IDHHB ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

By Linda Corriveau

The Institute for the Development of the Harmonious Human Being's Annual Fundraiser is well under way at this time of the year and readers of the SmogOps Canteen Newsletter should look for a letter in the mail inviting them to support the Institute. This simple letter is a new way for the Institute to approach fundraising by allowing readers, listeners, watchers and various other friends of the Institute who are familiar with one or another facet of our multitude of services and tools for the spiritually handicapped or needful, who know us well or who hardly know us at all, to show their support for all of our activities, or certainly for the ones with which they are familiar. As you all probably know, it costs a lot to run an institution of this kind which is very unique even in the spiritual realm. If at first blush our project venues seem incomprehensibly enormous, it's because they are! So we thought we would summarize in just a few sentences the bulk and orientation of the majority of our activities and services without over- whelming detail. Bottom line, we're in the business of educating people about death and dying and helping them confront this ultra taboo. We wish to see death demedicalized so that its most profound nature -to be a sacred spiritual event marking a transition of the being to another realm and another life-be allowed to be experienced fully and according to the wishes of the dying person. We focus on the aspect of training people to pray for the the dead and dying using the traditional or perennial wisdom of many cultures going all the way back to antiquity in many areas of the planet, embodied in the American Book of the Dead. We also focus on transformational work and technologies. We consist of a large proportion of artists known as the Grass Valley Graphics Group and have a very dynamic and productive studio where we specialize in iconography. The works we publish through Heidelberg Editions International are intended to be used as icons and radiate the light of the school in the world at large. Heidelberg Editions International presents art exhibits in many countries. In addition to the art, the Institute publishes transformational books and various other spiritually-oriented works through Gateways Books and Tapes. Our music and videos have a transformational character also. We conduct workshops mostly dealing with death and dying throughout the continent and even venture into South America.Our membership is distributed throughout the world. The Institute operates a Digital Dogo and is very active on the web where it successfully conducts live workshops and seminars. We have completed our very first level of certification by the Labyrinth Readers Society, delivered exclusively through the Internet, and are in the midst of a Practical Work on Self Live Online Course that will run for a total of 24 weeks and then start over again. We have monthly Fine Art Benefit Auctions in a chatroom space where we have many other activities and meetings. The web is providing a whole new area of trans- formational technologies. This is a glimpse of what the Institute for the Development of the Harmonious Human Being has to offer. If you think you would like to support us we would appreciate whatever contribution you feel you can afford at this time, and deeply appreciate your donation or charitable gift which, of course, is tax deductible. All amounts are welcome. You can also participate in our monthly tithing program if you would prefer to help on a regular basis. There's a long list of projects waiting for special funding sources. We trust in your generosity and hope that you benefit as much as possible from all of our services. Peace, and may the force be with you.