Interweavings: A Season of Darkness and Light 2023
2023-12-05 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Cosmologically, this period of late fall marks the increase in hours of darkness until the winter solstice when the hours of light begin to make a return. Many religions have major holidays during this period. For some, the period of darkness is not feared but is celebrated as a time of rest and renewal or of waiting in a kind of pregnant pause. Most celebrate the increase in light and see this turning of the season as the welcome return of the energies of rebirth and growth.

In this event, we’ll introduce some of the major holidays in late fall and early winter, noting their significance in each tradition. We’ll look at Diwali, Advent, Hanukkah, St. Lucia Day, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Epiphany, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and Lunar New Year.

Come prepared to share a brief memory of a favorite winter holiday food or tradition from your own background!

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Learning Circle: Process & Coffee
2023-12-07 08:00 - 09:00, 2023-12-14 08:00 - 09:00, 2023-12-21 08:00 - 09:00, 2023-12-28 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-01-04 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-01-11 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-01-18 08:00 - 09:00, 2024-01-25 08:00 - 09:00 and 2 more dates
Process & Coffee is about spiritual integration and exploration. We meet weekly to dive into books by mystics and sages. The discussion that follows helps to deepen our own spiritual lives.

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Learning Circle: An Awakening Planet?
2023-12-12 08:30 - 09:30, 2023-12-26 08:30 - 09:30 | Online Event
A Discussion Group Contemplating the Vision of Teilhard de Chardin

Facilitated by Dr. Ernie Tamminga, this group meets every two weeks to carefully consider how and whether Teilhard de Chardin’s hope-filled perspective on the human evolutionary future can still inspire us in a time full of conflicts and division.

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John Cobb & Friends Gathering: Frank Rogers
2023-12-12 10:00 - 12:00 | Online Via Zoom
Topic: Cradled in the Arms of Compassion

Presenters: Frank Rogers

When John Cobb saw that Dr. Frank Rogers had recently published another book on compassion, we immediately invited him to share his thoughts with Cobb & Friends. We remember his previous presentation on compassion as we explored the meaning of Pomona’s decision to be a Compassionate City. He agreed to share with us the personal journey he explores in Cradled in the Arms of Compassion: A Spiritual Journey from Trauma to Recovery. (Order now.)

Frank Rogers is Muriel Bernice Roberts Professor of Spiritual Formation & Narrative Pedagogy at Claremont School of Theology, and Co-Founder & Co-Director, Center for Engaged Compassion. Here is the way Dr. Rogers shared this good news with Friends of the Center. “I am honored and moved by three beautiful gifts in response to my new book, Cradled in the Arms of Compassion, and I want to pass them along. 1) My wife, Dr. Alane Daugherty, created a 6-minute promotional video about the book. She produced, directed and edited the entire thing. What a gift. She even persuaded me to play a piece on the harmonica. You can view the video here. 2) The Wise Brain Bulletin, created by Dr. Rick Hanson, bestselling author of Buddha’s Brain, published an excerpt of my book in their current issue. They did a wonderful job adding graphics. The piece is entitled “What Helped Me Recover from Childhood Trauma” and can be accessed here. 3) Rev. Julie Davis wrote a terrific review of the book for Spirituality and Practice, the extraordinary online resource center for spiritual seekers of all faiths. Julie is a superb writer. That review can be viewed here.”

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John Cobb & Friends Gathering: Jay McDaniel and Jill Thompson
2023-12-19 10:00 - 12:00 | Online Via Zoom
Topic: Our Community of Process and Practice

Presenters: Jay McDaniel and Jill Thompson

Jill Thompson, the Director of Programs for the Alzheimer’s Association Arkansas Chapter, oversees community educator and support group volunteers who provide vital education and support throughout the Arkansas community. Prior to her role at the Alzheimer’s Association, Jill worked for a non-profit in Houston, TX, providing dementia care consultation and community education throughout the Houston area. Jill is also a licensed physical therapist and worked with the geriatric population for over 20 years in that capacity. Jill will talk about the various kinds of volunteer work people do in memory care units, what she knows about music and Alzheimer’s, and she will share the vision of the national Alzheimer’s association.

Jill has a Bachelor’s degree from Hendrix College and a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Central Arkansas.

She will be joined by Jay McDaniel, whose own singalong ministry in memory care centers was featured in the publication of the Arkansas state chapter. Sharing from his own music ministry, Jay McDaniel will say why the issue is so important for him, and he’ll discuss ideas concerning God’s presence in the lives of people with dementia and their families. He’ll offer reflections in a process vein on understanding the self as a here-and-now event, not reducible to memory or cognitive functions; the presence of God in each human life regardless of their condition, and the vision of a beloved community that is all-age-friendly and all-condition-friendly. He’ll touch on the expanded notion of “family” in Jesus’ ministry that can be part of our own, saying that I feel my friends with dementia are indeed family to me, as are their families, and I to them. For perspective, he’ll also draw upon Whitehead’s idea that life includes “the dancing fairies and Christ nailed on the cross” and how a well-lived life entails openness to both sides, in a spirit of love, honesty, and hope. Additionally, he’ll discuss a process approach to life after death, where no condition in life on earth is necessarily the “last” condition. And, of course, he’ll tell stories and talk about the role of music in human life from a process perspective: Music is what feelings sound like; it opens up treasures of the heart, regardless of your condition.

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Process Pop-Up: The Not-Yet God and the Relational Whole
2024-01-08 17:00 - 18:00
The new science, especially quantum physics, has changed our understanding of space, time and matter; hence it raises new questions on the meaning of God. Is God outside space and time? Or is God integral to the unfolding of the universe? If consciousness is fundamental to matter, is consciousness fundamental to the reality of God as well? We will discuss these questions and more as we explore the essential role of consciousness in relation to the religious experience of God.

We’ll discuss Ilia’s latest book, The Not-Yet God: Carl Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, and the Relational Whole.

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Introduction to Thought & Practice
2024-01-09 16:00 - 17:30, 2024-01-16 16:00 - 17:30, 2024-01-23 16:00 - 17:30, 2024-01-30 16:00 - 17:30 | Online Event
Entering the Horizon of Process Ways of Understanding and Living

This four-session course provides an introduction to the process tradition by examining key ideas in Whitehead’s philosophy, exploring some general ideas that flow from his philosophy, and considering applications of these ideas in personal life and community development, as guided by four ideals that are shared by process thinkers.

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Learning Circle: Processing Difference & Repetition
2024-01-15 14:30 - 16:00 | Online Event
A Collective Processing of Gilles Deleuze’s Masterpiece

Processing Difference & Repetition is a learning circle dedicated to exploring Gilles Deleuze’s seminal work, Difference and Repetition. Its goal is to collectively process the rich themes within the book, occasionally identify resonances with the larger process tradition, and foster insightful discussions along the way.

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Process Pop-Up: A Beautiful Community & Its Economic Adventure
2024-01-17 17:00 - 18:00
If capitalism doesn’t work for people and the environment, what does work? Capital itself may not be the problem, but only in the way it is regulated. In this process pop-up a different approach to capital, following Herman Daly, John Cobb, and several related thinkers, is played out in the practical workings of an imaginary community. Is such a community feasible, and who would want to become a member? Kent Myers will explore these questions and present a new economic vision for ecological civilization.

“Environmental degradation must be shown to result from the scale of the economy in general rather than only from allocative mistakes that can be corrected while throughput continues to grow exponentially.”
-For the Common Good, 375

DESCRIPTION

Capitalism has a lot of downsides, but it is not entirely obvious how to proceed differently in an ecological civilization. A fictional character, Henry, has been reading Whitehead, Daly, Cobb, and several other economic thinkers. This motivates him to hang up his conventional lifestyle and found an intentional community called Adventure Park that will subject his readings to a practical test. Henry acquires land and recruits members who agree to pursue adventures with him. The members have been struggling in the conventional economy but find that they are able to flourish, each in their own way, in this new micro-economy. Their communitarian lifestyle is hard but it is also, as they say, “like a picnic.” Perhaps ironically, the key element that makes it all run is capital, a kind of capital that is aligned to human needs and to the cosmic process of creativity.

Are the radical features of Adventure Park feasible? Kent Myers thinks they are. For his final project as part of the certificate program in process thought & practice, he wrote a fictional narrative (summarized above) to explore the possibility of radically re-imagining the role of capital. Successful implementation of such a vision may require commitments that many of us are unwilling to make. We invite you to join us for this special event in which he will share the full story and imagine some novel possibilities with participants.

“A sustained willingness to change depends on a love of the earth that human beings once felt strongly, but that has been thinned and demeaned as the land was commodified.”
-For the Common Good, 380

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Kent Myers is a graduate of the Cobb Institute’s Certificate in Process & Practice program. He holds a PhD in Social Systems Sciences from Wharton/Penn. Nearly retired, he has spent his career in management consulting for the federal government.

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John Cobb & Friends Gathering: Philip Clayton
2024-01-23 10:00 - 12:00 | Online Via Zoom
Topic: The Process Vision for Constructive Dialogue with China on Ecological Civilization: Concrete Steps

Presenters: Philip Clayton

John Cobb urged us to invite Philip Clayton for conversation. At the time of President Xi’s visit to the US, John sent this note: “Philip attended the meeting in San Francisco and has been invited to write for the Beijing Daily and to work with the Xinhua news group. I am more hopeful about lasting peace with China than I have been for some time. I hope you can invite him to talk to us on a Tuesday morning.” Philip has already made significant contributions to conversations of the Living Earth Movement, which John Cobb founded to seek better cooperation of the US and China to care for the planet we share. Philip has long supported the work of the Institute for Postmodern Development of China, and his book Organic Marxism: An Alternative to Capitalism and Ecological Catastrophe (Toward Ecological Civilization) has received extensive attention among some Chinese scholars.

Philip is the president of the Institute for Ecological Civilization. As a visionary thinker, Philip leads EcoCiv in expanding and deepening its mission at the intersections of environment and humanity. With several decades of experience in university-based research, teaching, and lecturing, Philip is involved in the conceptual development of all EcoCiv’s projects and ensures mission fit. In particular, he helps project leaders think about intersectional societal changes relevant for their particular projects. Philip holds the PhD from Yale University; has held guest professorships at Harvard, University of Cambridge, and University of Munich; and is the author or editor of several dozen books and some 300 articles on science, ethics, and religion.

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Process Pop-Up: Process, Pluralism, and Respecting Diverse Religious Ultimates
2024-01-29 17:00 - 18:00
Ultimate reality is often characterized in terms of what are thought to be a variety of incompatible concepts, like God, Dao, Brahman, śūnyatā, etc. In his new book, Religious Pluralism: Towards a Comparative Metaphysics of Religion, Matthew S. LoPresti suggests that shifting to a process understanding of the world allows us to engage multiple religious ultimates alongside diverse religious practices and programs for salvation.

In this event, LoPresti will share key ideas from his book to describe a “meta-theology” of world religions, arguing that both Western and non-Western traditions are helpful. He’ll draw from John B. Cobb’s Whiteheadian “deep religious pluralism” as well as South Asian philosophy, Western analytic philosophy, and the writings of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Matthew S. LoPresti, PhD (University of Hawai‘i at Manoa) is Chair of the Asian Studies Program at Hawai‘i Pacific University and has been teaching philosophy since 1999. While at HPU (since 2004) he has expanded his teaching to include courses in religious studies and the inter-disciplinary humanities. He is currently developing a course on Yoga Philosophy.

A specialist in South Asian and Comparative Philosophy as well as Philosophy of Religion, his primary area of research has been in developing a metaphysical basis for a genuine religious pluralism. He has published several articles in comparative philosophy and philosophy of religion and serves as a referee for Comparative Philosophy.

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John Cobb & Friends Gathering: Lília Dias Marianno
2024-01-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Online Via Zoom
Topic: Love and terror: gender, diversity, and inclusion in biblical narratives

Presenters: Lília Dias Marianno

We were delighted to hear from Dra. Marianno, a member of the International Process Network who has been a Fellow of the Center for Process Studies that she had just published the book, Love and terror: Gender, diversity and inclusion in biblical narratives. She said, “It is with great joy that I announce the launch of my first book on biblical exegesis with process-relational hermeneutics, which is, in fact, the 10th book I have authored.” Here is what she shared with us:

“Since Ronald Farmer was at a Biblical Research conference that I coordinated in 2012 in Brazil I have persisted in process hermeneutics as the methodological path for resolving conflicts of religious intolerance in several areas, especially in the field of gender diversity and unrestricted inclusion of LGBT+ people in faith communities, which in Brazil is still a major problem.“It is my way of paying tribute to Jorge Pixley, a long-time friend in Latin American biblical research and who was the person responsible for my first contacts with Processual Thought in Biblical Theology. Who knows, maybe one day we can publish it in English? If any editor is interested I can think about the translation.

“Summary:

Presentation………………………………………………………….Introduction………………………………………………………….1. Understand this book…………………………………………..2. Process exegetical approach in Judges 19-21…………….3. Exegesis in Genesis texts……………………………………..4. Exegesis in Leviticus 18 and 20……………………………..5. Exegesis in “texts of horror” from Paul……………………6. Loving texts through the Bible………………………………7. Inconsistent holiness…………………………………………..

Epilogue……………………………………………………………….

When we asked Doctora Marianno to introduce her book to Cobb & Friends, she said, “I am very, very glad to return to Cobb and friends a little about the big education about Process Thought that I received from you.” Here are various ways you may learn more about her: Linked In, ORCID, Academia.edu,

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Process Pop-Up: Anthropogenic Climate Change is Threatening Civilization and Our Common Home
2024-02-01 17:00 - 18:30
EVENT POSTPONEDWe apologize for any inconvenience, but this event has been postponed. This page will be updated as soon as it has been rescheduled.

In the face of the threat of civilizational and planetary destruction caused by anthropogenic climate change, too many world leaders and peoples are failing to respond adequately. Evaggelos Vallianatos believes that Pope Francis is right in saying that the world is collapsing. In this pop-up, he will offer an introduction to the history and dangers of climate change, and argue that we need to heed the call of Pope Francis to organize a movement of resistance and change to the ceaseless use of fossil fuels causing global warming.

“I have realized that our responses [to the climate crisis] have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”
-Pope Francis, Laudate Deum

DESCRIPTION

Pope Francis is right in saying that the world is collapsing. Evaggelos Vallianatos believes that we should join Pope Francis and his followers to organize a movement of resistance to the use of fossil fuels polluting our planet. This movement would seek to educate religious people, schools, governments to start taking climate change seriously. The idea would be to switch from fossil fuels to solar and wind energy for our homes, cars, transportation, electricity production and other uses of energy. This transition has to start immediately, and Vallianatos wants to start locally, in places like Claremont, to try and make it a paradigm for imitation. All schools, including the Claremont Colleges and the Graduate University, should be convinced to put solar panels on the roofs of their buildings as wells to teach students about global warming. The City of Claremont and communities like the Pilgrim Place need to produce their energy with renewable resources.

The burning of petroleum, natural gas, and coal emit solar heat absorbing gases. This additional heat makes the existing solar heat higher. This higher temperature triggers global warming / climate change. This constantly changing climate is affecting the seasons, rains, snow, ice, the temperature of the land and the oceans. The result is a series of droughts, floods, rising sea levels, forest fires, the melting of the ice, the heating of the oceans — with detrimental effects on both human and environmental health.

Vallianatos’ presentation will highlight these effects all over the world. Moreover, he will stress the failure of political leaders to take this ceaseless catastrophe seriously. Too often these “leaders” have been influenced by the money they receive for elections and reelections. In addition, America is too dependent on petroleum: billions of cars, trucks, other machines, industrialized agriculture, airplanes, ships, armies and wars. These realities are fueled by petroleum and gas, so a transition to a zero carbon economy is a revolutionary idea. It means remaking America.

When Pope Francis says that the world is collapsing he means climate-induced fires, floods, droughts, heavy rains, and other disasters are having a deleterious effect on biological diversity and life on Earth. In addition, the Pope rightly noticed that many world leaders and the UN climate summits are no more than lipstick, covering over the ugly truth we face. The question we thus have to ask is this: can the power of the Pope be harnessed and put to this virtuous use of convincing citizens here and abroad to become active and demand political and economic changes for the end of the petroleum era and the beginning of the era of the Sun and wind?

Vallianatos asserts that we should be holding meetings and discussions with our local politicians and presidents of our schools. We should be arguing the necessity of change in order to make places like Claremont energy carbon free by the end of this decade. And Catholic leaders, as well as leaders of other faiths, ought to be part of our group for green energy.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Evaggelos Vallianatos studied zoology and history at the University of Illinois, earned a Ph.D. in history at the University of Wisconsinm, and did postdoctoral studies in the history of science at Harvard. He worked on Capitol Hill and at the US Environmental Protection Agency for twenty five years, has taught at several universities, and authored hundreds of articles and seven books, most recently The Antikythera Mechanism: The Story Behind the Genius of the Greek Computer and its Demise.

EVENT POSTPONEDWe apologize for any inconvenience, but this event has been postponed. This page will be updated as soon as it has been rescheduled.

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John Cobb & Friends Gathering: Wesley J. Wildman
2024-02-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Online Via Zoom
Topic: Thinking Outside All the Boxes: AI Applications and Ethical Challenges

Presenters: Wesley J. Wildman

AI and related computational techniques are transforming economies. They’re also rocking universities. Everyone has heard about the effect of generative AI on teaching and learning. Surprisingly, however, computational methods are also revitalizing the humanities, arts, and social sciences, and demonstrating the value of those disciplines to the rest of the university. This presentation, from the Co-Chair of Boston University’s AI Task Force, will reveal what is happening in these parts of the university, opening a discussion about the multidimensional power and ethical challenges of these technologies.

Wesley J. Wildman is a philosopher of religion and a computational social scientist. He is Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics, and of Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University, where he teaches AI ethics and philosophical theology (including process theology), among other topics. He is Professor II in the Institute of Global Development and Planning in the University of Agder, Executive Director of Just Horizons Alliance, and Chief Scientist of the Center for Mind and Culture. Author of nearly 200 articles and two dozen books, his most recent book (with F. LeRon Shults) is Modeling Religion: Simulating the Transformation of Worldviews, Lifeways, and Civilizations (Bloomsbury, 2014), which employs AI methods to study the role of religion in world history. His first novel, which appeared in 2023, is called The Winding Way Home. For more information, see www.WesleyWildman.com.

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Process Pop-Up: Yoga, Experience, and the Vagus Nerve
2024-02-08 17:00 - 18:00
Yoga, a spiritual practice from the Hindu tradition, provides gentle and consistent contributions to the practitioner’s wellbeing. This conversation will introduce participants to recent research on the Vagus Nerve, Pranayama Breathing practices and Asanas, or flows of movement. In addition, Whitehead’s notion of “experience all the way down” is particularly relevant for vagus nerve research.

Pranayama or breath is at the heart of yogic strength and somatic or body awareness. In this event, we’ll look at ways in which process thought on the primordial and consequent natures of God can be deeply applied through pranayama and its effect on various bodily regions. Leslie King will introduce simple chair yoga movements or asanas and each participant will learn more about their range of movement and how yogic practices best make sense for the body.

Students will be invited to join a follow-up Learning Circle to explore the practices even more deeply.

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John Cobb & Friends Gathering: Celebrate John Cobb's 99th/100th Birthday
2024-02-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Online Via Zoom
Topic: Celebrate John Cobb’s 99th/100th Birthday

Presenters: Many Tributes Will Be Offered

According to custom in China, one’s 99th birthday is counted as 100 years. Zhihe Wang and Meijun Fan will share a portion of a China-centric audience’s tribute to Dr. Cobb, “the Eco-Sage of our time,” on this auspicious birth anniversary. Over a hundred persons experienced the celebration live, and over 4000 have viewed the recorded tribute. How has John Cobb impacted your life? We’ll hear from several who have known John well. Come prepared to share your own word of greeting. Perhaps Jay McDaniel’s affirmation, shared on Open Horizons, will prompt some thoughts you’d like to share. The Open Horizons link also includes John Cobb’s thoughts on his own vocation in response to the Call of Abba.

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Course: Whitehead's Process Philosophy
2024-02-14 16:00 - 18:00 | Online Event
Diving Deeper Into Whitehead’s Philosophy of Organism

While “process philosophy” is wider than the work of Alfred North Whitehead, the depth and dynamism of his thought principally inspire its modern expression. This five-part course introduces students and life-long learners to the central themes, contours, and ideas of Whitehead’s “philosophy of organism.”

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