Program Title: “Adventures of a Third-Eye Spy.” Our September 12, 2026 program will feature a talk by Sandy Ward, Richmond-based spirit medium, evidential psychic, spiritual counselor and remote viewer.
Sandy is well known to most of our members and one of our most popular presenters. She was our last in-person guest speaker before the Covid shutdown in March 2020. In her two prior
presentations to our group she spoke about the gift of mediumship and the myriad ways through which love and consciousness transcend and triumph over physical death. What is less well known about Sandy is that for a decade or more she worked as a psychic spy and remote viewer for a super-secret government contracting firm involved in national security related psychic work for numerous agencies of the U.S. government, including, to name a few, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, NASA, the CIA, the FBI, and U.S. allies including the UK (as well as the British Royal Family), Ukraine, the UAE, the DRC and even the UN. Although she did not become aware of it until later in her life, Sandy will explain how she was identified and groomed for this work from early childhood, perhaps as young as age 3, as soon as she began manifesting and demonstrating her extraordinary psychic abilities.In her September 12 talk, Sandy will share in summary form how remote viewing works, the variety of ways in
which she typically receives psychic information and downloads, some of the different organizations and countries she has worked for, and even some of the psychic spy missions in which she has participated (without revealing any
classified information, of course), and will field questions from our group about anything and everything (which in the past has included spontaneous mediumship with spirits present with their loved ones at the program). Sandy’s talks are always engaging enough to keep all who attend on the edges of their seats, and this one, due to the expanded subject matter, promises to be even more so. You definitely won’t want to miss this one!
Another not-to-be-missed program for all who can attend! See you there!
About Our Presenter: Sandy Ward was born in California, the youngest of ten children and a Navy brat. She is a Certified Spiritual Medium, evidential psychic and spiritual counselor who has had her gift since the age of three and specializes in spiritual healings through contact with loved ones that have passed. She received her certification from the James Van Praagh School, where she was his apprentice for over three years. In addition to her work with national security matters as mentioned above, she has used her psychic abilities on criminal cases, development circles both locally and abroad and coaching development of other mediums. Sandy also donates her time and
gifts to local spiritual events and local fundraisers in support of education. She can be reached on Facebook at Sandy Ward New Energy Medium.
About Central VA IONS Community Group: Central VA IONS Community Group is an unincorporated association and a local community group of The Institute of Noetic Sciences, an international association based in Novato, California (www.noetic.org). Central VA IONS is not associated with any religion, religious organization, doctrine or set of beliefs or practices and is open to all. Central VA IONS is entirely dependent upon voluntary donations of its members and friends to support its programs, mailings and other costs, and a love offering is requested at each meeting from those attending in-person or online. Central VA IONS meetings are held each month at
locations announced in its program notices and are open to all. Our website is at www.richmondions.org.
Where/When: In person and online, through ZOOM (Meeting ID: 865 1815 1952, Passcode: 142841) and in person at Unity of Richmond, 800 Blanton Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221, on Saturday, September 12, 2026,
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, with Potluck Lunch at conclusion.
Upcoming Meetings:
October 17, 2026: Mattie Coll, Richmond area pet whisperer and healer.
November 21, 2026: Jean MacInnis, Charlottesville-based pranic healer and pranic healing instructor.
December 12/19, 2026: Tom Coates, on exploring and answering the age-old question, “Who Built the Moon?”
Price will explore and examine the mysteries of life, the Universe and humanity’s place within it, ranging from the Big Bang to evolution to the tug-of-war between religion and science, and the infinite variety and fascination we have with the dizzying, crazy quilt tapestry of experiences, beliefs,
Program Title: “Awakening to One’s True Purpose.” Our July 18, 2026 program will feature a talk by Jen Bushman is an internationally recognized spiritual teacher, intuitive channel, healer, author, and speaker whose work explores consciousness, soul connection, multidimensional awareness, and energetic healing.
In the early 1990s, a series of formative experiences—including communications with her late father, a Chinese Buddhist—led Carole Louie to recognize her abilities as a medium and to pursue reincarnation research. Born to a Southern Baptist mother and a Chinese Buddhist father, Carole discovered her destiny to bridge the past, present, and future. Carole will share her explorations on how memories of past lives have shaped and expanded her worldview. Carole has dedicated much of the last 35 years exploring and often verifying other lifetimes she/her soul has lived and acting as a facilitator for others to pursue similar interests, seeking through her work to explore the spiritual dimensions of consciousness and reincarnation.
What if one of the most powerful catalysts for human evolution has been hiding in plain sight—so familiar we’ve underestimated it? In this experiential presentation, Emmy Award-winning composer and filmmaker Gary Malkin draws from the core arc of his TEDx message and his forthcoming book, The Resonance Revolution, to explore music not as entertainment or mood enhancement, but as an underutilized human technology for state regulation, emotional range, and collective connection. Through guided demonstrations—spoken wisdom set to carefully composed music, immersive contemplative media, group alignment experiences, and practices that cultivate comfort with silence—participants will investigate how music can settle overstimulated cognition and create conditions in which the analytical mind and the heart’s discernment work in partnership rather than tension. At a deeper level, Gary’s inquiry will address a civilizational threshold, i.e., that we cannot sustain outer peace without cultivating inner peace, and inner peace remains elusive without developing grief and trauma literacy. In a world shaped by unprocessed loss, polarization and chronic overstimulation, music may offer a reliable pathway toward the emotional maturity required for unity consciousness—not as ideology, but as lived experience. This session invites the Richmond IONS community into a grounded exploration of music as a bridge between science and spirituality, regulation and reconciliation, personal coherence and collective transformation, and ultimately, toward a world that works because we have become mature enough to sustain it.
The tug-of-war between spirituality and materialism has been a central issue of Western philosophy for at least 2,500 years, since Socrates and Democritus or even earlier. More commonly referred to today as the mind-body problem (whether mind begets body or body begets mind), the way we choose to answer this question has enormous implications for us, both individually and collectively, on a multitude of levels. Our distinguished 30th anniversary guest speaker, Ed Kelly, has been studying unusual manifestations of consciousness, through the lens of psi phenomena, for nearly 54 years, and has been responsible for several of the most groundbreaking and scholarly works ever published on the subject.
Our December 13, 2025 program will feature a talk by Mary Ruberry, artist and author, on her book, Messages from The Tara. We know that we are beings of Light and Love, yet often we find ourselves engulfed in the 3-D world of distractions and busy-ness, and lose sight of our true nature. As we move into the New Golden Age, humans are transitioning away from leading with the rational mind and instead leading everyday life from the heart — or “heart mind.” Mary will discuss simple techniques for overcoming challenges to achieving a Pure Heart in the quest to live heart-led. She will also discuss what the great Tara has imparted in her divine messages to help us transform from outmoded paradigms and into enlightened patterns of thought that align with Nature. Some of the topics addressed by The Tara include: Free Will, Sadness/Depression, Unity Consciousness, Ego, Emotions, Patience, Time, Energy, and the Higher Self/Divine Will. She will also detail elements of the New Age that we are entering, and gives advice about how to navigate the changes. The Tara explains her inspiration as follows: “I am giving you these messages to help those who want to rise above the commonplace. There are luminous individuals who can make a significant difference in this present time. I want to reach those people as much as possible to: (1) encourage them on their path, in their leadership role, (2) show them clearly and simply how to peel away modern thinking and habits that hold them back, and (3) I want to spur them on to new patterns of thought, new ways of perceiving, new ways of leading, new practices to replace those that do not work.” The Tara’s insights are profound indeed and Mary is thrilled to have the opportunity to share some of her wisdom with you (from her book: Messages from The Tara: A Book of Wisdom for New-Age Leaders). She will have books to purchase if you are interested.