As a biological scientist who spends a lot of time engaging with people of a spiritual disposition, I quite often encounter individuals who are extremely distrustful of the biotechnological revolution. They are typically very happy to point out how science 'proves' the validity of the spiritual worldview, by quoting the work of people like Gregg Braden, Bruce Lipton, Dean Radin, Nassim Haramein and others. At the same time, however, they are quick to condemn biotechnological innovation, in general, because, in their view, the biotech research field is largely controlled by corporate interests (especially the pharmaceutical & agricultural industries) and is thus fundamentally dishonest.
While commercial influences may, in some instances, lead to abuses, and while it's quite true that there are serious ethical issues around the application of certain technologies (e.g. cloning), this hardly constitutes an intelligent reason to dismiss the entire biotech field. In my view, it's a fear-based response, not unlike the rabid anti-evolution sentiments that I often encountered during my years in the evangelical Church environment. My response to such sentiments was usually the comment that "God's not afraid of the truth", which was not intended to assert the 'truth' of evolutionary theory, but rather to point out that it doesn't really matter. I don't think God (if you believe in Him/Her/It as Creator) is the least bit offended by us remaining open to exploring the possibilities of how we got here. The truth remains the truth and if it turns out to be different from our prior assumptions, it's unlikely to throw God into a flat spin. In much the same way, I think that exploring the workings of the biological world and developing new technologies on the basis of what we discover is not inherently something to be feared.
To anyone who is interested in the issue of how new science-based technologies and emerging consciousness fit together, I recommend the short talk by Deepak Chopra on The Future of Wellbeing, presented at the Zeitgeist Americas 2011 event (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tpl2D7Gris&feature=youtu.be). One of Chopra's most admirable qualities is his ability to articulate a continuously evolving, rational synthesis of scientific and spiritual concepts, in a way that is accessible to those who lack in-depth knowledge of either domain. In the Zeitgeist talk, he presents a view which embraces technological advances and suggests that the transition from mechanistic, reductionist models of medical science into paradigms that are genuinely holistic is already well underway. Thus he speaks, for example, about the application of "stem cells and cloning, not from the outside, but using your own body’s inner intelligence, which is the ultimate and supreme genius and mirrors the wisdom of the universe. Your own cells that have evolved over billions of years, to formidable intelligence...."
An important corollary of the perspective presented by Chopra is that there is, in a sense, no need to fear the 'dangers' of new technology, because the transition will happen – simply because it must. During the 20th Century, science began progressively shifting further and further away from the independent, unrelated discipline approach, towards increasingly integrated models (e.g. neuroimmunology). And that shift is accelerating in ways that perhaps even the most open-minded scientist of the 20th Century would not have anticipated. Chopra proposes that the time is coming when the body will be understood to be an "energy and information field" and not just a collection of extremely well-coordinated cells. Mainstream medical science may not yet be ready for such ideas, but they are ideas that have already begun to permeate mainstream consciousness and are increasingly supported by the convergence of various streams of new scientific understanding. The tipping point may be closer than we realise.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
A Song About Numerology and Feng Shui
Even though I love to learn about things that stretch my understanding of what it means to be "spiritual beings having a human experience", I find it extremely easy to be sceptical about so many of the ideas that are bandied around in the world of spiritual 'free-thinkers'. It's partly due to the fact that I'm trained as a scientist and have spent most of my adult world engaged in science-based activities, but it's also because I have long felt that people are, in general, far too quick to accept what they are told – especially when it comes to matters spiritual. I saw it in the Church, during my 20 years as a 'born-again' Christian, and I see it just as much in evidence now, among people in the 'spiritual-but-not-religious' community. In a nutshell, I feel that most people are just way too gullible. They don't ask enough questions.
This point-of-view is not about me being sceptical or cynical just to prove how smart I am. I firmly believe that asking questions and examining ideas – especially established dogmas – is a vital way to learn and to grow. And it's a way of safe-guarding against the manipulation and exploitation that sometimes occurs when those who are in positions of leadership lose perspective and use their power harmfully. That was the point of the "Death By Guru" presentation that I gave at a Befinity meeting a few weeks ago (and which I hope to give some feedback on sometime soon).
All of which is simply an admission that I tend to approach subjects like Numerology and Feng Shui, which were the topics discussed at the Befinity meeting on 24th November, with a very questioning mind. For example, dates, which play such an important part in Numerology, often seem to me to be quite arbitrary. The date 11/11/11 only happened because we happen to use the Gregorian calendar – if we lived in a part of the world that used a different type of calendar, the numbers would presumably be quite different. Yet the presentation that Heike Sym (Numerology) and Brian van den Berg (Feng Shui) delivered did not leave me with a sense of ‘too many unanswered questions’ at all. In contrast, I was enthralled by it. I felt more as though I was listening to two accomplished musicians, in love with their art, rather than a couple of practitioners bent on selling the merits of their respective modalities. They both exude a kind of confident professionalism, and it’s obvious that their craft knowledge is excellent, but it was the simple authenticity of their enthusiasm that made the biggest impression on me. And although neither of them made much attempt to explain HOW what they do works (which is usually what I want to know) I found myself thinking “I’d love to know more about this!”
Brian and Heike have established a model of working collaboratively that seems to work really well. It’s based not only on an obvious mutual respect for one another’s skills, but also, and I think more importantly, on the chemistry that clearly exists between them in terms of how they meld their respective abilities together.
This short article is intended primarily to acknowledge how much I enjoyed being surprised at Heike and Brian’s talk, and not to advertise their services. I heard a song and didn't get lost in analysing the notes, and I appreciate that. For anyone who may be interested in finding out more about what they do, however, you can contact them at heike-rsa@hotmail.com and phoenixrisingconsulting@yahoo.com, respectively.
For the record, here’s the announcement that went out about the talk:
“Creating Business and Personal Solutions with Numerology and Feng Shui”
"After each giving an overview of their fields of expertise, Heike and Brian will then talk about how to best fuse the two skills in your personal life and in business. Even though each is very effective on its own, combined they can create highly charged solutions in all areas of your personal and corporate life.
Numerology meets Feng Shui! The miracle of detail in your destiny, numbers, colours, names and directions."
This point-of-view is not about me being sceptical or cynical just to prove how smart I am. I firmly believe that asking questions and examining ideas – especially established dogmas – is a vital way to learn and to grow. And it's a way of safe-guarding against the manipulation and exploitation that sometimes occurs when those who are in positions of leadership lose perspective and use their power harmfully. That was the point of the "Death By Guru" presentation that I gave at a Befinity meeting a few weeks ago (and which I hope to give some feedback on sometime soon).
All of which is simply an admission that I tend to approach subjects like Numerology and Feng Shui, which were the topics discussed at the Befinity meeting on 24th November, with a very questioning mind. For example, dates, which play such an important part in Numerology, often seem to me to be quite arbitrary. The date 11/11/11 only happened because we happen to use the Gregorian calendar – if we lived in a part of the world that used a different type of calendar, the numbers would presumably be quite different. Yet the presentation that Heike Sym (Numerology) and Brian van den Berg (Feng Shui) delivered did not leave me with a sense of ‘too many unanswered questions’ at all. In contrast, I was enthralled by it. I felt more as though I was listening to two accomplished musicians, in love with their art, rather than a couple of practitioners bent on selling the merits of their respective modalities. They both exude a kind of confident professionalism, and it’s obvious that their craft knowledge is excellent, but it was the simple authenticity of their enthusiasm that made the biggest impression on me. And although neither of them made much attempt to explain HOW what they do works (which is usually what I want to know) I found myself thinking “I’d love to know more about this!”
Brian and Heike have established a model of working collaboratively that seems to work really well. It’s based not only on an obvious mutual respect for one another’s skills, but also, and I think more importantly, on the chemistry that clearly exists between them in terms of how they meld their respective abilities together.
This short article is intended primarily to acknowledge how much I enjoyed being surprised at Heike and Brian’s talk, and not to advertise their services. I heard a song and didn't get lost in analysing the notes, and I appreciate that. For anyone who may be interested in finding out more about what they do, however, you can contact them at heike-rsa@hotmail.com and phoenixrisingconsulting@yahoo.com, respectively.
For the record, here’s the announcement that went out about the talk:
“Creating Business and Personal Solutions with Numerology and Feng Shui”
"After each giving an overview of their fields of expertise, Heike and Brian will then talk about how to best fuse the two skills in your personal life and in business. Even though each is very effective on its own, combined they can create highly charged solutions in all areas of your personal and corporate life.
Numerology meets Feng Shui! The miracle of detail in your destiny, numbers, colours, names and directions."
Friday, November 4, 2011
Death By Guru
At the Befinity meeting next Thursday, 10th November 2011, we're going to be talking about the topic:
The focus of the evening will be on what I loosely refer to as the ‘guru phenomenon’. As the topic indicates, we’ll take a look at the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge incident, in which 3 people died, and I’ll be showing some video footage related to the case (note, not the actual incident itself). In addition, I’ll show a selection of intriguing video clips that illustrate the phenomenon in a variety of different guises. I anticipate that responses to these clips will vary considerably - some may find them amazing or simply amusing, while others might be shocked or even disgusted.
The intention of the discussion will not be to judge and point fingers at those who have gone too far, however, but rather to examine both sides of the coin, as objectively as we can. A guru is only a guru if he has willing followers. So what defines a guru and why do so many people relinquish their personal power to them? And where does the responsibility lie when things go wrong?
It should be an interesting evening. If you want to know more about when and where, see today's Holistic Lifestyle Centre blogpost: http://holisticlifestylecentre.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/next-week-at-befinity-when-good-gurus-go-bad/
DEATH BY GURU: THE JAMES ARTHUR RAY SWEAT LODGE INCIDENT
The focus of the evening will be on what I loosely refer to as the ‘guru phenomenon’. As the topic indicates, we’ll take a look at the James Arthur Ray sweat lodge incident, in which 3 people died, and I’ll be showing some video footage related to the case (note, not the actual incident itself). In addition, I’ll show a selection of intriguing video clips that illustrate the phenomenon in a variety of different guises. I anticipate that responses to these clips will vary considerably - some may find them amazing or simply amusing, while others might be shocked or even disgusted.
The intention of the discussion will not be to judge and point fingers at those who have gone too far, however, but rather to examine both sides of the coin, as objectively as we can. A guru is only a guru if he has willing followers. So what defines a guru and why do so many people relinquish their personal power to them? And where does the responsibility lie when things go wrong?
It should be an interesting evening. If you want to know more about when and where, see today's Holistic Lifestyle Centre blogpost: http://holisticlifestylecentre.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/next-week-at-befinity-when-good-gurus-go-bad/
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Befinity in a Nutshell
Befinity is a way for people who are interested in spirituality and holistic living to meet, chat with, and learn from others of like mind. We cover a wide range of topics and, as our 'no dogmas, no agendas' maxim implies, the idea is to always keep an open mind.
Members are welcome to suggest topics and/or resources (speakers, DVDs, etc), and, if they have expertise on a topic that's of interest to the group, to give talks.
Befinity operates on a strictly non-commercial basis, so costs for attendance at the meetings are intended only to cover the venue and refreshment expenses. Presently we ask a minimum of R20 per person, per meeting. Additional contributions are always welcome and are put towards resources (e.g. new DVDs).
We presently meet in at the Bodyology Institute of Health, 16 Old Main Road, Hillcrest (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa). Meetings start at 6:45pm.
If you’d be interested in starting a group in your area, please let us know (info@befinity.co.za).
You can find our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Befinity-Book-Club-and-Spiritual-Discussion-Group/138554813491
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