James O'Dea

In"Original Thinking, "Glenn Aparicio Parry delves into the evolution of Western thought to recover the living roots of wisdom that can correct the imbalances in our modern worldview. Inspired by groundbreaking dialogues that the author organized between Native American elders and leading-edge Western scientists to explore the underlying principles of the cosmos, this book offers a radical revisioning of how we think. Asking questions such as, Is it possible to come up with an original thought?, What does it mean to be human?, and How has our thinking created our world today?, Parry challenges us to consider many of our most basic assumptions. To think originally--as in thinking new thoughts that have never been thought or said before--is according to Parry, largely an illusion. So, too, is the idea of linear human progress. Most of us have traveled far from our ancestral lands, and in so doing, lost connection with place, the origin of our consciousness. "Original Thinking"offers a radical revisioning of how we think and what it means to be human. It invites us to reintegrate our hearts with our heads and to expand our self-imposed narrowing of consciousness. In doing so we reconnect with the living, original source--nature and her interconnected elements and cycles--and embrace the communion of old and new, rational and intuitive, and masculine and feminine. Ultimately, Parry shows us how to create the tapestry of truly original thinking and to restore thought as a blessing, as a whole and complete transmission from Spirit. ContentsPART ONE (ORIGIN): Is it possible to come up with an original thought? Chapter 1. Original Thought, Time, and the Unfolding of ConsciousnessChapter 2. Looking Backward to Go ForwardChapter 3. Wheels Within Wheels Chapter 4. It's About Time PART TWO (DEPARTURE): What does it mean to be human? Chapter 5. Purpose, Potential, and Responsibility of Being Human Chapter 6. Rational Thought and Human Identity Chapter 7. Re-thinking Language Chapter 8. Beyond Rationality Chapter 9. A Tale of Two Directions PART THREE (RETURN): How has our thinking created the world today, and what is emerging? Chapter 10. The Essence of Thought Chapter 11. To Make Thought Whole Again Chapter 12. To Think Without Separation Chapter 13. Re-Thinking the "Dismal Science" Chapter 14. Toward An Original Economics PART FOUR (RENEWAL): Can education promote the renewal of original thinking? Chapter 15. Education as RenewalChapter 16. Childhood and EducationChapter 17. Higher EducationChapter 18. A New (and Ancient) VisionChapter 19. A Vision for Higher Education"

From the cutting edge of science and living spirituality: a guide to understanding our identity and purpose in the world • Explains how we can evolve consciously, become connected with each other, and flourish on this planet • "From the time when the conscious universe was a preposterous notion to today, when it's a cutting-edge idea full of promise for your future, Ervin Laszlo has been its staunch champion." - Deepak Chopra, author of You Are the Universe. For the outdated mainstream paradigm the world is a giant mechanism functioning in accordance with known and knowable laws and regularities. The new paradigm emerging in science offers a different concept: The world is an interconnected, coherent whole, and it is informed by a cosmic intelligence. We are conscious beings who emerge and co-evolve as complex, cosmic-intelligence in-formed vibrations in the Akashic Field of the universe. Ervin Laszlo and his collaborators from the forefront of science, cosmology, and spirituality show how the re-discovery of who we are and why we are here integrates seamlessly with the new emerging worldview in the sciences, revealing a way forward for humanity on this planet. Offering a guidepost to orient this evolution, Laszlo examines the nature of consciousness in the universe, showing how our bodies and minds act as transmitters of consciousness from the intelligence of the cosmos and how understanding science’s new concept of the world enables us to re-discover our identity and our purpose in our world. With bold vision and forward thinking, Laszlo and his contributors Maria Sagi, Kingsley L. Dennis, Emanuel Kuntzelman, Dawna Jones, Shamik Desai, Garry Jacobs, and John R. Audette outline the new idea of the world and of ourselves in the world. They help us discover how we can overcome these divisive times and blossom into a new era of peace, coherence, connection, and global wellbeing.

"In this period of great upheaval, James O'Dea offers a profound message of hope. This is a book that demands active engagement - indeed, a revolution in your daily living - and provides a path for spiritual seekers of every persuasion." Lynne McTaggart, co-founder of What Doctors Don't Tell You Prayer and contemplation access the deepest aspect of ourselves, allowing us to radically transform our lives and the world; the deeper the reflection, the more we can be stirred to action. Using a beautiful six-line prayer as a springboard, thought leader and activist James O'Dea lifts us into page after page of poetic contemplative reflections that illuminate our understanding of the soul's long awakening journey; the forces that open the heart and enlighten consciousness; the understandings and actions that dissolve wounds and secure lasting peace. What unfolds is a framework of unparalleled clarity, integrating sacred practice, wisdom teachings, science and conscious activism with essays from outstanding spiritual leaders and thinkers, including Barbara Marx Hubbard on soul awakening; Michael Singer on wounds dissolving; Ervin Laszlo on light shining; and Hopi elder Mona Polacca on peace radiating.

Award-winning author James O'Dea has created a handbook for those interested in Sacred Activism, a fusing spiritual knowledge with radical action. O'Dea outlines the polarities between the inner path of spiritual growth and the outer path of social activism, concluding that the two must co-exist in equal weighting so that the human race can become a compassionate force for good.'James O’Dea is a modern-day prophet who has journeyed further than anyone I know in the ways of peace' Lynne Twist 'The Conscious Activist is a major contribution to the most important movement of our time - one that fuses profound spiritual awareness with radical action. It is wise and passionate and superbly written, with the kind of graceful but pungent clarity that only long experience can engender' Andrew Harvey 'After reading The Conscious Activist, you will drop to your knees in heart-opening awe and then you will rise to your feet, inspired to act in a truly transformational way' Marianne Williamson An extraordinary and rousing manifesto from award-winning author James O’Dea, The Conscious Activist is both a compelling narrative and a deep reflection on the demands of mystical realization and effective activism. Throughout the book, O'Dea poses that an integration of the two has the power to permanently transform the social order and to wake up humanity from its course of rapid self-destruction. Divided into two parts, Part I offers parallel narratives of author James O’Dea’s training and spiritual development as both a mystic and an activist. The mystic, he explains, must move past petty ego concerns in order to experience oneness with each other and our divine source. The activist, on the other hand, explores the role of passion and conscience in activating social change. In Part II, O’Dea pursues this fascinating concept of a meeting ground between the two worlds, where spirituality and action unite to spark an accelerated transition towards our greater goal: a more evolved civilization. He asks us all to become conscious activists – to learn, collectively, how to move beyond our rigid conformity to beliefs of the past and its archaic structures of power and control.