Where am I at present and what is the MA course?
After a 2 year period of residential service at Gaia House, a meditation centre nestled in the hills of rural Devon, I’m embarking on a new journey of exploration and, I hope, discovery. I’ve been accepted onto a Masters course in East-West Psychology, a field which endeavours to marry the diverse regions of Eastern Spiritual exploration and Western Psychological research, in all the wild and beautiful variety, difference and confluence found between. I’ll be specialising in their EACTS course, in which the focus will be on Asian Contemplative and Transcultural studies, offering a deeper dive into the meditative traditions of the East and the myriad cultural products which blossomed from and around them. It feels like I’ve finally found a perfect pursuit, one which marries my deep loves of philosophical investigation and psycho-spiritual practice in a rigorous, well developed academic package, a combination of worlds which until now I’ve only been able to explore as silos. As such the course inspires in me feelings of deep allure and core purposefulness, and I knew a sense of truth and resonance in my gut the moment I heard about it - the decision to apply in a way made itself.
The course is offered by the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS), a pioneering organisation in the academic world, inspired and fuelled by the revolutionary and evolutionary vision of Sri Aurobindo, a political activist, poet, author and spiritual master who is one of the most significant personalities to flower from India’s rich soil in the last 2 centuries, playing a pivotal role in the Indian liberation movement during British colonial rule. He went on to develop Integral Yoga, a modernised and expanded system of Yogic practice. In the spirit of this great character, a living testament to the principles of love, dedication, freedom and progression, CIIS word toward the perfection of the human spirit on a number of levels, from the psycho-spiritual to the physical, from the socio-political to the ecological. There they attempt to live out a high dream of a unified, harmonious expression of humanity, and take the full blossoming of human potential as their guiding light and ongoing opus. More about CIIS and the EACTS course can be found here - https://www.ciis.edu/academics/graduate-programs/east-west-psychology/about-the-asian-contemplative-and-transcultural-studies-ma
It is into this current of thought, sentiment and action which I am now seeking to slip, carried along by similar hopes, designs and concerns as CIIS. Having been accepted onto this course has confirmed my intimations of my soul's purpose being aligned with a brighter future for humanity, a hope that, like a candle flame, is vulnerable and fickle in the unforgiving winds of our present times. Moreover, the prospect of engaging in this course has strengthened my resolve to live out a duty to the world, in whatever small ways are available to me, in the spirit of service to the whole community of earthly beings - working at Gaia House has been tremendously generative in terms of this intention.
It’s with these considerations and feelings in mind that I seek support from those known and unknown to me to help meet the financial obligations of my studies over the next two years.
As an international student, I’ve not been eligible for financial aid through CIIS or any UK government scheme. I’ve applied for a few scholarships but have been denied one and am still waiting on details about the others.
Having left the security of Gaia house in August, I am currently starting again in connecting to a new place and settling in whilst I begin my studies this will also include finding work to cover my rent but I need to secure my fees on a termly basis and it is here I would sincerely love and appreciate your support.
What may the course lead to?
There are a few tangible outcomes to this course which may help give a pragmatic sense of the ways in which this education may be of direct benefit to the human community. There are other outcomes which may seem more obscure but which I regard as no less important or potentially impactful. If I am to take the right modules, I could finish the course with an accreditation as a spiritual counsellor. I also can come away from these studies with a certification as a teacher of Integral Yoga, a system developed by Sri Aurobindo himself which encompasses classical Yogic practices, psycho-spiritual development, radical social formation and political activism within the Yogic vision of the evolution of consciousness. Both of these paths of learning, I hope, would allow me to find relatively immediate work in the fields of personal and cultural development post-study.
There’s also the opportunity to continue on to study a PhD, which would open up an avenue for me to join the conversation on “post-humanism”, a space in which the future of human life is considered from a dizzying array of angles, a tour de force of cross disciplinary exploration seeking, at this unprecedented and critical historical juncture in the human story, to uncover a harmonious destiny for the world in and through its evolving complexity.
It’s in this space that I feel the greatest calling for my efforts, though what my contribution, and its potential ramifications might be - I hope will emerge from my studies. It would be an utter privilege to be able to follow the road that leads to this work.
I hope that this brief overview of what might come from these studies can communicate how deeply collective and “charitable” (in a broad sense of the term) my driving intentions toward this Masters are. Far be it from simply seeking academia for its own sake, I want my studies to be a vessel that brings me closer to efficacy and service, fuelled by love for truth and deep care for the unfoldment of all life on Earth.
I am committed to maintaining this page with regular updates on my progress and findings and I hope these musings from my journey will also be of value to you. I will also update with full transparency on my financial situation including if I'm successful with any funding bids.
All those that know know how much this means to me and I that it is mid deepest desire to be able to use this opportunity to develop how I best give back to humanity.
Thank you to all who read this and thank you for your suuport. Please share this page with friends and family if you feel moved to do so!
A quick look at the finances
As an international student, I’ve not been eligible for financial aid through CIIS or any UK government scheme. I’ve applied for a few scholarships but have been denied one and am still waiting on details about the others. If I’m to reach any targets and subsequently discover that financial aid has been offered to me I will update this page and return any funds when appropriate.
Breakdown of the finances:
Total Cost for 1st Semester - $5630 / £4350
Payment Plan Installments:
29/8/24 - $1876.67 / £1450
30/9/24 - $1876.67 / £1450
30/10/24 - $1876.67 / £1450