The gratitude dance
The most remarkable people have come through southern Arizona recently on their way across the universe. I’ve had such an amazing and busy week doing administrative work involving the 8th biennial Consciousness Conference at the University of Arizona, and also with speaking engagements and social events involving leaders from the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
You wouldn’t think southern Arizona would be a hotbed of consciousness studies, but, we are! In addition to the Consciousness Conference, which brings well-respected neuroscientists, behavioral scientists, and researchers to present their latest findings on “what is this thing called us?”, we have the Center for Consciousness Studies and the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health at the University of Arizona, engaging in expansive research all the time.
Some of the conference lecturers are also directors of the Institute, based in California, so we pressed a couple of them into service speaking to our 600-member IONS Community Group, and hosting an afternoon tea, a party, and a dinner at which (in addition to eating!) they held mini-fora on the latest research findings. More about that in a few days (when I’ve had some sleep—I’ve barely looked at my poor blog, here) but for now, these are the people I’ve had the pleasure to get to know:
James O’Dea, President of IONS (formerly head of SEVA Foundation, and Amnesty International). He facilitated a great discussion about cultural diversity and acceptance, in addition to being the guest speaker at the monthly local IONS meeting.
Marilyn Schlitz, Vice President for Research and Education discussing “Living Deeply”
The third place winners of the short film competition, “One Minute Shift“. (Who knew they lived close by!)?
MusEditions 
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The gratitude dance
April 11, 2008
Thanks for this gratitude dance!! So funny loll!!..Your conference seems so interesting I wish I could be there and learn new inspiring findings..Keep up the good work..and have some rest..
Colourful Vision
April 11, 2008
That video was so funny. I actually got caught doing that at work one day. I was listening to music, turned to the person I was was working with that day just started dancing as a joke and in walks my client. I bet he saw a pure red face!
Oh my goodness! Is this what you do for a living? I was reading your post through my blogsurfer and clicked on the links. WOW! And this is at a University. Has metaphysics become this mainstream? What I would have given to be there. I want to try the online psi games, even though I don’t have that type of ability. I grew up in this environment. And when you are a child, what you live, is normal. (metaphysics, Karma, Reiki, postive thinking and healing, Edgar Cayce stuff etc…) Everyone else thought my family was rather odd. LOL I never got too involved like my Grandmother and Mother but I’ve done a lot of reading. Oh, I could go on forever but I won’t.
Fascinating stuff, I have to bookmark these links, Thanks! Sleep well 🙂
thebeadden
April 11, 2008
Oh, CV, I think you would enjoy all these events, too. There are a couple of conferences in Toronto I know of—a little closer than Arizona! Yes, I just love the gratitude dance. It makes me smile just to watch it, but when I dance along…well, how could I be grumpy then? 🙂
Hi beadden, really? That’s fascinating. Your family must be interesting people. I was raised pretty conventionally, but always felt something was missing…that there was more to our life story than I learned in school or from my family. I do a few different things for a living, as I don’t have a “real job”, mostly having to do with arts administration, counseling, group facilitating, accounting, and data management, but sometimes these large opportunities come around and I’m totally immersed for a few days. The Consciousness Institute is actually very scientifically oriented, i.e. most people involved in it believe that any conscious or awareness experience is body-based, and can be traced to some neuro-chemical function. IONS, on the other hand, while striving for scientific rigor, is open to the possibilities of other explanations for phenomena, and believe that theoretical physics is a doorway into understanding. Really wonderful stuff. Take care!
museditions
April 12, 2008
MuseEditions, my Grandmother still teaches people how to do this. And my Mom and she get phone calls all the time for advice. But when I was growing up, it was a different story all together. It was not popular.
People called my Grandmother a witch. And me? The look on peoples faces when I would start talking about the power of positive thinking, being 8 and wondering who’ll you’ll be in your next life-time. hahaha
Telling other kids they had better not do that because the bad karma would come back to them…on and on….
hey, I thought I was normal and they were weird!
When other kids were reading Nancy Drew and such, I was reading Edmund Harold, Edgar Cayce, healing powers of gemstones. etc….you could say I was an outcast LOL
thebeadden
April 12, 2008
Wow, bead, tell your grandmother “Hi” for me! (But then, she probably already knows, LOL) 😉 In all honesty I don’t know how I would have reacted to a kid like you when I was 8…but, if you ever want to totally disrupt your life and move to Arizona, and participate in some of the studies, let me know—I’ll meet you at the airport! In the meantime, you can register for the Intention Experiment if you’re inclined. 🙂
museditions
April 12, 2008
I will have to come back to this one, Muse – our high-speed isn’t in yet – more delays, why do I believe people who say they will meet a deadline!? >(
It just takes too long to download video, but it sounds you had a blast my friend! 🙂
Will Rhodes
April 12, 2008
I am going to have to get that book. And the experiments, too cool! Thank you muchly! 🙂
thebeadden
April 12, 2008
I did, I did have an awesome time, Will, thanks! I just love to soak up knowledge from amazing speakers. Ooooh, you’re getting high speed? It will change your life! You may do the gratitude dance. And make a video of it. And post it for us to see…who knows? 🙂
Bead, you are welcome!
museditions
April 12, 2008
And you wouldn’t think Victoria would host so many nutbars, but I guess it is the west coast (laughs), and now my home. (recently moved off the mainland)
Davidya
April 16, 2008
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Davidya, you appear to be catching up on my posts today! Appreciate the visits, and also thanks for the link. So there are more reasons to visit Victoria than the gardens and the Empress. I like these gratitude guys’ ‘tude. 🙂 You live in a beautiful place, and maybe being on the “left” coast adds to the adventure!
museditions
April 17, 2008
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