NEWSLETTER # 4
February 2019
The Sacred Science Circle www.sacredsciencecircle.org gathers a sacred circle of individuals and groups that honor the “fires” of transformation implicit in all scientific, scholarly, and artistic endeavors. Our mission is to further that profound route to knowing, wisdom and enrichment of being that the confluence of science and the Sacred can bring to us and to our modern world. In pursuing sacred science, the Sacred Science Circle and our partner institution, the Alef Trust, aspire to transform both ourselves and the world.
In service to the Sacred, Rosemarie Anderson & Les Lancaster, Sacred Science Circle, Co-Directors
TABLE OF CONTENTS
On Sacred Science
- Kabbalah in Movement by Les Lancaster
- Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Transpersonal Psychology in Journals, The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Volume 50, 2019 and The Humanistic Psychologist, Volume 47, Issue 2, 2019
2019 Conferences and Research Events
- Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP) Conference; Pacific Grove, CA; April 12 – 14, 2019
- International Symposium on Research in Transpersonal Psychology—Natal, Brazil; May 30, June 1, & June 2, 2019
- Transpersonal Research Methods & Intuitive Inquiry with Rosemarie Anderson, Dublin, Ireland, September 18, 2019
- Transpersonal Research Colloquium; Paris, France, September 30 – October 1, 2019
ON SACRED SCIENCE
KABBALAH in MOVEMENT
by Les Lancaster
Within the secret of the twenty-two letters you will find the entire creation of the world, its structure and the fullness of lifeforms … no created being can fully grasp their infinite depths. Joseph Gikatilla (1248-c.1325).
Embodying the “secrets” of each Hebrew letter in a series of movement forms is a challenge that has engaged me over several decades. The challenge is not simply to enact the letter shapes, but to use ritualized movements to convey the inner teaching of each letter. Working with these movements brings a way of knowing that goes beyond what can be achieved with words. Words strain under the burden of conveying meaning. Through the movements the body embraces that meaning and opens us into a transformative ritual space … the dance of creation.
Each letter constellates a complex array of meanings which conveys the core characteristics of a specific function of consciousness. These archetypal meanings have been transmitted through the letters’ shapes, their numerical values, and the verbal roots associated with their names. When the code of its letters has been deciphered, the alphabet can be understood to relate a story. It is the narrative of creation, of humankind’s place in creation, and the quest to reflect consciousness back to the Source.
The story commences with the originating Oneness devoid of any polarity, static in its nonduality.
The first letter, Alef echoes the primordial contraction that disturbed that oneness, bringing potential into existence. Alef is the silence behind all that is, yet paradoxically strikes a preliminary dynamic balance to seed the outward arc of creation. A verbal form deriving from its name means to ‘teach’, intimating that the teaching is entwined with this seed of creation. Alef depicts the breath that brings all into being.
As we move with the Alef it takes us on a journey. First, finding a space in which we can be still, emptying ourselves of the things that bind us. We connect our breath to the divine name Ehyeh that depicts the unfolding of being – the process of becoming, the heart connecting above and below. The Alef movement proceeds to explore energy flows—the primordial, chthonic energy associated with the earth, and how the quality of the energy transforms as we reach upwards. Eventually, the movement stabilizes into a posture of dynamic potential, one hand cupped beneath the heart to receive and the other stretching upwards towards an unknown Source.
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A
two-day workshop entitled
“Kabbalah: Language, movement and ritual,” follows the ATP conference celebrating 50 years of transpersonal psychology (as below).
Les Lancaster and Jessica Bockler will teach the movements and initiate participants into the dance of creation ritual. The workshop, runs April 15-16, 2019 at Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, CA.Les and Jessica are the principal Founding Directors of the
Alef Trust, a non-profit global learning provider which offers graduate education programs in consciousness studies, spirituality and transpersonal psychology, including Master’s and PhD programs accredited by UK universities.
Brian Les Lancaster is Professor Emeritus of Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Jewish Studies at Manchester University, UK. He is the author of The Essence of Kabbalah and other books on consciousness, neuroscience, and mysticism.
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CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY in JOURNALS
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Volume 50, 2019
Marcie Boucouvalas, JTP Editor
The two issues of The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology (Volume 50) are devoted to reflections on the historical development and future of Transpersonal Psychology. In the first issue, the names of authors are familiar to those in the field, including Roger Walsh, the late Francis Vaughn, Miles Vich, Ram Dass, Dwight Judy, David Lukoff, Stuart Sovatsky, Jim Fadiman, and Irene Sheiner Lazarus.
The second issue will be released soon and continues with additional articles reflecting on the history and future of transpersonal psychology and includes a Cumulative History of Book Reviews (1969-2018) and a report, cumulatively organized by Editorial Board member, on the section entitled “Books Our Editors Are Reading” from the first decade of the field. Future volumes will continue with subsequent decades.
ATP members have gratis access to all issues of The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology via the ATP website. Consider joining ATP and to have access to past and current issues of the journal.
The Humanistic Psychologist, Volume 47, Issue 2, 2019
Welcoming the Next Generation of Transpersonal Researchers and Scholars
Rosemarie Anderson, Special Issue Editor
The special issue features articles by:
- Hennie Geldenhuys (South Africa) on Transpersonal and Humanistic Research Ethics
- Gabriel Mihalache (USA/Romania) on Heuristic Inquiry as a Transpersonal Research Method
- Deborah Kelly (UK) on Asklepian Healing Practice & Therapeutic Space for the Dying
- Sheri Kling (USA) on Whitehead’s Metaphysics as a Philosophic Basis for Transpersonal Psychology
Book reviews include:
- Miles Vich (USA), reviewing The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Tutu, D., & Abrams, D. (Random House, 2016)
- Regina Hess (Germany), reviewing C. G. Jung on Nature, Technology and Modern Life edited by Meredith Sabini. (North Atlantic Books, 2008)
- Jay Dufrechou & Ryan Westrum (USA), reviewing Indigenous Healing Psychology by Richard Katz. (Inner Traditions, 2017)
- John Buchanan (USA), reviewing Participation and the Mystery by Jorge N. Ferrer. (SUNY Press, 2017)
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ATP CONFERENCE & RESEARCH EVENTS
Conference Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Transpersonal Psychology
April 12, 13 & 14, 2019
Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
The Association for Transpersonal Psychology (ATP) is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019. As a professional field, transpersonal psychology was established in 1969, when ATP was granted non-profit status and published the first issue of The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology.
The conference theme is
The Future of Transpersonal Psychology: Acknowledging the Past, Honoring the Present, and Envisioning the Future. Additional information is available at the ATP website:
http://www.atpweb.org/2019ATPConference.aspx. ATP warmly invites you to join us in this historic celebration.
© Photo Jenik Henrickson
The conference venue is
Asilomar Conference Grounds, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where many previous ATP conferences have been held.
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RESEARCH EVENTS
II International Symposium on Research
in Transpersonal Psychology—Brazil
40 Years of Transpersonal Psychology in Brazil:
Academic Production, Clinical Interventions & Collective Resilience
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Masterclass on Transpersonal Research Methods & Intuitive Inquiry
with Rosemarie Anderson
September 18, 2019
Sponsored by the MA Program in Applied Spirituality, Spirituality Institute
The Arrupe Room, Milltown Park Campus
Dublin6, Ireland
Masterclass is limited to 40 participants.
Book through EVENTBRITE at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transpersonal-research-methods-tickets-52291111121
Enter “Transpersonal Research” under Events to purchase a ticket.
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–TRC 2019 Paris–
TRANSPERSONAL RESEARCH METHODS
Engaging the Transformative Dimensions of Consciousness in Research
Call for Proposals Fourth Transpersonal Research Colloquium September 30-October 1, 2019 in Paris, France
Organized by the Transpersonal Research Network (TRN)
Following the XIX EUROTAS Conference, France, September 25-29, 2019
The TRC organizers and facilitators are delighted to announce the Fourth Transpersonal Research Colloquium (TRC) 2019 to be held in Paris. TRC Paris follows the 19th Annual EUROTAS Conference on September 25-29, 2019.
The theme for TRC 2019 is Transpersonal Research Methods: Engaging the Transformative Dimensions of Consciousness in Research. A spectrum of transformative approaches to research is now developing in many fields, reflecting a renewed spirit of collaboration within mainstream science and an emerging recognition that consciousness, research, and concrete applications are interrelated in the study of complex topics. In this era of collaboration, transpersonal researchers can offer unique experience and contribute to the development of transformative approaches to research throughout mainstream science. TRC 2019 Paris is dedicated to furthering this development and invites proposals that offer research methods and procedures that explore the transpersonal dimensions of consciousness in the conduct of research.
The final TRC 2019 Program will be co-constructed depending on accepted proposals. The presentation format will be collaborative with plenary and parallel sessions. Ample time will be provided for discussions and networking with other participants and for initiating new research projects. When available, the fee for the two-day colloquium will be posted on our website,
www.transpersonalresearchnetwork.com.
TRC 2019 at Forum 104,
Montparnasse, Paris
The venue for TRC 2019 is Forum 104, a cultural-spiritual association and charity founded in 1904 with a beautiful garden, located in Montparnasse in central Paris. There are plenty of restaurants and accommodations in the vicinity.
The TRC is co-sponsored by the EUROTAS Division of Transpersonal Research, Integral Transpersonal Institute (ITI, Italy), Sacred Science Circle, and the British Psychological Society Transpersonal Psychology Section.Warm regards, TRC Organizers & FacilitatorsRosemarie Anderson, Ph.D. (USA) Giovanna Calabrese, M.D., Ph.D., Psy.D. (Italy) Regina U. Hess, Ph.D. (Germany) Les Lancaster, Ph.D. (UK) Pier Luigi Lattuada, M.D., Ph.D., Psy.D. (Italy)
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