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Supernature Kickstarter

Film-maker Scott Hulan Jones, who has been working with Jeffrey Kripal on a documentary based on Jeff’s book Authors of the Impossible, has another film project in the works (concerning the topic of an earlier book of Jeff’s) and could use some help from the public bringing it to fruition via this Kickstarter fund-raising campaign. Here’s the pitch:

SUPERNATURE: ESALEN AND THE HUMAN POTENTIAL is a documentary film about the influential Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and The Human Potential Movement it spawned. At a time of unprecedented political, social and ideological conflict, we believe the world would benefit from a broad, beautiful, and sophisticated exposure to the ideas and practices fostered by Esalen, particularly those that move us beyond the present schizophrenic split between religion and science. We believe that the world is crying out for positive, even ecstatic models and ideas that can embrace the best of our religious pasts without being bound to those pasts; that can celebrate the discoveries of science without equating these discoveries with a materialism of despair and meaninglessness; and that can finally envision the human being as a conscious embodiment of the evolving cosmos. With SUPERNATURE, we hope to bring exactly this vision to a much wider audience and so play our part in the transformation and future of American culture.

And from that video, here’s Jeff Kripal’s take on the goal of the documentary:

About one out of every three Americans today describe themselves as spiritual, but not religious, and we’re trying to tell the story about how we got there. That’s what the film’s about really, it’s about us, it’s about you, it’s about this greater supernature that we are all a part of. It’s about moving beyond these polarities, beyond these culture wars that we’re in now, between science and religion, and reason and belief…we’re trying to move beyond and between those really dysfunctional polarities into this greater space.

To get a feel for the documentary itself, make sure you check out this preview trailer featuring some of the interviewees and location shots:

The fund-raising has been going great guns, and at the time of writing is up to almost $19,000 of the $22,000 needed for funding with nine days to spare. Why not kick in a few dollars (for various rewards, see the link for details) and hopefully the Grail hordes can help push this project over the line.

Update: Bewm, $22,000 goal reached!

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