Carolyn Vinup

This is one of her many taglines: “Creating sacred space where your soul can dance.” Carolyn is passionate about cultivating conscious spaces and her work is powerful and transforming. She integrates Feng Shui, sound healing, qigong, space clearing and blessing techniques in her work with individuals, businesses, events, integrative health and wellness centers. She is a seasoned event producer with over 25 years of success. Host of the audio program “Edge Learning Well” on Edge Talk Radio (first Tuesday of each month), Carolyn coordinates learning opportunities in integrative healing and wellness for Normandale Community College.

How does she define herself?

“I am a creator, a collaborator, a visionary, a developer and a maximizer,” she says, “who makes great things happen. I am a big picture person who can also dive deep into the details to turn ideas into a reality. I am action-oriented, focused, clear and productive. I explore the possibilities for developing and growing businesses, specific business areas, programs, ideas, and events. I attract partners who want to be the best they can be and share their talents, gifts and strengths with the world. I create opportunities for everyone to win.”

People like Carolyn Vinup create an environment for the holistic community in the Twin Cities to thrive. The following is an interview The Edge conducted with her, so that you know more about someone who is making a difference.

Carolyn, your business resume is impressive and you are to be commended for the work you are doing to motivate, inspire and expand awareness for businesses and individuals. I’m curious, as a young girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Carolyn Vinup: As a young girl, I always valued having freedom, being independent, creative and curious. I valued having the freedom to choose, think, and have my own ideas. If people tried to force me to do things their way or squash my spirit, I would fight to get “out of their box.”

My parents were entrepreneurial. They demonstrated the versatility and benefit of having multiple income streams. They were farmers when I was young, so they had to be resilient, independent, creative and problem solvers. Then they owned an Our Own Hardware store where I watched them run a business while my younger sister and I rode tricycles down the store aisles as they did inventory, book keeping, merchandising and marketing on the weekends. Then my father went to work for a plastics firm where he rose from warehouse to VP and became a designer for many product prototypes.

My mother worked, as well, in the plastics factory and then as a bookkeeper for a jewelry firm, and then worked for years in the hospitality and catering business for Leeann Chin and D’Amico & Partners. She retired at 78 from the catering business but still works with my nephew Antonio and cares for the plants at Parma. Toward the end of my father’s life, he ran a hearing aide business and then was a courier. My parents loved to remodel homes and made the inside of their homes beautiful, and the outside gardens were their pride and joy. Both parents were active, willing to try new things while providing for our family. It wasn’t always easy, but they were strong, resilient, independent, get-it-done sort of people.

I started working in the hospitality business when I was 18 and quickly rose to manager for LeeAnn Chin while attending college at the University of Minnesota. I graduated with a Political Science Degree, wanting to defend the underdog, but my true love expanded when I started in the catering business, managing parties for Leeann Chin, becoming the operations chair for a benefit for the hungry and the homeless called Taste of the Nation, and then my true love really exploded when I worked for Apres’ Party & Tent Rental, where I became the Sales & Marketing director and was involved in some of the larger events in the Twin Cities — Super Bowl 1992, opening of the Target Center, and the U.S. Open. I managed thousands of parties in my seven years there. Being in sales allowed me to control my own destiny again and I experienced freedom to create, connect, develop and grow.

I started my own business in 1998. I wanted even more freedom. I was tired, exhausted and not very happy. Mike and I were both working so hard, we didn’t have much time together and our little girls were growing up. We wanted more flexibility, time to be a family and have some fun.

My first business was called Vinup, Unlimited, Inc. I named it Unlimited because I wanted a name that would expand and grow with me. In 2001, I started another business called Creating Sacred Space, my holistic practice. In 2005, I created HPSS Global, Inc. and combined my other two businesses, events and wellness into one. I still run HPSS Global but became aware in 2008 that I needed to shift again and started working with my own name as a brand.

In 2010 I was hired to take on a new project for Normandale Community College for WorkForce Partnership & Development. This gave me an idea: I would create a website that communicated the work I was doing for the project I was working on. It became my current resume of work. Now I was creating something brand new again, working with dislocated workers, career changers and job seekers. I utilized my abilities to network, connect people, places and things and produced large events called “Join a Different Herd – Rebrand Your Career” with 600+ attendees and created a new program called the New World of Work. Currently the Carolyn Vinup website is about ready to launch, combining my three areas of focus, business consulting for: Integrative Health, Events, and WorkForce Partnership & Development.

I am grateful that my businesses, websites and marketing have morphed with me as I have changed and developed. They are a clear reflection of my vision and mission and who I am in the world right now. It’s important to stay flexible, fluid and open to the gentle nudges that lead us on our journey in life. I know that the universe is conspiring to co-create with me. As one project finishes, another will open. We are always growing, changing and becoming something.

What or who were the major inspirations for you in your life that led you to become this spark of creativity for others?
CV: First, my family – my husband Mike, who loves me unconditionally and just allows Carolyn to be Carolyn, and my daughters Elise and Haley, who love seeing me happy. Cyndi Dale co-created Vinup Unlimited in a business development session in May 1998. After that session, I felt like a large metal hook with a heavy chain attached to my heart yanked me forward, and that’s when my life really shifted. It’s like I was yanked out of one life path onto the path I am currently on. Since that time, I have trusted and known that my life is guided and supported. It was my job to learn how to communicate, act on and expand into what I was going to become. I honor Carole Hyder, with whom I studied in 1999 and 2002 to become a certified Feng Shui consultant, and I honor Jonathan Goldman, with whom I studied in 2001 and really expanded my understanding of vibrational energy, the power of sound and the impact I could have by consciously working with sound formulas.

You have quoted spiritual author and speaker Alan Cohen, who wrote: “Your entire world could open up with one expansive thought!” Did this happen to you?
CV: Dare to be you…Wake Up…What are you waiting for…Illuminate your brilliance…Dance in the magic of the universe…this life is your playground…have some fun! These are my internal mantras.

These were all examples of expansive thoughts that had a huge impact on my life. I recognized that when I was in the energy of these thoughts, my life flowed better and I was magnetizing opportunities to me. I began to play more thoughtfully with the principles of the law of attraction, the power of intention, listening and paying attention to the nudges and signals from the universe, taking more classes and expanding my knowledge of holistic practices, trusting and honoring my intuition, playing games to manifest my wishes and desires, and recognizing when I needed to reach out and do some more internal work when I would bump up against limiting beliefs and negative inner-self talk.

When I created HPSS Global, this quote was on the website and my intention for all who worked with me was to “Illuminate Brilliance for All.”

What is your intention and what is your goal when coordinating events and classes at Normandale Community College, and through the monthly program “Edge Learning Well” on Edge Talk Radio?
CV: I feel so lucky to be part of the Health, Wellness and Integrative Health Education team at Normandale Community College. Brenda Dickinson, dean of Continuing Education and Customized Training, is a champion for health and wellness. She is entrepreneurial, visionary and strategic. Sunny Ainley, associate dean for Health & Wellness, is strategic, business savvy and a marketing expert. Terry Clegg, the Health & Wellness Coordinator, is a holistic professional and instructor cheerleader. And I am a business developer, brand expander, program specialist, talent spotter and event producer. Combining all of our talents together creates an amazing opportunity to expand the Integrative Health Education Center and become known as the go-to place for classes, programs, workshops, training, certificates and special events.

“Edge Learning Well” on Edge Talk Radio gives us a voice to expand awareness, cultivate consciousness, developing community and partnership, sharing insight and knowledge and making the world a better place.

If people were to ask me what my vision for Integrative Health Education and Businesses in the Twin Cities is, I would say: to expand awareness, cultivate consciousness, developing community and partnerships, sharing insight and wisdom, and ultimately making the world a better place.

The big question for you is this: in this downturn of the economy, which is particularly hard on small, holistic businesses, what advice do you have for small business owners to not only survive, but thrive, in 2012? To what extent is the internal work just as vital or more so compared to the external things that need to be done?
CV: Here’s what I do. First of all, I focus on what I can create and control. I tell myself, people are still doing business with other people and organizations and I ought to be one of those people they are doing business with. So, I am the one in a million who is thriving and growing and expanding.

A local restaurant group says that in a downturned economy, they open up a new restaurant. Their thought is, people still go out to eat and they want to see what’s new. I do the same thing. I open to the new possibilities and set an intention that says, “Allow my talents and strengths to be noticed, seen and utilized and allow my business to expand and grow during these times.”

Small businesses also try to do it all themselves. That takes them away from doing what they love to do and make money doing it. Be willing to hire other professionals to do the things in your business that drain your energy. By sharing abundance with others, it will be shared back to you. It’s impossible to be good at everything.

What are the most important things for businesses to consider when branding themselves?
CV: You are only as good as the last project, client or experience you create. Make everything you do a home run. If there are issues, make it right. Become part of winning teams. Today’s world is about collaborating, teaming, partnering. Teams come and go as needed. It’s active, fun, creative and fluid. Stay current with technology. Know who you are. Position your business for your areas of expertise. Don’t try to be something you’re not.

What are the most common approaches to business that no longer apply now in 2012 — and why do they no longer work?
CV: Lack mentality — holistic businesses have a terrible time with this thought form. It needs to be shattered. This pattern never did work — ever! If you are clear about the type of business you are, the kinds of clients you want to attract, then be open with who you are, share your talents, gifts and strengths with the world. Get rid of what you don’t want so you can make room for more of what you do want!

Carolyn, what I’d really love is for you to give us an overview of the holistic community. How would you describe the holistic climate in the Twin Cities?
CV: In my world, it’s alive and growing. We could all combine our efforts and create a morphic field that spreads the thought form, “All is well in the Twin Cities. The holistic community is alive and well, sharing its talents with the world. People from all over the world flock to the Twin Cities to work with the holistic community here, because of the talent, inspired and healing work that is taking place here.” That’s how I view it.

You collaborate with a lot of businesses and individuals. What is the recipe for success when collaborating with others?
CV: The recipe for success…is that everyone wins. I am a developer. I generate hundreds of ideas and like to be part of teams that are willing to grow, and create something new. I love to hear other people’s ideas and weave the ideas/concepts together. I like to be part of projects where something has to be figured out and we get to be creative in how we provide solutions.

Brenda Dickinson, Dean of Continuing Education & Customized Training gave this quote to me, and she said, “Carolyn this is who you are”:

“The best collabornauts are good at making connections, both human and intellectual. They are constantly on the lookout for new ways to benefit from combining forces with partners. They venture into unfamiliar territory, make deals, and return with knowledge that transforms their home world. They bring organizations closer together, introduce people, and build relationships among groups that can initially seem like aliens to one another…they convince their colleagues to forget the old rules and try something new, something that comes from having partners.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter, author of Evolve

What do you do, personally, to maintain your sense of hope and optimism, especially when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel?
CV: I am in touch with my energy and body signals. When I am in a place of flow, information, people, places and things show up very quickly. To me, the secret is determined by how much fun I am having. I know I am in a place of flow when I am laughing, being playful and creative. I have to create something almost daily in order to feel alive. When I am not creating, laughing or having fun, I know I have fallen off my stream of energy where all things are possible. When this happens to me, I sometimes just get into the car and drive. Driving and moving seems to jump start my creative thoughts and information and solutions start to show up again. I also take this time as a signal for me to pay attention to me. I will get a massage, get my hair cut, clear clutter in my house or office, do a blessing ceremony, play music really loud so I can chant and sing to shift the vibration in me, the house, where ever I am. I focus on the inner talk that’s going on inside my head and remind myself that I need a new story, a new message. I surround myself with people who love me. I forgive myself. I go out to eat with my husband Mike, I play with my dogs and I go to movies, theater or get outside.

I am creating another business website right now called ManifestingMamas — a place where I can be playful, creative and share thoughts, ideas and create a community where we can join forces together to make wishes come true.

For more information on Carolyn Vinup, visit CarolynVinup.com and www.HPSSGlobal.com. Email CarolynVinup@yahoo.com. For more information on Integrative Health Education through Continuing Education at Normandale Community College, call 952.358.8133 and visit www.normandale.augusoft.net.

This year, The Edge has invited you, the reader, to share your personal experience with us, and this month, we asked you to write on, “Love, Revealed.” We received submissions that we are proud to share with you.

Featured submissions on “Love, Revealed”:

• Everything and Everyone Really is Connected, by Judy Steele
• Feng Shui Amore, by Hinda Abrahamson
• Love Blossoming: A Past Life and My Twin Soul, by Carol McCormick
• A Walk Down the Aisle…, by Jennifer Galvin-Anderson
• Love — Integrating Duality, by Jeanne Henderson
• Love and Letting Go, by Jen Hillman
• On the Power of Love, by Kim Eisen
• My Love Medicine, by Lisa Venable
• The Message of Valentine’s Day, by Elaine Seiler

In March, we invite you to share on the topic, “If I Could Do Anything…” Submit your article online here or email to editor@edgemagazine.net by February 7.

Experiential writing is a style that simply shares an experience you had. It’s ripe with detail and emotion. It describes how something felt, to you. It inspires people not by suggesting what is, or what might be, but by sharing what was, for you, and the magic or inspiration or illumination that resulted from it.

Experiential writing is a surprisingly powerful way for readers to open and illuminate their own, personal inner wisdom. There’s something magical that happens when we read about the experiences of others like us, and then find tremendous resonance with the story. Not only do we feel authentic inspiration, but more importantly, the fact that we perceive the author to be more like ourselves removes the self-defeating barrier we tend to keep that says, “I’ll never be like her,” or “I’ll never be as wise as he is.” Read more….

The Edge is celebrating its 20th anniversary in a big way, each month exploring the legacy of this holistic publication in the Upper Midwest…and beyond. We’re digging through its archives to present notable articles, insights and a gallery of covers.

Seventeen editions of The Edge will be explored each month with more legacy content added to this page. We welcome you back to this page each month as we take a walk down memory lane.

Click to join us in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of The Edge!

At last, 2012 has arrived! As we enter into a pivotal year for us and our world, it’s clear that the role of community has become key to the way we navigate the huge changes that life seems to be bringing our way. I’m taking the opportunity to personally express my deepest gratitude to you for all that you do to make the big community of our world a better place.

I want you to know that I’ve never been more optimistic about our future and the world that is emerging before our eyes!

From the oral traditions of ancient peoples throughout the world, to the theme of the world’s most cherished spiritual traditions, the significance of our 2012 “window of change” has been no secret. Our ancestors knew this time of change was coming, because it always does. They understood the cyclic nature of Earth’s shifting environment. (Fractal Time, 2009) They also knew that our future would be determined less by the changes themselves and more about us, and whether we choose to fight one another, or work to help one another, as we go through the changes. (Deep Truth, 2011)

For very different reasons, the best minds of today agree. Scientists, engineers, social architects, religious and spiritual leaders throughout the world are warning us that the choices we make in our immediate future will determine nothing less than the fate of our nations, civilization itself, and the future of life here on Earth. (Crossroads for Planet Earth, Scientific American, September 2005)

I’ve been asked by many people, from many places in the world, to comment on the events of 2011 and where I believe they’re leading and what we can expect for 2012 and the years ahead. Rather than responding to hundreds of letters individually I’ve chosen to answer in one letter to our community.

The Stage is Set:
It’s no secret that the world of the past is gone. The conventional ways of thinking and living that we’ve grown accustomed to — the ways we’ve thought of jobs, careers, money, wealth, security, healing and the role of America in the larger world are falling away before our eyes, faster than even those who knew the changes were coming could have expected. It is a fact that you and I are witnessing the greatest shift in power, wealth, resources and thinking in recorded history. And while the experts have their viewpoints regarding what lies at the root of specific crises and what “went wrong” with this or that, when we step back and look at the big picture, the reason for such massive change becomes obvious: the world of the past is no longer sustainable.

From our policies of energy, economics and technology to the way we think of security and how nations work together, the choices made in the past no longer work in the world of today. As we discover the limits and experience the consequences of the vast learning curve that has led to 2012, we’ve arrived at a turning point with only one of two possible outcomes – transformation or collapse.

Choice Point 2012
While ancient traditions and modern science underscore the magnitude of our time in history, they also remind us of a powerful fact: it is through our choices that the outcomes will be determined. The question is this: How do we tip the scales of peace, cooperation and healing in our favor? Specifically, how do we create an environment that supports fair and sustainable economies? That shares Earth respectfully and compassionately with all life? That bridges the issues that tear at the fabric of society?

The diverse body of work that I’ve developed over the past 25 years is my answer to these questions. The choices we make in life are a reflection of the way we think of ourselves, our relationship to the Earth, our past, and to one another. I believe that when the facts of these relationships are clear, our choices become obvious. Those of you that know me personally know that I’m an optimist. I’m also a realist. I’m optimistic about our future, while I realistically acknowledge that we are poised on the brink of what will either become some very bad choices, or very some good decisions. For me, knowing that choices exist, and that we’re living a time that gives our choices a greater potency, gives new meaning and renewed hope to this 2012 year of emergence.

The shift in thinking
So, what do I think 2012 has in store? Honestly, I can’t say because we’re still in the process of choosing. What I do know is that it will take every one of us, and the diversity of our beliefs and ideas, and the love for life that we bring to our global community to birth the world of our greatest destiny rather than succumb to the darkness of our greatest fears. For those who can embrace the learning curve of our past without judgment, the future becomes the palate for new industry, new jobs, new forms of expression, and new communities based upon sustainable ways of thinking, living, and being in our world. For those who cling to old and unsustainable ways of living by clinging to old and unsustainable ways of thinking, 2012 may, in fact, look like the fulfillment of history’s darkest prophecies.

Perhaps one of the most powerful keys to determining our experience of the months ahead comes from a shift in thinking that invites us beyond asking, “What can I get from the world that exists,” to asking, “What can I offer to the world that is awakening?” The way we answer this question as individuals becomes our collective answer to what comes next.

Personally, I’ve never felt better about the future and the possibilities that await us. Now it’s up to us. We’ve already made the choices of peace and cooperation in our hearts. Now it’s time for us to live those choices in our world. I look forward to working with you as we do so, together, throughout this new year of 2012, and beyond.

Read: the announcement for the GATE2 event on February 4

John Raatz

Called a modern-day Renaissance man, John Raatz seemingly does it all. He’s an experienced communicator, strategist, administrator, musician, teacher and entrepreneur. He has been a personal manager in the entertainment industry, representing both high-profile celebrity actors and musicians. He’s been a successful stockbroker, a major executive at a public relations agency, a professional blues/rock guitarist, a pilot, a publisher of a leading-edge newsletter and the administrator of one of Southern California’s most forward-looking holistic health clinics.

Founder and CEO of The Visioneering Group, a marketing and public relations firm, Raatz’s company has represented many of the foremost authors, books, films and musical projects in the alternative/transformational movement, including What the Bleep Do We Know!?, The 11th Hour, Youth Without Youth, Peaceful Warrior, Baraka, Mindwalk, A Brief History of Time, Fritjof Capra, Peter Russell, Chellis Glendinning, Dead Can Dance, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Madonna and Donovan.

He’s also the man behind GATE — the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment — an effort that began two years ago to bring together people who are committed to a new level of ethical and spiritual expression.

Raatz spoke with The Edge by phone from his office in Los Angeles about GATE and the challenges of transforming the entertainment and media industry.

What originally inspired this idea?
John Raatz: I don’t know if there was a particular moment, or a particular circumstance, that inspired it. My life’s work has revolved around entertainment, around media. So I think it was a natural outgrowth of my interests. But I think it was the universe that planted the seed idea that came to me. When I started looking at, I realized, “Yeah, the time is ripe, the time is now, for this.” I don’t recall when the idea came to me, but it was many, many years ago.

In 2008 I was talking with Eckhart Tolle, with whom I was working at the time. I mentioned the idea to him, and asked if I should do it. He said, “Yes.” And I asked if he would host an event with me, and he said, “Yes.” Then I went to Jim Carrey, and I asked him if he would co-host the event with me, and he said, “Yes.” So I knew we had a show.”

But I want to mention that probably back in 1979, I was working with actor Ned Beatty. Ned and I had started an organization with some others called the Council for the Enlightenment of the Entertainment Industry. The purpose of it was to teach meditation to people in entertainment and media businesses, which we did. It was 30 years later, to the date, when we had our inaugural meeting on the Global Alliance for Transformational Entertainment (GATE) in 2009.

The letter “T” in GATE stands for Transformational. From what, and to what, are you seeking transformation?
JR: I think probably everybody, lay people and professionals, understand that the entertainment and media businesses have a major impact on, and in, our lives. I think everybody would also agree that the news and entertainment content cater to a rather narrow band of topics and considerations. I think many people would also concur that entertainment and media have a role — and a responsibility — to help facilitate personal, social and global transformation.

We’re not asking the industry to change, to become something that it’s not. Rather, we’re asking them to begin giving people options and alternatives, to give them a type of content, which we call transformational, that speaks to who we are, who we’ve become, and perhaps more importantly, to who we want to become in the world. That type of transformation is already taking place. Many people refer to it as “The Shift.” We know that there is a shift occurring, and we know there are certain universal, archetypal, holistic, humanistic values that are coming more into the foreground to help guide many people’s lives and even businesses and institutions. Look at the spirituality in business movement. There’s a much greater emphasis on environmental and ecological concerns now. More and more people are meditating and are pursuing healthy lifestyles and diets. I believe all of this is indicative of a shift in values.

I was blown away when I saw Tom Shadyac’s film, I Am, but almost every national review I read panned it.
JR: There was national media that loved it, also. Tom was on Oprah’s show and she really loved the film. The thing about this kind of content is, if it’s not a part of who you are now, if it’s not a part of your life experience, you don’t understand it and you don’t properly know how to evaluate it. If that’s the case, you’re actually better off not commenting on it, because you don’t know what you’re talking about if you try to review a film when you’re simply not familiar with the subject matter.

With all of the films I have ever been involved with, certainly there are critics who panned them. The way I’ve learned to understand it is that, unfortunately, when critics review something that they truly do not understand, they’re really displaying their ignorance more than their critical abilities.

Let’s talk about what GATE hopes to do within the film industry. What do you hope to do initially to promote this transformation?
JR: First I’d like to say that GATE is a non-profit, membership trade association. It is an association for professionals in entertainment and media businesses who themselves are transformationally oriented or resonant.

We have three missions with GATE: education, connection and collaboration, and advocacy. For people who already are transformationally oriented, we want to continue to introduce them to ideas and thought leaders who can help them deepen into their experience. We also want to provide education for those people who are transformationally oriented, but may not be as adept creatively and technically. We want to help them improve those skills to become better filmmakers, better storytellers, etc. We want to bring these people together to foster connections and collaboration. We want these folks to come together and develop projects that are of a transformational character. Ultimately, what we want is more content that is transformational in nature.

With the third mission, advocacy, we are advocating a genre called transformation. Just like you have drama, romantic comedy, etc., we would like to see a category called transformation, or transformational. To that end, we’ve created a seal — like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval — but in our case, the GATE Seal will be awarded to transformational content, the best in various categories. We’ve also created an award — the GATE Imaginal Award — similar to an Oscar Award or Grammy Award. It will be awarded to the best transformational content.

When we talk about entertainment and media, we’re not referring only to film or television programming. It could be a website. It could be a book. It could be fine art. It could be dance. It could be poetry. It could be music. Any arts and entertainment products.

That certainly expands the scope of GATE.
JR: Absolutely. One of the things I want to mention is that one of GATE’s initiatives is to help the “Hollywood” entertainment media community understand that there is an audience for this type of content. One of the names that has been given to this audience is the Cultural Creative. At one point, the number of Cultural Creatives was approximately 50 million in the United States, representing 26 percent of the adult population. In 2008, the person who conducted that research, Paul Ray, revisited the study and determined that the number had risen from 26 percent to 35 percent. I think we sense this, in terms of “The Shift” that I referred to earlier.

One of our jobs at GATE is to help the entertainment and business communities understand that there truly is an audience and that this audience is economically viable. There is business here for them if they would simply pay more attention to it. Part of our job is to mobilize that audience, and in that regard, we’ve undertaken a campaign called, “The Audience is Ready.” We hope to develop a database of one million signatures of people who resonate with, and support the idea of, transformational entertainment and media. When we achieve our one million signatures, we’re going to show those signatures and a bunch of other goodies to people in Hollywood who develop and produce content. We will be saying, “Look, there is an audience that wants this kind of content, and they will pay for it. Please free up some more dollars so that we can create more content like this so we can share it with that audience. You will see that it works.”

How willing do you think the people who have money to create films in Hollywood are to follow your lead?
JR: Well, I think there are some who won’t, for sure, but I think there are some who could. I think what will make it compelling is if we can demonstrate to them that there is money here to be made, first and foremost. But, so as to not brand them exclusively as being only interested in money, no doubt they do have a social conscience. I’m sure a great many of them practice personal philanthropy. What’s important here is to appeal to their sense of philanthropy in terms of where we are in the world today and what the world needs. It’s important to let them know that there’s an opportunity here for them to make money, and at the same time, fulfill a social mission.

We’re not asking them to change. We’re not asking them to support exclusively a social mission. We want them to make money. We want them to prosper. But we also want the category to be seen and experienced as an economically viable one. We’re not blind to the fact that what drives Hollywood is money. But we also believe that the entertainment and media business does have a role — and, indeed, a responsibility — to help foster personal, social and global transformation — especially in this moment in time.

I don’t think the situations around the world are lost on anybody right now. We’re exposed to them on a daily basis. This is why, when we talk about this, we talk in terms of entertainment and media. Right now we believe the definition of news by the print media, electronic media, etc., is very narrow. It tends to center around conflict, controversy, celebrity, novelty and so forth — not values that really define who we are as humans. We’re suggesting that it’s important to expand the definition of news to universal, archetypal, holistic, humanistic values. There is so much of a positive nature happening in the world right now that simply goes unreported, because the media believes nobody is interested in that. That’s not true. There are some good stories reported, sure. But by and large, the media spoonfeeds our culture with stories that cater to the lowest-common denominator. As a result, we miss out on so much that is beautiful, so much that is sacred, in life because of this rather limited definition of what constitutes a news story. Part of GATE’s mission is the renovation of that definition, too.

That could be the most challenging part of your mission.
JR: It could be, but there is a saving grace — you! The Edge and others like it around the country, who publish print media and run websites, are already doing what we are advocating. There are 200 or 300 such publications as yours around the country. You are a pioneer, you have been a pioneer, and we can point to this. You’ve been around for quite a long time, and you’ve been sustaining yourself for a long time economically. But we believe there’s more to be done in that regard.

Tell me about actor Jim Carrey and the role he will plan with his peers in promoting transformation?
JR: Jim naturally lives in this space now. Whomever he talks with, this is a topic of conversation. He’s not an evangelist, but he cannot help but express who he is. This is who he is.

I met Jim when he came to a screening of Peaceful Warrior when we were promoting it in 2006. I met Jim at that time and ever since then, we’ve been friends. Jim’s influence is palpable and powerful when people hear his ideas and learn about his experiences with spirituality. It moves people. When he spoke at our inaugural event for GATE in June 2009, people were floored. They had no idea that Jim was interested in this space. They also were so impressed with how eloquently he spoke of it. How he moved and touched people. His experience is deep. He’s working on a book that I think will surprise people with the depth of his wisdom. Everyone can certainly attest to the depth of his creativity, but soon they’re going to experience the wisdom side of Jim Carrey.

Share with me a few words about those who will receive the debut GATE Imaginal Awards on February 4.
JR: First we have the creators of the film Mindwalk, Bernt and Fritjof Capra. Many people know of Fritjof for his book, The Tao of Physics, which was the first book to really explore the relationship between science and spirituality, and his subsequent books The Turning Point, The Web of Life, and others. Bernt Capra is a prominent production artist for the film business. He directed the film, Mindwalk.

The next recipient is David Lynch. I think almost everybody knows of his extensive body of work, but David will be receiving the GATE Imaginal Award for his humanitarian efforts. Not as many people are aware of the work he has been doing in that arena. The David Lynch Foundation has enabled more than 150,000 children to learn meditation, to get off drugs, to get off the street. He has facilitated this remarkable work.

Michael and Justine Toms will receive the GATE Imaginal Award for their pioneering effort in media and communication. Their radio program, New Dimensions Radio, is heard around the country on hundreds of stations, as well as online. Over the course of 30 or 40 years, they have interviewed everybody. You can use their interviews as a graph to chart the growth of the human potential movement.

Do you find the GATE project to be a part of your personal mission in this lifetime.
JR: It seems to be. I certainly love doing this work. I must confess that I have a dark night of the soul periodically, wondering if it’s having any kind of impact, if it’s actually doing anything. I occasionally doubt that. But I would say 95 percent of the time, I am thrilled to be able to work with the people that I am working with, to be pursuing this vision and mission in the world, and it integrates very well with what we do at the Visioneering Group, our marketing and public relations firm.

I can see how, if you focus on the people who want to be a part of this and don’t worry about the naysayers, you’re going to do great things.
JR: Absolutely. That’s a good insight, Tim. I’m 56 years old this month and, looking back now, I can say that no matter what you do in this life, there are going to be naysayers. You just decide, “Do I want to put my attention there? No. Do I want to interact with that particular energy. No.” I’m just going to keep it where it is, because that’s where it thrives. That’s where there is incredible growth and joy and don’t worry about what other people have to say about it. Just follow your vision. Follow your mission. I think it brings tremendous success in every way possible.

How can the GATE project change the world that we know now?
JR: My personal belief — and I emphasize the word, personal — is that the answers to the vast majority of the world’s problems already exist. They don’t have to be created or thought of. What we are lacking, though, is awareness of those solutions. Visibility for those solutions. Channels through which those solutions can flow. The will on the part of existing gatekeepers – and the openness on the part of existing gatekeepers – to engage with those solutions because of self-interest. What we want to do is call more and more attention to the fact that there are solutions out there – solutions based on universal, holistic wisdom. We need to find the will to pursue those solutions. We need to get out of our own way, because we are in our own way. We need to drop the ego play and come into alignment and start functioning more as a collective whole.