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As we come to
the close of the IONS conference, Consciousness
in Action, Aug 8-13, 2007, it is a good time to share that participants
from around the world were witness to the swelling of a great ocean of
conscious change. These short summaries of the plenary sessions listed
below were what I took away from the Conference and shared with my
IONS Community. They give a glimpse into the
flood of knowledge that immersed us, not to mention the breakouts which
swept us up in a wave.
Many of us are beaming with gratitude for the blessing of
IONS work in the world. We give great thanks for
sharing it with us in such an intentional way that we all felt like a
community aware of a great work we are participating in together. We were
able to glimpse into the profound potential of this uncommon work becoming
for the common good.
We heard from Lynn McTaggart on her book The Intention Experiment while
IONS Scientist, Dean Radin, conducted a
practical trial with the audience of approximately 1000. Later he revealed
the interesting results which reliably demonstrated that we impacted the
field.
We saw the science behind the heart's intelligence as Howard Martin
described Heart Math and the 3 scientifically proven ways the heart is the
body's natural healer. Following we participated in a group Heart Math
exercise, facilitated by Howard, observing the results live on the screen
as we collectively focused our love.
Human rights activist, Van Jones, described the meaning behind 3 powerful
words: green, jobs, bill. He discussed how he is powerfully influencing
congress to empower communities through a green, social movement based on
the wisdom of the collective heart.
Robert Thurman, Buddhist scholar, gave a wise and witty speech on how to
navigate the chaos of great change creatively as noetic sciences, eastern
and western modalities, join to meet the challenges of the 21st century to
offer the practical science of compassion.
IONS President James O'Dea
described the role of authentic passion and its relation to reason as we
shape the societal conditions for a world transforming through rising to
higher ideals at the interface of science.
Author, Andrew Beath, imparted a concrete formula for Conscious Activism
through the power of Beauty, Love, and Courage in a violent time.
Sufi leader Shaykh Yassir Chadly spoke about surfing the waves to the
divine through passion and "twirled" us in a breakout session.
Shift Editor and IONS Communication Director,
Matthew Gilbert, facilitated a powerful media presentation and panel
featuring a wide range of presenters whose groundbreaking work in print,
audio, and film is helping us change the world.
IONS Scientist, Tina Amorok, led us through an
exercise on Mapping Transformation used in IONS
Transformation Study.
Consciousness Pioneer, Charles Tart, gave some practical exercises for
mindful living, while we were offered a road map for saving us from
ourselves by astronaut, Edgar Mitchell, IONS
founder, as he shared his own journey of mystical transformation.
Conscious Business catalyst, Hazel Henderson, web cast live from England,
shared the historical evolution of the movement that joins consciousness
to the economic and financial institutions of our time.
Swami Beyondananda, the great Cosmic Comic, had us in stitches and
troubadour, James Twyman led us in soulful song.
Riane Eisler spoke on the Real Wealth of Nations to show us the importance
of upholding values in a world transforming. And, after a blessing, His
Holiness Swami Chidanand Saraswati spoke about the need to remove the
words I want from our vocabulary if we want to attain true inner peace.
Global Activists, Lynne Twist and Hafsat Abiola, shared their experiential
journeys to show us the power of the heart in navigating effectively
through social change.
It was a time
for community. IONS Community Group Leaders from
around the world met several times. There have been conversations and
meeting places hosted throughout the Conference. As the wave met the shore
there was a continuing post conference on community building by Sharif
Abdullah.
And it was a
time to step into our own leadership. IONS has
made it very clear that we are all on an evolutionary path of leadership
as we collectively step forth into a world emerging based on vision, hope,
and the skillful tools necessary for a world transforming.
IONS, Great Gratitude for a job well done! |
