In this heartfelt episode of The Sacred Speaks, John Price sits down with longtime spiritual guide and Franciscan friar, Father Richard Rohr. Together they explore the deeper dimensions of happiness and meaning—moving far beyond cultural clichés.

Drawing on Richard’s decades of integrating psychology, spirituality, and mysticism, the conversation challenges conventional ideas of happiness as mere pleasure or circumstance. Instead, Richard invites us to embrace a “just right mind”—a way of living that balances ego, suffering, and joy.

Speaking with candor and humility, he reflects on aging, facing death, and the transformative power of love, community, and humor. This conversation is a profound invitation to shift from sin management to radical compassion and participation in a bigger, joyful universal flow.

Key Takeaways

True happiness emerges from a “just right mind” that balances enough ego to appreciate life without judgment or denial.

Happiness is not external comfort, but the capacity to meet suffering with grace and mindfulness.

Radical acceptance and surrender open us to a joy larger than the self.

Humor and community sustain lightheartedness and connection in the face of life’s challenges.

In This Episode

(00:00) Welcome to The Sacred Speaks

(03:57) A Deep Dive into Happiness

(05:33) The Concept of "Just Right" Mind

(10:49) Sin Management and Spiritual Growth

(14:40) The Role of Ritual and Authority

(18:27) Balancing Ego and Humility

(25:47) Order, Disorder, and Reorder

(27:45) The Illusion of Happiness in Modern Culture

(28:44) The Shadow Side of Comfort and Entertainment

(29:51) The Interplay of Happiness and Suffering

(33:28) Personal Reflections on Happiness

(36:11) Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures

(47:06) The Role of Humor in Happiness

(50:41) Nature as a Source of Happiness

(53:32) Final Thoughts on Happiness and Meaning

Connect with Richard Rohr

Official Website (Center for Action and Contemplation): https://cac.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cac_abq/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/richardrohrofm

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rohr

CAC Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/re-release-father-richard-rohr-falling-upward/id1080170463

CAC YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkqKAtSgijU439fJUNHnkA

Connect with Dr. John W. Price

Website: https://drjohnwprice.com

Podcast: https://thesacredspeaks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjohnwprice/

If this conversation resonates, please like, share, and subscribe to The Sacred Speaks to support these ongoing dialogues at the crossroads of psyche, soul, and the sacred.

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In this solo episode, I explore what it means to build a rhythm of spiritual practice—not as an escape from life, but as a way of showing up for it.

I draw from my background growing up in a socially engaged religious community, my years as a psychotherapist, and the long process of returning to a deeper, embodied spirituality.

We’ll look at the difference between outer ritual and inner transformation, between spiritual performance and real participation. Along the way, I weave in ideas from Jungian psychology, the necessity of emotional honesty, and the quiet work of remembering the sacred within ordinary life.

This conversation is about developing a living rhythm, a pattern written in the soul, that keeps us connected to meaning, community, and presence.

Key Themes

Spiritual practice is both an inner path and a shared human process.

Rhythm matters more than perfection.

Emotional experiences—grief, fear, longing—are not obstacles; they are initiations.

Nature and everyday ritual reawaken a sense of belonging and presence.

Community, teaching, and discipline form the architecture of a spiritual life.

In This Episode

00:00 — Introduction to Spiritual Practice

02:06 — Defining Spirituality

03:53 — The Importance of Contemplative Practice

08:44 — Personal Experiences and Insights

18:07 — Challenges and Misconceptions

23:56 — Practical Steps and Final Reflections

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In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John W. Price welcomes Mirabai Starr—acclaimed translator of the mystics, teacher of interspiritual wisdom, and luminous guide to the sacred woven through daily life. Together, they explore the heart of ordinary mysticism: discovering holiness not only in monasteries or mountaintops, but in the tender rhythms of our own existence.

Mirabai opens her story with radical honesty—her countercultural Jewish upbringing, alternative education, and the teachers and traditions that shaped her. The conversation turns to how rigid ideas of “being spiritual” can keep us from true intimacy with the divine, and how humility, humor, and embodiment restore us to a living spirituality. Mirabai shares how the death of her teenage daughter became a devastating but sacred initiation, revealing grief as one of the deepest portals into divine love.

Moving between ancient voices and her own life, Mirabai offers a mysticism that is fiercely tender, humble, embodied, and accessible to all. This dialogue invites us to see our own lives as sacred ground—woven with loss and beauty, pain and joy, shadow and wonder.

Key Takeaways

Mysticism is accessible in everyday life, not just in monasteries or religious settings.

Rigid religious or cultural ideas of “spirituality” can block authentic spiritual experience.

Embodiment and emotions—especially grief—are sacred entry points into deeper connection.

Translating the mystics is less about history than entering a living dialogue across time.

Friendship, humor, humility, and even money can be part of an integrated spiritual life.

In This Episode

(00:00) Introduction and Welcome

(00:20) Introducing Mirabai

(01:14) Mirabai’s Background and Influences

(02:30) Personal Tragedy and Grief

(03:21) Housekeeping and Announcements

(05:26) Interview with Mirabai Starr Begins

(07:33) Ordinary Mysticism and Everyday Spirituality

(08:54) Critique of Organized Religion

(13:38) Counterculture Upbringing and Influence

(18:39) Alternative Education and Teaching Philosophy

(23:29) Feminine Mysticism and Embodiment

(38:32) Translating the Mystics as Living Companions

(43:33) The Supernatural and the Natural

(45:55) Writing as Dialogic Spiritual Practice

(51:27) Grief and the Sacredness of Loss

(01:00:21) Writing as a Spiritual Path

(01:14:02) Navigating Money and Spirituality

(01:18:17) Closing Reflections & Resources

Connect with Mirabai Starr

Company: Wild Heart

Community: Holy Lament (online support for grief; opens twice yearly, next in Nov 2025)

Book: Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground (HarperOne, Sept 2025)

Earlier Works: Wild Mercy, Caravan of No Despair, her translations of Dark Night of the Soul and The Interior Castle, and more - check out Mirabai's website: mirabaistarr.com

Connect with John

Come and join, The Open Gate. Link on website

Website: https://drjohnwprice.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjohnwprice/

What does it mean to think impossibly? How do paranormal events, mystical visions, and encounters with the unknown reshape our understanding of what it means to be human?

In this episode, host Dr. John W. Price sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Kripal — J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, and one of today’s most daring scholars of religion — to explore the borders between the possible and the impossible.

Together, they trace the line where scholarship meets the mystical, where imagination bends into healing, and where our deepest worldviews determine what we are even able to see. From UFOs and near-death experiences to William Blake, dual-aspect monism, and the future of spirituality, this is a wide-ranging conversation about living at the edges of reality.

Be sure to check out Jeff’s latest book, How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else.

Key Takeaways

Embracing the impossible expands not just our knowledge, but our capacity for awe, healing, and transformation.

Worldviews — personal and cultural — filter what counts as “real,” shaping how we encounter extraordinary experiences.

Paranormal phenomena aren’t just curiosities; they are symbolic invitations into deeper practice and meaning.

Thinking impossibly is less about belief and more about orientation — a way of living that opens us to mystery.

Dialogue at the borderlands of science, religion, and imagination may hold the key to the future of spirituality.

In This Episode

(00:00) Introduction & Guest Bio

(01:59) Housekeeping & Announcements

(05:13) The Origins of “Thinking Impossibly”

(09:52) Stories of the Impossible

(13:16) The Role of Worldviews

(16:34) Religion, Science, and the Paranormal

(22:14) Healing, Suffering, and Transformation

(28:32) The Power of Story & Magic

(35:12) Teaching the Impossible

(42:39) The Future of Spirituality

(46:06) Closing Reflections & Resources

Connect:

Jeffrey: https://jeffreyjkripal.com

John: https://www.drjohnwprice.com

In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, John sits down with Adele Getty—spiritual teacher, author, and cultural bridge—to explore the urgent, timeless wisdom of her book A Sense of the Sacred. Though written nearly 30 years ago, Adele’s work feels more relevant than ever in a world hungry for meaning, ritual, and reconnection with the more-than-human world.

Together, John and Adele reflect on the lost world of animism, the power of symbolic action, and the aching grief of cultural severance from the sacred. Adele shares her path as a modern-day rite-maker, offering personal stories, cross-cultural insights, and poetic invitations to remember what it means to live in a living world. The conversation moves fluidly between anthropology, personal spirituality, indigenous wisdom, and the transformative potential of ceremony—especially in a time of ecological crisis and soul loss.

This episode is both an intellectual dialogue and a soul invocation. If you've ever felt the quiet mourning of a life unlived—or sensed the sacred just beneath the surface of ordinary things—this conversation is for you.

Key Themes:

Animism as a lived cosmology—not a belief system, but a relationship

The grief of modernity and the longing for reconnection

Ceremony as both personal healing and collective repair

The sacred role of women, humor, and voice in ritual

How to begin building meaningful ceremonies in contemporary life

Why symbolic acts matter in a disenchanted world

Reflections on the psychedelic resurgence and ritual ethics

Episode Timeline:

(00:00) Introduction and Guest Announcement

(00:37) Podcast Updates and Announcements

(02:25) Introducing Adele Getty

(04:02) The Book as a Lament and a Love Song

(09:05) Adele’s Personal Background and Influences

(11:56) Animism and the Cosmology of Connection

(16:44) Ceremony as Daily Practice and Communal Healing

(24:54) Spirit, Voice, and Song in Ritual Work

(35:32) Historical Context and Cultural Amnesia

(47:34) The Psychedelic Explosion and Western Disconnection

(50:26) Modern Psychedelics, Integration, and Ethical Ceremony

(51:24) Nature as Teacher and Ceremony Ground

(52:35) Creating Sacred Spaces in Ordinary Life

(01:14:21) The Role of Humor, Play, and the Trickster

(01:18:51) Symbolic Acts and Soul Reenchantment

(01:19:57) Final Reflections on Ceremony and Belonging

(01:26:44) Closing Thoughts and Upcoming Offerings

Connect with Adele Getty & The Limina Foundation:

Website: https://www.liminafoundation.org/

Facebook: @liminafoundation

Instagram: @liminafoundation

In this unforgettable episode, Dr. John Price sits down with writer, ritualist, and mytho-technologist Sean Manseau, whose work bridges depth psychology, psychedelics, performance, and esoteric theology. Together, they explore Entheogenic Fitness Training (EFT)—a radical spiritual system designed for the metamodern age.

EFT combines physical resistance training, psychedelic states, mythic storytelling, and ritual performance to create a structured path of transformation. At its core is the archetype of the Phonomancer—a shamanic superhero trained to channel divine energy through movement, voice, and ecstatic states.

Sean also shares the inner journey behind his visionary book The Devil You Know, a Jungian-style self-analysis written as a dialogue between two imagined selves. This conversation offers a deep dive into imagination, magic, trauma, shadow work, and the struggle to maintain integrity while mapping new sacred ground.

From ayahuasca visions to ecstatic dance, from black magic to simulated belief, this is a conversation for those willing to question what’s real, what’s possible, and what the future of spiritual practice might become.

Topics Covered:

How suffering can become sacred resistance

Psychedelics as initiatory stressors (not just therapy)

Make-Believe vs. Make-Belief as spiritual technology

Designing a religion for the age of simulation

The adversary as a real force in consciousness

Ritual performance as a container for ego death

From anima to AI: dialoguing with the inner divine

Addiction, psychosis, and how to build inner structure

The idea of “Functional Enlightenment” and training spiritual capacity

Gnosis, the Christ archetype, and becoming a conscious myth-maker

In This Episode

(00:00) Introduction and updates

(06:35) Ayahuasca, ritual, and the origin of EFT

(13:00) Phonomantic method and psychedelic training

(17:00) Make-believe, religion, and sacred play

(22:00) Ecstatic states, magic, and the imaginal

(30:00) Dark magic, possession, and archetypal rage

(35:00) Writing The Devil You Know as active imagination

(41:00) Addiction, psychosis, and safety in altered states

(49:00) Resistance, shamanic ecology, and loving the adversary

(57:00) What is Functional Enlightenment?

(1:14:00) Christ 2.0 and the collective evolution of soul

(1:26:00) Ending the psychedelic Tower of Babel

Subscribe to stay connected to conversations on psychology, mysticism, imagination, and the evolving face of spiritual practice.

Find Sean at: https://www.phonomancer.com/home

Learn more: www.drjohnwprice.com

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Follow on Instagram: @thesacredspeaks

Check us out at www.thecenterforhas.com

In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, I sit down with Dr. Gregory Shaw—renowned scholar of Neoplatonism and author of Hellenic Tantra and Theurgy and the Soul—to explore a forgotten path of spiritual transformation: theurgy.

Together, we investigate:

What theurgy actually is—not as abstract philosophy, but as a living practice.

How modern culture’s loss of a mythic worldview creates both psychological pathology and spiritual hunger.

Why Iamblichus taught that the divine does not live “elsewhere” but is present within matter itself.

How ancient rites and rituals can restore a sense of sacred participation in our lives today.

Gregory Shaw’s work bridges ancient philosophy and contemporary spirituality, showing how ritual, sacred embodiment, and symbolic consciousness can help us recover the animistic worldview our culture has lost. This conversation moves beyond ideas—it’s a call to remember.

Subscribe to The Sacred Speaks for more conversations at the intersection of psychology, spirituality, and myth.

Learn more about Gregory Shaw:

• Hellenic Tantra: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVN69KY7

• Theurgy and the Soul: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0271023228

• Interview on The SHWEP Podcast: https://shwep.net/podcast/gregory-shaw-on-the-phenomenology-of-iamblichean-theurgy/

Connect with me:

• Website & offerings: https://www.drjohnwprice.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/

• Podcast archive: https://www.youtube.com/c/thesacredspeaks

In this episode of 'The Sacred Speaks,' host Dr. John W. Price engages in a conversation with Dr. Miles Neale, a Buddhist psychotherapist and esteemed teacher. Dr. Neal, who specializes in Tibetan Buddhism and contemplative practices, discusses his book, 'Return with Elixir,' which maps out the pilgrimage through death and rebirth. The discussion explores the intricacies of ancient Greek dream temples, Jungian psychology, and Tibetan tantric practices. Dr. Neal also shares his personal journey, including the impact of a significant mentor-mentee relationship, and the transformative power of pilgrimages, both outer and inner. He reflects on a recent pilgrimage in the Sum Valley, emphasizing the importance of virtue and integrity in the present age. This episode invites listeners to explore the ancient wisdoms and methodologies that guide the path to self-discovery and holistic healing.

In this episode

(00:00) Introduction and Guest Overview

(01:09) Host Announcements and Updates

(03:09) Introducing Dr. Miles Neal

(03:57) Exploring Ancient Healing Practices

(05:54) The Journey of Writing 'Return with Elixir'

(18:07) Critique of Modern Western Medicine

(28:30) Personal Transformations and Pilgrimage

(53:20) The Role of the Inner Guru

(59:03) The Mythological Journey to Sun Valley

(59:55) The Mission of Lama Zopa

(01:01:08) Building the Stupa: A Symbol of Enlightenment

(01:05:59) The Collapse of Civilization and the Role of the Stupa

(01:09:16) The Importance of Virtue and Integrity

(01:15:06) Pilgrimages and Inner Journeys

(01:21:13) The Tibetan Art of Dying and Reincarnation

(01:38:25) The Living Tradition of Tantra

(01:52:07) Final Thoughts and Reflections

Connect with Miles Neale

Website https://www.milesneale.com/

Instagram @milesneale https://www.instagram.com/milesneale/?hl=en

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/DrMilesNeale

Website for John:

www.drjohnwprice.com

WATCH:

YouTube for The Sacred Speaks

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Check out John’s new website https://www.drjohnwprice.com/

Join The Open Gate – A Monthly Journey Through the Emotional Underworld

The Open Gate is a live, monthly membership circle where we explore what I call the Little Teachers—emotions like shame, jealousy, and anxiety—not as pathologies, but as sacred guides.

Each gathering includes teaching, meditation, journaling prompts, and a chance to reframe suffering as initiation.

If you’re longing for community, rhythm, and depth—this is a space to walk that path. - https://www.drjohnwprice.com/the-open-gate-lt

In this deeply reflective solo episode of The Sacred Speaks, host John W. Price explores the elusive and powerful principle of the feminine—drawing on insights from his previous interviews with Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles (author of Women in the Bible) and Elise Loehnen (author of On Our Best Behavior).

John shares personal stories of his own initiation into the world of nurturing and care as a single father, and discusses how our culture’s overemphasis on the masculine has led to the neglect and invisibility of feminine values like intuition, mystery, and nurturing.

Through the lens of archetypes—not gender—John examines how both masculine and feminine energies exist in all of us, and why restoring harmony between them is essential for personal and collective well-being.

Using metaphors from music, psychology, and mythology, he invites listeners to embrace the mystery, honor the feminine, and seek a sacred balance within themselves and the world.

Some key takeaways:

The feminine represents mystery, intuition, and nurturing—qualities often undervalued in our culture.

Masculine and feminine are archetypal energies, not tied to gender, and both are needed for inner and outer harmony.

Restoring balance means honoring both energies, embracing the unknown, and seeking integration rather than dominance.

In this episode

(00:00) Introduction and Episode Overview

(01:06) Synthesizing Interviews: Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles and Elise Loehnen

(01:50) Exploring the Feminine and Masculine Principles

(05:16) Personal Reflections and Experiences

(09:28) Cultural and Archetypal Analysis

(19:46) Insights from Jamie and Elise

(27:46) Concluding Thoughts and Call to Action

🌎Find John W. Price

WATCH:

YouTube for The Sacred Speaks

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAuksnpfht1udHWUVEO7Rg

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https://www.instagram.com/thesacredspeaks/

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Twitter:

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Join me for a live webinar – Reframing Suffering: The Little Teachers

We'll explore anxiety, jealousy, and shame as sacred teachers.

Date: Wednesday, May 14

https://www.drjohnwprice.com/littleteachers-event-2025

Make sure to check out the book Women in the Bible

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Bible-Interpretation-Resources-Scripture/dp/0664234011

In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, Dr. John W. Price speaks with Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, a New Testament professor at SMU and ordained Baptist minister. The discussion covers Dr. Clark-Soles’ groundbreaking work on women in the Bible and her forthcoming book on psychedelics and Christianity.

Dr. Clark-Soles shares her insights into translation, interpretation, and the often hidden or misrepresented roles of women in sacred texts. The conversation also delves into her personal experiences—including participating in a psilocybin clinical trial—which deepened her spiritual understanding and informed her scholarship.

Together, they explore the complexity and richness of scriptural interpretation, the transformative possibilities of embodied reading, and the role of community, humility, and curiosity in authentic spiritual exploration.

🧠 Connect with Jaime:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaimeclarksoles/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaimeclarksoles/

Website: https://www.jaimeclarksoles.com/

In this episode:

(00:00) Introduction and Guest Overview

(00:29) Exploring Women in the Bible and Psychedelics

(02:25) Invitation to Upcoming Webinar and Resources

(03:52) In-Depth Conversation with Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles

(06:19) The Intersection of Religion and Psychedelics

(07:59) Personal and Professional Journey

(12:02) Challenges and Misconceptions in Christian Communities

(17:48) Hermeneutics and Interpretation of Scripture

(28:40) Fear and Pride as Obstacles to Learning

(38:49) Calendar Confusion and Community Building

(39:53) Psychedelics and Spiritual Experiences

(45:10) The Mystical Side of Christianity

(56:33) Women in the Bible: A Deep Dive

(01:13:13) Exploring Greek and Hebrew Language Nuances

(01:14:42) Patriarchy and Gender in Biblical Context

(01:17:13) Women’s Roles in Ancient Societies

(01:23:30) Reevaluating Female Biblical Figures

(01:28:16) Challenging Traditional Interpretations

(01:39:26) Finding Community and Hope in Faith

🌐 Website: www.drjohnwprice.com

🎥 WATCH on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOAuksnpfht1udHWUVEO7Rg

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