Founder’s Message

 

The programs of this School are inspired by the Wisdom and Intelligence of those who have come before us whether they lived a millennia ago, the last century, or are those of us who are working today to bring forth a new vision for humanity. There are many definitions of the term ‘Wisdom’, but the one that guides the development of this School is this: “Wisdom is the art and science of spiritual transformation that leads to an awakening to one’s true nature or essence. As we awaken to this Wisdom we find that we desire to unite with the Divine Spirit whose nature is, in fact, our Own.” This means that the foundation of this School is one that emphasizes direct experience along with knowledge and study.

The School also is grounded in the notion that the term ‘Intelligence’ needs to be redefined more than ever. It must include ‘Wisdom’ and perhaps, even equated with it. Our society needs this more than ever with our tremendous emphasis on knowledge and information as the only thing that is important to seek. This School, while valuing information, seeks to utilize new knowledge in service of the transformational process. New techniques have been developed to accommodate the needs of the modern student, one of which is called the ‘dyad technique.’ This technique and others used at this School have come from a variety of traditions and experiences in several different fields, but have been thoroughly tested and found to be very helpful in accelerating one’s spiritual progress.

Finally, although it is wondrous to have a ‘peak experience’ as it can change us forever, it is just as important to learn to stabilize in the new state so that we are able to translate that new state into our world in an integrated way. We have found that the transformation process is the most meaningful when it leads to a true permanent change in our way of ‘Being-in-the-World,’ rather than a mere distant memory that reminds us of a wonderful experience we once had long ago. It becomes crucial then to focus on learning about the stages of the transformational process itself so that we become able to move through them safely, steadily and with awareness. This is the fundamental ground of the educational philosophy of this School. We hope that it will be of service to humanity.

Jim Sher, MSW, Founder