Shows
The Sacred Speaks121: Jaime Clark-Soles: The Women They Tried to Erase: Bible, Power & PsychedelicsJoin me for a live webinar – Reframing Suffering: The Little TeachersWe'll explore anxiety, jealousy, and shame as sacred teachers.Date: Wednesday, May 14https://www.drjohnwprice.com/littleteachers-event-2025Make sure to check out the book Women in the Biblehttps://www.amazon.com/Women-Bible-Interpretation-Resources-Scripture/dp/0664234011 In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, Dr. John W. Price speaks with Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, a New Testament professor at SMU and ordained Baptist minister. The discussion covers Dr. Clark-Soles’ groundbreaking work on women in the Bible and her forthcoming book on psychedelics and Christianity.2025-04-281h 43
The Sacred Speaks121: Jaime Clark-Soles: The Women They Tried to Erase: Bible, Power & PsychedelicsJoin me for a live webinar – Reframing Suffering: The Little Teachers
We'll explore anxiety, jealousy, and shame as sacred teachers.
Date: Wednesday, May 14
https://www.drjohnwprice.com/littleteachers-event-2025
Make sure to check out the book Women in the Bible
https://www.amazon.com/Women-Bible-Interpretation-Resources-Scripture/dp/0664234011
In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, Dr. John W. Price speaks with Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, a New Testament professor at SMU and ordained Baptist minister. The discussion covers Dr. Clark-Soles’ groundbreaking work on women in the Bible and her forthcoming book on psychedelics and Christianity.
Dr. Clark-Soles shares her insights into translation, interpretation, and the...2025-04-281h 43
The Sacred Speaks120: Elise Loehnen - The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be GoodIn this episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John W. Price sits down with Elise Loehnen—writer, researcher, and author of On Our Best Behavior, a book that explores how the ancient moral framework of the seven deadly sins has been internalized by women, shaping their identities, relationships, and sense of worth.
This conversation is not just a review—it’s a ritual inquiry. Together, John and Elise explore:
The invisible “scripts” that define femininity in a patriarchal culture; How envy, pride, sloth, and other so-called “sins” reveal deeper spiritual truths; What Elise risked—and learned—by stepping out from her “invisibi...2025-04-221h 21The Sacred Speaks120: Elise Loehnen - The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be GoodIn this episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John W. Price sits down with Elise Loehnen—writer, researcher, and author of On Our Best Behavior, a book that explores how the ancient moral framework of the seven deadly sins has been internalized by women, shaping their identities, relationships, and sense of worth.This conversation is not just a review—it’s a ritual inquiry. Together, John and Elise explore:The invisible “scripts” that define femininity in a patriarchal culture; How envy, pride, sloth, and other so-called “sins” reveal deeper spiritual truths; What Elise risked—and learned—by s...2025-04-221h 21The Sacred Speaks117: Dr. James Hollis - Living with Borrowed DustIn this episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John W. Price welcomes renowned Jungian analyst and depth psychologist Dr. James Hollis to discuss his new book, 'Living with Borrowed Dust: Reflections on Life, Love, and Other Grievances.'The conversation explores significant themes such as confronting one's shadow, taking personal responsibility, and liberating oneself from societal and cultural scripts. Dr. Hollis shares personal experiences, including his own recent encounters with mortality and the importance of lifelong personal growth.The episode also explores the role of dreams in psychological insight and emphasizes the necessity of...2025-03-0959 min
The Sacred SpeaksEpisode 117: Dr. James Hollis - Living with Borrowed DustIn this episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John W. Price welcomes renowned Jungian analyst and depth psychologist Dr. James Hollis to discuss his new book, 'Living with Borrowed Dust: Reflections on Life, Love, and Other Grievances.'
The conversation explores significant themes such as confronting one's shadow, taking personal responsibility, and liberating oneself from societal and cultural scripts. Dr. Hollis shares personal experiences, including his own recent encounters with mortality and the importance of lifelong personal growth.
The episode also explores the role of dreams in psychological insight and emphasizes the necessity of asking large existential questions to...2025-03-0859 min
The Sacred Speaks115: Ayize Jama Evertt - Decolonizing Healing: A Conversation on Spirituality, Race, and CommunityInterview begins: 3:40
In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, Dr. John Price hosts Ayize Jama-Everett for a discussion on spirituality, religion, cultural identity, and the pervasive impact of colonization. Ayize shares insights from his journey, beginning with how his roots in Harlem and his work within the psychedelic space have shaped his perspective on community, healing, and cultural reclamation.
Together, they examine how long-established cultural dynamics continue to influence our lives, often without our conscious awareness. Ayize discusses his efforts to influence these dynamics at a cultural level, reflecting on religious and spiritual practices as tools for both personal and...2024-10-161h 20The Sacred Speaks115: Ayize Jama Evertt - Decolonizing Healing: A Conversation on Spirituality, Race, and CommunityInterview begins: 3:40 In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, Dr. John Price hosts Ayize Jama-Everett for a discussion on spirituality, religion, cultural identity, and the pervasive impact of colonization. Ayize shares insights from his journey, beginning with how his roots in Harlem and his work within the psychedelic space have shaped his perspective on community, healing, and cultural reclamation.Together, they examine how long-established cultural dynamics continue to influence our lives, often without our conscious awareness. Ayize discusses his efforts to influence these dynamics at a cultural level, reflecting on religious and spiritual practices as t...2024-10-161h 20The Sacred Speaks111: Ellen Petry Leanse – The Brain and Beyond111: Ellen Petry Leanse – The Brain and Beyond by John Price2024-05-151h 44The Sacred Speaks108: Anne Lamott & Neal Allen – Love and Taming the Inner CriticInterview begins @ 5:58
Annie Lamott and Neal Allen invite us into the heart of their relationship, where creativity, curiosity, and vulnerability intertwine. Annie introduces Neal's latest book, "Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic," while Neal shares insights into Annie's newest work, "Somehow: Thoughts on Love." As we delve into their dynamic, we're reminded of Annie's infamous KFKD radio – a familiar concept for anyone acquainted with her writings – and how Neal's exploration of the inner critic seamlessly complements Annie's work. Reflecting on the early days of their relationship, Annie and Neal recount moments of openness and vulnerability, testing the waters of acceptance and...2024-04-142h 00The Sacred Speaks108: Anne Lamott & Neal Allen – Love and Taming the Inner CriticInterview begins @ 5:58Annie Lamott and Neal Allen invite us into the heart of their relationship, where creativity, curiosity, and vulnerability intertwine. Annie introduces Neal's latest book, "Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic," while Neal shares insights into Annie's newest work, "Somehow: Thoughts on Love." As we explore their dynamic, we're reminded of Annie's infamous KFKD radio – a familiar concept for anyone acquainted with her writings – and how Neal's exploration of the inner critic seamlessly complements Annie's work. They recount moments of openness and vulnerability, testing the waters of acceptance and understanding. Their willingness to confront their deepest wound...2024-04-142h 00The Sacred Speaks106: Lisa Marchiano - The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Feminine EnergiesInterview begins @ 4:08
In episode 106 of "The Sacred Speaks" podcast, John and guest Lisa Marchiano dive into the complex realms of anger, manipulation, rage, and their inherent values for the feminine in our conversation as we discuss her book, The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Feminine Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire. Our conversation starts with a focus on the feminine wisdom tradition, contrasting the masculine and feminine as psychological principles. These principles are hard to define precisely, and it's essential to clarify our terms to truly understand them.
Lisa brings her clinical experience into the discussion, highlighting the subtle yet...2024-01-281h 03The Sacred Speaks106: Lisa Marchiano - The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Feminine Energies and Find Your Feminine FireInterview begins @ 4:08In episode 106 of "The Sacred Speaks" podcast, John and guest Lisa Marchiano dive into the complex realms of anger, manipulation, rage, and their inherent values for the feminine in our conversation as we discuss her book, The Vital Spark: Reclaim Your Outlaw Feminine Energies and Find Your Feminine Fire. Our conversation starts with a focus on the feminine wisdom tradition, contrasting the masculine and feminine as psychological principles. These principles are hard to define precisely, and it's essential to clarify our terms to truly understand them.We discuss the narrative of Lilith from...2024-01-281h 03The Sacred Speaks105: Becca Tarnas – The Imagination and The Red Books of Tolkien & Jung105: Becca Tarnas – The Imagination and The Red Books of Tolkien & Jung by John Price2023-12-171h 40The Sacred Speaks102: Connie Zweig – Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path102: Connie Zweig – Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path by John Price2023-10-081h 07The Sacred Speaks101: Miriam Volat - The RiverStyx Foundation, Ecology, & Indigenous WisdomInterview begins @ 4:37
Join your host John Price as he welcomes Miriam Volat, the co-director of The RiverStyx Foundation, co-director of the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund, and Executive Director of IPCI. Together, they engage in an eye-opening discussion that bridges the gap between ecology, indigenous traditions, and the Sacred.
Episode Overview
In this episode, we kick things off by learning about The RiverStyx Foundation, discussing its mission and vision for a more connected world. Miriam shares her extensive background in ecology, with a special focus on soil science. She reveals how her work in ecology has been a gateway to explore...2023-09-101h 36The Sacred Speaks101: Miriam Volat - The RiverStyx Foundation, Ecology, & Indigenous WisdomInterview begins @ 4:37Join your host, John Price as he welcomes Miriam Volat, the co-director of The RiverStyx Foundation, co-director of the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund, and Executive Director of IPCI. Together, they engage in an eye-opening discussion that bridges the gap between ecology, indigenous traditions, and the Sacred.Episode OverviewIn this episode, we learn about The RiverStyx Foundation, discussing its mission and vision for a more connected world. Miriam shares her extensive background in ecology, with a special focus on soil science. She reveals how her work in ecology has been a gateway...2023-09-101h 36The Sacred Speaks96: Rachel Harris – Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic UndergroundInterview begins @ 3:53
In this enlightening episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John Price converses with Dr. Rachel Harris, who shares insights from her latest book, "Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground". Dr. Harris illuminates her interview process with 15 veteran female guides from the psychedelic underground, revealing their enduring commitment to the spiritual over the medicalized use of these compounds. The discussion delves into the reasons these guides remain in the underground despite societal changes and legalization, attributing it to their belief in the greater spiritual and religious value of psychedelics. The disparity between psychotherapy and the...2023-05-211h 54The Sacred Speaks96: Rachel Harris – Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic UndergroundInterview begins @ 3:53In this enlightening episode of The Sacred Speaks, host Dr. John Price converses with Dr. Rachel Harris, who shares insights from her latest book, "Swimming in the Sacred: Wisdom from the Psychedelic Underground". Dr. Harris illuminates her interview process with 15 veteran female guides from the psychedelic underground, revealing their enduring commitment to the spiritual over the medicalized use of these compounds. The discussion delves into the reasons these guides remain in the underground despite societal changes and legalization, attributing it to their belief in the greater spiritual and religious value of psychedelics. The disparity between...2023-05-211h 54The Sacred Speaks95: Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton – Black Chameleon: Memory, Womanhood, and Myth95: Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton – Black Chameleon: Memory, Womanhood, and Myth by John Price2023-05-141h 42The Sacred Speaks91: Richard Rohr– The Universal Christ; ego development, forgiveness, & non-dual consciousness91: Richard Rohr– The Universal Christ; ego development, forgiveness, & non-dual consciousness by John Price2023-02-191h 11
The Sacred Speaks91: Richard Rohr– The Universal Christ; ego development, forgiveness, & non-dual consciousnessInterview begins @ 4:06Richard Rohr is a Franciscan friar, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is a well-known author and speaker on topics such as spirituality, mysticism, and Christian mysticism. In this interview Fr. Rohr and John begin by outlining the four worldviews that Richard identifies in the appendix of his book, The Universal Christ, they are material, spiritual, priestly, and incarnational – all of these highlighting the various ways in which matter and spirit are related and experienced. We continue exploring the first half of life or the wa...2023-02-191h 11The Sacred Speaks90: Murray Stein – Jung’s Red Book For Our TimeInterview begins @ 4:43 The Red Book, also known as Liber Novus, is a manuscript created by Carl Jung between 1914 and 1930. It is a highly personal and symbolic work that documents Jung's exploration of his own psyche through active imagination and dream analysis. The book contains a wealth of material, including paintings and calligraphy, that Jung created as part of his self-exploration, and it is considered to be one of the most important works of Jung's career. The Red Book was not published during Jung's lifetime, but it was eventually edited and published posthumously in 2009. In this episode, Dr. M...2023-01-181h 07
The Sacred Speaks90: Murray Stein – Jung’s Red Book For Our TimeInterview begins @ 4:43
The Red Book, also known as Liber Novus, is a manuscript created by Carl Jung between 1914 and 1930. It is a highly personal and symbolic work that documents Jung's exploration of his own psyche through active imagination and dream analysis. The book contains a wealth of material, including paintings and calligraphy, that Jung created as part of his self-exploration, and it is considered to be one of the most important works of Jung's career. The Red Book was not published during Jung's lifetime, but it was eventually edited and published posthumously in 2009. In this episode, Dr. Murray Stein and...2023-01-181h 07The Sacred Speaks89: Miles Neale – Coming down from the mountaintopInterview begins @ 8:08Today Dr. Miles Neale and Dr. John explore “ego death”, and a few issues with this language, we continue discussing the nature of the ego, the Buddhist frame for soul, returning from the mountaintop or a break-through experience, nondualism, Miles reveals several of his transcendent experiences and also a personal experience with death, “cheap” nondualism, addiction to the nondual, spiritual bypassing, grief, experiencing death, trauma and the unconscious, the healing relationship between teacher and student, holding suffering, the ego’s avoidance, guru devotion, pilgrimage, psychedelic experience, sacred journeys, and we finish with Tibetan Buddhism and the infras...2023-01-022h 05The Sacred Speaks89: Miles Neale – Coming down from the mountaintopInterview begins @ 8:08
Today Dr. Miles Neale and Dr. John explore “ego death”, and a few issues with this language, we continue discussing the nature of the ego, the Buddhist frame for soul, returning from the mountaintop or a break-through experience, nondualism, Miles reveals several of his transcendent experiences and also a personal experience with death, “cheap” nondualism, addiction to the nondual, spiritual bypassing, grief, experiencing death, trauma and the unconscious, the healing relationship between teacher and student, holding suffering, the ego’s avoidance, guru devotion, pilgrimage, psychedelic experience, sacred journeys, and we finish with Tibetan Buddhism and the infrastructure of the return...2023-01-022h 05The Sacred Speaks88: Stephen Gray–How Psychedelics Can Help Save The World: Visionary and Indigenous Voices Speak OutConversation starts @ 4:36
In this episode I meet with Dr. Stephen Gray to discuss his latest book, How Psychedelics Can Help Save The World: Visionary and Indigenous Voices Speak Out. We begin by noting the cultural and individual issues that that psychedelic medicine is positioned to treat, we continue with the ways that we have lost our mythic and symbolic root and religious systems, overpopulation, planetary sickness, the universality of change and transformation, the Dunbar number and social systems, the nature of these reality revealing medicines, explore indigenous traditions as revelatory to the hegemony, healing cultural wounds, cultural dynamics exposed by...2022-11-291h 52The Sacred Speaks88: Stephen Gray – How Psychedelics Can Help Save The World: Visionary and Indigenous Voices Speak OutConversation starts @ 4:36 In this episode I meet with Dr. Stephen Gray to discuss his latest book, How Psychedelics Can Help Save The World: Visionary and Indigenous Voices Speak Out. We begin by noting the cultural and individual issues that that psychedelic medicine is positioned to treat, we continue with the ways that we have lost our mythic and symbolic root and religious systems, overpopulation, planetary sickness, the universality of change and transformation, the Dunbar number and social systems, the nature of these reality revealing medicines, explore indigenous traditions as revelatory to the hegemony, healing cultural wounds, cultural d...2022-11-291h 52The Sacred Speaks85: Michael Winkelman – Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness & Healing Conversation starts @ 8:25Dr. Michael Winkelman and Dr. John Price explore the void experience of introverted mysticism and the narratives expressed in extroverted mysticism (and what are the differences?), spiritual practice and psychedelic use in youth, recreational vs. religious use of these substances, a session with the Mazatec healer, Maria Sabina, in his youth, we discuss the tendency toward reductionism when using a physiological lens to explain the phenomenology of consciousness, describe the neurophenomonological experience of the spirit world, extrasensory perceptions and the brain, what is real?, naive materialism, group consciousness and the development of religion and the r...2022-09-201h 59The Sacred Speaks81: Sarah Kielt Costello – Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient WorldConversation starts @ 6:29“Ecstasy, trance, and soul flight … these powerful and potentially transformative elements of ancient experience have long been left to the fringes of archaeological research.” Dr. Sarah K. Costello and John begin with a question exploring the often unconscious issue of projecting modern perspective onto antiquity to support a current argument. As an archeologist, anthropologist, & art-historian, Dr. Costello’s peak into antiquity is through the lens of the material content. We continue exploring the contributions of Dr. Costello’s various disciplines, challenges of evaluating art in antiquity, symbols, Gobekli Tepe, interpretation of antiquity, carefully approaching one’s intui...2022-07-281h 55The Sacred Speaks81: Sarah Kielt Costello – Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient WorldConversation starts @ 6:29
“Ecstasy, trance, and soul flight … these powerful and potentially transformative elements of ancient experience have long been left to the fringes of archaeological research.”
Dr. Sarah K. Costello and John begin with a question exploring the often unconscious issue of projecting modern perspective onto antiquity to support a current argument. As an archeologist, anthropologist, & art-historian, Dr. Costello’s peak into antiquity is through the lens of the material content. We continue exploring the contributions of Dr. Costello’s various disciplines, challenges of evaluating art in antiquity, symbols, Gobekli Tepe, interpretation of antiquity, carefully approaching one’s intuitive assumptions about antiqu...2022-07-131h 55
The Kingstonian PodcastJohn Price - 'Vettes' coming to town!Send us a textJohn Price has been a successful realtor for over 30 years – and has seen some changes. Along the way, he has developed relationships with the military community in Kingston – particularly with the Family Resource Centre. His other passion involves a love of Corvettes and somewhere near 400 of them are expected to join him for a weekend in June – an event John and his wife, Heather, have organized for the second time in four years! The Kingston Corvette Invasion II – June 17-19, 2022Our theme music is “Stasis Oasis”...2022-05-1141 minThe Sacred Speaks79: Bernardo Kastrup – Decoding Jung’s MetaphysicsConversation starts 8:36 We begin by exploring Dr. Kastrup’s history with Jung and philosophers in the 19th and 20th centuries and very quickly move into antiquity through the classicist Peter Kingsley. We discuss the layers of meaning in writing throughout our cultural history, common misunderstandings of texts, positivism of the 19th at 20th century, assumptions within systems of thought and belief, the problem of abstractions and interpretations of reality, Aristotelian logic and conflicts with abstractions, quantum systems, maps and logic, intuitionism, maintaining mystery, Pauli & Jung, synchronicity, meaning, myth and language, & reality as mind. Bio:Be...2022-02-241h 59The Sacred Speaks79: Bernardo Kastrup – Decoding Jung’s MetaphysicsConversation starts 8:36
We begin by exploring Dr. Kastrup’s history with Jung and philosophers in the 19th and 20th centuries and very quickly move into antiquity through the classicist Peter Kingsley. We discuss the layers of meaning in writing throughout our cultural history, common misunderstandings of texts, positivism of the 19th at 20th century, assumptions within systems of thought and belief, the problem of abstractions and interpretations of reality, Aristotelian logic and conflicts with abstractions, quantum systems, maps and logic, intuitionism, maintaining mystery, Pauli & Jung, synchronicity, meaning, myth and language, & reality as mind.
Bio:
Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of...2022-02-211h 59The Sacred Speaks78: Jeffrey Kripal - Esalen: America & the Religion of No ReligionConversation starts @ 8:15
What happens when the place where expansive, meaningful, transcendental, and just simply weird conversations becomes just as important and meaningful as the conversations that began there? Esalen. We begin our conversation exploring the birth and development of The Esalen Institute and then the boundaries of the geographical container dissolve and the ideas emerge to the foreground – religion, psychology, mysticism, & psychedelics. Jeff and I discuss the founders and the origin story of Esalen, religious comparativism, the counterculture in America, Russian & United States relations through the Cold War, diplomatic solutions through psychic research, the psychological and the social/political, the in...2022-01-261h 42The Sacred Speaks78: Jeffrey Kripal - Esalen: America & the Religion of No ReligionConversation starts @ 8:15 What happens when the place where expansive, meaningful, transcendental, and just simply weird conversations becomes just as important and meaningful as the conversations that began there? Esalen. We begin our conversation exploring the birth and development of The Esalen Institute and then the boundaries of the geographical container dissolve and the ideas emerge to the foreground – religion, psychology, mysticism, & psychedelics. Jeff and I discuss the founders and the origin story of Esalen, religious comparativism, the counterculture in America, Russian & United States relations through the Cold War, diplomatic solutions through psychic research, the psychological and the soc...2022-01-261h 42The Sacred Speaks77: Miles Neale – Gradual Awakening, Jung, & PsychedelicsConversation starts @ 5:38Dr. Miles Neale offers us his breadth of knowledge about psychology, Buddhism, suffering, and psychedelics. We begin this conversation with Miles describing his early training, teachers, and practice as he traces the path of his development as a psychotherapist and teacher of Buddhism. Dr. Neale emphasizes a multidisciplinary dialogic process that is necessary to address the suffering of our time. We discuss The Four Noble Truths, a foundational insight and scaffolding of Buddhism, and use this frame to describe the problem, the cause of the problem, the potential for a solution, and the path for...2022-01-261h 55The Sacred Speaks77: Miles Neale – Gradual Awakening, Jung, & PsychedelicsConversation starts @ 5:38
Dr. Miles Neale offers us his breadth of knowledge about psychology, Buddhism, suffering, and psychedelics. We begin this conversation with Miles describing his early training, teachers, and practice as he traces the path of his development as a psychotherapist and teacher of Buddhism. Dr. Neale emphasizes a multidisciplinary dialogic process that is necessary to address the suffering of our time. We discuss The Four Noble Truths, a foundational insight and scaffolding of Buddhism, and use this frame to describe the problem, the cause of the problem, the potential for a solution, and the path for the solution, we...2022-01-081h 55The Sacred Speaks73: Mark Ryan – A Different Dimension: Reflections on the History of Transpersonal ThoughtConversation starts @ 5:00Dr. Price interviews Dr. Mark Ryan, and we begin with a quote from Dr. Ryan’s book defining transpersonal psychology. “Our individual ego, our sense of a personal self, and the psyche that sustains it, is imbedded in an interconnected cosmos; our personal psyche reaches into, and is penetrated by, a collective consciousness, a natural ambience, a spiritual foundation and context” (p. 127). We explore the definition of transpersonal thought, meaningful perspectives at the root of religious and spiritual values, constructivism and perennialism, William James, Ken Wilbur, and other luminaries of religion, psychology and spirituality, North American...2022-01-061h 47The Sacred Speaks74: Connie Zweig – The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to SoulConversation starts @ 3:01In this episode, John interviews author, book editor, meditation teacher, and psychotherapist, Dr. Connie Zweig. We begin by exploring Connie’s history with meditation and the value and importance that she places on maintaining a practice in order to be present with the often overwhelming affect of inner work. She cites the necessity of body practice to work with the shadow – the content, traits, memories, and affects that does not fit into the ego-ideal. Why do this? Because, as she states, “Shadow work is the process of development.” We can learn to become aware of these in...2022-01-061h 30The Sacred Speaks72: Mark Plotkin – Plants of the Gods; Tales of a Shaman’s ApprenticeConversation starts at - 6:25Dr. Price interviews Dr. Mark Plotkin, one of the world’s renowned ethnobotanists who has studied traditional indigenous plant use with elder shamans (traditional healers) of Central and South America for much of the past 30 years. In this conversation we explore traditional Amazonian medicine, the great ethnobotanist Dr. Richard Schultes, shamanism, the modern psychedelic renaissance, the ethics of entheogens, ethnobotany 101, Western and Indigenous medicine and spiritualty, the placebo effect, culture, Covid, building relationships with the indigenous community in the Amazon, conservation and the Amazon, Western prohibition on alternate states of consciousness, a brief history of...2022-01-061h 25The Sacred Speaks71: Claire Villarreal– Tantra, Tibetan Buddhism, & ShamanismConversation starts at: 5:05In this episode Dr. Price interviews Dr. Claire Villarreal. Claire is an expert in teaching Tibetan Buddhism, meditation, and Tantra. We discuss the relationship between the social self and the self empty of all that is not self, the connection between spiritual practice and psychedelics, what happens when the threads of our ordinary reality are “cracked open,” attachment, issues with translation in religious traditions, peak experience, obstructions and the spiritual path, repetition in spiritual practice, Dzogchen, directly looking into inner energies through Tantra, Buddha nature, Shamanic practice, and spiritual practice.Bio:...2021-10-081h 48The Sacred Speaks70: C. Michael Smith – Jung & Shamanism in DialogueConversation starts at: 6:57Dr. Price and Dr. Smith begin the conversation with the definition of shamanism, and continue with Carlos Castaneda’s influence of shamanism in North America – noting the controversy surrounding the word of Castaneda, the mystical in the literary, Toltec principals and lineage, the complexities and ultimate mystery of reality and the universe, the layers of the “knowable” and the “unknowable,” brujerio/a: sorcery from the Oaxacan and Mazatec traditions, the Spanish and Catholic influence in Mexico, psychedelics, “consciousness creating technologies,” direct perception, “seeing,” the process of socialization and the ways in which these models obstruc...2021-10-081h 45The Sacred Speaks67: Thomas Hatsis – The Witches’ Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic MagicThrough this conversation, Thomas and John discuss ego loss, a historical overview of witches, the sociological aspects of witches, the science of history, anachronism, the history of the devil, interpreting ancient texts and techniques to filter modern bias, demons of antiquity, illness and the spiritual, syncretism defined, goddess worship in antiquity, the shift from polytheism to monotheism, and more.Bio:Thomas Hatsis is an author, lecturer, and historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religions, contemporary psychedelia, entheogens, and medieval pharmacopeia.psychedelichistorian.comwww.psanctum.orgwww.patreon.com/m/psychedelichistorianCLASS:junghouston...2021-10-071h 58The Sacred Speaks74: Connie Zweig – The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to SoulConversation starts @ 3:01
In this episode, John interviews author, book editor, meditation teacher, and psychotherapist, Dr. Connie Zweig. We begin by exploring Connie’s history with meditation and the value and importance that she places on maintaining a practice in order to be present with the often overwhelming affect of inner work. She cites the necessity of body practice to work with the shadow – the content, traits, memories, and affects that does not fit into the ego-ideal. Why do this? Because, as she states, “Shadow work is the process of development.” We can learn to become aware of these inner figures by perso...2021-09-171h 30The Sacred Speaks73: Mark Ryan – A Different Dimension: Reflections on the History of Transpersonal ThoughtConversation starts @ 5:00
In this episode, Dr. Price interviews Dr. Mark Ryan, and we begin with a quote from Dr. Ryan’s book defining transpersonal psychology. “Our individual ego, our sense of a personal self, and the psyche that sustains it, is imbedded in an interconnected cosmos; our personal psyche reaches into, and is penetrated by, a collective consciousness, a natural ambience, a spiritual foundation and context” (p. 127). Through this conversation we explore the definition of transpersonal thought, meaningful perspectives at the root of religious and spiritual values, constructivism and perennialism, William James, Ken Wilbur, and other luminaries of religion, psychology and sp...2021-09-111h 46The Sacred Speaks70: C. Michael Smith – Jung & Shamanism in DialogueConversation starts at: 6:57
Dr. Price and Dr. Smith begin the conversation with the definition of shamanism, and continue with Carlos Castaneda’s influence of shamanism in North America – noting the controversy surrounding the word of Castaneda, the mystical in the literary, Toltec principals and lineage, the complexities and ultimate mystery of reality and the universe, the layers of the “knowable” and the “unknowable,” brujerio/a: sorcery from the Oaxacan and Mazatec traditions, the Spanish and Catholic influence in Mexico, psychedelics, “consciousness creating technologies,” direct perception, “seeing,” the process of socialization and the ways in which these models obstruct our direct perception of the un...2021-08-261h 46The Sacred Speaks72: Mark Plotkin – Plants of the Gods; Tales of a Shaman’s ApprenticeConversation starts at - 6:25
In this episode, Dr. Price interviews Dr. Mark Plotkin, one of the world’s renowned ethnobotanists who has studied traditional indigenous plant use with elder shamans (traditional healers) of Central and South America for much of the past 30 years. In this conversation we explore traditional Amazonian medicine, the great ethnobotanist Dr. Richard Schultes, shamanism, the modern psychedelic renaissance, the ethics of entheogens, ethnobotany 101, Western and Indigenous medicine and spiritualty, the placebo effect, culture, Covid, building relationships with the indigenous community in the Amazon, conservation and the Amazon, Western prohibition on alternate states of consciousness, a brief hi...2021-08-201h 25The Sacred Speaks71: Claire Villarreal– Tantra, Tibetan Buddhism, & ShamanismConversation starts at: 5:05
In this episode Dr. Price interviews Dr. Claire Villarreal. Claire is an expert in teaching Tibetan Buddhism, meditation, and Tantra. We discuss the relationship between the social self and the self empty of all that is not self, the connection between spiritual practice and psychedelics, what happens when the threads of our ordinary reality are “cracked open,” attachment, issues with translation in religious traditions, peak experience, obstructions and the spiritual path, repetition in spiritual practice, Dzogchen, directly looking into inner energies through Tantra, Buddha nature, Shamanic practice, and spiritual practice.
Bio:
Raised as a fundamentalist Christian in a sm...2021-08-121h 48The Sacred Speaks66: Marguerite Mary Rigoglioso – The Mystery Tradition of Miraculous ConceptionThrough this conversation Dr. Rigoglioso and John discuss subjects ranging from the myth and history of immaculate conception, the goddess and the underworld, the autonomy of the archetype, various consciousnesses, living the archetypal journey of the gods, the literal and the symbolic, the ontological reality of the gods, the nature of divine birth, how “Mother Mary” became a lesser known character in the bible, the campaign to disempower women, The Mysteries, the sacred and the secret, lineages of female healers through antiquity, medicated dildos in Mystery rites, initiation of priestesses, and more. BIO: Marguerite Rigoglioso, Ph.D...2021-06-221h 40The Sacred Speaks64: Mackenzie Amara – Dreams, Psychedelics, & the UnderworldJoin John in his interview with Mackenzie Amara - known to many as the “inked shrink” - as they explore the relationship between trauma and healing, psychedelics and psychosis, and dreams and the underworld. Mackenzie, an early initiate into both psychedelics and psychosis, endured a challenge to her worldview, which subsequently opened the next stage in her life. We discuss Jung’s struggle with psychedelics, repression of moment-to-moment authenticity and spontaneity, psychoanalysis as an acid trip, psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, dreams and waking fantasies, Mackenzie provides a personal example of taking a dream seriously and the impact of that attitude and de...2021-06-221h 46The Sacred Speaks63: Ammon Hillman - Jesus, Sex, Drugs, & Mystery Cults of AntiquityThis is one of the most controversial podcasts in the history of The Sacred Speaks; though controversy is familiar territory for the participant, Dr. DAC Hillman. Dr. Hillman began his doctoral research in the middle of a controversy that threatened him with a conflict between the choice of censuring his research to graduate with his doctorate or not pass. So, he did what any self-respecting doctoral student would do - remove the controversial work from his dissertation, and the write a book about it. The Chemical Muse is the book whose central thesis circulates within and through the heart...2021-06-221h 49The Sacred Speaks62: William Richards - Sacred KnowledgeWhat is a religious experience? Really. How does one define a religious event? Why do we keep reading from figures who report life-affirming, transformation-inducing, and worldview-shattering experiences that we, if we are honest, evoke the tension between both fascination and anxious avoidance? Today’s episode may provide a life raft - though the storm approaches regardless. Tune in as Dr. William Richards, a psychologist in the Psychiatry Department of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dr. John Price discuss the definition of terms such as mystic and religious events, they explore subject ranging from the early application of...2021-06-221h 40The Sacred Speaks61: Brian Muraresku - The Immortality KeyIn this episode, John interviews Brian Muraresku, author of New York Times Bestseller, The Immortality Key: The Secret History of The Religion with No Name. On an average day back in 2007, Muraresku’s life changed after reading the Economist’s article reviewing the research underway at Johns Hopkins investigating the clinical use of psilocybin mushrooms. Thus, Brian’s twelve-year study of a controversial theory was born. The theory positions psychedelics at the root of early the Christian Eucharist, and beyond that, at the root of religion as a whole. Through this conversation, Brian and John explore the psychedelic theory of rel...2021-06-221h 47The Sacred Speaks67: Thomas Hatsis – The Witches’ Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic MagicThrough this conversation, Thomas and John discuss ego loss, a historical overview of witches, the sociological aspects of witches, the science of history, anachronism, the history of the devil, interpreting ancient texts and techniques to filter modern bias, demons of antiquity, illness and the spiritual, syncretism defined, goddess worship in antiquity, the shift from polytheism to monotheism, and more.
Bio:
Thomas Hatsis is an author, lecturer, and historian of witchcraft, magic, Western religions, contemporary psychedelia, entheogens, and medieval pharmacopeia.
https://psychedelichistorian.com
www.psanctum.org
www.patreon.com/m/psychedelichistorian
CLASS:
http://junghouston.org/program-offering-detail/?id=dfb2b6b6-4...2021-05-131h 58The Sacred Speaks66: Marguerite Mary Rigoglioso – The Mystery Tradition of Miraculous ConceptionThrough this conversation Dr. Rigoglioso and John discuss subjects ranging from the myth and history of immaculate conception, the goddess and the underworld, the autonomy of the archetype, various consciousnesses, living the archetypal journey of the gods, the literal and the symbolic, the ontological reality of the gods, the nature of divine birth, how “Mother Mary” became a lesser known character in the bible, the campaign to disempower women, The Mysteries, the sacred and the secret, lineages of female healers through antiquity, medicated dildos in Mystery rites, initiation of priestesses, and more.
BIO:
Marguerite Rigoglioso, Ph.D., is the founding dire...2021-04-231h 40The Sacred Speaks64: Mackenzie Amara – Dreams, Psychedelics, & the UnderworldJoin John in his interview with Mackenzie Amara - known to many as the “inked shrink” - as they explore the relationship between trauma and healing, psychedelics and psychosis, and dreams and the underworld. Mackenzie, an early initiate into both psychedelics and psychosis, endured a challenge to her worldview, which subsequently opened the next stage in her life. We discuss Jung’s struggle with psychedelics, repression of moment-to-moment authenticity and spontaneity, psychoanalysis as an acid trip, psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, dreams and waking fantasies, Mackenzie provides a personal example of taking a dream seriously and the impact of that attitude and decisi...2021-03-301h 46The Sacred Speaks44: Justin Stewart - Creativity through MusicA week or so before recording this episode I asked Justin if he would lead a poetry workshop during the conversation. In a few words, what came out was raw and real. Justin is one of the better songwriters I know, not only because of his gift with language, but also because he approaches the craft with reverence and respect. He seeks to deepen his practice with each pass and he has a gift of a sharp wit that I find myself enjoying through each of our exchanges. “What better person to speak to the craft of creativity?” was my t...2021-03-062h 12The Sacred Speaks46: Tanya Lurhmann - Culture and religious practiceDr. Lurhmann, professor and psychological anthropologist at Stanford University, begins our conversation defining the term culture. She answers the question: What are the patterns of culture that inform how we should think and behave, and what happens when our individuality and the culture are at odds? Dr. Lurhmann is interested in the power of the mind and how certain aspects of the imagination and one’s intentions inform their experience of the world. She posits that our emotions – the inner world of an individual – can influence the experience of the outer world. We discuss the underlying social and relational struct...2021-03-061h 08The Sacred Speaks45: Deborah “D.E.E.P.” Mouton - Poetry and PowerDeborah holds the honorable position as the poet laureate of Houston nominated by Mayor Sylvester Turner, and her presence is known any time she is around. This conversation explores aspects of her background that are necessary threads to the formation of her current self. Her poetry ranges from the profoundly contemplative to the deeply expressive – an evocative and challenging pairing for both herself and anyone who listens. She addresses themes of race, blackness, womanhood, black-womanhood, power, culture, development, and the like with a presence ranging from the emotionally vulnerable to the humorous. Her sharp wit is the wrapping that of...2021-03-061h 38The Sacred Speaks41: Barbara Brown Taylor: Holy EnvyIn this episode, Episcopal priest, Barbara Brown Taylor, and John explore the ideas that she has been working through in her books Learning to Walk in the Dark (2015) and Holy Envy (2019). She eloquently guides the listener through many of the hurdles that one encounters when grounding one’s self in a particular religious tradition. She encourages all of us to not only look on the other side of the fence over at another tradition but to experience the freedom one may acquire once we open ourselves to the other and see our own worldviews anew. Barbara has a gentle ab...2021-03-061h 29The Sacred Speaks63: Ammon Hillman: Jesus, Sex, Drugs, & Mystery Cults of AntiquityThis is one of the most controversial podcasts in the history of The Sacred Speaks; though controversy is familiar territory for the participant, Dr. DAC Hillman. Dr. Hillman began his doctoral research in the middle of a controversy that threatened him with a conflict between the choice of censuring his research to graduate with his doctorate or not pass. So, he did what any self-respecting doctoral student would do - remove the controversial work from his dissertation, and the write a book about it. The Chemical Muse is the book whose central thesis circulates within and through the heart of...2021-03-051h 49The Sacred Speaks62: William Richards - Sacred KnowledgeWhat is a religious experience? Really. How does one define a religious event? Why do we keep reading from figures who report life-affirming, transformation-inducing, and worldview-shattering experiences that we, if we are honest, evoke the tension between both fascination and anxious avoidance? Today’s episode may provide a life raft - though the storm approaches regardless. Tune in as Dr. William Richards, a psychologist in the Psychiatry Department of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dr. John Price discuss the definition of terms such as mystic and religious events, they explore subject ranging from the early application of ps...2021-02-251h 40The Sacred Speaks40: Moving through the dark night of the soul. A conversation with Juanita Rasmus.Pastor Juanita Rasmus recounts a life of service to others and then the reality that no one is free from being drawn into a fight for their life. This fight felt more like a decent which landed in a depressive episode that she describes in great detail. Juanita recounts how she was able to both emerge from the depths and work to make sense of how her mind and body could have been so completely taken over by this decent. She could not laugh, get out of bed, or take care of herself, and while she had already been...2021-02-092h 17
The Sacred Speaks61: Brian Muraresku - The Immortality KeyIn this episode, John interviews Brian Muraresku, author of New York Times Bestseller, The Immortality Key: The Secret History of The Religion with No Name. On an average day back in 2007, Muraresku’s life changed after reading the Economist’s article reviewing the research underway at Johns Hopkins investigating the clinical use of psilocybin mushrooms. Thus, Brian’s twelve-year study of a controversial theory was born. The theory positions psychedelics at the root of early the Christian Eucharist, and beyond that, at the root of religion as a whole. Through this conversation, Brian and John explore the psychedelic theory of religi...2020-12-301h 47The Sacred Speaks60: The Human Journey. A conversation with Dr. Sara SchneiderOne valuable question for us all to ask ourselves is: When does the performance stop? For you, really. Maybe a more specific question is: When are you not performing? Dr. Sara Schneider is interested in questions about the human body, the way it moves, how people adorn their bodies, how we express, and what is the road less traveled when it comes to expression of the body, be it acting, singing, etc. She began exploring these questions more deeply as she contemplated the window displays on 5th avenue in NYC circa 1988, one artists romantic nights on the town with a...2020-12-042h 19
Cherry Jam - A Gloucester Rugby Supporter PodcastEpisode 17 - The Gloucester Hartpury women start with a win; ELV's and their impact; Interview with John Price; Jake Polledri (Office Openside) and Semi Final ReviewGloucester Hartpury Women win their first game of the season, Jim Harley talks about the game and some of the ELV's that were introduced. We also review the two Premiership Semi Finals. Ed talks to his Dad (John Price) about watching Gloucester from the mid 70's until today before we all discuss some silly and some serious ways Gloucester can raise some much needed cash.
Ed Price
James Eastwood (Snowy)
Lawrence Landray (Loz)
Jim Harley
Russ Brookes
John Price2020-10-141h 17The Sacred Speaks57: Optimism, Uncertainty, and Doubt. A conversation with John Horgan.As a science writer with The Scientific American, a primary concern for John Horgan is how science both supports the evolution of human understanding, and he is also very interested in exploring the shortcomings of science as a methodology and the limitations of the scientists whose conclusions have a direct impact on the world.
In this conversation, we discuss the current pandemic and how crisis and trauma shift innovation and the scientific ideas that inform the zeitgeist. One of John’s primary interests is the limitations of science, with emphasis on how much time and energy we need to be in...2020-04-231h 21The Sacred Speaks37: The Mind-Body Problems. A Conversation with John Horgan.The title of the John Horgan’s book, The Mind-Body Problems, with the addition of the “s”articulates the core of the mind-body problem – that it is plural. John Horgan is not content with one story that solves for the myriad problems we humans encounter when we explore reality and hunt to discover who we are and what matters most. John has been a scientific journalist for over 35 years and as someone who is paid to be curious he has commented on, written about, queried, and learned about some of the most ubiquitous and obscure scientific theories and discoveries science...2020-02-111h 44The Sacred Speaks32: Psychological Type. A conversation with John Beebe.The discussion today centers on Dr. John Beebe’s ideas about psychological types as inspired by Jung’s understanding and articulation of this theory of personality. Dr. John Beebe is the leading expert on the subject, so much so that in the forthcoming release of Jung’s collected works on Psychological Type will include an introduction by Dr. Beebe – an honor of the utmost order. Dr. Beebe and I explore how the psychological types show up in film and how viewing films through this lens may enable someone to understand the various types and the dynamics between them better. John exp...2020-02-101h 06The Sacred Speaks52: Neurobiology of the Gods. A conversation with Erik Goodwyn.In this conversation Dr. Erik Goodwyn and Dr. John Price discuss the foundation of Jung and his place as both a mystical thinker and an empirical thinker; the structure of the psyche; how evolution and structures of language and literature connect; the philosophy of mind – where Jung fits in the analysis of how mind and matter interact; where science and religion interact; ways brain physiology shapes and informs subjective experience, symbols, and stories; cross-cultural links between similar stories; definition of terms such as archetype and collective-unconscious; the nature of reduction and this tendency influences mind and the body; qualia; the ge...2020-02-051h 51
The Sacred Speaks51: The Body and Soul. A conversation with Debbie Mills.51: The Body and Soul. A conversation with Debbie Mills.
How much time do you allow for awareness of how your body speaks? Probably not much. And definitely not as much as today’s participant does. In this episode of the podcast, Dr. John Price speaks with Debbie Mills, a healer who works with psycho-emotional energetic integration. Debbie’s life experience and practice place her in a unique position to connect with each person that she touches, and they change and transform. In the conversation today, John and Debbie bring awareness to the body as a container, the limitations of the inte...2020-01-221h 33
The Sacred Speaks50: Care of the Soul. A conversation with Thomas Moore.In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, John Price speaks with Dr. Thomas Moore. Through the conversation, they discuss Dr. Moore’s early development, James Hillman and Carl Jung’s influence upon him, and his work with soul as an author and psychotherapist for most of his life. Throughout the conversation, it becomes clear that the psychotherapeutic approach that Thomas grounds himself in is not typical of modern psychology. What he seeks is to broaden how each of us views our lived experience. His approach is one that works to expand how each of us imagines our psychological experience. Thomas spea...2019-12-041h 42The Sacred Speaks29: Living Consciousness. A conversation with G. William Barnard.In today’s episode Dr. Bill Barnard and John explore some of the fundamental definitions and aspects of consciousness and the study of consciousness. Bill is a professor of religious studies and passionately studies William James and Henri Bergson – both early thinkers in the world of religion, psychology and consciousness. The conversation touches upon some of the basic overview of the study of consciousness including materialism, idealism, determinism, dual and non-dual traditions, psychedelics, and meanders through the dynamic between the materialist reductive thinking about consciousness juxtaposed with the non-dual traditions. Dr. Barnard also discusses his study of entheogens in reli...2019-12-031h 47The Sacred Speaks30: Love. A conversation with Rudy Rasmus.This conversation does not begin with any theory; it begins with racism, violence, and fear – all within the first decade of the life of today’s participant, Pastor Rudy Rasmus – to which he concludes, ultimately, the centrality of love. How he did this is the core theme of our conversation and what he has made primary in his mission of life - that he truly lives out on a daily basis. Rudy positions his early childhood trauma as a prerequisite for wisdom and his capacity to see through the masks that many people wear so that he can teach people...2019-12-032h 12The Sacred Speaks26: Music Therapy; Music as Therapy. A conversation with Jennifer Townsend.In this episode, John Price speaks with music therapist, Jennifer Townsend, about music and music therapy. We discuss the definition of music therapy, the biological aspects of performing and listening to music, how concepts from physics have informed the connecting and healing processes of music therapy, the uses of music therapy as an aid in brain development following a trauma, relationship bonding when coming together on the “beat”, and other topics. Jennifer offers the listener stories of the healing aspects of music within populations ranging from those affected by acute psychosis, and non-responsiveness, she explains the rapport building dimensions of m...2019-12-031h 58The Sacred Speaks27: Listening to Ayahuasca. A conversation with Rachel Harris.In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, John Price speaks with Dr. Rachel Harris about her book, Listening To Ayahuasca, and other related topics. Following her early experience in meditation and body practices at Esalen and with Suzuki Roshi, Dr. Harris formalized her interest in research focusing on the various ways that we may treat human suffering and then she experienced Ayahuasca in the rainforests of Costa Rica. Following her personal experience, she wanted to research “religious experience” as it manifests within the various reports that people provide following their own Ayahuasca journey. She explains the design of her stud...2019-12-031h 59The Sacred Speaks28: The Internet of Free and the Economy of Creativity. A conversation with CountThis episode begins with Count explaining his professional background in the music business as a musician, producer, engineer, & writer. Considering that his career spans both pre and post internet revolution, he is well placed to critique the positive aspects of the internet and also the dark side of the “internet of free.” We explore the economics of creativity on the internet and how this new economy has transformed the music industry in particular, but also how this process bleeds into arenas such as journalism and retail. Count works to debunk a number of the common misunderstandings of the freedom of t...2019-12-032h 22
The Sacred Speaks46: Culture and religious practice. A conversation with Tanya Lurhmann.46: Culture and religious practice. A conversation with Tanya Lurhmann.
Dr. Lurhmann, professor and psychological anthropologist at Stanford University, begins our conversation defining the term culture. She answers the question: What are the patterns of culture that inform how we should think and behave, and what happens when our individuality and the culture are at odds? Dr. Lurhmann is interested in the power of the mind and how certain aspects of the imagination and one’s intentions inform their experience of the world. She posits that our emotions – the inner world of an individual – can influence the experience of the outer world...2019-08-211h 08
The Sacred Speaks45: Poetry and Power. A conversation with Deborah “D.E.E.P.” Mouton.Deborah holds the honorable position as the poet laureate of Houston nominated by Mayor Sylvester Turner, and her presence is known any time she is around. This conversation explores aspects of her background that are necessary threads to the formation of her current self. Her poetry ranges from the profoundly contemplative to the deeply expressive – an evocative and challenging pairing for both herself and anyone who listens. She addresses themes of race, blackness, womanhood, black-womanhood, power, culture, development, and the like with a presence ranging from the emotionally vulnerable to the humorous. Her sharp wit is the wrapping that often de...2019-07-311h 38
The Sacred Speaks44: Creativity through Music. A conversation with Justin Stewart.A week or so before recording this episode I asked Justin if he would lead a poetry workshop during the conversation. In a few words, what came out was raw and real. Justin is one of the better songwriters I know, not only because of his gift with language, but also because he approaches the craft with reverence and respect. He seeks to deepen his practice with each pass and he has a gift of a sharp wit that I find myself enjoying through each of our exchanges. “What better person to speak to the craft of creativity?” was my thou...2019-06-202h 12
The Sacred Speaks41: Holy Envy. A conversation with Barbara Brown Taylor.In this episode, Episcopal priest, Barbara Brown Taylor, and John explore the ideas that she has been working through in her books Learning to Walk in the Dark (2015) and Holy Envy (2019). She eloquently guides the listener through many of the hurdles that one encounters when grounding one’s self in a particular religious tradition. She encourages all of us to not only look on the other side of the fence over at another tradition but to experience the freedom one may acquire once we open ourselves to the other and see our own worldviews anew. Barbara has a gentle ability to...2019-05-081h 29The Sacred Speaks21: Science, Religion, Power, & Love. A conversation with Tom CheethamAs a scientist, Tom’s insight into religion and psychology balances his worldview given that he matriculated through both the sciences and philosophy. He says, that as soon as he began to see the world through a hand-lens, he was sold on physics, biology, entomology, evolution and ecology, and vertebrate zoology, but landed squarely in biology. Tom’s primary area of interest began in complex systems. Access to an electron microscope in the biochemistry lab opened up Tom’s understanding of the microscopic world that is within, around, and through us. He defines “complex systems” and uses this interest to look at...2019-04-122h 47The Sacred Speaks23: Spiritual Business. A conversation with Henry Richardson.In this episode, Henry Richardson, owner, and CEO of DEFINE body and mind, and I sit down to explore how to run what he refers to as a “spiritual business.” He uses terms such as “appreciative inquiry” and speaks of breathing life into not only a bottom line but also the inner and outer community of the business. He states that how the model of the business is structured will influence how each employee views their presence at the business, which then impacts how the customer and the community the business serves, feels about themselves and their interactions with the busi...2019-04-121h 56
The Sacred Speaks40: Moving through the dark night of the soul. A conversation with Juanita Rasmus.Pastor Juanita Rasmus recounts a life of service to others and then the reality that no one is free from being drawn into a fight for their life. This fight felt more like a decent which landed in a depressive episode that she describes in great detail. Juanita recounts how she was able to both emerge from the depths and work to make sense of how her mind and body could have been so completely taken over by this decent. She could not laugh, get out of bed, or take care of herself, and while she had already been leading...2019-04-102h 17
The Sacred Speaks37: The Mind-Body Problems. A Conversation with John Horgan.The title of the John Horgan’s book, The Mind-Body Problems, with the addition of the “s”articulates the core of the mind-body problem – that it is plural. John Horgan is not content with one story that solves for the myriad problems we humans encounter when we explore reality and hunt to discover who we are and what matters most. John has been a scientific journalist for over 35 years and as someone who is paid to be curious he has commented on, written about, queried, and learned about some of the most ubiquitous and obscure scientific theories and discoveries science and huma...2019-02-271h 44
The Sacred Speaks32: Psychological Types. A conversation with John Beebe.The discussion today centers on Dr. John Beebe’s ideas about psychological types as inspired by Jung’s understanding and articulation of this theory of personality. Dr. John Beebe is the leading expert on the subject, so much so that in the forthcoming release of Jung’s collected works on Psychological Type will include an introduction by Dr. Beebe – an honor of the utmost order. Dr. Beebe and I explore how the psychological types show up in film and how viewing films through this lens may enable someone to understand the various types and the dynamics between them better. Dr. Beebe ex...2018-12-121h 07The Sacred Speaks14: Transcendental Meditation. A conversation with Bob Roth.14: Transcendental Meditation. A conversation with Bob Roth. We begin our conversation with Bob joking that, as a young boy growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, he knew he was a Democrat before he knew he was Jewish. Bob was deeply influenced by Robert “Bobby” Kennedy’s position as an agent of change so much so that he began working with the Kennedy campaign early in his life; and considering that Bobby Kennedy was a hero figure for Bob, Kennedy’s death greatly impacted him so much so that he continued the work of activism for collectiv...2018-12-061h 25
The Sacred Speaks30: Love. A conversation with Rudy Rasmus.This conversation does not begin with any theory; it begins with racism, violence, and fear – all within the first decade of the life of today’s participant, Pastor Rudy Rasmus – to which he concludes, ultimately, the centrality of love. How he did this is the core theme of our conversation and what he has made primary in his mission of life - that he truly lives out on a daily basis. Rudy positions his early childhood trauma as a prerequisite for wisdom and his capacity to see through the masks that many people wear so that he can teach people how to...2018-11-282h 12
The Sacred Speaks29: Living Consciousness. A conversation with G. William Barnard.In today’s episode Dr. Bill Barnard and John explore some of the fundamental definitions and aspects of consciousness and the study of consciousness. Bill is a professor of religious studies and passionately studies William James and Henri Bergson – both early thinkers in the world of religion, psychology and consciousness. The conversation touches upon some of the basic overview of the study of consciousness including materialism, idealism, determinism, dual and non-dual traditions, psychedelics, and meanders through the dynamic between the materialist reductive thinking about consciousness juxtaposed with the non-dual traditions. Dr. Barnard also discusses his study of entheogens in religious cont...2018-11-211h 47
The Sacred Speaks28: The Internet of Free and the Economy of Creativity. A conversation with CountThis episode begins with Count explaining his professional background in the music business as a musician, producer, engineer, & writer. Considering that his career spans both pre and post internet revolution, he is well placed to critique the positive aspects of the internet and also the dark side of the “internet of free.” We explore the economics of creativity on the internet and how this new economy has transformed the music industry in particular, but also how this process bleeds into arenas such as journalism and retail. Count works to debunk a number of the common misunderstandings of the freedom of the...2018-11-142h 22
The Sacred Speaks27: Listening to Ayahuasca. A conversation with Rachel Harris.In this episode of The Sacred Speaks, John Price speaks with Dr. Rachel Harris about her book, Listening To Ayahuasca, and other related topics. Following her early experience in meditation and body practices at Esalen and with Suzuki Roshi, Dr. Harris formalized her interest in research focusing on the various ways that we may treat human suffering and then she experienced Ayahuasca in the rainforests of Costa Rica. Following her personal experience, she wanted to research “religious experience” as it manifests within the various reports that people provide following their own Ayahuasca journey. She explains the design of her studies and...2018-11-071h 59
The Sacred Speaks26: Music Therapy; Music as Therapy. A conversation with Jennifer Townsend.In this episode, John Price speaks with music therapist, Jennifer Townsend, about music and music therapy. We discuss the definition of music therapy, the biological aspects of performing and listening to music, how concepts from physics have informed the connecting and healing processes of music therapy, the uses of music therapy as an aid in brain development following a trauma, relationship bonding when coming together on the “beat”, and other topics. Jennifer offers the listener stories of the healing aspects of music within populations ranging from those affected by acute psychosis, and non-responsiveness, she explains the rapport building dimensions of musi...2018-10-311h 58
The Sacred Speaks23: Spiritual Business. A conversation with Henry Richardson.In this episode, Henry Richardson, owner, and CEO of DEFINE body and mind, and I sit down to explore how to run what he refers to as a “spiritual business.” He uses terms such as “appreciative inquiry” and speaks of breathing life into not only a bottom line but also the inner and outer community of the business. He states that how the model of the business is structured will influence how each employee views their presence at the business, which then impacts how the customer and the community the business serves, feels about themselves and their interactions with the business...2018-10-031h 56
The Sacred Speaks21. Science, Religion, Power, & Love. A conversation with Tom CheethamAs a scientist, Tom’s insight into religion and psychology balances his worldview given that he matriculated through both the sciences and philosophy. He says, that as soon as he began to see the world through a hand-lens, he was sold on physics, biology, entomology, evolution and ecology, and vertebrate zoology, but landed squarely in biology. Tom’s primary area of interest began in complex systems. Access to an electron microscope in the biochemistry lab opened up Tom’s understanding of the microscopic world that is within, around, and through us. He defines “complex systems” and uses this interest to look at re...2018-09-192h 47
The Sacred Speaks14: Transcendental Meditation. A conversation with Bob Roth.We begin our conversation with Bob joking that, as a young boy growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, he knew he was a Democrat before he knew he was Jewish. Bob was deeply influenced by Robert “Bobby” Kennedy’s position as an agent of change so much so that he began working with the Kennedy campaign early in his life; and considering that Bobby Kennedy was a hero figure for Bob, Kennedy’s death greatly impacted him so much so that he continued the work of activism for collective change. When he was a young man, Bob embarked on a pat...2018-07-191h 25
The Sacred SpeaksEpisode 4: A Life Worth Living. A Conversation with James HollisEpisode 4: A life worth living. A conversation with James Hollis
In this episode, Jim and I discuss how elements of his personal history positioned his interest in depth psychology specifically and learning in general. Jim defines depth psychology and discusses how a relationship to one’s inner world orients one’s self to meaning and purpose. We explore how the relationship to a vocation or calling will either enhance or limit each of our life experience. He frames the price of being separated from one’s inner voice as “the problem of our time.” We discuss how the poet’s life and int...2018-05-021h 34
The Sacred SpeaksEpisode 4: A Life Worth Living. A Conversation with James HollisEpisode 4: A life worth living. A conversation with James Hollis In this episode, Jim and I discuss how elements of his personal history positioned his interest in depth psychology specifically and learning in general. Jim defines depth psychology and discusses how a relationship to one’s inner world orients one’s self to meaning and purpose. We explore how the relationship to a vocation or calling will either enhance or limit each of our life experience. He frames the price of being separated from one’s inner voice as “the problem of our time.” We discuss how the poet’s life and int...2018-05-021h 34
The Sacred SpeaksEpisode 3: Self-formation and daily practices. A conversation with Niki ClementsNiki is an expert on the ascetic John Cassian and the French philosopher Michel Foucault. In this episode Niki and I discuss her newest book, Sites of the Ascetic Self. Niki is most interested in daily practices of discipline that can help and enable individuals to open to certain forms of self-transformation including transformation of our bodies, our emotions and our relation to other people. She discusses how her history places her into relationship with her current areas of study. We are shaped as subjects in this world, therefore one of Niki’s core questions is: how can we become se...2018-04-121h 35
The Sacred SpeaksEpisode 3: Self-formation and daily practices. A conversation with Niki ClementsNiki is an expert on the ascetic John Cassian and the French philosopher Michel Foucault. In this episode Niki and I discuss her newest book, Sites of the Ascetic Self. Niki is most interested in daily practices of discipline that can help and enable individuals to open to certain forms of self-transformation including transformation of our bodies, our emotions and our relation to other people. She discusses how her history places her into relationship with her current areas of study. We are shaped as subjects in this world, therefore one of Niki’s core questions is: how can we become se...2018-04-111h 35