Jonathan Gustin (Part 3) – Integrating Activism and Spiritual Practice: Nonduality and the Metacrisis

Ep. 127 (Part 3 of 3) | Purpose guide, activist, nonduality student/teacher, and meditation teacher Jonathan Gustin is passionate about bringing the subject of the metacrisis into spiritual practice, essentially updating spiritual traditions that originated on deeply local levels to reflect the world of interrelated global crises we live in today. Jonathan proposes we delve into the relationship between nondual awakening and the metacrisis, using the metacrisis as our spiritual koan, and fostering within our contemplative practice a sense of responsibility for life that manifests in activism. Jonathan’s focus is also on guiding individuals to explore the notion of soul-level purpose—not only to discover our true purpose but embody a purpose that is consistent with love without boundaries. 

This is a warm, lively, far reaching, and enlightening discussion, tying many intriguing subjects to the overarching theme of nonduality, metacrisis, and soul-level purpose: Native American vision questing, karma yoga, skillful communication, the developmental stages of purpose, the consequences of the delusion of separateness, the difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality, and much more. It is deeply inspirational to approach the metacrisis (which Jonathan provides a wonderful definition of) as an investigation into our relationship with life and reality. Recorded April 4, 2024.

“The metacrisis is an investigation into our relationship with life and reality; the term itself is a koan.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3

• A definition of the metacrisis: the polycrisis (the multiple interrelated crises) plus the consciousness in which the polycrisis arises and is ultimately made up (00:56)
• What is beyond (meta) all the elements of the polycrisis? Consciousness (02:32)
• We cannot engineer our way out of the metacrisis: we will have to heal, mature, and awaken ourselves individually & collectively if we are to make our way through the bottleneck we have created; furthermore, this is a permacrisis (05:11)
• The metacrisis is an investigation into our relationship with life and reality; the term itself is a koan (09:00)
• Default (inherited) purpose vs soul-level purpose (11:48)
• Purpose goes through a number of developmental stages—what are the characteristics of a mature, service-oriented, worldcentric purpose? (16:17)
• The difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality (20:26)
• The embodiment piece of nonduality is key (22:31)
• Updating our spiritual traditions and koans to 2024; asking, What is the metacrisis? (24:01)
• Jonathan’s open letter to nondual teachers inviting them to integrate the metacrisis into their teachings (33:07)
• Integral Conference in North America (ICON): Future Human, Denver, May 16th-19th (35:28)

Resources & References – Part 3

• Terry Patten, founder of A New Republic of the Heart, Facing Death: A Call to “Get Real,” the Importance of Being Kind, and Waking Up to the Miracle of Existence (Terry’s Message to Us 3 Weeks Before His Own Passing) (Deep Transformation podcast)
• James Fowler, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning*
• David Loy, Growing from Bodhisattva to Ecosattva: Integrating Personal Practice and Global Activism (Deep Transformation podcast)
• The Blue Cliff Record*, translated by Thomas Cleary & JC Cleary (compilation of 12th century koans)
• Lama Surya Das, The Essence of Awakening (Deep Transformation podcast on YouTube)
• Peter Russell’s “truth decay,” Consciousness: The Bridge Between Science & Spirit
• Brother David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk, author, lecturer committed to interfaith dialogue
• Jonathan Rowson, Tasting the Pickle: Ten flavours of meta-crisis and the appetite for a new civilisation
• Daniel Schmachtenberger, Rivalrous dynamics, multiplied by exponential technology, self-terminate. Or: how not to go extinct (The Alternative, YouTube video)
• John Prendergast, co-author of Jonathan’s upcoming paper on the metacrisis and nonduality
• Integral Conference in North America (ICON)’s Future Human Conference, Denver, May 16-19, 2024
• Jonathan Gustin, founder of the Purpose Guides Institute and Green Sangha, a spiritually oriented activist organization

Join Roger Walsh at Integral Conference of North America (ICON)’s FUTURE HUMAN conference, May 16-19, 2024 in Denver!

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Jonathan Gustin, MA, MFT, is the founder of Purpose Guides Institute. He helps people to find and embody their life’s purpose, and offers training for those who want to become Purpose Guides themselves. He is also a meditation teacher, facilitating meditation gatherings remotely as well as in-person in his hometown of Victoria, BC, Canada.  

Jonathan has been a psychotherapist and spiritual mentor for over 25 years. He is a retired adjunct professor at JFK University and co-author of Purpose Rising with Ken Wilber, Erwin Laszlo, and Bill Plotkin. He has had the pleasure of co-teaching programs with such luminaries as Human Potential pioneer George Leonard, eco-activist Joanna Macy, eco-psychologist Bill Plotkin, and Non-Duality pioneer Adyashanti. Jonathan looks forward to igniting a global conversation on Non-Duality & The Metacrisis (with a forthcoming paper in Summer 2024). Jonathan’s Institute welcomes a new cohort each September for Purpose Discovery and Purpose Guide Training. You can join him here:

HERE Zoom Meditation

HERE Intro to Purpose Discovery

HERE Non-duality & the MetaCrisis – A group exploration

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell