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Healing and the Evolution of Consciousness
No full textWhat is the relationship between healing and the evolution of consciousness that is so central in Sri Aurobindo’s integral philosophy? This talk explores how disease and psychological wounding are both key obstacles as well as opportunities or launching pads for the growth of consciousness. What is healing? What does it involve? What parts of us must it include? Does it always result in “cure”? This talk examines healing depression as way to understand the relationships between healing, psychological growth and spiritual evolution in integral yoga
Love, Healing, and Human Unity: Lessons From Sant Kabir Das.
No full textIndian depictions of human-beings focus on their inherent “goodness” deriving from the divine essence at the core of each person. The history of the sub-continent reveals how during different periods, people from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, managed to live together in harmony. This is not to deny that conflicts are not common place – in this regard India has had its share of war and violence – but what is unique is the way differences between groups have been minimized and often transcended. A cursory glance at the history of social movements on the sub-continent reveal that over the centuries, some of the most prominent movements have had a spiritual foundation – one that emphasizes the oneness of all humanity and which paves the way for lowering barriers along ethnic, religious, caste, as well as gender lines.
Further, by way of a “case study”, the paper/presentation underscores the contribution of the Bhakti saint Sant Kabir Das. Kabir defied the boundaries between various religious and caste groups, and sharply criticized sectarianism. Kabir shows us how the fissures in our own mind, the violence (gross or subtle) and the dishonesties that we are capable of when we construct and defend our ego. He shows us how we subtly “other” multiple categories of people in order to consolidate our identity and how this “othering” keeps us locked in dualistic ways of perceiving ourselves and the world – ways that are ultimately violent and divisive. Kabir escapes the narrow categories of “Hindu”, “Muslim”, “Christian”, “Jew”, “Buddhist” etc.; and no doubt, his message of love has great relevance for all societies and nations, and goes a long way in healing the [psychically] wounded. Kabir helps us in traversing hearts and minds, crossing bridges of understanding, despite difference, and maps a way forward toward transforming self and society
Journey of the Universe
No full textToday we know what no previous generation knew: the history of the universe and of the unfolding of life on Earth. Through the astonishing combined achievements of natural scientists worldwide, we now have a detailed account of how galaxies and stars, planets and living organisms, human beings and human consciousness came to be. And yet . . . we thirst for answers to questions that have haunted humanity from the very beginning. What is our place in the 14-billion-year history of the universe? What roles do we play in Earth\u27s history? How do we connect with the intricate web of life on Earth?
In Journey of the Universe Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker tell the epic story of the universe from an inspired new perspective, weaving the findings of modern science together with enduring wisdom found in the humanistic traditions of the West, China, India, and indigenous peoples. The authors explore cosmic evolution as a profoundly wondrous process based on creativity, connection, and interdependence, and they envision an unprecedented opportunity for the world\u27s people to address the daunting ecological and social challenges of our times.
Journey of the Universe transforms how we understand our origins and envision our future. Though a little book, it tells a big story—one that inspires hope for a way in which Earth and its human civilizations could flourish together.
This book is part of a larger project that includes a documentary film, an educational DVD series, and a website. The film and the DVD series will be released in 2011. For more information, please consult the website, journeyoftheuniverse.org.https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/facultypublications/1063/thumbnail.jp
Ethnographic Accounts of Ketamine Explorations in Psychedelic Culture
Get PDFOff-label use of ketamine as a mind-altering substance did not begin in the laboratory, but in the psychedelic culture that grew out of the 1960s counterculture movement. Whatever the risks and limitations of such experimentation, without them the remarkable therapeutic effects of the drug might well have gone unnoticed, and unresearched. The following personal accounts—both inspiring and cautionary—offer glimpses into the cultural contexts that found ketamine to be much more than a reliable anesthetic
Ketamine and Depression: A Review
Get PDFKetamine, via intravenous infusions, has emerged as a novel therapy for treatment-resistant depression, given rapid onset and demonstrable efficacy in both unipolar and bipolar depression. Duration of benefit, on the order of days, varies between these subtypes, but appears longer in unipolar depression. A unique property is reduction in suicidality although data are more limited. Strategies to extend duration, via multiple doses, maintenance treatment, or subsequent augmenting medications have yielded mixed results. There is a relative paucity of data regarding alternate methods of administration such as intramuscular, intranasal, and oral routes, though preliminary results are promising. Adverse effects most reliably incl ude dissociative and sympathomimetic effects, both transient and mild, and suggest good tolerability. Ketamine\u27s unique effects may represent an opportunity for a paradigm shift in the pharmacologic treatment of depression
Transformation of Earth and Body in Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Vision through Conscious and Collaborative participation with the Divine Mother
No full textThe spirit of integral living encompasses living a life in the world, which is concerned not only with the transcendent divine but also with the imminent divine, for it is held that the creation or manifestation is an extension of the transcendent divine in space, time, and causation. For the transformation of earth and body, the role of the Divine Mother becomes extremely crucial, for it is She who in the scheme of integral philosophy is considered to be the creator and sustainer of all that happens in this universe. It is through a collaborative participation with the Divine Mother that the transformation of body and terrestrial consciousness can occur. In this presentation, Kundan will provide a brief outline of Sri Aurobindo’s cosmology, speak about four great aspects of the Divine Mother in her universal or cosmic manifestation, and link the above two for the transformation and perfection of earth and body
Integrative Health Studies Newsletter
Get PDFThis is the October 2014 issue of the Integrative Health Studies Newsletter at CIIS.https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/integrative-healthnewsletter/1005/thumbnail.jp