Psyche

In this episode, I speak with Rev. James Derkits. James is the Rector at Trinity by the Sea Episcopal Church in Port Aransas, Texas.  In this episode, we explore:  Surfing as a spiritual practice The depth psychology of James Hollis  Understanding the divine as Mystery  Christianity as a container for an authentic spiritual experience  Working with dreams  Men and the importance of connection  Much more! Website: http://james-derkits.blogspot.com

In this episode, I speak to The Rev. Dr. Wes Telyea. Wes is the founder of the Snoqualmie Rod Company, which specializes in two-handed spey casting rods. He's also a former senior pastor and a current part-time pastor.  In this episode, we discuss:  His experience with depression  How religion can be a resource and a detriment in relation to mental health  Masculinity and the stigma around depression Matt Haig's book on depression "Reasons to Stay Alive " Fly fishing & creating fly rods  Curiosity, rhythms, gratitude and the importance of being present  Much more! Twitter Instagram

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Laura Brown. Dr. Brown is a clinical and forensic psychologist in independent practice in Seattle, Washington. A speaker and author on feminist therapy theory and practice, she offers workshops and trainings to professionals and the public on such topics as trauma treatment, cultural competence, psychological assessment, and ethics. In this episode, we discuss:  Her Jewish social justice tradition  Decolonial liberatory intersectional feminist therapy (theory & praxis) Aikido Toxic masculinity  How feminism can benefit men  Much more! Website Book

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Todd McGowan. Todd is a professor in the Department of English at The University of Vermont. He is also the co-host of the podcast, Why Theory.  In this episode, we discuss his book, Emancipation After Hegel: Achieving a Contradictory Revolution.  In this conversation we explore various topics:  Todd's conservative Christian upbringing  Freud & the unconscious  Hegel's understanding of contradiction  The philosopher Heraclitus  Hegel's understanding of God and Christianity  Happiness & meaning  Don Draper & Mad Men  Much more!

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Miguel De La Torre. Dr. De La Torre is an author, activist and professor of social ethics and Latinx studies at Illif School of Theology. The focus of Dr. De La Torre’s academic pursuit is social ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. Since obtaining his PhD in 1999, he has authored over a hundred articles and published forty-one books (six of which won national awards). In this episode, we discuss his wonderful book, José Martí’s Liberative Political Theology. We discuss how Martí's project is a precursor to modern liberation theology. We also explore how Martí's writings speak to important social realities today. The nature of religion and God  Gender  Indigenous spiritual traditions  Homosexuality  Machismo  The prioritization of praxis  White Christian nationalism  An ethics para "joder" (to mess or fuck with the system) Website: http://drmigueldelatorre.com

In this episode, I speak with Barbara Daughter. Here's Barbara in her own words: Since a young teen, I have ardently pursued my personal and spiritual growth and development through a variety of practices and religious / spiritual traditions. Raised as a Lutheran, I entered my undergraduate years, thinking I would become a counseling pastor. Instead, I left that tradition in the 1970s when I discovered for myself that God is beyond our concepts of gender. Since the early 1980s, I have followed pre-Christian wisdom traditions as they have been shared by exemplars like Z. Budapest and Starhawk. Because I view our spiritual understanding as the foundation for our choices in the world, decades later, I was led to completing my Master's degree in Philosophy & Religion with a concentration in Women's Spirituality, as well as working directly with advanced spiritual teachers, honing my awareness of and connection to the world beyond the seen and what is widely-accepted as "true." Through both my academic studies and personal explorations, I have continued to return to and deepen my connection with our Mother Earth and many of Her nature-teachers. As an artist, I work primarily in acrylics, preferring large-scale “magical realism” paintings of imaginal, inspirational, and mythical women. I have studied with Shiloh Sophia, internationally-renowned artist, and founder of Intentional Creativity, but am otherwise self-taught. As a teacher of Intentional Creativity, I create the space for others to explore their own creativity, inner messages, and healing, while rendering and illuminating them on canvas and in their lives. Based on my years of study in a variety of modalities, I offer techniques and support to connect one with their infinite nature and sovereign Being-ness. As an experienced mentor and spiritual life coach, I can offer an eagle's eye view of one's circumstances and challenges, helping to ground one in their own innate wisdom and connection to Mother Earth's mysteries and guidance. My work speaks to the deep need for women to see themselves as sacred, numinous beings, connected to Mother Earth, and to Her Sacred Mysteries which emanate from myths and cultural traditions from around the world. Commingling my Intentional Creativity teachings with these spiritual development tools, I create openings for transmutation and transformation of one's life -- both through coaching and one's own explorations on the canvas. In this episode we explore: Her religious and spiritual transformation in college The cultural milieu of the 1970s that helped shape her identity Her spiritual relationship to Mary Magdalene The importance of self-love and self-acceptance The dangers of patriarchy and toxic masculinity Her experience as a lesbian Our disconnection from the earth And much more! Website: https://www.becomingyouart.com

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Eliot Rosenstock. Eliot is a psychotherapist and author. In this episode, we discuss ideas from his two books, Zizek in the Clinic and The Ego and Its Hyperspace. In the end, the therapist does not tell the client what to think or how to live. The therapist works with the client, helping them to learn how to think and construct their own identity in the world.  Books:  https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/authors/eliot-rosenstock Social Media: https://twitter.com/CtrlRetrnRpresd?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.facebook.com/Eliot-Rosenstock-Clinical-Psychology-MA-RAMFT-375670716175350/

In this episode, I speak with Kenyatta Sadiki. Kenyatta is a human services professional. He works for Advantage Lifecare Solutions. They are dedicated to meeting specific needs in four main categories: Counseling Court/Probation Mandated Classes CPR/Basic Life Support/First Aid Training Employment In this episode, we explore many topics:  How he got into working with substance abuse and anger management  His difficult adolescence and time in prison  The black psyche  The dominant psychological paradigm and how it does not fit the black experience  The experience of slaves and the ongoing effects of negative conditioning  Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and other black figures that have shaped his perspective The benefits and dangers of religion  Connect with Kenyatta: https://www.advantagelifecaresolutions.com

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Ken Chitwood. Ken is currently doing research on the interesections of ethnography and journalism with the University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture’s Spiritual Exemplars Project and on Latinx Muslim philanthropy with the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative (MPI), an initiative of Lake Institute on Faith and Giving and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. From 2020-2022, he was the Fritz Thyssen Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures & Societies at Freie Universität Berlin. He obtained a doctorate from the University of Florida in 2019, where he worked with the Department of Religion and the Center for Global Islamic Studies. His academic work focuses on Islam in the Americas, Puerto Rican Muslims, Latinx Muslims, American religion (including North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean), translocal religion, intersections of religion & culture, Christian-Muslim relations, global Christianity, Muslim minorities, & ethnographic methods and manifestations of religion-beyond-religion in a global and digital age. Additionally, he has published work on Judaism in Latin America and the Caribbean, religion and popular culture, and the theme of global heroism. He has been reviewing books on Christianity, Islam, religion, anthropology, culture, and history for seven years with Publisher's Weekly, the Houston Chronicle, Reading Religion from the American Academy of Religion, and other scholarly and popular publications. In that time, Ken has read and reviewed over 150 popular books, academic monographs, and edited collections. In this episode we explore: Islam in Latin America and the Carribean  Religious syncretism & the sacred Feminine  Cosmopolitanism  Love of neighbor  Generative frictions and the importance of relational repair  The benefit of therapy for men  Much more! Website: kenchitwood.com

This is the third installment of my series with Patrick McGrath-Muñiz exploring the first twenty-two cards or the Major Arcana of the Tarot. Patrick is a professional artist from Puerto Rico. His work has been featured in museums across the country. In this episode, we explore the symbolism and significance of the Popess card. Some of the ideas we explore include: Duality  Death & Life  The Unconscious  Jung's notion of the anima  The sacred feminine  Syncretistic religions in Latin America Afro-Caribbean influences  Intuition  And much more! Website: https://www.patrickmcgrath-art.com/  Texas Monthly Article: https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/houston-artist-neocolonial-tarot-deck/ Crossing Waters : Undocumented Migration in Hispanophone Caribbean and Latinx Literature & Art