The belief in whether or not ghosts exist, is one we've been thinking about since we were kids.

So, what do you think nowadays? Yes? No?

And how could this possibly have something to do with your recovery?

In this episode of The Sober Shaman, I'll be going into all of it and showing exactly how it relates - and what our next steps could be.

Takeaways:

• The exploration of spirituality can significantly enhance the process of addiction recovery by fostering deeper connections with oneself and others.
• Beliefs in ghosts and spirits may provide a unique framework through which individuals can process grief and trauma related to addiction.
• Understanding the cultural differences in perceptions of ghosts can inform recovery practices, as it emphasizes the importance of relationships beyond the physical realm.
• Engaging in practices that honor the spirits of those lost to addiction can be a powerful tool in recovery, facilitating healing and closure for individuals and their communities.
• The relationship with spirits and the idea of making merit for them can serve as a therapeutic avenue for those grappling with feelings of guilt or unresolved emotions from their past.
• The importance of maintaining a curious and questioning mindset in recovery is essential, as it encourages continual growth and prevents stagnation.

Links referenced in this episode:

• randalllions.com
• https://danaleighlyons.substack.com/p/perfect-hunger-link-up-thai-ghosts
• Peter Jenx: https://www.thethaioccult.com/

Thanks for listening & as always leave a comment or send any questions you may have.

With Blessings,

Randal

The belief in whether or not ghosts exist, is one we've been thinking about since we were kids.

So, what do you think nowadays? Yes? No?

And how could this possibly have something to do with your recovery?

In this episode of The Sober Shaman, I'll be going into all of it and showing exactly how it relates - and what our next steps could be.

Takeaways:

• The exploration of spirituality can significantly enhance the process of addiction recovery by fostering deeper connections with oneself and others.
• Beliefs in ghosts and spirits may provide a unique framework through which individuals can process grief and trauma related to addiction.
• Understanding the cultural differences in perceptions of ghosts can inform recovery practices, as it emphasizes the importance of relationships beyond the physical realm.
• Engaging in practices that honor the spirits of those lost to addiction can be a powerful tool in recovery, facilitating healing and closure for individuals and their communities.
• The relationship with spirits and the idea of making merit for them can serve as a therapeutic avenue for those grappling with feelings of guilt or unresolved emotions from their past.
• The importance of maintaining a curious and questioning mindset in recovery is essential, as it encourages continual growth and prevents stagnation.

Links referenced in this episode:

• thesobershaman.com
• https://danaleighlyons.substack.com/p/perfect-hunger-link-up-thai-ghosts
• Peter Jenx: https://www.thethaioccult.com/

Thanks for listening & as always leave a comment or send any questions you may have.

With Blessings,

Randal

I have been listening to all of the latest predictions about Artificial Intelligence and how it’s going to change our lives.

Everything from how it will eventually take your job and end your career, to the ability to offer you a private therapy session with Carl Jung.

On top of that, the advancements in medicine are going to be massive. For example, you’ll be able to take a simple blood test to detect the first signs of cancer. That’s amazing!

But I’m skeptical of the application of this shiny new AI tool to the entire spectrum of medicine and how it will further shift the cultural perceptions of health.

Specifically, how this will relate to addiction?

Will AI:

• Diminish or remove personal responsibility?
• Eliminate desire for overcoming “character defects”?
• Reduce the options for transforming trauma from a painful open wound into a wisdom-filled and experiential-informed scar?

And what of the role of spirit in all of this?

“…but it seems to me that AI has been developed by people who don’t understand things like compassion and random acts of kindness and these sorts of things. It seems like it’s entirely transactional and the AI lacks a spirit. I don’t care what they say. What is missing from AI? There’s no spirit to it.”

• Dennis McKenna from the Brain Forest Cafe podcast with Paul Stamets

What does spirit do?

Transforms through surrender

Provides something bigger worthy to surrender to

Infuses the magic of healing that manifests as a new and never-before-seen, product of co-creation with us

Not a compilation from AI’s algorithm of past human input

• From the Program’s Lesson #18: The Power of Surrender

Which Wolf do you feed?

• Who are you in relationship with?
• From the Program’s Lesson #16: The Story of the Two Wolves

Part 2:

Today is the Islamic Feast of the Sacrifice

Synchronicity with my son’s tattoo text

3 different religions, 3 different holidays, 3 different takes on the Old Testament story of Abraham

I’m not too keen of The Story and here’s why:

Sacrifice can be transactional and focused upon the reward

• With God
• With religion
• Within our own beliefs

So, here’s another take:

What if…

Sacrifice was its own reward?

What would this look like and what’s the point?

As always, send me any questions you have and let me know your thoughts on this one.

With blessings,

Randal

The opposite of addiction is sacrifice because it can immediately break the cycle at any point along the repeating pattern.

It can do this because addiction is all about my stuff:

• my planning
• my acquiring
• my using
• then my covering up
• it’s all about me, me, me,

So the opposite of that is focusing upon someone else. And specifically, another person’s needs.

Quite simply:

Addiction is all about getting

Sacrifice is all about giving

This may sound simple, and it is, but the power behind it is profound.

The entire Cycle of Addiction is able to perpetuate itself because it keeps the energy flowing in one direction: getting my stuff.

This is Yin in nature, which is the negative polarity of magnet, which only imposes its force one way: pulling in.

This is perfectly personified by the Buddhist idea of The Hungry Ghost. This wandering spirit has a pin-hole sized mouth that is forever trying to suck in enough to fill its bottomless belly. Which of course, it can never do, which is why it remains hungry and why it remains a ghost. I can’t describe addiction any better than that.

Addiction

• Me
• Pulling in
• Getting
• Yin -/negative charge

Sacrifice

• Other
• Sending out
• Giving
• Yang +/positive charge

Listen to the rest of our exploration and explanation of how sacrifice immediately can break the cycle in the podcast.

Please leave a comment wherever you listen and as always, send me any questions you may have - I’d love to connect!

With Blessings,

Randal

To stay or leave one's Home is a decision that has profound consequences no matter which choice is made.

And it is a choice we all must make.

For those of us in recovery, we can look back into the past and explore the ramifications of our previous choice.

We can also evaluate the choice that presents itself right now.

And we can look into the future to see how the choices we make moving forward will effect the generations to come.

Big and important stuff.

At the base of the Statue of Liberty is enscripted the poem, The Colossus, with the famous line, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." It was a 19th century call to immigrants, who arriving at the USA's shores, were following The American Dream.

But what was left behind? What was lost?

As we explore this topic, I propose that you answer those questions for yourself, your family and maybe your culture treasures.

Join Us!

With blessings,

Randal Lyons

To stay or leave one's Home is a decision that has profound consequences no matter which choice is made.

And it is a choice we all must make.

For those of us in recovery, we can look back into the past and explore the ramifications of our previous choice.

We can also evaluate the choice that presents itself right now.

And we can look into the future to see how the choices we make moving forward will effect the generations to come.

Big and important stuff.

At the base of the Statue of Liberty is enscripted the poem, The Colossus, with the famous line, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." It was a 19th century call to immigrants, who arriving at the USA's shores, were following The American Dream.

But what was left behind? What was lost?

As we explore this topic, I propose that you answer those questions for yourself, your family and maybe your culture treasures.

Join Us!

With blessings,

Randal Lyons

Definition: Spell

a: a spoken word or form of words held to have magic power

b: a state of enchantment

I’ve been professionally helping others in recovery for almost as long as I’ve been clean and sober—no coincidence. From the start, I realized that for treatment to have any chance of success, I need to take what works from my esoteric Chinese medicine and core-shamanic approaches and explain addiction’s origins and mechanisms in a way people can understand.

On the other end, I’ve had to translate what I do for treatment centers, insurance companies, and licensing and accreditation boards, as well as to my medical and mental health colleagues—speaking in the “medical-ese” that checks diagnosis codes and reimbursement boxes.

Fun, right?

Now, I aim to strip away language that complicates an already complex issue. With that in mind, I propose…

Addiction is a SpellThis Spell is a LieThis Lie is a Belief

Let me explain.

Check out our exploration along this path to the core of an addiction. Hit the play button on the podcast audio at the top of the page, or check out the video embedded here:

And as always, please hit the little like button and send along any comments or questions you may have.

With blessings,

Randal

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast complements the recent written post entitled, “Dear the Spirits of This Place.” We delve into the Shamanic wRites prompt and explore three types of places where you can gain insight, connection, and healing power from being a good guest and responsible resident to the Spirits of Place.

Here are some of the three ways we look at this:

* The place of your birth: I spent years of my youth walking the streets of the island of Manhattan driven by a deep longing for belonging but without a guide to clarify my intentions.. This wRites exercise may help you just that.

* The place where you felt Home: I share a paragraph from the written post, which I later realized was part of my ongoing work in Soul Courting. Welcoming back a lost soul fragment—split off for survival due to TAHL (trauma, abuse, heartbreak, and loss)—is only the beginning. We must actively and continuously create a safe Home for this part. For me, that means providing a space where my 9- to 14-year-old self feels secure enough to stay. When I do, he returns with gifts only he can offer: innocence, wonder, passion, and heart-sourced curiosity, which infuses my present life with these powers and the deep recognition of their importance.

* The place where you are a guest right now: Wherever you are right now, how do interact with the spirits of this place? What is your relationship to the spirits of:

* Nature

* Elements

* Trees

* Mountains

* Bodies of water

* Guardians

* Thresholds

* Ancestors—familial, tribal, national

* Ghosts

* Deities

* Holy teachers

* Taboos

* Gateways to the Lowerworld and Upperworld

Join me as we explore how important it is to bring a guest’s humility to, and the expression of gratefulness for, being taken care of by the inhabitants and the Spirits of This Place.

You can read the full write-up in the written post here:

As always, please hit the ♥️ and subscribe if you feel called, and send along any questions or shares in the comments below, or reach out directly via email: [email protected]

With blessings,Randal

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast serves as a companion piece to the recent written post entitled, “Addiction Separates / The Web Connects.” In this episode, we explore the year’s first Medicine Drum Journey and how our experience can provide insight, connection, and healing power for our concerns.

Here are some of the ways we look at this:

* Connection is the Medicine for addiction’s pathological power to separate.

* Fear grows in the spaces where we are separated from loved ones, heartfelt activities and places of belonging.

* An overview of the Cycle of Addiction and role of The Web of Life within it.

* In the Earth Phase, we receive the Medicine of Connection through the power of support, home, nourishment & communion.

* Dissolving the negative experience of feeling stuck in The Web

* The transformative power of Earth & the Spleen: extracting wisdom & releasing waste

* The weave of the 5 Elements

Join me as we explore all of this in the podcast.

You can read my full write-up and complete any preparation work before undertaking your own journey in the written post here:

I’m inviting anyone interested in collaborating to reach out. Ways to participate could include:

* Sharing what you received from your journey

* Proposing a writing prompt or offering a place in Non-Ordinary Reality to take a Medicine Drum Journey to that explores a recovery, mental health, and/or spiritual topic of concern

* Discussing how these exercises have worked for you, or, if you're a medical or mental healthcare professional, how they’ve worked for your clients

This could take the form of a written Q&A, a recorded Zoom session, or even through the new Substack live option.

As always, feel free to message me here on Substack or reach out directly via email: [email protected]

With blessings,Randal

This episode of The Sober Shaman podcast serves as a companion piece to the recent written post of the same name. In it, we explore the year’s first Shamanic wRites topic—trust—and how a shamanic perspective can provide insight, connection, and empowerment through my response to the prompt.

Here are some bullets on how we can do this:

* Going to where the truth resides

* Merging with my spiritual bones

* Writing from this place

* Receiving the messages of truth as merged with the spirit of The Bones

Join me as we explore all of this in the podcast.

You can read my full response to the prompt, as well as any preparation work you’d like to do before undertaking your own wRites from the prompt, here in the written post:

I’m inviting anyone interested in collaborating to reach out. Ways to participate could include:

* Sharing what you received from the writing or journey exercises

* Proposing a writing prompt or offering a place in Non-Ordinary Reality to take a Medicine Drum Journey to that explores a recovery, mental health, and/or spiritual topic of concern

* Discussing how these exercises have worked for you, or, if you're a medical or mental healthcare professional, how they’ve worked for your clients

This could take the form of a written Q&A, a recorded Zoom session, or even through the new Substack live option.

As always, feel free to message me here on Substack or reach out directly via email: [email protected]

With blessings,Randal