(A Literary Invocation)

This episode stands apart from the others in this archive. There is no guest, no dialogue—only a reading. A transmission. A moment of quiet descent into the soul of a work-in-progress.

What you will hear is an excerpt from my book-in-the-making, Being and Becoming—a text that, in many ways, undergirds the entire philosophical architecture of this podcast. It is one of the most personal offerings I’ve made: not in content alone, but in form. To share one’s writing—one’s interior landscape shaped into language—is a kind of nakedness. But this book, this process, asks for that.

Being and Becoming is an exploration of existence itself, and of the individual’s journey through fragmentation, memory, time, and return. Though deeply rooted in my own lived experience, it seeks to speak to something universal—a thread running through all of us, guiding us toward integration, toward coherence, toward truth.

This excerpt is meant to be heard, yes—but the book is ultimately meant to be read. Reading is a sacred act. Silent. Interior. The word inside the mind carries a different frequency—it is unspoken, yet no less alive.

This solo episode opens a vital strand within the arc of this podcast—one that threads through all future episodes like an invisible constant: the nature of consciousness and its role as the ground of reality. Here, I begin to articulate the philosophical and scientific foundation of my research, and why I believe that the question of consciousness is not a niche concern—but the central crisis and creative opportunity of our time.

I begin by delineating the contours of scientific materialism: a worldview that posits consciousness as an epiphenomenon of the brain, and reality as a mechanistic, accidental unfolding. I trace its historical ascent, its epistemological assumptions, and its increasing failure to account for the full range of human experience—from meaning and memory to synchronicity, beauty, and mystical revelation.

In its place, I begin to outline a counter-paradigm: one that sees consciousness not as a byproduct of matter, but as the fundamental field from which all things arise. I make the case for the existence of higher intelligence—not as fantasy, but as a necessary implication of a cosmos alive with meaning, emergence, and recursive order.

This episode does not seek to resolve the inquiry—but to open it. It is an offering, a preface, a philosophical threshold. In future episodes, I will explore these ideas through mathematics, physics, metaphysics, and cosmology. But here, I simply lay the ground for what I believe is the only worldview capable of birthing new planetary systems—rooted not in domination, but in sentient relation.

What if Christ was never meant to be read as history—but as symbol, presence, and mythic code? In this episode, I’m joined by Tim Freke, English philosopher, prolific author, and lifelong student of the Christian Gnostics. With clarity and courage, Tim challenges conventional theological narratives, offering instead a vision of Jesus as archetype—a figure whose origins stretch back into the mystery cults of antiquity, and whose deeper purpose lies not in dogma, but in direct experience.

Together, we explore the esoteric strands of early Christianity, in which salvation was not offered through belief, but through gnosis: inner knowing. Tim invites us to see the Christ not as a man in time, but as a symbol of the eternal within—a living metaphor for transformation, consciousness, and divine remembrance.

We also speak about Tim’s own philosophical contribution: the concept of Unividualism. This neologism expresses the emerging synthesis of individuality and unity—a new phase of spiritual maturation wherein we retain our personal distinctiveness while awakening to our shared essence. In contrast to spiritual bypassing or ego dissolution, Unividualism honors the paradox: we are both separate and not separate. This idea opens fertile ground for the evolution of a Western-compatible mysticism, one that is both embodied and expansive.

Interwoven with our dialogue, I share the story of my own awakening through poetry—specifically T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. These poems, with their spirals of time, silence, and surrender, ignited something deep within me: not just an intellectual recognition, but an initiation. They became a sacred map through which language became illumination.

This conversation is at once radical and tender—a weaving of mysticism, myth, and modernity. It opens a space for those seeking a form of spiritual life that honors reason, embraces paradox, and calls us into greater aliveness.

Watch Tim's TED talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hHzzS4y-8k

Tim's website
https://timfreke.com

This is a conversation about systems—and the soul of our collective future. I’m joined by Alnoor Ladha, writer, strategist, and visionary cultural thinker. A board member of Greenpeace International USA and a visiting lecturer at NYU and Columbia, Alnoor brings a rare synthesis of activism, intellect, and spiritual depth to the work of reimagining society beyond extraction and domination.

We speak here about capitalism and patriarchy—not as abstract ideas, but as inherited architectures of thought and power that continue to shape how we relate to ourselves, to each other, and to the Earth. Alnoor’s analysis is lucid and unflinching: he invites us to interrogate how these forces are encoded within our language, our desires, our technologies, and our very sense of possibility.

Our conversation is also rooted in the living experiment of Brave Earth, an intentional community and living laboratoryin Costa Rica that Alnoor co-founded. Brave Earth exists as a site of inquiry within what he calls the Anthropocene, late-stage capitalism—or even the Kali Yuga—asking vital questions:
How do we decolonize our minds from systems of scarcity, hierarchy, and control?
How do we become stewards in service to Life, rather than agents of its commodification?

This is a deep dive into semantic precision, mythic systems collapse, and radical possibility. A call to begin dismantling the structures within us—so that something more beautiful, more just, and more alive might emerge.

This conversation marks a deeply personal moment in the journey of this podcast. Ervin László—philosopher of science, systems theorist, and pioneer of the new paradigm—is one of my greatest influences. His work has shaped not only my thinking, but the very orientation of my life toward the study of consciousness, cosmos, and the unseen architecture of reality.

A former child prodigy in music, László gave his first piano concert at the age of nine with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Over time, his path shifted from classical performance to the metaphysical harmonics of science, philosophy, and systems theory. He has since authored more than 75 books and over 400 articles, been twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and founded two influential institutions: The Club of Budapest and the László Institute of New Paradigm Research.

In this episode, we speak about his central insight: that the universe is not a machine, but a mind. Not a random accident, but a field of coherence and intelligence. He shares his view of the Akashic field, the deep code beneath the appearance of matter, and the subtle logic that connects all things—not through causality alone, but through resonance, pattern, and nonlocal consciousness.

We explore the limitations of mainstream materialist science, and the urgent need to evolve our worldview—to begin thinking not from separation, but from wholeness.

This dialogue is both intimate and expansive. It offers a glimpse into the mind of a man who has devoted his life to restoring a sacred vision of the cosmos—and into the heart of the philosophical quest that underpins this podcast as a whole.

There are moments in life—on hospital beds, in emergency rooms, at the edge of clinical death—when something extraordinary seems to occur. Moments in which consciousness appears to expand, rather than fade. In this profound conversation, I speak with Dr. Bruce Greyson, pioneering psychiatrist and internationally respected researcher of near-death experiences (NDEs), to explore what these liminal states may be telling us about the nature of mind, memory, and meaning.

Dr. Greyson’s journey began not from belief, but from a moment of disorientation: a patient, unconscious the night before, described leaving her body and observing things she could not have physically witnessed. That event catalyzed a decades-long inquiry. As co-founder of the International Association for Near-Death Studies and long-time editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, he has been at the forefront of a field that quietly challenges the prevailing assumptions of neuroscience.

Together we explore:

• Common patterns that recur across cultures and contexts—transcendental visions, encounters with light or beings, life reviews, and a felt sense of unity
• The long-term psychological and spiritual aftereffects of NDEs—often marked by deepened compassion, reduced materialism, and a lessened fear of death
• The distinction between brain-based explanations and the possibility of consciousness as something more foundational—something that may not originate in the brain at all

Dr. Greyson’s recent book, After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond, distills his research into a message that is both grounded and expansive. In this episode, he speaks not with dogma, but with clarity, humility, and wonder.

What if the brain is not the origin of consciousness, but its receiver? In this visionary conversation, I’m joined by Professor Allan Combs, PhD—renowned consciousness researcher, neuropsychologist, and systems theorist, currently based at the California Institute of Integral Studies. With over 200 publications and a lifetime achievement award from the International Society for Consciousness Studies, Professor Combs is a leading voice in the movement to liberate mind from mechanism.

We explore the nature of consciousness as non-local, recursive, and woven into the very structure of reality. Our dialogue traverses an astonishing range: animal consciousness, morphic resonance, near-death experiences, sacred geography, ghosts, past lives, and the Imaginal Realm. Drawing from both empirical research and visionary insight, Professor Combs shares his view of the brain as a transceiver—not a generator—of mind.

We also dive into the symbolic relationship between fractals, poetry, and perception, illuminating how pattern, metaphor, and recursive form may be embedded in the very language of the cosmos. Virginia Woolf, Thomas Berry, Jungian synchronicity, and trickster intelligence all make luminous appearances.

This conversation offers a rare synthesis of scientific inquiry and symbolic depth—for those attuned to mystery, and the unseen geometries of mind.

https://www.arabellathais.com

For more information about Professor Combs visit,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Combs 

In this far-reaching dialogue, I’m joined by Carter Phipps—author, cultural philosopher, and co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a think tank reimagining politics and society through the lens of developmental theory and Integral philosophy. As co-author of Conscious Leadership, Carter explores how business, spirituality, and systems thinking can converge to shape a more coherent and purposeful world.

Our conversation navigates the evolution of culture itself: from the polarization of American politics to the possibility of an economy infused with moral intelligence and spiritual depth. We explore conscious capitalism not as a branding tactic, but as a living framework—one that acknowledges the soul’s need for meaning, the planet’s call for regeneration, and the intelligence embedded in evolution itself.

Themes include: Teilhard de Chardin’s Omega Point, Whitehead’s adjacent potential, ontogenesis, mysticism and cosmological participation, political progress, transhumanism, and the danger of replacing the sacred with synthetic intelligence. We also reflect on whether we are being pulled by the future—or haunted by the unfinished business of the past.

This episode invites you to think beyond systems collapse or utopian dreaming. It’s a call to engage the emergent with clarity, creativity, and courage.

I’m joined by Dr. Debashish Banerji, Haridas Chaudhuri Professor of Indian Philosophies and Cultures at CIIS, where he also serves as Chair of the East-West Psychology department. A leading scholar of Sri Aurobindo, postcolonial thought, and Indian metaphysics, Debashish’s work bridges contemplative tradition with visionary philosophy—bringing Vedic insight into conversation with the dilemmas of modernity.

Together, we explore the contours of integral anthropology—a concept that understands the human being not as a finished product but as an evolutionary threshold. We speak about mystical experience, yoga as transformation, and the metaphysical foundations of consciousness. Our dialogue centers around Sri Aurobindo’s vision of the Supermind: a supramental consciousness that underlies all of existence, from the atom to the Absolute.

Themes of Being and Becoming, animal consciousness, the psychic self, and cosmic evolution emerge throughout this episode as we trace the delicate interplay between matter and spirit, between the soul and its destined unfolding.

For those seeking a deeper understanding of yoga as a metaphysical path—and of human life as a bridge between the finite and the infinite—this episode offers a profound and poetic map.

This episode is a soul-centered exploration of masculinity—its distortions, its forgotten rites, and its sacred potential.I’m joined by Stefanos Sifandos, educator, relational guide, and behavioral science practitioner, whose work integrates Eastern wisdom with Western psychology to help individuals move beyond trauma and into deeper intimacy—with self and with others.

Together, we examine the crisis of the masculine in modern culture: how the absence of meaningful initiation, the weight of patriarchal conditioning, and the wound of the absent or unintegrated father continue to reverberate through men’s lives—and the lives of those who love them. Stefanos brings clarity and compassion to difficult terrain, offering insights on masculine embodiment, emotional expression, vulnerability, and power without domination.

We also explore the feminine side of this conversation—how women relate to the masculine within and without, and how healing the father wound is central to reclaiming wholeness for all genders. Toward the end of our conversation, we turn toward sacred ecology, and the invitation to co-create a more regenerative, relational, and spiritually mature world.

This episode is a gateway for anyone ready to rewrite the myth of what it means to be a man—and how we all carry a part in that reimagining.

For more information on Stef, please see his handles below.
https://stefanossifandos.com
https://www.facebook.com/stefanossifandos
 https://www.instagram.com/stefanossifandos/
instagram ~ @stefanossifandos

https://www.arabellathais.com