The Mystic Cave

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We dwell within a realm of spacious possibility; and it dwells within us. The mystic experiences this firsthand. So does any seeker alert to the subtle movements of the heart. Cynthia Bourgeault knows the territory well. She's lived it, and she's written about it. But, being human, she's also continuing to learn about it, sometimes by trial and error. Fortunately, our spiritual education is not completed in this lifetime.

Resources
Cynthia's Websites: https://wisdomwaypoints.org; https://wisdomwayofknowing.org
Center for Action and Contemplation: https://cac.org

A Sampling of Cynthia's Books
"Love is Stronger than Death;" Random House, 1997
"Mystical Hope;" Cowley Publications, 2001
"The Wisdom Way of Knowing;" Jossey-Bass, 2003
"Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening;" Cowley Publications, 2004
"The Wisdom Jesus;" Shambhala, 2008
"The Heart of Centering Prayer;" Shambhala, 2016
"Eye of the Heart;" Shambhala Publications, 2020

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

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Soul has only one agenda--that we live into who we really are and offer our unique gifts in service to the world. Soul is less concerned about the obstacles that that may plant in our path. So, for rugged mountain guide Bruce Howatt, the call to finally show up in the world--as Julianna--must have felt like the greatest, most intimidating climb of all. And yet, here she is, inspiring the rest of us to discover and to assume our own singular place in the Universe.

Resources
Jules' Website (as Bruce): https://www.brucehowatt.com/
Jules' Soul Guide Bio: https://www.animas.org/guides/24/jules-howatt/
The Animas Valley Institute: https://www.animas.org

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

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Intuition is our portal to knowing everything. What our rational mind doesn't know, and can't know, is available to us through those flashes of insight that solve problems, give us direction, and suggest meaning and purpose for our lives. Kim Chestney, author of The Illumination Code: 7 Keys to Unlock Your Quantum Intelligence, has spent her life trying to understand intuition and what it does. Only recently, with discoveries from the field of quantum physics, can we begin to answer the question, but how does it work?  Her book gives us the keys to that answer.

PS. Please note the new link, above, that allows you to respond to this episode by sending me a text message. I'd love to hear from you, for this or for any previous episode.

5 Keys to Kim Chestney:
Kim's recent books:
The Illumination Code: 7 Keys to Unlock Your Quantum Intelligence; New World Library, 2024
Radical Intuition: A Revolutionary Guide to Using Your Inner Power; New World Library, 2020
Kim's Website: https://www.kimchestney.com
Intuition Lab: https://www.intuition-lab.com
Kim's (free) Insight Cards: https://www.intuition-lab.com/insight-card-practice

1 Key to Kim's mentor, Ervin László, for those ready to take a deeper dive:
Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything, by Ervin László; Simon & Schuster, 2004

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

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By the time an author scores a major publishing deal they are usually beyond the reach of mere mortals. So, when it happens to a friend, there is a unique sense of privilege watching the process unfold from the inside. Such is the case with Jessica Waite, whose memoir, "The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards" is poised for release this summer. In this episode Jessica and I explore the writing and publishing of her personal story, described as a "lyrical, witty, and deeply moving memoir of tragedy and betrayal" ... and also, it should be said, of hope.

About Jessica's Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Widows-Guide-to-Dead-Bastards/Jessica-Waite/9781668044858

A Link to Jessica: https://jessicawaite.substack.com/subscribe?next=https%3A%2F%2Fjessicawaite.substack.com%2F&later=true&just_signed_up=true&subscription_id=292664320&referral_token=2ep3rf&requires_confirmation=&utm_source=cover_page&email=brianepearson%40shaw.ca&skip_redirect_check=true

Photo Credit: Phil Crozier

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Click here to send me a text message ...

So many writers hide their light under a bushel, thinking they don't deserve the term "writer." But writing groups can put the lie to that fear, coaxing us and our words out from hiding. The UnderStory Collective is the writing group I belong to. I invited them to the Cave to share the reassuring and emboldening benefits of having writerly friends.

Members of the UnderStory Collective
Suzanne Johnston, Allan Cooper, Jessica Waite, Anne Marie Nakagawa, Brian Pearson

Some Local Resources
Writers Guild of Alberta: https://writersguild.ca
Alexandra Writers' Centre Society: https://www.alexandrawriters.org

Some Online Resources
The Shit They Don't Tell You About Writing: https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com
Unschool for Writers: https://unschoolforwriters.substack.com
The Writer's Bridge: https://thewritersbridge.com
Pandemic University: https://pandemicuniversity.com

General Resources
Public Library Writing Programs, eg: https://calgarylibrary.ca/read-learn-and-explore/digital-library/gale-courses/
Writers-in-Residence at many Libraries and Universities

A Few Books on Writing (and one on motivation)
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King; Scribner, 2000
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, by Jessica Brody; Ten Speed Press, 2018
Story Genius, by Lisa Cron; Ten Speed Press, 2016
The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, by Seth Godin; Penguin, 2020

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

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You can hear it in her voice. This is a woman who knows herself and her place in the universe. But fortunately for us, she believes that that place is to help others find their voice too. "Writing by Heart" is Meredith Heller's invitation to find the inner path to yourself ... through poetry. It's a book. But it's also a portal. And it's beckoning ...

Resources:
Meredith's latest book: Writing by Heart: A Poetry Path to Healing and Self-Discovery by Meredith Heller; New World Library, 2024
Featured Song: "Come Undone" from Meredith's album, Soul Siren
Meredith's other books and workshops: https://www.meredithheller.com
Meredith's albums are available wherever you stream your music

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Click here to send me a text message ...

Psychedelics can show us what's beyond our ordinary consciousness. Meditation can help us to live day by day from that place. But in the end all practices fall short: the spiritual journey requires a letting go, not a holding on. Zen teacher Ryushin uses words only to point beyond those words ... to the actual peace and enlightenment we seek.

Resources relative to this conversation:
"Healing with Form, Energy and Light," by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche; Snow Lion (Shambhala Publications), 2002
Body-Mind Centering: https://www.bodymindcentering.com/

Contacting Ryushin directly:
Email: [email protected]

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

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The Ordinary Reality we experience every day may not be the only reality there is. It may not even be the real one. Non-Ordinary Reality is a fantastical cosmos populated by Spirit Beings—plants, animals, and people—who are devoted to our health and wholeness. It's the job of shamans like Wade Prpich to travel to that world and seek the help of those Beings for the sake of our spiritual healing here in this one. For real!

Links
Wade's Website: http://calgaryshaman.com/index.html
The Foundation for Shamanic Studies: https://www.shamanism.org

Resources
The Way of the Shaman, by Michael Harner; HarperOne, 1990 (updated and revised).
Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality, by Michael Harner; North Atlantic Books, 2013.

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Click here to send me a text message ...

It's like we're walking around blindfolded. We feel we are alone in the universe while spirit guides hover close by, waiting for us to acknowledge them. We feel it all comes down to our wills and to our efforts while energy pours into our hearts from a cosmic Source. Reiki Master Jan Thompson knows those spiritual realms, relying upon them for the healing work she does. It makes her humbler than most, and wiser too. Because she knows we only live our lives on this plain because of the life-giving energies of another.

Correction
Jan wants to offer the following clarification: Kuan Yin, who she mentions at the 15:42 mark in our conversation, is a deity from Chinese mythology (not Japanese) who is nevertheless revered throughout Eastern Asia as the Goddess of Compassion and the Bodhisattva of Mercy. 

Links & Resources
Jan's book: Divine Healing:Powerful Stories of Transformation with Higher Selves and Beings of Light, by Carol Anne Halstead, et al (including Jan's chapter, "All Our Answers Lie Within: Through Love and Forgiveness"); FriesenPress; 2023
Jan's Reiki and energy work: https://www.ascensionarts.ca
Jan's dowsing work (with Carol Anne Halstead): https://www.ascensiondowsing.com

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Click here to send me a text message ...

There's something encoded in our souls that seeks hope even in the face of hopelessness. That spark, that gene, that impossible dream is what allows us to discover new stories to replace the old ones and to usher in the new world we seek. Activist, storyteller, and writer Gareth Higgins, in his book, How Not to be Afraid, evokes the life-giving possibilities that are hidden within our fears.

Links to Gareth and his work
Gareth's book: How Not to be Afraid: Seven Ways to Live When Everything Seems Terrifying; Broadleaf Books, 2021.
Gareth's Website: http://www.garethhiggins.net
Gareth's Online Community: https://www.theporchcommunity.net/order

Personal Links
My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca
My email address: [email protected]

Series Music Credit
"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022