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At our recent convening of IONS Circle members, I hosted a workshop on “Noetic Leadership” that quickly strayed from my neat and tidy agenda into an organic, personal, and even emotionally-charged conversation. While we explored the potential role of noetic sciences in leadership, several people raised pointed questions: What are our true motives as leaders? Are we ready to go beyond servant leadership? Can we part with our egos? Is being “mindful” just the door opener? It was a profound conversation demonstrating that we are unveiling something very significant with Noetic Leadership—requiring no less than an open, collective, and candid dialogue.

On a chilly November evening outside of Shanghai, I sat captivated by a sound healing mega-concert that continued for over two hours accompanied by a mesmerizing Hollywood-scale light show. The exquisite crystal bowls, ancient wind instruments, chanting, and drums transported me into a deep, peaceful state of mind that enabled me to forget that I was the only person who had forgotten to wear a jacket that evening! It was an unforgettable experience that created a palpable field of interconnection among the thousands of us gathered for the opening ceremonies of the AT ONE International Festival.

IONS was well represented at the Science of Consciousness Conference this year – our CEO Claire Lachance spent much of the week at this academic conference, soaking in the lively discussions and presentations about the nature of consciousness, both in the traditional neuroscientific sense and in the sense of extended consciousness.

Have you ever noticed that some of life’s best insights come from completely unexpected places? This happened to me last week as I was having lunch with John Cleese, the legendary comedian and actor best known for Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and A Fish Called Wanda. A passionate supporter of IONS’ work to advance the frontier edge of consciousness research, John graciously donated his time and talent at a special IONS event also featuring our Chief Scientist, Dean Radin.