Evolutionary Spirituality

Gafni & Cohen: Evolutionary Spirituality

Towards an Engaged Evolutionary Myticism
Episode VI

Arguably our most significant interpretive framework for the nature of reality is the modern scientific discovery that the world and the universe are not, as the ancients believed, static or cyclical. The universe, and everything in it, is evolving.

Cosmic and biological evolution are foundational truths of existence, and the implications are profound and multi-dimensional, extending outwards in every direction. In the 21st century, the context for any path or practice of enlightenment must surely embrace this knowledge and perspective. It is perhaps the most important shift in our understanding of enlightenment in the 2500 years since the Buddha first attained it.

Andrew Cohen and Dr. Marc Gafni are pioneers in the field of evolutionary spirituality, each with their own unique perspective on this newly emergent tradition. They share a strong foundation in an evolutionary approach to spiritual awakening, while emphasising distinctly different but intersecting dimensions of the path and practice.

Both Marc and Andrew have produced pioneering bodies of work in this field, and formulated many of its core tenets. Their teachings uphold and demystify the foundational principles of traditional, modern and postmodern wisdom streams, weaving them together into an integral whole, and ultimately pointing toward a new evolutionary mysticism – what might even be considered a “religion of tomorrow”.

The aim of these dialogues is to celebrate the creative and dynamic evolutionary tension between these two perspectives – to catalyse awakening to higher states and stages of consciousness, giving rise to liberating insights and life-affirming perspectives in a unique tapestry of coherence and meaning, and an inspiring example of emergent spirituality in action.

Episode VI: God Loves Stories

How is our identity shaped, and what kind of influence do we exert on this process?

The narratives that we create – and the identities that are consciously and unconsciously shaped and forged as we plot our course through life – are entirely dependent upon the fundamental context with which we are aligning ourselves.

So what is the background or context that defines your life, and by extension what is the story that defines your identity? What’s the plotline of the life you are living, and how consciously or unconsciously are you choosing the underlying theme?

Our story naturally begins with immediate family or bloodline. Sometimes that remains the principal context – the beginning, middle and end, with our personal narrative and identity being strongly defined by it. But very often our perspective broadens from immediate to extended family or tribe, and sometimes wider still.

We might begin to define our role in this ever-expanding story as something much richer and more inclusive – as part of the larger human family, our planetary family, or even all of life on planet earth. With each broadening of context, our consciousness expands and deepens.

At a certain point, if we are fortunate enough, a rubicon is crossed and something truly miraculous happens. Through the awakening to spirit, we discover an absolute principle that redefines and reshapes our very existence and purpose.

The discovery of an absolute context for the life that we are living has a profoundly transformative effect on the kind of story we tell ourselves and others about who we truly are and what we are all doing here.

As our focus shifts to align with this realisation, our story begins to change in ever more profound and miraculous ways. If we are able to surrender to this process, our identity, including the precious gifts of our individuality and sovereignty, may go through a dramatic transformation.

In this inspiring and provocative conversation, Marc Gafni and Andrew Cohen challenge prevailing notions of identity, asserting that the highest expression of individuality is not a separation from the whole but rather a dynamic manifestation of the divine unfolding itself through each of us.

Marc and Andrew invite you to join them on a journey of realisation and discovery, in which you are called to embrace your own highest expressions of selfhood and identity, and discover the profound role you play in the ever-unfolding story of the universe.

In their first dialogue, Marc Gafni and Andrew Cohen will share and explore their deepest insights into the ultimate mystery that lies beyond life and death.

  • From the deepest metaphysical perspective, what is the distinction between life and death?

  • Is life the manifestation of an eternal metaphysical source, or is it merely the extraordinary emergence of a fundamentally material process?

  • How do our conscious and unconscious convictions about the ultimate source of the evolving universe affect our moral and philosophical relationship to living and dying?

  • Is consciousness part of an unbroken developmental continuity in the cosmos, or merely an emergent epiphenomena of matter?

  • Is death the absolute end of what was, or a transition that is part of an infinite unfolding?

  • Is the nature of death a question of belief, or do we have real data to support our understanding of it? If there is data, then what is it and where do we find it?

  • Do we have a more enlightened relationship to death in the 21st century, or can the great wisdom traditions still illuminate our understanding?

  • Is the fear of death an experience to be transcended, embraced or both? Is living forever a wish that we would want fulfilled?

  • What are the political, social and economic implications of our relationship to death?

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Evolutionary Spirituality

  • Series of FREE dialogues

    Marc Gafni & Andrew Cohen in an inspiring demonstration of emergent spirituality in action

  • Live interactive Zoom video call

    Including 90 minutes of dialogue and 30 minutes of Q&A

  • Video recordings available after each event

    Lifetime access to all dialogues in the Manifest Nirvana library

Frequently asked questions

Date and Time

Manifest Nirvana and One Mountain, Many Paths Present

Evolutionary Spirituality: Towards an Engaged Evolutionary Mysticism
Dr. Marc Gafni & Andrew Cohen in Dialogue

Thursday 8th June 2023

Cost: FREE

Video recording will be made available after the event

USA: 8am PDT • 9am MDT • 11am EDT

UK: 4pm

EUROPE: 5pm CEST

INDIA: 8.30pm IST

REGISTER NOW FREE

Date

Jun 08 2023
Expired!

Time

UTC
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Local Time

  • Timezone: America/New_York
  • Date: Jun 08 2023
  • Time: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Location

Manifest Nirvana
Online at Manifest Nirvana

Speakers

  • Andrew Cohen
    Andrew Cohen
    Resident Teacher

    Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, author, cultural visionary and inspirational speaker. His work has been acclaimed by luminaries from all walks of life, from academics to philosophers to spiritual pundits.

    Andrew has become known for his willingness to boldly cast aside the sacred cows of the spiritual world. His work grapples with demystifying the wealth of knowledge found in the great wisdom traditions, and with making enlightenment deeply relevant to a post-modern audience.

  • Dr. Marc Gafni
    Dr. Marc Gafni
    Co-founder of The Center for Integral Wisdom

    A visionary thinker, social activist, passionate philosopher, and author of ten books, Dr. Marc Gafni earned his doctorate in philosophy from Oxford University. Gafni is considered by many to be a kind of Einstein of Philosophy who is leading a team of thinkers articulating a new vision of meaning for the world.

    He teaches on the cutting edge of philosophy in the West, helping to evolve a new ‘dharma’ or meta-theory of Integral meaning that is helping to re-shape key pivoting points in global consciousness and culture.

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