Hints and Guesses

Coleman's Bed

For my 100th episode, I'm introducing a new dimension of the podcast, shorter mediations based on poems, passages, and prayers.  Thanks for all your support, can't believe I've made 100 episodes.  I hope you'll hear some hints and guesses in this David Whyte poem, Coleman's Bed, or in my own reflections.  Stay tuned for more shorter episodes, as well as my longer format contributions and interviews.  Special thanks to Jonas Dobson, my son, for the music.  Enjoy!

The Dream: A Bridge Between Worlds

In this episode, we turn our attention again to the language of dreams, particularly the ways in which the dream experience seeks to have an effect on the dreamer.  This is really part 2 of a podcast series on dreams, the first episode being called The Language of Dreams.  Special thanks to my friend Emma who was willing to share her dream in a such a public place.  We hope it serves you in some way.  Thanks for listening and supporting.  Enjoy!

The Language of Dreams

On the longest night of the year, I'd like to explore dreams, dreamwork and surrendering to the intelligence of the dream.  "We have forgotten the age old fact that God speaks primarily through dreams and visions" (C.G. Jung).  Enjoy!

Are You Alive? A Conversation with Eloise Skinner

Eloise Skinner's new book is called, But Are You Alive? How to Design a Life Worth Living.  In this conversation about her book, we discuss existential therapy, ancient practices, work life, monastic possibilities, and questions of meaning.  You can find her on Instagram, or through her website www.eloiseskinner.com

I hope you hear some hints and guesses for your own everyday spiritual life. Enjoy!

Complex Moral Minefields: Israel and Palestine

Here's the second conversation with my wife Mandy about Israel, about the troubling questions we think this conflict raises, the hyper-charged language being used, a bit of historical context, the cultural climate of oppressor and victim, plus a few hints and guesses about deception and the power of seeking the truth.    

Living in Israel, a Conversation

Here are a few thoughts and reflections about out life in Israel with my wife, Mandy.  We thought we'd share a few personal reflections about out time there, what we learned, and a bit of what we find troubling, plus a few things we've found helpful.  "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

Soul as Relationship

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in other to avoid facing their own souls" (C.G. Jung).  Here's the most recent way I've been thinking about Soul, along with some very personal stories.  You can check my previous podcasts, What is Soul? Part 1 and 2 if you want to see how my own thoughts have evolved and grown.  Enjoy!  

The Father Wound: Part 2

This is a further exploration of the unique ways the masculine, or the unhealthy patriarchal world, wounds the son and the daughter.  We'll explore the nature of these wounds using two ancient myths, one about a rat, and the other about the handless maiden.  Like all sacred stories, a few hints and guesses are hidden here that can help us navigate the ways our fathers are wounded, and the ways we all received wounds when we were innocent, and small, and vulnerable.  Although myths rarely spell out the path of healing explicitly, or tell us how to translate it, they nevertheless show us that healing is possible, and that our wild instinctual core can burn brightly again in our lives, opening us further to a life of value and meaning.  Enjoy!

The Father Wound: Part 1

This episode is an investigation of the father wound.  I'll be exploring our own wounded fathers, the kind of wounds the masculine receives, and the shape of our own wounds as sons and daughters in a "time of no father," to quote Robert Bly.  I'm interested here in the archetypal and mythic terrain of the wounded feeling function, as Jung calls it.  I'm relying heavily on the Robert Johnson's book The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden, as well as Iron John by Robert Bly.  I'm curious what these important myths tell us about our wounded fathers, or the wounded masculine more generally.  This is the beginning of a two-part dive into this realm.  Enjoy!   

Blessing in the Dust

Some personal reflections on public/private life tensions, moving to another state, thresholds spaces, and a few other things going on in my life.  Thanks for all your support.  The title is a reference to a poem by Jan Richardson called A Blessing in the Dust, which I read at the end of podcast.  Enjoy!