The Call of Wisdom
- “Where is the wisdom we’ve lost in knowledge, where is the knowledge we’ve lost in information?” –T.S. Eliot
- Why in so many societies has wisdom traditionally been associated with the female?
- Are we standing at the crossroads of wisdom or catastrophe?
Are thinking and logic enough to understand the meaning of existence, or is there something more? The ancient Greeks believed there was another dimension beyond logic and reasoning and they called it Sophia, Wisdom, which they believed to be the ultimate good. In Eastern traditions, wisdom is often synonymous with the Truth, the true nature of existence, available to those who can see beyond the ephemeral and ever-changing. In Sanskrit, it is known as prana– insight, into the nature of reality. But what is this human quality, and how do we recognize and develop it?
THE CALL OF WISDOM examines the nature of wisdom, how it can be both universally recognized yet expressed in different ways by different traditions, and why our survival today as a species and a planet will almost certainly depend on it. The program features Jean Shinoda Bolen MD., an author, activist and Jungian analyst who has written several books on the archetypal psyche of women and men in the development of human consciousness, meeting Roger Walsh MD.,Ph.D. a professor of psychiatry, philosophy and anthropology, who recently edited a book on how Wisdom can be understood and cultivated.
Two knowledgeable authorities and wisened souls come together for the first time to discuss this rich topic, and to address some urgent wisdom-related questions which now face the human race.
Program Guests
Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D.
Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, and an internationally known author and speaker. She is the author of The Tao of Psychology, Goddesses in Everywoman, Gods in Everyman, Ring of Power, Crossing to Avalon, Close to the Bone, The Millionth Circle, Goddesses in Older Women, Crones Don’t Whine, Urgent Message from Mother, and Like a Tree with over eighty foreign translations. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, and past board member of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the International Transpersonal Association. The Millionth Circle Initiative (www.millionthcircle.org) was inspired by her book and led to her involvement at the UN. She is the initiator and the leading advocate for a UN 5th World Conference on Women.
Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D.
Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D. graduated with first-class honors from the University of Queensland with degrees in psychology, physiology, neuroscience and medicine, while he worked as a circus acrobat and held world records in high diving and the trampoline. He went to Stanford University as a Fulbright scholar and passed licensing exams in medicine, psychology, and psychiatry before moving to the University of California at Irvine where he is currently professor of psychiatry, philosophy, and anthropology. His initial research and writings, in the area of neuroscience, received multiple national and international awards. Dr. Walsh’s publications include Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices, The World of Shamanism and most recently: The World’s Great Wisdom: Timeless Teachings from Religions and Philosophies. He has co-edited several books including Gifts from A Course in Miracles and Paths Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision.
Share Your Thoughts
Wonderful program. Just set DVR to record two more hours in this series. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Touched my soul.
Wonder why DVD doesn’t allow me to press record series. Instead I have to record week by week.
Thank you so much for this beautiful program.