The well-known biologist and author Dr. Rupert Sheldrake is visiting Dublin for a special seminar entitled ‘Science and Spiritual Practices’, which will take place on Tuesday October 30th, from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m. in the Hampton Hotel, 19 – 29 Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. Tickets are available through Seminars.ie.
Dr. Rupert Sheldrake is a well-known biologist and author of more than 85 scientific papers and 12 books, including Science and Spiritual Practices. He was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge University, a Research Fellow of the Royal Society, and – from 2005 to 2010 – the Director of the Perrott-Warrick Project, funded by Trinity College, Cambridge, for research on unexplained human and animal abilities. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California, and of Schumacher College in Devon.
Dr. Sheldrake has long been interested in the many intersections between spirituality and science. In an interview he conducted with us, he explained, ‘I am a scientist – that is what I have always done and that is what I still do – but I am also a spiritual seeker and I often do spiritual practices myself. These practices are a core part of my life. There has been quite a lot of scientific investigation into spiritual practice, and I am interested in that because it brings those two sides of my life together.’
He explains that despite the decline in traditional religious practice throughout Europe, a growing number of studies have shown that spiritual experiences are surprisingly common even among those who are non-religious. These experiences can include near-death experiences and spontaneous mystical insights, to name two examples. Studies that have been conducted on the effects of spiritual practices such as meditation have shown that these practices generally make people happier and healthier.
During his upcoming seminar in Dublin, Dr. Sheldrake will discuss a number of practices which are part of all religions, and which are also open to people with no religious affiliation, including meditation, chanting, rituals and pilgrimage.
‘There has been a huge increase in pilgrimage in Europe in recent years,’ he says. ‘In 1987, a thousand people walked to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and last year, it was 300,000 people. This massive increase in pilgrimage on that very popular site has had an effect all over Europe, trickling off into other pilgrimage sites too.’
In this enlightening talk, Dr. Sheldrake discusses a core concept behind much of his work: why is there so much beauty in this world?
Dr. Sheldrake’s seminar will take place on Tuesday October 30th, from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m. in the Hampton Hotel, 19 – 29 Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. Click here to get your tickets. Dr. Sheldrake’s website is:
