Creation Spirituality: A Way Forward Together

Please join us on April 25th at 7pm on the 6th floor of the Rubin Museum of Art for a fascinating discussion on "Creation Spirituality" presented by the Reverend Masud Ibn Syedullah, TSSF.

The events of 9/11 forced many of us to consider, and reconsider our attitudes and opinions about “the other” regarding race, ethnicity, culture, and religion. Many of us who previously felt secure within the realm of those “like us” are increasingly challenged to think about and even interact with those who differ from ourselves. Join the Reverend Masud Ibn Syedullah, TSSF, for a discussion of how we can break down barriers and find the common ground between us all. Drawing upon his life experiences from growing up in a Christian and Muslim family to his many years in the Franciscan movement, Reverend Syedullah will discuss universal principals that cut across all the faiths leading us forward together in our common humanity.

An Episcopal priest, musician, and educator, the Rev. Masud I. Syedullah, TSSF integrates resources of the Christian spiritual tradition, the arts, and liturgical worship to create experiences that facilitate spiritual growth. Born into an interfaith family (Christian and Islamic), and a professed member and pastoral officer of The Third Order, Society of Saint Francis (TSSF -- an international religious community in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion), Father Syedullah has acquired a profound appreciation for the many ways people experience and relate to God. His work invites persons to discover the everywhereness of God – the ways God can be experienced in persons and places beyond ones expectations.

Pastor of the Church of the Atonement, Bronx, New York, and member of the Liturgical Commission and the Episcopal-Muslim Relations Committee of The Episcopal Diocese of New York, his ministry encompasses the concerns and realities of both the local congregation and the broader faith community.

Friday and Interfaith Dialogue

We are looking forward to part 2 of Dr. Kurt Johnson and Loch Kelly's talk this Friday night at 7pm. Please note that the event will take place on the 5th floor, not the usual 6th floor location which is temporarily closed for an installation at this time. Please arrive early to get a good seat as their January event was standing room only.

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In today's news, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who visited Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in November, called on Muslims, Jews and Christians to engage in Interfaith Dialogue. He said, "The idea is to ask representatives of all monotheistic religions to sit together with their brothers in faith and sincerity to all religions as we all believe in the same God." Let's hope that leaders follow through on this call which can pave the road to peace in the Middle East. If you want to read the full article, please visit www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4518593.

Thanks to Alex Grey

A very special thanks to Alex Grey for his visually stunning presentation on Friday night. It was an honor to have him as our guest and the event went above and beyond our expectations. Thanks to all those that braved the snowy winter day and were treated to such an entertaining and enlightening talk. If you haven't been to the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (542 27th street between 10th and 11th), you have to check it out before it moves north of the city.

We look forward to seeing everyone next month for part 2 of Dr. Kurt Johnson and Loch Kelly's presentation on Spirituality, Science and Consciousness.

The show must go on...

Despite the early snowfall, tonight's event with Alex Grey will still go on. Please note that our event will not take place at our usual 6th floor location, but we will be in the museum's theatre. Seating will begin at around 645pm and the presentation will start at 7pm. Hope to see you there.

Visionary artist Alex Grey joins us Februrary 22nd

Visionary artist and co-founder of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in NYC, Alex Grey's paintings “X-rays” multi-dimensional reality. His visual meditations on the nature of consciousness interweave biological anatomy with psychic/spiritual energy. From rock stars to scientists, Grey's art inspires, informs and illuminates the inexplicable. Join us for an evening, February 22nd at 7pm, of discussion with this icon and discover the next level of your own divinity. If you want a sneak peek of Alex, you can click on the YouTube links on the bottom right to a few videos featuring Alex.

This is event is part of "Brainwave" which takes place at six NY institutions and asks how art, music, and meditation affect the brain and offers countless answers in more than a hundred public events, ranging from an exhibition of contemporary art and a cinema series to cutting-edge concerts, performances, talks, and panels.

Here are a couple of reviews of Alex's work:

"Mr. Grey's paintings, as detailed and anatomically accurate as
medical illustrations, present man as an archetypal being struggling
toward cosmic unity...Grey's vision of a flawed but perfectible
mankind stands as an antidote to the cynicism and spiritual malaise
prevalent in much contemporary art."

--New York Times

" Alex Grey is making some of the most beautifully refined imagist
work in the country today."

--Walter Hopps, senior curator, Guggenheim Museum and Menil Collection

Theologue by Alex Grey

Thanks to everyone

Thanks to everyone for making our first event of 2008 a great success! With over 100+ people in attendance, it was our biggest audience to date and it's safe to say that it was a tremendous evening on many levels. Thanks to Dr. Kurt Johnson and Loch Kelly for their enlightening talk and we look forward to the second part of their talk on March 28th. Here are some links to some of the topics discussed: Red rain in Kerala, Ken Wilber, Don Beck/Spiral Dynamics, extremophilic microbes, "The Joy of Living" by Mingyur Rinpoche, Stephenville UFO sighting.

We hope to see you all on February 22nd for visionary artist Alex Grey!

Come kick off the 2008 season on Friday January 25th!!!

We are very excited to announce a two-part series to kick off our 2008 season. Dr. Kurt Johnson and psychotherapist Loch Kelly will lead us in a discussion that will highlight key contemporary insights across the fields of consciousness studies, science and spirituality. Dr. Johnson and Mr. Kelly will join us in both January and March to share with us the most cutting edge research and frontier studies. Come join us at the Rubin Museum of Art at 7pm on January 25th (Part 1) and March 28th (Part 2).

Left: Dr. Kurt Johnson

Right: Loch Kelly, psychotherapist and Buddhist meditation teacher

January 25, 2008: Spirituality, Science and Consciousness: Wisdom from the Cutting Edge

At a tipping point in history, understanding the intricate but profound synchronicity of our subjective and objective experiences of reality could be the difference between humanities continued existence and extinction. Join biologist Dr. Kurt Johnson and psychotherapist Loch Kelly for a discussion that will highlight key contemporary insights across the fields of consciousness studies, science and spirituality. The first of a two-part presentation, January’s discussion will draw on the holistic views of Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision, Don Beck’s Spiral Dynamics, Bro. Wayne Teasdale’s Universal View of World Religions and recent research by the Mind and Life Institute in dialogue with the Dalai Lama and synthesized by Mingyur Rinpoche in his new book, The Joy of Living.

March 28, 2008 Spirituality, Science and Consciousness: Exploring the Deepest Meeting Place

The second of a two-part presentation, will explore current frontier studies in consciousness, science and spirituality. The speakers, Dr. Kurt Johnson and Loch Kelly, will highlight and explore pivotal points and their implications regarding humanity’s subjective and objective understanding and appreciation of a wider reality. Subjects to be discussed will include present day movements, including movements identified in Paul Hawken’s book, Blessed Unrest.