Deep Transformation

Ep. 133 (Part 1 of 2) | Author, podcaster, farmer, and poet, Brendan Graham Dempsey, brings passion, dedication, clarity, and outstanding scholarship to the fascinating and enormously important study of cultural evolution, which operates on both a personal level and a collective one. He illuminates how, when, and why we shift from one cultural worldview to the next, using his own life’s journey through the cultural stages as a map and paints colorful portraits of the outstanding characteristics of each stage: traditional/premodern, modern, postmodern, and metamodern. Brendan enlightens us as to the tumultuous and often lonely and despairing time that occurs when our prior stage has been deconstructed and we find ourselves between worldviews in a liminal space where sensemaking fails. As he puts it, we live in certain worlds to help us navigate reality. But then things change, and we bump up against the limits of things. Now the time has come to update our sense of the world; we are invited to expand and grow.We come to understand why it is necessary for cultures to evolve—to accommodate ever increasing complexity—and why culture wars and confusion result from misunderstanding a worldview that infiltrates your psyche before it’s ready. Brendan explains why postmodernism does not serve us now, introducing and inviting us to the new, emerging worldview of metamodernism, where there is hope in positivity, affirmation, and aspirational idealism. Hope, and the promise of coming together in a new understanding among peoples, a prerequisite for dealing with the challenges of the global crises that affect us all. Brendan brings a big heart, keen mind, and a lot of verve to these complex subjects, which come alive under his brilliant tutelage. As he points out, deconstructing the psyche can help save the world, adding, this is a lot of what the metamodern community is trying to get the word out about. Recorded May 1, 2024.“It’s absolutely essential that some folks, anyway, try to break through to this other way of seeing that can get us beyond the limits of our worldviews at the moment…in a way that allows us to keep moving forward rather than back.“(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing cultural evolution pioneer, author, poet, farmer, and spiritual podcaster, Brendan Graham Dempsey (01:35)What are the stages our culture has been through? (03:13)Premodern is the traditional stage, linked to the great Axial Age religions that started up around 500 BC (04:56)Modernity was initiated with the move out of the Middle Ages into the Renaissance; postmodernity flowered in the mid 20th century; metamodernity dawned around 2000 (06:14)What are the more subtle differences that constitute these shifts between cultures or worldviews? (07:19)Language is the medium that shapes us individually and shapes how culture plays out: using a psychological lens to look at the complexification process of modes of thought (08:59)The relation between metamodern and integral thought and the new emerging stage of consciousness (12:10)Cultural evolution plays out at the individual level too (16:37)Brendan’s characterization of cultural stages based on his own life’s development, beginning with his youth in a traditional household, where faith relates to day-to-day living and miracles happen (17:58)Brendan’s shift from traditional to modern happened with research and biblical scholarship, exploring faith and religion with an apologetics approach (19:44)What the deconstruction phase looks like on a personal level: moving into the liminal space that exists between worldviews (21:32)The radical relativity of all the different perspectives (27:38)The sense of turmoil and groundlessness when shifting worldviews is often interpreted as something being “wrong;” it takes a tolerance of ambiguity to get through the shift (28:36)Looking at this process through the lens of learning theory gives sense to the moments of senselessness (30:43)A supportive community is a big help during deconstruction (33:19)The hero’s journey element of the process: deconstructing the psyche can help save the world (35:09)Brendan’s initiation into postmodernism: Nietzsche, the meaning crisis, and the failures of modernism (37:04)Postmodernism asks, if we don’t have an absolute answer, what do we have? And throws the notion of progress out the window (40:47)Resources & References – Part 1Brendan Graham Dempsey, Metamodernism: Or, The Cultural Logic of Cultural Logics*Brendan Graham Dempsey, A Universal Learning Process (The Evolution of Meaning)*Brendan’s website: Sky Meadow InstituteBrendan’s podcast: Metamodern SpiritualityBrendan’s YouTube channelKarl Jaspers coined the term Axial Age Hanzi Freinacht, The Listening Society*Ken Wilber, founder of Integral Theory, What is Integral? (Integral Life website)Richard Elliot Friedman,&nb

Ep. 132 (Part 3 of 3) | World renowned EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) therapy pioneer and trainer Dr. Laurel Parnell has used EMDR therapy with clients for decades with truly remarkable success. Laurel relates how EMDR therapy dissolves blocks caused by trauma, freeing clients from negative constructs so they can develop their own felt sense of truth, and express from and know their own true nature. After EMDR, she says, “singers sing, writers write, dancers dance.” Not only are clients freed, but the endpoint of EMDR therapy quite often rests in a transpersonal space that is invariably characterized by an upwelling of self-love and compassion for others, an opening to mystery and boundless possibility. Interestingly, because of the resonant field between therapist and client (interpersonal neurobiology), the therapist experiences the transpersonal opening when it happens as well. More often than not, Laurel tells us, the way the session unfolds is a surprise to both client and therapist, with long forgotten little “t” traumas turning out to be responsible for the client’s blocks rather than the expected major life traumas. Laurel makes it clear that the goal of EMDR is to empower the client; the therapist must allow the wisdom to reside in the client rather than in their own interpretation of what unfolds, and adhere strictly to a process of open inquiry. She describes how the therapist’s beliefs can limit the outcome and outlines the advantages of a therapist who has a spiritual practice and transpersonal awareness. Laurel’s leading edge at this point involves Multidimensional Integrative Healing, an evolution from her longtime experience with EMDR, where further dimensions of reality have so often emerged in her work, and her own spiritual journey. It is fascinating to hear her describe how we can not only install helpful inner resources for ourselves, but also counter intergenerational trauma by calling forward ancestral wisdom. A deeply intriguing, eye opening, and impactful conversation with a very wise, enthusiastic, far thinking trailblazer of a teacher. Recorded April 15, 2024.“The consciousness that illumines everything illumines everything on all dimensions.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3Normalizing living in the nondual space with Suzanne Segal (00:56)Laurel’s son’s horrific death, the sense of feeling held, and working with a spirit worker afterwards (03:42)Laurel’s further healing on her own with EMDR (08:51)The onset of working with multiple dimensions of reality: working with energetic attachments, ancestral/intergenerational trauma, energetic sovereignty (09:53)Not everything we experience is ours, and should not be integrated (11:20)This way of working is all about empowering the individual, cultivating & developing the very powerful resource deities within us and in other dimensions (15:20)Using Tibetan technology & developing skillful means (16:48)Energetic sovereignty and working with energy bubbles: how to help others without merging with them (20:22)Healing intergenerational trauma: resourcing positive, wholesome, healthy ancestry and bringing it forward (21:59) The bridging technique: reprocessing past life trauma of the client or even of another energetic being (25:49)Staying open to the multiplicity of possibilities of what could be going on (28:14)What the original pioneering psychedelic therapists discovered about the psyche (29:13)Laurel’s healing journey in the Amazon and recognizing that ancient ways of healing are still important (31:03)Consciousness is so vast, everything is there—grief too (34:48)Primordial purity: everything is an expression of consciousness; nothing needs to be condemned (35:19)There is cross-generational transmission of limiting beliefs, traumas, etc., but also of virtues: bringing forward ancestral wisdom to heal current traumas (37:28)The importance of service, setting good boundaries, and practicing good ethics on the part of the shaman or therapist (42:45)Resources & References – Part 3Suzanne Segal, Collision with the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self*Michael Harner, The Way of the Shaman*, Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality*Zen Master Seung Sahn, The Compass of Zen*, Only Don’t Know: Selected Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn*The Pachamama AllianceIsabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration*Dr. Laurel Parnell, Executive Director, The Parnell Institute, a major provider of EMDR training and educational programs, and leading authority on Attachment-Focused EMDRFind an EMDR Therapist at Parnell InstituteLaurel Parnell, Transforming Trauma: EMDR: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Freeing the Mind, Clearing the Body, and Opening the Heart*Laurel Parnell, Rewiring the Addi

Ep. 131 (Part 2 of 3) | World renowned EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) therapy pioneer and trainer Dr. Laurel Parnell has used EMDR therapy with clients for decades with truly remarkable success. Laurel relates how EMDR therapy dissolves blocks caused by trauma, freeing clients from negative constructs so they can develop their own felt sense of truth, and express from and know their own true nature. After EMDR, she says, “singers sing, writers write, dancers dance.” Not only are clients freed, but the endpoint of EMDR therapy quite often rests in a transpersonal space that is invariably characterized by an upwelling of self-love and compassion for others, an opening to mystery and boundless possibility. Interestingly, because of the resonant field between therapist and client (interpersonal neurobiology), the therapist experiences the transpersonal opening when it happens as well. More often than not, Laurel tells us, the way the session unfolds is a surprise to both client and therapist, with long forgotten little “t” traumas turning out to be responsible for the client’s blocks rather than the expected major life traumas. Laurel makes it clear that the goal of EMDR is to empower the client; the therapist must allow the wisdom to reside in the client rather than in their own interpretation of what unfolds, and adhere strictly to a process of open inquiry. She describes how the therapist’s beliefs can limit the outcome and outlines the advantages of a therapist who has a spiritual practice and transpersonal awareness. Laurel’s leading edge at this point involves Multidimensional Integrative Healing, an evolution from her longtime experience with EMDR, where further dimensions of reality have so often emerged in her work, and her own spiritual journey. It is fascinating to hear her describe how we can not only install helpful inner resources for ourselves, but also counter intergenerational trauma by calling forward ancestral wisdom. A deeply intriguing, eye opening, and impactful conversation with a very wise, enthusiastic, far thinking trailblazer of a teacher. Recorded April 15, 2024.“EMDR clears what isn’t true.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The amazing healing effects of after-death communications (00:55)Allan Botkin’s research with veterans, inducing after-death communication to heal PTSD (06:26)Roger’s experience of EMDR and how it healed his hypersensitivity (10:04)The therapist experiences the same healing, clearing process as the client, also opening into a transpersonal space (14:12)The importance of spiritual practice for the therapist: meditation, presence, watching thoughts, coming back to the moment, the ability to be curious, allowing things to unfold as they will (16:59)Can we do this on our own? Resource installation or resource tapping (19:35)Activating 4 strong foundational resources: peaceful place, nurturing figure, protective figure, and wise figure (21:09)NeuroTek devices that Laurel and clients can use to aid the process of bilateral stimulation (25:10) Laurel’s spiritual path: from Tibetan Buddhism to Vipassana to nonduality (27:49)What is important in life after the dissolution of all constructs? (35:47)Resources & References – Part 2Allan Botkin, Induced After-Death Communication: A New Therapy for Healing Grief and Trauma*Zen Master Seung Sahn, The Compass of Zen*, Only Don’t Know: Selected Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn*NeuroTek EMDR ShopLaurel Parnell, Installing Resources: An Attachment-Focused EMDR™ In-session Demonstration (YouTube video)Tarthang Tulku, Tibetan Vajrayana teacher and lama who introduced the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism to the U.S.Lama Yeshe co-founded Kopan Monastery & the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana TraditionJack Kornfield & Joseph Goldstein, Vipassana teachers (see also Deep Transformation episode #121, Living on the Spiritual Edge with Joseph Goldstein, or watch on YouTube)Jean Klein, spiritual teacher, The Ease of Being*Suzanne Segal, Collision with the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self*Dr. Laurel Parnell, Executive Director, The Parnell Institute, a major provider of EMDR training and educational programs, and leading authority on Attachment-Focused EMDRFind an EMDR Therapist at Parnell InstituteLaurel Parnell, Transforming Trauma: EMDR: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Freeing the Mind, Clearing the Body, and Opening the Heart*Laurel Parnell, Rewiring the Addicted Brain: An EMDR-Based Treatment Model for Overcoming Addictive Disorders*Laurel Parnell, Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma*Laurel Parnell, Tapping In: A Step-by-Step Guide to Activating Your Healing Resources Through Bilateral Stimulation** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation e

Ep. 130 (Part 1 of 3) | World renowned EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) therapy pioneer and trainer Dr. Laurel Parnell has used EMDR therapy with clients for decades with truly remarkable success. Laurel relates how EMDR therapy dissolves blocks caused by trauma, freeing clients from negative constructs so they can develop their own felt sense of truth, and express from and know their own true nature. After EMDR, she says, “singers sing, writers write, dancers dance.” Not only are clients freed, but the endpoint of EMDR therapy quite often rests in a transpersonal space that is invariably characterized by an upwelling of self-love and compassion for others, an opening to mystery and boundless possibility. Interestingly, because of the resonant field between therapist and client (interpersonal neurobiology), the therapist experiences the transpersonal opening when it happens as well. More often than not, Laurel tells us, the way the session unfolds is a surprise to both client and therapist, with long forgotten little “t” traumas turning out to be responsible for the client’s blocks rather than the expected major life traumas. Laurel makes it clear that the goal of EMDR is to empower the client; the therapist must allow the wisdom to reside in the client rather than in their own interpretation of what unfolds, and adhere strictly to a process of open inquiry. She describes how the therapist’s beliefs can limit the outcome and outlines the advantages of a therapist who has a spiritual practice and transpersonal awareness. Laurel’s leading edge at this point involves Multidimensional Integrative Healing, an evolution from her longtime experience with EMDR, where further dimensions of reality have so often emerged in her work, and her own spiritual journey. It is fascinating to hear her describe how we can not only install helpful inner resources for ourselves, but also counter intergenerational trauma by calling forward ancestral wisdom. A deeply intriguing, eye opening, and impactful conversation with a very wise, enthusiastic, far thinking trailblazer of a teacher. Recorded April 15, 2024.“How many trauma therapies have the upwelling of compassion for self and others as the typical endpoint?“(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing world renowned EMDR therapist & trainer, leading authority on Attachment-Focused EMDR, author, and longtime spiritual practitioner Dr. Laurel Parnell (01:11)What is EMDR (Eye-movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy) and the power of alternating bilateral stimulation (03:20)EMDR: a highly efficacious trauma therapy that rapidly processes our frozen memories/experiences and moves us toward health and wholeness (05:15)Humanistic psychology theory underlies EMDR, and the difference between EMDR and other therapies based on similar theories (06:48)EMDR clears what isn’t true; it eliminates places of holding in the mind/body, creating space for living in a free, fluid way & allows the expression and knowing of our true self (07:55)Beyond theories, beyond talk therapy (10:30)More often than not what underlies current symptoms and problems is a complete surprise: small “t” traumas (11:31)What is important in any good therapy is the right brain to right brain connection between therapist and client (14:38)The importance of spiritual practice for the therapist (17:55)The most common transpersonal experience/typical result of EMDR is an upwelling of compassion for self and others (21:11)Objective forgiveness: when you see things as they are, a broader context arises (23:57)How therapists can limit the outcomes (26:19)Where EMDR starts to blend with shamanic practices, opening the veil to transpersonal dimensions of reality (28:43)The wisdom abides in the client and the therapist aligns to that (32:09)The Golem effect: self-limiting beliefs do manifest (34:09)No interpretations! This is about inquiry (35:53)How our individual unique ways of self expression come forth (38:26)Empowering people to come to their own truth, which they can then rely on day to day (39:28)The problem with neoshamanism (43:23)Resources & References – Part 1Dr. Laurel Parnell, Executive Director, The Parnell Institute, a major provider of EMDR training and educational programs, and leading authority on Attachment-Focused EMDRFind an EMDR Therapist at Parnell InstituteLaurel Parnell, Transforming Trauma: EMDR: The Revolutionary New Therapy for Freeing the Mind, Clearing the Body, and Opening the Heart*Laurel Parnell, Rewiring the Addicted Brain: An EMDR-Based Treatment Model for Overcoming Addictive Disorders*Laurel Parnell, Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma*Laurel Parnell, Tapping In: A Step-by-Step Guide to Activating Your Healing Resources Through Bilateral Stimulation*Francine Shapiro, originator and

Ep. 129 (Part 2 of 2) | Environmental philosopher, public health scientist, and corporate malfeasance researcher Dr. Yogi Hendlin is dedicated to understanding, communicating, and addressing the psychological, social, political, and economic barriers that keep us from treading a solid path toward sustainability. One of the areas Yogi is extremely knowledgeable about is the dynamics and drivers of corporate decision making. An underlying belief that the planet is indestructible makes it okay to prioritize profit above global health, or companies may find themselves in a double bind where they would actually prefer to be more strictly regulated but that would mean corporate suicide unless their entire industry was regulated. Interestingly, Yogi has found that learned helplessness operates at all levels of power in inverse relation to actual power and responsibility, citing how some of the most powerful people in the world are saying, “What can I do?” when Indigenous groups with very few resources find ways to thrive in a sustainable way.Yogi points out that changing the world is not an event but a process—and delves into how we can make real changes to get off the destructive path we are on, overshooting the limits of our biosphere on every metric. We can create circuit breakers for our habitual, counterproductive routines, we can cultivate skillful communication that allows our defense mechanisms to drop away, we can recognize our fundamental need for community and connection, and we can use spiritual practice and psychedelics to help us regain a sense of wonder and reverence for life. Yogi believes that decolonization and creating ecologies of discourse that reward honesty, vulnerability, admitting mistakes, and asking for help is the way forward. This is an earnest, thought provoking, heartfelt, and inspiring discussion of the way things are, the barriers to change, and hope for the future. Recorded January 11, 2024.“All human beings have a fundamental capacity for change and growth, evolution and divinity.”Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Decolonizing the psychedelic renaissance: protecting the sacraments & cultural traditions that have been part of psychedelic use for millenia (00:45)Psychoplastogens and the theory that one can engineer a psychedelic trip to fit a 1-hr therapy session (02:21)Ensuring low abuse liability for all our experiences: community and connection are the best way to do this (05:19)The skillful use of psychedelics: including them as part of a larger spiritual practice and the trap of thinking the psychedelic is doing “it” (08:25)Future holiness: psychedelics can help pull us toward the future we know in our hearts is possible; but there are many spiritual paths to help us evolve (11:29)The Buddhist parable of looking for water (14:14)Changing the world is much more than just an event (15:45) Our systems are all based on efficiency of the wrong kind—we need to learn how our actions affect others (17:12)What are Yogi’s spiritual practices? Vipassana, Buddhist meditation/Taoism, Indigenous practices & ceremonies & more (21:27)A lot of people who are challenging dominant narratives feel lonely (25:45)Stepping up compassion and learning how to be a better communicator & disarm defense mechanisms in others (29:58)Allowing individuals as well as corporations to “save face” (33:11)Creating ecologies of discourse: rewarding honesty, vulnerability, and admitting mistakes (33:50)The value of systems theory and the need for multifaceted responses to get out of our dysfunctional matrix (36:16)“I’m going to always root for solutions that work for everybody, because I understand that the moment we start the us/them demonization thing, we’ve already lost the battle.” (38:33)Resources & References – Part 2Joanna Moncrieff & Mark Horowitz, Depression is probably not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain – new study (The Conversation)Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsRoger Walsh, Higher Wisdom: Eminent Elders Explore the Continuing Impact of Psychedelics*Arundhati Roy, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing.”Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (All Are Related)Neil Gaiman, American Gods*Philip Shepherd, Radical Wholeness: The Embodied Present and the Ordinary Grace of Being*Starhawk, The Fifth Sacred Thing*Yogi Hendlin’s website: https://www.yogihendlin.com/,Yogi Hendlin, Assistant Professor, Erasmus School of Philosophy; Core Faculty, Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity Initiative, Erasmus University, Rotterdam; Research Associate, Environmental Health Initiative, University of California, San FranciscoYogi Hendlin, editor-in-chief, Biosemiotics* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Yogi Hale Hendlin is a professor in environmental philosophy and public health at Erasmus University Rotterdam

Ep. 128 (Part 1 of 2) | Environmental philosopher, public health scientist, and corporate malfeasance researcher Dr. Yogi Hendlin is dedicated to understanding, communicating, and addressing the psychological, social, political, and economic barriers that keep us from treading a solid path toward sustainability. One of the areas Yogi is extremely knowledgeable about is the dynamics and drivers of corporate decision making. An underlying belief that the planet is indestructible makes it okay to prioritize profit above global health, or companies may find themselves in a double bind where they would actually prefer to be more strictly regulated but that would mean corporate suicide unless their entire industry was regulated. Interestingly, Yogi has found that learned helplessness operates at all levels of power in inverse relation to actual power and responsibility, citing how some of the most powerful people in the world are saying, “What can I do?” when Indigenous groups with very few resources find ways to thrive in a sustainable way.Yogi points out that changing the world is not an event but a process—and delves into how we can make real changes to get off the destructive path we are on, overshooting the limits of our biosphere on every metric. We can create circuit breakers for our habitual, counterproductive routines, we can cultivate skillful communication that allows our defense mechanisms to drop away, we can recognize our fundamental need for community and connection, and we can use spiritual practice and psychedelics to help us regain a sense of wonder and reverence for life. Yogi believes that decolonization and creating ecologies of discourse that reward honesty, vulnerability, admitting mistakes, and asking for help is the way forward. This is an earnest, thought provoking, heartfelt, and inspiring discussion of the way things are, the barriers to change, and hope for the future. Recorded January 11, 2024.“We live disconnected from each other because we don’t need each other.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing environmental philosopher, public health scientist, professor & corporate malfeasance researcher, Dr. Yogi Hendlin (01:05)Yogi has coined the term “chemical anthropocene” in reference to the indelible legacy we have created in changing the composition of the earth’s chemistry (and our bodies) (02:18)“Forever chemicals” bioaccumulate in our systems and persist up to 7 generations (04:18)Humans are already bearing a toxic load, and we’re creating a path dependency of toxicity for future generations (06:09)How can we evolve collectively to respond effectively? (07:51)All day, we are called into being in different ways, some very tension inducing, and we have erected barriers to our unmediated appreciation of the world in response to these demands (12:12)We can practice different ways of attending (i.e. fasting from media, eating, work, routine) that act as circuit breakers to our culture’s destructive habits (13:57)The age-old separation between understanding the world through analysis and understanding reality by becoming part of the mindset of the other (15:20)Being open to novelty (apophatic) while also reaffirming the knowledge we already have (cataphatic): the rise of LGBTQ, for example (17:37)Does the “arc of the moral universe bend towards justice”? (19:08)The fate of the world is not independent from our actions (23:17)Decolonization is the way forward and Yogi’s upcoming book, Industrial Pandemics (26:23)Game theory and the double bind: it would be suicide for many companies to do what is best for all (30:00)We are currently engaged in what is essentially a global arms race that is destroying and undermining the basis of life on earth (33:29)Wherein lies the hope? Shifting perspectives, ecodelics (34:53)How learned helplessness operates at all levels of power in inverse relation to actual power and responsibility (35:59)We live disconnected from each other because we don’t need each other (38:07)Meaning making is a participatory event; connecting with and serving community is the fastest way out of depression (39:56)Resources & References – Part 1Yogi Hendlin’s website: https://www.yogihendlin.com/Yogi Hendlin, Assistant Professor, Erasmus School of Philosophy; Core Faculty, Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity Initiative, Erasmus University, Rotterdam; Research Associate, Environmental Health Initiative, University of California, San FranciscoYogi Hendlin, editor-in-chief, BiosemioticsJohan Rockström et al., A Safe Operating Space for Humanity The Haber process is the main industrial procedure for the production of ammonia by converting atmospheric nitrogen into ammoniaThe debate between Erklären and Verstehen The Fusion of Horizons (Steve Thomason YouTube video, simple representation of

Ep. 127 (Part 3 of 3) | Purpose guide, activist, nonduality student/teacher, and meditation teacher Jonathan Gustin is passionate about bringing the subject of the metacrisis into spiritual practice, essentially updating spiritual traditions that originated on deeply local levels to reflect the world of interrelated global crises we live in today. Jonathan proposes we delve into the relationship between nondual awakening and the metacrisis, using the metacrisis as our spiritual koan, and fostering within our contemplative practice a sense of responsibility for life that manifests in activism. Jonathan’s focus is also on guiding individuals to explore the notion of soul-level purpose—not only to discover our true purpose but embody a purpose that is consistent with love without boundaries. This is a warm, lively, far reaching, and enlightening discussion, tying many intriguing subjects to the overarching theme of nonduality, metacrisis, and soul-level purpose: Native American vision questing, karma yoga, skillful communication, the developmental stages of purpose, the consequences of the delusion of separateness, the difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality, and much more. It is deeply inspirational to approach the metacrisis (which Jonathan provides a wonderful definition of) as an investigation into our relationship with life and reality. Recorded April 4, 2024.“The metacrisis is an investigation into our relationship with life and reality; the term itself is a koan.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3A definition of the metacrisis: the polycrisis (the multiple interrelated crises) plus the consciousness in which the polycrisis arises and is ultimately made up (00:56)What is beyond (meta) all the elements of the polycrisis? Consciousness (02:32)We cannot engineer our way out of the metacrisis: we will have to heal, mature, and awaken ourselves individually & collectively if we are to make our way through the bottleneck we have created; furthermore, this is a permacrisis (05:11)The metacrisis is an investigation into our relationship with life and reality; the term itself is a koan (09:00)Default (inherited) purpose vs soul-level purpose (11:48)Purpose goes through a number of developmental stages—what are the characteristics of a mature, service-oriented, worldcentric purpose? (16:17)The difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality (20:26)The embodiment piece of nonduality is key (22:31)Updating our spiritual traditions and koans to 2024; asking, What is the metacrisis? (24:01)Jonathan’s open letter to nondual teachers inviting them to integrate the metacrisis into their teachings (33:07)Integral Conference in North America (ICON): Future Human, Denver, May 16th-19th (35:28)Resources & References – Part 3Terry Patten, founder of A New Republic of the Heart, Facing Death: A Call to “Get Real,” the Importance of Being Kind, and Waking Up to the Miracle of Existence (Terry’s Message to Us 3 Weeks Before His Own Passing) (Deep Transformation podcast)James Fowler, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning*David Loy, Growing from Bodhisattva to Ecosattva: Integrating Personal Practice and Global Activism (Deep Transformation podcast)The Blue Cliff Record*, translated by Thomas Cleary & JC Cleary (compilation of 12th century koans)Lama Surya Das, The Essence of Awakening (Deep Transformation podcast on YouTube)Peter Russell’s “truth decay,” Consciousness: The Bridge Between Science & SpiritBrother David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk, author, lecturer committed to interfaith dialogueJonathan Rowson, Tasting the Pickle: Ten flavours of meta-crisis and the appetite for a new civilisationDaniel Schmachtenberger, Rivalrous dynamics, multiplied by exponential technology, self-terminate. Or: how not to go extinct (The Alternative, YouTube video)John Prendergast, co-author of Jonathan’s upcoming paper on the metacrisis and nondualityIntegral Conference in North America (ICON)’s Future Human Conference, Denver, May 16-19, 2024Jonathan Gustin, founder of the Purpose Guides Institute and Green Sangha, a spiritually oriented activist organizationJoin Roger Walsh at Integral Conference of North America (ICON)’s FUTURE HUMAN conference, May 16-19, 2024 in Denver!* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Jonathan Gustin, MA, MFT, is the founder of Purpose Guides Institute. He helps people to find and embody their life’s purpose, and offers training for those who want to become Purpose Guides themselves. He is also a meditation teacher, facilitating meditation gatherings remotely as well as in-person in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada.  Jonathan has been a psychotherapist and spirit

Ep. 126 (Part 2 of 3) | Purpose guide, activist, nonduality student/teacher, and meditation teacher Jonathan Gustin is passionate about bringing the subject of the metacrisis into spiritual practice, essentially updating spiritual traditions that originated on deeply local levels to reflect the world of interrelated global crises we live in today. Jonathan proposes we delve into the relationship between nondual awakening and the metacrisis, using the metacrisis as our spiritual koan, and fostering within our contemplative practice a sense of responsibility for life that manifests in activism. Jonathan’s focus is also on guiding individuals to explore the notion of soul-level purpose—not only to discover our true purpose but embody a purpose that is consistent with love without boundaries. This is a warm, lively, far reaching, and enlightening discussion, tying many intriguing subjects to the overarching theme of nonduality, metacrisis, and soul-level purpose: Native American vision questing, karma yoga, skillful communication, the developmental stages of purpose, the consequences of the delusion of separateness, the difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality, and much more. It is deeply inspirational to approach the metacrisis (which Jonathan provides a wonderful definition of) as an investigation into our relationship with life and reality. Recorded April 4, 2024.“The metacrisis is non-separate from meditation, from spiritual awakening, from your soul purpose.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Vision questing, praying for guidance, being the open space where insight can enter: “Show me the path that my people can live” (00:52)The benefits of outdoor meditation: “Throughout the universe, one body revealed” (02:58)Nonduality and forest activism (07:40)Can we be responsive to the suffering of the whole, wherever it may be? (09:59)Skillful ideals are pointers, not destinations: it’s all a journey (10:39)Developing collectively to where everything is sacred again (14:36)The consequences of the delusion of separation awaken you to wholeness: being wholeness, expressing wholeness (17:15)The shadow of nonduality: responsibility, the soul piece, activism (20:02)Why are nondual teachers not talking about the metacrisis? (24:40)Traditional spiritual teachers were practicing on deeply local levels; we are now living in a world of global crises, all interrelated, all creating exponential growth of more crises (31:45)How can we talk about the metacrisis? How can we not talk about the metacrisis? How comfortable do we need to allow people to be? (35:52)The beauty of the word “both”: can we hold two people, two perspectives, opposite aspirations at the same time? (39:19)Skillful communication: listen, ask people to explain their positions, do these conversations as a spiritual practice (41:26)Practicing karma yoga: using our work and relationships—our life—as the vehicle of awakening (43:54)It’s going to take every mature person possible to power us out of our adolescent stage (46:38)Resources & References – Part 2Wallace Black Elk, Native American shamanic teacher, Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota*Chan BuddhismAdyashanti, spiritual teacher, Open Gate SanghaRamana Maharshi, Who Am I? The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Nonduality Round Table – Adyashanti, Rupert Spira & John Prendergast (YouTube video)Daniel Schmachtenberger, Rivalrous dynamics, multiplied by exponential technology, self-terminate. Or: how not to go extinct (The Alternative, YouTube video)Dr. Nikki Mirghafori, Bringing Ethics and Wisdom to AI (Deep Transformation podcast)Jonathan Gustin, founder of the Purpose Guides Institute and Green Sangha, a spiritually oriented activist organizationJoin Roger Walsh at Integral Conference of North America (ICON)’s FUTURE HUMAN conference, May 16-19th, 2024 in Denver!* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Jonathan Gustin, MA, MFT, is the founder of Purpose Guides Institute. He helps people to find and embody their life’s purpose, and offers training for those who want to become Purpose Guides themselves. He is also a meditation teacher, facilitating meditation gatherings remotely as well as in-person in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada.  Jonathan has been a psychotherapist and spiritual mentor for over 25 years. He is a retired adjunct professor at JFK University and co-author of Purpose Rising with Ken Wilber, Erwin Laszlo, and Bill Plotkin. He has had the pleasure of co-teaching programs with such luminaries as Human Potential pioneer George Leonard, eco-activist Joanna Macy, eco-psychologist Bill Plotkin, and Non-Duality pioneer Adyashanti. Jonathan looks forward to igniting a global conversation on Non-Duality & The Meta

Ep. 125 (Part 1 of 3) | Purpose guide, activist, nonduality student/teacher, and meditation teacher Jonathan Gustin is passionate about bringing the subject of the metacrisis into spiritual practice, essentially updating spiritual traditions that originated on deeply local levels to reflect the world of interrelated global crises we live in today. Jonathan proposes we delve into the relationship between nondual awakening and the metacrisis, using the metacrisis as our spiritual koan, and fostering within our contemplative practice a sense of responsibility for life that manifests in activism. Jonathan’s focus is also on guiding individuals to explore the notion of soul-level purpose—not only to discover our true purpose but embody a purpose that is consistent with love without boundaries. This is a warm, lively, far reaching, and enlightening discussion, tying many intriguing subjects to the overarching theme of nonduality, metacrisis, and soul-level purpose: Native American vision questing, karma yoga, skillful communication, the developmental stages of purpose, the consequences of the delusion of separateness, the difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality, and much more. It is deeply inspirational to approach the metacrisis (which Jonathan provides a wonderful definition of) as an investigation into our relationship with life and reality. Recorded April 4, 2024.“When we wake up, we wake up to a love and a responsibility for all things.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing meditation teacher, activist, nondual student/teacher, and founder of the Purpose Guides Institute & the Green Sangha organization, Jonathan Gustin (00:51)What inspired Jonathan to adopt climate change as a spiritual practice: Jonathan’s vision of whole person midwifery (02:20)A passion for bringing spiritual practice and activism together (04:20)How can the metacrisis inform nonduality? How can nonduality inform the metacrisis? (05:27)Why does a nondual experience not effect more change in people? (07:43)Nonduality defined: “not two;” the difference between separate and individual, and the underlying unity of reality (09:42)The responsibility aspect: expanding our circle of care, the realization that we are responsible to life brings us to our purpose (12:50) Marrying liberation (moksha) and service (dharma) into one: liberation/service (15:03)Purpose discovery falls between self-actualization and self-transcendence (17:04)Native American nondual wisdom and Jonathan’s daily practice (19:45)“What is this?” Seung Sahn and Kalu Rinpoche (23:16)For the first time in history we can access all the world’s wisdom: YouTube is the new Alexandria (24:12)Privilege, the top 1%, and the option of service (26:11)Handling the overwhelm of the world’s suffering (29:10)Awakening soul-level purpose and mythopoetic identity (31:09)Understanding and implementing whole person midwifery: Who are you at a soul level? Who are your people? What are you good at? (34:27)“Find the place where your deepest gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” – Frederick Buechner (37:51)Resources & References – Part 1Jonathan Gustin, founder of the Purpose Guides Institute and Green Sangha, a spiritually oriented activist organizationThe Advaita Vedanta tradition (Hindu nondual tradition)John Prendergast, co-author of Jonathan’s upcoming paper on the metacrisis and nondualityCA Institute of Integral StudiesAbraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsRamana Maharshi, Who Am I? The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi Thomas Berry, The Dream of the Earth*, The Great Work: Our Way into the Future*A.H. Almaas, creator of The Diamond Approach, Nonduality and Beyond (Deep Transformation podcast)Wallace Black Elk, Native American shamanic teacher, Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota*What is This? Zen master Seung Sahn, Kalu Rinpoche, and an orange (The Zennist)John Vervaeke, award-winning lecturer on subjects like Awakening from the Meaning CrisisJonathan Rowson, director of Perspectiva, Making Friends with Conflict, Metamodernity, Construct Awareness, and Other Ways of Facing the Current Metacrisis (Deep Transformation podcast)Daniel Schmachtenberger, founding member of The Consilience Project, Developing a Deeper Understanding of Life: Opening to the Complexity, Wholeness, and Beauty of Reality (Deep Transformation podcast YouTube video)Terry Patten, founder of A New Republic of the Heart, Facing Death: A Call to “Get Real,” the Importance of Being Kind, and Waking Up to the Miracle of Existence (Terry’s Message to Us 3 Weeks Before His Own Passing) (Deep Transformation podcast)Climate Change as Spiritual Practice with Joanna Macy, David Schenk, Larry Churchill (Purpose Guides YouTube video hosted by Jonathan

Ep. 124 | In this engaging, informative, and thought provoking conversation, artificial intelligence expert Dr. Nikki Mirghafori gives us a clear picture of where AI technology stands at this point and enlightens us as to its gifts, its potential, and its dangers. Nikki, who is also an internationally acclaimed Buddhist meditation teacher, is passionate about helping to bring equanimity to the whole issue of AI and emphasizes that the fear mongering going on around it is doing all of us a real disservice. She opens our eyes to the enormous potential of AI as applied to global issues such as cleaning up the environment, ending hunger, providing clean water, improving methods of food production—even acting as a wise mentor in supporting people to be their best selves. Nikki tells us that ethical use of AI depends on both designers and users, and that we are not powerless in the way things unfold. How can AI systems be benevolent and supportive and bring out the best in us? Will we be able to maintain our values and ethics as our use of AI continues to expand? If our perception of AI was sort of murky or limited before, this conversation effectively brings us to a much more informed understanding. Nikki explains everything from where we have been exposed to AI without knowing it, the important distinction between weak/narrow AI and strong/general AI (AGI), personal choice engineering, our natural tendency to anthropomorphize AI, and the difference between benevolent AI and compassionate AI. Nikki is a superb teacher and a pleasure to listen to; this conversation is invaluable in its timeliness and its ability to bring us all up to speed on AI. Recorded January 29, 2024.“There’s so much good that can come from this technology… the list is endless how much AI technology can be helpful.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsIntroducing AI research scientist and inventor & gifted meditation teacher and practitioner, Dr. Nikki Mirghafori (01:13)What exactly is AI? (03:07)The important distinction between weak or narrow AI and strong or general AI (AGI) (05:11)AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) which is self-aware and conscious is still only theoretical: fear mongering around AGI is really a disservice to us (06:46)Where have people been exposed to AI without even knowing it? (10:28) The gifts that AI technology can bring are endless (13:33)The most exciting AI applications for Nikki: finding creative ways to clean up the environment, stop hunger, provide clean water, produce our food, and be a mentor in supporting people to be their best selves (15:07)Pattern recognition: taking input patterns and producing output patterns is the heart/brain of AI (17:35)How can AI help us to become wiser and more compassionate? The ethics of AI depend on both designer and user (20:14)Creating AI in our image and how our developmental level fits in—it’s in the data that the AI system is fed (28:16)Personal choice engineering (32:11) Kids have become ruder interacting with chatbots like Siri & Alexa: how can we keep our humanity alive and be true to our ethics as we interact with AI? (34:40)Resisting temptation and avoiding sliding down the slippery ethical slope (36:50)What is the mystery of being human? We don’t even know what consciousness is (40:43)The New York Times journalist who was told to leave his wife by a chatbot (45:11)Our natural tendency to project on and anthropomorphize artificial intelligence—many people will be fooled (46:53)Does AI have the potential for exponential growth? AI’s self-improving capacity does not exist now—and may never exist—but parameters, computational power, and storage capacity have become far greater & neural net training has become faster (48:42)Bringing equanimity to the issue of AI (52:42)Why Nikki likes the term “benevolent AI” versus “compassionate AI” (54:23)Resources & ReferencesNikki Mirghafori website: https://www.nikkimirghafori.comNikki Mirgafori teaching schedule: https://www.nikkimirghafori.com/so/0dOquYoj7?languageTag=enFei-Fei Li, co-director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial IntelligenceCarlos Casteñeda, “Death is the only wise advisor that we have.” (Journey to Ixtlan*)The Hidden Brain podcast explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex, changing worldRobert Knight and the Knight Cognitive Neuroscience Research Lab at UC BerkeleyThe 2013 movie Her (YouTube Trailer)Creepy Microsoft Bing Chatbot Urges Tech Columnist To Leave His Wife (Huffington Post)* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Dr. Nikki Mirghafori is an Artificial Intelligence scientist and an internationally recognized Buddhist teacher. She serves as a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where she is also on

Ep. 123 (Part 3 of 3) | Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, brilliant spiritual teacher, and prolific author, whose books have been foundational to many people’s understanding of Buddhism, mindfulness, and insight meditation, shares rich nuggets of wisdom stemming from a lifetime of ever-deepening practice. The focus of this conversation remains very much in the present, as Joseph describes how the leading edge of his practice never stops moving forward and how his understanding of the most basic ideas becomes ever more refined and liberating. In sharing his insights, he sheds light on and smooths the path for the rest of us: about the mysterious arising of compassion, made easier the more open we are and the less self-referential, about reframing our experience in a way that frees us, about spontaneous responsiveness, and about awakening being a gradual process—until it’s sudden.Joseph’s new favorite definition of enlightenment is “lightening up” for the way it conveys a sense of making progress along a journey. And with his humor, humility, and easy, lighthearted manner, Joseph exemplifies and transmits a lighter way of being in the world. He makes it ever so clear that spiritual practice and meditation, examining and investigating our experience moment to moment, naturally leads us to compassionate responsiveness and out of the shackles of what binds us to a self that is ultimately just a construct. Recorded November 2, 2023.“Nirvana is like the peace that comes when the refrigerator stops humming.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3An ever-deepening understanding of refuge: for Joseph, refuge feels like being held (00:56)In mindfulness, unwholesome states of mind no longer act as distorting filters—they are wholly accepted (04:12)The effects of recognizing aversion and resistance to your experience (07:03)Liberation is impossible as long as there is attachment to the pleasant, aversion to the unpleasant (08:02)Nirvana is like the peace that comes when the refrigerator stops humming; it also describes the mind free of defilements (10:09)What is unique about the experience of nirvana? What gives it the transformative power to uproot defilements? (15:17)Does the path ever end? Who knows! (19:29)It’s the quality of your interest that is key to staying on the spiritual path: “If you want to understand your mind, sit down and observe it” (22:55)Joseph: “The fact that liberation is inevitable gives me a lot of joy.” (25:18)Reflections on how Buddhist teachings apply to the crises of today: the balance of equanimity and compassion make effective response possible (27:39)Resources & References – Part 3Dogen, founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan in the 13th centuryA.H. Almaas, founder of The Diamond Approach, see also Deep Transformation episode #43, Nonduality and Beyond: The Exhilarating Adventure of Discovering the Nature of Reality (or watch on YouTube)Joseph’s article on Nirvana: Reflections on NibbanaAnagarika Munindra, Bengali Buddhist master & Vipassana meditation teacherRam Dass, Grist for the Mill*Angeles Arrien, The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary*Joseph Goldstein, co-founder Insight Meditation Society Joseph Goldstein, The Experience of Insight*Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation*Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening*Joseph Goldstein, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism*Joseph’s article on Nirvana: Reflections on Nibbana* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Joseph Goldstein is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and the Barre Center for Buddhist studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism, Insight Meditation and The Experience of Insight. He has also co-authored books with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet, and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 122 (Part 2 of 3) | Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, brilliant spiritual teacher, and prolific author, whose books have been foundational to many people’s understanding of Buddhism, mindfulness, and insight meditation, shares rich nuggets of wisdom stemming from a lifetime of ever-deepening practice. The focus of this conversation remains very much in the present, as Joseph describes how the leading edge of his practice never stops moving forward and how his understanding of the most basic ideas becomes ever more refined and liberating. In sharing his insights, he sheds light on and smooths the path for the rest of us: about the mysterious arising of compassion, made easier the more open we are and the less self-referential, about reframing our experience in a way that frees us, about spontaneous responsiveness, and about awakening being a gradual process—until it’s sudden.Joseph’s new favorite definition of enlightenment is “lightening up” for the way it conveys a sense of making progress along a journey. And with his humor, humility, and easy, lighthearted manner, Joseph exemplifies and transmits a lighter way of being in the world. He makes it ever so clear that spiritual practice and meditation, examining and investigating our experience moment to moment, naturally leads us to compassionate responsiveness and out of the shackles of what binds us to a self that is ultimately just a construct. Recorded November 2, 2023.“The forward edge has more to do with the attitude of exploration rather than any particular thing.“(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The mysterious arising of compassion and what does this say about the nature of reality? (00:52)Compassion is the manifestation of emptiness; responsiveness is the activity of emptiness (03:00)Understanding bodhicitta (05:47)The near enemy of compassion is sorrow, because in sorrow is aversion (09:57)Moving out of sorrow to compassionate response transfigures sorrow into an uplifting energy: moving from self to non-self (13:52) How unwholesome mind patterns keep us bound, and uprooting the first 3 fetters/defilements in the 1st stage of enlightenment (17:36)Desire and aversion are uprooted at the third stage of enlightenment but conceit, or some manifestation of “I am-ing,” remains (19:47)The experience of the zero center: when we know unmistakably that self is a construct—still there are still deeply conditioned habits of mind, one of which is the habit pattern “I am” (21:38)The power of recognizing the particular defilement that triggers our suffering (23:50)Don’t conflate clear perception, recognition, with mindfulness—recognizing fear is different from accepting fear (29:59)Resources & References – Part 2Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche & Lama Surya Das, Natural Great Perfection*Ram Dass & Paul Gorman, How Can I Help*Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, teacher, “When we realize the selfless nature of phenomena, the energy to bring about the good of others dawns uncontrived and effortless.”Alan Watts, Trust Human Nature (YouTube video)Lama Surya Das, Dzogchen teacher, see also Deep Transformation podcast episode #83, The Essence of AwakeningKevin Schanilec, The 10 Fetters, SimplyTheSeen.comBhikkhu Analayo, Buddhist monk, scholar, meditation teacherJoseph Goldstein, co-founder Insight Meditation Society Joseph Goldstein, The Experience of Insight*Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation*Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening*Joseph Goldstein, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism*Joseph’s article on Nirvana: Reflections on Nibbana* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Joseph Goldstein is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and the Barre Center for Buddhist studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism, Insight Meditation and The Experience of Insight. He has also co-authored books with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet, and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 121 (Part 1 of 3) | Joseph Goldstein, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, brilliant spiritual teacher, and prolific author, whose books have been foundational to many people’s understanding of Buddhism, mindfulness, and insight meditation, shares rich nuggets of wisdom stemming from a lifetime of ever-deepening practice. The focus of this conversation remains very much in the present, as Joseph describes how the leading edge of his practice never stops moving forward and how his understanding of the most basic ideas becomes ever more refined and liberating. In sharing his insights, he sheds light on and smooths the path for the rest of us: about the mysterious arising of compassion, made easier the more open we are and the less self-referential, about reframing our experience in a way that frees us, about spontaneous responsiveness, and about awakening being a gradual process—until it’s sudden.Joseph’s new favorite definition of enlightenment is “lightening up” for the way it conveys a sense of making progress along a journey. And with his humor, humility, and easy, lighthearted manner, Joseph exemplifies and transmits a lighter way of being in the world. He makes it ever so clear that spiritual practice and meditation, examining and investigating our experience moment to moment, naturally leads us to compassionate responsiveness and out of the shackles of what binds us to a self that is ultimately just a construct. Recorded November 2, 2023.“The fact that liberation is inevitable gives me a lot of joy.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Joseph Goldstein, renowned Buddhist meditation teacher, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, and author of many spiritual books (01:05)What’s on the edge for Joseph now? The edge is always about clinging, and as what you cling to changes, the edge changes (03:45)Over time, the understanding of mindfulness becomes more and more refined (04:51)Joseph’s new favorite definition of enlightenment: lightening up (08:53)Don’t waste your suffering! Relate to it with interest (10:58)The ultimate reframe: “I” becomes “no-I” (13:44)How walking meditation can open us to a vivid experience of selflessness (15:06)Our lives are lived in relationship to our overlay on experience, going to the direct experience is itself healing and transformative (18:56)The conceptual level lends some sense of permanence but on the level of direct experience, everything changes, nothing is permanent (20:07)Clinging to things that are impermanent gives you rope burn (21:44)Awakening is always gradual…until it’s sudden: the diminishment of defilements and the uprooting of defilements (22:55)Sudden awakening, gradual cultivation, and the necessity to integrate an awakening experience (26:57)There are 4 stages of enlightenment because we are not able to open to the magnitude of suffering all at once; we have gone beyond belief in self, but there is still desire, aversion, conceit (31:53)Practice is a continual deepening (34:35)Resources & References – Part 1Joseph Goldstein, co-founder Insight Meditation Society Joseph Goldstein, The Experience of Insight*Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation*Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening*Joseph Goldstein, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism*Joseph’s article on Nirvana: Reflections on NibbanaSayādaw U Pandita, one of the foremost insight meditation teachers from BurmaAnagarika Munindra, Bengali Buddhist master & Vipassana meditation teacherShunryū Suzuki Roshi, Zen monk who popularized Zen Buddhism in the West, “Everything changes.” Author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind* and many moreKorean Zen Master Chinul, Tracing Back the Radiance*, “Sudden awakening, gradual cultivation”* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Joseph Goldstein is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and the Barre Center for Buddhist studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism, Insight Meditation and The Experience of Insight. He has also co-authored books with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet, and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 120 (Part 2 of 2) | Many time award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield has spent her life steeped in poetry and spiritual practice. Here, we feel almost as if we’ve been invited into her kitchen to talk about life, love, and especially about poems and how they offer us various answers to the abiding questions: who are we, what are we, what is our relationship to each other, what must we be grateful toward? Jane describes poems as vessels of discovery and poetry as taking your understanding and putting it into a form that is holdable, retrievable, transmissible. Poems can also be keys to unlock our despair, she explains, creating a crack in the darkness, a re-entrance to the possibility of wholeness. Jane’s sublime poetry is many-layered; the same poem might be about human love or peace between nations, about the end of love or the fact that love never dies. Jane shares that her lifetime of questioning (her most recent book of new and selected poetry is titled The Asking) has boiled down to one question: How can I serve?An awareness of our interconnectedness with all beings, all of life, permeates her work, and Jane is driven to provoke action on contemporary, pressing issues of biosphere, peace, and justice, and help us navigate the tightrope between hope and despair. The conversation also turns to early feminism and the poetry of women mystics that Jane put together in a beautiful anthology called Women in Praise of the Sacred, covering 43 centuries of spiritual poetry by women. When asked about her longtime Zen practice, Jane said, “I needed to become more of a human being, understand a different way of living inside this life I had been given” to become a good poet. She tells us that both poetry and Zen are paths of discovery, exploration, and awareness, and both paths insist that we attend to this world fully. This is a warm, personal, deeply illuminating, and thought provoking conversation, and Jane reads several of her poems, revealing their depth and beauty. Recorded November 30, 2023.“I don’t want a model of spirituality that excludes other forms of connection. Inclusion is the only path that makes sense.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2How can we become a magnet for creative imagination? (00:49) Artist retreats are the monastery of creativity (03:51)How Jane was drawn towards poetry, haiku, and Buddhist understanding early on (07:56)In 3-year retreat at Tassajara, writing wasn’t permitted, and how poetry returned after the monastic years (12:40)Both poetry and Zen are paths that insist you attend to this world fully (14:12)Women poets throughout history and the story of Enheduanna, earliest known poet (18:07)Protofeminist movement in the Middle Ages: the Beguines (25:08)Reading of Mechthild of Magdeburg’s poem, and how we carry a molecule of divine remembrance with us (26:56)Spiritual poems of male and female mystics, are they different? (30:12)Poems of the sacred rather than poems of suffering: dark nights of the soul come after moments of awakening as much as before (33:19)Spiritual poems often use the language of eros, and how inclusion of all forms of connection is the only path that makes sense (35:01) Women have found their voice…yet women have always written poetry (37:09)Reading of “The Poet,” a 1996 poem about poems that have never been published (39:01)“I Imagine Myself in Time” reading (44:12)Resources & References – Part 2Allen Ginsberg, American poet, Buddhist, activistTassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen CenterAlan Watts popularized Buddhist, Taoist & Hindu philosophy for a Western audienceJane Hirshfield, Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women*Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own*Emily Dickinson, Katherine Anne Porter, Jane AustenAncient Akkadian poet Enheduanna, The Hymn to InannaCole Porter’s song Begin the BeguineProtofeminism and the BeguinesJulian of Norwich, “All will be well, all manner of things will be well.”Mechthild of Magdeburg, Beguine, Christian medieval mystic Mirabai, Hindu mystic and poetKabir, Indian mystic, poet & saintEliza Griswold, poet and journalist of conflict zonesNobel prize winners, Louise Glück & Toni MorrisonJane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems* (September 2023)Jane Hirshfield, Ledger: Poems* (2021)Jane Hirshfield, Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women*About Jane Hirshfield, Poetry.org website* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Jane Hirshfield, writing “some of the most important poetry in the world today” (The New York Times Magazine), is one of American poetry’s central spokespersons for concerns of the biosphere. Hirshfield’s honors include fellowship

Ep. 119 (Part 1 of 2) | Many time award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield has spent her life steeped in poetry and spiritual practice. Here, we feel almost as if we’ve been invited into her kitchen to talk about life, love, and especially about poems and how they offer us various answers to the abiding questions: who are we, what are we, what is our relationship to each other, what must we be grateful toward? Jane describes poems as vessels of discovery and poetry as taking your understanding and putting it into a form that is holdable, retrievable, transmissible. Poems can also be keys to unlock our despair, she explains, creating a crack in the darkness, a re-entrance to the possibility of wholeness. Jane’s sublime poetry is many-layered; the same poem might be about human love or peace between nations, about the end of love or the fact that love never dies. Jane shares that her lifetime of questioning (her most recent book of new and selected poetry is titled The Asking) has boiled down to one question: How can I serve?An awareness of our interconnectedness with all beings, all of life, permeates her work, and Jane is driven to provoke action on contemporary, pressing issues of biosphere, peace, and justice, and help us navigate the tightrope between hope and despair. The conversation also turns to early feminism and the poetry of women mystics that Jane put together in a beautiful anthology called Women in Praise of the Sacred, covering 43 centuries of spiritual poetry by women. When asked about her longtime Zen practice, Jane said, “I needed to become more of a human being, understand a different way of living inside this life I had been given” to become a good poet. She tells us that both poetry and Zen are paths of discovery, exploration, and awareness, and both paths insist that we attend to this world fully. This is a warm, personal, deeply illuminating, and thought provoking conversation, and Jane reads several of her poems, revealing their depth and beauty. Recorded November 30, 2023.“Nonduality is inherent in an existence experienced as a verb and not as a noun.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing award-winning poet and long-time Zen practitioner Jane Hirshfield (00:59)Jane’s recent collection of poems, The Asking, tracks the story of her evolution as a poet (02:33)How the title The Asking came about: a poem is an exploration of a question that can’t be answered (04:50)What is poetry? Poems are vessels of discovery that are retrievable; they provide you with a record of having worked through the questions (08:54)Sacred questions, Zen practice, and how Jane’s questions eventually became one: “How can I serve?” (11:55)Remembering we are all interconnected—this is not a solitary venture (16:16)Jane’s reading of “Today, When I Could Do Nothing,” written the first day of the COVID stay-at-home mandate (18:52) Entering the zone of poetry you become more open: when you ask a question, you start hearing answers everywhere (24:41)How does the invisible become visible? Poetry finds a way (26:11)If we could understand existence as verbs rather than nouns, it would change everything (27:19)Opening to poetry, synchronicities show up everywhere, things leap into a poem to help (29:08)Science, the advent of the microbiome, and the realization that a large part of us isn’t human (30:54)Jane’s series of poems investigating “what is the self?” and a reading of “My Proteins” (32:18)Poems related to the Earth’s crisis began with Jane’s own perplexity and grief (36:27)Reading of an “all-purpose crisis poem”: “Let Them Not Say” (40:00)Jane’s task as a poet became to make it not so that future generations would say we didn’t do enough in regard to the biosphere, justice, and peace (42:11)What state of consciousness do you need to be in to write a poem, also to read it and receive it? (43:08)Deep depression and the crack a poem opened, a re-entrance into the possibility of wholeness (44:23)Reading of “For What Binds Us,” a poem about love and about peace between nations (46:49) Poetry made Jane a promise that the scar of a wound is a strength not a weakness (50:14)Keeping the connection to unconscious wisdom alive when poetry is unavailable (52:10)How poetry (and art) can save us in impossible circumstances and despair (53:26)The curative of despair is any sense of agency (56:41)Resources & References – Part 1Jane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems* (September 2023)Jane Hirshfield, Ledger: Poems* (2021)Jane Hirshfield, Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women*About Jane Hirshfield, Poetry.org websiteRobert Frost, beloved American poet, “… a momentary stay against confusion” comes from The Figure a Poem MakesSan Francisco Zen Center, founded by Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Be

Ep. 118 | Psychologist and non-violent communications trainer Kateryna Yasko and her husband, Vytautas Bučiūnas, Integral Master Coach and leadership development expert, relate what it’s like to live in war-torn Ukraine, two years since the Russian invasion began. They share why they chose to return to Kyiv from the safe haven of Lithuania, and describe a “special form of happiness” that occurs when the fragility and beauty of life is brought to the fore, as Russian missiles and drones continue to target civilians and cultural landmarks. It is an existential battle being fought for Ukraine, and Kateryna & Vytas are deeply aware of the importance of keeping the soul of Ukraine alive, the cultural code, the foundation of any democratic nation’s identity. Among other things, Kateryna works with theater groups to stage productions that help make meaning of what Ukrainians are going through, help with processing PTSD, and keep cultural expression alive.This poignant conversation reveals what extraordinary courage human beings are capable of when put to the test: to protect loved ones, country, and the values of truth, justice, freedom, and democracy. Kateryna and Vytas emphasize that love is not enough to protect our innate rights and that pacifism is not an option in this case. They provide us with a glimpse into personal family life in modern wartime, a psychological portrait of where Ukrainians are at, a request for help, and a wake up call for all to understand that democracy around the world is not a given and that there are times, like this, when we need to stand up and fight for it. Recorded January 23, 2024.“We cannot leave this war to our children.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsIntroducing Ukrainian psychologist Kateryna Yasko and integral leadership development expert Vytautas Bučiūnas, who have returned to live in Kyiv despite the ongoing war with Russia (01:13)What is it like living in a country at war? The bombing of civilian buildings all over Ukraine happens according to schedule: Mondays, Tuesdays & holidays (03:21)The interior personal dimensions: stress, fear, anger, but also a very meaningful time, a special form of happiness with life so fragile (06:18)Why Kateryna & Vytas have chosen to return to Kyiv, rather than staying in Lithuania where it’s safe (08:51) Pacifism in this case is not an option: Putin is explicit about his intention to destroy Ukraine as a nation (10:08)Kateryna’s work with military recruiters (as a psychologist), every one of whose motivation is “We cannot leave this war to our children.” (14:33)Maintaining the cultural code, the soul of Ukraine: Kateryna works with producers & directors to support theater groups whose venues have been targeted in Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine culturally (16:09)How theater helps people make sense of their trauma, and the staging of Pinocchio to address how to remain humane under circumstances that evoke so much fear, anger & stress (20:08)A philosopher, PhD, and theologian friend has now become a sniper, and how Kateryna, a professional non-violent communications trainer and psychologist, realizes she too may need to become a sniper if Ukraine doesn’t receive enough support to protect itself (22:53) If Ukraine were to lose, Ukrainian men would become cannon fodder for the Russians, fighting against Western allies (26:04)Invitation to join an Emerge gathering in Ukraine, September 2024, to deliberately envision the global planetary future we want to create (28:57)Ukraine is now the frontier, the best place to feel into the fragility of life and contemplate futurism (32:42)So many tipping points around the world are building up this year and the challenge of making sense of it: peace and democracy are not a given (35:11)A call for support from the United States: peace & democracy are fragile all over the world—don’t take them for granted (36:01)Will Ukraine get the package of funding under consideration in the US? Please do the compassionate action: write your senators and representatives to pass this funding (38:08)Resources & ReferencesFrancis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man*Martin Luther King Jr., “…love without power is sentimental and anemic”Hryhorii Skovoroda, one of Ukraine’s greatest philosophers, also a beloved poet, teacher, and composer. The beautiful 18th century mansion that housed the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda was singled out and destroyed by the Russians because of its psychological and spiritual value to the Ukrainian peopleCarlo Collodi’s PinocchioEmerge Ukraine Pilgrimage, September 2024See also previous Deep Transformation podcasts with Kateryna and Vytas:Ukrainian Integral Perspectives on the Ongoing Invasion of Ukraine with Kateryna Yasko & Vytautas BučiūnasThe Moral Impera

Ep. 117 (Part 3 of 3) | Brad Reynolds, author of Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber and Where’s Wilber At? Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium, gives us a beautiful distillation of Ken Wilber’s work, starting from the beginning and spanning decades. Not only does Brad elegantly relate the major themes of Ken’s work, he also makes clear the value of Ken’s contributions—the way this knowledge can be understood and applied to literally expand our notion of reality and evolve our consciousness. Brad deftly leads us through the subjects that Ken has developed: the spectrum of consciousness, the integration of science and religion, transcending and including what has come before, the importance of the transpersonal, and much more. We learn why Ken’s teachings are timeless and also so relevant and important today.Brad’s scholarship, his own spiritual practice and insight, his engaging, easygoing style, and the close working relationship he had with Ken for many years make this podcast a goldmine for learning the essence of Ken’s theories, for deepening our appreciation of the magnitude of Ken’s understanding, and above all, the topics covered here point the way for us to evolve as human beings. We come to understand that integral is much more than a theory: it’s a practice, a call to grow and transcend, to become more inclusive, more responsive—to live our true potential. Brad eloquently brings it home just how much we need integral thinkers and leaders right now, with regressive developmental trends on the rise. Especially pertinent in our polarized society, integral shows us how to take all that is valuable within ostensibly conflicting worldviews and integrate it for the benefit of all. Recorded January 3, 2024.“Integral thinking is really about encouraging people to be their best selves.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3Ken’s Phase 5: Ending the solitary period and establishing the Integral Institute to apply the AQAL model in the world (00:49)Ken’s health issues multiplied in 2006 (05:19)Brad’s favorite book of Ken’s: Integral Psychology (06:37)Ken’s critique of postmodernism in his novel Boomeritis (09:05)Ken’s new book would often address the flaws in his last book (13:28)What Ken’s The Marriage of Sense and Soul intended to do: how to integrate value-free science with value-laden religion? (14:40)And how do we mitigate the clash of civilizations, the war of worldviews? (19:01)How psychology uses the scientific method to develop our interiors and help heal our fractured culture (20:52)Ken’s theory is based upon the reality of his transpersonal awareness (22:04)The need for integral leaders to permeate our institutions and establish global reconciliation—otherwise there will be a regression (23:39)History is calling on us as a collective to address the pathologies we haven’t addressed or we will lose our democracy and regress down the spectrum of consciousness (25:16)Integral is really about encouraging people to be their best selves, to be inclusive; it’s a way of securing the rights of liberty and justice (27:32)Ken’s most recent publications, The Religion of Tomorrow, A Post-Truth World, and Revolutionary Social Transformation (29:33)Every generation has the responsibility to allow for higher development of human consciousness (35:01)The importance of BEING integral, not just thinking integral (36:02)Roger’s thank you to Brad for synthesizing Ken’s work and the value of integral so beautifully (36:47)Resources & References – Part 3Ken Wilber, Terry Patten, Adam Leonard & Marco Morelli, Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening* Jamie Wheal: see Deep Transformation episode #3, Ramping Up Human Evolution in Time to Avert DisasterIntegral Life website, run by Corey deVos, see also Deep Transformation episode #67, Illuminating the Integral Vision: A Metatheory for Understanding Our Self, Life, and the WorldJeff Salzman, The Daily Evolver podcast, see also Deep Transformation episode #1, Polarization, Being Woke, the Universal Agenda, Mindfulness Going Bad, and the Integral VisionKen Wilber, Integral Psychology: Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology*Ken Wilber, Boomeritis* (a novel)Ken Wilber, The Marriage of Sense and Soul: Integrating Science and Religion*Steve McIntosh, Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself,* see also Deep Transformation episode #20, Consciousness Evolves, Politics Can TooKen Wilber, The Religion of Tomorrow: A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions*Brad Reynolds’ website: https://integralartandstudies.comBrad Reynolds, Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber*Brad Reynolds, Where’s Wilber At?: Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in

Ep. 116 (Part 2 of 3) | Brad Reynolds, author of Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber and Where’s Wilber At? Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium, gives us a beautiful distillation of Ken Wilber’s work, starting from the beginning and spanning decades. Not only does Brad elegantly relate the major themes of Ken’s work, he also makes clear the value of Ken’s contributions—the way this knowledge can be understood and applied to literally expand our notion of reality and evolve our consciousness. Brad deftly leads us through the subjects that Ken has developed: the spectrum of consciousness, the integration of science and religion, transcending and including what has come before, the importance of the transpersonal, and much more. We learn why Ken’s teachings are timeless and also so relevant and important today.Brad’s scholarship, his own spiritual practice and insight, his engaging, easygoing style, and the close working relationship he had with Ken for many years make this podcast a goldmine for learning the essence of Ken’s theories, for deepening our appreciation of the magnitude of Ken’s understanding, and above all, the topics covered here point the way for us to evolve as human beings. We come to understand that integral is much more than a theory: it’s a practice, a call to grow and transcend, to become more inclusive, more responsive—to live our true potential. Brad eloquently brings it home just how much we need integral thinkers and leaders right now, with regressive developmental trends on the rise. Especially pertinent in our polarized society, integral shows us how to take all that is valuable within ostensibly conflicting worldviews and integrate it for the benefit of all. Recorded January 3, 2024.“Reality encompasses all perspectives.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2How Phase 3 evolved: the importance of practice & the AQAL map (all quadrants, all stages, all lines, all states, all types) (00:49)No boundary awareness: the limits of the mind and how the heart becomes the driving force (04:19)Hierarchies and the great chain of being—the great nest of spirit—from matter to nature to body, mind, soul & spirit (08:33)Rescuing the interior from scientific materialism and the development of the four quadrants: interior elements of reality are just as authentic as exteriors (10:31) The importance of a stable ego and the current emphasis on growing up and showing up to avoid spiritual bypassing (13:16)Finding our way in spiritual traditions, cults, and with gurus, and Ken’s map to distinguish spiritual teachers’ legitimacy, authenticity, and authority (17:16)The timeless nature of Ken’s teachings and how they point to the evolution of humanity (26:48)In a cult (and some religious traditions) we are looking for the leader to play our parent, submerging our autonomy (31:15)We are largely at an adolescent stage of development; the difference between adolescent and mature stages of development (33:03)Crucial distinctions between problematic spiritual groups and beneficial spiritual groups (35:49)Roger’s summary of Ken’s 4 phases, with phase 5 still to come (37:35)Resources & References – Part 2Ken Wilber, Integral Psychology: Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology*Ken Wilber, No Boundary: Eastern and Western Approaches to Personal Growth*Ken Wilber, A Brief History of Everything*Dick Anthony, Bruce Ecker & Ken Wilber, Spiritual Choices: The Problems of Recognizing Authentic Paths to Inner Transformation*Brad Reynolds’ website: https://integralartandstudies.comBrad Reynolds, Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber*Brad Reynolds, Where’s Wilber At?: Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium*Brad Reynolds, God’s Great Tradition of Global Wisdom: Guru Yoga-Satsang in the Integral Age** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Brad Reynolds did graduate work at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) before leaving to study under Ken Wilber for nearly a decade (1995-2004), and published two books reviewing Wilber’s work: Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber (Tarcher, 2004) and Where’s Wilber At?: Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium (Paragon House, 2006). He recently published a book reviewing the world’s wisdom traditions called God’s Great Tradition of Global Wisdom: Guru Yoga-Satsang in the Integral Age (Bright Alliance, 2021). Brad is also a graphic artist, laying out books and designing a wide variety of graphics for publication as well as continuing his work in Integral Philosophy and the study of world religions.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 115 (Part 1 of 3) | Brad Reynolds, author of Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber and Where’s Wilber At? Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium, gives us a beautiful distillation of Ken Wilber’s work, starting from the beginning and spanning decades. Not only does Brad elegantly relate the major themes of Ken’s work, he also makes clear the value of Ken’s contributions—the way this knowledge can be understood and applied to literally expand our notion of reality and evolve our consciousness. Brad deftly leads us through the subjects that Ken has developed: the spectrum of consciousness, the integration of science and religion, transcending and including what has come before, the importance of the transpersonal, and much more. We learn why Ken’s teachings are timeless and also so relevant and important today.Brad’s scholarship, his own spiritual practice and insight, his engaging, easygoing style, and the close working relationship he had with Ken for many years make this podcast a goldmine for learning the essence of Ken’s theories, for deepening our appreciation of the magnitude of Ken’s understanding, and above all, the topics covered here point the way for us to evolve as human beings. We come to understand that integral is much more than a theory: it’s a practice, a call to grow and transcend, to become more inclusive, more responsive—to live our true potential. Brad eloquently brings it home just how much we need integral thinkers and leaders right now, with regressive developmental trends on the rise. Especially pertinent in our polarized society, integral shows us how to take all that is valuable within ostensibly conflicting worldviews and integrate it for the benefit of all. Recorded January 3, 2024.“Ken’s theory is based upon the reality of his transpersonal awareness—in other words, it’s based upon practice.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing author Brad Reynolds, who has synthesized Ken Wilber’s life work in his book Embracing Reality (01:01)What led to getting involved with Ken Wilber? How Ken treated the subject of human evolution with extraordinary depth to include stages of development and the contributions of mystical traditions (03:16)Ken’s teachings are timeless partly because he encourages people to take up spiritual practice—something that will always be very important (10:57) What are Ken’s main contributions? Evolution and development of consciousness using a spectrum model (12:55)Using psychedelics as an entheogen in the 70s: trying to understand the manifold secrets of spirituality (13:32)Ken’s pre-trans fallacy is an excellent critique of scientific materialism, modernity & postmodernity, exploring the development of mysticism and having it transcend and include rational, magical & mythical thinking (17:57)The beauty of using the spectrum model (21:56)How our center of gravity influences us and the attractor aspect of higher levels of development that awaken us to new possibilities (23:28)Ken’s Phase 1: The spectrum of consciousness, how different psychologies and contemplative traditions address different levels of the spectrum (25:01)Ken’s Phase 2: The evolution revolution and Ken’s satori experience that the entire spectrum itself is grounded in divine consciousness (27:09)How did Ken address the stages of development, or fulcrums, to new and higher worldviews? (31:48)Ken subdivided even the transpersonal stages and identified their place on the developmental arc in a way no one had ever done before (34:46)Ken not only outlined stage-specific pathologies but the therapies that would work best for each (35:58)Resources & References – Part 1Brad Reynolds’ website: https://integralartandstudies.comBrad Reynolds, Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber*Brad Reynolds, Where’s Wilber At?: Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium*Brad Reynolds, God’s Great Tradition of Global Wisdom: Guru Yoga-Satsang in the Integral Age*Ken Wilber, Up From Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution*Louise Leakey, paleontologist & anthropologist with National Graphic ExplorationsInstitute of Human OriginsAdi Da, spiritual teacherKen Wilber, A Sociable God: Toward a New Understanding of Religion*California Institute of Integral StudiesKen Wilber, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution*Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy*Ken Wilber, The Spectrum of Consciousness*Huston Smith, The World’s Religions*Ken Wilber, The Atman Project: A Transpersonal View of Human Development*Ken Wilber, Odyssey: A Personal Inquiry into Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Winter 1982, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 57-90, see also Brad’s introduction to Embracing Reality, section titled “Ken Wilber’s Personal Odyssey“Ke

Ep. 114 | Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson is astonishing in her openness, authenticity, and candor in this moving conversation that enlightens on a spiritual level as well as a political one. First, we learn why she is running for president, and how she thinks she can help America. As Marianne explains it, her talent lies in translating what is happening so people can grasp the full picture. “Everybody sees it,” she says, talking about our money-driven culture and corrupt political system, “but not everybody can put the pieces together.” She adds that if people were to fully understand what is going on, it would create a space for transformation to occur. Marianne’s remarkable ability to consider all sides of an issue and look beyond symptoms to the root cause of some of our greatest problems is also evident, from calling on liberals to assume their share of responsibility for allowing this country to decline morally in the way that it has to her understanding of the political and psychological forces driving the Israel-Hamas war.More than a political talk, Marianne reveals a psychological and spiritual portrait of the United States, referencing the brilliant vision of our founding fathers, Martin Luther King’s goal of Beloved Community, and telling a stirring story of the way Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration reflects the high morality of the populace at that time. On a personal level, Marianne’s uncompromising path towards growth and transformation is both clear and inspiring—she talks about the importance of taking 100% responsibility for one’s experience, about practicing what you preach, living a life of service, and the reality of love. The only thing that is missing from any situation, Marianne tells us, is what we can do about it. Recorded January 9, 2024.“We don’t need just another technocrat or political car mechanic…we’re on the wrong road.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsIntroducing bestselling author and 2024 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson (01:10)On the importance of practicing what you preach, living a life of service (02:06) We’re living in a very mean-spirited time: people smear, lie, and ruin others very casually (03:50)The division now is more between decent and indecent than left and right (04:55)The effects of social media and the argument Trump created of “why not?” Now everything is a mud bath (06:18)The commodification of our culture: everybody sees it (07:06)Marianne is running for president because she can translate what’s happening to people, thereby creating a space where things can actually transform (07:58)The lack of values we need to concern ourselves with is neoliberalism—by our own passive permission, we are on some level acquiescing, making way for demagogues (10:17)We made a businessman (Trump) a god and now we see the consequences (13:44)The American people are not the problem (15:22)Take 100% responsibility for your experience or you won’t be able to change it (16:45)Running for president, waking up to the ugliest things you can imagine, has been Marianne’s greatest spiritual crucible: what an opportunity to forgive herself and others (18:31)How Marianne addresses symptoms and problems but also their underlying psychological and spiritual roots: “We’ve got to address root cause” (24:01)The Israel-Hamas War and unprocessed trauma: if your own trauma is unprocessed you are incapable of being present for the suffering of others (26:50)Dr. Martin Luther King on the political externalization of the goal of desegregation versus the ultimate true goal of Beloved Community—then and now in Israel and Palestine (29:03)John’s comparison of Marianne and Abraham Lincoln (32:00)Why politicians have become wooden and inauthentic (33:22) What Marianne has learned personally and a message to the people (35:49)The second election of Abraham Lincoln: amazingly, the people voted against their best interest to free slavesAn idea grows stronger when it is shared—and the Deep Transformation podcast (41:02)Resources & ReferencesMarianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”*Helen Schucman, A Course of Miracles* (Foundation for Inner Peace)Martin Luther King’s legacy: The Coalition of ConsciencePhysicist Sir James Jeans, The Mysterious Universe*Deep Transformation episode #104, Shachar Erez: Coping with the Horrors of War: An Israeli Therapist Shares the Agony, Grief & Uncertainty of Wartime, Insights on Alleviating Trauma, and the Grace of Integral-Spiritual PracticeDr. Martin Luther King’s vision of The Beloved CommunityMichael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life* Abraham Lincoln’s deeply spiritual second inaugural speech* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Marianne Williamson is a bestselling author

Ep. 113 (Part 2 of 2) | Bruce Alderman, poet, mystic, and spiritual explorer, is also an integral scholar and pioneer of the emerging field of metatheory, looking at how to put our disparate fields of information—spiritual, psychological, philosophical, environmental, scientific—together and integrate them into a useful whole. Here Bruce tells the tale of how he was drawn into an experiential exploration of different worldviews, how he came to find the value in navigating different spiritual traditions, and how he discovered how to integrate mystical experiences, Asian spiritual teachings, and Western education, science, and psychology. Bruce’s unique understanding of interreligious relationships and their potential for meeting current challenges informs his call to the global community of spiritual practitioners to dialogue, critique, deeply listen, and reap the benefits of reflecting back to the other a view that takes them deeper in their understanding of their own position. Bruce also shares a brilliant vision of leadership training practices for developing the skills leaders will need to navigate the unfolding global crises of our time. This program will take form in the upcoming Blue Sky Leaders program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.Bruce is beautifully eloquent on many levels, sharing insights on intensifying our intimate experience of Being, trusting our dialogue with Being to bear fruit, and finding coherence while holding multiple paths. Bruce describes his turn towards scholarship and academia as “dancing on the subtle plane,” and thinking as one spiritual practice among many—a practice of union. There are so many gems of wisdom here, relayed in Bruce’s gently humorous, humble, and erudite manner. Bruce also inspires on how each of us can become a change agent simply by being integrous with who we are. Recorded December 6, 2023.“We can each become change agents just by being integrous with who we are.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The wild knot as symbol for a human being or culture: we are threads of a relationship that don’t have a final terminus (00:53)The challenges of our time and the need for entangled deep listening (01:59)A leadership training program that includes ongoing contemplative inquiry & practice, and also looks at cultural, political, ecological & spiritual dynamics and new cosmologies (02:26)Hyperobjects: you can’t see climate change, economic collapse, or evolution from a local point of view—it demands collective vision to perceive and apprehend it (04:13) Bruce’s vision for leadership development and the Blue Sky Leaders program empower people to serve in the great issues of our time (06:13)The bodhisattva ideal is both empowering and self-canceling (10:07)The metaphor of light, salt, and leaven for anyone wanting to be a change agent and serve the flourishing of life (13:23)Krishnamurti’s idea of “living in learning” and a program that is “deliberately developmental” (16:42)What are the specific practices essential for cultivating leaders to navigate the crises that are unfolding? (22:00)We evolved to be optimally functional on a much smaller level—without proper grounding, facing world problems can cause existential crisis (26:13) Holding a loving center, living and learning together (28:28)Back to interreligious practice: how interfaith dialogues and encounters have typically been handled: exclusivist, inclusivist, pluralist (33:24)In making room for multiple paths of spiritual practice, there is a danger of moving into instrumentalism, thinking practices are mere recipes (36:31)The grit to do the practices and the humility of opening to grace (39:36)What are Bruce’s practices today? (40:21)Bruce’s TSK practice (attuning to time/space/knowledge) that leads him to deep integration (41:35)Nonfinality: how each awakening leads to yet another, sacred secularity (45:35)How did Bruce enter into his exquisite scholarship? Philosophy and academic work is just another way to dance on the subtle plane (49:41)Resources & References – Part 2The wild knot in knot theoryTimothy Morton, Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World*Blue Sky Leaders program, CA Institute of Integral StudiesWhat’s the Future (WTF) and What Can We Do About It? Integral Conference, Sedona 2022Roy Bhaskar, English philosopher of science who initiated the philosophical movement of critical realismRobert Kegan, An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization*A.H. Almaas, creator of The Diamond ApproachInterview with Sean Kelly, Becoming Gaia (YouTube video), Becoming Gaia: On the Threshold of Planetary Initiation*James Bugental, On Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy (Interview on Psychotherapy.net)Time, Space & Knowledge (Nyingma Institute), Time, Space &

Ep. 112 (Part 1 of 2) | Bruce Alderman, poet, mystic, and spiritual explorer, is also an integral scholar and pioneer of the emerging field of metatheory, looking at how to put our disparate fields of information—spiritual, psychological, philosophical, environmental, scientific—together and integrate them into a useful whole. Here Bruce tells the tale of how he was drawn into an experiential exploration of different worldviews, how he came to find the value in navigating different spiritual traditions, and how he discovered how to integrate mystical experiences, Asian spiritual teachings, and Western education, science, and psychology. Bruce’s unique understanding of interreligious relationships and their potential for meeting current challenges informs his call to the global community of spiritual practitioners to dialogue, critique, deeply listen, and reap the benefits of reflecting back to the other a view that takes them deeper in their understanding of their own position. Bruce also shares a brilliant vision of leadership training practices for developing the skills leaders will need to navigate the unfolding global crises of our time. This program will take form in the upcoming Blue Sky Leaders program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.Bruce is beautifully eloquent on many levels, sharing insights on intensifying our intimate experience of Being, trusting our dialogue with Being to bear fruit, and finding coherence while holding multiple paths. Bruce describes his turn towards scholarship and academia as “dancing on the subtle plane,” and thinking as one spiritual practice among many—a practice of union. There are so many gems of wisdom here, relayed in Bruce’s gently humorous, humble, and erudite manner. Bruce also inspires on how each of us can become a change agent simply by being integrous with who we are. Recorded December 6, 2023.“We of the global community of spiritual practitioners owe it to each other to dialogue, critique, and deeply listen.“(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing spiritual pioneer, polymath, and master of metatheory, Bruce Alderman (01:38)How Bruce was drawn into an experiential exploration of different worldviews (04:06)Bruce’s first mystical experiences (07:17)Traveling in Asia, studying music & meditation, not wanting to have to choose one tradition to the exclusion of others (08:37)How to integrate mystical desert experiences, Asian spiritual teachings, and Western education, science, psychology? (11:16)Finding the value in navigating different spiritual traditions and coming face to face with the contradictions between them (14:45)Practicing more than one path at once can cause anguish, incoherence, and also has distinct benefits, and how some traditions can hold the one and the many at the same time (19:55)As A. H. Almaas also came to, the recognition of co-ultimacy of multiple ultimates (22:20)Opening oneself to as much as one can: psyche and existence are self-awakening (23:56) Hungry for the stories and experiences of humankind and all of their engagements with Being (25:59)The concept of generative enclosure: that consciousness is embedded in the environment and embodied in the body—our experience of the world is mediated by our own context (29:47)Spiritual practice, focusing our enclosures, can invite an intensification of our own experience of being (31:32) Generative (en)closures, bubbles, and magic circles (33:29)Language is an enactment of being (34:22)Metaphysics tends to look at things with nouns, but what’s coming forward is prepositional modes of being/thinking, intercontextuality, and adverbial thinking—recognizing that being unfolds in different ways at different times (35:34)With/in (with, in, and within) a holographic, nondual recognition, the world is in you and you are in the world, I am with you, you are in me, I am in you (37:46)We of the global community of spiritual practitioners owe it to each other to dialogue, critique, and deeply listen (41:33)There’s no one final point: we call the idea of an ultimate holon the ass holon (44:26)Leadership: we can each become agents of transformation, healing, and insight by being integrous with who we are (46:25)The Blue Sky Leaders program is designed around the question, How do we navigate the deep challenges of our time? (47:29) Different styles of leadership: emperor or servant-based (50:36)Ryan Nakade’s platinum man model: making it a practice to be able to reflect back to the other a view that takes them deeper in their understanding of their own position (52:24)Resources & References – Part 1Bruce Alderman, Generative (En)Closures, Bubbles and Magic Circles: A Chat about Integral Postmetaphysical Spirituality and Religion–Bruce Alderman with Edward Berge and Layman PascalBruce Alderman, Associate Director, Blue Sky Leaders program, CA Institute of Integra

Ep. 111 (Part 2 of 2) | Colette Baron-Reid and Dr. Bob Weathers shine a bright light on the big picture state of addiction in our fragmented culture today—how people have become addicted to disconnection, dissociation, and identifying as victims in addition to substance use and other more traditional addictions—as well as sharing the essential elements and practices that have made their sustained long-term recovery possible. Dr. Bob explains that the first step in addressing addiction is to humanize the conversation around it and why. Our tendency toward addiction is universal, embedded in human nature itself, for one. And research shows that people who have suffered childhood trauma are five to ten times more susceptible to becoming addicts—their stress threshold five to ten times lower than other people’s, their stress hormones five to ten times higher. Studies also show that addiction is the most highly stigmatized mental disorder of all. It is humbling to realize what addicts are up against, calling us to compassion, understanding, and action.Both Colette and Bob are solidly grounded in long-term sobriety and deeply dedicated to helping others out of their suffering. Top down, intellectual information is clearly not adequate to sustain recovery—so what is? Spiritual connection, social connection, shadow work, healing shame, surrendering. As Colette says, “In recovery, you discover there is something greater than yourself, your pain, your story, and your limitations—this is the solace.” There comes a turning point when it stops being all about us, and the desire to serve arises. With service comes the all-important experience of belonging. As Bob relates, “It’s not just about not drugging or drinking—I want a vital life.” And what is missing on a global, universal level? Again, connection and community. Recorded August 28, 2023. “Gratitude is the abracadabra that creates our reality. Forgiveness is essential too.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Trauma feeds directly into addiction: studies show childhood trauma victims are 5 to 10 times more at risk for addiction (00:59)Shadow work is absolutely required to sustain sobriety (05:07)Dealing with the shame element of shadow (06:58)Surrendering, letting go, opening up to other individuals and to your higher power (09:40)Living in 24-hour compartments (13:52)The effects of COVID on addiction: living in uncertainty and disconnection and how fear isolates us (15:07)Ideology addiction (20:40)The spiritual aspect of recovery (22:37)Colette’s practices today: conscious connection with a higher power, therapy, EMDR, cultivating humor, and more (25:39)  Bob’s recovery practice and how it evolved (30:09)The bedrock of forgiveness practice and gratitude practice (31:29)Service and love: you matter (37:23)Resources & References – Part 2CDC’s Adverse Childhood Experience studies John Bradshaw, Healing the Shame that Binds You*The Serenity Prayer (Celebrate Recovery website)Carl Jung, The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious* (opus contra naturam)The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics AnonymousGuy du Plessis, addiction specialist, Ideology Addiction (on Medium)Bill W, co-founder of Alcoholics AnonymousJames Finley, clinical psychologist, spiritual therapist, author of The Healing Path,* podcast host: Turning to the Mystics, see also James Finley on the Deep Transformation podcast: Sacred Psychotherapy: Bringing Depth & Spirit to Healing, Suffering & TraumaNoah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction*John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction*The Freedom of Forgiveness, guided meditation with brainwave entrainment technology, created by Dr. Bob Weathers in collaboration with iAwake TechnologiesThe Gift of Gratitude – Recovery Edition, guided meditation with brainwave entrainment technology, created by Dr. Bob Weathers in collaboration with iAwake Technologies Energy Flows, brain wave enhancing guided meditations for aligning the 7 energy centers, created by Colette Baron-Reid in collaboration with iAwake TechnologiesColette Baron-Reid’s website: https://www.colettebaronreid.comColette’s podcast: Inside the Wooniverse, see also Deep Transformation episode #7, Living in Partnership with the Universe (YouTube version)Dr. Bob Weathers, recovery coach: https://www.drbobweathers.com, see also Deep Transformation episode #98, The Future of Addiction & Recovery* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Colette Baron-Reid (she/her) is a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed Oracle expert, spiritual intuitive, personal transformation thought leader, business strategist, artist, and educator. She’s the foun

Ep. 110 (Part 1 of 2) | Colette Baron-Reid and Dr. Bob Weathers shine a bright light on the big picture state of addiction in our fragmented culture today—how people have become addicted to disconnection, dissociation, and identifying as victims in addition to substance use and other more traditional addictions—as well as sharing the essential elements and practices that have made their sustained long-term recovery possible. Dr. Bob explains that the first step in addressing addiction is to humanize the conversation around it and why. Our tendency toward addiction is universal, embedded in human nature itself, for one. And research shows that people who have suffered childhood trauma are five to ten times more susceptible to becoming addicts—their stress threshold five to ten times lower than other people’s, their stress hormones five to ten times higher. Studies also show that addiction is the most highly stigmatized mental disorder of all. It is humbling to realize what addicts are up against, calling us to compassion, understanding, and action.Both Colette and Bob are solidly grounded in long-term sobriety and deeply dedicated to helping others out of their suffering. Top down, intellectual information is clearly not adequate to sustain recovery—so what is? Spiritual connection, social connection, shadow work, healing shame, surrendering. As Colette says, “In recovery, you discover there is something greater than yourself, your pain, your story, and your limitations—this is the solace.” There comes a turning point when it stops being all about us, and the desire to serve arises. With service comes the all-important experience of belonging. As Bob relates, “It’s not just about not drugging or drinking—I want a vital life.” And what is missing on a global, universal level? Again, connection and community. Recorded August 28, 2023.“Addiction means to be enslaved.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Oracle expert, personal transformation thought leader, and bestselling author Colette Baron-Reid; and recovery coach, addiction educator, author & speaker, Dr. Bob Weathers (01:04)The changing face of addiction with technology and the internet: the addiction to disconnection, dissociation, even the addiction to identify as traumatized, as a victim (04:06)Colette’s entire reason for being clean & sober: conscious contact to a higher power (05:47)Fragmentation: addiction used to be more social, but now we are becoming more and more fragmented as we become increasingly disconnected (06:19)Victimology and the universal nature of addiction (07:51)Addiction is the most stigmatized of all disorders and 46.3 million Americans over 12 years old have been identified as substance use addicted (09:18) Addiction means to be enslaved: the first step is to humanize the conversation about it (10:47)Normality is looking more and more like developmental arrest: we’re all fearful, addicted, and so much less than we could be (12:20)In recovery you discover there is something greater than yourself, your pain, your story, and your limitations—this is the solace (14:13)What are we here to recover? Our original face before we were born (15:28)The importance of practice: Roger’s therapeutic life changes (TLCs) and John’s work on Integral Recovery Practice (see Roger’s article and John’s book in the Resources below) (16:25)There is addiction…but then there is ADDICTION—the kind that is life threatening (17:40)For all of us the answer is finding connection. How can we find community? (20:31)A shift occurs in recovery when the idea of giving back, of service, of compassion kicks in (25:04)Along with connection, the experience of belonging is very important—it comes as a result of altruistic intentions (27:52)Like trauma, addiction is an overused and under-explained term: it’s important to acknowledge nuance and degree (30:21)Our society is a society of addiction (36:35)Resources & References – Part 1Colette Baron-Reid’s website: https://www.colettebaronreid.comColette’s podcast: Inside the Wooniverse, see also Deep Transformation episode #7, Living in Partnership with the Universe (YouTube version)Dr. Bob Weathers, recovery coach: https://www.drbobweathers.com, see also Deep Transformation episode #98, The Future of Addiction & RecoveryThe Twelve Steps of Alcoholics AnonymousJohns Hopkins University “Study: Public Feels More Negative Toward People With Drug Addiction Than Those With Mental Illness”Roger Walsh, Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLCs) Can Be Powerful Medicines John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction*The Self-Medication Hypothesis of Substance Use Disorders, Harvard Review of Psychiatry, Modified Group Therapy for Substance Abusers, The American Journal on Addictions, The 10-Year Course of AA

Ep. 109 (Part 2 of 2) | Dr. James Finley, clinical psychologist, trauma specialist, scholar, poet, and author of the powerful memoir, The Healing Path, has an extraordinary breadth and depth of understanding about trauma and the alchemical effects of adding a depth dimension to therapy. Here, he shares about his own experience of trauma and healing, the therapeutic effects of introducing the depth dimension to his clients, the dynamics of anger and forgiveness, the path of longing, and how love gives itself away in the preciousness of each moment, rendering ordinary life sacred. James’ profound understanding of grace is unmistakable, beautiful, riveting—both from personal experience and as a student of Thomas Merton, who introduced him to the wisdom of the mystics at the Trappist monastery, Gethsemani.Practically everything James says is both a poem and a revelation, so whether you are Christian, Buddhist, or atheist, this conversation offers a therapeutic wisdom and understanding of trauma that goes way beyond the norm, as well as a transmission of infinite love, bottomless mercy. At the end, James laughs at how he is talking: “I can’t believe I’m talking like this…a traumatized kid from Akron, Ohio. It’s not coming from me; it’s flowing through me. All I’m doing is passing on what was passed on to me. So as it catches fire in you, it might pass through you into others.” Recorded August 17, 2023.“Each person I meet is an infinitely loved broken person.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2A story about the root broken place: Is there an end to love? (01:22)The bottomless abyss of love gives itself away in the preciousness of this moment, which renders it sacred (02:58) We can’t bear being unconditionally loved (04:17)The path of longing: one longs to be freed of suffering, but there is also the longing that is an echo of God’s longing for us (05:21)The “thorn in the flesh” is your teacher and reminder, and how powerlessness unites us all (07:53)The “set aside” prayer in James’ memoir The Healing Path and the recognition that we live in bottomless mystery (09:36)A deeper way to understand lies in the deep acceptance of the limits of our understanding (10:55)The first pillar of three-fold practice: finding a quiet place for a daily rendezvous with God, discursive meditation, journaling (12:01)When you ask for help, that is the prayer—the prayer from the heart (15:34)The second & third pillars of practice: a teacher/guidance and community (17:08)James’ daily meditation practice and passing on the lineage, heart to heart (20:01)What is James’ attitude toward death? (24:19)How can I learn to die of love, at the hands of love, till there’s nothing left of me but love? (28:07)Accepting death you have freedom from the tyranny of death in the midst of death (29:15)Learned helplessness can transmute into a profound capacity to surrender and merge (31:30)How God enters through the wounded place, and the parable of being broken and whole (35:01)James’ thanks and his upcoming book on the mystical depths of the Enneagram and psychological and mystical discernment (37:50)Resources & References – Part 2Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain* et al.The Abbey of Our Lady of GethsemaniTurning to Mechthild of Magdeburg (on James’ Turning to the Mystics podcast)St. John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross,* includes The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, The Living Flame of Love, Letters, and The Minor WorksGabriel Marcel, French philosopher and leading Christian existentialistGuigo II, Lectio Divina, Turning to Guigo II (on James’ Turning to the Mystics podcast)T.S. Eliot, “I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope…”St. Teresa of Ávila, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 1,* featuring The Book of Her Life, Spiritual Testimonies, and the SoliloquiesJames Finley, Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God*Dan Walsh, metaphysics professor, longtime friend & mentor of Thomas Merton The five stages of grief (the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross model), On Death and Dying*Dr. Bob Weathers, addiction educator, coach, good friend of James Finley (see Deep Transformation episode #98, The Future of Addiction & Recovery: Wherein Lies the Hope?)Spiritual Directors International James Finley, The Healing Path: A Memoir and an Invitation*James Finley’s podcast: Turning to the Mystics, hosted on the Center for Action & Contemplation websiteJames Finley, Merton’s Palace of Nowhere** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Student of Thomas Merton and clinical psychologist, Dr. James Finley teaches how connecting to our Divine indwelling can transcend fear and shame and awaken our True Self.

Ep. 108 (Part 1 of 2) | Dr. James Finley, clinical psychologist, trauma specialist, scholar, poet, and author of the powerful memoir, The Healing Path, has an extraordinary breadth and depth of understanding about trauma and the alchemical effects of adding a depth dimension to therapy. Here, he shares about his own experience of trauma and healing, the therapeutic effects of introducing the depth dimension to his clients, the dynamics of anger and forgiveness, the path of longing, and how love gives itself away in the preciousness of each moment, rendering ordinary life sacred. James’ profound understanding of grace is unmistakable, beautiful, riveting—both from personal experience and as a student of Thomas Merton, who introduced him to the wisdom of the mystics at the Trappist monastery, Gethsemani.Practically everything James says is both a poem and a revelation, so whether you are Christian, Buddhist, or atheist, this conversation offers a therapeutic wisdom and understanding of trauma that goes way beyond the norm, as well as a transmission of infinite love, bottomless mercy. At the end, James laughs at how he is talking: “I can’t believe I’m talking like this…a traumatized kid from Akron, Ohio. It’s not coming from me; it’s flowing through me. All I’m doing is passing on what was passed on to me. So as it catches fire in you, it might pass through you into others.” Recorded August 17, 2023.“In the momentum of the day’s demands, we feel we are skimming across the surface of the depths of our own lives: we are suffering from depth deprivation.” (For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Dr. James Finley, clinical psychologist specializing in trauma, spiritual therapist, author of The Healing Path & Merton’s Palace of Nowhere (00:58)How does James bring the worlds of psychotherapy and spirituality together? (03:32)James’ experience of God responding during his traumatic childhood and how Thomas Merton introduced him to the mystics at the Trappist monastery (04:22)Teaching high school religion, writing Merton’s Palace of Nowhere about how to find our way to our true self, leading silent contemplative retreats, and becoming a clinical psychologist (07:25)Where trauma and the presence of God touch each other: into the broken places, the light shines through (08:54)There is healing without forgiveness, but there is no healing without anger (11:21)Standing in the clear mindedness of anger, you’re not completely free until you forgive (14:29) Self-hatred and how we perpetuate the violence until we find a safe place to work it through (18:14)Finding refuge in zazen, forgiving abuse at home and in the monastery, and how James found his way back into mystical Catholicism and the depth dimension (20:58)Where faith comes in to interior healing, where the alchemy happens: being carried along by mercy equals salvation (25:00)Getting past the distortions of religiosity: regrounding therapy in the depth dimension, moving back and forth from the hurting place to infinite love and mercy (26:36)What shines forth out of love or out of tragedy: being intimately overtaken by the nearness of the unexplainable (30:11)When we have just lost everything, we glimpse the infinity of mercy, and a longing is born to abide in the depths so fleetingly glimpsed: this is the path (31:58)Where is all this trauma coming from? We are suffering from depth deprivation (33:13)The horizontal dimension of time is intersected by the vertical depth dimension of the infinite (35:19)“I know it, I know it, I know that I know it”—I can’t say what it is but I can bear witness to it (36:11)Psychotherapy at the depth level is meditation for two (37:27)Roger’s summary of points covered: forgiveness, anger, stages of working through trauma, how religion can be used in the transcendence of ego, and the tragic belief that I am the only one who is broken and suffering (37:39)Resources & References – Part 1James Finley, The Healing Path: A Memoir and an Invitation*James Finley’s podcast: Turning to the Mystics, hosted on the Center for Action & Contemplation websiteJames Finley, Merton’s Palace of Nowhere*James Finley, Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God*The Abbey of Our Lady of GethsemaniTranspersonal psychologyKen Wilber, Integral Psychology: Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology, Therapy*Ken Wilber, Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World*Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain*, et al.*Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas*, “I have but one desire, the desire for solitude. To disappear into God’s face.”St. Teresa of Ávila, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 1 (featuring The Book of Her Life, Spiritual Testimonies, and the Soliloquies*St. John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the

Ep. 107 (Part 2 of 2) | Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, global thought leader, author, medical doctor, scholar, anti-apartheid activist, and co-founder of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa has lived her extraordinary life guided by the knowing that every one of us is part of an inextricably linked system, and to live life as an authentic human being means assuming responsibility for oneself, others, and the whole web of life. Here, she connects the dots for us in so many ways, telling the remarkable story of how the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa was born with the realization that accepting a second-class identity was only perpetuating apartheid, internally and externally, and right away, the group became aware they needed to bring forth practical manifestations of this new consciousness. Mamphela has worked to do exactly that—bring the values of expanded consciousness into being—her whole life, first as an anti-apartheid activist and doctor, in bimonthly meetings with Nelson Mandela when he was in prison, writing books on social-economic issues in South Africa, and later, working to manifest the values of compassion, dignity, and social justice on a global level as a managing director of the World Bank, co-president of The Club of Rome, and more.When asked what hurts, Mamphela describes the terrible conditions in South Africa, which she explains could have been averted if post-apartheid leaders had chosen to act for the wellbeing of all rather than getting enmeshed in party politics. And what gives Mamphela hope? The hope she sees in the eyes of young people (and old), and the transformations already underway in small communities. As she says, “the world has lost its way…it’s all about having more rather than being more,” but Mamphela believes real change will happen in the next couple of decades, when our personal, professional, and political lives become framed by the same value system—the values of ubuntu, the traditional, indigenous wisdom values of Africa, which are not only Africa’s heritage but all of ours. Inspiring and enlightening, this conversation is a transmission from a vibrant elder who fully understands and puts into practice what it means to live an authentic, compassionate life, with courage, humor, integrity, and wisdom. Recorded November 9, 2023.“We need to recognize we are one human family: Europe, America, and MOST of the world—not Europe, America, and the rest of the world.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2We are wired to be compassionate, wired for self-respect, wired for social justice (01:40)The Global Compassion Coalition and reawakening our basic human compassion (03:44)The personal, professional, and political all have to be governed by the same value system—then we can have wellbeing economics (06:31)What hurts is how we gave away a wonderful opportunity and chose short-term party politics over the true transformation of society (09:04)What brings hope is the hope seen in the eyes of young people—even old people—and that the process of true transformation is underway in small communities (11:39)Ubuntu: living the ethics, principles, and compassion that are embedded in what it means to be human (14:51)The world has lost its way: it’s all about having more rather than being more (16:45) Assuming responsibility for yourself, others, and the entire web of life is a choice (18:36)It helped a great deal that there was a global anti-establishment movement at the time of Mamphela and her fellow activists’ awakening (21:03)What are Mamphela’s practices to stay centered and keep from being overwhelmed? (22:35)How has Mamphela kept faith in human nature? (29:46)Mamphela’s shift to global activism: channeling energies where it can make a difference (Club of Rome), also modeling to young people that Africans have a rich heritage and their value system matters (33:52)Sustainable ecosystems are sustained by Indigenous Peoples: life is about part of an inextricably linked system (37:03)The need to recognize we are one human family: Europe, America, and MOST of the world—not the “rest of the world” (40:05)“For us to harvest the lessons of nature, we have to become indigenous again;” opening to the great wisdoms of all the ages (40:47)Towards New Narratives of Hope, a recommended publication about the wisdom of Africa—which is everyone’s heritage (see resources below) (41:32)Resources & References – Part 2The Global Compassion Coalition, creating and introducing new approaches to economics, politics, child development, and climate policy that have compassion and justice at their coreRick Hanson, psychologist & best-selling author of Buddha’s Brain* et al. (see also Deep Transformation podcast episode #5, How We Can Hack Our Brain Using Neuroscience)Ubuntu philosophy, the bond that all of humanity sharesMargaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of th

Ep. 106 (Part 1 of 2) | Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, global thought leader, author, medical doctor, scholar, anti-apartheid activist, and co-founder of the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa has lived her extraordinary life guided by the knowing that every one of us is part of an inextricably linked system, and to live life as an authentic human being means assuming responsibility for oneself, others, and the whole web of life. Here, she connects the dots for us in so many ways, telling the remarkable story of how the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa was born with the realization that accepting a second-class identity was only perpetuating apartheid, internally and externally, and right away, the group became aware they needed to bring forth practical manifestations of this new consciousness. Mamphela has worked to do exactly that—bring the values of expanded consciousness into being—her whole life, first as an anti-apartheid activist and doctor, in bimonthly meetings with Nelson Mandela when he was in prison, writing books on social-economic issues in South Africa, and later, working to manifest the values of compassion, dignity, and social justice on a global level as a managing director of the World Bank, co-president of The Club of Rome, and more.When asked what hurts, Mamphela describes the terrible conditions in South Africa, which she explains could have been averted if post-apartheid leaders had chosen to act for the wellbeing of all rather than getting enmeshed in party politics. And what gives Mamphela hope? The hope she sees in the eyes of young people (and old), and the transformations already underway in small communities. As she says, “the world has lost its way…it’s all about having more rather than being more,” but Mamphela believes real change will happen in the next couple of decades, when our personal, professional, and political lives become framed by the same value system—the values of ubuntu, the traditional, indigenous wisdom values of Africa, which are not only Africa’s heritage but all of ours. Inspiring and enlightening, this conversation is a transmission from a vibrant elder who fully understands and puts into practice what it means to live an authentic, compassionate life, with courage, humor, integrity, and wisdom. Recorded November 9, 2023.“The majority of white people [in apartheid South Africa] were petrified of losing their privileges—in the same way we continue with business as usual today, in the face of climate change.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Mamphela Ramphele, physician, scholar, anti-apartheid activist, author, and global thought leader (01:32)Growing up in a family of educators with encyclopedias & books all over the place, asking, as a young child, what makes my country so different? (03:42)The day the penny dropped: as long as we call ourselves non-whites, we’re perpetuating the rule of the oppressors (06:00)First came a sense of power—we can change things—then the purpose: make a world where no one is identified as a “non-something”  (08:52)This also liberates white people from their superiority complex, which is a burden (10:51)The system itself funded the first meeting of South African students, the founding organization of the Black Consciousness Movement (12:32)The evolution of the Black Consciousness Movement: freeing mind, heart & body from mental slavery & translating the new consciousness into practical manifestations (15:02)The 15 students managed to get news about the Black Power movement, Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech, Malcolm X & Angela Davis (17:37)The majority of white people were petrified of losing their privileges—in the same way we continue with business as usual today, in the face of climate change (19:00)What did we do with the consciousness we had? Recognize we have to practice what we preach, mobilize people to restore their own dignity, and build black solidarity (21:01)The Soweto uprising and the mobilization of workers, parents, faith communities (22:02)The post-apartheid government failed to live up to the ideals that so many died for and how the African National Congress (ANC) tried to own Nelson Mandela (23:57)In the negotiated settlement, they should have been asking how to restructure the economy, but the new ANC missed that boat and focused on politics instead (26:01) The reunification of Germany could have been a great example of lifting the downtrodden up, erasing differences and equalizing communities (28:54)Asking the wrong question: who will be in power? Shortsightedness and the love of power (31:35)The good news: a resurgence of young people who want fundamental transformation of South Africa, including refocusing politics on citizens as the sovereigns of democracy (36:44)A fully conscious person must understand that to be human is to be relational—what

Ep. 105 (Part 2 of 2) | Shachar Erez, longtime spiritual practitioner and integrally informed therapist in Israel, opens his heart, sharing his pain and overwhelming grief since the outbreak of war with Hamas and revealing another dimension of what’s going on than what we see in the news. It is a profound experience listening to a sensitive, compassionate person openly, honestly, courageously sharing what it feels like to be living with his family under threat of extreme violence, struggling to accept humanity as it is, working to help survivors reframe trauma to prevent PTSD, all amidst utter uncertainty as to the future of Israel and its people. Universal questions are raised: How to remain human in wartime? How is an ethical, spiritual, peaceful person to cope? Is there any hope for peace between Palestine and Israel? And, we are all broken—how do we accept the brokenness and continue to function?The sustaining power of an integral-spiritual practice is clear—it is practice (intense workouts and meditation especially) that gets Shachar through and able to muster up the energy to help others, which in turn is so helpful to him. Shachar marvels at how sitting in the therapist’s chair allows him to embrace all that he hears—all the realities, all the horrors—when if he heard it on the news, he couldn’t take it. As a therapist, Shachar is very much thinking ahead to the near unimaginable challenge of helping all the people who are hurt by this war, in Gaza and in Israel, after the fighting stops. “How do you find a shrink for 12 million people?” he asks, adding, “This should be an awakening all over the Western world—people should not be living in fear like this in 2023.” Recorded November 1, 2023. “People should not be living in fear like this in 2023.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2What is Israel to do in this situation? (02:04)Israel is inevitably dropping to lower developmental stages—to hope there would be no vengeance is naive (03:40)How to understand a level of motivation where you sacrifice your own people? (06:49)There’s no more left wing in Israel—what’s the future of this place? (07:49)Why Shachar left progressive Berkeley and returned to Israel (10:53)Can peace happen? The Palestinians have been taught to hate, but John reminds us how the U.S. and Germany, the U.S. and Japan, were reconciled very quickly after WWII (13:30)The most important practice now: high intensity workouts (17:45)If numb, do something small to regain functionality and motivation (18:21)Other helpful practices: talking to people, meditation, volunteering & helping others (19:41)In trauma, you always feel like you are alone, but Israelis are good at coming together socially if not politically (21:25)In the midst of trauma and hatred, human kindness is healing (22:43)What can we who are not near the battle do to help? Stay open to the suffering, to the questions, and avoid dogmatic certainty (23:27)What would be the most humane response? Holding compassion but holding strength (26:35)This should be an awakening all over the Western world – there’s something that needs to be realigned: people should not be living in fear like this in 2023 (27:31)What is the right response ethically, practically? (29:16)How to remain human? Being with our experience, open to the feelings of others, accepting our humanity (31:38)Resources & References – Part 2What are the stages of development? (Integral Life website: a cinematic journey created by Corey deVos portraying Ken Wilber’s levels of development)Don Beck & Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics*Ken Wilber on Violence vs. Nonviolence (Integral LIfe website)The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War* Shachar’s website (in Hebrew): www.beinghuman.co.il The Generous Marriage podcast, co-hosted by Shachar ErezShachar’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shachar.erez* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Shachar Erez is a marriage and family therapist living and working in Israel. On good days, he helps couples fall in love again. He’s integrally informed. And trauma informed. And has been practicing an integral practice for many years. Shachar is married to Judy and father to three beautiful kids.Since the horrors that happened in Israel and the war that is still raging, he feels like he’s been practicing all his life for this moment. ---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 104 (Part 1 of 2) | Shachar Erez, longtime spiritual practitioner and integrally informed therapist in Israel, opens his heart, sharing his pain and overwhelming grief since the outbreak of war with Hamas and revealing another dimension of what’s going on than what we see in the news. It is a profound experience listening to a sensitive, compassionate person openly, honestly, courageously sharing what it feels like to be living with his family under threat of extreme violence, struggling to accept humanity as it is, working to help survivors reframe trauma to prevent PTSD, all amidst utter uncertainty as to the future of Israel and its people. Universal questions are raised: How to remain human in wartime? How is an ethical, spiritual, peaceful person to cope? Is there any hope for peace between Palestine and Israel? And, we are all broken—how do we accept the brokenness and continue to function?The sustaining power of an integral-spiritual practice is clear—it is practice (intense workouts and meditation especially) that gets Shachar through and able to muster up the energy to help others, which in turn is so helpful to him. Shachar marvels at how sitting in the therapist’s chair allows him to embrace all that he hears—all the realities, all the horrors—when if he heard it on the news, he couldn’t take it. As a therapist, Shachar is very much thinking ahead to the near unimaginable challenge of helping all the people who are hurt by this war, in Gaza and in Israel, after the fighting stops. “How do you find a shrink for 12 million people?” he asks, adding, “This should be an awakening all over the Western world—people should not be living in fear like this in 2023.” Recorded November 1, 2023. “I feel I’ve been practicing my whole life for this moment.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Shachar Erez, integrally informed Israeli therapist specializing in helping couples fall back in love (01:16)Roger’s hope that this podcast can in some way help allay the extreme partisanship and anti-Semitism arising as a result of Israel’s war with Hamas (04:07)Describing murder, kidnapping, funerals brings Shachar to tears (05:22)John’s early experiences gaining an understanding of Israel and the Jewish people (06:10)How can a man with spiritual values like Shachar get through this time of war and acute stress? (09:23)The first week just doing small things to keep functioning, then being there for others, working out, doing Integral practices, is what’s getting Shachar through at this point (11:50)The blessing is a knowing at a deep level that everything is “okay” despite the horror and the brokenness (12:52)Struggling to find the “other” inside himself, in this case the ability to commit horrific acts, as part of his spiritual practice (13:29)The Nova music festival massacre, and working to prevent PTSD later by remembering, telling the story, and reframing terror into resourcefulness (14:16)A therapist’s ability to contain the realities they hear, and the idea of being a sin-eater, eating people’s pain (17:21)Telling the story, as an Israeli to Americans, Shachar’s heart is torn open—he is usually more of a “tough guy” (18:53)We are all broken: how do we accept the brokenness and continue to function? (20:49)Shachar feels he’s been practicing his whole life for this moment (23:15)There’s something magic that happens when you’re willing to be with others in their pain (24:40)Agony, openness, and the deep knowing that everything is okay, even though everything is broken and could get a lot worse (30:33)Resources & References – Part 1Shachar's website (in Hebrew): www.beinghuman.co.il The Generous Marriage podcast, co-hosted by Shachar ErezShachar's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shachar.erezLeon Uris, Exodus*Leonard Cohen, Anthem (YouTube video) Steven Jenkinson, Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul*Francis Weller, The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief*Carl Jung “Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch the miracle of the living soul.”Julian of Norwich, medieval mystic, “All shall be well.” Author, Revelations of Divine Love** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Shachar Erez is a marriage and family therapist living and working in Israel. On good days, he helps couples fall in love again. He’s integrally informed. And trauma informed. And has been practicing an integral practice for many years. Shachar is married to Judy and father to three beautiful kids.Since the horrors that happened in Israel and the war that is still raging, he feels like he’s been practicing all his life for this moment. ---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 103 (Part 2 of 2) | “What if I lean into the pain and come out the other side and survive it—and what if I take you with me, as the reader, and together we deal with our pain?” asks Tyson Yunkaporta, author, senior research fellow, founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab. Tyson embodies this era of metacrisis, actively working with the global issues of our time in his work and in his personal life. His books are paradigm rattling and his whole life is a contribution—bringing forth ways in which Aboriginal Indigenous knowledge can help us, stating the need to find a collective narrative we can all agree on in order to survive, expressing himself with utter authenticity, and pointing out emphatically that each one of us is a web of relations, and that’s what matters most.In his own uniquely raw, unguarded, authentic (and funny) way, Tyson describes his personal challenges with mental health and bipolar disorder and the states of mind he was in when he wrote his two books. Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, was written in just weeks while manic. In dramatic contrast, Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking was written while wrestling with depression. Tyson talks about disinformation and how we collectively need to get to the “right story;” about Aboriginal culture and what it means to be living in a colony; the amazing psycho-technologies Aboriginals have to deal with grief; the radicalization and polarization exacerbated by COVID lockdowns in Australia; the similarity between Indigenous knowledge and the scientific method; the sacredness of magic and how this cannot be scaled. Tyson is a window into Aboriginal Indigenous knowledge and a brilliant translator of that wisdom for the rest of us. Recorded September 21, 2023.“Everything you are is a web of relations – you are a relational net.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing artist, academic, author, podcast host, and founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab, Tyson Yunkaporta (01:21)Aboriginal & white Australia is really just one world, with Australia squatting on top: living in the overlap space of the Venn diagram (02:50)How we survive: Aboriginal culture has amazing psychotechnologies of mourning and excels at cultivating humor to effectively heal the grief from facing death so often (05:45) How the Aboriginals were indirectly responsible for the first corporation after spearing Dutchmen 500 years ago (06:57)Tyson’s new book, Right Story, Wrong Story spends a lot of time refuting his first book, Sand Talk (09:20)Sand Talk was written in a bipolar/manic episode in 2 weeks flat—it includes a lot of solid Indigenous wisdom as well as propaganda about Western institutions (09:51)Right Story/Wrong Story was written in a state of suicidal depression modeled on Dante’s Inferno (13:14)The effects of COVID and the harshest lockdowns on the planet on Aboriginal Australia & on Tyson (14:11)Right Story/Wrong Story looks at disinformation: how can we collectively get to the right story? (16:10)Tyson explains his mental health challenges and the paradox of being dependent on Western medicine and other Western institutions (17:55)The capacity to laugh is what gets you through (22:16)The neurological capacity of an echidna (22:58)How secular gurus, influencers, are nudging people in horrible directions like fascism, autocracy, exclusionary politics (24:31) People get very depressed reading Sand Talk to where Tyson has to talk them off the ledge, similar to the effects of Post-Avatar Depression Syndrome (26:43)Tyson is a prototypical person, embodying the challenges of this metacrisis era: what if we all lean into the pain together? (28:45) Where did the mania go during the 2 years of COVID lockdowns? And the descent into hell with Virgil (30:45)Sacred altered states are supposed to happen in ceremony only; mental illness is seen as something that impairs your hearing in Aboriginal society (32:20)Magic is not meant to scale; it’s supposed to be part of your custodial role in caring for the landscape (34:25) Our hunger for Indigenous wisdom, for ancient wisdom, for nature’s wisdom (36:03)Resources & References – Part 1Tyson Yunkaporta, Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World*Tyson Yunkaporta, Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking*John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men*President Obama’s autobiography, A Promised Land*Ram Dass, spiritual teacher, master of acknowledging his mistakesDante Alighieri, Inferno*Tyson Yunkaporta, founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems LabWhat is Deacon’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab? (YouTube video)Tyson’s podcast, The Other Others* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Tyson Yunkaporta is an Aboriginal scholar, found

Ep. 102 (Part 1 of 2) | “What if I lean into the pain and come out the other side and survive it—and what if I take you with me, as the reader, and together we deal with our pain?” asks Tyson Yunkaporta, author, senior research fellow, founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab. Tyson embodies this era of metacrisis, actively working with the global issues of our time in his work and in his personal life. His books are paradigm rattling and his whole life is a contribution—bringing forth ways in which Aboriginal Indigenous knowledge can help us, stating the need to find a collective narrative we can all agree on in order to survive, expressing himself with utter authenticity, and pointing out emphatically that each one of us is a web of relations, and that’s what matters most.In his own uniquely raw, unguarded, authentic (and funny) way, Tyson describes his personal challenges with mental health and bipolar disorder and the states of mind he was in when he wrote his two books. Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World, was written in just weeks while manic. In dramatic contrast, Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking was written while wrestling with depression. Tyson talks about disinformation and how we collectively need to get to the “right story;” about Aboriginal culture and what it means to be living in a colony; the amazing psycho-technologies Aboriginals have to deal with grief; the radicalization and polarization exacerbated by COVID lockdowns in Australia; the similarity between Indigenous knowledge and the scientific method; the sacredness of magic and how this cannot be scaled. Tyson is a window into Aboriginal Indigenous knowledge and a brilliant translator of that wisdom for the rest of us. Recorded September 21, 2023.“If you can get a fellow like me to line up and share a narrative with everybody else and an agreement on what is real and what is not in the world, then I guess there’s going to be hope for everybody.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing artist, academic, author, podcast host, and founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab, Tyson Yunkaporta (01:21)Aboriginal & white Australia is really just one world, with Australia squatting on top: living in the overlap space of the Venn diagram (02:50)How we survive: Aboriginal culture has amazing psychotechnologies of mourning and excels at cultivating humor to effectively heal the grief from facing death so often (05:45) How the Aboriginals were indirectly responsible for the first corporation after spearing Dutchmen 500 years ago (06:57)Tyson’s new book, Right Story, Wrong Story spends a lot of time refuting his first book, Sand Talk (09:20)Sand Talk was written in a bipolar/manic episode in 2 weeks flat—it includes a lot of solid Indigenous wisdom as well as propaganda about Western institutions (09:51)Right Story/Wrong Story was written in a state of suicidal depression modeled on Dante’s Inferno (13:14)The effects of COVID and the harshest lockdowns on the planet on Aboriginal Australia & on Tyson (14:11)Right Story/Wrong Story looks at disinformation: how can we collectively get to the right story? (16:10)Tyson explains his mental health challenges and the paradox of being dependent on Western medicine and other Western institutions (17:55)The capacity to laugh is what gets you through (22:16)The neurological capacity of an echidna (22:58)How secular gurus, influencers, are nudging people in horrible directions like fascism, autocracy, exclusionary politics (24:31) People get very depressed reading Sand Talk to where Tyson has to talk them off the ledge, similar to the effects of Post-Avatar Depression Syndrome (26:43)Tyson is a prototypical person, embodying the challenges of this metacrisis era: what if we all lean into the pain together? (28:45) Where did the mania go during the 2 years of COVID lockdowns? And the descent into hell with Virgil (30:45)Sacred altered states are supposed to happen in ceremony only; mental illness is seen as something that impairs your hearing in Aboriginal society (32:20)Magic is not meant to scale; it’s supposed to be part of your custodial role in caring for the landscape (34:25) Our hunger for Indigenous wisdom, for ancient wisdom, for nature’s wisdom (36:03)Resources & References – Part 1Tyson Yunkaporta, Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World*Tyson Yunkaporta, Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking*Tyson Yunkaporta, founder of the Indigenous Knowledge Systems LabWhat is Deacon’s Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab? (YouTube video)Tyson’s podcast, The Other Others Venn diagramDante Alighieri, Inferno*Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteatersJordan Peterson’s YouTube channel: The Dr. Jordan B. Peterson PodcastThe movie Avatar&

Ep. 101 (Part 2 of 2) | With extraordinary joyfulness and verve, Native American shaman Charles Lawrence tells the inspiring and fascinating tale of how as a young man, he left psychology, religion, and the white man’s domesticated world in the dust when he became initiated on his journey by mythologist Joseph Campbell, and a paranormal world opened its doors. “If you have a destiny, you better go gracefully, or you’ll get dragged by your heels,” Campbell told him. Indeed, to this day, now in his late 80s, Charles follows the call to ceremonies and Elder Councils all over the world, sharing his sacred shamanic energy and wisdom in blessing and benefit for all. Part Blackfoot by origin, Charles was baptized by traditional Hopi Elders, adopted by elders of Lakota and Coast Salish (Musqueam band), and acknowledged and accepted by Native American tribes and Indigenous Peoples near and far. Here, Charles transmits his love of life, his fearlessness around death, and his easy familiarity with the multidimensionality of existence, the limitlessness in every moment. “Is there joy in this moment in time?” he asks. “If not, why not?”In regard to our collective future, Charles tells us that solutions await us beyond our normal consciousness; in relation to our personal yearning, he describes the transformative power of being seen, being witnessed for who we are at the deepest level, to free our souls and break out of the box. He urges us to sing, to dance, and to “cry our own cry.” (“Nobody has your cry, your experience. You’ve got to cry your own cry.”) Charles also shares his liberating approach to death (“Dying is simple, just pull out the clutch and go into neutral!”), about how he acquired “death medicine,” a wonderful ability to help people make the transition, and his own death medicine practice. One cannot help but be thoroughly inspired and reinvigorated listening to Charles—as Roger wrote him afterwards, “You left a legacy of joy in all of us. I will sing and laugh more and open the door wider to Mystery because of it. And try to practice my last 10 breaths.” Recorded June 1, 2023.“I live by deliberate intent, my default place is joy, my ultimate place is ecstasy.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Solutions are already waiting for us beyond the average consciousness (01:17)Being a hollow bone and how opening to the Mystery is an ongoing practice (03:42)Stepping over the threshold, you are not the same person coming out: how are you different now? (04:56)Once you have been witnessed, you are forever changed (07:10)Raisa Gorbachev, Grandmother Carolyn, a trip to Russia in 2001, and on to South Africa with the Bush people (11:18)Why buy death by default? Die individually and make it a glorious journey, take your last 10 breaths as a practice (14:30)What is death medicine? (17:05)Everything about the journey is sacred, everything is wakan, and some of us are wake-makers (18:47)Grief is one of our biggest teachers (20:14)What is it that’s just waiting at any moment to burst out of us in joy? (22:29)Singing and dancing: your joy is essential to the emotional well-being of the village (25:31)The multidimensionality of existence and the shadow issues of Western culture—but it can be win-win-win, a benefit for all beings (32:11)I live by deliberate intent, my default place is joy, my ultimate place is ecstasy (34:21)Charles sings a Wallace Black Elk song (36:18)Transpersonal spontaneity (37:56)Resources & References – Part 2Albert Einstein, “You can’t solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.”Rumi, “Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field…”Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat*Raisa Gorbacheva, Soviet-Russian activist & philanthropist, wife of Soviet leader Mikhail GorbachevKatherine MacLean, neuroscientist & psychedelic researcher at Johns Hopkins, author of Midnight Water: A Psychedelic Memoir*Islam-Judeo-Christian (IJC), religions centered around the worship of the God of AbrahamAdyashanti, American-born spiritual teacherLouis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World (YouTube video)Bruce Lipton, On the Future of Human Civilization (YouTube video)Carl Hammerschlag, The Dancing Healers: A Doctor’s Journey of Healing with Native Americans*Books by Roger Walsh: https://deeptransformation.io/books/#roger-walshGrandmother Carolyn (Carolyn Tawangyama) worked all over the world to promote world peace and spiritual growth. In her words: “A small group of people who overcome themselves will unite the prophecies and bring back unity for all people.”* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---The Personal Reality of Charles H. LawrenceWith a flash or two of lightning, a personal reality is shattered! Synchronously, the doors of

Ep. 100 (Part 1 of 2) | With extraordinary joyfulness and verve, Native American shaman Charles Lawrence tells the inspiring and fascinating tale of how as a young man, he left psychology, religion, and the white man’s domesticated world in the dust when he became initiated on his journey by mythologist Joseph Campbell, and a paranormal world opened its doors. “If you have a destiny, you better go gracefully, or you’ll get dragged by your heels,” Campbell told him. Indeed, to this day, now in his late 80s, Charles follows the call to ceremonies and Elder Councils all over the world, sharing his sacred shamanic energy and wisdom in blessing and benefit for all. Part Blackfoot by origin, Charles was baptized by traditional Hopi Elders, adopted by elders of Lakota and Coast Salish (Musqueam band), and acknowledged and accepted by Native American tribes and Indigenous Peoples near and far. Here, Charles transmits his love of life, his fearlessness around death, and his easy familiarity with the multidimensionality of existence, the limitlessness in every moment. “Is there joy in this moment in time?” he asks. “If not, why not?”In regard to our collective future, Charles tells us that solutions await us beyond our normal consciousness; in relation to our personal yearning, he describes the transformative power of being seen, being witnessed for who we are at the deepest level, to free our souls and break out of the box. He urges us to sing, to dance, and to “cry our own cry.” (“Nobody has your cry, your experience. You’ve got to cry your own cry.”) Charles also shares his liberating approach to death (“Dying is simple, just pull out the clutch and go into neutral!”), about how he acquired “death medicine,” a wonderful ability to help people make the transition, and his own death medicine practice. One cannot help but be thoroughly inspired and reinvigorated listening to Charles—as Roger wrote him afterwards, “You left a legacy of joy in all of us. I will sing and laugh more and open the door wider to Mystery because of it. And try to practice my last 10 breaths.” Recorded June 1, 2023.“What is it that’s just waiting at any moment to burst out of us in joy?“(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing psychologist and Native American shaman Charles Lawrence (01:04)How Charles left Western psychology & religion behind in the dust, beginning with his meeting mythologist Joseph Campbell and the opening of several paranormal doors (02:33)Living your destiny: follow the guidance, the intuition, whatever shows up (06:42)Native American wisdom has much medicine for us today; the knowing that everything is sacred (08:02)The Native American attunement to nature, sense of interconnection, and knowing that elders are to be revered contrasts sadly with our present culture (10:11)Charles’ call to meet Wallace Black Elk and his wife, Grace Spotted Eagle (12:17)Indigenous people’s special lens on reality and the death medicine tradition of the Ojibwe (14:23)Charles’ first Vision Quest in the Rockies while still a newbie (16:51)The Ghost Dance, the legend of the Broken Hoop, and inquiring into what would happen if we started gathering together again: weaving the basket of connection (19:10)How John came to travel with Wallace Black Elk, a man of connection and love with all beings (24:18)It still is the age of miracles! They don’t just happen in the Bible (27:14)How elders witness people, see people, and wake people up (28:06)Death medicine (helping people die): dying is simple, just push in the clutch and go into neutral (30:08)There is a difference between someone who is seeking something and someone who is sent (34:32)How Charles learned to talk to groups of hundreds of people with no microphone and fulfill the legacy, the prophecy, the path of destiny (36:20)Having a mission & being guided by something greater than you is an antidote to today’s cultural vacuum (37:10)What happened with John when Wallace Black Elk passed away (37:56)Resources & References – Part 1Joseph Campbell, professor, mythologist, author, The Hero with a Thousand Faces*Jean Houston, scholar, prolific author, visionary thinker, one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement  Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land*Swami Muktananda, founder of Siddha YogaJean Erdman, modern dance dancer and choreographer, avant-garde theater director (Joseph Cambell’s wife), co-founder of The Open Eye TheaterJoseph Campbell, Myths to Live By*Joseph Epes Brown, The Spiritual Legacy of the American Indian*Margaret Mead, Continuities in Cultural Evolution*, Culture and Commitment*Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, Life is a Pilgrimage*Wallace Black Elk, Native American shamanic teacher, Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a LakotaGrace Spotted Eagle: Thunder’s Grace: Walking the

Ep. 99 (Part 2 of 2) | In this riveting, disturbing, and hopeful conversation, addiction expert and recovery coach Dr. Bob Weathers explains the enormous difference it makes when we apply the Integral Model to addiction and recovery. It helps us cover all the bases in our understanding of addiction, from the neuroscientific to the spiritual, and offers a map for recovery in the form of integrated practices that target our physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and system-coping needs. Bob’s mission in life is to educate—his clients, treatment professionals, policy makers—everyone who is affected by addiction one way or another (which is pretty much everyone) about this set of perspectives that is comprehensive enough to address something as complex as addiction. Bob is deeply familiar with addiction and the suffering it causes on a firsthand basis, and he shares his own experience with an open heart. He is also well informed about the big picture of addiction and shares the latest statistics: 46.3 million Americans are currently clinically addicted—only 6% received treatment last year.What about the future of addiction? Technology is becoming increasingly capable of creating powerful “super stimuli,” making it ever more difficult for people to exercise self-restraint, and internet addiction and internet porn are through the roof. What can we do to influence the powers that be on a social/systemic level to guide us on a new path? One that recognizes that happiness correlates with connection, contribution, and flow rather than the never-ending quest for more acquisitions? Listening to this honest, heartfelt, and impassioned conversation, you will not be in the least surprised to find out Bob is the 2022 winner of the Most Dedicated Substance Abuse Education & Recovery Coach award. “Living a life of value, meaning, and purpose? If you want to talk about happiness, let’s talk about that.” Recorded May 15, 2023.“We have got to begin to find creative ways to endorse restraint at all levels of our society.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Making the turn towards recovery from addiction is like an “incredible lightness of liberation” (01:23)Transformative lifestyle changes (TLCs) and daily practice invite the grace to change (04:28)The crucial element of giving something up: surrendering self (06:50)Cultivating a daily practice of acceptance: How surrendered am I in this moment? (09:01)Addiction is a progressive disease—and it’s devolutionary (11:33)The changing face of addiction: internet addiction, internet porn, super stimuli, evolutionary traps, globesity (15:36)Is the plague of addiction going to get even worse? What happens when virtual reality goes online? (18:05)The importance of a soul-centric approach: finding your higher power and higher purpose (20:08)Richard Rawson’s research on the effect of drugs on the dopaminergic system in the body and the brain (23:44)46.3 million Americans are currently clinically addicted—only 6% received treatment last year (25:36)To be human is to be enslaved: acknowledge there is no way we can compete with the stimuli we’re evolving, and the importance of restraint (26:06)What can we do as educators? Educate towards shifting public policy to something better than incarceration; harm reduction as opposed to a zero tolerance policy (27:38)What correlates with happiness? The illusion of acquisitiveness and how the happiest people are the ones who give back (29:43)The cultural roots of addiction (30:44)What makes Integral Recovery integral? (32:17)How would you define addiction and why can’t we be inclusive? (34:21)Resources & References – Part 2Roger Walsh, Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLCs) Can Be Powerful MedicinesRalph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance*Tish Warren, thought leader on internet addiction,  Managing Screen Time is a Family Matter (New York Times opinion)Carl Jung, “individuation is an opus contra naturam”Richard Rawson, Associate Director of UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Current research on the epidemiology, medical and psychiatric effects, and treatment of methamphetamine use (National Library of Medicine)Gary Snyder, “the man who has the soul of the wolf knows the self-restraint of the wolf,” from Turtle Island*Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment*David Courtwright, Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World*What are the Four Quadrants? (Integral Life website)John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism & Addiction*The Journey of Integral Recovery podcast with John Dupuy and Douglas PraterDr. Bob Weathers, recovery coach: https://www.drbobweathers.com* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying p

Ep. 98 (Part 1 of 2) | In this riveting, disturbing, and hopeful conversation, addiction expert and recovery coach Dr. Bob Weathers explains the enormous difference it makes when we apply the Integral Model to addiction and recovery. It helps us cover all the bases in our understanding of addiction, from the neuroscientific to the spiritual, and offers a map for recovery in the form of integrated practices that target our physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and system-coping needs. Bob’s mission in life is to educate—his clients, treatment professionals, policy makers—everyone who is affected by addiction one way or another (which is pretty much everyone) about this set of perspectives that is comprehensive enough to address something as complex as addiction. Bob is deeply familiar with addiction and the suffering it causes on a firsthand basis, and he shares his own experience with an open heart. He is also well informed about the big picture of addiction and shares the latest statistics: 46.3 million Americans are currently clinically addicted—only 6% received treatment last year.What about the future of addiction? Technology is becoming increasingly capable of creating powerful “super stimuli,” making it ever more difficult for people to exercise self-restraint, and internet addiction and internet porn are through the roof. What can we do to influence the powers that be on a social/systemic level to guide us on a new path? One that recognizes that happiness correlates with connection, contribution, and flow rather than the never-ending quest for more acquisitions? Listening to this honest, heartfelt, and impassioned conversation, you will not be in the least surprised to find out Bob is the 2022 winner of the Most Dedicated Substance Abuse Education & Recovery Coach award. “Living a life of value, meaning, and purpose? If you want to talk about happiness, let’s talk about that.” Recorded May 15, 2023.“I’ll trade off the burdensomeness of addiction, of enslavement, any day for the freedom of transformative life practices.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing addiction expert, recovery coach, psychologist & author Dr. Bob Weathers (00:52)There are so many different perspectives on addiction and they often tend to be reductionistic (03:30)Fifty percent of people who see a therapist are clinically addicted (04:33)Bob’s own history with addiction and how he encountered 12-step meetings, Refuge Recovery, and eventually Integral Theory in the process of recovery (06:10)The neuroscience of addiction is often the missing piece in recovery and how incredibly important that piece is (11:39)The War on Drugs and the deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals in CA in the 70s resulted in drug related offenses accounting for 80% of those incarcerated (13:37)Providing conventional religious/spiritual responses to addiction doesn’t work for all (16:10)The road to recovery involves service (19:22)Do you need to have firsthand experience with addiction in order to understand and help addicts? And, the importance of knowing suffering (19:53)John’s portrait of addiction and the unspeakable hell of suffering it involves (23:15)John’s groundbreaking book, Integral Recovery, which applies the Integral Map to recovery (30:22)Where are we now with Integral Recovery and recovery in general? (34:15)How our understanding of the causes of addiction went from demonic possession to moral failure, from psychological to spiritual—and now is often a reductionistic neurological approach (36:10)One size does not fit all and the challenge of matching the treatment approach to the needs of each individual (38:28)It’s going to get worse as the technology to create & distribute drugs keeps getting more sophisticated (40:02)Integral practice is key: an integration of physical body practices, intellectual practices, interior/psychological practices, and spiritual practices (40:51)John’s song: A Drunk’s Prayer (45:32)Resources & References – Part 1Dr. Bob Weathers, recovery coach: https://www.drbobweathers.comDeane Shapiro & Roger Walsh, Meditation: Classic and Contemporary Perspectives*Noah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction*Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory: What is the Integral Approach? (Integral Life website)Ken Wilber, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution*John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism & Addiction*Guy du Plessis, An Integral Guide to Recovery: Twelve Steps and Beyond*Trauma-Informed Approach and Trauma Specific Interventions (MentalHealth.org)Attachment theoryInterpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) or relational neurobiologyKen Wilber’s Four Quadrants: What are the Four Quadrants? (Integral Life website)William Butler Yeats, “Things fall apart; th

Ep. 97 (Part 2 of 2) | In this moving, illuminating, and impassioned discussion, retired Police Lt. Chris Orrey and San Bruno Police Chief Ryan Johansen open our eyes as to the realities of policing in today’s world and offer solutions as to how the entire institution of police work could be transformed to become more effective and sustainable, both for police officers and for the communities they serve. Ryan and Chris explain that applying an Integral approach to police work—which BTW encompasses a lot more than simply law enforcement, to include the roles of social worker, mental health counselor, EMT, and more, in crisis situations—is exactly what is needed to turn around an institution that is controversial and flailing at this point. They point out that it is essential to prioritize officer wellness—not just physical wellness but interior wellness as well—and give officers the coping mechanisms and support they need to integrate the inevitable trauma of the job and role model resilience for the victims and survivors they interact with. An Integral understanding also paves the way for police leadership to become servant-based; where leadership puts the welfare of the officers first and foremost, and in turn, officers are in peak condition, mentally, physically, emotionally, to serve and protect their communities with compassion and skill.Nationwide, it is a time of catastrophic crisis in police recruitment and retention. Most departments are severely understaffed and morale is at a dangerous low. Chief Ryan’s San Bruno police department, however, is fully staffed and the officers have high morale. By applying the principles of the Integral Model and practicing a heartfelt, servant-based leadership style, Ryan has turned this national trend around. Whether policing impacts you directly or not, there is much to be gained by listening to this stirring conversation, which reveals so much about the realities of our society and the incredible courage, compassion, and outright nobility it takes to be a police officer—putting your life on the line to protect and serve others every single day. Recorded July 6, 2023.“I think that most police officers are exceptional human beings in that they are willing to endure tremendous suffering on behalf of others, most of whom they don’t know and will never actually get to know, and many of whom a lot of society has simply decided to bypass and would prefer to not even see.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The pendulum swing of society’s opinions about cops and the story of Isaac Woodard (01:26)We can’t ignore what communities have suffered at the hands of police officers—historically and currently (04:58)What would Ryan do to make things better for officers? Focus on legitimately taking better care of cops (06:24)What the pendulum swing is doing today: the middle way is the right way (07:44)The developmental levels aspect of the Integral model holds great promise for policing (09:22)The expectation of officers to check their whole identity/personality at the door and California’s allowance of tattoos and other physical details (15:45)How do we help a community see cops as people like them? Overcoming the us vs. them mentality (17:45)How to develop officers as exceptional people who will show up? (19:42)If cops internalize the idea that their paramount purpose is to defend and protect human life, it will help them make the right split-second decision (22:13)We as individuals project everything from our personal traumas, relationship to authority figures, etc. onto police officers (26:52)Conveying to cops that their fundamental role is to protect people at all developmental levels— that’s what makes being a cop so noble (29:23)Bringing the Integral understanding to cops can make an enormous difference to both police officers and communities (31:13)The current catastrophic recruitment & retention crisis is pushing cops we do have out and deterring new officers (33:37)How do Chris and Ryan nurture themselves in this process? (36:24)Setting the example and prioritizing wellness practices—they are part of cops’ service (38:40)The importance and effectiveness of Integral Life Practice: practicing with iAwake Technologies’ brainwave entraining audio tracks, biofeedback & HRV regulation (41:04)Resources & References – Part 2Police Executive Research ForumGeorge Floyd’s murder by a police officer in May 2020 had global impact on the issue of police brutality and reignited the Black Lives Matter movementIsaac Woodard, African-American WWII veteran beaten by police hours after he was honorably discharged and still in uniform for nothing more than standing up for his dignity on a bus—an event that galvanized the Civil Rights movementOrson Welles Radio ProgramsBrown v. Board of Education ruled that racial segregation in schools is

Ep. 96 (Part 1 of 2) | In this moving, illuminating, and impassioned discussion, retired Police Lt. Chris Orrey and San Bruno Police Chief Ryan Johansen open our eyes as to the realities of policing in today’s world and offer solutions as to how the entire institution of police work could be transformed to become more effective and sustainable, both for police officers and for the communities they serve. Ryan and Chris explain that applying an Integral approach to police work—which BTW encompasses a lot more than simply law enforcement, to include the roles of social worker, mental health counselor, EMT, and more, in crisis situations—is exactly what is needed to turn around an institution that is controversial and flailing at this point. They point out that it is essential to prioritize officer wellness—not just physical wellness but interior wellness as well—and give officers the coping mechanisms and support they need to integrate the inevitable trauma of the job and role model resilience for the victims and survivors they interact with. An Integral understanding also paves the way for police leadership to become servant-based; where leadership puts the welfare of the officers first and foremost, and in turn, officers are in peak condition, mentally, physically, emotionally, to serve and protect their communities with compassion and skill.Nationwide, it is a time of catastrophic crisis in police recruitment and retention. Most departments are severely understaffed and morale is at a dangerous low. Chief Ryan’s San Bruno police department, however, is fully staffed and the officers have high morale. By applying the principles of the Integral Model and practicing a heartfelt, servant-based leadership style, Ryan has turned this national trend around. Whether policing impacts you directly or not, there is much to be gained by listening to this stirring conversation, which reveals so much about the realities of our society and the incredible courage, compassion, and outright nobility it takes to be a police officer—putting your life on the line to protect and serve others every single day. Recorded July 6, 2023.“The only way to meet the community demands of modern day policing Is to deploy officers who are healthy, happy, and well adjusted human beings, with a deep commitment to a well articulated purpose.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing San Bruno Police Chief Ryan Johansen and retired police Lt. Chris Orrey (01:00)What does it mean to be integrally informed? (04:46)Law enforcement is possibly the smallest component of what police do: the larger picture includes the roles of social worker, mental health counselor, big sister/big brother, emergency medical personnel, and more (05:49)Good cops embrace the role of societal “backstop” and excel at working with other agencies who carry on after the initial emergency (09:59)Is the training for cops enough? It’s gone from 3 months to 6 months (in CA), but it could really benefit from an Integral perspective (13:53)Training is often used as a scapegoat: every time there is a problem in policing people say this is a training issue, but whose fault is it really? (17:20)Integral leadership is essential in modern day policing (19:59)The four quadrants explained and how they apply to police reform (22:32)Healthy & toxic cultures in a police department are just like any other organization; they stem from how cops are taught to cope with the job and how they identify as a group (24:31)The goal is resilience: cops need to embrace the trauma of the job and integrate it; trauma + integration = resilience (25:59)A good integration requires a deep rooted peer support program, confidential counseling, a full paid hour of physically working out the stress of the job, wellness time, mindfulness training (27:53)Reframing trauma as not just a horror to be repressed but as an inevitable part of the profession that needs to be honored (31:04)Reframing trauma can also help cops better identify with victims and survivors and model that we can emerge stronger for going through the trauma (31:49)The top sources of stress for a police officer are 1) watching what humans are capable of doing to others, especially children, and 2) their own police administration (34:30)The double standard of expecting officers to practice procedural justice on the street when leadership is not practicing organizational justice to the cops (38:24)The critical importance of servant-based leadership (39:15)Resources & References – Part 1U.S. Dept of Justice’s FTO (Field Training Officer) Training GuideInstitute of Applied Metatheory: Integral Policing Transformation InitiativeKen Wilber’s Integral Theory & the Integral Life websiteBuild Your Integral Life (Integral Life course)Ken Wilber, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution*What Are the Four Quadra

Ep. 95 (Part 2 of 2) | Author, activist, and humorist Steve Bhaerman (aka Swami Beyondananda) realized the power of humor as well as his talent for making people laugh early on, when his schoolmates would laugh so hard, milk would come out of their nose. Steve’s spiritual and psychological wisdom, his deep love and concern for humanity, and his clever, refreshing humor come together in a perfect triad to create the wise, inspired, and funny political and spiritual commentary that have delighted so many for so long. Steve’s mission is to bring people together to work for the things everybody wants—rather than a tug of war, his vision is of a tug of peace, all pulling in the same direction. He has seen over and over how effective comic relief is at bridging people’s differences; it can even disrupt dualistic thinking to where oneness becomes real and unity is achieved.Steve’s sidekick, Swami Beyondananda, will make you laugh and his humorous perspective on the great issues of our time (like truth decay) and insights about how we can create a more positive future for ourselves (like self-facing laughter and tantrum yoga) really help to lighten the load. Hope is transmitted through levity and we find we can all laugh at human behavior together. Steve explains that with laughter we release emotions, trauma, and mental structures because truth is being liberated, and that comedy’s role is to deconstruct toxic narratives yet leave people standing. In this conversation, you will experience the power of humor to make even the dire circumstances of today’s world feel a bit lighter—Steve/Swami’s inspired comedy is not only politically astute but palpably heartwarming. Recorded August 10, 2023.“We need to create a sane and sacred center that transcends both religion and non-religion…bring left, right, front and center to face the music and dance together.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Swami’s take on Donald Trump (01:36)The shadow side of well meaning liberal progressives (02:20)The trans-humanist movement: don’t neglect real intelligence (04:37)Believing in the primacy of the human mind is as dangerous as right-wing totalitarianism (05:17)Steve never does comedy to hurt anyone, but Swami knows how to insult people when necessary (05:32)How the progressive movement has heightened sensitivities to the point where comedians won’t perform on college campuses (09:55)Breaking the trance of people believing insane things (11:42)Humor disrupts dualistic thinking and puts things together in a new way—we like it when our mind is tricked (13:27)Steve’s podcast, Front and Center: From Political Battlefields to Cooperative Playing Fields (16:26)Lesser evil politics always empowers evil (17:08)As spirituality evolves, it recognizes everyone has to have a relationship with the transcendent (17:59)Reuniting the cosmos in love and practicing virtues can bring heaven to Earth (20:21)The future of spirituality combines walking the talk, being the love that you are, and releasing the grip of the ego with all of its insecurities and paranoias (21:49)How humor evolves in 4 stages: what we laugh at as we develop (23:31)With laughter we can release emotions, trauma, and mental structures because truth is being liberated (24:20)Comedy has always been anti-authoritarian and why there are no humorous right-wingers (29:26)People don’t want to be canceled by their tribe, and the casualty of nuance (32:48)The high level of public intimidation going on, transgenderism, and how the left is the new corporate party (35:39)Steve’s mission is to bring people together to work for what everybody wants (38:04)Resources & References – Part 2Voltaire, “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”Henny Youngman, comedian and musician, master of one-liners and famous for his “wife” jokesSwami Satchidananda, “Nothing will make you enlightened.”Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Giggling GuruSt. Maximus the Confessor, Christian monk, theologian, and scholar who coined the phrase cosmic love in the 8th centuryElaine Park, The Habits of Unity: Twelve Months to a Stronger America… One Citizen at a TimeMel Brooks & Carl Reiner, The 2000 Year Old Man (YouTube video)Bill Maher, comedian and political satiristJimmy Dore, comedian, political commentator, conspiracy theorist, host of The Jimmy Dore ShowStephen Colbert, comedian, producer, political commentator, TV hostCharlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator (1941 trailer on YouTube)Groucho Marx, Duck Soup (1933 trailer on YouTube)George Carlin, comedian, actor, author, social criticMartine Rothblatt, From Transgender to Transhuman: A Manifesto On the Freedom Of Form*12Habits4AllofUs.org: The 12 Practices of UnityRichard Flyer, created the conscious community network in Reno, Connecting the Good, a radically inclusive groupMartin

Ep. 94 (Part 1 of 2) | Author, activist, and humorist Steve Bhaerman (aka Swami Beyondananda) realized the power of humor as well as his talent for making people laugh early on, when his schoolmates would laugh so hard, milk would come out of their nose. Steve’s spiritual and psychological wisdom, his deep love and concern for humanity, and his clever, refreshing humor come together in a perfect triad to create the wise, inspired, and funny political and spiritual commentary that have delighted so many for so long. Steve’s mission is to bring people together to work for the things everybody wants—rather than a tug of war, his vision is of a tug of peace, all pulling in the same direction. He has seen over and over how effective comic relief is at bridging people’s differences; it can even disrupt dualistic thinking to where oneness becomes real and unity is achieved.Steve’s sidekick, Swami Beyondananda, will make you laugh and his humorous perspective on the great issues of our time (like truth decay) and insights about how we can create a more positive future for ourselves (like self-facing laughter and tantrum yoga) really help to lighten the load. Hope is transmitted through levity and we find we can all laugh at human behavior together. Steve explains that with laughter we release emotions, trauma, and mental structures because truth is being liberated, and that comedy’s role is to deconstruct toxic narratives yet leave people standing. In this conversation, you will experience the power of humor to make even the dire circumstances of today’s world feel a bit lighter—Steve/Swami’s inspired comedy is not only politically astute but palpably heartwarming. Recorded August 10, 2023.“The creator is watching the comedy channel and we decide what’s on.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Swami Beyondananda (the comedian Roger wanted to be when he grew up) who integrates humor, wisdom & spirituality (01:15)What is Swami’s spiritual orientation? FUNdamentalism (05:27)The Great Up-wising: wake up, wise up, grow up, show up (06:33)Levity vs gravity: laughing creates endorphins, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens our immune system (08:23)Crisis precipitates evolution: the challenge of our times (10:32)Why is mindfulness so important? Because so many people are suffering from mindFULLness! (13:03)How do you know if you are enlightened? (14:42)How do you release the grip of the ego? (16:17)Roger represents emptiness and John is full of it (16:55)Whatever your problem is, nothing will help (17:45) How to get beyond political polarization: leave the identity issues, focus on the identical issues that everybody faces (19:20)Creating a sane asylum: developing cosmic comic consciousness and practicing tantrum yoga (22:58)A story about praying for peace in the Middle East (24:59)Instead of a tug of war, let’s have a tug of peace, where we all pull together (29:19)What is Swami’s take on the climate issue? We need warmer hearts, cooler heads, and to restore balance on Earth (30:05)What is the secret for human happiness? (32:09)Introducing Steve Bhaerman, author, political humorist, and the story of how his character Swami Beyondananda came to be (34:05)Pumping ironies and laughing together at human behavior (38:43)Resources & References – Part 1Swami and Steve’s website: Wake Up Laughing.comSteve’s podcast, Front and Center with Steve and Michael: From Political Battlefields to Cooperative Playing FieldsSteve’s Wiki Politiki Radio ShowBruce Lipton & Steve Bhaerman, Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here*Norman Cousins, Anatomy of an Illness*Arthur Deikman’s test of enlightenment: Ask the spouseCommon Ground was the San Francisco Bay Area’s Magazine for Conscious Community since 1974 (no longer in publication)Yuval Harari, author of science bestsellers: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind*, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow*, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century*12Habits4AllofUs.org: The 12 Practices of Unity* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Steve Bhaerman is an internationally known author, humorist, and workshop leader. For the past 36 years, he has written and performed as Swami Beyondananda, the “Cosmic Comic.” Swami’s comedy has been called “irreverently uplifting” and has been described both as “comedy disguised as wisdom” and “wisdom disguised as comedy.” Author Marianne Williamson has called him “the Mark Twain of our generation.”As the Swami, Steve is the author of Driving Your Own Karma (1989), When You See a Sacred Cow, Milk It For All It’s Worth (1993), Duck Soup for the Soul (1999), and Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction&nbs

Ep. 92 (Part 2 of 2) | Integral psychotherapist Mark Forman, author of the seminal work A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy, doesn’t mince words when it comes to the field he is passionate about: helping people out of their mental pain and dysphoria. Mark’s Integral perspective and longtime work in the trenches—with clients from all income levels, political persuasions, and levels of development—put him in a unique position to illuminate us as to the nuances of the hot button issues new to psychotherapy or ones that have suddenly exploded in numbers: misuse of the term trauma and its diagnostic creep, what the research says about the effectiveness of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders and what that portends for the future, the exponentially growing trend of teenage girls deciding they are transgender and the crying need for more data to help with counseling transgender and trans-curious youth, what is causing the loneliness epidemic, the pressing need to reimagine the male role to balance how feminism has changed the female role, and more. Mark describes the “therapeutic zone” that can happen in therapy when inspiration strikes, and shares the latest research on what makes therapists into “super-shrinks” who have client outcomes ten times better than average. He also relates how living in our psychologized culture affects therapy, and how it can get tricky when therapist and client are at different levels of development. Mark’s vast knowledge and big heart shine through the many topics he delves into and his tales of actual therapeutic encounters are eye opening and moving. This is an impassioned, courageous conversation on the front lines of mental health and psychotherapy. Recorded May 4, 2023.“Reflective listening is the beating heart of all therapy.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Trauma is less severe where there is a sense of purpose & meaning (00:50)The “gifts” trauma can offer: post traumatic growth, a resiliency generating idea that you can give back, take part, reduce someone else’s suffering (04:19)What makes psychotherapy so effective? Research suggests it’s an individual thing rather than which psychological school the therapist follows (07:07)The matrix problem: it’s almost impossible to define outcome measures (09:38)What does research show makes the biggest difference in outcomes? Super-shrinks make a lot of room for negative feedback (11:34)The therapeutic zone: conceptual curiosity, receptive listening, and dropping into the witness or pure awareness (23:08)The developmental stage of the therapist’s effect on the client: where it gets tricky is if the client is in a later stage of development than the therapist (27:40)Reflective listening is the beating heart of all therapy (36:59)Recent research on psychedelic therapy is showing it is amazingly effective: psilocybin for depression and MDMA for PTSD (38:06)Will the psychedelic therapy bubble burst when the risks become more apparent? (44:46)What about ketamine? (47:57)Trans issues in psychotherapy: the controversy is really over what is the appropriate age to socially transition versus the various steps of medical transition (51:28)Trending upwards exponentially: teenage girls suddenly deciding they are transgender—is this a “social contagion”? What is the right pace of care? (56:39)Are there inherent dangers with surgery? What happens with puberty blockers? (01:00:24)Trans-curious youth, are we treating youth in the most cautious way? And the big need for research and data (01:02:42)Resources & References – Part 2Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning*Michael Lambert, Benjamin Ogles, Scott Fields, Essentials of Outcome Assessment*Scott Miller, Mark Hubble, Daryl Chow, Better Results: Using Deliberate Practice to Improve Therapeutic Effectiveness*Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, guru of nondualism, author of I Am That*Carl Rogers, one of the founders of humanistic psychology, master of reflective listeningRoland Griffiths, director, Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins press release on Griffiths’ 2006 psilocybin studyStanislav Grof, LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious*Don Lattin, Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy*Transgender health care and gender-affirming careAmerican Psychological Association (APA) Mark Forman, A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy: Complexity, Integration, and Spirituality in Practice*Mark Forman, The Monster’s Journey: From Trauma to Connection*Mark Forman’s website: http://www.drmarkforman.com/* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Mark Forman, PhD is a licensed...

Ep. 91 (Part 1 of 2) | Integral psychotherapist Mark Forman, author of the seminal work A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy, doesn’t mince words when it comes to the field he is passionate about: helping people out of their mental pain and dysphoria. Mark’s Integral perspective and longtime work in the trenches—with clients from all income levels, political persuasions, and levels of development—put him in a unique position to illuminate us as to the nuances of the hot button issues new to psychotherapy or ones that have suddenly exploded in numbers: misuse of the term trauma and its diagnostic creep, what the research says about the effectiveness of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders and what that portends for the future, the exponentially growing trend of teenage girls deciding they are transgender and the crying need for more data to help with counseling transgender and trans-curious youth, what is causing the loneliness epidemic, the pressing need to reimagine the male role to balance how feminism has changed the female role, and more. Mark describes the “therapeutic zone” that can happen in therapy when inspiration strikes, and shares the latest research on what makes therapists into “super-shrinks” who have client outcomes ten times better than average. He also relates how living in our psychologized culture affects therapy, and how it can get tricky when therapist and client are at different levels of development. Mark’s vast knowledge and big heart shine through the many topics he delves into and his tales of actual therapeutic encounters are eye opening and moving. This is an impassioned, courageous conversation on the front lines of mental health and psychotherapy. Recorded May 4, 2023.“The therapist is the priest of our times…imbued with a certain amount of metaphysical responsibility. So when the therapeutic field gets out of balance, it makes a difference.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Integral psychotherapist Mark Forman, author of A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy and The Monster’s Journey: From Trauma to Connection (00:52)How we have moved from the animistic to the religious to the scientific worldview, and now look at the world through a predominantly psychological perspective (02:25)42 million people in the U.S. interacted with therapy or counseling, which is up 20 million people from the year 2000 (03:41)The therapist is the priest of our times…imbued with a certain amount of metaphysical responsibility. So when the therapeutic field gets out of balance, it makes a difference (06:41)Has there been a shift in what clients are bringing up? It’s still often about love or work, as Freud said; diagnoses are depression, anxiety, panic disorder, bipolar, eating disorders, substance abuse (09:20)What might be new is people venting their political worries, gender dynamics, and how informed people are about psychology, largely via the internet (10:45)Positive effects of people being more informed about their own condition (13:35)What are the negative effects of the psychologization of our culture? Falsely self-labeling disorders (15:25)The paradoxical nature of labels and the skillful use of labels (20:15)The phenomenon of diagnostic creep in recent decades, especially in regard to trauma (24:53)Kaiser’s study of 17,000 members provided a watershed moment correlating cause and outcome: 65% of adults had a traumatic event in childhood (abandonment, abuse), and the more boxes people checked, the worse their mental & physical outcomes were (27:40)Mark has found the hero’s journey motif doesn’t apply with people who suffered early childhood trauma (31:11)The magic quality of resilience (33:23)The widespread mistake of inflating upsets to trauma status and its effect of negating the research (33:54) The concept of “self as instrument” (40:48)Differentiating between real trauma and upsetting events (43:10)What are the forces making trauma labeling so popular: absolving ourselves of responsibility and playing the victim role (45:24)The role of the therapist is validating people’s pain, while offering a more practical, moderated narrative that is not so fire & brimstone: trauma means there is a lasting imprint on brain, body, nervous system, psyche (49:16)The supershrink literature: what constitutes the most effective therapist? (52:08)Resources & References – Part 1Mark Forman, A Guide to Integral Psychotherapy: Complexity, Integration, and Spirituality in Practice*Mark Forman, The Monster’s Journey: From Trauma to Connection*Mark Forman’s website: http://www.drmarkforman.com/Sigmund Freud: “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.”Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)The Rumpelstiltskin PrincipleDiagnosis creep, expanding disease definitionsTh

Ep. 90 (Part 2 of 2) | Award-winning educator and activist Shakil Choudhury is the author of the outstanding book Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice, and in this potent conversation we learn a lot we perhaps didn’t know about the psychological, emotional, and neurobiological reasons for our ingrained biases, and the systemic bias in the culture at large. How and why do we discriminate? Many of our biases are hidden in the unconscious, which makes it that much harder to bring them into the light so we can begin to understand what’s going on and find ways to move ourselves and society toward justice and equity. Shakil explains that changing societal norms is at the heart of the battle for racial and social justice, as our habitual cultural behaviors tend to be viewed as legitimate, normal, and natural, when actually they may be outdated, off base, offensive, and unjust. Shakil deftly lines us out with specific steps we can take to recognize and change our own behaviors, as well as actions organizational leaders can take to effect change on a broader level.Shakil contends that educating people to become diversity and equity literate is the first essential step, and the 360-hour program he has designed to this end has proven very effective. Once people see the data, they cannot help understanding the drivers of racial and social injustice more clearly, which leads to the place where real transformation can happen. Shakil’s extraordinarily insightful and illuminating approach is fueled by many years of contemplative practice, and he leaves us with a vision of what we are fighting for—not just what we are fighting against—based on Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of Beloved Community. Small groups of dedicated people have managed to successfully nudge societal norms in the direction of justice in the past, and this conversation and Shakil’s book, Deep Diversity, most certainly contribute a compassionate nudge in the right direction. Bit by bit, recognizing that this is a journey, Shakil conveys both the means and the hope that justice will prevail. Recorded April 26, 2023.“Can we hold the tension between our common humanity and our differences simultaneously?”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2How classism and racism come together, and the importance of asking the right questions about the variables that affect equality and diversity in our culture (01:43)Culture wide hypnosis and cultural hegemony (05:03)Where are we now as a species? We have made progress…but this doesn’t mean people are happy about the changes (07:03)System justification theory: we justify the system no matter what because we’re herd people (08:29)Changing the norms of society is the whole battle: small groups on the right side of justice can create a culture change (09:20)People coming together for shared purpose is deeply meaningful; contact activates empathy (11:17)The more we can see this as a literacy project, the more clearly we’re able to see the problems, the behavioral patterns (15:10)The data does not validate the fear that is being expressed about women and people of color getting preferential treatment (19:24)The empathy response to people who are like us and the threat response with people unlike us are biological responses (25:51)Does being on the right side of justice require a postconventional stage of development? (27:14) What can organizational leaders aspire to? Moving from a reactive form of leadership to a pro-active, responsive form of leadership (28:26)Listening, doing the pre-work, building relationships, and asking the right questions (36:21)Racial justice & equity, diversity and inclusion—what are we fighting for? Dr. Martin Luther King’s concept of Beloved Community (39:21)Can we hold the tension between our common humanity and our differences simultaneously? (42:06)Resources & References – Part 2Shakil Choudhury, Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice*References for the research studies mentioned in this podcast can be found in Shakil’s book, Deep Diversity*Ayn Rand, creator of the philosophy Objectivism, and author of the bestselling novel Atlas Shrugged*, The Fountainhead*, et. al.Cultural hegemonyThe Anglican hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful (“The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate…” This verse is now often omitted from the song.)System justification theoryDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of The Beloved CommunityShakil Choudhury, co-founder & Chief Visionary Officer, Anima Institute: A Compassionate Approach to Racial Justice, offering innovative organizational change and training solutions to nurture inclusive, productive workplaces and communities* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

Ep. 89 (Part 1 of 2) | Award-winning educator and activist Shakil Choudhury is the author of the outstanding book Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice, and in this potent conversation we learn a lot we perhaps didn’t know about the psychological, emotional, and neurobiological reasons for our ingrained biases, and the systemic bias in the culture at large. How and why do we discriminate? Many of our biases are hidden in the unconscious, which makes it that much harder to bring them into the light so we can begin to understand what’s going on and find ways to move ourselves and society toward justice and equity. Shakil explains that changing societal norms is at the heart of the battle for racial and social justice, as our habitual cultural behaviors tend to be viewed as legitimate, normal, and natural, when actually they may be outdated, off base, offensive, and unjust. Shakil deftly lines us out with specific steps we can take to recognize and change our own behaviors, as well as actions organizational leaders can take to effect change on a broader level.Shakil contends that educating people to become diversity and equity literate is the first essential step, and the 360-hour program he has designed to this end has proven very effective. Once people see the data, they cannot help understanding the drivers of racial and social injustice more clearly, which leads to the place where real transformation can happen. Shakil’s extraordinarily insightful and illuminating approach is fueled by many years of contemplative practice, and he leaves us with a vision of what we are fighting for—not just what we are fighting against—based on Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of Beloved Community. Small groups of dedicated people have managed to successfully nudge societal norms in the direction of justice in the past, and this conversation and Shakil’s book, Deep Diversity, most certainly contribute a compassionate nudge in the right direction. Bit by bit, recognizing that this is a journey, Shakil conveys both the means and the hope that justice will prevail. Recorded April 26, 2023.“Can we hold the tension between our common humanity and our differences simultaneously?”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Shakil Choudhury, award-winning educator, racial justice & equity activist, author of Deep Diversity (01:17)How did Shakil come to create this “deep diversity” approach to racial justice and equity work? (02:15)Shakil’s healing journey: finding inner freedom, the world began to look different (03:16)The historical and sociological perspectives help us understand how we got here but it’s the emotional and psychological perspectives that can help us understand why we do what we do (05:38)The unconscious role of emotions, bias, identity, and power (08:11)Cultural diversity, wokeism, ethnocentricity, and how to talk with people at a traditional level of development about racism (10:54)How to get the most people on the side of justice? Let’s make it as easy as possible for people: agnosticizing racial justice and equity work (14:37) Racism is a systemic problem: it’s more than hate crimes, the KKK, and neo-Nazis, more than “spot the bigot” (16:27) We have to help people become systems thinkers: the key is pattern recognition (18:48)Moving racial justice work from an urgency project to a literacy project: changing behavioral patterns is like developing literacy, once you can read, you never stop (19:14) We need to bring forward a framework to make it easier for people to accept that becoming educated about diversity is a journey (22:55)What are effective interventions to begin to change specific behaviors? (26:33)Countering stereotypes: training ourselves to catch our biases when they show up (28:00)Shakil was socialized with a pro-white bias like the rest of society—our biases are not individual problems but a systems problem (31:41)What can we do on an individual level? (33:08)Internalized racism, sexism, and the unconscious nature of our biases (39:31)The ways in which the privileged are unaware of the realities of their own privilege and power: privilege is like a tailwind at your back (41:00)Resources & References – Part 1Shakil Choudhury, Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice* (Research and data references can be accessed in Deep Diversity*)Shakil Choudhury, co-founder & Chief Visionary Officer, Anima Institute: A Compassionate Approach to Racial Justice, offering innovative organizational change and training solutions to nurture inclusive, productive workplaces and communities* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Shakil Choudhury, M.E.S., B.Ed., B.P.E., co-founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Anima Institute, is an aw

Ep. 88 (Part 2 of 2) | Climate change researcher, sustainable development expert, and activist Gail Hochachka works on the front lines of climate change research, asking—and answering—questions like: How does the way we make meaning, at all our different stages of development, relate to the ways we act on climate change? How can we foster more engagement with climate change? Is climate action scalable? And how are we going to show up for the people who are facing the greatest impacts? So far, in searching for solutions, we have largely neglected tapping into the human dimensions of the problem—the ways we understand climate change, the ways we respond, and the ways we can communicate together and make decisions about how to act. Herein lies the potential to come up with more viable solutions than we have so far, and this is the focus of Gail’s current research.Climate change is such a hugely complex and also emotional issue, it is understandably hard for anyone to wrap their head around it, Gail tells us, but the good news is that research is showing that taking action—in whatever way seems most appropriate and meaningful to each individual—is scalable, and that there are ways, which Gail outlines, of creating meaningful communication between people who have very different understandings, to where people can actually come to a place of agreement on how to move forward. Gail’s deep understanding of integral theory and stages of psychological development, combined with her extensive experience in sustainable development, gives her a uniquely insightful perspective on ways of confronting the climate challenge. Gail relates that, surprisingly, a positive way to look at climate change has come to light, which is that climate change is actually presenting us with an opportunity—an opportunity to become more conscious about the way we live, to the great benefit of people and planet. Recorded January 18, 2023.“We know that individuals collectively created the problem of climate change…but when it comes to solutions, we don’t honor that we individuals count.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Research shows that a sense of the spiritual arises in later stage development (01:40)At later stage development, climate change presents us with an opportunity to be more conscious as to how we live our lives (03:06)Climate change scientists only represent a narrow bandwidth of psychological development (05:43)Research shows, even if we come from different understandings, we can have conversations and find ways to act that we agree upon (07:41)Psychic benefits and how later stage individuals show up in every group (09:26)What brought Gail into this field of study and research? (13:08)Is how women approach climate change different than how men do? (18:30)Social holons and sub holons: the group’s center of gravity will either grow you or limit you (20:53)Mentors and the paradox of success (23:06)How predictable are the outcomes of our changing environment? (25:26)We have the physio sphere, the biosphere & the noosphere—it is the noosphere that would be the first to go (27:28)How are we going to show up for people who are feeling the greatest impacts? (31:55)Double exposure, overlays, looking at communities facing multiple issues: which part of this ball of yarn are we going to pull? (33:12)How to avoid the single issue fallacy, single cause fallacy, and single solution fallacy, in order to maintain civilization (35:27)The extent to which you cross your own value action gap, sustainability does scale—there is an enactment in this moment that has ripple effects (36:36)Resources & References – Part 2The STAGES model of ego developmentTom Murray, Emerge podcast on Wisdom SkillsSee also Deep Transformation podcast with Beena Sharma, Vertical Development’s Many Gifts (on YouTube)Robert Kegan, The Evolving Self*Venn diagramKen Wilber, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution*Corey deVos, Holons: The Building Blocks of the Universe (on Integral Life)John O’Neil, The Paradox of Success*David Christian, Maps of Time*Morphogenetic fieldsAndrew Harvey’s Institute for Sacred ActivismGail Hochachka’s website: https://www.gailhochachka.comGail’s recent publications: https://www.gailhochachka.com/publications* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Finding One’s Own Soul-Centric Climate Action [Live Online Course]with Gail Hochachka & Lisa Gibson, August 16th & 23rd, 12 pm Mountain Time---Gail Hochachka, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D. works with the human dimensions of climate change using a transdisciplinary, integral approach. Her work focuses on understanding how people make meaning of climate change and how to engage with diverse groups towards a shared sense of the climate challenge. Her research has been published in various

Ep. 87 (Part 1 of 2) | Climate change researcher, sustainable development expert, and activist Gail Hochachka works on the front lines of climate change research, asking—and answering—questions like: How does the way we make meaning, at all our different stages of development, relate to the ways we act on climate change? How can we foster more engagement with climate change? Is climate action scalable? And how are we going to show up for the people who are facing the greatest impacts? So far, in searching for solutions, we have largely neglected tapping into the human dimensions of the problem—the ways we understand climate change, the ways we respond, and the ways we can communicate together and make decisions about how to act. Herein lies the potential to come up with more viable solutions than we have so far, and this is the focus of Gail’s current research.Climate change is such a hugely complex and also emotional issue, it is understandably hard for anyone to wrap their head around it, Gail tells us, but the good news is that research is showing that taking action—in whatever way seems most appropriate and meaningful to each individual—is scalable, and that there are ways, which Gail outlines, of creating meaningful communication between people who have very different understandings, to where people can actually come to a place of agreement on how to move forward. Gail’s deep understanding of integral theory and stages of psychological development, combined with her extensive experience in sustainable development, gives her a uniquely insightful perspective on ways of confronting the climate challenge. Gail relates that, surprisingly, a positive way to look at climate change has come to light, which is that climate change is actually presenting us with an opportunity—an opportunity to become more conscious about the way we live, to the great benefit of people and planet. Recorded January 18, 2023.“We know that individuals collectively created the problem of climate change…but when it comes to solutions, we don’t honor that we individuals count.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Gail Hochachka, climate change expert & researcher at the University of British Columbia, who brings a profound integral understanding to the way we look at climate change (01:05)What are the most exciting research findings? Global problems are actually global symptoms, and we need to look at what shaped the actual problems to come up with effective solutions (02:24)When we integrate the human dimensions into the global environmental problems, solutions become more apparent (03:47)How much of climate change can we actually make meaning of? We make a whole mental model based on only a fragment of the problem (04:32)The knowledge deficit model: do we do the right thing and respond skillfully if we have all the knowledge we need? No. (06:15)The value action gap in climate change: when it comes to making changes in our lifestyle, we don’t (08:24)The need to foster worldcentric awareness in order to foster climate action (10:08)Gnostic intermediaries: speaking across different cultures, translating concepts across space & time, translating meaning across developmental stages (13:14) How to approach engagement on environmental issues and the 5 why’s of what is most important to people (15:16)How to get people together and discuss climate change (18:54)Considering supply chains and the individuals who add value at each stage of the chain allows people to realize both common ground and that these are problems we all share (23:20)Interdependence reflection: reflecting on Indra’s net ends up as a meditation on boundless gratitude (27:10) We’re all talking from our fragments (29:47)Later stages of development and of meaning making make for more flexibility around your attachment to yourself, greater self-responsibility (30:32)Recommended climate change adaptations and indigenous cosmologies: given sovereignty of their own meaning making, the solutions are better connected to reality—and more likely to be implemented (36:03)Re-owning your sovereignty in relation to the issue is very empowering (38:43)The process of “photovoice:” taking photos in response to the question, what does climate change mean to me? (39:57)How does meaning making change as we mature developmentally? The object of awareness becomes more subtle, the complexity of thought changes, and the future comes more online (41:53)Resources & References – Part 1Gail Hochachka’s website: https://www.gailhochachka.comGail’s recent publications: https://www.gailhochachka.com/publications/Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory, Who Is Ken Wilber? (Integral Life), The Integral Vision*Tomas Björkman podcast, Cultivating Psychological Maturity in Both Individuals and Societies: The Race Between Maturity and Catastrophe, on Deep Tra

Ep. 86 (Part 2 of 2) | Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas), founder of the contemporary spiritual path the Diamond Approach, beloved teacher, and author of many outstanding spiritual classics, has written a trilogy on the subject of love, and in this conversation the focus is on the recently published second book, Nondual Love. Hameed explains that most wisdom traditions target various ultimates: pure emptiness, pure consciousness, nondual awareness, being, non-being—each of which is sufficient for liberation, but fails to include the qualities of nondual love: goodness, sweetness, abundance, benevolence. Hameed brings these dimensions of love to the table, asking what does divine love feel like, look like, what is it made of? Listening to Hameed is a beautiful, rich experience, due to his extraordinary lucidity, gentle humor, and the profound understanding and assurance that pervade his words from his long experience swimming in the waters of which he speaks. He tells us we all have the potential to experience nondual love, although there are significant obstacles along the path that are inherent to being human. Hameed describes the different stages of opening to nondual love, from the first glimmerings of “unearthly sweetness” to the realization that we ourselves are love. And he outlines the nature of the barriers we face, like the beast of anger and hatred that arises in us when we perceive that reality has abandoned us. Hameed explains that by re-establishing basic trust, and feeling the presence of benevolent love, we can regain the sense that things will be okay and unfold ultimately for the good. Recorded April 12, 2023.“Our true nature has infinite potential of how it can be.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The personal nature of God is responsive; the closer you are, the happier you are (01:24)The personal is a spiritual quality of presence that comes from pure being or source, as an expression of it (03:59)Practicing surrender and recognizing our true helplessness completely (06:01)The practice of awakening: how do we put practice (doing) together with the importance of non doing? (08:58)In a dualistic way, we have responsibility, free will, intention, and effort and we have to apply these to awaken; in time this shows us we are helpless: when we truly give up doing, then things can open up (11:35)It is inherent to the ego consciousness that we can’t do it—it’s an objective helplessness, not the fault of any one individual (13:31)Obstacles on the way to divine love: settling for substitute gratifications, the separate ego self (14:32) The beast arises when people have suffered and reality has left them hurt and feeling abandoned—then you hate God, you hate good (17:43) Transformation is through understanding; we have to be nonjudgmental about everything that arises in our experience (23:28)Jabba the Hutt, archetypal symbol of attachment, desire, greed, is disconnected from abundance, from divine love—to heal this in yourself, you welcome it (29:56)The main barrier to all nondual experience is believing we are separate entities—we feel the shape of our bodies, and we have to work through this central construct of our ego (33:51)Ego is a stage the soul goes through; to believe this stage is the only and final stage, that is the error (37:24)How does Hameed experience himself? Nobody, nothing here. Basic trust is second nature (38:27)How does Hameed teach others basic trust? By exploring and working through the limitations that came about in people’s lives where basic trust was lost (40:14)The more basic trust, the more people can open up, relax, let things happen—how Hameed discovered the importance of basic trust in teaching his students (42:44)Volume III of Hameed’s trilogy will be The Beloved and a brief blessing (45:19)Resources & References – Part 2Rigpa, the true nature of our mind, pure awareness, a central concept of DzogchenDharmakāya, the “body” or sum of Buddha’s teachingsRamesh Balsekar, one of Sri Nisargadatta’s disciplesThe Ājīvika school of Indian philosophy taught there is nothing you can do to awakenDilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Vajrayana master, scholar, poet, Dzogchen teacher, and recognized by Buddhists as one of the greatest realized masters; The Collected Works of Dilgo Khyentse, Vol. 1: Journey to Enlightenment; Enlightened Courage; The Heart of Compassion*Padmasambhāva, a central figure in the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, renowned for taming the spirits and demons of Tibet and turning them into guardians for the Buddha’s DharmaNeti, neti (not this, not that)Freud’s concept of the unconscious: What is the Unconscious? (Freud Museum London)Jabba the Hutt, an expression of desire, greed, insatiability from the Star Wars movieA. H. Almaas, Nondual Love: Awakening to the Loving Nature of Reality*A. H. Almaas, Lo

Ep. 85 (Part 1 of 2) | Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas), founder of the contemporary spiritual path the Diamond Approach, and author of many outstanding spiritual classics, is writing a trilogy on the subject of love, and in this conversation the focus is on the second book, Nondual Love. Hameed explains that most wisdom traditions target various ultimates: pure emptiness, pure consciousness, nondual awareness, being, non-being—each of which is sufficient for liberation, but fails to include the qualities of nondual love: goodness, sweetness, abundance, benevolence. Hameed brings these dimensions of love to the table, asking what does divine love feel like, look like, what is it made of? Listening to Hameed is a beautiful, rich experience, due to his extraordinary lucidity, gentle humor, and the profound understanding and assurance that pervade his words from his long experience swimming in the waters of which he speaks. He tells us we all have the potential to experience nondual love, although there are significant obstacles along the path that are inherent to being human. Hameed describes the different stages of opening to nondual love, from the first glimmerings of “unearthly sweetness” to the realization that we ourselves are love. And he outlines the nature of the barriers we face, like the beast of anger and hatred that arises in us when we perceive that reality has abandoned us. Hameed explains that re-establishing basic trust, feeling the presence of benevolent love, we can regain the sense that things will be okay and unfold ultimately for the good. Recorded April 12, 2023.“Without love there would be no reason for the universe to exist.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas), spiritual master, creator of the Ridhwan School & Diamond Approach, and Hameed’s new book Nondual Love (01:07)What does Hameed mean by nondual love? It’s similar to nondual awareness but it includes the goodness, the sweetness, the heart that is inherent in our spiritual nature (03:00)In Plato, the main idea is the good, which is almost synonymous with love (06:05)What does divine love feel like? Does it have a color, a texture? (07:57)The fundamental benevolence of reality—without love there would be no reason for the universe to exist (09:10)The Sufis say, God created the universe out of love so God would be known—known through the human being (10:59)Rumi writes all the time about how love and God are inseparable: most poetry, most songs, most literature are about love, but we rarely hear about the very beingness of it (12:30)Beyond gratification: for someone who is awakened, the practice of sexual encounter is to bring out more love, the goodness of love (14:24)Stages of opening to divine love: our usual understanding of love is limited, but then comes a fullness in our hearts, a softness, an unearthly sweetness (16:47)The next stage is recognizing your full heart as just one wave of the ocean of love that comes through your individual heart (20:07)The next level is recognizing yourself as the ocean of love: I am love; this is the self-realization of nondual love (20:49)Basic trust: feeling the presence of benevolent love tends to evoke trust, a sense that things will be okay and unfold ultimately for the good (21:19)We are born trusting, but what happens in childhood determines if we will expand or be limited; our basic trust may go underground, but love and basic trust are inherent to people (24:24)Hameed teaches how to regain basic trust by dissolving the history that limits it (26:04)How many ultimates are there? Each teaching talks about a different ultimate—pure emptiness, consciousness, being, non-being—each of which is sufficient for liberation, but love includes also abundance (26:30) Spiritual teachers tend to think their teachings and practices are it, and even though they may experience and radiate love, they don’t speak about love (32:09)5 fundamental dimensions of our true nature: divine love, presence, emptiness, awareness, and change/dynamism; what is the difference between presence and awareness? (34:38)Creative dynamism is the dimension that shows how things change, because saying everything is one doesn’t explain movement and change (38:57)There is a reality that is truly unmanifest (40:25)True nature is a potential and will manifest to whoever is open to it (42:48)The truly unmanifest is unexperienceable: I don’t know what I am, but I am That (47:09)Resources & References – Part 1A. H. Almaas, Nondual Love: Awakening to the Loving Nature of Reality*A. H. Almaas, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart*A. H. Almaas, The Beloved, the third book in the trilogy, is in the process of being editedHameed Ali, founder of The Ridhwan School, home to the Diamond ApproachHameed Ali’s book page on the Deep Transformation web

Ep. 84 (Part 2 of 2) | Lama Surya Das, beloved meditation teacher, scholar, pioneer of bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West, and author of the bestseller Awakening the Buddha Within among many more, shares bright gems of wisdom from his extensive experience practicing Dzogchen, his long immersion in meditation retreats, and studying in person with the great spiritual teachers of Asia. Lama Surya is dedicated to getting the word out, and to young people especially, that the timeless teachings of the great masters are every bit as important and transformative in today’s modern world as they ever were. One doesn’t need to go on retreat to come to a place of wonder, understanding, and appreciation for life; Lama Surya assures us that daily practice of attentive awareness on the path of “awakefulness” is doable and effective in today’s world. This is the path that leads to self-knowledge, and we just need to explore and investigate to discover for ourselves that realization of the Great Perfection, of oneness, is never far away.Lama Surya embellishes his teachings with humorous tales of his early explorations with psychedelics, his spiritual adventures in India, how he came to undertaking not one but two 3-year silent retreats in the great Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen, and coming home afterwards with a mission for transmission. He talks about divine love and how amazing and influential it was to hang out with spiritual teachers who actually practice unconditional love, here and now. Lama Surya Das’ own deep caring and compassion shine through his words, and his well-known “jolly lama” humor often elicits laughter from Roger and John. “There are a lot of lanes on the highway of awakening, you just want to watch you don’t go off into the ditch.” His authentic, endearing humility shines through as well. He is certain that “if I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it.” Recorded September 7, 2022.“Spiritual elixir is the greatest panacea for our inner world: mind, body, heart & soul.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Going to India, discovering the practice of of Vipassana and the cave retreat yogi tradition of Tibet (01:31)What timeless teachings did Lama Surya Das discover in his 3-year Dzogchen retreat? Love is not the same thing as light (05:21)Mother Teresa on loneliness and love, and meeting spiritual teachers who really lived the talk (07:44)Living, practicing, surrendering: learning that love is greater than any dichotomy of like or dislike (08:36)Teaching of Pema Wangyal Rinpoche: “Don’t expect the struggle to end.” (10:45)Coming back after the long retreat (11:47)We need an applied dharma that works for the postmodern world today (13:08)Continuing the practice with a second 3-year Dzogchen retreat (14:04)How Lama Surya Das became a Dzogchen teacher and started the Dzogchen centers (16:57)The importance of spending more time with daily practice and integrating it into your life: retreats are not for everyone (18:21)How long does it take to awaken? Awakening is very personal (21:08)Pointing towards awakening: absolute truth and relative truth, the middle way (23:44)What’s next for Lama Surya Das? The 3 H’s: healthy, harmonious & helpful—teaching young people, spiritual activism (26:46)Epistemological or logical debate: clarifying the meaning of how we know what we know (28:30)Cherishing life: cockroaches in the monastery (30:40)The timeless question: How should we live? (33:01)We have to accept the implications of our actions and the law of karma (35:32)Moving towards interdependence, interconnectedness (37:00)What are Lama Surya Das’ practices today? The joy of meditation: catching the updrift (38:51) A poem and a prayer (42:54)Resources & References – Part 2Roshi Philip Kaplan, beloved Zen teacher, founder of the Rochester Zen Center, author of The Three Pillars of Zen*Mirabai Bush, founder, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, co-founder of the Seva Foundation, co-author with Ram Dass, Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying*S. N. Goenka, teacher of Vipassana meditation, who started the first Vipassana Center in 1969, Meditation Now: Inner Peace through Inner Wisdom*Milarepa, renowned Tibetan yogi and spiritual poetKalu Rinpoche, Dzogchen master and Mahamudra teacher, Luminous Mind: The Way of the Buddha*, Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism*Andrew Holecek, lucid dreaming expert & author, see also Deep Transformation podcast episode #37, The Remarkable Practice of Dream YogaMother Teresa, founder of the MIssionaries of Charity, canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche on developing heart and love (YouTube video), Awakening Wisdom: Heart Advice on the Fundamental Practices of Vajrayana Buddhism*Padmakara Translation Group, established to preserve and make

Ep. 83 (Part 1 of 2) | Lama Surya Das, beloved meditation teacher, scholar, pioneer of bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West, and author of the bestseller Awakening the Buddha Within among many more, shares bright gems of wisdom from his extensive experience practicing Dzogchen, his long immersion in meditation retreats, and studying in person with the great spiritual teachers of Asia. Lama Surya is dedicated to getting the word out, and to young people especially, that the timeless teachings of the great masters are every bit as important and transformative in today’s modern world as they ever were. One doesn’t need to go on retreat to come to a place of wonder, understanding, and appreciation for life; Lama Surya assures us that daily practice of attentive awareness on the path of “awakefulness” is doable and effective in today’s world. This is the path that leads to self-knowledge, and we just need to explore and investigate to discover for ourselves that realization of the Great Perfection, of oneness, is never far away.Lama Surya embellishes his teachings with humorous tales of his early explorations with psychedelics, his spiritual adventures in India, how he came to undertaking not one but two 3-year silent retreats in the great Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen, and coming home afterwards with a mission for transmission. He talks about divine love and how amazing and influential it was to hang out with spiritual teachers who actually practice unconditional love, here and now. Lama Surya Das’ own deep caring and compassion shine through his words, and his well-known “jolly lama” humor often elicits laughter from Roger and John. “There are a lot of lanes on the highway of awakening, you just want to watch you don’t go off into the ditch.” His authentic, endearing humility shines through as well. He is certain that “if I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it.” Recorded September 7, 2022.“Timeless wisdom is an endangered natural resource.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing Lama Surya Das, dedicated practitioner, spiritual teacher, pioneer of bringing the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism to the West (01:09)How Lama Surya Das got to where he is now: his humor, his education, going to India and meeting his guru (03:57)Spiritual elixir is the greatest panacea for our mind, body, heart & soul (07:32)A core theme of Buddhist teaching: check it out for yourself (09:16)Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, the height of Tibetan Buddhism: awakefulness is the way (10:32) Mahamudra evergreen teachings of nondual awareness: we’re all buddhas by nature (15:52)If everything is perfect as it is, how come we feel like crap? (18:08) Self-knowledge is the way to wisdom: growing up to be a true mensch (18:45)The five wisdoms (gnoses), mirror-like wisdom, discriminating wisdom, and how they apply to now (21:20)Lucid faith, unshakeable realization (22:57)Lama Surya Das’ first vision of God, “beyond oneness or noneness” (24:28)Who are we really? Are we consciousness? What about the unconscious, the subconscious? (32:22)Replicating ego death in meditation, sensing Presence, experiencing beingness (33:33)“If I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it.” (34:49)The middle way, moderation in moderation: there are a lot of lanes on the highway of awakening (36:50)Questioning and investigation are an important part of the spiritual path (37:57)Timeless wisdom is an endangered natural resource (39:10)A story of Lama Surya Das’ first 3-year Tibetan retreat, as told by Roger (40:06)Resources & References – Part 1Lama Surya Das’ website (which includes his lecture and retreat schedule): https://surya.orgLama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World*Lama Surya Das, Awakening to the Sacred: Creating a Personal Spiritual Life*Lama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddhist Heart: Integrating Love, Meaning, and Connection into Every Part of Your Life*Lama Surya Das, Buddha Standard Time: Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now*Lama Surya Das and Sounds True, Dzögchen Meditation Training: A Direct Path for Awakening to the Radiant Buddha Within* (audiobook)Lama Surya Das, The Yeti and the Jolly Lama: A Tale of Friendship*Lama Surya Das, The Mind Is Mightier Than the Sword: Enlightening the Mind, Opening the Heart,* contains the Meister Eckhart quote, “The eye through which I see God is the eye through which He sees me.”Kalu Rinpoche, Dzogchen master and Mahamudra teacher, Luminous Mind: The Way of the Buddha*, Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism*The laughing diamond sutra or HevajraSocrates, “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”The five wisdoms (gnoses), mirror-like wisdom, discerning, discriminating wisdom, and moreRabindranath Tagore, Bengali poet, playwright, an