Sacred Listening and the Art of Seeing the Other with Daniel Epstein

In this conversation, Victoria Loorz speaks with Daniel K. Epstein, photographer, author, and founder of Portraits in Faith, a twenty-six-year project of environmental portraiture and spiritual interviews spanning 500 people across 30 countries. Portraits in Faith is a traveling exhibit, a process of conversation-ing with people very different than you, and a nonprofit committed to sacred listening which leads to a conscious understanding that there is no "other." Daniel has devoted his life to asking people how they encounter mystery, meaning, doubt, love, and the sacred. His work demonstrates how sacred listening itself can become a practice of healing in a polarized world.Daniel reflects on growing up Jewish in the American South, the personal crisis that cracked open his understanding of faith, and the questions that have guided hundreds of conversations across cultures and traditions. Victoria and Daniel sit with the tension between the particular and the universal, what the wild teaches us about trust and belonging, and why learning to truly see one another may be one of the most vital spiritual practices of our time.Connect with Daniel:Website: portraitsinfaith.orgYoutube: @portraitsinfaithExhibit Info: portraitsinfaith.org/exhibitMentioned in the episode:Portraits In Faith Interview with James Finley: God Is All and All Is LoveRetreat Center: Ghost RanchBook: The Coming of the Cosmic Christ by Matthew FoxBook: The Universal Christ by Richard RohrOrganization: The Center for Action and ContemplationMusical Artist: Netanel Goldberg (Spotify)Book: The Death of the Mythic God by Jim MarionConnect with the Center:Website: wildspirituality.earthVictoria's Website: victorialoorz.comEmail: [email protected]: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspiritualityInstagram: @center_for_wild_spiritualityTimestamps:00:00 – Introduction04:07 – Interview Begins 07:12 – The Calling Behind Portraits in Faith11:34 – The Portraits in Faith Format 16:19 – Going Beyond "The Other" 17:53 – Warmth and Competence 19:15 – The Particular and the Universal 23:57 – Portraits in Faith29:05 – Sacred Listening 34:12 – Dialogue Across Exclusive Truth Claims 40:16 – Beholding the Other with Wisdom 45:09 – What Gives You Hope? 48:13 – Wild Invitation 49:50 – Credits