Following their session together at this year's Oxford Real Farming Conference – Land, Food and Spirit – SFT CEO, Patrick Holden, and renowned biologist and author, Rupert Sheldrake, reconnected to record an episode of the SFT Podcast.

Rupert's impressive career started at Cambridge University where he studied Natural Sciences, before receiving a scholarship to attend Harvard University, studying History and Philosophy of Science. Rupert later returned to Cambridge where he gained a PhD in Plant Development. This eventually led him to India, where he worked at The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), to develop a more holistic approach to biology and science: "the mechanistic, materialist paradigm was too limiting and constricting" resulting in the idea of 'morphic resonance'. Rupert has also authored more than 100 technical papers and nine books, including Science and Spiritual Practices.

This episode takes a slightly different turn from our usual episodes, with less focus on agriculture, and more on the role of spirituality in science. During this episode, Patrick and Rupert discuss bridging the gap between spirituality and science, they ask whether farms could be considered 'holy places', Rupert explains his theory of morphic resonance and talks about his involvement with the British Pilgrimage Trust.

To find our more about Rupert and his work, visit https://www.sheldrake.org, and follow him on Instagram and YouTube.

To listen to more SFT podcasts, featuring some of the biggest names in regenerative food and farming, head to our main podcast page. And to keep up to date with our news, you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter or follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook and Bluesky.

This conversation was recorded in April 2025.

Timestamps:

0.00: Intro

0.55: Welcome Rupert!

1.11: Patrick and Rupert at the Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) 2025

2.20: Rupert's career beginnings

3.59: What is 'morphic resonance'?

4.53: Is there a connection between morphic resonance and epigenetics?

6.43: Building a bridge between science and spirituality

8.58: The influences of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Rudolf Steiner

11.20: Rupert's spiritual journey

17.00: What is a 'holy place'?

21.59: Choral Evensong and its place at conferences like ORFC

27.56: Rupert's involvement with the British Pilgrimage Trust

32.25: Could farms be considered 'holy places'?

34.10: Rogation Sunday and patronal festivals

40.21: What's drawing people back – regardless of religion – to holy places and patronal festivals?

43.07: Revaluing the parish and local community

48.36: Saying grace at mealtimes

53.30: Thank you Richard

54.21: Outro