Letting Go: The Essence of Spiritual Awakening

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, September 2, 7:00 p.m. CDT

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The call to let go lies at the heart of all the world’s spiritual traditions. Non-attachment to outcomes, surrendering desires, accepting the present, opening to a higher power, relinquishing the ego, forgiveness … these all require us to let go. But letting go is not always easy, especially when we think of it as getting rid of a disturbing thought or feeling. Best-selling author and meditation teacher Peter Russell re-frames letting go not as another task we need to do, but as a letting go of any expectation or control. The beauty of this approach is that nothing needs to be changed or eliminated.

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Can an Extended Science Bridge the Worlds of Matter, Mind, and Spirit?

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, August 26, 7:00 p.m. CDT

can an extended physics bridge the worlds of matter mind and spirit with bernard carr 8 26 21

A full understanding of the universe must encompass the three worlds of matter, mind and spirit, as well as building bridges between them. While physics has been remarkably successful in describing the material world, from the smallest scales of particle physics to the largest scales of cosmology, it currently makes no reference to consciousness and associated mental or spiritual experiences. Indeed, most physicists adopt a materialist and reductionist view in which consciousness is just an incidental by-product of the brain. However, many arguments from physics itself suggest that consciousness is a fundamental rather than incidental feature of the Universe, so it is natural to extend physics to accommodate it. This is especially true if one believes in certain anomalous interactions between consciousness and the physical world. However, this will require a radically different physical paradigm from the one that currently prevails.

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The Plant Kingdom and The Shaman

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, August 19, 7:00 p.m. CDT

the power of place martin gray

The Shaman works with the natural world – particularly with the healing and blessing energy of the Plant Kingdom. Native elders connect with the spirit of the plant and have a reverent and deep respect for the apothecary of medicine – not just in their food, but in their powerful healing ceremonies.  

The Plant Kingdom and the Tree Nation are the lungs of our world and the apothecary of sustaining food, healing medicine, and ceremonial medicine. They also carry great wisdom and provide cleansing energies, as in the smudging ceremony. Learn about the many beautiful, specialized purification plants and how to respectfully harvest them, as well as how to use them for meditation, aura cleansing, and even cleansing our life’s journey.

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What’s Wrong with Everything?

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, August 12, 7:00 p.m. CDT

the power of place martin gray

Human beings seem to be animals who believe something is wrong. Often we connect this sense with personal, political, or social issues, but if we look deeper, we realize that there is an inner anxiety that underlies all of these problems.

What’s the cause of this anxiety? Richard Smoley suggests that it is spiritual and metaphysical in nature. He will discuss the question of why we think things are wrong in terms of traditions including Theosophy, Gnosticism, A Course in Miracles, and the psychology of C.G. Jung.

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The Buddha’s Advice for the Open-Minded Seeker

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, August 5, 7:00 p.m. CDT

the power of place martin gray

At a time when we are confronted with conflicting ideas, views, opinions, beliefs, and “facts” about so much in life – including spirituality – it can easily lead to a sense of confusion, bewilderment, and frustration. This can result in a sense of indifference and loss of purpose or guiding principal in how we approach life.

The Buddha addresses this very problem in one of his famous discourses, the Kalama Sutta which has at times been referred to as “The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry.” In this discourse, the Buddha provides very useful guidance on how to evaluate diversity and the often-conflicting sources of information in order to ascertain what is worth following and implementing in one’s life. Although this discourse was given over two thousand years ago, it remains incredibly relevant to our current situation. In this lecture, John Cianciosi will explore the Buddha’s advice for the open-minded seeker.

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Hilma af Klint: The Mystical Life of a Revolutionary Artist

FREE WEBCAST  Thursday, July 8, 5:00 p.m. CDT

Unbeknownst to many, the first abstract artist was a Swedish woman named Hilma af Klint. Hilma’s work predates that of Kandinsky and others, and is no less stunning. Influenced by the teachings of Theosophy, her work is a visual representation of a complex view into the spiritual realm. Misunderstood and all but forgotten, this amazing artist and mystic has now been rediscovered almost 100 years later.

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A Science-Driven Journey into the Heart of Spirituality

FREE WEBCAST  Thursday, June 24, 7:00 p.m. CDT

Researcher and professor Dr. Edward Kelly will sketch his personal experience leading a 20-year survival seminar, or “Sursem” project, under the auspices of Esalen Institute’s Center for Theory and Research (CTR). The project, with contributions from scholars representing numerous scientific and humanistic disciplines, culminated in a series of theories that undermine the contemporary mainstream physicalist/ materialist worldview while also presenting and evaluating a wide variety of traditional and modern metaphysical alternatives to that worldview. Learn how we are at, or very near, a major inflection point in modern intellectual history, and how this transition is being driven by leading-edge developments in science itself.

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The Power of Place: Sacred Sites and the Presence of the Miraculous

FREE WEBCAST Thursday, June 17, 7:00 p.m. CDT

Thursday, June 17, 7:00 p.m. CDT

the power of place martin gray

Since ancient times certain places have had a powerful attraction for billions of people around the world. Known as sacred sites and pilgrimage places, they are the most venerated and iconic locations of human civilization. Legends and contemporary reports tell of extraordinary experiences people have had while visiting these holy places. Different sacred sites have the power to heal the body, enlighten the mind and inspire the heart.

National Geographic photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray has spent thirty-five years studying and photographing 1500 of these sacred sites in more than one hundred and sixty countries. In this interview Martin discusses the mythology, archaeology and history of sacred sites, as well as the critical importance of religious pluralism and spiritual ecology in contemporary times.

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Astrology and the Secret Doctrine with Eduardo Javier Gramaglia

FREE WEBCAST  Thursday, June 10, 7:00 p.m. CDT

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As we trace the ancient science of astrology back to its fascinating origins based on historical facts and the occult tradition, the question inevitably arises: Is there an esoteric astrology? and then, What actually is esotericism?

In The Secret Doctrine, H. P. Blavatsky states that primitive astrology was as far above modern astrology as the zodiacal signs are above the lamp-posts. We will explore astrology’s links to the Laws of Karma and examine some of the enigmatic hints and assertions about astrology found in The Secret Doctrine in an attempt to find out where this ancient science fits into esoteric knowledge.

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