Transpersonal psychology first emerged as an academic discipline in the 1960s and has subsequently broadened into a range of transpersonal studies. Jorge Ferrer (2002) has called for a 'revisioning' of transpersonal theory, dethroning inner experience from its dominant role in defining and validating spiritual reality. In the current paradigm he detects a lingering Cartesianism, which subtly entrenches the very subject-object divide that transpersonalists seek to overcome. This paper outlines the development and current shape of the transpersonal movement, compares Ferrer's epistemology (...) with the heterophenomenology of Daniel Dennett, and speculates on the integration of the latter into transpersonal theory. (shrink)

Each traditional perceptions of the great pyramid of being has been in some way disappeared and waned during modern period of western thought, especially after 18th century, which caused this ontological foundation of pre-modern thought to be forgotten, neglected or denied. Among the refutations and denials related to the great pyramid of being, Martin Heidegger’s fundamental critique of this kind of perception of being and its stages has a great difference with other critics’ approach. Contrary to most critics of the (...) great pyramid of being, who principally regarded its traditional expositions as unacceptable on the basis of a topical critique, Heidegger generally regarded this kind of perception of being as incorrect and incomplete because it provided the ground for forgetting the question of meaning and reality of being. According to Heidegger, considering being as a foundation, which is one of most basic theoretical foundations of many scholastic expositions of great pyramid of being, negates confronting with reality of being as unhidden essence. In these expositions, the first origin replaces the question of meaning and reality of being in the position of a reality in which being and essence overlap. In addition, neglecting ontological distinction in philosophical expositions of great pyramid of being, theological nature of these expositions, basing most of them on the system of Aristotelian categories and representational epistemology, and providing an incomplete and unauthentic profile of man in most of these expositions are among the Heidegger’s most important critiques of traditional and modern perceptions of great pyramid of being. (shrink)

The dissociation between the domains of knowledge continues to perpetuate the fragmentation of people’s health and healing experiences. Of particular significance are the polarities that have been created between the objective, subjective and spiritual dimensions of knowledge and human experience. This paper offers a consideration of how faith might serve as a pragmatic avenue towards assuaging the polarities between knowledges and enhancing nurses’ ability to attend to the complex and mulitdimensional nature of health and healing processes.

This thesis is a response to the fragmentation prevalent in the practice of contemporary Western pedagogy. The mechanistic paradigm set in place by the advance of classical science has contributed to an ideology that places the human being in a world that is objective, antiseptic, atomistic and disjointed. As a result, education has largely become a practice in which the learner is encouraged to identify with, and "successfully" live according to, a world that is competitive, materialistic, lonely and devoid of (...) any spiritual dimension. (shrink)

An exploration of the possible place and purpose of a postmodernizing planning, in the pursuit of ecological wisdom - defined, in Ken Wilber's terms, as how to get people to agree on how to live in accord with nature. Placemaking - conceived as a form of applied Integral Ecology - is hypothesized as an appropriate planning response, driven by a more explicit "spirit-friendly" outlook, with an associated critique of contemporary conventional notions of growth and sustainability. Place and placemaking are viewed (...) as furnishing the rich relief of an ecologically wise planning. (shrink)

This article aims to demonstrate how the Integral approach can be utilized to understand and potentially resolve a particular human-ecological issue. It arises out of a research project that involved examining the factors inhibiting sustainable consumption and waste reduction in the community of Calgary. The Integral approach aims to ensure that no fundamental dimensions of the problem are neglected. It beckons us to consider body, mind, and spirit in the personal, cultural, and social realms of reality.

This interview with Jorge Ferrer explores a wide number of themes, ranging from his psychology studies at the University of Barcelona and the roots of his interest in transpersonal psychology to his arrival to San Francisco and first years at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) as a doctoral student. Topics discussed include his dissertation research, the publication of his first book 'Revisioning Transpersonal Theory' (SUNY Press, 2002), the participatory turn in transpersonal psychology, his first publications in the 'Journal (...) of Transpersonal Psychology' and debate with Ken Wilber, and the development of the participatory paradigm in more recent years. Finally, Ferrer highlights what he considers to be the main issues and debates within transpersonal psychology, as well as shares his main current interests and future projects. (shrink)

Environmental management is at a turning point in its evolution as a discipline. Daunting social, ecological and spiritual problems of global magnitude implore EM to be inspiring and efficacious in theory and practice. Ironically, the present EM movement, in its ontologically dualistic configuration—measuring and manipulating the environment as an abstract, objectified economic resource for human gain—is unknowingly contributing to the very ecological degradation it wishes to ameliorate. In order for EM to become a truly ‘transformative epistemology’,1 its praxis must ontologically (...) transcend the narrow foundations of staunch empiricism, logical positivism and rationalism that now firmly gird it. As a possible alternative to EM’s ‘monological flatland’,2 we introduce a holistic praxiological system grounded in the ancient Indian vedanta wisdom tradition. Natural law-based environmental management portends a radical metamorphosis of EM into a discipline that makes a meaningful impact on today’s precarious global condition. (shrink)

This paper claims that the ultimate issue confronting transpersonal theory is that of nondualism. The revelation of this spiritual reality has a long history in the spiritual traditions, which has been perhaps most prolifically advocated by Ken Wilber , and fully explicated by David Loy . Nonetheless, these scholarly accounts of nondual reality, and the spiritual traditions upon which they are based, either do not include or else misrepresent the revelation of a contemporary spiritual master crucial to the understanding of (...) nondualism. Avatar Adi Da not only offers a greater differentiation of nondual reality than can be found in contemporary scholarly texts, but also a dimension of nondualism not found in any previous spiritual revelation. (shrink)

In this article, I communicate and explain what it means for me to have an educational entrepreneurial approach to teaching and research. The communication of what I value requires that I move beyond text-based accounts to include multimedia forms of representation. This explanation includes a responsibility for students and acknowledging my values of passion and care, safety, creativity and excellence within my practice. The paper presents how students on the Masters in Education and Training Management programme are prepared for the (...) dissertation practicum journey. The students who complete this form of dissertation are required to present their work at a platform presentation that involves the demonstration of scholarly work using different forms of media. (shrink)