I hope you are well. I’ve been living fairly quietly over the past month. I’ve been spending some time making the final edits and corrections to my upcoming book Time Expansion Experiences, due to be published in November. 

The genesis of the book was a car crash. One day I was driving along the motorway, in the middle lane, with my wife Pam in the passenger seat. A truck pulled out from the inside lane and hit the side of our car, spinning us around, and then hitting us again. Everything went into slow motion. After a long pause, the car started to spin. I looked behind, and the other cars seemed to be moving extremely slowly, almost as if they were frozen. I could see the long rows of cars stretching back through the lanes behind us and the shocked faces of the drivers right behind. 

I was also surprised at my calmness. Rather than panicking, I thought clearly and methodically about the situation. I tried to regain control of the car, gripping the steering wheel, pressing down on the brake. We spun toward the hard shoulder then hit a crash barrier and finally stopped. At that point, time seemed to return to its normal speed, and I returned to a normal state of consciousness.  I was amazed that neither of us were hurt, although the car was so badly damaged that it had to be scrapped. 

In some ways, it was a spiritual experience. I never expected to fill such calmness and well-being amid serious danger. There was also a good outcome with the driver of the truck. He was very upset and apologetic, and we hugged before he drove away.
I realized yesterday that the crash happened in October 2014, so it’s fitting that the book is being published almost precisely ten years afterwards. 
If you’d like to take a look at the book, or even to pre-order it, you can do so here for the UK, and here for the US

Online Dialogue with Serge Beddington-Behrens

On 2nd July, I'm holding an online dialogue with my great friend Serge Beddington-Behrens. We're discussing the question 'Can spirituality save the world?' As usual, the session will include meditations, poems. discussion and questions.  Further information and booking here

DisConnected 
 

On July 12th I’m attending the annual conference of the Scientific and Medical Network, partly to receive an award for my book DisConnected, which was awarded a prize for best books published in 2023. While there, I’ll be giving a lecture about the book. 

Last week I gave a lecture about DisConnected at a conference in London. I present the book’s model of a 'Social Continuum of Connection' (see the diagram below). This describes how some societies are highly disconnected - authoritarian, high patriarchy, low democracy, sexual repression, brutal punishment and so on. It's easy to find examples of such societies around the world. But we found it hard to think of examples of highly connected societies. (Let me know if you can think of any!) In itself, this is a sign of how disconnected the whole world is. Another sign is that there are so few female leaders. Out of 194 countries in the world, only 25 have female leaders.  

The Adventure Online Course 
 

Many people have written to me about the Adventure online course, disappointed that they missed it the first time and asking if I’m going to run it again. So I’ve decided to run the course again, beginning on 22nd September 2024. All sessions are recorded, in case you can’t make the actual time. 
 

You can view the course here 

Upcoming Online Talk

On April 3rd, I’m giving an online talk about my previous book, DisConnected, entitled ‘The Continuum of Connection: How a lack of empathy generates cruelty, and how empathy leads to altruism.’ The talk is hosted by one of my favourite organisations, the Scientific and Medical Network, which I have been a member of for 20 years.

Further details here

Two Poems

As usual, let me finish this newsletter with a poetry. These are two short poems I’ve composed recently. They are both on the theme of travel. I love travelling, but it's important not to use it as an escape from ourselves. 

The Treasure 

When you feel dissatisfied at home 

and travel to distant places

in search of excitement and fulfilment 

remember that the deepest happiness 

is always inside you, wherever you are. 

When your familiar world grows stale

and you yearn for stimulation 

to reignite your dull awareness

remember that the brightest radiance

is always inside you, wherever you are. 

When your friends and family frustrate you 

and you crave for new relationships

to remind you that you’re real and valuable 

remember that your most authentic self 

is always inside you, whoever you’re with. 

No Longer a Tourist

Once I used to travel to foreign cities 

and spend hours treading their streets

competing for glimpses of buildings or paintings

with hordes of other jostling tourists. 

At the end of the day, I’d feel tired and irritable,

as if the crowds and the concrete had sapped my life away.

I always felt slightly cheated too.

The museums were too hot or crowded.

The monuments seemed small and grey, compared to their photos. 

But nowadays I don’t travel far, when I need inspiration.

I head to the bottom of my road

and walk down a narrow lane, into the woods.

Entry is always free. There are never any crowds.

I can stop and look for as long as I like. 

The ancient oak trees with their vast gnarled trunks

are more spectacular than any tower. 

The bluebells that burst across the banks of the stream

are more glorious than any monument. 

The smooth shining stones at the bottom of the waterfall

are more beautiful than any jewel. 

There is no exhibition as awe-inspiring 

as this landscape of living beauty 

that endlessly reveals and renews itself

and shifts to different shades as clouds pass overhead

and streams full of gold when the sky is clear. 

And best of all, the woods are alive 

fresh and rich with soul-force

so when I arrive home I feel replenished and reconnected

with the life of the Earth flowing through me.

All best wishes and blessings 

Steve