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Back in 2000...

Spiritual Education expanded with and through Neale Donald Walsch...

A Little HeartLight History

and information about

Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M.

HeartLight Education (HLE) Co-Founder

and former Education Director

The Initial Visionary

The word “HeartLight” was coined by Neale Donald Walsch in many of his best selling Conversations with God books. (1)  In his books, Neale questions the content of standard schooling throughout the world and poses to his readers the challenge of creating a different way of educating our young. He suggests building an out-of-the-box curriculum centered around awareness, honesty and responsibility, through classes and experiences that encourage learners and leaders to discover and create answers for themselves.

The Vision and 1^st Founding Teams

Neale and his non-profit foundation staff put their heads together and produced numerous brochures and beginning guides that included the concepts written in Neale’s books. Parents and educators flew from across the globe to Ashland, Oregon,  Neale’s home base, to help with the new HeartLight concept. The materials and collaboration in the first two powerful HeartLight conferences, in the summers of 2000 and 2001. Hundreds of educators and parents gathered together to define a new way to “school.”  These founding groups quickly discovered that words such as “school” and “curriculum” did not accurately explain the full HeartLight concept.

2000-2001 HeartLight Angels Arrive

Neale hired Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M. to write a series of grants to jumpstart the HeartLight concept throughout 2000-2001.  And out of the first HeartLight Conference in August 2000, a team of four angels volunteered – yes without pay – to dedicate their time, talent and expertise to open the first HeartLight  in Ashland.  Brian Davis of Toledo, Ohio and a seasoned public school principal was the first director. He co-teamed with three teachers who moved across the country to be HeartLight Lead-Learners: David Sherwin of South Carolina, Kelly Tisdel of Chicago and Tom Shelstad of Minnesota. On the second floor of the ReCreation Foundation building, close to a dozen children of all ages lived learning together.  However, without a written framework, guide and no capital, the team came together under HeartLight co-director Lisette Larkins and announced at the August 2001 HL conference that the first school was closing unless funding and deeper guidance became available.

Conscious Competence molded teams with

Creativity, Collaboration and Compassion!

As it happened, a world renown education reformist was driven by the HeartLight Vision written in Neale’s books, to also attend that second HL conference in August 2001.  Five time author Dr. William G. Spady, of Colorado and South Africa, stepped up to rally the HL conference attendees into an understanding of his core work “The Five Cs” (2) as it could be placed into the HeartLight learning vision. A new leadership team was born out of that conference. This group gathered in a HeartLight Leadership team workshop in Portland, Oregon in January 2002. Nineteen souls over three days created the first “HeartLight Inverted Pyramid” framework which was to eventually guide four teams into action by opening HeartLight Learning Communities (HLCs). Learning is deeply personal and difficult to place into words. Yet through heart-felt vision, hard work and numerous years of dedication, HeartLight Education’s paradigm-shifting learning system has developed into a framework dynamic in Purpose, Premises, Principles, Priorities, Practices, and Processes.(2)

Enthused by the newly evolved leadership team that was grounded-in decades of child-centered, person-honoring education, administration and out-of-the-box reformation experience, Neale gifted “HeartLight” – its name, vision and concepts – to the new HeartLight founding team. Based on Neale's core New Spirituality principles, HeartLight International was born in 2001 then incorporated as a non-profit education leadership service organization in March of 2002. HeartLight’s co-founders were: Bill Spady, PhD,  Linda Lee Ratto, EdM,  James Colen, Shaktari Belew, Scott Kiere, Deborah Oliff, and Pam Spady, with special service leadership by Ken Miller, MD. Bette Moore  joined the team as curriculum specialist as we launched days schools .

First “Domino” of the HL Non-Profit Organization

As reported by the first HeartLight teachers in Ashland, salaries and expertise were needed to open learning communities and sustain them. James Colen, a Harvard graduate and heart-centered philanthropist, pledged millions to see the HeartLight Vision in practice. A single man, he wanted to build HeartLight Learning Communities so his own children would one day attend an HLC.  Three schools were born in 2002.  Under HeartLight International and HeartLight Education’s (HLE) leadership, HeartLight South Africa (Port Elizabeth), HeartLight Toledo (Ohio, USA) and HeartLight Chicago (Illinois, USA) were opened and received their independent charitable status as non-profit learning environments in 2003.

Another Phase

However, as you most probably are aware if you have read this far, traditional school systems throughout the world are not eager to make room for independent privates schools. Yet we persisted.  Parents, grandparents, teachers, and administrators in local, state, regional, and country systems see the overwhelming need for a different way of learning for children whose needs are not met in current programs. In the United States alone, some two million families homeschool their children. This is one way to create a individualized learning environment for our young.

Another hard fact is that opening a full day school is not only costly and time-encompassing, but often times regulations do not permit and may eventually stop private school creation in its tracks. Given the red tape labyrinth, numerous families who had been poised to give their children a chance for a different way of learning chose not to take the leap and register. This weary community environment, along with limits in self-sustained funding via critical number of students, caused the Toledo and Chicago programs to close. Yet kids are still looking for alternatives.  For example, there are two million homeschooling families in the States, so there is a context for education systems shifting. Candidly, it is challenging to walk alongside mainstream education systems that have existed for centuries -- both public and traditional private school systems.

Presently, HeartLight Port Elizabeth is still a learning community, though it encompasses all ages rather than their original teen focus in 2003-04.  The HeartLight South African Trust remains viable and numerous new spirituality, community-needs programs are underway in HLSouth Africa various parts of the world, though not exclusively under the HeartLight/SNS name or its non-profit corporation umbrella. 

New Spirituality Programs Renamed

Late in 2005, Neale refocused again on education for the next generations. Wishing to boost his efforts and allow a New Spirituality education to lace the planet further, the HLE board members voted unanimously to combine their 501(c)3 non-profit with Neale's renewed education vision. HeartLight was renamed the "School of the New Spirituality, Inc." and became specifically focused on new spirituality kits and materials,and youth enrichment learning programs honoring the spirit and heart+mind+ body of each child.  SNS programs built grassroots, community-based groups in Europe, Canada, and across the USA.  There was a new professional SNS Board of Directors and Neale Donald Walsch, as Founder, became Director Emeritus. Linda was the Executive Director of SNS, appointed by Neale.

Please see www.CWG.org for numerous current expanded programs, workshops and events, since the 21st century began! There are dozens of opportunities, which can inspire and guide any one who desires to start a new spirituality group -- from a book club centered on one of the 11 SNS Guidebooks to joining the learning memberships on the www.cwg4kids.com website.  There are free downloadable materials and some modest products for your personal and professional use.  Navigate these websites and see how your Heart can Light-up! Keep visiting because CWG (Conversations with God ) messages are always blossoming and evolving as millions of CWG readers are inspired to serve...

(1)   NDW’s books may be viewed & researched via:   www.cwg.org   and    www.nealedonaldwalsch.com

(2) The Five Cs are within the fifth level of the HLE "V" Vision and are HL's Intentions and Priorities, also found in                                             Dr.Wm.G.Spady's books,  Contact Dr. Spady directly for more info.

Linda lives in Atlanta on a lake with her husband of 30+ years, David. She has three grown children: Courtney, Eric and Ryan and two grandbabes.  Linda thrives on writing, opening and managing for-profit and 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and learning centers, reading spiritually empowering materials, traveling, water sports, mountain hiking, and living her dreams.

Write to Linda asking about her now 15 books, playshops/workshops and her 2011-12

Schedule of Speaking including her courses as a State certified Trainer of Trainers.

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William G. Spady, PhD

HLE & HLSA Co-Founder, President & Advisor

After a thirty-five year career as a professor, author, lecturer, researcher, editor, international consultant, and leader of major change efforts in education, Dr. William Spady joined the HeartLight Education team as its Director and leader of its Learning System Development team.  Bill’s five books and numerous published articles all reflect his incisive outside-the-box approach to educational change.  They contain many original concepts, frameworks, models, and practical strategies that present significant learner-centered, future-focused, personally empowering alternatives to traditional practice.  He joined the HeartLight family at the August, 2001 Symposium and served on a three-person leadership team until February, 2002 when Neale Donald Walsch asked him to lead the HeartLight initiative.  Bill’s wife Pam is currently coordinating the HeartLight effort in the country of South Africa with HLE Advisor John Ryan.  Bill's major enjoyments include listening to classical music, skiing, bicycling, scuba diving and reading anything that expands his awareness and deepens his spirituality.