Sacred Science Circle Newsletter # 10
July 2022

The Sacred Science Circle, http://www.sacredsciencecircle.org, gathers a sacred circle of individuals and groups that honor the “fires” of transformation implicit in scientific, scholarly, and artistic endeavors. Our mission is to further that profound rote to wisdom that the confluence of science and the sacred can bring 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.

 

Table of Contents

 

Articles by

• Ana Perez-Chisti: Sweet Reign: Fourth Wave Feminine Principles
• Steven Schmitz: The Value of Elders

Conferences

• EUROTAS Gathering, September 21-25, Southern France
• SMN Online Conference, Beyond the Brain, November 4-6, 2022
• Power and the God of Love Conference, November 4-5, 2022, Napa, California

 

Announcements

• Spirituality and the Arts Special Interest Group
• European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy

 

Sweet Reign-Fourth Wave Feminine Principles honors the presence of the Holy Mother Gaia in Her many manifestations. The book explores the lives of eight Holy Women who had to battle with male leaders in their field in order to fulfil their soul’s purpose. The women are: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan, Reverend Amanuensis Frida Waterhouse, Mary Baker Eddy, Hazrat Babajan, Julien of Norwich, Sanapia, and Dr. Rina Sircar. What unites these selected Holy Women culturally is the sociological marginalization of women during their historic time frame. I explored the inherent intuitive process that arose in these great souls and how it intersected with my intuitive process especially how they experienced breakthrough to serve others and became exemplars and leaders in their different communities. I include myself as the ninth women, which draws the reader into a sympathetic discovery of themselves through four transpersonal methods of exploration:
Transcendental awareness—Looking into the essence and possible essence of experience,
Pairing—Seeing the world that is within me from another’s eyes,
Co-Presence—Mutual participation of intuitive experiences, and
Consilience—When two sets of seemingly separate experiences leap together.

I have come to understand Fourth Wave Feminine Principles as a pathway into rebuilding the presence of the Holy Mother of the World-Gaia within the intuitive center of every living woman and man. When this center is re-established, the access to the Holy Mother Gaia’s Divine Essence is re-established and Her Holy relationship to Her many embodied selves become one in the world community. When this theophany or unified state is accomplished in the female and male individual, it will become clear how each woman and man will fulfil their spiritual function and the purpose of each life will be empowered.

We are a part of the Holy Mother of the World-Gaia’s great soul. We are invited here on this planet to evolve and find Her, and we are here as Her guests. The mystery of intuition that all women and men must eventually pass through comes from the initial acknowledgement that we belong to Her in all Her infinite expanded states of being; even those that feel empty of Her Divine Presence has within them Her Sacred Seed. It is within the compassionate embrace of the Holy Mother of the World-Gaia that we can see at any given time what we ourselves can understand about Her knowledge, grace and wisdom; particularly when we think we are reading about another woman’s life, we are essentially reading about our own reflection of Her Divine life that is part of us and of which we are all composed. When the initiation into the mystery of how the Divine Mother of World-Gaia opens in the body, mind and spirit, then the eschatological secrets that reveal Her reality in Divine manifestation are brought to light.

Bio: Ana Perez-Chisti, Ph.D. is a senior Sufi teacher and President of the Sufi Universal Fraternal Institute (https://sufiuniversalfraternalinsitute.live). She is the head of the Religious Activity for Sufi Movement International and conducts a training program in the study of Comparative World Religions, Sufi Esoteric Wisdom, Ethics, Fourth Wave Feminine Principles, Psychology and East-West Philosophy.

 

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The Value of Elders
Steven Schmitz

As a transpersonal psychologist and a shamanic practitioner, I respect and have benefited from the wisdom of indigenous cultures. One of my important learnings is the value of Elders.

In indigenous communities the elders have traditionally been respected and play key roles. They serve their communities as teachers, advisors, and knowledge keepers. They connect to the past to ensure cultural continuity and growth. Elders are historians, healers, and instructive storytellers. Elders offer transmission of valued wisdom, gained through time, varied experiences, and enriched through connections with their ancestors. Experience with aware consciousness generates powerful wisdom.

In Western society, elders are usually not well-respected. Elders are often shuttled away from the public, placed in old folks’ homes, or enticed to move to exclusively elder communities. Many people have lost touch with these treasures.

I have been involved with Transpersonal Psychology and Shamanism since 1974. I have been blessed with helpful experiences with several wise elder teachers along the way, both male and female. These encounters have provided opportunities for growth, and I appreciate all I have learned. The results are a profession I love, a delightful, loving wife, supportive communities, and a strong connection with Spirit. I believe the world would be better if more people allowed the influence of wise Elders and indigenous wisdom to enter their lives. I will share one meeting with an Elder that became especially meaningful.

For those familiar with the Jungian Community, you may know an Elder named Dr. Joseph Henderson, now deceased. He was a Jungian analyst, received analysis from Jung, co-founded the San Francisco C. G. Jung Institute, and continued his private practice until he was 102. I had a consulting session with him when he was 101.

I had decided to return to school later in life to obtain my Ph.D. at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. I was at a crossroads in my career and sought wise guidance for my professional direction.

I met Dr. Henderson at his Marin County office. Years had taken a toll on his body. He took some time to walk, with a walker, from his home to his beautiful redwood office. Inside were artifacts from various cultures. Sitting in that powerful environment he had created was a healing gift in itself. Dr. Henderson sat attentive, calm, and present. I felt relaxed and in the supportive space of a caring, wise Elder. His years of professional experience were evident and reassuring.

I was amazed by how lucid he was, an excellent example of how one can still be cognitively capable at an advanced age. We had a stimulating and rewarding conversation. He shared about his professional life and lessons he had learned. Being present with an experienced master, I was comfortable sharing about myself.

I talked about my career path. He heard my concerns and shared something that impacted me deeply and remains meaningful. He said, “It is important to recognize how far you have come.” With that one sentence I felt acknowledged and validated in a way I had not previously felt. My years of personal exploration, studying, and trainings came together in powerful clarity. I felt fully seen for who I was. There was also a transmission of essential knowledge, a clear sense of teaching without words. This all happened by being in the presence of an experienced Elder.

That meeting was a significant transformative experience for me. I continue to benefit from that powerful interaction. For those who are new to Transpersonal Psychology, I encourage you to discover the wisdom of the many experienced Elders in our profession. Reach out and connect with them when you can.

 

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CONFERENCES
EUROTAS Gathering 2022

Transpersonal Renaissance: Evolutionary Mycelium for an Ancient Future

September 21-25, 2022
Southern France near Montpellier

This year’s EUROTAS Annual Gathering is being organized by members of the EUROTAS Youth Council. Instead of an annual conference, this Gathering is both a conference and a festival!

You are invited to 5 days of ancestral wisdom teachings and celebrations in the South of France. The setting is a beautiful river location in the Cévennes Natural Reserve in southern France, fully immersed in the embrace of nature. Our aim is to catalyze the ever-present nourishing “mycelium” of our ancestors in our world today through the Transpersonal vision.

Location: ISIS en Cévennes Camping, 30440 Saint-Julien-de-la-Nef, South of France (nearest airport is Montpellier)

Our hope is to invite and gather authentic Indigenous lineage holders from different regions, pioneer transpersonal keynote speakers, and quality visionary artistic performers. There will be a vast diversity of talks, workshops, a healing area, ceremonies, healing celebration through music & dancing, inner exploration, a visionary art exhibit, all for a unique transpersonal celebration.

For further information, see https://www.eurotas22.com/

 

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THE SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL NETWORK

Beyond the Brain Online Conference

November 4-6, 2022

The vision of Scientific and Medical Network (SMN) is to work with full awareness and appreciation of scientific method, but exploring and expanding—in a spirit of open and critical enquiry—frontier issues at the interfaces between science, health, consciousness, wellbeing, love and spirituality, to explore how to rediscover a meaningful spirituality to help rebalance our lives. See Events Page for upcoming events: https://scientificandmedical.net/events/

 

 

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POWER and the GOD of LOVE:
A Process-Open-Relational Conference

November 4-5, 2022
Crosswalk Community Church
2590 1st
Napa, California 94558
USA

For further information, see https://ctr4process.org/event/power-and-the-god-of-love-a-process-open-relational-conference/. Sponsored by The Center for Process Studies.
See https://ctr4process.org/events/ for additional events.

 

 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS
SPIRITUALITY AND THE ARTS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

Image: Hilma af Klint

This special interest group meets to discuss the intersection between the arts and spirituality in a variety of forms and mediums such as visual art, music, film, dance, digital, interactive, poetry, time-based and performative art forms. The interest group is sponsored by the International Network for the Study of Spirituality @ https://spiritualitystudiesnetwork.org/. For more information about the interest group, see https://spiritualitystudiesnetwork.org/Spirituality-and-the-Arts-SIG.

Chairs: Rev. Prof. June Boyce-Tillman MBE, Dr Lila Moore PhD, Annalisa Burello MSc

 

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EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

The mission of the European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy (EJQRP) is to provide an accessible forum for research that advances the theory and practice of psychotherapy and supports practitioner-orientated research. The editorial team welcomes articles on spiritual and transpersonal topics.

For further information: https://ejqrp.org/index.php/ejqrp