The Realisation Festival Podcast

Available Episodes

5 of 11

Soul nerding and becoming the ground in collapsing times. A conversation with Sarah Wilson
Why is seeing simply so valuable? How can we relearn from nature a reimagining our of lives? What does it mean to tackle contemporary troubles with joy and devotion? And what role might myth and ritual play in the rediscovery of pathways to the future? Mark Vernon talks with Sarah about these questions and more.Sarah is speaking at The Realisation Festival held in St Giles House, Dorset, 26-29 June 2025.For more about the festival see - https://realisationfestival.com/For more about Sarah see - https://sarahwilson.com/Her substack can be found here - https://sarahwilson.substack.com/
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30:18
Science and imagination, nature and meaning. A conversation on bridging divides with Pauline Rudd
Professor Pauline Rudd is a leading glycobiologist, recognised most recently by being awarded the Torbern Bergman Medal 2025. So what is it like to work as a scientist? And why is she inspired by everything from beluga whales to the grail stories?In this conversation with Mark Vernon, Pauline describes how understanding the habits of sugar molecules is akin to playing music: a moment is reached when, in some sense, the object of study becomes part of you. She discusses how meaning in the natural world has been lost, though is also be re-found. She argues that we live in an age in which spiritual paths are being re-made - which is why she is gripped by the grail stories.For more on Pauline's professional work see this interview with her following her recent award! https://kemisamfundet.se/torbern-bergman-medal-2025-to-pauline-rudd-university-college-dublin/
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36:38
When the world gives back. A conversation with Ed Haddon
How is sport a spiritual practice? What is the value of coaching? Why are collective undertakings as valuable as individual goals?Mark Vernon talks with Ed Haddon, who Is one of the directors of the Realisation Festival and knows St Giles House, playing a longstanding part in its re-emergence. He has represented England in sport and learnt much from the pursuit of excellence. He also knows the ways in which the choices we make in life can be deeply affected by personal difficulties and pain. He talks with Mark about what realisation can mean, how the festival is held by the directors, and what it means to discover your distinctiveness.Ed Haddon is the founder of Haddon Coaching. For more see - https://www.haddoncoaching.com. His book is The Modern Maverick - https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/modern-maverick-9781399407090.
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34:05
The confidence to be human in an age of AI. A conversation about the complexity of things with Mazviita Chirimuuta
What do we really learn from neuroscience? How can scientific assumptions shape the world we perceive? Why might notions such as soul and mind matter all the more in times of mechanistic, computational thinking?Mark Vernon talks with philosopher and neuroscientist Mazviita Chirimuuta. Mazviita is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and author of the prize-winning book, The Brain Abstracted. She is also an advisor to the Realisation FestivalDetails of her books can be found at MIT Press - https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/m-chirimuuta-17741/
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41:42
In the beginning was connection. A conversation with Kenneth Cross
Many of today’s troubles could be described as ones of connection. But is that about a lack of connection, a flood of connection, or perhaps the quality of connections?Mark Vernon talks with Kenneth Cross about relationally and, in particular, the inspiration that might be drawn from fungi. Mycelium exist in a substerranean world, blurring the distinctions between organisms, sharing in ways that are strange even disturbing. So what light does that cast on human sympathies and selfhood? The conversation ranges over the ideas of Iain McGilchrist and Merlin Sheldrake, over the challenges of meeting in groups and our basic views of reality.Kenneth is a vicar and a writer.
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36:27

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About The Realisation Festival Podcast

Welcome to the podcast of the Realisation Festival, which takes place every year at St Giles House, Wimborne, Dorset (http://realisationfestival.com).The podcast is hosted by Mark Vernon, in conversation with individuals who have attended the festival. The aim is to develop a sense of the various ways in which realising is done, as people offer reflections on ideas, experiences, books and activities.

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