Scientist aims to bridge mind, body and spirit
Hawkes left lab to study with indigenous healers around globe
For much of our human existence we have believed and trusted and relied on our five senses to explain and manipulate our world conditions. What we see, touch, smell, hear and taste (our five senses) world view is rapidly being replaced by a new paradigm, the multi-sensory human.
This transition from reliance on the physical to the metaphysical (beyond the senses) is articulated by numerous modern-day authors and teachers: Wayne Dyer, Gary Zukav, Rhonda Byrnes, Martha Beck, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and Marianne Williamson, to name a few.
Catalysts for these teachers such as Oprah Winfrey have brought metaphysical spiritual teachings into mainstream society at an unprecedented speed.
The new world view of the multi-sensory human has implications for our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, says author and scientist Joyce Hawkes.
Her first book, Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell, was published in 2006. Edmontonians have the opportunity to be with Hawkes for a weekend workshop Oct. 19 and 20 at the Centre for Spiritual Living, 7621 101st Ave. Her topic: Cell Level Practices for Health and Vitality
Hawkes’ work has spanned nearly 40 years, half of them in solid scientific research in cellular biology, and half in healing practices, many of them grounded in indigenous healing traditions. She spent 20 years researching the extraordinary resiliency of cells.
As a cell biologist and biophysicist, Hawkes studied cells using the most sophisticated tool in existence for that purpose: an electron microscope with the capacity to magnify the inner life of the cell up to one million times. At that magnification, secrets of cells have emerged that had eluded scientists for centuries.
Hawkes worked on that exciting frontier of scientific exploration. Her research was honoured by election to the American Association for the Advancement of Science as a Fellow, a position she currently maintains.
Her life took a surprising twist after a near-death experience triggered by a fluke accident at home. She recovered quickly, but soon found herself drawn in a different way to the study of cells and the internal mechanisms for healing.
Increasingly attuned to the healing power of mind, body and spirit in concert, she eventually left the formal laboratory with its advanced instruments to study with indigenous healers around the globe, from tropical forests to black-sand beaches — the most low-tech settings imaginable.
Amid these travels and studies, she also completed a master’s degree in pastoral ministry at Seattle University, a Jesuit school, and interned with the First Baptist Church of Seattle.
The broad range of studies and subsequent deep understanding of western and eastern theology and healing traditions has supported her personal journey.
Hawkes’ intention was to find ways to use the natural resonance between cells and consciousness to enrich everyday health and help repair our bodies when they are injured or ill. Her twin passions for studying both science and spirit drew her into this expanded field of exploration and practice.
These extraordinary opportunities, particularly with indigenous healers in the vast world of non-western practices such as Bali, the hinterlands of the Philippines, and India led Hawkes to experience new dimensions of spiritual and healing practices and opened her to the powerful effects of healing states of mind.