Harmonic Convergence

The Medical Mission Sisters are sponsoring a public sunrise service Sunday to celebrate the "Harmonic Convergence," a global healing event that will encourage people to change their attitudes toward the Earth and to stop abuses of the Earth. The service, which will be at 6 a.m. on the Mission Sisters grounds at 8400 Pine Rd., will consist of singing and meditation, according to Sister Estelle Demers. Earthings, a Mission Sisters project concerned with the well-being of the Earth, is sponsoring the service.

Badly typed, single-spaced, a copy of a copy of a copy. More flaky New Age stuff. It's amazing how much of it floats into my life. "On Aug. 16, 1987, a galactic beam surrounding Earth will phase acceleration to synchronization. There will be a break in the harmonic resonance of the electromagnetic field of Earth. Many enlightened beings are due to return around that time, among them the Lord of Unified Opposites, Quetzalcoatl. " I don't know why I read nonsense like this, but I do, I usually do, with a sort of incredulous fascination.

Near the Oregon border on this rocky mountainside considered sacred in mystic lore, scores of "channelers" are talking with the masters of the universe. In the mountains high above the Pacific at Malibu, 50 people in Indian garb beat bare feet to the thrum of a handmade drum. At Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, amid ancient Anasazi Indian ruins, "rainbow people" lie in a ring around a ceremonial fire pit with their heads toward the flames. In the California desert, at Joshua Tree National Monument, John Leal and 300 other expectant believers share the "sacred pipe" and meditate with crystals of many hues.

The dozen folks walked one by one into the Bucks County church holding incense sticks, followed the labyrinth painted on the floor, and went out to the 10-foot-tall open-sided pyramid. Each one picked up a crystal there and walked out onto the wide lawn, holding the crystal and a small bell, and followed pebble paths forming a cross within a 20-foot-wide circle. "Ring the bell if you want," Gary Culp told them as, one by one, they silently walked the circle. "We're just waking the Earth," he told them softly, "reminding the Earth that we are loving her. " This was how the Philadelphia region helped mark Harmonic Convergence 2 last weekend, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the international celebration.

Vivian Rankin, who was among 300 persons who took part in Harmonic Convergence rites today at the Art Museum, has a quiet moment early this morning. The 300 was a bit short of the 10,000 event organizers had hoped for, but they were there about 6 a.m. for the chanting, humming and meditating they hope will help usher in a new age of human experience. The Harmonic Convergence began yesterday and ends today.

If you are a guest at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel Sunday morning, don't be alarmed should you hear what sounds like a large bee landing on the 26-story hotel's roof at about 6 a.m. The sound will be coming from members of the Human Unity Conference as they chant and meditate in celebration of the Harmonic Convergence. The Harmonic Convergence is a two-day period that is the center point of the Earth's shift from the astrological Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age - from unenlightenment to enlightenment - according to Swami Virato, a local publisher and coordinator of a similar sunrise ceremony at the Art Museum on Monday.

If you live near the Art Museum, don't be alarmed if the brass handles on your dresser begin to shake or your breakfast dishes start to rattle at 6:30 a.m. Monday. An earthquake won't have hit town. Instead, your life will be "ahum" from the chants of some 10,000 people proclaiming from the steps of the Art Museum their belief in the Harmonic Convergence. The convergence is a two-day period that is the center point of the Earth's shift from the astrological Piscean Age to the Aquarian Age - from unenlightenment to enlightenment - according to Swami Virato, a local publisher and coordinator of the Philadelphia area's "convergence" movement.

Hunker down with hot tea and keep your pot warm with this charming cozy, handmade by Cozy Toes in East Falls. Cozies come in two sizes and five designs. They are laminated on the outside, batted and lined with knit fabric inside. Curve 24-ounce teapot with infuser by ForLifeDesign.com in nine colors, dish washer and microwave safe. Salty, dark, and sweet Intense dark chocolate is mixed with the delicate seasoning of hand-harvested fleur de sel sea-salt crystals. The unexpected contrast yields a harmonic convergence.

In 1983, art historian Jose Arguelles was driving down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles to return a rental car when a vision bloomed: On Aug. 16, 1987, a critical mass of humanity would congregate at sacred spots around the world to bond with the cosmos and prevent global catastrophe. The theory behind the proposed happening was farfetched, involving extraterrestrial Mayans and synchronicity with the universe, but at sunrise on the appointed day, Mr. Arguelles' call was answered. Around the world - including at Mount Shasta in California, in Central Park in New York, at Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Great Pyramids in Egypt - thousands danced, hugged, solar-charged crystals, and chanted "om. " Mr. Arguelles, stationed near Boulder, Colo., blew a conch shell 144 times.

For Pat Fenske and millions of other people across the globe, "hell" ended yesterday - and the Harmonic Convergence began. Shortly before dawn, Fenske and more than 100 other participants in the 14th annual Human Unity Conference gathered on the 27th floor of the Franklin Plaza to reflect, in part, on the ramifications of the convergence. Human Unity participants were specifically celebrating the end of hell, as predicted by the Aztecs. According to legend, Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of wisdom and peace, set up a calendar beginning in 843 A.D. that called for 22 periods of 52 years each - 13 periods of heaven followed by nine periods of hell.

In 1983, art historian Jose Arguelles was driving down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles to return a rental car when a vision bloomed: On Aug. 16, 1987, a critical mass of humanity would congregate at sacred spots around the world to bond with the cosmos and prevent global catastrophe. The theory behind the proposed happening was farfetched, involving extraterrestrial Mayans and synchronicity with the universe, but at sunrise on the appointed day, Mr. Arguelles' call was answered. Around the world - including at Mount Shasta in California, in Central Park in New York, at Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Great Pyramids in Egypt - thousands danced, hugged, solar-charged crystals, and chanted "om. " Mr. Arguelles, stationed near Boulder, Colo., blew a conch shell 144 times.

I just went on a girls' night out, or a GNO, and it got me thinking. How did that term, and even its acronym, enter the vernacular? Why do we specify when it's a girls' night out, as opposed to a boys' night out? And is it because a boys' night out is the norm, so we need to specify when it's a girls' night out, which is, what, bizarre? We all got dressed up for each other and even took pictures. Again, I doubt that guys dress up for a boys' night out, and they leave the flip cameras at home.

Hunker down with hot tea and keep your pot warm with this charming cozy, handmade by Cozy Toes in East Falls. Cozies come in two sizes and five designs. They are laminated on the outside, batted and lined with knit fabric inside. Curve 24-ounce teapot with infuser by ForLifeDesign.com in nine colors, dish washer and microwave safe. Salty, dark, and sweet Intense dark chocolate is mixed with the delicate seasoning of hand-harvested fleur de sel sea-salt crystals. The unexpected contrast yields a harmonic convergence.

The relationship between celebrity, paparazzi, publicist and Tattle columnist is one of yin and yang, harmonic convergence, synergy. The celebrity wants publicity. The publicist gets the celeb publicity in return for a fee. The paparazzi are occasionally tipped off by the publicist to get the shot of the celebrity exiting drug rehab, in return for a fee. And the Tattle columnist? Well, we just make fun of the ridiculousness of the whole situation. So it's somewhat disturbing to see that there's a hole in the universe.

The dozen folks walked one by one into the Bucks County church holding incense sticks, followed the labyrinth painted on the floor, and went out to the 10-foot-tall open-sided pyramid. Each one picked up a crystal there and walked out onto the wide lawn, holding the crystal and a small bell, and followed pebble paths forming a cross within a 20-foot-wide circle. "Ring the bell if you want," Gary Culp told them as, one by one, they silently walked the circle. "We're just waking the Earth," he told them softly, "reminding the Earth that we are loving her. " This was how the Philadelphia region helped mark Harmonic Convergence 2 last weekend, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the international celebration.

There are two Brits named Dave Stewart who work with striking female vocalists. The one you probably know is the guy who collaborates with Annie Lennox in a band called Eurythmics. That Dave's not here, or even coming (as had previously been announced) with his new but not very good sideline project, the Spiritual Cowboys. The other Dave Stewart you should be paying attention to right now is the precocious keyboardist who earned his pedigree in the 1960s and '70s in the mostly instrumental "art rock" bands Egg, National Health, Hatfield & the North and Bruford.

The ruins of the ancient city of Machu Picchu, known as the Lost City of the Incas, is so obscured by the peaks of the Andes mountains that it wasn't discovered until 1911. Michael Madden of Rose Valley rediscovered it this summer while on a trip to Peru in search of spiritual guidance. Many people consider Machu Picchu a holy place or a sacred site. Madden, 39, a psychologist in private practice in Media, traveled there with a group of 30 to mark the "harmonic convergence" of Aug. 16 and 17. Believers say the harmonic convergence, a worldwide event, marked the spiritual reawakening of humanity.

CONVERGENCE: ABDICATING RESPONSIBILITY Shortly after sunrise on Aug. 17 I walked the six blocks from my home to the Art Museum. About 200 others made the journey to the same site. I do not know their reasons for being there; mine were a mixture of curiosity and hope, plus a feeling that any gathering of people wishing to herald in a new age of peace and understanding might be a pleasant change from the daily work. A gathering that some had expected to be the ultimate touchy-feely celebration was carried out in almost total silence.

For Pat Fenske and millions of other people across the globe, "hell" ended yesterday - and the Harmonic Convergence began. Shortly before dawn, Fenske and more than 100 other participants in the 14th annual Human Unity Conference gathered on the 27th floor of the Franklin Plaza to reflect, in part, on the ramifications of the convergence. Human Unity participants were specifically celebrating the end of hell, as predicted by the Aztecs. According to legend, Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of wisdom and peace, set up a calendar beginning in 843 A.D. that called for 22 periods of 52 years each - 13 periods of heaven followed by nine periods of hell.

Vivian Rankin, who was among 300 persons who took part in Harmonic Convergence rites today at the Art Museum, has a quiet moment early this morning. The 300 was a bit short of the 10,000 event organizers had hoped for, but they were there about 6 a.m. for the chanting, humming and meditating they hope will help usher in a new age of human experience. The Harmonic Convergence began yesterday and ends today.