This Wednesday Gathering we learn our own Universal Peace Journey with Joe Kennedy, Jr. in an experiential evening of movement, music, speech, photos and other creative and playful ways! How do you shift dull parts of your life and work to be fun and playful? How can you bring joy and spirit into the everyday?

The purpose of this workshop is to learn creative, fun and practical tools to help enrich our daily lives. We will use movement/body exercises, texts, musical instruments, photographs and more on our journey.
You will leave with (1) an expanded awareness of the many possibilities each day can bring and (2) practical activities you can use at home to deepen your creative connection with life on an ongoing basis.

Joe Kennedy Jr. is a performer, musician, teacher, artist, free spirit, and workshop developer. He uses voice, keyboards, world instruments, poetry, dance and video to share his vision of hope. He has played with artists of all types all over the world. Joe creates unique school programs for the Choral Arts Society of Washington, The Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center, including Let's Make TV and Let's Make Computer Music programs. He is currently sharing Universal Peace Journeys, an original interactive multi-media production featuring student participation. Joe recently received a grant from the American Composers Forum. In addition to performing and teaching, he produces and hosts a weekly television show, Close To Nature, which has been on Arlington Independent Media for over 6 years, and he has an ongoing Creative Nature workshop series for people of all ages. You can reach Joe at: www.universalpeacejourney.com, naturezen at yahoo.com or 703-371-4495

Crowdsourcing has been used to write encyclopedias (Wikipedia), rate movie you might like (Netflix), review books (Amazon). Now it has been sucessfully used for math research! The meta-brain of a crowd can be more than the sum of the individuals.

Instead of one mathematician working for weeks to create a perfect larger result in this co-creation model multiple people add and improve small idea until the problem is solved. It remindes me of the manufacturing process improvement of Kaizen - continuous small improvements over time are better than major overhauls.

It also shares responsiblity for improvement in the whole crowd and makes transparent the creation process, messy as it may be, which may spark new ideas in others problem solving projects.

It seems to me that this kind of co-creation is more rooted in love and abundance than the ivory tower publish or perish model which is often based around fear and scarity. Having fun and being playful are other important aspects of co-creation. I would suggest that looking at the principles used in Improv would be helpful to improve the process

The text belo is from Wikipedia:

Polymath Project

In a 2009 post on his blog, Gowers asked the provocative question "is massively collaborative mathematics possible?"^[5]. This post led to his creation of the Polymath Project, using the comment functionality of his blog to produce mathematics collaboratively.^[6]

The initial proposed problem for this project, now called Polymath1 by the Polymath community, was to find a new combinatorial proof to the density version of the Hales–Jewett theorem. As the project took form, two main threads of discourse emerged. The first thread, which was carried out in the comments of Gowers's blog, would continue with the original goal of finding a combinatorial proof. The second thread, which was carried out in the comments of Terry Tao's blog, focused on calculating bounds on density Hales-Jewett numbers and Moser numbers for low dimensions.

After 7 weeks, Gowers announced on his blog that the problem was "probably solved",^[7] though work would continue on both Gowers's thread and Tao's thread well into May 2009, some three months after the initial announcement. In total over 40 people contributed to the Polymath1 project. Both threads of the Polymath1 project have been successful, producing at least two new papers to be published under the pseudonym D.H.J Polymath^[8][9][10].

The success of the Polymath1 project has spawned additional Polymath projects. To date there are 5 official Polymath Projects, and 2 Mini-Polymath Projects. More information on the Polymath1 project can be found on the project wiki. Jason Dyer's A gentle introduction to the Polymath project provides a good explanation of the work of the project for a non-mathematical audience.

Tricki

Tricki.org is a Wikipedia-style project collecting methods of mathematical problem solving conceived in 2008 and launched by Gowers, Olof Sisask and Alex Frolkin in March 2009.^[11] Terence Tao and Ben Green are among those to have contributed articles.^[12]

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we learn about Nassim Haramein's life-long exploration into the geometry of space time and a coherent understanding of the fundamental structure and model of our Universe and our existence in it. This ground breaking work launches us into the
New Energy Movement

You are invited to an introduction of one of the most profound scientific theories of our time. Haramein's scientific discovery ( a published peer reviewed unified field theory) may well be the physics of creation, the scientific explanation of spirituality that supports the basis of most religions of a conscious energy field underlying all of physical reality.The theory also explains some of the strange observations of solar flares by the Japanese space telescope (see video below)

We will view footage from the DVD "Crossing The Event Horizon" which can be ordered from Nassim's website www.theresonanceproject.org. The following text is from this site:

We are living at a critical time in history. The work done in our interdisciplinary research park may be crucial to our capacity to overcome the ecological and technological difficulties our world faces today.

A New Spin on Einstein’s Field Equations

Director of Research Nassim Haramein and scientists at the Resonance Project Foundation have found a new solution to Einstein’s field equations which incorporates torque and Coriolis effects. Furthermore, calculations were rendered to describe the collective and coherent behavior of the plasma dynamics of ergospheres orbiting the event horizons of black holes demanding a highly structured polarized vacuum, resulting in an alternative view of black holes where the exterior white hole portion surrounds the interior black hole singularity.

From these calculations, a new paper has recently been released entitled Scale Unification – A Universal Scaling Law For Organized Matter, which describes our universe as embedded white hole / black hole or white / black “whole” structures from universal size to atomic and subatomic scales.

Instead of seeing ourselves as separate from everything around us, this view allows us to recognize that we are embedded in a fractal feedback dynamic that intrinsically connects all things via the medium of a vacuum structure of infinite potential. This research has far reaching implications in a variety of fields including theoretical and applied physics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, biology, chemistry, sociology, psychology, archaeology, anthropology, etc. A fundamental understanding of the dynamics of this interconnectivity redefines the lens through which we see the universe and our place in it, and leads to theoretical and technological advancements that move us towards a sustainable future. This new approach to the physics of universal forces has the potential to solve the most pressing issues of our times.

Following the movie Sandra Soloman will lead a discussion about the science and spirit and how we can be in contact with our power, divinity and responsiblity now.

Sandra Solomon, Teacher, Channel/Conduit of Energetic Healing & Transformational Consultant. She is  a gifted and accomplished healer who works on both an individual, group and planetary level.  Her practice utilizes a wide range of energy modalities including, Quantum Healing which includes Reconnective   Healing and Matrix Energetics. She attunes Reiki Masters to six levels beyond Master Level through the Lightarian Institute™. Sandra is also trained in Shamballa Healing.

Sandra offers Transformational Consulting using a variety of techniques, including: the Work of Byron Katie, Psych-K  which is Psychological Kinesiology,  EFT-    Emotional Freedom Technique and The Sedona Method. These techniques assist in whole brain synchronization.  Her Transformational Consulting helps you to fine-tune your life into a more peaceful and balanced journey. She employs transformational techniques to assist you in attaining your goals.

Sandra’s explorations include quantum physics, sacred geometry, the Mayan Calendar, Kabbalah, the Sacred Alphabet, Universal Laws, the nature of reality and consciousness. She empowers people to discover their own self-authority.  You can reach Sandra at mayanone (at) juno (dot) com or 434-825-5564

The movie and discussion begins after dinner at 8pm. I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

As change gets faster with tech and social changes we need more creativity to grow and prosper. But do schools kill creativity? This TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Why struggle when you can pivot your emotions, feel good and go with life's flow. Abraham-Hicks talks about paddling up stream or flowing with life's stream. And explains why many adults are grumpy while children are joyful

If you haven't come across Evolver check it out for consciousness and thought changing stuff. Somewhat similar to the worldwide Transition Town movement. Evolver is screening "2012: A Time for Change" movie December 9th.

2012
Directed by Emmy Award nominee João Amorim, the film follows journalist Daniel Pinchbeck, author of the bestselling 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, on a quest for a new paradigm that integrates the archaic wisdom of tribal cultures with the scientific method. As conscious agents of evolution, we can redesign post-industrial society on ecological principles to make a world that works for all. Rather than breakdown and barbarism, 2012 heralds the birth of a regenerative planetary culture where collaboration replaces competition, where exploration of psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting edge, replacing the sterile materialism that has pushed our world to the brink.

More info at http://www.facebook.com/robin.gunkel#!/event.php?eid=112886885444138

Evolver
We have events at least once a month that span a broad range of consciousness-related topics, from food production to peak oil, entheogenic medicines to visionary film screenings. Please join us and share your ideas, stories, projects, communities or anything else related to the evolution of collective and/or individual consciousness.

More info at http://www.facebook.com/robin.gunkel#!/group.php?gid=210773933913

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we learn about manifesting what we want in life, going beyond the law of attraction.  Is there something you want to create in your life? Have you tried the law of attraction (as popularized in the movie The Secret) with no luck? Are you frustrated in attracting the right relationship? Or job? Or health? Then learn some new techniques for creating the abundant life you want.
We will learn some ideas from TUT messages from the universe guy Mike Dooley and his book Leveraging the Universe. Here is what Mike has to say

"I used to think everyone knew something that I didn't. They, like me, weren't aware of what it was, and they didn't seem to notice that I was without it, but to me the difference was painful. I felt awkwardly different, which led to a burning desire to question the things that most people seem to take for granted. A desire to know what life is about, which I have now largely satisfied, making the price of my sensed alienation small in comparison.

I didn't realize it at the time, but my desire to "know" had put me on a path of inner knowing; or better, my thinking was beginning to attract like thinking. It seemed my questions were slowly answering themselves, opening my eyes to the insights I now realize are latent within us all. I was never sure just when my "illuminations" took place until sometime after the fact, as if an intuitive knowing had been imparted when I wasn't paying close attention.

By the time I was twenty, I had deduced that we were not just here accidentally, nor were we set adrift by some angry god who would judge, condemn, and sentence us before we even understood what was going on. I believed that through thinking, we are creators, the joyful gladiators of the Universe revered for daring the ultimate dare; here of our own choosing, each of us for our own extraordinarily unique reasons, foremost among which is for the sheer adventure of doing so. And if there was ever proof that I was on the right track, the fact that I now spend part of every day writing for "the Universe" is it.
>From http://www.tut.com/resources/notes/

The workshop begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

Here is some more about manifesting from the TUT website product page. It resonants with me that we don't just do what we want, we don't just be what we want. We need to do both.

When it comes to living the life of one's dreams, there are those who think they must go it alone; that they must be the early bird, know all the right people, and succeed by the sweat of their brow - and they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Then there are those who have read all the books, done all the workshops, and concluded that it's simply a matter of surrendering to a loving, conspiring Universe so that their life might be transformed by its magic - and they silently wonder why it hasn't.

The truth is, neither are we alone, nor is knowing about the Universe and its magic enough to manifest change. The first conclusion is as self-sabotaging as it is sad, and the second is a bit like knowing exactly where the secret treasure is buried, yet never bothering to dig for it. Instead, the trick lies in knowing the difference between what one can, should and must do, versus what one can, should and must delegate to an all wise and capable Universe. Our part is the easy part.

We need only provide the spark to light the Universe's fire; to hoist up our sails so that they can be filled with its magical winds. Yet without offering these token efforts, without assisting in these modest ways, not only do we contradict our wish to live as fully as possible, but we slide ever further away from an infinite grace that tirelessly strives to sweep us off our feet, surround us with friends, and create the life we most want.

Leveraging the Universe and Engaging the Magic is about using the gifts of thought, word, and deed to harness this grace. It's about doing the least to get the most. Learning what "the truth" is, and how to live it, so that the kingdom, the power, and the glory can be revealed before your very eyes, as you discover your holy place in creation - as a creator, yourself.

Slayer of dragons, matador of time and space, rightful heir to heaven on earth, it's time to be living the life of your dreams.

   1.  Understanding your Relationship to the Universe and
      the Magic
   2. Choosing Your Path and Charting a Course
   3. Creating a Plan
   4. Being Vigilant with Your Thoughts, Words and Deeds
   5. Aligning Your Beliefs with the Life of your Dreams
   6. Beginning It!
   7. Adjusting Your Sails, a.k.a. Trouble-Shooting

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we view and discuss the movie The Quantum Activist and learn about the scientific evidence for God and how you can create the reality you want. There is a revolution going on in science. A genuine paradigm shift. While mainstream science remains materialist, a substantial number of scientists are supporting and developing a paradigm based on the primacy of consciousness. 

Suggested donation $20 for dinner and movie.

Please RSVP here.

Dr. Amit Goswami, Ph.D, a pioneer of this revolutionary new perspective within science shares with us his vision of the unlimited potential of consciousness as the ground of all being, and how this revelation can actually help us to live better. The Quantum Activist (http://quantumactivist.com/)tells the story of a man who challenges us to rethink our very notions of existence and reality, with a force and scope not felt since Einstein. This film bridges the gap between God and Science. The work of Goswami, with stunning precision and without straying from the rigors of quantum mechanics, reveals the overarching unity inherent in the worlds major religions and mystical traditions.

Meet the man behind the message as Dr. Goswami tells how he moved away from the religious teachings of his childhood, to seek his path in nuclear and theoretical quantum physics, and how he has come full circle, through quantum insight, back to the very religious axioms offered as a youth. With a poignant relevance to the problems of our day this film follows Dr. Goswami as he demonstrates how our mistaken views of reality have led to our current environmental, social, economic and spiritual crisis; as well as the means of correcting these errors. At stake is nothing less than our survival upon the planet. The Quantum Activist is a film for our time. It is a film for all time. It is a film whose very subject transcends time.

Witty, profoundly insightful and colored with humor, the Quantum Activist brings you Amit Goswami’s vision of the universe. Steeped in the verifiable facts of Quantum Mechanics, Dr. Goswami dares to pose the question, “What are you doing to participate in the creation of the reality we all share?”

Amit has recently appeared in the blockbuster movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?", the award winning "The Dalai Lama Renaissance" and authored over a dozen books from textbooks on quantum mechanics to consciousness and the New Science.

The movie and discussion begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

This Wednesday Sandbox gathering we learn how to manifest your dreams in the face of negativity and pressure with clues from the movie Frost/Nixon and the book Ask and it is Given by Abraham-Hicks http://www.abraham- hicks.com/

Frost/Nixon is one of my favorite movies - not just because of the drama and seeing powerful people operating up close and behind the scenes. But also for the way that David Frost successfully manifests the project under very difficult circumstances. Manifesting in the real world can be challenging - especially if other people are saying negative things about your project or get angry with you. Learn how David Frost manifested the most successful independent TV show in history (the interview with Richard Nixon) and how he dealt with lack of support from the TV networks, lack of money coming in, internal fighting in his team and pressure from Nixon staffers to gut the meat of the show.

Frost had not read Abraham-Hicks at the time (it wasn't written until 15 years later!) but he used many of the techniques from the book Ask and it is Given to shift his vibration, stay centered on his vision and deal with fear and negative external events. You too can use these techniques to create what you want in the real world, even when not all your ducks are in a row to start with (or if some ducks are fighting with you and each other!)

The playshop begins after dinner at 8pm.  I invite you to join us, though as always what ever choice you make you will be honored in.

I have been to this several times - great art and music and interesting people.

Playa del Fuego is Burning Man festival in Delaware - a celebration of 
the spirit of radical self-expression, community, and participation. And 
plenty of music and fire art! Playa del Fuego is the burning event of 
the Mid-Atlantic Region.  The Spring 2010 event will take place this 
May Memorial Day weekend,(5/27/10-5/31/10) from Thursday 5 pm through 
Monday noon. Tickets are $50 for 4 days (what a deal!) for camping. The 
cut off for online tickets is Saturday March 27 (first tier), Tuesday April 27, (second tier) . FYI Tickets often sell out with in 10 minutes of the posting time. 

More info at
http://www.playadelfuego.org/

Suzanne Falter-Barns has a great idea on her blog for getting unstuck on a project. Ask your project what it needs from you. You may need to quiet your mind or wait til later in the day to hear the answer.

We will be playing with paint this Saturday at my house in Rockville MD
It will be fun. You don't need any experience in painting - just show up and
be prepared to experiment! The last time was a lot of fun!

 * What is Free the Artist Within?

I like to paint and write poems. I don't seem to get around to it
often. This group is for people who want to create art of some form or
another but who have some internal blocks to doing it regularly.

For more information see Free The Artist Within.

Cost: $10.

See Directions

It's not unusual for an artist, whether an amateur or a professional, to have ups and downs in their creativity. Suffering from a creative drought, or artist's block, does not mean you're losing your artistic ability. Here are some tips to help:

http://painting.about.com/cs/inspiration/a/artistsblock2.htm

I will add coming to Free the Artist Within can help too!

I went to Artomatic on Friday 5/4/07 for the Meet the Artists night. It was a great experience - so much art, music, interesting people to meet. And it is all free (though donations are accepted) and near the metro and I-395 freeway. If you like to drink wine with your art they have a bar. You can also buy pieces that you like. This is not your normal artshow - Artomatic is open to all artists to exhibit at (well at least all ones with the $75 exhibit fee and 15 hours of volunteer time available to help run the event) so you get to see a much wider range of art that you would at a museum or gallery.  There are 600 area artists and performers in 90,000 square feet of space that used to be a US Patent Office building. Some artists decorated the walls and space as well as hanging pictures, photos and sculpture. There is also poetry, film, pottery, music and dance in different rooms.

The event runs every day except Mondays from noon to 10pm or 1am depending on the day. It closes in two weeks on 5/20/07 and normally the event is only every two years. Don't miss out!

Artomatic opens on Friday.  It's located at 2121 Crystal Drive, 6th & 8th floors. 
To learn more about Artomatic, visit http://www.artomatic.org. 
There's great art, music, films & more!

You can take the Metro to Crystal City and then walk underground through
the shops and exit after you pass McDonalds.

With the spider card, the octopus (kind of like a spider) and the spider bites I was getting in my bed last week I think there is a spider totem in my life right now. I looked up spider totem in my book and it says that it is

A spider totem teaches you balance --
between past and future, physical and spirit,
male and female.
She is strength and gentleness combined.
She awakens creative sensibilities
and reminds you that the past is always interwoven
with the future.
 
Tarantulas (and all spiders) are the keepers of the primordial alphabet
and can teach you how to write creatively.
Her body is shaped like the number 8 and she has 8 legs,
which is symbol of infinite possibilities of creation.
Her 8 legs represent the 4 winds of change and the 4 directions of the medicine wheel.

Spider's message is that you are an infinite being who will continue
to weave patterns of life and living throughout time.
Do not fail to see the eternal plan of creation.

Those who weave magic with the written word usually have this totem.

From  http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/tarantula.htm
---
So I am contemplating this. A name for my new business that combines Spiral Dynamics with Web technology, honesty and Whole Brain came to me:
  Spiral Web.
Not sure if that is my final name but I wanted to share with you. Relates to spider spinning a web. And the infinitity of creativity. oo that is the void too.

Also the mystery letters on my posterboard (structure of my emergence) fit in with the primordial alphabet stuff above.

Are you experiencing creative block? Can't get motivated on your art or craft projects? Lost your enthusiasm for writing? If so, these ten terrific tips will help refresh your imagination and revitalize your creative spirit! (At the very least, they should inspire new thinking in those creative pathways of yours.) 

Some good tips here
http://www.chrisdunmire.com/creativity/tips.shtml

In my experience this method avoids the other person getting too defensive and ignoring the feedback.

"Begin with praise and honest appreciation. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders... Make the fault easy to correct. Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest."
     
- Dale Carnegie