Ep. 120 (Part 2 of 2) | Many time award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield has spent her life steeped in poetry and spiritual practice. Here, we feel almost as if we’ve been invited into her kitchen to talk about life, love, and especially about poems and how they offer us various answers to the abiding questions: who are we, what are we, what is our relationship to each other, what must we be grateful toward? Jane describes poems as vessels of discovery and poetry as taking your understanding and putting it into a form that is holdable, retrievable, transmissible. Poems can also be keys to unlock our despair, she explains, creating a crack in the darkness, a re-entrance to the possibility of wholeness. Jane’s sublime poetry is many-layered; the same poem might be about human love or peace between nations, about the end of love or the fact that love never dies. Jane shares that her lifetime of questioning (her most recent book of new and selected poetry is titled The Asking) has boiled down to one question: How can I serve?An awareness of our interconnectedness with all beings, all of life, permeates her work, and Jane is driven to provoke action on contemporary, pressing issues of biosphere, peace, and justice, and help us navigate the tightrope between hope and despair. The conversation also turns to early feminism and the poetry of women mystics that Jane put together in a beautiful anthology called Women in Praise of the Sacred, covering 43 centuries of spiritual poetry by women. When asked about her longtime Zen practice, Jane said, “I needed to become more of a human being, understand a different way of living inside this life I had been given” to become a good poet. She tells us that both poetry and Zen are paths of discovery, exploration, and awareness, and both paths insist that we attend to this world fully. This is a warm, personal, deeply illuminating, and thought provoking conversation, and Jane reads several of her poems, revealing their depth and beauty. Recorded November 30, 2023.“I don’t want a model of spirituality that excludes other forms of connection. Inclusion is the only path that makes sense.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2How can we become a magnet for creative imagination? (00:49) Artist retreats are the monastery of creativity (03:51)How Jane was drawn towards poetry, haiku, and Buddhist understanding early on (07:56)In 3-year retreat at Tassajara, writing wasn’t permitted, and how poetry returned after the monastic years (12:40)Both poetry and Zen are paths that insist you attend to this world fully (14:12)Women poets throughout history and the story of Enheduanna, earliest known poet (18:07)Protofeminist movement in the Middle Ages: the Beguines (25:08)Reading of Mechthild of Magdeburg’s poem, and how we carry a molecule of divine remembrance with us (26:56)Spiritual poems of male and female mystics, are they different? (30:12)Poems of the sacred rather than poems of suffering: dark nights of the soul come after moments of awakening as much as before (33:19)Spiritual poems often use the language of eros, and how inclusion of all forms of connection is the only path that makes sense (35:01) Women have found their voice…yet women have always written poetry (37:09)Reading of “The Poet,” a 1996 poem about poems that have never been published (39:01)“I Imagine Myself in Time” reading (44:12)Resources & References – Part 2Allen Ginsberg, American poet, Buddhist, activistTassajara Zen Mountain Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen CenterAlan Watts popularized Buddhist, Taoist & Hindu philosophy for a Western audienceJane Hirshfield, Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women*Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own*Emily Dickinson, Katherine Anne Porter, Jane AustenAncient Akkadian poet Enheduanna, The Hymn to InannaCole Porter’s song Begin the BeguineProtofeminism and the BeguinesJulian of Norwich, “All will be well, all manner of things will be well.”Mechthild of Magdeburg, Beguine, Christian medieval mystic Mirabai, Hindu mystic and poetKabir, Indian mystic, poet & saintEliza Griswold, poet and journalist of conflict zonesNobel prize winners, Louise Glück & Toni MorrisonJane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems* (September 2023)Jane Hirshfield, Ledger: Poems* (2021)Jane Hirshfield, Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women*About Jane Hirshfield, Poetry.org website* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Jane Hirshfield, writing “some of the most important poetry in the world today” (The New York Times Magazine), is one of American poetry’s central spokespersons for concerns of the biosphere. Hirshfield’s honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations and National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Center Book Award, the California Book Award, and finalist selection for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The author of two now-classic collections of essays on poetry’s infrastructure and craft, and editor and co-translator of four books presenting world poets from the deep past, Hirshfield’s work, translated into seventeen languages, appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, and ten editions of The Best American Poems. A former chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, she was elected in 2019 into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Her most recently published collection of poetry is The Asking: New & Selected Poems (Knopf, 2023).---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 119 (Part 1 of 2) | Many time award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield has spent her life steeped in poetry and spiritual practice. Here, we feel almost as if we’ve been invited into her kitchen to talk about life, love, and especially about poems and how they offer us various answers to the abiding questions: who are we, what are we, what is our relationship to each other, what must we be grateful toward? Jane describes poems as vessels of discovery and poetry as taking your understanding and putting it into a form that is holdable, retrievable, transmissible. Poems can also be keys to unlock our despair, she explains, creating a crack in the darkness, a re-entrance to the possibility of wholeness. Jane’s sublime poetry is many-layered; the same poem might be about human love or peace between nations, about the end of love or the fact that love never dies. Jane shares that her lifetime of questioning (her most recent book of new and selected poetry is titled The Asking) has boiled down to one question: How can I serve?An awareness of our interconnectedness with all beings, all of life, permeates her work, and Jane is driven to provoke action on contemporary, pressing issues of biosphere, peace, and justice, and help us navigate the tightrope between hope and despair. The conversation also turns to early feminism and the poetry of women mystics that Jane put together in a beautiful anthology called Women in Praise of the Sacred, covering 43 centuries of spiritual poetry by women. When asked about her longtime Zen practice, Jane said, “I needed to become more of a human being, understand a different way of living inside this life I had been given” to become a good poet. She tells us that both poetry and Zen are paths of discovery, exploration, and awareness, and both paths insist that we attend to this world fully. This is a warm, personal, deeply illuminating, and thought provoking conversation, and Jane reads several of her poems, revealing their depth and beauty. Recorded November 30, 2023.“Nonduality is inherent in an existence experienced as a verb and not as a noun.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing award-winning poet and long-time Zen practitioner Jane Hirshfield (00:59)Jane’s recent collection of poems, The Asking, tracks the story of her evolution as a poet (02:33)How the title The Asking came about: a poem is an exploration of a question that can’t be answered (04:50)What is poetry? Poems are vessels of discovery that are retrievable; they provide you with a record of having worked through the questions (08:54)Sacred questions, Zen practice, and how Jane’s questions eventually became one: “How can I serve?” (11:55)Remembering we are all interconnected—this is not a solitary venture (16:16)Jane’s reading of “Today, When I Could Do Nothing,” written the first day of the COVID stay-at-home mandate (18:52) Entering the zone of poetry you become more open: when you ask a question, you start hearing answers everywhere (24:41)How does the invisible become visible? Poetry finds a way (26:11)If we could understand existence as verbs rather than nouns, it would change everything (27:19)Opening to poetry, synchronicities show up everywhere, things leap into a poem to help (29:08)Science, the advent of the microbiome, and the realization that a large part of us isn’t human (30:54)Jane’s series of poems investigating “what is the self?” and a reading of “My Proteins” (32:18)Poems related to the Earth’s crisis began with Jane’s own perplexity and grief (36:27)Reading of an “all-purpose crisis poem”: “Let Them Not Say” (40:00)Jane’s task as a poet became to make it not so that future generations would say we didn’t do enough in regard to the biosphere, justice, and peace (42:11)What state of consciousness do you need to be in to write a poem, also to read it and receive it? (43:08)Deep depression and the crack a poem opened, a re-entrance into the possibility of wholeness (44:23)Reading of “For What Binds Us,” a poem about love and about peace between nations (46:49) Poetry made Jane a promise that the scar of a wound is a strength not a weakness (50:14)Keeping the connection to unconscious wisdom alive when poetry is unavailable (52:10)How poetry (and art) can save us in impossible circumstances and despair (53:26)The curative of despair is any sense of agency (56:41)Resources & References – Part 1Jane Hirshfield, The Asking: New and Selected Poems* (September 2023)Jane Hirshfield, Ledger: Poems* (2021)Jane Hirshfield, Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women*About Jane Hirshfield, Poetry.org websiteRobert Frost, beloved American poet, “… a momentary stay against confusion” comes from The Figure a Poem MakesSan Francisco Zen Center, founded by Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind*Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist and author, Events and the Nature of Time (YouTube video)The myth of Psyche (see under Psyche’s trials: sorting grain)Rachel Carson, Silent Spring*Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, “Face to Face”Nâzım Hikmet, Turkish poetThe butterfly effect* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Jane Hirshfield, writing “some of the most important poetry in the world today” (The New York Times Magazine), is one of American poetry’s central spokespersons for concerns of the biosphere. Hirshfield’s honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations and National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Center Book Award, the California Book Award, and finalist selection for the National Book Critics Circle Award. The author of two now-classic collections of essays on poetry’s infrastructure and craft, and editor and co-translator of four books presenting world poets from the deep past, Hirshfield’s work, translated into seventeen languages, appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, and ten editions of The Best American Poems. A former chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, she was elected in 2019 into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Her most recently published collection of poetry is The Asking: New & Selected Poems (Knopf, 2023).---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 118 | Psychologist and non-violent communications trainer Kateryna Yasko and her husband, Vytautas Bučiūnas, Integral Master Coach and leadership development expert, relate what it’s like to live in war-torn Ukraine, two years since the Russian invasion began. They share why they chose to return to Kyiv from the safe haven of Lithuania, and describe a “special form of happiness” that occurs when the fragility and beauty of life is brought to the fore, as Russian missiles and drones continue to target civilians and cultural landmarks. It is an existential battle being fought for Ukraine, and Kateryna & Vytas are deeply aware of the importance of keeping the soul of Ukraine alive, the cultural code, the foundation of any democratic nation’s identity. Among other things, Kateryna works with theater groups to stage productions that help make meaning of what Ukrainians are going through, help with processing PTSD, and keep cultural expression alive.This poignant conversation reveals what extraordinary courage human beings are capable of when put to the test: to protect loved ones, country, and the values of truth, justice, freedom, and democracy. Kateryna and Vytas emphasize that love is not enough to protect our innate rights and that pacifism is not an option in this case. They provide us with a glimpse into personal family life in modern wartime, a psychological portrait of where Ukrainians are at, a request for help, and a wake up call for all to understand that democracy around the world is not a given and that there are times, like this, when we need to stand up and fight for it. Recorded January 23, 2024.“We cannot leave this war to our children.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsIntroducing Ukrainian psychologist Kateryna Yasko and integral leadership development expert Vytautas Bučiūnas, who have returned to live in Kyiv despite the ongoing war with Russia (01:13)What is it like living in a country at war? The bombing of civilian buildings all over Ukraine happens according to schedule: Mondays, Tuesdays & holidays (03:21)The interior personal dimensions: stress, fear, anger, but also a very meaningful time, a special form of happiness with life so fragile (06:18)Why Kateryna & Vytas have chosen to return to Kyiv, rather than staying in Lithuania where it’s safe (08:51) Pacifism in this case is not an option: Putin is explicit about his intention to destroy Ukraine as a nation (10:08)Kateryna’s work with military recruiters (as a psychologist), every one of whose motivation is “We cannot leave this war to our children.” (14:33)Maintaining the cultural code, the soul of Ukraine: Kateryna works with producers & directors to support theater groups whose venues have been targeted in Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine culturally (16:09)How theater helps people make sense of their trauma, and the staging of Pinocchio to address how to remain humane under circumstances that evoke so much fear, anger & stress (20:08)A philosopher, PhD, and theologian friend has now become a sniper, and how Kateryna, a professional non-violent communications trainer and psychologist, realizes she too may need to become a sniper if Ukraine doesn’t receive enough support to protect itself (22:53) If Ukraine were to lose, Ukrainian men would become cannon fodder for the Russians, fighting against Western allies (26:04)Invitation to join an Emerge gathering in Ukraine, September 2024, to deliberately envision the global planetary future we want to create (28:57)Ukraine is now the frontier, the best place to feel into the fragility of life and contemplate futurism (32:42)So many tipping points around the world are building up this year and the challenge of making sense of it: peace and democracy are not a given (35:11)A call for support from the United States: peace & democracy are fragile all over the world—don’t take them for granted (36:01)Will Ukraine get the package of funding under consideration in the US? Please do the compassionate action: write your senators and representatives to pass this funding (38:08)Resources & ReferencesFrancis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man*Martin Luther King Jr., “…love without power is sentimental and anemic”Hryhorii Skovoroda, one of Ukraine’s greatest philosophers, also a beloved poet, teacher, and composer. The beautiful 18th century mansion that housed the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda was singled out and destroyed by the Russians because of its psychological and spiritual value to the Ukrainian peopleCarlo Collodi’s PinocchioEmerge Ukraine Pilgrimage, September 2024See also previous Deep Transformation podcasts with Kateryna and Vytas:Ukrainian Integral Perspectives on the Ongoing Invasion of Ukraine with Kateryna Yasko & Vytautas BučiūnasThe Moral Imperative to Help Ukraine: Integral Perspectives on the War, Its Global Implications, and the Role of Warrior ConsciousnessUkraine, One Year Later: Finding Meaning, Purpose, and Ways to Contribute Amidst the Hell of War* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Kateryna Yasko (Ukraine) is an organizational psychologist, a trainer for the development of emotional intelligence, trust, cooperation, effective communication, and peaceful conflict resolution, and co-founder of the consulting company U-Integral. Her academic background is in the area of international relations and law (MSc), business (MBA), and psychology (MSc). She bases her programs on the principles of Ken Wilber’s Integral approach and Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, and is certified in Spiral Dynamics Integral and in Susanne Cook-Greuter’s Maturity Assessment Profile. Kateryna is also head of the public association “International Institute for Integral Development” and a founder of the educational initiative EMPATIA.PRO, specializing in bringing holistic approaches into educational leadership and learning cultures. Vytautas Bučiūnas (Lithuania–Ukraine) is a co-founder and managing partner of U-Integral, an integral leadership development company. Vytautas also has vast experience as a top manager in the banking sector including working as the Head of Resident Office, Senior Banker, Associate Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Russia, Ukraine). Vytautas’ professional profile includes building organizational units from scratch, carrying out large-scale transformations, and managing crises. Vytautas is a certified Integral Master Coach™ (Integral Coaching Canada), an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)™, and the only business consultant in Ukraine certified in Leadership Maturity Framework – Maturity Assessment for Professionals (LMF-MAP) and Global Leadership Profile (GLP). Vytautas explores the development of human consciousness and complex social systems from a holistic perspective. He considers the growth of a critical mass of mature leaders with systemic thinking and transformational capabilities to be the key to society’s healthy development.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 117 (Part 3 of 3) | Brad Reynolds, author of Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber and Where’s Wilber At? Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium, gives us a beautiful distillation of Ken Wilber’s work, starting from the beginning and spanning decades. Not only does Brad elegantly relate the major themes of Ken’s work, he also makes clear the value of Ken’s contributions—the way this knowledge can be understood and applied to literally expand our notion of reality and evolve our consciousness. Brad deftly leads us through the subjects that Ken has developed: the spectrum of consciousness, the integration of science and religion, transcending and including what has come before, the importance of the transpersonal, and much more. We learn why Ken’s teachings are timeless and also so relevant and important today.Brad’s scholarship, his own spiritual practice and insight, his engaging, easygoing style, and the close working relationship he had with Ken for many years make this podcast a goldmine for learning the essence of Ken’s theories, for deepening our appreciation of the magnitude of Ken’s understanding, and above all, the topics covered here point the way for us to evolve as human beings. We come to understand that integral is much more than a theory: it’s a practice, a call to grow and transcend, to become more inclusive, more responsive—to live our true potential. Brad eloquently brings it home just how much we need integral thinkers and leaders right now, with regressive developmental trends on the rise. Especially pertinent in our polarized society, integral shows us how to take all that is valuable within ostensibly conflicting worldviews and integrate it for the benefit of all. Recorded January 3, 2024.“Integral thinking is really about encouraging people to be their best selves.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3Ken’s Phase 5: Ending the solitary period and establishing the Integral Institute to apply the AQAL model in the world (00:49)Ken’s health issues multiplied in 2006 (05:19)Brad’s favorite book of Ken’s: Integral Psychology (06:37)Ken’s critique of postmodernism in his novel Boomeritis (09:05)Ken’s new book would often address the flaws in his last book (13:28)What Ken’s The Marriage of Sense and Soul intended to do: how to integrate value-free science with value-laden religion? (14:40)And how do we mitigate the clash of civilizations, the war of worldviews? (19:01)How psychology uses the scientific method to develop our interiors and help heal our fractured culture (20:52)Ken’s theory is based upon the reality of his transpersonal awareness (22:04)The need for integral leaders to permeate our institutions and establish global reconciliation—otherwise there will be a regression (23:39)History is calling on us as a collective to address the pathologies we haven’t addressed or we will lose our democracy and regress down the spectrum of consciousness (25:16)Integral is really about encouraging people to be their best selves, to be inclusive; it’s a way of securing the rights of liberty and justice (27:32)Ken’s most recent publications, The Religion of Tomorrow, A Post-Truth World, and Revolutionary Social Transformation (29:33)Every generation has the responsibility to allow for higher development of human consciousness (35:01)The importance of BEING integral, not just thinking integral (36:02)Roger’s thank you to Brad for synthesizing Ken’s work and the value of integral so beautifully (36:47)Resources & References – Part 3Ken Wilber, Terry Patten, Adam Leonard & Marco Morelli, Integral Life Practice: A 21st-Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening* Jamie Wheal: see Deep Transformation episode #3, Ramping Up Human Evolution in Time to Avert DisasterIntegral Life website, run by Corey deVos, see also Deep Transformation episode #67, Illuminating the Integral Vision: A Metatheory for Understanding Our Self, Life, and the WorldJeff Salzman, The Daily Evolver podcast, see also Deep Transformation episode #1, Polarization, Being Woke, the Universal Agenda, Mindfulness Going Bad, and the Integral VisionKen Wilber, Integral Psychology: Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology*Ken Wilber, Boomeritis* (a novel)Ken Wilber, The Marriage of Sense and Soul: Integrating Science and Religion*Steve McIntosh, Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself,* see also Deep Transformation episode #20, Consciousness Evolves, Politics Can TooKen Wilber, The Religion of Tomorrow: A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions*Brad Reynolds’ website: https://integralartandstudies.comBrad Reynolds, Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber*Brad Reynolds, Where’s Wilber At?: Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium*Brad Reynolds, God’s Great Tradition of Global Wisdom: Guru Yoga-Satsang in the Integral Age** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Brad Reynolds did graduate work at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) before leaving to study under Ken Wilber for nearly a decade (1995-2004), and published two books reviewing Wilber’s work: Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber (Tarcher, 2004) and Where’s Wilber At?: Ken Wilber’s Integral Vision in the New Millennium (Paragon House, 2006). He recently published a book reviewing the world’s wisdom traditions called God’s Great Tradition of Global Wisdom: Guru Yoga-Satsang in the Integral Age (Bright Alliance, 2021). Brad is also a graphic artist, laying out books and designing a wide variety of graphics for publication as well as continuing his work in Integral Philosophy and the study of world religions.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Brad Reynolds, author of Embracing Reality and Where's Wilber At?, gives a distillation of Ken Wilber's work including the spectrum of consciousness, integration of science and religion, and the importance of the transpersonal. They discuss hierarchy, investigate spiritual traditions and cults, emphasize authenticity and legitimacy in spiritual teachings, and explore crucial distinctions in spiritual communities. A goldmine for understanding the essence of Ken's theories and evolving as human beings.

Brad Reynolds, author of Embracing Reality: The Integral Vision of Ken Wilber and Where’s Wilber At?, discusses Ken Wilber’s work and its application. They cover topics such as the spectrum of consciousness, the integration of science and religion, and the importance of the transpersonal. The podcast is a goldmine for understanding and appreciating Ken’s theories and evolving as human beings.

Ep. 114 | Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson is astonishing in her openness, authenticity, and candor in this moving conversation that enlightens on a spiritual level as well as a political one. First, we learn why she is running for president, and how she thinks she can help America. As Marianne explains it, her talent lies in translating what is happening so people can grasp the full picture. “Everybody sees it,” she says, talking about our money-driven culture and corrupt political system, “but not everybody can put the pieces together.” She adds that if people were to fully understand what is going on, it would create a space for transformation to occur. Marianne’s remarkable ability to consider all sides of an issue and look beyond symptoms to the root cause of some of our greatest problems is also evident, from calling on liberals to assume their share of responsibility for allowing this country to decline morally in the way that it has to her understanding of the political and psychological forces driving the Israel-Hamas war.More than a political talk, Marianne reveals a psychological and spiritual portrait of the United States, referencing the brilliant vision of our founding fathers, Martin Luther King’s goal of Beloved Community, and telling a stirring story of the way Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration reflects the high morality of the populace at that time. On a personal level, Marianne’s uncompromising path towards growth and transformation is both clear and inspiring—she talks about the importance of taking 100% responsibility for one’s experience, about practicing what you preach, living a life of service, and the reality of love. The only thing that is missing from any situation, Marianne tells us, is what we can do about it. Recorded January 9, 2024.“We don’t need just another technocrat or political car mechanic…we’re on the wrong road.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsIntroducing bestselling author and 2024 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson (01:10)On the importance of practicing what you preach, living a life of service (02:06) We’re living in a very mean-spirited time: people smear, lie, and ruin others very casually (03:50)The division now is more between decent and indecent than left and right (04:55)The effects of social media and the argument Trump created of “why not?” Now everything is a mud bath (06:18)The commodification of our culture: everybody sees it (07:06)Marianne is running for president because she can translate what’s happening to people, thereby creating a space where things can actually transform (07:58)The lack of values we need to concern ourselves with is neoliberalism—by our own passive permission, we are on some level acquiescing, making way for demagogues (10:17)We made a businessman (Trump) a god and now we see the consequences (13:44)The American people are not the problem (15:22)Take 100% responsibility for your experience or you won’t be able to change it (16:45)Running for president, waking up to the ugliest things you can imagine, has been Marianne’s greatest spiritual crucible: what an opportunity to forgive herself and others (18:31)How Marianne addresses symptoms and problems but also their underlying psychological and spiritual roots: “We’ve got to address root cause” (24:01)The Israel-Hamas War and unprocessed trauma: if your own trauma is unprocessed you are incapable of being present for the suffering of others (26:50)Dr. Martin Luther King on the political externalization of the goal of desegregation versus the ultimate true goal of Beloved Community—then and now in Israel and Palestine (29:03)John’s comparison of Marianne and Abraham Lincoln (32:00)Why politicians have become wooden and inauthentic (33:22) What Marianne has learned personally and a message to the people (35:49)The second election of Abraham Lincoln: amazingly, the people voted against their best interest to free slavesAn idea grows stronger when it is shared—and the Deep Transformation podcast (41:02)Resources & ReferencesMarianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”*Helen Schucman, A Course of Miracles* (Foundation for Inner Peace)Martin Luther King’s legacy: The Coalition of ConsciencePhysicist Sir James Jeans, The Mysterious Universe*Deep Transformation episode #104, Shachar Erez: Coping with the Horrors of War: An Israeli Therapist Shares the Agony, Grief & Uncertainty of Wartime, Insights on Alleviating Trauma, and the Grace of Integral-Spiritual PracticeDr. Martin Luther King’s vision of The Beloved CommunityMichael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life* Abraham Lincoln’s deeply spiritual second inaugural speech* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Marianne Williamson is a bestselling author, political activist, and spiritual thought leader. For over three decades, she has been a leader in spiritual and religiously progressive circles. She is the author of 15 books, four of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. In 1989, Marianne founded Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization that has delivered more than 16 million meals to ill and dying homebound patients. She has also worked throughout her career on poverty, anti-hunger, and racial reconciliation issues. In 2004, she co-founded The Peace Alliance and supports the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace. Marianne ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 and is currently a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 113 (Part 2 of 2) | Bruce Alderman, poet, mystic, and spiritual explorer, is also an integral scholar and pioneer of the emerging field of metatheory, looking at how to put our disparate fields of information—spiritual, psychological, philosophical, environmental, scientific—together and integrate them into a useful whole. Here Bruce tells the tale of how he was drawn into an experiential exploration of different worldviews, how he came to find the value in navigating different spiritual traditions, and how he discovered how to integrate mystical experiences, Asian spiritual teachings, and Western education, science, and psychology. Bruce’s unique understanding of interreligious relationships and their potential for meeting current challenges informs his call to the global community of spiritual practitioners to dialogue, critique, deeply listen, and reap the benefits of reflecting back to the other a view that takes them deeper in their understanding of their own position. Bruce also shares a brilliant vision of leadership training practices for developing the skills leaders will need to navigate the unfolding global crises of our time. This program will take form in the upcoming Blue Sky Leaders program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.Bruce is beautifully eloquent on many levels, sharing insights on intensifying our intimate experience of Being, trusting our dialogue with Being to bear fruit, and finding coherence while holding multiple paths. Bruce describes his turn towards scholarship and academia as “dancing on the subtle plane,” and thinking as one spiritual practice among many—a practice of union. There are so many gems of wisdom here, relayed in Bruce’s gently humorous, humble, and erudite manner. Bruce also inspires on how each of us can become a change agent simply by being integrous with who we are. Recorded December 6, 2023.“We can each become change agents just by being integrous with who we are.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The wild knot as symbol for a human being or culture: we are threads of a relationship that don’t have a final terminus (00:53)The challenges of our time and the need for entangled deep listening (01:59)A leadership training program that includes ongoing contemplative inquiry & practice, and also looks at cultural, political, ecological & spiritual dynamics and new cosmologies (02:26)Hyperobjects: you can’t see climate change, economic collapse, or evolution from a local point of view—it demands collective vision to perceive and apprehend it (04:13) Bruce’s vision for leadership development and the Blue Sky Leaders program empower people to serve in the great issues of our time (06:13)The bodhisattva ideal is both empowering and self-canceling (10:07)The metaphor of light, salt, and leaven for anyone wanting to be a change agent and serve the flourishing of life (13:23)Krishnamurti’s idea of “living in learning” and a program that is “deliberately developmental” (16:42)What are the specific practices essential for cultivating leaders to navigate the crises that are unfolding? (22:00)We evolved to be optimally functional on a much smaller level—without proper grounding, facing world problems can cause existential crisis (26:13) Holding a loving center, living and learning together (28:28)Back to interreligious practice: how interfaith dialogues and encounters have typically been handled: exclusivist, inclusivist, pluralist (33:24)In making room for multiple paths of spiritual practice, there is a danger of moving into instrumentalism, thinking practices are mere recipes (36:31)The grit to do the practices and the humility of opening to grace (39:36)What are Bruce’s practices today? (40:21)Bruce’s TSK practice (attuning to time/space/knowledge) that leads him to deep integration (41:35)Nonfinality: how each awakening leads to yet another, sacred secularity (45:35)How did Bruce enter into his exquisite scholarship? Philosophy and academic work is just another way to dance on the subtle plane (49:41)Resources & References – Part 2The wild knot in knot theoryTimothy Morton, Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World*Blue Sky Leaders program, CA Institute of Integral StudiesWhat’s the Future (WTF) and What Can We Do About It? Integral Conference, Sedona 2022Roy Bhaskar, English philosopher of science who initiated the philosophical movement of critical realismRobert Kegan, An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization*A.H. Almaas, creator of The Diamond ApproachInterview with Sean Kelly, Becoming Gaia (YouTube video), Becoming Gaia: On the Threshold of Planetary Initiation*James Bugental, On Existential-Humanistic Psychotherapy (Interview on Psychotherapy.net)Time, Space & Knowledge (Nyingma Institute), Time, Space & Knowledge: A New Vision of Reality*Raimon Panikkar, Sacred SecularityHameed Ali (A.H. Almaas) on the Deep Transformation podcast: Nonduality and Beyond: The Exhilarating Adventure of Discovering the Nature of Reality and How Awakenings Can Unfold EndlesslyMichael Dowd, Thank God for Evolution*Henryk Skolimowski, The Participatory Mind: A New Theory of Knowledge and of the Universe*George Lakoff & Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By*Bruce Alderman, Generative (En)Closures, Bubbles and Magic Circles: A Chat about Integral Postmetaphysical Spirituality and Religion–Bruce Alderman with Edward Berge and Layman PascalBruce Alderman, Associate Director, Blue Sky Leaders program, CA Institute of Integral StudiesBruce Alderman, Teacher in the Consciousness, Psychology, and Transformation Program at National UniversityBruce Alderman, co-host and producer, The Integral Stage YouTube channel* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Bruce Alderman, M.A., is affiliate faculty in the JFK School of Psychology in the Consciousness, Psychology, and Transformation program at National University, and the Associate Director of the Blue Sky Leaders program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He received his master’s degree in Integral Psychology, with an emphasis on Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, from John F Kennedy University in 2005. Prior to working at NU and CIIS, Bruce taught and studied abroad in Asia for several years, including teaching courses on creative writing and inquiry at the Rajghat Besant School, a Krishnamurti school in Varanasi, India. He has published essays in the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice and Consciousness Journal, as well as in several anthologies on Integral philosophy and spirituality, and recently self-published a book of collected poetry. For the past 4 years, he has produced and co-hosted The Integral Stage YouTube channel and podcast.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 112 (Part 1 of 2) | Bruce Alderman, poet, mystic, and spiritual explorer, is also an integral scholar and pioneer of the emerging field of metatheory, looking at how to put our disparate fields of information—spiritual, psychological, philosophical, environmental, scientific—together and integrate them into a useful whole. Here Bruce tells the tale of how he was drawn into an experiential exploration of different worldviews, how he came to find the value in navigating different spiritual traditions, and how he discovered how to integrate mystical experiences, Asian spiritual teachings, and Western education, science, and psychology. Bruce’s unique understanding of interreligious relationships and their potential for meeting current challenges informs his call to the global community of spiritual practitioners to dialogue, critique, deeply listen, and reap the benefits of reflecting back to the other a view that takes them deeper in their understanding of their own position. Bruce also shares a brilliant vision of leadership training practices for developing the skills leaders will need to navigate the unfolding global crises of our time. This program will take form in the upcoming Blue Sky Leaders program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.Bruce is beautifully eloquent on many levels, sharing insights on intensifying our intimate experience of Being, trusting our dialogue with Being to bear fruit, and finding coherence while holding multiple paths. Bruce describes his turn towards scholarship and academia as “dancing on the subtle plane,” and thinking as one spiritual practice among many—a practice of union. There are so many gems of wisdom here, relayed in Bruce’s gently humorous, humble, and erudite manner. Bruce also inspires on how each of us can become a change agent simply by being integrous with who we are. Recorded December 6, 2023.“We of the global community of spiritual practitioners owe it to each other to dialogue, critique, and deeply listen.“(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing spiritual pioneer, polymath, and master of metatheory, Bruce Alderman (01:38)How Bruce was drawn into an experiential exploration of different worldviews (04:06)Bruce’s first mystical experiences (07:17)Traveling in Asia, studying music & meditation, not wanting to have to choose one tradition to the exclusion of others (08:37)How to integrate mystical desert experiences, Asian spiritual teachings, and Western education, science, psychology? (11:16)Finding the value in navigating different spiritual traditions and coming face to face with the contradictions between them (14:45)Practicing more than one path at once can cause anguish, incoherence, and also has distinct benefits, and how some traditions can hold the one and the many at the same time (19:55)As A. H. Almaas also came to, the recognition of co-ultimacy of multiple ultimates (22:20)Opening oneself to as much as one can: psyche and existence are self-awakening (23:56) Hungry for the stories and experiences of humankind and all of their engagements with Being (25:59)The concept of generative enclosure: that consciousness is embedded in the environment and embodied in the body—our experience of the world is mediated by our own context (29:47)Spiritual practice, focusing our enclosures, can invite an intensification of our own experience of being (31:32) Generative (en)closures, bubbles, and magic circles (33:29)Language is an enactment of being (34:22)Metaphysics tends to look at things with nouns, but what’s coming forward is prepositional modes of being/thinking, intercontextuality, and adverbial thinking—recognizing that being unfolds in different ways at different times (35:34)With/in (with, in, and within) a holographic, nondual recognition, the world is in you and you are in the world, I am with you, you are in me, I am in you (37:46)We of the global community of spiritual practitioners owe it to each other to dialogue, critique, and deeply listen (41:33)There’s no one final point: we call the idea of an ultimate holon the ass holon (44:26)Leadership: we can each become agents of transformation, healing, and insight by being integrous with who we are (46:25)The Blue Sky Leaders program is designed around the question, How do we navigate the deep challenges of our time? (47:29) Different styles of leadership: emperor or servant-based (50:36)Ryan Nakade’s platinum man model: making it a practice to be able to reflect back to the other a view that takes them deeper in their understanding of their own position (52:24)Resources & References – Part 1Bruce Alderman, Generative (En)Closures, Bubbles and Magic Circles: A Chat about Integral Postmetaphysical Spirituality and Religion–Bruce Alderman with Edward Berge and Layman PascalBruce Alderman, Associate Director, Blue Sky Leaders program, CA Institute of Integral StudiesBruce Alderman, Teacher in the Consciousness, Psychology, and Transformation Program at National UniversityBruce Alderman, co-host and producer, The Integral Stage YouTube channelThomas Merton, Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist & scholar of comparative religion, An Introduction to Christian Mysticism: Initiation Into the Monastic Tradition*, The Wisdom of the Desert* et. al.Jiddu Krishnamurti & David Bohm, The Ending of Time: Where Philosophy and Physics Meet* Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Awakening of Intelligence*Ken Wilber, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution*Bruce Alderman, Opening Space for Translineage Practice (Journal of Integral Theory and Practice)Bruce Alderman, Sophia Speaks: An Integral Grammar of PhilosophyA.H. Almaas, creator of The Diamond Approach, see also Deep Transformation podcast episode #43, Nonduality and Beyond: The Exhilarating Adventure of Discovering the Nature of Reality and How Awakenings Can Unfold EndlesslyTarthan Tulku, Time, Space & Knowledge (Nyingma Institute), Time, Space & Knowledge: A New Vision of Reality*Augustine, The Confessions of Saint Augustine*Peter Sloterdijk, You Must Change Your Life*Bruno Latour & Michel Serres, Conversations on Science, Culture, and Time*Roy Bhaskar, English philosopher of science who initiated the philosophical movement of critical realismEdgar Morin, On Complexity*Ken Wilber, Nonduality archives (Integral Life website) David Bohm and the Holographic Universe (Futurism article)Raimon Panikkar, Sacred SecularityMetamodern community: Perspectiva websiteRyan Nakade, Straw Man, Steel Man, and All Those Other Men (YouTube video)* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Bruce Alderman, M.A., is affiliate faculty in the JFK School of Psychology in the Consciousness, Psychology, and Transformation program at National University, and the Associate Director of the Blue Sky Leaders program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He received his master’s degree in Integral Psychology, with an emphasis on Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, from John F Kennedy University in 2005. Prior to working at NU and CIIS, Bruce taught and studied abroad in Asia for several years, including teaching courses on creative writing and inquiry at the Rajghat Besant School, a Krishnamurti school in Varanasi, India. He has published essays in the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice and Consciousness Journal, as well as in several anthologies on Integral philosophy and spirituality, and recently self-published a book of collected poetry. For the past 4 years, he has produced and co-hosted The Integral Stage YouTube channel and podcast.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 111 (Part 2 of 2) | Colette Baron-Reid and Dr. Bob Weathers shine a bright light on the big picture state of addiction in our fragmented culture today—how people have become addicted to disconnection, dissociation, and identifying as victims in addition to substance use and other more traditional addictions—as well as sharing the essential elements and practices that have made their sustained long-term recovery possible. Dr. Bob explains that the first step in addressing addiction is to humanize the conversation around it and why. Our tendency toward addiction is universal, embedded in human nature itself, for one. And research shows that people who have suffered childhood trauma are five to ten times more susceptible to becoming addicts—their stress threshold five to ten times lower than other people’s, their stress hormones five to ten times higher. Studies also show that addiction is the most highly stigmatized mental disorder of all. It is humbling to realize what addicts are up against, calling us to compassion, understanding, and action.Both Colette and Bob are solidly grounded in long-term sobriety and deeply dedicated to helping others out of their suffering. Top down, intellectual information is clearly not adequate to sustain recovery—so what is? Spiritual connection, social connection, shadow work, healing shame, surrendering. As Colette says, “In recovery, you discover there is something greater than yourself, your pain, your story, and your limitations—this is the solace.” There comes a turning point when it stops being all about us, and the desire to serve arises. With service comes the all-important experience of belonging. As Bob relates, “It’s not just about not drugging or drinking—I want a vital life.” And what is missing on a global, universal level? Again, connection and community. Recorded August 28, 2023. “Gratitude is the abracadabra that creates our reality. Forgiveness is essential too.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2Trauma feeds directly into addiction: studies show childhood trauma victims are 5 to 10 times more at risk for addiction (00:59)Shadow work is absolutely required to sustain sobriety (05:07)Dealing with the shame element of shadow (06:58)Surrendering, letting go, opening up to other individuals and to your higher power (09:40)Living in 24-hour compartments (13:52)The effects of COVID on addiction: living in uncertainty and disconnection and how fear isolates us (15:07)Ideology addiction (20:40)The spiritual aspect of recovery (22:37)Colette’s practices today: conscious connection with a higher power, therapy, EMDR, cultivating humor, and more (25:39)  Bob’s recovery practice and how it evolved (30:09)The bedrock of forgiveness practice and gratitude practice (31:29)Service and love: you matter (37:23)Resources & References – Part 2CDC’s Adverse Childhood Experience studies John Bradshaw, Healing the Shame that Binds You*The Serenity Prayer (Celebrate Recovery website)Carl Jung, The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious* (opus contra naturam)The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics AnonymousGuy du Plessis, addiction specialist, Ideology Addiction (on Medium)Bill W, co-founder of Alcoholics AnonymousJames Finley, clinical psychologist, spiritual therapist, author of The Healing Path,* podcast host: Turning to the Mystics, see also James Finley on the Deep Transformation podcast: Sacred Psychotherapy: Bringing Depth & Spirit to Healing, Suffering & TraumaNoah Levine, Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction*John Dupuy, Integral Recovery: A Revolutionary Approach to the Treatment of Alcoholism and Addiction*The Freedom of Forgiveness, guided meditation with brainwave entrainment technology, created by Dr. Bob Weathers in collaboration with iAwake TechnologiesThe Gift of Gratitude – Recovery Edition, guided meditation with brainwave entrainment technology, created by Dr. Bob Weathers in collaboration with iAwake Technologies Energy Flows, brain wave enhancing guided meditations for aligning the 7 energy centers, created by Colette Baron-Reid in collaboration with iAwake TechnologiesColette Baron-Reid’s website: https://www.colettebaronreid.comColette’s podcast: Inside the Wooniverse, see also Deep Transformation episode #7, Living in Partnership with the Universe (YouTube version)Dr. Bob Weathers, recovery coach: https://www.drbobweathers.com, see also Deep Transformation episode #98, The Future of Addiction & Recovery* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Colette Baron-Reid (she/her) is a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed Oracle expert, spiritual intuitive, personal transformation thought leader, business strategist, artist, and educator. She’s the founder of The Oracle School Experience®, OraclePalooza® and the DreamQuest Platinum Mastermind. Colette is also the host of Inside the Wooniverse, a weekly podcast series featuring authentic and playful conversations with some of the world’s most interesting sages, scientists and celebrities. Author of 15 best-selling Oracle card decks, with over a million sold worldwide and 7 books published in 27 languages, Colette’s greatest joy is teaching people they can have a direct and personal dialog with the Universe to help them create their most fulfilling lives.Dr. Bob Weathers is a highly regarded addiction educator, recovery coach, author, and public speaker. Over the course of his professional career, “Dr. Bob” has provided tens of thousands of hours of therapeutic counseling and recovery coaching to satisfied clients. He has also committed over four decades to teaching, training, and inspiring graduate-level mental health providers at several southern California universities, including helping to develop their nationally accredited addiction studies certificate and mindfulness-based clinical training coursework. His two most recent books on addiction recovery are currently in press with Cambridge University Press.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell