Spirituality and Human Development

I have always been a big fan of Roy Orbison. Perhaps more than any other male singer he gives convincing expression to deep emotions of anguished longing. Though his songs are generally framed in a romantic context, I have found them equally valuable from a spiritual perspective where the desire for affective signs of meaning can sometimes remain long frustrated. His cover of the well-known song "My Prayer" especially communicates well with me in this context. Roy is rightly acclaimed for the dramatic way he concludes many songs with his trademark high-pitched crescendo and on "My Prayer" he truly excels himself in a dramatic finale where his voice seemingly pierces the darkness to touch Heaven itself. In my early years from the age of 8 - 14 for each Summer I would spend a couple of weeks in the seaside resort of Portstewart in Northern Ireland. During that time I developed a deep attachment to the town which I always considered had a beautiful location. Howev...

Einstein's equation E = MC2 has rightly become perhaps the most famous formula in physics. However what is greatly overlooked is that - when appropriately interpreted in an integral scientific fashion - it has equal relevance from a psychospiritual perspective. So from one perspective, all psychological "mass" in the accumulation of varied perceptions and concepts can be transformed into spiritual energy in the attainment of pure contemplative awareness. Equally however all such spiritual energy can be subsequently reduced in the experience of phenomena of form. It struck me forcibly at the weekend that spirit and matter are therefore of equal importance in experience. However in practice this is rarely recognised. On the one hand we have those who give primacy to matter leading - literally - to the materialistic perspective on life and advocacy of secular values (devoid of religious influence). On the other hand we have those who give primacy to spi...

I have given considerable emphasis in my writings over the years to the manner in which Conventional Science is directly based on a strongly reductionist type of understanding. In the most general sense this implies that emptiness (as the ineffable essence of spiritual reality) is reduced to (phenomenal) form. However it struck me forcibly in the past few days that another fundamental form of reductionism is equally possible in the opposite direction whereby form is ultimately reduced to (spiritual) emptiness. Though both types are inevitable and indeed necessary for development, a crucial imbalance often characterises the relationship between them. So one extreme tends to foster its opposite. So in contrast to the traditional scientific worldview we have the opposite contemplative perspective where the pure attainment of spiritual awareness is held to be paramount. However in practice this is often associated with an unduly transcendent orientation where phenomenal form is understood ...

I have been fortunate to receive an especially clear intuition recently into the fundamental nature of creation. Such moments in my experience which are so precious generally occur unexpectedly in the most unlikely places and are received in a very passive manner as pure unexpected gifts. While they are being received they have the great quality of certitude in that one simply knows that one is experiencing what is most meaningful and intellectually fulfilling. However once the moment has passed - though the initial intuition is generally renewed for a while through a series of lesser insights - they leave little or no trace in memory. Though one may later recall the fact that one had a special vision of reality at a certain time and recall well the accidental events surrounding the moment, one cannot directly relive the experience itself (especially when it is of a pure spiritual nature). Also though one can indirectly attempt to translate such an experience into appropriate langua...

I listened to an interesting interview with Eckhart Tolle on the "The John Murray" show yesterday. Though I was indeed already aware of Eckhart Tolle as one covering similar ground to Chopra - and who is now arguably more successful and influential - I had never actually heard him speak. On the merit side he came across as genuine and sincere probably helped by his Germanic accent lending an appropropriate touch of gravity to his words. He spoke about his "conversion" experience at 29 which undoubtedly deeply shaped the rest of his life. I agree fully with the central basis of his teaching which is the spiritual realisation that only the present moment truly exists. So the secret of deep happiness and fulfilment is to simply learn to live in the continual now of the present moment. I would also agree that the ego in practice is the big obstacle to such realisation with both thought and sense predisposing us to make absolutes of phenomena (which in truth are of a mer...

I was watching Gay Byrne's series on the "Meaning of Life" last Sunday with his guest Deepak Chopra which certainly made for an engaging half hour. Chopra is clearly a very gifted individual with well honed communication skills. Also hearing his account of his privileged early background in India was very interesting providing a fascinating intersection as between both Eastern and Western perspectives. He has of course been very successful in bringing the spiritual mystical worldview to bear both on popular medicine and modern living. Indeed I remember when reading his "Quantum Healing" some 20 years ago readily resonating with his accounts of how mind and body form an indivisible unity with illnesses of all kinds potentially ameliorated through an appropriate spiritual outlook. However I still have certain reservations regarding Chopra whose greatest talent seems to be his ability to market himself with amazing commercial success. He has that capacity - i...

It is strange! Only recently I have been contemplating the prospect of retirement from my lecturing job (perhaps leaving a couple of years early). Then paradoxically having adjusted to that prospect I have begun to actually enjoy - perhaps for the first time - what I have been trying to do all these years. No doubt some of this is due to the characteristic release of tension following the resolution of any major issue in life. However in my case it probably relates more to the unfolding of a new period in - what I have long referred to as - the spiritual life. I am now beginning to see how strongly immersed I have been - indeed for all my adult life - in the depths of the unconscious. This has certainly enabled a certain kind of development entailing direct experience of many specialised intuitive states; however it has also proven remarkably restrictive and at various times incredibly stressful. Though valuable in enabling the development of new holistic mathematical understanding (as...