catalyst
and transform people at profound levels.
ON
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARCHITECTURE
by Alain de Botton
In this lyrical excerpt from his recent
book, The Architecture of Happiness, Botton
examines the ways that architecture speaks to
us. By embodying ennobling values, built spaces
can evoke associations that put us in touch with
our true selves and influence how we conduct our
lives. "Taking architecture seriously,"
he writes, "requires that we open ourselves
to the idea that we are affected by our surroundings."
VISIONS
FROM THE TECHNO-MYSTIC EDGE
by Kate McCallum
Writer, producer, and "transmedia"
consultant McCallum surveys the mind-blowing intersection
of brain science, digital technology, and the
visual arts. From fractal biofeedback software
to virtual reality immersions, media makers today
are crossing a threshold of creative expression
as they explore new ways to engage human beings
at deeper levels.
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GreenShifting |
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 New
Urbanism
The New Urbanist movement champions the
key features of meaningful, sustainable, and rewarding
civic design, disseminating information and bringing
together the diverse disciplines required to build
aesthetic, mixed-use neighborhoods that minimize
automobile traffic. (New
Urban News website) (City
Repair Project website)
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Living
Deeply |
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Our
Year of Living Deeply continues with the launch
of our new Signature Education workshops:
 Living
Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation
in Everyday Life
- CIIS,
San Francisco, California: September 13 (more)
- Ashland,
Oregon: September 19-20 (more)
- Esalen
Institute, Big Sur, California: October 3-5
(more)
- UBC
Downtown, Vancouver, British Columbia: October
29-30 (more)
- Open
Center, New York, New York: November 21 (more)
- River's
Edge, Cleveland, Ohio: May 1-2, 2009
These
workshops blend the rigors of science with the
deep wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions.
Join IONS research staff Marilyn Mandala Schlitz,
PhD; Cassandra Vieten, PhD; and Tina Amorok, PsyD;
as they offer key insights from the decade-long
qualitative and quantitative research study of
how people transform their lives.
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Donor
Spotlight |
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When
you invest as an IONS Circle member you help support
a powerful shift in consciousness Circle members
enjoy many special benefits, such as these excursions.
Please
note that some details have recently changed.
 See
the launch of Shuttle Discovery with Edgar Mitchell
at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida
- February 11 to 14, 2009
Enjoy
backstage tours, VIP launch viewing, and inspired
dialogues. The invitation to join this trip is
a benefit for Founder’s Circle members ($10,000
annual membership level and above).
 Journey
to South India with Shantum Seth - January 28
to February 15, 2009
Savor
new cultures, explore sacred historical sites,
and visit hands-on service initiatives with other
Circle members. The invitation to join this trip
is a benefit for Circle members ($1,000 annual
membership level and above). Enrollment limited
to 15.
For
more information about the trips and if you would
like to learn more about the benefits of Circle
membership, contact Deborah Breitbach at 707-779-8216.
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Comedy
Corner |
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DEAR
SWAMI
by Swami Beyondananda
"Where
Swami Answers Your Questions - and You Will Question
His Answers" 
Dear
Swami:
Can a soul split into two or more entities who live simultaneously? What if one dies? Does the other one or two live on independently? Would there be half a soul or a portion of a soul? Or could it be that a soul has no need of limitation or parts? Is this related to traditional questions like: how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Back to the original soul-searching question, perhaps I am asking about soul size and limits. Do you think souls have them?
Gideon High, Brattleboro, Vermont
Dear
Gideon:
That's quite a metaphysical question, and since I never metaphysical question I didn't like, I will try to answer it. Since souls are infinite and know no bounds, you can imagine how confining it can be to squeeze an entire soul into one of those small seats on the physical plane. And what with all the baggage restrictions, it's a lot easier to spread the weight of heavy karma around. So yes, souls can indeed be split into two. This is called fillet of soul. As to your reference to the other great metaphysical question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, I have an answer for that too: Not many. Angels are notoriously poor dancers.
©
Copyright 2008 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights
reserved. Swami Beyondananda -- and his hilarious
books and CDs -- can be found online at http://www.wakeuplaughing.com/
Ask
Swami your own question. Send it here.
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Monthly
Intention |
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August
Intention:
At
the beginning of each month, we encourage you
to take a quiet moment to link your intention
with people around the world.
This
month our intention is to acknowledge the
ways in which we participate in community.
August
Action:
This month, we encourage you to
get involved in a new win-win relationship with
some part of your local community. Make an effort
to identify the gifts you have to offer your community
that have so far remained unoffered. Explore the
resources that your community provides that you
have been getting from outside.
August
Question for Reflection:
In what ways do you
truly depend on your local community? How would
you adapt if those community resources were not
available?
If
you would like to offer an intention for next
month, please send it here.
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