Introduction: A Great Wave descending

What will happen to science, education and society once it is accepted that consciousness is not confined to the brain but is entangled with other minds, nature and the cosmos? There is a major shift emerging in science and society which will mark a dramatic change in education, business and life itself. This development represents not merely a trend, but heralds a major civilisational shift in the understanding of humankinds relationship with the universe in which it exists. The revolution I am referring to will occur when it is fully accepted that human consciousness is intimately interwoven with nature and the world. Our minds are not confined to our brains, but extend non-locally through both time and space. The Great Mind Shift is the acceptance of the truth that this extended mind is real and that consciousness and intelligence are not accidental bi-products of localised physical systems; they comprise a fundamental aspect of both life and cosmos. We do not yet fully understand the mechanisms for the processes which mediate the extended mindi, but the evidence for non-local nature of consciousness is now so fully compelling that it cannot be denied. The advent of the Great Mind Shift is just a matter of time. But are you ready for it? The purpose of this book is simple: to alert you to what is happening and to bring to your attention how the Great Mind Shift is likely to impact you and everybody else on the planet. In the prelude I outlined my long-term motivation in writing about the subject-matter of this book. Yet my immediate inspiration for The Great Mind Shift came in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding the TED organisations decision to censure videos of TEDx talks by Rupert Sheldrake and Graham Hancock, and also to withdraw the license for the alternative-science focused TEDxWestHollywood event. The latter featured speakers such as ESP researcher Russell Targ, social anthropologist Marilynn Shlitz, and alternative health practitioner Larry Dossey. TED, under pressure from ultra-conservative scientists and skeptics like Jerry Coyne and PZ Meyer, accused these speakers of perpetrating pseudoscience. The public backlash against TED and the pressure groups was considerable, with many thousands of comments being left on the TED discussion boards. Both Hancocks and Sheldrakes videos were subsequently posted on YouTube without TEDs approval, generating a combined total of a million views in short time. Notably, the TED censorship story was picked up by numerous social media outlets and blogs. The response on the net was almost universally in support of the censured talks. Sheldrakes book Science Set Free quickly skyrocketed into the top ten on several Amazon.com categories. The TED controversy was a watershed moment where a largely informed, intelligent and popular sentiment rose to challenge entrenched scientific orthodoxy. Many of those commenting on the subject were highly educated individuals with PhDs and degrees in science. Ironically, both Sheldrakes and Hancocks talks addressed the issue of mainstream

science having become dogmatic. They highlighted sciences failings in refusing to address recent data and arguments about the nature of consciousness. The TED controversy shows clearly that there is huge support for intelligent scientific and philosophical discussion about the frontiers of consciousness and science. It is my contention that the number will only grow in the coming years. Chances are you picked up this book because you have an interest in such ideas and are excited about where they might take us. If you are like me you have probably had direct experiences of the extended mind perhaps even spiritual or mystical experiences and feel that they are an important part of your life experience. There is also a good chance that you feel marginalised because there has been little scope for your thoughts to be discussed in public institutions, the media and workplaces. But this is all about the change. This is why I encourage you not to be dissuaded by the conservative thinking that has already run its course and is about to be relegated to the backburners of history. It is my hope that people like you deep thinkers, entrepreneurs, innovators, creators and those with small business interests - will find this books insights and findings highly thought-provoking. We live in an age when full-time, steady employment is becoming increasingly difficult to find, and where a burgeoning number of individuals are self-employed. They are relying on their innate intelligence to make their way in the world. The Great Mind Shift will provide great opportunities for those with a little foresight and a spirit of adventure. I also invite you to explore the genuine possibility that the revolutionary shift I am writing about opens ways for you to expand your innate intelligence; and to develop a more intimate and joyful experience of life and work. The shift towards Integrated Intelligence There is a tendency for discussions about the extended mind, ESP, clairvoyance and so on to become strongly polarised into a fight between proponents and skeptics. While part of what you will read in The Great Mind Shift will highlight the key debates, I take the view that such arguments rarely alter the worldview of the debaters, and much energy can be wasted rehashing the same issues over and over again. The position I take is that the scientific, historical and anecdotal evidence for the non-local nature of consciousness is now strong, and that it will only get stronger in the coming years. The data is now compelling enough to begin to ask what this shift in understanding means for all of us. While much remains imprecise, there is somehting that we can be confident of. With this dramatic shift in our perception of mind, the human intellect will be greatly expanded by what I call Integrated Intelligence the successful employment of the extended mind in living fully and in solving problems. I predict that Integrated Intelligence will not merely be technologically enhanced, as some of you might be thinking. What I have seen and experienced from my own life experience and extensive research is that Integrated Intelligence is an innate human capacity; and the Great Mind Shift will grant implicit permission for that intelligence to flourish in homes, in education and in workplaces. It will enhance perception, wellbeing and healing. It will also revolutionise research, creativity and

innovation. The way that the awareness and employment of Integrated Intelligence will dramatically impact the future of the human species is the central theme of The Great Mind Shift. Let me make myself clear. I am not saying that the Great mind shift is a social or cultural development which might happen; in, say, the way someone might predict that bowler hats or yoyos might come back into fashion next year. The Great Mind Shift is inevitable because the extended mind is a genuine property of life and cosmos. It is part of our nature. Futures My aim is to be as explicit as possible. There are plenty of books around which explore the philosophy of science and mind - including the extended mind in a general way. There are far fewer books which are willing to explore the precise implications of the extended mind for specific domains of human activity and enquiry. Thats where I come in as a futurist. My particular domain of Futures Studies is often called Critical Futures Studies. Critical Futurists are not merely interested in trends and in making predictions. We are also concerned with peering beneath the surface of issues and finding deeper layers of intricacy. This includes identifying the ways that people and ideas are granted power and authority or alternatively silenced and suppressed. In particular, I like to ask deeper questions. Besides the main query listed at the beginning of this introduction, the specific questions that we will seek to answer in The Great Mind Shift include: What futures (and in particular the futures of mind and cosmos) are probable? Which futures are possible and preferable? How will the dominant fields of science and education be transformed by the Great Mind Shift? (e.g. biology, psychology, physics, learning, arts and creativity) How will the Great Mind Shift change not only what we think about ourselves and the cosmos, but the very ways of knowing that we employ to perceive the universe and relate to it? What other ways of knowing and being have we ignored in our science, education and history? How might our futures be enhanced when we correct this oversight? What seminal moments in our history have created and conditioned the way we employ our minds in life, science and education? Why are discussions about the future in popular media and science predominantly focussed on technology, wealth and material comforts? (what I call money and machines futures) at the expense of more profound issues regarding meaning, purpose and spirituality? Is the focus upon money and machines futures blinding us to deeper, more preferable futures? A prime purpose of The Great Mind Shift is therefore to create an effective bible for progressive thinkers and thought leaders who wish to be at the cutting edge of this revolution of consciousness. The book is designed to excite your imagination and open your mind to the

wide array of possibilities and opportunities that the Great Mind Shift will create. The cross-disciplinary nature of the book will allow you to glean insights from a wide array of fields of knowledge something that is increasingly important in the modern age. This book is particularly aimed at people who would like to seize opportunities in any of the domains covered. The Great Mind Shift is therefore presented as a stimulus to encourage those with imagination and foresight to explore practical opportunities in business, career or life orientation. What you will discover inside The Great Mind Shift rapidly traverses time, space and mindscapes. Given my aim to be as specific as possible, The Great Mind Shift explores developments and opportunities in many different fields and disciplines referred to as domains. These domains include biology, physics, consciousness studies/neuroscience, computing, education and learning, the arts (creativity), health and wellbeing, corporate and organisational futures, business and spirituality. The great scope of the project means that (alas) I cannot be exhaustive in my coverage of all the subject matters. Instead, I have endeavoured to present to you the most important ideas, people and trends. When you reach the final page of this book it is my hope that you will have gained a strong sense of the big picture - of human civilisation at the crossroads. If you would like to explore specific topics in greater depth, you will find much more on my web site www.com. There is also a list of recommended readings and resources at the end of each chapter. In Part 1 you will see me pass a great swathe across the history of Western civilisation as I examine how the idea of mind and consciousness have intimately shaped the way we think and feel as human beings today. In particular I highlight how mystical spirituality and the idea of the extended mind have often been suppressed by religious spirituality and the dominance of rational ways of knowing. Part 2 brings together some compelling evidence for the existence of Integrated Intelligence and the extended mind. Specifically, I examine experimental evidence from parapsychology; remarkably consistent reports from mystical spirituality across the globe; delve into near death experiences; and finally examine some of the most remarkable stories and popular beliefs that permeate modern societies. Taken together, all these form a powerfully compelling bedrock in which to ground the idea of The Great Mind Shift. Each of the domains covered in this book is given a separate chapter in Part 3. And each chapter therein will include the following: an overview of some of the most important current ideas and/or scientific developments in that domain; informed predictions about where that domain will most likely develop in the coming decades as the Great Mind Shift takes more definite form; suggested opportunities for learning, business and personal growth in that domain; and an interview with a leading thinker within that domain. Predictions

The Great Mind Shift is not merely about data. It deliberately pushes the boundaries of the conventional. Therefore I move beyond the known to suggest possible and probable futures in each domain. This includes developing likely scenarios and visions which you, the reader, can explore as possible opportunities.ii Precise prediction is notoriously difficult for futurists. Many predications turn out to be plain wrong. In my own futures work and academic writing I have tended to avoid prediction, instead focusing upon identifying critical insights into human development. In The Great Mind Shift I break my own general rule. Scientists are typically reluctant to make definitive predictions unless the data and models are very reliable. Radical biologist Rupert Sheldrake famously said that stepping out on a limb during his time at Cambridge University was like stepping into a firing zone. Almost any divergence from accepted theory and practice was aggressively shot down. Fortunately, I am not a scientist and I dont have academic tenure to worry about (insert smiley face). I see my role in this issue as being deliberately provocative. I ask deep questions. And I will make predictions where I believe there is reason to support them. I do not see my task as one necessitating that I be right all the time. I accept that being wrong is part of the futures game. Predictions can be classified into two kinds. The first and least risky are based on trends readily observable changes that are already occurring. For example, predicting that the internet will become far more pervasive in our lives, and that human intelligence will be enhanced by it is clearly very likely. Futurists and many laymen can often see obvious trends even as they are developing. However a second class of prediction relates to what futurists call wildcards developments which arrive in a hurry and often take everyone by surprise. The 911 event in New York was such an event, and it changed the world dramatically. Another example from global politics and economics where timeframes can be longer has been the sudden rise of China over a period of only two or three decades. This was completely unexpected by many. These kinds of unforeseen changes can be the most disruptive for business, society and life in general. They often involve a paradigm shift, a new way of relating to the world and knowledge itself. Wildcards can be disastrous for organisations that are not prepared for them. Few foresaw the dotcom bubble bursting just before the turn of the century, but many companies failed completely as a result. Nonetheless, even for wildcard events there are often signs which people fail to acknowledge. There are typically trends and data which are ignored by almost everyone. Yet that information is often freely accessible. One common reason why so many people and organisations ignore the data is because the information lies beyond the dominant paradigm and suggests a shift that is too far outside the box for most laymen and experts to consider feasible. As I shall outline in Part 1, a considerable stumbling block to perceiving the upcoming Great Mind Shift is that we have been conditioned to think in such a way that we have lost the capacity to understand the intuitive mind. Our ways of knowing have been systematically delimited over time. Some might say they have been retarded. Therefore it is not just a question of accessing the data. It is having the cognitive experience and capacitates to be able

to comprehend it. The coming change in the way we see, access and employ consciousness will be a wildcard for most (those reading this book notwithstanding!). Yet when the Great Mind Shift reaches its crescendo the implications will be as far-reaching as is possible to imagine. The seismic shift will be of similar magnitude to the Copernican revolution, the scientific Enlightenment and Darwins positing of the theory of natural selection. The data and historical evidence for the Great Mind Shift are already here, but mainstream thinking in science, education and business is too tunnel-visioned to acknowledge it yet. You are now in the box seat. Its time to start talking. And thinking. Deeply. Welcome to the Great Mind Shift.

The Great Mind Shift will be published in 2015. Keep looking on scribd and www.mind-futures.com for more extracts and updates. * * *

About Dr. Marcus T. Anthony

www.mind-futures.com

There is more to the future than flying cars and a faster internet. At the heart of the future lies the soul of humanity. The sentence encapsulates the thinking of one of the most innovative futurists in the Asia-Pacific region, Marcus T Anthony. Futurists are people who study, analyse and deeply question the future. However, Anthony is rather unusual in the Futures Studies field. While most futurists focus upon economics and technological innovation, the Australian writer and philosopher extends his thinking into the deeper psycho-spiritual domains of the future. The term he uses to describe this is Deep Futures. Beginning from the mid-1990s, Anthony began to explore visionary worlds through contemplation, deep meditation, and emotional healing. He traveled to many parts of the world seeking the wisdom and guidance of gifted spiritual teachers and progressive philosophers. While living in New Zealand from 1996-1999, he engaged in an intensive programme of spiritual exploration with a group of committed spiritual seekers. By the time he had left New Zealand for Taiwan, he had developed his intuitive mind to an advanced

degree. This granted him an ability to perceive and understand human consciousness at an extraordinarily deep level. Subsequently, Anthony set about formally studying the frontiers of human intelligence, enrolling in a doctoral programme at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. During his doctoral candidature, he applied his natural intuitive gifts to develop a unique method of study, Integrated Inquiry (described in his book How to Channel Your Dissertation). Integrated Inquiry combines traditional research tools with intuitive ways of knowing to locate, analyse and communicate knowledge. In recent years Marcus T. Anthony has become a prolific writer. He has published the academic book Integrated Intelligence (Sense Publishers, 2008), the well-received volume Discover Your Soul Template (Inner Traditions, 2012) as well as several ebooks. He has also penned scores of academic articles, and numerous internet features. He is Director of MindFutures (www.mind-futures.com), a publishing company specialising in books and media related to Futures Studies. Anthony currently is adjunct professor of Foresight at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. He an elected member of the World Futures Studies Federation, and the Darwin Project Council - a think-tank comprising many leading futurists, academics, philosophers and scientists; including triune brain theorist Paul Maclean, psychologist Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi, systems theorist Ervin Laszlo, and leading feminist writer Rianne Eisler. Anthony lived and worked in East Asia for over a decade. This includes Taiwan, mainland China (Beijing and Sichuan), and Hong Kong. He is a proficient speaker of Mandarin Chinese, and can amuse Hong Kongers with his essential Cantonese. He now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Non-fiction books by Marcus T Anthony

How to Channel your Dissertation: Get a PhD or Masters Degree in Record Time While Being Deeply Inspired! (ebook only) Everything you need to know about how to write your dream dissertation by tapping into your natural intuitive intelligence and being deeply inspired! Discover the five intuitive

tools Marcus T Anthony used to complete a PhD dissertation, publish a dozen journal articles and write an academic book all in four years - while working full-time as a teacher and educational administrator! If you have always wanted to embark upon the adventure of a higher degree but didn't believe it could be a passionate and enjoyable experience, this is the booklet that will show you just how possible that is! Click here: http://ow.ly/kZZTg Extraordinary Mind: Integrated Intelligence and the Future. (ebook and hard copy) Integrated Intelligence is the natural human ability to connect with a greater universal mind. This book shows why the secret of Integrated Intelligence is a crucial part of human futures. Anthony draws upon decades of research and his direct experience in activating extraordinary mind in his own life and in the lives of others. In Extraordinary Mind you will discover why the power of Integrated Intelligence is widely misunderstood in modern science; what Deep Futures are, and how they can help us survive the crises of the modern world. Click here: http://ow.ly/l002K

Discover You Soul Template today! (ebook and hard copy) The clearest teaching yet on how to develop profound intuition! Three reasons to buy Discover Your Soul Template: 1. You have a calling, and heres how youll find it. Yes, you have a Soul Template, and encoded within it is all the wisdom and knowledge that youll ever need to live a life aligned with your highest truth. This book shows you how to tap into that life-changing knowledge - simply and directly. 2. No less than 14 intuitive tools to select from to discover and live your Bliss. Marcus T Anthony took twenty tears of intense mystical introspection and research to identify and refine these powerful tools. Dont wait that long to discover them for yourself. 3. Unveiling the facts about the law of attraction and other spiritual other half-truths. In his typically humorous and BS-free style, Marcus T Anthony does what few other spiritual and self-help teachers dare to: he tells you exactly what is and isnt true in popular New Age and alternative philosophy. You might be offended, but it just might be good for you

Excerpt: When I left university I took a door-to-door sales job. However I soon realized that selling vacuum cleaners wasnt my soul calling. I was in a dilemma. I was going to quit Dusty, but what would I do next? Then the hand of God descended and delivered the message (or so it seemed). For it was then that I was whisked by the Dusty van into a large, multi-storied house in a posh suburb of Newcastle, Australia, to try to sell my vacuum cleaner. When I stepped through the front door for the prearranged demonstration, a handsome, bearded Indian

gentleman of early middle age introduced himself and his wife. Hello, I am Doctor Nanra, and this is my wife, Doctor Nanra. I said Gday. His wife briefly acknowledged my existence, and showed me the room to vacuum. After I finished, I attempted to get my pitch started, but they pushed me out the door and drove away in their BMW before I could get a word out. Thats why I had about an hour sitting on the curb waiting for the Dusty van to return and pick me up. At that moment in time the only friend I had was the unwieldy metal contraption at my side. I looked up at the fancy houses all around me on the leafy street, with their pretty front gardens and manicured trees. Suddenly it hit me! I knew what I wanted to be! I would become a doctor, just like the Dr. Nanras. Then I too would be rich, drive a BMW, and be able to push vacuum cleaner salesmen around. I was excited! It was a great idea. And at twenty-three years of age I wasnt too old to give it a go. I ended up sitting through the entrance exam for the medical degree at the University of Newcastle three years in succession. I recall one particular question on the paper, the last time round. They wanted to test the candidates capacities for innovative thinking. My paper implored me to suggest 101 possible uses of a carrot. I came up with 102, and my last hypothetical innovation, which required the participation of a willing female of the human species, probably explains why they didnt let me anywhere near the medical degree program. And just as well for the sick people of Australia. If I had known then what I know today, I could have saved myself some fruitless struggle. My desire to be a doctor was born of ego, not of Spirit. I had little awareness of my Sage at that age, and I did not know how to listen to the voice of Spirit. It would take me another ten years before I would really know how to actively engage that inner voice, and even longer to appreciate what intuition really is. And because I was coming mostly from ego, I had little true power. I was not able to get what I wanted, because I didnt even know what I really wanted. But in the years since then I have discovered that there are specific tools we can use to develop intuition, and to empower our lifethe key tools of Integrated Intelligence. One of my main goals in writing this book is to take often-vague mystical concepts, and provide simple tools you can use to tap into the intuitive wisdom of Integrated Intelligence. The INI tools are genuine empowerment techniques because they will assist you in clarifying what you really want, avoiding what you dont want, and taking the right actions to get where you want to go. If you apply them in committed fashion over an extended period, you will be able to relax into the wisdom of the Sage, and make wise choices in an instant. I learned much about these tools from other teachers. But I also innovated and invented things for myself. You can do the same. Because Integrated Intelligence is everywhere all of the time, there are innumerable possibilities. Dont let my toolkit limit your thinking and your practice. Find out about the Sages intuitive toolkit here: http://ow.ly/kMnZH

I use the terms non-local mind and the extended mind interchangeably. There is no distinction in the way that I employ them. There are a wide variety of related terms that are used in many literatures; psychic perception, God consciousness, Buddha mind, clairvoyance and so on. Other writers and thinkers may use these terms in slightly different ways. For complete definitions and distinctions (as identified by the author), see the glossary of terms at the end of this book. ii In Critical Futures Studies scenarios and visions are considered practical methods. As such there has been much discussion on how best to apply them. A good introduction can be found in Sohail Inayatullahs Questioning the Future (see recommended reading).