Dancing Past the Dark ~ distressing near-death experiences

You are here: Home / Archives for Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Physics, faith, and a lot more including NDE

By 8 Comments

In celebration of our 100th blog post here at dancingpastthedark, here is an article I very much want you to read. It is, to my mind, the ideal conclusion to our months-long wondering about quantum physics and its relation to NDE and consciousness; but some of you will take one look and begin to whine. Therefore, let me make a one-paragraph speech and then turn you loose to read.

Massive changes are occurring around us, and whoever and wherever we are, as humans we are all trying to describe and understand the same shifts and the same universe. Whether we take the perspective of scientists, especially physicists, finding mathematics the best language, or the perspective of philosophers and theologians, working with words and stories—it is still the same universe. It should be no surprise to find commonalities coming from the two very different approaches. Most of us prefer one or the other approach, but we all need to know something about both. Whatever your perspective, and whether you consider yourself religious, atheist, or any point between or beyond, the linked article has something important to say about our life as part of Western culture in a time of immense change. I think that in this article, published some 15 years ago, Barbara Brown Taylor clearly describes part of the upheaval. If you say you hate math and science, please put away your objections and read the article. If you are still thinking that anyone using the word “God” is talking about a very large, supernatural humanoid somewhere in the sky, know that the author doesn’t think that, and plunge bravely ahead. In other words, whatever your objection, please put it aside for now. You can grumble to me after you’ve read her article. (Insert smiley here.) [Read more…] about Physics, faith, and a lot more including NDE

Call to action for Transpersonal Psychology & Sofia University

By 8 Comments

Since the 1970s, the center of a melding of psychology and spirituality has been the former Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, now Sofia University.  Now the institution is in the midst of a life-threatening crisis.

Below is an excerpt from a call to action by none other than Dr. Charles Tart, one of the founders of the field (and a good friend of NDE research for all its decades). Since reading his post, I have been in touch with a faculty member who confirms that the situation is as dire as described, possibly moreso. Details, not included here, paint a truly harrowing portrait of what looks remarkably like intentional dismantling.

Here is the excerpt from Tart’s blog:

 Now Transpersonal Psychology is under serious attack.

The main center for Transpersonal Psychology has been the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (now called Sofia University) in Palo Alto, California.  It is a source of inspiration for burgeoning transpersonal centers all over the world.  Founded in the 70’s by Professor Robert Frager, it currently has about 40 main faculty and 500+ students working on Masters and PhD degrees in various aspects of Transpersonal Psychology.  Faculty and student research grows our knowledge base, our graduated students put it into practice in a variety of ways, from psychotherapy to industrial consulting to education, etc.

Two and a half years ago our well-loved President, Tom Potterfield, unexpectedly died and was replaced by a new President.  Since then things have gotten so bad that 100% of the faculty and most of the staff (all of whom may lose their jobs as a result of daring to protest) have signed a petition of no confidence in the current President and Board of Trustees, feeling they have lost touch with the humanistic and spiritual values that started the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, created a climate of fear, and have mismanaged the institution such that we have gone from substantial reserve funds to likely having to close down soon for lack of funds.  This is detailed in the petition referred to below, asking the Attorney General of California to intervene.

In solidarity with the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Sofia University, if you believe applying scholarship and science to the spiritual with the aim of making our world a better place is a worthwhile cause, please read and sign the petition to the Attorney General (reproduced below for reading convenience, but go to the site to sign it).  You don’t have to be a resident of California or even a US Citizen to sign and show your support!

PLEASE PASS THIS PLEA ON TO ANYONE YOU THINK WILL CARE!

Thank you!

Charles T. Tart

 His complete blog post and the gist of the petition are at http://blog.paradigm-sys.com

If you would rather go straight to the petition, here is the link:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/call-to-action-california-attorney-general-kamala-harris.html

Much is at stake. When we have all finished shaking our heads at the frustration and imbecility of it all, please consider adding your voice to the petition.

Thanks to Allen Katzoff for alerting me to this appeal.

A jewel-like quantum conundrum with no specific mention of NDE

By 5 Comments

This post began as a sharing of an intriguing article about a new development in quantum physics. As with just about anything in quantum theory in general and particle physics in specific, the reported breakthrough is essentially incomprehensible but sounds worldview-shattering. It would be totally out of reach except for the extraordinary gift of a science writer, Natalie Wolchover, who has managed a miracle. [Read more…] about A jewel-like quantum conundrum with no specific mention of NDE

Can quantum physics prove an afterlife?

By 12 Comments

In 2001, a cover story in U.S. News & World Report described how an underprivileged preteen in Massachusetts “caught the attention of Harvard Medical School researchers when he showed up on the university steps having successfully altered the genetics of chickens in his basement…His mentors described him as a ‘genius,’ a ‘renegade thinker,’ even likening him to Einstein.”

Jump a few years, and Robert Lanza would have a University of Pennsylvania M.D. and be a member of the team that cloned the world’s first early stage human embryos with an eye to generating embryonic stem cells. Where do you go from there? 
[Read more…] about Can quantum physics prove an afterlife?

Reality and non-reality

By 36 Comments

It’s been a while. There have been wonderfully overflowing visits from two of my kids and their grown-up kids, and two out-of-town conferences in which I was a speaker, and a steady stream of hometown obligations including issues of local turmoil but also an exciting weekend-long program of which I was the organizer. And somehow, after the publication of Dancing Past the Dark and almost 100 posts on this blog, it felt as though I had run out of things to say about NDEs and anything else of substance. [Read more…] about Reality and non-reality