Tom Furness is an amalgam of Professor, Inventor and Entrepreneur in a professional career that spans 60 years. In addition to his contributions in photonics, electro-optics, human interface technology, he is an original pioneer of virtual and augmented reality technology and widely known as the ‘grandfather’ of virtual reality. Tom is Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle, Washington, USA. He is the founder of the family of Human Interface Technology Laboratories at the University of Washington, Christchurch, New Zealand and Tasmania, Australia. Tom is a Fellow in the IEEE and the founder of the Virtual World Society, a non-profit for extending virtual reality as a learning system for families and other humanitarian applications. He serves on several advisory boards and runs his own company: RATLab LLC (rat= rockin’ and thinkin’) where he experiments with ‘far out’ technologies and concepts.  His latest initiative is the organization of a "Light School" as an offshoot of the Virtual World Society.  The Light School is dedicated to helping individuals develop their body, mind, and spirit that is termed “soulship”. Like pilots learning to navigate an airship, we guide people to explore and unlock their enormous potential of their soulships using extended reality, AI, biofeedback, and insights from various traditions. Our goal is to provide practical tools, meaningful experiences, and supportive community for personal growth and positive impact.