Dear CIHS Community Members,

I hope you enjoyed Halloween this week. This week, daylight savings time ends, and the Thanksgiving season is right around the corner. We just wanted to express our deepest gratitude to you all - students, community members, and faculty. Without your continued support, CIHS would not exist. We enter the holiday season grateful for your presence in our community.

We have some announcements and articles in this newsletter. First, we are happy to announce CIHS's video about the 20th Anniversary event. Please take a moment to watch it, and we would very much appreciate your feedback. Pass it along if you think someone would enjoy knowing about the CIHS community. Ron Courtney, videographer, created it and we think it reflects the feel of CIHS really well. Thank you, Ron.

The next two articles are congratulatory addresses from the 20th anniversary ceremony. One is from Dr. Kazuhiro Motoyama, Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama's son, and Nick Bustos, a CIHS student. Nick describes what his journey for educational and personal self-discovery has been like since he became a CIHS student. It is very interesting. Lastly, CIHS Dean, Dr. Hope Umansky, announces the course schedule for Winter 2013, as well as a save-the-date for annual CIHS community holiday/winter gathering. All community members are welcome at this is event, and we hope you will come, have dinner with us, and celebrate the new year for you and CIHS.

The Winter 2013 quarter starts January 7th. You do not need to be a CIHS student to take a course. You can experience the course as an audit. If you are interested in our courses or programs, please visit our website (www.cihs.edu) or directly contact Dr. Hope Umansky ( hope_umansky@cihs.edu) for any assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in this time of growth for CIHS.

Sincerely,

From the bottom of my heart, I want to congratulate those graduating on the 20th anniversary of CIHS, and to congratulate the CIHS community as a whole on its 20th anniversary. I want you to take your knowledge and degrees to pursue leadership and work in this current world that is in need of a new paradigm.

  Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, President and Founder of CIHS, states that the essence of human beings is the soul. He founded this graduate school and research center to study and investigate what the soul is from an interdisciplinary academic point of view.

Then, what is the soul? Dr. Motoyama also says that human beings are multi-dimensional beings consisting of body, mind and Soul. The soul seems to then reside deep inside of the body and mind.

We are required to think about what God is in order to investigate what the soul is. Dr. Motoyama explains God as the following: God transcends everything and supports the universe. At the same time, God resides in each of us and exists within us even though God transcends everything. It is not simply a part of God that functions in us, but God lives within each of us as a totality.

It is the soul that allows us to listen to the voice of god who is living in us. When we calm our body and mind and the soul listens to God's whisper, what we catch is what we want to do. That is because God knows what you like the most and in what area you do your best.

It is your life which is different from anybody else. Also if you do that, you are able to contribute to society because God knows what you are best capable of contributing to society.

I believe that to live awakened to the soul is a natural way of life while living in the current society seeking a new paradigm.

I truly wish that you contribute to society with what you deeply desire to do and live with great satisfaction in your own life.

I congratulate again those who graduate today, and the CIHS community!

My name is Nick Bustos and I am a student here at CIHS, working toward a Ph.D in clinical psychology (emphasis in integral psychology). I was asked to give a brief address on the virtues of getting an education at CIHS, but before I do that, I'd first like to give you a bit of my background. I have a master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of San Francisco and I am at the moment a therapist intern, working on the hours I need to complete in order to become a board certified marriage and family therapist. I chose to pursue a doctorate simply because after I got my masters degree I knew that I wasn't done with school yet, which is an attitude that, if you knew me back then, was in stark, stark contrast to my high school and college years. In those days, school and I were mortal enemies, and I, in a defiant gesture against lecturers, books and exams, made sure to do as little work as humanly possible while still maintaining decent grades. When I graduated from college I thought I was done with school forever; I was happy for it to become a distant memory in my mind, relegating the word 'college' to a word now crossed off on life's 'to do' list. It's not that I didn't like learning - in fact, I loved it. I was always an avid reader, and I spent a lot of time questioning the foundations of life and society, which is of course, typical young person stuff. Yet there was, in my heart, a void; I was looking for something - something deeper, something that went beyond what I thought were the petty and predicticable norms of the world.  

Fast forward a few years and I had finally come to a breaking point. To spare you the details (I assure you, they're boring), essentially, what happened was that I came into contact with a dimension in myself that had been until that point, elusive. I suppose one could say that I had a 'conversion' experience in the way that writer Evelyn Underhill states it, where one's life and outlook changes radically as a result of inner 'breaking through'.

And then came the thirst. It was a thirst for information the likes of which I'd never felt before. I read and read and read and read some more. I meditated. I sought spiritual counsel. I did yoga. But most importantly, I realized that I liked talking with people and that I had a natural skill at being helpful.   So I decided to become a therapist. And now, here I am, fully on the path toward becoming a scholar and clinical practitioner, never in my wildest dreams thinking that this would be the way that I'd be spending the beginning part of my thirties.  

One of the things which has impressed me the most about CIHS is the student body. And it's here I think, that the school firmly establishes its integrity as an institution for higher education. It's been lovely to see that in all my classes so far, the students, in one way or another, embody the dedication of seekers on a quest, propelled by something inside them that perhaps they can't adequately explain - or maybe they can - but that essentially, are devotees of life's multi-dimensional curriculum, instilled with the passionate exploratory spirit of John Muir. My fellow students all seem to possess an inner striving, a conviction to explore worlds that are unseen, worlds that have been, throughout history, illustrated and explained by an endless array of mystics, healers and spiritual adepts, but that only until recently, have begun to surface in the realm of contemporary science and scholarship. It's difficult to explain this motivation, the yearning toward the acquisition of knowledge that is often deemed 'esoteric' or 'woo-woo', but from what I've seen in others as well from my own experiences, this drive originates internally, from a domain of knowing that is beyond the intellect, beyond the Newtonian cause and effect premises under which knowledge is typically gathered, beyond the arena of the five senses. Really, it seems to originate from beyond ourselves (as we generally know ourselves to be). And whether we've come to this place through meditation, mystical experiences, contemplation, encounters with healers, or simply because we are curious, because it just makes more sense to us that our world and our psyches are made up of much more than meets the eye, it seems that students arrive with an intuitive understanding that these subtle realms are worth exploring seriously. And so, it seems, the student body is intimately familiar with the idea of an expanded worldview, a worldview that includes aspects of reality that are usually not discussed in mainstream circles.

Enter CIHS. The premises under which the school was founded made the choice for me to complete my education here a no-brainer. And I know many other students feel the same way. That the school openly honors the blending of science and spirituality resonates with the upward motion of our hearts. And upon this foundation students foster and develop their intuitive understandings; it's an intellectual haven as well as a sacred space. But CIHS is not an institution built for hand-holding, kumbaya-singing academic simpletons hoping for an easy 'A'. No, the academic rigors are a reality, and attests to the seriousness of the school's mission of promoting the exploration of alternative ways of viewing the world in a scholarly and dignified fashion. I can speak to this personally, of course. In the past year, I've written nearly one-hundred and fifty pages of material relevant to class assignments, read more than thirty books, and have spent countless hours researching, revising, thinking and dot-connecting. This has been, to put it bluntly, one of the most academically intense, but at the same time, academically rewarding years of my life.

CIHS welcomes the wealth of transformative experiences that students have had while honing and sharpening the scholastic aptitude of each individual so that they may learn to give an objective, scientific voice to that which is initially, subjective and personal. To do this is no small feat. And it is here that the tireless efforts of Dr. Motoyama, founder of the school, as well as administrators, executive board and of course, teachers, deserve mention. To successfully run a school and teach a curriculum that goes contrary to the values of mainstream academia takes leadership, courage, dedication and perhaps most of all, the strength of vision. It takes the ability to see the forest through the trees, accounting for the surrounding landscape, vast and open, where the forest sits, which is to say, to hold the big picture steadily in view, while at the same time addressing daily practicalities efficiently, ethically and wisely.    

The wonderful value of CIHS lies not only with the fact that the school strives to impart in its students scientifically progressive knowledge and information, information that is often unheard or unseen in mainstream educational circles, but that it also, and I think this is very important, aims to put students in a position where we learn to understand ourselves in relation to the information set forth so that the distance, the gap, between knower and known, perceiver and perceived, me and you, begins to shrink. In doing so, we come away not only understanding ourselves more deeply, but we begin to understand ourselves in relation to the phenomenal world in a manner both intimate and expansive. In other words, the model is two-fold, bimodal. We learn important factual data, information that is practical, relevant and technical. But it couples the acquisition of this knowledge with the express intent of helping students to synthesize it within their internal constitutions, to embrace it with their hearts as well as with their minds. It posits a truly integrative educational experience.  

And with this vision, created by Dr. Motoyama and upheld by the leadership at CIHS, students can rest easy amid their papers, assignments and projects, knowing that the educational vessel that they sail upon is in good hands, steered toward new, grand vistas of science and progress, in the name of humanity and healing.        

Dear CIHS Community,

Happy November! Does it seem to everyone that time is, indeed, moving faster? Or, perhaps it is just a sign of how busy we are here at CIHS. The holiday season has begun, and the end of the year is rapidly approaching. As we begin this holiday season, I want to express how grateful I am to every student, prospective or current, and community member with whom I have contact.

CIHS is such a special tight-knit community. This reflects CIHS' unique curriculum where students can obtain an advanced degree with a cutting edge curriculum that is no longer considered alternative but, rather, complementary. Even our clinical psychology programs reflect CIHS' unique perspective on the frontier of the healing arts. Because CIHS is a small, private niche graduate school, our community becomes a family, and our programs of study are so specialized that everyone's voice is heard throughout the classes, events, and administration. Further, all of the community members positively influence the community in significant ways. Thank you for providing inspiration for classes, curriculum, new programs, workshops, and for having the courage to embark on an innovative graduate program. It is one that matches these unique times. CIHS is blessed to have the opportunity to educate and provide a safe haven for our creatively and spiritually inspired intellectual explorers.

We hope you will join us in celebrating our community in the New Year. CIHS' annual New Year's gathering will be Friday, February 1, from 6-8:30. Whether you are a current or prospective student, alumni, faculty, or community member affiliated with us through workshops or other events, we sincerely hope you will join us. Even if you are just curious as to what our community is about, we welcome you. Your active participation in our community events is welcome.

It is also that time again: I am also going to announce the Winter 2013 quarter courses. Winter quarter begins January 7, 2013, and registration week is December 10-14, 2012. This is when the special registration rate will be available to you in order to inspire you to register early. However, students will be able to register for courses after this date at the regular rate through December.

Winter quarter, 2013, will offer the following classes:

Mysticism, Dr. Tim Laporte. Comparative Religion and Philosophy (CRP) program course; may serve as an elective in any other program with the Dean's approval.

Foundations of Integral Studies, Dr. Roger Cavnaugh, CIHS core requirement, all programs*

Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Research, Dr. Thomas Brophy. This MA level mixed method statistics and research methods class will be taught from the unique perspective of a professional gambler. This course is a BA completion/MA program requirement. If you are a PhD student and would like to see if this course would fit into your course program, please come speak with me. Depending on your course of study, special arrangements may be made.

Topic of Special Interest: Subtle Energy Studies, the Integration of Energy Medicine and Psychology, Theory and Application for Research III, Dr. Michelle Dexter. This is the third course in a series of three. However, there is no prerequisite to this class. You are welcome to take it even if you have not taken the others. This course is available for community members to audit, with the Dean's approval.

Chemical Dependency, Dr. Sharon Mijares. Clinical Psychology licensure track requirement. This course may serve as an elective for Integral Psychology or Integral Health students.

Integral Perspectives on Health, Dr. Mali Burgess. Integral Health core class. This may be taken as an elective for any other program with the Dean's approval.

Many of the courses can be taken as electives, even if they are not in your regular core course schedule. Foundations of Integral Studies is a CIHS core course and must be taken for all degree programs. Thus, if you have not had it, you will need to enroll in that course this quarter.

If you are thinking of applying to become a student, application materials should be in by December (They should always be in no later than the month preceding the quarter in which you would like to begin). If you would like to see how an MA or PhD from one of CIHS' unique programs can enhance your life professionally, academically, and personally, I welcome you to please make an appointment with me (Hope_Umansky@cihs.edu ), either in person or a telephone appointment. I am more than happy to discuss how you can become involved as CIHS and have CIHS support you in your growth as you strive toward your highest and best self. We always welcome inquiries from like-minded individuals.

Sincerely,

Hope Umansky, PhD

Hope_Umansky@cihs.edu

Please "Like" us on Facebook for a chance to win a free pass to the Subtle Energy Conference in July!

We have just created a new Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/cihs.edu . By liking us, you'll :

- stay up to date on CIHS news and developments

- see photos of students & faculty (including you) at events

- feel even more a part of the community through the online experience

- stay connected to other students and faculty online

- have the support of CIHS information and insights integrated into your Facebook news feed

- enter into a dialogue with us and with our community.

For those of you who are already part of our existing Facebook group, we'll be removing that page shortly and will be notifying you there too!

Like us on Facebook today! Thanks!