Bethany Gonyea founded the Resonant Peaceful Cities Project because she wanted everyone to learn how to use the free technology of their nervous system to reach the highest and best within them on demand. She has observed thousands of people, both privately and publically, move into more resourceful places within themselves within moments. The Resonant Peaceful Cities Project offers the fundamentals of this work to as many people as possible to perform peace meditation research that demonstrates when relatively few people move into this resilient space, they lift the whole as evidenced by a decrease in violence.
Do you ever want to make a difference in the world, but feel too tired and overwhelmed?
Do you ever watch the news and feel discouraged that you can’t change it?
Do you often feel stressed and trapped with life’s challenges?
Then learn how to overcome all these challenges by participating in the third annual Albany Peace Project! The Albany Peace Project is a 10 year research study designed to determine if an organized group of trained meditators creating a peaceful “coherent state” in their bodies and then focusing these peaceful intentions outwardly can measurably reduce local violence. Our hypothesis is that focused peaceful intention has a real world impact, and dozens of other research studies suggest it as well. We are gathering data to determine if this approach can positively impact the city of Albany, NY.
Not only does achieving a coherent state dramatically enhance the lives of individuals, but it has remarkable applications for the workplace. As individuals achieve a coherent state, they are much more likely to work better in groups.
The Albany Peace Project (APP) team is currently working toward gathering 2,500 participants to meditate/pray/focus to achieve coherence together for 15 minutes a day for the month of January 2016 while sending peaceful intentions to the City of Albany. Simultaneously, research will be conducted to record any favorable changes in the Albany, NY crime rates.
Research Protocol
Albany Peace Project team, lead by founder, Bethany Gonyea, MS and State University of Albany Mathematics professor, Karin Reinhold, PhD, are drawing inspiration for their research protocol from the Maharishi University and from the impressive research team of Lynn Mctaggert, author of The Intention Experiment. To date, dozens of studies have been performed, many published in peer reviewed journals, that suggests when a relatively small amount of people meditate there appears to be a corresponding calming of the entire population. (See a brief summary is listed below)
For the past two years, we have been fortunate to be collaborating with the Institute of HeartMath which has graciously approved use of their evidence-based Heart Lock-In Technique.® This state of the art mind-body tool leads the body-mind into a state known as Coherence, which facilitates synchronization between the heart and brain. Coherence is a “sweet spot” in your nervous system, and Institute of Heartmath’s emWave instrument provides reliable feedback to individuals to help them achieve and sustain a coherent state. The coherent pattern is characterized by its regular, sine-wave-like waveform, as contrasted to the irregular, jagged wave form of frustration.
When this state of coherence is maintained, it allows individuals to distinguish between the voice in the head, often the critical voice, and the one in the heart, where positive feelings of love, caring, and appreciation originate. Learning how to “think” from the heart quickly transforms individuals in ways they may never have dreamed possible. Learn the steps of the Heart Lock-In technique in the powerful book The HeartMath Solution, by Doc Childre and Howard Martin or purchase an emWave device to be sure you are in coherence by clicking here.
How The Albany Peace Project Will Add To This Inspiring Research…
The Albany Peace Project is a landmark historic effort. It is the first time that a city has organized from grass roots to invite people of all different religion, political and socioeconomic backgrounds to come together and simply contemplate and intend the common goal of peace.
Not just talk about peace…but become peace.
The Albany Peace Project has been created with the acknowledgement that not all faiths or political parties can agree on doctrine or political strategies, but they can certainly agree to employ focused healing intentions to reduce human suffering.
Political pundits can talk about peace, but how well are they actually doing? As hard as governing officials may work for the peace, they still need our support to help change the hearts and minds of people. Because until we shift as individuals, we will not shift as a whole. Establishing peace is work that needs to be done “by the people for the people,” which means we need participation from caring citizens such as yourself to do this incredibly empowering and promising research.
We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein
Research demonstrates that when people become coherent, they become more empathetic, which enables them to more easily make wise and compassionate choices not only for themselves, but for the people around them.
We need to become the peace before we can beckon peace. How else will peace be accomplished unless we ourselves become peaceful, and from that peaceful state allow a greater compassionate wisdom to emerge?
Can this actually work? There is a growing amount of evidence to suggest it will and time is of the essence. Have you seen the news lately? Your participation is incredibly important both for ourselves and the next generation. How grateful our children will be when we leave them this research? This project will literally “make history” by empowering people to realize that how we focus our intentions influences what we experience.
But, We can’t do this research without your help.
Research suggests there is a “dosage effect”…which means we need a large enough “dose” of people participating before we will see a corresponding calming result. What is that percentage? We are not sure, we think at least 1%, but only time will tell. That is why this is a 10 year research study. We need to teach and train many many people.
Please tell your friends and family about taking advantage of this unique opportunity. If you think of any other tools we can offer, please send your suggestions to info@numinousonline.com, and LIKE AlbanyPeaceProject on Facebook and let us know you are there.
Help us encourage 2500 participants to take charge of their own health, by teaching people how to lead their own nervous system into states of much greater health and well-being, while simultaneously reducing the suffering of complete strangers…it is a Win-Win!
Thank you for your interest and support!
The Albany Peace Project Team
Sampling of Studies Suggesting that Collective Meditation Corresponds With a Calming Effect On The Entire Population
One Example: Transcendental Meditation Research Organization
Washington D.C.: June 7th – July 30th in 1993
For two months during the summer of 1993, up to 4000 people meditated twice a day. The maximum decrease in violent crime was 23.3% and it occurred when the the meditation group size was largest during the final week of the project.
As the number of meditators increased throughout the 8 weeks, violent crimes decreased
Source: Social Indicators Research, 47(2): 153-201
More Examples: Similar studies document a correlation between when a small percentage of people meditating lowered violence on the entire geographical population. They have been published in the following prestigious journals:
Journal of Conflict Resolution, 34, 756-768 (1990); 32(4), 776-812 (1988)
Journal of Mind and Behavior, 9(4), 457-486 (1988); 8,(1), 67-104 (1987)
Psychological Reports, 76, 1171-1193(1995)
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 36 (1-4), 283-302 (2003)
Psychology Crime and Law 2(3), 165-174 (1996)
Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 17(1): 285-338 (2005)
Journal of Crime and Justice, 4 25-45 (1981)
Social Indicators Research, 47,153-201. (1999); 22, 399-418 (1990).
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science 95(1),1 (1988)
9/11 Peace Experiment on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11
Participants from 75 countries, from Iceland to Brazil, from California to Indonesia, and also every Arab country on the planet sent peaceful intentions to reduce violence in Afghanistan
From 9/11/11 to 9/18/11 participants all over the globe spend 15 minutes sent positive intentions, specifically to the southwest corner of Afghanistan, Helmand and Kandahar
Results Recorded: Decrease In Civilian Casualties In Afganistan
2011 Month
#Civilians Killed
% Drop In Deaths Compared to Prior Month
% Drop in Deaths Compared to Average Death Rate for 28 Months Prior
August
440
September
340
22% fewer deaths
10% fewer deaths
October
290
14% fewer deaths
23% fewer deaths
November
201
30% fewer deaths
26% fewer deaths
Decrease In Attacks By The Taliban In The Specific Areas In Afghanistan that were chosen to receive Peaceful Intentions (Helmand and Kandahar)
Month % Decrease In Attacks Compared To The Same Month in 2010
September 790% Decrease in Attacks
October 500% Decrease in Attacks
November 400% Decrease In Attacks
The NATO led security mission in Afganistan that was formed in 2001, The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reported this time as the “longest sustained downward trend in enemy-initiated attacks recorded by ISAF” (since 2001). Source: UN and NATO Reports
It is with amazing gratitude that I write this post…As I look at each of these events, I recognize how blessed we are because I have met so many wonderful people of such wisdom and depth. You will see below that we are collaborating with amazing individuals. There is an event for almost everyone here this month, and two events will be held in beautiful outdoor places. Please scroll all the way down…all of these events support our efforts to encourage intentions for peace research. Living The Discipline of Conscious Intentionality Bethany Gonyea, NUMINOUS founder Wednesday June 1, at 7:00 PM Unity Church of Albany
More and more research is documenting that our mental intentions have real world impact. As we come to grasp the enormous implications of this research, we learn how important it becomes that we create through conscious intention rather than unconscious default. With Intention…everything counts…so we need to be brutally honest with ourselves about what intentions we are emitting at all times. We also need be aware when we are going “unconscious.” Conscious Intention only works when we are inputting the same signal into the field repeatedly, and we don’t fall asleep at the wheel.
To skillfully sculpt our lives through intention, we need to learn the discipline of keeping our desires alive while facing life’s inevitable challenges. We will discuss the concept that maintaining conscious intentions is similar to living from the peaceful eye of a storm. We may see all softs of things flying in the wind but learn not to attach to them and fly away ourselves. We will also discuss what is our role in creating our lives and how to interface skillfully with the Loving Intelligence that connects us all, to sculpt a lives of the deepest meaning and engagement.
$ 20 Donation Appreciated
The Jaguar Path: the Benefits of Shamanic Skills in Every Day Life – Part 1 Ray Crist, Shaman and Founder of The Jaguar Path Yoga School Wednesday June 8, at 7:00 PM Unity Church in Albany
Shamans are men and women who heal themselves an train others to cultivate their power and abilities to heal by learning to shift into “second attention” First attention includes all of the ordinary information we experience through our five senses every day. However, Shamans also access information form “Second Attention”, which means they sense the additional energy and information flowing around the filters of our five senses. A power innate to all of us. “Listen to your heart” ” Trust your gut feeling” etc.
When we train to widen our perceptual fields we can access this wealth of information along with a quite confidence and inner peace. Through the tools you will learn you will accelerate your healing and find both courage and the capacity to make the changes your heart and higher self wants you to make!
By training our minds to sense and become aware of this subtle information the way shamans do, we gain access to a whole new breadth of information that can be highly advantageous to our path. We can even start to make changes without “white knuckling” them, because we have accelerated accessing the crisp clarity required for sudden change. As we learn how to access this occluded information we gain great wisdom and discernment, and our steps become more sure.
In this class, we are happy to invite back by popular demand, Ray Crist, founder of the Jaguar Path School of Yoga and Shamanism. Ray will be offering us some practical Shamanic tools and understandings He will share with us how Shamanic training can help westerners to: – Learn tools that will help heal past traumas – develop an abiding sense of personal power, integrity and authenticity – understand your place and purpose in life – develop innate psychic impressions (second attention) and understand them as a spiritual resource – deepen creative inspiration and expression – strengthen established regular spiritual practices – deepen your understanding of your personal relationships with nature, people, and living environments – experience deep mystical states that can elevate and stabilize you morally, spiritually and emotionally
This fall, Ray will be opening a chapter of his Jaguar Path Yoga School through NUMINOUS this fall, so we will be offering similar classes so that people can get a good experience of his work, and learn whether they would like to expand their training through the comprehensive 9 month program . Ray is a grounded teacher, who loves to combine contemporary life with established primordial wisdom practices to help us live lives of greater meaning, purpose, ease and majestic wonder.
$ 20 Donation Appreciated
SPECIAL EVENT: Introduction to Alternatives To Violence and Numinous’s new program: Mindfulness As A Solution To Violence (MASV) Quaker Friends Meeting House 727 Madison Ave, Albany, NY 12208 June 11 – 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Are you interested in working with helping to reduce youth violence?
This meeting will introduce people to a new program that Numinous is starting called, Mindfulness As A Solution to Violence. A large component of this program will be Alternatives to Violence practices. This class will be taught by Bernard Shuman who holds a Gold Certificate for teaching and facilitating Alternatives to Violence, the highest certification possible and has spent thousands over 8,000 hours volunteering his time to support others in turning away from crime, hatred, helplessness, and hopelessness, while urging them to turn toward faith, emotional healing, and offering assistance to others. During his 24 year tenure in the NYS Department of Corrections, Mr. Shuman’s contributions were invaluable in creating the environment in Otisville Correctional Facility as the “Otisville Peace Academy.”
AVP Workshops are intensive learning experience which teaches interpersonal conflict resolution skills through a series of step-by-step processes. These experiences in small groups and one-to-one interactions build a sense of community and trust through exercises focusing on: The Advance AVP workshop focuses on the underlying causes of violence, both in ourselves and in the world we live in. It is designed to give participants opportunities to rebuild community, review in depth the concept of Transforming Power and proceed to set individual and group goals for the focus of the remainder of the workshop
This meeting will be offer some practical Alternatives To Violence Skills, and will facilitate a group discussion for expanding efforts in Albany, NY. If you have any interest in this subject, please attend. The goal of Mindfulness As A Solution To Violence is that we start a wave of peace within young people in the Albany area…As Bernard says, possibly starting the Albany Peace Academy.
An Introduction to the Avatar Material – Living Deliberately Anna Witt. Avatar Master Wednesday June 15, at 7:00 PM Unity Church of Albany
In this class we are fortunate to have Anna Witt, master of the extremely profound Avatar materials synthesized and collected by Harry Palmer. The Avatar® Course is a set of practical, effective tools that allows people, in a very short time, to identify and change the conclusions, decisions, and agreements that are shaping their lives. Participants set new goals or revive old ones, and use their rediscovered powers, create opportunities,motivation, and the courage to pursue dreams.
“Avatar is a non – religious practice that allows a person to reconnect with their true spiritual self. And along the way, students discover the source of issues, problems and concerns, learn ways to resolve and eliminate those issues, problems and concerns, and as a consequence gain the ability to create the life they want. This is known as living deliberately.”
So, Avatar doesn’t really discuss what is consciousness per se, but it provides you with fundamentals tools on how your consciousness works.
“Allow yourself the gift of universal perspective. Wisdom will appear and your actions will be motivated by an intuitive, spontaneous, benevolent intent. There is no regret. Do useful things. Help others for the delight of helping others. Concentrate on adding value to the world rather than consuming the world.” – Harry Palmer, author of the Avatar materials
$20 Donation appreciated
RARE SPECIAL EVENT: Aini Despacho & Sacred Fire Ceremony
Ceremony for Gratitude, Abundance and Resetting Ray Crist and Don Sebastian Paucar Flores June 18, 2016 – 6:00- 9:00pm – $50, $40 for NUMINOUS participants Austerlitz NY (40 minutes southeast of Albany)
Numinous attendees have been fortunate to receive an invitation from Ray Crist, Founder of the Jaguar Path Yoga and Shamanic school to participate in a ceremony of gratitude performed by Q’ero SebastianPauccar Flores who was born in the village Q’eros in the Andes at 17,000ft. Don Sebastian has been initiated as a Pacho and holds the Incan lineage from father to son for hundreds of years. Don Sebastian travels internationally and shares his heart connection to Pachamama. Several books are written about him, including The Andean Codex written by J.E. Williams, known as Santiago in the book. He shares all the ways that Sebastian taught Santiago the Andean Teachings in the Mountains of the Andes.
We invite you to share sacred space, clear and recharge your energy field, strengthen your balance and love in these challenging times, and offer your heartfelt gratitude for the abundance you have, or would like to have, in your life. Through ceremony we will cultivate gratitude for our provision and offer a thank you and remind our selves what is most important in life by honoring and appreciating our abundance, intimate relationships, jobs, home, family, health, dreams and plans. The Aini despachio ceremony brings balance to our relationship because as we connect with mother earth we regain perspective of what is real and important in life which helps us to swiftly gain focus which automatically enables us to repriorities and make choices that uphold what is most important to us!
Overcoming Chronic Pain by Tending to Mind, Body and Spirit Cindly Perlin, LMSW, Author, The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free Wednesday June 22 at 7:00 PM Unity Church of Albany
The presenter, Cindy Perlin, is a licensed clinical social worker, certified biofeedback practitioner, chronic pain survivor and author of The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free. Cindy will discuss the dangers of most conventional pain treatments and how to develop a safe, effective treatment plan that incorporates body-based, mind-based and spirituality-based approaches to maximize your healing potential.
“Doctors are trained to treat the result and not the cause. Cindy Perlin’s book reveals important and significant information about the many effective treatments for pain other than a pill prescribed by your doctor. I know from my experience as a surgeon that there are many treatments, from emotional to physical, which can heal the cause and relieve the resulting pain. This book is a wonderful resource for those in need of relief from pain. I have also personally experienced energy healing and the effectiveness of hypnosis in my life and work. I know from my experience that what Cindy shares speaks the truth.” – Bernie Siegel, MD, Author of The Art of Healing and Love, Medicine & Miracles
To see more endorsements for Cindy’s amazing book…visit cindyperlin.com
$20 Donation Appreciated
Albany Peace Project Volunteer Meeting Wednesday June 29 at 7:00 PM Unity Church of Albany
Lots to do for several events. We could use your help. Please consider coming out and working with some of the kindest, light hearted people who love to laugh and enjoy making the world a little happier place.
Note: We recommend you come early 6:30 to take part in the silent meditation at Unity Church lead by Rev. Crystal Muldrow. Experience how you can often deeper in your own meditation by meditating with a group.
Donations Accepted
The Jaguar Path: the Benefits of Shamanic Skills in Every Day Life – Part 2 Stable Gate Winery Sunday June 26 from 10-12:30 10 Linda Way Castleton-on-Hudson, NY info@stablegatewinery.com www.stablegatewinery.com
For this event, we are so blessed to be able to learn shamanic skills outdoors through the invitation of Val Feldman, owner operator of Stable Gate Winery, only 15 minutes from Albany.
Shamans are men and women who heal themselves an train others to cultivate their power and abilities to heal by learning to shift into “second attention” First attention includes all of the ordinary information we experience through our five senses every day. However, Shamans also access information form “Second Attention”, which means they sense the additional energy and information flowing around the filters of our five senses. A power innate to all of us. “Listen to your heart” ” Trust your gut feeling” etc.
When we train to widen our perceptual fields we can access this wealth of information along with a quite confidence and inner peace. Through the tools you will learn you will accelerate your healing and find both courage and the capacity to make the changes your heart and higher self wants you to make!
By training our minds to sense and become aware of this subtle information the way shamans do, we gain access to a whole new breadth of information that can be highly advantageous to our path. We can even start to make changes without “white knuckling” them, because we have accelerated accessing the crisp clarity required for sudden change. As we learn how to access this occluded information we gain great wisdom and discernment, and our steps become more sure.
In this class, we are happy to invite back by popular demand, Ray Crist, founder of the Jaguar Path School of Yoga and Shamanism. Ray will be offering us some practical Shamanic tools and understandings He will share with us how Shamanic training can help westerners to:
– Learn tools that will help heal past traumas – develop an abiding sense of personal power, integrity and authenticity – understand your place and purpose in life – develop innate psychic impressions (second attention) and understand them as a spiritual resource – deepen creative inspiration and expression – strengthen established regular spiritual practices – deepen your understanding of your personal relationships with nature, people, and living environments – experience deep mystical states that can elevate and stabilize you morally, spiritually and emotionally
This fall, Ray will be opening a chapter of his Jaguar Path Yoga School through NUMINOUS this fall, so we will be offering similar classes so that people can get a good experience of his work, and learn whether they would like to expand their training through the comprehensive 9 month program . Ray is a grounded teacher, who loves to combine contemporary life with established primordial wisdom practices to help us live lives of greater meaning, purpose, ease and majestic wonder.
In case of rain, we will be working in a large space indoors…bring your curiosity and a healthy desire to perceive things in your life differently!
APP Volunteer Meeting – Wed. 4/27/16 at 7:00 PM Unity Church
Hey Everyone. This year the Albany Peace Project/Numinous has set ambitious goals to help inspire peace in Albany.
If you are interested in volunteering with a group of light hearted good natured people who love to laugh, and who understand that peace is just a few thoughts away, please come out this Wednesday evening April 27 at 7:00 PM at the Unity Church of Albany and add your insights. Please review the list below and see where your talents fit! The first four items need immediate attention.
Interfaith Prayer Study Committee
Help is needed to gather 2500 people of faith who are willing to do a 15 minute prayer meditation for peace for eight days between July 24-July 31.
Fundraising Committee Event
We have a fundraising event scheduled for 10/1 tentatively at the Unitarian Church in Albany. Our current idea is to offer hors d’oeuvres from 6:30-8:30 PM with music and seven stations where people can learn about the various outreach functions of Numinous.
Stations:
Mindfulness As A Solution to Violence (MASV)
Albany Peace Project
Institute of Heartmath Coherence Software Demonstrations
Numinous – programs
Interfaith Prayer Study
Mindfulness For Busy People
Mindfulness in Schools
We need a committee to do the following to help with this event :
organize food donations
find printing donations
establish a guest list.
help organize and run the event
Marketing Committee –
Help is needed to raise money for our new initiative Mindfulness As A Solution to Violence, where youth learn both alternatives to violence practices and also biofeedback self regulation skills that they can learn to reliably call upon to calm their nervous systems during the chaos of conflict. We feel that this is where we can make the greatest difference toward peace in the Albany, NY area. Businesses may want to support this initiative, because businesses often suffer the consequences of youth violence. Mindfulness As A Solution To Violence (MASV):
Almost 40 percent of American children were direct victims of two or more violent acts, and one in ten were victims of violence five or more times.
Without a tactical comprehensive plan to end the violence of today’s youth by activelyteachingpeace the cycle of learned violence will continue permanently!!
Mindfulness as A Solution to Violence(MASV) is a strategically designed peace building program designed to finally stop the cycle of violence by teaching youth well-established alternatives to violence and self-regulating biofeedback practices.
Summary Goals
– Teach self-regulation and mindfulness skills through biofeedback technology to at-risk youth proven to reduce violent behavior and increase academic competence
– Teach Alternative To Violence (AVP) skills to at-risk youth established in Green Haven Prison over 40 years ago that have continued to positively influence inmates in hundreds of prisons. When inmates learn these skills it reduces their recidivism rates and helps offenders experience a peaceful re-entry into society.
Offering youth the opportunity to learn these skills before they become part of the juvenile system offers a huge advantage in shortening the violence cycle. Our goal is to cultivate a group of young leaders who embody Alternative to Violence and self-regulation and mindfulness skills and train them to facilitate peer leaded group intervention programs for other at-risk youth.
Mindfulness as a Solution To Violence Program (MASV) Daily Outline Welcome Breakfast Introductions and ice breakers AVP instruction Biofeedback instruction Lunch AVP Instruction Biofeedback Instruction Summary and debriefing
MASV Group Facilitators
Bethany Gonyea, MS
For the past 22 years Bethany Gonyea has been teaching biofeedback and self-regulation skills to a wide range of populations, including young inmates at Brookwood Secure Center, a facility for juvenile offenders who, while under the age of 16, committed violent felonies and were convicted and sentenced in adult criminal court. Brookwood Secure Center is the juvenile equivalent of a maximum security prison for adults. Ms. Gonyea is the founder of the Albany Peace Project which was created to make self-regulation skills available to all residents in Albany, NY. She has also presented these concepts to the Albany Police Department and established coherence based programming for the staff at Cure Violence, and is responsible for introducing and establishing comprehensive mindfulness programs in nine capital district public schools while consulting with several others, and more scheduled for the 2016-2017 school year.
Bernard Shuman
During his 22 years of service both in and out of prison, Bernard Shuman has spent thousands of hours volunteering his time to support others in turning away from crime, hatred, helplessness, and hopelessness, while urging them to turn toward faith, emotional healing, and offering assistance to others. Mr. Shuman has offered over 6000 hours of teachingAlternative to Violence practices to inmates, and holds a Gold Certificate for teaching and facilitating Alternatives to Violence, the highest certification possible. He also was trained to facilitate classes for Prisoners for AIDS Counseling and Education through Hudson Valley Community Service and ultimately enabled over 3,000 individuals to be tested for HIV infection. Mr. Shuman has an quiet impressive unassuming presence that young people admire which is why they listen intently to what he has to say.
His motto: “Don’t make the mistakes that I made.”
Volunteers from The Albany Peace Project
Volunteers who are trained biofeedback self-regulation practices will be available to help with administrative tasks and teach biofeedback principles. Meditation Outreach Committee
All of our efforts will make the greatest impact only if we gather 2500 meditators to participate in this research. Please consider helping us inspire more meditators to participate both in our summer interfaith prayer research study and the January Albany Peace Project.
Other Committee areas we could use your help:
Volunteer Coordination Committee
– help organize volunteers…we have plenty of talent, we just need to keep people connected
Meditation Leader Certification Program Committee
– this program certifies people to teach the the protocol used by the Albany Peace Project to facilitate peace in Albany, NY. When people become certified in the Albany Peace Project protocol, they feel more confident bringing meditation to their home or work environments. Guided Meditation Video (editing/recording/posting) Committee
APP relies heavily on video. We really need individuals who feel comfortable doing simple video editing. Social Media Committee
– Social Media is how we have grown. We need a group that can devise a strategic plan to help leverage the power of the internet to inspire more meditators.
Technology Committee – Help with video editing, live streaming, webinars, etc. Data and Analysis Committee – help with gathering data for research
Event Committees:
Comedy and Conversation Committee
– Our first comedy event was a HUGE hit….people obviously want more spiritual comedy! We are putting the word out for comedians who have a humorous insight about spiritual practices…we intend to offer a “last spiritual comedian standing” in the future.
A Midsummer’s Meditation Committee
Albany Peace Project Volunteer Meeting Unity Church of Albany April 27 at 7:00 PM
We strongly encourage you to come a half hour early and take part in Rev. Crystal Muldrow’s silent meditation taking place at 6:30 at Unity Church of Albany that same evening. Enjoy sitting and meditating in a group to allow your own meditation to effortlessly deepen.
Upcoming Numinous Events:
Spiritual Conversations for Men Unity Church of Albany- Wednesday May 4 at 7:00 PM Led by Glenn Hogue and Tim Moon
Come talk with “the guys” about the challenges of living spiritual concepts as a modern man.
Albany Peace Project Meditation Leader Certification Training – Part 1 Anne-Marie Serre Wednesday 5/11/16 at 7:00 PM
Learn the science behind the protocol of the Albany Peace Project so you can feel comfortable offering it to the greater Albany community.
Worry Addiction: Why It Is Critically Important To Stop The Habit Jerry Petell, MSW Wednesday 5/18 at 7:00 PM
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” Corrie Ten Boom
Kick the worry habit because you FINALLY understand the true costs of a worry addiction.
Albany Peace Project Certification Meditation Leader Training – Part 2 Anne-Marie Serre Wednesday 5/25/16 at 7:00 PM
Learn the protocol of the Albany Peace Project so you can feel comfortable offering it to the Albany Community.
Spiritual Conversations for Men Unity Church of Albany Wednesday June 1 at 7:00PM Glenn Hogue and Time Moon
Exploring the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine Ray Crist, Founder of the Jaguar Path Shamanic and Yoga School June 8, at 7:00 PM
New Venue for This Wednesday Shamanic Class & More…
Watch video to learn more about a New Program with Ray Crist coming to Numinous this Fall!
The Jaguar Path: the Benefits of Shamanic Skills in Every Day Life – Part 1 Ray Crist, Shaman and Founder of The Jaguar Path Yoga School
Wednesday June 8, at 7:00 PM Cultural Center at the Hindu Temple – NEW VENUE 450 Albany Shaker Rd, Albany, NY 12211
Shamans are men and women who heal themselves, and train others to cultivate their power and abilities to heal by learning to shift into “second attention”. First attention includes all of the ordinary information we experience through our five senses every day. However, Shamans also access information from “Second Attention”, which means they sense the additional energy and information flowing around the filters of our five senses. This is a power innate to all of us. “Listen to your heart” ” Trust your gut feeling” etc.
When we train to widen our perceptual fields we can access this wealth of information, along with a quite confidence and inner peace. Through these tools you will learn to accelerate your healing, and find both the courage and the capacity to make the changes your heart and higher self wants you to make!
By training our minds to sense and become aware of this subtle information the way shamans do, we gain access to a whole new breadth of information that can be highly advantageous to our path. We can even start to make changes without “white knuckling” them, because we have accelerated our access to the crisp clarity required for sudden change. As we learn how to access this occluded information, we gain great wisdom and discernment, and our steps become more sure.
In this class, we are happy to invite back, by popular demand, Ray Crist, founder of the Jaguar Path School of Yoga and Shamanism. Ray will be offering us some practical Shamanic tools and understandings. He will share with us how Shamanic training can help westerners to:
– learn techniques that will help heal past traumas
– develop an abiding sense of personal power, integrity and authenticity
– understand your place and purpose in life
– develop innate psychic impressions (second attention) and understand them as a spiritual resource
– deepen creative inspiration and expression
– strengthen established regular spiritual practices
– deepen your understanding of your personal relationships with nature, people, and living environments
– experience deep mystical states that can elevate and stabilize you morally, spiritually and emotionally
Ray will be opening a local chapter of his Jaguar Path Yoga School through a cooperative program with NUMINOUS this fall. We will be offering several similar classes, so that people can gain greater experience with his work, and discover whether they wish to further expand their training through an even more comprehensive 9 month program . Ray is a grounded teacher who loves to combine contemporary life with established primordial wisdom practices, in order to help us live lives of greater meaning, purpose, ease and majestic wonder.
$ 20 Donation Appreciated
SPECIAL EVENT: Introduction to Alternatives To Violence and Numinous’s new program: Mindfulness As A Solution To Violence (MASV) Quaker Friends Meeting House 727 Madison Ave, Albany, NY 12208 Saturday June 11, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Are you interested in working with helping to reduce youth violence?
This meeting will introduce people to a new program that Numinous is starting called, Mindfulness As A Solution to Violence. A large component of this program will be Alternatives to Violence practices. This class will be taught by Bernard Shuman who holds a Gold Certificate for teaching and facilitating Alternatives to Violence, the highest certification possible and has spent thousands over 8,000 hours volunteering his time to support others in turning away from crime, hatred, helplessness, and hopelessness, while urging them to turn toward faith, emotional healing, and offering assistance to others. During his 24 year tenure in the NYS Department of Corrections, Mr. Shuman’s contributions were invaluable in creating the environment in Otisville Correctional Facility as the “Otisville Peace Academy.”
AVP Workshops are intensive learning experience which teaches interpersonal conflict resolution skills through a series of step-by-step processes. These experiences in small groups and one-to-one interactions build a sense of community and trust through exercises focusing on: The Advance AVP workshop focuses on the underlying causes of violence, both in ourselves and in the world we live in. It is designed to give participants opportunities to rebuild community, review in depth the concept of Transforming Power and proceed to set individual and group goals for the focus of the remainder of the workshop
This meeting will be offer some practical Alternatives To Violence Skills, and will facilitate a group discussion for expanding efforts in Albany, NY. If you have any interest in this subject, please attend. The goal of Mindfulness As A Solution To Violence is that we start a wave of peace within young people in the Albany area…As Bernard says, possibly starting the Albany Peace Academy.
$ 30 Donation Appreciated
An Introduction to the Avatar Material – Living Deliberately Anna Witt. Avatar Master Wednesday June 15, at 7:00 PM Unity Church of Albany
In this class we are fortunate to have Anna Witt, master of the extremely profound Avatar materials synthesized and collected by Harry Palmer. The Avatar® Course is a set of practical, effective tools that allows people, in a very short time, to identify and change the conclusions, decisions, and agreements that are shaping their lives. Participants set new goals or revive old ones, and use their rediscovered powers, create opportunities,motivation, and the courage to pursue dreams.
“Avatar is a non – religious practice that allows a person to reconnect with their true spiritual self. And along the way, students discover the source of issues, problems and concerns, learn ways to resolve and eliminate those issues, problems and concerns, and as a consequence gain the ability to create the life they want. This is known as living deliberately.”
So, Avatar doesn’t really discuss provides you with fundamentals tools on how your consciousness works.
“Allow yourself the gift of universal perspective. Wisdom will appear and your actions will be motivated by an intuitive, spontaneous, benevolent intent. There is no regret. Do useful things. Help others for the delight of helping others. Concentrate on adding value to the world rather than consuming the world.”
– Harry Palmer, author of the Avatar materials
$20 Donation appreciated
RARE SPECIAL EVENT: Aini Despacho & Sacred Fire Ceremony Ceremony for Gratitude, Abundance and Resetting Ray Crist and Don Sebastian Paucar Flores June 18, 2016 – 3:00- 6:00pm – $50, $40 for NUMINOUS participants Austerlitz NY (40 minutes southeast of Albany) To register: please contact: info@NuminousOnline.com to reserve your space.
Numinous attendees have been fortunate to receive an invitation from Ray Crist, Founder of the Jaguar Path Yoga and Shamanic school to participate in a ceremony of gratitude performed by Q’ero SebastianPauccar Flores who was born in the village Q’eros in the Andes at 17,000ft. Don Sebastian has been initiated as a Pacho and holds the Incan lineage from father to son for hundreds of years. Don Sebastian travels internationally and shares his heart connection to Pachamama. Several books are written about him, including The Andean Codex written by J.E. Williams, known as Santiago in the book. He shares all the ways that Sebastian taught Santiago the Andean Teachings in the Mountains of the Andes.
We invite you to share sacred space, clear and recharge your energy field, strengthen your balance and love in these challenging times, and offer your heartfelt gratitude for the abundance you have, or would like to have, in your life. Through ceremony we will cultivate gratitude for our provision and offer a thank you and remind our selves what is most important in life by honoring and appreciating our abundance, intimate relationships, jobs, home, family, health, dreams and plans. The Aini despachio ceremony brings balance to our relationship because as we connect with mother earth we regain perspective of what is real and important in life which helps us to swiftly gain focus which automatically enables us to repriorities and make choices that uphold what is most important to us!
Albany Peace Project Volunteer Meeting Monday June 20 at 7:00 PM 6183 Johnston Rd., Alb Call: 423 – 6708 for more info
This meeting is devoted to finding meditators for January 2017. Special invitation to anyone who has been trained as an Albany Peace Project Meditation Leader, or anyone who wants to bring meditation to their organization, family or work life.
Donations always appreciated
Overcoming Chronic Pain by Tending to Mind, Body and Spirit Cindy Perlin, LMSW, Author, The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free Wednesday June 22 at 7:00 PM Cultural Center at the Hindu Temple – NEW VENUE 450 Albany Shaker Rd, Albany, NY 12211
The presenter, Cindy Perlin, is a licensed clinical social worker, certified biofeedback practitioner, chronic pain survivor and author of The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free. Cindy will discuss the dangers of most conventional pain treatments and how to develop a safe, effective treatment plan that incorporates body-based, mind-based and spirituality-based approaches to maximize your healing potential.
“Doctors are trained to treat the result and not the cause. Cindy Perlin’s book reveals important and significant information about the many effective treatments for pain other than a pill prescribed by your doctor. I know from my experience as a surgeon that there are many treatments, from emotional to physical, which can heal the cause and relieve the resulting pain. This book is a wonderful resource for those in need of relief from pain. I have also personally experienced energy healing and the effectiveness of hypnosis in my life and work. I know from my experience that what Cindy shares speaks the truth.” – Bernie Siegel, MD, Author of The Art of Healing and Love, Medicine & Miracles
To see more endorsements for Cindy’s amazing book…visit cindyperlin.com
$20 Donation Appreciated
Albany Peace Project Volunteer Meeting Wednesday June 29 at 7:00 PM Unity Church of Albany
Lots to do for several events. We could use your help. Please consider coming out and working with some of the kindest, light hearted people who love to laugh and enjoy making the world a little happier place.
Note: We recommend you come early 6:30 to take part in the silent meditation at Unity Church lead by Rev. Crystal Muldrow. Experience how you can often deeper in your own meditation by meditating with a group.
Donations Always Appreciated
The Jaguar Path: the Benefits of Shamanic Skills in Every Day Life – Part 2
For this event, we are so blessed to be able to learn shamanic skills outdoors through the invitation of Val Feldman, owner operator of Stable Gate Winery, only 15 minutes from Albany.
Shamans are men and women who heal themselves an train others to cultivate their power and abilities to heal by learning to shift into “second attention” First attention includes all of the ordinary information we experience through our five senses every day. However, Shamans also access information form “Second Attention”, which means they sense the additional energy and information flowing around the filters of our five senses. A power innate to all of us. “Listen to your heart” ” Trust your gut feeling” etc.
When we train to widen our perceptual fields we can access this wealth of information along with a quite confidence and inner peace. Through the tools you will learn you will accelerate your healing and find both courage and the capacity to make the changes your heart and higher self wants you to make!
By training our minds to sense and become aware of this subtle information the way shamans do, we gain access to a whole new breadth of information that can be highly advantageous to our path. We can even start to make changes without “white knuckling” them, because we have accelerated accessing the crisp clarity required for sudden change. As we learn how to access this occluded information we gain great wisdom and discernment, and our steps become more sure.
In this class, we are happy to invite back by popular demand, Ray Crist, founder of the Jaguar Path School of Yoga and Shamanism. Ray will be offering us some practical Shamanic tools and understandings He will share with us how Shamanic training can help westerners to:
– Learn tools that will help heal past traumas
– develop an abiding sense of personal power, integrity and authenticity
– understand your place and purpose in life
– develop innate psychic impressions (second attention) and understand them as a spiritual resource
– deepen creative inspiration and expression
– strengthen established regular spiritual practices
– deepen your understanding of your personal relationships with nature, people, and living environments
– experience deep mystical states that can elevate and stabilize you morally, spiritually and emotionally
This fall, Ray will be opening a chapter of his Jaguar Path Yoga School through NUMINOUS this fall, so we will be offering similar classes so that people can get a good experience of his work, and learn whether they would like to expand their training through the comprehensive 9 month program . Ray is a grounded teacher, who loves to combine contemporary life with established primordial wisdom practices to help us live lives of greater meaning, purpose, ease and majestic wonder.
In case of rain, we will be working in a large space indoors…bring your curiosity and a healthy desire to perceive things in your life differently!
-Each year we learn more best practices for implementing peace projects. My burning question for this work is: How do we craft a compelling explanation for how our individual thoughts affect the whole to inspire participation? We have learned a lot, and each year we gain greater insight and new approaches.
We have observed one aspect that has remained consistent since the beginning. People who participate in Peace Projects experience an increase in happiness baseline levels during the project and a spike in creativity after the project.
There is absolutely no magic to this phenomenon. It is not a mystery. When we learn how to open our hearts and expand our fields of awareness, life is put in its correct context, and we move toward greater wholeness and happiness again. From that space of greater wholeness we allow ourselves to consider new possibilities which inspire us to to take more risks.
When we sit with others, either in person or the etheric, with the combined intention of alleviating the suffering of others by invoking sweet peace and goodness, we lift each other up toward higher states of consciousness. These uplifted states are available to everyone at every moment, but we have not been trained how to find them, obtain them, and sustain them. Our goal for the peace projects is for people to experience the lifted states that are the birthright of all of us.
This year we decided to measure this consistent change in happiness baseline levels by inviting you to take our happiness survey before and after peace week, which will help you understand how your shifts in consciousness increase contentment and satisfaction.
– Our gift to you for participating in this Happiness Survey. Understand that this is your “peace week” too!!! When people participate in this work, hearts open and people become happier and more creative. We decided to measure these benefits this year! If you complete our happiness survey emailed out the week of July 29 and complete the closing survey, you will receive the last month free of our four-month Intentional Coherence Athlete program that has profoundly changed lives. ($99 off!) Please count on meditating for 15 minutes a day. You will receive the meditation each day by 5:00 AM EST
– You could help by forwarding this email or sharing our posts on Facebook at Resonant Peaceful Cities or Albany Peace Project. Please encourage people to register.
– The Albany Peace Project Experiment requires only 15 minutes a day during August 3-9, 2019 and can be done from the privacy of your own home to add to this body of historical research. Let’s demonstrate how intentions of the whole can bypass old systems that have contributed to unrest.
– Great news! During the week that we meditated last summer in Schenectady, NY there was a corresponding 25% drop in violence, only in the area where we focused!!
– I have been working for years to raise awareness for this work and to cross-pollinate cities while we hacked a process for inspiring cities to meditate. This year, many of those intentions are being realized. We will be meditating for peace at the government level, meditating in city hall with prominent city officials. Also, thanks to the dedicated crew in Schenectady, NY, we are finally starting to cross-pollinate. Mary Clare, the owner of Yoga Bliss studio is taking this work to the streets in Schenectady to support Albany. This sharing of peaceful intentions between cities has been my dream. When we have cities cross-pollinate their peaceful intentions, our work will become exponentially more effective. That is the only way this work will spread. If you feel called to do the same, or if you have a business you want to co-promote while doing this work, please reach out.
– Let’s not be complacent. Let’s make a stand for peace for our children. Why would we leave our children’s future in the hands of others?!?! Meditate to demonstrate the power of the collective to positively influence the whole.
– Even though you are on our global list, I have included our local event schedule so that you can get a feel for how a Peace Project is run. Please see our schedule in this newsletter, both online or in person. After the Albany Peace Project 2019, Dr. Reinhold and I will be putting a call out for people who want to do this research in their own home town. If you are one of those people on our list checking in with us to see how this work is progressing, please reach out to us. We are open to collaborating with businesses. Our goal is to complete 8 more peace projects. If you are considering doing a peace project, now is the time.
– We hope to have preliminary results for the Albany Peace Project in October 2019, and complete results around February 2020. Stay tuned!
– Donations are greatly needed for this work. We give of our time and talent free, but there are so many items that need to be funded for peace projects to be successful. We are behind in our budget. I have learned that this is a challenging project for people to understand to financially support. For instance, if we were feeding young children people would give generously because that would provide a tangible immediate result. Because this is a progressive solution that involves evolving the mind, people don’t quite understand the potential positive powerful impact of this work. However, if you are on this list then you understand how this work has the potential to transform cities. Please consider donating at PeacefulCities.org/donate. we need more funding to continue as our resources are tapped. Even a $25-40 a month pledge would help us with monthly operating expenses when we are not working publically. Please consider supporting us so that we can support many others at no charge.
Thank you for journeying with us. We can’t do this work without people just like you. Let’s give the world something to talk about! …Something empowering to talk about!
Hi Everyone,