How does technology and the Internet express Oneness? I was watching clips from the upcoming ONENESS: The Big Picture (premiering on May 9th) and Deepak said "The Internet is the emergence of something so powerful but we have not realized it's impact."

This feels very true and I think the proper respect is due. If I write an email or a blog from my heart, it seems to have much more of an impact...people respond in kind. It is like the actual energy of my intention comes through my writing, or more like it, this web of light that connects us. This is Oneness, is it not?

I recently went to a conference called Wisdom 2.0 Summit where they were exploring how we use technology to connect in ways that are beneficial to our well-being and useful to the world. I have to say that having lived and worked in both fields -- technology and spirituality (is this a field?...not sure what to call it, but I do work here...) I was prepared not to be impressed with the level of consciousness there, but I am happy to report that I was wrong. There are people at Google, Twitter, Facebook, Mashable and Zappos that seem to have a deep connection to their responsibility to the whole. I almost cried I was so relieved. I mean if you look at the Huffington Post, they have added a religion section and are dedicating themselves to supplying the world with great wisdom teachers and this is a mainstream political publication!  They recently posted a story called "The Internet as a Living Symbol of Global Oneness" by Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee. In this article he said, "I believe that the Internet is a gift we have been given. It provides an image of how the energy of life can flow freely in a way that defies the barriers of nationality and geography. Yet sadly because we are so immersed in the surface activity of this technology, in its tools of commerce and communication, we do not realize its deeper, symbolic dimension. A symbol is a connection to the sacred ground of our being which alone gives real meaning to our daily life."

I would love to hear Deepak comment on this.... I would love to hear how he honors this connectedness in his communications with life and community. I hope to ask this question on Mother's Day, May 9th when we host a live chat with him. I am certain mothers care about this issue because it is part of a larger issue. How do we live a life that honors life....

In early September we filmed two shows on the same day: ONE The Movie, featuring a lively discussion between Deepak Chopra and Riane Eisler, and Sound of the Soul, featuring Jewish, Muslim, and Christian guests discussing spiritual music as a vehicle for uniting people of different faiths.

The ONE The Movie discussion proved to be unlike any other show taped thus far, as the guests approached the concept of Oneness from very different angles. Deepak described the importance of consciousness, as it connects everything in the universe, and how a scientific understanding of this influences and inspires personal transfomation. Riane came from a more sociological perspective, stating that it's not the transcendent, which will forever be a mystery, but the imminent, and the change we can affect here and now, that fuels her personal spirituality. She seemed to ask, how can we even talk about Oneness, and being united, if we are not first equal?

It was a meeting that seemed, to me, challenging and exciting for both the guests and for our production team, and we look forward to presenting Deepak and Riane in a setting and conversation unlike any they've appeared in before. 

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The Sound of the Soul program centers around a documentary of the same title, which explores Morocco's annual Fez Festival of World Sacred Music. The festival brings together incredible musicians of many different faiths, as they celebrate a passion for music as a way of communicating with and connecting to the Divine.

The guests for this show include Sarah Talcott, the Youth Programs Director at United Religions Initiative, Marla Kolman Antebi, a community organizer and activist who works with Jewish and interfaith youth groups, and Kabir Helminski, a musician and Sufi sheikh who travels and teaches widely.

Also, Sound of the Soul was directed and produced by Stephen Olsson, the Producer of Global Spirit. Learn more about the film here: www.soundofsoul.org. And for more info about ONE The Movie, visit: www.onetheproject.com

Next Tuesday, best-selling authors Deepak Chopra and Riane Eisler will travel to our San Francisco studio for the taping of a new Global Spirit program.   This episode will feature a discussion of ONE The Movie, and will include around 40 minutes of the original film.

When considering guests for a discussion of "Oneness," we were working from a list of about ten people who are well versed in “Unity Consciousness” and we would likely enjoy on the program. But when thinking of how to give the discussion a unique depth, Stephen (the Director/Producer of Global Spirit) realized, "Why don't we bring in two people from the film?" This idea immediately clicked, because the nature of ONE The Movie is to jump quickly from fascinating interview to interview. This is a powerful and entertaining way for the film to raise a variety of issues and allow the audience to hear a variety of perspectives, but Stephen's idea allows for the perfect complement: offering the same guests we heard only briefly to now delve deeper into thoughtful conversation, not only with host Phil Cousineau, but finally, with each other.

This is only the first in the next round of new Global Spirit programming!