Events

A Hitchhiker’s Guide is written from observations, experiences and conversations and intended as helpful advice for fellow travellers. This journey begins with experiences that make no conventional sense and evolves into a quest that explores both modern physics, particularly the work of David Bohm, and the ancient metaphysics of the Dao de Jing, seeking to bridge the divide between two tribes that both use the word energy with completely different meaning.

Stored in the cathedral of Turin is a strip of linen cloth. On one side of the material is the faint image of a crucified male. Contextually, it appears to be a rendering of Christ after being taken down from the cross. Carbon dating of a sample taken from the cloth places it as medieval in origin. Its documented provenance also fades away in that era. Yet, it’s remarkably difficult to explain how an image of that nature was formed. There is also good scientific reasons to be doubtful of the carbon date.

In this series of conversations and workshops with Prof Carr, we will explore the bounds of current physics from M-theory in the microscopic domain to the multiverse on the macroscopic domain, probe the nature of space and time, push into the esoteric worlds of cosmology and black holes, and ask whether some  final theory which amalgamates relativity and quantum mechanics can accommodate consciousness and associated anomalous phenomena.  We speculate that physics will need to take a broader view of reality if it is ever going to complete its mission.

The exploration of consciousness, as a direct goal or as reflected in our desire to understand the natural universe, is central to every cultural throughout history. In this event we consider how this quest has been pursued through both modern western intellectualism and the older indigenous paths of experiential knowing, and ultimately ask whether such approaches can be complementary.

We will investigate what ‘being human’ and ‘being creative’ might have meant in the past, what it means in our time. We will look at creativity in science, in the arts and humanities and in spiritual traditions, paying particular attention to women’s voices, those heard and those not. We will, for example, hear from speakers on Hildegarde of Bingen and Julian of Norwich, as well mystical traditions from South American cultures.

In a time riven by fragmentation, dislocation and conflicting narratives, this programme invites a collaborative enquiry into ways of knowing and thinking that will delve deeply into the field where land, body and consciousness meet.

Inscendence proposes an opportunity for re-orientation by attending to participative awareness, heightened sensory perception and the wisdom of the body-mind.  

In resonance with Pari, its landscape, history, and community, we will engage with many of the Center’s core themes seeking to open up a creative ground from which new forms of insight, relationship and action can emerge.