Media : Maestro Conference

Maestro Conference is a new website and technology for on-line conference calls and workshops. I just found out they declared July to be "maestro month" which means they are offering free seminars in areas of business, spirituality, health and societal change. The line-up looks great. I'm sad that I missed Brian Johnson from Philosopher's Notes, but there are still some great leaders and topics for the rest of the month.

All you have to do is look at the schedule and register yourself to call in and, if you choose, to actively participate in the workshop for free!

You can find out more here.

SOUL PANCAKE

SoulPancake.com is a new website started by a group of people that includes the actor Rainn Wilson (from the tv show "The Office") and proposes to be "where spirituality and creativity meet." There are video clips of people answering questions such as "What does your soul smell like?" and other opportunities to participate such as this cheesburger challenge:

Step 1. Eat a big fat cheeseburger.
Step 2. Grab a napkin and doodle a message to yourself 10 years from now—a little flashback to how you're feeling at this exact milli-moment in time.
Step 3. Snap a photo or scan it, and paste a link to it below.

An opening page video clip shows Rainn Wilson singing a sentimental song and then smashing up his guitar while saying "I am sick of spirituality being airy-fairy, hippy-dippy and precious. I want to have a debate about life's big questions and 'de-lamify' talking about God and religion."


It's a hip and cool multi-media site focusing on spirituality which, to me, is a wonderful addition to most of what is targeting the hip and cool young audience on the web. You can see the site here.

Defending Gwyneth

This week's front page of the New York Times "SundayStyles" section headline reads "Martha, Oprah...Gwyneth?" The article highlights Gwyneth Paltrow's recent projects which include a cookbook, opening a gym in TriBeCa with her trainer Tracy Anderson, and GOOP.com, her new lifestyle website I've mentioned here before. All of this, of course, is in addition to her role as an actor and style icon. Her "foray into the arena of lifestyle guru-dom" has garnered much criticism in the media and the writer, Bob Morris, questions why.

The general criticism is that Gwyneth has "Marie Antoinette-like tone-deafness to the times" meaning much of the fashion or travel featured on GOOP is well out of the price range of her average reader. That's a predictable criticism of a problem that will be easy for Gwyneth and GOOP to address. And I think the critics have missed the point. My experience so far is that GOOP intends to promote a mindful, holistic lifestyle. They encourage readers to take responsibility for themselves (including what they can and cannot afford), live a purposeful life, show some style and make home cooked meals in the process. Most of the depth on the site comes not from Gwyneth, but from the experts who respond to her questions such as the recent "how to BE with one's children." The insights shared - "we must see our children for who they are without constantly projecting our own needs and wishes onto them... we must spend time with them, listen to them and most of all, HEAR them" - are not groundbreaking, but they are thoughtful reminders.

GOOP is no doubt coming from a spiritual perspective. That tone is set on the home page with the tag line "Nourish the Inner Aspect," which this article claims "positions it deeply in the New Age realm" - and this is the statement I disagree with most of all. It's like saying Coldplay's music is deeply positioned in the psychadelic rock movement of the 60's. Evolved from? - yes. Inspired by? - sure, but it is 40 years later and the scene has changed. GOOP does not look, feel or sound like the New Age to me. I believe Gwyneth is onto something. She's tapping into what many people are not willing to acknowledge yet - that the interest in our spiritual dimension is no longer on the fringe. It is becoming mainstream, it shows up in popular culture more and more and it can look modern and stylish. In fact, what she's doing with GOOP is in many ways what I'm trying to do with this site. But with all of her money and influence she's able to do it much better and faster than me. Just kidding. Go GOOP, I'm a fan.

you can read the article here

Philosopher's Notes

Mavericks at Work
The Tao of Eqqus
The Spontaneous Healing of Belief
Radical Acceptance
The Intention Experiment
The Disappearance of the Universe
Integral Spirituality
The Presence Process
Invisible Acts of Power
To Have or to Be?
Your Immortal Reality

These are just a few of the books that are in stacks on my nightstand right now. The plan was to write down and include all of them, but my hand started cramping while I was thinking I should get a life. Anyway, some I have already read but want to keep close and some I'm sure I will get to any day now. I do read fiction every once in a while, but this is what really excites me. If you can relate, there is a new website called Philosopher's Notes you might want to know about.

Philosopher's Notes is the latest project of Brian Johnson who, in addition to several other successful internet companies, founded and sold Zaadz, now called Gaia, a popular social networking site with a focus on spirituality, so he has some street cred in those circles.

His idea is to provide summaries, like cliff notes, of 100 self-development books for the “busy self-actualizer.” There are currently 54 titles available and his plan is to complete the remaining 46 this year. The first 25 notes are free and, if you like them, you can buy all 100 for $20. Each note includes a six page PDF file and a 28 minute MP3 file. I just signed up, so I'm starting my virtual stack and giving my nightstand a rest and having some high school flashbacks.

new site: GOOP

I am a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. I love her style, admire her talent as an actress and get the sense that she is a cool person and a great mom. So I was excited when I found out that she is launching a new website www.GOOP.com and even more interested when I saw the tag line "Nourish the Inner Aspect." And especially intrigued when I saw this -->

as one of the content sections of the site in addition to SEE, MAKE, GO, GET and DO. A note from Gwyneth says:

"Over the years I have tried lots of different things. I have made lots of mistakes. But I have figured lots of things out in the process and I would like to share them with you. Wether you want a good place to eat in London, some advice on where to stay in Austin, the recipe I made up this week or some thoughts from one of my sages, GOOP is a little bit of everything that makes up my life."

There's not much on the website yet, I don't think it has officially launched, but you can sign up for the newsletter. I did and already received an email with a collection of essays from thought leaders across spiritual and religious disciplines. It was interesting and I'm looking forward to more. Hopefully it will be some good goop.