October 5, 2000
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October 5, 2000 |
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The Language of Spirituality In August, eight CIIS faculty members, students and graduates traveled to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque to participate in a conference entitled "The Language of Spirituality," that brought together Native American scholars, quantum physicists, and linguists. Glenn Parry '93 (M.A., East-West Psychology), as executive director of SEED Open University, was instrumental in organizing the conference co-sponsored by CIIS. This is only the second year that the dialogues have been open to the public. More than 60 people gathered in an outer circle to listen to an inner circle of about 20 share their thoughts, one at a time, in the Native tradition of passing a 'talking stick' -- in this case, a microphone.
Leroy Little Bear, J.D., a Blackfoot from Canada who at one time was director of Native Studies at Harvard University, began these dialogues in 1992 with the late David Bohm, a physicist whom Einstein once called his intellectual successor. Participants discussed how language, metaphor, and meaning divide people from one another. For example, in English -- and in Western thought in general -- zero means nothing. In the Native lexicon, zero means everything. These ideas aren't necessarily in opposition, said Dan Moonhawk Alford, an adjunct professor of anthropology at CIIS. He explained that the ancient Greeks had two words for emptiness: void and plenum. "A plenum looks just as empty as a void, but it's full of invisible energy. So what we think of as empty space -- or 'outer space' -- is really a plenum. That's the first hurdle in being aware of the universe as animate in nature rather than inanimate.""Science, as a whole, is a box of closed boxes," said Don Watson, M.D., a neurologist and philosopher. "We've got a whole bunch of worldviews that don't communicate with each other. How do we break out of this mold? We have to deliberately say, 'I'm going to change my life so radically that I break out of my own worldview and see things differently.'" Participants pointed out that there are many ways to do that: by exploring other languages, other cultures, and other ways of knowing. Nuclear physicist John Erskine said, "The mystery is so great that standard physics -- I don't think -- will ever get there." He is studying Tibetan Buddhism. "I'm discovering a very precise path with exquisite, precise techniques that are analogous to the experimental method. And the techniques are transferrable." Participants pointed out that contrasting worldviews often are experienced on deeply personal levels. Nancy Maryboy, Ph.D., a cosmologist of Dinˇ and Cherokee ancestry from Arizona, noted that the Western view looks at ego, self, and the boundaries between self and other, while Native languages talk about relationships and process. "That's why Native people introduce themselves by clan," she said. Joseph Rael, of the Thunder Caller Clan, grew up in Picurís Pueblo in northern New Mexico and the Ute Reservation in Colorado. He learned three different languages: Tewa, which was spoken at Picurís; Spanish, the language of people in the surrounding villages; and English, which was taught at Indian Day School. "I felt like I'd walked into another dimension in time... another reality," he said. To illustrate, he described the experience of getting water at the communal well. "In English, it meant to me the Pavlovian thing. You hear the words, run to the buckets, get them, go outside, get to the pump, get the water and then you bring it back. In Tewa, you have aah-paah-ii-meh (ah pa HI may). Aah is purity and clarity. Paah is light. Ii is awareness. Meh is movement. When I went to get water, I became the activities I was doing. I became purity ... clarity ... light ... awareness ... and movement." Regula Wegman, who is working on a Ph.D. in cosmology and consciousness at CIIS, believes change is needed at all levels from the personal to the planetary, "Dichotomies have brought us to the brink of eco-destruction," she said. "In Native languages, relationship is the focus of the discussion. In the Western view, we take the endpoints and pretend they're independently existing." Matthew C. Bronson, an associate professor of anthropology at CIIS, added, "Dichotomies are used socially to control people. When we label an individual or group as 'other' -- whether that's based on language, culture, race, gender or other factors -- we don't grant them the same measure of humanity as people with whom we identify. We're programmed to access unity. For our Native brothers and sisters, this is a part of the culture. For us (Western culture), it happens in spite of the culture. We've emphasized things rather than relationships, and we've paid a very high price for that. We have to find a language of connectedness, and that comes from a way of being." Joy Steltzner is a speaker, consultant and writer who specializes in creating synergy from diversity. She can be reached at intuit@gateway.net. Transcripts and audiotapes of the dialogue are available from SEED Open University, 505-792-2900, www.seedopenu.org.
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M.D. From Romania Studying Drama Therapy
First-year drama therapy student Cosmin Gheorghe has an unusually long commute, but it is light compared to the road he traveled to find his life's work. Cosmin might have studied psychology in Romania had it not been erased from the curriculum under Communist rule. Instead, he became an M.D. After the fall of Ceaucescu, while Cosmin was studying medicine, he joined Thespis Theater Group, an unconventional company. He wrote, directed, and produced two self-revealing performances: Persona -- The Inside Cage, and The Eclipse. Research on the Internet brought Cosmin to CIIS. After two years seeking funding, he received a CIIS International Student Scholarship, as well as grants from The People Link and Soros Open Society Institute. He says he is very happy to have the opportunity to do what he loves to do. For more of Cosmin's story, look for the next issue of Open Eye in November. Another Great Party! "Thank you for a great night. It was wonderful doing the Still Point meditation
and then coming in a group to participate in further celebration. The fact that
your apartment was so cozy made the party a great success because we were compelled
to be intimate. I met some great people and didn't want to leave."
I had a great time! Thank you for providing the space for all of us to connect
physically and energetically. I felt a sense of inner home by connecting with
other international students."
Joan Cullinane is a student in the Drama Therapy Program. During the summers Joan is a tour guide on Alaska Railroad Princess Tours.
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Urusa Fahim, student in the Transformative Learning & Change Program and program coordinator for the Somatics and Integral Health Programs, attended the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) in Forest Grove, Oregon. She was one of 22 interns from eight different countries; there were 300 participants over all. Urusa found that what was most useful, "was that intercultural communication was viewed from many different perspectives: academic, corporate, domestic and international diversity, psychology, culture-specific contexts, consciousness and transformation, media, music, etc." She also appreciated the emphasis on translating theories about different communication styles into practice. Kris Mizutani, a Social & Cultural Anthropology student, spent her summer doing research in Tokyo that will be part of her master's thesis. She will be presenting a paper based on this research at the American Anthropology Association Conference in San Francisco in November. The paper is entitled, "Don't Label Me! (Non) Identity and Practices of (Non) Resistance Amongst Tokyo Lesbians." Kris explains, "My paper explores the way in which labeling, as a means of understanding another's identity, is an inadequate means of describing the lives and culture of my interviewees. In my discussions and interactions with the women I met over the summer, it became increasingly clear that the postmodern notions of 'identity' and 'resistance' against societal values are not very useful in describing the way they understand themselves. My goal is to look at how postmodern queer theories both create and relieve anxiety, and open up an opportunity to challenge Western ethnocentric discourse." Kris also reports that when she returned to San Francisco, she was thrilled to learn that Yoonki Chai, a Drama Therapy student, and her band, El Destroyo, is making it big! During the summer they toured with the Violent Femmes, and recently played at the Cafˇ Du Nord in San Francisco.
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Keeping in Touch with Student Alliance The Student Alliance (SA) has prioritized the project of creating a beautiful space for students to socialize or study. We are looking for an architect/interior designer/space utilization consultant to work with the administration and us to see how we can create a beautiful student community room. We will also look at the cost for beautifying the third floor in general, including the cafe. If you know anyone with skills, or want to be involved, please come to the next Alliance meeting, Monday, October 2 at 7:00 pm in the third floor cafˇ. Our hope is to encourage students from various programs to meet and make this a truly integral place -- to create the physical manifestation of the CIIS value of community. Many thanks to all those who put their heart and energy into SA activities last year. Watch Inner Eye and the third floor SA bulletin board for SA announcements about openings for student representatives on various CIIS committees. To be placed on the SA e-mail list, send a request to ciisstudentalliance@yahoo.com. |
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The Bookstore is presenting Eckhart Tolle, an awakened spiritual teacher and author of the remarkable book, The Power of Now, at the Unitarian Church in San Francisco for a Friday evening talk on November 17, and a four-hour intensive on Saturday, November 18. This event will be attended by people from all over California and surrounding states, so get your ticket while they're still available! Tickets can be purchased from Victoria Ritchie, store manager. Reminder to Students:
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Dear Colleagues, In March 1999, a WASC team visited the Institute and recommended a special visit in 2001. This visit will take place from February 7 to 9, 2001, and the visiting team will focus on three areas: academic quality and rigor, institutional resources, and planning. Throughout the past academic year, we have been responding to the 1999 team's 20 recommendations. We have made considerable progress in monitoring the filing of dissertations, developing guidelines for matriculation and graduation, improving faculty and staff salaries, restoring retirement benefits, repairing the telephone system, strengthening technology, building infrastructure, expanding the resource base, maintaining a balanced budget, and formulating a strategic plan. As we begin the present academic year, we have increased the number of our new students and reached our enrollment projections. While we need to celebrate our achievements, we have much to do to prepare for the visit in February. For example, we need to clarify our governance structure, improve relations between faculty and staff, implement our strategic plan, complete our CMDS conversion, and improve budget controls. By December 7, we need to submit a written report of our progress to the WASC Commission. The members of the President's Council and I have been working on this report, and it will be distributed to faculty and staff as soon as a draft is completed. I strongly encourage you to review the document and suggest revisions. Your active participation is critical to a successful preparation. Let us commit to work better together, and advance the ideals of the Institute.
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 Ask
the Dean of Studentsby Richard Buggs, Dean of Students Dear Richard, Dear A.C.,For a number of years I was part of the Aesthetics Committee that coordinated placement of art and curated special shows at CIIS. In 1995, the Institute was the fortunate recipient of a number of important pieces from the estate of Frederick Spiegelberg. You can see these pieces on the fourth floor near the reception area. While on the fourth floor, check out the current show called "Spirit Dwellings," a special exhibit of art by William Cloughley. From time to time we also feature exhibits of local artists on the third floor and in Namaste Hall. Other pieces around the building have been donated by students, alumni, and faculty members. See if you can find the two pieces donated by faculty members Padma Catell and Tanya Wilkinson (hint -- check out the classrooms!) If you make art yourself and would like to have an exhibit at CIIS, call Adriana Marchione at 415- 575-6257 or e-mail her at adrianam@ciis.edu.
Financial Aid Announces Scholarship Deadlines The deadline to apply for the Robert Joseph and Wilhelmina Ann Kranske Scholarship for Psychedelic/ Entheogenic Research is Monday, October 30, and for the Annual Institute Scholarships, Friday, November 17. Scholarship applications are available outside the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices. |
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Shhhh!! Library Book Sale Among recent donors of in-kind materials were Steve Aichele, Seymour Boorstein, Padma Catell, Susan Christy, Peg Jordan & Stuart Sovatsky, Bobbi Kyle, Laurence Lyons, Alec MacLeod, Cynthia Matison, Ralph Metzner, Marie Mifsud & Willow LaMonte, and Ray Vespe. Also Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Margie Downs, Amineh Amelia Prior, Elizabeth Fisher, Elinor Gadon, Chris Horowitz, Toby Johnson, Kris Mizutani, Bonnie Niewiarowska, Lee Olivier, Victoria Ritchie, Bahman Shirazi, Rick Teich, Dorothy Walters, and John Welwood. The library's Website address is http://library.ciis.edu; for current news and information, visit http://library.ciis.edu/new.html.
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Staff Appreciation by Lionel Chan, Chief Information Officer
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Transformative Practices Award for Best Paper Cooperative Inquiry Psychology in Sufism
Inner Eye The Inner Eye is published by the Communications & Marketing Department. Articles may be submitted to candicec@ciis.edu via email or disks may be put in the Inner Eye mailbox. Articles are subject to editing for clarity, length, and appropriateness.
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Welcome to: Farewell to: Reminder: Placement Office Helps Secure Internship Sites The CIIS Field Placement Office is pleased to announce that they assisted 129 students in the School of Professional Psychology in securing clinical practicum positions and predoctoral internships during the past year. At the master's level, 63 students are delivering clinical services at 33 different sites in six different counties. At the doctoral level, 43 students are fulfilling practicum requirements at 19 different agencies. Additionally, 19 students are serving as predoctoral interns at 15 Bay Area sites. Nationally, four doctoral students were accepted at APPIC accredited internship sites. The Placement Office assists students in obtaining practicum and internship positions in a variety of settings, including community mental health clinics, residential treatment centers, forensic settings, medical centers and in-patient psychiatric units. Special thanks to field placement associate Keith Auerbach for his dedicated work in assisting and supporting our students through this important process. It's In the Stars by Cathy Coleman
HINT: He and his twin are currently enrolled in PDT. ANSWER AT: InnerGate-mail.ciis.edu. Each issue of the Inner Eye features a photograph of staff or faculty from another time in their lives. (Please submit photos along with a "hint" to Candice Chase in Communications.) |
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
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Friday-Sunday, October 6-8 Tuesday, October 10 Tuesday, October 10 Tuesday, October 10 Saturday, October 14 Tuesday, October 17 Thursday, October 19 Monday, October 23
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Friday, November 3 Thursday, November 9 Friday & Saturday, November 17-18 Saturday, November 17 Tuesday, November 21 Monday, December 4 For additional details on these events, go to www.ciis.edu, unless other contact information is given. Events at CIIS unless otherwise indicated. Office Hours President Subbiondo's walk-in hours are Tuesdays between 2:00 and 3:00 pm, no appointment necessary. Dr. Janis Phelps, Dean, School of Transformation & Consciousness, walk-in hours are Mondays between 3:00 and 4:00 pm, Room 412; other times by appointment by calling 415-575-6257. Dr. Leland van den Daele, Dean, School of Professional Psychology, appointments available Mondays and Tuesdays, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, call 415-575-6210. |
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Secrets
of the Stacks 
The
Information Systems & Technology (IST) department has redefined several of its
staff positions. Jon Morgan, who is recovering from a low back injury,
is working half time and managing IST from home. An existing vacant position has
been redefined, and Robb Norris now serves as web administrator; he is
responsible for administrative and academic web software. Chris Perron,
our technical support manager, is overseeing consultants and student assistants.
Scott Ciliberti continues to administer our Teams 2000 database, to organize
Teams Elite training, and to troubleshoot conversion problems. There are two vacant
positions -- network administrator and technical assistant -- which we plan to
fill within the next few months. Our telephone consultant, Ikon Solutions, has
been both responsive and professional in maintaining our new telephone system.
Thanks to all the IST staff for their hard work during these transitions.
With
the Sun in Libra, solar energy is focused on relating, balance, and resolving
conflict. Libra's ruler is Venus, suggesting that it is a good time to express
your love and appreciation with kind words, flowers, or expressions of beauty.
You may be especially drawn to social events. The full harvest moon on the 13th
comes with the power of a Jupiter/Pluto opposition, which brings a rush of energy
for exploring the depths of relationships, transforming visions, or pushing your
limits. Get your contracts signed and make clear agreements prior to the coming
three-week Mercury retrograde period, which begins the morning of October 18.
The Mercury retrograde period brings a time for reflection, review, and rethinking.