The Next You: The Art of Futuremaking

What innate potential lies dormant within you? What dreams are yearning to be expressed? What does it look like to be fully alive, live an integrated and embodied life, and become an engaged part of the larger ecosystem of nature and community? It’s time to meet your future self and find out.

This workshop focuses on creating a robust, loving relationship with the best future version of you — the one who can help you pivot the direction of your life toward your heart’s vision. We will learn how to communicate with and embody that future self while mapping out the new terrain of your life in a process we call “futuremaking.” Using the sciences of imagination, transformation, and hope, you’ll chart a course for your next chapter.

Join former IONS CEO, Cassandra Vieten for a four-day workshop where we will engage in futuremaking experiences, including talks to spark insights; small and large group discussions to ground learning; guided imagery, meditation, and creative processes to connect you with your deeper wisdom; and movement and deep engagement with the beauty of Esalen to renew your spirit.

As we weave cutting-edge science with deep experiential practices and rich connection with kindred spirits, you’ll move forward — not back to “normal” or even a “new normal” — but ahead into a new extraordinary. Your future self is calling for you!

Recommended Reading: Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life by Marilyn Schiltz and Cassandra Vieten.

The Next You: The Art of Futuremaking
September 20 – 23, 2024
The Esalen Institute

This workshop is hosted by the Esalen Institute. Please visit their website for more information.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT ESALEN’S WEBSITE

The International Humanistic Transpersonal Conference

The Association for Humanistic Psychology, the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and Sofia University are collaborating to present an International Humanistic Transpersonal Conference. At this time of world-wide crises, with the wars and the violence, when we are becoming more divided and divisive, there is a strong need to promote peace-building activities. We need the kind of activities where we can come together in community to heal the splits and celebrate our common humanity!

As a human species we are at a reflection point. Can we consciously come together to bring about peace on our planet? What will it take to pull us forward? How can we contribute to evolving to a different more harmonious and compassionate way of being with ourselves and the planet earth? How can we implement humanistic and transpersonal principles and values to encourage and support peace?

A change is needed. As Einstein wisely said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it.” As a Global Community co-creating Pathways to Peace ultimately requires a profound shift in both our individual and collective consciousness.

Come join a community of passionate researchers, psychologists, health care professionals, educators, business leaders, spiritual practitioners, artists, musicians, and activists committed to advancing the potentials for peace in an era of world conflict. This includes IONS Fellow Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, who will be speaking at the event. The invitation to attend is offered to everyone interested in the possibilities of human development, in supporting peace with our global community, and actively contributing to the further evolution of our collective consciousness. At this international conference you will engage with colleagues from various multi-disciplinary fields of humanistic and transpersonal endeavors to create pathways to a peaceful future for our planet and for our future generations.

The International Humanistic Transpersonal Conference
March 28 – 30, 2024
Costa Mesa, California

This event is hosted by The Association for Humanistic Psychology, the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and Sofia University. Please visit their website for more information.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT The Conference WEBSITE

Rethinking Consciousness: Setting Science Free

IONS Fellow Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, contends that most scientists do not think critically about the limiting dogmas of materialism: according to which, one would say that all of reality is material or physical; the world is a machine, made up of inanimate matter; nature is purposeless; consciousness is nothing but the physical activity of the brain…

The facts of science, scientific techniques and technologies are real enough. But, the philosophy of materialism that governs conventional scientific thinking is an act of faith grounded in a 19th-century ideology. It is time to set science free.

In this webinar, Advaya dialogues with Rupert to rethink consciousness. What are recent discoveries around consciousness, and how do these change how we see the world? Does consciousness exist beyond the brain? In Nature? What are the implications on the existence of God, or about atheism? What of telepathy, or morphic resonance?

Come to see how dogma limits our view of the world and reality, and open your eyes to the possibilities of science.

Rethinking Consciousness: Setting Science Free
March 7, 2024
10 – 11am PST (includes live recording)
Online

This webinar is hosted by Advaya and Rupert Sheldrake. Please visit their event page for more information!

LEARN MORE ON Advaya’S WEBSITE

How We Change and Why We Don’t: The Art and Science of Transformation

Have you ever worked hard to make a change, only to find yourself slipping back into old habits? Want to supercharge your ability to stimulate behavior change in others when it comes to the issues you care about the most? Is it time to break free from old patterns and build your next chapter? This workshop is for people in the process of change and those who work as change agents with individuals, groups, and organizations and in society.

Through dialogue, experiential practice, and creative process, we will bridge the science of breakthroughs with indigenous, religious, spiritual, and secular models of transformation. You will:

  • Learn what works and what doesn’t to inspire lasting change in yourself and others.
  • Explore how peak experiences, a-ha! moments and awe can stimulate change.
  • Examine how we and those we work with can get stuck or lost, and find ways to shake free from periods of inertia or patterns that prevent us from moving forward.
  • Investigate the transformative potential of pain, hitting bottom, and post-traumatic growth.
  • Delve into stories, symbols, and metaphors of transformation to guide your path.

Join IONS Fellow Cassandra Vieten, PhD, for this transformational exploration of our most deeply entrenched behaviors. Learn how to break free from the patterns that no longer serve you — and create new habits that will change your life.

Additional embodiment practices will be provided by Guest Faculty Member Nichol Chase.

Nichol’s yoga practice is informed by a vast and eclectic set of influences that blend invigorating flow with precise and insightful instruction and extensive study with a variety of innovative teachers. She is a Garrison Institute Fellow and a faculty member and teacher trainer for The Mazé Method.

How We Change and Why We Don’t: The Art and Science of Transformation
May 6 – 10, 2024
The Esalen Institute

This workshop is hosted by Esalen. Please visit their website for more information.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT ESALEN’S WEBSITE

Cultivating Vitality in Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Ecosystem of Mental Well-Being

What is vitality? Exuberance, vibrance, sparkle, spirit, and verve — terms rarely found in psychology textbooks. Vulnerability to depression and anxiety is widespread, and our culture traditionally emphasizes reducing symptoms with drugs that alter certain neurotransmitters, which is only part of the picture. We are living in a new era where vulnerabilities can become strengths, and what used to be stigma becomes common humanity. Good mental health is being redefined in terms of stress resilience, post-traumatic growth, and vitality.

This workshop explores evidence-based tools for living a vibrant life, even in the presence of stress, depression, anxiety, or any pain we may be carrying. We will help you build your own ecosystem of mental well-being — including new ways to foster vitality and purpose through caring for the brain, body, and gut. In this workshop, we’ll review the latest scientific findings on practices such as:

  • Hot and cold exposures
  • Optimal physical challenges
  • Breathing techniques
  • Meditation
  • Embodied movement

A mental health renaissance is underway. Mental well-being is being redefined, and a range of evidence-based, whole-person approaches are gaining ground. Learn from renowned authors and cutting-edge scientists to create a flourishing ecosystem of mental well-being for yourself and your clients.

Additional embodiment practices will be provided by Guest Faculty Member Nichol Chase.

Nichol’s yoga practice is informed by a vast and eclectic set of influences that blend invigorating flow with precise and insightful instruction and extensive study with a variety of innovative teachers. She is a Garrison Institute Fellow and a faculty member and teacher trainer for The Mazé Method.

Cultivating Vitality in Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Ecosystem of Mental Well-Being
May 3 – 6, 2024
The Esalen Institute

This workshop is hosted by the Esalen Institute. Please visit their website for more information.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT ESALEN’S WEBSITE

Science, Art, Sound, & the Sacred

Explore the entanglements between science, art, sound, and the sacred in a beautiful, wild setting with Merlin Sheldrake, Cosmo Sheldrake and IONS Fellow Rupert Sheldrake.

What we call art and science both arise from our faculties of imagination, wonder, and curiosity. Attendees will spend part of our time outdoors – in gardens, on seashores and in forests – connecting with the more-than-human world and bringing together ideas with direct experience. They will explore scientific, artistic, and spiritual traditions through discussion, play, singing, listening, looking, pilgrimage, thinking, and celebration.

Merlin will explore the world of fungi and the ways that a deeper understanding of symbiotic relationships – between ourselves, fungi, plants, bacteria, and others – can change our understanding of the planet on which we live, and the ways that we think, feel, and behave. Cosmo will consider the fundamental roles of sound in the living world and will lead us in sound experiments, singing, and musical celebration. Rupert will discuss his hypothesis of morphic resonance, which he suggests underlies memory in nature as well as our cultural and personal memories. He will also show how scientific studies can illuminate a wide range of spiritual practices.

By leaning into ambiguity, by focusing on relationships between entities, by remembering to find excitement in what isn’t known, the presenters hope to deepen our sense of the sacred and recover a sense of wholeness.

Science, Art, Sound, & The Sacred
July 31 – August 4, 2024
Cortes Island, British Columbia

This program is produced by Hollyhock and Rupert Sheldrake. Please visit their event page for more information!

LEARN MORE ON HOLLYHOCK’S WEBSITE

The Big Questions in Science: Online Course

Contemporary science is based on the claim that all reality is material or physical. There is no reality but material reality. Consciousness is a by-product of the physical activity of the brain. Matter is unconscious. Evolution is purposeless. This view is now undergoing a credibility crunch. The biggest problem of all for materialism is the existence of consciousness.

In this course, Dr Rupert Sheldrake shows the ways in which science is being constricted by assumptions that have, over the years, hardened into limiting dogmas.

According to these principles, all of reality is material or physical; the world is a machine, made up of inanimate matter; nature is purposeless; consciousness is nothing but the physical activity of the brain; free will is an illusion; God exists only as an idea in human minds, imprisoned within our skulls.

These beliefs are powerful not because most scientists think about them critically, but because they do not. The facts of science are real enough, and so are the techniques that scientists use, and so are the technologies based on them. But the belief system that governs conventional scientific thinking is an act of faith, grounded in a 19th-century ideology, or what Terence McKenna called ‘one free miracle’.

Together, these beliefs make up the philosophy or ideology of materialism, whose central assumption is that everything is essentially material or physical, even minds. Many scientists are unaware that materialism is an assumption.

But should science be a belief-system, or a method of inquiry?

In the skeptical spirit of true science, Sheldrake turns the ten fundamental dogmas of materialism into exciting questions, and shows how all of them open up startling new possibilities for discovery.

This course will radically change your view of what is real and what is possible.

The Big Questions in Science: Online Course
13-Week, Self Paced Course
Available Now

This course is produced by Rupert Sheldrake. Please visit their event page for more information!

LEARN MORE ON RUPERT’S WEBSITE

Truth Medicine & Unconditional Love: A Nondual Approach to Psychedelic Psychotherapy

Nondual psychedelic psychotherapy starts with recognizing our inherent goodness, then moving through layers needing healing with grace, truth, and self-love.

What all of us long for most—peace, love, ease, joy, etc.—can be found in the very moments of our longing and suffering. While the healing path may be difficult and the daily integration practices hard, the truth is simple: unconditional love is both the healing salve and our true nature.

Discovering, accessing, and applying this love toward one’s self is the essence of the nondual approach to psychedelic psychotherapy. In this approach, we start from this place of innocence, ease, and peace, and work our way through the layers of trauma, shame, and untended grief with love as the healing balm.

Join Psychedelics Today on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 from 9 – 10 AM PDT for a webinar with Michael Sapiro, PsyD. He will demonstrate nondual meditation’s role in the therapeutic process, exploring concepts like loving awareness, original essence, and the entire therapy framework, from preparation to integration. Embracing the nondual approach, we can swiftly experience our unbroken wholeness, guiding our healing journey in psychedelic therapy.

Traditional therapies work from the outside in, addressing the various layers that cause us pain and discomfort toward what is good. Nondual psychedelic psychotherapy begins with what is already good and wholesome, and then we move with grace, truth, honesty, unconditional love, and acceptance through the layers we want to heal. There is no greater medicine than self-love, so why not spend our time accessing that first so we can apply it like a salve on all the untended grief and unhealed wounds that we discover on our psychedelic psychotherapy journey?

We don’t want to wait a lifetime to experience this within ourselves. Why don’t we start there? The nondual approach to psychedelic psychotherapy leads toward the experience of what is whole and unbroken within a relatively short time. When we get a taste of this truth, even briefly and fleetingly, we know it exists, and know what to aim for. This is the brightest beacon on our horizon of healing and growth in the psychedelic psychotherapeutic process.

Truth Medicine & Unconditional Love: A Nondual Approach to Psychedelic Psychotherapy
Friday, November 3
9:00 – 10:00 am PDT (12:00 – 1:00 pm EST)
Online

This course is produced by Psychedelic Support. Please visit their event page for more information!

LEARN MORE On Psychedelics Today’s Website

People Environment Achievement (P.E.A. Awards) 2022/2023

Across sectors ranging from finance and energy to music and art, the People’s Environment Achievement (P.E.A.) Awards identify and celebrate the green heroes who are taking matters into their own hands and providing inspiring alternatives to business as usual. These sustainability pioneers are recognized and rewarded at a glamorous green carpet event!

Now in its 13th year, the P.E.A. (People. Environment. Achievement.) Awards is the UK’s leading sustainability and climate awards, honoring the individuals and teams behind the products, services, and businesses that are changing the face of our planet.

Previous winners include Juliet Davenport OBE, Cat Fletcher, Polly Higgins, and many other amazing Earth ambassadors who are committed to revolutionizing old models and systems. Guests will include Lords and MPs, Celebrities, CEOs, Entrepreneurs, and, of course, the shortlist of Green Heroes for 2022 & 2023, which includes IONS Fellow Roger Nelson, PhD.

Selected by an all-female panel of judges, the shortlist for 2023’s P.E.A. Awards includes environmental champions across 19 categories, covering Youth and Indigenous Communities, Influencer and Climate Pioneer as well as changemakers in sectors ranging from Arts to Electric Vehicles.

A Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to an individual whose considerable contributions and passion for change have led them to achieve exemplary long-term success in the field of sustainability.

Be sure to join for an evening to remember with a theme of ‘007 – Live or let die. There will also be an award-winning organic vegan meal will be served, accompanied by delicious cocktails, organic wines, and beers supplied by the My Green Pod Hero product suppliers.

Come and join the celebrations at the UK’s number 1 sustainability awards, networking event and climate celebration of the year!

People Environment Achievement (P.E.A. Awards) 2022/2023
November 15, 2023
5:30pm – 12:30am GMT

This event is hosted by the P.E.A. Awards. Please visit their website for more information.

Visit the P.E.A. Award’s Website to learn more And Register

The Science of Wholeness

Across the broad span of wisdom traditions, one encounter is of key significance: some direct access or contact with the ground of being.

Even in this secular age, dominated as we are by the materialistic, reductionist paradigm of western science, these transcendent experiences still occur, even amongst members of the scientific community.

While this experience is always inexpressible in detail, it commonly involves an overwhelming feeling of wholeness, a blurring of the line between subject and object, a melting away of divisions and an immersion in a state of participatory consciousness.

If the underlying ground of reality is an inexpressible whole, beyond aspects and distinctions, we might expect some echo of this to emerge in our scientific investigations. David Bohm certainly had this intuition, which coloured his approach to quantum theory especially and science and philosophy more generally.

In this series of workshops, The Pari Center will investigate the extent to which modern science has encountered aspects of wholeness, non-local consciousness and the subject-object distinction. They will also consider what a post-reductionist science might look like, drawing on the experiences of indigenous cultures. Featuring a lineup of incredible speakers including IONS Fellow Roger Nelson, PhD (speaking November 5), and Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize winner Álex Gómez-Marin, PhD (speaking November 11).

The Science of Wholeness
November 4 – 19, 2023
Online

This event is hosted by the Pari Center. Please visit their website for more information.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER AT THE PARI CENTER’S WEBSITE

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