Dear CIHS Community Members,

Happy Halloween!

Congratulations to our CIHS graduates who finished their programs. We celebrated their graduation on Saturday, September 13. This was CIHS' 17th commencement ceremony, and we had 7 graduates this year. Thank you for those who came to celebrate with us, and thank you for those who could not come but who support CIHS throughout the year in many different ways.

This newsletter contains two articles. The first one is Dr. Kazuhiro Motoyama's graduation address. Dr. Kazuhiro Motoyama is Founder and CIHS' President, Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama's son, and he is a successor of Tamamitsu Shrine in Tokyo, where Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama serves as the head priest. Dr. Kazuhiro Motoyama has also served as a CIHS board member for many years, and he has in many ways significantly supported CIHS since its beginning. Dr. Kazuhiro Motoyama could not come to the ceremony, but his address was presented by Dr. Hope Umansky, and it was well received.

The second article is from Dr. Umansky who reviews our graduation, our current academic quarter, and other community events. We will announce the Winter course schedule soon and other exciting events in our upcoming newsletters so please keep in touch with us.

We hope that you have wonderful time in the coming fall season. We greatly appreciate your support, and welcome your inclusion as part of our community, either as a graduate student, researcher, or by simply attending one of our workshops.

Sincerely,

Dear CIHS Community,

"Education is the movement from darkness to light."
-Allan Bloom 

During this fall season, as our days get darker and winter approaches, this quotation seemed fitting as CIHS is an institution invested in bringing forth the light of subtle energy studies and its related fields, such as integral science research, clinical/integral psychology and consciousness studies/comparative religion & philosophy. Recently, CIHS celebrated the graduation of 7 alumni, who are already working in the their respective fields inciting change and bringing new invigorated thought into the fields of education, non-profit leadership, authorship, work with veterans suffering from PTSD, just to name a few of the exciting fields in which CIHS graduates work.

Indeed, education is about bringing light to those areas that need it, both in the pursuit and application of that education. Pursuing a degree on the cutting edge of graduate education is about dispelling myth, illusion, and darkness for what is not true or destructive in our healthcare, education, and government systems. This pursuit of creative and revolutionary thought takes courage and is best done in a supportive community that has mutually enriching interests. The California Institute for Human Science houses our students on the journey toward innovative higher education. While pursuing their degree, they academically and spiritually reside in a safe haven of intellectual exploration while pushing the boundaries of thought/science and often themselves. The subtle energy community has many facets and graduate school (or Bachelor of Arts completion) is but one part. This past weekend one could see the larger subtle energy community, of which we often speak, engaged in the dissemination of new information and practical application. This larger community holds space for these pioneers as well. I had the opportunity to attend the Subtle Energy Center's, Subtle Energy Retreat 4: the Art and Science of Energy, organized and masterfully facilitated by Cristina Smith, and experience the wide cast net of such a community.

Working as an iconoclast or maverick can be isolating, personally and professionally. It takes a measure of courage and mettle to pursue research, practice, and innovative interests that go against the grain. It is important to have a scholarly community behind you as well as to be connected to a larger network of people in the subtle energy field. The interconnectedness of the subtle energy communities was palpable. As part of the community, there were two thought leader schools in subtle energy (CIHS and Holos, a graduate seminary), CIHS faculty and researchers (Dr. Michelle Dexter, Dr. Gaetan Chevalier, along with Jessica Luibrand of Psy Tek, Dr. Juan Acosta-Urquidi, including two doctoral students, Tiffany Barsotti and Eileen McKusick, who is currently on a book tour) presented cutting edge research on the nature of subtle energy. You can feel the cohesiveness of the group all in pursuit of the higher goals of wholeness and optimum health. CIHS is proud to be an active member of such an active community.

Currently, CIHS just began its Fall quarter of classes and welcomed four new students, all with innovative ideas and searching for a supportive context in which to pursue the light of their truth. The Winter 2015 quarter begins January 5, and there is still time to apply for that upcoming quarter. If you are interested in seeing how CIHS can help support you in your educational, professional, and personal goals of earning a Master of Arts or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Integral Health (biophysics emphasis available), Clinical or Integral Psychology, and Comparative Religion and Philosophy from an eastern perspective (Bachelor of Arts completion program in Integral Studies is available as well), I am happy to discuss how your interests and goals fit in with our niche curriculum. We can set up an appointment to speak on the phone or for you to visit the campus and meet in person.

I look forward to helping guide you in the journey toward your truth and pursuit of higher professional goals.

Sincerely,  

Hope Umansky

Hope_Umansky@cihs.edu