There are so many misconceptions around spirituality, but especially “mysticism” or “mystic philosophy”. Many people tend to think “mystic” means “magic”, or that it’s far beyond critical grounded scholarship.

In this extended episode, Bob, Scott, and Melena go through Bob’s new article “Debunking Mystic Philosophy”, providing a useful intro to mysticism: the symbolic string connecting the pearls of the worlds’ faith traditions. We talk about how mysticism essentially means internal discovery; that the mystic is guided by the intuitive understanding; and that there is a rich spectrum of inclusive, accepting paths.

Mysticism: A Study of the Nature and Development of Man’s Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill

History of Mysticism: The Unchanging Testament by Swami Abhayananda

Jennifer Millar is a spiritual teacher, healer and interfaith minister who travels the globe facilitating a healing method called, “Cellular Transformation”. A native of Northern Ireland, living south of Austin, TX, Jennifer has been immersed in the field of trauma healing for over two decades, working with thousands of people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her work is a blend of psychological and emotional enquiry combined with spiritual transformation that results in fundamental life shifts.

Our co-host Ryan Padgett attributes his work with Jennifer to curing his ulcerative colitis—a brutal digestive disease that he had difficulty controlling on the physical level. Listen to Ryan’s own powerful testimony in this episode, alongside our mystically-metaphysical discussion on the mechanics underneath ‘Cellular Transformation’.

Jennifer’s book recommendations are:

“The World’s Religions” by Huston Smith

The books of Pema Chodron

The books of Michael Meade

Connect with Jennifer at https://www.jennifermillar.org

Jeremy Hoffeld is a painter, sketch artist, musician, and spiritual contemplative from New York. He studied art history at Columbia University, and wrote a thesis on Paleolithic cave paintings in France. Hoffeld did an apprenticeship in painting and drawing at the Art Students League of New York, having previously spent two years copying old masters at Boston’s Fogg Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. Nowadays he spends his time on the island of Maui, painting portraits of saints, activists, and other heroes.

We were thrilled to hear his Ram Dass stories, as Jeremy was graced to be able to spend time with that monumental spiritual force in his later years. (Jeremy’s brother plays music with Krishna Das.) Tropical birds serenaded our interview, as we covered social media, creativity, social action, and had a few laughs about his experiences with RD.

Jeremy’s book recommendations are:

“Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahamsa Yogananda (1946)

“The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron (1992)

See Jeremy’s work on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/jeremyhoffeld

www.jeremyhoffeld.com

Jason Ivy is an award-winning singer, songwriter, music producer, film producer, and entrepreneur from the south side of Chicago. He has a bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience and linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Chicago and an international relations bachelor’s from the University of Cambridge. He’s also worked with NASA, and he currently works for a startup teaching social emotional learning skills to kids.

The guys took considerable inspiration from Jason’s productive energy. Relevant to Be Where How?, his appreciation for Eastern mysticism helped him realize his personal philosophy of limitless-ness and ultimately how all humans can harness our creative potential.

Jason’s book recommendations are:

The ancient “I Ching”

Keep up with Jason at https://www.instagram.com/thejasonivy/

Miroo Kim is a 15+ year tech professional who has worked at Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. She helped launch early iPhones and now works on Mobile Partnerships at FB, but most relevant to this philosophy show, she heads our Mindfulness club, along with Bob & Melena. We talk about the dynamics of compassion at work and why it’s important to not over-hype mindful practices, despite an exhaustive list of benefits. Miroo’s book recommendations are:

“A Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism” by Pamela Weiss

“The Order of Time” by Carlo Rovelli

"How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind" by Leah Weiss PhD

Shane Renfro, the songwriter and frontman behind RF Shannon, joins the Be Where How? Show to chat about his writing process, and his seeming dissonance within the mainstream music business thanks in part to his creative philosophy. We discuss permaculture-ing the land, Jodorowsky’s "Psychomagic", and how our ancestral connections can pervade our intuitive understanding.

Listen to RF Shannon’s three full length albums on Spotify.

https://www.rfshannon.com

The Be Where How? Show has its first guest: Sara Bawany! Sara received her Master’s in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas, and she is currently a full-time social worker with FACE, which stands for Facing Abuse in Community Environments.

She is also a published author who has released (w)holehearted, a book of poetry on being, brokenness, facades… from the description:

“(w)holehearted seeks to encompass as many stories as possible, touching on several topics, namely, spirituality, feminism, colorism, domestic violence, intersectionality, mental health and more. it aims to depict that anyone with the darkest past and pitfalls can still save themselves from drowning in the difficulties that not only plague our world, but also plague our hearts.”

How to help FACE and get involved: www.facetogether.org

Sara is on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sara.bawany

And you can find (w)holehearted at booksellers everywhere: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/42038239

Diving into Paramahansa Yogananda’s spiritual masterpiece, “Autobiography of a Yogi”: we echo his points on spiritual vessel-hood as a deliberate progression, and that contemplative practices are for all, not just sadhus in Himalayan caves. It’s a book that touched Steve Jobs, George Harrison, and basically every spiritual person of the last seventy years, including the three of us. This year is the centennial of Yogananda’s arrival in America (1920), and so as Americans entranced by Eastern philosophy and his life’s work, we are completely indebted.

We cover a fairly comprehensive introduction to Buddhism — from who the Buddha was, how his psychological system plays so well in modern times, more on Zen, and a few basic FAQs on meditation.