Program Title: “Things We Don’t Understand, Things We Cannot Comprehend.” Our August 15, 2026 program will feature a talk by Price Wood, a long time Richmond IONS Community Group member and spiritual
seeker.
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,
discoveries, superstitions, hopes, fears and dreams we encounter as humans on Earth in the modern era, from the most ordinary, mundane and routine to the most extraordinary, incomprehensible and
sublime. As part of this exploration, Price will touch on apparently never ending mysteries like the conflict between the sacred and the profane, the nature of love, the origin of humanity and our place and purpose
within the cosmos, the attempts of science to explain the unexplainable, to determine the foundational “stuff” of which ultimate reality is made, the mind/body problem, the nature of time and whether we can travel through it
either backwards or forward, the nature of living and dying and questions relating to life after physical death, communications with departed loved ones, connections with the spirit world, reincarnation, predestination, contacts
with extraterrestrials, interdimensionals, angelic beings, the present and very real threat posed by AI, the nature of the Source of all most commonly referred to as God, and, ultimately, the relative insignificance of humanity and the
pale blue dot called Earth we occupy within the framework of a Universe so old, so vast and so complex as to be beyond the capacity of our most brilliant minds to comprehend it.
Another not-to-be-missed program for all who can attend! See you there!
About Our Presenter: Price Wood grew up in Richmond, attending St. Christipher’s School, Va. Tech, Univ. of Richmond, Univ. of
Colorado, and Univ. of Arizona. He entered the Coast Guard and served on the U.S. Eagle sailing ship while it was on display during the
1967 World’s Fair in Montreal, Canada. He taught at Va. Commonwealth Univ. in the school of business before embarking on a career in
computer programming, analysis, and management. In his early 20s he bought a Volkswagen camper van and with his girlfriend, drove
from Richmond to Texas and down the Pan American highway through Mexico and Central America until the road ran out (at the Darian
Gap in Panama). From there they took a banana boat to Ecuador, being rowed to shore in a row boat to a town renowned for pirates. They
were put off on some rocks and from there managed to find a bus to Quito, Ecuador. From there they traveled by bus, train, taxi and
seaplane to the Amazon, where they took an African Queen type boat down river, ending up in Leticia, Colombia. From there they bribed
their way on to a military plane to Bogota and then flew back to Panama and their van for the drive back to Richmond. After this he married
his girlfriend and got a job in Iran (while the Shah was still in control). (See his book, Living in Iran Before the Shah’s Downfall.) He next
got a job in London, after which he moved back to the States and worked various jobs in northern Virginia (including at the Pentagon),
finishing his working career at the Environmental Protection Agency.
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 in0 person at Unity of Richmond, 800 Blanton Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, 10:00
a.m. to 12:00 noon, with Potluck Lunch at conclusion.
Upcoming Meetings:
September 12, 2026: Sandy Ward, Richmond area psychic medium, on her psychic journeys to inner and outer space.
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?”
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.
The Druze are a unique and deeply spiritual community whose roots trace back to 11th-century Egypt, yet whose cultural and metaphysical traditions remain largely hidden from public view. In this engaging and thought-provoking presentation, Khattar invites us into the heart of Druze identity—where culture, ethics, and the soul’s journey through multiple lifetimes are intimately intertwined. This talk will explore the foundational beliefs of the Druze faith, including its esoteric origins, its emphasis on unity and divine knowledge, and its strict tradition of spiritual secrecy. We’ll examine how Druze culture has preserved its distinct identity across centuries, despite political upheaval and geographic dispersion. At the center of the presentation is the Druze belief in reincarnation—known as taqammus—a concept that is not metaphorical but lived and accepted as fact within the community. Khattar will share compelling stories of Druze children who recall past lives with astonishing detail, and how these memories are investigated and often validated by elders. We’ll also compare Druze reincarnation with similar beliefs in Hinduism and Buddhism, and reflect on what these ideas suggest about consciousness, memory, and the continuity of the soul.