Since our founding in 1973 by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell and a handful of close allies, IONS has been working at the intersection of rigorous science and transformative experience to expand our understanding of the origins and nature of consciousness in ways that can lead to a global mind change, one acknowledging the interconnectedness of all things and providing more holistic views of human nature and purpose.
In 2023, the increasing evolutionary pressure on humanity means IONS is intensifying our efforts to understand what it means to be a leader of the noetic sciences today. These efforts inform our strategy for helping science finally transcend the dominant, limited reductionist paradigm, and impact our everyday world of human perception and behavior in ways that are reflective of a new paradigm of wholeness. We know how we choose to move forward has urgent consequences, and that our world is at a tipping point — which can be seen as a moment of profound opportunity during which real, fundamental change is most possible.
At our 50th anniversary launch event last month, IONS awarded the first annual Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize to three teams for pioneering, testable theories demonstrating that consciousness is not limited to the brain. The event (and the synchronistic happening the day before at the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness; see “IONS Announces Winners of the $100,000 Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize” for more information) was a testament to the increasing relevance of our legacy and the rising vitality of the noetic sciences. Almost 4,500 people registered for the online event. Will we see the same kind of progress with the science of consciousness beyond the brain that we’ve seen with the growing mainstream acknowledgment of the benefits of meditation, and the mind-body connection? Only time will tell, but it will be key to bringing about the new wave of evolution for humanity that Edgar Mitchell believed his epiphany in space about the oneness of all life foreshadowed.
The world needs the insights that IONS has been sharing about the true nature of consciousness and reality now more than ever. To meet this moment, we’ve been optimizing our science and our organization. Thanks to our dedicated donors, community, staff and board, our operating budget is balanced, we have a growing endowment, and our planning and execution is collaborative and agile. We’re generating new excitement in the scientific community and in the online conference space, we’re expanding our partnerships and areas of impact and completing our leadership team. We’re profoundly grateful for all that’s been achieved and put into motion for our 50th year, and for all of you. As IONS celebrates our Golden Anniversary and looks beyond to the next 50 years of impact, we know our ability to help usher in a true Golden Age for humanity and our planet will depend on an entire community of noetic pioneers.
-Claudia Welss, IONS Board Chair and Interim CEO
