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 Ivan
introduced Kathleen as our
guest today. Kathleen is a
former Sunrise Rotarian & a
current Friend of Rotary.
She has done studies in
Japan, Turkey, and the
United Nations & is an
amazing contributor to our
Community. She is also an
applicant for Rotary
International Ambassadorial
Peace Scholar.
A Presentation & Message on
Science & Conscientiousness
Introduction
 I
am excited about the new
discoveries about Science
and Consciousness. I’ll
share a bit on what is
inspiring me with this new
science.
We all
benefit from cutting edge
research. For example, we
now know that depression can
be aided through exercise,
both thinking about it and
doing it, or by revising our
interpretations of our own
family experience,
particularly our early
years, and talking to a
therapist or considerate
friend can be just as
effective as antidepressant
pharmaceuticals.
Of course there is so little
of the big picture that we
really know. Lots more for
us still to learn. (except
for Past Pres Jim who now
knows it all).
Issues
Human
life has largely been ruled
by how we understand science
at the time.
S-
Sir Francis Bacon – Decartes
– Newton – Darwin have
been a few of the voices
heralding new science of
their time.
Largely
they all promoted the notion
that matter can influence
matter but not non-material.
It was believed that the
un-seeable did not have the
same influence.
Darwin
– gave us views about how
the physical world worked.
An
offspring reflects the
traits of the parents. That
frightened me enough not to
have kids. Newtonian physics
taught us that the universe
is a physical machine.
If you
want to understand the
world, just study physical
things. If you want to
understand biology, just
look at the physical biology
– that which you can see –
molecules, cells, organs,
physical life.
The DNA
story pretty much told us
that we are victims and the
ability to affect our genes
is largely out of our
control. They taught us that
our task was to obtain
knowledge to dominant
nature. Sir Frances Bacon
helped flavour the
scientists’ mission
statement. It went something
like this: “nature is for
man to command and all on
Earth is here to give us
what we want.” While I am
sure Sir Frances was a lot
of fun at parties, he was
not having much fun around
women with power. He was
responsible for leading the
crusade against women and
burning witches at the
stake. Science drives us,
but we are not always right
about the validity of our
science.
How,
for example, does the
mind figure into the
physical machine? Trying to
understand the place for the
mind was troublesome in our
understanding of science. It
was believed that the mind
was just derived from the
body – a mechanical device.
Non-material things could
not influence material
things, and as the mind was
not material like the brain,
the mind could not affect or
influence the body.
This
artificial separation
between material and
non-material was found to
be, well, ah wrong.
In 1925
– a new science emerged with
Quantum mechanics and
physics.
Atoms,
we came to realize, are
cells of energy. Inside an
atom there is no physical
structure, just energy
spinning around. Atoms are
focused force fields. They
are not matter but have the
character of things we call
matter. No substance in an
atom. Molecules are energy
and cells are energy and
humans are energy.
Scientists were beginning to
appreciate that even our
bodies are made of energy.
Energy influences our body.
Solutions
 Newtonian
physics – are getting a
makeover.
Our
awareness is growing. We
have modified the belief
that it is best to
concentrate on the ‘visible
stuff’. Not only are
non-visible energy fields of
interest, paying attention
to them is very relevant.
We are
becoming aware that the
non-material mind has
tremendous influence on the
physical body.
Our
mind can receive and
broadcast signals that
influence molecules and
cells.
There
are 35-40,000 Genes in the
Human Genome
45% of
our genes are shared with
bananas
98%
shared with chimps
Half of
the human genome is devoted
to producing the brain and
the brain only constitutes
2% of the body.
And for
Woody Allen, his brain is
his second favorite organ.
Before
we used to believe that life
is controlled by the genes
inside the cell
With
very recent research we are
coming to understand that
genes are controlled by
messages outside the cell –
particularly signals from
the mind and the
environment.
What do
the advances in science mean
for us?
These
new insights tell us that we
should encourage more
fantasy development – that
is good news for some of us
who are already doing that!
The more we can envision and
engage all our senses in an
experience, the more we can
make it real. For the same
reasons, we could also
benefit from making greater
use of symbolism, play, and
imagination. We could learn
to increase our mind’s
capacity to think beyond the
known and spend more in the
unknown zone where we expand
our capacities to think and
feel. The more we – women
and men – can identify and
articulate different
feelings the more we can
empathize with others.
Exciting findings are
emerging from numerous
experiments about the mind
and body interface.
In
Pittsburg experiments over
the last number of years
have proven that using mind
capacity, a monkey can
maneuver a robotic arm to
get food.
As
well, Monks meditating
or anyone else can
chemically change their
brain activity.
There
is also research and action
around building more
congruence and coherence on
the planet – this means
thinking and feeling the
same thing and doing so as
individuals and part of a
community. Neat things are
happening with the Global
Coherence Project
Last
month I was in Arizona where
I met Edgar Mitchell,
captain of the Apollo 14
mission. He is a champion of
science for greater
stewardship, sustainability
and consciousness. He is
pressing for greater
appreciation of our roles as
universal citizens. We all
spring from the same
biological source and this
interconnectedness has been
proven again and again.
While this is not all that
new its political and
ethical implications still
have not been integrated
into our policies and
practices. We are indeed the
planet’s keeper or the
planet’s destroyer.
Thinking positively won’t be
enough on this one.
We have developed some
habits that do some nasty
things to the planet and
threaten our existence – the
unprecedented rate of
extinction of species
prompted by humans activity,
the depletion of the ozone,
and the rising sea levels,
the exponential growth of
the population on the
planet, and our insatiable
appetite to consume.
Looking
back to our earlier
teachers, it is not
surprising we have come to
expect the Earth to give us
what we need without much
consideration for her needs.
We have been taught to look
down on things with less
intelligence or that are
non-sentient. We even argued
in the past that much ‘out
there’ had no intelligence!
And now we know these are
the things that created us,
they are the intelligence
and systems that manage our
individual and collective
ecosystems.
We have
two minds running the system
at the same time- the
conscious and subconscious
minds. They are both
operating in tandem. Yet it
is the subconscious that
operates most predominantly.
The
subconscious can process
information a million times
more powerfully than the
conscious mind. Neuro-scientists
now realize – the
subconscious runs around 95%
of the show. When we use the
power of positive thinking
we are activating the
conscious mind and not the
subconscious.
Within
each one of our bodies, we
are commanding a community
or a civilization of 50
trillion cells. Thoughts go
down into the body. Your
thoughts are your body’s
vision. They take it as
command. That voice that is
the leader in our head is
often a despotic leader.
Researchers are finding that
70% of our thoughts are
negative and repetitive.
Clearly
our science and our habits
require serious makeovers.
Our conscious and
subconscious mental tapes
need a retrofit.
The
subconscious mind is
programmed by the first six
yrs of observing the
downloads of family – a
child does not express
consciousness until after 6
yrs old. They ingest, store
all the rules as
subconscious downloads over
the first 6 yrs. These
become our habitual
behaviours and our
subconscious patterns. Our
learning once programmed,
becomes stored and lives out
of our subconscious mind.
This allows us to do things
without consciously
attending to them. We don’t
need to think about how to
breathe, speak, eat, walk,
drive, etc. Behaviour is
programmed and being managed
when our conscious mind is
not paying attention. Some
great advantages to the
subconscious system we
have.
Frequently
psychics or deeper thinkers,
non-conformists were
considered abnormal,
mentally ill. Now we see the
value of some of these ‘new
age’ practices. The
scientific world is
beginning to discover what
metaphysical and spiritual
teachers have known for
centuries. In fact, the new
science is telling us that
there are three prominent
ways to improve our
subconscious programming
-
through mindfulness
practices
-
reprogramming eeg
therapies
-
energy therapies –
changing belief systems
through energy
psychology – moving into
a state of brain waves
receptive to super
learning
These
three methods are proving
more helpful and less
harmful than cognitive
therapy or drug treatments
and much more fun than shock
therapy as these are not as
effective. And in fact can
create greater pain.
It is
well known that the brain is
an electrochemical organ
that generates energy,
electrical wattage,
vibrations - presented in
the form of brainwaves.
Through
greater mindfulness we
generate more choices. We
sense more options and
create more possibilities.
Think of an issue from many
different angles. You will
surprise yourself. Grow your
ears bigger. Take greater
stock of what is going on
around you and in you. Place
lots of emphasis on
gratitude.
As
individuals, with greater
mindfulness, we will
generate brilliant ideas.
But imagine this power
converging and expanding
with others! Together, in
community, we are a genius.
As Marg
Wheatley says, “Whatever the
problem, community is the
answer.”
Do we
have a strong sense of
community? We are probably
of two minds on this.
Clearly we have serious
issues on the planet and in
this community. Some of the
shifts we – as a genius
community – need to
orchestrate together in a
timely manner. Rotarians are
called to greater leaders on
this.
We can
and must:
-
Develop a heart for
peace and the intention
to be peace in all that
we do
-
Direct the energy of
anger to constructive,
non-violent outcomes.
See our adversaries as
important teachers
-
Live out of love – to
make magic happen.
-
Use a form of
contemplation to
cultivate a pure mind,
body, spirit.
-
Create vehicles for open
dialogue, across
divides, engage in
community.
-
Provide avenues for
people to serve like in
a Civilian Peace Service
or a Green Corps
Create
magic. “It was so
wonderfully gratifying,”
Singhal said. “It took some
period of time, and then the
magic began. The
conversations led to certain
decisions, the decisions led
to certain actions. This is
what we hope for.”
Turn to
one another on conversations
that matter.
-
Notice what you care
about.
-
Get started, start
anywhere. Just begin.
-
Learn as you go.
-
Stick together – become
active learners and
engage in communities of
practice.
Let’s
do some intention setting.
Quiet
yourself, think quietly, be
with the energy in and
around you. What is coming
through for you now? What is
the new part of your story?
Fold
paper in half. Write one
sentence on the top – an
intention.
Start
with I intend. What are the
questions that come to mind
from your intention? These
questions provide some
insight to your intuition
list.
Mining
for questions. Receiving the
gift of the question.
Now,
read your intention out to
your partner – partner
offers two questions.
Now
rewrite the intention and
jot down questions that
arise.
Find
another partner, guide and
coach one another. Be the
geniuses that you are!
References:
Thomas
Friedman, Hot, Flat, and
Crowded
Fritjof
Capra,
Tao of
Physics
Henry
Margenau,
The Miracle
of Existence
Bruce Lipton,
The Biology of Belief
Margaret
Wheatley,
Turning to One Another
Keith
thanked Kathleen for being
our Guest today. She is
such a symbol of positive
energy, one that can make a
real difference in our
planet & our community.
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