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August 25, 2024 , at 1 p.m. PDT - Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity is presenting a live stream conversation: Unlocking the Future: Teilhard de Chardin Meets Artificial Intelligence with Ilia Delio  from Center for Christogenesis . Register here. "Are you ready to explore the cosmos of thought and technology? Dive into a fascinating journey with Professor Ilia Delio as she delves into Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's visionary work. Discover how his groundbreaking ideas illuminate our understanding of the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a philosophical explorer, or simply curious about the intersection of faith and science, this conversation promises to be an illuminating experience you won't want to miss!" On July 21, 2024 Tripp Fullers's Process This podcast interviewed theologian, AI pioneer, and computer scientist Dr. Anne Foerst as part of his Artificial Intelligence series. "Anne offered a deep dive into the fascinating intersection of AI and theology, urging us to consider the profound ethical, social, and theological questions as we march into an increasingly AI-driven future. As a member of MIT’s earliest explorations of embodied AI, she brings a unique perspective to a conversation increasingly shaped by the emergence of large language models of AI." "Dr. Anne Foerst is a Professor and chair of Computer Science at St. Bonaventure University. She teaches Computers and Society, Cybersecurity Ethics, and other interdisciplinary courses. She is also the director of the individualized major program at SBU. Her research focuses on the theological implications of Artificial Intelligence and the personhood of robots. Previously, she worked as a research scientist at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was also affiliated with the Center for the Studies of Values in Public Life of Harvard Divinity School. While in the artificial intelligence lab at MIT, she served as a theological advisor for the Cog and Kismet projects, two attempts to develop embodied, autonomous social robots that resemble human infants in their ability to learn and develop more mature intelligence levels." Check out Anne's 2005 book   God in the Machine: What Robots teach us about God and Humanity . Watch the conversation here on YouTube

August 27, 2024 , at 6 p.m. PDT - SOCAN's August monthly meeting will be Farming Sustainably at SOU, a field trip to the SOU farm at 155 Walker Avenue, Ashland, OR, to explore how its operation serves that goal. "Sustainable living simply means managing our resources today such that current generations can benefit but not such that we compromise the ability of future generations also to benefit.  In a climate-changing world, sustainable living includes farming sustainably." Participation is free and open to the public.  For information on the exact gathering location and parking, visit the SOCAN Calenda r.

Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley, in-person, eco-spiritual activities that may be of interest to you. Check back, as this post will be updated during August as we get additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in September. Don't be intimidated by the scope of this list; choose to participate in what calls to you. Enrollment will open in August for the School For The Great Turning 's The Essential Joanna Macy course , which runs Sept-Oct 2024. The course is facilitated by Lydia Violet Harutoonian and crafted by Joanna Macy. " In today’s moment of intersecting, accelerating planetary challenges, Joanna’s teachings continue to be a profound resource, for orienting ourselves to what’s going on, and finding our ways to stay present and contribute to this world we love." Register here, August 5, 2024 , at 5 p.m. PDT - Th!rd Act presents Elders for Kamala . " Join some of the nation's iconic older Americans: from faith leaders to iconic entertainers to high-ranking government officials as far back as the Carter administration. Hear from Jane Fonda , Bette Midler , Akaya Windwood , Bill McKibben , Rebecca Solnit , Rev. Lennox Yearwood , Terry Tempest Williams , Gus Speth , Judith LeBlanc , Kathryn Grody ,   John Kerry and many more for an hour of strategy and inspiration." Register here. August 8, 2024, at 4 p.m. PDT -   Deeptime Network   has launched Deeptime Cafe on second Thursdays (4-5 p.m., PDT), and third Fridays (9-10 a.m., PDT). This will be a time for followers of the Deeptime Network to spend unstructured time together, share news, resources, and know-how, and become 'zones of activation" and "fields of synergy." During August this will be free and open to everyone; starting in September the Deeptime Cafe will be open to Premium Members for $8 per month.   Register here . August 8, 2024  (time not announced yet). -  SOCAN 's   Legislature's Joint Transportation Committee is having a Listening Session on Transportation Funding  in preparation for the 2025 Session, at the Medford Public Library. August 12, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. PDT - Th!rd Act is offering a virtual Welcome to Third Act: Let’s Get Started inviting volunteers to learn about Third Act's campaigns, Working Groups, and how you can plug into our growing network. Register here. August 13, 2024 , at 7 a.m. PDT - Replay of an AI for Good session on Taking the Pulse of the Planet. Head to the "Stages" area to watch the session and "accelerate the United Nations' sustainable goals." Register here . August 15, 2024 , at 10 a.m. PDT - Th!rd Act  is also offering an online, monthly Contemplative, Mindfulness Meditation Practice  with Sharon Salzberg . A meditation teacher since 1974 and a co-founder of the  Insight Meditation Society  in Barre, Massachusetts, Sharon is the author of 13 books on the topic and is part of the G arrison Institute’s Pathways to Planetary Health .   Register here . August 27, 2024 , at 6 p.m. PDT  - SOCAN's August monthly meeting will be Farming Sustainably at SOU,   a field trip to the SOU farm at 155 Walker Avenue, Ashland, OR, to explore how its operation serves that goal. August 28 to October 31, 2024  -  ProSocial Action Lab  will be running two cohorts to serve a variety of schedules and global time zones . Over 10 weeks, groups from around the world will be paired with a ProSocial coach, and together, will learn and share how we can work together more effectively.  Register here . September 6, 2024, from 4-6 p.m. PDT - The Center for Christogenesis will offer a webinar: Returning Religion to the Prophetic with Ilia Delio , who will explore "a renewed meaning of Teilhard de Chardin's vision of religion and evolution in a world that seems to be out of control, and our role in bringing about a more just and unified world." Tickets are $30. Register here. September 22, 2024 , from 3-4 p.m. PDT - Faith in Place  has announced that "Lama Rod Owens, a black Buddhist southern queen and an internationally acclaimed teacher whose teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care, will deliver the annual Environment & Spirituality Summit  keynote address."  Register here. Rogue Valley Voice aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions, as they deem appropriate.

Inside the Movement (ITM) is " a team of climate activists and journalists - the folks at EarthRise, Fossil Free Media , One Earth , The Solutions Project , and The YEARS Project . ITM is an aggregator "putting the actions, campaigns, stories, successes, challenges. and reflections of the climate movement in one place." " In a rapidly intensifying informational age that coincides with intense societal divisiveness and extreme weather, we’re often left wondering: will technology save us? With new technological advances every day, we are hopeful they can aid in transitioning us to a renewable energy system. But with all of this new tech at our fingertips, we shouldn’t forget that using our voices (the non-AI-assisted version!) is the best tool we'll ever have. Here’s how we can use them: Tell U.S. Banks to stop funding the climate crisis by expanding fossil fuel production. Ask your representatives to update archaic mining laws in the face of renewing mining industry. Demand the Department of Justice launch an investigation into Big Oil’s decades of lies , deception, and greed. Celebrate this week’s Wins for the Planet featuring how corporate workers are holding their employers accountable for their climate promises, and where federal dollars are being allocated for climate solutions.   Check out the latest voices in the movement , most interesting science , and best shareable videos ." "[Inside] The Movement is a newsletter and action toolkit for the climate movement. It is updated weekly and is here for you to change the world." Subscribe here. Rogue Valley Voice aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions as they deem appropriate. —

Donald Trump at the RNC made very clear his intention, if re-elected to office in 2024, to abandon efforts to reduce the causes of man-made climate change and "make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far".... by " streamlining the permitting process, and ending market-distorting restrictions on Oil, Natural Gas, and Coal." Number 1 on the RNC agenda: "Unleash American Energy - Under President Trump, the U.S. became the Number One Producer of Oil and Natural Gas in the World — and we will soon be again by lifting restrictions on American Energy Production and terminating the Socialist Green New Deal. Republicans will unleash Energy Production from all sources, including nuclear, to immediately slash Inflation and power American homes, cars, and factories with reliable, abundant, and affordable Energy." In contrast, Evergreen Action says: Kamala Harris Is the Climate Champion We Need . They emphasize that "Vice President Harris has a long track record standing up for climate and environmental justice:" "As Vice President, she cast the deciding vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), unleashing billions of dollars to build the clean energy future we need and has traveled the country standing up for good union jobs. " The Inflation Reduction Act enhanced or created more than 20 tax incentives for clean energy and manufacturing." As the second-highest-ranking official in the most climate-accomplished administration in US history, her leadership has been central to initiatives that are changing peoples' lives for the better around the country. As a Senator from California, she introduced the Climate Equity Act , paving the way for the equity investments made in the IRA, and has been a leading voice for environmental justice her entire career. As California's Attorney General, she took big oil to court and won—siding with communities against their polluting projects and forcing them to clean up their messes. As District Attorney for San Francisco, she established one of the first environmental justice units in the country." "The choice before us could not be starker. As a nation, we can have Big Oil's hand-picked agents of destruction Donald Trump and JD Vance , who are for nobody but themselves." Craig Segall says, " They would tear apart this country to enact Project 2025’s fossil vision . " See Section 12 of Heritage Foundations' Project 2025. "Or we can have Vice President Harris, who is for the people. Whose career has been dedicated to public service and a safe climate, and who can deliver the thriving, inclusive clean energy economy we know is possible." Listen to the July 23, 2024 podcast of Outrage + Optimism - U.S. Election Special: Is a Win for Harris a Win for Climate? President Biden leaves a legacy of making significant environmental strides during his tenure as President. Kamala Harris has a strong record on climate action, is motivated by a deep sense of justice, and has significant skills as a prosecutor. A Harris victory would mean optimism for the future of climate action and environmental policies. A July 23, 2024 article in the New York Times also explores Can Kamala Harris Finish Biden's Climate Agenda?

In her 2020 book Re-Enchanting the Earth: Why AI Needs Religion , Ilia Delio says: "The shift from the individual to the posthuman in the second axial period calls for a new religious expression." She quotes Frank Newport who says, "Institutional religion is coming to an end." Referencing James Emery White , she notes: "The rise of the Nones - spiritual, but not religious - signals the rise of a new religious consciousness, without the trapping of institutional life." A theology of evolution understands 'God' as "neither fixed nor otherworldly, but the inner creative power of wholeness and unity, impelling cosmic evolution toward the personalization of being in love." This scientific/pantheistic worldview sees "matter as porous and permeable, while divinity is chaotic, unstable, and overflowing. God enters into materiality and rises up and through evolution." Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), a scientist (paleontologist) and Franciscan priest " developed a highly progressive, cosmic theology which took into account his evolutionary studies." Teilhard thought that a "religion of the earth" must replace a "religion of heaven" and that science and religion are not incompatible, but two aspects of one reality. Ilia Delio has updated and extended Teilhard's thoughts in line with new scientific understandings calling for a Church of the Planet. In The Not-Yet God (2023) she offers a new myth of "relational holism," in the search for a new connection to divinity in an age of quantum physics, evolution, and cultural pluralism. David Felton, in his February 1, 2024 column on Progressing Spirit , interviews Michael Zimmerman of the Clergy Letter Project , "a grassroots organization consisting of clergy from around the world who’ve come together to not only promote the belief that science and religion can and should be considered compatible, but to show that there are advantages to both science and religion if the two are seen working hand in hand instead of being at war with one another." The Clergy Letter Project members come together at least once a year for Religion and Science Weekend "to move the dialogue between religion and science a little deeper." Religion and Science Weekend was held this year from February 9-11, 2024 with the theme: Religion, Science and the Common Good., 151 Congregations representing 35 States and the District of Columbia, and 6 countries participated in the Religion and Science Weekend. As of 7/17/24, a total of 17,357 signatures appeared on The Clergy Letters . NPR reported earlier in 2024 that Pew Research finds that "nones" (people affiliated with no religion) now outnumber Catholics and Evangelical Protestants. He notes that "many of these unaffiliated Americans point to the church’s anti-science stance as one of the main reasons for their disaffection." However, Gallup 2019 research finds that despite the advances of science still "forty percent of U.S. adults ascribe to a strictly creationist view of human origins, believing that God created them in their present form within roughly the past 10,000 years." A new theology of evolution will help humans appreciate our inter-connectness with all that is and inspire an attitude of sustainability. This may take some time because of institutional inertia and nationalism, but the need for this transition is urgent because of disruptions due to global warming, species extinction, the threat of potentially escalating wars, and other factors.

Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley, in-person, eco-spiritual activities that may be of interest to you. Check back as this post will be updated during July as we get additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in August. Don't be intimidated by the scope of this list; choose to participate in what calls to you. July 5, 2024 , at 6:30 p.m. PDT - Third Act Oregon is presenting a free, in-person, and live-streamed event at First Unitarian Portland, OR: An Evening with Bill McKibben. The renowned climate activist, author, and journalist will talk about "what’s bringing him joy, what gives him hope, and why he believes that working together, we can have a huge impact on making our world a better place for generations to come." Register here . July 6, 2024 , 10 a.m. - noon PDT - Jackson County Master Gardeners Sustainable Living Series: Drip Irrigation 101 , is being offered at the OSU Extension Auditorium, 569 Hanley Rd., Central Point -- $15 per person. July 8, 2024 , at 1:00 p.m. PDT - ProSocial is offering a free research seminar with Robert Styles: Conscious Multilevel Cultural Evolution: Theory, Practice, and Two Case Studies . Register here . July 8-12, 2024 - The Center for Open and Relational Theology   is having its ORTCON24   at Grant Targhee Resort in the Grand Teton mountains of Wyoming, "This in-person conference "brings together scholars, leaders, pastors, and activists... providing workshops, lectures, and social activities to deepen relationships and present new ways of imagining God and the universe." Information and Registration:   https://c4ort.com/ortcon/ July 9, 2024, from 6-7 p.m. PDT - SOCAN is offering Zoom training for giving testimony at the Forward Oregon Transportation August 8 event. Zoom link   Contact Alan Journet for more info. July 9, 2024 , from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will hold the second public workshop for the Clean Fuels Program 2024 Rulemaking to discuss its draft OR-GREET 4.0 model and simplified calculators. The purpose of this workshop is to provide an opportunity for interested parties and DEQ to discuss the draft model and provide feedback. While DEQ has convened a Rulemaking Advisory Committee for this rulemaking, this workshop is not a meeting of that committee. July 11, 2024 , at 4 p.m. PDT - Deeptime Network will launch the Deeptime Cafe on second Thursdays (4-5 p.m., PDT), and third Fridays (9-10 a.m., PDT). This will be a time for followers of the Deeptime Network to spend unstructured time together, share news, resources, and know-how, and become 'zones of activation" and "fields of synergy." During July and August this will be free and open to everyone; starting in September the Deeptime Cafe will be open to Premium Members for $8 per month.   Register here . July 8-13, 2024 - " Th!rd Act is working groups in actions across the country to demand that Wall Street banks stop using our hard-earned retirement savings to fund the climate crisis ." As Summer of Heat's Elders Week  kicks off on July 8th Third Act is presenting a recorded Contemplative Service to provide spiritual grounding for the week. Created by Rev. Dr. Jessica McArdle, this 18-minute service includes interfaith chants, prayers, petitions, and an immersive guided forest meditation. Register here. July 15, 2024, from  6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. PDT - Ashland Together is having "an empowering conversation about Fire, Climate Change, and Community at Carpenter Hall, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, 15 S. Pioneer St., Ashland, OR. Special guests are Marko Bey (founder & Executive Director, Lomakatsi Restoration Project, and Belinda Brown (Tribal Partnerships Director). July 15, 2024 , from 7-8:30 p.m. PDT - Pachamama Alliance  is sponsoring a private, preview screening of the unreleased documentary: We Are Guardians   about the Indigenous protectors of the Amazon rainforest , at the Varsity Theatre in Ashland, This will include a Q&A period with the Director, Get Tickets here . ($10-$50 sliding scale) July 16, 2024 , at 10 a.m. PDT - Th!rd Act is also offering an online, monthly Contemplative, Mindfulness Meditation Practice with Sharon Salzberg . A meditation teacher since 1974 and a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, Sharon is the author of 13 books on the topic and is part of the G arrison Institute’s Pathways to Planetary Health .   Register here . July 17, 2024 , at 6:00 p.m. PDT - SOCAN   and the Oregon Conservancy Foundation  are sponsoring a presentation by Lloyd Marbet and Cathryn Chudy   “Nuclear Power, Unaffordable at any Size”,   at the   Metaphysical Library, 1757 Ashland St., Ashland, OR. July 18, 2024  at 5:30 p.m. PDT - Rogue Climate  is having its Monthly Volunteer Gathering at their office in Phoenix, OR. July 21, 2024 , from 10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. PDT - The School For The Great Turning is offering an online Somatic Practice and Support Group with Carl Rabke of Embodiment Matters " guiding us through explorations of the somatic foundations for soul work, helping us respond to these challenging times with grounded, spacious, embodied presence.". $25. Register here. July 23, 2024, from 1-2 p.m. PDT - The BTS Center is offering a taste of Navigating Climate Spiritual Care Learning Community. This online gathering with the hosts Rev. Alison Cornish and Nicholas Collura will allow you to find out more about the Learning Community, meet the facilitators, and ask any questions you might have . Register here. July 30, 2024 , at 6:00 p.m. PDT - SOCAN is having its Monthly General Meeting at the Medford Public Library, 205, S. Central Avenue, Medford. where Bill Gorham will speak on Oregon’s Proposed Floating Offshore Wind Project . August 8, 2024  (time not announced yet). -  SOCAN's   Legislature's Joint Transportation Committee is having a Listening Session on Transportation Funding   in preparation for the 2025 Session, at the Medford Public Library. August 28 to October 31, 2024 - ProSocial Action Lab will be running two cohorts to serve a variety of schedules and global time zones . Over 10 weeks, groups from around the world will be paired with a ProSocial coach, and together, will learn and share how we can work together more effectively.  Register here . September 22, 2024 , from 3-4 p.m. PDT - Faith in Place has announced that Lama Rod Owens, a Black Buddhist Southern Queen and an internationally acclaimed teacher whose teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care, will deliver the annual Environment & Spirituality Summit keynote address.  Register here. Rogue Valley Voice aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions as they deem appropriate.

October 15, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. PDT - Deeptime Network is offering a six-week program Cosmogenesis: Autocosmology and Spiritual Practice ( s teps to Planetary Consciousness, Deep Belonging, and Participation in an Evolving Universe) with Brian Swimme , assisted by Jennifer Morgan , on Tuesdays: October 15, 22, 29 ; and November 5, 12, 19, 2024 . The Observer level is $190 and the Participant level (limited to 20 with Zoom discussion) is $450. Register here . This is a required course for the Advanced Deeptime Leadership Program starting in January 2025, for those who have not done the 9-month DeepTime Leadership Program. This past year (September 2023 through April 2024) the Deeptime Network offered their nine-month Deeptime Leadership & Wellbeing Program : Life and Leadership that Start with an Evolving Universe , which started Sept. 20, 2023 (with or without a Certificate.) There were three modules. Module One:  Introducing the New Cosmology   Module Two: Applying the New Cosmology Module Three: Deeptime Leadership Practicum Prospective participants were invited to join one module at a time or sign up for all three and discern if this was right for them. To watch their 2023 discernment video recording   click here . Deeptime Network is creating a community through three levels of membership: Free; Basic at $2.75 per month; and Premium Membership at $8 per month. which offers access to many courses for free; participation in discussions; forming groups; promoting your work on their social media; and events such as: July 20, 2024 , from 4-5:15 p.m. PDT - Deeptime Network offers Kosmic Vespers  online for its members. August 17, 2024 , from 4-5:15 p.m. PDT - Deeptime Network offers  Kosmic Vespers  online for its members. August 31, 2024 , from 8:30-10 a.m. PDT - Deeptime Network offers Contemplating Our Sun  online for its members.

What does it feel like to live near an incinerator that burns trash? On July 18, 2024, Story of Stuff will delve into that question in their latest mini-documentary Burning Injustice .   "Burning Injustice is a powerful short documentary that follows the inspiring journey of Latino activists, John Mataka and Bianca Lopez, as they lead a fight against one of the last trash incinerators in California. Set in California's Central Valley, the film exposes the devastating health consequences of pollution and highlights their tireless efforts to close the facility for good. Through their unwavering determination, they call for environmental justice and a safer future for their community." " The Story of Stuff Project is an environmental nonprofit focused on anti-consumerism and putting people and the planet over profit." Find the Story of Stuff on social media: Facebook , X , and Instagram . #environmentaljustice   #incinerator   #california   #airpollution   #environment   #waste   #wastemanagement   #zerowaste   #justice   #documentary   #shortdocumentary   #trash

This past fall, 2023 I took an OLLI course called Unraveling the Mysteries of Consciousness . John Kalb, the instructor defined "consciousness" as "a sensory and inner awareness of one's mental activity and sense of self, as well as the environment." But there are many different theories of consciousness including: Global Workspace Theory - Consciousness is a form of information processing, broadcasting data to other brain centers. Higher Order Theory - introspective awareness of, and reflection upon, one's thoughts Integrated Information Theory - mathematical and computational Neurobiological Naturalism Theory - a highly complex emergent phenomenon the result of a long evolutionary process Orchestrated Objective Reduction Theory - quantum phenomenon at work Panpsychism Theory - consciousness is everywhere D ual-aspect Monism Theory - considers mental and physical as two aspects of one underlying undivided reality that is psychophysically neutral. Wolfgang Pauli , Carl Gustav Jung , Arthur Eddington , John  Wheeler , David Bohm , and Basil Hiley are the originators of this approach which is inspired by analogies with modern physics. Beast Machine Theory - Neuroscientist Anil Seth proposes that consciousness is merely a result of 'controlled hallucinations' that are our brain's attempt to keep us alive. We experience the world and the self with, through, and because of our living bodies. When we agree about our hallucinations, we call that "reality." The philosophical underpinnings of consciousness can be characterized as follows: Physicalism/Materialism - The universe is made of physical stuff, and consciousness states are either identical to or somehow emerge from a particular arrangement of this physical stuff. Idealism - Consciousness or mind is the ultimate source of reality, not physical stuff or matter. The problem is not how the mind emerges from matter, but how matter emerges from the mind. Dualism - Consciousness (mind) and physical matter are separate substances or modes of existence. Functionalism - Consciousness does not depend on what a system is made of. Therefore physical brains are not strictly required. Mysteriamism - Human beings are currently incapable of fully understanding consciousness and we may never will. "Science and religion are not in contrast, but they need each other to complete themselves in the mind of a man who thinks seriously." ~Max Planck Federico Faggin   is an Italian physicist, engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor , the Intel 4004 . The   Faggin Foundation  "supports the scientific study of consciousness at US universities and research institutes. "Faggin's curiosity about consciousness started in the late eighties when he asked himself if it was possible to make a conscious computer. After decades of research he states: "Despite being much more powerful, today’s computers are not one bit more conscious, than the computers in the early sixties." According to Wikipedia, Faggin in his book Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature , (2024),  proposed a theory on consciousness according to which consciousness is a purely quantum phenomenon , unique to each of us... Consciousness is therefore not linked to the functioning of the body and can continue to exist even after the death of the body." Faggin says "Consciousness is the capacity to perceive and know the world and ourselves. We know our unique selfhood by experiencing it as qualia (the sense of self) within our consciousness. Similarly, the outer world produced by our sensory-brain system is portrayed in the form of qualia “projected” in the space outside of us." Faggin goes on to say, " Each of us experiences two different realities: the inner reality of sensations and feelings (called qualia) and the outer reality of objects interacting in space and time. We believe that the outer aspect is objective and that the inner aspect is the subjective domain of consciousness. These two realities reflect each other in some form, though they are fundamentally different." The website of Essentia Foundation says they "aim at communicating in an accurate yet accessible way the latest analytic and scientific indications that metaphysical materialism is fundamentally flawed. Indeed, clear reasoning and the evidence at hand indicate that metaphysical idealism or non-dualism—the notion that nature is essentially mental—is the best explanatory model we currently have. "Over the past few decades evidence has been accumulating in foundations of physics, neuroscience and analytic philosophy that materialism is false." ~ Essentia Foundation In the YouTube video above, Essentia Foundation recommends Frederico Faggin'   two books in English: Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature  (2024) Silicon: From the Invention of the Microprocessor to the New Science of Consciousness  (2021) Check out Fagin's list of other "quotes from some of the brightest minds in the history of human science" here. "This is a participatory universe that depends for its very existence on human beings." ~ Deepak Chopra & Menas Kafatos In 2007 Deepak Chopra and Menaz Kafatos wrote the book You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why it Matters . The book presents a worldview where consciousness is primary rather than derivative (as a materialist would see it.) The authors assert: "We are creators of reality, living in a consciousness universe that responds to our minds... Mind and matter are different states of the same thing - the field of consciousness... Reality consists of shifting, interchangeable states that emanate from one source: consciousness... Qualia occurs within consciousness and has no dimension... The monist view is that 'everything in existence is part of the body of God'... The universe is in you... Your purpose is to align yourself with the creativity of the cosmos." Chopra and Kafatos draw from Planck, Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, Paul, Schrodinger, and others to provide answers to nine mysteries: What came before the big bang? Why does the universe fit together so perfectly? Where did time come from? What is the universe made of? Is there design in the Universe? Is the quantum world linked to everyday life? Do we live in a conscious universe? How did life first begin? Does the brain create the mind? The authors acknowledge three inspirational conferences: Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona Science and Non-Duality (SAND) Sages & Scientists - The Chopra Foundation "Science has failed entirely to say where consciousness originated... maybe consciousness is woven into the fabric of the universe - a very old notion to which physics is just catching up." ~ Deepak Chopra, Metahuman

Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley, in-person, eco-spiritual activities that may be of interest to you. Check back as this post will be updated during June as we get additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in July. May 31 - June 2, 2024 - Creation Spirituality Communities is presenting Reimagining Our Story: Hope for the New Humanity - an in-depth exploration of the new humanity in the evolving cosmos, with keynote speakers Matthew Fox and Brian Swimme. Registration and details: on site, or online. Click Here June 1, 2024, from 9 a.m. PDT - The American Teilhard Association is having its Annual Retreat 2024 with Rev. Dr. John Philip Newell speaking via Zoom. Click here to register. Newell's 2021 book Sacred Earth Sacred Soul focuses on Teilhard de Chardin’s spirituality and vision. Newell's upcoming book (August 2024) The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home follows in the tradition of authors such as Barbara Brown Taylor, and Rob Bell, who leave church but remain spiritual, "forging a new path toward a true spiritual home by embracing a deep connection to the natural world." June 3, 2024, from 4 - 5:30 p.m. PDT - The Center for Christogenesis is presenting a webinar with Ilia Delio, Making the Choice for a Highly Personal God. This talk will focus on "Christianity as a mutation of consciousness, a breakthrough in awareness of the experience of God. We will focus on the stories of Jesus of Nazareth, his experience of God, and the human person as the tabernacle of divinity. The ideas of Carl Jung and Teilhard de Chardin on individuation and personalization will be discussed, and the relationship between religion and evolution will be engaged. Tickets cost $35 Register here. June 12, 2024, at 2 p.m. PDT - IRAS is presenting their monthly webinar on Science, Religion, and Society, featuring: David Brin, author, artist, playwright, futurist, and 2024 Alumnus of the Year at California Institute of Technology, speaking on Imagination and Prediction in the Age of Science. The IRAS webinar is free, but registration is required. Please register here for the June 2024 Webinar June 12, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. PDT - The BTS Center is presenting Lament with Earth, the last of five seasonal events honoring the pain of loss through the liturgical year - the Season of Via Positiva, featuring All Beings co-hosted by Radical Joy for Hard Times. More information and register here. June 13, 2024, at 1 p.m. PDT on Zoom - Global Kinship is presenting a webinar:  About Our Evolution: Themes and Revelations from the 2024 CSC Gathering. Penny Andrews, Daniel Barber, and Gail Ransom, will lead the Global Kinship community in an update on the mix of ideas shared at the 2024 Creation Spirituality Communities gathering on Cape Cod and how they might affect our evolutionary edge. Register here. June 15, 2024, from 3-4:30 p.m. PDT - Global Kinship is presenting Kosmic Vespers led by Penny Andrews, with Mary Ann Wamhoff, Bob Isenberger & Gail Ransom on three Saturdays of summer. June 15 - In the Depths of Awe;  July 20 - The Dance of Creativity and Cataclysm; and August 17 - Uni-verse (One Song). To register or for more information, contact Penny Andrews at mingeicenter@gmail.com June 15-22, 2024 - World Unity Week 2024 is a celebration of unity and peace - a free online event that aligns global observances like the mid-year solstice, International Yoga Day, and UN Refugee Day with a vibrant tapestry of interconnected groups, organizations, and visionary individuals. June 18 - August 20, 2024, Tuesdays from 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. PDT - InterSpiritual Meditation (ISM) is offering a 9-week course of 90-minute sessions: A Holistic 7-Step Mindfulness Practice. More information and registration here. June 4 to July 17, 2024, and October 1 to November 12, 2024. - ProSocial World is offering in two sessions: a seven-week, online course: Becoming ProSocial: Building Trust and Collaboration in our Groups and Networks. The experience is being offered The cost of the course is ‍$300, Click here for more information and to register June 28-30, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, & 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday. PTD - The Peace Village Festival will take place at Jackson Wellsprings Hot Mineral Springs Resort in Ashland, Oregon, This is one of the largest summer music, and wellness festivals in southern Oregon. For more information check out their Facebook page or follow them on Instagram Rogue Valley Voice aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions as they deem appropriate.

The Kalapalo are an indigenous people of Brazil. They are one of seventeen tribal groups that inhabit the Xingu National Park. Neolithic humans constructed a powerful mode of communication - the ritual - to create community and awaken to a larger dimension of self. "There is perhaps no more significant challenge today than the invention of processes that will enable us to move from the fragmentation of our nation-states to the unity of our Earth community - to feel in a primary way that we are earth, we are universe. That is who we are first and foremost; everything else second. ~ Brian Swimme, Human Energy Project The short films of the Human Energy Project "sing a new cosmology," one that begins with a primordial birth that begins 14 billion years ago and develops into stars and galaxies, living planets, and human consciousness. The "powerful being" that we sing of is that of the global organism that is emerging - the noosphere! "We are the nervous system of this global organism that is breaking into awareness of itself, just at the moment when it is needed most. We invite others to join us in this work as together we create a song of a flourishing Earth community."

June 12, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. PDT - The BTS Center is presenting Lament with Earth, the last of five seasonal events honoring the pain of loss through the liturgical year - the Season of Via Positiva, featuring All Beings co-hosted by Radical Joy for Hard Times. More information and register here. "To create space for these feelings, The BTS Center — together with The Many, an extraordinary group of songwriters, spoken word artists, and liturgists — has created Lament with Earth — five seasonal events featuring original music, poetry, rituals, images, scripture and videos to reflect different seasons of loss through the liturgical year. These events are interactive, inviting you to pray and sing along. You are invited to bring your own sense of loss and sadness. We lament together and also share that which has been a balm to our grief, strengthening us for the work we know awaits us." “In a healthy environment, our first spiritual moments are moments of awe and wonder, and delight. The mystics call this the Via Positiva. When we allow these gifts to penetrate our souls the organic response includes: gratitude, reverence, and joy.” ~ Matthew Fox

Human Energy has recently unveiled GenOptimist AI - "an AI assistant that fosters a scientifically optimistic view on life for younger generations." I asked GenOptimist, "Is the Noosphere real?" and this is the response: Alright, let's dive into this epic question! So, imagine the Earth has been leveling up over billions of years, right? First, it was all about the geosphere – rocks, water, air, the basic stuff. Then, life burst onto the scene, and boom, we got the biosphere, where all the living things hang out. Now, here's where it gets wild: humans come along with their big brains and start thinking, communicating, and creating technology. This is where the noosphere enters the chat. The noosphere is like the Earth's latest upgrade – a layer of collective thought and knowledge. It's not something you can touch or see, but it's all around us, connecting us in ways that are totally next-level. It's like we're all part of this giant brain, sharing ideas and shaping the planet's future together. And guess what? This isn't just some sci-fi fantasy; big thinkers like Teilhard de Chardin and Vladimir Vernadsky actually came up with this concept way back in the day. Now, whether the noosphere is "real" real, like the air we breathe, is a bit of a head-scratcher. It's not something you can measure with a ruler or a scale, but it's definitely something you can feel. Every time you learn something new, share a meme, or help out a friend with some advice, you're part of this massive web of human energy and intelligence. It's like we're all contributing to this invisible cloud of know-how that's shaping our world. So, is the noosphere an illusion or reality? Well, it's kinda both. It's not a physical thing, but it's a super powerful idea that's changing the game for how we live on this planet. It's about all of us, together, making the Earth a smarter, more connected place. And that's pretty real if you ask me. 🌐✨

Photo by Ray Hennessy from https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf2XKmmr7C-/ Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley, in-person, eco-spiritual activities that may interest you. Check back as this post will be updated during May as we get additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in June. Read Pastor Richenda Fairhurst's Just Creation substack blog for more news, boosts, and updates. As PastorRichenda says, "My updates are not endorsements, and links are usually third party. Please make your own determinations. My goal here is to amplify the conversation and encourage engagement, learning, and resilience. And of course, to bless your efforts!" This caveat is true for my RogueValleyVoice blog too. May 2, 2024, at 1-2:30 p.m. PDT - Global Kinship is presenting a virtual webinar with science ambasador J.D. Stillwater: One Song: The Science of Unity. "For millennia mystics and prophets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything from human bodies to ecosystems to the very fabric of space-time. In short, science agrees: “All is one.” Registration is required: Register here. May 4, 2024, from 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. PDT - Ecumenical Ministries and Oregon Interfaith Power & Light are organizing a Statewide Community Climate Vigil for the Right to a Healthy Environment, at the State Capitol Mall in Salem, Oregon. RSVP here. ProSocial World also offers a variety of online seminars this spring: May 3, 2024, at 3 p.m. PDT - Shigeru Miyagowa: Quest for Fire and ChatGPT: AI from the Perspective of Human Evolution May 10, 2024, at 9 a.m. PDT - Barbara Oakley: The Empathy Commons: The Risks of Caring Without Clear Boundaries May 17, 2024, at 3 p.m. PDT - Blair Gross and David McAleavey: Leveraging the UK Household Longitudinal Study to Explore Social Baseline Theory May 24, 2024, at 9 a.m. PDT -  Heinrich Volmink: Ubuntu and the Noosphere: Exploring Insights for Collective Consciousness and Prosociality June 3 to 7, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. PDT -  David Sloan Wilson: Transforming Business and Education- Leading towards Flourishing May 6, 2024, at 1 p.m. PDT - The Oregon Environmental Council is offering a virtual webinar taking a closer look at This Year's State Legislative Session. Their guest speaker is Senator Janeen Sollman, Senate Energy and Environment Committee Chair. She played a pivotal role as an environmental champion this session, including passing Oregon’s landmark Right to Repair legislation. Register here. May 6, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. PDT - Third Act is presenting a webinar: Welcome to Third Act: Let’s Get Started. Join Third Act's volunteers and learn about campaigns, Working Groups, and how you can plug into our growing network. Bill McKibben is the founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of sixty for progressive change, and a contributing writer to The New Yorker. Read Bill's April 25, 2024 article The Biden Administration’s Plan to Make American Homes More Efficient.  Register here May 9, 2024 - FIC is starting a 6-week online course: Communication and Relationship Building in Community. "Learn how to speak your mind, discern your thoughts, and be a better listener." Learn more and register here. May 15, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. PDT - Citizens' Climate Lobby will be presenting: Race, Climate, and Culture Conversation. Free. Register here. May 16, 2024 - The 6th annual Creativity Conference at Southern Oregon University will kick off Thursday, May 16, and run through Sunday, May 19. The four-day event features a dynamic, global lineup with over 100 presenters, including five keynote speakers. See the conference website for a full listing of this year’s program. May 16, 2024, from 7-9 p.m. PDT - Southern Oregon public hearing, in the Jackson County Auditorium, 7520 Table Rock Rd., Central Point, OR, for Groundwater Allocation rule-making (about strengthening standards for acquiring groundwater water rights) with written comments due May 31, 2024. May 18, 19, 25, and 26, 2024 - The Guild for Spiritual Guidance, and the Human Energy Project are co-sponsoring a webinar series with Dr. Emily DeMoor Intersubjectivity and the Noosphere: Love, entanglement, and Convergence.  Register here. May 22, 2024, from 4-5 p.m. PDT - The BTS Center is presenting an online webinar: Collective Honesty and Complicated Hope: An Evening with Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Scientist, with conversationalists Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, Rabbi Laura Bellows, and William Morris. The registration fee is $15. Register here. May 23, 2024 - Process & Faith, in collaboration with The Cobb Institute, is offering a six-session course: 12 Universal Spiritual Principles to Freedom and Intimacy Solving Life's Problems throughTransreligious Spiritual Principles. Karl Y. will link these 12 principles to the writing of Alfred North Whitehead to understand them in transreligious spiritual ways that are compatible with process-relational thought. Learn more & sign up: https://buff.ly/3wfucQU May 24-25, 2024 - Claremont ECO Forum is having an in-person forum: The Great Turning: Towards an Ecological Civilization Aiming at the Common Good of Humanity and Nature at Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, This will be the 17th International Forum on Ecological Civilization and the 6th International Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization. Register here. May 28, 2024, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. PDT - SOCAN's Monthly Meeting will take place in the large meeting room of the Medford Public Library, 205 South Central, Medford, OR. The topic this month is: Why do we need the Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment? This calendar is sent only once-a-month by email, and does not include other interesting articles from this past month: Living on this Planet, in Harmony, for the Good of All Methane - Between a Rock and a Charred Place Intentional Community An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice A Quaker New Story The Matter With Things A New Story of the Universe Climate Change and U.S. Politics Oregon's 2024 Legislative Session Transition to Electric Vehicles Creating Cosmogenesis Through Art Rogue Valley's Water Situation National Week of Conversation The Great Turning

"Food Revolution Network is committed to healthy, ethical, and sustainable food for all. Guided by John and Ocean Robbins, with more than 500,000 members and with the collaboration of many of the top food revolutionary leaders of our times, Food Revolution Network aims to empower individuals, build community, and transform food systems to support healthy people and a healthy planet." The Need To GROW documentary "explores the profound connection between soil health, food security, and environmental sustainability. Through the lens of three extraordinary innovators and their cutting-edge solutions, the film sheds light on the fragility of our current food system and advocates for responsible, regenerative agriculture. Watch the film for FREE for four days. "Registrants will have an opportunity to purchase an Impact Kit that helps you put all the learnings from The Need To GROW into action. The Impact Kit is a collection of 15 powerful 45-minute lessons featuring experts on gardening, composting, healing foods and herbs, soil’s connection to the microbiome, removing pesticides from your community, and more. It also comes with lifetime digital film access, full-length expert interviews from the film, deleted scenes, and more than $500 worth of bonuses. The Impact Kit sells for $197 and is offered on sale during the limited-time screening for just $97 — and for fast action takers from the screening page, $67." “Soil health is a crisis that not enough people know about, even though it affects all other environmental issues. The stories are an inspiring example of resilience and solutions in a time when so much talk is focused on doom and gloom.” ~ Rosario Dawson, Executive Producer and Narrator

How can we build more trust and collaboration in the groups and networks we care about? How can we work together to make the difference we are striving for? ProSocial World hopes to offer some answers in their upcoming, seven-week, online course: Becoming ProSocial: Building Trust and Collaboration in our Groups and Networks. The experience is being offered in two sessions: June 4 to July 17, 2024 and October 1 to November 12, 2024. The cost of the course is ‍$300, which covers the full cost for ProSocial World to administer the course. Participants who contribute a higher amount allow scholarships for others. Click here for more information and to register The main objectives of the course are "to practice psychological flexibility and listening in community; to get a taste of the prosocial community of practice; and to empower us all to improve our groups and communities. The experience is being facilitated by Dounia Saeme, ProSocial World Community Development Manager, and Paul Atkins ProSocial World Cofounder & Vice President. The ProSocial model is designed to enhance self-awareness, responsiveness, and collaboration by using ideas drawn from cultural evolutionary theory, Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel prize-winning design principles for groups, and the contemplative and behavioral sciences. Central are three core processes diagramed above (Self awareness and responsiveness; shared purpose and vision: and collective action and co-evolution. In Governing the Commons, Ostrom summarized eight design principles that were present in the sustainable common pool resource institutions she studied. In order to consciously evolve a world that works for all. and catalyze rapid, positive cultural change we will need to recognize our interconnectedness and continuously improve the relationships we have with ourselves, each other and the planet." ~ ProSocial World

"Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting— over and over announcing your place in the family of things." ~ Mary Oliver May 2, 2024, at 1-2:30 p.m. PDT - Global Kinship is presenting a virtual webinar with science ambasador J.D. Stillwater: One Song: The Science of Unity. Registration is required: Register here. "For millennia mystics and prophets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything from human bodies to ecosystems to the very fabric of space-time. In short, science agrees: “All is one.” JD Stillwater refers to himself as a "Science  Ambassador, Presenter, Writer, Musician, Coach, Big-picture Thinker, and Cultural Worker." "JD’s work springs from his love of science and his tendency to care more about implications than conventions. What he brings to the global conversation is a gift for making difficult science concepts accessible for non-scientists, then taking them further into the profound implications that those concepts engender." "JD’s full-time mission is to lead the wider culture toward a worldview that is more aligned with how reality works. The currently dominant worldview of separation and exploitation only offers imminent planetary catastrophe. To be effective in creating more sustainable systems, we must change the way we think." Visit JD Stillwater's YouTube Channel. "Global Kinship, Exploring the Emerging Noosphere, addresses the phenomenon of the complexification of human creativity, technology, and consciousness that has evolved within our species - from the first "Aha!" moments of the earliest tribes to this rapidly rising consciousness and interconnectivity among humans around the world." "Through technology, culture, arts, economics, medicine, sociability, the human heart, and a shared concern for our ecological fragility, we are quickly becoming a global community." "One hundred years ago, Pierre Teilhard and Vladimir Vernadsky predicted that Earth, through us, would grow a new layer beyond the geosphere and biosphere. They named this layer the Noosphere. To participate in this meeting of the minds, we need to pay attention to what is happening both inside and outside of us. That is the purpose of these webinars. We are exploring the emerging Noosphere as it emerges through us."

In April 2023 I participated in an adult education program of Ashland UCC where we discussed a series of videos produced by the Human Energy Project about the emerging noosphere - the collective, global mind (super-organism), identified 100 years ago by Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. This led to my invitation to participate in summer 2023 in a 10-week Master Class called the Science of the Noosphere; this was led by evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson, One of the participants in the Master Class was Kurt Johnson, co-author of the 2012 book The Coming Interspiritual Age. Kurt Johnson was trained as a scientist and became friends with David Sloan Wilson who co-founded ProSocial World. Kurt is also a leader in the unititive Holomovement. The image above is from a YouTube PowerPoint video with Kurt Johnson and David Currie, based on Currie's 2022 book For the Good of All, NOW!: Be Your Own Circle of Happiness and Serenity... From Local to Global. It describes "a comprehensive plan of action for humanity to gather as a multicellular superorganism committed to elevating and manifesting a world that works for all of us." This world doesn’t exist yet. It is a world clearly demanding humans to make different choices! The program Currie describes "invites you as stakeholders in life to consider a simple, 'Four Turns' path that draws on our natural, holistic powers and compassion, to cohere and replicate around a unique compelling evolutionarily grounded mix of strategies, structures, and practices, and to step on this path together.' The YouTube PowerPoint video (below) is the product of HYLO Groups at both Prosocial and the Holomovement. It is co-produced with the Evolutionary Leaders Synergy Circles/Humanity's Stream Video Hub which has 700,000 subscribers. For The Good of All, NOW! movement Synergy Circles of the Evolutionary Leaders Synergy Circle, Prosocial World Evolutionary Leaders Circles Holomovement Prosocial Nexus Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences ProSocial World also offers a variety of online seminars this spring: May 3, 2024, at 3 p.m. PDT - Shigeru Miyagowa: Quest for Fire and ChatGPT: AI from the Perspective of Human Evolution May 10, 2024, at 9 a.m. PDT - Barbara Oakley: The Empathy Commons: The Risks of Caring Without Clear Boundaries May 17, 2024, at 3 p.m. PDT - Blair Gross and David McAleavey: Leveraging the UK Household Longitudinal Study to Explore Social Baseline Theory May 24, 2024, at 9 a.m. PDT -  Heinrich Volmink: Ubuntu and the Noosphere: Exploring Insights for Collective Consciousness and Prosociality June 3 to 7, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. PDT -  David Sloan Wilson: Transforming Business and Education- Leading towards Flourishing