Today’s subject matter is so slippery and mysterious that even my guest, Dr Maya Ward, finds it hard to describe, though she’s swimming in it. It concerns the aliveness of rivers and the rivers inside us; the nature of reality and realms invisible yet objectively real. It’s about catching the whispers and shouts of the world with pen and paper. It’s shamanic, ecstatic and emphatically esoteric. It’s bloody wild – and I suggest bringing your passport because the places this convo will take you are far out. But also, deep within. If you love all things complex, paradoxical and perspective-shifting, I dedicate this episode to you 🙌

After we recorded, Maya sent this thoughtful epilogue:

We are innately of the world, yet we are also this witness consciousness, experiencing separation. Forgetting, then remembering. “Inside human beings is where God learns”, said Rilke. Does separation itself create the possibility of learning? In my exhibition, on the wall, I have a quote from Robert Bringhurst: “Language is not for talking about the world – that's for dilettantes. Language is for talking with the world.” I wish I'd said that.

🧵Threads

A new old way to introduce ourselves

Original meanings of yin and yang

The right ratio between humans and more-than-human

The role of the artist and poet

Ecstatic and mystical experiences in nature

Building beauty and vernacular architecture

Where a lack of trust in the system takes you

Initiated vs. uninitiated ways of being

Small, potent work

Third wheeling the love affair between sun and earth

Altered state work

Altered States, Imaginal Realms & Co-Becoming with Dr Maya Ward