Art, Presence, and Spiritual Independence with Rabbi Rami Shapiro

In this wide-ranging and deeply human conversation, CJ sits down with Rabbi Rami Shapiro—award-winning author of more than three dozen books, longtime contributor to Spirituality & Health Magazine, and co-founder of the One River and One Foot Judaism Foundations.Together, they explore what it truly means to live as a spiritually independent person—not as an idea or belief system, but as a way of being in the world.Rabbi Rami speaks candidly about 12-Step spirituality, surrender, and the illusion of control, offering a liberating reframe: we don’t surrender to a greater power—we awaken to the fact that we are already part of it. From there, the conversation moves into the nature of the observer, the “Greater I,” and what happens when identity loosens and language begins to fall away.Drawing from Zen, Judaism, mysticism, and lived experience, Rabbi Rami shares insights on active stillness, mantra practice (including Ein od milvado—“there is nothing else besides this”), and why struggling to feel connected only reinforces the false belief that we are separate.CJ and Rabbi Rami also explore creativity as a spiritual practice—whether standing in front of an easel, writing without preconception, or drawing an Enso in a single embodied moment. Writing, art, and speech become portals for presence rather than acts of effort or control.The conversation touches on necessary versus unnecessary suffering, the breakdown of ego through language, the role of laughter as spiritual liberation, and why mystics—ancient and contemporary—continue to point us beyond the madness of dogma and division.This episode is an invitation to remember who you are. To re-member yourself back into the whole. And to live joyfully and ethically without needing certainty to hold it all together.Want to learn more about CJ Miller? Check out his Spiritual Artist Retreats, 1:1 Personal Coaching, and Speaking Engagements at www.spiritualartisttoday.com. His retreats are designed to help you reconnect with your Creative Intelligence and express your true artistic voice. You can also find his upcoming schedule there, and his book, The Spiritual Artist, is available on Amazon.