“If we are not protected by a cloak of good stories, we are constantly at the mercy of stories that do not wish us well.” Mike chats with his hero, master story teller, mythologist, and wilderness rites of passage guide, Dr Martin Shaw about how we “get grown” in a culture lacking rituals of initiation, how limit and absence can be our best teachers, why praise making matters, and above all how solid sacred stories and myths make life, meaningful, in a culture over inundated with competing stories.

Mystic, monastic, teacher, and trauma survivor transformed, Tessa Bielecki shares with us insights about the mystical path, and how she survived being let down by a spiritual leader’s sexual scandals. If you’ve been hurt by a pastor, priest, politician, person in power, a parent, or a partner, this episode has some medicine for you.

Scholarly and spiritual sage Andrew Harvey shares what he learned in his own dark night experience, why he thinks we are all in one together right now, and offers wisdom for shining a light in the darkest of times. Founder of The Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew is an teacher and translator of some of the world’s most sacred texts from Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, inspiring us to put our healing in the service of healing the world.

Psychologist, scholar, and old friend Alexander John Shaia chats with Mike about a symbolic road map for healing and growth hidden inside the four gospels of the Christian New Testament, and gives us a completely different way to think about Christian symbols and the seasons of our lives.

Learn more at https://www.quadratos.org

Carmen Acevedo Butcher and Mike geek out about words, wizards, how our wounds led to wisdom, and especially why it’s essential to LET OUR WEIRD LEAD THE WAY!! A fellow dyslexic doctor, Carmen is a teacher, a translator of ancient texts, a trauma survivor transformed, and Dean of Faculty at the Center for Action and Contemplation as well as Faculty at UC Berkeley.

Mike sits down with the philosopher Samuel Loncar to discuss falling in love with wisdom, even if that leads us to wrestle wisdom out of our biggest fears, suffering and losses as our wounds lead to our wonderings. We cover everything from why ancient philosophy might be better understood as science and magic—and Socrates and Jesus might have been magicians—to why Wizards are so popular right now, and why the greatest secret to being fully alive might just learning to die before you die.

Samuel Loncar PhD practices the ancient art of philosophy, linked to the origins of science, Western spirituality and contemplative practice, that promotes the perpetual evolution of human potential. He is the Editor of the Marginalia Review of Books, the Director of the Institute for the Meanings of Science, and the founder of the Becoming Human Project. His Becoming Human Podcast is one of Mikes all time favs. 

Our wounds caused us to whither… We hide parts of ourselves out of the light, we project our best qualities on heroes that we idealize, but this makes it possible for parents, partners, pastors, or politicians to take advantage of us and keep us small. Jungian psychologist Connie Zweig, and I discussed the shadow. To shine a light on it we go to places you’re not supposed to go—we talk religion, politics, suicide, spirituality, and how to get back the parts of ourselves that we’ve lost. 

In this episode, Mike chats with Gaudiya Vaishnava monk, scholar, and spiritual teacher Swami Padmanabha about why heroes need to be vulnerable, the questions that drive our journey, what we do when our gurus let us down, and especially about Bhakti Love as a spiritual and healing path!

For more info please visit: https://swamipadmanabha.com/ 

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Dr Barbara Holmes often reminded me that we do not heal alone, we can ask for help of the more than human, and the more than mortal world: “You have to give permission: the spirits, the ancestors, do not break in. They're not going to force themselves on you. They wait for that invitation. And that invitation comes through specific practices that...you can develop as habit, inculcate into your life...that open the heart, that open the mind, and that open the eyes. There is a way in which we are [in] a moment here, [to] let go of your preconceived notions of what is. Allow that crowded cosmos to invade every essence of your being. And do that through prayer, meditation, music, art…”

Our much beloved wisdom teacher Dr B—actor, activist, author, ethicist, scholar, shaman, spiritual teacher and theologian—passed away one year ago today. This episode I am joined by my friend and teacher Felicia Murrell—a good wisdom guide in her own right—who shares how her own wounds led her to wisdom, and to our shared wisdom teacher Dr B, as they show us how our detours can lead to new directions, how our losses can lead us to deeper love, and how our ancestors support us in our evolution. We discuss everything from how the dead show up in dreams, to Jesus as Shaman, and hope you’ll be inspired to learn more about the teachings of Dr B, as your wounds help you live your weird and your wisdom. 

You can learn more about Dr. Barbara Holmes Here: https://cac.org/daily-meditations/honoring-dr-barbara-holmes-weekly-summary/

And here: https://blog.unitedseminary.edu/the-canvas/remembering-rev.-dr.-barbara-a.-holmes-president-emerita

You can learn more about Felicia Murrell here: https://feliciamurrell.com/

Intro: 

We discuss Felicia and her work:  8:22 

We discuss Dr B: 37:44 

"Grief or loss is not a roadblock to the spiritual path, it is a spiritual path."