Spirituality for Scientists

Hi, I am Halford.

Tibetan Singing Bowl - a regular part of the 'Zen Catholic' practice in my home.
Tibetan Singing Bowl – a regular part of the ‘Zen Catholic’ practice in my home.

I am a scientist, working towards a PhD in plant biology.  Like many people in STEM fields, I find my work exciting and challenging.  It is a permanent roller coaster  of discovery, mentoring and teaching, with some frustration and anxiety thrown into the mix.  Working in the ‘knowledge business’, I am amazed daily at how much we owe to the methods of empirical science.  I also feel deeply enriched by the awe that natural science inspires in me as I experience the world.

But not everything about our life, and our experience as human beings, is solved by the scientific method. We all experience a thirst for meaning, rootedness, and a making-peace with the self that cannot be found by experiments and statistics.

The problem, for many of us in the STEM world, is that we are so well trained in the tools of our trade, that we can feel quite lost when faced with the deep, personal mysteries of who we are, what our life is for and what it means to be a conscious person.  Our years of practice at analytical and empirical problem solving do not make us skilled as explorers of the subjective, the personal, the spiritual.

I would like to help you develop a spiritual praxis that will enrich your experience of life and work.  To do this, I want to explore with you the spiritual dimension of being a scientist, and invite you to follow this blog as we enter into discussion. Note that although I write from my perspective as a progressive Catholic Christian, this is a perspective and not a prescription.  The spiritual tools and truths we will explore do not depend on accepting doctrines, but on discipline and practice — much like the practice of research.

Join me on a journey of discovery as I explore what it is to develop both scientific rigour and spiritual awareness.  If you sign up for my mailing list I will send you a weekly reflection to help you develop your own spiritual practice, and reflect on how your specialist skills and knowledge interact with and strengthen your spirituality.

 

 

Footnote: In case you are interested, I have some other sites.