Oprah Winfrey Meditated in Fairfield Iowa Tonight with Other Transcendental Meditation Meditators

October 19, 2011. Oprah Winfrey surprised the ladies of Fairfield, Iowa who practice Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhis programmes when she meditated with them this Wednesday evening for twenty minutes in Bagambhrini Golden Dome--and indirectly with the men meditating next door in Patanjali Golden Dome. Exempt from showing the mandatory badge, she was admitted by the checkers with a gleeful, "We know who you are." Oprah then entered the large dome--lighted in bright blue and gold for the occasion, stocked with her film crew and several cameras (along the southeast wall), and filled with nearly five hundred ladies seated in deep silence. Group meditation began.

Ms. Winfrey left the dome as the other ladies continued with the Sidhis portion of the programme, which includes yogic flying. She reportedly said she had meditated many times in many places but had never experienced anything amazing like this. At the programme's end, the ladies bubbled with excitement about their 'powerful meditation experience with Oprah'. Meanwhile, Oprah was spotted at a couple of local hot spots-- café-bookstore Revelations and authentic coffeehouse with musicians venue Café Paradiso.

Oprah Winfrey arrived this morning in her private Global Express jet. Her staff arrived a week earlier to begin work on an hour-long show on Fairfield's meditation community for Oprah's Lifeclass, to be seen on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Fairfield was largely a small farming town with a modest collegiate population of Parsons College until 1973 when Parsons closed and Maharishi re-opened the campus as Maharishi International University (now Maharishi University of Management), bringing in droves of meditators.

A segment of the show will be on the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment (MSAE), which encompasses Kindergarten through Grade 12. Ms. Winfrey visited MSAE earlier today and was overheard saying that these children are changing the world. She also said (paraphrased) 'Fairfield was a best-kept secret but will not be now that she's been here'. She told at least one MS class that 'some people are working toward raising consciousness but the MS students are living raising consciousness'.

None of Ms. Winfrey's visits were programmed by her hosts. She chose where she wanted to go. One of her interests took her to Maharishi's Vedic pandits--imports from India--in Maharishi Vedic City where she listened to them chant.

In life, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi attracted many celebrated allies to his cherished desire for world peace--The Beatles, film director David Lynch, singer-songwriter Moby are just a few. Since his passing on February 5, 2008 at age 91, his TM Movement and its proponents have continued to attract new meditators. Six-million-plus TM meditators around the world--both the unsung and the celebrated--are evolving toward Maharishi's goals for everyone: health and wealth; dynamic creativity and increased energy; inner peace and happiness--ingredients for world peace.

Oprah Winfrey learned Transcendental Meditation this past summer and paid for her entire company staff to also learn TM. As a new TM celebrity, she likely has the most clout. Touted as an American businesswoman, talk-show host, actress-producer, the richest African American of the 20th century, she is also touted as the greatest black philanthropist in American history and she is considered the most influential woman in the world. It might even be said unarguably that Oprah Winfrey is the greatest philanthropist of any sex, race, or creed in the 20th century--running into the 21st--and is the most influential person in the world. One could surmise that Ms. Winfrey's innate influence will draw many millions more people to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique and so further raise world consciousness

^{Updated 10.27.11}