Stephen Jenkinson | Mystery, Grief and The Art of Storytelling

Stephen Jenkinson is a former palliative care worker, cultural activist, and master storyteller. He is the author of numerous books including "Reckoning," "A Generation's Worth," and the award-winning "Die Wise." He is also the co-founder of "Nights of Grief and Mystery" — a musical storytelling ceremony alongside Canadian singer-songwriter Gregory Hoskins that began as an improvisational collaboration and has since grown into an international tour and the release of several records, the two most recent being "Dark Roads" and "Rough Gods."In our first conversation, we explored death, grief, and what it means to die wise. This time around, we go deeper — into the origins of Stephen's extraordinary gift for storytelling, what it means to apprentice under a master storyteller, and how being in the presence of genuine authenticity changes us.We explore how Stephen's band "Nights of Grief and Mystery" came to be and why it represents cognitive dissonance for almost everyone who encounters it, the importance of keeping mystery alive in a world that wants to explain everything away, and why self-improvement won't save the world.We close with one of Stephen's most profound insights — that how you live determines how you will experience death. A rare and deeply human conversation about storytelling, grief, mystery, and what it means to live a life worth dying.🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗My first conversation with Stephen Jenkinson — Fear of Death, Processing Grief & How to Die Wise Stephen's website — Orphan Wisdom Nights of Grief & Mystery — Tour dates Die Wise — in-depth book summary Brother Blue — Master Storyteller & Stephen's mentor🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️0:00 - Introduction 2:24 - Stephen shares the origins of his gift for storytelling 6:25 - Apprenticing under a master storyteller — Brother Blue 16:34 - How being in the presence of authenticity transforms us 21:11 - How Nights of Grief & Mystery came to be 34:03 - The importance of keeping mystery alive 43:03 - Stephen speaks on creating the Rough Gods record 47:23 - Stephen shares standout moments from touring 53:10 - Why Nights of Grief & Mystery is cognitive dissonance for everybody 55:09 - Comparing Stephen to Jordan Peterson — a message of responsibility 58:20 - Why self-improvement won't save the world 1:12:24 - How you live determines how you'll experience death 1:20:00 - Is death an illusion?*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast *Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional