For issues to soar and I imply constantly soar yr after yr, you want a group who believes in what you initially got down to do and hopefully proceed to do. I‘ve been going to Wisdom 2.0 for nearly a decade and what initially brought me there was bringing consciousness to the technology industry and other sectors. Their commitment is to address the overlap between living connected to one another through technology and consciousness. In other words, doing so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work, and useful to the world.
Last year, they had OPENAI CEO, Sam Altman on stage, but also people like Jack Kornfeld, Yung Pueblo, trauma expert Gabor Maté, Byron Katie, Dr. Lyla June Johnston, Rhonda Magee, Alex Senegal, Mohammed Mohammed, Chip Conley, MAPS founder Rick Doblin and more.
This Year’s Wisdom 2.0
This yr, Deepak Chopra, meditation grasp Jon Kabat-Zinn, #MeToo motion founder Tarana Burke, V (formally Eve Ensler), Roshi Joan Halifax, and founding father of inner household programs (IFS) Dr.Richard Schwartz had been among the many audio system on the foremost stage. V. Pappas additionally addressed social media and its influence on folks, particularly the youth. She shared classes realized from Tik Tok as the previous COO and the way we are able to handle it for ourselves and our children.
V. Pappas with Soren on the principle Wisdom 2.0 stage
Alanis Morrissette additionally joined us for a dialog in a fireplace chat fashion format with Wisdom 2.0 host Soren Gordhamer. As a lot as I had hoped for a music or two in addition to her insights, music wasn’t on the desk at this yr’s occasion. She shared her knowledge and in addition her personal greatest practices for private development and therapeutic, which included find out how to keep grounded as a singer, but in addition as a mom. I beloved her genuine voice.
She shared that as an empath, navigating the panorama may be difficult, however realizing it’s a nice begin to know what to do to take care of your self alongside the means, reasonably than shove the hiccups underneath the carpet as so many do. It’s laborious to be a changemaker and a pacesetter however making the dedication to point out up is an enormous half of it and her exhibiting up on a really totally different stage like Wisdom 2.0 demonstrated that to all of us.
I’m not new to Deepak Chopra‘s work or voice. Not only have I heard him speak a couple dozen times over the years at live events, but I‘ve read over half of his books. Sometimes his talks have been a bit heady or dense for me; however, clarity hit me in all directions when he graced the stage with his presence this year. The focus? Similarities and overlapping paradigms between science and spirituality, one of my favorite topics.
Without getting too technical or going down the quantum physics rabbit hole, he made some interesting parallel observations between Quantum Mechanics and what he referred to as Quantum Consciousness in his talk. The most interesting one he raised was The Superposition Principle, which suggests that the “system can be in a state that is a combination of two or more other states.” On the side of Quantum Consciousness, he says that “all mental events exist in superposition and entanglement with sensations, images, feelings and thoughts. Potential mental events exist in multiple states until actualized as experience.”
He also explained how each side starts with fundamental assumptions. For example, science starts with matter is the “ontological primitive of existence, where as consciousness is the starting point” for those who turn to spirituality for understanding our existence.
“All mental events exist in superposition and entanglement with sensations, images, feelings and thoughts. Potential mental events exist in multiple states until actualized as experience.” —Deepak Chopra (April 2024)
For those who share the materialist view, then matter produces mind, but from the world of spirituality, then mind and matter (brain, body and world) are actually “complementary activities of awareness.” He asserts that “awareness modifies itself as cognition and perception.” Despite the fact that I grew up respecting science over spirituality, at least when it comes to understanding humanity’s very existence, his references to Advaita Vedanta/Shaivism made far more sense to me, intuitively that’s.
Science seems to be for constant proof—repeated proof—over and over. It solely takes into consideration expertise in that repeated context, though for these of us who’ve had repeated experiences that we are able to’t clarify—and nor can science clarify—it feels, tastes and sounds extra true than what information usually factors to. Ultimately this leads us to one thing that masters throughout traditions usually come to on the finish of the day, and that Deepak introduced up on one in every of his slides: “The theater of spacetime and causality is an illusion/simulation in non-local awareness (Maya).” I’d argue that this perceived phantasm is what retains separateness in play and so has Ram Das and plenty of different non secular masters.
It appeared like an excellent overview given how numerous the Wisdom 2.0 attendees had been, some coming in from different continents in addition to different components of the U.S. We have to proceed this dialogue, as mind-bending it as it might be for some. There’s far an excessive amount of new analysis pointing us towards the attractive interconnected net of life (as vitality) that all of us share, one thing a lot of our indigenous ancestors have identified for millennia and past.
Although Gabor didn’t communicate this yr, the trauma dialogue continued. Iya Affo, who we interviewed for our video sequence on Trauma (not but stay) was on-stage and continued the dialogue at a Q&A later within the day which I attended. She reminds us that if we don’t perceive how trauma impacts the physiology within the mind, we are able to’t be taught extra empowering methods to manage the mind so we are able to change a few of these harmful behaviors.
She additionally spoke of how some cultures discover speak remedy taboo. So, reasonably than specializing in needing to do one thing we consider as taboo, we are able to look to simpler methods to manage the mind. With consciousness, comes energy. In different phrases, the extra we follow totally different habits, the extra that habits turns into a brand new neuro-pathway.
“The more I can regulate my brain, the more I have the capacity to make choices.”—Iya Affo
Iya Affo & Renee Blodgett at Wisdom 2.0 (Day 1)
Mingtong Gu additionally graced us along with his presence. He was skilled on the largest qigong hospital in China and was named Qigong Master of the Year by the thirteenth World Congress for Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I initially realized about his work on the SAND Conference (which sadly stopped working bodily occasions), though he has spoken and led workshops at Wisdom 2.0 earlier than. I wrote a chunk about an occasion he led at Spirit Rock again in 2018 and to today, stay a fan. He leads on and stay programs and occasions from his Chi Center in Santa Fe. Qigong is a superb re-balancing and therapeutic modality.
Taken with Mingtong Gu at a earlier Wisdom 2.0
Speaking of therapeutic modalities, let’s now flip to Internal Family Systems (IFS). Many I spoke to at the convention had been conversant in (and followers of) the IFS work, so the room was packed when Dr. David Schwartz arrived on stage. Schwartz led a IFS course of with Soren on stage, which not solely took us via the steps however confirmed the energy of that vulnerability not simply with others, however most significantly with oneself.
Dr. Richard Schwartz at Wisdom 2.0 (2024)
One half of him is the “striver,” which may get within the means after we’re doing private development and non secular work and but, don’t all of us have a little bit striver in us, particularly if we’re main an group, convention or firm? Recognizing it permits us to make amends with that half of us, maintain it in a sacred place after which steadiness the vitality so it’s helpful reasonably than detrimental or overpowering.
