<========= Open Window This Wide For Best Results Reading the Below ==========> Morphic Field Theory A Biological Approach to Systems David Brent deMoville I want to examine an approach to systems from the biological perspective. These are living systems, or as Kelly calls them, vivisystems. These living systems may be organically based and encompass life and biology as we normally think of them or they may be mechanical, forcing us to think of the meaning of life in new contexts. Dynamic Networks As we move through this discussion, we will continually visit the concept of networks and connections as an essential component of vivisystems. This viewpoint will force us to realize that we are defined more by our relationships than by our tasks. Sheldrake's Morphic Resonance Morphic fields Much of this discussion will focus on Rupert Sheldrake's work on morphic fields as the underpinning for our behavior. Formative Causation We will also look at his concept of formative causation which suggests that the past may play a more pervasive role in our development than we had previously thought. Relationship with Chaos, Complexity, & Bohm's Work Chaos In the course of the discussion, I will attempt to relate these concepts to some of the core concepts that arise from chaos theory and show the relationship between the concepts expressed in physics and those expressed in biology. Complexity Similarly, we will touch on the concept of complexity and how it relates to biological systems and networks. Implicate Order I also hope to briefly discuss the possible relationship between Sheldrake's morphic fields and David Bohm's concept of implicate order. Implications for Organizations Psychological Inertia Since I am somewhat of a pragmatist, I want to continually relate these concepts back to their implications and applications in human organizations. For example, we will look at the possible connection between morphic fields and psychological inertia. Critical mass (hundredth monkey) We will also examine the popular view of morphic fields and review the idea of critical mass, increasing returns, and the hundredth monkey. Sheldrake Morphogenetic Fields (Morphic Fields) To better understand the concept of morphic fields, I want to begin by clarifying what we mean by fields and morphic. What are they? Definition of fields Sheldrake defines fields as "non-material regions of influence." That is to say they are not something that we can see, touch, smell, taste, or hear, but they are real and they affect us. Right now, each of us is being affected by the gravitational field. We also are affected by electro-magnetic fields. Our ability to see is the result of the vibratory energy of light. Sometimes we are unable to sense these fields without the help of something that allows us to "tune-in" to them. For example, if we were to turn on a radio or television set, we would instantly become aware of various portions of the electro-magnetic spectrum that surround us but of which we are unaware. Sheldrake also calls fields "the medium of action at a distance and through them objects can affect each other even though they are not in material contact." Sheldrake says that, "The nature of fields is inevitably mysterious. According to modern physics, these entities are more fundamental than matter. Fields cannot be explained in terms of matter; rather, matter is explained in terms of energy within fields." In the 1920's a biologist by the name of Paul Weiss applied the concept of fields to embryology and said that, "A field is the condition to which a living system owes its typical organization and its specific activities. These activities are specific in that they determine the character of the formations to which they give rise." Definition of Morphic Sheldrake coined the term "morphic" as a broader term than its parent, "morphogenetic." Morphogenesis is "the coming into being of form." Morphogenetic fields are fields that play a causal role in morphogenesis. The work of Weiss and others in the 1920's was clarified by C.H. Waddington in the 1930's when he introduced the idea of "individuation fields" which were associated with the formation of definite organs and individual shapes. In the 1950's, he extended this idea with the concept of the "chreode" or developmental pathway. We can think of this chreode as being like a valley or canal. If we roll a ball down a slope that has different valleys then the ball may swing up and down the slopes of the canal, but it is less likely to swing above the sides of the canal than it is to flow down the canal. This "canalization" of the path of the ball regulates it. These chreodes are similar in concept to attractors in chaos theory. René Thom translated these concepts into mathematical models. He said that, "All creation or destruction of forms, or morphogenesis, can be described by the disappearance of the attractors representing the initial forms, and their replacement by capture by the attractors representing the final forms." If we think about it, this is how change in an organization is most often implemented. We change the management emphasis and rewards from one focus (attractor) to a new focus (attractor). When change is not effective is usually when the change is verbally supported, but the mass of attractors (reward systems, measurement systems, etc.) are not changed. Sheldrake chose to change the name from morphogenetic fields to morphic fields for two reasons. The first was that morphic fields is easier to pronounce. The second, is that Sheldrake expanded the concept of morphic fields to include more than just the creation of biological forms to include human behavior, cultural systems, and memory. Relation to Koestler's "holon" As we examine biological systems, we must view them as a series of interlocking wholes. In our body we have organelles such as nuclei and mitochondria which make up cells, which build tissue, which builds organs, and so on. Each of these are whole systems that are comprised of sub-systems while they, in turn, are sub-systems of larger systems. For this, Arthur Koestler proposed the term holon. Koestler said, "Every holon has a dual tendency to preserve and assert its individuality as a quasi-autonomous whole; and to function as an integrated part of an (existing or evolving) larger whole. This polarity between the Self-Assertive and Integrative tendencies is inherent in the concept of hierarchic order." Sheldrake considers a holon to be equivalent to a morphic unit. According to Sheldrake, "the morphic field of an organism organizes the parts, or holons, within it; and the fields of these holons in turn organize the lower-level holons within them." As will be discussed later, this influence is more probabilistic than deterministic. Relation to Jung's Collective Unconscious Jung's concept of the collective unconscious is strikingly similar to Sheldrake's morphic fields. Jung defines the collective unconscious as "a part of the psyche which can be negatively distinguished from a personal unconscious by the fact that it does not, like the latter, owe its existence to personal experience and consequently is not a personal acquisition. ...Whereas the personal unconscious consists for the most part of complexes, the content of the collective unconscious is made up essentially of archetypes." Jung believed that this collective unconscious is inherited and that these archetypes influence our instinctual response. In fact, Jung said that "there is good reason for supposing that the archetypes are the unconscious images of the instincts themselves". Similarly, Sheldrake says that "all organisms inherit a collective memory of their species by morphic resonance from previous organisms of the same kind. Second, individual organisms are subject to morphic resonance from themselves in the past, and this self-resonance provides the basis for their own individual memories and habits." In both cases, we may think of the archetypes or the morphic resonance as charged templates that attract our responses into pre-defined patterns. These patterns are not purely predeterminate to the point of negating free will, but they do predispose us toward certain habitual responses. Probability Fields It helps if we understand that morphic fields are best thought of as probability structures. Consequently they have no sharp edges that are clearly defined but are fuzzy and variable. Sheldrake suggests that this is to be expected since the field is the result of the morphic resonance from innumerable similar organisms. You may imagine two individual's with identical genetic structure, raised in the same environment, but not identical. These shades of difference are the result of probabilistic nature of the fields. We may be able to predict behavior in terms of general tendencies, but we cannot predict specific response. Relation to Paradigms Thomas Kuhn's Work on Paradigms Sheldrake discusses morphic fields in relation to fields of science and notes how each scientific discipline creates its own morphic field. He noted, "On the one hand these embrace the members of the professional community and are social fields that co-ordinate and maintain the solidarity and cohesion of the group: they are a kind of conscience collective. On the other hand they order the way in which the subject matter is perceived and categorized, the ways in which problems are tackled, and in general provide the framework for thought and practice within the discipline." Sheldrake echoes Thomas Kuhn's work on paradigms. Kuhn defined a paradigm as "what members of a scientific community share, and, conversely, a scientific community consists of men who share a paradigm." It seems apparent that this becomes a self-reinforcing loop. Certain channels of thought are favored as a result of the influence of the morphic field and the impact of the continual use of those channels reinforces the field. This concept will be explored more fully when we discuss the law of increasing returns. Properties of Morphic Fields Sheldrake identifies the following as hypothetical properties of morphic fields: They are self-organizing wholes. They have both a spacial and a temporal aspect, and organize spatio-temporal patterns of vibratory or rhythmic activity. They attract the systems under their influence towards characteristic forms and patterns of activity, whose coming -into-being they organize and whose integrity they maintain. The ends or goals towards which morphic fields attract the systems under influence are called attractors. They interrelate and co-ordinate the morphic units or holons that lie within them, which in turn are wholes organized by morphic fields. Morphic fields contain other morphic fields within them in a nested hierarchy or holarchy. They are structures of probability, and their organizing activity is probabilistic. They contain a built-in memory given by self-resonance with a morphic unit's own past and by morphic resonance with all previous similar systems. This memory is cumulative. The more often particular patterns of activity are repeated, the more habitual they tend to become. Morphic Resonance Definition Morphic resonance is "the influence of previous structures of activity on subsequent similar structures of activity organized by morphic fields. Through morphic resonance, formative causal influences pass through or across both space and time, and these influences are assumed not to fall off with distance in space or time, but they come only from the past. The greater the degree of similarity, the greater the influence of morphic resonance." Morphic Resonance and Memory Sheldrake offers a different hypothesis regarding memory. He proposes that "memory is inherent in all organisms in two related ways. First, all organisms inherit a collective memory of their species by morphic resonance from previous organisms of the same kind. Second, individual organisms are subject to morphic resonance from themselves in the past, and this self-resonance provides the basis for their own individual memories and habits." He discusses at length different theories about memory and where memory resides. He proposes that memory is maintained in morphic fields and that our brains serve as receiving mechanisms for those fields in the same manner that a radio tunes in music from the electro-magnetic fields. Formative Causation Definition Formative causation is "the hypothesis that organisms or morphic units at all levels of complexity are organized by morphic fields which are themselves influenced and stabilized by morphic resonance from all previous similar morphic units." Relation to Morphic Fields Sheldrake is saying that like iron filings are organized by a magnetic field, we are organized by morphic fields. These fields impact us biologically, psychologically, and organizationally. We build and strengthen a morphic field when we habitually follow a pattern. Sheldrake discusses rat studies conducted by William McDougall at Harvard and then continued by F.A.E. Crew in Edinburgh and by W.E. Agar in Melbourne. In this study the researchers were monitoring the rats' ability to learn escape from a water tank by choosing the correct exit. One exit delivered a shock and the other allowed escape. The researchers complicated this choice by alternately illuminating an exit path. The path that was lit would deliver a shock and the path that was dark was safe. McDougall was investigating the hereditary transmission of learning so he would run the rats through the maze, breed them, and then run their children through the maze. He found that the first generation made on average 165 errors before learning to take the correct exit. Subsequent generations learned more quickly until by the thirteenth generation the rats made an average of only 20 errors. McDougall attributed this result to Lamarkian inheritance of learning. This was not well received in the biological community so they repeated his study. When Crew conducted his study in Edinburgh, he found that the first generation of rats made an average of 25 errors. They appeared to begin where McDougall's rats had left off. Agar repeated the study in Melbourne and found, like Agar, that the first generation tested far quicker than McDougall's original generation. He continued the study for 20 years and 50 generations of rats. Each successive generation learned faster than the one before. However, he also ran a control group that was unrelated to the trained parents. This group also showed marked improvement. Sheldrake contends that this study is representative of morphic resonance and the morphic field that was created by the rats' habitual behavior. Relationship to Gestalt Psychology In the 1920s and 1930s, the Gestalt school of psychology proposed the existence of psychophysical fields. They believed that an individuals behaviors and responses could not be viewed separately from the whole experience. Our behavior is organized in particular directions as a result of the field's pull in a particular direction. For example, if you are relaxing by a river, feeling the sun gently warm your body as you watch the birds in the tree you are experiencing a homogenous field state that is in equilibrium and requires no action. If you are fully relaxed, you may find that the line between self and environment begins to blur and you feel that you are part of the landscape and it is part of you. Now imagine that you suddenly hear a child's scream for help as he falls into the river. Where before all directions were equal, now you are pulled toward one direction of action and the field becomes tension filled. Gestalt theory states that action automatically presupposes inhomogeneous fields. That is to say that one field becomes dominate drawing us toward a particular goal or action. In a similar manner, the resonance from morphic fields draws behavior in certain directions and patterns. Organizational Implications for Change The concepts of formative causation, morphic fields, and morphic resonance have a "good news - bad news" feel for organizational change. The bad news is that the powerful effect of morphic resonance drawing behavior down habitually created channels probably causes the enormous inertia that is felt in most organizational change efforts. Resistance to change takes on a more visceral feel and becomes more than an unwillingness to try something different. Asking for change is not unlike asking someone to overcome gravity and fly. The good news is that by understanding the concept of morphic resonance and the importance of creating strong attractors we can begin to formulate approaches to change that may be more successful. The need to build a new morphic field underlines for me the futility of top-down mandated change. Words and commands alone are not going to overcome the morphic resonance of the old fields. Rather, it will take the creation of a new field by individuals habitually behaving in the new way. As more people adopt the new behavior, the new field increases in strength and begins to draw more people toward it and the older field weakens. This model forces the initial change effort to be more of a search for individuals whose personal experience has created a self-reinforcing morphic field that is aligned with the new organizational direction. By encouraging this core, one can begin to "grow" change. Kelly Kevin Kelly in "Out of Control"discusses the nature of control. In the course of the discussion, he examines the increasing automation in society and the increasingly "aware" technology that we are creating. Control The Webster's defines control as checking, verifying, and testing; or the exercising of restraint or influence over others; or to have power over others. The first meaning suggests more of a statistical control, so I want to ignore it for the moment. The next two meanings imply, if we assume good intent, that the one in control has superior information that allows her to make the decisions requiring her to influence or restrain others. Kelly suggests that this is not only unlikely, but it is also undesirable. Control vs Flexibility Much of this undesirability comes from the ongoing dance between control and flexibility. Hierarchical Control Traditional hierarchical control flowed one way - from the top down. Information, decisions, and control were all created at the top and passed down through the organization. Each lower level was totally dependent on the level above. Distributed Control Distributed control grows out of networked, lateral organizations, but, Kelly contends, there will emerge a hierarchy. This difference is that this hierarchy will bubble-up from the bottom. Like Koestler's holarchy, small cells will group together and build up an organization around them. Much of this will be driven by chunking problems into smaller increments. Complex problems and systems cannot be solved as easily with a top down approach as with a bottom up approach. Kelly compares this to mathematics. He says that "To multiply several prime numbers into a larger product is easy; any elementary school kid can do it. But the world's supercomputers choke while trying to unravel a product into its simple primes. Top-down control is very much like trying to decompose a product into its factors, while the large product is very easy to assemble from its factors up." Kelly says, "The law is concise: Distributed control has to be grown from simple local control. Complexity must be grown from simple systems that already work." This network of distributed control has implications for communications. Work with artificial intelligence and automatic control suggest that the old notion of "tell everybody everything" is not the best means of communication. As organizations and systems increase in complexity, this flow of data becomes overwhelming and loses its value. Rather, we give feedback from what is happening now in the immediate environment. Occasionally these signals will be conflicting. Since there is no central command reconciling these signals, they are not reconciled. Rather, each signal generates a behavior which is more or less effective and that relative effectiveness serves to reconcile the signals. Systems, Feedback, and Automatic Control Kelly makes the point that "A system is anything that talks to itself. All living systems and organisms ultimately reduce to a bunch of regulators - chemical pathways and neuron circuits - having conversations as dumb as 'I want, I want, I want; no, you can't, you can't, you can't.'" Stages of Control In our search for automatic control we have gone through three stages: The control of energy - the steam engine The control of material - the ability to make matter into any shape at any size The control of information - We are now struggling with this stage. We have a gargantuan flow of data surrounding us and threatening to swallow us if we don't bring it under control. Implications of Automatic Control While Kelly notes the tremendous progress that we have made with this control, he questions the cost, "The control of energy conquered the forces of nature (and made us fat); the control of matter brought material wealth within easy reach (and made us greedy). What mixed cornucopia will the blossoming of full information control bring about? Confusion, brilliance, impatience?" The growth of automatic control has been the one-way transfer of control from our human selves to our second, technological selves. As we continue to create smart machines, it is Kelly's contention that we will be held back until we invest these machines with the ability to adapt on their own and evolve in their own direction. He says, "Giving machines freedom is the only way we can have intelligent control. What little time left in this century is rehearsal time for the chief psychological chore of the 21st century: letting go, with dignity." Emergent Systems Emergent systems are those that arise out of the interaction of the parts of a whole, but are often unpredictable from those parts. C.L. Morgan said that while emergence is related to causation in the traditional sense of A causes B which causes C or 2+2=4 it is of a different variety where 2+2=apples. In 1923 Morgan wrote, "The emergent step, though it may seem more or less saltatory [a leap], is best regarded as a qualitative change of direction, or critical turning-point, in the course of events." An example of an emergent phenomenon is our response to music. When we hear music, that is when our auditory sense organs respond to the vibratory movement of air, we don't simply respond to the sound in the same manner that we might respond to the crack of a twig. Rather, the music invokes within us emotion and feelings that are well beyond the simple sound. Morgan quotes Browning to illustrate this point: "And I know not if , save in this, such gift be allowed to man That out of three sounds he frame, not a fourth sound, but a star." Emergence appears to be the result of increasing numbers. Kelly said that, "Emergence requires a population of entities, a multitude, a collective, a mob, more. More is different. One grain of sand cannot avalanche, but pile up enough grains of sand and you get a dune that can trigger avalanches." Similarly, the behavior of a mob cannot be predicted from the observed behavior of the individuals who make up the mob. Mass Pong In his book, Kelly describes an experiment conducted at a Las Vegas Conference in which 5,000 people were in a conference room equipped with overhead video cameras which could scan the audience and then send that information to a computer for display on a projection monitor. Each individual in the room was given a card. The card was green on one side and red on the other. The computer system was capable of counting the number of red and green cards and then using that information to control software. The experiment was "run" by Loren Carpenter, a computer graphics expert. Carpenter loaded a version of the video game Pong onto the screen. He explained that the red side of the card would move the paddle up and that the green side would move the paddle down. He then told the audience that those on the left would control the left paddle and that those on the right would control the right paddle. He said, "If you think you are on the left, then you really are." They started the game and the crowd performed surprising well. After a while, Carpenter increased the speed of the game and people actually performed better. He increased the speed several times and the crowd learned instantly. Then he changed the game and placed a circle on the screen that corresponded to a section of seats in the auditorium. He then asked the crowd to place a green 5 in the center of the circle. Quickly the screen shows a rippling sea of green as the crowd determines if their seats are in the circle. Then a hazy shape of a 5 begins to appear and as it is discerned, it rapidly sharpens up as the members decide whether to show their green side or not. Then very rapidly, Carpenter requests a 4, followed by a 3 and so on down to zero. Then Carpenter launches a flight simulator program and tells the audience that those on the left control roll and those on the right control pitch. The audience is then left to fly the plane. Imagine 5,000 novice pilots at control of the stick. The flight simulator is much more complex than the Pong game due to the increased delays in feedback time from adjustments to the desired effect. As the group goes to land the plane, the downside of democratic action becomes apparent. The plane pitches toward the left and it becomes obvious that the plane will hit wing first and crash. Because of the delay in feedback, the plane begins to oscillate out of control as the audience continues to overcompensate. Somehow, as one, they pull the plane up and abort the landing attempt. They turn the plane around and come in for another attempt. No one decided whether the plane would turn left or turn right, but as one mind that turned in a wide approach to the runway. Again the approach is out of line and the crowd again pulls up together. As they pull away, the plane begins to roll a bit, and then as if 5,000 people got the same idea at once, the plant does a series of graceful 360º rolls. The crowd gives itself a standing ovation. Continuous and Discontinuous Systems When we look at systems and when we have the hubris to make predictions about systems, it is essential that we remember that there are two kinds of complex systems. The first is a continuous system. In a continuous system behavior will change along a smooth curve. Kelly gives the example of a car. If a car performs well in a curve at 50 mph, 60 mph, and 70 mph then we know that it will perform well at 55 mph or 63 mph. The car is a continuos system and predictions may be based on interpolated data. The second kind of system is a discontinuous system. In this type of system, change does not follow a smooth curve and interpolation is not reliable. An example of a discontinuous system is a complex software program. It may run reliably for years until some specific set of circumstances causes it to crash. This is equivalent to a car that performs well at every speed but 57.5 mph. Predictions about discontinuous systems are difficult since trends, sampling, and other types of examination are not reliable. Networks In creating a network, we need to look not only at the number of nodes and connections between nodes but also at the "connectance" [strength of coupledness] between each pair of nodes in the network. Nature gives examples of survival strategies based on a large number of connections between a wide variety of individuals and a small number of strong connections between a few individuals. Both strategies are successful. Coevolution Stewart Brand said, "Evolution is adapting to meet one's needs. Coevolution, the larger view, is adapting to meet each other's needs" Coevolution is the way of nature. In the example of predator/prey, it pays neither to eliminate the other. If the predator kills all of its prey then it will cease to have a food source. If the prey is not preyed upon, then it will reproduce beyond its food source and begin to die out. Chameleon on a Mirror Stewart Brand posed a riddle to Gregory Bateson that asked, "What color is chameleon placed on the mirror?" The question asks about the relationship between mutually supporting feedback loops. The mirror is reflecting the way the chameleon looked and the chameleon is attempting to change to match the appearance of the mirror. Kelly says, "The important point about the chameleon on the mirror riddle is that the lizard and glass become one system. 'Lizardness' and 'mirrorness' are encompassed into a larger essence - a 'lizard-glass' - which acts differently than either a chameleon or a mirror." Feedback Loops As a result of continual feedback loops, we coevolve with the system around us. As Kelly said, "the physical environment shapes its creatures and creatures shape their environment, and if considered in the long view, the environment is the organism and the organism is the environment." Law of Increasing Returns Brian Arthur articulated the concept of increasing returns in economic theory after becoming immersed in the biological literature. Simply put, this theory says, "Them that has, gets." The example I most often think about is computer software. There are a number of excellent word processing programs in the market place. However, Wordperfect dominated the DOS world of word-processing because it got early acceptance into the corporate world. Later, when better and easier programs came on to the market, it continued to retain its place because it was in its place. That is the corporations had innumerable documents in that format that they did not wish to change. That had personnel that had climbed the difficult learning curve to master Wordperfect and did not want to try another program. This phenomenon is like Sheldrake's morphic fields and runs in the face of traditional economic theory which speaks of diminishing returns. Four Characteristics of a Pure Networked Organization A purely networked organization would have the following traits: Distributed - No single location for the business. Decentralized - More functions, even supposedly essential functions, we be contracted out. Collaborative - Organizations will bounce between competing and collaborating with one another. "The metaphor for corporations is shifting from the tightly coupled, tightly bounded organism to the loosely coupled, loosely bounded ecosystem." Adaptive - Quick to change with the times. Continued shift from products to service. Money will be made by following the flow of information. Perils of Optimization Nature focuses on reliability rather than elegance. Its way is often redundant and non-optimized. However, it works. In complex systems, there is a danger in optimization. Deming recognized this and counseled against it. He warned that optimizing parts of a system separate from the larger system would result in sub-optimization for the system as a whole. Indra's Net Buddhism refers to the concept of Indra's net. In the tradition, Indra's net is a great cosmic net that covers Indra's celestial palace. At the intersection of each mesh is a jewel. These jewels reflect each other, producing an infinite continuum of radiance. Any jewel may be the center of the net since each contains the other within it. Indra's net is the perfect metaphor for the networked organization with distributed control. Adaptation and Evolution "Adaptation is the act of bending a structure to fit a new hole. Evolution is a deeper change that reshapes the architecture of the structure itself - how it can bend - often producing new holes for others." Nine Laws of God Based on the fields of computer science, biology, and interdisciplinary experimentation, Kelly derived the following rules for creating something from nothing. Notes: Distribute being - something most often emerges from the interactions of many different parts. Control from the bottom up - In a rapidly changing environment central control will be ignored so the best results are achieved from the smaller local entities working in parallel. Cultivate increasing returns - Confidence builds confidence. Order generates more order. Grow by chunking - Complex systems are build from smaller systems that work. Maximize the fringes - Allow and encourage diverse, often chaotic actions. These will speed adaptation and increase resilience. Honor your errors - In the early stages new methods of doing something are indistinguishable from error. "Error, whether random or deliberate, must become an integral part of any process of creation." Pursue no optima; have multiple goals - "A complicated structure has many masters and none of them can be served exclusively. Rather than strive for optimization of any function, a large system can only survive by 'satificing' (making good enough) a multitude of functions." Seek persistent disequilibrium - "Neither constancy nor relentless change will support a creation. A good creation, like good jazz, must balance the stable formula with frequent out-of-kilter notes. Equilibrium is death. Yet unless a system stabilizes to an equilibrium point, it is no better than an explosion and just as soon dead." Change changes itself - As organizations grow in complexity, each part influences the others and changes them. As time goes on, the rules for change will themselves change as a result of the interaction. [===] ===[ === ]=== [===] Related: [===] ===[ === ]=== [===] * Presence of the Past: Introduction & Chapter One On Morphogenic Field Theory by Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D. http://www.chalicebridge.com\Files\On'ThePresenceOfThePast'-MorphicFields-RupertSheldrake.txt "Challenging the fundamental assumptions of modern science, this ground-breaking radical hypothesis suggests that nature itself has memory. The question of morphogenesis - how things take their shape - remains one of the great mysteries of science. What makes a rabbit rabbit-shaped? How do newts regenerate limbs? Why are molecules shaped the way they are? Why do societies arrange themselves in certain predictable patterns? ..." * NEW SCIENCE OF LIFE with RUPERT SHELDRAKE, Ph.D. http://www.williamjames.com/transcripts/sheldra1.htm From The Intuition Network, A Thinking Allowed Television Underwriter, presents the following transcript from the series A Thinking Allowed, Conversations On the Leading Edge of Knowledge and Discovery, with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove. * Nature As Alive: Morphic Resonance and Collective Memory* by Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.d. http://www.primalspirit.com/pr1_1sheldrake_nature_as_alive.htm This article was originally presented at the International Transpersonal Association Conference on "Science, Spirituality, and the Global Crisis: Toward a World with a Future," which was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. It was delivered on 25 June 1992 and was titled, "Morphic Resonance and Collective Memory." It was originally published in Primal Renaissance: The Journal of Primal Psychology, Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring, 1995. * Interview with Rupert Sheldrake, Oct 29, 1999 by David Bradley, scientist by training, award-winning science and tech writer-editor since 1989 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/interview-with-rupert-sheldrake.html This interview appeared on October 29, 1999, in David Bradley’s monthly BioFeedback column in the now defunct and much missed (not least for the monthly fee!) HMSBeagle on BioMedNet. * Integral Evolutionary Biology at http://integrallife.com/node/1559 Contributors: Rupert Sheldrake and Ken Wilber The man behind the theory of morphic resonance shares his impulse to explore the evolutionary impulse behind the Kosmos itself. From physics, to chemistry, to biology, to psychology, to spirituality and more, these two pioneers share their understanding of how Spirit is manifesting moment-to-moment in and through the leading edge of consciousness awareness.... * Rupert Sheldrake & Ken Wilber at http://in.integralinstitute.org/landing/rupert_sheldrake/index.html Integral Evolutionary Biology. Part 1. How Do We Account for Memory in Nature? The man behind the theory of morphic resonance shares his impulse to explore the evolutionary impulse behind the Kosmos itself. From physics, to chemistry, to biology, to psychology, to spirituality and more, these two pioneers share their understanding of how Spirit is manifesting moment-to-moment in and through the leading edge of consciousness awareness…. * SHELDRAKE’S THEORY OF MORPHOGENESIS by Ken Wilber, Excerpted from The Collected Works of Ken Wilber: Volume 4 http://integrallife.com/apply/science-technology/sheldrakes-theory-morphogenesis <========= Open Window This Wide For Best Results Reading the Below ==========> _____________________________________________________________________ ¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤ EDITOR/Web Site Host Information (Claiming no credit for the above information) Chris Pringer, Reiki Master || * Chalice Productions * Specialist in Energy-Body-Work || Integrative Art & Writing * Personal Coach in Mind-Body || * By Appt Only: 206-286-0899 Preventative Health Awareness || Seattle, WA 98119 * Ordained Minister || Chaliser@iinet.com Chalice Bridging Ministries: Body-Mind-Soul Integration for a Healthy Planet =========== ///\\\ ============= Essays, Art, Professional Info, Links, FTP via: Body-Mind-Chalice Integration Website: Professional Brochure Compact Trifold PDF via http://www.chalicebridge.com/Files/ReikiBrochure-[TRI-Fold]v3.pdf http://www.chalicebridge.com: Essays, Poetry, and Art for Bridging the Mind-Body Connection, "Body-Parenting", Psycho-Spiritual Self-Healing, Consciousness, Theology, Practical Emotional Intelligence, and Psycho-Social Trends & Ideas for Evolving. http://www.chalicebridge.com/Chalice-Integration-Index.html: (Chalice Art, Mandalas, Sacred Geometry, & Related Philosophy: via http://www.chalicebridge.com/4CPublishing.html: Chalice Creations & Concept Charting - Desktop Publishing for Vibrant Greeting Cards, Logos, Display Ads, Promotional Presentations, Charts & Web Books, Mandala & Prayer Cards ________________ Professional Bio I began my studies in multi-level self-healing when in the service, in Thailand in the Winter of '73. The focus then was on self-help psychology, consciousness, and eastern and western mystical perspectives. This continued through my university studies in Norman, OK '74-'79. 1980 took me into naturopathic studies, primarily nutrition and herbology when I lived in Oklahoma City. Not seeing the naturopathic doctor route as affordable at the time, I found direction via a five-evening massage course, Fall '83. That led to a six month professional practice, followed up with the training in Sante Fe, NM, '84-'85 (described in the next paragraph). Since then I have practiced massage and/or healing facilitation for others, initially in Santa Fe, NM (during/after my training), then San Louis Obispo, CA, and Seattle, WA. This includes exploring personal challenges and self-healing methodology. A session may include various energy work modalities, Body/Energy-Awareness based Preventative Health Maintenance Instruction, or only Reiki or relaxation work in total silence. A client chooses based on whatever stress, pain, or concerns are present at that session. A client may request a "Body Pattern Reading," as well as various massage/bodywork therapies, all of which techniques are listed & described in my brochure. Individual, program, and 3-6 week interval-based rates are available. My interests have primarily centered in three areas: 1) Body-Centered Psycho-Spiritual Process (as in "Hakomi" style of) counseling and bodywork, including as assessing an individual for the most efficient means of addressing connective tissue injury, short and long term, and the most efficient application of the results of that assessment (on physical and/or emotional levels); 2) in The Basic How's And Why's Of Psycho-Emotional Storage In The Body-Mind, and in the related fascia memory storage dynamics - referring to the technical aspects of neuro-physical interface between connective tissue, emotion, and the brain); 3) "Chalice-Bridging" style chakra balancing - based in the perspective that the chalice, far more than just a cup in this interpretation, is about the human embodiment of Spirit into the three "lower bodies" (mental, emotional, and physical) which compose the "Body-Mind". Which is also a "cauldron" for the balancing and integrating of Humanity with the Divine - individually and communally. My training includes over 1370 hours of classes and practicum, including with the New Mexico Academy of Massage and Advanced Healing Arts in Santa Fe, NM (1984-85), and with various accredited bodywork and therapy workshops (`86-present), as well as 100 hours training with the Alchemical Hypnotherapy Institute (1989), over 100+ hrs apprenticeship with healing practitioner Robert "Mitra" (`85-`86), and 150 hours apprenticeship with Silena Heron in Herbal Studies (`83-`84). For the detailed version my training, you may go to the latter half of my Reiki Therapy Practice Brochure. Which also includes (and relates context for) links to essays elaborating on aspects of imbalance and injury, assessment, and healing. ________________________________ Some Body-Mind Quotes From Chris BODY-MIND AWARENESS, at the core of preventive health awareness, is one of the most simple, efficacious, & cost-effective forms of HEALTH INSURANCE there can be. Hence, massage is far from just "a luxury item," and bodywork therapies can be indispensable for the healing of certain conditions. MUSCLES RELATE TO ATTACHMENTS - to what we use to take our stance, to hold our place, to perceive and respond to our environment, and to extend who we are and/or want to be. Or used to be (in too many cases, perhaps). That speaks not only to the body's condition and function, but to how it communicates awareness of where one is along one's path (of becoming who one truly is). THE BODY IS . . . among other amazing things, a unique communications system --intimately linked with one's TOTALITY. Establishing rapport with one's body can be a PATH to self realization. ONE OF MY DREAMS is a society where/in all children are taught how to feel/see/read their own body-mind communications such that preventive health maintenance eventually becomes second nature. And actually, for the most part, they would be encouraged to re-awaken and build upon what I believe to be a NATURAL INCLINATION - conscious self-healing and continuous expansion of awareness.