Elevating Consciousness

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in Sanbo Zen tradition. He began zen practice in 1971 and finished the formal koan curriculum in 1988. For many years he has taught as a professor of Buddhist and comparative philosophy. Although he has retired from academia he continues to lecture internationally focusing primarily on the intersection of Buddhism and modernity and what they can learn from each other.Unless he is traveling, every Friday morning he guides an online meditation followed by a brief dharma talk. He is the author of many books including Lack & Transcendence, Ecodharma, and Nonduality: In Buddhism and Beyond. In this episode, we speak about the fundamental problem of human existence through the lens of psychotherapy, existentialism & Buddhism, the limits of philosophy, integrating personal with collective transformation, addressing the meaning crisis, and so much more. *Join the Elevating Consciousness list and get the latest interviews with emerging thinkers in the liminal space straight to your inbox -https://artemzen.ck.page/elevatingconsciousness*Join the "Top Insights" list and get insightful links, in-depth book summaries, and transformational frameworks delivered monthly to your inbox  -  https://artemzen.ck.page/topinsights*Subscribe on Youtube to watch the podcast - youtube.com/c/ArtemZen?sub_confirmation=1*Follow me on Twitter (x) - https://twitter.com/artemzen*Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/artem.zen*For Contact, questions or ideas email me at artem@artemzen.com

Charlie Awbery, a meditation teacher and longtime Vajrayana practitioner, discusses the difference between sutric and tantric views in Buddhism, the challenges and benefits of meditating with eyes open, the concept of awakening and alignment in different Buddhist traditions, the distinctions between traditional and evolving Vajrayana, the practice of TREC-Chaud in Buddhism, transformative teaching and facilitation, exploring group dynamics in shared experiences, and creating contemporary Vajrayana in Buddhism.

River Kenna, an inner work practitioner and mythodynamics researcher, shares his journey from mental chatter to inner peace through somatic meditation. They discuss somatic resonance, imaginal practice & dream work, mythopoetic cognition, systematic vs. spontaneous mode, and devotional productivity.

Rosa Lewis is a spiritual teacher and inner work practitioner. During an intense journey of awakening and healing, she experienced long periods of altered states and even psychosis. Eventually, she was able to return to a functional state but her experience of reality was forever transformed. Her work is greatly influenced by Carl Jung and tantric Buddhism. Everything she teaches comes from direct insight and integrates Buddhist emptiness, shadow work, tantric embodiment, archetypal and imaginal work, mysticism, and heartfulness. She is currently working on a framework for whole being awakening that integrates theory and practice and helps humans develop in a way that is holistic, inspiring, alive, and in touch with the depths of being. In this episode, we speak about, Rosa’s experience with spiritual psychosis, inclusive & exclusive perspectives on Awakening, the whole being awakening model, hierarchy & power dynamics in spiritual communities, embodying the brahma viharas and imaginal work.  

Jonas Atlas is a scholar of religions who writes and lectures on religion, politics, and mysticism. Although rooted in the Christian tradition, he has immersed himself in learning other traditions such as Hinduism and Islam. After his studies in philosophy, anthropology, and theology at different universities, he became active in various forms of local and international peace work, often with a focus on cultural and religious diversity. He currently teaches classes on ethics and spirituality at the KDG University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He is also the author of several books including Halal Monk, Re-visioning Sufism, and most recently Religion: Reality Behind the Myths. In this episode, we speak about why misunderstanding religion is a problem, the seven myths of religion, what religion really is, the false dichotomy of secular & religious, and the real reason people have a problem with religion.  

Stephen Faller is a chaplain, educator, and author. He currently serves as a Chaplain Educator at Overlook Medical Center where he runs the Clinical pastoral education program. He is also the director and Founder of The Institute of Spiritual Midwifery which is dedicated to the development of the theory, praxis, and pedagogy of spiritual midwifery in the ministry of individuals, families, and organizations. His work in chaplaincy and his experience with cerebral palsy offer a unique and powerful perspective on the intersections of disability and spiritual caregiving. Through speaking engagements, educational initiatives, and personal interactions he educates and inspires others to approach spiritual caregiving with a more inclusive and compassionate mindset. He is the author of several books including “The Art of Spiritual Mid-Wifery” and most recently “Christianity And the Art of Wheelchair Maintenance”. In this episode we speak about dialogue in spiritual midwifery, dialectic, paradox, parables, barriers to spiritual midwifery, tools of the spiritual midwife, and living with disability.

Guro Hansen Helskog is a professor, author & researcher. Her work explores the philosophy of education, wisdom research, and how philosophical dialogue can be integrated into all levels of education. She is the author of “Philosophising the Dialogo Way Towards Wisdom in Education” - an in-depth book that analyses different approaches to philosophical practices and shows how we can integrate them in a holistic manner in order to facilitate everything from critical thinking to spiritual contemplation. In this episode we speak about knowledge vs wisdom, dialogos as an integration of philosophizing approaches, uprooting atheistic beliefs, mystical experiences, the wisdom famine, why children should philosophize, and integrating God into humanity.  

Sean Wilkinson is a transformational coach and facilitator. He is also a co-founder of “Circling Europe” an organization that has helped spread the practice of circling to over 25 countries. Prior to being a circling leader, he was an elite tennis coach focusing on the psychology of performance. For the last 15 years, he has been deeply entrenched in relational practices, meditation, coaching, wisdom traditions as well as therapy and trauma work. Some of his latest offerings focus on navigating the darker dimensions of developmental trauma as well as exploring non-duality in the context of circling. In this episode, we speak about the middle way of emotions, integrating circling with meditation & therapy, navigating narcissistic and borderline patterns, and balancing empathy with boundaries. 

Tom Cheetham is an author, teacher, biologist, and poet. Throughout his life, he has navigated various fields from philosophy, to systematic entomology, complexity sciences, and eventually depth psychology. Today his work explores the ideas of Henry Corbin, Carl Jung, James Hillman, and creative imagination in human life and culture. He writes and lectures on these topics internationally. His books include Boundary Violations, All the World an Icon, and Imaginal Love among others. In this episode, we speak about Imagination in James Hillman, Carl Jung, & Henry Corbin, the pathology of literalism, distinguishing feelings from emotions, integrating the central insights from psychedelics, Buddhism & the Imaginal as well as aliveness, eros, and death. 

Loch Kelly is an award-winning author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the Effortless Mindfulness Institute. His teachings synthesize the best of ancient wisdom practices, neuroscience, and contemporary psychology. Using an all-inclusive style of dialogue and inquiry he helps people cut through suffering and awaken to their true nature. He has been sharing his teachings in retreats and workshops internationally for over 25 years and is the author of “Shift into Freedom” and “The Way of Effortless Mindfulness.” In this episode, we speak about the differences between deliberate & effortless mindfulness approaches, barriers to recognizing awakened awareness, why we don’t need 10,000 hours of meditation to awaken, integrating psychotherapy & meditation, and a mature understanding of emptiness & nonduality.