Conversations Beyond Science & Religion

Quantum theory states that the physical world is not made of fixed, independent particles, but rather is a field of probability waves; energy packets.  Consciousness -- our consciousness -- ultimately collapses probability waves into real events.  In different words, the outer world cannot control us unless we let it, for we ultimately create the world.   This week's guest is leading quantum theor...

Psychic abilities, like the force of gravity, UFOs, or any number of other phenomena, either exists or it doesn’t. In each instance, using a process called the scientific method, we look at the evidence in support of the theory, and ask a number of questions: Is the phenomenon repeatable? Is there a way to test it? Prove it true or false? Can it be explained within a broader theoretical framework?...

By all indications we have only one life to live, at least now on this planet Earth. So then the question is how to live it. Too often it seems we live the life that someone else expects us to live, not the one we choose for ourselves. This week's guest, John St. Augustine ( http://johnstaugustine.com/) , is an award-winning talk show host and former producer at Harpo Studios for the Oprah & Frien...

Quantum theory states that the physical world is not made of fixed, independent particles, but rather is a field of probability waves; energy packets. Consciousness -- our consciousness -- ultimately collapses probability waves into real events. In different words, the outer world cannot control us unless we let it, for we ultimately create the world. This week's guest is leading quantum theorist,...

As Yogi Berra once said, predictions are very difficult -- particularly ones about the future. The same could be said about spiritual journeys "to find yourself" or your "true calling." We start out in one direction thinking it will be a direct route to enlightenment when, no sooner than we know it, we find the road closed and then off we go, like a hitchhiker catching a ride to an uncertain desti...

To the mystic, the world is an illusion, what Hinduism calls maya ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya) . A world made of nothing;a figment of the imagination. In the famous double-slit experiment, often considered the foundation of quantum theory, particles are shown to have properties of waves and waves of particles. The substance of the world, quantum theory teaches, is not those hard-and-fast t...

The subject of life after death brings with it mystery, enchantment --- and disbelief.  Although many of the world’s great religion speak of a life after death, another realm and dimension where the spirit passes upon bodily death, the topic has not fared well in modern scientific circles.   But standing against the doubts of modern science are an increasing number of first-person accounts of the...

Many of the ideas in the “new spirituality” movement have their roots in spiritual and philosophical traditions that have long been forgotten. One of these is hermeticism ( http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/kyb/kyb04.htm) , the ancient system of thought holding that all is Mind, and reality its reflection. From this simple thought, the core of the world's religions can be found. As this week’s guest...

On this show, Philip Comella talks with bestselling author, Mario Livio ( http://mariolivio.com ), about the unreasonable effectiveness ( http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/MathDrama/reading/Wigner.html)of mathematics in explaining the universe, and the “brilliant blunders” of great scientists. Whether looked at through the lens of science or religion, the success of mathematics in explaining the worl...

The wall between spirit and matter, mind and body, is collapsing. This may be the key finding of the new age of thinking that just now is gaining momentum. Perhaps nothing better highlights this development than the “powerful placebo,” ( http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=303530 )fake drugs and medical treatments that nevertheless cause real physical improvements in the body. But h...

The word, "meditation" comes from a Latin word meaning, "to think, contemplate, devise, ponder." In the Old Testament, the word haga means to sigh, murmur, or meditate. The Tibetan word for meditation, "Gom," means to become "familiar with one's Self." We know meditation is a good thing and it has a long, deep history, but how do we make it work for us? How can we use it to improve our lives? Phil...

Although the concept of spirituality may suggest the angelic pursuit of heavenly truths, we still have a real world -- and real lives -- to contend with. Spiritual practice is about making these high thoughts and emotions real; to live them. Few people are as effective in bringing these high truths down to earth than this week's guest, Linda Ferguson, ( https://www.lindajferguson.com/staying-groun...

This week's guest is Robert Sharpe, host of the popular radio program, Bringing Inspiration to Earth ( http://BITEradio.me ), and author of the new book, Joy Potential ( http://Robot Check). In the quest to find the elusive better life, Joseph Campbell's ( http://Follow Your Bliss: A Collection of Joseph Campbell Quotes) famous advice to "follow your bliss" appears more true with time. Connecting...

Although few people study it any more, everyone has a philosophy. It could be a philosophy about the role of religion in your life, working hard, staying upbeat, or not caring about anything. Although science today is viewed as the dominant source of authority, science itself was born in philosophy, and it might be helpful to re-examine what philosophy means and how we can all use a little more of...

Beginning most notably with the Buddha, ( http://Gautama Buddha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) which means the "awakened one," the concept of awakening has been a central part of spiritualism up to the present day. But what exactly is awakening and what are we awakening to? A higher form of consciousness? But what does this mean in the practical world? Philip Comella has perhaps no better gue...

The paranormal ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal) is defined as "designating or of psychic or mental phenomena outside the range of the normal." In current times, the term covers a wide spectrum of phenomena, from telepathy and mind over matter to lost cities and UFOs. Should all paranormal events be treated with the same level of credibility, or are some categories more believable than ot...

The term, "new age," ( http://www.religioustolerance.org/newage.htm) has come to stand for a hodgepodge of ideas without scientific legitimacy. And at times the criticism seems justified. It is not easy to see how one proves the truth of such things as magical healing crystals, UFOs, or astrology. On the other hand, it might not be wise to dismiss out-of-hand everything labeled "new age." A prejud...

On October 8, 2013, the Nobel committee awarded the most prestigious prize in science to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for the detection of the Higgs particle at the Large Hadron Collider, the world's most powerful particle accelerator. The Higgs particle (aka the God particle), as the theory goes, is the mediator of the Higgs field, which gives elementary particles their masses. This discovery...

Both science and spirituality believe the world began with unlimited energy. Science traces the energy to a distant Big Bang ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang) ; spirituality traces the energy to a God within. Philip Comella’s guest this week, Patti Conklin ( http://patticonklin.co ), author of the new book, God Within: The Day God’s Train Stopped, ( http://www.amazon.com/God-Within-Gods-Tra...

It is easy to get lost in the oddities of quantum theory -- wave/particle duality, entanglement, and the role of consciousness in collapsing the wave function -- without realizing that this theory describes the world we live in. In her book, E Squared: Nine Do-it Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality (Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle), this week's guest...

Quantum theory states that the physical world is not made of fixed, independent particles, but rather is a field of probability waves; energy packets. Consciousness -- our consciousness -- ultimately collapses probability waves into real events. In different words, the outer world cannot control us unless we let it, for we ultimately create the world. This week's guest is leading quantum theorist,...

All signs are pointing to the collapse of materialism. Materialism -- the idea that the world is a machine, that ultimate reality is a particle, that no God or mind guides the cosmos -- is in its end days. Quantum theory shows that particles do not exist and that the world is not a machine; rather, at the core of reality are energy packets, wave equations; dream-stuff. The finely-tuned universe re...

Confronting a serious illness requires healing on two levels: the inner spirit and the outer body. Modern western medicine tends to focus on fixing the body as if it is a machine harboring an illness of spirit. But evidence continues to build that true healing actually proceeds outward, from the self to the body, not the other way around. This is the story of Philip Mereton's guest this week, Sara...

"I'm spiritual, but not religious." This is the answer an increasing number of people give to the question of whether they practice a form of religion. But what is this new spirituality and what makes it different than the old spirituality? One answer, given by Philip Mereton’s guest, William Bloom ( http://www.williambloom.com/) , author of the new book, The Power of the New Spirituality ( http:/...

How the mind -- this ephemeral thing that is the source of thought, creativity, and the will -- arises from the gray matter of the brain is among science's deepest mysteries. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_problem_of_consciousness)Philip Mereton's guest this week, W.R. Klemm, Senior Professor of Neuroscience at Texas A&M University and author of the new book, Mental Biology: The New Science o...