For the past three decades, British biologist Rupert Sheldrake has been asking questions that most scientists either haven't thought of asking, or may be discouraged from asking by the unwritten codes that often prevail in our scientific and academic institutions. He thinks there are many other scientists “... who have spiritual interests, psychic experiences and so forth, that don't or can't talk about them to their colleagues. If they do so, they'll find that many of their colleagues share these interests and that the conversation in the laboratory tea room would become so much more interesting than it is at present." Join us for this talk, sponsored by the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco in 2012, in which Dr. Sheldrake introduces his book, Science Set Free, and addresses some of the constricting dogmas and assumptions of modern science, turning them into open questions that can be tested scientifically, rather than being accepted on faith alone. (hosted by Daniel Drasin)

Rupert Sheldrake studied natural sciences at Cambridge and philosophy at Harvard, took a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Cambridge and is the author of more than eighty scientific papers. Dr. Sheldrake is perhaps best known for his morphic field theory, which takes a fresh look at memory, habit, instinct and heredity as well as phenomena such as telepathy - aspects of human experience that are unexplained in terms of current physics. He is the author of several books including A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Formative Causation (J.P. Tarcher 1995), Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals (Three Rivers Press 2001) and Science Set Free (Deepak Chopra Books, 2012), also published in the UK as The Science Delusion (Coronet 2012)

Date of Presentation: 9/7/2012 Tags: Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D., morphic fields, morphic resonance, morphogenetic fields, brain, science, Social Change/Politics, Philosophy

We’re immersed in a universe of invisible energy fields, like swimmers in a vast ocean. Often beyond awareness, these forces shape and are shaped by us. This dialogue explores the Personal, Social, and Noetic fields and how conscious awareness of them helps us create a more just and compassionate world.

Alan Briskin, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in organizational psychology and is a pioneer in the field of organizational learning. He is co-founder of the Collective Wisdom Initiative and has been consultant to many large corporations including Lucasfilm, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and the Goi Peace Foundation. His books include:

The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace (Berrett-Koehler 1998),The Power of Collective Wisdom and the Trap of Collective Folly (co-authors, Sheryl Erickson, Tom Callanan, and John Ott)(Berrett-Koehler 2009) and Daily Miracles: Stories and Practices of Humanity and Excellence in Health Care (co-author Jan Boller) (Sigma Theta Tau International; 1st edition 2006)

Mary V. Gelinas, Ed.D. is an organizational development consultant devoted to the art of conscious social change. As an educator and consultant with more than forty years of experience working in brain research, contemplative practices, social psychology, and systems thinking. Her organizational redesign projects focus on innovative and inclusive solutions for business, government, health care, and education, for such diverse clients as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is the author of:

Talk Matters: Saving the World One Word at a Time. (Friesen Press 2026)

Briskin and Gelinas are the co-authors of Space is Not Empty: How Hidden Fields Are Shaping Your Life and Our World (Friesen Press 2025)

Interview Date: 11/14/2025 Tags: Alan Briskin, Mary V. Genlinas, Personal fields, Social fields, Noetic fields, wondering, curiosity, David Bohm, Carl Rogers, shifting the norm, fields are permeable, group disruption, noticing, certainty, uncertainty, body wisdom, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Science, Social Change/Politics

Parry reminds us of the subtle, ancient longing of the soul calling for reunion and wholeness, and that love exists beyond the veils of time and dances outside the confines of space. He unveils the secret: Western time moves like an arrow, whereas Indigenous wisdom traces a circle, an eternal spiral where every place is holy ground and every moment pulses with presence.

Glenn Aparicio Parry, Ph.D. is an educator, an ecopsychologist, and an author known for integrating indigenous wisdom and holistic thinking into contemporary society. He is the founder and past president of Seed Institute, where he facilitated landmark dialogues between Native American elders and Western scientists. He currently serves as president of The Circle For Original Thinking and host of its weekly podcast. His books include Original Thinking: A Radical Revisioning Of Time, Humanity And Nature (North Atlantic Books 2015), Original Politics: Making America Sacred Again (SelectBooks 2020), and Original Love: The Timeless Source Of Wholeness.(SelectBooks 2026)

Interview Date: 10/10/2025 Tags: Glenn Aparicio Parry, Grandfather Leon Secatero, Jean Gebser, Greek myth of Eros, Psyche, love, Descartes, Isaac Newton, rational thought, original love, Dan Moonhawk Alford, linear perspective of time, forest bathing, strife, Empedocles, Marcellus “Bear Heart” Williams, magical mind, psychokinesis, feminine wisdom, forest bathing, moon rituals, two-eyed seeing, gratitude, photos of Earth from space, grief, loss, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Indigenous Wisdom