Is the Sun Conscious? – Rupert Sheldrake
The recent panpsychist turn in philosophy opens the possibility that self-organizing systems at all levels of complexity, including stars and galaxies, might have experience, awareness, or consciousness. The organismic or holistic philosophy of nature points in the same direction. Meanwhile, field theories of consciousness propose that some electromagnetic fields actually are conscious, and that these fields are by their very nature integrative. When applied to the sun, such field theories suggest a possible physical basis for the solar mind, both within the body of the sun itself and also throughout the solar system. If the sun is conscious, it may be concerned with the regulation of its own body and the entire solar system through its electromagnetic activity, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. It may also communicate with other star systems within the galaxy.
Policing orthodoxy on Wikipedia: Skeptics in action? – Brian Martin
Wikipedia has been accused of being biased against challengers to scientific orthodoxy due to efforts by editors having affinities with the Skeptics movement. Examination of Wikipedia, including entries on fluoridation, the origin of AIDS and vaccination, reveals several characteristics typical of a Skeptics sensibility, including the definition of scepticism, lists of deviant ideas, derogatory labelling of heterodox viewpoints, and categories established without reference to reliable sources.
The effects of Near Death Experiences on dreaming: A pilot study
The findings indicate that NDEs resulted in significantly a) more positive dreams, b) more vivid dreams, c) improved dream recall, d) an increased number of spiritual dreams, e) an increased interest in dreams, and f) an increased interest in the dreams of others; results that are consistent with the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. As the pilot study indicated that NDEs also have profound effects on the dream life of the individual, more in-depth studies are warranted.
Participation and the Mystery
This provides an excellent theoretical framework as well as three practical tests that can be applied to any spiritual tradition: the egocentrism test relating to the overcoming of self-centredness in practitioners, the dissociation test addressing the extent of fully embodied integration, and the eco--socio-political test ‘assessing the extent to which spiritual systems.
Parapsychology – A Handbook for the 21st Century
This comprehensive volume updates the original Handbook that was published back in 1977 - so nearly 40 years ago. During that time, more research has taken place, but we have also seen the rise of organised scepticism with continuing vigorous attempts to debunk the whole field, part of which is manifest in the control by guerrilla sceptics of the Wikipedia parapsychology pages, including the Society for Psychical Research, where readers will find that about one third of the entry is devoted to fraud.
Making Sense of NDEs and NDEs – Understanding Visions of the Afterlife
Over the last 40 years, near-death experiences have become familiar to the general public and are now taken seriously within science and medicine – 65 NDE research studies have been published involving over 3,500 near-death experiencers. The debate about the interpretation continues to evolve, and these books are very differently angled in that respect.
Language, Energy & Consciousness: Can “Energy Talk” Enlighten Us About the Mind? – Christian de Quincey
One of the thorniest issues in "energy" and "consciousness" work is the tendency to confuse the two. Consciousness does not equal energy, yet the two are inseparable. Consciousness is the "witness" which experiences the flow of energy, but it is not the flow of energy. We might say consciousness is the felt interiority of energy/matter-but it is not energy.
Dude, where’s my paradigm shift? – Jules Evans, 2019
I asked some of the leading figures in the field of transpersonal psychology and empirical spirituality. Has the long-awaited paradigm shift not happened because of weak evidence, or institutional and psychological resistance?
What If Consciousness Comes First? – Rawlette, 2019
The key to resolving the hard problem of consciousness lies in the following observation. While physical properties cannot explain consciousness, consciousness is needed to explain physical properties.
– Erwin Schrödinger
– Prof David Bohm
– Albert Einstein
Click on any event to view the recordings as well as event details
