Marin Interfaith Council presented another
retreat, this one on the topic of neuroscience and spirituality. Well, I consider myself to be a
spiritual person, in the sense of having an awareness of other dimensions and
respect for those who seek to align their mundane lives with the Greater (for
want of a better word). Further,
although I’m not a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, I believe in
science and the scientific method of theorizing, experimentation, and being
able to prove a fact by achieving the same result each time the experiment is
performed. So many times in talks
about Paganism, Craft in particular, I have declared that we Witches have no quarrel
with science, that science does not contradict any of our theology or
praxis. Hence, I was drawn to
attend this retreat.
As is
customary at these retreats, there were two presenters representing two
different perspectives. Usually
the two presenters are representatives (usually clergy) from two different
religions, but this time religious affiliation or denomination was irrelevant.
The
neuroscientist, Linda Graham, told us
that the study is only about twenty years old, brand spanking new as sciences
go. This means that most
discoveries are very recent and have not yet been dispersed into society at
large or the public mind. She’s
doing her part, however, to educate people about neuroscience and how we can
understand and employ what we know of it in our lives, by way of her book, Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and
Well-Being.
The other
presenter, David Richo, although brought up
Roman Catholic and seminary-educated, left the priesthood to marry, and
thereafter became a psychotherapist and workshop leader, mostly at Buddhist and
New Age venues.
We opened
the session with a prayer of sorts:
May I show all the live I have
In any way I can
Here, now, and all the time,
To everything and everyone,
including
me,
Since love is what we are
--and
why.
Now nothing matters more
Or gives me greater joy.
~
davericho.com
They divided
the day into three sessions, beginning with the topic of “More.” Dave spoke of More as reaching in two directions. On the one hand, More implies “beyond, more than meets the eye,” which is
transcendental. On the mundane
hand, More includes what does meet the
eye, the immanent.
Throughout
the day each presenter amplified what the other was saying by adding his/her
own commentary. Linda in
particular explained some of the ideas and phenomena we were looking at in
terms of what happens in the brain.
Dave said
the obvious, that most religions were more focused on the transcendental, yet
some include both perspectives: transcendence and immanence. We Witches often speak of our religion
as being one of immanence, in the sense that we perceive the divine (or the
Goddess) in everyone and everything and we consider life as sacred, yet in
reality we also seek access to the transcendent, so I consider our religions,
at least my personal version,[1]
as encompassing both.
According
the neuroscience, Linda explained, until recent years, behavioral scientists
and medicine thought that by the time a child reached about age 6, her brain
was fully formed and mature. Now
we know that this is not the case.
The brain is not fully grown until about age 25.
The right
hemisphere of the brain is connected to the lower brain. As the right hemisphere is concerned
with survival, it develops before the left side does. There is a part of the brain[2]
that connects the left and right lobes to each other, which allows for
integration of the states and understandings of each lobe. This section is thicker in women’s
brains, which may account for the generally more relational and holistic nature
of women’s understandings.[3]
My fragmented
notes indicate that when the transcendental and the immanent combine, evolution
results. On the “more-beyond what
meets the eye” level, evolution takes place on a planetary level; on the
“more-mundane” level, evolution happens on the individual level.
Meditation
creates the conditions for revelation. Throughout the day we were led in
various meditative exercises.
Grace (1) is a gift not based on merit
or effort; (2) comes from a source beyond ego; and (3) is something to the
benefit of ourselves and others.
Grief can be a portal to Grace.
Gratitude goes with grace. Again according to Linda, we humans are
hard-wired to notice the negative; we developed a negativity bias for
survival. The left hemisphere of
the brain, the later-developing side, keeps us more open to experiences, and is
stimulated by positive practices.
Thus, when we practice and cultivate gratitude or kindness, we tend to
live longer.
We did a
brief exercise contemplating what and whom we were grateful for. The primary subjects of my gratitude
are my close family, of course (Deirdre, Corby, Ian) as well as several other
close friends (Steven, Sparky, Kitty, Summer, who are among those still living,
plus some who are gone: Christy, Sequoia, Bone Blossom, Judy Foster, at
al.) I’m also grateful for
generally good health, a solid education, and for a reasonably stable childhood
in a family that’s only minimally dysfunctional.[4]
One thing
for which I’m grateful that I hadn’t actually articulated in my thinking prior
to the meditation, but I can now say that I’m surprisingly grateful for, is having
been reared in a family with a mixed heritage. Not drastically mixed, but enough so that no one from either
of my parents’ families deigned to attend their wedding. Perhaps this situation laid the
foundation for my later inter- and multi-faith engagements. The mixture was enough to allay a
monolithic approach to life and religion.
Further, the
brain is a social organism, thus we learn better with others. When we learn with others, we suppress
our fear mechanisms and minimize anxiety.
The right hemisphere processes emotion. Working with others increases our relational intelligence
and our emotional intelligence.
Linda also
mentioned a phenomenon known as “primitive emotional contagion,” when we take
on the “vibe,” if you will, the atmosphere of a group activity, and begin to
share our experiences together. If
I’m understanding this concept correctly, it seems similar to the entrainment
that arises among drummers.
Release in
our brains of the hormone oxytocin
creates a sense of safety, trust and wellbeing. We can restore our sense of equilibrium and calm ourselves
from panic attacks if we do things that release oxytocin. Touch and hugs
release oxytocin in the brain. So
do remembrances of people, places and times when we felt safe and trusting.
During labor, a woman’s body floods with oxytocin; and if it’s slow in coming,
oxytocin is what’s given to pregnant women to hasten delivery.[5]
We did not
discuss this in the retreat, or at least I don’t remember and didn’t note that
we did, but I would add that interactions with pets also produce similar
feelings of wellbeing. In my case,
petting my cats and feeling the vibration of their purring is an activity that
I find soothing.
Finally, we
looked at the notion of having a Sense of
Accompaniment. We thrive when
we have companions, assistants, fellow questers. We may also encounter individuals who present obstacles to
our journey. I definitely identify
with the benefit of having companions on our journeys. I know that my own seeking has been
greatly facilitated, enriched, and blessed when I’ve done it with others.[6] On a mundane level, I can work out
harder and longer in an exercise class full of women hooting and yelling from
the release of endorphins
than I can when working out alone.
One
participant brought to our attention a Jewish proverb: “Love and mercy, justice and
discernment, meet in the heart.”
Dave has an
amazing memory for poetry. He
spontaneously recited poems and pithy quotes throughout the day, as
appropriate. I managed to capture
two towards the end of the day --
From James
Baldwin: “The moment we cease to hold each other, … the sea engulfs us and
the light goes out.”
[1] And
in the end, isn’t all religious experience personal, even when sharing the same
experience in a group? It’s each
of our own personal experiences from which we draw insights and comfort,
understanding and perspective.
[2] Sorry,
scientific name not noted, but can be found in Linda’s book, Bouncing Back.
[3] No
need to take issue with me on this matter, since I’m not a scientist and I’m
only repeating a fact as I understand it from someone who is.
[4] Idiosyncratic
might be a kinder descriptor.
[5] This
last little tidbit was not mentioned at the retreat; it’s something I know from
being a mother, from attending childbirths, and from coaching women in labor.
[6] I
miss meeting in a coven.
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