DR. MARC GAFNI & ANDREW COHEN IN DIALOGUE
EPISODE THREE APRIL 1st 2021

Dear Friend,

Manifest Nirvana is delighted to announce the next in our series of dialogues between Dr. Marc Gafni and Andrew Cohen, organised jointly with One Mountain, Many Paths.

In these conversations, Marc and Andrew will probe the intersection of absolute meaning and relative reality, within the context of the most destabilised and destabilising time in recent history.

Their dialogues will look deeply into the relentless challenge of being human, particularly at this unique moment in time, while simultaneously celebrating the profound cosmic and metaphysical significance of human incarnation.

For more about the context and intention behind these conversations please visit the event page.

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Episode 3: Stealing Fire

What is the place of higher states of consciousness – not merely in the life of the individual, but in human culture? For many in the post-modern world, the very articulation of hierarchy within the context of human consciousness is abhorrent.

Yet the transition from ordinary to what we might call extra-ordinary or non-ordinary states of consciousness is available to anyone brave enough to throw open the doors of perception. The experience of these higher states seems to have been bequeathed to us by the process of evolution itself.

Human beings seem endlessly drawn to these higher state experiences, compelled by them. We are called to set our hearts, minds and bodies aflame with higher consciousness – once tasted, the aliveness and depth that awaken within us make them seem an utterly essential quality of life.

But what is their larger purpose? Since higher state experiences seem to be “baked in” to the evolutionary process, are they in fact a vital and indispensable, yet largely untapped, resource for both individuals and culture at large?

Mainstream culture fears the radical experience of higher consciousness, even as the leading edges of science and research are more and more drawn to unravelling its mysteries. We edge ever more tantalisingly close to the democratization of enlightenment, even as we retreat from its deepest, most radical conclusions.

In this dialogue, Marc and Andrew will make an impassioned plea for higher attainment, higher consciousness and radical enlightenment. They will argue that authentic higher state awakening is an absolute necessity – even an obligation – for every human being and for humanity as a whole.

They will explore and discuss both the radical wonders and real dangers of state awakening. They will unpack and interrogate questions of hierarchy and democracy in the context of enlightenment.

Finally, they will attempt to tenderly and fiercely outline the parameters of a new vision of enlightenment. They will look at the distinctions between traditional forms, and the new post-progressive and evolutionary forms that have opened within the last few decades.

In this evolutionary conversation, Marc and Andrew will begin to explore and describe the new paths and practices that we must embrace to create both our personal and cultural tomorrow.

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Dr. Marc Gafni and Andrew Cohen are spiritual teachers and thought leaders who share a strong foundation in an evolutionary approach to spiritual awakening and practice. Both are original and innovative thinkers who have produced pioneering bodies of work in evolutionary spirituality, and formulated many of its core tenets.

Their teachings uphold and demystify the foundational principles of traditional, modern and postmodern wisdom streams, weaving them together into an integral whole. The aim of these dialogues is to generate a creative and dynamic evolutionary tension – to catalyze an awakening to higher and deeper states and stages of consciousness, liberating insights and life-affirming perspectives.

The dialogues will unfold organically over time as an inspiring example of emergent spirituality in action – one that gives rise to its own unique tapestry of coherence and meaning.

MARC GAFNI & ANDREW COHEN IN DIALOGUE
EPISODE THREE APRIL 1st 2021