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Archive for the ‘Conscious Evolution’ Category

Barbara Marx Hubbard, 89, Futurist Who Saw Conscious …

Posted: May 22, 2019 at 1:44 pm


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The candidate wanted no part of the negativity endemic to politics. Instead she offered an aggressively upbeat view of the future she foresaw for the human race.

We must combine our compassion with our creativity, she urged the convention. We must initiate a new process in democracy to identify our positive options, discover our potentials and commit our political will to long-range goals.

The words might have fit nicely into the current presidential campaign, but they actually were spoken 35 years ago at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco by a woman few expected to see take the stage, much less be nominated for the vice presidency. She was Barbara Marx Hubbard, who was not a politician by trade but a futurist, spiritual thinker, author and proponent of what are today lumped under the label of New Age ideas.

Ms. Hubbard, campaigning for months, had gathered enough support to have her name placed in nomination, mostly so that she could make a symbolic speech to the convention before endorsing the already assured ticket of Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine A. Ferraro. Ms. Hubbard believed that humans would graduate to a new level of cooperation and enlightenment, and in her speech delivered to a largely inattentive audience, and not in the prime-time television window she suggested who might lead the way into that brave new world.

The office of the vice president is the perfect place to call forth the genius of our people to build a world equal to our power and our aspirations, she said.

When Ms. Hubbard died on April 10 in Loveland, Colo., at 89, her vision of a newly vital vice presidency remained unrealized. But her ideas, books and lectures had reached countless seekers looking to clarify their purpose and expand their consciousness.

Peter Hubbard, a grandson, said she died after a brief illness.

Ms. Hubbard was a frequent speaker at seminars and conventions organized by groups like the World Future Society, and her 1998 book, Conscious Evolution: Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential, is a core text among those who think the human race is on the brink of an enhanced way of existing.

Conscious evolution is occurring in our generation because we are now gaining an understanding of the processes of nature: the gene, the atom, the brain, the origin of the universe, and the whole story of creation from the big bang to us, she wrote. We are now changing our understanding of how nature evolves; we are moving from unconscious evolution through natural selection to conscious evolution by choice.

With this increased knowledge and the power that it gives us, she continued, we can destroy the world or we can participate in a future of immeasurable dimensions.

Barbara Suzanne Marx was born on Dec. 22, 1929, in Manhattan. Her father, Louis, founded Louis Marx & Company, a leading toymaker.

By the time I was 6 years old, Ms. Hubbard said in American Visionary, a recent documentary about her directed by Karen Everett, I had so many toys that I learned one big lesson: More toys cannot make us happy.

Her mother, Irene (Saltzman) Marx, died of cancer when Barbara was a teenager; her father, with his self-made-businessman ethos, was a strong influence.

I had asked my father, who was completely areligious, What religion are we? she recalled in the documentary. Oh, he said, youre an American. Do your best.

The atomic bombing of Japan that ended World War II made a stark impression on Barbara when she was a teenager, she said: It underscored the truth that the human race had attained the ability to wield enormous technological power that could be either beneficial or destructive or both.

The first major question to shape my life was, What is the meaning of all our new power in science, industry and technology thats good? she said.

She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1951. That same year she married Earl Hubbard, an artist she had met in 1949 while in Paris. They settled in Connecticut and had five children, but Ms. Hubbard was not content with fitting into the suburban-housewife mold of the day.

She began reading the works of the philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who wrote about the further evolution of the human race; worked with Jonas Salk and the future-oriented Salk Institute; developed an interest in space exploration; and more.

Her marriage ended in the 1970s, a casualty of her increased activity in these areas, which included founding an organization she called the Committee for the Future. She also took to organizing synergistic convergence conferences, or Syncons, at which representatives of disparate groups would exchange perspectives and ideas.

From 1972 to 1976 she organized 25 such conferences. One brought together members of Los Angeles street gangs, police officials, crime victims and more. All participants met as equal members of the community, she wrote in Conscious Evolution, trying to work out something together.

A pivotal moment in Ms. Hubbards life came in 1966, when she had a particularly strong spiritual vision.

In a flash, I was catapulted into the future, and I could see a few frames ahead in the movie of creation, she said. She saw human knowledge and social systems meshing into a positive, empathetic force.

What Christ and all the great beings came to earth to reveal is, Were one, were whole, were good, were universal, she said, an insight that came with the message Go tell the story, Barbara.

Her eldest son, Wade, died in 2008, and her longtime partner, Sidney Lanier, died in 2013. She is survived by a son, Lloyd; three daughters, Woodleigh Hubbard, Suzanne Hubbard and Alexandra Morton; two sisters, Jacqueline Barnett and Patricia Ellsberg; a brother, Louis Marx Jr.; a half brother, Curtis Marx; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Though many of Ms. Hubbards ideas were somewhat esoteric, one that she expressed in the 1984 address to the Democratic National Convention involved a very practical rebranding.

Eighty percent of our scientific and technological genius is focused on killing, she said.

We must bring together the genius now focused in the War Room in a Peace Room in the White House, she continued. Its purpose will be to defeat the real enemies of humanity: hunger, disease, illiteracy, poverty and war.

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May 22nd, 2019 at 1:44 pm

Conscious Evolution – ISHK

Posted: April 21, 2019 at 2:48 am


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There is now a wealth of physiological and psychological data on the mechanics of consciousness, such as our sensory selection system and linear experience of time. Scientists know how these mechanics evolved for survival and how they limit and distort our perception, contributing to the seemingly intractable problems in the modern world: misdirection of effort in medicine and education; ecological shortsightedness; propensity to brainwashing; the constant failure to understand people from different parts of the world.

In our highly secularized world, we are prone to identify these mechanics as the sum total of our human nature. But we know they are not. Modern research also points to more advanced capacities in our nature capacities often associated with the brains right hemisphere such as context formation, intuition, or whole-patterned thought. Though latent or less developed, these capacities are in evidence at the very heart of human creativity. They are reflected in our art, literature, music, scientific inspiration even in the gravity-defying moves of a skilled basketball player.

Recognizing the pitfalls in our automatic default mindset and the need to train more advanced capacities are not new themes in human history. We find them in myths and stories that recur in all times and cultures, in the core insights of the worlds great religions, in the writings of great thinkers such as Plato and Al Ghazzali.

The gift of modern science has been an expanded framework for taking charge of our own evolution for creative, focused application of new and traditional insights to education, health care, communication, resource planning, and international relations. What we do with this gift may well be the key to our continued survival.

ISHKs current project, God 4.0, provides widespread access to the information we need to advance human potential. It is our hope that the development of these ideas will help us secure a future where humanity can unite around a common higher perspective.

Further reading on conscious evolution:By Robert Ornstein:The Psychology of Consciousness,The Evolution of Consciousness,The Right Mind,New World New Mind (with Paul Ehrlich)

The Sufis by Idries ShahThinking Big: How the Evolution of Social Life Shaped the Human Mind by Robin Dunbar & Clive GambleSocial: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect by Matthew D. Lieberman

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Conscious Evolution - ISHK

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April 21st, 2019 at 2:48 am

Conscious Life Expo

Posted: April 20, 2019 at 10:48 am


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We live in an evolving universe, in an orgasmic nuclear dance of consciousness. Everything is changing, evolving, transforming. Wise men and women throughout history have tried to define the nature of the reality in which they found themselves. Myriad models have existed- most have fallen into the historical garbage heap, others cling by threads. We, these generations, are creating a new model. Is it all figured out and defined? No. Do we know some of the elements of what this future model might look like? Yes.

The primary intention of the Conscious Life Expo Conference and Exposition is to participate in the conscious co-creation of a new world, a world based on new paradigms in science, in spirituality, in longevity, in local and global community, in relationship, in health and well-being.

And while we co-create this new wholistic model through our authentic self expression, we also participate in a powerful and passionate celebration of life and love. The Expo is a three-day gathering of the tribes, a three-day celebration of evolution and consciousness and a three-day brainstorming session on who we are, where we are and where we are going.

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Conscious Life Expo

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April 20th, 2019 at 10:48 am

Evolution Unlimited | Resolve to Evolve

Posted: April 9, 2019 at 6:44 am


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Look at this video and see what Skip is up to with his old friend Rick Lewis! Kickoff 2014 with 7 days of interactive sessions as they challenge you to make lasting changes in your life. Take a look at this video and go sign up at http://www.BreakARule.com to be a part of this amazing free opportunity!

Change is inevitable Are you READY? Skip and Kristine Lackey will be offering a NEW workshop that will give you a change in perspective on your life. Its time to STOP and realize where you have been Take stock in where you are now and move in the direction of your purpose with passion! Join us for this NEW exciting weekend!!

Learn how specialized Guided Imagery, Meditations and Guided Introspections can eliminate STRESS, boost yourimmune system and optimize your overall wellness! Just what the DOCTOR ordered!

more then 6 million Americans a year are advised meditation by conventional health care providers Harvard Medical School, May 2011

Recordings are all here!

Every Wednesday morning from March 27th-May 29th Join Skip and Kristine Lackey for a 10-week exploration of your relationships. They will share their keys to creating conscious relationships in ALL areas of life from dating, marriage, family and even business! Drop your mask and stand naked in the truth of who you REALLY are! Learn more here!

Take a look at our recent posts or go to directly to our BLOG page!

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Evolution Unlimited | Resolve to Evolve

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April 9th, 2019 at 6:44 am

Conscious evolution | Evolutionary Spirituality | FANDOM …

Posted: April 5, 2019 at 11:43 am


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This page embraces all the ways evolution can be pursued consciously. It deals not only with the biological evolution that so many of us are familar with (which can become conscious with bioengineering and social selection), but also with individual, cultural, organizational, and technological evolution, and the evolution of consciousness, itself.

On this wiki, the term conscious evolution refers to change undertaken intentionally as part of a larger progressive development -- especially informed by -- or as part of -- the epic of evolution or the Great Story of evolution.

Conscious evolution always involves intentionality, exercised with a degree of awareness of relevant factors (context, causative dynamics, possibilities, etc.). Some people believe it also involves wisdom, informing intentions with broader, deeper, more systemic, longer-term, and nuanced perspectives.

There is widespread concern that unconscious -- poorly understood, unwise, often unintentional -- developments in humanity's large scale activities are generating crises and potential catastrophes including extinctions, climate change, and unnecessary human suffering.

This has led to growing demand for more thoughtfully intentional development of social organization, technology, and even consciousness. The processes of nature, including the lessons of evolution, are rich with guidance for such development.

Our efforts to consciously develop life-serving, responsive, self-organizing human and natural systems constitute a new facet of the evolutionary process, itself. This conscious evolutionary activity is a natural expression of the universes developmental creativity and a milestone in its progress.

Some believe that this shift in evolutionary dynamics constitutes an "evolutionary leap." Specifically, the social systems, technologies, and consciousness that arose out of the processes of evolution are now -- for the first time -- being consciously applied to those evolutionary processes. In a sense, evolution -- in its human aspect -- can now consciously shape its own processes and direction. This is evolutionary news.

Furthermore, a civilization capable of conscious self-evolution would be a thoroughly new type of life form to add to the remarkable achievements of our alive, evolving universe.

A significant challenge in our conscious evolutionary undertaking will be, therefore, to learn more about evolutionary dynamics and how we might apply them to the development of ourselves and our lives, technologies, societies, and world.

Intentionality implies choice. Much of what is unfolding in natural and human environments today is being generated by the choices of individuals and institutions -- but it is happening at a different level than the choices were made. We choose to drive our cars, but did not choose to generate climate change.

Furthermore, just as our choices affect the state of the larger systems we are part of, so the structures and conditions of those systems affect the the choices we make. We often choose to drive our cars rather than ride our bicycles because the places we need to travel to are so distant (because of our car culture) and there are so many highways in the way (because of our car culture) that using our bikes is very impractical.

Conscious evolution thus necessarily involves becoming aware of the various levels of reality at which our choices are (or could be) causing effects, and further becoming aware of the systemic (and other unconscious) factors affecting our choices. This awareness increases our ability to generate the effects we desire with the choices we make.

There are many realms in which conscious evolution can be pursued. Some are listed below. The dynamics, challenges and stories associated with each can be explored on the linked pages. Furthermore, many of us have had epiphanies, revelations, and reflections regarding conscious evolution, which we can share through the "personal essays" links at the bottom of this page.

Tom Atlee's initial take on conscious evolution

Lion Kimbro on Conscious Evolution

Center for Human Emergence Synergizing the work of John Peterson, Don Beck, Ken Wilber, Andrew Cohen, and others.

Center for Conscious Evolution - Barbara Marx Hubbard's Gatway to Conscious Evolution website

Conscious Evolution: Awakening the Power of Our Social Potential book by Barbara Marx Hubbard

The Graduate Institute's Masters Degree in Conscious Evolution Master of Arts degree in Evolutionary Spirituality, Sacred Activism and Transformative Education

Journal of Conscious Evolution ART, CONSCIOUSNESS, TIME, CULTURE, AND EVOLUTION, edited by Allan Combs and Sean M. Avila Saiter

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Conscious evolution | Evolutionary Spirituality | FANDOM ...

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April 5th, 2019 at 11:43 am

What Is Conscious Evolution? | HuffPost

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For most of us, spiritual evolution does not occur simply as a result of one flash of insight or revelation. On the contrary, it usually requires inspired intention and consistent, diligent effort. And the way this is achieved is through the greatest gift that evolution has given us: the power of choice.

The power of conscious choice, or free agency, is unique to human beings as far as we know. You and I are highly evolved individuated selves who have been blessed with the extraordinary capacity for self-reflective awareness and the freedom to choose. In fact, these are the very faculties that make it possible for us to consciously evolve. Think about it: You, whoever you are, at least to some degree have the power to choose. How much do you really appreciate the significance of this extraordinary birthright? It is surprising how few people consider the deeper implications of possessing the freedom to choose. Just imagine -- without free agency, who would you be? Little more than a robot, unconsciously responding and reacting to conditioned egoic fears and desires, cultural triggers, biological impulses, and external stimuli, with no control over your own destiny. But while it is true that we are all profoundly influenced by many of these forces, both inner and outer, at the same time, it is equally true that we always have at least some measure of freedom to choose how we respond.

If you aspire to become an evolutionarily enlightened human being, your ability to do so depends upon accepting the simple fact that independent of external circumstances, you always have a measure of freedom to choose. That sounds like a simple statement, but it's amazing how many intelligent people will deny it. When you look honestly for yourself, however, you will see that it is true: you are always choosing. Sometimes your choices are conscious; sometimes they are unconscious. Sometimes they are inspired by the best parts of yourself; other times they are motivated by lower impulses and instincts. But the bottom line is that every time you act or react, at some level a choice is being made. And you, whoever you are, are the one who is making that choice. After all, who else could it be?

Conscious evolution is a simple concept to grasp, but not quite as simple to put into in practice. Our freedom to choose is not unlimited. We each have some measure of freedom. Not complete freedom, but a measure, and that measure is greater for some people than it is for others. But as long as there is some it's enough to begin. If there is a measure of freedom then there is freedom to choose.

What that means is that in relationship to the important choices you make, you are never completely unconscious. There is always some degree of awareness, however small, which gives you the freedom to choose. And the path of conscious evolution is about increasing that degree of awareness, increasing that measure of freedom, until you are living as the enlightened self that you consciously choose to be, rather than the unenlightened self you have unconsciously and habitually identified with your entire life.

I believe that it is possible to take responsibility for the entirety of who you are in such a profound way that you can consciously choose who you want to be. But that doesn't mean it will be easy. The human self is by nature a complex multidimensional process, and within that process are many factors that limit our freedom and obscure our awareness. There are powerful biological instincts that still drive us on a deep level to act in ways that challenge our higher rational inclinations. There are all the karmic consequences of our personal history, the emotional and psychological tendencies that have formed in response to our particular life experience. There are layers of cultural conditioning, values and assumptions about how things should be that color our perspectives without us even knowing it. And many people believe that within our psyches we also carry the unresolved stories of previous lifetimes. All these factors play a part in the complex web of motives and impulses that makes up your sense of self. All of this is you. And yet it is possible to take responsibility for all of these dimensions of who you are, through the transformative recognition that you are always the one who is choosing.

If you aspire to evolve, if you intend to become a conscious vehicle for the evolutionary impulse, you have to use the God-given powers of awareness and conscious choice to navigate between your new and higher spiritual aspirations, and all of the conditioned impulses and habits that are embedded in your self-system. You need to become so conscious that you can make choices that move you, consistently, in an evolutionary direction. And it is only through the wholehearted embrace of your power of choice that it becomes possible for you to do this. This is what I often call "enlightening the choosing faculty" -- bringing the light of consciousness, conscience and higher purpose to bear on the unique and extraordinary capacity within that can define your destiny.

Eventually, if you go far enough in your spiritual development, the self-generated momentum of your own evolutionary choices will become the driving force of your life, rather than the unconscious habits of the past. And that's when something very profound occurs. Your capacity to choose will become more and more aligned with the creative freedom of the evolutionary impulse, the energy and intelligence behind the initial choice to become. When free agency, the greatest gift of the evolved human, is liberated from unconscious and habitual patterns and becomes identified with a higher or cosmic will, the individual becomes a conscious agent of evolution.

When your power of choice aligns itself with the evolutionary impulse in this way, your own deepest, heart-felt, spiritual aspiration becomes one with the original cosmic intention to create the universe. That's what Evolutionary Enlightenment is pointing to. To the degree to which you make conscious and transcend those outdated biological, psychological, and cultural habits within yourself that are inhibiting your higher development, you become an ever-more-powerful agent for conscious evolution.

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April 5th, 2019 at 11:43 am

About Us Collective Evolution

Posted: March 8, 2019 at 11:49 pm


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Collective Evolutionis a conscious media and education company focused on helping to shift our world through two key avenues:

News Media reporting on world events through a truly neutral lens, and exploring the role these events play in the evolution of human consciousness.

Consciousness Education Providing viewers with the solutions and tools necessary to build self-awareness, expand consciousness, connect with self and be an integral part of shifting our world.

Founded by Joe Martino 2009, CE has grown to become one of the worlds most popularconscious media outlets that provides readers and viewers an opportunity to expand their consciousness, unlock their potential and reshape their everyday way ofbeing.

CEs unique formula merges consciousnessand spirituality with all aspects of life and events we experience on a regular basis.

CEs content ranges from articles, to videos, to podcasts, to live events, all of which share one common goal: to raise awareness about how our world functions, and to encourage conscious change that moves beyond it.

All CE content is brought into conscious existence by an awesome, (but not too awesome) dynamic (but not too dynamic) community of writers, filmmakers, editors, speakers and other phenomenally creative minds but not too phenomenal.

To contact CE for radio or media appearances please use our contact form found byclickingthe contact menu button.

Joe Martino talks about the journey of creating CE during his TEDx talk.

Joe MartinoAlanna KetlerDulce Ruby

Adrian RicciLinda Martino

James McDougall

Facebook:facebook.com/CollectiveEvolutionPageInstagram:instagram.com/collective_evolutionPodcast:The Collective Evolution PodcastTwitter:twitter.com/collectiveevolYouTube:youtube.com/CEvolutionTV

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About Us Collective Evolution

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March 8th, 2019 at 11:49 pm

Conscious Media Movement CE Explorers Lounge

Posted: February 3, 2019 at 10:41 am


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In October of 2016, we raised $76,000 to help kickstart our new conscious news platform. With this platform we hoped to have a daily recap, a lot more investigative journalism and do regular video stories. We wanted to fill a missing gap in the way quality news was told from a truth and conscious perspective.

The money raised was a big help in getting things started, however by Dec of the same year, we saw a 35% reach cut on Facebook, essentially meaning a 35% cut to our revenue.

By June 2017, we saw another 20% cut, and by Dec 2017, another 30%.

This meant that while we had some kickstart money to begin a large project, we also lost most of our momentum and steam from our reach and other revenue sources, and eventually had to slow things down on the project. In 2017 we posted a loss of over $250,000 as a result of revenue cuts by Facebook.

So we re-focused and began building new ways of generating revenue to get ourselves to a point where we could thrive. However, more reach cuts came in 2018.

It wasnt until July 2018 when we started putting up monthly numbers where we were no longer losing money. As of Novemeber, 2018, we have not been able to expand much beyond this and are currently not fully sustaining.

We have plans with our new CETV platform to generate revenue, but because we opted not to generate any kickstart funding because of what happened in the past, it has been a grind.

As of Dec 26th, 2018, we have launched CETV and hope to get our company on track by mid 2019 and then bring our news station project back into the picture.

A big part of why we are doing this CMM campaign is to get consistent and secure revenue so we can do our work.

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Conscious Media Movement CE Explorers Lounge

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February 3rd, 2019 at 10:41 am

The Global Evolution camp registration open | The blog …

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About Jack ButlerJack Butler is a social entrepreneur, coach, workshop leader and speaker. His latest venture provides full spectrum human development through coaching, programmes and other development resources for leaders and entrepreneurs. He founded Future Foundations (www.future-foundations.co.uk), a leading youth personal development training organization. He is a professional member of the International Enneagram Association and a former fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Jack was the IAB 2007 Young Entrepreneur of the Year runner-up and took a double first class degree in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Jack spends his time between London and Brighton in the UK and Boulder, CO and the Bay Area in the US. In his spare time, he enjoys physical challenges (3 Peaks Challenge 2010, Tresco Marathon 2006) and supporting The Simultaneous Policy Organisation (www.simpol.org.uk). He is a Partner in Passion and Purpose of the Grubb Guild, a voracious reader of personal, cultural and spiritual development, and likes to inquire, journal, travel and write.

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February 3rd, 2019 at 10:40 am

6 Extraordinary Cases Of Kids Who Remember Their Past …

Posted: October 16, 2018 at 8:43 pm


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It's amazing how much information can be passed on to our offspring. Scientist have discovered that our DNA has memories, and these can also be passed down. We are talking about thoughts, feelings, emotions and perceptions.

Biological changes are shaped by our environment, as well as our thoughts, feelings, emotions and reaction to that environment. Our DNA can be changed with belief, the placebo is a great example. Thoughts feelings and emotions are huge in biology.

This article was written by the Greenmedinfo research group, from Greenmedinfo.com. Posted here with permission.

Until recently, it was believed that our genes dictate our destiny. That we are slated for thediseasesthat will ultimately beset us based upon the pre-wired indecipherable code written in stone in our genetic material. The burgeoning field of epigenetics, however, is overturning these tenets, and ushering in a school of thought where nurture, not nature, is seen to be the predominant influence when it comes to genetic expression and our freedom from or affliction by chronic disease.

Epigenetics, or the study of the physiological mechanisms that silence or activate genes, encompasses processes which alter gene function without changing the sequence of nucleotide base pairs in our DNA. Translated literally to mean in addition to changes in genetic sequence, epigenetics includes processes such as methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, sumolyation, and ubiquitylation which can be transmitted to daughter cells upon cell division (1).Methylation, for example, is the attachment of simple methyl group tags to DNA molecules, which can repress transcription of a gene when it occurs in the region of a gene promoter. This simple methyl group, or a carbon bound to three hydrogen molecules, effectively turns the gene off.

Post-translational modifications of histone proteins is another epigenetic process. Histones help to package and condense the DNA double helix into the cell nucleus in a complex called chromatin, which can be modified by enzymes, acetyl groups, and forms of RNA called small interfering RNAs andmicroRNAs(1). These chemical modifications of chromatin influence its three-dimensional structure, which in turn governs its accessibility for DNA transcription and dictates whether genes are expressed or not.

We inherit one allele, or variant, of each gene from our mother and the other from our father. If the result of epigenetic processes is imprinting, a phenomenon where one of the two alleles of a gene pair is turned off, this can generate a deleterious health outcome if the expressed allele is defective or increases our susceptibility to infections or toxicants (1). Studies link cancers of nearly all types, neurobehavioral and cognitive dysfunction,respiratory illnesses,autoimmune disorders, reproductive anomalies, andcardiovascular diseaseto epigenetic mechanisms (1). For example, the cardiac antiarrhythmic drug procainamide and the antihypertensive agent hydralazine can cause lupus in some people by causing aberrant patterns of DNA methylation and disrupting signalling pathways (1).

Pharmaceuticals, however, are not the only agents that can induce epigenetic disturbances. Whether you were born via vaginal birth orCesarean section, breastfed or bottle-fed, raised with a pet in the house, or infected with certain childhood illnesses all influence your epigenetic expression. Whether you are sedentary, pray, smoke, mediate, do yoga, have an extensive network of social support or are alienated from your communityall of your lifestyle choices play into your risk for disease operating through mechanisms of epigenetics.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that genetics account for only 10% of disease, with the remaining 90% owing to environmental variables (2). An article published in thePublic Library of Science One (PLoS One)entitled Genetic factors are not the major causes ofchronic diseases echoes these claims, citing that chronic disease is only 16.4% genetic, and 84.6% environmental (3). These concepts make sense in light of research on the exposome, the cumulative measure of all the environmental insults an individual incurs during their life course that determines susceptibility to disease (4)

In delineating the totality of exposures to which an individual is subjected over their lifetime, the exposome can be subdivided into three overlapping and intertwined domains. One segment of the exposome called the internal environment is comprised of processes innate to the body which impinge on the cellular milieu. This encompasses hormones and other cellular messengers, oxidative stress, inflammation, lipid peroxidation, bodily morphology, thegut microbiota,agingand biochemical stress (5).

Another portion of the exposome, the specific external environment, consists of exposures including pathogens, radiation, chemical contaminants andpollutants, and medical interventions, as well as dietary, lifestyle, and occupational elements (5). At an even broader sociocultural and ecological level is the segment of the exposome called the general external environment, which may circumscribe factors such as psychological stress, socioeconomic status, geopolitical variables, educational attainment, urban or rural residence, and climate (5).

Scientists formerly speculated that epigenetic changes disappear with each new generation during gametogenesis, the formation of sperm and ovum, and after fertilization. However, this theory was first challenged by research published in the journalSciencewhich demonstrated that transient exposure of pregnant rats to the insecticide methoxychlor, an estrogenic compound, or the fungicide vinclozolin, an antiandrogenic compound, resulted in increased incidence of maleinfertilityand decreased sperm production and viability in 90% of the males of four subsequent generations that were tracked (1).

Most notably, these reproductive effects were associated with derangements in DNA methylation patterns in the germ line, suggesting that epigenetic changes are passed on to future generations. The authors concluded, The ability of an environmental factor (for example, endocrine disruptor) to reprogram the germ line and to promote a transgenerational disease state has significant implications for evolutionary biology and disease etiology (6, p. 1466). This may suggest that the endocrine-disrupting, fragrance-laden personal care products and commercial cleaning supplies to which we are all exposed may trigger fertility problems in multiple future generations.

In addition, traumatic experiences may be transmitted to future generations via epigenetics as a way to inform progeny about salient information needed for their survival (7). In one study, researchers wafted thecherry-like chemical acetophenone into the chambers of mice while administering electric shocks, conditioning the mice to fear the scent (7). This reaction was passed onto two successive generations, which shuddered significantly more in the presence of acetophenone despite never having encountered it compared to descendants of mice that had not received this conditioning (7).

The study suggests that certain characteristics of the parental sensory environment experienced before conception can remodel the sensory nervous system and neuroanatomy in subsequently conceived generations (7). Alterations in brain structures that process olfactory stimuli were observed, as well as enhanced representation of the receptor that perceives the odor compared to control mice and their progeny (7). These changes were conveyed by epigenetic mechanisms, as illustrated by evidence that the acetophenone-sensing genes in fearful mice were hypomethylated, which may have enhanced expression of odorant-receptor genes during development leading to acetophenone sensitivity (7).

The mouse study, which illustrates how germ cells (egg and sperm) exhibit dynamic plasticity and adaptability in response to environmental signals, is mirrored by human studies. For instance, exposures to certain stressors such as starvation during the gestational period are associated with poor health outcomes for offspring. Women who undergo famine before conception of her offspring have been demonstrated to give birth to children with lower self-reported mental health and quality of life, for example (8).

Studies similarly highlight that, Maternal famine exposure around the time of conception has been related to prevalence of major affective disorders, antisocial personality disorders,schizophrenia, decreased intracranial volume, and congenital abnormalities of the central nervous system (8). Gestational exposure to the Dutch Famine of the mid-twentieth century is also associated with lower perceived health (9), as well as enhanced incidence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity in offspring (8). Maternal undernourishment during pregnancy leads to neonatal adiposity, which is a predictor of future obesity (10), in the grandchildren (11).

The impact of epigenetics is also exemplified by research on the intergenerational effects of trauma, which illuminates that descendants of people who survived the Holocaust exhibit abnormalstresshormone profiles, and low cortisol production in particular (12). Because of their impaired cortisol response and altered stress reactivity, children of Holocaust survivors are often at enhanced risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, anddepression(13).

Intrauterine exposure to maternal stress in the form of intimate partner violence during pregnancy can also lead to changes in the methylation status of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) of their adolescent offspring (14). These studies suggest that an individuals experience of trauma can predispose their descendants to mental illness, behavioral problems, and psychological abnormalities due to transgenerational epigenetic programming of genes operating in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a complex set of interactions among endocrine glands which determine stress response and resilience (14).

Not only that, but studies are illuminating that genetic information can be transferred through the germ line cells of a species in real time. These paradigm-shifting findings overturn conventional logic which postulates that genetic change occurs over the protracted time scale of hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. In a relatively recent study, exosomes were found to be the medium through which information was transferred from somatic cells to gametes.

This experiment entailed xenotransplantation, a process where living cells from one species are grafted into a recipient of another species. Specifically, humanmelanomatumor cells genetically engineered to express genes for a fluorescent tracer enzyme called EGFP-encoding plasmid were transplanted into mice. The experimenters found that information-containing molecules containing the EGFP tracer were released into the animals blood (15). Exosomes, or specialized membranous nano-sized vesicles derived from endocytic compartments that are released by many cell types were found among the EGFP trackable molecules (16, p. 447).

Exosomes, which are synthesized by all plant and animal cells, contain distinct protein repertoires and are created when inward budding occurs from the membrane of multivesicular bodies (MVBs), a type of organelle that serves as a membrane-bound sorting compartment within eukaryotic cells (16). Exosomes contain microRNA (miRNA) and small RNA, types of non-coding RNA involved in regulating gene expression (16). In this study, exosomes delivered RNAs to mature sperm cells (spermatozoa) and remained stored there (15).

The researchers highlight that this kind of RNA can behave as a transgenerational determinant of inheritable epigenetic variations and that spermatozoal RNA can carry and deliver information that cause phenotypic variations in the progeny (15). In other words, the RNA carried to sperm cells by exosomes can preside over gene expression in a way that changes the observable traits and disease risk of the offspring as well as its morphology, development, and physiology.

This study was the first to elucidate RNA-mediated transfer of information from somatic to germ cells, which fundamentally overturns what is known as the Weisman barrier, a principle which states that the movement of hereditary information from genes to body cells is unidirectional, and that the information transmitted by egg and sperm to future generations remains independent of somatic cells and parental experience (15).

Further, this may bear implications for cancer risk, as exosomes contain vast amounts of genetic information which can be source of lateral gene transfer (17) and are abundantly liberated from tumor cells (18). This can be reconciled with the fact that exosome-resembling vesicles have been observed in various mammals (15), including humans, in close proximity to sperm in anatomical structures such as the epididymis as well as in seminal fluid (19). These exosomes may thereafter be propagated to future generations with fertilization and augmentcancerrisk in the offspring (20).

The researchers concluded that sperm cells can act as the final repositories of somatic cell-derived information, which suggests that epigenetic insults to our body cells can be relayed to future generations. This notion is confirmatory of the evolutionary theory of soft inheritance proposed by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, whereby characteristics acquired over the life of an organism are transmitted to offspring, a concept which modern genetics previously rejected before the epigenetics arrived on the scene. In this way, the sperm are able to spontaneously assimilate exogenous DNA and RNA molecules, behaving both as vector of their native genome and of extrachromosomal foreign genetic material which is then delivered to oocytes at fertilization with the ensuing generation of phenotypically modified animals (15).

In a recent study, nematode worms were manipulated to harbor a transgene for a fluorescent protein, which made the worms glow underultraviolet lightwhen the gene was activated (21). When the worms were incubated under the ambient temperature of 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit), negligible glowing was observed, indicating low activity of the transgene (21). However, transferring the worms to a warmer climate of 25C (77 F) stimulated expression of the gene, as the worms glowed brightly (21).

In addition, this temperature-induced alteration in gene expression was found to persist for at least 14 generations, representing the preservation of epigenetic memories of environmental change across an unprecedented number of generations (21). In other words, the worms transmitted memories of past environmental conditions to their descendants, through the vehicle of epigenetic change, as a way to prepare their offspring for prevailing environmental conditions and ensure their survivability.

Taken cumulatively, the aforementioned research challenges traditional Mendelian laws of genetics, which postulate that genetic inheritance occurs exclusively through sexual reproduction and that traits are passed to offspring through the chromosomes contained in germ line cells, and never through somatic (bodily) cells. Effectively, this proves the existence of non-Mendelian transgenerational inheritance, where traits separate from chromosomal genes are transmitted to progeny, resulting in persistent phenotypes that endure across generations (22).

This research imparts new meaning to the principle of seven generation stewardship taught by Native Americans, which mandates that we consider the welfare of seven generations to come in each of our decisions. Not only should we embody this approach in practices of environmental sustainability, but we would be wise to consider how the conditions to which we subject our bodiesthe pollution and toxicants which permeate the landscape and pervade our bodies, the nutrient-devoid soil that engenders micronutrient-poor food, the disruptions to ourcircadian rhythmdue to the ubiquity of electronic devices, our divorce from nature and the demise of our tribal affiliationsmay translate into ill health effects and diminished quality of life for a previously unfathomed number of subsequent generations.

Hazards of modern agriculture, the industrial revolution, and contemporary living are the known or suspected drivers behind epigenetic processesincludingheavy metals, pesticides, diesel exhaust,tobacco smoke, polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons, hormones, radioactivity, viruses, bacteria, and basic nutrients (1, p. A160). Serendipitously, however, many inputs such asexercise, mindfulness, and bioactive components in fruits and vegetables such as sulforaphane incruciferous vegetables, resveratrol from red grapes, genistein from soy, diallyl sulphide from garlic, curcumin from turmeric, betaine from beets, andgreen teacatechin can favorably modify epigenetic phenomena either by directly inhibiting enzymes that catalyze DNA methylation or histone modifications, or by altering the availability of substrates necessary for those enzymatic reactions (23, p. 8).

This quintessentially underscores that the air we breathe, the food we eat, the thoughts we allow, the toxins to which we are exposed, and the experiences we undergo may persevere in our descendants and remain in our progeny long after we are gone. We must be cognizant of the effects of our actions, as they elicit a ripple effect through the proverbial sands of time.

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References

1. Weinhold, B. (2006). Epigenetics: The Science of Change. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(3), A160-A167.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Exposome and Exposomics. Retrieved fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/exposome/

3. Rappaport, S.M. (2016). Genetic factors are not the major causes of chronic diseases. PLoS One, 11(4), e0154387.

4. Vrijheid, M. (2014). The exposome: a new paradigm to study the impact of environment on health. Thorax, 69(9), 876-878. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-204949.

5. Wild, C.P. (2012). The exposome: from concept to utility. International Journal of Epidemiology, 41, 2432. doi:10.1093/ije/dyr236

6. Anway, M.D. et al. (2005). Epigenetic transgenerational actions of endocrine disruptors and male fertility. Science, 308(5727), 1466-1469.

7. Dias, B.G., & Ressler, K.J. (2014). Parental olfactory experience influences behavior and neural structure in subsequent generations. Nature Neuroscience, 17(1), 89-98.

8. Stein, A.D. et al. (2009). Maternal exposure to the Dutch Famine before conception and during pregnancy: quality of life and depressive symptoms in adult offspring. Epidemiology, 20(6), doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181b5f227.

9. Roseboom, T.J. et al. (2003). Perceived health of adults after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine. Paediatrics Perinatal Epidemiology, 17, 391397.

10. Badon, S.E. et al. (2014). Gestational Weight Gain and Neonatal Adiposity in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome Study-North American Region. Obesity (Silver Spring), 22(7), 17311738.

11. Veenendaal, M.V. et al. (2013). Transgenerational effects of prenatal exposure to the 1944-45 Dutch famine. BJOG, 120(5), 548-53. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.

12. Yehuda, R., & Bierer, L.M. (2008). Transgenerational transmission of cortisol and PTSD risk. Progress in Brain Research, 167, 121-135.

13. Aviad-Wilcheck, Y. et al. (2013). The effects of the survival characteristics of parent Holocaust survivors on offsprings anxiety and depression symptoms. The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 50(3), 210-216.

14. Radke, K.M. et al. (2011). Transgenerational impact of intimate partner violence on methylation in the promoter of the glucocorticoid receptor. Translational Psychiatry, 1, e21. doi: 10.1038/tp.2011.21.

15. Cossetti, C. et al. (2014). Soma-to-Germline Transmission of RNA in Mice Xenografted with Human Tumour Cells: Possible Transport by Exosomes. PLoS One,https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101629.

16. Zomer, A. et al. (2010). Exosomes: Fit to deliver small RNA. Communicative and Integrative Biology, 3(5), 447450.

17. Balaj, L. et al. (2011) Tumour microvesicles contain retrotransposon elements and amplified oncogene sequences. Natural Communications, 2, 180.

18. Azmi, A.S., Bao, B., & Sarkar, F.H. (2013). Exosomes in cancer development, metastasis, and drug resistance: a comprehensive review. Cancer Metastasis Review, 32, 623-643

19. Poliakov, A. et al. (2009). Structural heterogeneity and protein composition of exosomes-like vesicles (prostasomes) in human semen. Prostate, 69, 159-167.

20. Cheng, R.Y. et al. (2004) Epigenetic and gene expression changes related to transgenerational carcinogenesis. Molecular Carcinogenesis, 40, 111.

21. Klosin, A. et al. (2017). Transgenerational transmission of environmental information in C. elegans. Science, 356(6335).

22. Lim, J.P., & Brunet, A. (2013). Bridging the transgenerational gap with epigenetic memory. Trends in Genetics, 29(3), 176-186. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2012.12.008

23. Choi, S.-W., & Friso, S. (2010). Epigenetics: A New Bridge between Nutrition and Health Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 1(1), 8-16. doi:10.3945/an.110.1004.

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