Program Title: “Strands of Compassion.” Our October 19, 2024 program will feature a presentation by
Christoph Wagner, award-winning cellist and Joanne Kong, award-winning classical pianist.
Christoph Wagner, cellist and Joanne Kong, pianist, have been praised for their sensitive and
passionate artistry. Their unique event, Strands of Compassion, weaves together live music,
spoken reflections and visual imagery to illuminate how embracing the connections we have to the natural world and all beings can bring about transformative spiritual growth, positive change and planetary healing. Listeners have praised the duo for the power of their musical artistry to inspire an elevated sense of our innate compassion:
“Joanne Kong and Christoph Wagner gifted our hearts with healing, enchanting, vibrant messages of love,
connection and hope. The images, poetry, quotes, personal reflections and musical performance lifted our spirits as
they directly invited us to a profound compassionate awareness of and growth in our relationships with all beings
and all of nature. Every note and every syllable combined to embody and illuminate our participation in the
interconnected web of existence. The most memorable message of compassionate oneness was exquisitely delivered
and warmly received by those in attendance. I believe many left inspired to further explore how our actions and
choices impact our one common home. This concert/presentation can only be described in superlatives. It is a
priceless treasure to all sentient beings and the planet.” — Loretta Row
Be sure not to miss this one! See you there!
About Our Presenters: Christoph Wagner, a native of Germany, is a sought-after, award-winning cellist who has concertized on four
continents. Dr. Wagner holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rice University, and his current research focuses on the role of
nutrition in musical peak performance. A passionate advocate for Sustainability and Plant-Based nutrition, Wagner created Rice Vegan
Society in 2017, advocating for a more veg-friendly and zero-waste environment at Rice University, as well as sharing information about
the manifold benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle: environmental sustainability, animal rights, health, social justice, spirituality, and world
peace. Currently Dr. Wagner is Assistant Professor of Cello at the University of New Mexico.
Pianist Joanne Kong’s performances have been praised for “great finesse and flexibility” (The Washington Post), and “superb artistry” (San
Antonio Express-News) in works “sensitively played” (New York Times). She has received numerous national and international honors, and
in addition to her music career, speaks around the world as an animal, environmental and vegan advocate. Her TEDx talk, The Power of
Plant-Based Eating, has over 1 million views. Dr. Kong is on the faculty at the University of Richmond and draws upon a diversity of skills
as a writer, speaker and creative artist.
About Central VA IONS Community Group: Central VA IONS Community Group is an unincorporated association and a local
community group of The Institute of Noetic Sciences, an international association based in Petaluma, California (www.noetic.org). Central
VA IONS is not associated with any religion, religious organization, doctrine or set of beliefs or practices and is open to all. Central VA
IONS is entirely dependent upon voluntary donations of its members and friends to support its programs, mailings and other costs, and a
love offering is requested at each meeting from those attending in-person or online. Central VA IONS meetings are held each month at
locations announced in its program notices and are open to all. Our website is at richmondions.com.
Where/When: In person and online, through ZOOM (Meeting ID: 865 1815 1952, Passcode: 142841) and in
person at the University of Richmond Campus, Perkinson Recital Hall (North Court Building), Choir Room, 421
Westhampton Way, Richmond, VA 23173, on Saturday, October 19, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Upcoming Meetings:
November 20, 2024: Suzanne Munson, Richmond author, “Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying – A Metaphysical Journey.”
December 21, 2024: Peter Smith, Brisbane-based author of Quantum Consciousness and former CEO of The Michael Newton Institute.
January 18, 2025: Taliesin St. Clair, our 29th Anniversary Program, “There’s Nothing New Under the Sun.”
February 15, 2025: Kimberly Barrett, Fairfax-based Psychic Medium, Starseed Activator and Quantum Energy Healer.
Lawrence was born in Chicago and moved to the West Coast after graduating from the University of Illinois in the school of architecture and has been in practice as an architect for over 50 years. He was recently guided to move to Richmond, VA for the realization of a very specific long-held vision to serve the advancement of human consciousness. A few years of affiliation with this IONS chapter and the Sanctuary of Earth prepared this move. This presentation will cover the inspiration and architectural design, as well as its status.
When asked the question, “Why did you become an Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner?” Carey likes to say she did it “to save her life.” Raised in an unpredictable home environment, Carey began having health issues around 6 years of age. As the years went on Carey’s symptoms shifted and changed and became increasingly troublesome ̶ from skin conditions, hair loss, asthma and digestive issues, to depression/anxiety and suicidal ideation. At age 32 she experienced stroke symptoms and puzzled the doctors because all tests came back “normal.” By age 38 she was regularly experiencing full blown panic attacks, migraines and full body pain, with no real diagnosis except needing to manage her stress.
Melissa was born and raised in Southern Vermont. She became aware of her intuitive, psychic nature and abilities as a child. She connected with Aralamb and began channeling for clients in 1993 and has since worked with people in every part of the world. 
Lisa is passionate about sharing, equipping, and supporting those ready to do “the work” with the intention to maximize human potential resulting in ripple effects impacting the world. This presentation is an overview of how to recognize limiting patterns, how to identify underlying beliefs that no longer serve and how to reset the “baseline” from a state of hypervigilance to one of peace, abundance, and freedom. It’s tricky business trying to navigate our 3D lives and higher consciousness. This is especially true when we have not been taught nor modeled the skills of emotional intelligence (EQ)/ Self-regulation. It’s an “inside job” that leads to the embodiment of one’s true essence and core values while navigating the “realities” of daily life. This inner work is the pre-requisite and stable foundation for authentic self-expression, harmonious inter-relating, co-habitation and adaptive collaborations both personal and professional. It takes courage, resilience, and determination to move past our memorized set of behaviors, emotional reactions and unconscious habits. These hard-wired attitudes, beliefs and perceptions make it difficult to alchemize the programming and conditioning into states of being that more authentically represent each individual’s unique skills and gifts.
From 1964 to 1972, Joanne DiMaggio was the president of a Beatles Fan Club. Fifteen years later, she began pursuing a career as a past-life researcher and therapist. In those ensuing years, she always wondered how she, a Catholic girl from an Italian-American family living in Chicago’s southside, went from being passionate about the Beatles to becoming passionate about reincarnation research. Did anything happen during the heyday of Beatlemania that may have planted a seed leading her to an esoteric career long after the group disbanded? Joanne revisits the past to answer that question and tries to discover how the Beatles influenced not only her own spiritual journey, but the spiritual journey of countless other fans.
Ellen became psychic suddenly at the age of 33, on February 23, 2003, after receiving a Usui Reiki Level II attunement. Prior to becoming psychic, Ellen had worked in corporate America as a project manager and business analyst and had lived a relatively conventional life. After becoming psychic, a supernatural journey began with her seeing and communicating with deceased people, then angels, then faeries, then extraterrestrials, and so much more. Today, Ellen is known worldwide as a subject matter expert in both spiritual healing and in the development of psychic abilities. Ellen and her team of over 30 assistants co-teach psychic development and Reiki with Angels online classes all over the world, but mostly in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. Ellen is also Co-CEO of Ethereal Networks, Inc., a streaming TV network focused on metaphysics, natural health and uplifting content.
Richmond IONS February 2024 Meeting (February 17) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting. It will feature a talk by Sylvia Clute, Richmond-based trial attorney and author, on her recent book, Unitive Justice: Bending the Arc of Justice Toward Love (October 2023).
