Richmond IONS Meetings Archives - Page 6 of 12

Richmond IONS January Meeting 2020

Richmond IONS January 2020 Meeting Tom Hansen Richmond IONS January Meeting 2020 (January 18) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting. It will feature a talk by Tom Hansen

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238

When: Saturday, January 18, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS January Meeting 2020 Program

“Artificial Intelligence vs. Human Life – a Metaphysical Conundrum.”

In celebration of our 24th Anniversary, our January 18, 2020 program will feature a talk by Tom Hansen, Ph.D., Charlottesville-based educator, author, singer/songwriter/musician and metaphysical philosopher.

Are we living in a simulation? A matrix? Is there really an AI “God” in control? How do we, the biological species, survive AI? Who are the Archons? What relevance do the Gnostic Gospels of 2,000 years ago have to AI today?

Tom Hansen will explore these and other questions with the IONS
gathering in his presentation. Some experts are warning us that AI is an existential threat to humanity.

Other experts are not so sure. We will discuss some of these possible AI future developments, and we’ll take a short look at the history of AI, some of which Tom began to work on in the 1960s.

What can we do spiritually in response to AI?

As it turns out, AI is, in a sense, prompting us to use our innate spiritual abilities to overcome (or go beyond) AI influence. Consequently, we will explore together what we can do spiritually in response to AI, since our spiritual power is beyond anything AI can produce.

Not long ago a funded post-doctoral AI research fellow at a major American university asked Tom to comment on his research project. Specifically, he wanted him to put his own consciousness into a computer so that he will have everlasting life. And here we thought that happened only in the movies.

So his project is an example of how AI and the human body are being combined. As a result, we need to seriously consider the possible outcomes of this trans-humanist era that is upon us now.

In addition, Tom also will explore the hypothesis that we are living in a simulation. At this very time, several indicators from varied disciplines are pointing toward the possibility that we are influenced by some sort of matrix or grid that is limiting our full experience of life and of our Selves.

Tom will present some of the evidence as it exists now. Then we will discuss how this Matrix idea may relate to AI. And how it might even relate to the Archons described in the Gnostic Gospels discovered in Egypt in 1945.

Tom comes from a mathematics/computer education background and also from a background as a writer of spiritual books and songs. Moreover, he is a lifetime seeker of metaphysical truths – still searching, of course. That makes him is uniquely qualified to present this challenging topic in a coherent and engaging way.

This is yet another not-to-be-missed program for all who can attend! See you there!

About Tom Hansen, Our Richmond IONS January 2020 Meeting Presenter:

Tom Hansen, Ph.D., is a retired mathematics education researcher, author of math books and teacher. He began his career in the Peace Corps in Liberia in 1964. Then, Tom was the founder of a non-profit that coordinated citizen exchanges between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. in the 1980s.

Furthermore, he was a Non-Governmental participant at the Earth Summit in 1992. In the meantime, Tom has sung and played guitar for decades. As a result, he as several CDs of his songs and has performed at numerous festivals, workshops and conferences.

As well, he is a member of the Positive Music Association. Specifically, his 2014 CD, “Book Concert,” consists of songs whose lyrics are all quotes from his Remembering Our Oneness book.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

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Richmond IONS December Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS December Meeting 2019 (December 14) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting. It will feature a talk by Tom Coates and music by Dan O’Neal.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238

When: Saturday, December 14, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS December Meeting Program

“Another Day at the Amusement Park.”

Our December 14, 2019 program will feature a talk by Tom Coates, our group’s only still-active original member. He is one of our most popular guest speakers. Dan O’Neal will provide live music. This is a continuation of Tom’s Self-discovery series aimed at exploring the multidimensional facets of human identity and every human’s search for his or her authentic Self.

The Dalai Lama has often identified Mao Tse Tung (nka Mao Zedong) as his “greatest spiritual teacher.” This is despite or perhaps due to the fact that the Communist Chinese, at Chairman Mao’s direction, invaded and annexed his native Tibet in 1950. They eventually forced the Dalai Lama to flee to India in 1959 and spend the rest of his life as a refugee in exile.

In this year’s installment of his search for Self series, Tom will examine a variety of social, cultural, political, religious, spiritual and other currents and themes, in an effort to determine how they may influence and shape our ideas, our beliefs, our behaviors, our experiences, our lives, our world and our reality.

Tom also will explore how the personal/individual and sociocultural/collective metaphors we choose to describe, define, conceptualize and contextualize our lives will either have the effect of expanding and enhancing our experience, our lives and ultimately our spiritual growth and evolution, or have the opposite effect – of contracting and limiting our experience and our lives; and stories – some farfetched, some miraculous, some disturbing – illustrating these points will be shared.

An open-mic discussion

Tom will conclude the program with an open-mic discussion of our group, its meaning and significance to its members, the larger community and the world at large, We’ll explore some of the challenges and opportunities we face as a group.

The meeting will also include an experiential meditation exercise. It will create a space within which each of us can personally access and experience new and deeper layers of meaning about who we are and the purposes of our lives at levels which surpass and transcend our rational, intellectual understanding.

This promises to be another blockbuster program. It will be a fitting way to conclude our group’s twenty-fourth year and usher in its twenty-fifth. As always, Tom promises some secrets known only to a few will be revealed. Another not-to-be-missed program for all who can attend! See you there!

About Tom Coates, Our Richmond IONS December Meeting Presenter:

Tom Coates is a Richmond-based lawyer who has represented numerous spiritually oriented and public interest groups throughout his career. He was a co-founder of Richmond’s Ekoji Buddhist Sangha in 1985. And he has been a member and contributor of the Richmond IONS chapter since its formation in early 1996.

In his spare time he enjoys reading, creative writing, painting, woodworking, alpine skiing, biking, backpacking, sailing, time travel, metaphysics, and relaxing with his family at their ancient Outer Banks beach cottage or their Appalachian Mountains retreat. He still reports that his most significant unfulfilled ambition of this lifetime is to make
love to an extraterrestrial female, preferably of Pleiadean or Sirian origin.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

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Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

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Richmond IONS November Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS November Meeting 2019 (November 16) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by Joanne Kong, Ph.D.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238

When: Saturday, November 16, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS November Meeting Program

“Acts of Courageous Compassion That Can Heal Our World.”

Our November 16, 2019 program will feature a talk by Joanne Kong, Ph.D. She is a UR professor, concert pianist, author and TED Speaker.

Through the eloquence of spoken words, imagery and music performance, this presentation focuses upon embracing the greatest gift we can give to other beings – compassion.

Kong calls for the courage to transform our collective identity away from an egocentric view. This will reawaken the deep kinship we have with our fellow beings. It will also create a path to restore the sustainability of the natural world and our place within it.

Why the words “Courageous Compassion?” Because this choice asks us to open our eyes, hearts and minds. It challenges us to question an aspect of our lives that is accepted and deeply ingrained in our society.

This is a bold call to the world community and global leaders to openly acknowledge and bring to the forefront of our collective awareness the single most destructive activity that humankind engages in – the industrial exploitation of non-human animals. Yet as a society we accept this as the status quo, as an unchangeable reality.

Crisis Points in Human Evolution

Joanne’s talk will outline how human domination of non-human animals is connected at a deep level to the challenges that have become crisis points in human evolution.

These include climate change, environmental degradation, species and habitat loss, water and air pollution, and decimation of oceans. Furthermore, they include global disease, world hunger, and massive inefficiency in the ways we produce food.

The result: a damaging disconnect from the cruelty and violence committed against the most innocent and vulnerable of beings.

Addressing these devastating impacts should be front and center. Yet the general public, policy leaders, mainstream media, and even environmentalists largely ignore them.

This presentation will emphasize the immense power we have as individuals to create positive change at all levels. They’ll improve our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being – and create a future of greater sustainability, health and compassion.

About Joanne Kong, Our Richmond IONS November Meeting Presenter:

Dr. Joanne Kong has been praised throughout the world as one of the most compelling advocates for plant-sourced nutrition today. Her talks, “enlightening and provocative,” are much in demand around the world.

Her highly-praised TEDx talk, The Power of Plant-Based Eating, at around 600,000 views on YouTube, appears on numerous websites internationally.

Dr. Kong has published the book, If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan. She is among the profiles in the new book, Legends of Change, about vegan women who are changing the world. She will also appear in the upcoming major documentary, Eating Our Way to Extinction.

Her vegan advocacy has been recognized around the world, with international talks in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and a 3-week, 10-city tour of India to promote veganism.

In addition to her animal and environmental advocacy work, she is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning classical pianist and is on the music faculty at the University of Richmond.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

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Richmond IONS October Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS October Meeting 2019 (October 19) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by Robert Bushman, Ph.D.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238

When: Saturday, October 19, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS October Meeting Program

“Remote Viewing – History and Process.”

Our October 19, 2019 program will feature a talk by Robert Bushman, Ph.D., retired scientific linguist. He now resides in Richmond.

Remote Viewing (RV) is an intuitive awareness of anything removed in time and place from the observer. It is a form of extra-sensory perception. The RV phenomenon has always been a natural human faculty. It has existed along a continuum of similar phenomena. And it has been known by various names, such as clairvoyance.

The term “Remote Viewing” found its way into paranormal nomenclature nearly 50 years ago from a government-sponsored program by that name. A physicist, Russell Targ, an engineer, Harold Puthoff, and a psychic, Ingo Swann collaborated to create it at the Stanford Research Institute in the early 1970’s. Ingo Swann actually coined the term.

Based on the quantum physics principle that consciousness is non-local, RV protocols were developed and in turn were adopted and implemented by the US military and intelligence services. They established an RV intelligence and “psychic spy” unit at Fort Meade, Maryland. This unit remained active from the early 1970s until at least 1996.

Remote Viewing supports the timeless spiritual teaching of non-duality. It also provides the precept of non-locality in modern quantum physics. In his presentation, Robert Bushman will review the history of the government program and describe some RV processes.

Practical Remote Viewing Exercises

Robert’s presentation will also include a practical RV exercise for the participation of all in our group. Some may be naturally more adept than others. However, this exercise will show that we all can do RV in some degree. In fact, we do it unconsciously on a routine basis. Moreover, RV is a faculty everyone can consciously develop in much the same way as learning a foreign language.

RV may be used for a wide variety of practical purposes, such as finding lost objects or people. It can also help us understand something in the past such as solve mysteries, or even predict a future event. There is no known limit on what is knowable – there are no secrets – only questions we have not yet asked.

About Robert Bushman, Our Richmond IONS October Meeting Presenter:

Robert Bushman is a long-standing member of IONS, and has served as the IONS community group coordinator in both Alexandria, Virginia and Eugene, Oregon. As a scientific linguist, he was a visiting professor of linguistics, a supervising linguist in a corporate translation office.

He was also a supervisor of a university language instructional program and a developer of commercial language training materials. In addition, he developed the first course in Estonian for the language school of the US State Department. He has been retired since 2003.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

About Our Richmond IONS Facebook Page:

Please also visit and “LIKE” our Richmond IONS Facebook page

Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

Looking for our upcoming meetings? Please CLICK HERE.

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Richmond IONS September Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS September Meeting 2019 (September 21) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238

When: Saturday, September 21, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS September Meeting Program

“Near-Death Experiences in Childhood and their Lifelong Impact.”

Our September 21, 2019 program will feature a talk by P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D., world-renowned Charlottesville author and NDE researcher. She will speak about her latest book, which was just published, The Forever Angels (September 3, 2019).

Celebrating the release of her latest book, P.M.H. Atwater will share her groundbreaking study of the lifelong effects of near-death experiences in the newly born, babies, toddlers and children up to age five. Drawing on interviews and communications with nearly 400 childhood experiencers, both fully matured and young, P.M.H. will share their accounts of what it is like to be alive on the other side of death, as well as what makes them different from others.

How Early-Life Near-Death Experiences Are Different

Moreover, P.M.H. will explain how, in contrast to adult experiencers, child and infant experiencers of near-death states cannot compare “before” with “after” as adults do because they don’t have a “before.” As a result, the world of these “forever angels” is the life continuum, a stream of consciousness that always has existed and always will.

Consequently, integrating “where they once were” with “where they now are” is a lifelong challenge. Examining the “forever angels” memories of the womb, birth, early childhood and the other world, Atwater investigates the wide-awake consciousness of babies being born, the vivid recall of mature childhood near-death experiencers and how memory of the life-continuum never fades, nor does the desire to go back.

P.M.H also will explore how those who have a near-death experience very early in life, or even in utero, grow up “different” – sometimes geniuses, sometimes lost, yet unusually psychic and smart, all at the same time.

Her research reveals how these experiences and a knowledge of the afterlife affect the individual in many areas, including family life, dating, health, education, and spirituality, as well as increasing the experiencer’s potential for thoughts of suicide, out-of-body experiences and PTSD symptoms.

The Forever Angels is filled with surprises, as will be Ms. Atwater’s talk about it. We are blessed to have her back on our stage once again, and grateful for it.

About P.M.H. Atwater, Our Richmond IONS September Meeting Presenter

P.M.H. Atwater is the world’s most prolific NDE author, as well as one of its original, most indefatigable and highly respected researchers. Inspired by three NDEs of her own, Ms. Atwater began her research in the mid-1970s, some 45 years ago, just after moving from Idaho to Virginia.

Since then she has investigated nearly 7,000 NDE cases and others involving intense spiritual transformation around the world and authored fifteen books on this fascinating subject. Ms. Atwater has won many awards, appeared on numerous TV shows and spoken at the United Nations and around the world – always inviting people to look beyond the surface appearance for the deeper truths underlying what we think we know.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

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Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

Looking for our upcoming meetings? Please CLICK HERE.

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Richmond IONS August Meeting 2019

Don Pasciuti, Richmond IONS Richmond IONS August Meeting 2019 (August 17) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by Frank Pasciuti, Ph.D.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238

When: Saturday, August 17, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS August Meeting Program

“A Model for Understanding Normal and Supernormal Capacities of Human Consciousness.”

Our August 17, 2019, program will feature a talk by Frank Pasciuti, Ph.D., Charlottesville-based licensed clinical psychologist, certified hypnotherapist and author.

In this presentation, Dr. Pasciuti will share the explanatory model he uses when working with clients in crises. It covers a broad range of human functioning, offering insight into crises that affect normal
areas of human development, as well as supernormal ones. In turn, crises arising from supernormal experiences are often referred to as spiritual emergencies.

Two Types of Crises

By comparison, normal crises can occur when someone experiences the death of a loved one, conflicts in relationships, loss of employment, or serious health concerns. On the other hand, the spiritual emergency type crises often follow a psychic or paranormal experience. Due to their rare occurrence and unfamiliar nature, their foreignness can raise fear and precipitate a crisis. For example, they can include a precognitive dream, an NDE, an out-of-body experience, or perceived contact with spirit.

In order for his model to encompass and address such a broad range of crises, Dr. Pasciuti distills the areas they impact into ten key capacities of human functioning and examines each of them. Next, he shows how in response to the spiritual crisis, the need for development in a given area can lead to an increase in its mastery. As a result, that increased mastery, in turn, contributes to the individual’s growth and transformation.

During his talk, Dr. Pasciuti will share personal stories and case examples from his just published book, Chrysalis Crisis: How Life’s Ordeals Can Lead To Personal & Spiritual Transformation. As a result, these vignettes exemplify how each of the key areas were engaged as catalysts for growth and transformation in the aftermath of a crisis.

Finally, Dr. Pasciuti will explain how all these ten key areas of human functioning can be viewed as capacities of consciousness. There, they exist on an overall map of evolving consciousness. In addition, he also explains how they can contribute to a life of joy, happiness, and peace. This is especially the case when all these areas are synergistically working.

About Frank Pasciuti, Ph.D., Our Richmond IONS August Meeting Presenter

Frank Pasciuti, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified hypnotherapist in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is founder and president of Associated Clinicians of Virginia. He provides psychotherapy and organizational development services to individuals and businesses.

Dr. Pasciuti is chairman of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at The Monroe Institute, in Faber, Virginia. He collaborates on research related to NDEs, psychic phenomena, and the survival of consciousness at the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS). DOPS is a research unit of the department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

He is author of Chrysalis Crisis: How Life’s Ordeals Can Lead to Personal and Spiritual Transformation.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

About Our Richmond IONS Facebook Page:

Please also visit and “LIKE” our Richmond IONS Facebook page

Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

Looking for our upcoming meetings? Please CLICK HERE.

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Richmond IONS July Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS July Meeting 2019 (July 20) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by Lynn Sparrow Christy

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238,

When: Saturday, July 20, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS July Meeting Program Title:

“Evolutionary Spirituality: Co-Creating with the Field of Infinite Possibilities.”

Our July 20, 2019 program will feature a talk by Lynn Sparrow Christy, Virginia Beach-based mentor, author and presenter. What if the deepest meaning of your life is to be found in nearly 14 billion years of evolution?

This lecture/workshop is about the distinctive spiritual path that places our personal spirituality within the wider context of collective evolution. It is a path of co-creatorship that involves us in the development of not only our own lives. It is also the evolution of the cosmos, the biological world, and consciousness itself.

But what does it really mean to co-create? With what or whom are we co-creating? How much power do we really have to change things? Is it true that we create our own reality, or is that just a New Age fantasy?

The Contribution of Modern Science

What does modern science contribute to our understanding of the infinite field of possibilities? Does the law of attraction work? And, more pointedly, why does it so often seem not to work?

In this session, we will:
 Look at why the radical jump from “spiritual evolution” to “evolutionary spirituality” matters to our world.
 Consider the part we play in the evolution of consciousness.
 Explore the profound difference between fixed expectations and a state of open expectancy.
 See why all visualization practices are not the same.
 Uncover the sabotaging impact of unconscious intentions.
 Work with a step-by-step method for co-creating with the infinite field.

Lynn has worked with this material for decades and distilled it into a guidebook for a practical 21st Century spirituality in her book, Beyond Soul Growth: Awakening to the Call of Cosmic Evolution. She loves to share this information and will be presenting key insights and practical takeaways in her presentation for our IONS group.

Another not-to-be-missed program for all who can attend! See you there!

About Lynn Sparrow Christy, Our Richmond IONS July Meeting Presenter:

Lynn Sparrow Christy is a mentor, author, and presenter who has been working in the field of spiritual growth and personal healing her entire adult life. Her work has been shaped by deep childhood spiritual connections that led her through traditional Christian faith to the barrier-shattering work of Edgar Cayce and on to the leading edge thinking that characterizes the contemporary integral/evolutionary movement.

Along the way, she has developed an eclectic career as a writer, conference speaker, hypnotherapist-life coach, minister, and trainer. She is trained as a master hypnotherapist, hypnosis trainer, life coach and master N.L.P. practitioner, and also
uses qigong and energy medicine.

Her books, Beyond Soul Growth: Awakening to the Call of Cosmic Evolution (2013), Reincarnation: Claiming Your Past, Creating Your Future (1988) and Edgar Cayce and Christian Faith (1999), as well as her home-study courses, Meditation Made Easy and How to Discover Your Past Lives, have all explored leading topics in contemporary spirituality.

She is also the developer and mentor for several Internet-based home-learning experiences. Lynn works with individual clients at her Virginia Beach office and via videoconferencing apps. Learn more about Lynn and her services at AccessYourPotential.net.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

About Our Richmond IONS Facebook Page:

Please also visit and “LIKE” our Richmond IONS Facebook page

Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

Looking for our upcoming meetings? Please CLICK HERE.

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Please share your thoughts and any feedback by leaving a comment below:

Richmond IONS June Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS June Meeting, 2019 (June 15) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by Vandorn Hinnant.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238, Saturday,

When: June 15, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS June Meeting Program Title:

“How Art Shapes Shape Us, the Next Installment.”

Our June 15, 2019 program will feature a much requested follow-up talk by Vandorn Hinnant, Durham, N.C. He is a painter, sculptor, poet and educational consultant. His talk will be moderated by his wife, AnaMaria Walle.

From an early age, Vandorn Hinnant consistently endeavored to translate his inner visions and other-dimensional experiences into something he could share with the world. In 1989 he began his formal studies of Sacred Geometry under the tutelage of physicist and inventor Robert L. Powell, Sr., who became his mentor.

Since that fate-filled day, Vandorn has developed a body of two and three-dimensional works of art, painting and sculpture. In fact, some have recognized his works as more than art. Meanwhile, many have encountered them and experienced transformative and expanded states of awareness.

Vandorn Hinnant: Before We Knew

“Before We Knew: From The Mother of Everything” – Artwork by Vandorn Hinnant

Vandorn draws inspiration from naturally occurring geometries and utilizes the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio is also known as The Golden Proportion or Section. Using these, Vandorn creates elegant compositions that embody fractal phenomena.

In doing so, he joins a long line of artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Salvador Dali. They too have used empirical methods to achieve aesthetic ends.

AnaMaria Walle began her studies of metaphysics in 1973 and never stopped. She tracked down Vandorn when she saw an image of one of his works, entitled “Voice,” on a postcard while on the West Coast. Her immediate response was, “I must meet whoever created this work of art.”

Now together for 17 years (married for 5), they continue to collaborate, exploring inspirations they encounter in the realm of the metaphysical.

Join Vandorn and AnaMaria in conversation and entertaining questions posed by the audience. They will share images of Vandorn’s work, along with creative explorations they have pursued such as pyramid power, meditation chambers and more!

About Vandorn Hinnant, Our Richmond IONS June Meeting Presenter:

Vandorn Hinnant received a BA in Art Design from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C., and studied sculpture at UNC-Greensboro. His works of art are in private collections in Africa, North America, and Europe, and in public collections across North America.

He is the co-author (with Robert L. Powell Sr. and Jr.) of the book The Rest of Euclid. He has served as guest curator of exhibitions, as juror of many fine art competitions, and as guest lectured at colleges and universities.

He serves as an independent arts educational consultant, working with both youth and adult learners. Currently the artist is developing sculpture maquettes (models) to be fabricated into permanent materials. You may visit his website at www.vandornhinnant.com.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

About Our Richmond IONS Facebook Page:

Please also visit and “LIKE” our Richmond IONS Facebook page

Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

Looking for our upcoming meetings? Please CLICK HERE.

To be included in our mailing list, please click the “Contact” button at the top right of this page and send us a message.

Please share your thoughts and any feedback by leaving a comment below:

Richmond IONS May Meeting 2019

Richmond IONS May Meeting 2019 (May 18) and Central VA IONS Community Group Meeting, Featuring a Talk by Suzanne Munson.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238.

When: Saturday, May 18, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Please read all the way to the end or click here for info on our Annual Party on Friday evening!

Richmond IONS May Meeting Program Title:

“Channeling Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe.”

Our May 18, 2019, program will feature a talk by Richmond author, historian and CV IONS Community Group member, Suzanne Munson. She will share fascinating insights gleaned while writing her breakthrough George Wythe biography, Jefferson’s Godfather, the Man Behind the Man (2018).

While writing Wythe’s story, Suzanne became intrigued by the Power of One—the ability of just one individual to set changes in motion to benefit an entire society.

As America’s first professor of law, Wythe addressed the nation’s leadership crisis after the Revolution by turning his law school at the College of William and Mary into the country’s first training program for future statesmen.

About Wythe’s influence

Judged by student achievement in high public office, he was unquestionably the most influential teacher in American history. At his death in 1806, Wythe’s former pupils were virtually running the country.

A leader among leaders, Wythe was a prophet of the American Revolution, signer and organizer of the Declaration of Independence. As well, he was a champion of the Constitution, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, groundbreaking judge, reformer and humanitarian, and outspoken abolitionist. What’s more, his impeccable ethics provide a refreshing example for leaders today.

In her background research for Wythe’s biography, Suzanne made use of all traditional resources available—personal papers, letters, diaries, and numerous historic books and articles.

At the same time, she also became interested in the work of medium and channel Jana Anna. Jana’s readings formed the basis of a book by Irene Kendig (Conversations with Jerry and Other People I Thought Were Dead). Irene spoke to our IONS group in 2013.

Meanwhile, Jana channels historical figures among other subjects. Suzanne decided to ask her to channel Thomas Jefferson and his mentor George Wythe. She will share the fascinating results with us on May 18. We love it when our members write books, and we especially love it when our programs help inform the content of the books they write.

About Suzanne Munson, Our Richmond IONS Presenter:

Suzanne Munson holds an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Maryland. Suzanne also earned a master’s degree in education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Moreover, she attended The Executive Program at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Suzanne teaches courses on the Wythe-Jefferson legacy at UVA, William and Mary, and University of Richmond OSHER affiliates. In addition, she teaches at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. She also gives talks about these two Founding Fathers to various community groups and historical associations.

About our Annual Richmond IONS Party on May 17th

Join us on the evening before our meeting – for our Annual Richmond IONS Party! CLICK HERE for details and directions!

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

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Richmond IONS April Meeting 2019

ROOM CHANGE ALERT:

Richmond IONS April Meeting 2019 (April 20) and Central VA IONS Community Group Meeting, Featuring a Talk and a Michael Channeling by Caris Turpen.

Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Old St Mary’s Chapel, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238. It’s the chapel at the front of the church complex, right at River Road. Just follow the signs!

When: Saturday, April 20, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.

Richmond IONS April Meeting Title:

“New Messages from Michael.”

Our Richmond IONS April Meeting, on April 20, will feature a talk and channeling by Caris Turpen, a Fort Worth-based Michael channel.

The Michael Group is a channeled, wisdom teaching soul or spirit group which refers to itself simply as “Michael” and describes itself as a single soul entity comprised of 1,050 soul fragments or essences (only one fragment is required to animate a human being).

Michael was first discovered in 1973 by a group in Oakland trying to contact the spirit of deceased Armenian philosopher G.I Gurdjieff (1866-1949). Michael first became publicly known through Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Messages from Michael (1979).

Since then numerous books have appeared about the Michael
teachings, including three more by Yarbro (More Messages from Michael, 1986; Michael’s People, 1988; and Michael for the Millenium, 1997). Several dozen people have become Michael channels.

A Unique Michael Channeling in our April Meeting

Our April guest speaker has been a Michael channel since the mid-1990s and has distinguished herself as one of the best.

For our April program, Caris will undertake something entirely new, never before done in a public setting by a Michael channel or by Michael. During a channeling at IONS’ Earthrise Retreat Center at Petaluma, California, in late 2016, Michael announced it was shifting its focus.

Its focus since it came onto the scene in 1973 was on truth, knowledge, and information. Going forward, it was shifting its focus to love (truth, love and beauty being the three pillars of Michael’s metaphysics) in order to be more congruent with the great shift in human consciousness now taking place.

Despite that announcement two and a half years ago, no channel has as yet brought forth a full expression of Michael’s new focus on love. Caris will open the door for Michael to do exactly that through her for us and all of our relations at our Richmond IONS April meeting.

If you want to have fun, witness something utterly special and unique, and participate in a ground- breaking and history-making exercise, don’t dare miss this program!! See you there!

About Caris Turpen, Our Richmond IONS Presenter:

Caris Turpen has always been a seeker. When she was nineteen, she did EST. At twenty, she moved to Los Angeles to get involved in the film industry, and there she got involved in Scientology. She quickly advanced through the organization and worked alongside founder L. Ron Hubbard at the so-called secret bases in Indio and Hemet.

During that time she saw the structure of the organization begin to drastically change and eventually chose to leave. She returned to her family home in the San Francisco Bay area.

Still searching for answers to Life’s mysteries, in 1980 she was given Messages from Michael, and first glimpsed what it offered in terms of self-discovery and understanding. She continued her work in the film industry, married, divorced, remarried and moved to Texas.

In 1995 she had a profound, nearly obsessive drawback to the Michael teachings. She sought out a Michael channel to learn about her “overleaves” (personality traits chosen for your present lifetime).

Caris soon became aware of her soul agreement to be a Michael channel. She did practice sessions for a year or two, and then launched as a professional public channel, work she undertook for ten years.

During that time, she saw her true work was in bringing through “new” information and contributing to the greater body of informational structure that Michael was then pushing through. She withdrew from public practice and concentrated on new and related information. This work continues today.

About Richmond IONS AKA Central VA IONS Community Group:

To find out more about Central VA IONS Community Group (Richmond IONS), please CLICK HERE.

About Our Richmond IONS Facebook Page:

Please also visit and “LIKE” our Richmond IONS Facebook page

Upcoming Richmond IONS Meetings:

Looking for our upcoming meetings? Please CLICK HERE.