Navigating Consciousness with Rupert Sheldrake

In this talk, Rupert Sheldrake explores panentheism—the idea that the divine is not separate from the world but present throughout it, while also transcending it. With the grip of mechanistic materialism loosening, Rupert invites us to reconsider how we see nature, mind, and spirit. Tracing a broad arc from ancient philosophies and Christian mysticism to AI-generated worldviews, panpsychism, and psychedelics, he reflects on how the sacred presence in nature—-long affirmed by spiritual traditions-—is re-emerging through science, experience, and renewed practices of attention. Recorded at St James Church, Piccadilly, a longstanding hub for open spiritual inquiry and progressive theology in the heart of London.Rupert's SubstackLatest  articles, early access to videos, exclusive talks 

A dialogue with Marc Andrus, former Bishop of California, at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. Our ancestors' lives from birth to death were shaped and structured by spiritual traditions but today many people are no longer connected to religious festivals or practices.  This loss of religious faith in unprecedented, and in 2016 in the UK a survey showed that for the first time in history a majority of the population say they have no religion.  In this dialogue Rupert and Marc discuss the possibility of reconnecting through festivals, pilgrimages and sacred places. 

A dialogue with Marc Andrus, former Bishop of California, at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.  Many people who keep pets have experienced their ability to comfort and heal.  There is now a pet therapy movement where people take dogs and cats into hospices and children's hospitals, and the human animal bond can help many physical and mental issues.  In this dialogue Rupert and Marc discuss the many powers of animals and explore to what extent animals themselves live spiritual lives.

A dialogue with Marc Andrus, former Bishop of California, at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. European civilisation has been shaped in many ways by its Christian heritage. In the Middle Ages the Church started schools, universities and hospitals, and set up systems for caring for the sick and the poor. In the twentieth century, the hospice movement was started by Christians. Even the principles of democracy and human rights are rooted in the Christian doctrine that all people are equal before God. Yet these achievements are now widely seen as a triumph of secularism. What is going on?

Many traditions include holy days or ‘holidays' as days of festivity to celebrate and many traditional festivals revolve around the cycles of creation including solar and lunar cycles, harvests, death and rebirth.  Festivals help connect individuals and the community to the pulse of nature. Rupert and Marc explore the on-going relevance of festivals and holy days in the modern secular world.

A dialogue with Marc Andrus, former Bishop of California, at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. All Souls Day — the day of the dead — falls on November 2, and is particularly spectacular in Mexico. Hallowe'en, or All Hallows' Eve, is the eve of the festival of the dead, which starts with All Saints' Day on November 1.

In this episode of the "Rethinking Education" podcast, I join Dr. James Mannion to explore the state of modern education and its implications for science and spirituality. We discuss the dominance of the passive voice in science education, the impact of a moral vacuum, and the need for a more holistic, hands-on approach to learning. Drawing from my experiences, I argue for reimagining education to embrace interdisciplinary connections, practical engagement with nature, and a broader understanding of consciousness beyond the brain. Join us as we challenge the status quo and explore new ways of fostering curiosity and creativity in the classroom.Watch on YouTubehttps://youtu.be/lX3AyZy7oS4

In this episode, I join Praveen Mohan to explore the deep connections between science, consciousness, and spirituality. We delve into the purpose of ancient temples, the resurgence of pilgrimage in both India and Europe, and the implications of panpsychism and morphic resonance. This conversation offers fresh insights from my experiences living in India, discussing the mystical roots of sacred places with someone steeped in the culture. Tune in for a thoughtful exchange on how science and spirituality intersect and why challenging materialist paradigms can open new doors for understanding our reality.Watch on Praveen's Channel:https://youtu.be/zBEwy8cpt8M

In this interview with Dr. Marc Stollreiter for the Realizing God Online Summit, Rupert Sheldrake shares his journey from atheism to spiritual awakening, discussing the intersection of science and spirituality, the power of prayer, and the revival of pilgrimage in modern times.Attend the Summithttps://realizing-god.comRunning from 02/07/2025 - 02/16/2025, the summit includes workshops, Satsangs and interactive sessions led by esteemed spiritual guides from around the world.

Many cultures have rites of passage, especially for people entering adulthood.  Among many Native American communities boys often underwent a vision quest by going out into the wilderness alone and fasting.  Rites of passage for girls were generally quite different. Monastic retreats also offer a kind of vision quest although people on retreat do not have to encounter the external struggles of the physical landscape, but like the early hermits have to wrestle with internal struggles.  In this dialogue Marc and Rupert explore the potential for vision quests in the modern world.  

Watch the talk: https://youtu.be/dU0NIU5d4BIIn this conversation, Rupert Sheldrake and David Bentley Hart delve into the concept of fields in physics, discussing their nature as non-material formative causes and their historical context in scientific thought. They explore the idea that fields, such as gravitational and electromagnetic, act as top-down causes, aligning with Aristotle's formal and final causes, and argue for a re-evaluation of these ancient concepts in modern science.

Watch the talk: https://youtu.be/j91Er2Zh3j4Join Satish Kumar and Rupert Sheldrake in an expansive conversation covering death, reincarnation, the afterlife, cycles, intentional dying, NDEs and more. Hosted by Guy Hayward, this discussion delves into personal memories, cultural practices, and philosophical views on death and what lies beyond. Interview questions were designed in collaboration with death doula Sierra Campbell. Video recorded in Hampstead, London, Dec 7, 2023, by Leslie Knott (Tiger Nest Films), with audio editing by Lucy Martens.@rupertsheldrake @resurgencetrust @drguyhayward @pilgrimtrust @choosenurture @tigernestfilms @lucylnmartens 

Watch the full talk: https://iai.tv/video/discovering-the-world-beyond-science-rupert-sheldrakeDive into the fascinating world of chanting and its profound impact on personal and collective resonance. In this enlightening talk, we explore the vibratory power of mantras across different religious traditions. Through a series of simple experiments, discover the physical and spiritual resonance of chanting, from the basic "Amen" to the universal "Om," and learn how these sounds can transform our bodies, minds, and the spaces around us.

Video: https://youtu.be/v0i1xc-khTQAfter the amputation of a limb, most amputees experience a phantom limb in the place where their limb used to be. Subjectively, these phantoms feel real even though they do not behave like normal limbs and can be pushed through solid objects. The standard theory is that these phantoms are produced as illusions inside the brain, but Rupert suggests they may be the subjective experience of the fields of the missing limbs, which are located exactly where they seem to be. If so, the phantoms might interact with the fields of other people, and some types of healers may be particularly sensitive to them. Rupert discusses simple experiments that can reveal whether phantoms really are where they seem to be and remain part of the body-field even though the material limbs are no longer even present. This research has profound implications for our understanding of the relations between minds, body images and bodies.

March 20th, 2024 St. James's Church, LondonVideo: https://youtu.be/QuicgRaE7E8In this talk, Rupert Sheldrake explores the theme of finding God again, in an increasingly secular society. Drawing from personal experiences in India and his journey through various spiritual traditions, Rupert provides insights into anatheism, or returning to God, and how this process is unfolding in a post-Christian world. He touches on the connections between science and spirituality, the value of pilgrimage and sacred places, and the emerging concept of panpsychism, which considers consciousness as a fundamental quality in nature. An engaging Q&A session with the audience dives deeper into perennial philosophy, the role of feminine energy in Christianity, and the impact of psychedelics on spiritual practices. 

Most people have had the experience of waking soon before an alarm clock goes off and some can even wake before a specified time without an alarm. The usual assumption is that this depends on an exquisitely sensitive time sense, but Rupert argues that it may be explained better in terms of presentiment, or ‘feeling the future', or even in terms of an ‘extended present'. We already know that our sense of the present is not a mathematical instant, but has width, and perhaps it widens over ranges of seconds to include portions of the near future, Presentiment is now a well-established phenomenon in laboratory experiments, carried out at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Cornell University and elsewhere, and may be widely distributed among people and non-human animals. It could play an important part in everyday life, and become especially significant in fast-moving sports like downhill skiing, tennis and ping pong. Some people may make use of this ability in day trading where they make decisions on movements of the markets over very short time periods, sometimes only a few seconds. Rupert discusses how this ability could potentially be trained, enabling airline pilots and racing drivers to be better prepared for potential accidents, and helping some people to get rich quick – as some day traders already have – by using intuitive abilities that cannot be duplicated by computers. References____An Experiment with Timeby John William Dunnehttps://archive.org/details/AnExperimentWithTimeEbook____Listen to the Animals: Why did so many animals escape December's tsunami?https://www.sheldrake.org/tsunami____Predicting the unpredictable; evidence of pre-seismic anticipatory behaviour in the common toadhttps://www.sheldrake.org/toads____Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Homehttps://www.sheldrake.org/dogs____Unconscious Perception of Future Emotions: An Experiment in Presentimentby Dean Radin, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 163-180, 1997https://www.sheldrake.org/RadinPresentiment

March 18th, 2024University College London Expeditions and Fieldwork SocietyIn this talk given Rupert Sheldrake explores the allure of expeditions and fieldwork, delving into his own adventures exploring Mayan ruins in Mexico and studying tropical plants in Malaysia. Throughout the talk he illustrates how these experiences broadened his scientific and spiritual horizons, connecting this intrinsic human curiosity to our ancestral hunter-gatherer roots.

TEDx Whitechapel, Jan 12, 2013The theme for the night was Visions for Transition: Challenging existing paradigms and redefining values (for a more beautiful world). In response to protests from two hardcore materialists in the US, the talk was taken out of circulation by TED, relegated to a corner of their website and stamped with a warning label.Room for discussion was made, but those who condemned the talk never showed up. The vast majority of those who spoke out were outraged, including those who'd never heard of morphic resonance. Ironically, at the time of removal the video had a modest 35,000 views on YouTube; since then, its clones have been watched over 7 million times. The video has been translated into 24 languages by generous members of the YouTube community. Read more: https://www.sheldrake.org/ted

Modelled on the BBC radio series, this long-standing local programme was produced live by a group in Hampstead, London, in 2023. As the castaway  on a theoretical desert island, Rupert could bring with him eight pieces of music (listed below), a few books, and one luxury item.1:07 If you had not been a scientist what would you have been?2:27 Getting to the island4:47 Bach, Mass in B minor (Gloria)7:25 Purcell, Music for a While 16:47 Monteverdi, Madrigal24:33 Beatles, Because36:41 Subbulakshi, Devotional Song45:07 Mozart, Laudate Dominum54:55 Cosmo Sheldrake, Solar Walz1:03:19 Tallis, Salvator Mundi, Hampstead Parish Church ChoirSome music was cut for copyright reasons, or poor audio quality.Here's the playlist on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQNvVzO_W4EzTopdM6ZxrrYBQoIvhxNGe

A lecture for the Psychedelic Research Society at the University of Sussex, Nov 6th, 2023.https://www.facebook.com/sussex.uni.psychesociety/

This was recorded at the Beyond the Brain 2023 conference, by The Scientific and Medical Network: https://scientificandmedical.net/Video is also available here: https://youtu.be/KyNgE6RsGnwIain McGilchrist and Rupert Sheldrake delve into a spectrum of profound subjects, touching upon the essential role of spirituality in human endeavors, the revitalization of spiritual practices, and the fundamental structure of the cosmos. They discuss panpsychism's implications for the interconnection of consciousness and matter, the enduring nature of memory, the archetypal forms that underpin our reality, and the subtle energy fields that animate existence. The conversation also navigates the terrain of values and the purpose they serve in our lives.

Episode 4 of the online course How To Transform the Sciences: Six Potential Breakthroughshttps://www.sheldrake.org/online-coursesAround 2015, scientists were shocked to find that most papers in high-prestige peer-reviewed scientific journals are not reproducible. In one study of papers in prestigious biomedical journals, 90% could not be replicated, and in experimental psychology more than 60%. This crisis partly arises from systematic biases that Rupert discusses in his chapter on ‘Illusions of Objectivity' in The Science Delusion (2012, new edition 2020; in the US this book is called Science Set Free), including the selective observation and reporting of results, and perverse incentives for scientists and journals to publish striking positive findings. The crisis continues to roll on, as shown, for example, by an editorial in Nature, December 2021, about un-reproducible results in cancer biology.All this is relatively straightforward, but Rupert suggests that some experiments may also involve direct mind-over-matter effects. It has long been known that experimenters can influence their experimental results through their expectations, in so-called ‘experimenter expectancy effects', which is why many clinical trials, psychological and parapsychological experiments are carried out under blind or double-blind conditions.In most other fields of science, experimenter effects are ignored and blind methodologies are rarely employed. Rupert suggests that in addition to the usual sources of bias, experimenters may also influence experiments psychokinetically, through direct mind-over-matter effects. Scientists may be particularly prone to this source of error because most scientists believe psychokinesis is impossible, and hence take no precautions against it. They practise unprotected science. Rupert proposes experiments on experiments to test for the effects of experimenters' hopes and expectations.ReferencesReferences____A Dream, or the Astronomy of the MoonJohann Kepler, published posthumously in 1634 by his sonhttps://sheldrake.org/somnium____Rupert's essay The Replicability Crisis in Sciencehttps://sheldrake.org/replicability____Bad PharmaBen GoldacreFourth Estate, 2012https://sheldrake.org/badpharma____Artifacts in Behavioral ResearchRobert Rosenthal and Ralph L. Rosnow, Oxford University Press, 2009https://sheldrake.org/rosenthal____Over half of psychology studies fail reproducibility testhttps://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2015.18248____Differential indoctrination of examiners and Rorschach responseshttps://psycnet.apa.org/record/1965-12396-001____A longitudinal study of the effects of experimenter bias on the operant learning of laboratory ratshttps://psycnet.apa.org/record/1965-01547-001____Could Experimenter Effects Occur in the Physical and Biological Sciences?Skeptical Inquirer 22(3), 57-58 May / June 1998https://sheldrake.org/skepticalinquirer98____Quantum‐Mechanical Random‐Number Generator https://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.1658698------Dr Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. At Cambridge University, as a Fellow of Clare College, he was Director of Studies in biochemistry and cell biology. As the Rosenheim Research Fellow of the Royal Society, he carried out research on the development of plants and the ageing of cells, and together with Philip Rubery discovered the mechanism of polar auxin transport. In India, he was Principal Plant Physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, where he helped develop new cropping systems now widely used by farmers. He is the author of more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and his research contributions have been widely recognized by the

Esalen, California, 1992. A cultural history of utopianism. Surges of utopian renewal. The trinitarian utopian model. Are the utopian and millenarian movements tendencies of the European mind in reaction to Christianity? Millenarians are dominated by the apocalyptic idea. How have these trends influenced the trialoguers? The Marxist utopian model. Scientific utopianism. Liberal political utopianism. New age and psychedelic utopianism. A mathematical utopia. 2012 - the end of history? What is the connection between the Archaic Revival and the Timewave? Is millenarianism an anti-progressive force? Origins and end-points. Utopianism is reasonable if we can change our minds. Our role as care-takers of the world. Is time speeding up? A fractal model of time. A model of history that shows catastrophic transformations to new equilibria. Self-fulfilling prophecies. Does the Omega Point concern the entire cosmos or is it limited to human destiny on earth? A vision of a world revived through animism, mathematical vision, stellar communication and psychedelics. Questions and answers: Large scale vacuum fluctuation. The birth of universe. Life after death. Ralph considers new forms of trialoguing and teaching the trialogue idea. Related BookChapter 10 of The Evolutionary Mindhttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-evolutionary-mind

A seminar at Cambridge University, June 2023

Hazelwood, Devon, England, June 1993Ralph tells a fractal story and explains how fractal models can illuminate our understanding of the world. Applying fractals to individual psychology.. The need for chaos and disorder in the personality. Multiple personality 'dischaos'. A 'sandy beach' model of the mind. Therapeutic strategies to increase chaos. The need to restore pantheism. A mathematical model for monogamy. Order and chaos must be balanced. Multiple attractors at the end of time. A polytheistic psychology. The unity within polytheistic systems.. Cultures and individuals need fractal rather than rigid boundaries. A fractal cosmos. The mystery of the Holy Trinity. The loss of unity through rigid boundaries. How can we fractalize our boundaries and create unity? Psychedelics, meditation, travel, tantra and chanting. Returning to the pre-verbal mode of expression. What about people whose boundaries are too low already? The cure to boundary anxiety can be found within. Is there any culture that has managed to avoid 'dischaos'? Questions and answers: The Aristotelian perspective of modern science needs to be balanced by the Platonic. Maths anxiety. Chaos is a kind of order and vice versa. Jung's deconstruction of Yahweh. The sacred trinity of the goddess. Recovering the aboriginal state of consciousness. Cultural taboos.Related BookChapter 7 of The Evolutionary Mindhttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-evolutionary-mind

Esalen, California, 1992. The ancient view of the universe as alive. The anima mundi. The fall into the deterministic and mechanistic worldview. How this view is now being transcended. The recovery of the sense of the life of nature and of the heavens. Creativity and morphic resonance in nature. Resacralizing the earth through seasonal festivals and pilgrimage. Linking astronomy and astrology and resacralizing the heavens. Is the universe somehow conscious? Contacting celestial intelligences. Elizabethan star magic and the concept of the great chain of being. Are the contents of our imagination somehow real? Organismic philosophy and the re-infusion of spirit into nature. Re-animating the cosmos. The different levels of intelligence in the universe, and possible techniques for communicating with them. Channelling the stars. A synthesis of astrology and astronomy. Guiding intelligences. Questions and answers: The need to engage with the environment. Light and energy as a manifestation of spirit. Various ways to invoke stellar deities. Long barrows. The feeling of reverence for the heavens. The sky as teacher. The consciousness of the sun. Imagination as the source of creativity in nature. Renaissance magic. Related BookThe Evolutionary Mindhttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-evolutionary-mind

1995, Esalen InstituteThe apocalyptic tradition: paranoid self-fulfilling prophecy or an intuition of instability? Stripping the provincialism from apocalyptic messages. Apocalyptic scenarios, including the 'God-whistle' theory. The ecological catastrophe as the appropriate interpretation of the Apocalypse. Steering the Apocalypse toward a tolerable conclusion. The power of faith. Big Bang cosmology as a projection of the Judaeo-Christian model of history. The fate of the sun. The projection of the Apocalypse in 2012. Ecological catastrophe and forces of novelty that may create planetary metamorphosis. Global crucifixion. The recovery of Eden. The personal apocalypse: a glimpse of post-mortal life. Interplanetary morphic resonance. The green version of the apocalyptic vision.Related BookChaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousnesshttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousness

The Scientific and Medical Network (SMN) is a worldwide professional community and membership organisation for open-minded, rigorous and evidence-based enquiry into themes bridging science, spirituality and consciousness. It promotes a cultural shift in our understanding of reality and human experience beyond the limits imposed by exclusively materialist and reductionist approaches. 2023 is the Network's 50th Golden Jubilee.https://scientificandmedical.net/

Hollyhock, 2008Andrew Weil, MD, is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, an approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Rupert and Andrew had a series of conversations over eight years at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC, Canada. In this talk they discuss Rupert's stabbing in Santa Fe, epigenetics, the broken US healthcare system, fasting, laughter yoga, Dr Weil as a brand, and many other topics still relevant today.

Hollyhock, 2011Andrew Weil, MD, is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, an approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Rupert and Andrew had a series of conversations over eight years at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC, Canada. In this talk they discuss the rise in gluten sensitivity and autism, amongst a variety of medical mysteries. 

Part of an online course on potential scientific breakthroughs:https://www.sheldrake.org/online-coursesIn this talk Rupert discusses new ways in which the hypothesis of morphic resonance can be tested, including with holistic quantum systems like Bose-Einstein condensates, with new materials like high-temperature superconductors, through experiments on cellular adaptation to toxins and heat stress, in experiments on learning in non-human animals, including nematode worms and fruit flies, and with popular online puzzles like Wordle.The implications of these tests, if successful, would be very far reaching, and could lead to new understandings of physical phenomena like the melting points of crystals, which would depend on influences from previous similar crystals, rather than on timeless laws. In biology, morphic resonance from past organisms would play an essential role in heredity, in addition to genes and epigenetic modifications of gene expression. In humans, collective memory would facilitate learning and problem-solving, and morphic resonance would underlie what the psychologist Jung called ‘the collective unconscious'._References_Mind, Memory, and Archetype: Morphic Resonance and the Collective Unconscioushttps://sheldrake.org/memoryRat Learning and Morphic Resonancehttps://sheldrake.org/ratsThe Flynn effecthttps://james-flynn.net/The Sound of a Hidden Orderhttps://www.nature.com/articles/498041aA reprogrammable mechanical metamaterial with stable memoryhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03123-5Evidence for unconventional superconductivity in twisted trilayer graphenehttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04715-zAntiferromagnetic half-skyrmions and bimerons at room temperaturehttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03219-6Conditioned aversionhttps://dictionary.apa.org/conditioned-aversionAn Experimental Test of the Hypothesis of Formative Causationhttps://sheldrake.org/roseSteven Rose's 'A hypothesis disconfirmed' refuted by Ruperthttps://sheldrake.org/rose-refutedThe Hill Effect as a Test for Morphic Resonancehttps://sheldrake.org/essays/the-hill-effect-as-a-test-for-morphic-resonance

Are disincarnate and non-human entities mental projections or non-physical, autonomous entities? What can we learn from them? Their variety and persistence in human history. Early modern science and angelic communication. The shamanic model. The aversion to the irrational in Christianity and science. The need to analyze the entities' messages. A mathematical model of body, soul and spirit. Entities as inhabitants of the spiritual domain of the logos. The evolution of their multifarious representations. The dogma of purgatory. Contacting these entities through dreams and psychedelics. The deepest layers of the faery tradition. Metaphors of light? Entities as artificers and their use of language. Is the world soul behind these entities? Corn circles. The call to prepare language for these encounters. Experiential contact with the celestial sphere. The humanist illusion of self-sufficiency, leading to societal possession. Mammon. A celestial battle on earth? Redirecting attention to the positive forms. The ultimate partnership - reconnecting the Gaian and celestial spheres to the human spirit. Where could the new alchemical kingdom be?From the book:Chaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousness first published as Trialogues at the Edge of the West, Chapter 6. https://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousness0:00Terence12:40Ralph18:17Terence20:55Ralph23:20Terence26:05Ralph30:41Terence31:22Rupert35:10Terence39:54Rupert... 

1995, Esalen InstituteThe idea of an attractor for the entire cosmic evolutionary process. The role of the attractor in chaos dynamics. Motivation and attraction. The value of spoken language. Mathematical modelling. The relationship between mathematical models with chaotic behaviour and the chaos in life. Idolatry and models becoming reality. The feminine aspect of creativity.Related BookChaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousnesshttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousness

1995, Esalen InstituteThe chaos revolution, chaotic attractors and indeterminism in nature. The emergence of form from the field of chaos. The formative process in cooling. Is the mathematical realm of the world soul in co-evolution with ordinary reality? The potential of mathematics to aid us in our own evolution by extending our language for dealing with complex systems. Visual intuitions and the Butterfly Effect.Related BookChaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousnesshttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousness

The second of a series of six talks on potential scientific breakthroughs:https://www.sheldrake.org/online-coursesRupert proposed a new hypothesis of cellular rejuvenation in an article in Nature in 1974, and in 2023 published a review article entitled ‘Cellular Senescence, Rejuvenation and Potential Immortality' in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, summarising results of recent research, which support his hypothesis. In this talk he gives an overview of this hypothesis, which applies to cells of all kinds, including bacteria and yeasts as well as plants and animals, and he shows how it sheds new light on the nature of stem cells. In mammals, embryonic stem cells have a special property that enables them to divide indefinitely without senescing and Rupert suggests that cancerous transformations involve the hijacking of this embryonic stem cell system. He suggests ways in which this hypothesis could be tested, and shows how it could lead to new approaches in cancer therapy – by blocking the rejuvenative system that cancers have acquired. If this system were inhibited, then cancer cells might senesce like most other somatic cells and become less virulent. References____Sheldrake, R. (1974). The ageing, growth and death of cells. Nature, 250, 381-385.https://www.sheldrake.org/ageing____Sheldrake, R. (2022) Cellular Senescence Rejuvenation and Potential Immortality. Proceeding of the Royal Society B, 289, 20212434https://www.sheldrake.org/immortality____Nine open questions suggested by the cellular rejuvenation hypothesis, and ways of answering them empirically (Supplementary to the above paper in Proc. Royal Soc. B)https://rs.figshare.com/ndownloader/files/34255402

Despite decades of research, no one knows how birds navigate to destinations hundreds of miles away. Rupert suggests that there is a field-mediated sense of direction through which they are attracted towards their goals. This is the first of a series of six talks on potential breakthroughs in the sciences released as an online course here:https://www.sheldrake.org/online-coursesRelated book:Seven Experiments That Could Change the Worldhttps://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/seven-experiments-that-could-change-the-worldReferences____Satellite Tracking of Wandering AlbatrossesJouventin,P. and Weimerskirsch, H. 1990. Nature 343, 745-748.____Perdeck, Albert C.Two Types of Orientation in Migrating Starlings, Sturnus yulgaris L., and Chaffinches, Fringilla coelebs L., as Revealed by Displacement Experiments. Ardea, 55(1–2) : 1-2.____Netherlands Ornithologists' Unionhttps://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v1i2.p1____Magnetic Fields 1750-1980 Bloxham, J. and Gubbins, D. 1985. The secular variation of tye earth's magnetic field. Nature 317, 778-781.____World War 1 Pigeon Loft Photospublic domain____Mobile Loft Experiment at Coldham hall, Suffolk, 1989With Robbie Robson of Bury St. Edmunds Racing Pigeon ClubPhoto by: Jill Purce____Dutch Navel Pigeon ExperimentHNLMS TydemanJune, 1995Filmed by: Louis van Gasteren, Gregor Meerman and Jacqueline van Vugt 

1998, UC Santa CruzThe fractal idea of history, and millenia as the plateaus of history. These bifurcation periods as opportunities to influence the creation of the future. What kind of future or change are we trying to create? The need for the enhancement and spread of clarity. Psychic pets and their role in breaking the spell of rationalism. Psychedelics, the World Wide Web and psychic pets as forms of boundary dissolution. The need for change in the educational system. The problem of the rejection of mathematics. Related BookChaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousnesshttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousness

1998, UC Santa Cruz"In the same way that the daughter of Zeus sprang full-blown from his forehead, the AI may be upon us without warning."- Terence McKennaA discussion on the evolution of consciousness as it relates to machines. Symbolic logic, nanotechnology and the possibility of a synthetic superintelligence. Terence compares the advent of superintelligent AI to the advent of language. Virtual computers as a route for AI to escape controls. How much control do we have in the evolution of machine intelligence? Quantum computers as a superior medium.Related BookThe Evolutionary Mindhttps://sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/the-evolutionary-mindTerence predicts virtual computers... children can now build virtual computers in Minecraft:https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Tutorials/Redstone_computersNo Linux? No problem. Just get AI to hallucinate it for youhttps://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/12/openais-new-chatbot-can-hallucinate-a-linux-shell-or-calling-a-bbs/

Hollyhock, 2006Andrew Weil, MD, is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, an approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Rupert and Andrew had a series of conversations over eight years at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC, Canada.

This is an extract from Rupert's workshop with Brother David Steindl-Rast at Hollyhock, Cortes Island, BC in August, 2011.00:00   Brother David Steindl-Rast: Making a thing out of the soul; AI Sentience 04:08   Rupert Sheldrake: Golem/Frankenstein myths and robot consciousness07:07   Rupert: Analog computers as possible framework for machine consciousness07:57   David: So it is possible?08:23   Rupert: Promissory Materialism will "prove" that people are machines 09:04   Rupert: The genome wager with Lewis Wolpert 14:13   David: Science as limited faith, one without hope15:00   Audience: if Science and Faith both seek truth, they must converge15:41   Rupert: we all have implicit biases; materialists in particular have huge blindspots17:31   Audience: Truth emerging like a flower17:54   Rupert: Institutionalized science, grants, educational conformity19:32   David: How can you do it?19:36   Rupert: I was forced to work independently, not recommended21:04   Rupert's excommunication by Nature Editor John Maddox22:29   Rupert: Pluralism in politics, but not science "we know the truth"24:13   David: Questioning establishment power25:32   Audience: A rebirth of creative thinking?25:43   Rupert: Trouble with the academic system; funding reform; medical system fatigue; alternative therapies29:10   Audience: Morphic resonance, homeopathy, interpersonal neurobiology, setting science free30:17   Rupert: Comparative effectiveness research, pragmatic medical systems, most scientists are from Eastern cultures (India, China)32:35   Audience: What if you talked to a radical cosmologist?32:48   Rupert: Mainstream cosmology IS radical, multi-verse theory, laws of nature must be fixed34:58   Rupert: Martin Reese's simpler hypothesis "get's rid of God"36:09   Rupert: Stars being conscious too much for Martin Reese37:48   Rupert: Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, creation story, popularized science, natural philosophy

This is an extract from Rupert's workshop with Brother David Steindl-Rast at Hollyhock, Cortes Island, BC in August, 2011.

Hollyhock, 2006Andrew Weil, MD, is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, an approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Rupert and Andrew had a series of conversations over eight years at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC, Canada.

Hollyhock, 2005Andrew Weil, MD, is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, an approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Rupert and Andrew had a series of conversations over eight years at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC, Canada.

Hollyhock, 2004Andrew Weil, MD, is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, an approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Rupert and Andrew had a series of conversations over eight years at Hollyhock, on Cortes Island, BC, Canada.

Rupert's appearance on the DemystifySci podcast. Video available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxOs8pDjnqkAnastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Michael Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. 

After more than a hundred hours of private conversations on Zoom, Rupert and physicist turned neuroscientist Alex Gómez-Marín meet in person to discuss some of their favourite themes.In this new installment, Rupert and Alex reflect on the scientific enterprise itself. Starting by acknowledging that new paradigms are near but never quite seem to make it, they address some of the deep reactionary forces that oppose such changes. This leads beyond the naïve understanding that science is just about data; core assumptions can make evidence irrelevant. Science must then be observed also from a sociological and historical perspective – the politics of knowledge are at stake. Deeper roots may be found in The Reformation: the current dogmatic materialist worldview is a kind of amnesic Protestantism squared. The conversation then leads to the obvious but non-trivial point that scientific facts are literally made, involving a consensus amongst experts who share the same model of reality. Other models (and other experts) are excluded. In that sense, Science (with capital S) is probably too Catholic. The future scientist will not have an easy time. And yet, all those minority reports are of majority interest.This conversation was held on December 8th 2022 at Rupert's house in London.Dr Alex Gomez-Marin, PhD, is a Spanish theoretical physicist turned neuroscientist. He was a research fellow at the EMBL Center for Genomic Regulation and at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Lisbon. He is currently the head of the Behavior of Organisms Laboratory at the Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, as an Associate Professor of the Spanish Research Council. He is also the director of The Pari Center in Italy. https://behavior-of-organisms.org

A three-way conversation, or trialogue, in two parts.Part 2 Festivals, a calendrical reform and 'pharmacological intervention'. Oscillating models of chaos, creativity and the imagination. Eleusis as a great turning point. The Virgin of Guadalupe. The Faustian pact with the physical world. The cultural cul-de-sac of the dominator mode. Restoring partnership values, opening our lives to chaos and the world soul. Chaos as Gaian fury and as a moment of opportunity. A forward escape into technology? Included in Chaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousness first published as Trialogues at the Edge of the West Chapter 3. This Trialogue and others are available in book form:https://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousnessRalph Abraham, PhD, is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, author, and pioneer in the fields of Chaos theory, computer graphics, visual mathematics and dynamical systems. Terence McKenna was an ethnopharmacologist, shamanologist, and author, known for his theories on plant hallucinogens and the novelty wave, and the bardic skill with which he conveyed his ideas. Sadly Terence died aged 53 on April 3, 2000.

After more than a hundred hours of private conversations on Zoom,  Rupert and physicist turned neuroscientist Alex Gómez-Marín meet in person to discuss some of their favourite themes.In this installment, they address the problem of memory localization. Rather than taking for granted that memories are "stored" inside our heads and rushing to speculate about where and how, they instead entertain the idea that memories could be both everywhere and nowhere in particular -- memories are in time, not in space. To make such thoughts more thinkable, they discuss the recurrent historical failures to find actual memory traces in brains and bring forth some of the pioneering ideas of the French philosopher Henri Bergson in the context of current neuroscience. They also discuss concrete experiments to test such hypotheses and reflect more widely on the nature of form and the idea that the laws of nature may be more like habits than eternal edicts. They end by discussing the need for scientific pluralism.You can listen to a former Sheldrake & Gomez-Marin encounter on The Future Scientist conversation series here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpr0QP4Qcvk ... and a plea for a Bergsonian neuroscience here :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQxNlot9SxU&t=9sThis conversation was held on December 8th 2022 at Rupert's house in London.Gomez-Marin's sitehttps://behavior-of-organisms.org

A three-way conversation, or trialogue, in two parts.Part I How can chaos theory and full access to the imagination aid us in our understanding of the world and in the creation of our future? Chaos in mythology. The repression of chaos, the rise of patriarchy and the fall into history. The chaos revolution. Bringing chaos tangential to the burning planet. Vision plants and shamanism. Our 'secret history' and how it relates to the Gaian mind. The creative act as the night sea journey. The living mystery of the imagination. Dominator and partnership culture. Included in Chaos, Creativity and Cosmic Consciousness first published as Trialogues at the Edge of the West Chapter 3.This Trialogue and others are available in book form:https://www.sheldrake.org/books-by-rupert-sheldrake/chaos-creativity-and-cosmic-consciousnessRalph Abraham, PhD, is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, author, and pioneer in the fields of Chaos theory, computer graphics, visual mathematics and dynamical systems. Terence McKenna was an ethnopharmacologist, shamanologist, and author, known for his theories on plant hallucinogens and the novelty wave, and the bardic skill with which he conveyed his ideas. Sadly Terence died aged 53 on April 3, 2000.

This is an excerpt from an episode of the Spiritually Incorrect Podcast, with JD Lyonhart and Seth Hart.https://www.spirituallyincorrectpodcast.comJD Lyonhart is a fellow at the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism and an Assistant Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Lincoln Christian University.Seth Hart is a PhD candidate in science and theology at the University of Durham. He holds masters in theology from Oxford, Regent College, and Johnson University.