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Kumar Gangadean Wows Sedona

This exclusive Sedona Times news article by Larry Rosenberg, a Sedona AZ resident

This exclusive Sedona Times article written by Larry Rosenberg, a Sedona AZ resident and principal of Communication Miracles Consulting.

Sedona AZ (January 29, 2010) – Ashok Kumar Gangadean, Ph.D., gave a rousing presentation (for the audience, a meditation), “Awakening of the Integral Mind,” that enthralled the full house at the Sedona Public Library, January 9, 2010. Sponsored by the group Integral Sedona, he called the event as his coming-out party in Sedona, where he has visited for decades and where he now owns a second home in Uptown.

As a Professor of Philosophy at Haverford College (in suburban Philadelphia) for 42 years, author, television host, and organizer of world leaders for global consciousness, Gangadean is increasingly regarding Sedona as a primary base as he brings his global awakening teaching to the global stage. He calls Sedona a hope of the new emerging global culture, and an ideal gathering place for leaders of the new consciousness of inter-connectivity. With its sacred space suitable for creative dialog, Sedona is his metaphor and living reality for the collective journey from local to global.

Gangadean invited the participants to change their lens of awareness, and thus reality, to integral consciousness and global perspective, which certain eminent leaders estimate that 3 to 4% of the world’s population share. In this shift time, he described the human species as leaving our adolescence and entering our maturity stage. The shift is from an ego script (characterized by fragmentation, separation, seeing all as things, me/mine and alienation from God and humanity) to a wisdom (holistic) script (based on the teachings of history’s spiritual greats, universality, spirituality, love, us together in deep dialog, and oneness).

The literacy approach chosen by individuals and humanity determines how we think and behave in the world. The outcomes of the ego script have been suffering and destruction for humankind and our planet. Therefore, it is imperative that we give up ego-subjective thinking for awakened objective relationships and integral reality. He urges us to live mindfully in all aspects of daily living, which would include the awakening arts, such as doing yoga, meditating (calmness in silence), letting go of ego-based attachments (liberation), and experiencing the holistic Now (emptiness full of infinity and possibilities), so that we can remake the world through awakened, sustainable cultures.

Gangadean is well named for his life’s mission: Ashok means “end of suffering” and Gangadean translates as “follower of the Ganges River” (in India); he feels our Oak Creek is also sacred. He is Co-convenor of the World Commission on Global Consciousness, which includes the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Mikhail Gorbachev, and other former heads of state. He hosted the television show “Global Lens” in the Philadelphia region, and produces his own web-TV show.

His books include Awakening the Global Mind, Meditative Reason: Revisioning Philosophy, and Between Worlds: The Emergence of Global Reason. His audio performance of his new book Awakening the Global Mind was recently released by Sounds True as a six CD set, which expands on themes from his Sedona talk (AwakeningMind.org).

In committing to a life in Sedona, Gangadean joins his daughter Sonali, teacher and head of Devi Yoga, and son Näthan, musician and owner of Shift Happens Studios. As a team, they plan to hold retreat seminars on integral literacy for spiritual whole-person development.

Having family roots in Phoenix since the mid-1950s, Gangadean often visited Sedona and the Oak Creek with his family. Early on he felt sensitivity to space and energy, and was moved by Sedona’s sacred ground and power places. Four decades later, after considering several inspiring locations in the U.S., he chose to buy a house with a fruit-tree garden and a spectacular red-rock view in Sedona. He comes to Sedona as a recovering academic and views his next phase as a global teacher.

Gangadean believes, “Sedona is ready to happen!” He senses that more and more people – his tribe – are coming to Sedona to form a spiritual community, and a holistic coalition to forge a new culture and communicate it to the world. Sedona will be his headquarters for incubating the global awakening. He is delighted that he is now ready “to red rock and roll!”

On the political scene, nationally and in Sedona, Gangadean notes a clash of interests between ego-nomics (materialistic) culture, where economic growth is the top priority, and logo-nomics (treasure) culture, where life and land are sacred and priceless. His hope is that the Sedona government/community can lead in fostering a dialog that produces win-win outcomes. Regarding the lights on Route 89A in West Sedona, he urges creative technical and aesthetic solutions that respect the sacredness of the land, darkness of the evening skies, and the experience of global visitors.

The event’s sponsor Integral Sedona (IntegralSedona.ning.com) is a group that meets to create a vibrant community that studies, discusses and shares Ken Wilber’s integral theory and practices to advance global consciousness evolution.

Larry J. Rosenberg is the principal of Communication Miracles Consulting LLC, CommunicationMiracles.com and a resident of Sedona, Arizona.

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1 Comment

  1. don says:

    Love Sedona. I flew into your fine city 2 years ago, flying from California to Wisconsin. Awesome sights~!

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