The Mystic Cave

Jesus told a parable about a wealthy man who increased his holdings and expanded his storage facilities for all his goods, until the day came when he was informed that his soul was required of him. Would that he had cared for his soul before it was taken away. James Hollis has been counselling, writing, and teaching for over fifty years. His acquired wisdom is simple, which doesn't mean it's easy: get to know your soul ... before it leaves you. Soul comes to us every day--in our dreams, in our neuroses, in our psychic disturbances--with an invitation to pay attention. If we do, Soul will lead us to the "interesting" life we're each called to live. Links to James Hollis Website: https://jameshollis.net Books: https://jameshollis.net/hollisBooks.html Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Prophets don't call themselves prophets. They speak their words or write their books until people start to notice. Then they may open a wisdom school or create magical live events or succumb to interviews with podcasters. All this describes Stephen Jenkinson. When he writes, or speaks, or performs, you feel your world opening up, shifting, changing. You'd be hard pressed to describe exactly what's happening. But something is happening. And that something was captured in our recent conversation. Links to the World of Stephen Jenkinson Website: https://orphanwisdom.com Books, Music and Films: https://orphanwisdom.com/books/ 2023 Tour: https://orphanwisdom.com/nights-of-grief-and-mystery/ Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Out here on the far side of conventional religion it is important that the seeker find a few guideposts. Otherwise the open landscape can feel overwhelming. Thomas Moore has been a seeker's lodestar for over thirty years, ever since he reintroduced us to the language of “Soul” in his best-selling book, “Care of the Soul.” His new book, "The Eloquence of Silence," gathers stories from around the globe and from across the spectrum of religious traditions to explore the spirituality of emptiness. Our conversation took us many places, from the need to let go of certainty and acquisitiveness to memories of his good friend and mentor, fellow Jungian James Hillman. Books: "Care of the Soul," by Thomas Moore: https://a.co/d/ePybyS3 "The Eloquence of Silence," by Thomas Moore: https://a.co/d/71tRllQ "The Soul's Code," by James Hillman: https://a.co/d/1y5Rp1M "The Force of Character," by James Hillman: https://a.co/d/fyd0nUe Social Media Links to Thomas Moore: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100044727171932 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thomasmooreSoul Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasmooresoul/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@billphilipps2751 Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Darold Black loves people and he loves pictures. So it's no surprise that our conversation about wisdom turned into personal stories about life. Wisdom doesn't come to us as lofty ideas. It comes to us as images from the heart. Darold is working on a documentary series called "E5," an attempt to capture the wisdom of elders on film. It's not a gathering of wise sayings in twenty-second media clips. It's storytelling, where the seeds of wisdom have always been found. Links & Resources Darold's E5 project: https://e5.life Darold's Media Company: https://blackmediaworks.com Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Some would prefer to say spiritual "companionship" rather than "direction," and that would probably be more accurate. Because it's not about directing anyone anywhere, except, that is, to pay attention to the subtle movements within your own heart and soul. And that's what spiritual directors do. My guest on this episode is Lois Huey-Heck, a seasoned spiritual director whose natural bent for compassion, whose aptitude for the ways of Soul, and whose deep experience and training coalesce to offer the world a unique gift: the gift of holy listening. Resources: Spiritual Directors International: https://www.sdicompanions.org Jubilee: https://www.canadianjubilee.ca Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Words fail us when we try to speak of the mysteries of life and death and the other soulful experiences of our lives. Except, that is, for the words of poets. In the modern age we turn to poetry as if to holy scripture, searching for the images and metaphors that help us express our deepest fears and our highest hopes. Three poets offer their own words in this episode as together we explore the Eastertide theme of death and resurrection. Rosemary Griebel, Paul Grindlay, and Juleta Severson-Baker consider the classic movement of an Easter weekend from the bleak cross of Good Friday through the numinous waiting of Holy Saturday to the colourful blossoms of Easter morning. At every turn their words give voice to our grief, our doubts, and our joy, as only the words of poets can do. Links and Resources: Rosemary Griebel's collection of poetry, "Yes." was published by Frontenac House in 2011: https://www.frontenachouse.com/product/yes/. Other poems are found in chapbooks published by Leaf Press. Paul Grindlay's three books of poetry are "Natural Selections" (2020), "'S Word Play" (2021), and "Currents" (2022), all published by Largemouth Basso Books: https://www.paulgrindlay.ca/largemouth-basso-books/. Paul is currently preparing an audio book of his fourth anthology, "Footfalls on the Path of Love." Juleta Severson-Baker's collection of poetry, "Incarnation," was published by Frontenac House in 2013: https://www.frontenachouse.com/product/incarnate/. Other poems are found in chapbooks published by Leaf Press, including "Every*Word*Spoken" (2013). Photo Credit: Nicolas Messifet on Unsplash Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Many men, having inherited the cultural expectations of former generations, feel they are being shamed in the modern age. Traditional male traits, such as protectiveness, leadership, and strength, are now denigrated for their toxic potential rather than celebrated for their social value. It's a difficult time for men as they try to break the old molds and discover a new way of being themselves in the world. Therapist Marv Westwood has spent years working at the very heart of traditional male culture--male military personnel who have been traumatized by war. In groups designed to provide therapeutic release, Marv has unearthed both the value of traditional male traits and also, critically, the emergence of openness, sensitivity, and compassion that reside in the souls of every one of us, regardless of gender. Links: Heads Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wAdJVxqzwo Male Psychology (UK): https://www.johnbarrypsychologist.com/male-psychology-home Blueprint (David Kuhl): https://www.blueprint.ngo Article: Shields, D. and Westwood, M. (2019). "In Counselling Male Military Personnel and Veterans: Addressing Challenges and Enhancing Engagement." In Barry, J. (2019). The Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health. Palgrave Publisher Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

If we're searching for a connection with our souls, we needn’t look any further than our voice. Quite apart from the words we use and the intentions behind those words, our voice reveals the state of things within. Are we anxious, are we confident, are we restful? The voice knows. Consequently, so does the world. Jennifer Mason is a trained singer and vocal coach who helps people discover and utilize the full dynamic range of their voice. As to her own voice, Jennifer is releasing a re-mastered version of "Mothers of the World," her haunting album of lullabies from around the globe. Credits (from "Mothers of the World"): 1st Clip: Nana (Spanish trad, arranged by Mason) 2nd Clip: Suo-Gan (Welsh trad, arranged by Mason, Gilman) 3rd Clip: Sea Gypsies (by Mason, Gilman) Links to Jennifer's Web Sites: "Mothers of the World" web site: https://www.mothersoftheworld.org Jennifer's vocal coaching web site: https://www.vocalpresence.ca Listen to "Mothers of the World" online: On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0wXjoJMhEn63BgEdPuLLIs?si=358R6ZoaSBi09pj6-I7g9g&nd=1 On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/mothers-of-the-world/1675713504 Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Some say before we could sing, we drummed. Whether or not that's accurate, drumming is one of our most primitive forms of communication. Perhaps, it once helped us to "talk" across great distances. Perhaps, it brought us together to unify and strengthen the community. Perhaps, it was just ... fun. Julien Lepage leads modern-day drumming circles where we can re-experience a deep resonation with our own bodies, with one another, and with the Earth. There are no ideologies to label us, no religion or politics to divide us, and no boundaries to keep us out, not when we yield to the rhythm of the drum. Links and Resources 'Circles of Rhythm' Web site: https://www.circlesofrhythm.com/community-drum-circles/ Judy Atkinson's book: "The Drum Code: Living Well Between the Beats"; KDP Publishing, 2017 Episode Credits 1st Interlude: "Montreal Drum Circle" by georgeradio (http://www.georgemotoc.com); Attribution Licence 3.0 2nd Interlude: "Tokyo Drum Circle" by manuke; Creative Commons License 3rd Interlude: "Hippie Hill" by SFINDIGO; Creative Commons License Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Yoga is not just about poses and posers. It's about a soulful engagement with our own lives that includes both our bodies and our dreams. It's about the rediscovery of the connection we have lost with the Earth, and about the purpose that the Earth itself is dreaming for us. Rebecca Wildbear is a soul guide, a wilderness therapist, and a yoga instructor. Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration And Advocacy for the Earth is her new book on, in her words, "an embodied practice to help us love ourselves, deepen our relationship with the natural world, and stretch our consciousness". Links & Resources The book (on Amazon.com): https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Yoga-Practice-Initiation-Veneration/dp/160868797X The book (on Amazon.ca): https://a.co/d/7wmEZhb Rebecca's web site: http://www.rebeccawildbear.com Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

"You can be so heavenly minded," the saying goes, "that you're of no earthly use." Ouch for all us lofty-headed idealists! But bringing together heavenly ideals and earthly resources--now that's useful! And that's what Howard Fischer is doing with Gratitude Railroad, his impact investment firm he started with his friend Eric Jacobsen: move investment capital from the safe and conventional financial world to a whole new world of environmental protection and social justice. It might not be heaven on earth ... yet. But it's a start. Link Gratitude Railroad: https://gratituderailroad.com Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Many of us fear aging. We suppose that the long slow slide on the other side of the hill is a negation of the one life we've been given to live. But what if it's the opposite? What if aging is our crowning glory, all that experience finally adding up to something: meaning, depth, and even wisdom? Judy Steiert trains "sage-ing" guides and leaders, and she herself mentors those who want to welcome aging, rather than to fear it. For those of us retiring from our jobs and facing the next chapter of our lives, this is good news. It's not the end. It's a new beginning. Resources “The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul” by Connie Zweig; Park Street Press, 2021 “From Age-ing to Sage-ing” by Zalman Schacter Shalomi; Balance (reprint edition), 2014 Sage-ing International: https://www.sage-ing.org Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

What if the Earth is beyond saving? What if only the abandonment of hope will deliver us to the new world we seek? What if eco-grief is the portal we need to rediscover our role in the natural world, and in its healing? Jodi Lammiman is an eco-awareness counsellor and spiritual guide who connects our fears and sorrows to the work we've each been given ... to be in communion with the living Earth. This connection, in the end, may be our only hope. Links Refugia: https://www.refugiaretreats.com "On Being" Podcast: https://onbeing.org/series/podcast/ ("A Wild Love for the World," with Joanna Macy) Resources (with two highlighted for quick reference) Martha Beck, "The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path of Your True Self;" The Open Field, 2021 Thomas Berry, "The Dream of the Earth;" Counterpoint, 2015 Kathleen Dean Moore, "Great Tide Rising: Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change;" Counterpoint, 2017 Sarah Jaquette Ray, "A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep You Cool on a Warming Planet;" University of California Press, 2020 Joanna Macy, "Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're In Without Going Crazy;" New World Library, 2012 Sebene Selassie, "You Belong: A Call for Connection;" Harper One, 2020 Francis Weller & Michael Lerner, "The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief;" North Atlantic Books, 2015 Britt Wray, "Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis;" Knopf Canada, 2022 Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Bob had decided to lock Christmas out this year. Given the events of the past year who could blame him? But Christmas had other ideas and snuck in the back door instead, leaving the door ajar. As it must be, if we're to let the Christ Child in. Music Credits (under license by SOCAN 2022) "O Holy Night," from the album Noël by Terry McDade & the McDades "In the Bleak Midwinter," from Midwinter by Terry McDade & the McDades "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," from Winter Rose by Terry McDade & the McDades "Silent Night," from Midwinter by Terry McDade & the McDades "We Three Kings," from Noël by Terry McDade & the McDades "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," from Winter Rose by Terry McDade & the McDades "The First Noël," from Winter Rose by Terry McDade & the McDades Photo Credit Tim Bish on Unsplash Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

It was indeed intense, but I was learning the ways of Soul and shedding the fears that prevented me from knowing and living out, fully, my purpose on the earth. As we camped in the woods and wandered and drummed and danced and dreamed, I knew something important was happening. I was becoming ... myself. Naturally. To be guided through the threads of my conversation with Liz Wiltzen, click on the Chapters tab, above. Links Liz Wiltzen, Life Coach: https://www.lizwiltzen.com Liz Wiltzen, "Tracking Yes" podcast: https://www.trackingyes.com Resources Animas Valley Institute: https://www.animas.org Bill Plotkin, Soul Craft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche , New World Library, 2003 ____________, Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World, New World Library, 2008 ____________. WildMind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche, New World Library, 2013 ____________. The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries, New World Library, 2021 Photo Credit: Alexis Antonio on Unsplash Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Morning coffee with one's spouse? Listening to other people's stories? Reading whatever you want? This is spiritual practice? If you've been on the spiritual path all your life, then, yes. Because in the end spiritual practice is whatever works, not whatever others have told you to do. My conversation with retired minister and former spiritual director John Griffith is filled with wise insights into the spiritual journey. There's a reason we've been taught to listen to our elders. Referenced in this episode Hillhurst United Church: https://hillhurstunited.com Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Some forms of prayer seem to assume that we must capture the attention of a far-off God, like lassoing a star. Contemplation assumes God's already here, deep within, and not just within us, but within all created beings. Liz Rees, a contemplative teacher and guide, talks to me about how contemplative practice connects us deeply to the natural world. Resources: Berry, Thomas. "Dream of the Earth"; Sierra Club, 1988 Keating, Thomas. "Open Mind, Open Heart"; Continuum International Publishing Group, 1994 Loorz, Victoria. "Church of the Wild"; Broadleaf Press, 2021 Merton, Thomas. Kathleen Deignan (ed). "When the Trees Say Nothing"; Sorin Books, 2015 Green Exodus: [currently offline] Inner Sanctuary the Podcast: found on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

When it comes to change in our lives, our rational minds can carry us only so far. Our bodies take us further. But rituals connect body and mind to Soul, creating transformative experiences that help us move through life's most significant passages. Sarah Kerr, death doula and ritual healing practitioner, speaks to me about the power of rituals, their constituent parts, and what difference rituals make to how we live our lives. It could be that the cosmos is counting on us to become agents of transformative change, in other words, ritualists. Episode Links Sarah's Courses and Services: https://sacreddeathcare.com Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Don't we all want to belong? Don't we miss it, and yearn for it, when we don't? Out here, on the other side of church land, belonging to a community is what seekers miss most about their religious pasts. But not all community is good community, and not every community lasts. In this conversation with Janet Handy, we explore the range of possibilities for human belonging. In the end, we may be more a part of things than we realize. Resources Jan's book, The Secret Tribe, on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Secret-Tribe-Memoir-Resilience-ebook/dp/B07DQ9TGVB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=VHN64HIKU2MO&keywords=The+Secret+Tribe&qid=1663371759&s=books&sprefix=the+secret+tribe%2Cstripbooks%2C182&sr=1-1 Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

Out here, on the other side of church land, how do we give voice to the deepest longings of our hearts? Might poetry help us? Reading poems, might they become our sacred texts; writing them, our personal prayers? Poet Richard Osler believes that poetry delivers us to the deep and holy places of our own souls, places of healing, of inspiration, and of profound Mystery. In this conversation, Richard reintroduces us to the power of poetry ... which, he warns, is not for sissies. Episode Links Richard's web site & blog: http://www.recoveringwords.com/site/ Resources mentioned in this episode (and a few others): Roger Housden, ed, Ten Poems to Last a Lifetime _____________________, Ten Poems to Set You Free Also, by the same editor: Ten Poems to Open Your Heart Ten poems to Change Your Life Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Revelation Garrison Keillor, ed., Good Poems ______________________, Good Poems for Hard Times Personal Links My web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.ca My email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com Series Music Credit "Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022