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2018 FMW Conference Report

September 02, 2018  /  Leave a Comment  /  Trackback  /  Posted in News

The 2018 FMW Conference was uniquely satisfying in so many ways. Last year’s pre-conference guest, Professor Richard Doyle, from Penn State University, returned—this time in the company of his delightful lady friend, Costanza. With her help he reprised his home cooked meal for Doroethy and me. In his role as keynote speaker he expanded on Franklin’s 1st Aphorism, namely, Consciousness-Without-An-Object (Still) Is: A Collective Experiment in Direct Realization. He began with a few minutes of resonant chanting before showing the rhetorical effect of Franklin’s repetition of Consciousness-without-an-object in his Aphorisms, and then leading us into depth. Very dynamically inductive!

Ron & Doroethy Leonard gave preliminary talks on Friday. In Consciousness, Nonlocality and Quantum Physics, Ron made the case that nonlocality is part of nature and that the universe is conscious. No longer can we hold that we are living the universe of Classical physics conducting experiments in quantum physics; we are living in a quantum universe with varying degrees of decoherence—which may be intentionally reversed. Doroethy went beyond her title, Intuition for FMW, CG Jung & Sri Aurobindo—after the exceptionally difficult task of sorting through multiple definitions of intuition—to explore the boundary with introception.

On Saturday evening, Jennifer Young conducted a Special Program, leading a powerful version of Active Listening in the form of triads. Kurt Vander Horst enhanced the ensuing Starlight Walk during the Perseid meteor shower by setting up a telescope so that we could view several planets, including a view of the rings of Saturn.

During the weekend our group engaged in two profound discussions, (1) on Franklin’s meaning of SPACE—as his complementary symbol to Consciousness-without-an-object (and without-a-subject)—and (2) the sharing of each participant’s favorite inspirational spiritual quote. We had a third lively discussion concerning the sense in which Absolute Consciousness could also serve as an alternative symbol.

The conference concluded in love with Baiba Strads’ Closing Ceremony—a group Sufi dance.

Other positive signs were several new participants in their early 30s and volunteers preparing Friday & Saturday dinners.

Ron Leonard