International Conference // Working Session

Spiritual Human Rights 2010

11th and 12th of December 2010
Copenhagen, Denmark

Working session for discovering the UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES of Spiritual Human Rights

Invitation for scientific researchers, activists and practitioners within the transdisciplinary field of human rights and spirituality

For the third consecutive year Soteria International welcomes participants to a visionary conference on the emerging field of Spiritual Human Rights. This year’s event will be executed as an explorative workshop with two days of dynamic interaction focused on the creative development of Universal Principles as a unique charter within the Spiritual Human Rights.

ONE WORLD - ONE HUMANITY - ONE SET OF FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
The intention behind the Universal Principles is to discover and describe the fundamental and immanent ideas common to different cultural and spiritual traditions of the planet. The principles provide sui-generis guidelines for all citizens of the world. Embracing the common truths that unite people across nations and religions the work constitutes a timeless foundation facilitating intercultural dialogue and sincere human transformation.

The knowledge and practice of the Universal Principles contribute to the balance and harmony between the human rights of the individual and the needs of society - helping each person and humanity as a collective to address its challenges.

UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES WITH MANIFOLD AREAS OF APPLICATION
The immanent values and mechanisms of the Universal Principles can be observed and applied within a vast field of disciplines and arenas. Accordingly, during a series of conferences and working sessions across Europe in the period 2008-2010 their application has been tested in fields as diverse as peace-making, the natural ecology, mass media and the education system.

Drawing upon the conclusions and observations from these sessions combined with new insights and latest research the SHR10 conference aims to raise the work to the next level by defining a complete and inspiring set of Universal Principles, with immanent practical value for the positive transformation of today’s society and its citizens.

On this background we invite progressive thinkers and pioneering practitioners to participate in the formation of this unfolding field.

A DYNAMIC MEETING FORMAT
Addressing the abstract, scientific and spiritual complexity of formulating Universal Principles the SHR10 conference is designed as an explorative event with a workshop format that allows participants to apply dynamic methods of dialogue-based and transdisciplinary collaboration. During the two-day event, participants are invited to engage in a creative open space process. The event also includes networking activities as well as short inspirational talks and energizers.

Integral Education. Guidelines for Educational Reforms in the 21st Century.

Emotional Literacy – Prerequisite for a Spiritual Advancement.

Berlin, 8-9 October 2010

Venue: MAHA YOGA-Zentrum
Brunnenstr. 147
10115 Berlin - Mitte

The think tank on spiritual human rights “Soteria International” is launching a series of roundtable discussions and conferences, dedicated to the necessity of a paradigm change in education, under the generic title “Integral Education. Guidelines for Educational Reforms in the 21st Century”. These meetings aim at initiating dialogues between the academic world and the field of the spiritual dimension which has been progressively growing in its influence and importance over the past few decades and steadily taking its place in the scientific realm.
The new paradigm, which now is imminent, given the current state of affairs, will have to enhance symbiosis between human beings, societies, civilizations and nature. Such symbiosis can only be effective on a common ground of spiritual values and through continuous application of these values by means of specific skills, innate to human beings, but seemingly ignored in the race for supremacy. Moreover, spiritual advancement is hardly possible without deepening the practice of emotional education, not necessarily from the perspective of attunement to social norms, as mostly adopted by current educational systems, but rather as an established teaching and training of the mechanisms of emotions.
The first roundtable of the series is called “Emotional Literacy – Prerequisite for a Spiritual Advancement” and will emphasize on comprehending Emotional Education along with other practices of Integral Education. The participants to this roundtable are invited to discuss upon the principles of the current educational systems, what does or does not qualify as Integral Education, and to explore the modalities of introducing sustainable and efficient reforms.   
The roundtable discussion will start with concise presentation of alternative educational approaches of the 20th century, which have set a bold foundation for the emerging model of the Integral Education.  Most of these models have mainly emphasized on the need to liberalize the educational theory and give more space to the freedom of individual formation, rather than formatting according to certain social presets, as it has been done before. Some of these approaches have also contributed to fertile grounds for education based on spiritual values. Also, due to mention in this frame, is the significant importance that the borderline science is playing in advancing the field of human consciousness.  
However, despite the eternal nature of the spiritual values, modern societies still lack the proper understanding of such, hence the faulty outcomes of the present times. The spiritual values are inherited from certain universal principles that govern the processes of manifestation, and during one of the panels there will be a presentation of a work in progress – The Guide for the Citizen of the World, which is being elaborated in close correlation with the universal principles, aiming at a more concrete understanding of the spiritual values.
The next session of the Conference will be mainly dedicated to Emotional Education and its vast importance to achieve harmonious development. The participants will discuss on the role of emotions in human life, the mechanisms of emotions and of their control, the role of the Heart as the spiritual center of the human being and the spiritual meaning of emotions. Having this perspective, participants will transit again to the discussion about spiritual values and brainstorm upon what constitutes an emotional and spiritual literacy.

Manipulation of the Masses

SOTERIA Symposium Berlin

3rd and 4th of July

Out of previous team researches and workshops in 2009 in the course of the “Peace For The 21st Century” Conference in Berlin and the “Spiritual Human Right 2009” Symposium in Copenhagen, the role of the media regarding people's education, the public shaping of moral values and the rootage of strongly biased or even misinformation came up as an important topic. In the context of the working schedule of SOTERIA's team, we saw it as a necessity to discuss education and manipulation through mass media and to underline the importance of these mechanisms for our society. SOTERIA Symposium “Manipulation of the Masses” will reflect upon this topic from different angles and we aim to find ways to open new and spiritual perspectives for using the power of word, speech and thought.

Program:

Please register before December 2nd. No deadline for papers.

Participation fee is: 108 EURO

30% discount for members.

Students fee: 50 EURO

For those who need it, we can organize accommodation in affordable prices for the days of the conference, in the vicinity of the conference.

If you have further question please write to the email: shr@soteriainternational.org

• Developing the notion of the spiritual principles as common basis to the entire human civilization of all times
• Analyzing contemporary challenges in the field of human rights from the perspective of the spiritual principles
• The challenges of modern society - spiritual solutions
• The challenges of spiritual movements and individuals today
• The link between the problems of the individual and the problems of the society
• The ecological crisis - spiritual origins and solutions
• Balancing the relationship between man & Nature from a spiritual perspective.
• New approaches for developing individual and collective eco-consciousness.

Towards the ''Guide for the Citizen of the World''

This year's annual conference on Spiritual Human Rights will focus on developing and promoting the understanding of the spiritual principles as a platform offering efficient solutions to the challenges which human society is facing these days. These principles are common to all the traditions of this planet, and may be considered as sui-generis guidelines for the citizen of the world, helping to achieve harmony at all the levels.

Date: 12-13 of December

place: Copenhagen, Denmark

Venue: Nordre Fasanvej 230, 2200 KBH.N

It is clear to all that humanity is now at the threshold of a new age. The scientific advancements of the last few decades, including quantum mechanics and the principle of holography, have broadened our horizons of reality into new dimensions. Science today proves with clear logic that which before was considered to be the domain of mysticism or philosophical speculation. These discoveries raise our understanding of human existence to a higher level, the universe and the laws that animate it. The proven effect of thought over matter, of the influence of the observer over the observed, of the complex interconnections between all phenomena and other such discoveries have brought with them bold new developments in the fields of science, sociology, psychology, medicine, philosophy and even spirituality. We may say that our perception of ourselves and the universe around us, which before was limited only to physical aspects, has now also expanded to the vast domain of the “invisible”, following a change in the scientific approach of what can be measured and verified and more importantly, what should be studied and how to do that, since now it is clear that the “invisible” aspects have a paramount role in influencing all phenomena, including that phenomena which is strictly material. We should not underestimate the capital importance of this broadened perspective, because this new and deeper vision makes us begin to be aware of new elements, which before were totally ignored, and which are necessary for achieving health and happiness in the individual life as well as maintaining a harmonious and balanced society.

We support the unlimited freedom of the individual to practice spirituality. Our aim is to create the legal, social and mental space that allows for a free manifestation of spiritual actions in all their different shapes and settings.

Spiritual freedom thus means the right to integrate a divine perspective into the MANY facets of life. Work, family, friends, food, love, sleep, exercise or reading can be equally important dimensions of a spiritual practice - as well as church going and prayer can.

The work of SOTERIA is directed to acknowledge the growing number of people, who decide to follow an 'alternative' spiritual path in private as well as public spheres of their lives.

SOTERIA INTERNATIONAL is financed entirely by its members and donations. See each specific project or contact us if you are interested to involve yourself, or financially support, a specific project or campaign

VOLUNTEER
Please contact us for more information if you are interested in working with spiritual human rights. volunteer@soteriainternational.org

SPIRITUAL HUMAN RIGHTS

All human rights are based on the intuitively understanding of the inherit dignity of man, which in itself implies a spiritual view on mankind’s undeniable right for personal freedom and liberty. Still, the free and full unfoldment of the spiritual potentials of human life was not in the priority of the times and circumstances under which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was formulated more then 60 years ago.

Spiritual human rights are today yet to be formulated and ratified by international society based on the ageless science of mankind’s inner nature. Even when modern science today confirms these immanent principles of inner nature, the judicial institutions as well as social and commune paradigms still lack to integrate these aspects in the common understanding of human rights.

Soteria International argues that the needs and potentials of mankind’s inner nature should not serve only as the basis of the human rights in principle, but also as a practical measure of to what degree the human dignity is secured in every aspect of life. Spiritual Human Rights thus signals at possible failures of humanity within society and protect the freedom of our souls.

PEACE FOR THE
21^ST CENTURY

A NEW PARADIGM:
POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL INSTRUMENTS FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION

International Conference: Berlin, 16^th-17^th of September 2009

Venue: Brunnenstraße 147, 10115 Berlin

The Peace for the 21st Century conference aims at opening new horizons and depths leading to sustainable future peacemaking.

The world today faces a growing state of conflict. The conflicts do not appear only between but also within states and are present even in the heart of the western world, in the form of terrorism. In this intense and general state of conflict we need a better understanding of the roots of conflict and the principles of peace. Through understanding these subjects we may gain awareness and control over the current processes and be able to attain true peace.