Evolutionary Spirituality

Towards an Engaged Evolutionary Myticism
Episode VII

Please note due to European time changes the local times for this event will be as follows:

8am PDT • 9am MDT • 11am EDT • 3pm UK • 4pm CET
8:30pm IST

Episode VII: An Evolutionary Leap Beyond Materialism

What is the role of spirituality, interiority and the evolutionary worldview in confronting and dealing with the current multidimensional crisis – the “metacrisis” – that the human race, the biosphere, and all of life on earth is facing?

In so many ways, as a species we have made miraculous progress. We have unprecedented dominion over the physical realm, with almost godlike powers to improve every aspect of life and existence – and we are ever more masters of this domain.

But all this progress has a deep shadow. Our unchecked success in the material realm has brought us to the brink of extinction, and our very evolution now seems to be our undoing. At first glance, it might seem reasonable to question any reliance on an evolutionary or developmental worldview to solve the problem.

Given the depth of our current predicament, and the shadow side of our inexorable progress, it’s a natural conclusion to draw. But when we look a little more deeply, can we start to see what is really casting this shadow?

Through the exponential growth of our scientific understanding – and the immense societal benefits of the industrial and technological revolutions – we have come to rely ever more heavily on scientism and materialism to describe the universe, truth and reality.

In the process, we have tragically neglected the evolution of consciousness itself – our interiority, our spirit, and our souls. Our interior progress is not in lockstep with the material/exterior realm, and hence we are evolving in a way that is fundamentally out of balance.

The evolution of interiority has effectively stalled since the western enlightenment, with modernity’s unquestioning worship of hard science and materialism creating an exaggerated emphasis on progress – but progress only within a heavily prescribed sphere of influence, and at the expense of any kind of interior evolution.

In their next dialogue, Marc and Andrew will argue that evolution, and specifically the evolution of interiority, is actually the only way out of the mess we have created. Bringing a unique and inspiring interplay of views on evolutionary spirituality, these two modern masters paint a future picture for humanity as one which must include a fundamentally renewed relationship with spirit, interiority, and ego transcendence.

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?

About Evolutionary Spirituality

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.