Inner Life, Talks and Thoughts

What golden thread might link these writers across the centuries? Why might each matter now?Taking a lead from Valentin’s book, Shakespeare and the Grace of Words, we explore how the finite and infinite meet in dialogue, analogy, play and contrary, arguing that Plato, Nicholas of Cusa, Shakespeare and William Blake directly address our times of crisis and separation.For more on Valentin’s book see www.routledge.com/Shakespeare-and-the-Grace-of-Words-Language-Theology-Metaphysics/Gerlier/p/book/9781032121406He teaches an MA in Poetics of Imagination: https://campus.dartington.org/poetics-of-imagination/ His substack is https://graceofwords.substack.com/For more on Mark see www.markvernon.comThe book on Plato I mention is Plato: A Very Short Introduction by Julia Annas.For more on The Temenos Academy see www.temenosacademy.org

What is meant by the unconscious? Is it even a "thing"? Why does it seemingly originate with Freud? How useful is the concept? How can it be worked with?In this discussion, Robert Rowland Smith and Mark Vernon explore the history of this central notion in psychoanalysis. They look at the different articulations of it, particularly in Freud and Jung, and ask how it links to other ideas such as the field, inspiration and the divine.Are vertical metaphors the right metaphors, as when people talk of "depth psychology"? Is the subconscious just the unconscious lite? What is the difference between the personal and the collective unconscious? Is there really a difference?Will a time come, as a time once was, when human beings felt no need to refer to this surprising, alluring and pervasive dynamic?For more on Robert - https://www.robertrowlandsmith.comFor more on Mark - https://www.markvernon.com

Rupert Sheldrake, a renowned biologist and author known for his theories on morphic resonance, joins the discussion on prayer. They explore the contrasts between prayer and meditation, revealing the challenges in teaching prayer. Personal experiences highlight the roles of angels and saints, raising intriguing questions about spiritual intermediaries. The conversation also touches on the nature of prayer, including its implications in healing and connection to the divine. Sheldrake emphasizes the universal human desire to pray, inviting deeper exploration into this spiritual practice.

Robert Rowland Smith and Mark Vernon discuss these two dynamics of projection. Transference and countertransference have become core to psychoanalysis, though Freud and others were initially very wary of them. So what are the limits to using the feelings that fill a therapy room? How can the set-up of the room itself affect such things? How can transference and countertransference be unethically manipulated, not least when feelings of love are activated? And also, how do these experiences relate to the uncanny, even so-called paranormal types of awareness and perception?

AI can be understood by the many, not just the few. We don’t need to respond to technologist and media hype via fear and the call for another lockdown, this time on AI development.I hope ten points are illuminating.1. The Turing test has been passed, but it never was a very good test to start with.2. The AI industry thrives on the promise of tomorrow and is often led by those confusing themselves with gods.3. Our psychology, as well as theirs, needs considering more fully, too.4. AI models reality, as much science does. So don’t confuse AI models with reality.5. Human intelligence doesn’t much involve calculation but presence, not much patterning but more participation.6. We’re adaptive. Technology is surprisingly unadaptive.7. Attention is a moral act and how we attend deeply shapes what shows up.8. A cybernetic future might be the one coming, with AI recognised as tool not master.9. Our intelligence is deeply linked to striving and longing, desiring and loving.10. Our intelligence thrives with patience and experiencing, learning from now.For more on Mark, particularly his work on spiritual intelligence, see www.markvernon.com.

What exactly is narcissism? Why is it so debilitating and troubling? Must everyone face narcissistic impulses and needs?  In this discussion, Robert Rowland Smith and Mark Vernon explore the origins of narcissism in ancient myth and contemporary psychoanalysis. They explore the variety of pathological narcissisms, how it can be treated and whether a society increasingly online is at risk of becoming more narcissistic.For more on Robert - https://www.robertrowlandsmith.comFor more on Mark - https://www.markvernon.com

Landon Loftin and Max Leyf, co-authors of "What Barfield Thought," delve into Owen Barfield's revolutionary ideas on imagination and consciousness. They explore Barfield's relationships with C.S. Lewis and Rudolf Steiner, highlighting the tension between their philosophies. The discussion spans topics like the divine connection between love and creation, and the transformative power of poetry in reconnecting with reality. Loftin and Leyf argue that Barfield's insights challenge modern perceptions, inviting a deeper understanding of humanity's relationship with the cosmos.

Terminal lucidity is the phenomenon of individuals who are dying receiving a surge of life, perhaps to say goodbye, as their death approaches. So what is the nature and meaning of such well-attested experiences? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon use Rupert's recent paper examining terminal lucidity in animals, to open up a discussion of phenomena from post-mortem contacts to the resurrection of Jesus.Rupert's paper can be found here - https://www.sheldrake.org/files/pdfs/papers/Experiences-of-Dying-Animals_Parallels-With-End-of-Life-Experiences-in-Humans.pdfFor Lesley Kean's book Surviving Death see - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/246583/surviving-death-by-leslie-kean/For Dale Allison's discussion the resurrection see - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/resurrection-of-jesus-9780567697561/

In this insightful discussion, philosopher Robert Rowland Smith shares his expertise on creating a safe therapeutic environment. He and Mark Vernon delve into the vital qualities of safety, trust, and confidentiality in psychotherapy. They explore how less conscious thoughts emerge in this secure space, and the paradox of a sacred frame that can also be misused. The conversation dives into the significance of therapeutic structure, the power of reframing perspectives, and the delicate balance between challenge and safety for personal growth.

The anxiety about AI has reached hysterical proportions. Luminaries are declaring that every last human being is at risk. Which suggests a panic not about the future, whatever it may bring, but about the present, and what has already been lost.What has vanished, for some, is a living sense of what it is to be human. As William Blake knew, when machine ways dominate, human beings flip from hope to despair, from elation to desperation.The question that seems to hard to answer is just what it means to be human. Drawing on a recent book, I Judge No One by David Lloyd Dusenbury, as well as my latest, Spiritual Intelligence In Seven Steps, this talk looks to the life of Jesus for inspiration. Figures from Dostoevsky to William Blake have recognised he lived at an existential edge, in this world whilst simultaneously making present another world, not of control and moral anxiety but of gift and eternal expansion.The vision is practical and, in an era in which the sense of being human is clearly at risk, fundamental and pressing.For more on I Judge No One by David Lloyd Dusenbury - https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/i-judge-no-one/For more on Spiritual Intelligence In Seven Steps - https://www.markvernon.com/books/spiritual-intelligence-in-seven-steps