MAY 3 Dreams at The Riverside Church* 5 Spiritual Inquiry: Tibetan Book of the Dead 14 Making Meaning: Crop Circles, 2012 and the New Realities 17 Dreams at The Riverside Church* 31 New Physics* TBA Ultimate Issues JUNE 2 Spiritual Inquiry: When Animals Talk 4 Making Meaning: An Evening with Astrologer Montgomery Taylor 7 Dreams at The Riverside Church* 21 Dreams at The Riverside Church* 28 New Physics* TBA Ultimate Issues (Events in bold or with an asterisk are open to the public.) PROGRAMS • FILMS • SPECIAL EVENTS Sunday, May 3, 17 & June 7, 21 EXPLORING DREAMS AT THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH* A dream workshop offers a way to look into the creative resources in our dreams. Dreaming is a kind of thinking while we’re asleep, and can be nurtured toward a deeper understanding of ourselves. FACILITATOR: Allen Flagg TIME: 2:00 pm LOCATION: The Wellness Center at The Riverside Church 91 Claremont Avenue (between 120th and 122nd Streets) SUGGESTED DONATION: $2 each session for use of the Wellness Center’s facilities. TO REGISTER: Call Allen Flagg, (212) 532-8042. Tuesday, May 5 & June 2 SPIRITUAL INQUIRY This group screens videos about spiritual themes and spiritual masters and follows with discussion and a period of silence. Our focus is on spiritual practice through meditation, self-inquiry, and other techniques. Please Note: We will meet at a new location: 275 West 96th Street, Apt. 31D. On Tuesday, May 5th, we will screen and discuss the second half of a documentary on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, narrated by Leonard Cohen and featuring an animated look at the Bardo, or after-death states. On Tuesday, June 2nd, we will screen Jane Goodall’s documentary When Animals Talk, discuss our connections to animals, and the similarities and differences between human and animal modes of consciousness. TIME: 6:30 pm NEW LOCATION: 275 West 96th Street, Apt 31D. RSVP: Bernard Starr: OmniCns@aol.com. Thursday, May 14 MAKING MEANING Crop Circles, 2012 and New Realities with Alan Steinfeld Marcel Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” A new awareness is emerging than will put us in touch with the greater forces of the universe. It is has always been inside us, but now is the time to activate it. Crop circles and the Mayan calendar are two ways of understanding our larger spiritual destiny. In this lecture learn how to see new patterns of perceptions, unfold greater potentials of thought, and activate a grander part of our human-divine nature by creating new realities. Alan will present pictures of recent Crop Circles (2008), He has traveled to the UK to experience the crop circle phenomena himself, and can speak from first hand knowledge. Thursday, June 4 MAKING MEANING Montgomery Taylor, well known astrologer and fun speaker, will treat us again to an evening of enlightening ideas about the cosmic influences abounding at present. The 248-year return of Pluto to this place in the heavens and the resulting “consequences,” i.e. transformation big time, is just one of the interesting topics he’ll cover. We always have a good time when Monty takes the floor. Bring your questions. FACILITATOR: Dorothy Baker TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 pm LOCATION: 20th Street between Park and Broadway Please call Dorothy at 347-268-0933 for location and directions. May & June TBA ULTIMATE ISSUES Ultimate Issues treats topics of cosmic importance that cross the boundary between spirituality and scientific speculation, and encompass both. Examples include reincarnation, the existence of evil, consciousness, metaphors for God, the nature of time, ESP, precognition, and the Bible Codes. The Quantum Theory and Quantum Holography may point to a new understanding of reality and individual identify. No prior scientific or religious background is required. FACILITATOR: Arthur Wiegenfeld TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 pm LOCATION: West Side Manhattan (directions provided upon registration). TO REGISTER: E-mail Arthur at artw@rcn.com (please write “Ultimate Issues” on the Subject line), or call 212-724-4335 and leave your name and phone number. E-mail response preferred. Sunday, May 31 & June 28 NEW PHYSICS* Explore how the discoveries in physics affect our spiritual, emotional, and physical lives. The New Physics group follows the breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe and our place in it. FACILITATOR: Allen Flagg TIME: 2:00 pm LOCATION: The Wellness Center at The Riverside Church 91 Claremont Avenue (between 120th and 122nd Streets. Ask at the registration desk for the room number). DONATION: Suggested: ($2 to cover the cost of the room.) TreeFriends: Using the Arts to Transform our Relationship to the Natural World A Preview, April 24, 2009 Over thirty people found their way to a large newly-renovated loft in Brooklyn on a record-breaking ninety degree Sunday afternoon in April to participate in what Outreach Director Doug Cohen called “TreeFriends’ Birth Day”. As people entered the high-ceilinged airy space, they were surrounded by gentle sounds of the forest and large imposing portraits of ancient trees rendered by artist Anders Knutsson. These venerable living trees range in age from several hundred years to several thousand and are rooted in places as close as Long Island and as far away as the White Mountains of eastern California, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Senegal, West Africa. The program opened with two professional actors reading reflections and poems—perceptive, witty, compelling, haunting—about trees written by people ranging from Classical times (Seneca) to Modern (Warren Buffett). Then suddenly, the room was plunged in darkness while the portraits glowed eerily, as if in full moonlight. After a few minutes of reflective silence, a gong sounded, forest murmurings commenced and three luminous figures appeared in the dark, moving, sometimes slowly and gracefully, at other times wildly in response to the changing sounds of gentle rain, violent thunder, strong wind and finally ensuing calm. This affecting performance was followed by three lively rounds of small-group focused dialogue on several questions, led by TreeFriends Producer, Jane Hughes Gignoux. She invited participants to reflect on how we might become more responsible environmental citizens; what it would take to transform the hearts and minds of fellow New Yorkers to be motivated by compassion and trust (some of the qualities of friendship) rather than greed and fear; and finally what each person was prepared to do to help TreeFriends manifest our inter-connectedness and interdependence. The last portion of the program consisted of sharing organic refreshments followed by Doug introducing those present so they could give a brief overview of their varied and impressive work to help transform our way of life and relationship to planet Earth. These offerings were harvested on a flip chart and will be shared with all on the Coalition of OneVoice Web site, www.coalitionforonevoice.org. Everyone left with a packet containing a print of one of Knutsson’s tree portraits from Senegal, its history and the history of the village where it plays such an important role, plus a transcription of the tree poems and quotes with their authors. Here’s one typical comment from a participant: “I want to congratulate you on a very successful ‘preview’ TreeFriends event. I’m so very grateful that we didn’t miss the opening program. The dialogue process and the specific series of questions asked were very provocative and I think the combination of art, poetry, and movement really primed the pump well. Yay!” TreeFriends is an initiative of the Coalition for OneVoice, founded three years ago by a few FIONS board members and others to support and bring together the many efforts in the NYC area to†transform our way of life and help create a world that works for all. ALSO OF INTEREST The Coalition For One Voice Invites You To Attend Their First Purely Social Gathering No agendas, no trips, just the pleasure of one another’s company in the spirit of community. WHERE: The serene space of 227 W. 13th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues WHEN: Thursday, June 11 TIME: 7:30 to 10:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm.) ADMISSION: $10.00 at the door. Price of admission includes delicious, healthy snacks and drinks. WHO WILL BE THERE? You, of course, and the rest of us conscious, sensitive, intelligent, ego-free, fabulously humble people. NOTE: Arrive early. Space limited to 125 people. No advance registration. INQUIRIES: E-mail: coalitionny@yahoo.com Tel: 212-864-0249, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. A Call to Conscious Evolution Sponsored by: Evolutionary Leaders Climate change, economic disparity, educational inequities, geopolitical tensions — these mounting concerns are symptoms of a world that is out of balance. Together we can shift consciousness by co-creating a new way of being together. The Call to Conscious Evolution was born following a gathering of global visionaries. It's a movement that fully supports that the future is not what happens to us, but rather what WE create. Together, we can co-create a new narrative of conscious evolution by: • Building a global community and creating a culture of peace. • Restoring ecological balance to nourish all life, and mitigate the effects of climate change. • Engaging in social and political transformation by calling for a more conscious democracy. • Promoting health and healing by acknowledging the profound mind-body-spirit connection. • Supporting research and education that optimize human capacities. • Encouraging integrity in business and conscious media. In this great time of uncertainty, join us in elevating consciousness to create a better world. One governed by meaning and purpose. Accept nothing less. Every voice counts — your voice counts. THE PLEDGE I join with Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Jean Houston, and other evolutionary leaders to pledge to make my conscious evolution an important part of my life, and in so doing help make the world a better place. For more information and to sign the petition, please click here. IONS 13th International Conference Come out to Arizona to participate in IONS’ 13th International Conference, June 17-21, 2009 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona. The theme of the conference is Toward a Global Shift: Seeding the Field of Collective Change. The “Global Shift” calls forth wisdom from the four corners of the Earth and from diverse sectors of society to build a powerful field for positive, collective change. At the conference we will create a living experiment in personal, social, and global transformation. You’ll hear from fascinating scientists, inspiring spiritual leaders, and social entrepreneurs, as well as from the many brilliant individuals like yourself who will join in our innovative group explorations to create new frameworks for our shared future. Featured speakers and presenters include, among others, IONS founder Edgar Mitchell, Bruce Lipton, Dean Radin, Belvie Rooks, and FIONS’ own Jane Hughes Gignoux. For more information on other speakers and event details: Call 707-779-8268 Visit http://ionsconference.org/2009/ Email jdwinells@noetic.org.