The Knowing

By Ciel GroveReligion & Spirituality Spirituality

The Knowing episodes

July 25, 2020 Episode 14: Spiritual Ownership, and Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
We recorded this last week on a morning when both Allison and I were feeling really good. The heaviness of the previous while had lifted for a bit, and we had some good laughs and explorations of a wide range of topics (how unusual…)
Some things you can look forward to exploring with us this week:
How I feel about ‘ownership’ and where it comes from, and…whether it has a place in spiritual work.
Why Ayni is a better place to put our attention and energy.
The importance of looking at both the relationship we form with the outside world AND the relationship we have with ourselves when thinking about Ayni.
Exploring the idea of Intersectionality as a philosophy, and how this doesn’t entirely explain what kind of trauma an individual might be carrying.
55 min
July 19, 2020 Episode 13: Where are we trying to get to?
This is likely to be the first of many, many episodes where we will attempt to explore the ‘purpose’ of Shamanic medicine, of healing, of spiritual practice, and of pretty much everything we engage with as modern seekers.
Where are we trying to get? Who are we attempting to become? And if all the answers are already inside and present within us, are we actually trying to ‘get’ somewhere…or is something else afoot?
In this episode (which, be warned: feels a little ungrounded after listening to it a few days after recording. There were some intense energies happening this past week, and I think that resulted in a very wiiiiide ranging conversation) Allison and I explore some ideas like:
How do we make sense of events that happen in our life when we are ‘looking for the message’ in them?
Why medicine isn’t aiming to prevent falling apart, and what it is actually trying to accomplish.
Why Allison might be using this episode to break up with me (and Shamanic practice)..
The amazing (and terrifying) medicine of ‘Petty Tyrants’, and why the person that is most difficult for you might also be your best medicine.
How we need to respond when there’s abuse
what the ‘small m’ magic of spiritual practice might be, and what I experience the ‘big M’ magic to be.
55 min
July 12, 2020 Episode 12: A little bit of Ciel Story
In Shamanic practice the medicine of each person and practitioner is profoundly different, and has been shaped and honed through the experiences of their lives. I thought, therefore, that it might be interesting to provide a bit of back story for my life and experience--and resulting medicine--both so we could get to know each other better, and to answer questions I often get regarding how I ever came to be connected to Shamanic practice. I hope you'll enjoy this bit of story!
48 min
July 04, 2020 Episode 11: Letting go of the rope
This conversation is apparently what you get when both Allison and Ciel have had little sleep, a bit too much caffeine, and a healthy dose of social chaos.
We explore a wide range of topics here, including:
- Why we swing from rope to rope of what is familiar for us, and why it's important to let go (and why that is so hard!)
- Why surrender is so important, and what we need to focus on instead of aiming for control all the time.
- Starting the conversation of what 'decolonization' in the mind might look like.
- The challenges with thinking in polarities, and what it might set up in our lives (that we actually really don't want..)
We love ya'll. Thanks for listening.
56 min
June 27, 2020 Episode 10: Building the Bones
Welcome to Episode 10, friends! This is probably my favourite episode so
far.
Not only did I get to use the term ‘batshit asshole’ in a complete
sentence, Allison brought forward the Bones card from the deck, which is
one of my favourites to work with and explore in the Soma section.
The bones ask us to look at our core beliefs about ourselves, other people,
and the world at large, and to question whether we are truly being ‘good
friends to ourselves’. And then…what really gets in the way of doing that
for ourselves and each other?
58 min
June 19, 2020 Episode 9: Tonglen Practice
As far as transformative practices go, Tonglen is certainly up there with the most profound and powerful ones. There has been nothing so potent in helping me shift my relationship to suffering (both mine and that of those around me) than this ancient work of ‘sending and taking’. Tonglen has guided me through depression and personal struggle in the past, and continues to support what feels like a meaningful and compassionate approach to the wider suffering of the world.
This is the first ‘practice’ episode I’ve recorded, and while I think you could probably listen to it while driving your car, I might suggest that you instead set aside some time to do this work without other distractions if that feels possible in your life right now.
50 min
June 10, 2020 Episode 8: Beautiful Conversations
At this moment of great uncertainty and transformation there is so much to explore, and so much more that will become available to us over time, disclosed to us all as we explore our racial biases, limits in perspective, and unconscious orientations towards the valuing of certain people over others. We are being called to widen our understanding and compassion on all levels, and this is a beautiful, messy, and yet ultimately unquestionably necessary process of societal value shifting that we are all in the midst of.
As Allison recently said to me, ‘there is no easy way to begin these conversations’, but here we are together doing the work of understanding, listening, connecting and commiserating to the best of our imperfect and human capacities.
48 min
May 29, 2020 Contemplations 1: Right Relationship
Allison + I will be back with more conversational-style podcasts soon, but thought I’d try out a new format this week: ‘The Knowing Contemplations’.
Brief, pithy, and hopefully meaningful, Contemplations will aim to offer a bit of perspective and insight into topics relevant to healing + spiritual practice, and leave you (hopefully) wanting to explore more on your own!
Todays’ topic is Right Relationship.
9 min
May 22, 2020 Episode 6: Animal Spirits (Part 1)
If you have questions or would like us to focus on a particular topic here, please reach out!
Ciel Grove
Allison Strickland
53 min
May 15, 2020 Episode 5: Making Peace with Vulnerability and Reality
Allison pulled the Frog + Plantain card prior to recording this episode, and then thought she’d try another card to see if the message coming through was for her or for those listening…and then she pulled the Salamander + Aloe card. Seemed like the message was fairly clear from both: how are you being vulnerable…or not?
Without explicitly noting the totality of elements contained within these cards we spent this episode dancing around:
why vulnerability is so difficult, and what Shamanic perspectives offer to shift the spiral of vulnerability in a positive direction.
Maybe the biggest challenge about human minds…
The challenge with seeking ‘safety’ in the world before we practice opening up.
Potential teachings of the pandemic and this time of transformation: are we being called to simpler times?
Making peace with the First Noble Truth, and why this is essential to being a sane, empowered and loving human.
Please reach out if you have questions or would like us to focus on a particular topic or experience! We would love to hear from you.
53 min

About The Knowing

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Dedicated to the journey of personal insight + collective transformation, The Knowing is a conversational deep dive into the application of spiritual principles and practices from Shamanism, Buddhism,…