Spiritual Awakenings: Scientists and Academics Describe their Experiences
I’ve been reading Spiritual Awakenings: Scientists and Academics Describe Their Experiences, edited by neuroscientist Marjorie Woollacott and David Lorimer, and published last year. In this book 57 scientists and academics discuss how their experience of spiritual awakening transformed their philosophical world-view and perception of reality. From the website we read: In the essays these scholars share the experience of their own spiritual journey, including a description of their spiritually transforming experience(s), which culminated in both an internal shift in their worldview and an outer shift in their lived lives.
I have found that many of their stories validate my own experiences over the years. This in itself is a profound revelation for me, as I have had these events all my life, but found so few people, apart from my clairvoyant mother, Maureen Treanor, who also experienced these on a regular basis, with whom I could share. Reading the amazing stories of Amit Goswami, Jude Currivan, Stephen A. Schwartz, Steve Taylor and Frederico Faggin felt both inspiring and wonderful, as was finding a group of like minded individuals who were brave enough to discuss their deeply personal stories. As one scientist said, “It is time to come out.”
This is a must read for anyone who has had these kind of transformative experiences and felt alone or invalidated. There is definitely an awakening of human consciousness at this time, and we should encourage each other to share what has happened to us. Years ago doctors would consider these to be psychotic experiences, that needed to be suppressed with drugs or even going so far as to institutionalize “the patient.” Fortunately, now there is more awareness of Eastern traditions and how they handle spiritual events, as well as increased scientific research that indicates there is still much we need to learn about consciousness and the universe around us. As more people come forward with their own transformative events, scientists may gain new data and insight into the sources of these experiences, and those of us who have had such occurrences will no longer fear ridicule or feel isolated.