Black Beryl

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Linda C. Ceriello, a scholar of mysticism and popular culture from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Linda is one of the foremost scholars of metamodernism, with particular focus on contemporary spirituality and mystical experiences. She talks with me about what this concept of metamodernism means, and how it can open up new kinds of more capacious thinking. I’m sure you will agree that a lot of what we’ve been doing on this podcast over the past 4 years — juxtaposing different perspectives, exposing our full selves, exploring the dark sides of spirituality, leaning into sincerity, etc. — has all embodied a metamodern sensibility. Anyway, I think she’s the perfect guest to talk with as we launch season 4, and I hope you’ll enjoy the show.If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in multidisciplinary conversations about Asian healing and mystical traditions, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members area on Substack (blackberyl.substack.com), as each episode our guests share downloadable PDFs of articles, book chapters, and other materials for you.One last thing: we are planning an “Ask Me Anything” episode coming up soon, so reach out via Substack or my website, piercesalguero.com, and let me know your questions. Ok, on with the show!Resources mentioned in this episode:* “What is Metamodern?” website* “What is Metamodern? Conversations” on YouTube* Bloomsbury Press series: Studies in Metamodernism, Theory and Criticism Across the Disciplines* Vermeulen and van den Akker, “Notes on Metamodernism” (2010)* Kersten, Polo, Wilbers, Glocal Metamodernisms: European Fiction After Postmodernism (2026)* Disambiguation video* Recorded lecture: “An Overview of the Academic Research on Metamodernism” (2021)* Recorded panel: “A Bodhisattva Move: Popular Mysticism’s Influence on the Metamodern Turn?” (2023)Subscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including these PDFs of Linda’s work:* Metamodern Mysticisms (2018)* “Toward a metamodern reading of Spiritual but Not Religious mysticisms” (2018)* “The Metamodern Bend: Theorizations for Religious Studies” (2022) Get full access to Black Beryl Podcast at blackberyl.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to season 4 of the BBP! We concluded the last episode with Jeff Kripal calling upon humanities scholars to break out of our conservative paradigms and to allow ourselves to “get weird.” So, let’s do it! This season, we are going all-in on the mystical, mysterious, profound, reality-bending, and impossible aspects of Asian religions, medicines, and spiritualities.As usual, we’ll launch the season the tables turned, with Lan taking up the mic to interview Pierce. Together, we think about traditional, modern, and postmodern approaches to Asian medicine. Usually, these epistemologies are competing or people are trying to integrate them… but could there be another approach that celebrates all of them without needing to reconcile dissonance?If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in multidisciplinary conversations about Asian healing and mystical traditions, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also look us up on Substack to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!Resources mentioned in this episode:* Pierce Salguero, “A Metadisciplinary Approach to Asian Medicine (and Other Epistemological Carnivals)” (2025)* Pierce Salguero, “The Fractal of Humanities” (2021)* Pierce Salguero, “A Pedagogy of the Soul” (2022)* Pierce Salguero, “Let’s Put More Humanity into the Humanities” (2019)* Pierce’s Human•ities Blog on Substack or on MediumSubscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including:* PDF of the introduction to Pierce’s new book: Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook on the Dangers of Buddhist Practice, just published by University of Hawaii Press. Get full access to Black Beryl Podcast at blackberyl.substack.com/subscribe