Odditorium: Dr. Rupert Sheldrake

Biologist, Anglican and exceptional public speaker, Rupert Sheldrake spoke about science and spiritual practice as part of the Odditorium Programe, curated Dr Dave Bramwell. The show was sold out and a big group were queuing to get returns. Rupert’s views are indeed odd to mainstream science and for decades he has clashed with the established paradigm. His salient theory is about morphic resonance; in a nutshell it’s the view that the universe is governed by habits (rather than fixed laws). Furthermore, the human field involves some kind of shared consciousness which is the mysterious realm we tap into when we engage in some spiritual practices like meditation. This idea the audience seemed to find extremely appealing. Sheldrake spoke of the benefits of meditation and ritual but his best advice was an invitation to pilgrimage; he described journeys he had made that are inspired not by dogma or strange conflicting beliefs, but a human yearning and intuition for purpose and meaning. There was the usual reference to the science/religion debate that he explored and transcended by giving a more subtle talk on the variety of ways we can come to understand well-being and what it is to be human.

Bosco Theatre, 18 May 2016
Rating: ★★★★☆
Fleur Shorthouse