The Artist of Possibility

In this interview, Jeff Carreira speaks with Diane Musho Hamilton, who combines decades of work in mediation and conflict resolution with her deep experience of sitting meditation. Diane has worked with transformational groups for many years, and in this dialog she shares from her wealth of experience as a group facilitator and trainer of facilitators to help us understand the value of these groups and how they can function optimally.

In this interview Chandra Luzi Edwards speaks with Peter Mitchell about his experience of being part of a small group of friends who found individual transformation and awakening occurring when their focus was not on the individuals, but on the invitational, alive, “always-on-the-edge of discovering something new” space between them. They explore the excitement of “awakening together” groups as an emergent resource for humanity to tap into a greater intelligence, with the capacity to produce radical change and a new order of coherence in these chaotic times.

In this interview, Jeff Carreira speaks with Elizabeth Debold, Ed.D., to explore collective awakening as the emergence of a field of Interbeing. Together they discover how the shared intelligence that arises through dialogue, presence, and relational openness gives birth to co-creative understanding, deeper love, and new human capacities that offer a transformative response to the crises humanity now faces.

In this interview, Jeff Carreira speaks with spiritual teacher Craig Hamilton about the profound experiences of collective awakening they experienced together in small groups while living in the same spiritual community. They discuss in detail the shared experience of a higher being and what it means for our individual and collective evolution.

In this interview, Jeff Carreria speaks with Mekdes Asefa, CEO of AfroCore AI, who shares the cultural, spiritual, and practical challenges of introducing AI into Ethiopia, where fear, religious concerns, and job security shape public response. She frames AI as a powerful mirror of human values and calls for responsible, homegrown development that honors local culture and context.

This interview explores artificial intelligence as a creative and spiritual instrument rather than a sentient being in its own right. E.J. Gold frames AI as an evolving tool—like a synthesizer or musical instrument—that amplifies human intention, not replaces it. Both Gold and Claude Needham emphasize that the real differentiator between humans and AI is presence, discernment, and the capacity for conscious overview. They argue that AI’s power lies in how it is used: with mastery, attention, and ethical responsibility, it can become a catalyst for creative breakthrough and even altered states of awareness. Ultimately, the conversation suggests that AI can help people “break through the glass ceiling” of limitation—but only when guided by human consciousness, beingness, and awake participation.

In this profound and wide-ranging conversation, we speak with Acharya Shunya, a revered teacher of Vedic wisdom and the first female lineage-holder in her 2,000-year-old spiritual tradition. We explore the living transmission of Advaita Vedanta, the role of Bhakti and karma yoga in contemporary life, and the soul’s long arc toward divine union. Acharya Shunya shares the depth of her path, her bold decision to bring traditional teachings to a global audience, and her vision of spiritual practice as a uniquely personal journey of awakening.

In this interview, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati shares the extraordinary story of her transformation from a Stanford-trained academic to a revered spiritual teacher living on the banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh. With disarming honesty and clarity, she recounts the moment of divine awakening that changed the course of her life, and reflects on the spiritual teachings and practices that continue to guide her. Through her insights into self-realization, trauma, identity, and the power of Vedantic wisdom, Sadhvi offers a luminous vision of spiritual awakening grounded in lived experience, radical openness, and unwavering devotion to truth.

In this interview, Jac O’Keeffe shares the powerful story of her spiritual awakening and the decades of inner work that followed. With candor, humor, and unflinching insight, she describes the moment divine love flooded her being, the guidance she received, and how that awakening transformed her life. But the heart of this conversation lies in what comes after awakening—how we integrate, embody, and express spiritual realization in the world. Together, we explore how spiritual practice helps us transcend our stories, free ourselves from limiting beliefs, and ultimately serve a world in need with humility, love, and clarity.

Shelli Joye shares her lifetime journey weaving mysticism, science, and consciousness into a coherent framework she calls "tantric psychophysics." Drawing from electrical engineering, Eastern traditions, and modern quantum theory, she discusses collective consciousnesses or "psychospheres," and the role of human beings as agents within a larger cosmic network. She advocates for intentional occupation of higher dimensions of awareness through meditation and inner exploration. Together with Jeff Carreira, she explores how telepathy, mystical experiences, and conscious collectives might form a new evolutionary step in human awareness, suggesting that hope and connectedness are vital tools for navigating today’s spiritual challenges.

Tarot reader Julia Eve reflects on her intuitive practice in light of the podcast The Telepathy Tapes, finding deep resonance between her symbolic work and the telepathic abilities of autistic children. We explore the imaginal realm as a space where symbolic wisdom and mystical knowing arise. Julia emphasizes that tarot serves as both a map and a tool for spiritual development, guiding seekers through inner and cosmic consciousness. This dialogue uncovers tarot’s power as a creative and mystical endeavor, affirming that authentic knowledge emerges from openness, intention, and lived experience beyond conventional rational frameworks.

Jeffrey Kripal explores how extraordinary experiences—mystical, paranormal, or anomalous—require new interpretive frameworks beyond traditional science and religion. He proposes “thinking-with” experiencers to co-create meaningful narratives that make space for paradox and subjectivity. In this interview he discusses dual aspect monism, ontological shock, and the role of narrative in transforming consciousness. Kripal emphasizes the importance of storytelling in making the impossible thinkable, advocating for a worldview rooted in inclusivity, creativity, and not-knowing. The interview closes with a reflection on fiction as a vehicle for spiritual truth, inspired by Philip K. Dick and my own mythopoetic writing journey.

For this issue I immediately wanted to speak with Timothy Morton, one of my favorite ecological thinkers, and Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English at Rice University. When I read Timothy's book Ecology Without Nature, I gained a deeper understanding of how the modern world divorces the idea of nature from human beings. We tend to think of nature as trees and landscapes and animals and plants, things that are not human. At the same time, we think of cities, machinery and other man-made things as not part of nature. But the idea that human beings are somehow separate from nature is the root cause of our ecological problems. When I spoke with Timothy I noticed he was not speaking about nature in terms of forests, trees and animals. He was speaking about human nature and our human connection to reality.

Nora is the president of the International Bateson Institute, and one of my favorite ecological thinkers. In this interview Nora explains the current thinking contained in her book called Combining, that came out of an inquiry into the nature of evolution. Nora was asking herself questions about how evolution occurs. How do things evolve? A change fundamental and deep enough can be called an evolutionary change, and what Nora realized was that by the time a change of that magnitude becomes visible, it has been building through unseen influences for a long time.

It was a pleasure to speak with Christopher J. Miller about his understanding of what it means to be a spiritual artist. Chris is an artist, author, teacher, and produces The Spiritual Artist Podcast where he shares stories of enlightenment and growth in conversations with today’s spiritual artists and thought leaders. It became quickly clear to me that Chris and I hold very similar views about art, creativity and the fundamental nature of reality. w: spiritualartisttoday.com

In this interview we had the pleasure to speak with our dear friend Mary Adams about her involvement with The Extinction Rebellion and how she sees her current work as an activist as a natural extension of her dedicated spiritual life.

In this interview we spoke with Aterah Nusrat about her research aimed at deepening our understanding of the relationship between spirituality, health and well-being, and how those domains also relate to planetary health and well-being. Nusrat is clear that until we shift into a mindset that recognizes our true unity with the natural world we will not become the true stewards of life on Earth that we need to be.

Athena Laz is a spiritual mentor, lucid dream teacher and psychologist. I recently discovered her books The Alchemy of Your Dreams and The Deliberate Dreamers Journal. What she shares in them, and perhaps even more the way she shares, really caught my attention. Speaking with Athena it became even more clear that her orientation and spiritual history were a perfect fit for our discussion on the awakening power of sleep and dreams. You can learn more about her at: athenalaz.com

Dr. Lawrence Edwards has taught meditation for over 40 years and is the founder of the Anam Cara Meditation Foundation. We were very happy to interview him to discuss enlightenment and the path of kundalini awakening. He is a teacher that I have known about and admired for some years and his knowledge of multiple spiritual traditions as well as the clarity and simplicity of his articulation of them made this interview a true joy to conduct.

In this interview we speak with award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator Nora Bateson about how we as human beings engage together in community and the underlying dynamics that make communities healthy. You will see how a community is a mutual learning environment and discover why our overly-individualistic cultural tendencies make it difficult for us to find the sense of community that we crave. By the end of the discussion it will be clear that thriving communities need to be spacious enough to allow members to take action freely.

Dr. Erin Prophet is the daughter of two spiritual leaders, Mark and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Her father started the group as The Summit Lighthouse in 1958. After his death in 1973, Erin’s mother became the leader of the group, which has also been known as Church Universal and Triumphant (founded 1974). ​The group eventually attracted tens of thousands of seekers with a message of New Age healing and personal transformation. In the late 1980’s Elizabeth began predicting that a global "karmic" reckoning was near, based on her interpretation of both Eastern and Western scriptures. Church members infamously built huge underground shelters that they supplied and briefly occupied in anticipation of a variety of disasters. As her mother’s daughter, Erin had a unique vantage point from which to view it all. In this podcast we discuss her book Prophet’s Daughter and attempt to unweave the subtle complexity of both the miracle and madness of spiritual communities.

In this interview, Jeff Carreira speaks with Dan Millman about his latest book, which shares the reflections on the extraordinary experiences that shaped his evolution from youthful dreamer to spiritual teacher, written to inspire readers on their own quests. Millman teaches “the peaceful warrior’s way” in the United States and around the world. Author of eighteen books published in twenty-nine languages, Millman is a former world-champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor. His bestseller Way of the Peaceful Warrior was adapted into a feature film starring Nick Nolte. Millman and his wife, Joy, live in Brooklyn, NY. For more information visit peacefulwarrior.com

It was a pleasure to speak with author Gary Lachman about the nature of magic and the different ways it is practiced today. Over the past twenty years Gary has distinguished himself as one of the leading experts on the history of the occult and the development of human consciousness. This dialog explores the contemporary cultural context in which magic is being revitalized. Gary is also the author of twenty-one books on topics ranging from the evolution of consciousness to popular culture and the history of the occult. Before becoming a full-time writer he studied philosophy, managed a new age bookshop, taught English Literature, and was a founding member of the pop group Blondie.