The SAND Conference (aka Science and Non Duality for those new to the event or concept) is one of my favorite events of the year. The event weaves in dialogue around consciousness, mind/body balance and meditation with science, art and technology all in one place — you are bound to think about the world in a new way by the end of the weekend. From experiential classes on sound, art, meditation, Qigong, yoga, breathing, and tantra, to lectures on Quantum Physics and everything in between, SAND brings together an incredible group of smart and caring thinkers that will leave you more than just a little transformed.
Held every year in San Jose California, be sure to read up my recap of SAND 2015, SAND 2014 and SAND 2012.
Speakers range from Middle East-born Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) who is an author and founder of the Diamond Approach, a spiritual teaching that utilizes a unique kind of inquiry into realization, where the practice is the expression of realization, world renowned guru Deepak Chopra who has published more than 70 books on consciousness and spirituality, Matthew Fox, an internationally acclaimed theologian who was a member of the Dominican Order for 34 years,artist and non-duality teacher and speaker Rupert Spira who has studied the teachings of Ouspensky, Krishnamurti, Rumi, Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta, Robert Adams, and more, Berkeley University Mathematics professor Edward Frenkel, teacher and author Jac O’Keeffe, Advaita Vedanta spiritual teacher Francis Lucille, Richard Rohr, a globally recognized ecumenical teacher focused on Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition and countless others.
You’ll find yourself surprised by the depth of discussion as well as the diversity of disciplines beyond traditional consciousness, including mathematicians, psychologists, therapists, medical doctors, physicists, and more. For example, while Dr. Larry Dossey is an MD, he has been deep into the exploration of Mind/Body Interventions, and served on the board of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health. He lectures around the world on among other things, How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters.
Dr. Menas Kafatos who is a Professor of Computational Physics and Director of Excellence at Chapman University, has authored and co-authored numerous books including The Conscious Universe, The Non-local Universe and Principles of Integrative Science, which weaves these two very important worlds together. Imagine hearing a talk by a physicist one hour and then from Buddhist and Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, Ph.D., who teaches Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University.
From workshops and interactive activities to morning yoga, expressive dance and Buddhism to the in-depth exploration of non-duality and science and how they are increasingly meeting in a growing complex world.
The event is run by husband wife team Maurizio and Zaya Benazzo under their Neti Neti Media organization, which is a conscious conglomerate of filmmakers, scientists, philosophers and explorers all committed to expand the potential of humanity.
Their mission is to create media and public gatherings to inspire, connect, and facilitate the emergence of a new spiritual paradigm which is based on the timeless wisdom traditions of the world, informed by science, and grounded in direct experience. The scope of NetiNetiMedia is to define new realms of understanding that will allow us to go beyond form, beliefs and concepts into recognizing our true nature.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
