One of the most important jobs of the current presidency (Mark, Vincent, and Paul) is to pass the leadership on to the next generation (Sherie, Jeffrey, and David). Plus, do our best to convey the wisdom and experience gained from decades of training under John-Roger.

A couple of weeks ago the six of us got together for an intensive all-day meeting at Prana West to touch base about goals and initiatives we set last October at our four-day Lake Arrowhead retreat. It gave us an opportunity to check in on where we have made progress and what we can focus on going forward. These gatherings of the Presidency Collective Intelligence (PCI), as PK calls it, bring us closer together and help keep us all on the same page guiding the operations of MSIA and PTS.

The most important item on our agenda was reviewing our MSIA student demographics. The average age of active MSIAers is now 66 years old. We explored how it is essential that the evolving technology to access the Traveler’s teachings be as easy to use as possible for our older students, as well as suited for a younger audience out there looking for the teachings.   With a mission to “make the teachings available to those who are looking for them”, we must constantly ask ourselves if our methods are current and user-friendly.

It is always a good exercise to ask ourselves: if John-Roger was just starting out today with his ministry of Soul Transcendence, how would the spiritual teachings best be shared?  Would he choose to use monthly books (Discourses) to impart the teachings or use another format?  People do still read books, although the trend is downward – time spent reading books has steadily decreased over the past 20 years according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The reason why is all around us — streaming and social media compete for our attention, nonstop, on our smartphones and tablets. (Note: We have no intention of dropping or changing the Discourses!)

That’s why making the Traveler’s teachings accessible to a new generation of spiritual seekers in today’s world was a major topic of our all-day meeting, in addition to discussing our annual Conference logistics, the student database software update, improving the Prana visitor experience, and many other sundry matters that arose in our relaxed session.   It was nice to chat over tea and coffee, uninterrupted with the usual activity of the day, and have time to really talk things through.

We broke for lunch off-campus to a local favorite.  Open Face Food Shop on West Adams Boulevard is about 7 minutes west of Prana.  The owners, Mark and Lena Houck, specialize in modern Danish fare with California influences.   Lena is the chef, and Mark is a charming host, often regaling us with stories about how he sources their produce from farmer’s markets.  The sandwich shop is popular among Prana residents and staff.   We will be sure to include it on the list of nearby fun cafes and restaurants for everyone visiting Los Angeles during Conference.

Folks at Prana West and at the restaurant commented on how much they enjoyed the laughter coming from our gathering together. The PCI meeting was a blessed opportunity for us to connect and prepare for MSIA’s future, while also taking care of the present – Conference at Prana in June. Even though we meet weekly, we look forward to our retreats in October to go deeper into planning for 2026, and how to guide MSIA into the future while doing our best to tune inwardly and follow the guidance of our direct boss, the Lord Jesus Christ.

After all these years, Mark Lurie finally got around to taking the Travelers Through the Ages class in preparation for the PTS Travelers Through the Ages Tour of Italy in September.   He is loving it and now understands why it has been by far the most popular undergraduate PTS course over the past decades.   We probably all know someone who has taken it multiple times.   Mark has been doing the online version at Soul Transcendence Online.    If you haven’t already checked out the offerings there for self-paced courses, please take a look.   There is spiritual gold awaiting you!

Thank you to all of you for all that you give in so many ways. As J-R would constantly remind us, “It is the loving that makes all this work.” The times are calling us all to stay in the loving!  We love and appreciate you.

God bless you,

Mark, Paul, Vincent, Sherie, David, and Jeffrey