ISDnA Circles
Circles of Light and Empowerment:
ISDnA sponsored circles discuss interspirituality at the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions
These circles exist to support individual circle members in contemplating and discovering their unique life purpose or calling and exploring how they might best offer that spirit gift to support the unfolding of world dream, the alchemical transformation of collective, global Consciousness. The intention of Light Circles is to ignite and bring forth the flame of greatness in individuals, groups, oganizations and nations, for the sake of world peace and planetary abundance. The structure of the groups is non-hierachical and horizontal and the methods involve ritual, symbolic expression, deep listening, authentic sharing, heart knowing, and matrix intuition and intervention. Through creating resonant fields of individual and collective acceptance and empowerment, circle members will inspire one another, sometimes the whole group, to generate and manifest concrete projects for the upliftment of humanity. Circle members will also form other Circles of Light and Empowerment around their own interests and passions and thus produce a ripple effect of ever expanding circles of service and light. In this way, the authentic needs of both the one and the One will be fufilled: what is best for the individual self will also serve the blossoming of the One Self.
Chicago Circle of Light and Empowerment (visit their website)
Bill "Gorakh" Hayashi, founder of the Chicago Circle of Light and Empowerment and close supporter of ISDnA
The Chicago Circle consists of six Artist/Seekers who came together at the 2005 Common Ground meeting and have continued to meet monthly to support one another in identifying their life purpose/calling and to find ways to offer their spirit gift to serve the "unfolding of world dream." Through sharing ritual, symbolic expression, active listening and matrix resonance, they have found ways to create other Light Circles around their individual passions and creative modes: transforming college classrooms into alchemical vessals, offering audio and video podcasts as technologically based circles, working with play and imagination in both children and innovative magicians, creating workshops on animal communication and soul-art, bringing together music, sound, energy and movement in musical composition, generating meetings of creative artists to share ritual and personal symbols, developing methods to include audience members in co-creating Light Circle performance pieces. These extended circles carry out our dream of transforming global consciousness through the "ripple effect" of generating ever expanding and inter-connected Light Circles. As a group, we hope to share our co-creative efforts in offering a multi-media installation and performance at the 2006 Common Ground meeting entitled, "Responding to the Call of the Times."
New York Circles & Focus Groups:
The New York-based ISDnA network, centering on InterSpiritual Dialogue (ISD) and its many friends, host four circles per month. Drawing from about 200 practitioners, notable spiritual traditions that are represented include Christian mysticism, Advaita and other vedantic paths, Tibetan and Pure Land Buddhism, Siddha Yoga, and numerous shamanic practice groups.
Currently, there are two Manhattan westside, one Manhattan eastside, and one Brooklyn circles meeting monthly. Three of the sessions are on sharing interspiritually through silence, meditation, and quiet dialogue from the Heart; the fourth circle centers on shamanic experience. The three interspiritual circles are moderated by Dr. Kurt Johnson, a satsang sharer in the tradition of Advaita and a co-founder of ISD; the shamanic circles are hosted by Rev. Dr. Thomas Downes, the current Moderator of ISD’s “Service Council”, and Dorothy Cunha and Lisa Lerner of Oscar Miro-Quesada’s Heart of the Healer Foundation.
The New York community is also emphasizing “Focus Groups”. Focus Groups are circles which share a common interest in a certain type of manifestation in both exploration and service. Examples are artists, therapists, health professionals, scientists, and so on. Currently, the New York community has initiated focus group discussion among therapists who are also deeply committed spiritual practitioners and among scientists, particularly ecologists, and women interested in the feminine experience of Awareness.
In the New York Advaita Vedanta community the NY Circles are known as the “Lateral Satsang” from the traditional sanskrit word for a gathering (“sangha”) in Truth (“sat”) and represent a wonderful example of where the same circles are serving more than one community.
Information and schedules concerning the New York circles and focus groups can be obtained by emailing kurtjohnsonisd@yahoo.com or consulting www.satsangteachers.com.
Top of page