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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0These 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.<\/p>\n
The most important item on our agenda was reviewing our MSIA student demographics. The average age of active MSIAers is now 66 years old.\u00a0We explored how it is essential that the evolving technology to access the Traveler\u2019s 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.\u00a0\u00a0 With a mission to \u201cmake the teachings available to those who are looking for them\u201d, we must constantly ask ourselves if our methods are current and user-friendly.<\/p>\n
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?\u00a0 Would he choose to use monthly books (Discourses) to impart the teachings or use another format?\u00a0 People do still read books, although the trend is downward \u2013 time spent reading books has steadily decreased over the past 20 years according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.\u00a0\u00a0The reason why is all around us — streaming and social media compete for our attention, nonstop, on our smartphones and tablets.\u00a0(Note: We have no intention of dropping or changing the Discourses!)<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why making the Traveler\u2019s 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.\u00a0\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
We broke for lunch off-campus to a local favorite.\u00a0 Open Face Food Shop<\/a> on West Adams Boulevard is about 7 minutes west of Prana.\u00a0 The owners, Mark and Lena Houck, specialize in modern Danish fare with California influences.\u00a0\u00a0 Lena is the chef, and Mark is a charming host, often regaling us with stories about how he sources their produce from farmer\u2019s markets.\u00a0 The sandwich shop is popular among Prana residents and staff.\u00a0\u00a0 We will be sure to include it on the list of nearby fun cafes and restaurants for everyone visiting Los Angeles during Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s future, while also taking care of the present – Conference at Prana in June<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 He is loving it and now understands why it has been by far the most popular undergraduate PTS course over the past decades.\u00a0\u00a0 We probably all know someone who has taken it multiple times.\u00a0\u00a0 Mark has been doing the online version<\/a> at Soul Transcendence Online<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t already checked out the offerings there for self-paced courses, please take a look.\u00a0\u00a0 There is spiritual gold awaiting you!<\/p>\n Thank you to all of you for all that you give in so many ways. As J-R would constantly remind us, \u201cIt is the loving that makes all this work.\u201d The times are calling us all to stay in the loving!\u00a0 We love and appreciate you.<\/p>\n God bless you,<\/p>\n Mark, Paul, Vincent, Sherie, David, and Jeffrey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. 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