Dearest friends,
It’s official!
iEvolve and the Center for World Spirituality have joined forces in a seamless and beautiful integration and we are proud to present iEvolve: Center for World Spirituality.
iEvolve: Center for World Spirituality (CWS) aims to become a proactive, socially-engaged organization of leading edge spiritually-motivated thought and action, seeking to combine the best functions of a think tank with the dynamism of a social activist movement.
Below are a few thoughts that I want to share in simple and clear terms in regard to why evolving a World Spirituality is the urgent need and great adventure of our time. I jotted these thoughts down together with Mariana Caplan, Ken Wilber, and Tami Simon, with who I am working closely in catalyzing, articulating, and serving the emergence of the an authentic World Spirituality that has the potential to provide a context of meaning for hundreds of millions of people. This is a work in progress. Here are some first thoughts…
We believe that the cogent articulation of a World Spirituality that speaks compellingly to the hundreds of millions of people who are already at World-Centric consciousness may well be the most important next move that we can make in the evolution of consciousness.
1. For the first time in history, the core challenges to survival we face today are not local to a particular religion, country, or region. They are world challenges, ranging from the very real threats to the ground we walk on and the air we breathe, to world hunger, to the danger of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of a rogue state, to the most pressing issues of social and economic justice. There is no place left to hide, and the spiritual truth of the interconnectedness of all things is no longer an hidden teaching but an obvious truth. Whenever new life conditions come to pass, an evolutionary leap in consciousness and culture is required to meet them. The global challenges we face require the evolution of a new spiritual consciousness in which we realize that what unites us is so much greater then what divides us: we need a World Spirituality.
2. For the first time in history, there is a critical mass of at least two hundred million people who have reached Worldcentric consciousness. These people have expanded their circle of caring and concern beyond their ethnocentric affiliations. They are at home in the world and feel responsible for the world as whole, and not merely their country or religion.
3. For the first time in history, the most profound teachings as well as living teachers from all the great systems of spirit are readily available in a non-coercive and open-hearted form, not only to people of their particular religion, but to all who wish to come to study and practice with them.
4. For the first time in history, the notion of dual citizenship is readily understood and available. Not only can one be a dual citizen of two countries, but one can also remain committed to their native or chosen spiritual tradition, while at the same time being a citizen of World Spirituality.
5. For the first time in history, there are hundreds of millions of well educated people who, although they cannot find their homes in the traditional religions, are searching for a compelling universal set of spiritual principles by which they can live their lives.
The few short lines below are a first take at the mission statement of Center for World Spirituality.
The yearning to articulate a World Spirituality is rippling across the globe in the hearts and minds of tens of millions of people. For some people, the classical religions have lost their power. They seek a path of practice and commitment that transcends the traditions. For others, their intuitive desire is to transcend and include the traditions. They seek to live as dual citizens, rooted in their tradition, even as they locate themselves as citizens in the broader community of World Spirituality.
A World Spirituality based on the shared truths held to be self-evident by all  great systems of spirit and gnosis across historical time is urgently needed at this moment in history. Evolving an authentic life rooted in commitment and freedom articulated and lived in the principles and practices of World Spirituality is the next great step in spirit’s unfolding.
The Center for World Spirituality is writing a series of groundbreaking books and creating new templates for spiritual practice, education, and community. The templates are at once rooted in the past, present, and future. Welling up from an integration of the leading-edge emergent evolutionary insights taught by spirituality, psychology, and the sciences, World Spirituality paves the way for the next stage of evolution, seeding the ground of hope that is our collective memory of the future.
Thank you for reading.
With huge love,
Marc Gafni
This all sounds great! I really hope this is a successful endeavor.
I wonder if there’s been any consideration of reaching out to the Interfaith Youth Core. I remember seeing the Director, Eboo Patel, give a presentation a few years back. Ironically, he’s spent some time as part of the Obama administration. I bet teaming up with that organization would go along way to including the youth in the Center for World Spirituality.
With Love and Gratitude,
Jeremiah
We as human beings are in the need of transcending our possibilities, life conditions and changing our attitudes towards nature.
Regarding faith we need to create a world parliament where all religions can be respected and carried on, with all their rites and traditions, and being divulged and understood by all people. This work has began years ago with an ecumenic work that was lead by Popes, Rabis and Mulahs, which I understand is to be continued by you also, and shared by other religious representatives all around the world.
Congratulations to all people envolved in this huge, quite magnificent quest, where I think I can help.
Love to you all,
Eliana Wissmann Alyanak.
I am in the process of creating an on-the-ground interspiritual community with exactly the same vision you’re talking about — distilling the universal essence of the world’s wisdom teachings and practices- plus the very important aspect of integrating long-missing feminine wisdom and leadership. If you are creating a network of organizations working together on these themes, let me know and let’s see how we can connect… You can see the description of the Shakti Interspiritual Centre project at http://www.shakticentre.blogspot.com.
The realization that expanding communication requires expanding consciousness and that expanding consciousness requires a new form of religious experience of the Ultimate and Unlimited Existence, is long overdue. Hopefully such an experience will not only transcend but include all that which has preceeded it. The tragedy will come when such trancendence is successful and we try once again to make “our” achievement ultimate and do so by somehow excluding those who don’t seem to participate in our achievement. I suggest that some of the insights set forth in James Allyson’s book: THE RAISING OF ABLE, would be helpful in this wonderful endeavor.
The time has come for the writing of a new Holy Book/Lotus Sutra. An inclusive book which leads people collectively to new inspiration and self growth. The time has come to bring people together under one global roof of Spiritual Enlightenment. We must see the Holy in each person and encourage them to see their value as well. This would be a guide which would allow people to pick what resonates with them and not be a book of dos and do nots. An Inspirational book which people will want to read and both their good and bad moments. Who of us will take the responsibility to do this? Who will lift the torch of leadership and guide others to a place of realized Spirituality?
Touches heart and soul to be able to share and connect here with others for the upliftment and healing of the planet with intelligence, compassion and love.
Wonderful energies here for spiritual growth, thank you.
Wishing all peace, joy & namaste*.