I notice we have some discussion heating up here, so I'll take this as a good moment to share some thoughts and also explain about the guidelines and rules we have to follow here.

Primarily, I want to say that no thought or idea expressed here will be censored. What will be censored is anything that is illegal or for which Ted and I could be held legally liable.

There isn't a lot that fits under the category of the latter, but I should be clear that we cannot post lies about others, harass, abuse or threaten other members,or post anything which is tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable.

Ted and I reserve the right to evaluate posts to ascertain whether or not they are in compliance with these rules since we are the owners of this site, and liable for what is posted here. We'll be very happy to have the input of others on any censorship issues however.

What we do request of our posters is that you behave responsibly. Now, what exactly does that mean? It means that we ask you to be responsible to speak the truth, or to state an opinion as an opinion, when speaking about others.

It also means that you must be responsible to speak only the truth when using the names of others who are not members here, or to state opinions about such people as such.

Jach and Peny, as public figures who have made claims about themselves, their alliances and relationships, sources of information, details of their lives, etc. have put themselves in a different category in doing so. Since their claims are public, and in the public record via their writings, tapes, seminars, etc. the claims they make are fair game for public scrutiny and examination.

That is not true, however of any non-public person. So, although we can openly discuss Peny and Jach's relationship for example, because that is a matter of public record, we cannot be as open about the private lives of individuals connected to Jach and Peny, specific Forum members, etc. without their consent and permission.

We have assured the privacy of all who post here to the full extent that we are legally able to do so. We ask that you also respect the privacy of others who do not post here in the same way. Please be careful, and responsible in posting here when naming names. The only names I am comfortable to have posted here publicly are those which are openly provided, and those of people who promote their own names publicly or are public figures.

Also, we may not publish any copyrighted material here without permission of the author, so please do not post any such materials. Copyright laws are available on the internet, so if you want to quote someone, please refer to those laws and observe your own judgement prior to posting. Ted and I will remove anything we believe to be an infringment of copyright laws and explain why we did for future reference.

We aren't lawyers here, but we do on occasion have an attorney review the site and render their opinion as to the legality and legal safety of what is posted here. Our internet host also reviews our site from time to time for the same reasons. They are also responsible for the content posted here, and have the full right to take this site down should they feel exposed.

As it seems to be inevitable in any group, most especially on the internet, there will be conflicts here. Conflict is allowed.

Speaking for myself, I probably won't get involved in the conflicts of over philosophical issues or beliefs of others unless I am moved to. I'm not taking the responsibility of mediating. I believe that we are all adults here, and can take care of ourselves. Whether or not I do get involved will be of my own personal choice, but I want to be clear that I do not plan to serve as a mediator of conflict here. I'll leave it to Ted to state his own thoughts and intentions on that topic. I do hope he agrees with me on this, and I believe he does, but I'll let him speak for himself.

I have been involved on several message boards over the years, and what I've observed is that humans have a tendency to want to convince others to believe as they do, even to the extent of getting angry and abusive in the attempt. I would like to see us try to do better than that. I would like to think that we can teach each other something about living with the different perspectives of others, while maintaining our own dignity and integrity.

I have also noted a sense of favoritism, and arbitrary interpretation of the rules by most moderators. I suppose that is pretty much human, but for that reason, I don't want to be a moderator, or mediator here. I don't want to subject anyone to my human frailties any more than is necessary. If I start channeling the wisdom of the universe, you'll all be the first to know. :)

This board above all else exists out of a desire and committment to freedom of speech and thought. In order to allow for that, we must sometimes, possibly even often, be exposed to thoughts and ideas which clash with our own.

It seems to me that we have an opportunity here to experiment with finding a higher ground, and a more evolved means of communication than that which is the norm.

Maybe we can find the way between ourselves to address conflict and regulate behavior in a way which works for everyone, or at least the majority, and doesn't at the same time restrict the freedom to think and observe.

This is a grand idealism I am proposing, I am aware of that, but because for me it is an important ideal, I will try to find a way to live up to it. Is this an ideal that inspires interest in anyone else, to find a way to allow for all opinions without requests for censorship?

What that means to me, is that we all find a way to express ourselves without getting personal or abusive. But, it also means that we will tolerate that in others, to the extent that we don't make rules which are dependent upon anyone's personal view of what is over the line, right or wrong. Can we all draw our own boundaries and find the way to fortress them without the need to forcibly control or manipulate others through censorship?

The Forum promised us "safety" and did not deliver. I'm thinking that it's not possible to guarantee "safety" to any or all individuals, but that it is our personal responsibility to provide it for ourselves.

Does that mean that we can't or shouldn't protest or speak up when we see abuse, or perceived abuse? I don't think so. Nor do I think that means that we shouldn't disagree, or even argue points.

One thing I have noticed on other message boards is the cold dead silence of others during extreme moments of conflict between certain participants. I've been on the receiving end of such silence, and I so much wished that others would speak up, and state their opinions, or lend some support in the face of abuse, or when I perceived I was being abused, or even accused of abusing others.

I know that is not something that can be demanded or required of participants, but if we seek to function in a growing and healthy environment, it seems that it's important to speak up on occasion. To me, that is being responsible and adult, rather than feeling that we need someone to serve as an official moderator or mediator. Why not moderate and mediate between ourselves as responsible equals?

What is abuse, what constitutes abuse? I don't have the full answer to that, so I can't put myself in the position of mediating it. I know that there are clear cases of abuse, such as threats, manipulations, name calling, insults, etc. but sometimes abuse can be more subtle than that, and sometimes abuse can be perceived when it isn't present. It is on these fine lines which I believe we all need to exercise our powers of discrimination, patience, intelligence, love and compassion.

In the Forum, we were told that it was loving and compassionate to make absolute statements about the consciousness of others, for example. Some took it upon themselves to analyze and judge the motives and even character of others over a simple sentence. I hope we don't do that here.

I hope we question each other, listen, think, feel, and respond to each other from a place of respect, compassion, and humility.
There is not one person posting here who has all the answers and who is in possession of the wisdom of the universe.

We are discussing spirituality and religion here, and everyone knows that these are hot topics. We are all passionate about our souls and the journey of our souls to enlightenment, that I feel secure in saying.

So, we will get passionate, and sometimes angry and hurt, not because anyone here is evil, or stupid, but because we are all full of fire and desire for understanding and knowledge. In our passion, we might light fires which unchecked can burn and cause damage, but hopefully, out of our desire for peace, we will learn to control the fires through our compassion and committment to this forum.

I don't know, is this the rambling of a fool, or is this the Quest of the Fool?

I'm interested in any feedback anyone might have on this. Although Ted and I maintain this space on a technical and legal basis, I hope that we will all work to maintain it on a social, spiritual, and philosophical one.

Lots of love,

Katie