SENSESPACE

The most profound effects of transformation do not always result from the peak experience or being on the mountaintop but in the coming down and integrating. As we recouple our 'new' self with our existing relationships. To be sure, we're very thankful for the familiarity of and old friend or our parents. But, as we contend with ancestral trauma and stuckness within ourselves, we may become disheartened to percieve everything around us as staying the same. This belief that everything's staying the same is re-enforced by the world around us. However, it is a delusion. Change is happening in historically unprecedented ways at this time and we are all deeply entangled with it and the more than human world. The changes within us affect one another in ways we don't understand. This is an encouraging insight, and we never know the full range of the impact of our internal shifts have everyone we're connected to.    With that being said, there's a world of struggle waiting for you if you're expecting or needing your family/friends to change in the way you have. I've been there. Perhaps its a necessary learning curve to struggle with this but where I've arived now with experience is recognising that change is happening, but not because we want or need it to. People's life journeys are long. Some karma takes years or decades to be worked out. We cannot force this but we can rest in the knowledge of our entanglement and become better witnesses to one another as we are. We can be open to the transformative potential in one another merely by attending to that person as a thou, as a mystery and not as the fixed object they believe they are. In this attentive witnessing, we paradoxically end up give more affordance to their transformation.

One of the main challenges I face at this juncture in my journey is talking about Christ or Christ consciousness as I see it in culture. Doing so very readily brings on a range of assumptions and also triggers a lot of real and legitimate shadows around christianity. 

Prayer is something I've come to practice every day. I never would have thought it a few years ago but it's been a crazy curiosity-led journey. For me prayer is deeply related to dialogue and the practice of meditation--something I've done for many years. In this video, I riff on the relationship between prayer, dialogue, meditation, and listening with the heart. The practice has afforded me repeated redemption in the course of my own inner struggles and a long dark nights of the soul. Sometimes irresolvable struggles can only be resolved through surrender. On the other side of which, can be a surprising peace. However, whether it's found in prayer, psychedelics, or a cold plunge that sense of peace doesn't tend last-it has to be cultivated.  Prayer, alongside other practices, is about inner-outer cultivation of the heart.  Speaking to this 'matter of the heart', I describe how we all have a little flame inside of us. You may call this by many names, spirit or soul but each of those little flames in us makes up the web of life that holds us through our journey. It's one of the most important things in the human experience. When people have near death experiences and return they consistently say that their love for other people and relationships is the most important thing. It makes sense then that we tend to the flame that we bring to one another and ourselves.

This powerful maxim from O.G Rose has been a way to liberate my creativity and I believe its worthwhile sharing.  Each of us has the capacity to express reality uniquely. Whether it's our creative expression or even the unique way that we give life to an idea we read or heard elsewhere have something unique to contribute.    For a wonderful extended dialogue on this maxim see the O.G Rose Youtube channel

A vitalising (first ever) conversation with Liam Kavanagh and Matthew Green envisioning a pragmatic and transformative response to climate. We explore balancing Cultural transformation vs Political pragmatism. We delve into a deeply trauma-informed understanding of the climate conversation and our systemic stagnation.    What is the quality of approach needed in this conversation?n how do we confront injustice with love? What kind of soul-force and vitality is needed now?  --  Liam Kavanagh is a Cognitive & Social Scientist devoted to using his understanding of human motivation, ideology, and economics to aid more effective responses to the climate crisis. He is co-founded the Moderate Flank a pragmatic and pan-political catalyst for climate action.  He has worked on three continents over 20 years doing applied social research, co-founded Life Itself, a community for responding to the poly-crisis, and written a book on how Western ideology contributes to climate change inaction. https://moderateflank.org/about-the-m... --  Matthew Green  is a Climate Journalist at Desmogged, formerly of Reuters, and writer on collective trauma healing. He's previously authored 'Aftershock' on 'The untold stories of surviving peace' for soldiers with PTSD. He's worked in conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa, writing his first book on the hunt for Joseph Kony.    Subscribe to his substack 'Resonant World' on "How collective trauma shapes our lives - and how we can heal" at: https://matthewgreenglobal.substack.com --  Jacob Kishere is a philosopher, experimental artist, transformative dialogue practitioner and guy who's figuring shit out. His enquiries span sensemaking, collective trauma healing, ecologies of practice & the evolution of consciousness.   Jacob writes on his free culturepilgrim substack "An unfolding dialogue on healing, insight & wisdom" at: https://culturepilgrim.substack.comwww.jacobkishere.com   #climatechange #climate Show less

I felt called to convene this upstanding philosophers because they have each wrestled deeply with the question of "Am I Christian?". A question that his come to the fore of my faith journey. Together we delve into our experiences in christianity, some of the deeper theological issues as well as experiential and psychedelic insights into the mystery of christianity, the cross & the resurrection. This dialogue will no doubt, spur more conversations.  Joseph Pickens-Longtime SenseSpace guest, my dear friend, a philosopher and woodworker who hails from a christian community in Santa Cruz.   Ken Lowry-Creator of 'Climbing on Mt Sophia' an earnest philosopher who's engaged with John Vervaeke about the meaning of the cross. Ken brings wonderful insights to bear and I had an illuminating dialogue with him on the symbol of the cross on SenseSpace.    Daniel Garner of O.G Rose-Writer, Philosopher who has an unbelievably vast knowledge of christianity and has engaged at the intersection of faith and the arts. I've been honoured participate in his regular philosophical lounge 'the net'.   #christianity #philosophy #ressurection

My dad shares stories and reflections on growing up the son of a soldier.  We explore the presence of and absence of fathers. My grandfather's experience fighting the Japanese heroism and his subsequent identity as a soldier later in life. Our collective rituals of Rememberance. My dad's experiences of healing in a christian context and the radical idea of identification repentance.    For more see my substack piece 'On Rememberance and Re-memberance' at www.culturepilgrim.substack.com This conversation built on my recent dialogue ep.33 with Matthew Green on War, Collective trauma and the Mystery of Healing. Find it on this channel.

A wonderful dialogue with philosopher and medicine practitioner Ken Lowry. More info in the podcast introduction.  Find Ken's Channel 'Climbing on Mt Sophia' on Youtube. More on Insight, Wisdom & Healing on SenseSpace, my substack newsletter http://culturepilgrim.substack.com and my website www.jacobkishere.com 

A truly wonderful dialogue with rigour, personal story and a journey to the edge of our understanding of trauma, healing and how they intimately shape our worlds.   Matthew and I connected and became friends following a substack I wrote called 'The war of my forefathers'. It provides a good background to the dialogue. https://culturepilgrim.substack.com/p/the-war-of-my-forefathers Matthew Green is a Climate Journalist and writer on collective trauma healing. He's previously authored 'Aftershock' on 'The untold stories of surviving peace' for soldiers with PTSD. He's worked in conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa, writing his first book on the hunt for Joseph Kony.     Subscribe to his free substack 'Resonant World' on "How collective trauma shapes our lives - and how we can heal" at: https://matthewgreenglobal.substack.com    Jacob Kishere is a philosopher, experimental artist, transformative dialogue practitioner and guy who's figuring shit out. His enquiries span sensemaking, collective trauma healing, ecologies of practice & the evolution of consciousness.    Jacob writes on his free culturepilgrim substack "An unfolding dialogue on healing, insight & wisdom" at: https://culturepilgrim.substack.com and at www.jacobkishere.com   #healing #collectivetrauma #war #ptsd #plantmedicine

A truly wonderful dialogue with rigour, personal story and a journey to the edge of our understanding of trauma, healing and how they intimately shape our worlds.  Matthew and I connected and became friends following a substack I wrote called 'The war of my forefathers'. It provides a good background to the dialogue. (Available at culturepilgrim.substack.com  Matthew Green is a Climate Journalist and writer on collective trauma healing. He's previously authored 'Aftershock' on 'The untold stories of surviving peace' for soldiers with PTSD. He's worked in conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa, writing his first book on the hunt for Joseph Kony.     Subscribe to his free substack 'Resonant World' on "How collective trauma shapes our lives - and how we can heal" at: https://matthewgreenglobal.substack.com    Jacob Kishere is a philosopher, experimental artist, transformative dialogue practitioner and guy who's figuring shit out. His enquiries span sensemaking, collective trauma healing, ecologies of practice & the evolution of consciousness.    Jacob writes on his free culturepilgrim substack "An unfolding dialogue on healing, insight & wisdom" at: https://culturepilgrim.substack.comwww.jacobkishere.com  #healing #collectivetrauma #war #ptsd #plantmedicine