Getting in the Mikveh with Jay Michaelson

Send us Fan MailRabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson is a writer, journalist, meditation teacher, and professor. He is the author of ten books, most recently The Secret That is Not a Secret, a collection of ten interlocking tales of mysticism, queerness, and magic. Jay’s previous book, The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth, won the 2022 National Jewish Book Award.As a journalist, Jay regularly appears on CNN and in Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, The Forward, and other publications, and won the 2023 New York Society for Professional Journalists Award for Opinion Writing. For ten years, he worked as an LGBTQ activist, and is the author of the bestselling God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality. Jay is also a meditation teacher in Buddhist and Jewish traditions and serves on the leadership team of the New York Insight Meditation Center.In the academic world, Dr. Michaelson a public fellow at American Jewish University and a field scholar at the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality. He holds a PhD in Jewish Thought from Hebrew University, a JD from Yale Law School, and nondenominational rabbinic ordination. He lives outside New York City.  In this interview we cover many topics including Jay giving an introduction to what Jewish Mysticism is all about. We also explore the nuggets of queer spirituality found within traditional religious beliefs. We cover some of the stark differences between spirituality and religion and the tension they create. Inspired by a story from his newly released book of stories, The Secret that is not a Secret, I share about my first erotic experience with a guy which happened in a hot tub. I then ask Jay about how his experiences in spaces like radical faeries gathering and Burning Man have impacted his spirituality and the way he communes with spirit. And, Jay shares a story that helped him realize that our full expression as sexual beings contributes to, is informed by and enriches our full expression as spiritual beings. Please enjoy this thought provoking and fun interview with my friend, Jay Michelson. Subscribe to Jay's Substack here- https://jaymichaelson.substack.com/  Grab Jay's new book, The Secret that is not a Secret, here- https://www.jaymichaelson.net/books/the-secret/  Connect with Wil Fisher here- https://www.wil-fullyliving.com/contactSupport the show