Social anthropologist, consciousness researcher, Professor at Sofia Univ, and curious explorer of culture, science, and the wonder of it all.

Transformation

20 Jun

Posted at 13:13h in Featured, Research, Transformation

What does it mean to be part of a greater whole? How does our worldview, or model of reality, impact what we understand about who we are and how we relate to others? And how can we become more aware of all the ways we are part of an interrelated, global community? It’s clear that we are social beings from the very beginning of life. Social relations impact every aspect of our being. Of course, there is developmental variability in the extent to which each of us is aware of culture’s impact on us. It takes a level of perceptual acuity,...

15 Jun

Posted at 13:12h in Featured, Transformation

How can you find the inner resilience to match the outer complexities of your life? I ask myself this question everyday. It is sometimes a struggle, just to turn on my computer, or get my son to school, or get through the dishes on the way to making breakfast. My most important tool is simple: practice mindfulness by taking time to center and track my breathing. Simple. Powerful. And easy to forget when we’re caught up in firestorms of our busy lives. But the value of mindfulness is not new to our modern world. Far from it. For thousands of years, people...

19 Jun

Posted at 11:31h in Featured, News and Press, Research, Transformation

Recently the International Journal of Transpersonal Studies (IJTS) published a paper I co-wrote titled: "Engagement in a Community-Based Integral Practice Program Enhances Well-being." The article reports on a study examining a wellness intervention and its effect on health outcomes. In publication for over 30 years, the IJTS is a double-blind peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the California Institute of Integral Studies, and serves as the official publication of the International Transpersonal Association. Participants in the study used a community-based program called Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) and provided questionnaire data before, during, and after the one-year period in the program. Significant improvements were seen in overall health,...

12 Jun

Posted at 14:09h in Death and Afterlife, Death Makes Life Possible, Featured, Transformation

The following is an audio excerpt taken from the audio learning course “Living the Noetic Life: Transformation and Healing at the Convergence of Science and Spiritual Practice.” Produced by Sounds True, this learning course offers a new worldview for fully perceiving and engaging with life. Marilyn Schlitz, author of Death Makes Life Possible, shares how grief and grieving can guide us to embrace the flow of life's transitions, let go of fear and accept the beauty of change. Understanding our own perspectives on loss can enable us to see and use grief itself as a transformative tool that connects us with deeper parts of ourselves. Ultimately,...

05 Jun

Posted at 14:28h in Featured, Transformation

The following is an audio excerpt taken from the audio learning course "Living the Noetic Life: Transformation and Healing at the Convergence of Science and Spiritual Practice." Produced by Sounds True, this learning course offers a new worldview for fully perceiving and engaging with life. In this audio excerpt I invite you to explore the aging process in a conscious way by cultivating love, happiness and wisdom.   [audio mp3="http://marilynschlitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/11-Cultivating-Love-Happiness-and-Wisdom.mp3"][/audio] If you would like to hear more, click here to purchase the CD....

24 Apr

Posted at 14:14h in Death and Afterlife, Death Makes Life Possible, Featured, Transformation

Experiences that bring us close to death have an enduring impact on our lives. Marilyn Schlitz, author of the Death Makes Life Possible book, will be interviewed on the popular radio program Coast-to-Coast AM about how these experiences have the power transform. Tune in on Wednesday April 29th from 10:00PM to 12:00AM to hear the insightful conversation. You may also enjoy the following Death Makes Life Possible book excerpt which explores these themes.   Simon Lewis was a rising film producer. With the production of Look Who’s Talking under his belt, he had set up a deal for Nick Nolte’s next...

27 Feb

Posted at 10:24h in Death Makes Life Possible, News and Press, Transformation

Earlybird Rates End February 28th CLICK HERE TO REGISTER The Science of Being. The Spirit of Community. July 22 – 26, 2015 Hilton Oak Brook Hills Resort near Chicago Picture yourself at an inspiring gathering of fellow explorers and like-minded friends. The menu of options speaks to your deepest passions, and luminaries from science, the environment, and wisdom traditions spark new insights. Music, dance, conversations that matter, and exercises that help deepen your experience are woven into a rich tapestry of renewal and transformation. You share your dreams and your vision, find inspiration, celebrate, reorient toward your deepest purpose, and take away tools you can...

15 Jan

Posted at 19:51h in Death and Afterlife, Death Makes Life Possible, Featured, Non-Fiction, Transformation

[caption id="attachment_1796" align="alignleft" width="300"] Paris, France. Thousands come together in solidarity for peace after the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris.[/caption] How can we use our own awareness around mortality to help overcome our aggressions and promote peace? Some social theorists assert that much of the violence and strife in our world is fundamentally the result of a shared cultural fear of death. As we look at the recent incidents in France, as well as other ethnic conflict around the world, we begin to see the application of this theory. The existence of alternative worldviews can cause us to question our own convictions and...

05 Dec

Posted at 14:57h in Featured, Transformation

As we approach the holiday season it's a time for us to reflect and examine our own beliefs and worldviews. In this post we explore a powerful transformative tool: the labyrinth. The following is an excerpt from my book Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life.   For Episcopal priest Lauren Artress, the ancient symbol of the labyrinth is a portal to the sacred. She quoted William Blake to us, "To the imagination, the sacred is self-evident" and then continued: The self-evidence of sacredness to the imagination is something we want to nurture. The labyrinth is a great place to do...

20 Nov

Posted at 09:00h in Featured, Non-Fiction, Transformation

According to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, almost two thirds of Americans with a 'great deal' of stress feel they have no control over it. Although we may be aware of how stressed we are on an every day basis, we may be less aware of simple practices that can help reduce stress and its debilitating effects. The book I co-authored, Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life,  includes a number of practices that can help in reducing and managing our stressful lives. One of these practices was inspired by an interview with Swami Veda Bharati, a teacher and spiritual...

24 Oct

Posted at 10:00h in Featured, News and Press, Transformation

In June 2014, I had the privilege of leading a two-day Worldview Explorations train-the-trainers workshop at Zi-Zhu-Lin Purple Bamboo Monastery in Southern Taiwan. Worldview Explorations is a research-based experiential program I helped create (in collaboration with the Institute of Noetic Sciences) for middle school, high-school, and college students. The program's mission is to develop and increase access to curricula and tools that help youth and lifelong learners contemplate and understand the fundamental role that worldview plays in the perceptions and behaviors of themselves and others. At the gathering an interpreter translated for me as I shared with an attentive and enthusiastic group of 120...

21 Oct

Posted at 10:00h in Featured, News and Press, Transformation

I found myself at the end of my whirlwind tour of the globe in June 2014 when I took a flight from Taiwan to Sweden. Here I gave a presentation at Mindful Life 2014, a conference organized by Mindhouse Park. The organizers described the event as a place to "encounter a number of people and situations that offer us the opportunity to explore our consciousness in various circumstances and settings." The program ultimately asked the question, "How are you affected in your daily life by an altered consciousness, ie. by becoming more aware of yourself and your surroundings?" You can view my...

17 Oct

Posted at 20:10h in Featured, News and Press, Transformation

In previous blogs in this series I began tracing my journey across the world, from one transformative community to another. From the East Coast to Asia, the transformation tour continued when I went to an event at the College of Hakka Studies in Jhongli City. This was sponsored by the Luminary Research Institute, Gaya Foundation, Luminary International Buddhist Society. The topics weaved themes related to Transformation and Embracing Challenges, and my own talk on “Emerging Worldviews,” focused on the process of individual and social transformation. Other fascinating talks included: “Cultivating a Precious Mind: A Case Study of ‘The Elementary School Mind Training Program’” by...

05 Sep

Posted at 09:00h in Featured, News and Press, Non-Fiction, Transformation

                 Consciousness Transformation in Asia [caption id="attachment_1564" align="alignleft" width="225"] Conference participants Priscilla and Lily Yea with our Buddhist escorts in front of Asia University.[/caption] The call for transformation is echoing throughout Asia. Over the past few years I have visited Hong Kong and China. In June, 2014, this call brought me to Taiwan, where I met with scholars, scientists and spiritual teachers to participate in a series of global exchanges. I began at the International Symposium for Transdisciplinarity at Asia University. The private university in Taichung County was founded early in the 21st century. The focus...