This week's show is with Joshua Michael Schrei, a writer, a teacher, the founder and host of The Emerald podcast.

The Emerald combines evocative narrative, soul-stirring music, and interviews with award-winning authors and luminaries to explore the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination. The Emerald draws from a deep well of poetry, lore, and mythos to challenge conventional narratives on politics and public discourse, meditation and mindfulness, art, science, literature, and more.

A writer, teacher, and a lifelong student of the cosmologies and mythologies of the world — in particular the Indian subcontinent — Josh has sought to navigate the living, animate space of the imagination and advocate for a world that prioritizes imaginative vision. Josh has taught intensive courses in mythology and somatic disciplines for nearly 20 years.

In this conversation, Joshua and Lian journeyed into exploring the role of the mythopoetic worldview in change work, i.e. for those of us healing and guiding others.

We discuss the importance of myth and the animistic worldview but also that it's the one that humans have held for the vast majority of our time on earth, the need to go beyond intellectual analysis and engage in practical actions and offerings to establish a deeper relationship with the living forces around us, and the challenges of bridging the gap between Western analytical approaches and the embodied knowing of mythic work.

I'd love to know what YOU think about this week's show. Let's carry on the conversation… please leave a comment below.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• Myth is not an abstract concept but a living reality that can be experienced through practical actions and offerings. Engaging with myth and the animistic worldview requires a shift in consciousness and a recognition of our relational responsibility to the living world.

• The Western worldview often separates us from the animate world, but our ancestors lived in deep reciprocal relationship with the land and its beings.

• Symbols and archetypes are not mere abstractions but tangible forces that can be experienced and engaged with in a direct and practical way.

• Forgetting and remembering our connection to the animate world is a continuous process that requires humility and openness to new experiences. Seek out spaces and practices that offer tangible spiritual experiences.

Resources and stuff that we spoke about:

• To find out more about Joshua's work, visit The Emerald Podcast at: patreon.com/theemeraldpodcast

• Be Mythical is soon opening the doors to our new academy of alchemical arts - UNIO: The Academy of Sacred Union... To get your special invitation register HERE.

Thank you for listening!

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Thank you! Lian and Jonathan