Is there life after death? Can human intention change matter? Is there scientific proof for remote healing? Do we have a soul? How can life be sustained in harmony with ecology? These are among the many questions that were asked and answered at the first annual Sages and Scientists Symposium hosted by Deepak Chopra this past weekend. At this groundbreaking weekend topics such as spirituality, consciousness, prayer, reincarnation, miracle healings and time travel usually reserved for more "granola/woo-woo" types, were actually discussed and even explained by Medical Doctors.
Evidence from studies on distant healing suggests that consciousness is infinite in space and time. We are immortal, eternal and boundless. Those who may call themselves seekers understand that life is not about just being in this body -- there is something we do not know beyond anything we can explain in rational terms. We take things at face value, finding comfort in that which we can grasp --see, touch, feel, taste, hear -- but that is just the beginning of our sensory experience. Our consciousness is far more encompassing than the things we can prove or understand in physical world reality.
The intention of this conference was to merge Sages and Scientist as a modern way to blend ancient insights with modern scientific theory. It's becoming more and more widely accepted for healers and teachers to discuss transcendent realities and the journey of the soul but usually these folks are labeled as "alternative" healers -- kept out of the mainstream medical community. And most M.D.'s who have been witness to miracles that they cannot explain through science do not share these widely with their peers. Why? Well, according to Dr. Larry Dossey, one of the panelists who spoke about Eternal Life, "Frankly most doctors are just too embarrassed to support them." Deepak Chopra shared with me that he learned from the conference that a "medical mafia" does exist which prevents the public sharing of what most would call supernatural healing into the mainstream.
But we are at a critical point in our civilization where we must bring the magical and mystical into the light. All the scientists, medical doctors and sages on the panel agreed on one key truth: that there is a lot we do not know and cannot explain which can only be characterized as supernatural. The old paradigms that have been built on logic, analysis, reason, and material gain are crumbling. It's no news to any of us that our economy is a bust, our health care system is terribly unhealthy, and we are slowly killing our planet. Panelist, Dr. Marilyn Schlitz spoke about how we have lost our sense of being connected to the Universe/God/Spirit (whatever word works for you), each other, and the planet. This individualized worldview keeps us stuck in an outdated paradigm that just is not working anymore. Schlitz emphasized that it is imperative to bring more of the archetypical feminine energy, receptivity, compassion, nurture, and creativity back into all aspects of society, especially the medical community.
As we all go through our individual days and live our separate lives, we forget, or never really realize or accept in the first place that we are all one. We are all living as parts of one collective universal energy field, an energy field most of us are out of balance with. Panelist Dr. Ervin Laszlo spoke in depth about entanglement, that all things are connected and therefore in order to create harmony and health in our world, we must be in coherence with it. Years ago the human species lived in coherence with our environment, but as we have been acting with blatant disregard for our surroundings, we have thrown ourselves out of coherence with our biosphere. It is the responsibility of our generation to get back in balance and commune with the world rather than trying to get the most we can from it.
Over the two-day conference, there was continuous thought-provoking and awe-inspiring information presented by various extremely accredited panelists (and I share their highlights below). Perhaps the most striking about the symposium is that these sages and scientists are doing the work to collect the hard data and evidence to support what up until now has been categorized as merely spiritual concepts or mystical phenomenon.
For instance, Dr. Jim Tucker presented data on children who reported memories of previous lives -- whose memories have been historically validated. Dr. Larry Dossey spoke about the healing power of intentions, describing clinical studies in which cancer patients had significant healing responses when a loved one in a completely separate room was sending loving thoughts or prayers. And perhaps some of the most stunning data came from a man named Mahendra Kumar Trivedi whose Energy Transmissions or "blessings" (focused intentional consciousness) have created miraculous healing effects in agriculture and human health that have been scientifically demonstrable in a measurable manner.
As a seeker, I greatly appreciated the openness to which spirituality was discussed among an audience of both seekers and skeptics. In a closing interview with Deepak Chopra, who embodies the mantra "easy come, easy go" and has a presence which conveys warmth, kindness, compassion and generosity, he shared with me his enthusiasm at the level of interest in the merging of medical science and spirituality. Chopra also expressed his awareness that there will continue to be skeptics and that it is not the job of the seekers to convince the skeptics of anything. It is our responsibility, however, to be responsible for our personal choices as we evolve and become more aware of our interconnectedness and immortality.
Finally, I'd like to share paraphrased summary statements from some of the distinguished panelists. I don't know about you, but I find this advice far more uplifting and meaningful than "eat your vegetables, exercise, take your vitamins, and get regular check-ups."
Dr. Fred Alan Wolf: Nurture the nature of grace, appreciation and beauty. Enjoy the magic and live in the mystery. Tell it to those you love, and especially tell it to those you hate.
Dr. Ervin Laslov: We are in the brink of change, it's an exciting time as our generation gets to decide if it's going to be the last or change the world for the better. If we rely on classical science, we wont make it. But if we bring together holistic science, then we will.
Dr. B.M. Hegde: I have a dream, if each one of us changes ourselves, we can change the world. Join the Wellness Movement, be spiritual by sharing and caring.
Dr. Vladimir Voeikov: We are on the brink of global change, a rebirth of something new on an upper/higher level that will bring transformation of this world if we actualize our interconnectedness.
Dr. G. Patrick Flanagan - Let's put aside dualism, misogyny, patriarchy, and bring back the Divine Feminine, nurturing, and compassion to every living thing.
Dr. Rustum Roy - The media has an opportunity to spread more useful information to the world about the kind of science that is not driven by money, but by hope.
Dr. Larry Dossey - If we're to have a future as a species, we need to take seriously the concept of nonlocal consciousness, that we are all connected and with this notion, truly follow the golden rule: do onto others and you would want done onto you.
Dr. Marc Newkirk - There is an unprecedented amount of light now, an enormous awakening that is taking place revealing all the amazing capacities within us all. As the preoccupations with lower ideas are dissolving, the higher ideas are shining through.
I'd like to close this post with a question that was presented at the symposium and continue the discussion around this topic next week: What is consciousness? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.