Christopher Hitchens, Deepak Chopra, and a bad time to go surfing.
I recently found myself in the unique circumstance of being simultaneously moved and inspired by the works of Deepak Chopra and Christopher Hitchens. In fact, I was awestruck by the congruence, sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, between their seemingly disparate philosophies.
For those unfamiliar, Christopher Hitchens was an accomplished author and journalist and one of the world’s top public intellectuals. His book God is Not Great is a near flawless critique of organized religion and the harm that it has inflicted on the world. In it he debunks the myth and power of organized religion and, among other things, he accuses religion of exploiting the fear of death. Death is too often employed as a trump card, used to implore people to submit to a belief system and relinquish their reasonability and scepticism. Without this fear religion’s “grip on human intelligence” would surely be loosened.
Deepak Chopra is an endocrinologist and one of the world’s pre-eminent thinkers and writers on the subject of mind-body medicine and alternative health and healing. Exceptionally prolific and sometimes controversial, he has occasionally raised the ire of materialists and clergy alike by crossing into their “turf” in his exploration of the confluence of science and spirituality.
I was in the process of rereading Deepak’s Life After Death: the Burden of Proof when I found my self becoming agitated and unable to read on. I called a friend and we decided to go surf a few waves on a break a few hundred metres from my home. A hurricane was scheduled to arrive later in the afternoon, and the plan was to surf the swell that preceded it. My friend
arrived and we headed to the beach, with only one board between us we decide to take turns. After a series of miscalculations and blunders, not the least of which was a miscalculation of the arrival time of said hurricane, I found myself swallowing water and being swept out to sea by a current that I quickly became too weak to resist. Bobbing and gasping in the wind chop I experienced a variety of physical, psychological, and spiritual contortions that I would later find were common in near death experiences. But as luck would have it, the friend I had called was a fine swimmer, and a pretty good life guard, and he was able to reach me and drag me back to shore in time for me to collapse in a big lump and vomit on his feet. Based on that gracious little gesture, and the fact that I am much heavier out of the water than in, I had to make the rest of the journey to a warm bed on my own steam, mostly on all fours.
It took a surprisingly long time to recover from all of this (weeks), my energy was sapped and I spent a lot of time laying down. A few days after my unfortunate swim I happened upon a recording of Hitchens debating Tony Blair on the subject of religion. It was a little like watching a lion batting around a lamb as he works up an appetite. Hitchens gave a voice to all my doubts and misgivings around religion and spirituality. He shone the light of truth and reason on magical thinking, ritual, propaganda, and papal deceit. Particularly poignant was his argument that religion was guilty of using fear of death as a means of control. It was cathartic, it actually left me with a feeling that I can only describe as spiritual cleanliness, as though my soul had just had a good scrubbing.
Although his cancer diagnosis did not bring the expected conversion to Catholicism that some of his detractors had hoped for, it did bring the issue of death and dying to the forefront of his mind; and Hitchens, with trademark wit, honesty, and courage, related a very intimate account of this experience in his writing. This exploration has opened the door for a variety of new and interesting conversations. Hitchens stated that it is our ability to relate to and appreciate the transmaterial that truly distinguishes us from mere primates. Our experience of the numinous, transcendent, and ecstatic are humbling, and a reminder that there are still many mysteries left to explore. Although he argues from a materialist and antitheist perspective, his reverence for the miracle of life and existence is as moving as any that I have heard from the faithful.
As I was processing the Hitchens Blair debate I picked up my copy of Life After Death and opened the dog-eared page that I had slammed shut several weeks before; a small blue flick of pen marked the last words I had read: a passage on near death experiences and drowning. The blue mark stared back at me, and I stared at it, coincidences such as this are hard to ignore, and my mind raced to calculate the odds. As I contemplated my little mystery, I was struck feeling of lightness and a flash of insight as I contemplated the congruence of my experience, Deepak’s book, and the recording of Hitchens. Like Hitchens, Chopra refers to the images relayed by the Hubble telescope and the complexity and perfection of the double helix as evidence that there is still much power and mystery in the universe that lies beyond the realm of our understanding. He argues that cutting edge science and quantum theory actually point to the existence of a higher consciousness and that our life and death experience is actually the experience of folding in and out of the collective consciousness. He attempts to disprove the finality of death from a philosophical, scientific, and metaphorical point of view. My own brush with death, the second in my life, had left me feeling peaceful and free from fear.
It became my strong belief that a conversation between these authors, two of the greatest minds of our time, would lead to the creation of powerful new knowledge and understanding; and the world would be a distinctly better place because of it. I set out to arrange a public discussion. Hitchens and Chopra would explore the philosophical and practical alternatives to that fear, they would follow the threads of the numinous, the transcendent, the ecstatic, and consciousness as they explored the realm of the transempirical in an attempt to uncover truths and new perspectives. The bridges they would build would help deepen the experience of both spiritualists and materialists and would serve to spur public discourse on this issue in bold new directions. The element that would make this dialogue powerful and unique would be found in the places where they saw eye to eye: in the pursuit of truth and wisdom, a preference for scientific and evidence based reasoning and deduction, similar beliefs around the plight of women and poverty, the link between sexual repression and other social ills, and a distain for organized religion, cults, and the perils of blind faith. Most importantly, both have consistently demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the pursuit of truth and wisdom. This pursuit has often led them into places that their fans and critics may not have expected or appreciated, in fact, the only thing predictable about what either will say is that he will genuinely mean it, and ample evidence of this is available in their throughout their careers.
Hitchens succumbed to his cancer on December 15th of this year. The world lost a rare voice and a public intellectual who was never afraid to speak his truth. My dream of bringing Hitchens and Chopra together in the same room for a conversation will never come to fruition but, more than ever, I feel this idea needs to come forth: There are indeed great mysteries left to explore, and in their pursuit we will find meaning and truth more valuable and sacred than any church or materialist dare promise. My experience left me with an overwhelming feeling that within the confluence of science and spirituality we will discover a freedom from the fear of death, and with it a further dissipation of our tendencies toward anxiety, consumption, and violence. It is in the exploration of the meaning and mysteries of life and all of its complex relationships that we find the deepest meaning, and more and more we are becoming a society that finds value and comfort in meaningful experience. We live in a world that is becoming less and less violent, more prone to peace and stability. We are becoming less and less able to find meaning and purpose in our consumerism, conflicts and wars, and more and more capable of valuing meaning in the camaraderie and connection that we experience with other humans from around the globe.
A growing number of scientists and spiritualists are peering over the wall that divides them and looking in earnest at the wisdom of the other. As we contemplate the possibilities of 2012 and beyond, let us not loose faith in the amazing creative potential of the human spirit. Let us renew our commitment to truth, be courageous in our exploration of the unknown, and be compassionate in our treatment of those we meet along the way. Everything we need to create a better world for ourselves and others is within us. As I write this I can, with much gratitude to Hitchens and Chopra, say that I am not afraid of death, and I am damned glad to be alive.
It is an inevitable fact of life in the complex, churning, dynamic, world of business: at some point company leaders will face tough choices, and the growth and survival of the organization will seem at odds with their core values, beliefs and passions.
Far too often the sense of urgency surrounding the immediate needs of the business trumps the long term commitments we would like to make to community, co-workers, and the environment. Decisions are quickly made, and we move on, albeit with a slight adjustment to the moral compass. As time goes by these deviations can add up, and the result can be discouraging and demoralizing.
When a company breaks that pattern it is worth mentioning. I recently had the pleasure of discovering such a company in Ascenta, and caught up with its CEO Marc St- Onge, over lunch in Nova Scotia. A committed environmentalist, St- Onge built his company from the ground up. A great inspiration to all who get to know their organization, Ascenta is values driven and an extraordinary example of corporate stewardship in action.
“I’ve always been conscious of how we impact the environment,” says St- Onge, “and Ascenta has a commitment to the environment. It’s who we are as a corporation.”
Protecting and restoring the environment is at the heart and soul of Ascenta. Since its inception they have made sure that all of their practices are environmentally sound, from energy conservation, to sustainable raw materials, resource management, and recyclable packaging. Ascenta is also the first natural health products manufacturer to become a member of 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of its annual sales to environmental causes worldwide.
A committed meditator, St-Onge is unusually calm and soft spoken for a CEO. Over the course of a lengthy conversation about corporate stewardship, integrity, green-washing, and the environment (a few of his favorite topics), he exudes passion and commitment, but never anger or self-righteousness. He is proud of his company, and derives a sense of purpose and peace from the direction he has taken over the last decade.
The next time your organization is faced with a choice between ‘right’ and ‘right for now,’ step back, try to see the bigger picture, and go deeper for guidance. Don’t allow the day to day business of survival to reset your moral compass. Make time to go deeper and check in with yourself, and remember that ultimately you are in control of your reality and the choices you make.
Sleep is an essential emeelnt to keep life going, nothing else matters. We spend about one-third of our lives asleep, nearly 3,000 hours per year. Unfortunately, one out of every four Americans reports getting sleep less than 7 hours per night daily during the work week, which works out to about an hour and a half less than a century ago.
The metaphor between humans and art is interesting. In art, we try to illustrate a state, an emotion, a moment, something intangible, something lager than words and image, something formless. We feel compelled to illustrate a “knowing” that comes from an infinite field of possibilities. We illustrate it the best we can, but we know that it can only come close to being “it”, it will never be it. As human beings, we are like art, an illustration of something bigger, something larger than this human life. Our true self is that ultimate knowing, the field of pure potential. Our human identity is an expression of who we are, it is not who we are. I am the field of endless possibilities, of pure potential, choosing to express in this unique form that is Anne. But Anne is an expression of who I Am, it is not who I Am, you see? We see that there is no separation between all the processes we engage in and the process of human unfolding. It is one and the same. We see that there is one reality with many different levels of manifestation.Tweet>
What does it mean to be the conscious author of our own life? As we look at quantum physique and consciousness studies, it is now apparent that our beliefs, thoughts, words and actions have a direct role in creating our reality: our actions and words are dictated by our thoughts and our thoughts are molded by our beliefs and values. As they swirl in our consciousness, our beliefs and values, partly shaped by years of social conditioning, send, most of the time, the same unconscious signals to our bodies and out into the field. A lot of those unconscious signals are vital like the ones that tell our heart to beat or our legs to run when danger is present. But a number of those signals were acquired and don’t serve us anymore, like the ones that prevent us from trying something new.
Becoming the conscious author of our life requires us, as a first step, to notice those habitual patterns as they come up. How do we do that? There are many introspective tools out there that help in brining attention to our habitual patterns. One I like using is to pause before I speak or take action, take a deep breath and become the observer of the situation. I try to see the situation from a subjective 3rd party observer, with the ego out of the way. By doing so, I can choose to engage my habitual response or choose differently. Deepak Chopra calls this the “observer response” or the “intuitive response”: instead of having habitual responses create our reality, we can choose, moment to moment, what it is that we want to project out into the world, and what kind of experiences we want to attract. What we send out is what we will receive. Therefore, a second useful step towards becoming the conscious author is to surround ourselves with people, thoughts and experiences that relate to the kind of life and world we want. For example, if you want to become a painter, go to galleries and art openings and mingle with painters and art lovers. If you want more peace in your life, consciously choose to be around peaceful people in peaceful spaces. As you choose differently and engage the world differently, you will send out signals that tell the field that these kinds of experiences are the ones you want and you will therefore attract more of it. So how is this different then the law of attraction? The 3rd step in becoming the conscious author is to get clarity around what it is we really want. Not what our ego wants but what our deep inner self wants, what the collective inner self wants and what the whole universe wants. It is a holistic desire for the greater good. The primary purpose our existence, as I see it, is to expand our consciousness. We all have our unique way to do that and as we incarnated on this earth, we choose how we will contribute. Establishing a connection with that purpose, that Dharma, brings great a sense of joy, meaning and fulfillment. That unique essence is what inspiration is made of. When we witness an inspiring experience, it is a sign that there is a quality in that experience that aligns with a quality in our purpose. Sometimes, it isn’t always clear as to what that quality is but as we pay more and more attention to those moments, the ones when our eyes tear up, our breath skips a beat or our heart fills with love and intense joy, we become more and more familiar with that innate connection we have with our purpose and our true self. That blueprint, that “knowing”, is accessible to us also through meditation combined with the simple action of asking the questions, without looking for answers: “who am I”, “what do I want” and “what is my purpose”. Asking the questions everyday before bringing our attention into a centered calmness for a few moments attracts the answers into our lives. And as the answers are revealed in the form of expanded new questions, we can make inspired choices, bring meaning to all we do and become the conscious author of our lives.
nice post, I love the title, as a poet, autopoetic way of living appeals to me.
good luck with your work,
I am leading creative journaling workshops in the West Island of Montreal and leading retreats for women on writing and yoga,
am using some of these concepts in my writing classes, as we deal with the inner critic and inner coach
jenn
“Loosen your grip a little, and remember: whatever you hold onto is already dead, because it is past. Die to every moment and you will discover the gate to unending life” – Deepak Chopra
I just concluded a 40-day process. I would meditate every morning with my primordial sound mantra, do my chakra sutra practice, head to the beach with a voice recorder and record my thoughts as I ran for 30 minutes on the beach side path. The reason for this 6 week process is I needed a commitment from myself to finally put down on paper this book that has been swirling around in me for a few years now. I needed to make a commitment to myself to do it everyday and get my husband on board so he could help with the children and with creating the space and time for the process. Just like Julia in Julia and Julia, making a commitment to put your attention to your project every single day really helps in finally birthing, or at least getting the contractions going on your project.
One of the themes of my recordings was detachment. I was seeing the importance of a daily ritual to create a habit for the mind, body and soul to expect, to anticipate a moment of reflection. The first few days, as I sat on the beach before my run, I would express my intentions long and large about my writing and my Dharma on earth. It would take a few minutes for me to feel connected to the archetypes, elements and symbols at play in my creation process. I wanted to feel the presence within of each one before moving on to the next. But after a week or so, I started to notice that all I needed was a subtle intention to “tune in” with the different vibrations and my connection would happen more and more spontaneously. In the second week, I felt the connection happening as I left to house and walked towards the beach. And in this last week, just the thought of going for my daily run would bring forth the connection. My being was responding to the ritual by anticipating what was coming and it would speed up the process and bring a deeper connection. That is why rituals are so important in ancient traditions. They create a space for the amplification of intentions.
On the other hand, I was aware that holding on to the ritual was bringing up the notion of letting go and detachment. If I repeat something every day, doesn’t that stop the new from coming in? If I know what to expect every morning, doesn’t my world become predictable therefore less magical?
I began to realize that even rituals are processes and within them, there should be space for change and growth. Just like I invited the energies to come in and did not resist the changes in how they manifested themselves. Just like my intentions change everyday. Just like everyday has a different vibration and holds a different destiny. My commitment is to my Dharma, which is to live the expansion of consciousness through inspiration. My commitment is to allow for space and time each day and every single day to my Dharma. And where I find myself right now in my evolution, I require inner stillness and centered calmness every day, preferably in the morning, which I get with meditation. I require physical exercise as it ignites the fire of creation within me (especially in a Kapha like me). And I require an inspiring and expansive setting, which the Kauai scenery definitely brings. But I am not attached to the content of these components, or to the components themselves for that matter. I know that when they don’t flow anymore and feel like a struggle, they need to be changed or replaced. Just like the energies that came in faster and deeper everyday, as I kept clear around my intentions, steps of the process will become more spontaneous and therefore leave space for new steps to expand through me.
2012
A Brush with ...
2011