Subtle Activism

David Nicol teaches in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is also executive director and cofounder of the Gaiafield Project and cofounder of BeThePeace.

• List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsForewordIntroductionAn Ancient Approach, RevisitedScience and ConsciousnessEmpirical EvidenceDirect "Versus" Subtle ActivismSkepticismMeaning1. The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary TransformationThe Planetization of Humankind: Teilhard de ChardinThe Integral Earth Community: Thomas BerryThe Re-enchantment of the Cosmos: Richard TarnasSumming UpThe Path of Subtle ActivismBroadening the Scope of ActivismBroadening the Scope of SpiritualityGlobal Meditation and the Evolution of Consciousness2. Subtle Activism and SpiritualityShamanismYoga, Hinduism, and the Vedic TraditionBuddhismJudeo-Christian TraditionWestern Mystery TraditionsEclectic/InterfaithCaveats3. Subtle Activism and ScienceLessons and Metaphors From Quantum PhysicsParapsychologyDistant HealingImplications of Psi and Distant Healing Research for Subtle ActivismThe Maharishi EffectField REG ResearchGlobal Consciousness ProjectGlobal Coherence InitiativeDiscussion4. Foundations of Subtle ActivismWhat is Consciousness?History of the Scientific Study of ConsciousnessTheoretical Perspectives Examined in the ChapterMaharishi’s Theory of Vedic DefenseSheldrake’s Hypothesis of Formative Causation and Theory of Morphic FieldsBache’s Model of Collective Healing by Individuals in Non-Ordinary States of ConsciousnessAreas of Overlap and DifferenceParallels in Physics: Bohm’s Theory of Holomovement and the Implicate OrderParallels in PsychologyParallels in Esoteric ThoughtA General Hypothesis of Subtle Activism5. Subtle Activism and the Emergence of Planetary ConsciousnessDefinitions and Concepts of Planetary ConsciousnessOwning the ShadowEmbracing DifferenceIdentifying ResistanceSignposts of an Emerging OrderCrossing the ThresholdSubtle Activism and Planetary Consciousness6. ConclusionAppendix 1: Subtle Activism Resource ListAppendix 2: Subtle Activism: Science, Magic, or Religion?NoteBibliographyIndex

"Many good books are published each year but important books are harder to come by. One of the marks of a truly important book is that it challenges our deeply held convictions about what is real and what is possible in the world. It opens new intellectual horizons by showing us previously hidden connections. David Nicol's Subtle Activism is an important book, a very important book." — from the Foreword by Christopher M. Bache"Remarkably well written, accessibly organized and presented." — Midwest Book Review