Hosted by:Michael Toms
“We have this spiritual nature but it’s being denied, and we hurt at some level because of that. Even scientists have this spiritual nature but it’s being denied. So spiritual people and scientists both say, ‘Isn’t the universe wonderful and complex and infinite and beautiful. Let’s be friends.’ That’s nice, but it ignores the fundamental conflict, and materialism says that spirituality is basically all a lot of crap. We’re not facing that root conflict, and that’s what’s got to be faced.” Facing that conflict, and bringing the reality of human spirituality into the public discourse is the work and the mission of Charles Tart. With the vigor and conviction of decades of research into the paranormal, he brings us a wealth of data demonstrating that we do, in fact, behave in ways that only spiritual beings would behave. You’ll hear about the scientific evidence of reincarnation, telepathy, psychic healing, and more. Most of all you’ll find validation for your own mystical experiences, and an acknowledgement of the deep sense of loss, which comes from living in a society that denies your most fundamental truths. But you’ll finish with a renewed sense of anticipation for what future research may reveal, and a fresh perspective on the rocky, but illuminating path to enlightenment we share.
Charles Tart, PhD, is one of the founders of transpersonal psychology, and is a core faculty member of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California. He is internationally known for his work on the nature of consciousness and his research in scientific parapsychology. He is the author of many books, including the classicsAltered States of Consciousness (Harper 1990) and Transpersonal Psychologies: Perspectives on the Mind from Seven Great Spiritual Traditions (HarperCollins 1992), and his latest work, The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal is Bringing Science and Spirit together (New Harbinger 2009). To learn more about the work of Charles Tart go to www.paradigm-sys.com.
Topics explored in this dialogue include:
- How science has proven that we are spiritual beings
- Why the cultural denial of our spiritual nature is so deeply hurtful
- Why we tend to deny our mystical experiences
- Why your church officials might not believe you’ve had a spiritual experience
- How we might prove that reincarnation does occur
- Why it may be better to use your cell phone than your psychic abilities