The Mystic Cave

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Jesus told a parable about a wealthy man who increased his holdings and expanded his storage facilities for all his goods, until the day came when he was informed that his soul was required of him. Would that he had cared for his soul before it was taken away.

James Hollis has been counselling, writing, and teaching for over fifty years. His acquired wisdom is simple, which doesn't mean it's easy: get to know your soul ... before it leaves you. Soul comes to us every day--in our dreams, in our neuroses, in our psychic disturbances--with an invitation to pay attention. If we do, Soul will lead us to the "interesting" life we're each called to live.

Links to James Hollis
Website: https://jameshollis.net
Books: https://jameshollis.net/hollisBooks.html

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 2026

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Prophets don't call themselves prophets. They speak their words or write their books until people start to notice. Then they may open a wisdom school or create magical live events or succumb to interviews with podcasters.

All this describes Stephen Jenkinson. When he writes, or speaks, or performs, you feel your world opening up, shifting, changing. You'd be hard pressed to describe exactly what's happening. But something is happening. And that something was captured in our recent conversation.

Links to the World of Stephen Jenkinson
Website: https://orphanwisdom.com
Books, Music and Films: https://orphanwisdom.com/books/
2023 Tour: https://orphanwisdom.com/nights-of-grief-and-mystery/

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 2026

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Out here on the far side of conventional religion it is important that the seeker find a few guideposts. Otherwise the open landscape can feel overwhelming. Thomas Moore has been a seeker's lodestar for over thirty years, ever since he reintroduced us to the language of “Soul” in his best-selling book, “Care of the Soul.”

His new book, "The Eloquence of Silence," gathers stories from around the globe and from across the spectrum of religious traditions to explore the spirituality  of emptiness. Our conversation took us many places, from the need to let go of certainty and acquisitiveness to memories of his good friend and mentor, fellow Jungian James Hillman.

Books:
"Care of the Soul," by Thomas Moore: https://a.co/d/ePybyS3
"The Eloquence of Silence," by Thomas Moore: https://a.co/d/71tRllQ
"The Soul's Code," by James Hillman: https://a.co/d/1y5Rp1M
"The Force of Character," by James Hillman: https://a.co/d/fyd0nUe

Social Media Links to Thomas Moore:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100044727171932
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasmooresoul/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billphilipps2751

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 2026

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Darold Black loves people and he loves pictures. So it's no surprise that our conversation about wisdom turned into personal stories about life. Wisdom doesn't come to us as lofty ideas. It comes to us as images from the heart.

Darold is working on a documentary series called "E5," an attempt to capture the wisdom of elders on film. It's not a gathering of wise sayings in twenty-second media clips. It's storytelling, where the seeds of wisdom have always been found.

Links & Resources
Darold's E5 project: https://e5.life
Darold's Media Company: https://blackmediaworks.com

A Short Film by Darold Black
"Two old folks sitting on a bench": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoWc1FofdrI

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 2026

Click here to send me a text message (include your contact info if you want a reply).

Some would prefer to say spiritual "companionship" rather than "direction," and that would probably be more accurate. Because it's not about directing anyone anywhere, except, that is, to pay attention to the subtle movements within your own heart and soul. And that's what spiritual directors do.

My guest on this episode is Lois Huey-Heck, a seasoned spiritual director whose natural bent for compassion, whose aptitude for the ways of Soul, and whose deep experience and training coalesce to offer the world a unique gift: the gift of holy listening.

Resources:
Spiritual Directors International: https://www.sdicompanions.org
Jubilee: https://www.canadianjubilee.ca

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 2026

Click here to send me a text message (include your contact info if you want a reply).

Words fail us when we try to speak of the mysteries of life and death and the other soulful experiences of our lives. Except, that is, for the words of poets. In the modern age we turn to poetry as if to holy scripture, searching for the images and metaphors that help us express our deepest fears and our highest hopes.

Three poets offer their own words in this episode as together we explore the Eastertide theme of death and resurrection. Rosemary Griebel, Paul Grindlay, and Juleta Severson-Baker consider the classic movement of an Easter weekend from the bleak cross of Good Friday through the numinous waiting of Holy Saturday to the colourful blossoms of Easter morning. At every turn their words give voice to our grief, our doubts, and our joy, as only the words of poets can do.

Links and Resources:
Rosemary Griebel's collection of poetry, "Yes." was published by Frontenac House in 2011: https://www.frontenachouse.com/product/yes/.  Other poems are found in chapbooks published by Leaf Press.

Paul Grindlay's three books of poetry are "Natural Selections" (2020), "'S Word Play" (2021), and "Currents" (2022), all published by Largemouth Basso Books: https://www.paulgrindlay.ca/largemouth-basso-books/. Paul is currently preparing an audio book of his fourth anthology, "Footfalls on the Path of Love."

Juleta Severson-Baker's collection of poetry, "Incarnation," was published by Frontenac House in 2013: https://www.frontenachouse.com/product/incarnate/. Other poems are found in chapbooks published by Leaf Press, including "Every*Word*Spoken" (2013).

Photo Credit: Nicolas Messifet on Unsplash

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 2026

Click here to send me a text message (include your contact info if you want a reply).

Many men, having inherited the cultural expectations of former generations, feel they are being shamed in the modern age. Traditional male traits, such as protectiveness, leadership, and strength, are now denigrated for their toxic potential rather than celebrated for their social value. It's a difficult time for men as they try to break the old molds and discover a new way of being themselves in the world.

Therapist Marv Westwood has spent years working at the very heart of traditional male culture--male military personnel who have been traumatized by war. In groups designed to provide therapeutic release, Marv has unearthed both the value of traditional male traits and also, critically, the emergence of openness, sensitivity, and compassion that reside in the souls of every one of us, regardless of gender.

Links:
Heads Up:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wAdJVxqzwo
Male Psychology (UK): https://www.johnbarrypsychologist.com/male-psychology-home
Blueprint (David Kuhl):  https://www.blueprint.ngo

Article:
Shields, D.  and Westwood, M. (2019).  "In Counselling Male Military Personnel and Veterans: Addressing Challenges and Enhancing Engagement." In Barry, J. (2019). The Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health. Palgrave Publisher

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 2026

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If we're searching for a connection with our souls, we needn’t look any further than our voice. Quite apart from the words we use and the intentions behind those words, our voice reveals the state of things within. Are we anxious, are we confident,  are we restful? The voice knows. Consequently, so does the world.

Jennifer Mason is a trained singer and vocal coach who helps people discover and utilize the full dynamic range of their voice. As to her own voice, Jennifer is releasing a re-mastered version of "Mothers of the World," her haunting album of lullabies from around the globe.

Credits (from "Mothers of the World"):
1st Clip: Nana (Spanish trad, arranged by Mason)
2nd Clip: Suo-Gan (Welsh trad, arranged by Mason,  Gilman)
3rd Clip: Sea Gypsies (by Mason, Gilman)

Links to Jennifer's Web Sites:
"Mothers of the World" web site: https://www.mothersoftheworld.org
Jennifer's vocal coaching web site: https://www.vocalpresence.ca

Listen to "Mothers of the World" online:
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0wXjoJMhEn63BgEdPuLLIs?si=358R6ZoaSBi09pj6-I7g9g&nd=1
On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/mothers-of-the-world/1675713504

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 2026

Click here to send me a text message (include your contact info if you want a reply).

Some say before we could sing, we drummed. Whether or not that's accurate, drumming is one of our most primitive forms of communication. Perhaps, it once helped us to "talk" across great distances. Perhaps, it brought us together to unify and strengthen the community. Perhaps, it was just ... fun.

Julien Lepage leads modern-day drumming circles where we can re-experience a deep resonation with our own bodies, with one another, and with the Earth. There are no ideologies to label us, no religion or politics to divide us, and no boundaries to keep us out, not when we yield to the rhythm of the drum.

Links and Resources
'Circles of Rhythm' Web site: https://www.circlesofrhythm.com/community-drum-circles/
Judy Atkinson's book: "The Drum Code: Living Well Between the Beats"; KDP Publishing, 2017

Episode Credits
1st Interlude: "Montreal Drum Circle" by georgeradio (http://www.georgemotoc.com); Attribution Licence 3.0
2nd Interlude: "Tokyo Drum Circle" by manuke; Creative Commons License
3rd Interlude: "Hippie Hill" by SFINDIGO; Creative Commons License

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 2026

Click here to send me a text message (include your contact info if you want a reply).

Yoga is not just about poses and posers. It's about a soulful engagement with our own lives that includes both our bodies and our dreams. It's about the rediscovery of the connection we have lost with the  Earth, and about the purpose that the Earth itself is dreaming for us.

Rebecca Wildbear is a soul guide, a wilderness therapist, and a yoga instructor. Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration And Advocacy for the Earth is her new book on, in her words, "an embodied practice to help us love ourselves, deepen our relationship with the natural world, and stretch our consciousness". 

Links & Resources
The book (on Amazon.com): https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Yoga-Practice-Initiation-Veneration/dp/160868797X
The book (on Amazon.ca): https://a.co/d/7wmEZhb
Rebecca's web site: http://www.rebeccawildbear.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 2026