Our current show White Passages V Inner Journey, the paintings of Chiyomi Longo continues through December 30, 2009.

In the White Passages series, Chiyomi Longo captures the mystery of inner and outer light, moving through layers and depths of various dimensions of spirit and her personal journey. Each canvas is a detail of a larger event, tracing and weaving the earth elements with archetypal markings of the inner world. The show is curated by Fariba Bogzaran, and co-sponsored by the Lucid Art Foundation.

The next show will be January 2-March 31, 2010: Translucent Beings, paintings by Toni Littlejohn that were inspired by a visit to the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya.

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 6th, 3-5 PM

Monthly Dinner Series, from 5:30-8:00 pm on campus here in Petaluma for dinner, with guest speakers. ($35, please register in advance and pay at the door.)

Wednesday, November 11: "The Lost Symbol" with Julia Bondi

Author/Astrologer Julia Bondi of Ashland, Oregon will present a fascinating interpretive talk on the symbols and ancient mythologies that Dan Brown mined and features in his runaway bestseller, The Lost Symbol. Join us and find out what Brown is really getting at in his blockbuster! Register now.

Julia Bondi began her study of Astrology and Metaphysics in 1973. Julia has been an accomplished counseling astrologer, intuitive, teacher and writer for more than 30 years. With degrees in clinical psychology and esoteric philosophy Julia brings insight, clarity and caring to her work.

Menu

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Herb Roasted Chicken
Ratatouille with Feta Cheese
Southern Cornbread Dressing with Gravy
Truffle Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Haricot Vert Almandine
Cranberry-Orange Relish
Pecan Shortbread Squares with Nutmeg Spiced Crème Fraiche
Petaluma Coffee Roasters Coffee & Assortment of Teas

Thursday, December 3: Dinner Salon and Tea Ceremony

The December dinner salon will include an authentic tea ceremony by Al Longo, husband of artist Chiyomi Longo whose paintings are on exhibit at the IONS gallery in the community building now.

5:30–6:30 pm Reception
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Tea Ceremony

Al Longo began his study of the Urasenke tea tradition under the tutelage of Ms. Soshun Shiozake in 1973. He received his first teaching certificate and chamei (tea name), Soki from Hounsai Oiemoto, the grand master of the Urasenke Foundation. He was later awarded the title of junkyo ju (assistant professor) and given permission to wear the Urasenke mon (logo). His wife, artist Chiyomi Longo, also studied tea and received her chamei (Sodai) and teaching certificate.

Al taught at the Santa Rosa JC, and the American School of Japanese Arts, and privately. He and Chiyomi have lectured and demonstrated tea at various colleges and universities. He will be serving tea in Ensendada, Mexico in November during the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the first Japanese immigration to Mexico.

Menu

Asian Fish Soup
Bok Choy & Shitake Mushrooms
White Fish with Sesame Dressing
Rice Noodles
Green Papaya Salad
Green Tea Ice Cream

Sunday, December 13: IONS Holiday Open House
See full announcement in Community News.

Transformative Learning Workshops

November 20-21 - Clear Mind Wild Heart: Finding Courage and Clarity through Poetry with David Whyte
January 29-31, 2010 – Saved by a Poem: The Transformative Power of Words with Kim Rosen
March 19-21, 2010 - Green in Spirit: Healing through Permaculture and Biosynamic Gardening with Brenda Sanders
April 23-26, 2010 – Telekinesis with Dr. Natalia Shareyko, Institute for Biosensory Psychology in St. Petersberg, Russia
May 21-23, 2010 - The Six Life-paths of the Human Soul with Ralph Metzner, part of the six-part Alchemical Divination Series
May 28-30, 2010 – Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology, and The Mother with Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Dennis Harness, and Shambhavi Chopra

Online registration will be available soon for the January, April, and May workshops.

Gift Shop

We have designated the enclosed office behind our reception area to be a gift shop, a well lighted space that also houses the office of our beloved Community Group and Board Liaison, Rose Welch. We have put in new ceiling tiles and given the space a fresh coat of paint. We have set up shelving, and a cash register station with inventory and sales software. Our receptionist, Rusty Shores, has a big interest in the gift shop and has given some time and energy to the endeavor as his time allows. Currently we don’t have any capital for investing in products for the shop, so we are working on a plan to build it gradually. We would welcome donations to get our store up and running (see donor opportunities below).

We are grateful to the Sufficiency Foundation of Pennsylvania for its generous gift of $1,400.00 to support our Youth programs.

For those of you in the Bay area, please consider supporting the retreat center by attending our dinner salons and art exhibits, and consider bringing a friend with you.

You can also give your support by attending a transformative learning workshop. Be sure to check the schedule through this newsletter and send us your address if you would like to receive our workshop program brochures: cholt@noetic.org.

Gift Shop

To build our gift shop/book store we need an infusion of capital, and we welcome donations for this endeavor. Your donation would grow by providing product for sale that would provide a return on investment.

Donate now.

Specific Needs

Last month we launched this section identifying specific needs for the retreat center that our supporters could purchase directly through Amazon.com and have shipped to us directly. There was a rousing response and we are grateful to the following donors for their gifts:

• Connie Assadi of Desoto, Texas for Two Bluebird and Two Wren Birdhouses
• Janet Church of Jamanaka, Japan for Three Wren Birdhouses
• Jon Rodden of Caroline Springs, Australia for a Backgammon Game, Bat Shelter, Bluebird House, and Yoga Zafu

You can enhance and support the Retreat Center by gifting us with some of our specific needs around the campus by visiting our Amazon.com "wish" list (click here). In small but significant ways, your help supports the retreat center, guests in their personal transformative journeys on the campus, and some of the animals that inhabit the land. We welcome your gift and invite you to make other suggestions.

Transformative Learning Workshop Retreat Spotlight
Circle of Stones: An Autumn Retreat

This fall we’ve had the opportunity to hold the space for distinguished presenters to engage participants in the experiential aspects of their own expertise and research. Among these were Drs. Chris Bache and Dean Radin, who explored with participants the dynamics of collective consciousness in groups, and Dr. Cassandra Vieten and Jnana Gowan who helped new mothers and mothers-to-be become mindful of their experience with their babies through the nurturing practices inherent in yoga and meditation. Drs. Fariba Bogzaran and Patricia Garfield guided participants to move deeply into the great dimensions of the mind by working creatively with extraordinary dreams.

Last weekend Judith Duerk, author of Circle of Stones, took women into a retreat where they explored the lost Feminine through reflection, meditation, drumming and dancing. The twelve women deepened their connection to one another and the feminine archetype in the Oak View room, nestled among the trees of the IONS’ Oak Glade. Before breakfast on the final morning, participants arose early to meditate on the intricate path of the labyrinth. After the closing ceremony, some participants took a special walk up to the sacred grove of oak trees and Guardian Rock, where they viewed the campus from the highest vantage point on the land.

Judith Duerk will be returning next autumn for her second autumn retreat for women at the Retreat Center, Leading with the Yin.

Spotlight on Global Citizen Year

In September the retreat center had the pleasure of hosting the first intensive training institute for Global Citizen Year.

Global Citizen Year is a non-profit organization which is building a movement of young Americans who engage in a transformative “bridge year” between high school and college. Through an innovative cross-sector model that partners with high schools and colleges in the US, and NGOs around the world, they create opportunities for emerging leaders to work as apprentices in Asia, Africa and Latin America. By providing intensive training and support, they ensure that their Fellows develop an ethic of service, the ability to communicate across languages and cultures, and a deep commitment to becoming agents for social change.

The model was conceptualized by Abby Falik, a social innovator who has dedicated her professional life to expanding opportunities for young Americans to learn about the world. Incubated at Harvard Business School with a team of graduate students from across Harvard and MIT, today the Global Citizen Year team has grown to include leading experts in social enterprise, global development, international education and exchange, and higher education.

Global Citizen Year is building a new generation to lead the fight against global poverty. By engaging Fellows in a transformative bridge year of global engagement they ensure that students develop the civic savvy and global fluencies they need to approach college, their careers and their lives with perspective, purpose and passion. Through an intensive, nine month program that maps to a school year, Fellows develop the critical knowledge, skills and perspectives for a life of engaged global citizenship.

Each fall, the Global Citizen Year experience begins when GCY Fellows come together from across the US for an intensive Training Institute facilitated by youth development experts and leading social entrepreneurs. The US-based training focuses on authentic leadership development and provides Fellows with an introduction to social innovation, global systems and sustainable development. Fellows then travel in teams to country posts in Asia, Africa, and Latin America where they receive state-of-the-art language and intercultural training, and meet with local leaders across the private, public and social sectors in preparation for their community placements.

Global Citizen Year Fellows spend six months living with a family in a rural community and supporting a local development project in education, public health, microfinance, appropriate technology or environmental conservation.

To follow the progress of this enthusiastic group of global citizens, visit their blog at globalcitizenyear.org/blog/

Thank You to our October Retreat Center clients!

Peace in Process
Friendly Favors
Michael Harner’s Journeywork
Golden Gate Center for Spiritual Living
Stress Free Schools
Jean Houston’s Mystery School
Gannett Healthcare
Creative Memories
Bay Area Non-violent Communication

Also, in October we hosted the following IONS Transformative Learning Workshops:

• Fariba Bogzaran and Patricia Garfield: Extraordinary Dreams
• Judith Duerk: Circle of Stones
• Ralph Metzner: Integrating with Your Shadow—Connecting with Your Guide

Annual Client Appreciation Dinner is Thursday, December 3.

We host retreats, workshops and client events on an ongoing basis throughout the year at the Retreat Center. Please click here to see our detailed events schedule.

We will soon be adding a salad bar to our dining room service. This will enable us to better serve the individual needs of our clients and provide a cold temperature for our salad fixings, a bounty of local, organic produce and other fixings. Also, we will soon be serving our hot food from hot plates and an electric soup pot on our beautiful dining room buffet table in order to better serve our customers.

If you live locally, be sure to join us on November 11 for a traditional Thanksgiving meal and talk about symbols by Julia Bondi (see event description above).

Sunday, December 13: IONS Holiday Open House

2-5 pm at the Institute of Noetic Sciences Retreat Center: 101 San Antonio Road, Petaluma, CA 94952

Bring: Your favorite cookies/sweets to share and a food donation for the Marin County food drive basket!

Join us in community for:

• Wine, sparkling waters and holiday snacks
• Music, singing and dancing
• Free gifts (books, DVDs and CDs)
• Campus Tours and Experiments
• Artwork and Games

RSVP to Rose Welch at 707-779-9214 or rwelch@noetic.org