Mark talks about his personal relationship with Goddess and questions why, in Western societies, we don't worship Her as we worship the various versions of God. Mark talks about meeting Goddess during a mushroom experience and other aspects of his relationship with Her. He questions why other podcasts on the subject of Goddess in this manner don't exist. He does eventually get around to talking about the currect political climate in North America and how we need to admit that we are afraid and that we need to get through this crisis to move ahead as the human race.

This episode of "Beyond the Journeys" presents Mark Stratton's unconventional perspective on enlightenment. He argues that enlightenment is an inherent state, present from birth, and that spiritual seeking is ultimately a futile attempt to regain a naturally existing condition. Mark contends that the pursuit of enlightenment, rather than its attainment, brings happiness, and that the challenges of life, even boredom, are integral to the human experience. Mark uses the movie "Man of Steel" as a metaphor for this journey, illustrating the choice between embracing one's inherent power and hiding it from the world. Finally, Mark reflects on his own life experiences, relating his frequent moves to his current understanding of enlightenment.
(Summary written by AI, but checked and edited by Mark Stratton)

This episode was more of a personal pondering out on my deck on a hot, July evening in 2024. As such, there is no introduction and no end blessing, so here they are now:

Hello, my name is Mark Stratton, welcome to Beyond the Journeys. Goddess blessings upon you, you have all the weapons and knowledge you need within you.

*****

AI generated synopsis:

This podcast excerpt discusses the speaker's contemplation of their next project, moving beyond the established hero's journey narrative. The speaker questions the limitations of solely focusing on the hero archetype, suggesting that true personal growth lies in transcending such fixed identities. They propose exploring a space beyond the hero's journey's typical stages, including the return and integration, aiming to examine what comes after achieving the "happily ever after." This exploration involves releasing limiting self-identifications and embracing a more fluid, less defined sense of self. The speaker intends to title their podcast "Beyond the Hero's Journey," reflecting their intention to examine this concept further.

(I've been hanging onto a number of recordings for a while, I guess I've decided to start releasing them. This episode was recorded June 2024.)

Mark Stratton, creator of "Think Spiritual Podcasts," reintroduces his podcasting project after a long hiatus.

He candidly discusses his past burnout from over-exertion in his work and explores his internal conflict between the need to create and the pain of doing so. He touches on his personal journey, including his past as a Christian and his current spiritual explorations, introducing a Q&A segment about manifestation and offering a critique of simplistic answers to complex questions within Evangelical Christianity, illustrated by an example from "God's Not Dead".

This episode is unscripted, reflecting Mark's self-described chaotic and passionate nature.