
Wisdom Keeper Podcast
Who will you trust for guidance as the world transitions to a new eon?
Wisdom keepers are the elders, mentors, yogis, scholars, and holders of sacred knowledge committed to guiding us through a process of spiritual transformation. As we ride the waves of the emerging paradigm shift more of us will be looking to these reliable guides to help us sensemake and navigate the challenges and complexities of the human experience.
Each episode of the Wisdom Keeper podcast brings you into an intimate conversation designed to deepen your self-reflection, integrate your shadow, inspire your contemplative practice, and enliven your experience of being in the world. Your host Dr. Miles Neale curates mini-series complementing depth with breadth on a wide range of topics from spirituality and psychology, mythology and astrology, to sacred art and pilgrimage.
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/DrMilesNeale
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/milesneale/
https://www.milesneale.com/
https://www.gradualpath.com/
Latest episodes

Sep 1, 2024 • 1h 29min
Walter Cruttenden: The Great Year, Lost Ancient Knowledge, and Awakening from Amnesia Ep.19
Walter Cruttenden, an author and researcher delving into ancient wisdom and modern science, shares his insights on the Great Year and its impact on human consciousness. He discusses the significance of cosmic cycles, emphasizing how they influence civilizations. Cruttenden challenges mainstream narratives, linking historical events to celestial phenomena. The conversation also explores the interconnectedness of finance and spiritual growth, asserting that understanding our ancient past holds the key to our future awakening.

Feb 2, 2024 • 1h 11min
Lynn Bell: Astrology, Redemption, and the Aquarian Age of Revolutionary Change | Ep. 18
Lynn Bell: Astrology, Redemption, and the Aquarian Age of Revolutionary Change. Ep. 18 In this episode of the Wisdom Keeper podcast, I’m delighted to host master astrologer Lynn Bell, whom I affectionately call the Oracle. Lynn and I take a skeptic’s approach to understanding the mechanism underlying astrology, asking how the soul and cosmos interact, and how studying historical patterns, both above and below, can lead us to redemption. Finally, Lynn gives us an astro-forecast for 2024 including the highly anticipated transit of Pluto into Aquarius this November, coinciding with the US elections. The last time this transit took place ushered in the American and French Revolutions. You’ll want to heed the Oracle’s advice on how to prepare to meet this turning point. In this episode Lynn Bell and I discuss: - How a challenge to her eyesight in childhood, became an opportunity to develop a deeper vision and more attuned relationship with the world. - How we can look back on our personal and collective history and patterns to predict future outcomes. - Because every pattern repeats itself in cycles of time, we can always have a chance at repair or redemption. - How the psyche or soul and the cosmos or planetary alignments interact. - How astrology involves being attuned to the environment, and what the moment is presenting, so that we can skillfully choose how to respond. - The signature of the outgoing Piscean age and the incoming Aquarian age. - How to purposefully re-interpret and work with the challenges of our age such as misinformation, AI, socio-political division, civil unrest, and structural collapse. - The Astro forecast for 2024 including the anticipated transition of Pluto into Aquarius in November during the US election, and the American and French Revolutions that transpired the last time this transit occurred. - Lynn’s parting message of tolerance for cognitive dissonance, remembering our common humanity, and staying in the vibration of compassion over fear. Bio Lynn Belle is a world-renowned, master astrologer with over 40 years of experience. She specializes in psychological and spiritual perspectives with a specific interest in family systems, as well as mythological and archetypal themes. She lectures and offers workshops globally including online with Astrology University and her books include Planetary Threads focusing on the transgenerational inheritance of family patterns and Cycles of Light focusing on the implications and trends of the solar return. Her website is www.lynnbellastrology.com For Lynn Bell’s upcoming seminars and workshops visit: https://lynnbellastrology.com/upcoming-events/ For Lynn Bell’s books: https://lynnbellastrology.com/books/ Dr. Miles Neale is a Buddhist psychotherapist in private practice, instructor at Weill Cornell Medical College, author of Gradual Awakening (Sounds True, 2018), and founder of the Gradual Path for inner and outer journeys. His forthcoming book is Return with Elixir: Pilgrimage of the Soul Through Death and Rebirth (Inner Traditions, 2024). Join Miles’ mailing list to get the latest news on courses, pilgrimages, and podcasts: https://www.gradualpath.com/contact Follow Miles on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milesneale

Nov 28, 2023 • 1h 20min
Dr. Robert Gilbert: Rosicrucianism, Spiritual Warfare, and Our Global Ascension | Ep. 17
In this episode of the Wisdom Keeper podcast, I’m delighted to be joined by Dr. Robert Gilbert a leading scholar of Western esotericism and sacred geometry, particularly the Rosicrucian tradition of mystical Christianity. Using ancient cosmological maps Robert locates our human civilization entering a period of darkness and fragmentation co-emerging with a dramatic expansion of consciousness and global ascension. Robert and I converse about the hidden dimensions of unseen beings, angels, and deities, as well as the similarities between the Tibetan Buddhist tantras and the Rosicrucian path of bio-geometry each repatterning the energy flow in our subtle-body nervous system so we can fulfill our purpose as incarnate souls in the world. I know you’ll enjoy Robert’s wealth of knowledge and coherent synthesis as much as I do. In this episode Robert and I discuss: • The Vedic Yuga cosmology and where we find ourselves in the 25,000-year cosmic cycle. • Entering the Age of Archangel Michael represents the expansion of esoteric knowledge and consciousness. • The signature and call to action of our age: to be highly self-actualized and to forge unique integrations from the fragments of various ancient esoteric knowledge systems. • Origins and character of the Rosicrucian tradition of Christian mysticism. • The secret dimension of unseen angelic beings around us, and the spiritual battle between Luciferian and Satanic forces. • The middle way and middle pilar between spiritual transcendence and worldly attachment. • Similarities across esoteric wisdom traditions East and West including Egypt, Greece, India, and Tibet. • Energy or yogic practices from Buddhist tantra to Rosicrucianism designed to open our heart center, help us remember who we are, and fulfill our life’s purpose. Robert J. Gilbert, Ph.D., has a multi-faceted scientific and spiritual studies background. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps Instructor in Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Warfare Defense and holds a Ph.D. in International Studies. Dr. Gilbert has since 1985 conducted independent research into spiritual science to understand the non-physical basis of consciousness and the material world, drawing on the hidden initiation teachings & practices of great traditions worldwide. He has also extensively researched vibrational sciences and new energetic healing technologies. Dr. Gilbert holds the distinction of being the first non-Egyptian authorized to teach the new science of BioGeometry, developed by Dr. Ibrahim Karim of Cairo, Egypt. BioGeometry offers practical applications of Shape, Sound, Color, Motion, Angle, Number, and Proportion to harmonize life energy and benefit all living beings, as demonstrated at the Egyptian National Research Centre in projects conducted in the early 1990s. Dr. Gilbert recently released a new series entitled Sacred Geometry & Spiritual Science on the Gaia channel, revealing many hidden patterns that guide and control our lives on Earth. Dr. Gilbert's organization is the Vesica Institute for Holistic Studies, which offers online training in holistic health and personal development at www.vesica.org. Essential Teachings and Practices of Spiritual Science: https://www.vesica.org/product-essential-teachings/ The True Rosicrucian & Holy Grail Traditions: https://www.vesica.org/product-true-rosicrucian/ Vibrational Testing and Healing Series: https://www.vesica.org/product-vibrational-testing-series/

Aug 26, 2023 • 2h 8min
Christiana Polites & Justin von Bujdoss: Tenderness, Resilience, and Self-Actualization | Ep. 16
In this unique episode of the Wisdom Keeper Podcast I’m joined by Tibetan medical practitioner Christiana Polites and Vajrayana teacher and author Lama Justin von Bujdoss as we reminisce on our shared experience as students on the Antioch Buddhist Studies Program in Bodhgaya, India during our early twenties, and the ensuing impact it had on our lives and careers. Sit back and enjoy this intimate three-way conversation filled with stories of tenderness, synchronicity, resilience, and self-actualization as we trace how the Dharma seeds of those early days ripened for each of us during the global pandemic and beyond. Nothing is a coincidence; we are all interconnected and on an enduring pilgrimage in search of healing and purpose. Bio: Christiana Polites received her Bachelor of Arts in the Comparative Study of Religion at Harvard University and has been immersed in Eastern spiritual traditions for over twenty years. She has studied both Tibetan and Chinese Daoist healing arts and received a Masters in Acupuncture from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She has traveled extensively around the world, seeking out authentic living lineages in both the healing and spiritual sciences. In collaboration with her teacher Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, Christiana founded Pure Land Farms in Topanga, California, the Sowa Rigpa Institute of Tibetan Medicine, and Sky Press publishing house. She teaches foundational courses on Tibetan Medicine, yoga and rejuvenation and guides retreats and practices in the Yuthok Nyingthig meditation tradition at Pure Land Farms, online, and internationally. https://purelandfarms.com https://www.sowarigpainstitute.org
Lama Justin von Bujdoss is an American vajrayana Buddhist teacher, writer, and the is a co-founder of Bhumisparsha an experimental Buddhist sangha along with Lama Rod Owens. He is the author of Modern Tantric Buddhism: Authenticity and Embodiment in Dharma Practice published by North Atlantic Books, and contributor to Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections published by Lexington Books. From 2016 until December 2021 Justin served as the Executive Director of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for NYC Department of Correction where he also served as Staff Chaplain supervising over 30 chaplains and guided wellness programming for staff. Justin also has professional experience in home hospice and hospital settings as a pastoral caregiver. Lama Justin is currently the chaplain for Hart Island, New York City’s public cemetery. Justin was ordained as a repa, a lay tantric yogin in the tradition of Milarepa, by His Eminence Gyaltsab Rinpoche, one of the heart sons of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa. Lama Justin has presented on Buddhist practice at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, University of Chicago, Wellesley, Columbia University, has been a visiting instructor at Union Theological Seminary, teaches at Pure Land Farms. Justin is passionate about helping to create the conditions for authentic embodied tantric Buddhist spiritual practice in the West.
https://www.bhumisparsha.orghttps://www.yangtiyoga.com
Dr. Miles Neale https://www.milesneale.com
https://www.gradualpath.com
In this episode Christiana, Lama Justin, and I discuss: • How we all felt ourselves to be misfits in childhood, and how this led to our sense of coming home to Bodhgaya, India in our early twenties. • The nature of the Antioch Buddhist Studies Program and what made it so instrumental in our personal and development. • Stories of tenderness and how teachers and associates alike found a way to open our hearts and speak to our soul. • Each of share how our early experiences in Bodhgaya shaped our professional careers, and how we chose to apply Tibetan Buddhism in unique ways in the world. • Stories of resilience and how dharma practice has offered refuge in times of chaos and uncertainty. • How modernity and technology has impacted our ability to have authentic spiritual experience. • Stories of how the early dharma seeds came full circle and ripened as crucial moments of self-actualization during the global pandemic. • Forecasting the future and working with the uncertainty ahead.

Aug 1, 2023 • 1h 42min
Rob Preece: Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, Carl Jung, and Working with Trauma | Ep. 15
In this episode of the Wisdom Keeper Podcast I’m delighted to be joined UK-based psychotherapist, Tibetan Buddhist teacher, prolific author, and tangka painter Rob Preece. Rob shares with us the back story of his meeting his guru, the late, Charismatic Tibetan teacher Lama Yeshe, and then offers a compelling explanation of the essence of Buddhist tantra. We then meander into the world of Jungian psychology, rich with archetypes, the shadow, and movement towards integration of opposites. Finally, Rob shares with us the innovations he has made over the years making tantric practice relevant to the western mindset and our collective fragmentation, including working with the body, processing trauma, and connecting with our fundamental Buddha nature. If you enjoy the intersection between Tantra and Jung, this will be a conversation not to be missed. In the episode Rob and I discuss: • Meeting his guru the late Lama Yeshe and his dynamic style of teaching • The importance of balancing guru-devotion with reliance on the inner guru • The essential nature of Tibetan Buddhist tantra • The shortcomings and limitations of teaching classical tantra to Western students • Carl Jung, the archetypes, and the necessity of working with the shadow • Where Tantra and Jung converge and depart • The unique psychological needs of Western students and avoiding spiritual bypassing • Innovations Rob has made to the Tantric methodology that allow students to process trauma • Rob’s extensive book series featuring his synthesis of Jungian shadow-work and Tantric deity practice. More on Rob Peerce at his website: https://www.mudra.co.uk Books by Rob Preece: https://www.mudra.co.uk/mudra-publication More on Dr. Miles Neale https://www.milesneale.com

Mar 4, 2023 • 1h 45min
Patrick Vanhoebrouck: Prophesy, Megalithic Sites, and Cosmic Alignment in Java | Ep 14 Wisdom Keeper
#pilgrimage #java #borobudur #bali In this episode of the wisdom keeper podcast I host anthropologist Patrick Vanhoebrouk a specialist in Javanese culture, Buddhist and Hindu tantric traditions, and the Dukun, indigenous shamans of the mystical island of Java. Patrick takes us on a pilgrimage into Java’s deep prehistory, decoding its prophesies that foretold of the cataclysmic events he thinks we are now amidst. He also brings us into the powerful megalithic sites such the Borobudur mandala, and explains how they are energetic portals used to align cosmos and psyche, ignorer to bring about a radical transformation of consciousness at this critical time in history.
Patrick is anthropologist in residence at the Amanjiwo in Java. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanjiwo
He will be offering the welcome keynote lecture upon our arrival in Java on our next pilgrimage to the Indonesian Islands in September 2023. https://www.sacredearthjourneys.ca/current-tours/sacred-healing-in-java-and-bali-with-dr-miles-neale-and-geshe-tenzin-zopa Pilgrimages with Dr. Miles Neale https://www.gradualpath.com/pilgrimage Buddhist psychotherapy with Dr. Miles Neale https://www.milesneale.com/therapy

Oct 4, 2022 • 1h 9min
Shilo Shiv Suleman: Alchemy, Art, and Social Activism without Shadow | Wisdom Keeper Ep 13

Sep 2, 2022 • 1h 36min
Judson Davis: Jung, Tibetan Buddhism, and Symbols of Transformation | Wisdom Keeper Ep 12
Judson Davis, PhD, is a university educator, author, spiritual counselor, filmmaker, and world traveler. He holds a Doctorate in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies (2012) and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology (with emphasis in Jungian Depth Psychology; 2006) from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is founder and director of the Institute of East-West Interdisciplinary Studies, where he offers counseling and online courses on the interface of Jungian and Tibetan Buddhist Studies. Judson has taught on the university, college, and corporate levels in California, Germany, Japan, and South Korea, has produced documentary films, and has presented his work in a variety of public venues. Dr. Davis is the author of the book "The Sacred Image: C. G. Jung and the Western Embrace of Tibetan Buddhism" as well as numerous peer-reviewed journal publications dealing with spirituality, psychotherapy, and consciousness studies including “Alchemy and Transformation, East and West: A Cross-cultural Analysis of Jungian Psychology and Tibetan Tantra". More on his work can be found at: www.east-westinstitute.com
In this episode Judson and I discuss:
∙His ‘dark night of the soul’ experience during lock down in Thailand
∙Owning your shadow and reclaiming your disenfranchised projections
∙His round the world pilgrimage and Campbellian call to adventure
∙His mystical experience in the Himalayas, meeting the Tibetans, and becoming small in the face of immensity of the mountains.
∙The archetype of coming undone, in order to be recreated, both personally and culturally.
∙The collective dark night of the soul of our civilization, and the early dawn of an expanded global consciousness.
∙The Astrology of the Great Year, cycles of time, and waking up during contraction.
∙Psychedelic therapy and venturing into alternative dimensions of reality and meeting non human beings
∙Jung’s notion of the Self compared with the Tibetan notion of the void and clear-light of Dharmakaya
∙Sense-making the global crisis through myths from world cultures, Jung, and Joseph Campbell
∙Jung’s encounter with the East: Chinese Alchemy, Buddhism, and Tantra
∙Esoteric traditions emphasis on a direct personal experience of awakening into Christ consciousness or Buddha nature
∙The use of sacred symbols such as deities, mandalas, pilgrimage, sacred mountains, tree of life, and the diamond as aids to alchemical transmutation
∙Judson defines and deconstructs Jung’s process of active imagination
∙How to work with “Big dreams”
∙Jung’s view of the unconscious and its relationship to shadow, persona, and Self.
∙The thrust of the Self, to integrate the split of shadow aspects of our collective unconscious, will drive a social leap forward in our evolution to be more sensitive and inclusive beings.
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The Wisdom Keeper Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify CONTEMPLATIVE STUDIES PROGRAM Courses, Community and Buddhist Pilgrimage https://www.gradualpath.com/ 25% off all courses with coupon code WISDOMKEEPER
More about Dr. Miles Neale on his website https://www.milesneale.com/
Follow Miles Neale on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/milesneale/

Aug 1, 2022 • 2h 4min
Erik Jampa Andersson: Mythology, Magic, and Connecting with Unseen Beings | Wisdom Keeper E11
In this episode of the Wisdom Keeper podcast I’m delighted to be joined by scholar and Tibetan medical practioner Erik Jampa Anderson who takes us on a magical journey into the realms of synchronicity, mythology, and animism. Eric pulls back the curtain on his upcoming book Unseen Beings where he traces the root cause of the break down of our civilization to the prevalence of anthropocentrism. Are human beings really at the center of it all, seemingly in control of a mechanistic world? Are we suffering the loss of enchantment? While people’s movement across the planet strive for greater equity and inclusivity, Erik makes a bolder leap forward to suggest that our expanding consciousness must begin to include the rights of plants, spirits, and the earth herself. This conversation proposes an inspiring innovation that combines spiritual practice and activism.
Erik Jampa Andersson, founder and director of Shrimala, is a scholar practitioner of Sowa Rigpa, colloquially known as Tibetan Medicine, based in London. He is a graduate of the Shang Shung Institute of Tibetan Medicine, and one of a rare and distinguished members of a small cohort of Westerners who has studied the four classical medical tantras. His first book, Unseen Beings, is due to be released by Hay House publications in Spring 2023. A Buddhist practitioner since 2005 (at the age of 14), Erik found an early home in the Tibetan tradition under the close guidance of Lama Tsultrim Allione, founder of Tara Mandala retreat center in Colorado, and numerous teachers from Tibet and Bhutan. While pursuing a degree in religious studies at Naropa University, he was inspired to change course and enroll in a five-year Tibetan Medicine program at the Shang Shung Institute, in which he was trained extensively under notable senior physicians including Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, Dr. Namgyal Tsering, Dr. Nyima Tsering, and other Sowa Rigpa experts in America and Asia. His Website is: https://www.shrimala.com/
Erik and I discuss:
• The murder of Erik’s brother that brought on an existential crisis in early childhood
• How J.R.R. Tolkien opened up a portal into the mythological dimension of life
• The loss, purpose, benefits, and necessity of a mythology perspective
• Magic in Tibetan Buddhism, and his synchronistic encounter with Lama Tsultrim Allione
• Do demons and spirits exist or are they merely psychological archetypes?
• The Tibetan Buddhist ritual practice of Chöd or Feeding Your Demons.
• The global and personal consequences of our anthropocentric paradigm
• The history and power of animism, and how to relate to unseen beings.
• Working with racism, patriarchy, and anthropocentrisim.
• Global healing through inclusivity with unseen beings including plants, animals, and the spirit world.
• Root cause of the ecological crisis and the possibility of transformation.
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The Wisdom Keeper Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify CONTEMPLATIVE STUDIES PROGRAM Courses, Community and Buddhist Pilgrimage https://www.gradualpath.com/ 25% off all courses with coupon code WISDOMKEEPER
More about Dr. Miles Neale on his website https://www.milesneale.com/
Follow Miles Neale on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/milesneale/

Jul 12, 2022 • 1h 31min
Ray Grasse: Astrology, Synchronicity, and Shadow of the Aquarian Age | Wisdom Keeper E10
In this episode, Ray and I discuss:
∙Early discovery of esoteric transitioning including astrology
∙Break through meditative experiences with his spiritual teachers
∙Intellectuals history of astrology
∙A symbolic world view, how we lost it, why we need it
∙How does the cosmos impact the psyche?
∙The Great Saturn-Jupiter conjunction of 2020 that ushered in the pandemic
∙Planetary causal effects vs synchronicity
∙“The universe is composed of stories not atoms”
∙Destiny vs free will in your horoscope
∙The relationship between psychology and astrology
∙The Great Year, precession of the equinoxes and the Yuga cycle
∙Hallmarks and shadow of the Aquarian Age
∙Individual rights, power to the people, and the rise of narcissism
∙The war in Ukrainian and the the United States undergoing its Pluto return
∙The rise of fascism and facing the legacy of racism
∙Ray’s biggest lesson after 50 years of practice.
RAY GRASSE is a Chicago-based writer, musician, photographer, and astrologer. He is author of eight books including Stargates, The Waking Dream, Signs of the Times, and his most recent opus When the Stars Align.
Ray received a degree in filmmaking from the Art Institute of Chicago under experimental film pioneers Stan Brakhage and John Luther-Scofill. He studied with various esoteric teachers in both the Kriya Yoga and Zen traditions. He's lectured extensively on the topics of astrology, synchronicity, and mythology, and maintains an active astrological practice with clients around the United States and abroad.
I discovered Ray’s work in 2019 as I was preparing for my class Return with Elixir, and enjoyed tremendously his lecture series titled Secrets of the Esoteric Traditions on Youtube.
Ray’s website: https://www.raygrasse.com
Ray’s New Book, When the Stars Align: https://www.amazon.com/When-Stars-Align-Reflections-Astrology/dp/0578394383
Ray’s YouTube lecture series, Secrets of the Esoteric Traditions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgd5q-JA8xpJtWu28QgcRxeJWtpKltPD8
*** The Wisdom Keeper Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
CONTEMPLATIVE STUDIES PROGRAM Courses, Community and Buddhist Pilgrimage https://www.gradualpath.com/
25% off all courses with coupon code WISDOMKEEPER
More about Dr. Miles Neale on his website https://www.milesneale.com/
Follow Miles Neale on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/milesneale/