Amidst the beautiful redwood forest of the Santa Cruz mountains, IONS Circle Members, Board, Staff, and special guests came together for Circle Weekend on October 18th through 20th at Green Mountain Retreat Center in Los Gatos, CA. The weekend was full of noetic connections, powerful experientials, and stimulating discussions on leading-edge consciousness research through the lens of noetic science.
Connecting with IONS Science Team and Leadership
Check out the video.
Each member of the IONS science team presented their latest research, and offered topic-specific lunch discussions to dive deeper into personal questions. Helané Wahbeh reviewed the latest channeling research, including a sneak peek of the new Norms and Patterns paper. Garrett Yount shared the incredible results of his lucid dreaming study and provided an overview of his latest gut-brain telepathy study. Arnaud Delorme’s thought-provoking presentation explored the intersection of consciousness, quantum mechanics, and psi phenomena. Chief Scientist Dean Radin joined via Zoom to participate in panel discussions and share updates about his latest SIGIL (Scientific Investigation of Gazing with Intuition at Light) experiment on mind-matter interaction. Chair of the Board Claudia Welss and President Thomas Brophy shared important developments at IONS and in the world since gathering for 2022’s Circle Weekend and discussed the organization’s future direction, welcoming feedback from Circle Members.
Special Guests
Special guests from Harvard and the University of Arizona took the stage with Thomas Brophy for a panel discussion on new research and to answer poignant audience questions. The special guests included Anita Goel, CEO of Nanobiosym Diagnostics and associate physics professor at Harvard; Dante Lauretta, professor of planetary science at U of A and principal investigator on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx project; and Stuart Hameroff, professor of psychology and anesthesiology also from U of A who co-founded the Science of Consciousness Conference and co-authored the Orchestrated Objective Reductionist model of consciousness with Sir Roger Penrose. Exciting new possibilities for collaboration emerged.
Noetic Experientials
Circle Members were treated to two captivating noetic experiential sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings led by sound healer and classically trained opera singer Zoe Scaljon and spiritual medium Austyn Wells. Zoe uses both crystal instruments and her voice to lead her sessions, putting the audience into a deep state of relaxation. She also led a guided meditation Saturday morning to help start the day with an open heart and relaxed nervous system.
On Saturday evening attendees enjoyed a cocktail reception, along with a group convening led by longtime IONS supporter Jan Ogren. A silent auction followed which included items signed by IONS founder Edgar Mitchell, two RNGs (random number generators, one from the original Global Consciousness Project and a nextgen version from GCP2.0), and much more. This was followed by a presentation over dinner from Dante Lauretta on the OSIRIS-REx project, the first US-led mission to collect samples from an asteroid.
Watch a clip from Austyn Wells’ meditation
Later that evening, attendees were invited to experience a demonstration of mediumship led by Austyn Wells. The audience was wowed as messages from deceased loved ones came through, and where else but Circle Weekend does one get to experience such a demonstration in an intimate setting surrounded by scientists who study such phenomena? Arnaud Delorme has published research about evidential mediumship and psi-phenomena’s relationship with the brain, and his new studies of mediums are launching soon. Austyn wrapped up the experiential sessions on Sunday morning with a meditation connecting us to all beings.
Beautiful Retreat Center Reminiscent of EarthRise
Throughout all the fascinating discussions of the weekend, the beautiful backdrop of Green Mountain Retreat Center, chosen because of its similarity to our beloved EarthRise Campus, was present. The most commonly shared feedback was how wonderful it is to be amongst fellow noetic seekers with a shared passion for exploring the mysteries of consciousness while immersed in nature.
It’s All About Connection
The weekend included the opportunity for guests to get to know behind-the-scenes board members, including Linda G. O’Bryant of the Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize, Vice-Chair Azim Khamisa and George Zimmer (on sabbatical). As one of our Circle Members, Wayne Maultsby, said, which perfectly summed up the weekend: “There is a larger percentage of people that I’m interested in being with here than any place else in my life.” Every single person contributed to making 2024 Circle Weekend a very special gathering. Thank you!
