The Oracle Institute is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

educational charity founded in 2004 by Laura M. George and located in

Independence, Virginia Independence is a town located in, and the county seat of, Grayson County, Virginia, United States. At the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 1,001. It is situated on Virginia's Crooked Road, a heritage trail celebrating the musical her ...

. Oracle operates a multi-faith spirituality school, an award-winning publishing house, the Peace Pentagon HUB and conference center, and programs that support pluralistic and progressive values. Oracle's stated purpose is to serve as "An Advocate for Peace and a Vanguard for Conscious Evolution," and its formal mission statement is an adaptation of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

's Act for Religious Freedom.

Spirituality School

Oracle's spirituality school offers courses, conferences, and retreats which focus on the five primary religions (

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, and

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

), indigenous wisdom traditions,

New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...

philosophies, peace-building,

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

, and

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

. In 2015, Oracle sponsored the "Building the New World Conference" at Radford University, which featured futurists Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jerome C. Glenn, and

Charles Eisenstein Charles Eisenstein (born 1967) is an American public speaker, author, and activist. His books include ''The Ascent of Humanity'', ''Sacred Economics'', and ''The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible.'' Eisenstein's work covers a wid ...

. In 2020, Oracle hosted a virtual "Building the New World Summit," featuring

David Korten David C. Korten (born 1937) is an American author, former professor of the Harvard Business School, Activism, political activist, prominent critic of corporate globalization, and "by training and inclination a student of psychology and behavioral ...

Riane Eisler Riane Tennenhaus Eisler (born July 22, 1931) is an Austrian-born American systems scientist, futurist, attorney, and author who writes about the effect of gender and family politics historically on societies, and vice versa. She is best known ...

David Sloan Wilson David Sloan Wilson (born 1949) is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is a son of author Sloan Wilson, a co-founder of Evolution Institu ...

, Kurt Johnson,

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...

Alex Grey Alex Grey (born November 29, 1953) is an American visual artist, author, teacher, and Vajrayana practitioner known for creating spiritual and psychedelic artwork such as his 21-painting ''Sacred Mirrors'' series. He works in multiple forms includi ...

, and Paul K. Chappell.

Publishing Houses

Oracle publishes books under its imprints, Oracle Institute Press and Peace Pentagon Press. Genres include religion and spirituality, personal growth and social evolution, mysticism, the arts, and children's fiction. Oracle Institute Press has won five book awards, including two

Independent Publisher Book Awards The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled as the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual literary awards for independently published books. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Aw ...

in the Religion category, the Young Voices Seal of Approval for children's fiction, and two Indie Book Awards in the Spirituality and Performing Arts categories.

Peace Pentagon

In 2012, after two years of litigation, during which Oracle was represented by The

Rutherford Institute The Rutherford Institute is a public interest law firm dedicated to the defense of civil liberties, human rights, and religious liberties. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, the non-profit organization's motto is "It's our job to make the gove ...

, Oracle achieved the right to build the "Peace Pentagon" along the New River in Grayson County, Virginia. The Peace Pentagon is an energy-efficient PassivHaus structure with a multi-faith sanctuary and conference facilities.

Valley of Light

In 2015, Oracle founded an intentional community called the "Valley of Light" for cultural creatives who live and work at the Oracle Campus. The Valley of Light micro-community was inspired by the Federation of Damanhur, whose Ambassadors regularly visit Oracle Campus. The Valley of Light is a member of the

Fellowship for Intentional Community The Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC), formerly the Fellowship of Intentional Communities then the Fellowship for Intentional Community, provides publications, referrals, support services, and "sharing opportunities" for a wide range o ...

WCPA & ECI Headquarters

In 2020, the Peace Pentagon at Oracle Campus became the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

for the Earth Constitution Institute (ECI) and the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA), international organizations dedicated to

World Federalism World federalism or global federalism is a political ideology advocating a democratic, federal world government. A world federation would have authority on issues of global reach, while the members of such a federation would retain authority ove ...

and the adoption of the Earth Constitution.

Laura M. George

In 2022, Oracle’s founder Laura M. George was named an Evolutionary Leader."Evolutionary Leaders Website:" https://www.evolutionaryleaders.net/

Publications

Authors published by the Oracle Institute Press include Oberto "Falco" Airaudi,

Yuval Ron Yuval Ron () is a world music artist, composer, educator, peace activist, and record producer. Notable compositions include music for the Oscar-winning short film '' West Bank Story'' (2007), as well as site-specific commissions for the Getty ...

, Patricia Albere, Valerie Tarico, PhD, Glen T. Martin, PhD, and Oracle's founder, Rev. Laura M. George, JD. *''The Truth: About the Five Primary Religions''. Laura M. George (1st Ed. © 2006; 2nd Ed. © 2010). Winner of a 2006 IPPY Award. Oracle Institute Press: *''The Love: Of the Fifth Spiritual Paradigm''. Laura M. George with contributions from

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

Bill McKibben William Ernest McKibben (born December 8, 1960)"Bill Ernest McKibben." ''Environmental Encyclopedia''. Edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, December 31, 2017. is a ...

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar), Ministe ...

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

Wendell Berry Wendell Erdman Berry (born August 5, 1934) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. Closely identified with rural Kentucky, Berry developed many of his agrarian themes in the early essays o ...

Stephen Dunn Stephen Elliot Dunn (June 24, 1939June 24, 2021) was an American poet and educator who authored twenty-one collections of poetry. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 2000 collection, ''Different Hours,'' and received an Academy Award i ...

Brian McLaren Brian D. McLaren (born 1956) is an American author, speaker, activist, public theologian and was a leading figure in the emerging church movement. McLaren is often associated with postmodern Christianity. Education and career Raised in Rockville ...

, Chris Mercogliano, Andrew Cohen and others (© 2010). Oracle Institute Press: * ''Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light''. Valerie Tarico (1st Ed. © 2010; 2nd Ed. © 2017). Winner of a 2011 IPPY Award. Oracle Institute Press: * ''Deas and Other Imaginings: Ten Spiritual Folktales for Children''. Valerie Tarico (1st Ed. © 2011). Winner of Young Voices Seal of Approval. The Oracle Institute Press: * ''Bral Talej: Damanhur Divination Cards''. Shama Viola and

Oberto Airaudi Oberto Airaudi (29 May 1950 – 24 June 2013) was an Italian cultist, who founded the Federation of Damanhur. Airaudi also went by the name of Falco (Hawk), based on the Damanhur practice of adopting animal names. Biography He was born in B ...

with a Foreword by

with a Foreword by Zia Inayat-Khan (© 2014). Winner of two Indie Book Awards. Oracle Institute Press: * ''Evolutionary Relationships: Unleashing the Power of Mutual Awakening''. Patricia Albere with a Foreword by Katherine Woodward Thomas (© 2017). Oracle Institute Press: * ''The Earth Constitution Solution: Design for a Living Planet''. Glen T. Martin with a Foreword by

Ellen Brown Ellen Hodgson Brown (born September 15, 1945) is an American author, attorney, public speaker, and advocate of alternative medicine and financial reform, most prominently public banking. Brown is the founder and president of the Public Banking ...

External links

The Oracle Institute Website

Peace Pentagon HUB Website

Earth Constitution Institute Website

World Constitution and Parliament Association Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oracle Institute Spiritual organizations Interfaith organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Independence, Virginia 501(c)(3) organizations