The Arlington Institute's Interesting Project
John L. Peterson, in a recent letter, described The Arlington Institute's project to gather intuitive information on a worldwide basis, now in the funding stage. . .

"Our WHETHERmap project is a planned web portal that will collect extraordinary (and ordinary) dreams and intuitions about potential future events in up to 100 languages, cluster the input by general categories based upon the basic meaning of the input (allowing for differences in symbol sets, etc.), and then display the geographic source of the input (and the type of dream, etc.) on a map of the world. WHETHERmap will allow the historical information to be displayed in a morphing function (like the weather on the news at night) and we believe it will give predictive indications of upcoming global and regional events of great, disruptive significance.

WHETHERmap is based upon the fact that starting about 6 months before 9/11 common, everyday people (as well as intuitive) began to have single, profound dreams of things like people jumping out of burning high rise buildings that they knew were extremely important and related to the future. I now know of over 165 case studies of these kinds of dreams.

WHETHERmap will in fact monitor the global collective unconsciousness (or whatever it is) and if the project is successful will prove that humans are connected at a level that science now does not understand and that the whole human system anticipates future perturbations. It will change science in very significant ways."

Thoughts on Empathy: Part 2
Because we are becoming so ultrasensitive right now, you may be feeling a heightened degree of empathy for other people's pain, confusion, and various emotional states. I am noticing, though, that there is a kind of energetic ethics involved in using one's sensitivity when others are concerned — ways of being aware that make enlightened perception easier for others. My question is: How do we know, when someone else hurts, what it is exactly like inside them? Does feeling their pain help? Or is it, in a weird way, a sort of arrogance? I have felt how even the slightest level of second-guessing a person's thoughts — when I am not entirely in the moment with them in the direct experience of the emergence of their expression — is a kind of dominance on my part. I "think" I know what's coming and I cut them off, even if it's just a tiny tiny bit, and even if it's telepathic. I can feel how it's unfair to them and shortchanges their magnificence.

Similarly, if I hold the idea that someone else is feeling pain, and I don't want them to, and I'm hurting too because I'm HOLDING that imagined pain, and feeling bad because I'm feeling it, then I hold it in them as well as in me, and what good does that do anyone? Now they have to worry about me feeling a version of their pain that may not actually be what they're feeling. Now they have to get themselves out of it, and me too. How much better to notice what's going on, then drop the contracted feeling state, breathe, choose an expanded state where you see the soul for what it is, reaffirm the innate power and clarity of the person, and attune back to your own highest frequency, and hold THAT, so they can more easily shift out of their contraction into their own highest frequency, when they're ready. Because you have modeled it for them.

Empathy, the kind of sensitivity where you feel another's pain or contractedness, or their misperceptions about who they really are, is only good as far as I'm concerned, for teaching us about how to achieve conscious rapport. This assists us spiritually in beginning to know that we are One. Once we can feel communion, then we must raise the level up to the soul and vibrate at that tone, not the pain tone, otherwise we perpetuate suffering. In effect, we double the amount of pain in the world. It's fine to feel into people, but we need to recenter in our own core vibration after each foray into this sort of empathic information gathering.

See Aug 3 for Part 1. Art by Elvira Amrhein.

A Reminder from Yogananda
No matter how you define the Divine, the Creator, or the Higher Power, this is a great little thought. . .

"When you seek God, make even a short meditation so intense that it will seem you have spent hours with Him."

The Gist of Gita
One of my colleagues sent this lovely poem, that reminds us of our real selves and source. . .

Whatever happened to you,
it went on well.
Whatever is happening now
is going well.
Whatever has to happen
will also be good.
What have you lost
for you to cry?
What have you brought with you
for you to lose?
What have you created
for it to go wasted?
Whatever you obtained
was taken from here.
Anything you gave away
was given to you here.
What is yours today,
will belong to someone tomorrow
In another day,
it may belong to someone else.

Penney Will Be in Denver Over Labor Day
I will be in Aurora, CO in the southeast part of Denver Aug 28-Sept 2. I will have time for a couple in-depth life readings if anyone is interested. Visit my website for a description of what the readings are like, a summary of my counseling expertise, and testimonials. To make an appointment, please contact me at 415/898-8925.

Cartoon by Rich Sigberman, www.sigsart.com

Response from a Reader about Leading Edges
One reader, Beth, responded to my questions from the last post: "My affirmation of late is to be seen and heard in most situations. It is not about needing respect, it is about holding my own when I get that disconnect in my body that something isn’t right. I have been drawn to studying Elaine in Seinfeld – her “one liners” and her facial expressions. They slip out of her with such ease and humor. Would that my life could be so simple and sweet. This is new behavior and I don’t know what my truth is that quickly and how to say it in the moment. If someone could offer a New Age kind of assertiveness training, I’d take the class so I can practice taking care of myself under 'fire.' Perhaps there are some generic responses that would fit some of the situations that have popped up in my life and I could learn to improvise from there."

I like what Beth says about tuning in to that subtle feeling of disconnection you get in your body when something doesn't feel right. It's right there that we end bullying or the loss of our personal power. Standing in our own clear vibration, not wavering, not necessarily striking back defensively. Waiting a moment to see what the flow, or the field, wants to do next. Letting yourself have that momentary pause before speaking is very helpful. We don't have to be the master of the snappy comeback; much of that is based in a hidden vengeance motivation, which if we're growing spiritually, we want to dissolve out of ourselves.

Sorting Vibrations: Dealing with Bullies
I have recently become embroiled in a situation where I stood up to, or stood out from, a bully who was dominating a group. I was accused of many nasty things that were untrue, and as upsetting as it was to feel my body responding to the adrenaline rushes this person was so adept at creating, the whole situation has proved to be quite interesting energetically. It was interesting to watch other people in the group either hang back or come forward, to see how conflict-avoidant we are right now. Some people tried to appease the bully. Others avoided saying anything hoping the situation would just go away. I wondered, "How does one deal with a bully without becoming a bully yourself?" Backing away one level, I could see that the theme of "bullying" was up for all the participants. Different people were pointing the finger at different parties. But something deeper was going on.

I get a strong sense that many people are in the midst of "adjusting their frequency" right now. That means we're unconsciously, but mainly consciously, deciding who we want to be, how we want to be, who we want as colleagues, friends, and clients. We are deciding to let go of old low-frequency behaviors based on self-sacrifice and victimization, and to move into a soul-based, much more unlimited way of living and perceiving. Whatever level we're at, we're pushing through to a new section of our destiny. I see people changing their living situations, their friends, their mindsets, their diets. Much confusion goes along with this process as the old dies and the new peeks out of the shell but is still so unfamiliar.

This process is happening in politics right now as well. Many people are just plain tired of being scared and tired. The fear-based people want to keep everyone else in the slower vibration with them, to control the world. The higher-vibrational, more fluid people want new leadership, innovation, new ways of solving problems that are win-win-win, and opportunities for growth.

Part of what stirred me to stir up the group I'm talking about is that the different vibrational levels of the people in the group seemed to be catalyzing into distinct factions. One dominating person was trying to hold the group into an "old" frequency that is too low and slow for me. What we were experiencing was a process of sorting vibrations. Part of this process means holding steady in your own core vibration, or essence, and not giving over to other people's more dominating, or seductive, vibrations. At times like this, there may need to be separations so that a deeper experience of unity can eventually occur. It seems ironic, but to pull out of involvements that have become unconscious, in order to see them and consciously choose what we want, may be necessary.

I think there is a phenomenon surfacing that has to do with how we handle conflict. In the group, as in the world, I feel many people avoiding the conflict, or trying to appease various parties, because of the great discomfort caused by the nastiness that's been thrown into the air. This is an opportunity for all of us to look at how we "hold our own" and stay open-hearted at the same time. I think this is what living a courageous life is all about -- after all, courage means "of the heart."

I am sitting with the idea of what needs I'd like satisfied and at what level I want to contribute in my life. Who are my colleagues? What will I NOT put up with anymore? I'd like to raise this topic and invite your feedback: What's your leading edge right now? In personal growth? In your career? In your life dream? As we see what's really real for ourselves and each other, perhaps we can find a way to serve those needs. Let's center in our truth, and speak from our passions. I'd love to hear from you.

Intuition in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
One of my colleagues, Sharon Franquemont, who works at the Life Science Foundation in MN, shared this news about the expansion of intuition in the area of complementary and alternative medicine. She says:

Here is a portion of a note to Life Science Foundation from Mary Jo Kreitzer, the Director of University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing. We did a Symposium for health care professionals in 2007 called "Ways of Knowing: Intuition's Role in Health and Healing." (PI stands for Principle Investigators)

"I had an interesting meeting in DC last week at the NIH the PIs/directors of R25 grants at CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) institutions. I am a co-PI with Northwestern Health Sciences University and am on Bastyrs advisory group. Richard Hammerschlag who was at our 2007 WOK is a PI from Oregon. He discussed a course that he has developed with a heavy focus on Ways of Knowing including intuition. He specifically noted the impact of the LSF/CSH event, materials he is using etc. Then yesterday, at the NIH site visit at Bloomington, the local PI in
presenting a model of evidence-informed practice spoke of clinical judgment, including as she noted the importance of intuition like we talked about in Bethesda last week. This is huge and I think reflects the ripple in the pond effect that we aspire to create."

We (Life Science Foundation) will be posting web video versions of 3 presentations from that conference... Dean Radin's Research, Lori Knutson's training and use of intuition at Abbott Northwestern's Institution of Health and Healing, and a panel of three exemplary nurse researchers. Written summary of those presentations can be found on the Proceedings pages at www.lifesciencefoundation.org. Click on the lotus to get to the WOK Proceedings.

The Global Coherence Project
You may be interested in this: The Global Coherence Project is a science-based initiative uniting millions of people in heart-focused care and intention, to shift global consciousness from instability and discord to balance, cooperation and enduring peace. This project has been launched by the Institute of HeartMath^®, a leader in researching emotional physiology, heart-brain interactions and the physiology of optimal health and performance. The Global Coherence Project is designed to help individuals and groups work together, synchronistically and strategically to increase the impact of their efforts to create positive global change. The project will:

• Increase personal coherence for the benefit of ourselves and the planet
• Help shift the planetary consciousness baseline from self-centeredness to wholeness care
• Increase connection and social harmony
• Empower our ability to navigate through global changes with less stress and more ease
• Empower environmental responsibility and stewardship of the planet

The project was initiated because millions of people sense that this is an extraordinary time; that a paradigm shift of human consciousness is now under way; that we are at the crossroads of change and must move toward the healing of ourselves and our planet. Many people are feeling a strong desire to help change our present and future conditions and are looking for ways to use their heart, spirit-aligned wisdom and care to make a meaningful difference.

Tis is just a bit of the copy on their website. It sounds promising, as coherence is an interesting way to begin experiencing the "new paradigm," or what I call The Intuition Age.

Thoughts on Empathy: Part 1
I've been thinking about a few friends who recently expressed their angst and feelings of helplessness about being so sensitive that they feel the pain of others deeply in their bodies. When this happens with members of your primary family — when you "can't stand for them to hurt" — it can be hard to know what action is appropriate. Should you rush to their side with the help they need to escape their uncomfortable situation? We all pretty much know that it's best to let others make their own mistakes and correct their own trajectories. Easier said than done, though!

I have lived through this dilemma countless times, and plumbed its depths. Underneath the difficulties with empathic sensitivity, and the worry it generates, I have often found a strange fear of abandonment. This derives from early childhood, from the babymind, which assumes that if the parent is too uncomfortable or unhappy, they'll be paralyzed, helpless, and might die, leave me, etc. — and then I might not survive. So I must make sure they have what they need to NEVER feel sad or upset. You develop a highly tuned radar, capable of picking up the exact same kind of anticipatory, pre-upset vibrations your parent used to get, so you can nip the discmfort in the bud — but now you do it with everyone. You become a primo caretaker or healer.

Or in a variety of the same thing, whenever you drop into your soul and feel REALLY happy, are fully merged with the moment and totally enjoying your Self, a memory pops up of times in the past when you were innocently wide-open and in joy, and a parent's upset suddenly put the kabosh on things. And your mind said, "Oh, I was supposed to be on the lookout for these emotional contractions, and prevent them! I've fallen down on the job by having fun." You experience shock and remorse, and some disciplinarian part of you suppresses the clebratory, creative, spontaneous part of you.

If "being too empathic" is an issue you're noticing right now, you may be ready to see and release a last remnant of an old inner posture that is used to being cautious and vigilant about that moment when you might naturally surrender your mind because you're so happy with yourself and life, because in the past those moments were rudely intruded upon by other people's pain and ignorance, and you felt "wrong." What's up is a last decision to trust the sanity of the Flow over the mind's old rules, and to validate the goodness of the way the Flow feels by consciously reinforcing it, in a tactile way, to your body, so it sticks as a new way of being. Out with the old stimuli, in with the new.