Aligning human thought with the mind of God –

A One day course run by Professor Les Lancaster

Venue: Liverpool venue – details to be confirmed.*

Sunday 21 st October 2007, 11.00am – 5.00pm

Contact: Les Lancaster email b.l.lancaster@ljmu.ac.uk

Tel: 0151-231-4036

Kabbalah is a path of mysticism that teaches of the sacred in action – the principles through which the divine operates in the world and in the human mind. It presents an exploration of psychology that is rooted in a vision of the human mind's resonance with the divine mind. For Kabbalah, the peak of human potential is reached through imitation of the creative essence of God. Just as the concealed divine thought emerges as the ‘Let there be…' of the biblical narrative, so the unconscious spark of human thought finds expression through the creative function of the psyche. Consciousness unites us with the transcendent source of being.

Les Lancaster has spent 35 years researching the links between kabbalistic teachings and contemporary psychology and neuroscience. Ideas expressed in Kabbalah are consistent with many aspects of the latest research into consciousness and the brain, as well as giving key insights into the process of individual transformation central to all forms of psychological therapy. Les' fusion of traditional kabbalistic teachings and recent research into consciousness and transpersonal psychology gives a potent framework for exploring ways of expanding consciousness, refining our sense of purpose, and recognising our responsibilities to others and to the world as a whole.

In this day course we will

•  Explore the idea of soul in spiritual and psychological contexts

•  Discover the core principles of kabbalistic psychology as they relate to issues of brain function, consciousness and inner transformation

•  Learn practical techniques to gain greater mastery over the mind

•  Practice ways to harness the creative energy of the psyche

‘ Alef is the image of the brain … it extends to the infinite and boundless; it is the holy Temple of thought '

Sefer ha-Bahir, 12 th Century

Prof Les Lancaster is the UK's first full Professor of Transpersonal Psychology, a position he holds at Liverpool John Moores University, where he co-directs the Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology Research Unit. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Jewish Studies at Manchester University, and Emeritus Chair of the Transpersonal Psychology section of the British Psychological Society. He combines a research background in neuroscience with some 35 years of study and teaching of kabbalistic sources and other areas of mysticism. Together with colleagues in the LJMU research unit, Les has developed pioneering postgraduate programmes in Consciousness Studies and Transpersonal Psychology. In its online format, the award-winning MSc in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology attracts students from around the world. He is a frequent broadcaster and has written numerous articles on mysticism and the cognitive neuroscience of consciousness. His first book, Mind, Brain & Human Potential , won an SMN award. His most recent books are The Essence of Kabbalah and Approaches to Consciousness: the Marriage of Science and Mysticism , about which Chief Rabbi, Professor Jonathan Sacks commented: “ With formidable erudition and the widest of perspectives, Lancaster has written a challenging and potentially ground-breaking book on the relationship between scientific and mystical ideas of human consciousness. A humane scholar in the great tradition of William James, his work deserves to be read and discussed widely”.

Please email to register your interest. You will be informed of relevant details nearer the time