The Evolution of
Revolution
October 1 - 5,
2008
Renaissance
Esmeralda Resort and Spa
Indian
Wells, California
...
Shining Dawn's Early Light on Spirit,
Science, & The System
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What are the threads
that weave together the complexities of spiritual principle, the
technologies tracing human consciousness, and the establishment of an
evolutionary culture right here and right now? In these times of
critical shift, standing up for a compassionate, sustainable, and just
new society is the most exciting conversation on the planet.
Pioneering
spiritual activism in 1997 with the Synthesis Dialogues for His
Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Season for Nonviolence, AGNT
collaborated with the Institute of Noetic Sciences in 2003 to
cross-cultivate the conference field by featuring best practices in
spirit, science, and unified action.
During the past
decade, our mission has been placed squarely into the laps of citizen
leaders who have successfully organized entire communities to educate,
engage in dialogue, and to strategically plan, implement, and sustain
programs grounded in interfaith, intercultural, and interdisciplinary
collaboration. ALL of our efforts require a foundation of deep inner
practice. That said, we acknowledge our limitations and understand the
value of an open system that continually scans for better information
and new insights. With AGNT's dynamic model for
spiritually-motivated action in place, we are calling for next
steps.
As an
organization dedicated to evolutionary practices, AGNT has fostered
through its eight previous Awakened World conferences a community that
insists on pushing the boundaries of our collective potential, and
exploring how human beings will successfully navigate an increasingly
complex future.
Our conference
dates were chosen to land a month prior to the 2008 general election in
order to facilitate a real-time gathering that supports our inclusive
motivations, message, and morale. Needless to say, November, 2008, is a
check-point extraordinaire for our common future.
Distinguished
presenters include a select group of integral thinkers who will take us
to the current edge of critical understanding in the fields of
spirituality, consciousness studies, and social systems. Conference
attendees will represent highly motivated students, teachers and
writers, scientists and other professional leaders, religious and
spiritual practitioners, artists, and social activists. The common
intention we carry in our hearts is for an Awakened World. Each person
present will become crucial to the overall impact of the gathering.
How can a
conference truly catalyze a new future? One answer is that the audience
would be comprised of pioneering individuals who dare to lead the way,
a
sample size, if you will, representing a critical mass, assembling to
bridge the gap between spiritual values and the choices we make, as
individuals, as institutions, and as a society. We have great
respect for the depth and originality of our community's collective
works, and count you among the visionaries who can help galvanize this
critical mass.
What
will happen there?
The five-day
event will be interwoven in such a way that generates an expanded
worldview for speakers and attendees alike. Themes and structure are
always carefully designed to foster this outcome through plenary
sessions, interactive roundtables, smaller "breakthrough" sessions,
networking techniques, sacred practice, artistic ambience, and some of
the best music and performance art the region has to offer. (Our
registrants can't help but admit that they have a ball!)
Participants
will begin the day with contemplation and meditation, followed by a
keynote presentation that immerses the gathered community in an
atmosphere of information, opportunity, and challenge. Set within these
plenary sessions, small discussion groups will allow conference
participants to experience a new form of collective inquiry that
anchors new insights to next steps in consciousness, and replaces the
flat format of Q & A.
On each of three
afternoons, "The Science of Consciousness: Cracking the Noetic Code,"
"Governance as if the Future Matters," and "Aligning the Wheels of
Compassion and Action" will be the central themes for a series of
breakout sessions, exploring strategic solutions for our crisis-ridden
world.
A second round
of discussion groups will give attendees opportunity to share
grassroots models and resources and pursue a deeper synthesis at the
close of the day. Evenings at the conference will be dedicated to
connectivity events such as the Compassion Banquet, special dialogues,
skits and circles, and the musicians and performance artists who are
longstanding or bright new members of the New Thought family.
More
Thoughts and Themes:
The Sciences: The field of science
has the ability to provide a solid foundation, a strong backbone for
new and emerging models in our evolving world. Using
science as a vehicle for change and unity creates a powerful tool that
can be applied toward our progress as a human community. As our
consciousness shifts, so does our science. New scientific
paradigms are ready to be pragmatically applied to the evolutionary
practices in which our community is now engaged.
It is important
that we stay current with our constantly evolving science. At the
forefront of the scientific world are visionary scholars and
researchers who grasp the interconnectedness of the world that they
study. They speak the language of their field, but are also
fluent in many other disciplines. Hearing from brilliant minds
who seek to apply their new scientific discoveries is a strong avenue
for progress.
The System: As the dynamics of life
on earth become increasingly understood as interdependent syntheses of
factors, it is time to focus on whole system approaches. With regard to
governance, we cannot afford to be political or partisan in the old
sense of the words. When it comes to the military and corporations,
Sulak Sivaraksa's phrase "institutional violence" highlights a stark
reality. If we speak of media or the economy in separatist terms, the
threat of polarization and competition just increases. We need to hear
from the best of the information synthesizers who have both knowledge
and experience with the way these memes of society interact; and
further, there are such people who realize that there is a transcendent
power that infuses it all.
Yes, we need
directions for social action. But again, to present ideas of what real
social action is in a global and evolutionary theoretical context would
just be another conference. If speakers were to discuss the seminal
moments in which something shifted in their work which resulted in real
impact and social change, described the fulcrum points in their own
lives and examined what these fulcrum points mean for people and
cultures, this would ground the event in what it really takes to change
the world. We discussed drawing this out of the speakers with the
following questions:
- what is the presenting social challenge?
- what are the main obstacles to a solution?
- where are the breakthrough points?
- how do breakthroughs become institutionalized into best practices?
- what are the �not-yet-knowns� that could evolve
or shift the
whole field?
The Spirit: This is the least
separable of the three legs. The question we explored here had to do
with the current religious/spiritual predicament: on one hand, the
inadequacy of the traditional myths to meet the challenges of
present-day and future; and on the other hand, the need for spiritual
pursuit to be grounded in a larger context than the personal self. We
might frame the spiritual dimension of the conference with the
question: "What is the meaning and purpose of a spiritual life?" in
order to draw out the larger context of global life conditions and the
need for our participation in the evolution of consciousness. Present
the evolutionary context, and that it is up to us (we are the ones that
we have been waiting for). Also important is the discussion of how our
dedicated work on our own spiritual path is now calling us to seek
productive forms of community. What is the relationship between this
community-seeking impulse and the need for us to be able to work
together for social change? (Be the change you want to see in the
world.)