PSALM News
General Admission:
$30 - At the door
$15 - Students and current PSALM members with ID
Join us for an important day with some leading voices for peace and transformation who will address essential human unity against the backdrop of current strife carried out in the name of Religion. Specifically, in the west, there is a level of fear and misunderstanding around the religion of Islam. Today we will open a new dialogue to explore the gentle path of Sufism within moderate Islam and celebrate the common threads of hope and beauty that exist within the Semitic Religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
This immersive multi-media event will feature a plenary keynote address by Jonathan Granoff, President of the global Security Institute. Professor Ashok Gangadean, Ph.D., our host, will then speak on Deep Dialogue as the means to establish authentic communication and shared understanding, and lead the principal session in deep dialogue with a diverse panel of noted religious leaders and commentators.
As an introduction to the subtle wisdom within the Sufi tradition and the many ways it has informed western culture, the gathering will feature a special appearance by Los Angeles based author and spiritual teacher, Dr. Kabir Helminski who will introduce his soon to be released book addressing the imperatives of social and political change. Kabir and his wife Camille, will lead a Zikr (remembrance of God ceremony) accompanied by traditional Turkish musicians.
We are fortunate to host the Philadelphia premiere of "Rumi-Turning Ecstatic", a one hour film documenting one woman's odyssey of spiritual awakening, with a guest appearance by the film's star and co-producer, Tina Petrova. Rumi was a 13th century Persian mystical poet whose work now outsells Shakespeare in the USA.
Also featured is the book release and signing of "One Song" by celebrated artist Michael Green. "One Song" is the long awaited sequel to "The Illuminated Rumi", a New York Times top ten best seller. The book contains a CD by The Illumination band, who will be on hand to perform their not-to-be-missed, soul-stirring, foot-stomping music live - to the accompaniment of the Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes.
We will also be treated to the heart-opening Sufi poetry of Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore who will read from his new books "Mars and Beyond", and "Laughing Buddha Weeping Sufi".
Dances for Universal Peace with Ayesha Lauenberg will lead the audience in easy movements.
Books, CDs, crafts and delicious food will be available throughout the event as well.
PSALM is pleased to welcome Dr. Ravi Ravindra to its esteemed
board of advisors. A brief CV of Dr. Ravindra follows:
Ravi Ravindra
was born in India and received a B.Sc. and a Master of Technology from the
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He went to Canada where he obtained
a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Toronto and
a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Dalhousie University. He held post-doctoral
fellowships in Physics ( University of Toronto), History and Philosophy of
Science ( Princeton University) and Religion ( Columbia University).
He was a member of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton in 1977, and a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla in 1978 and in 1998. He was the Founding Director of the Threshold Award for integrative knowledge and Chairman of its international and inter-disciplinary Selection Committees in 1979 and 1980. He was a member of the Board of Judges for the Templeton Prize in Religion for 1999-2001.
He has worked in Canada since 1966. At present he is Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, from where he retired as Professor and Chairman of Comparative Religion, Professor of International Development Studies and Adjunct Professor of Physics.
Ravindra has published more than one hundred and twenty papers in scholarly and scientific journals and various encyclopedias. His books include:
Theory of Seismic Head Waves; University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada, 1971 (with V. Cerveny). {Translated into Russian.}
Whispers from the Other Shore: Spiritual Search East and West; Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois, U.S.A. 1984; new edition in 2000 by Shaila Press, Halifax, Canada. [Also published by Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai, India in 2003.] {Translated into Portuguese.}
Science and Spirit; Paragon House, New York, U.S.A., 1990. [R. Ravindra is the editor and the principal author.]
The Yoga of the Christ; Element Books, Shaftesbury, England, 1992. [Reprinted as Christ the Yogi by Inner Traditions, International, Rochester, Vermont, U.S.A., 1998; and as Gospel of John in the Light of Indian Mysticism in 2004. Also published by Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai, India.] {Translated into Portuguese, French, German, Greek, Croatian, Polish.}
Krishnamurti: Two Birds on One Tree; Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois, U.S.A., 1995. [Also, published by Pilgrim Books, Varanasi, India in 2003.] {Translated into French, Italian.}
Yoga and the Teaching of Krishna; Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai, India, 1998.
Science and the Sacred; Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai, India, 2000.
Heart Without Measure: Work with Madame de Salzmann; Shaila Press, Halifax, Canada, 1999. [A paperback edition published by Morning Light Press, Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.A. in 2004.] {Translated into Portuguese, Spanish, French.}
Science and the Sacred: Eternal Wisdom in a Changing World, Quest Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 2002. {Translated into Dutch.}
Centered Self Without Being Self-Centered: Remembering Krishnamurti; Morning Light Press, Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.A., 2003.
Pilgrim Without Boundaries; Morning Light Press, Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.A., 2003.
PSALM hosted a gala Benefit Concert on November 12th 2004at St. Martin in the Fields Church in Chestnut hill, Pennsylvania. The following images are from that event...
"Congratulations and thanks for such a wonderful event. I feel very blessed to have heard some of the best and most moving music I've ever heard in my life. The food and everything else was superb."
Marcy Francis
Raymond Powers
Suzanne Teng and Gilbert Levy
Mandala
Michael London, Mia Bosna, Ken Ulansey, Paul Butler
PSALM VP, John Battiloro
Intermission Buffet
PSALM Executive Director, Bill Taylor
The Illumination Band
Eileen Tipping and Bernard Sarkisian
Wynne Alexander
Lew Doty
Allison Prettyman and PSALM CEO, Jamey Reilly
Stairway to St. Martin's Church Sanctuary
