Steve Taylor's August Newsletter |
Dear I hope all is well with you. I’ve done quite a lot of travelling this month, starting in Norway for a conference, then a week in Greece with
my family, and a long weekend across the sea to Ireland for a family gathering. One of the best aspects of all the trips was that I did a lot of swimming in the ocean. It’s one of my favourite activities - I find it so exhilarating, a powerful spiritual experience. I feel completely at home in the sea, at one with the whole Earth. In Greece, I spent two or three hours in the ocean every day. I did a lot of snorkelling, and it was awe-inspiring to visit the silent
underwater world, full of beautiful gliding beings, where human beings barely register any presence. It was hypnotic to watch the smoky patterns of sunlight on the sand, swirling beneath me. And the fish! Thousands of tiny slithers seemingly telepathically linked, and the occasionally giant swimming quickly through them, as if it was late for an appointment. They all seemed so placid and self-contained. immersed in their fishy world that I can't comprehend, and have no place in, and can only
observe from the outside. It's so wonderful that that peaceful domain covers 3/4 of the world's surface, and is uninhabited by human beings.
Conference
Presentation In Norway, I delivered a presentation at the Parapsychological Association convention in Oslo. I was speaking about our group project on the
characteristics of 'enlightenment', which has just been published in The Journal of Humanistic Psychology. You can read the full article about our project here. I loved
Oslo, which feels so calm and spacious for a capital city, and where the people seemed so warm and cheerful. I loved the public swimming areas in the harbour, and the clear still water and the beautiful island scenes across the bay. I also loved seeing the paintings of Edvard Munch at his gallery. (One of my favourite novelists, Knut Hamsun, was also from Oslo). Here is a photo from my presentation at the conference:
New Articles
I’ve published a couple of articles over the past month. One was published by The Conversation, about how traditional psychology has 'sold human nature short' and created a false image of human beings as callous and selfish.
I point out that altruism and heroism are not exceptional, but natural and normal. Human beings are naturally empathic because we are spiritually interconnected. You can read the article here
On a completely different subject, I wrote an article for my Psychology Today blog, about the scientific evidence for mediumship, and the astounding idea that it may be possible for deceased people to communicate via mediums. It includes the story of the strangest chess game ever played. I used to be sceptical about the evidence for personal survival after death, and I know some spiritual teachers (of the
non-duality ilk) believe it’s impossible, because there is no self to survive. But I think the evidence for it is incontrovertible. You can read the article here Interview Just before we went away, I did an entertaining interview with the Unravelling the Universe podcast, mainly focused on my book DisConnected. You can watch the video here: Poem As usual, let me finish with a poem. It has always amazed me that many people are so vulnerable to slights, or signs of disrespect, and so ready to take offence, and to fill up with resentment, with anger and a desire for revenge. Most of the time I manage to ‘rise
above’ perceived disrespect and never take offence. Sometimes, of course, if a person disrespects you, you need to take action, or at least let them know that their behaviour is unacceptable. But that doesn’t mean you have to feel bruised by their actions or words. We don’t have to to let our well-being be affected by the negativity of others. The Natural Lottery Call me anything you like.
Turn away as you approach me.
Exclude me from your social gatherings.
Whisper scurrilous rumours behind my back.
Dissect my theories,
unpick my arguments
in search of inconsistencies.
Comb through my papers and personal affairs
for evidence to use against me. I will not take offence.
Your criticism won’t deflate me.
Your resentment won’t inflame me.
I will not bear a grudge
and plot revenge against you. I will not take offence
because I have nothing to protect -
no fragile separate self
that needs affirmation to stay intact
and is
wounded by disrespect. My inner self is fluid, soft -
a deep wide space, like an ocean
in which poison dissolves and disappears
without leaving any trace. All best wishes and blessings, Steve |
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