Navigating Consciousness with Rupert Sheldrake - podcast cover

Navigating Consciousness with Rupert Sheldrake

Rupert Sheldrakesheldrake.org
A wide ranging discussion of consciousness at the intersection of science and spirituality with Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. At Cambridge University Rupert worked in developmental biology as a Fellow of Clare College. He was Principal Plant Physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in Hyderabad, India. From 2005 to 2010 he was Director of the Perrott-Warrick project for research on unexplained human and animal abilities, funded by Trinity College, Cambridge.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Reason for Hope Beyond Materialism | How can we ease the trauma that we see all over the world?

A question to Rupert from the Oxford Psychedelic Society; March, 2022. Hosted by Ali-Reza Omidvar. https://oxpsysoc.org/ You mentioned Terence McKenna. He said about the current situation of our society, and about our point in history as a whole, that we are in a state of transition. He compared it to the process of birth, which you mentioned in your talk (Episode 35:Expanding Consciousness with Psychedelics). So if you as humanity are in the birth canal, how can we ease the pains and traumas th...

Apr 12, 20227 minEp. 36

David Abram, What is Magic?

Rupert and David Abram probe the meaning and manifestation of magic. Recorded at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, Canada, on August 6, 2015. David Abram, PhD, is a cultural ecologist, founder of The Alliance for Wild Ethics and award winning author of Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology, and The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World. An accomplished storyteller and sleight-of-hand magician David has lived and traded magic with indigenous sorcerers in Indonesia, N...

Mar 29, 202254 minSeason 1Ep. 33

Microcast: Has Culture Lost Sight of the Sublime?

This excerpt is from a panel discussion at IAI’s festival, HowTheLightGetsIn, entitled _Trash, trends and the transcendent_ recorded 21st February 2022. What really is the sublime and where can we find it in the 21st century? Watch the full discussion on IAI TV: https://iai.tv/video/trash-trends-and-the-transcendent?_auid=2020

Mar 22, 20223 min

Why is there so much beauty in the world?

Dr Sheldrake explores the evolution of the sense of beauty in animals and humans, how beauty seems to be inherent in nature, arising in resonance with animal minds both great and small. Recorded Hollyhock on Cortes Island, British Columbia, August 2017.

Mar 15, 202239 minSeason 1Ep. 32

What Science Can't Explain, a Debate with Michael Brooks

A discussion between Rupert and Michael Brooks, consultant for the New Scientist and author of “13 Things That Don't Make Sense”. Chair: Vivienne Parry, science broadcaster and author of “The Truth About Hormones” at the Institute for Contemporary Arts, London on Jan 27 2009.

Mar 08, 202215 minSeason 1Ep. 31

Seven Myths about Religion, with Jonas Atlas

Rupert and theologian Jonas Atlas take a deep dive into the seven secular myths about religion. The article by Atlas that sparked this conversation can be found here: https://bit.ly/3fRwnw4 Recorded July 20th, 2020.

Mar 01, 20221 hr 5 minSeason 1Ep. 30

Scopaesthesia and its Implications

A talk about research on the sense of being stared at, given to the Society for Psychical Research https://www.spr.ac.uk on January 31, 2022. Rupert outlines the natural history of this phenomenon, experienced by more than 90% of the population, including children, which is also widespread among non-human animals. He discusses its implications for theories of vision and the ideas about the extended mind, the mind beyond the brain. He shows how major unanswered questions could be answered through...

Feb 23, 20221 hr 27 minSeason 1Ep. 29

Morphic Fields, Social Groups and Family Constellations

Social groups as morphic fields have a kind of built-in memory. In human families the family has a kind of field and the field of the family has patterns and habits within it, and this is most graphically illustrated by a form of psychotherapy called systemic family constellations, pioneered by the German psychologist Bert Hellinger. An excerpt from a talk at the 2012 IONS Conference in San Francisco. https://noetic.org Video of the talk: https://youtu.be/ty5lz9mVezU...

Feb 17, 20227 minSeason 1Ep. 28

Mind Beyond the Brain

A talk given at the Advaya Initiative workshop ‘Consciousness: Re-Defining Our Parameters’. Recorded at the Rudolf Steiner House, London, on December 3rd, 2018. The full talk: https://advaya.co/events/2018/12/02/consciousness-re-defining-our-parameters

Feb 15, 202236 minSeason 1Ep. 27

Microcast: What happens when we die?

Rupert answered this question during a talk given at Hollyhock in 2014. Might dreams tell us something about what happens when we die? The full talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxsNpMpPT3Q

Feb 10, 20225 minSeason 1Ep. 26

Science, Spiritual Practices and Ways to Go Beyond; IONS Keynote Address

Rupert’s keynote address at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS https://noetic.org) 18th International Conference in Santa Clara, California, July 19th, 2019. Video of the talk: https://youtu.be/8F1AsThU3_I The books: Science and Spiritual Practices https://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/science-and-spiritual-practices · Meditation · Gratitude · Connecting with nature · Relating to plants · Rituals · Singing and chanting · Pilgrimage and holy places Ways to Go Beyond And Why They...

Feb 01, 202235 minSeason 2Ep. 23

Microcast: Tim Freke, Consciousness is About Possibilities

An excerpt from a longer conversation between Rupert and philosopher Tim Freke (https://timfreke.com), an internationally respected authority on world spirituality and the bestselling author of more than 20 books. Watch the full conversation: https://www.sheldrake.org/videos/sheldrake-talks-with

Jan 27, 20226 minSeason 1Ep. 22

Rowan Williams, A Trinitarian Classification of Spiritual Practices

Dr Williams responds to Rupert's talk on spiritual practice, starting at 33:20. Rupert speaks with Dr Rowan Williams, noted poet and translator of poetry, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Learned Society of Wales. In 2013, he was made a life peer, becoming Lord Williams of Oystermouth, in the City and County of Swansea. Recorded in January of 2020.

Jan 25, 202241 minSeason 2Ep. 21

Microcast: William Blake, Newton and Angels

This is an excerpt from an episode of the South Bank Show on Blake originally broadcast in 1995. Watch the full documentary here: https://youtu.be/Qvx0on0Hj2I The image being discussed is Blake's painting of Newton from 1795: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_(Blake)#/media/File:Newton-WilliamBlake.jpg

Jan 20, 20224 minSeason 2Ep. 20

New directions in Agriculture

Rupert's talk at the _Earth Talks: Joy of Six_ series, delivered by Schumacher College in partnership with Dartington Hall. Recorded at Schumacher College on September 23rd, 2020. https://www.dartington.org/whats-on/

Jan 18, 20221 hr 6 minSeason 2Ep. 19

Rupert Spira, the Nature of Consciousness

Rupert Spira presents his idealist philosophy, asserting that consciousness is the single, infinite reality from which all existence derives, using the dream analogy to explain how the physical world appears. He clarifies distinctions from Western philosophers like Berkeley and discusses how the world's reality is consciousness, not matter. Spira and Sheldrake explore similarities and differences with Christian Trinitarianism, ultimately converging on a shared fundamental understanding of God's immanence and the universal "I Am."

Jan 13, 202233 minSeason 2Ep. 17

Microcast: Questions for Materialists part 4

Many materialists believe that psychic phenomena are impossible, and hence illusory. Here are a couple of questions you might ask your materialist friends or family members: Have you yourself ever had any seemingly telepathic experiences? What might persuade you to change your mind?

Jan 06, 20225 minSeason 2Ep. 16

John Butler, For All the Saints

Rupert visits Derbyshire to discuss saints, holy places and much more with John Butler, one of the first organic farmers in the county. John spends about four hours a day meditating in Bakewell Parish Church, as he has almost every day for 25 years. Watch the talk: https://youtu.be/aiXXlt-8l40 John's website: https://spiritualunfoldment.co.uk

Jan 04, 202237 minSeason 2Ep. 15

Microcast: My Friendship with Terence McKenna

Terence McKenna was an ethnopharmacologist, shamanologist, and author, known for his theories on plant hallucinogens and the bardic skill with which he conveyed his ideas. Sadly Terence died aged 53 on April 3, 2000. We were close friends and had many wonderful conversations, many of which are available on my website at: https://www.sheldrake.org/videos/terence-mckenna Two of our conversations, trialogues with Ralph Abraham, were published in book form: Chaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousness...

Dec 30, 20215 minSeason 1Ep. 14

The Science Delusion / Science Set Free

In The Science Delusion: Freeing the Spirit of Enquiry (published in the US as Science Set Free), I show the ways in which science is being constricted by assumptions that have, over the years, hardened into dogmas. Such dogmas are not only limiting, but dangerous for the future of humanity. In 2020 I released an updated edition with new findings. https://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-science-delusion-science-set-free This talk was hosted by Georgia Graham of TalkBox TalkBox is...

Dec 27, 20211 hr 34 minSeason 1Ep. 13

Microcast: Waking Before Alarm Clocks Go Off

Please email your experiences with this phenomena to sheldrake@sheldrake.org For more information on this phenomena see my book _The Sense of Being Stared At_ https://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-sense-of-being-stared-at-and-other-unexplained-powers-of-human-minds

Dec 23, 20215 minSeason 1Ep. 12

Rediscovering God

Many people used to think that belief in God would disappear with the advance of science. But that has not happened, and some prominent atheists are now trying to reinvent religion. What is going on? Is the universe ultimately conscious or unconscious? And if consciousness pervades all nature, how does it work? Recorded in August of 2014, at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, Canada. https://hollyhock.ca/

Dec 21, 20211 hr 24 minSeason 1Ep. 11

Microcast: Questions for Materialists part 3

The third in a series of questions. Please try them out with your materialist friends! Do you think that dark matter is conserved? Is there always the same amount of dark matter? Can you accept that there may be a continuous creation of dark energy as the universe expands?

Dec 16, 20214 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Graham Hancock, Consciousness and the Limits of the Materialist Paradigm

Recorded on November 5th, 2021 A dialogue from Beyond The Brain 2021 – Further Reaches of Consciousness Research, with host David Lorimer, organzied by the Department of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia, the Scientific and Medical Network, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and the Alef Trust. Graham Hancock is the NY Times best-selling author of a series of controversial books, notably Fingerprints of the Gods (1995), Heaven’s Mirror (1998), Underworld (2002), Magicians of the Go...

Dec 14, 20211 hr 13 minSeason 1Ep. 9

Microcast: The sense of being stared at, is it directional?

Have you ever felt that you are being looked at from behind and turned to see someone watching you? Or that you've been watching someone and they turn and look directly at you? I believe this experience has a directional quality to it and I would like to hear from those who have felt this directional sense. Please email your experiences with this phenomena to sheldrake@sheldrake.org

Dec 09, 20214 minSeason 1Ep. 8

Morphic Resonance After Forty Years

Recorded in London on June 21st, 2021 On June 21, 1981, Rupert published his first book “A New Science of Life” in which he proposed the hypothesis of morphic resonance, the idea that memory is inherent in nature. This talk was given on the fortieth anniversary, to the Institute of Noetic Science and the British Scientific and Medical Network. https://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/a-new-science-of-life-morphic-resonance

Dec 07, 20211 hr 20 minSeason 1Ep. 7
Hosted on Buzzsprout
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android