On the 9th May Gaia will host celebrated scientist Rupert Sheldrake to explore how and why western science is increasingly re-valuing millennia-old spiritual practices from meditation to Nature connection.
Find out more and book your tickets here.
Rupert will share the findings of his latest book Science & Spirituality, which explores ancient religious and indigenous practices from a western scientific perspective. These range from meditation and gratitude to Nature connection, chanting and pilgrimage – all of which have traditionally played a central role in religions and indigenous cultures around the world.
6.30pm: drinks and light buffet at 18 Well Walk, Hampstead, NW3 1LD Gaia House
7.30pm – 9pm: talk and discussion at Burgh House, Hampstead NW3 1LT
The effects of these spiritual practices are now being investigated through a western scientific lens as never before, resulting in a growing body of evidence showing that such practices make people happier and healthier – more connected with ourselves and our place in the larger community of life.
As stresses grow in the modern world of ‘getting and spending’, these practices are being adopted by many in western secular society to improve wellbeing, connection and foster a more respectful and healthier relationship with the Earth. What can we learn from this and how can adopting such practices in our own lives help us to become more present to the challenges of our time?
Copies of Rupert’s new book will be available to purchase on the night. Book here to join us.
About Rupert
Dr Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 85 scientific papers and 12 books, including Science and Spiritual Practices, published in November, 2017. He was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge University, a Research Fellow of the Royal Society, and from 2005-2010 the Director of the Perrott-Warrick Project, funded by Trinity College, Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California, and of Schumacher College in Devon. His web site is www.sheldrake.org
Later this year The Gaia Foundation will release a new report exploring how our increasing over-reliance on digital technologies is harming and disconnecting us from Nature. This talk will be the first in a series investigating these themes and how we can change our relationship with technology, and technology itself, to the benefit of Earth and ourselves.