The Mystic Cave

Prophets don't call themselves prophets. They speak their words or write their books until people start to notice. Then they may open a wisdom school or create magical live events or succumb to interviews with podcasters. All this describes Stephen Jenkinson. When he writes, or speaks, or performs, you feel your world opening up, shifting, changing. You'd be hard pressed to describe exactly what's happening. But something is happening. And that something was captured in our recent conversation. Links to the World of Stephen JenkinsonWebsite: https://orphanwisdom.comBooks, Music and Films: https://orphanwisdom.com/books/2023 Tour: https://orphanwisdom.com/nights-of-grief-and-mystery/Personal 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

Jesus told a parable about a wealthy man who increased his holdings and expanded his storage facilities for all his goods, until the day came when he was informed that his soul was required of him. Would that he had cared for his soul before it was taken away.James Hollis has been counselling, writing, and teaching for over fifty years. His acquired wisdom is simple, which doesn't mean it's easy: get to know your soul ... before it leaves you. Soul comes to us every day--in our dreams, in our neuroses, in our psychic disturbances--with an invitation to pay attention. If we do, Soul will lead us to the "interesting" life we're each called to live. Links to James HollisWebsite: https://jameshollis.netBooks: https://jameshollis.net/hollisBooks.htmlPersonal 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

What if our place in the Universe isn't a job, or a role, or anything the world might recognize as useful? What if it's more subtle and more fundamental than how the world sees us? What would that look like? And how would we even know if we'd found it? Celia McBride's memoir, O My God: An Un-becoming Journey, explores this territory as she shares the story of her passionate desire to become a nun, only to have Soul lead her somewhere else. Links to Celia McBrideCelia's book: O My God: An Un-becoming JourneyCelia's web site: https://www.celiamcbride.comPersonal 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

Is our spirituality shaped by our sexuality? Or are we shaped more by the social constructs of that sexuality? Counselling psychologist and professor emeritus Kevin Alderson has spent his career specializing in LGBTQ+ issues and helping people to accept themselves, whatever their sexuality. Only when we love ourselves can we learn how to be "givers" rather than "takers" and become the people we are capable of being. About Kevin:Most recent book: Counselling Today: Bridging Art, Science, and Practice; Cognella Publications, January 2024.Upcoming book: The New Sex: An Exposé of What You Could be Missing (as yet unpublished).Personal 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

We might deny it, but we're all creative. We might not make a painting, but we might make a garden or a business or a home. Visual artist Jan Handy speaks with me about the challenges and the joys of following our Muse. It's everyone's calling.ResourcesJan's email address: jajhandy@gmail.comBooks mentioned in our conversation:"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity," by Julia Cameron; Jeremy P. Tarcher / Random House; 1992, 2002, 2016"The Practice: Shipping Creative Work," by Seth Godin; Portfolio / Penguin, New York; 2020"The Creative Act: A Way of Being," by Rick Rubin; Penguin Press, New York; 2023Personal 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

A few gurus and spiritual leaders have given all the others a bad name. But yoga and meditation instructor Vickie MacArthur has a story to tell about Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen Master, whose gaze was all it took to change her life, filling her with divine love. It's a story we may need to hear. Vickie's book and web sites"A Lotus on Fire: How a Buddhist Monk Ignited my Heart": https://a.co/d/4PhkbLV https://www.vickiemacarthur.cahttps://spiritinmotionyoga.comPersonal 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

Eleven days camping on a Colorado mountainside, three of those days a solo fast, seeking an encounter with Nature that might grant us a vision of our mythopoetic identities, our unique place in the Universe: it would have been an ambitious undertaking for someone half our age. But somehow Vincenzo Falone, from New Jersey, and I, a Canadian from Alberta, felt drawn to be there, both of us in our late sixties (and one of us pushing seventy rather hard). This is the story of what got us there. Links to Vincenzo FalonePersonal and Group Mentoring: https://liveinfullexpression.comThe ManKind Project: https://mkpusa.org/crossroads/Links to the Animas Valley Institutehttps://www.animas.orgBooks by Bill Plotkin (all books published by New World Library)"Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche," 2003"Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World," 2008"Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche," 2013"The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide Visionaries, Revolutionaries, and Revolutionaries," 2021Personal 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

After days, weeks, even years of preparation, each Vision Quester headed off for a three-day solo fast on a mountainside in Southwestern Colorado. Every experience was unique. But everyone had an experience, a Soul Encounter, that awakened us to our place in the Universe. Here, Vincenzo Falone and I tell our own stories of going solo.Links to Vincenzo FalonePersonal and Group Mentoring: https://liveinfullexpression.comThe ManKind Project: https://mkpusa.org/crossroads/Links to the Animas Valley Institutehttps://www.animas.orgBooks by Bill Plotkin (all books published by New World Library)"Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche," 2003"Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World," 2008"Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche," 2013"The Journey of Soul Initiation: A Field Guide Visionaries, Revolutionaries, and Revolutionaries," 2021Personal 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

Set in 1995, when people still smoked and few had cell phones, this retelling of the Christmas story imagines a young couple overwhelmed by circumstances larger than themselves and by a dark and inhospitable world seemingly incapable of welcoming their newborn. Until the city utility truck arrives, and then a carload of academics. Story Credit: Written, performed, and produced by Brian E PearsonSoundscape Credits:Copenhagen Streetscape by iwilhelm13; Attribution Non-Commercial License 4.0Old Station Wagon by Kyles; Creative Commons 0 licenseSchool Bus Old Rattly Idle by Kyles; Creative Commons 0 licenseIndoor Adult Murmur by SpliceSound; Creative Commons 0 licenseFluorescent Tube Sound by Garuda1982; Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 licenseTires Squealing by Rutget Muller; Creative Commons 0 licenseFast-starting Car by RobinHood76; Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 licenseHeaven Voices by RobinHood76; Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 licenseCelestial "Unknown Voices" by bolkmar; Attribution 3.0 licenseDon Nobis Pacem Cathedral by Klanlbeeld; Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 licensePersonal 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

Here's a song I wrote a few years ago that has become special to me. I often use it to close my performances of music and storytelling. This version is just a demo, meaning the song is still in development. But I wanted to share it with you as is, as a small gift at New Years. Enjoy!Song Credit: Music and lyrics by Brian E Pearson; recorded in The Mystic Cave studioDouble bass performed by Cory HutchesonPhoto Credit:Photo by laura adai on Unsplash. Personal 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

Everything we do reflects Soul. Because Soul is about what's inside. How we dress is one way we let our inner self out, to be seen. Barry Foster, known by some as "the best dressed man in church land," knows that our sartorial choices are so much more than fashion statements. They are about who we are. Resources"True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear," by G. Bruce Boyer; Basic Books, 2015"The Rake" magazine ("the modern voice of classic elegance"): https://therake.com/magazinePersonal 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

Teresa Hanlon was doing ministry within her church long before she was ordained. But when she became a priest, her Church excommunicated her and inhibited her from doing the work she loved. Providentially, for her and the other women priests ordained within the Catholic tradition (if not in the Roman Catholic Church itself), it was not an ending. It was a beginning,  signalling perhaps the rebirth of Christianity itself ... with women at the table. Acronyms & their links:LICCF (Lethbridge Inclusive Catholic Community Fellowship): https://liccf.caRCWPC (Roman Catholic Women Priests Canada): http://rcwpcanada.ca/CNWE (Catholic Network for Women's Equality): https://www.cnwe.orgWOW (Women's Ordination Worldwide): http://womensordinationcampaign.orgWOC (Women's Ordination Conference): https://www.womensordination.orgRecommended Resources:1) Womanpriest:Tradition and Transgression in the Contemporary Roman Catholic Church (New York: Fordham University Press, 2020) by Jill PeterfesoAvailable online https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/375282) VIDEO Pink Smoke over the Vatican: www.pinksmokeoverthevatican.com 20113) Mary and Early Christian Women by Ally Kateusz, Ally: ham, Switzerland, 2019 available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331185040_Mary_and_Early_Christian_Women_Hidden_Leadership4) A PERIODICAL which reviews relevant news with some original material (Teresa's story found here as well): The Review RCWP Canada online, twice monthly review of RC women topics including ordination. https://rcwpcanada.altervista.org/5) My Journey from Silence to Solidarity: The Life story of Roy Bourgeois, (Maryknoll priest  of 40 years excommunicated and expelled from his order because of support for a woman friend's Catholic ordination).    http://www.roybourgeoisjourney.org/book/book.pdf6) Interview of author of biography of RC women's ordination behind the Iron Curtain through a contemporary, online ministry called FUTURE CHURCH https://futurechurch.org/women-in-church-leadership/pope-francis-meet-your-priest-ludmilla-javarova-with-miriam-therese-winter/Personal 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

There's something encoded in our souls that seeks hope even in the face of hopelessness. That spark, that gene, that impossible dream is what allows us to discover new stories to replace the old ones and to usher in the new world we seek. Activist, storyteller, and writer Gareth Higgins, in his book, How Not to be Afraid, evokes the life-giving possibilities that are hidden within our fears. Links to Gareth and his workGareth's book: How Not to be Afraid: Seven Ways to Live When Everything Seems Terrifying; Broadleaf Books, 2021.Gareth's Website: http://www.garethhiggins.netGareth's Online Community: https://www.theporchcommunity.net/orderPersonal 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

It's like we're walking around blindfolded. We feel we are alone in the universe while spirit guides hover close by, waiting for us to acknowledge them. We feel it all comes down to our wills and to our efforts while energy pours into our hearts from a cosmic Source. Reiki Master Jan Thompson knows those spiritual realms, relying upon them for the healing work she does. It makes her humbler than most, and wiser too. Because she knows we only live our lives on this plain because of the life-giving energies of another. CorrectionJan wants to offer the following clarification: Kuan Yin, who she mentions at the 15:42 mark in our conversation, is a deity from Chinese mythology (not Japanese) who is nevertheless revered throughout Eastern Asia as the Goddess of Compassion and the Bodhisattva of Mercy. Links & ResourcesJan's book: Divine Healing:Powerful Stories of Transformation with Higher Selves and Beings of Light, by Carol Anne Halstead, et al (including Jan's chapter, "All Our Answers Lie Within: Through Love and Forgiveness"); FriesenPress; 2023Jan's Reiki and energy work: https://www.ascensionarts.caJan's dowsing work (with Carol Anne Halstead): https://www.ascensiondowsing.comPersonal 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

The Ordinary Reality we experience every day may not be the only reality there is. It may not even be the real one. Non-Ordinary Reality is a fantastical cosmos populated by Spirit Beings—plants, animals, and people—who are devoted to our health and wholeness. It's the job of shamans like Wade Prpich to travel to that world and seek the help of those Beings for the sake of our spiritual healing here in this one. For real! LinksWade's Website: http://calgaryshaman.com/index.htmlThe Foundation for Shamanic Studies: https://www.shamanism.orgResourcesThe Way of the Shaman, by Michael Harner; HarperOne, 1990 (updated and revised).Cave and Cosmos: Shamanic Encounters with Another Reality, by Michael Harner; North Atlantic Books, 2013.Personal 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

Psychedelics can show us what's beyond our ordinary consciousness. Meditation can help us to live day by day from that place. But in the end all practices fall short: the spiritual journey requires a letting go, not a holding on. Zen teacher Ryushin uses words only to point beyond those words ... to the actual peace and enlightenment we seek. Resources relative to this conversation:"Healing with Form, Energy and Light," by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche; Snow Lion (Shambhala Publications), 2002Body-Mind Centering: https://www.bodymindcentering.com/Contacting Ryushin directly:Email: fusanryushin@gmail.comPersonal 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

You can hear it in her voice. This is a woman who knows herself and her place in the universe. But fortunately for us, she believes that that place is to help others find their voice too. "Writing by Heart" is Meredith Heller's invitation to find the inner path to yourself ... through poetry. It's a book. But it's also a portal. And it's beckoning ... Resources:Meredith's latest book: Writing by Heart: A Poetry Path to Healing and Self-Discovery by Meredith Heller; New World Library, 2024Featured Song: "Come Undone" from Meredith's album, Soul SirenMeredith's other books and workshops: https://www.meredithheller.comMeredith's albums are available wherever you stream your musicPersonal 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

So many writers hide their light under a bushel, thinking they don't deserve the term "writer." But writing groups can put the lie to that fear, coaxing us and our words out from hiding. The UnderStory Collective is the writing group I belong to. I invited them to the Cave to share the reassuring and emboldening benefits of having writerly friends. Members of the UnderStory CollectiveSuzanne Johnston, Allan Cooper, Jessica Waite, Anne Marie Nakagawa, Brian PearsonSome Local ResourcesWriters Guild of Alberta: https://writersguild.caAlexandra Writers' Centre Society: https://www.alexandrawriters.orgSome Online ResourcesThe Shit They Don't Tell You About Writing: https://www.theshitaboutwriting.comUnschool for Writers: https://unschoolforwriters.substack.comThe Writer's Bridge: https://thewritersbridge.comPandemic University: https://pandemicuniversity.comGeneral ResourcesPublic Library Writing Programs, eg: https://calgarylibrary.ca/read-learn-and-explore/digital-library/gale-courses/Writers-in-Residence at many Libraries and UniversitiesA Few Books on Writing (and one on motivation)On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King; Scribner, 2000Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, by Jessica Brody; Ten Speed Press, 2018Story Genius, by Lisa Cron; Ten Speed Press, 2016The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, by Seth Godin; Penguin, 2020Personal 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

With this episode we launch a new season of The Mystic Cave, with a look at Thomas Moore's 2014 book, "A Religion of One's Own"--for seekers who don't want to give up religious practice just because they've given up religion! In fact, Moore would say, we cannot escape religion, even in the secular world, because our souls will always seek out the sacred. But we can make it our own. Resources:Thomas Moore, "A Religion of One's Own," published by Gotham Books, 2014Photo Credit:Photo by Jared Rice on UnsplashPersonal 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

Out here, on the other side of church land, how do we give voice to the deepest longings of our hearts? Might poetry help us? Reading poems, might they become our sacred texts; writing them, our personal prayers? Poet Richard Osler believes that poetry delivers us to the deep and holy places of our own souls, places of healing, of inspiration, and of profound Mystery. In this conversation, Richard reintroduces us to the power of poetry ... which, he warns, is not for sissies. Episode LinksRichard's web site & blog: http://www.recoveringwords.com/site/Resources mentioned in this episode (and a few others):Roger Housden, ed, Ten Poems to Last a Lifetime _____________________, Ten Poems to Set You FreeAlso, by the same editor: Ten Poems to Open Your HeartTen poems to Change Your Life Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and RevelationGarrison Keillor, ed., Good Poems______________________, Good Poems for Hard TimesPersonal 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