Paul Vander Klay is a minister at Living Stones CRC in Sacramento, CA, known for his engaging online discussions on faith and thoughtful community engagement.

How can the convergence of ancient spiritual practices and modern cognitive science redefine our understanding of identity and collective wisdom?

In this episode of "Voices with Vervaeke," John Vervaeke and Paul Vander Klay explore the intersections of personal transformation and collective wisdom. They discuss the role of spiritual practices like Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in modern society and their implications for personal growth and collective understanding. The conversation highlights the significance of relationality in understanding agency and cognition, emphasizing how our relationships with others shape our sense of self and our ability to navigate the world. John and Paul also address the advent of the sacred in modern culture and the potential for new cultural cognitive grammars. They share insights from their personal and professional experiences, offering a thought-provoking exploration of modern spirituality and relational being. This episode leaves listeners with a deeper understanding of how personal growth and collective wisdom are intertwined.

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00:00 Introduction: Faith, Friendship, and Exploration

03:10 Exploring IFS Therapy, Dialogical Self, and Archetypal Experiences

08:50 Dialoguing with Hermes: Ally Work and Neoplatonic Traditions

14:00 Dialogical Models and Changing Public Perception of Humans

22:50 Rethinking the Self: Transjectivity, Relationality, and the Imaginal

28:00 Beyond Substance Ontology

55:00 Dialogical Presencing and Transjective Ontology in Religion

58:05 Communal Aspects of Christian Tradition

01:01:35 Dialogical Practice and Hermetic Consciousness

01:05:25 Therapeutic Practices and Self-Deception

01:12:15 Exploring the Sacred in IFS and Dialogical Practices

01:40:50 Conclusion: Embracing Vulnerability and Honesty

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Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned in this Episode

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

Dialogical Practices

Hermes (Guiding Figure)

Proclus

Plotinus

Jordan Peterson

Jonathan Pageau

Seth Allison

Kasra Mirzaie

Richard Schwartz

Marc Lewis

Anderson Todd

Jeffrey Raff 

Dallas Willard

James Fuller

Robert Falconer

Sam Tideman

Paul Kingsnorth

Martin Shaw

Richard Rohlin (Universal History)

Gregory Shaw, Hellenic Tantra: The Theurgic Platonism of Iamblichus

Ben Alderson-Day, Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other

T. M. Luhrmann, How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others

Paul Ricoeur, Fallible Man: Philosophy of the Will

Plato, The Seventh Letter

Charles Taylor

Neoplatonism

Socrates

Relevant Episodes

Attachment Theory Beyond Therapy: Seth Allison on Wisdom and Connection

Exploring the Depths of Internal Family Systems with Seth Allison

Wisdom Through the Imaginal: IFS Insights with Seth Allison Part 3

Engaging the Imaginal: Kasra Mirzaie on IFS and the Meaning Crisis

The Elusive I - Part 1 - The Cognitive Science Show

AI Sages and the Ethical Frontier: Exploring Human Values, Embodiment, and Spiritual Realms

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Follow Paul Vander Klay: Blog | Twitter | YouTube

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Thank you for Listening!