The integration of opposites in Jung’s psychology found expression long ago in the work of the ancient Chinese Taoist/Chan Buddhist poets, particularly in the complementary principles of yin and yang. So too did their recognition of a generative cosmos that encompassed both absence and presence, both emptiness and the “ten thousand things.” For them as for Jung, it was the embrace of these polarities that leads to wholeness. Thus the world of the human psyche that Jung describes operated in a fashion analogous to the world of nature inhabited by the Taoist poets. Join us for an evening of Taoist poetry read by Suzanne Sturn, Lisa Maroski, and Robert Strayer. David Alexander accompanies on a variety of Native American flutes.
Based on his book The Greatest Source of Energy—A New Theory of time, Lamont Williams will describe a novel model that unites the Einsteinian view of time as a relative phenomenon with the Newtonian view of time as an absolute and universal phenomenon. He will show how this model of time can also help unite the fundamental forces of nature—gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and strong nuclear forces—and thereby set a framework for a Theory of Everything. He will connect the various aspects of the time model with facts and established theories about the universe, aiming to help close some gaps in our scientific knowledge. Answers will be suggested to mysteries such as why matter (as opposed to antimatter) predominates our universe, the fundamental nature of electric charge, and the origin of dark matter and dark energy. In all, a new view of energy will be provided that might help in our efforts to become a multiplanetary, interstellar species.
We are honored to have Lucas Costanzi join us for a discussion of his film, described above. If you cannot join us for our viewing on September 1, please go to this link to watch in advance.
Join us for a celebration of the poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi, the 13th century Sufi saint and mystic, the pir or Guide of Mevlevi Sufis. Suzanne Sturn reads selections of his poetry with flute accompaniment by David Alexander.
An extraordinary Sufi master in his day, now the best selling poet in America, what made Rumi so extraordinary in his time was his insistence that the Divine spark is contained within every human soul, available without need of intermediaries or affiliation with religious institutions. Perhaps in this he foreshadows some of Jung’s central insights.