What a coup, we thought, Robert Sheldrake coming to the Cut. Sara, it transpires, has enjoyed him as her tutor when she studied at Schumacher college. He has twinkly eyes, she said, but somehow did not feel intimate on a one to one.
She was right about the eyes, and I never got the one to one, but at the end, found the word intimate did apply to his relationship with us the audience. Authentic too. Helped by the questions from the audience.
Turns out he was bought up in Bungay, like Oliver Rackham, and like Rackham went on Cambridge – Clare College – (cell biology) (Rackham Corpus). He also studied in India, Hydrabad. I didn’t know about his well known morphic resonance theory, that holds memory is inherrent in nature, and all natural systems inherit a collective memory from all previous things of their kind. His view is not accepted by the scientific community, who characterise him as a psudoscientist. No wonder Umi was not there!
Alan de Beton – Religion for aethiests
Community/ritual
Gratitude – reminded me of Saturday with the Rev Coles, the thank you story of the day. Grace before meals.
Meditation – 20 years ago a minority in this room would have put up their hands. Breath in meditation, breath out prayer. He does both, one in morning one in evening. Experiments with the Sympathetic nerve and parasympathetic nerve. Ultimate consciousness. Atman
Nature
Plants
Singing and chanting
Rituals – passover, thanksgiving
Pilgrimage
Kalikellett 