IONS celebrates the extraordinary life of Jean Houston, PhD, scholar, philosopher and researcher in Human Capacities, who was one of the foremost visionary thinkers and doers of our time. Long regarded as one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement, Jean was noted for her ability to combine a deep knowledge of history, culture, new science, spirituality and human development into her teaching. She remains known for her inter-disciplinary perspective delivered in inspirational and humorous keynote addresses. A prolific writer, Jean was the author of 26 books including “Jump Time”, “A Passion for the Possible”, “Search for the Beloved”, “Life Force”, “The Possible Human”, “Public Like a Frog”, “A Mythic Life: Learning to Live Our Greater Story”, and “Manual of the Peacemaker”.
Her profound impact reached far across the globe. As Advisor to UNICEF in human and cultural development, she worked around the world helping to implement some of their extensive educational programs. In September of 1999, she traveled to Dharamsala, India as a member of a group chosen to work with the Dalai Lama in a learning and advisory capacity. Jean also served in an advisory capacity to President and Mrs. Clinton as well as assisting Mrs. Clinton in her writing of her book, “It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us”. She met with President and Mrs. Carter, and with leaders in many countries and cultures. Even as a high school student, she worked closely with another First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, in developing strategies to introduce international awareness and United Nations work to young people.
She will be remembered as a woman whose brilliance inspired Buckminster Fuller to proclaim Jean Houston’s mind should be considered a national treasure. Jean was also one of the most evocative and entertaining speakers on aligning the human spirit, potential and action with the needs of the time.
IONS Board Secretary Richard Cohn reflected on her everlasting legacy:
“In my experience with Jean, we have all been brought together for a purpose. Her desire was to prepare humanity for a coming shift in the energetic and vibrational field on this planet. Jean was a healer and a teacher who was able to amplify the resonance of her thoughts and words to inspire each person she met.
She was also a gardener in the field of human consciousness who loved to sow the seeds of human potential to build a new legacy, a collective amalgam of unfolding opportunities in service to a higher good at a time when it was most needed.”
Jean’s talks are legendary for their ability to inspire, inform and activate her audience. Her lifetime passion was to encourage the inherent possibilities, visions and capacities that lie within each person and/or group, and translate them into positive action—a powerful legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.
WATCH JEAN’S EMPOWERING message
