Podcasts about soul initiation

Watch this episode on YouTube.Today's episode features my good friend and nervous system specialist, Jonny Miller.Jonny is the host of the Curious Humans Podcast and founder of Nervous System Mastery, Jonny is the host of the Curious Humans Podcast and the founder of Nervous System Mastery — a 5-week bootcamp to cultivate calm, boost resilience, and increase aliveness.I often talk about how one way to conceive of the soul journey is alchemizing our pain into purpose.Especially in the modern world, where most of us don't have village elders around to guide us into the initiatory journey of soul when we are deemed ripe and ready, that initiation is sometimes catalyzed by external life circumstances that shake us up to wake us up.In Jonny's case, this occurred through the tragic and sudden loss of his fiancé to suicide in 2017 — right after she returned to work from some time off and suffered a panic attack.In this episode, Jonny and I explore how that terrible event sent him on an inward journey — which initially helped him heal and fully submit to his grief, and eventually ended up leading him to the deep, soulcenteric place of purpose from which he leads and creates today.I view Jonny's work — and Nervous System Mastery in particular — as sorely needed, heart-centered offerings that can help people like his former fiancé stay regulated even in the most challenging moments of life.Beyond that, I think Jonny's work is a highly effective “Trojan Horse” to bring the crucial skills of emotional and somatic self-awareness and mastery into the mainstream — when, let's be honest, these skills have historically been maligned and ridiculed in our culture, especially for high performing professionals.These skills are not only important to help us stay emotionally, psychologically, and physically safe in our lives — but are also crucial for equipping ourselves to successfully chart the dark and dangerous waters of the Journey of Soul Initiation.Jonny and I discuss the journey he's been on since 2017, what it's been like for him to build what he's built, some key choices he's made that have helped make him successful, and what he envisions for the future of his work.—Links & Resources* Follow Brooks on YouTube, Instagram, or LinkedIn* Soulful Impact: soulfulimpact.co* Follow Jonny on Substack or X* Nervous System Mastery—Chapters00:04:13 Exploring the Concept of Soul00:16:35 The Journey of Grief and Transformation00:27:28 Connecting Emotions and the Nervous System00:28:20 The Nervous System as a Bridge00:33:14 Creating a Course: The Journey of Expression00:43:47 Future Visions: Expanding the Curriculum00:53:52 Navigating Intensity: Growth and Balance00:56:27 Navigating Thresholds: Living in Stasis vs. Breakthroughs00:57:37 The Dance of Beauty and Terror: Embracing Obliteration01:00:18 Chaos and Nervous System Work: A Path Forward01:05:20 Envisioning a Future of Nervous System Mastery01:09:18 Partnerships and Soul Growth: The Alchemical Container01:16:32 Practical Steps to Nervous System Literacy: Starting Your Journey—Get newsletter updates & future episodes delivered to your inbox: Subscribe to Soulful Impact on Substack Get full access to Soulful Impact at www.soulfulimpact.blog/subscribe

Click here to send me a text message ...Out here, on the far side of conventional religion, no path is more compelling than the one that leads us to know our natural place within the larger earth community. And there may be no better modern guide than Bill Plotkin, the author of four books on the subject and the founder of the Animas Valley Institute. The way is called "soul initiation," which is devastating to the ego but life-giving to the soul. And it just might help save the planet.Two TipsThis episode is longer than most, so you might find it helpful to reference the Chapters tab above and listen in convenient chunks.You might also find it helpful to read along with the poem with which we begin our conversation, "What to Remember When Waking," by David Whyte. Here's a link: https://www.awakin.org/v2/read/view.php?tid=994ErrataThe notion I mistakenly attribute to Stephen Jenkinson, that true elders consider today's actions in light of their effect seven generations out, is in fact a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) principle I had read about in Robin Wall Kimmerer's excellent book, "Braiding Sweetgrass." I regret the error. However, both Jenkinson and Bill Plotkin assume a similar point of view, that elders seek to honour both the ancestors who have gone before and the generations yet to come when considering the actions we take today.Bill's BooksSoulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche; Soulcraft; New World Library, 2003Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World; New World Library, 2008Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche; New World Library, 2013The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries" New World Library, 2021The Animas Valley InstituteHome page: https://www.animas.orgPersonal LinksMy web site (where you can sign up for my blog): https://www.brianepearson.caMy email address: mysticcaveman53@gmail.comSeries Music Credit"Into the Mystic" by Van Morrison, performed by Colin James, from the album, Limelight, 2005; licensed under SOCAN 2022

All wisdom traditions guide us deeper into connection with nature. Angela discusses a two-part question: What are the similarities amongst healing traditions and why are we so disconnected in the West? Learn More About: Similarities amongst Ayurveda, Daoism and Traditional Chinese Medicine Parts of Western Medicine that were once holistic The purpose and pitfall of categorizing A soulcentric perspective on moving out of consumer culture Resource mentioned: Ayurveda Encompassed: Take your understanding of Ayurveda to a new level and step into a more expansive version of yourself. Gain skills to help your clients flourish. Class starts September 16th, 2024. Free 3-Part Series on Ancient Wisdom + Modern Nuance: German New Medicine, Trauma-Informed Ayurveda and Navigating the Liminal Space Join the Simple Ayurveda newsletter Book: The Journey of Soul Initiation by Bill Plotkin

There are a lot of definitions when it comes to "soul". In this episode, I riff on the journey of soul initiation, the descent of the soul, waking the bone pile, awakening our potential, and how these themes are relevant within the context of my next iteration of offerings, The Pilgrimage: Shamanic Wilderness Expeditions. If you vibe what I'm putting out, please spread the word in one way or another. A social media share would be hugely appreciated. Feel free to tag me @caiyudakiora Solocast #5: 2024 --- THE PILGRIMAGE: https://www.caiyudakiora.com/pilgrimage NEWSLETTER: https://www.caiyudakiora.com/newsletter WEBSITE: https://www.caiyudakiora.com INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/caiyudakiora TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@caiyudakiora SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/30AGOxSHAtdxs8xnCw1STa?si=fad30c997d474a07 --- AFFILIATE LINKS: Get 10% off some of the best medicinal mushroom, tonic herb and adaptogenic blends at Superfeast: https://www.superfeast.com.au Use code CAIYUDA10 at checkout.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of leaving home - physically AND psycho-spiritually. I'll dive into how to know when it's time to wander, and why we must do so in the first place. We talk about intersectional barriers to access leaving home - and how modern industrialized society holds us back (and why). You will learn:// How to know it's time to wander// How our wandering impacts the world around us// What leaving our physical and psychspiritual home looks like// Why modern industrialized society makes it so hard to leave the village// How to overcome the forces holding us back// Two things to try as you begin wandering on your own.Resources:// Episode 178: The Gift of Wandering - Exploring Our Purpose// The Journey of Soul Initiation, by Bill Plotkin// Nature and the Human Soul, by Bill Plotkin// If you're ready to leave the village and begin your own soulcentric journey, come apply to the Adventure Mastermind, because this is THE thing we do. The first retreat is in mid-February around Valentine's Day. What better way to gift yourself som love, right? ;)So come experience what it's all about. Head on over to AdventureMastermind.com and apply now – you've got nothing to lose by applying, ok?// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. Plus, we have entire months devoted to wisdom and compassion. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can't wait to see you there!   // If you're new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You'll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.

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I first heard the term psychospiritual descent to soul from Bill Plotkin, eco-depth philosopher and SoulCraft Guide who has dedicated the last 40 years of his life guiding people through nature-based soul descent. In the introduction of his book, Journey to Soul Initiation, he refers to himself as a "Cocoon Weaver", apprenticed by the archetype of Death. Reading Plotkin's work for the first time a year and a half ago was a homecoming of resonance. He languages the rite of passage of the psychospiritual descent to soul like no other I've read. In this episode of the Kinspirit podcast, I share five practical things to consider while moving through soul descent. If this episode finds you at just the right moment, I pray it supports you and reminds you of what's awaiting you on the other side. Mentioned in this episode: ⁠Women Who Run with Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes⁠ ⁠Descent & Rising: Women's Stories and the Embodiment of the Inanna Myth by Carly Mountain⁠ ⁠Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin⁠ ⁠Journey to Soul Initiation by Bill Plotkin⁠ Learn more about Thresholdkeeper Retreat: Thresholdkeeper is a midsummer, threshold-crossing respite for healers and medicine keepers in the redwood forests of Mendocino, CA taking place on July 27 - 30. This is a retreat for the ones who hear the unmistakable call to surrender to the wisdom of the Pysche's Song. It is for those who know that their life's work is to traverse the deep world – the liminal spaces of mystery, death, change, birth, and initiation – in order to gather the ingredients of the medicines they know will serve their people in these times of immense cultural change. Thresholdkeeper is for those who honor that the path of becoming is not rainbows and fairies, but the daily work of firmly walking upon rich, dark soil of a changing Earth. Learn more about the Thresholdkeeper Retreat at ⁠www.thresholdkeeper.info⁠

Welcome to the Wise Not Withered Podcast! This month's guest is Javi Martinez, who shares her incredible story about her gaming history, her experience being a trans-feminine, gender-fluid person, her spiritual and shamanic path, including her current work at the International School of Temple Arts, as faculty and event organizer and coordinator. Thank you so much, Javi Martinez, for joining us on the Wise Not Withered podcast! What is your age? Oh shit… Heh, my age is 54. 54, all right. And where did you grow up? Well, the first few years of my life, I grew up in Guatemala. And then we ended up moving to the United States roughly when I was nine or ten years old. Okay, and what brought you here? Just my family moved. My dad was working up here, and we ended up coming up to join him. Okay. And where do you currently live? I live in western Massachusetts, in a town called Amherst. Amherst, okay. How long have you been there? Since I was about ten years old! (laughs) Oh! Oh wow, so you moved to Guatemala… Well, off and on. I've moved to other areas nearby, and then ended up coming back here. Okay, so it's kinda been in that same area since ten years old. Okay, cool. Forty-something years, yeah. Yeah. Great. So I met your partner at a recent retreat. She mentioned that you're an avid gamer. Can you tell us about your gaming history? Well, let's see. I guess it's something that I've always liked. I've always liked playing games. Games have always been an important part of my life, just overall. And then yeah, when I was about nine or ten years old, I started playing tabletop games, like Dungeons & Dragons. And that was one of my favorite things, so I started doing that pretty religiously for a while. Then I also grew up in the time of arcades. There really wasn't home gaming systems. You know, we all had to like, save our quarters and run out to the video game arcade and play video games there. So my friends and I would do that. We would like, not eat lunch at school, and take our lunch money and go play video games after school. Wow! Yeah, so it's just been something I've always enjoyed. Then I got the original Atari, and then you know, kept playing video games at home. You know, as well as other games. And basically, once the Play Station came out, I've just been like, a loyal Play Station person. Yeah. What are some of your… The gems, yeah. The gems are mostly role-playing games. I just… Not having the time, or even the group of friends—we all had time to play tabletop role-playing. Once I wasn't able to do that, my desire and my love of role-playing games transferred over to video games. So I've played games like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Skyrim. Those are my favorites. The Assassin's Creed Odyssey was really good. I really love that one as well. But yeah, mostly role-playing games are the ones I love. Mhm. Yeah, me too! I tend to gravitate toward those ones. I'm not very good at the shooters or the platforming games. Yeah, so I don't do like MMOs or go online with people. Yeah, for me it's about entering a fantasy world. Tied into that is my love of reading. I grew up reading fantasy books. So it's all woven together. Do you still read those kinds of books, or not as much? Not as much because of time, and other interests. But yeah, the past few months I did go back and re-read a few of my old favorites. So it was really nice to go back and re-read them. What made you decide to go re-read those books? Um… I'm not sure. I just basically have been playing video games a lot, and was getting sort of bored with that, and I was like oh yeah, reading! (laughs) I mean I've been reading other books, like spiritually-themed books. But yeah, I just felt like wow, I haven't done like, pleasure reading in a long time. Just sat down with a fun book and just devoured it. So that felt really good. Yeah, something a little more light. Yeah, exactly. That's pretty cool. So she also mentioned that you're a Guatemalan trans goddess! I love that title. She gives me all kinds of titles! (laughs) Yeah, “She's an avid gamer, trans goddess”, all these very, very fascinating things. Yeah, I'm so curious—the whole transitioning process, like identity, spirituality, social constructs, culture… Whatever you're comfortable sharing, I'm very curious! Well that's really open-ended! Yeah… I guess it's a funny thing. My transition is… I don't know if it's particularly unique, but I think it's different than most other people, because it was very much tied into my spirituality and my shamanic path. Okay. Where to begin… Yeah. Growing up, I didn't remember or know that… I'm like, so feminine and a woman inside. I didn't know I was a woman. I grew up thinking and feeling that I was a boy, and a man. Things like that. I knew I was different. Like I always had a funny sense that I wasn't like all my other friends, like I felt things that they didn't, feel things that they didn't feel, I would think differently… Yeah, I just thought okay, I'm just different. I'm just a weird person. But then when I started my… Really stepped into my spiritual path, and I started doing my shamanic work, like shamanic journeying, and really stepping forward into my shamanic path, I was called into service. One of my Patron Goddesses that has been with me my whole life stepped forward, and was like, okay, I want you to devote yourself to me, whole-heartedly. Like 100% devotion. And one of the rules or stipulations that she put, is that if I am to do this, I have to devote myself 100% and effectively do everything she asked, no right of refusal—which was, you know, pretty intense, to think of like okay, I want to be in devotion, I want to serve, and I want to do these things. But to have like… Yeah, to give everything over, to really do everything Spirit asked of me was a big step, and I had to really think about it for a while, and really feel into it, if it was something I was really willing to do. And yeah, so after a couple of months of meditating on it and really feeling into it, I was like okay, I guess this is something I need to do. And she told me that you know, it was my choice. If I do it, it would be really challenging and difficult, but also very rewarding. And if I didn't do it, that I could go on living a regular, boring life. And the more I thought about it, I was like, I didn't want to have a boring life, and I do want to be a healer, and do all these things… And if I don't do this, and I don't gain the skills, what's gonna happen in the future if those skills are needed? Like, I have a daughter, like what if my daughter needed some form of healing, and because I chose to just be a regular, boring… Call it a “muggle”, you know, and I didn't have access to that divine connection to provide what I needed to provide, I would regret it. So I thought well, I guess this is something I need to do. Yeah, so I did it, I held a ceremony, I did my devotion. And pretty much right after I devoted myself to her, she said, “You're a woman.” And I was like, “Excuse me? What do you mean, I'm a woman?” And she said, “You're a woman.” And I thought, “Okay, I don't know what the fuck that means.” (laughs) And I had to sit and meditate with that, and then she started giving me tasks. Like I had to get rid of all my old clothes. I had to go buy women's clothes. All these things that were really about feminizing me. So she started giving me all these tasks to have me really drop into more a feminine place. The more tasks she gave me, the more I realized wow, she is guiding me really to this thing of like… She says I'm a woman. So I started feeling into that. Like okay, I promised I'd do everything she asked. She said I'm a woman. Let me feel into that, what does this feel like for me? Really feel into it, am I? Am I really a woman? So I started doing like a deep dive with this feeling, with this idea… I went to other shaman people, shamanic practitioners, I went to psychics. I would go to different things, and I would ask like, “Okay, can you help me with this? Can you journey and find out, or can you get a reading for me? Am I really a woman?” I did that a few times, I'm like I need to double-check this. Maybe I'm going insane, let me go ask a few other people to see if this is congruent. And the answers were pretty much in alignment that there was something there for me to explore. So I'm like okay, I'm exploring this. And after… I don't know what it was, like six, seven months of doing tasks, like wearing make-up and doing different things, I did another journey, and this time she said, “Okay, now you're gonna go and get estrogen. You're gonna go get hormones.” And you know, that was a big step for me! I was like okay, I guess we're reaching a new level. And I still wasn't fully convinced I was a woman at the time. And how old were you at that point? It's been fifteen years, so… Yeah it's been about fifteen years. So like 40, 39? Yeah. 40, 39, yeah… Sixteen years… Anyways, so I went and spoke to my doctor. I mean, I knew all the things I needed to say to get the estrogen. And yeah, it was a very… It was like a big portal for me in my life and my transition and my sense of self, because the moment that I injected the estrogen for the first time, when the estrogen coursed through my body, it felt… Yeah, it really felt in my system like, I'm home. I'm home. And it really felt so much like home, and so much like… Like, this is what I've been looking for my whole life. This feeling is what I've been seeking my whole life and I didn't know it. You know it's almost like having that… Like my body always felt off, wrong… I always felt… I don't know what to call it, like… I never felt comfortable in my own skin, kind of a feeling. And it was a constant thing that I wasn't aware of until I had the estrogen, and then I was like oh my goodness, this is what I've been waiting for. This is it. This is it. This is home for me. I felt at home in my body, maybe for the first time. And yeah, I remember that as soon as I felt this, I looked up and I was like, “You were right!” I had this moment of, “You were right.” So that was how it began. It was not like I had any idea that that's what I was doing… Yeah, up to that point I had doubts. Even after that point, I had periods of doubts. Even now! (laughs) Even now there's still moments where I question my gender. You know, people say that gender is fluid, and it changes with whatever throughout your life… I'm not sure if that's the case or not, but for me there's definitely been elements of fluidity, particularly in the first half of my transition. I did go through periods of time where I felt like I was more trans feminine, but gender fluid, and I would flow back and forth. Hm! How would that show up, like in a day-to-day thing? It could be day to day, it could be minute to minute. It could be situational. Part of it is that I do carry forty-plus years of living as a man in my system, in my body, in my muscle memory, in my brain. Biologically speaking, you know, testosterone shaped my brain. The testosterone brain and the estrogen brain are very different on many levels. There's different neural pathways that run through the brains, dictated by hormones. So I have all the masculine—I don't know if masculine is the right word… All the testosterone neural pathways, and then I got and formed—my brain got reshaped, with all the estrogen neural pathways. So my brain does some weird things sometimes. (laughs) So yeah, I mean, it's… Hm. I'm trying to think of a way to explain it that makes sense. At times, like in the past, like the first half of my transition, I would say that I typically shifted within the spectrum of what I would consider my identity based on if I was feeling masculine or feminine. So if I stepped into a real masculine space, it was almost like everything just sorta shifted, and I would step into that place. You know, like I was before my transition. It was a full shift. You know, body mannerisms, the way I spoke, the way I carried myself, the way I sit, the way I talk. It just becomes very much like that. And then when I was feeling more feminine, I would flow more into like a soft, feminine place, where I could feel my identity as a woman more fully. So I was like going back and forth based on how I felt within the masculine-feminine polarities and dynamics that are within me. I mean, everybody has them. Right. Everybody has them, but within me it would cause shifts in how I felt about myself. How I felt about myself in the moment. And that still happens periodically. And yeah… There's times that I just feel, like I feel my body, and I'm like “Is this right for me?” I don't know… There's moments of questioning. It's interesting, like sometimes I don't realize I've made a shift until I'm talking to someone about something. And then my language sometimes gives me a clue. For example, as an educator, if I was to be talking about let's call it male psychology or male health, male sexuality, or growing up that way, or something… And I'd be talking, and I might shift into language of like… Including myself, like “We often feel this way when…” or things like that. And when that comes out, sometimes I'm like “Oh. I'm a ‘we' with this now. Okay, that's interesting…” And there's other times that I'm not aware of it, that someone will use my pronouns, of like she or her, that don't feel good in my system. And someone will refer to me in that way and I'll constrict and be like whoa, that's not me. And then I'll be like okay, that's weird, I didn't realize… I don't feel good being a she/her right now. And it makes me feel like, “Am I a he/him?” Where am I on the pronoun spectrum? But it's not like a conscious thing, like I wake up and go hey, I'm gonna be this. It's just how I am just going through my day, there's little indicators that tell me, you're more this way on the spectrum today, or in this moment. And a lot of times it's those things… Even though the majority of the time, when I'm going through my day, when people misgender me, and call me “sir” or a he/him, it hurts… You know, it hurts, and I know I'm over here. And so it's more situations and external reflections that give me an indicator as to where I am in the moment. But I would say the majority of the time, I'm definitely in the trans feminine identity. A lot of times it's easier for me to say I'm a trans-woman to people, than to say oh I'm trans-feminine but sometimes I'm fluid, and da-da-da… And like, it just turns into this big, huge, confusing thing, and if 99% of the time she/her pronouns make me happy, I just say hey, great. Just please use she/her pronouns, because 99% of the time they make me happy, and it's so much easier to say I'm a woman. And I am. I mean, even as far back as February, just a couple months ago, I was going through a questioning period. I was going on shamanic journeys, and getting help from other practitioners, to figure out like… What is my gender? Who am I? I was going through one of those questioning periods. And at the end of the day, the answer I got through all of the guidance I got and journeys I did, was that I am a woman. So I am. Yeah… It's complicated. It's simple but complicated. (laughs) Yeah, I can understand that! Can you talk more about the shamanic journey? What started you, what got you interested? I'm sure that's a whole thing too! Well, I've always been interested in the metaphysical, the spiritual… When I went through adolescence, I was interested in the Occult. I was always interested in those kinds of things. You know, I read books and practiced basic rituals. And you know, Pagan things, as I was going through adolescence into adulthood, and that's always been important to me. But yeah, it started with… Okay. I have to give you a little bit of background. I'm a licensed mental health counselor. And I used to work in a juvenile detention center, working with delinquent kids. And I did that for almost twenty-five years. And I was at a conference that was based around the treatment of sex offenders. At this conference, there was a clinician that was also a shamanic healer, who worked in the treatment of sex offenders using Native American healing ceremonies as part of his practice. And so he was giving a presentation, and I was like “Yeah, that's my shit right there. I need to be in this. I need to know about this.” And so I sat in this class, and he spoke about you know, living in Africa, and learning to be a shaman in Africa, a Sangoma, and he gave all these presentations and things that were amazing, and he even talked about shamanic healing for things like anxiety. And he led a healing circle for a shamanic healing ceremony, to help somebody who was there who had anxiety. So I participated and witnessed this ceremony, and the whole time that he was speaking, the whole time this class was happening, and during the ceremony, I felt like lightning was going through my body. There was so much energy coursing through my body throughout this whole class, that I was just like “Damn, I need to look into this. I need to do this. This is amazing!” I could feel it. It's so… In me! I had to do it. So I took some of the recommended books that he had listed on his thing. I think I might have ordered them from Amazon, I don't remember. But yeah, I just took the books, started reading. I started going to drumming and journeying circles near my house, that other shamanic practitioners were doing. And so I just started journeying and connecting to my spirit guides. Building relationships with my spirit guides. And then yeah, the more I did it, the more it felt alive in me. And that's when my teacher, my spirit guide, my Goddess, who I'd been building a relationship with shamanically—I already had a relationship with her before, when I was in my Pagan… For lack of a better term, growing up Pagan. Yeah, she stepped forward, and was like, I want you to devote yourself. So I devoted myself… And yeah, it's just gone from there. Yeah. And so I'm curious what the whole devotion thing… What all does that entail? And I guess, what purpose does it serve for you, too? Well, what it entails is being in service. So it's not just being in service to her, but it basically means being in service to the Earth, being in service to people, being in service to our collective. In essence, I'm a priestess. And as a priestess, I'm here to serve. And that may look different ways at different times to different people. You know, I may be doing ceremonies in nature for Mother Earth, that have to do with healing, water, or connecting to trees. Cleaning up trash, I do that. (Laughs) Or, it could be going on journeys for people that need help, need questions answered, need healing. It could mean doing Reiki or energy healing on someone that needs healing. It could be… Yeah, numerous things. Part of my path, part of being in service is also being a teacher, being a presenter, being an event coordinator. There's a lot of areas where I'm in service. What does it mean for me? It means a lot of things! Like for one thing, it meant me finding who I really am. And ultimately, I will say that my transition was hard. I was terrified. I was terrified to transition. And especially in this world where there's so much hate toward trans and queer people… I mean right now you know the Republican right wing agenda is all anti-trans. Everything is anti-trans. There's politicians calling for us to be eradicated. There's all kinds of crazy stuff. So yeah, I was terrified to do so, not just for the world, but within myself. I had internal fear about doing the transition as well. Right. You know, coming out, and just everything. And so I really feel like if I had not promised to do everything she asked, I probably wouldn't have done it. And I think that Spirit, the Divine, knew that at this point in my life and who I was and where I was in life and everything, that I needed to be fully devoted with no right of refusal, for me to do the things I needed to do. And to really step into myself, into my power, into being authentic. Because I think if I didn't have that, I would have been too afraid. Yeah. Yeah. So I think that that's one of the things that served me, as hard as it was! Yeah, I mean I'm living… (laughs) I live a crazy life! Most people would consider it crazy. You know, I don't think I would have had the courage to step into it and do all of the things that I do if I didn't have this… Yeah, this place of being in service. And feeling like I have this spiritual safety net—that I can jump into all these things, knowing that I'm supported, that I'm doing the right thing, if that makes sense. If I have Spirit telling me to do something, and it's spirits that are my guides and teachers that I have a close relationship to, I feel safe that this is the right thing for me. So it's nice to have guidance. So many people in this world wander around, like looking for a purpose, looking for, “What the hell am I doing with myself? Why am I here? What's my purpose?” Mid-life crises. All these things. And for me, it's been handed to me in a sense. Like, here you go, this is what you're doing, like it or not. And half the time, I haven't liked it cause it's been really hard, and painful. Having to also face and heal all my trauma, you know… I needed to heal all my trauma, so that I can better serve and heal other people's trauma—has not been easy. But it's been rewarding. It's like my Goddess said, I mean it hasn't been easy, it's been challenging, but it has been very rewarding. And continues to be very rewarding. Yeah, I can resonate with a lot of that. You mentioned drumming, and journeys? What exactly is a shamanic journey? I have heard that term before—can you describe it a bit more? Yeah… Let me see if I can summarize this quickly. Okay. So when I speak in terms of Michael Harner, and his school and foundation of shamanic studies… Michael Harner was an anthropologist that traveled around the world and lived with many indigenous cultures, and eventually became a shaman. He was welcomed by the village shamans into their mysteries. The more he traveled around the world, the more he realized that universally, all the shamanic cultures around the world do the same things. They may have different flavors of how they do it. They may have different techniques that vary in appearance or flavor but ultimately, all the shamanic practices are the same, or similar. And so he called it Core Shamanism. So this foundation of shamanic studies teaches what he calls Core Shamanism. And so in Core Shamanism, the idea is that people go into ecstatic states—altered states of consciousness, where we communicate with spirits, with entities, with trees, with the Earth, with the seasons, with elements… And there's different ways of doing it. Everything from dancing, to fasting, to vision quests… You know, going out in nature for a few days with no food… It could be going into a dark cave for two days, in darkness… There's all these ways that universally, people have done these things. Plant medicines. Every culture around the world uses some form of mushroom or plant medicine, to… Or you know, frogs, or whatever. There's different nature medicines that help open the mind, and expand consciousness, to communicate with Spirit—that's spiritual growth. But ultimately, to narrow it down, what he found is that people can do this naturally without medicines, without doing anything else—through drumming. Oh yeah, I should mention breath work—breath work is a big way to also enter these states of consciousness. But yeah, so drumming, where you just take a drum, and beat it at a particular speed or frequency, has a particular vibration that is encoded in our DNA. Every human being across the globe, it has been proven in studies, that if you just sit and close your eyes, and listen to a drum, just beating, and you just relax, it will put your mind into a trance state. I forget what it's called, like the theta state, where we dream. I forget what it is, if it's beta or theta state, I can't remember. Yeah, I'm not sure. So basically, people that are awake, that are just sitting and listening to drumming, if they just allow themselves to relax, they will automatically go into this kind of mental wave length state where you can receive visions, or dreams. And every person can do it—it's part of our brain. Our brains are wired to do this, naturally. So effectively, it's in our DNA that we are all shamans, and that we can all do shamanic journeys, just from using a drum. Just like we can all do it through breath work. Like if we do the Wim Hof method, or the shamanic breathwork. There's different types of breathwork—holotropic breathwork. All those kinds of things. It's naturally in our systems, in our brains, that when we do these things, this happens. So everybody can do this naturally. And I think we all did it naturally, two thousand-plus years ago, before the advent of the Judeo-Christian religions, that told us that we needed to go to a church, to talk to a priest, and the priest could talk to God for us, and that we couldn't do it ourselves. We've been disempowered, and disconnected from Source, and disconnected from Spirit. But we all have it. So yeah, shamanic journeys can come in many forms. Like ayahuasca or mushrooms, or it can come through holotropic breathwork. But I started with drumming, because that's the most basic, most foundational one, where you really don't have to do anything but sit, and listen to the drum. And then there's guidance, where for shamanic journeys, we do use… People do use their imagination. Like visualization. Like if you go to some psychic circles, and people take you through a guided meditation, where someone is guiding you, down a hall and down some stairs, and through a door, and into a room, and what do you see in the room. And so a guided meditation is very similar, where you have someone guiding you through the experience, but when you learn to do a shamanic journey, you're doing it for yourself. So you imagine yourself going into a cave, and following the cavern down deeper and deeper and deeper, to go into what's called lower world. In shamanic cosmology, there's upper world and lower world. And middle world—the middle world is where we live in. And the upper world is where, traditionally, the spirits that are human-shaped are found, like ancestors, passed loved ones. Some people might say deities. Basically the human-shaped, humanoid-type teachers and guides are usually found in the upper world. And when you go into the lower world, that's where you connect with plant and animal spirits, like your animal spirit guides, like your Power Animal. Okay. So you visualize yourself going down into this, or you visualize yourself climbing a ladder or climbing a tree. Like the World Tree imagery. People talk about the World Tree—that was usually what the shamans used to travels the worlds. So yeah, you follow the path to where you're trying to go. You imagine it, you visualize it, and you visualize yourself walking in those directions, and eventually you cross a threshold, be it a doorway, an archway, the pearly gates into heaven. I like to use the analogy of Jack and the bean stalk. Like Jack climbed a beanstalk, all the way up into the clouds, and then Jack climbed through a cloud, and when he came out on the other side of the cloud, he was in a different world. He could stand on the cloud, and there was like castles and geese that laid golden eggs, and all these things. So there's usually a threshold. And when you cross that threshold and enter the spirit world, is usually when your imagination sort of isn't… It's no longer like… Something will happen, like Spirit will interact with you in some way… That you'll sit there and go, “Okay, I'm in the spirit world now, because there's no way I would have dreamed this up.” You know, your imagination only takes you so far. Our imagination only has so much in terms of creativity, in these moments, that when you step into the spirit world, something will happen with the environment, with you know, an animal or something that's gonna be so weird, that you go, “Okay, I'm here. I'm with spirit now, because there's no way my imagination would have done this.” So it's hard to explain, but that's how it feels. It's like, yeah, I didn't imagine that. So I know that something's happening. That's usually the indicators for when you're in the spirit world. So Spirit lets you know, “Okay, you're here, let me show you this weird thing so you know you're here.” It's almost like lucid dreaming, where something weird happens and you're like “Oh, I think I'm dreaming!” Something different, like an indicator. So basically, in a nut shell, that's shamanic journeying! (laughs) Yeah, interesting! Do you remember your first one? That's a really good question… I don't know if I remember my first one. Yeah… I was doing it so much, just trying to map out my worlds, and where all my guides were. That time, just meeting my spirit guides, I don't remember what my first one was. I know it was profound, because I went back! Again and again! I don't remember what it was that made it special or profound. Okay. So you did mention the Mystery School. Is it Neo-Tantra? Is that how you say it? I mentioned Michael Harner's foundation of shamanic studies. They offer training, like two or three year apprenticeship for shamanic studies. I just want to throw a plug out there: it is a foundation that, when people do go and pay for their programs, the money does go to indigenous cultures, and to indigenous shamans, to help keep all these shamanic practices alive, different cultures in the world. I just want to say that because it is important, something that we need to do. But yeah, I do belong to a mystery school! Yeah, what is that? What does that mean? I belong to a mystery school that's called the International School of Temple Arts. I am a faculty for the International School of Temple Arts, or ISTA for short. And we are a… Hm. It's like defining who we are is always a changing thing. Yeah, we operate within the realm of sacred sexuality, and do utilize elements of tantra, taoist teachings, shamanism, Buddhism, and so many other spiritual practices into one melting pot of things. And really, it is about uncovering you know, the mystery of what it means to be here, in this life. The mystery of life. The mystery of love. The mystery of sexuality. The mystery of the divine, the mystery of Source. Where everybody came from. You know, what is God? Like, the Native American tribes referred to God, or, you know, as the Great Mystery. It's a mystery. The Divine is a mystery. So we're a Mystery School that delves into these deep things. Like delving into Shadow—shadow work. Delving into darkness and light, and really all that it means to be human, and spiritual, and sexual. So while people wanted to classify us as tantra, because we fell into the Neo-tantric umbrella where people think of sacred sexuality in that way. While we adhere to some tantric practices like sound, breath, and movement, and many of our teachers are tantra teachers as well, that's not effectively who we are. So we started coining the term Sexual Shamanism. So what we do is sexual shamanism, which is different than tantra, because it's a different flavor. Like tantra comes from India, and has this rich tradition, which… There is a lot of cultural appropriation, and spiritual appropriation that has happened, within Neo-tantra communities, and even within ISTA where we've taken things from the tantra traditions of India, and we've utilized them and changed them, and you know, adapted them to what we do. But yeah, so we basically call it sexual shamanism. And again, it's difficult to explain in a short period of time because so much of it is a mystery, because it's so different for everybody that comes to our trainings. Do you do like, one-on-one, or are there group classes, or is it mostly individual? Yeah, we do group offers. For the most part, we do trainings. We do week-long intensives. The first… We'll call it the starting point, the level one, is called the Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Experience. And so I facilitate those trainings. And this experience is… Even though we have a core curriculum, everybody that goes through it experiences something different, because everybody is on their own journey. And you know, we have a feeling, or a sense, or a belief that everybody that comes to our trainings gets exactly what they need. So it has that shamanic feel, that for some people, they get some things like where… They open up sexually in ways that they didn't know they could. Other people receive healing from trauma. Other people just go deeper into their own spiritual practice. Other people basically develop a stronger sense of self and identity. And yeah, the primary core of the level one has to do with sovereignty, personal sovereignty and self-empowerment. So that looks different to everybody that comes. So there's this level one, which is about self-empowerment, then there's other trainings. One that's being renamed into Soul Initiation. We used to call it the level two, and it used to be called the Spiritual Sexual Shamanic Initiation, Level Two. So the first is the experience, the second is the initiation. Now we're taking the “level two” part of it out, and just calling it a Soul Initiation, I believe—the name is still being worked out. Because, too many people felt like… You know, in our Western culture, we have you know, first grade, second grade, third grade. So people thought “I'm gonna do level one, then I'm gonna do level two.” like a progression. And it's not like that. It's two separate things that aren't linear. It's about the self, or it's about killing the ego. And really going into deeper initiations: death initiations, sexual rebirth initiations… So it's a totally different thing. And then there are other trainings that are… There's another one that has to do with really… The core teaching of it is disillusionment, and being disillusioned with the mystery school, with ISTA, with everything. Being disillusioned with things in a way that if everything is falling apart around you, can you still hold your center? Can you still hold your ground? Can you still stay grounded with who you are, in your mission in life, in your purpose, and continuing to do what you're here to do, even as everything else is falling apart around you? Even as the world is collapsing in on you, know you can do this. “I'm gonna go change the world!” There's gonna be that push-back, like “No, this is radically different, this is bad, you can't do this” because of the old belief systems. How can you sit there in the fire and still hold your center and continue plodding forth? So that training is that piece. And then we have the practitioner training, which is really becoming a healer, a sexual healer, within the frameworks and teachings of what we do, within ISTA, that framework and philosophy of healing. Yeah. How was the transition from, you said you were a mental health counselor, then you started going the shaman route… Like, was it kinda gradual, or did you make an abrupt switch? What did that look like? Well it was a gradual thing. I continued to work, I continued to work at my job while I was an apprentice at ISTA, working toward becoming an ISTA faculty as I learned and healed and worked in the field, in all these trainings. And then it just got to a point where… I reached a point of no return, where my soul just felt like I couldn't be in my job anymore. I couldn't continue to do that work. I needed to leave that job so that I could follow a path that's more soul-aligned. Right. I think my job was definitely soul-aligned for that period of my life, you know, healing and helping all these kids in needs, where I was saving lives. I did save a lot of lives. I have a lot of love for the kids I worked with, and that population. I feel like at some point I'm gonna go back and do more work with that population somehow. I just don't know how or when. But yeah, when I was at my office, even though I was doing good work, I felt stifled and trapped, and I just knew my soul was like, no you need to do something else, something bigger, something grander, something beyond this. And so that's what I'm doing now. I'm out creating events, I'm a training organizer. I organize trainings and events for other teachers and other people. I was organizing for ISTA, so I would help bring ISTA trainings to different places as an organizer. And I'm an ISTA faculty, and I'm teaching the ISTA Level One. So above and beyond that, I'm feeling a call to be a shamanic counselor. I don't know what else to call it. Open myself up to seeing people individually, one-on-one, which would be a variation of coaching, and counseling, therapy, and shamanic work, as well as healing work if needed. Be it Reiki, or even body work, like I did complete the ISTA practitioner training and I have skills in different healing modalities. So it's whatever is needed. That's what I'm doing now. Okay, nice. Wow… I feel like I need to just take all of that in for a second. Thank you for sharing all of that. Wow. I feel like the last questions I wrote seem kinda silly, like “Okay, what are some of your hobbies?” (laughs) But yeah I guess, kinda related to hobbies… It does seem like the work you do is very deep. I would guess that it might be very draining, too. Like, how do you… You did mention light reading. How do you balance that? How do you not take that home with you, you know? Well, I mean, I would say that part of it is that I use tools to help release things… Release energies, stuck energies within me. Tools that I teach at ISTA for example, as well as other tools that my beloved has been teaching me as well. So we work together in different ways to help release things. There's times I have to come home and just have decompression periods where I need to just sit and relax… That's basically it. I do need some down time. But yeah, I don't know. It's not like really… I don't know, I think I do push myself a little bit more than I should, but a lot of times it's something that I love doing, so then I'm like, “Yeah, let's do it!” Yeah! All right, let's see… What are some things that you're looking forward to in the near future? The near future? Yeah! Wow… There's a few things that I'm really excited about. I mean obviously, one is I'm gonna be… I'm working on an oracle deck. Yeah, and I have a friend of mine that's doing the artwork for it. Okay! I'm like, in my second edit of the description of all the cards and everything. So I feel like pretty soon I'm gonna see about getting it published, or do self-publishing. I don't know how it's gonna go yet, but that's something I'm excited about! In a little bit over a week, on the 24th [of April], I fly out to California. I'm gonna be teaching ISTA out in Northern California. Where specifically? I don't know the name of the venue, but it's about an hour and a half from San Francisco. North or south? North. Okay. I actually grew up an hour south of San Francisco. Yeah, so I'm gonna be out there teaching ISTA. Cool! And then… Something else that I'm really excited about, in June, I have a training up here in upstate New York called the Shamanic Kink Immersion that I'm organizing, and assisting, and being a part of. So that's up here in upstate New York. So I'm excited to organize and help create this event. And then, in July, at the same place in upstate New York, I'm gonna be teaching another ISTA training. Okay! So yeah! If your viewers want to come meet me in person, they can come to upstate New York, and yeah, get a taste! (laughs) Yeah, that's great! That does sound pretty exciting! Cool, well those are all the questions I have! That was so much. So much really interesting stuff. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about that I didn't ask about? Talk about… Um… I'm not sure. You know, to come around full circle to this originally being an interview about gamers and people my age that play video games… Well it's not just that. I wanted to just interview older, interesting women doing interesting things. Yeah. So definitely yeah, I'm excited for the new Diablo game that's coming out soon. I'm excited for the Baldur's Gate III game that's coming out in August. So the makers of Dragon Age, many years ago, created Baldur's Gate I and II for PC, like twenty years ago. And now, there's a new Baldur's Gate III coming out. And what I really love about it, besides the fact that it has beautiful graphics, great storytelling… I mean so much of it is impressive… The artistry of it is incredible, and the storytelling… It's that the makers, Larian Studios, are actually doing everything in their power to make the game as close to Dungeons and Dragons 5E core rules. And to make the game feel like it's a tabletop role-playing game, even though you're playing a video game. Huh! So their goal is to make it feel like you're immersed in a tabletop game, not just playing a video game. So it's really incredible. Really, the storytelling… The way it's done, like if you're playing a tabletop role-playing game, when you do checks and abilities, it actually shows a little box where a twenty-sided die rolls, or you know, six-sided dice rolls, to really see if you're successful in your actions. And then, you can play multi-player with friends, too, so you can go on campaigns with three or four of your friends. Right now it's only in early-access, but the new game is coming out, and I'm super excited for that! Yeah, cool! Sounds good! So that's the other things I'm excited about! Upcoming video games. Yeah, nice! Cool. Well yeah, thank you so much! This was a really great interview. Thanks for sharing so much of your story. Thank you! Yeah, until I put up my own website, which I'm working on at this moment, people can find my profile on the ISTA website, which is ista.life. You can find all the trainings, and all the faculty, and I have a profile there. I have my own website for the trainings I'm organizing that also has some information about me, which neistatrainings.com. So that's the simplest way to find me. Find me on Facebook, you know, find me on Instagram. Yeah, what's your Instagram username? I think it's my full name. I'm on my phone right now… It's yeah, @javi_martinez_stahl.

In this episode of the Kinspirit podcast, I talk about the realities of queer / feminine rites of passage and the psychospiritual descent to soul. These realities are the secrets (or the mysteries) that many women carry and have been taught to silence themselves in the same ways we have been taught to hide and hush our blood, the realities of childbirth, and the ways of the psychic nature. When I sought to create a study group for Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes' book, Women Who Run with Wolves this Spring, I was nearly after plunged into a psychospiritual descent of my own that cracked open a layer of awakening in me that I would not have been able to access if I treated my experience the way many women are taught to treat their experiences – through the lens of skepticism, partial digust, and trying to "figure out" whats wrong." What I learned is that you can't "study" the goddess. You have to embody her. You have to live her. These mysteries that she offers us are not just cute annecdotal stories. They are medicines to be kept in vials on our belts at all times as we descend into the vast wild dark of the future. We each, in our own way, are living these myths. The ancient stories of Wild Woman, La Loba, La Heusera, Inanna, Persephone, Ixchel, Isis, Hecate are not just tales to memorize and sound smart with. They are guideposts to help us find our way as we live in the world. If you want the medicines of the deep world and the magic of the mystery in your life, you have to surrender your body, your pride, and the construct of your knowing. Because if we're listening, we know that to live – to really live – we have to honor the fact that the life will call us to journey the depths, the womb of the world, and be reformed there. At the gates of the deep world, we are each asked to shed our preparations, achievements, accolades, studies, shields, and weapons before we enter. The underworld of the psyche is a vast and viscously dark place. None of the preparations will do any good there. We have to come bare. We have to come curious. We have to come naked. Mentioned in this episode: Women Who Run with Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes Descent & Rising: Women's Stories and the Embodiment of the Inanna Myth by Carly Mountain Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin Journey to Soul Initiation by Bill Plotkin Learn more about Thresholdkeeper Retreat: Thresholdkeeper is a midsummer, threshold-crossing respite for healers and medicine keepers in the redwood forests of Mendocino, CA taking place on July 27 - 30. This is a retreat for the ones who hear the unmistakable call to surrender to the wisdom of the Pysche's Song. It is for those who know that their life's work is to traverse the deep world – the liminal spaces of mystery, death, change, birth, and initiation – in order to gather the ingredients of the medicines they know will serve their people in these times of immense cultural change. Thresholdkeeper is for those who honor that the path of becoming is not rainbows and fairies, but the daily work of firmly walking upon rich, dark soil of a changing Earth. Learn more about the Thresholdkeeper Retreat at www.thresholdkeeper.info and use the code Kinspirit25 at checkout to receive 25% off your your registration until May 24.

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Summary: Alasdair shares his recent experience at a Men's Rite of Passage and why he's been seeking out initiation.Mentioned in this Episode:Illuman.orgAnimas.orgRichard RohrEnneagramBill PlotkinStephen Jenkinson Elderhood in a Time of TroubleSupport this podcast:Discount link to purchase organic, raw ceremonial-grade cacao ethically sourced in Guatemala (a portion of proceeds support this podcast)Become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/thefaroutcoupleMake one-time donation with PayPal (our account is aplambeck22@gmail.com)Leave a review on iTunes!Share this episode with a friend! :DConnect with us:Website: www.thefarout.lifeEmail us at info@thefarout.lifeWild Within @ www.thewildwithin.orgCredits:Intro music: "Complicate ya" by Otis McDonaldOutro music: "Running with wise fools" written & performed by Krackatoa (www.krackatoa.com)

In this episode we discuss: - How Kate came to this work - Reclaiming the lost feminine, Eros and our deepest love as our collective path forward - Soul Initiation and soul-centred living - Connection to Earth and Nature as part of our awakening and much more...

E17 Soul Initiation on The Hero's Journey |IBGR | Donna Kunde & Londina Cruz “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” – Swami Sivananda The purpose of initiation is to help us recognize the meaning and significance of the experiences it symbolizes in our own lives. The uninitiated do not lack the experience of Soul, but they fail to recognize its power and meaning. The Hero's Journey is an initiation into the realities of the Soul Journey. This journey requires us to establish and let go of control over our lives in order to experience life's wholeness. To do this, we must expand our Ego's narrow view and let go of sentiment, safety and predictability and even our concern with physical safety, effectiveness and virtue. Without Soul, we feel like robots. We go through all the right motions, but it ends up being movement without meaning. Every time we enter into initiation we go deeper and deeper into our levels of understanding. There is no punishment for failing to connect with our Soul except the ever-present sense of meaninglessness in our life .. which is punishment enough! Make sure you leave some thoughts in the comment section below. We are interested in continuing the conversation. Connect with Londina at Londina.com Learn more about Donna here… Listen to Live: IBGR.Network Subscribe to Our Podcast: Building Success Habits Podcast TAGS: IBGR, IBGR Network, Donna Kunde, Londina Cruz, hero's journey, the hero's journey, hero's journey, the hero's journey, the heroes journey, the hero's journey stages, joseph campbell hero's journey, joseph campbell hero's journey, the hero's journey joseph campbell, a hero's journey, heroes journey, joseph campbell the hero's journey, hero's journey explained, the hero's journey joseph campbell, my hero's journey, hero's journey

E18 The Hero's Journey Soul Initiation - Becoming Real |IBGR | Donna Kunde & Londina Cruz “The living soul of man, once conscious of its power, cannot be quelled.”----Horace Mann Initiation begins in childhood with our first experiences of confusion, suffering, intense love, longing and frustration. The story of Pinocchio is a well-known example of this process. He starts out as a wooden puppet and transforms into a real boy. On the symbolic level, living life only at the level of the Ego is like being a robot, toy or other inanimate object. We feel a burning desire for a more genuine experience. The quest with its call to Spirit is only the first step to finding such genuineness. Initiation shakes up our way of seeing the world and requires us to connect with our deeper wisdom to understand what is happening to us. This initiation may anticipate the experiences of suffering, deprivation and loss brought on by the Archetype of the Destroyer, the capacity for genuine and passionate love and connection associated with the Archetype of the Lover, and finally, the union with one's Soul, which allows for the birth of the new Self (the Creator). Make sure you leave some thoughts in the comment section below. We are interested in continuing the conversation. Connect with Londina at Londina.com Learn more about Donna here… Listen to Live: IBGR.Network Subscribe to Our Podcast: Building Success Habits Podcast TAGS: IBGR, IBGR Network, Donna Kunde, Londina Cruz, comfort zone, get out of your comfort zone, how to get out of your comfort zone, the comfort zone, what is comfort zone, leave the comfort zone, comfort zone meaning, how to expand your comfort zone, breaking out of your comfort zone, how to get out of your comfort zone tips, life begins at the end of your comfort zone, new comfort zone.

When I worked for Outward Bound, one of the most rewarding aspects was how it acted as a rite of passage for many of our students. You may have heard of rites of passage from other cultures (Native American vision quests, once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimages in Buddhist, Hindu or Muslin traditions, for example). They're ceremonies or practices that mark an individual's progression from one stage of life to another.  There are generally three phases in a rite of passage:Separation: the individual changes from their current status and prepares to enter a new stage.Liminality: the person is often temporarily removed from their normal surroundings and community to experience tasks or rituals that prepare them for the next stage of life.Incorporation: The person return and is welcomed back into their community with their newly-attained status and responsibilities. It's important to note that a rite of passage in and of itself doesn't make the transformation happen. It doesn't mean you have a rite of passage then, “Yay, you did it, now go forth!” True inner growth and taking on new levels of responsibility are an essential part of rites of passage – and what they're designed to mark, not create. While it's well-researched that there is a lack of meaningful rites of passage in modern industrialized societies for life stages like transition into adulthood, the absence of a ritual to mark those stages still isn't the most significant problem in terms of obstacles to Soul development. Really the rites of passage are meant to confirm a life transition that has already been reached, often through a long steady process of doing this work. So what's more significant is what happens between the life stages than the rites of passage themselves. The primary work of maturing takes place gradually and on a daily basis as we apply ourselves to the developmental tasks of our current life stage.  Children and adolescents need help with these tasks — and who is supposed to help them? Grown-ass, mature adults. Not adults working out their childhood baggage with their own children or, say, having tantrums while they're the President of the United States of America. For example;) So yes, help from mature adults. And that's where I think we're failing right now. So we need to let go of the idea that the transition from childhood to adulthood takes place in one fell swoop. Between these two life stages is the adventure of adolescence. And it's a real adventure. And we miss out on utilizing it as such. Getting older in and of itself doesn't lead to emotional adulthood or psychological maturity. If you asked most people what adulthood means, they'll say things like: when we fulfill certain responsibilities like establishing a career or steady job, moving out of the home, raising a family… But is this…meaningful? In the sense of what being an adult really means when we look at what our society needs? And what kind of responsibility is that?  As Bill Plotkin says, an adult is someone who understands why they are here on Earth, why they were born, and are offering their unique contribution to the broader sense of the world - not just to humans, but to the planet and all its beings. That kind of responsibility that comes with that kind of Soul development. But don't be discouraged - while it's rare - for most in the modern industrialized world, at least -  to reach true adulthood in their teen years, or even twenties, it's totally possible to do so in midlife. In his book, Nature and the Human Soul, Bill Plotkin states there are two really distinct stages of adolescence - and remember, think of this not just as age, but psychological development - and a major life passage between them.  The adventure starts with puberty, and I think we can all agree the change our body goes through, the hormones, the social shifts that happen around puberty, embodying our sexuality… is a wild ride. This continues through the years of early adolescence then transits through the passage Bill calls Confirmation and then goes into late adolescence, which he calls the “Wanderer in the Cocoon.” In the first half of adolescence, the task is to create a personality — a way of belonging to the human community — one that's ideally authentic and socially “acceptable.”  This is hard AF, especially if you're a rebellious one like I am (and like many of you are) and if you're being asked to gain acceptance into a society that is toxic.  This is obviously easier said than done, especially in toxic cultures that are extremely foused on the individual and that are materialistic. However, doing this is essential because it lays the foundation for the rest of our Soul development. So authenticity - and ziji - means to know who you really are — to know where you stand, what you value, what you desire, what you tolerate and what you don't — and to be able and willing to act accordingly, most of the time, despite the social risks. This takes a minute.The second half of the task in this stage: attaining social acceptability. This is where we can get screwed in the head about all this because to be a healthy adolescent, we need to belong to a healthy community. But when we are part of a toxic community that doesn't honor the process of the human soul, if we are going to “fit in” then we are at high risk of ending up compromising a lot of our Soul qualities. So if - and when - we connect with an authentic personality that is “acceptable” enough, then our focus shifts from our peer group to the bigger mysteries of exploring our psyche and our place in nature and the world. This shift is the passage of Confirmation.  This is when a rite of passage can be really powerful - it publicly confirms the fact that you've succeeded at creating a social presence that works … well enough for your human community.  And it then carries you into late adolescence (the Cocoon), which is the stage when we begin to asking the big, existential and spiritual questions of life:  What do I think differentiates survival and living? A social scene and true community? Academic achievement and deep learning? A “job” and Soul Purpose? Then - after many years of, as Rilke says, “living these questions,” after many expeditions of sorts, exploring our psyche and how we relate to nature, we discover our truth. As David Whyte says, “the truth at the center of the image you were born with.” In many traditional cultures and spiritual paths, a glimpse like this is called a soul purpose or calling, a vision, a soul purpose or calling, or the intuition of our destiny — which usually doesn't show up in more traditional cultural ways, like a job or social role like parenthood, but in a more mysterious way, unique to us. Then, when you commit to manifesting this vision in a kind of delivery system to the world for the benefit of all beings - and I also believe the planet - then and only then do you pass into Soul Initiation (with or without a rite or passage) and into true adulthood. So let's take a moment to reflect on where we are at with this ourselves - and not to shame ourselves, but to be curious so we can open up to what's possible. The world today needs authentically mature mentors to help others in this process. And tht doesn't mean you need to go get another damn training, so stop googling that right now. What is means is to engage in your own process and go through this yourself so you can say yes, it's scary, and often challening, and I've been there. You'll be OK. This is a big part of how I believe we can heal our society and the planet.  In this Episode you will learn:// The 3 phases in a rite of passage // The limitations of rites of passage// The difference between externally- and internally-based rites of passage// How to overcome society's obstacles to Soul growth// The 2 phases before Soul initiation// How to step into true emotional and psychological adulthood// Why we need you to be a mentor who has done the work// Three ways to begin this journey and arrive at Soul Initiation Resources:// Episode 105: Soul vs Spirit // Episode 71: How to Find Your Purpose // If you want to finally get clear about your unique Soul purpose and how to create a life that supports it during this one precious life we have, apply for the Adventure Mastermind. It's deep work. Important, necessary, and essential to what the world needs right now. Be a part of it.  Head over to AdventureMastermind.com and apply for the next cohort. We have 2 altered states retreats, weekly coaching, virtual retreats, and more. I've got you! // If you're new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You'll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist FB group, and tune in weekly when I go live on new topics. // Want to dive into this work on a deeper level on your own time? To study it and practice it together with a group of people with the same goals of freedom, adventure and purpose? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out.

Episode 110! A few years ago, Clara Gomez Santos found herself in looping patterns in relationships with men, and she decided to try a 30 day experiment she calls "The Man Within." Clara went deep into this practice and it was transformative. This fresh way to think about the "inner masculine" inspired me so much during this interview! Now, Clara teaches this concept to women around the world in her 30-Day "Man Within" container. Next opportunity is starting this month! You can learn more on www (dot) manwithinprogram (dot) com. THEMES: +Inner masculine +masculine in female bodies +how integrating your inner masculine supports your inner feminine +relationships with outer masculine (& men) and how they improve when you integrate inner masculine +shadow work +projection +soul +integration Bio: Clara is a Feminine Empowerment guide, Dakini and Soul Initiation mentor for women seeking to live from their true essence and fullest potential. For the past 15 years she's been committed to soul-searching, training extensively around the world and now facilitating within some of the most respected mystery schools for transpersonal development and embodied spirituality. Including ISTA - International School of Temple Arts, Shamballa School for Soul Initiation and Highden Temple Mystery School in New Zealand. She draws on an embodied knowledge of Tantra, Shadow Work, Esoteric Psychology and Shamanism to hold containers in which disowned aspects of our human nature may come into integration and become fuel for soul expression. And she's supported thousands on the path to wholeness and erotic empowerment through retreats, ceremonies and trainings worldwide. Clara is the creator of The Man Within program, a 30-day online intensive that has helped over 250 women understand, cultivate and embody the “healthy” aspects of masculine energy within them. Instagram @clara_gomez_santos See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This podcast with Bruce Lyon was recorded in 2018 and Steve talks to Bruce about the awakening that is going on with people on the planet and how it relates to our relationship with each other and to God. ♡♡♡ Discover Steve's world-renowned book, his magazine and Steve's Heart Initiation Academy and much more at www.TheSteveExperience.com ♡♡♡

Reluctant to move on too quickly from my recent conversations with Michael Trotta and Philip Shepherd, I invited my friend Don McLeod to spend some time with me processing what we'd heard. Don, the co-founder of the Wisdom Centre, sees connections between what Michael and Philip were saying and the ancient Wisdom tradition--a way of knowing that is imaginal, embodied, and holistic. Jesus himself, Don believes, was a Wisdom teacher. In the end we found ourselves feeling new hope for the world in the cosmic story that is now emerging. How to find Michael and Philip:Michael Trotta: https://www.storymischief.comPhilip Shepherd: https://embodiedpresent.comOther resources referred to in this episode:The Wisdom Centre: https://wisdomcentre.caDavid Hatfield: https://davidhatfield.ca/edges-process-transformation"The Complete Gospels" (collection of all the known gospels); Robert J. Miller, ed"The Gnostic Gospels" by Elaine Pagels"The Journey of Soul Initiation" by Bill Plotkin"Grounded Spirituality" by Jeff Brown

Skylar Wilson is a wilderness guide, eco-activist, and ceremonial facilitator with over twenty years of experience facilitating connections within the more-than-human world. Skylar is the cofounding director of the Order of the Sacred Earth and author of the book: Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action with Matthew Fox and Jennifer Berit Listug. He leads Earth-based, participatory, peer-to-peer ceremonies and mentoring programs for teens and adults, including a Soul Initiation group for men and the Cosmic Mass. Email: skylarwilson@gmail.com or visit: www.orderofthesacredearth.org.

Listen and explore:How the podcast got its name and why we feel we've outgrown itWhat it means to be FAR OUTThe long term benefit of blogging or podcasting consistently The role wilderness plays in communing with soul and spirit Our modern problem: we live in a society of adolescents The powerful technology of initiation and returning to soulWhere we see our work taking us  Mentioned on this episode:Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche by Bill PlotkinNature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World by Bill PlotkinTrue Self, False Self by Richard RohrTouching Enlightenment: Finding Realization in the Body by Reginald RayConnect with us:Website: www.thefarout.lifeEmail us at info@thefarout.lifeWild Within @ www.thewildwithin.orgSupport this podcast:Discount link to purchase organic, raw ceremonial-grade cacao ethically sourced in Guatemala (a portion of proceeds support this podcast)Become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/thefaroutcoupleMake one-time donation with PayPal (our account is aplambeck22@gmail.com)Leave a review on iTunes!Share this episode with a friend! :DCredits:Intro music: "Complicate ya" by Otis McDonaldOutro music: "Running with wise fools" written & performed by Krackatoa (www.krackatoa.com)

Spirited Talks Alarm! Zu Gast habe ich heute nämlich Celeste González – die ist ein Rein&Raus Resident Workshop Co-Host und macht magische Rituale, Initiationen und Temple Nights. Wir sprechen über Schmerz, Verlust, Krise, Soul Initiation und tiefere Kräfte, die uns helfen, unsere Seele ganz in unser Leben einzuladen. Wie geht der Weg durch den Schatten zu unserem inneren Licht? Was haben Beziehungen damit zu tun und wie beschleunigen sie den Prozess? Von Herzschmerz bis überwältigende Liebe in Pilztrips und Meditation bis zur Arbeit mit Brainfucks in der Frauenarbeit – ein deep Talk für Feinschmecker. Mehr über Celeste und ihr Angebot: www.linktree.com/celestepomegranate ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION !!! Das neue Rein&Raus Sommer Retreat in Griechenland ist LIVE. Geh auf die Website und sieh Dir das Baby an – es wird spektakulär: www.reinundraus.com/retreat Rein&Raus Website, Events & Newsletter: www.reinundraus.com Spende und supporte: www.patreon.com/reinundraus

Show Notes:On today's show I'm talking about a creative practice that's about getting yourself out in nature and having a creative dialogue with it, and how that practice helps you cultivate and nurture an empowered relationship between your ego and your soul, including:guideposts for engaging in a dialogue with the mystery of naturereverse creativity - letting the unknown guide your creative path forwardthe longing for a romance between your ego and your soul, and how cultivating that relationship creates purpose and meaningI share the challenges, rabbit holes and curious mysteries that have come with a commitment to making Mandalas from things gathered on walks, and how this undertaking is aligned with a powerful teaching on soul and ego by author, wilderness soul guide and agent for cultural change, Bill Plotkin.The Mandalas live here:Liz Wiltzen.comLinks to awesome humans mentioned:Bill Plotkin WebsiteSchulyer Brown on her process of Mandala MakingDid this episode spark questions for you? Send a voice message or email me here Connect with me online:Liz Wiltzen Coaching WebsiteTracking Yes BlogInstagramThe story that launched the ethos:Tracking Yes - A Guide to Everyday MagicThanks so much for listening!If you like the show, I'd so appreciate it if you would rate it, subscribe, and share it with people you know would love it. It's an unpaid labour of love, and your support encourages me to keep it coming!

Bill Plotkin, Ph.D., is a depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and agent of cultural evolution. As founder of western Colorado's Animas Valley Institute in 1981, he has guided thousands of seekers through nature-based initiatory passages, including a contemporary, Western adaptation of the pan-cultural vision fast. Previously, he has been a research psychologist (studying non-ordinary states of consciousness), professor of psychology, psychotherapist, rock musician, and whitewater river guide.In 1979, on a solo winter ascent of an Adirondack peak, Bill experienced a call to adventure, leading him to abandon academia in search of his true calling. Bill is the author of Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche; Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche and most recently, The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide for Visionaries, Evolutionaries, and Revolutionaries. He has a doctorate in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.Topics: soul, initiation, mythology, archetype, adulthood, mentorship, elderhoodWebsite: http://animas.org•••Music: Royal Fern by Green House (https://green-house.bandcamp.com)Support the Podcast: Single Donation: http://ko-fi.com/brianjamesPatreon: http://patreon.com/medicinepath Coaching & Books: http://brianjames.ca Yoga Courses: https://vimeo.com/brianjamesyoga/vod_pagesUse code MEDICINEPATH or link below for 15% off the Shamanic Yoga series: https://vimeo.com/r/334h/MFJHQkFEVk

My guest today is Bill Plotkin, PhD, a depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and founder of western Colorado's Animas Valley Institute. Bill has led thousands of women and men through nature-based initiatory passages, and is the author of number books, including Soulcraft, Nature and the Human Soul, and Wild Mind. In our conversation today, we discuss his recent book The Journey of Soul Initiation, which distills decades of his insights into human development and the mythopoetic relationship between humanity and ecology. We explore the Five Phases of what he calls The Descent to Soul, including Preparation Dissolution, Soul Encounter, Metamorphosis, Enactment. We compare his model and the significant differences between Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey, along the challenges of navigating through each stage of development. And finally, Bill names the blessing and burden it is to take on one's own unique ecological niche, and how this invites us to become visionary artisans of cultural evolution. Support this podcast http://patreon.com/ianmack Join the Network http://themythicmasculine.com/network

What does it look like to live a truly authentic life? Not just the way some 22-year old tik-tok'er might tell you to live “authentically” … but I mean to live daily connected to the your soul's deepest purpose for living? … What does THAT kind of life look like? Perhaps more importantly, how do ... Read more

Skylar Wilson is a wilderness guide, eco-activist, and ceremonial facilitator with over twenty years of experience facilitating connections within the more-than-human world. Skylar is the cofounding director of the Order of the Sacred Earth and author of the book: Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action with Matthew Fox and Jennifer Berit Listug. He leads Earth-based, participatory, peer-to-peer ceremonies and mentoring programs for teens and adults, including a Soul Initiation group for men and the Cosmic Mass. Email: skylarwilson@gmail.com or visit: www.orderofthesacredearth.org.

"True Adults and Elders are people who know why they were born, who know who they are as unique individual participants in the web of life, and who, in most everything they do, creatively occupy their distinctive ecological niche as a life-enhancing gift to their people and to the greater Earth community." – Dr Bill Ploktin

What kind of transformation is required discover your current identity? This week, we’re back with Bill Plotkin, PhD: psychologist, wilderness guide, and author of most… The post Episode 232: Bill Plotkin – The Journey of Soul Initiation, Part 2 first appeared on Bregman Partners.

There is something about the American Southwest—once home to the Navajo and the Utes and the Anasazi before them—that stirs the soul, evoking our deep, mythopoetic imagination. It is to this spiritually charged corner of the world that author Bill Plotkin, founder of the Animas Valley Institute, invites people to travel on unique and powerful journeys of what he calls “nature-based soul initiation.” These are not weekend workshops or Outward Bound adventures. They’re more serious, more transformative, and ultimately more life-altering. Ultimately, their purpose, as he explains in his recent book The Journey of Soul Initiation, is more than an experience; it’s a long-term metamorphosis of identity. Plotkin distinguishes his spiritual approach from what he calls “upper world” paths that emphasize transcendence and the discovery of universal truths. His path traverses the “underworld” of the individual soul uncovering its unique evolutionary “niche.” In his book, Plotkin suggests that it’s rare in our culture today for people to truly develop into the higher stages of adult maturity. Many get stuck in a type of adolescence or in-between state that has nothing to do with age. And those that do manage to make the journey often do so only by struggling through the territory on their own. There are few guides and fewer clear signposts to help us walk this very personal developmental path. Plotkin’s work seeks to change that—to provides guides and maps that can be of authentic help to people along on that sometimes lonely path of transformation. Plotkin, who refers to himself as a “psychologist gone wild” is perhaps best described as an endearing mashup of Carl Jung, eco-theologian Thomas Berry, and a Navajo elder. I enjoyed our conversation about his own journey, his work, and the challenges of deep, sustained, and soul-level transformation.

How important is imagination and eco-connectedness in today’s age? Bill Plotkin, PhD, is a psychologist, wilderness guide, and founder of southwest Colorado’s Animas Valley Institute.… The post Episode 231: Bill Plotkin – The Journey of Soul Initiation, Part I first appeared on Bregman Partners.

Bill Plotkin, author of Soulcraft discusses The Journey of Soul Initiation. In this conversation, Plotkin provides guidance for the descent to soul - the dissolution of current identity; the encounter with the mythopoetic mysteries of soul; and the metamorphosis of the ego into a cocreator of life-enhancing culture. He illustrates each phase of this riveting and sometimes hazardous odyssey and speaks about his innovative exploration of Carl Jung's Red Book. Bill Plotkin, Ph.D., is a depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and agent of cultural evolution. As founder of western Colorado’s Animas Valley Institute in 1981, he has guided thousands of seekers through nature-based initiatory passages, including a contemporary, Western adaptation of the pan-cultural vision quest. Previously, he has been a research psychologist (studying non-ordinary states of consciousness), professor of psychology, psychotherapist, rock musician, and whitewater river guide. Bill has a doctorate in psychology from the University of Colorado. He is the author of Soulcraft, Wild Mind, Nature and the Human Soul, and the new release, The Journey of Soul Initiation.

What are your practices to explore your soul's mysteries? Following on the previous episode with Bill Plotkin, I offer one of his soulcraft practices for you to reflect on and experiment with. Specifically, the practice of ‘symbolic artwork', featured in his 2003 book Soulcraft. EPISODE EXTRAS: For the wonderful offerings of the Animas Valley Institute including all of Bill's books: https://www.animas.org Specifically, Soulcraft https://animas.org/books/soulcraft/ Excerpt from Soulcraft used with permission by @NewWorldLibrary Bill's most recent book The Journey of Soul Initiation: https://www.animas.org/books/journey-of-soul-initiation/ Follow Bill and Animas Valley Institute on Twitter @AnimasValleyIns and FB @AnimasValleyInst NEW HERE? ABOUT EARTH CONVERSE AND I Hi, I am Penelope Mavor, podcast host and founder of Earth Converse a nature-based leadership collaborative helping leaders have the conversations they need to: with themselves, each other and the earth. Please get in touch for executive coaching and leadership development programmes. https://linktr.ee/EarthConverse Email: info@earthconverse.com And the wind, the trees...

In this episode I talk to depth psychologist and wilderness guide Bill Plotkin. We take a deep dive into the journey of soul initiation. We explore the five stages of descent to soul, and we also have a look at the practices that can help a person move more swiftly towards a soul encounter. A soul encounter, in Bills use of the term, essentially means the same as finding ones soul purpose. We also discuss the practices that support the process of integrating and embodying ones purpose into ones everyday life. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. I hope that you will too! More about Bill: Bill has founded the Animas Valley Institute and he has guided thousands of women and men on the journey of soul initiation. He is the author of Soulcraft, Nature and the human soul, Wild Mind, and, most recently, The Journey Of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide For Visionaries, Evolutionaries And Revolutionaries. You can find out more about him and Animas Valley Institute at animas.org. More about Pauli: Pauli Saari is a purpose guide, and as such he helps you, an experienced spiritual seeker who is turning your attention from the inner work to the outer work, to get to a place where you are fully engaged in contributing towards a better world in a way that feels deeply meaningful to you. Find out more at paulisaari.com. Free online workshop about purpose discovery: paulisaari.com/webinar.