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The IONS Community Group
leaders in the Los Angeles area have formed a council called
IONS ~ LA Council. Each group is autonomous, has different
themes, formats, and goals but the leaders are all supporting
and loving each other in their own "Wisdom Circle of rich and
valuable sharing. They meet regularly at different members
homes for their own exchanges of ideas, goals and hearts. A
recent meeting hosted by leader Nancy Weiss dealt with the topic
of "How do we see The
Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)? What IONS means to us and what do we
want from them? What do we most appreciate from them... and they
invite all of us to join in the conversation. The following are
notes taken by Nancy from some of the different members
contributions and opinions.
Similarly, we want to
know what The Institute of Noetic Sciences means to you too and provide this link to a form
for private submission of your own thoughts. We will collect
your input and share it back crediting you or anonymously as you
prefer.
A Letter from Nancy Weiss
"Here are a few of the notes from our wonderful
IONS ~ LA Council meeting together. It was lively, smart,
provocative and full of inspiration. I felt blessed to be
sharing so deeply with all of you. In Tahdi's words, "I
felt like I had gotten together with all the other parts of my
heart." Love, Nancy"
Before the meeting started, Tahdi was telling
her vision/dream of a freeway filled with cadillacs and air
conditioned luxury cars with well dressed couples and their
2.5 children in the back seat driving comfortably to their
churches to be told what to think, how to vote, how to live.
20 feet down the embankment was a jungle with scruffy,
bleeding, sweaty people hacking through it by themselves with
their machetes. When they occasionally came to a clearing
they would find each other, hug, share what they'd discovered,
spill over their joy and excitement with each other. Then,
encouraged, they'd all go back to their journey refreshed,
replenished and filled with joy. That was IONS for her, where
people think for themselves and hack out their own lives,
goals, ethics, joy, and also learn from and share with each
other.
This started the meeting discussing what IONS
means to us, how it serves us, what we want from it and why we
love it so much.
There appeared to be a consensus that IONS is
indeed a "clearing to meet people striving for the same higher
goals and the same transformation" as Jerry put it.
"Essentially, IONS functions as a vibrant container for
compassionate and real dialogue, new information and shared
experiences." The image of the machete continued to focus
our own sharing.
We held a long discussion about what we wanted for and
provide to our groups: whether people need more lectures
and information, a different kind of coming together, or what
combination.
The central question: "How do we really help each other and
those in our groups to feel
consistently the ability to step into our highest selves?' "I
don't need more information as much as putting it into action,
into my inner being, and living from there."
"It's about having a container to fill with whatever excites
us - the emptier it is, the more powerful it is." (Jerry)
Thea noted that whereas she feels saturated with
information, the Shift magazine feeds her soul and spirit.
Joy spoke of IONS as providing the "philosophical and
spiritual freedom I've looked for all my life....a space for
the expression of "compassionate, honest, forgiving, loving
thoughts."
Jan pointed out that while many of us feel saturated with
information, there are others who are just starting on their
paths. These people may benefit from lectures, etc. Jan
wondered
whether IONS is in a mid-life crisis, needing to re-create its
intentions and goals through the re-creating of its members
(many of whom are, themselves, in midlife crises). She spoke
of the essential "freedom to create self" and told us of
her background where, if she had not found IONS, she literally
would have died. She was the wife of a fundamentalist
minister and professor at an extremely Christian College and
was already so frail she was dying." Now! She is full to
brimming with life force and helping other's through their
crisis. What a transformation!!
Mariahn underscored the importance of being in a setting
where people are "coming from the heart: open, safe to be."
I underscored the expansiveness I feel when I am engaging in
rich dialogue. (Nancy)
Margaret spoke of her commitment to the Wisdom Circle, the
power of sitting together in sacred space with a few
others. She feels most nurtured by Wisdom Circles that can be
"soul-spirit oriented." Others can have and run their
speakers and programs - she just feels blessed by wisdom
circles.
"I really want our work to be one of love. I want us to be
conduits of the Spirit to say, 'whatever beliefs,
philosophies, new information or religious experiences your
life needs, we celebrate and support you, and let's support
each other. Let's cross pollinate.' That's to me the
difference between IONS and churches." (Tahdi)
Doris concurred: "Love is all there is....How can I, how can
all of us, in this moment, exercise and practice love at the
highest level?"
There was a palpable sense of great gratitude and creative
excitement in the room. Tahdi suggested a variation of Emoto's
notion: She said, "just as water is H2O, our creative power
is G2L: 2 parts gratitude and 1 part love.
Susan resonates to "guided journeys," and has the primary
intention of "helping people to get into their sacred space."
Thea loves various readings, primarily Shift articles, as
jumping off points for discussions:
"a blend of science and spirituality under the auspices of
higher consciousness."
Additionally, we discussed our various
community groups, each of which is differently -intentioned
and represents one part of the whole. There is such an array
of creativity. Indeed, "each group is a little clearing."
Myself, I would like to attend every group!
In great gratitude for your presence in my life, Nancy
Here is a
link to a form to tell us what The Institute of Noetic Sciences
(IONS) means to you. We would
love to have your comments. This will be recorded privately.
Submissions will be collected and shared back in another
newsletter. Include your first name or first/last name and
location or leave it anonymous.
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