Awaken Forums To Offer Transformative Learning Environments In Gwinnett County Georgia

SUWANEE, Ga. - Oct. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- We all have personal stories about our lives and our place in the world. As we grow and develop, these worldviews inform how we live, what gives us purpose, what we value, how we understand reality and our place in it. Many factors shape our worldview. These include biology, temperament, family upbringing, culture, and geography, among others. Many, however, have a worldview that is seen through a lens of limitation, lack, isolation, and fear instead of a lens that moves them toward expansiveness, inclusiveness, wholeness, connection, and compassion. The Awaken Forums were created in direct response to the magnitude of this paradox and is bringing it’s transformative learning environments to Suwanee..

“Each of the Awaken Forums are designed to help us look at ourselves through the lens of consciousness. In other words, what are our emotional, psychological and spiritual beliefs, our perceptions, values, stereotypes, our assumptions and our collective worldview about ourselves and others? And what can we learn from that lens?” Says Donald Gordon Carty, facilitator and creator of the Awaken Forums. “As individuals, we already have access to many of the resources harvested from our unique life experiences. What we don't often have is an insight into the messages we're giving ourselves because more often than not, this self-talk is a product of our subconscious mind. Additionally, we don't have the insights of others who've experienced challengeseither similar or different to our own.”

“Humans are social beings, hard-wired to gain pleasure and meaning though social relations—and especially through opportunities to do things together. A growing body of research shows that social networks and identities have a profound impact on mental and physical health.” Says John F. Helliwell, Senior Fellow and Co-Director for the Advanced Research Programme on Social Interactions, Identity, and Well-Being.  To help foster growth, connection and learning, each of the Awaken Forums feature an interplay of activities that includes listening to one's inner wisdom and guidance, integrating inspirational ideas and best practices, sharing in intimate conversation circles, harvesting the collective wisdom of the group and through uplifting, inspirational and sometimes spiritually challenging Movie Screenings and Discussion, Shift Happens Workshops and Conscious Aging Conversation Circles.

As one participant Michael, said of the Movie Screening Forum  “Donald is a gift to our spiritual world. In this meeting format, he captures our hearts with amazing videos and then leads great discussions as the movie relates to each of us personally”. Another participant Lila, commenting on the Shift Happens Workshop Forum "I have heard many times that 'you can change your life by changing your thoughts and your mental habits,' but I never really stopped to consider what that really meant. Never did I expect to wake up one morning and discover that there was someone to help me see my life from an entirely new perspective. Thank you Donald.” And Susan, a participant at the Conscious Aging Conversation Circle, said "I was curious about this, and hoped to gain new insight into my personal journey. I liked the ease of the presentation, the intimacy, time allowed, hearing what others had to say and sharing personal stories, which identifies the humanity we all share."

“And that's the magic of the Awaken Forums. Says Carty “When we come together in a group with a common goal, we see the full gamut of our expressions. We start to open up beyond our own experiences and connect with others in a way that's a lot more fun and a lot more healing. It's an effective way of letting go of feelings of isolation, loneliness, and growing into self-compassion and a new awareness of the opportunities in store for us.”

The Movie Screenings and Discussion Forum are  held two Sundays per month from 1:15pm to 4:30pm. Shift Happens Workshops and Conscious Aging Conversation Circles are held once per month Tuesday or Thursday evenings from 6:15pm to 7:45pm at the Gwinnett Public Library- Suwanee Branch, 361 Main Street, library meeting room. Suwanee , 30024. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required.

For additional information about Awaken Forums, visit the website at www.awakenforums.org and www.meetup.awakenforums.org to reserve your seat.  Or call 850-725-0527 with questions or concerns.

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Donald Gordon Carty is a scientist, philosopher, spiritual explorer, socio-cultural anthropologist, speaker, consultant, and author. Created, developed and founded the Personal Development Institute (www.thepdi.com), Awaken Cinema Circle - dare to envision, believe and create (www.awakencinemacircle.com), and the Awaken - Human Potential and Transformation Forums (www.awakenforums.org)

The mission of the Awaken Forums (www.awakenforums.com) is to foster understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the human experience, to facilitate self-understanding, to introduce options for action plans, to seed future personal development and spiritual growth, to educate, normalize, reframe, and expand ideas and create community among the participants.