Our printed journal, TORUS, published from 1983-1985 and again from 1992-1994, always included an update on recent Meru Foundation activities, new findings, and announcements of new publications and products.  Now, with email, this communication can be two-way, and we invite your feedback on the Meru research, and on this newsletter.  Please email your questions or comments to me at <meru@meru.org>; if the answer to your question would be of general interest, we may also publish your question (anonymously if you prefer) and our answer in the next issue of eTORUS(tm).

If you receive this newsletter from Meru Foundation, it's either because you have sent us email over the past few years, or you have otherwise expressed interest in Meru Foundation's work.  If you don't want to see future issues, please email Cynthia Tenen at <meru@meru.org> and let me know.  Also, those of you with your own e-mail lists are welcome to pass along this issue of the eTORUS(tm) Newsletter as a sample, as long as you pass along the entire newsletter including the message footer, with Meru Foundation's copyright notice and contact addresses; if you prefer, you can also post a pointer to the archived Web edition of this newsletter, at <www.meru.org/Newsletter/number1.html>.  If you're reading this newsletter on another e-list, and would like to receive future copies from Meru Foundation directly, please email Cynthia at <meru@meru.org> -- thank you!

At the end of this newsletter we tell you about new Meru Foundation videos and other products, and easy ways to order them.  However, at its heart Meru Foundation remains a non-profit organization, founded to further research into the origin and nature of ancient texts and knowledge.  In addition to sales of our products, we always deeply appreciate, and depend on, your tax-deductible contributions.  Meru is a registered private operating Foundation, and your gift is deductible up to 50% of adjusted gross income.  For convenience, you may send us a contribution via your credit card, either online via our new secure website, <www.meetingtent.com> (see below), or by calling our toll-free number in the U.S. at 1-888-422-MERU, or (outside the US) by dialing direct to 1-925-674-8640.  For more information on contributing via credit card, see <www.meetingtent.com/contributions.html>.

Stan Tenen is also available for television and radio interviews about this work.  If you would like to arrange an interview, please contact Mr. Tenen directly via email at <meru@meru.org>, or by phone in the Boston area at 781-784-8902 (voice only).  We also travel to California several times per year, and are next scheduled to return in December 1999.  If you live in the San Francisco area and would like to speak with us, please contact Cynthia at <meru@meru.org>, or leave a message on our California voicemail at 415-332-5976.
 

1999 UPDATE AND CURRENT PROJECTS

NEW PRESENTATIONS AND VIDEOTAPES
In March 1999, Stan Tenen presented a 10th Anniversary lecture on the Meru research at the 3220 Gallery in San Francisco - the same venue in which our first widely distributed video, "Geometric Metaphors of Life," was taped in 1989.  This new presentation is called "Squaring the Circle: The One and the Many, Mind and World;" it is now available from Meru Foundation on video via our new distribution website at <www.meetingtent.com>.  We have discovered that the Meru "hand/flame" form, which generates the Hebrew alphabet, is an elegant philosophical solution to the classic riddle of "squaring the circle."  Many of the proposals put forth as conjecture in "Geometric Metaphors" and other earlier work have been confirmed, and some of them additionally supported by outside research.  For example, recent published scientific work strongly indicates the primacy of gesture-language over spoken language, lending support to the Meru hypothesis that the Hebrew letters are ultimately derived from a formal alphabet of hand-gestures.  For more information on this research, see the section on the Meru website at <http://www.meru.org/3220lecture/contents.html>.

Stan also recorded two new half-hour interviews for the 1998-1999 season of Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove's syndicated program, "Thinking Allowed," seen on many PBS stations and cable systems across the USA.  These interviews, in question-and-answer format, briefly introduce our more recent work and overall goals.  They are available from Meru Foundation as a single, one-hour video titled "The Geometry of Language;"  for information on how to order, see below, or go directly to <www.meetingtent.com>.  (For more information on "Thinking Allowed," see their website at <http://www.thinking-allowed.com>.)

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION
Two essays by Stan Tenen were published in Volume 2, No. 2 (April 1999) of the peer-reviewed Noetic Journal:  "The God of Abraham: A Mathematician's View," and "Man Bites Dog" (published as an appendix).  Over the past decade, some fields of academic study world started to ask the questions (about the nature and source of consciousness, for example) for which the Meru work offers some potential answers.  Stan and I are very pleased both with this publication, and with the professional relationships we are beginning to develop as a result.  Essentially similar versions of "The God of Abraham" and "Man Bites Dog" are posted on the Meru website at <http://www.meru.org/GodofAbe/onegdpix.html> and <http://www.meru.org/manbitesdog.html>, respectively; if you would like a reprint of the published version, please write to Cynthia Tenen at <meru@meru.org>.  (Earlier versions of "The God of Abraham" were previously published in TORUS, Vol. 2 #3, and in Gnosis magazine.)

In August 1999, Stan Tenen spoke at a Workshop on "Fundamental Principles of Cosmology: The Foundations of a Conscious Universe," sponsored by the Physics Department of George Mason University in Virginia, and organized by Prof. Menas Kafatos of GMU and Dr. Richard Amoroso of the Noetic Journal in Oakland, CA.  Other speakers included physicists Henry Stapp, Ph.D. and Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D., and physiologist Benjamin Libet, M.D.  George Mason U. will be publishing proceedings of this Workshop; we will notify you when they are available.

MERU BOOKS IN PROGRESS
Stan and I are working to complete an illustrated introduction to the Meru work titled "The Geometry of Genesis and the Alphabet," to be published by North Atlantic Books / Frog Ltd. in Berkeley, CA.  (This book is currently listed on amazon.com as "The Sacred Geometry of Genesis and the Alphabet," but the title will be changed before the book is released.) Our editor is both talented and experienced in organizing material with background, findings, and implications that range over widely different fields; one reason it has taken so long for us to produce the "Meru Book" is that we've needed an outside eye, and expert help, to craft a cohesive presentation for people new to our work..  We hope to have "The Geometry of Genesis and the Alphabet" ready during the year 2000, and will keep you posted on its progress.

Meru Foundation findings are also featured in two upcoming works by academic professionals.  The first, by Professor Jay Kappraff (math, N.J. Institute of Technology), is titled "Mathematics Beyond Measure: Essays on Nature, Myth, and Number," and includes a section on our original research.  Prof. Kappraff also features the work of knot theorist Prof. Louis Kauffman and mathematical physicist Saul-Paul Sirag, Ph.D. (both members of Meru's Advisory Board, as is Prof. Kappraff); this book should be available in the Spring of 2000.  The second book, edited by physicist Dr. Richard Amoroso, is titled "Science and the Primacy of Consciousness, a Book of Readings in Consciousness Studies."  In addition to an essay by Stan Tenen, this work will include material by Henry Stapp, Karl Pribram, Rupert Sheldrake, Stanislas Graf, and others whose work profoundly impacts the study of consciousness.  Dr. Amoroso's book is scheduled for later in 2000.

SACRED GEOMETRY TOOLKIT(tm) and NEW VIDEOS NOW AVAILABLE
via MERU'S NEW SECURE WEBSITE at www.meetingtent.com

We are pleased to announce the opening of a new website showcasing Meru Foundation videos, printed materials, and other products, and making it simple to order these items directly online.  This new site, <www.meetingtent.com>, is designed and maintained by Meru's CEO, Bill Haber.  The "look and feel" of this new website will evolve as we receive feedback from our readers, but our online ordering system, with its secure server to protect your credit card number and other information, is available right now.  Of course, you may also still place your orders via our U.S. toll free number at 1-888-422-MERU, or from outside the U.S., via 1-925-674-8640.

To inaugurate <www.meetingtent.com>, we have several new products available.

THE SACRED GEOMETRY TOOLKIT(tm)
For the first time, Meru Foundation is offering a pair of "First Hand" models, plus a Hebrew alphabet tetrahelix and a (non-rotating) 3x3x3 Hebrew alphabet cube, as part of our new SACRED GEOMETRY TOOLKIT(tm).  Each model is hand-made by Stan Tenen from card stock printed from his computer; these first, signature-edition kits, packaged in a clear plastic tub, are signed and numbered, and come with printed material including an illustration showing the hand-gestures for each Hebrew letter.  The SACRED GEOMETRY TOOLKIT(tm) sells for $49.95 plus shipping (and sales tax where applicable); you can see a picture of the models, and order the Toolkit, via the new website at <http://www.meetingtent.com/toolkit.html#toolkit>.

New Video: SQUARING THE CIRCLE: The One and the Many, Mind and World
Price:  $29.95 plus shipping and sales tax, Playing Time: 2 hours.
Excerpted from the jacket cover:
"Posing the riddle of squaring the circle resolves the riddle of the Bible's lost universal language... In this lecture Stan Tenen demonstrates that the Hebrew Alphabet is the philosophical solution to the riddle.  Squaring the circle expresses the transcendental relationship between radius and circumference. It also represents the relationship between the One and the Many, and between the Mind and the World.  In spiritual metaphor, the Extent of the One-Lord in consciousness is the Expanse of the Whole-God in the World.

Ten years ago, we videotaped Geometric Metaphors of Life at the Gallery at 3220 Sacramento Street in San Francisco.  This 10th anniversary presentation, also at the 3220 Gallery, "Squares the Circle."
To order, or for more information, see <http://www.meetingtent.com/videos.html#Squaring>.

NEW VIDEO COVER ART
All of the cover art for the Meru Foundation videotape series has been re-designed over the summer.  These tapes now make a handsome set, appropriate to any library or bookstore.  A set of all seven Meru Foundation videos is available for a special price of $179, plus shipping and tax; paired sets of two videos each are also available.  See <http://www.meetingtent.com/specialoffers.html#Special Offers> for details. Bill Haber will offer additional "specials" on Meru products at <www.meetingtent.com>.

New printed material:  "The Meru Thesis and the Scholarly Perspective"
Edited transcript of a discussion of traditional Kabbalah and Meru material held on physicist Jack Sarfatti's Internet Science Education Project's "Physics and Consciousness" e-list during October of 1998.  This lively and wide-ranging discussion answers typical challenges to Meru research, frequently posed by persons familiar with the standard academic and scholarly hypotheses.
Approximately 60 pages, plus color illustrations and appendices.  $15.00 plus shipping and sales tax; To order, or for more information, see <http://www.meetingtent.com/other.html>.

MERU POSTERS AVAILABLE SOON
Now that the Sacred Geometry Toolkit is a reality, our next project is to ready a selection of Meru Foundation Posters for sale, based on the artwork currently seen on the Meru Foundation main website, <www.meru.org>.  If there are any posters which you particularly would like to see produced first, please let us know via email to <meru@meru.org>.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR FIRST 100 ORDERS
The current issue of Atlantis Rising, a magazine oriented to the new-age audience, features a never-before published article by Stan Tenen on the Great Pyramid.  It also includes our new 1/3 page ad on page XX, picturing the Sacred Geometry Toolkit(tm) and all of the Meru Foundation videos.  We did expect a few extra copies of this issue from the publisher, but when UPS unexpectedly delivered 100 issues of Atlantis Rising to our door, I realized that someone along the line must have made a mistake.  When I contacted the publisher, he suggested that instead of returning them, we distribute them ourselves as we see fit.  So, for the first 100 orders that we receive after I send out this email newsletter, we will be happy to include a FREE copy of the current issue of Atlantis Rising if you request one.  (This magazine sells on the newsstands for $4.95.)  So if you'd like to read an article on the Giza Pyramid by Stan Tenen that's not available anywhere else, ask for a copy of Atlantis Rising when you order.

********************************************************************
The Meru Foundation eTORUS(tm) Newsletter is copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 Meru Foundation.
Past issues of eTORUS(tm) are archived online on the Meru Foundation website at
<http://www.meru.org/Newsletter/journalindex.html>.

You may duplicate and pass along this newsletter, in its entirety, as long as you include this copyright notice and the contact information below. Please send comments and questions to <meru@meru.org>.

Meru Foundation research offices:
  Research Director: Stan Tenen    Secretary-Treasurer: Cynthia Tenen
  PO Box 503
  Sharon, MA 02067 USA
  781-784-8902 Voice    781-784-2955 Fax
  Email:  <meru@meru.org>
  Website: <http://www.meru.org>

How to order Meru Foundation Videos and Products:
  Visit our secure-server website at  <http://www.meetingtent.com>  OR
  Fax your order to 1-509-696-8795   OR
  Email: <meetingtent@yahoo.com>

To order by phone:
  In the U.S., call toll-free: 1-888-422-MERU (Bill Haber, C.E.O. Meru Foundation, in California)
  Outside the U.S., call 1-925-674-8640

EUROPEAN AND PAL VIDEO ORDERS:
  To order PAL versions of Meru Videotapes:
  Email: Ron Engert in Germany at <info@syntropia.de>
  German readers may now also visit Ron Engert's Meru website:
         <www.meru-info.de>