It's time to act on our convictions and make a difference in the world. There is still time to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! We invite you to join this uniquely inspiring line-up of speakers at

Enjoy lively conversation with leaders in the world of noetic sciences at our communal dinners while savoring three-course gourmet meals. Make it a family affair and bring your children to the dynamic Youth Conference.

For transportation from the airport to the hotel call Arizona Stagecoach at (520) 889-1000 and be sure to mention you are with the Institute of Noetic Sciences.

Register now at ionsconference.org

This month's featured presenter:
Luisah Teish, Yoruba Priestess; author, Jambalaya and Carnival of the Spirit

"I'm in a steady state of buzz from the conference. It broke my heart wide open. It was the best experience of my life." Harold Aldrich, previous participant

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

August 14-16, 2009
Nine Gates Mystery School Weekend: Explore the Teachings of Ancient Wisdom
Gay Luce, PhD and Deborah Jones, MA

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 5–120. 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

Participate in Pacific Integral's new four-day leadership and personal development seminar. The Heart of Conscious Leadership is an experiential program with a deep cognitive grounding that will help you realize an immediate increase in awareness, impact, and fulfillment in your personal and professional life:

• Identify your blind spots and establish a clearer view of your self, interpersonal dynamics and systems.

• Make more informed, inclusive and effective decisions that integrate personal, organizational, community and global concerns.

• Unleash your full potential as a conscious leader.

• Empower yourself and others to take advantage of an increasingly diverse array of resources with an eye to the ever-evolving global landscape.

Pacific Integral is a leading innovator of global leadership programs. Contact Kari Mays by email or at 888-713-7773 Ext 8 for more information or reserve your space now! Fee is $1195 after June 7.

A few years ago, a series of books by Dr. Masaru Emoto brought to the public's attention the idea that thoughts could influence the formation of water crystals, causing them to look beautiful or deformed. This effect was illustrated in a scene from the movie What the Bleep Do We Know!? and helped turn Dr. Emoto into a worldwide celebrity. Many skeptics were angered by the surge of interest in this effect, insisting that any claim that mind influences matter was nonsense.

Contrary to the opinions of uninformed skeptics, however, there is actually plenty of published evidence suggesting that mind influences matter, including water. For example, the effects of intentionally "treated" water versus untreated control water has been studied on the germination and growth of plants, including barley, wheat, rye, beans, cress, radishes, and lettuce. Other properties of water that have been investigated include rates of cooling, molecular bonding, surface tension, and pH level. But water crystallization had not yet been studied, so the skeptics' torment persisted.

In 2005, Dr. Emoto visited the IONS campus and gave a presentation of his data. IONS senior scientist Dean Radin asked him if he'd be interested in conducting a double-blind test of his claims, and Dr. Emoto agreed. The results turned out to support the claims, and the two men copublished a report in the journal Explore. In 2007, a second experiment was conducted, this time under triple-blind conditions, and again the results showed that thoughts had an impact on the formation of water crystals. That study was published in late 2008 in the Journal of Scientific Exploration.

While the results of both tests support Dr. Emoto's claims, the observed effects were very small and could only be "detected" with the use of statistics. Even so, the essence of his underlying hypothesis appears to hold up under tightly controlled conditions and, more importantly, are consistent with the outcomes of many previous studies.

The Hong Kong Conference on Consciousness

Toward a Science of Consciousness 2009 will begin on June 11 in Hong Kong, sponsored by the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design. IONS President Marilyn Mandala Schlitz is speaking at the event, which features the theme "Brain, Mind, and Technology." It is part of a monthlong series of events called the Asia Consciousness Festival that includes About Consciousness: Science, Health, and Happiness and the IEEE-International Conference on Cognitive Informatics.

The Temple Awards

The biannual Temple Awards for Creative Altruism, supported by the generosity of IONS' Life Directors Paul and Diane Temple, are presented at each IONS international conference to one or more outstanding altruists whose lives and work "embody the inspirational light of unselfish service motivated by love." We are thrilled to report the winners of the 2009 Awards:

Cheryl Perera, founder and president of OneChild in Ontario, Canada

Started in 2005 by children's rights activist Cheryl Perera at the age of 19, OneChild is the only youth-driven organization of its kind in the world dedicated to the elimination of the commercial sexual exploitation of children abroad.

Stan Brock, founder and president of Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps in Knoxville, Tennessee

Started in 1985, the mission of the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Volunteer Corps is providing free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world.

IONS honors Visionary Circle member Marilyn Saunders

Amateur jazz and rescued cats, global citizenship and world peace, healing imagery and human consciousness, all mixed together to inform the complex life of Marilyn R. Saunders, a longtime member of IONS and former IONS Community Group leader in Washington, DC. As a world citizen, Marilyn traveled extensively. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Somalia and later taught at the University of Guyana in South America. She belonged to several world peace organizations, including Global Citizen Journey, which strives to bridge cultural differences at the grassroots level, and she was active in the World Future Society.

Professionally Marilyn worked for 25 years as a licensed clinical professional counselor, a nationally certified counselor, and an advanced clinician in Imago Relationship Therapy. She coauthored the book Using Imagery in Therapy: A Path to Nurturance, Empowerment, and Reconciliation and made numerous presentations at national and international conferences and gatherings.

Marilyn retired to Whidbey Island near Seattle in 2004. She remained active in many organizations including the Unitarian Universalist Church, the Lorian Association, and a Wednesday morning marimba group. Ahmed Amin, the son of her heart whom she had taught in Somalia and brought to the United States when he was a boy, traveled from Virginia to attend Marilyn's passing.

Donations in honor of Marilyn's life may be offered to Enso House (6339 Wahl Road, Freeland, WA, 98249), to the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Freeland, or to a cause close to your own heart.

Visionary Circle Members

We celebrate the sacred intentions of our Visionary Circle members who have graced IONS with a gift beyond their lifetime. We honor Marilyn Saunders for her estate gift to IONS and hold her in gratitude and appreciation for years of service to many. If you would like more information about IONS Visionary Circle, please contact Kathleen Erickson-Freeman at 707.779.8232 or kfreeman@noetic.org.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is a nonprofit research 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 are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that depends on and gratefully accepts your generous financial support.