Greetings...

It's a hot afternoon in Santa Barbara, the sun pours in this balcony window and the birds are out there chirping...

Several days ago, someone sent me a link to website called "iPeace" -- http://www.ipeace.me

It's a project that runs on the NING platform -- a system for creating a sophisticated social network.  This iPeace project is different.  It's not "just another social network".  It's a hotbed of live-wire peace-activists and new-paradigm spirit-voices.  Everybody can feel it.  There's an excitement in the air.  People walk in the door and fall in love with the place.

The project was created three months ago by Israeli activist and entrepreneur David Califa, and in that time, has grown to more than 13,000 members.  The system offers a full spectrum of media options -- music, videos, photos, floods of things to do, interesting people, faces, voices, concepts, images...

So, that much growth in that little time -- gives you a hint of the passion underneath this project.  The place is teeming with creative energy, and noble-spirited hope.  People pour their love into that place, and bring all their best visions, their best graphics, their best ideas.  It's rich and fertile.

When I walked in the door over there, I was immediately impressed, and quickly applied to join a "writers" group that is being managed by David, as he considers ways to expand his project and its influence.  It seems David and I connected pretty well on the spot, and the energy got pretty interesting.

As I mentioned here the other day, we have been evolving a project with the name "Portal to Unity".  This concept has continued to grow, and is becoming more interesting every day.

Over there on iPeace, after I had said hello, I thought maybe I should try writing down an idea or two -- so, with no idea whether anyone would see what I was writing, and no audience I was aware of, I wrote an initial blog post with that title, "Portal to Unity".

The next day, I was astonished to come back to the site and find my post prominently featured on every page of the site, right next to the article on the recent Nobel Peace Prize winner.  Out of more than 2,500 blog posts on that site, David or his editors liked something about what I wrote, and gave it great exposure.

Of course, since I posted this message, the warfare in Gaza has exploded.   In my message, aware that iPeace was grounded in Israel, I had said something about reconciliation about Palestinians and Israelis -- particularly talking about the women's group "Beyond Words" that visited Santa Barbara a couple of years ago.   My message has been up there for several days now, and I have received at least 100 contacts and invitations and connections and emails about it, so that has been fun -- if a bit overwhelming.  But I have not seen one negative word.  Maybe iPeace is "just a big love-in" with no clear action agenda -- but I'd guess that something will emerge from all this juice and talent and vision and love and passion that is coming together through that place.

I'm continuing to work on the Portal to Unity project.  Essentially, the idea is: gather up every factor that is influencing the transformation of global culture in a positive way, and give people an entre to the project through their choices on any of these factors.  The database logic under the project simply compiles common choices, and builds integrity and connection across all boundaries.  The Portal concentrates on elements of "group process" - like dialogue and sacred listening, ways to build trust, etc.  But it also includes the full content of the Earth Charter, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- and who knows how many more other facets and aspects of well-intended transformational vision and agenda will be appearing.

To get the hang of the Portal, you really have to sign in.  And it's only the barest of beginnings.  There is a lot more to do.  But it's taking shape with a surprising vitality.

In a following post, I will just send along the visionary front page of the site, that reviews some of the content and intention.

iPeace: http://www.ipeace.me

Portal to Unity: http://lightpages.net/portal/portal.cfm?login=463184

Thanks, and many blessings for the new year.