MATRIX INTEGRAL NEWSLETTER #3: JUNE, 2004
Hi everyone!
It's high time to update you on recent developments at Matrix Integral. We have delayed the writing of this newsletter several times, hoping that we would be able to announce the premises for our educational community. But, although we have not yet found suitable premises, and thus can't make such an announcement, we still have good news! Postponing our program to next fall (2005) has opened new possibilities that will come to benefit our cause. Read on to learn more!
IN THIS ISSUE:
(1) - Katie moves to Boulder, Colorado - the Integral epicenter
(2) - Matrix Integral educational community
(3) - Get involved / Help out!
(4) - The Integral movement - an international community
(5) - Stay tuned - Upcoming interview with iNEXT director Clint Fuhs
(1) KATIE IN BOULDER - THE INTEGRAL EPICENTER
What was originally a business trip to the Integral epicenter, to visit the iNEXT crew and hopefully meet some people at Integral Institute, turned out to become so much more when she finally got there. During an intense four-day visit to Boulder, Colorado, Katie Heikkinen (co-founder of Matrix Integral) realized that having an affiliate office in the "Integral epicenter" could benefit Matrix Integral tremendously.
With the speed of lightning, inner thought manifested in outer reality: a month after her first visit, Katie had a place to live in Boulder and part-time employment at Integral Institute, helping out with the creation of the Integral University.
"I expected my visit would build some bridges and establish a few valuable connections, but I never thought I would make friends with so many people, much less that I would actually move here or work for IU," says Katie. "It came as a surprise, but being this connected to I-I is a dream come true."
She also explains that future students at Matrix Integral may very well be able to participate in accredited distance courses at Integral University as a part of their program at Matrix Integral.
"At the time we launch the Matrix Integral educational program [fall 2005], Integral University will at least offer an online masters degree in Integral Studies. This means our students will be able to study together locally, while also being part of a large network of Integral students around the world, connected through the web. This gives us [Matrix Integral] the opportunity to facilitate accredited learning as soon as the first year, something we'd expected would take considerably longer. Hopefully by then there will also be undergraduate level courses for our younger students-but luckily I'm in the perfect position to keep informed of IU's progress!"
Katie tells us about the exciting development inside Integral University, where more than twenty domains are being built, from Integral education to Integral medicine to Integral art, some of which are ready to launch in a very near future.
"More than eighty professors are working on the development of these domains, all with the common vision of building a truly Integral university to serve as an educational hub for the emerging global Integral consciousness."
(2) MATRIX INTEGRAL EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY
Postponing the launch to the fall of 2005, we hope that many of our applicants for 2004 will be able to participate next year instead. There has simply been a tremendous amount of work to take care of during our planning, with finding a suitable place for our education being one of the toughest tasks we've faced.
But, it is not only sad that we have to postpone for one year. Katie has already made invaluable connections in Boulder after moving there, something she would not have been able to do had we found a place at that point. The extra year also gives us more space to polish our curriculum and expand our staff.
Part of our team, led by co-founder Hannes Aurell, is presently working on the outline of a book and the creation of multimedia modules in an attempt to make our curriculum more accessible. In the work with this material, they have already found several ways to improve exercises and theoretical explanations, thus elevating the educational experience for future students at Matrix Integral.
Additionally, we are now able to carefully follow up and learn from the many inquiries we've received from other organizations working towards similar goals. This is something we have always valued highly, but have previously found hard to fit into our very tight time schedule. We are convinced this extra time to thoroughly investigate possibilities with those organizations will help us facilitate an increased quality of our education.
We are excited about the recent changes in our organization and look forward to expanding our network of connections to make our education the best it can be!
(3) GET INVOLVED / HELP OUT!
Not only have we experienced an unexpectedly large amount of student applicants, but in a three month period, we've received more than thirty volunteer inquiries. At Matrix Integral, we are fully assured of the need for and interest in the kind of educational community that we are working to realize.
Below, you will find a list of ways in which you can assist the birth of the Matrix Integral educational community.
(I) Sign up as a possible future student!
The sooner we can learn about our students, the better we can make our program suit the needs of each student group, and the easier it is for us to make accurate estimates about the future.
(II) Tell your friends about Matrix Integral!
Our marketing can rely greatly on word of mouth as long as people continue to tell their friends about Matrix Integral. Up until this point, we have been able to rely almost entirely on this way of marketing - please continue tell people that could be interested in our education or network.
(III) Link to our website!
Another valuable way for people to find out about us is by following links from other sites to ours. We wish for more people to do what many already have, link to our site and help more people learn about our organization.
(IV) Include us in your Newsletter!
Are you facilitating a newsletter? Tell your readers about our organization!
(V) Database technology
We are presently looking for someone to help us manage our rapidly growing databases of students, network members, etc. Today we are handling volumes of information that are in need of a more sophisticated structure to be more easily handled and accessible. Please contact us if you know how to build simple automated database systems.
(VI) Other ways to help
Do you have an Integral understanding and a workshop/lecture/presentation/show that you would like to present as a guest lecturer/artist? Do you know of an organization (or person) that we should know about?
Are you well informed in Integral, skilled at independent as well as collaborative work, and wish to become more deeply involved in the creation of Matrix Integral?
- Email us!
(4) THE INTEGRAL MOVEMENT - AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
We would like to introduce our readers that are less familiar with the Integral community to Integral happenings on the web and in "salons" around the world. This section is a way to keep informed about what is going on in the Integral world. We will continue to investigate the Integral movement and present 5-10 initiatives in every coming issue of this newsletter.
Integral Institute - www.integralinstitute.org
This is the central organization responsible for initiatives like Integral University and Integral Naked. The site contains information about the organization, a brief introduction to Integral theory, information about Integral seminars, and updates on the development of Integral University.
Integral Naked - www.integralnaked.org
A site filled with Integral multimedia material. Here you can follow live audio discussions between Integral scholars, view video clips from Integral seminars, or review Integral flash presentations and documents. There is also plenty of art, shows, and humorous material.
iNEXT - www.integralnext.org
With the aim to "connect the global integral movement," iNEXT is a network for people as well as organizations that wish to connect to others with likeminded goals. Find Integral enthusiasts in your area and register as a member for free!
INtown - www.in-town.org
The website of the local Integral "salon" of Boulder, Colorado. Learn about their activities and find inspiration for your own local Integral salon.
The Manifest - www.the-manifest.org
An Integral e-zine with plenty of interesting articles, touching on spiritual as well as not-so-spiritual subjects in various creative ways.
Integral Transformative Practice - www.itp-life.com
Learn more about the community of people applying an Integral framework to enhance the quality and development of their lives. ITP is supposedly one of the strongest and most efficient paths towards personal transformation available today.
(5) UPCOMING INTERVIEW WITH INEXT DIRECTOR CLINT FUHS
Matrix Integral has entered a close cooperation with iNEXT, an organization with the goal of "connecting the global Integral movement." With more than 800 members around the world, many in the process of initiating their own local Integral "salon," iNEXT serves as a connecting hub for different Integral initiatives worldwide. Stay tuned for our next issue, where we will feature an interview with iNEXT's director and founder, Clint Fuhs.
Feel free to contact us with questions or ideas concerning this newsletter or our projects. We hope you will have a wonderful Integral summer!
Click here to learn more about Matrix Integral, our services and our educational community.
