Athena International Journal SOPHIA Athena International Academy of Behavoiral Sciences & Evolutionary Human Skills Realize your potential SOPHIAfor - Athena professionals, International leaders Journal and - Issuediplomates. # 4 Page 1 In this magazine... From the Editor Welcome to our magazine! ------------------------------- Dear Reader, Sucess Story Welcome to our fourth issue of Athena Q&A with International E-journal called Sophia.This Ashok Gangadean journal is something that we are very proud page #3 of and we are so excited to finally share it ------------------------------- with you. As you will see, this issue is 20 pages.We want to listen to your feedback Article and add in features that you want to see. by Gabrielle Feldner We know that this magazine is going to page # 15 become something “you must”every four ------------------------------- months. It is our mission to pack it with informative Retreat Solstice 1 articles, new development in transpersonal field, inspiring stories and links to information that we believe will propel your expan- page # 19 sion of consciousness and help you lead successful life at every level of your being. This issue is an open invitation to celebrate healing arts and scientific elements in Global Enlightenment: Our evolutionary shift to Integral Sciences and Medicine by Ashok Gangadean, Margaret Gest Professor of Global Philosophy. This work has been happening at global level, with the birth of one heart - one mind collaboration. With the rite of Passage and emergence of Global Democracy, it is definitely time to step up and identify and embrace Divine field that helps you live your true happiness, also liber- ates you from fear of change and invokes you create the fearless grid of life. We are pleased to share with you the wealth of wisdom and research work of well known educationist and Professor Ashok Gangadean. We would love your feedback, so if you have something to say, please e-mail us [email protected]. And I look forward hearing from you. Until next issue have wonderful time. Contact Us For any enquires pleae call +41 21 964 1551 or email [email protected] Page 2 SOPHIA - Athena International Journal - Issue # 4 Page 2 SOPHIA - Athena International Journal - Issue # 4 SUCCESS STORY Global Enlightenment Our evolutionary shift to Integral Sciences and Medicine What is our Evolutionary views, cultures, religions and Samsara, Dharma and Karma ? shift to the Integral traditions on a trans-national ba- Or do we even truly understand Sciences and Medicine ? sis. If, for example, we are in a all of those strange terms of Judo-Christian mind-space and Vedantic wisdom? Are we able Ashok Gangadean- inhabiting that cultural ecol- enter Buddha`s mind and the My journey as philosopher over ogy, how do we make sense of living reality of the world of 50 years, as a logician and evol very different worlds, in widely Buddha ? utionary ontologist, has been diverse mental ecologies? in quest of the missing Pri- Are we able to truly enter the It would be truly remarkable mal Code of Logos. As you Chinese mind to understand the to encounter the culture of our may know “ontology” is the Tao, to understand Chi Energy, “Other” in authentic terms. science of Being (Reality), to understand Feng-shui. How do we cross worlds ? This and the Language or Gram- Can we truly access and un- is a fundamental question that I mar or Logos-Code of Being. derstand the world of a Hindu posed to humanity at large early Over the decades I have been in the Vedic tradition, or the in my career. This is the question focused upon how we humans worlds of Yogic realities and which has not been adequate- cross profoundly diverse world consequently process what is ly looked into and yet it is all SOPHIA - Athena International Journal - Issue # 4 Page 3 SUCCESS STORY | ASHOK GANGADEAN important to understand this aware of it; - we receive “the urgent challenge of communi- world” and our “experiences” cation (and translation) across as if presented to us as a fait diverse worldviews, religions, accompli. cultures and ideologies. However our settled ways of inhabiting our worldview Why is Communication really become problematic Between Worlds so urgent? when we encounter a very different worldview or seek Ashok Gangadean- to enter into someone else`s Because most people are not world. This happens when we sufficiently aware that as we encounter Radical Difference breathe in and absorb our culture - a different worldview, a dif- from birth (parenting, schooling, ferent gender orientation, a and daily experience) through different ideology or religious early acculturation and all the perspective that sees the world ...Most way through our lives that our differently and inhabits a very language and literacy encodes different mind-space. Then often our our worldview. People are there is often turbulence, not sufficiently aware of their mis-understandings, mis-com- upbringing worldview- their living munication, friction… followed ontology-and how it shapes their by a breakdown in human and our experience, their thoughts and relations, disturbing ruptures emotions, beliefs and mental and often followed by violence. education state. We are raised in our When the worlds collide there cultural ecologies which shape can be violence of all kinds- geno- systems do the lens of our mind through cide, crusades, ethnic cleansing, which we perceive, interpret, holocausts, racism, sexism, not help us make sense of our world and homophobia, demonizing of process our lives. Most often our others (stranger), wars, bigot- upbringing and our education ry, discrimination…the list in become systems do not help us become endless. We are not sufficiently adequately aware of our mental educated to become aware that adequately lens which has been shaped by we have a “lens” that shapes our culture, consciously and all aspects of our lives, and not aware of pre-consciously. educated sufficiently to Our worldview and its mental recognize the World of the our mental lens in-forms and shapes our Other, with a different mental world, our living realities, and lens. We are not sufficiently lens... hence all our inner and outer sensitized to the skills of deep experiences. Experience on dialogue across and between the “screen” of our awareness, diverse lenses and inter-world is shaped via this lens of our encounters: “lensitivity” (sen- mind and most people are un- sitivity to the lens of self and Page 4 SOPHIA - Athena International Journal - Issue # 4 SUCCESS STORY | ASHOK GANGADEAN others). urgent challenges of non-violent communication across diverse How do we cultivate sensi- worlds and perspectives… Let’s tivity to our own lens and call this “lens” issue, in a play- the lens of Others and de- ful spirit: Lensitivity. velop deep dialogue skills? It is the term that needs to be learnt, to initiate vital dialogue Ashok Gangadean- skills that are urgently needed in Just imagine what a different today’s global marketplace: world this would be if parents to be sensitive to the lens (or and teachers and all who raise crossing worldviews) issue. our children were themselves When we seek to in touch with their own cultural encounter the world of our lens and were sensitized to the Other, and to communicate vital importance of educating non-violently across world- ...Listen our children to learn the skills views, we need teachable of encountering Others who rational skills of dialogue which deeply inhabit different worlds. require us, as humans, to step Parents are not in the habit of back from unilaterally privi- and hear telling their kids: “Honey, pay leging our own lens, and make attention to your own lens and space for understanding the the other the lens of others…be mindful lens, perspective, worldview of your own mental lens and of Others. Often we humans, as he/she remember that Others because we lack “lensitivity”, may inhabit very different can be uncritically addict- speaks, worlds, inhabit very ed to privileging our own different perspectives, so learn mind-space and processing rather than to be open and listen deeply out the Other through our lens or there in the world.”…Know that perspective. Indeed we are not uncritically your world has been shaped, that taught that this can be a form of you have a mental lens, but also violence. There is need to “cut imposing know that there are others who some slack” and open some live in different worlds and have space to allow the voice of the your own different lenses…” other to speak and be heard. Our early parenting and Listen deeply and hear the mental lens educating urgently call for such other as he/she speaks, rather sensitization to how our world- than uncritically imposing your on the views are formed, how we can own mental lens on the Other. develop literacy and competence This is a vital skill of deep Other... in encountering the worlds of dialogue. others…Raising our youth with So if, for example, I am raised sensitivity and critical awareness in a certain “European” cultural of their own mental lens and tradition, which is already highly the lens of others, and the complex, or more specifically, SOPHIA - Athena International Journal - Issue # 4 Page 5 living in “the” Judeo - Christian access to a deeper inter-world mind-space, or the Christian encounter with the World. We religious world (all highly mature from “monologue” to complex and diverse) how Deep Dialogue intelligence. So do I truly “open up” to enter when we competently dilate worldviews that are radically our Global Lens we are able to diverse from my own? How truly appreciate Other World- do I open myself and authen- views, other cultures, religions, tically encounter, deeply lis- and dance across worlds in a ten and learn from voices of Unified Space.