Helpful Spiritual Organizations
We all want resources with which we can interact when we require (or simply desire) special attention. Below are some basic resources for new seekers of spiritual living.
Near-Death Experience Research Foundation
Jeffrey Long is a medical doctor specializing in the practice of radiation oncology, using radiation to treat cancer. As a scientist, Jeff founded NDERF in 1998. He wanted to know if NDEs were real by directly asking the NDErs themselves. The answer is a resounding YES! As a result of his research, he is the author of the New York Times best seller, "Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences." He also wrote "God and the Afterlife: The Groundbreaking New Evidence for God and Near-Death Experience."
Jody Long is a retired attorney, was licensed in Washington, New Mexico, Louisiana, and the Navajo Nation. She is webmaster for the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) for the past 13 years and provides support and a forum for NDErs and those who want to know about the afterlife. She has several decades of experience researching paranormal and related phenomena. She is also webmaster for After Death Communication Research Foundation (ADCRF) www.adcrf.org and the other consciousness experience website which is everything that is not an NDE or ADC (OBERF) www.oberf.org. Jody helped with "Evidence of the Afterlife," the New York Times best selling NDE book. She has written "God’s Fingerprints: Impressions of Near Death Experiences," which is the first book of it's genre published in mainland China.
Our Mission: To research and study consciousness experiences and to spread the message of love, unity and peace around the world.
Institute of Noetic Sciences
At the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), we are inspired by the power of science to explain phenomena not previously understood, harnessing the best of the rational mind to make advances that further our knowledge and enhance our human experience.
The mission of the Institute of Noetic Sciences is to reveal the interconnected nature of reality through scientific exploration and personal discovery.
As scientists focused on what are common but not often understood phenomena, we are also aware of the vast historical records of wisdom practices that also speak to the mysteries and possibilities which allow us to access more of our human capacities. At IONS, our scientists apply the rigors of their respective disciplines to explore such phenomena, with a focus on understanding humanity’s inherent interconnectedness and the inner wisdom common to us all. When we collectively embody our true interconnection and embrace our inner wisdom we envision the creation of a more compassionate and thriving world.
Braver Angels
We are a national grassroots, non-profit organization that seeks to depolarize American politics by transforming our attitudes towards each other. We work to heal the wounds between our partisan Red/Blue divides in the process of fostering and sustaining more civil communities. And we champion shared human values such as human dignity, respect, empathy, curiosity, contextual understanding, and deep listening. In so doing, we discover what it means to be truly ‘American’ together in these times.
Spirited, partisan political dialogue is nothing new in our country. Nor are constructive differences of opinion about issues, policies, values, and election outcomes. But things are devolving as of late. Normal political competition has, too often, degraded into acts of demonizing and dehumanizing our opponents. We’re witnessing a real-time, rapidly widening Red-Blue fracture.
Braver Angels doesn’t accept a divided, combative, and self-destructive nation as our destiny. And we’ve come together in the cause of reversing this troubling trend. We work tirelessly to transform the attitudes and discourse of our nation’s citizens… one person and community at a time. We seek not to force compromise surrounding existing, deeply held views in life. Instead, we strive to find lasting common ground in our shared humanity and dialogue.
Wellness Alliance
Throughout time and across cultures, the term “wellness” has been defined and applied in many ways. The Wellness Alliance recognizes this context and acknowledges that:
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Wellness is a conscious, self-directed, and evolving process of achieving one's full potential.
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Wellness encompasses lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment.
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Wellness is positive, affirming, and contributes to living a long and healthy life.
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Wellness is multicultural and holistic, involving multiple dimensions.
Wellness is the active pursuit to understand and fulfill your individual human needs—which allows you to reach a state where you are flourishing and able to realize your full potential in all aspects of life. Every person has wellness aspirations. Successful workplace wellness initiatives require supporting employees in fulfilling their needs in seven areas.
HEALTH - Beyond the absence of mental and physical illness, health is a feeling of strength and energy from your body and mind.
MEANING - Feeling part of something bigger than yourself. Knowing that your work matters. Having purpose in your life.
SAFETY - Knowing that you are safe from physical and psychological harm at work. Feeling secure enough to take calculated risks and show vulnerability. Free of concern about meeting basic life needs.
CONNECTION - Experiencing positive, trusting relationships with others. Feeling a sense of belonging, acceptance and support.
ACHIEVEMENT - Feeling you have the support, resources and autonomy to achieve your goals. Succeeding at meeting your individual goals and work aspirations.
GROWTH - Feeling like you are progressing in your career. Learning and being challenged to use and expand on your strengths.
RESILIENCY - Viewing life with optimism. Feeling grateful and expressing appreciation. Feeling validated and encouraged.
Wellness is functioning optimally within your current environment.
HeartMath Institute
HeartMath Institute is committed to helping awaken the heart of humanity. We believe that when we align and connect our hearts and minds and connect with others, we awaken the higher mental, emotional and spiritual capacities that frequently lie dormant. HMI aspires to always conduct our operations with passion, compassion and a heartfelt desire to transform lives. This is in keeping with our desire to help usher in an era of ever-expanding heart intelligence.
HeartMath’s research, training and technologies are aimed at guiding all of humanity toward realization of its full potential and to rely on the qualities of the heart in its role as caretaker of future generations and our planet.
HeartMath serves people of all ages and walks of life around the world in their homes, classrooms and communities – so they can live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives.
We research and develop reliable, scientifically based tools that bridge the connection between heart and mind and deepen people’s connection with the hearts of others. This empowers people to greatly reduce stress, increase resilience and unlock their natural intuitive guidance for making better choices.
Association for Research and Enlightenment
We hope that you will enjoy exploring the fascinating work of Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), one of the most-documented psychics of all time, a renowned mystic, and the father of holistic medicine. Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) was founded more than 80 years ago to help people to transform their lives. Our goal is to be your resource for body-mind-spirit materials that will help you in your everyday experience to be all that you can be.
Our organization was founded by Edgar Cayce in 1931, with the purpose of helping people to transform their lives for the better. The mission of the A.R.E. is to create opportunities for profound personal change in body, mind, and spirit through the wisdom found in the Edgar Cayce material. You can read more about A.R.E. on Our Mission page.
One of the best ways to study, learn, and grow from this material is through A.R.E. Membership, with our quarterly magazine Venture Inward, our Cayce Quarterly newsletter, and access to our exclusive Member-Only section which includes a monthly Enlightenment Series with videos and lesson plans along with the entire database of Edgar Cayce’s 14,307 documented readings!
Mind Science Foundation
The mission of the Mind Science Foundation is to explore the vast potential of the human mind in a scientific manner, for the betterment of humankind. Current areas of focus include supporting the search for an answer to one of the major questions of modern science – the puzzle of human consciousness. We do this by funding innovative research and accessible educational programs focused on the mind, brain and human consciousness, all with the goal of improving the human condition.
The biological basis of consciousness is a primary scientific question. In a 2009 interview physicist and best-selling author Brian Greene offered his assessment of the three most important questions facing scientists at beginning of the 21st century: How did the universe begin? How was life initiated? How did consciousness emerge?
Greene’s three most important questions map neatly into the three San Antonio-based foundations that are Tom Slick’s legacy: Southwest Research Institute, focused on the physical sciences and technology; Texas Biomedical Research Institute, focused on life sciences and medicine; and the Mind Science Foundation, focused on neuroscience, psychology and mind.
Basic research addressing the great questions in the physical and life sciences have attracted attention and support from major foundations, universities, and government agencies. Less attention and resources have been devoted to the search for understanding the nature of consciousness, the great question of how the hardware of the brain creates the lived experience of the mind. The Mind Science Foundation has a unique role as the only philanthropic foundation with a primary purpose of promoting research advancing the scientific understanding of the nature of consciousness.
The Monroe Institute
The Monroe Institute community is a diverse community. We welcome people from all backgrounds. Our growing community includes nuclear physicists, doctors, lawyers, computer scientists and IT professionals, realtors, homemakers, inventors, psychologists, psychiatrists, farmers, truck drivers, politicians, lawmakers, artists, musicians, poets, authors, military officers, students, teachers, and religious leaders from all faiths.
Founded in 1971 by Robert A. Monroe, the Monroe Institute is widely recognized as a leading center for exploring and experiencing expanded states of consciousness. For over 50 years, our immersive programs have empowered participants to undergo profound transformations, gaining a fresh outlook on life and discovering a deep sense of purpose.
Using cutting-edge Monroe Sound Science technology, guided imagery, and collaborative group activities, our programs have welcomed individuals world-wide from all walks of life. The only prerequisite is an open mind and an understanding that our existence extends beyond the physical realm.
In addition to our experiential programs, the Monroe Institute actively engages in research, partnering with scientists, doctors, and academics to explore the remarkable benefits of expanded states of consciousness.
Society for Psychical Research
THE SOCIETY for Psychical Research was set up in London in 1882, the first scientific organisation ever to examine claims of psychic and paranormal phenomena. We hold no corporate view about their existence or meaning; rather, our purpose is to gather information and foster understanding through research and education.
Much of the early work involved exposing fake phenomena. In a project overseen by Richard Hodgson, SJ Davey gave sittings under an assumed name, in which he duplicated the ‘slate-writing’ phenomena produced by the medium William Eglinton, afterwards showing the sitters how they’d been deceived. SPR researchers were for the most part suspicious of physical mediums (those producing effects in dark séance rooms): Hodgson confidently declared the claimed feats of Helena Blavatsky, the founder of Theosophy, to be fake, and there was controversy with the Society over claims regarding the Italian séance medium Eusapia Palladino. But researchers also worked extensively over long periods with mental mediums they regarded as trustworthy, notably Leonora Piper in Boston, who was introduced to them by the Harvard psychologist William James, and Gladys Leonard and Winifred Coombe Tennant (‘Mrs Willett’) in London.
The International Association for Near-Death Studies
Our Mission is to advance global understanding of near-death experiences and related phenomena through research, education, and supportive communities and resources.
Our Vision is a world in which near-death experiences and related phenomena are widely recognized as valid and profound experiences that inspire and create lasting positive change.
Our Purpose is to promote responsible, multi-disciplinary exploration of near-death and similar experiences, their effects on people’s lives, and their implications for beliefs about life, death, and human purpose. When no reasonably clear position exists on the origin or interpretation of these experiences, we remain impartial and open to the presentation of varying points of view. While all personal beliefs are respected, IANDS never supports proselytizing.
Originally founded in 1978 in Oxford, Ohio, as the Association for the Scientific Study of Near-Death Phenomena, IANDS became the International Association for Near-Death Studies in 1981. IANDS was founded by five physicians and researchers working in what was then an emerging field: John Audette, MS; Bruce Greyson, MD; Raymond Moody, MD; Ken Ring, PhD.; and Michael Sabom, MD.
Throughout its history, IANDS has focused its resources on providing the highest quality information available about NDE-related subjects. It is the only membership group of its kind in the world. IANDS’ purpose is to promote responsible, multi-disciplinary exploration of near-death and similar experiences, their effects on people’s lives, and their implications for beliefs about life, death, and human purpose. Whatever the viewpoint, IANDS never supports proselytizing.
In addition to maintaining this information-rich website, IANDS publishes the peer-reviewed scholarly Journal of Near Death Studies three times a year; a member magazine called Vital Signs; sponsors conferences and other programs; provides professional, continuing education those in the healthcare field; works with the media; and encourages the formation of regional discussion and support groups. IANDs also publishes an indexed bibliography to the periodical literature on near-death and near-death like experiences.
The Parapsychological Association
The Parapsychological Association, Inc. (PA) is the international professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of ‘psi’ (or ‘psychic’) experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, remote viewing, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition.
Such experiences seem to challenge contemporary conceptions of human nature and of the physical world. They appear to involve the transfer of information and the influence of physical systems independently of time and space, via mechanisms we cannot currently explain.
The primary objective of the Parapsychological Association is to achieve a scientific understanding of these experiences.
In view of this, PA members develop and refine methodologies for studying psi and its physical, biological or psychological underpinnings. They assess hypotheses and theories through experiments, conceptual models and field investigations, and seek to integrate their findings with other scientific domains. PA members also explore the meaning and impact of psychic experiences in human society, and assess the possibility of practical applications and technologies.
While covering a wide range of perspectives, the PA, as a whole, is committed to:
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Promoting scholarship and scientific inquiry into currently unexplained aspects of human experience
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Disseminating responsible information to the wider public and to the scientific community
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Integrating this information with knowledge from other disciplines
Psi experiences have been reported throughout history, in all cultures. Even today, as multiple surveys show, a wide segment of the world’s population reports having had at least one experience that they believe to have been psychic.
These experiences, and the phenomena associated with them, are the subject matter of parapsychology. PA members use well-developed scientific methods to determine to what extent psi phenomena can be explained through presently understood processes -- whether physical or psychological -- and to what extent they may point to unknown forces and laws, or necessitate a revised model of consciousness and its relationship to the world.
The Theosophical Society
Has a Vision of wholeness that inspires a fellowship united in study, meditation, and service.
Has a Mission of encouraging open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the wisdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore spiritual self-transformation.
Has an Ethic holding that our every action, feeling, and thought affect all other beings and that each of us is capable of and responsible for contributing to the benefit of the whole.
The Theosophical Society in America embraces diversity and inclusion, believing our differences make us stronger and wiser as a whole. We stand for equity and justice for all. We affirm the spiritual unity that exists at the core of all beings while honoring the unique and diverse paths that individuals walk, including but not limited to differences in age, gender, religious or spiritual tradition, race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
We denounce racism and intolerance in any form, both past and present, and encourage all members of the Theosophical Society in America to self-evaluate and explore cultural biases that are an inherent part of physical manifestation.
We strive to create an open and safe community where seekers from every walk of life are respectfully heard and have access to spiritual resources that speak to their unique life experiences.
To fulfill our mission in promoting fellowship and spiritual education, the Theosophical Society in America:
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Has local groups around the country where members can meet, explore, and practice together.
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Organizes online and in-person lectures, groups, and workshops at the different local groups.
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Offers online resources that include articles, audio lectures, videos, live webinars, webcasts, and more.
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Publishes books and a quarterly magazine on spirituality, called Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society in America.
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Has libraries that specialize on spiritual subjects, both at the national center in Wheaton, Illinois, as well as at the different local groups.
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Is affiliated with Theosophical camps that host courses and seminars in natural settings suitable for contemplation, meditation, and learning.
All are welcome to use our resources and attend programs and events, and we encourage those who sympathize with our mission to become members.
Spiritual Care Association
The Spiritual Care Association (SCA) is the first multidisciplinary, international professional membership association for spiritual care providers that establishes evidence-based quality indicators, scope of practice, and a knowledge base for spiritual care.
SCA is leading the way to educate, certify, credential and advocate so that more people in need, regardless of religion, beliefs or cultural identification, receive effective spiritual care in all types of institutional and community settings in the U.S. and internationally. SCA is committed to serving its multidisciplinary membership and growing the chaplaincy profession.
The nonprofit SCA is an affiliate of HealthCare Chaplaincy NetworkTM (HCCN), a health care nonprofit organization founded in 1961 that offers spiritual-related information and resources, and professional chaplaincy services in hospitals, other health care settings, and online.
https://www.spiritualcareassociation.org
SDI
Spiritual Directors International (SDI) is a global educational nonprofit. We are committed to supporting and growing access to spiritual direction, spiritual companionship and the deep listening, open questions and compassion our healing modality offers. In short, we are an invitation to be your true self. Our work concerns "Cultivating the Practices of Deep Listening and Spiritual Presence Across All Faith Traditions and Spiritual Orientations."
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We have more than 6,600 members spread across 40 countries — spiritual directors and spiritual companions who offer support and companionship to people so that they may integrate spirit with the rest of their lives to feel whole.
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We invite everyone to join us on the Public Square of Spiritual Direction and Companionship, where all people are welcome with their spiritual traditions and orientations intact – or no tradition/orientation at all.
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We respect the spiritual independence of each person and believe our lives grow richer and deeper, the more we embrace the diversity of faith and practice.
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We honor listening as the active art that allows spiritual knowledge to emerge.
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We work on the assumption that all beings are connected, and that this connection often is revealed in mysterious and wonderful ways.
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As a nonprofit organization, SDI is devoted to educating and supporting the people who choose spiritual direction/companionship as a calling. We do this through our annual conference, webinars, online courses, spiritual journeys, SDI Press Books, our website and our publications including our international journal of spiritual direction and companionship, “Presence.”
Comprehensively defining an intensely personal and sometimes mystical experience is an impossible challenge. Any definition is limited by its very nature and therefore bound to come up short when compared with the actual experience of the limitless.
Spiritual Awakenings International
Spiritual Awakenings International is multi-faith, multi-cultural, non-aligned, and is open to anyone peacefully seeking a higher understanding. We promote respectful and supportive dialogue of diverse views and perspectives on STEs. Opinions expressed by speakers at our SAI events are their own personal opinions, and do not reflect an official position of Spiritual Awakenings International. SAI is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is strongly opposed to any type of discrimination. Spiritual Awakenings International (SAI) is a nonprofit worldwide network of individuals and groups interested in collaborating to raise awareness, network, and share personal experience relating to diverse types of Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs) to raise global spiritual awareness.
“Spiritually Transformative Experiences,” (STEs), was first coined by Dr. Yvonne Kason MD in 1994 in her groundbreaking book, A Farther Shore, and expanded upon in her more recent books, Farther Shores (2000), and Touched by the Light: Exploring Spiritually Transformative Experiences (2019).
“Spiritually Transformative Experiences” is an umbrella term for a broad range of spiritual and paranormal experiences of consciousness, that all tend to cause a spiritual awakening and gradual expansion of one’s range of consciousness. All types of STEs tend to transform experiencers’ values in a more spiritual direction and propel an increased desire to be loving, ethical, and of service to others.
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Dr. Kason defines Spiritually Transformative Experiences into 6 major sub-types:
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Mystical experiences;
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Near-Death Experiences (NDEs);
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Other Death-related STEs such as: Deathbed experiences/End-of-life experiences; Death-Watch/Shared-Death experiences; and After-Death Communications;
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Psychic/intuitive and out-of-body experiences of many types;
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Kundalini / Spiritual Energy Awakenings;
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Inspired creativity
STEs are sometimes referred to as “extraordinary experiences”, “exceptional human experiences”, “spiritual emergence syndrome”, samadhis, siddhis, ascension experiences, and other terms.
Vibrant Spiritual Living
Cincinnati, Ohio
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