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iShift: A monthly e-zine for conscious culture from the Institute of Noetic Sciences
May 2008 - Issue #22

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Sections

From the Editor
At the Frontiers
* The Edge
* Media
* Webwatch
* Top Ten
Shift in Action
* Live Teleseminars
* Recent Releases
* Shift Magazine
* GreenShifting
Personal Connections
* Living Deeply
* Donor Spotlight
* Monthly Intention


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*** From the Editor, Stephen Dinan

This spring and summer, we offer many pathways to transformation with IONS retreats on our beautiful 200-acre campus:

Living Deeply Retreat, May 23-25- based on a decade of research. Access the best of IONS' research team! (information and registration - http://www.livingdeeply.org/education_workshops.html)

Sacred Activism: Compassion in Action, with renowned mystic scholar Andrew Harvey. Begins with The Realm of the Soul - May 9-11, 2008. Later workshops in the series: July 25-27, Sept, 26-28, and Dec. 12-14. (information and registration - http://www.noetic.org/retreat/events_Harvey.html)

Grandparent/Grandchild Weekend, July 4-6 - Co-hosted by Neale Donald Walsch's School of the New Spirituality, a chance to bring multiple generations together in a shared space of fun, heart, and adventure. (information and registration - http://www.noetic.org/retreat/events_SNS.cfm#SNS)

In this issue of iShift, you'll find a preview of Shift 19 entitled "Living Deeply," a free book summary from Brian Johnson, the founder of Zaadz.com, who has launched a new venture called Philosopher's Notes, as well as our Top Ten from the IONS website.

When you sign up now for Shift in Action via our Great Shift special offer, you'll get the Intention Experiment book this month and Living Deeply book next, as well as the newest issue of our magazine. http://www.jointhegreatshift.com/is.php



*** The Edge

Announcing Gaia's Dreams (www.psiarcade.com/gaia)
Gaia's Dreams is an IONS web-based experiment based on Carl Jung's concept of the collective unconscious.
Read the full story - http://www.shiftinaction.com/node/6799

Noetic Books Honored
Both of the Institute's first two books published under our new Noetic Books imprint have won prestigious Nautilus Book Awards (http://www.nautilusbookawards.com)! The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer is a Silver finalist in the Spirituality category; Living Deeply by the IONS research team is a Silver finalist in the Personal Growth/Psychology category. For more information on both titles, go to www.noetic.org/noeticbooks.

Philosopher's Notes
Zaadz founder Brian Johnson has started a new company called Philosopher's Notes. We offer a free sample of his program that delivers the essential wisdom from 100 books in a single year. This month, we offer his six-page summary of George Leonard's book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment (download PDF - http://www.ions.org/emails/ishift/articles/Mastery.pdf) (more about the full program - http://philosophersnotes.com - if you join use the coupon "shift" for 10% off).

IONS in the News
"Firsthand History of Lunar Landing," an article about Edgar Mitchell's talk to Petaluma schoolchildren, published in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. - http://www.noetic.org/press/pages/PressDemocrat_Edgar_3_07_08.htm

*** Media
Noteworthy Releases

Bab Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul - Sufi-inspired movie from Tunisia. (more - http://typecastfilms.com/theatrical/babaziz/)

The Way of the Explorer- Edgar Mitchell's pioneering book has been revised and re-released. (buy - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1564149773/instituteofnoeti/)



*** WebWatch

IONS Fellow Van Jones on Stephen Colbert, speaking about Green Jobs. - http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/index.jhtml

Spiritualityandpractice.com - Many resources for deepening your spiritual journey.



*** Top Ten
Our Noetic websites feature many gems of research, wisdom, and noetic fun. Here's a top ten list of some of our favorites:

1. Spontaneous Remission Bibliography - The largest archive on these seemingly miraculous healings available. - http://www.noetic.org/research/sr/main.html

2. Meditation Bibliography - The most comprehensive examination available of science and meditation. - http://www.noetic.org/research/medbiblio/index.htm

3. Psi Arcade - Features games such as Halls of Healing and Garden of Dreams that allow you to test your psychic skills while contributing to frontier research. - http://www.psiarcade.com

4. LivingDeeply.org - a new, free site with learning curricula based on IONS decade of research. - http://www.livingdeeply.org

5. Consciousness and Healing - builds upon IONS' Consciousness and Healing book, offers video, essays, and online resources. - http://www.noetic.org/research/ch_book/main.html

6. Distant Healing - a resource database for the science of distant healing. - http://www.noetic.org/research/dh/main.html

7. Research CDs and DVDs - free sample clips from our groundbreaking media productions. - http://www.noetic.org/research/media.cfm

8. Magazine Archives - a Digital library of more than 400 articles from 21 years of Shift magazine and its predecessor Noetic Sciences Review. - http://www.noetic.org/publications/archive.cfm

9. Member Stories - Tales of Transformation shared from our own members. - http://www.noetic.org/publications/stories/tales/main.cfm

10. Research archive - a listing of all the Research columns in our magazine, stretching back almost 20 years. - http://www.noetic.org/publications/research/main.cfm



*** Shift in Action / Live Teleseminars

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:

Tuesday, May 6th at 11am Pacific - Marilyn Schlitz with Will Bowen on "A Complaint Free World" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6408

Wednesday, May 7th at 5pm Pacific - Will Keepin and Cynthia Brix on "Divine Duality" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6434

Tuesday, May 13th at 11am Pacific - Cassandra Vieten with Sharon Begley on "The Mind's Brain" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6409

Wednesday, May 14th at 5pm Pacific - Stephen Dinan with Steven Vedro on "Digital Dharma" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6410

Tuesday, May 20th at 11am Pacific - Tina Amorok with Penny Livingston-Stark on "Regenerative Living in Harmonious Balance with the Earth, Beyond Sustainability" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6583

Wednesday, May 21st at 5pm Pacific - Marilyn Schlitz with Sara Warber - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6438

Tuesday, May 27th at 11am Pacific - Angela Murphy with Maria Nemeth on "Live a Successful Life: Creating Luminous Moments" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6439

Wednesday, May 28th at 5pm Pacific - Belvie Rooks with William Poy Lee on "Exploring the Eighth Promise" - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/6440

Join Shift in Action today to participate in these calls! - http://www.jointhegreatshift.com/is.php



*** Shift in Action / Recent Releases

Free samples from the Shift in Action program
* Audio highlights - http://www.shiftinaction.com/discover/audio/highlights
* Great Shift audio highlights - http://www.shiftinaction.com/discover/audio/great_shift_audio_highlights
* Transcripts - http://www.shiftinaction.com/discover/transcripts

Great Shift Dialogues recently released

* Bruce Lipton and Steve Bhaerman
* Lynne McTaggart and Dean Radin
* Ervin Laszlo and Peter Russell
* Many more when you join

Join Shift in Action today! - http://www.jointhegreatshift.com/is.php



*** Shift Magazine

Shift 19 - Living Deeply - Coming Soon! (Join now to receive - http://www.jointhegreatshift.com/is.php)

Table of Contents

The Wild Human
Bill Plotkin
In his new book, Nature and the Human Soul, depth psychologist Bill Plotkin introduces a visionary ecopsychology of human development that reveals how fully and creatively we can mature when soul and nature guide us. The goal is to evolve from an egocentric view of ourselves and the planet to a soulcentric one.

Welcoming Soul to Our Schools
Rachael Kessler
Does a child's inner life have a place in the classroom? The answer is obvious, according to educational visionary Rachael Kessler. Her "Seven Gateways" map a set of yearnings that all young people have as they try to make sense of their universe.

Wisdom's Way: Growing into Spiritual Maturity
Angeles Arrien
Preparing ourselves for the second half of life may be the most important work we can do. And yet our culture has little interest in what happens in our later years. It's time to shift that perspective, says Arrien, and there are rituals of passage that can help.

Healing Ourselves, Healing the World
Rabbi Michael Lerner
The founder of Tikkun magazine wants to strengthen the connection between our hearts and how we engage with a world in need. His answer lies in cultivating a consciousness of compassion and generosity and recognizing that our own well-being depends on the well-being of everyone else on the planet.

From "Me" to "We": A Community Group's Transformative Experience
Shirley Freriks
An IONS community group applies some of the principles of the book Living Deeply to their own transformational potential. Sharing, storytelling, and celebration anchored this process of individual and collective deepening.

If you're not a member, you can join Shift in Action for a trial month for only $1 and receive this issue as soon as we finish printing it. - http://www.jointhegreatshift.com/is.php



*** GreenShifting

A paradigm-shifting suggestion comes this month from former IONS employee Jason Norris, who is now involved in the "green funeral business." For those who want to align their afterlife with the current life values, it's worth considering a green burial. Every year the cemetery industry buries over 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid, 104,000 tons of steel, 2,700 tons of copper and bronze, 1.6 million tons of concrete, and 30-plus million board feet of hardwoods. Jason is happy to talk about Green Burials with anyone who is interested. You can reach him at Forever Fernwood in Mill Valley, CA, 510.691.8005 or Jason@foreverfernwood.com



*** Living Deeply
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 - http://www.livingdeeply.org/education_workshops.html

* Santa Monica, CA: May 3
* Petaluma, CA: May 23-25
* Chicago, IL: June 6-8

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.



*** Donor Spotlight: Randall McCathren

When IONS Circle member Randall McCathren, Esq, first heard about the Institute, his reaction was: "Wow . . . finally an organization that combines my eclectic interests in both the spiritual and scientific aspects of consciousness and human evolution!" Randall's interest in consciousness and existentialism goes back to his high school introduction to Camus, Sartre, Nietzsche, and Hesse. While he pursued first a physics and then an engineering degree at Yale, his undergraduate thesis entitled: "LSD Psychotherapy and the Palliative Effects of Hallucinogens," attempted to synthesize the work of Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (who became Ram Das) and such radical psychiatrists as Ivan Illich.
Read the full story - http://www.shiftinaction.com/node/6798

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of Circle membership, contact Deborah Breitbach at 707-779-8216.



*** Monthly Intention

May 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 spring, this month our intention is to open to new possibilities

May Action:
This month, we encourage you to explore one activity that you've always thought you might enjoy but haven't made the time to try. Expanding your activities helps expand your consciousness.

May Question for Reflection:
What if you made a commitment at least once a year to explore a completely new activity that feels fun or exciting? By the end of your life, you'd have created many adventures.

This month's member intention comes from Nancy Robertson:
"My intention for the month is to provide my children with more opportunity to experience and appreciate nature in all its glory and majesty. I will also create that which may bring about a feeling of oneness with The Source."
If you would like to offer an intention for next month, please send it to stephendinan@noetic.org.

*** Partner Spotlight: Spiritual Cinema Circle

In the documentary Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy, the true story of Kathy Conour and Diana Braun is revealed. Kathy has cerebral palsy and Diana, her caregiver for 37 years, has Down's syndrome. Despite their own handicaps, these courageous and compassionate women are fearless activists for the rights of the disabled.

Would you like to see this film and other uplifting films? The Spiritual Cinema Circle is the only DVD club specializing in heart opening and soul-stirring films. New subscribers to the Spiritual Cinema Circle can receive a free trial membership (for a nominal shipping fee) by visiting
Spiritualcinema.com (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=CxKzp1tJ/dg&offerid=137602.10000016&subid=0&type=4)

With your free trial membership to the Spiritual Cinema Circle you'll receive the documentary film Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy along with two shorts films and the feature film Guarding Eddy.

"The Spiritual Cinema Circle provides a great service to those who want to evolve and be entertained at the same time." -Deepak Chopra



*** Event Spotlight: Grandparents' Weekend!
Co-sponsored by IONS and Neale Donald Walsch's School of the New Spirituality
July 4-6, 2008
Petaluma, California

This is the first Grandparents' Weekend being held at the IONS Retreat Center. This special event was inspired by the shared experiences of grandparents and grandchildren at IONS conferences in past years. This is an opportunity for grandparents to spend quality time with a grandchild and for both generations to enjoy each other's company and to discover how you can support and develop each other's creativity and potential. - http://www.shiftinaction.com/meet/search_events/5943


*** All IONS Partners
Check out these great organizations that support IONS through our Partnership Program.

Global Partner:
* Men's Wearhouse
http://www.menswearhouse.com

Silver Partners:
* The Monroe Institute: Explore your mind; expand your world
http://www.monroeinstitute.com

Bronze Partners:
* Big Mind
http://www.genpo.org
* Spiritual Paths Institute
http://www.spiritualpaths.net
* School of the New Spirituality
http://www.schoolofthenewspirituality.com/
* Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
http://www.itp.edu
* John F. Kennedy University
http://www.jfku.edu
* Nine Gates Mystery School
http://www.ninegates.org
* Unity
http://www.unityonline.org


*** IONS Campus and Retreat Center Events

West Coast Mystery School: The Mystery of Deep Partnership
May 2-4, 2008
September 12-14, 2008
October 10-12, 2008
December 5-7, 2008
Petaluma, California
with Jean Houston & Peggy Rubin
Beginning with spiritual partnership in the form of the Beloved of the Soul, we explore the path of intimate companionship, finding ways of bestowing this miraculous capacity on all our relations. - http://www.noetic.org/events.cfm?Start=11&State=&View=378

Spiritual Activism: Compassion in Action
May 9-11, 2008
July 25-27, 2008
September 26-28, 2008
December 12-14, 2008
Petaluma, California
This four-weekend program, led by Andrew Harvey, explores the concept of Spiritual Activism and trains participants in key aspects of becoming and being a Sacred Activist. - http://www.noetics.org/retreat/events_Harvey.html

Artist's Reception with Fariba Bogzaran
May 10, 2008
Petaluma, California
An Exhibit of paintings by Fariba Bogzaran, artist and founder of JFKU's Dream Studies Program, will be on view at IONS through May 31st. A reception with the artist will take place on May 10th, from 4 to 6pm. - http://www.noetic.org/events.cfm?Start=1&State=&View=411

Journeywork Institute: Three-year program in advanced initiations in shamanism and shamanic healing
May 18-23, 2008
September 21-26, 2008
October 26-31, 2008
Petaluma, California
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. (Series continues in 2009 and 2010.) - http://www.shamanism.org/workshops/calendar.php?Wkshp_ID=22

Living Deeply Workshop Intensive
May 23-25, 2008
Petaluma, California
This workshop blends the rigors of science with the deep wisdom of the world's spiritual traditions. Join IONS research staff as they offer key insights from their decade-long research study of how people transform their lives. - http://www.noetic.org/events.cfm?Start=1&State=&View=400

Courting the Muse - A Weekend Retreat in Creative Intimacy
May 30-June 1, 2008
Petaluma, California
In this weekend workshop with Luisah Teish and Uzuri Amini, participants will find their sources of inspiration through dream work, visualization, breath work and movement. - http://www.noetics.org/retreat/events_Muse.cfm#top

*** Special Events

Living Deeply Workshop Intensive
May 3, 2008
Santa Monica, California
This workshop blends the rigors of science with the deep wisdom of the world's spiritual traditions. Join IONS' research staff as they offer key insights from their decade-long research study of how people transform their lives. - http://www.noetic.org/events.cfm?Start=11&State=&View=399

Global Sound Conference
May 9, 2008
Marina del Rey, California
This event will bring together key individuals from the Music, Film and Television industries with Pioneers in the areas of Wellness, Sound Healing, and Integrative Medicine to explore the many ways that sound affects our lives. - http://www.noetics.org/events.cfm?Start=1&State=&View=412

Peace Expo and Benefit Concert
May 10, 2008
Berkeley, California
Join us for an inspiring evening of music and peace. Exhibits from local peace and nonviolence organizations. Presentation: "Where is Peace Today?" by Michael Nagler. Music by local blues artists and Rick Dellaratta of Jazz for Peace. Light refreshments; free parking. - http://www.mettacenter.org/?page_id=25

Imagery, Suggestion, Mind/Body Medicine - AGI 20th Annual Conference
May 15, 2008
Webcast
The Academy for Guided Imagery & IONS present Imagery, Suggestion, & Mind/Body Medicine. The webcast will include originators, teachers, and practitioners of ancient and modern imagery-related techniques sharing their expertise. - http://www.noetics.org/events.cfm?Start=1&State=&View=413

The Intention of the Universe: Our Evolutionary Destiny
May 17-18, 2008
Belvedere, California
Realize a fuller understanding of Integral Theory and Practice with ITP founders and authors, Michael Murphy and George Leonard, and special guests Marilyn Schlitz, Cassandra Vieten, Dave Meggysey, Mike Spino, and Joel Kirsch. Enhance your practice while connecting with fellow practitioners, ITP groups, and related communities. - http://www.itp-life.com/news-events/index.html

Living Deeply Workshop Intensive
June 6-8, 2008
Techny, Illinois
This workshop blends the rigors of science with the deep wisdom of the world's spiritual traditions. Join IONS' research staff as they offer key insights from their decade-long research study of how people transform their lives. - http://www.noetic.org/events.cfm?Start=11&State=&View=401

*** Other Event Listings

CIIS - http://www.ciis.edu/news/calendar.html
Conference Alerts - http://www.conferencealerts.com/
Friendly Favors - http://livingdirectory.net/display/events.php?login_group=FF
Naropa University - http://www.naropa.edu/events.html
Omega Institute - http://www.eomega.org/omega/calendar/



*** Products Spotlight

VISIT THE BLEEPSTORE Information * Community * Networking - http://www.Bleepstore.com/

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.




*** Media Spotlight

The 2008 Shift Report: Changing the Story of Our Future - http://www.bleepstore.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=199&idproduct=2356

This report is particularly effective at shifting the worldview of opinion-makers and leaders. We encourage you to buy extra copies to share with friends, allies, or even your local political leaders!