Where is nature’s memory of its evolution encoded? Is there evidence for extended mind occurring beyond individual brains? How possible is it that the sun is conscious?
In this episode we’re going to get up to date on Rupert Sheldrake’s extraordinary theory of Morphic resonance: so Morphic fields, the unfolding of nature’s ‘habits’ and the ‘memory of nature’. We’ll examine the possibility of levels of consciousness larger than our own brains - scaling up in a hierarchy from cellular consciousness right up to planetary and perhaps even stellar consciousness! We’re also going to get into examples of consciousness beyond the brain like ‘the sensation of being stared at’ (clearly a useful skill to evolve) and other phenomena Rupert has reported in his experiments.
Rupert Sheldrake is a Cambridge PHD developmental Biologist whose published over
100 papers on topics as wide as Cellular Biology, telepathy, Pets who know when their owners are coming home, and after-death communications. He is also the author of many books like “A new science of life”, “Science set free”, and “Ways of going Beyond”, among many others.
What were discuss:
00:00 Intro.
06:10 Morphic resonance explained.
08:15 Polar Auxin - death in the midst of life.
09:15 Genes make proteins, morphogenetic fields determine form.
11:30 Nature’s “memory” spread across time.
13:25 Something that has happened before is more likely to happen again.
14:15 Collective memory, like Jung’s collective unconscious.
17:15 His scientific education engrained materialism and atheism in him..
18:15 Asian philosophy, psychedelics, Neo-platonism and Christianity.
20:30 Questioning of scientific dogma came before his faith.
22:00 Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm change, an analogy for him breaking with science.
23:50 Rupert’s work denounced as ‘Heresy’ by the editor of Nature in 1981.
26:30 Measuring Morphic fields in experiments.
28:30 IQ tests have got easier for people over time, The Flynn Effect
30:00 Video games have to make new versions harder each time.
32:10 Is subtle energy field research beyond science?
37:00 Bioelectric morphogenetic fields & Michael Levin.
41:20 Bioelectric fields are the interface not the explanation.
42:30 Where are morphic fields recorded in nature?
44:50 Platonism doesn’t explain evolution and change over time.
47:00 Different levels of collective consciousness, up to planetary, stellar and even cosmic consciousness.
56:40 The feeling of being stared at: examples of extended mind.
01:02:55 Mystical experience - being part of a greater consciousness.
01:09:40 Are spiritual & scientific insight compatible?
References:
Rupert Sheldrake, “A New Science of life”.
Michael Levin - Bio-electric morphogenetic fields CC interview
The Sheldrake.org Staring App.
Polar Auxin
QUOTE:
“Morphic resonance leaps across time and space,
It’s not stored anywhere it’s a direct connection with the past.”
