| Contents
/ Oct. - Issue #27 |
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Partner
Spotlight |
Nine
Gates Mystery School
We
are living in the most auspicious of times, when it's
absolutely possible to turn the energy of this planet
upside down -- not the 2012 predictions of pole reversals,
but rather a new prediction of living from the inside
out, awake, vital, and consciously co-creating. Living
this way requires courage and honesty and deep compassion.
For
over 24 years, IONS members have participated in an
experiential journey called the Nine Gates Mystery
School, offered by our partner Nine Gates Programs.
The Mystery School offers an opening into the great
mysteries at the heart of consciousness--the great
mystery of the Divine Human.
The
next School:
Part
1: October 24 - November 2, 2008, Santa Barbara,
California
Part
2: April 2 - 12, 2009, Joshua Tree, California
"I'd
lived largely in my head, which is true for a lot
of people at Noetics. Mystery School opened up a whole
other dimension for me. It moved me out of my head
and into energy-and opened me again to dimensions
of life and what is real." -Wink Franklin, Former
IONS President
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Event
Spotlight |
A
"Consciousness Cruise," November 15th to 20th, 2008
You are invited to join us!
Travel the Mexican Riviera from San Diego, Cabo san
Lucas, Ensenada & back. Enjoy five delightful days of
relaxation, fun, great food, spectacular beauty, meeting
kindred spirits and stimulating people, and building
life long friendships. Join us for this unique FIRST
EVER "Consciousness Cruise" conference with
small group interactions, meditations, healing exercises,
wisdom circles, "cafes," & more... Starring YOU and
your fellow participants - you are the luminaries!
Take
home a tool chest of techniques, ideas, a support team
in a new network, great memories and new friends. Prepare
to energize your own communities with these consciousness
tools.
All
for only $83 a day - which is part of why it is filling
fast!
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IONS
Campus and Retreat Center Events
Petaluma, California |
Making
Money Make Change
October 2-6, 2008
A national gathering for young progressive people
with wealth, creating space to support and challenge
one another to use their financial and other resources
to contribute to change and to join fully in movements
of social justice.
Tom
Nehrer - The Essence of Reality: A Clear Awareness
of How Life Works
October 10, 2008
Potluck dinner and presentation by the insightful
author of The Essence of Reality. Spurred
by an early mystic experience, Tom Nehrer’s long
inner journey yielded intimate perception of life’s
flow, expanding the once fleeting glimpse of that
Oneness into ongoing awareness.
Peter
Russell
October 16, 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.
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.
Monroe
Institute Gateway Voyage
November
1-7, 2008
Rejuvenate
Your Practice Intensive
November
13-16, 2008
Metzner
Alchemical Divination Training
February 1-6, 2009
Gathering
in Gratefulness
February 20-22, 2009
Stillpoint
School: What We Hunger For
February 21-24, 2009
April 25-28, 2009
Regression
Therapy Intensive Training
March
16-20, 2009
Creative
Memories Scrapbooking Weekend
March
20-22, 2009
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Special
Events |
Living
Deeply: Transformation and Healing in Everyday Life
October 3-5, 2008
Big Sur, California
with Cassandra
Vieten & Constantine Darling
Opportunities to actively engage in your own transformation
and that of our world are woven into the fabric
of everyday life. Learn more about the terrain of
consciousness transformation at this special workshop.
WiseUSA
'08
October 25-November
6, 2008
with Marianne
Williamson, James O'Dea, Gabriel Cousens, David
Spangler, Lynne Twist, Corinne McLaughlin, and more
This interactive program will peak on November 2,
2008 in a Global Ceremony featuring meditation,
prayer and music which will simultaneously bring
together public gatherings in Washington D.C., San
Jose, and other major cities. These locations will
be linked by videoconference and the event will
be broadcast live online to hundreds of groups and
tens of thousands of individuals worldwide.
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
Living
Deeply Talk/Q&A
November 1, 2008
Sonoma, California
IONS
Community "Consciousness Cruise"
November 15-20, 2008
San Diego, California
Living
Deeply Talk/Q&A
December 8, 2008
Windsor, California
Living
Deeply Talk/Q&A
December 13, 2008
Guerneville, California
Living
Deeply Talk/Q&A
January 27, 2008
Sebastopol, California
Journey
to South India with IONS
January 28-February 15, 2009
Space
Shuttle Launch Trip with Edgar Mitchell
February 11-14, 2009
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Living
Deeply Signature Education Workshop
May 1-2, 2009
Cleveland, Ohio
IONS
13th International Conference
June 17-21, 2009
Tucson, Arizona
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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 |
|   Stephen
Dinan / In
the US, we are in a heated election season. People committed
to consciousness often wonder how we can engage politics
- which tends to be polarizing and highly charged -
in a way that brings people together. Some in our circles
opt out altogether, but that can lead the process to
devolve rather than evolve. Engagement is key, but how
do we engage in an ultimately evolutionary way?
In
this issue, I showcase a number of initiatives that
are pointing to a more conscious political path in which
depth, healing, and wisdom are in the foreground rather
than attack ads, parties, polarization, and blame. I
like to think of this as the shift to a trans-partisan
political consciousness - one that is not identified
with party lines but with a commitment to elevate the
playing field for the good of the whole. It is global
consciousness translated into the political arena. And
there's even some interesting science behind it as our
showcase video from TED explains.
At
IONS, we have two not-to-be-missed events on the horizon:
the Consciousness Cruise (Nov.15-20
- more
info) and our International Conference
next June 17-21 in Tucson, Arizona, entitled Towards
a Global Shift: Seeding the Field of Collective Change.
The Conference will feature a stellar roster of speakers
such as Bruce Lipton, Larry and Barbara Dossey, Van
Jones, and David Abram, as well as innovative processes,
music, and more. Registration opens Dec. 1st.
When
you sign up for the $1 trial membership
of the Shift in Action program this month, you can 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 practice CD with audio from 11 transformational
leaders; the acclaimed 2008 Shift Report;
and all the offerings SIA members enjoy, including weekly
live teleseminars and the largest web archives of consciousness
content. Join
now.
Finally,
we are in an active search process for a new President,
who will have a sizeable task filling the illustrious
shoes of James O'Dea, who is now delighted to be engaged
in a variety of new global initiatives. Candidate suggestions
are welcome!
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| The
Edge |
|  "The
Real Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives,"
by Jonathan Haidt
This 18 minute presentation is a truly fascinating,
scientific look at moral psychology and the complementarity
of progressive and conservative worldviews, as well
as their importance in historical evolution. It comes
from TED, a yearly elite gathering of some of the world's
most innovative people and offers a great way to step
out of the "matrix." (view
now)
Citizens
Solutions Council
An exciting new effort to create a grassroots
network that stretches to the White House and offers
innovative solutions to collective problems. Eleanor
LeCain featured this work on her
Oct. 1st Shift in Action teleseminar. (more)
Statement
from Evolutionary Leaders
Recent IONS President James O'Dea has been
active in helping a stellar group of evolutionary leaders
come together and offer a shared purpose statement,
which is powerful, succinct, and galvanizing. You can
read
it here.
If
you haven't registered to vote, we encourage you to do so. Here's
a good non-partisan site for making informed choices:
www.votesmart.org.
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Media |
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Books
 The
Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix
Our Two Biggest Problems, by Van Jones.
The Green Collar Economy is the first
book authored by Green For All co-founder and
IONS Fellow Van Jones. As Al Gore says, "Van Jones
demonstrates conclusively that the best solutions
for the survivability of our planet are also the
best solutions for everyday Americans."
Please
help Green For All reach their historic goal of
7,000 online orders before Tuesday, October 7!
The most effective time to buy online is NOW,
before the on-sale date. (buy)
 One
World Democracy, by Jerry Tetalman and Byron
Belitsos. This book is a fascinating
synthesis of history, principles, and challenges
in moving towards a global federation. Byron will
be a teleseminar guest for IONS on Oct. 29th.
(buy)
 Spiritual
Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out,
by Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson.
When published in 1994, it was said to be 20 years
ahead of its time - which means our culture is
just now catching up to this volume that is both
practical and esoteric. (buy)
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WebWatch |
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Wise
USA - A non-partisan effort to focus
"subtle activists" around the world on bringing
wisdom to the United States elections in the 13
days before voting. They will also sponsor a free
teleseminar series in October with leaders such
as Marianne Williamson and James O'Dea (Oct. 21st).
(overview
video)
Reuniting
America - Dialogues across party
lines to reach a greater wisdom, moving towards
true transpartisanship.
Radical
Middle - Attempts to synthesize the
best of progressive and conservative views, with
an eye on innovative and evolutionary approaches.
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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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Wednesday,
October 1st at 5pm Pacific - Stephen
Dinan with Eleanor LeCain
on "Breakthrough Solutions"
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Tuesday,
October 7th at 11am Pacific - Marilyn
Schlitz with John Marks on
"Search for Common Ground: Tools and
Methodologies"
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Wednesday,
October
8th at
5pm Pacific - Cassandra Vieten with
Dr. Elizabeth Taylor on "Nature
and the Human Soul"
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Tuesday,
October 14th at 11am Pacific - Cassandra
Vieten with Starhawk on "Frontline
Spirituality"
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Wednesday,
October
15th at
5pm Pacific - Marilyn Schlitz with
Gary Malkin on "Aural Alchemy: A Listening Practice for the Soul"
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Tuesday,
October
21st at
11am Pacific - Tina Amorok with Bradford
Keeney on "Shaking it Up with
Ecstatic Shamanism"
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Wednesday,
October
22nd at
5pm Pacific - Belvie Rooks with Charles
Halpern on "Making Waves and
Riding the Currents"
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Tuesday,
October
28th at
5pm Pacific - Angela Murphy with Natalie
Goldberg on "Old Friend From
Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir"
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Wednesday,
October
29th at
5pm Pacific - Matthew Gilbert with
Byron Belitsos
on "One World Democracy"
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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
Join
Shift in Action today! |
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Shift
Magazine |
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 Current
issue: "Art, Science, and Consciousness"
(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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 Battery
Recycling
Batteries are a unique product, some of which
are comprised of toxic components. Rechargeable
batteries include heavy metals like cadmium. Some
of the different types of batteries available
include alkaline, lithium manganese, zinc, silver
oxide, nickel cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion
and lead acid, which can threaten our environment
if not properly discarded or handled. There are
many ways to recycle single use and rechargeable
batteries, most of which depends on the type of
battery you have. You can also reduce waste with
prevention. Starting with prevention creates less
or no leftover waste to become potentially hazardous.
There are a few easy ways to reduce household
battery waste. (learn
more)
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Living
Deeply |
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Our
Year of Living Deeply continues with our Signature
Education workshops:
 Living
Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation
in Everyday Life
- September
13, 2008 - CIIS, San Francisco, CA (more)
- September
19 and 20, 2008 - Ashland, OR (more)
- October
3-5, 2008 - Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA (more)
- October
29-30, 2008 - Vancouver, BC (more)
- November
21, 2008 - New York, NY (more)
- May
1-2, 2009 - River's Edge, Clevland, OH
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Donor
Spotlight |
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 IONS
Latest Gift Annuitant Is the Vibrant Ruth Lofgren
Ruth
Lofgren, a retired microbiologist whose classes
on beneficial bacteria drew crowds at the University
of Michigan Medical School in the 1950s and who
at age 91 can still deliver a speech that wins
a standing ovation, has become IONS latest charitable
gift annuitant.
(Gift
annuities provide fixed guaranteed payments to
donors for life, leaving what remains in the account
to benefit IONS at the donor's death. Because
of her age, Ms. Lofgren is receiving payments
of 11.3% of the face value of her gift.)
Ms.
Lofgren, who holds a PhD in microbiology from
the University of Michigan where she taught in
the bacteriology department of the medical school,
found IONS exploration of the interface of science
and spirituality consistent with her convictions.
"You get to a place were conscious reasoning reaches
its limits," she said. "You then enter the realm
of mystical experiences." 
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:
There certainly doesn't seem to be anything good - let alone funny - about the current financial crisis and bail out proposal. The headlines and stories are grim and depressing, and that's why I'm writing you. No matter what the situation, Swami, you always seem to have something worthwhile to offer. So how about it - do you have anything positive to say about us being in deep financial doo-doo?
Bill Zoverdu,
Bellingham, Washington
Dear
Bill:
Absolutely. I am positive we are in deep financial
doo-doo.
This
should come as no surprise what with our body
politic afflicted with Mad Cowboy Disease,
Truth Decay, and Irony Deficiency, all of
which have led to the most devastating condition
of all, Deficit Inattention Disorder. As for
the bail out plan, unfortunately most of the
perpetrators have already bailed out using
their golden parachutes, so when the crash
comes they will have nothing to worry about.
Should the bail out be passed, the dollar
will be worth slightly less than a dollar
in Monopoly money. There is a positive side
to this, however. Finally, energy medicine
is being used to heal the financial world.
We now have homeopathic currency, diluted
down to a mere trace of real value. Those
of you spiritual folks who've long envisioned
a moneyless society, your patience is paying
off. We're almost there!
Fortunately,
money isn't wealth. In and of itself, it is
worthless. If you doubt that, try this simple
experiment. Eat your money. While high in
fiber, paper money has little nutritional
value. And here is something even more amazing.
A hundred dollar bill has no more nutritional
content than a dollar bill.
So here's the real good news. As surely as
the sun comes up every morning, we have more
abundant wealth than we know what to do with.
Wealth is energy, and how that energy is used.
Not only have we been given solar energy to
grow our food and power our lives, we've been
given soul energy as well - to use and magnify
our resources wisely. With the collapse of
the house of credit cards economy, we can
finally get real. We can use the two most
underdeveloped resources on the planet, love
and imagination, to re-grow our Garden and
have a heaven of a time doing it.
©
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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October
Intention:
At
the beginning of each month, we encourage you
to take a quiet moment to link your intention
with people around the world.
In
honor of the election season, we share in the
political intention of Wise USA to "call forth
the deepest wisdom and the highest compassion
from the heart and soul of America, for the benefit
of the entire Earth community and the next seven
generations."
October
Action:
This month, we encourage you to
have a dialogue about politics with someone who
you do not share the same affiliations, but do
so in a way that is specifically focuses on finding
common ground. What values and aspirations do
you share that may underpin seemingly opposite
political ideals?
October
Question for Reflection:
What if you viewed members of another political party as completely and totally complementary to you and that you are both part of a larger whole?
This
month's member intention comes from Paul Beals:
"An
old Hassidic tale - A Rabbi asks a group of his
followers, 'When does night become day?' After
many proposals, one man offers, 'Rabbi, night
becomes day when there is enough light in the
heavens that a man can look out into the field
and tell the difference between a lion and a lamb.'
The Rabbi shakes his head sadly, and says, 'No,
night becomes day when there is enough light in
a man’s spirit that he can look into the eyes
of another man and recognize him as his brother.'
My intention is to recognize every eye I see.
"
If
you would like to offer an intention for next
month, please send it here.
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