Expand your mind, open your heart, and activate your full potential.

October 9–11, 2009
Extraordinary Dreams: Working Creatively with Dreams in Your Life Practice Fariba Bogzaran, PhD, and Patricia Garfield, PhD (guest speaker)

October 24–25, 2009
Circle of Stones: Reclaim Your Feminine Wisdom
Judith Duerk, author of Circle of Stones
(Public lecture Friday night, October 23)

October 30–November 1, 2009
Integrating with Your Shadow—Connecting with Your Guide
Ralph Metzner, PhD

November 20–21, 2009
Clear Mind Wild Heart: Finding Courage and Clarity through Poetry
David Whyte, poet and philosopher

Register online, email workshops@noetic.org, or call 707-779-8224.

See a complete list of 2009 workshops.

Located on 200 acres of beautiful rolling hills just 25 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, we offer meeting facilities, cuisine, and accommodations for up to 120 people. Our clients offer educational programs, workshops, and retreats, with a broad focus on health, personal growth, and transformation. We also welcome weekend workshops and retreats for small groups (less than 25). Many programs are open to the public.

For more information and an Events Schedule: www.noetic.org/retreat.cfm
events@noetic.org

On Tuesday, September 15, Dan Brown's long-awaited next novel was finally released. The Lost Symbol rose immediately to #1 on Amazon, sold one million copies overall the first day, and broke nearly all historical sales records for fiction. So imagine our surprise when it turned out that the female protagonist in the book, Dr. Katherine Solomon, is a noetic scientist, and that the focus of her study, noetic science, is positioned in the book as the research that will save humankind! As noted in The New York Times' review of the book,

"Dan Brown [author of The Da Vinci Code] is well aware of how widely read and closely scrutinized The Lost Symbol will be. He even lets a character joke about this book’s guaranteed popularity. Dr. Katherine Solomon specializes in noetic science, with its focus on mind-body connections. She admits that her field is not widely known. But when her story comes out, she suggests, noetics could get the kind of public relations bump that Mr. Brown gave to the Holy Grail."

That may or may not be true, but what is true is that the field of noetic science will receive considerably more scrutiny than it has in the past. What is noetic science?, they will ask. Why does it matter? "The idea of universal consciousness is no ethereal New Age concept," says the fictional Dr. Solomon, describing just one aspect of this field. "It's a hardcore scientific reality. If we as humans can grasp this one simple truth...the world will change overnight."

Here is the Institute's press release on the phenomenon of Brown’s new book, and a related report by the trade magazine Publishers Weekly. Stay tuned for an NBC "Dateline" special airing October 16 that will focus on the symbolism in The Lost Symbol and feature IONS scientists Marilyn Mandala Schlitz and Dean Radin and the work of IONS. Discovery Channel is planning to air a similar episode; check your local listings. IONS is launching a new teleseminar series for members on Wednesday, October 7 (today!), that will explore the science behind the book. Go here for more information, and here for how to join.

And finally, speaking of universal consciousness, consider the following technical paper (page proof) summarizing results from the Global Consciousness Project (GCP). It’s dense and cautious but suggests a crack in the dominant paradigm worth further study. The final version will ultimately be published here. Check out this video presentation on the project. More information about the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) program (now the International Consciousness Research Laboratories), which sponsored GCP, is available here.

Donna Zajonc

As a long-time Circle donor (along with my husband and business partner, David Emerald Womeldorff), I seek to imbue my work with the concepts I have learned from the IONS community. As a young woman I served three terms in the Oregon Legislature and later managed statewide political campaigns. My competitive nature found success in the political realm until I realized that my life force was being drained out of me. I retreated into a “political depression” and, a decade later, emerged as an executive coach and facilitator working with public leaders and teams. In 2004 I wrote The Politics of Hope: Reviving the Dream of Democracy, which is a primer for the leadership attributes that our next generation of leaders must posses in order to transform our political system.

Gradually my work evolved into supporting dynamic leaders and their communities in understanding the interconnectedness of all things, whether in business or public life. This means adopting new language that translates what we are learning about the evolution of consciousness and helping my clients shift their mindset and world perspective. My work continues to be enhanced through my association with IONS. Through their informative meetings, quarterly CDs, and content-rich websites, I find continued inspiration for what I do. As we all work toward reaching that critical mass necessary for the leap in consciousness upon which we and our planet depend, I remain deeply grateful to IONS for its visionary work and for leading the way. Learn more about me at www.bainbridgeleadership.com and www.politicsofhope.com.

To learn more about IONS' Circle membership, please contact Donor Relations: Deborah Breitbach at 707-779-8216, Kathleen Erickson-Freeman at 707-779-8232, Robert McDowell at 707-779-8215.

IONS members now have free access to new estate-planning hotline

Unclear about why you need to write an estate plan, or the difference between a will and a living trust? Wondering what the government will do if your assets are inadequately protected at your passing? Such planning does far more than provide for your wishes at death while minimizing confusion and dissension; it can also protect you and your family from avoidable legal fees and court costs during life in case of accident or illness.

By calling 415-457-7482, IONS' planned giving specialist Phil Murphy will provide you with answers to all your estate-planning questions confidentially and without obligation of fee. Not a substitute for qualified legal advice, the hotline will help you prepare to meet with an estate planning attorney. And by including IONS in your charitable bequests, you will continue to support our programs and leading-edge research for future generations to come. Thank you!

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization located in Northern California that conducts and sponsors leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness—including perceptions, beliefs, attention, intention, and intuition. The Institute explores phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models, while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor.

We depend on and gratefully accept your financial support.