News

2014 Franklin Merrell-Wolff Conference Report

August 13, 2014  /  Leave a Comment  /  Trackback  /  Posted in News

This year’s Franklin Merrell-Wolff Conference at the Great Space Center was graced with 4 days of ideal weather, culminating with a full moon (The Supermoon) on the final day. The group was notably mature, balanced and dedicated, which brought our Dream & Tarot Circles to a higher level. Several new participants, from as far as Virginia, helped enhance its focus and commitment. This unusual capacity for prolonged concentration facilitated deeper philosophical understanding, particularly in discussions of Franklin’s Experience and Philosophy. At the same time, partly through our informal ’round table’ conversations, we quickly became family—intimate, receptive, and supportive. Loving acceptance and light-hearted humor eased the sharing by Doroethy & Ron Leonard of their profound and sensitive personal experiences, as well as Sherie Palmer & Jennifer Young’s Saturday evening program.

Our keynote speaker, Tom McFarlane, explained how he had become involved with Franklin’s philosophy, performed a succinct critique of empirical science from the perspective of Franklin’s Realization of nondual Primordial Consciousness, and explored an alternate direction for science to begin from its obverse so as to integrate the values of consciousness. The Sunday Meeting recording by Franklin, “The Ground of My Philosophy,” was selected especially to correlate with Tom’s talk, “The Philosophy of Science Without an Object.”

Unique features that added new dimensions to the conference included a healing circle and, for a few, a hike to the Ashrama, viewing the heroic roof repair done earlier this summer. Finally, Baiba Strad’s touching Closing Ceremony using heart-centered Sufi prayer and dance brought some to tears.