ConnectIONS Live

This recording is available to the public until April 4, 2025.

Visit Media for Members for over 200 videos of past webinars and IONS Conference presentations.

The Playful Universe: Synchronicity and the Nature of Consciousness

Recorded on March 21, 2025

Join Dean Radin, Marjorie Woollacott, Gary Schwartz, and David Lorimer for a thought-provoking exploration of synchronicity, consciousness, and the interconnected fabric of reality. What do meaningful coincidences reveal about the universe, and how might they transform our understanding of our role within it?

This notable panel discussion is inspired by The Playful Universe: Synchronicity and the Nature of Consciousness, a newly published volume featuring essays from scientists and scholars who reflect on their experiences with synchronicity and how these moments have reshaped both their research and worldviews.

Together, we’ll explore the deeper implications of synchronicity and the kind of universe that makes it possible. Expect to be intrigued and inspired as we dive into a universe that is intelligent, benevolent, creative, and playful—a universe in which we, as expressions of the Universal Mind, co-create our reality.

PRESENTERS

Dean Radin MS, PhD, is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and Associated Distinguished Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He was awarded an Honorary DSc in yoga research from S-VYASA. Before joining the research staff at IONS in 2001, he held appointments at AT&T Bell Labs, Princeton University, University of Edinburgh, and SRI International. Dean is author or coauthor of hundreds of technical articles, some 145 peer-reviewed journal articles, four dozen book chapters, and four best-selling, popular books. He has given over 750 invited presentations and interviews for government, military, business, scientific, and other groups around the world.

David Lorimer, MA, PGCE, FRSA is a visionary polymath, poet, spiritual activist, writer, lecturer and editor who is a Founder of Character Education Scotland, Programme Director of the Scientific and Medical Network and former President of Wrekin Trust and the Swedenborg Society. Originally a merchant banker and then a teacher of philosophy and modern languages at Winchester College, he is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including The Spirit of Science, Thinking Beyond the Brain, Science, Consciousness and Ultimate Reality, The Protein Crunch (with Jason Drew), and A New Renaissance (edited with Oliver Robinson). His most recent books are his essays A Quest for Wisdom and his collection of poems, Better Light a Candle. His early books on death and near-death experiences, Survival? and Resonant Mind, were republished in 2017.

He is a founding member of the International Futures Forum and was editor of its digest, Omnipedia – Thinking for Tomorrow. He was also a Trustee of the St Andrews Prize for the Environment and a Churchill Fellow. His book on the ideas and work of the Prince of Wales – Radical Prince – has been translated into Dutch, Spanish and French. He is the originator of the Inspiring Purpose Values Poster Programmes, which have reached over 300,000 young people.

Gary Schwartz is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Arizona, and Director of the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health.  He earned his PhD at Harvard University, and previously served as a tenured Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Yale University. He has published more 500 scientific papers and chapters, including six in the journal Science, co-edited more than dozen academic books and authored more than a dozen books for the general public, including Super Synchronicity: Where Science and Spirit Meet, and Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence: The Science and Ethics of Truth Seeking and Truth Abuse. He co-founded the Academy for the Advancement of Post Material Sciences and served as its first President.

Marjorie Woollacott is a professor and member of the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. Woollacott has received over 7.2 million dollars in research funding for her research in rehabilitation medicine, meditation, spiritual awakening and end-of-life experiences. She has published over 200 scientific articles and written or edited nine books, including Infinite Awareness: The Awakening of a Scientific Mind (receiving 8 book awards) and Spiritual Awakenings: Scientists and Academics Describe Their Experiences. She is past chair of the Dept. of Human Physiology of the U. of Oregon, President of the Academy for the Advancement of Post-Materialist Sciences, on the Science Committee of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), Co-Director of the Galileo Commission and Research Director for the International Association of Near-Death Studies. She has given workshops on the nature of consciousness and taught meditation for many years.

We are pleased to share the following resources mentioned in the webinar:

The Playful Universe– A journey into synchronicity, nature, and consciousness.

Dean Radin’s Latest Book – Discover groundbreaking insights on consciousness.

The Scientific and Medical Network– David Lorimer invites us to explore the frontiers of science and spirituality in these upcoming events:

Prof. Kyriakos Markides on Mystical Christianity
Mystics & Scientists 2025 – Science and Spirituality Converge

Find:

Marjorie Woollacott – marjoriewoollacott.com

Dr. Gary Schwartz – drgaryschwartz.com