About
AUM
The All USA Meeting (AUM) is an annual conference for people interested in the vision of Sri Aurobindo and Mother, the practice of Integral Yoga, and the sustainable international community of Auroville—and for those interested in consciousness, evolution, and the future of humanity.
AUM conferences have been taking place since 1985, when the first meeting was held in Greenville, New Hampshire. AUM occurs in a different U.S. location each year, hosted by a different team of volunteers. Last year's AUM was held in 2012 in Shutesbury, Massachussetts.
People come to AUM to network with others on the evolutionary path, to experience a deeper reality, to widen their understanding of Integral Yoga, and more. Many feel a spiritual atmosphere at AUM that is helpful for individual and collective progress.
AUM 2013 organizers
John Robert Cornell
John Robert is a writer living in the foothills of Northern California with his wife Karen. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and graduate degrees in religion and anthropology. He did field work on a dialect (O'ob No'ok) of the Pima language in Mexico in the 1970s. He holds a community college teaching credential, has taught at the secondary and college levels, and been a licensed therapist. He edited and published the small nature-and-spirit bulletin Sunseeds for ten years, and was a writer/editor for many years in the software industry. He is an experienced workshop leader and conducts consciousness-focused nature walks for the American River Conservancy. He has been a student and devotee of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother for three decades and has a long-time interest in the American yoga. A regular participant and contributor to monthly retreats at Sri Aurobindo Sadhana Peetham in Lodi, California, he lived in Auroville from 2006–2008. He is also secretary of the Sri Aurobindo Association. John Robert is in love with the American earth, Integral Yoga, and Sri Aurobindo’s poetry.
Soleil Lithman
Soleil is author of Inlighten the Body: The Hladina Method. She met the Mother in 1971 and immediately began having lucid dreams with the Mother and learning about healing. She worked in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram physical therapy clinic, in the Matrimandir Gardens, and on construction of the Matrimandir. She also assisted with Peacetrees in Auroville and Washington, DC. In 2002 Soleil founded the Hladina Method, which incorporates a master’s degree in transpersonal counseling psychology from JFK University, her own experiences within the Integral Yoga, and everything she learned through the Mother. Since 2004, Soleil has taught many Hladina courses in Auroville, India, Europe, Canada, Colombia, and the USA. Soleil was born to American parents living in Saudi Arabia. She traveled through the world with her family and always experienced herself as a global citizen. Since 2011 Soleil has assisted her husband Wolfgang Schmidt-Reinecke in giving Soul of Nations workshops in six countries to people representing more than 16 nations. www.inlightenthebody.com
Wolfgang J. Schmidt-Reinecke, M.A.
Wolfgang lived and worked in Germany until he was called to Sri Aurobindo and Auroville in 1972. He met Mother at one of her last darshans in 1973. Afterwards he studied journalism, anthropology and history at Freie Universität Berlin. He traveled extensively and worked in Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, and India as freelance journalist (print and video documentary). He also acted as a manager and executive editor for relief organizations and magazines. He was executive chairman of Auroville International Germany for fourteen years and chairman and executive director of Auroville International for four years. Since 2006 he has lived in Ashland, Oregon, with his wife, Soleil Lithman. He and Soleil created the Soul of Nations workshop, which they have given on three continents and in Auroville. In 2013, the German version of his book Fulfilling True Nationality for a New Global Consciousness will be released (English version envisioned for 2014). www.sunwolfcreations.com
AUM 2013 sponsors
The Sri Aurobindo Association (SAA) is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization whose purpose is to assist groups and individuals devoted to the realization of the spiritual vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. SAA publishes the journal Collaboration, supports the annual AUM conference, supports projects related to Integral Yoga in America, forwards donations to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville, and facilitates collaboration in the Integral Yoga community.
The Foundation for World Education (FWE) awards grants to incorporated nonprofit organizations around the world that support integral education, human unity, conscious evolution, and a transformed world as envisioned by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. FWE provides a continuous stream of funding for current and future generations through responsible management of the endowment, receipt of donations and bequests, and discerning selection of grant recipients. FWE aspires to be instrumental in transmuting financial energy to its true purpose in the unfolding evolution and manifestation of a greater consciousness on earth.
AUM 2013 volunteers
Volunteers for AUM 2013 include Saraswati Chavez, Karen Cornell, Lynda Lester, Kalpana Patel, Margaret Phanes, and Dakshina Vanzetti.