Ralph White is a founder of the Holistic Centers Gathering that began over 35 years ago. He is also co-founder of New York Open Center, America’s leading urban institution of holistic learning where his current role is Senior Fellow and Conference Director. The Open Center has presented the major writers and speakers in the fields of wellness, social/ecological change, inner development, world spiritual traditions, art and creativity for over thirty four years. In this conversation with Paul O’Brien, interviewer extraordinaire, Ralph displays his uncanny mystical eloquence and beautifully articulates the importance of holistic centers.
Enjoy this excerpt from Ralph and then listen to the full interview below!
One of the ways I define the annual Holistic Centers Gathering, which has now become the Holistic Centers Network, is that I say it’s the consciousness movement becoming conscious of itself. Because you have many isolated centers, places where people come together to explore whatever it is. The whole body mind thing, the mystical thing, all the different dimensions of a holistic, ecological, and spiritual worldview.
So there’s an inherent power and value in these centers becoming aware of each other, supporting each other meeting in an openhearted, candid spirit, aware that we’re part of a greater whole, that we’re all in some way contributing to whatever phrase you care to use, you could call it the evolution of consciousness. You could call it a necessary response to the multiple dire crises our shortsighted, materialistic thinking has brought us to right now in terms of climate change, species extinction, and all that. I mean how much more feedback do we need from the universe that we’re on the wrong track?
And these centers are places that can explore how do we become more human. If we’re not focused on short term economic growth and profit and Wall Street and all of that that drives the global economy, what are we focused on? And you could say we’re focused on being more present, finding joy in life, appreciating the beauty of nature, finding a way to listen to and respond to the intelligence of nature, and of course becoming more noble beings if we can, spiritually and psychologically…
The Pathways program features fascinating 30-minute conversations with authors, inventors and cultural activists whose work supports personal development and/or cultural evolution.
Paul O’Brien has been Pathways’ producer/host since 1984. The show has been broadcast across Oregon and Southern Washington for over 30 years and has a large, loyal following. It airs on Sunday mornings at 8:30 AM at USA Pacific time on KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland, Oregon (streaming via KBOO.fm) – with free worldwide podcasts of Pathways interviews available here and via iTunes and other podcast servers.
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Visit Ralph White’s website: ralphwhite.net or esotericquest.org
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