Meetings in the Mystery

You may have noticed episodes being posted less frequently. I've been dedicating time to other things, but this episode demanded to be written- a spontaneous urge, like a painting or a poem, leaping forth. It's just me, no guests, talking about how to hear each other through the noise of defences, patterns, attachments, all of it. How to sense the place where we are already connected to each other. I hope it holds meaning for you.

Join me for a chat with Me Time - a DJ, worldbuilder, and immersive experience designer who engages the dancefloor as a portal for remembering and reimagining how we live together. Through music, movement, and narrative, she creates intentional spaces where people can feel safe enough to drop into presence, reclaim their agency, and practice the futures they long for. In this episode, she speaks about joy as resistance, play as a spiritual technology, and what becomes possible when we design spaces not just for fun, but also for connection.What does it take to dream for a better future in the midst of widespread divisiveness? What responsibilities do event organizers have to their participants? How can we prioritize agency and consent? These are some of the many questions we dive into.You can learn more about Me Time and follow her work here:@djmetime, @rave.institute, @basswitchcoven, and @blackaugustartsAs mentioned in the episode, here is an article by DJ Eris Drew: More Than a Party.

Albert F. Moritz (also known as AF Moritz, or simply Al) is one of the greatest living poets. You can read his Wikipedia profile if you want to know how much he's published, his admirable accolades, and all of that. But to me, he is a favourite professor from my early university days, and was my gateway not only into poetry, but into a life committed to being what he calls a "sensitive person" - a person who cannot conform to oppressive, spirit-squashing social norms, and so who makes it their life mission to live closer to the truth of oneself. Poetry is one tool to support us in living from the heart, and Al talks all about that in this episode. (Let the length of the episode show how much I love listening to this man speak!)Keep up with Al on his website:https://www.afmoritz.comOr Instagram:@afmoritzAnd buy his new book (striking, beautiful, and in his words "pugnacious"!) here:https://houseofanansi.com/products/great-silent-ballad?srsltid=AfmBOoogR9uwsoizJ0zdnKuModmbaRDLvzj8ia3gI5iZisiCKQSYMvBW

Welcome to Season 2 of this podcast, now called 'Meetings in the Mystery.' I wanted my intention for this podcast to be clearer to my listeners, so this short episode is a manifesto about why the title of the podcast has changed, and why this project is so close to my heart. In short: the Mystery lives in each meeting we have, in any encounter between two people (or a person and an animal, plant, or object). These everyday meetings and their depth is not treated as important in our modern, Western world, and this warped priority system is part of what prevents meaningful change from happening. This podcast is a call to prioritize each other, and to notice what happens when we meet. Thank you, as always, for listening.

Drawing (and art more broadly) has been a lifelong companion of mine - yes, companion is a much better word than hobby, or even 'passion.' It has been a guide and a mirror, a way to come into relationship with my more full, interconnected being. I've meant to talk about my creative process for a while on here, but for whatever reason, now is the right time. I hope something of my relationship with art will inspire you - either to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, or to revisit it as an old friend.To see more of my work, you can check it out on Instagram: @drawingthemystery

Naryan and I know each other through an emerging social scene in Toronto, a scene that is connected by a deep interest in and commitment to healing, growth, and community building. This scene is comprised of many different groups (some of which have been mapped here) that are, in their own ways, beginning to bridge inner work and its connection to collective and systemic healing. Naryan has been integral to convening events, bringing groups together, and initiating dialogue in this scene. In this episode, we talk about our own unique roles in this emergence, Naryan's methods for keeping track of groups and networks, the mystery of group consciousness, and how collective thinking might reshape our city. Read more about this scene, Naryan's work in bringing groups together, and Toronto's possible future here.Naryan can be contacted on LinkedIn.

Join my friend James (ne/hen) and I as we meander down a few different trails: James' mathematical lens on human connection, hens ecological lens on human systems, and the concepts of 'transcendence' and 'immanence' as a mould for understanding how to be fully human. The range of this conversation captures the breadth of James' mind and the reason I brought hen on the show - to demonstrate the applicability of the objective level to the personal level (and vice versa), and to weave together the wisdom of seemingly isolated disciplines to inform one question: how does connection happen among us, and how can we learn to connect even more skillfully?Connect with James on Facebook:www.facebook.com/james.partanen

Ivana Kolakovic is a very close friend of mine and has been integral to my journey as a healer. She's an incredibly compassionate, warm-hearted psychotherapist and moves through life with the "belly" power that we will be talking about in this episode. What does it mean to be connected to one's belly, both literally and metaphorically? What about the heart? We focus on these 2 centres to explore different styles of presence that different people can offer. Beyond that, we explore cultural differences, and the role of grief and trust in learning how to open to Love. Find out more about Ivana and her work here: IG: ivana.the.therapist Website: ivanapsychotherapy.com

The possibilities for astrology as a meaning-making system and psycho-spiritual practice extend far beyond horoscopes and popular knowledge. Deep dive with Iris J. Gildea - astrologer, author, professor, and poet - to learn about the astrological realm and its connection to Mystery. Learn more about Iris and view her content here: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@madronaspulse Instagram: @madronaspulse

I explore what it is to really be with another person and two main obstacles that can often prevent contact: difficulty accepting and metabolizing pain (i.e, emotional pain) and hierarchal relating.

Listen in as I chat with Sam Hinds about the Imaginal: the in-between realm of reality where archetypes and images convey meaning. Many of us only experience the Imaginal in our dreams, but what might come of engaging with it more intentionally in our waking life? A bit about Sam: Sam is a scholar and writer, poet and mystic, psychotherapist and, most recently, teacher at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He is a devoted practitioner of meditation drawing from various streams and traditions, including Vajrayana Buddhism and the Soulmaking Dharma lineage developed by the late and beloved teacher of many, Rob Burbea. Sam’s core interests lie at the confluence of integral philosophy, psychological and mystical traditions emphasizing the imaginal, and collective wisdom practices. Website: samhinds.comTwitter: x.com/revericianSubstack: reverician.substack.com Sam was also recently featured on Rosa Lewis's podcast, Creative Adventures, talking about similar topics. If this episode resonates with you, check out Creative Adventures here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mkJc6NIY3JMz9EpjAPW8n?si=59f617679cb04781

This episode starts off being about attachment styles, but I promise it gets more interesting than that. It's really about how human beings connect to life itself, what hinders that connection, and what it starts to feel like when we open to the way things really are. I take a look at how Western psychology, Buddhism, and Aztec philosophy talk about human experience, what they have in common and what they don't.

Adam Goldhopf is a therapist who lives and works in Toronto, and a good friend of mine. In this episode we talk about masculinity: what is it? When is it toxic and when is it divine? What is its wound and what is its power to heal? Find out more about Adam's work here: https://www.goldhopfpsychotherapy.com

This episode is a little different, more of a story time. I talk about my past travels, mostly in Western Canada, and the strangers I met along the way. Hitchhiking to me - while not without its risks - can be a spiritual practice, providing opportunity to open to the whims of the universe and learn about our interdependence.

Joan Foley is a Zen Shiatsu practitioner in Toronto, whose life and work has led to a rich understanding of how energy flows through all things. I ask her about her personal healing journey, and how tapping into energy helps us connect to the Mystery and heal deep wounds. You can contact Joan for treatment bookings at [email protected]

Connecting with one's own personal, moment-to-moment experience of mystery is integral to healing and spiritual growth. Meander with me as I explore this vast topic from different angles, attempting to capture the delicate practice of turning one's ego into awakening.

Kat and Jordan, two long-time friends, talk about connecting more deeply with the natural world. How can understanding our relationship to plants and nonhuman beings change the way we see ourselves, our role on Earth, and provide a gateway into deeper contact with Mystery? Learn more about the work Kat is doing on their Instagram page @kat.in.place

This first episode serves as an introduction to thinking about the Mystery, or at least one way of thinking of it, as all of that which is unknown to us. Reckoning with the unknown is a task that is integral to living well, and one that foils us time and again. We get stuck often due to our hunt for security, which we can end up closing us off to our lives, new experiences, and the inevitability of change. I explore this stuckness both as it occurs in individuals somatically and psychologically, and also as it occurs in modern Western culture.