The Mystic Cave
An exploration of the soulful terrain on the far side of conventional religion. A sanctuary for seekers.
Episodes
171 episodes
An Everywhere God: Tami Buroker Explores the Edges of her Christian Faith
Even conventional religions have their growing edges. Far from centralized beliefs and practices, the spiritual explorer needs faith more than belief. Tami Buroker identifies as a Christian, but she can't bring herself formally to join her chur...
Just Breathe: "Wandering Warrior" Devin Lebrun Finds the Calm at the Heart of Fear
Devin Lebrun's soul name, given him on a Vision Quest, is Wandering Warrior. That evokes a lot of fearsome energy, which he has. But his breath training over the years has opened a world of inner calm, soothing his soul and helping him to turn ...
After Church: How the Pearson Bros, Rob and Ben, Found a Spiritual Path ... Their Way
Those of us who've followed a conventional spiritual path to get to where we are now need not be suspicious of those who've beaten their own path. We might even be a little envious. As my two grown sons, Rob and Ben, will attest, there is somet...
“Queen of the Sidestep”: Valerie Koot and the Boundary of Love
The spiritual path is a solitary journey of discovery. We find our way, not by following a map or listening to others, but by planting our feet, one step at a time, in front of us. Sometimes, to get started, we must separate ourselves from the ...
"God is Very Loud Around Me": Could the Future of Religion Look like Andrea Tsugawa?
Divinity student Andrea Tsugawa was born in Peru, her ethnic lineage stretching from Japan to Spain, including Quechuan (Andean) roots. Her spiritual benefactors are Buddhist, Shintoist, Indigenous, and Catholic. How she ended up at the Vancouv...
A Sustaining Presence: The Reconstructed Spirituality of Sarah Donnelly
Spiritual director and educator, Sarah Donnelly, was a faithful Catholic whose God didn't keep his part of the bargain--to protect her from harm. In the throes of that disillusionment, Sarah had to rely on the faith of others until she could re...
Great Aunt Gladys and the Dakini Sky Walkers
"What can we do, but pray?" I hear people say these days. As the world turns in on itself and old alliances give way to new threats, praying does seem to commend itself. But praying to whom, and for what? Can the gods alter the course of human ...
Wondering Where the Lions Are
When it comes to cherishing childhood memories, we all know that we can never go home again. But we can pay attention to what we grieve from the past and bring that forward into the "home" we're creating now. In this way, wh...
Talking to Trees: A Complimentary Chapter
My book is out now, Talking to Trees: A Journey into Soul. It chronicles my exploration of the soulful terrain on the far side of conventional religion, where talking to trees, communing with the dead, and summoning our spirit guides i...
Talking to Trees: A Journey into Soul
Six years ago, when I retired from my ministry and left the church, I began chronicling my exploration of the soulful terrain on the far side of conventional religion. It was an extraordinary landscape and my experiences there began fulfilling ...
Not Business as Usual: Sandy Wiggins' Journey from Board Work to Breath Work
As we ponder and discern where Life is calling us, it is useful, and sometimes inspirational, to see how someone else has heard the call. Sandy Wiggins established himself as a business executive in the real estate world. It was creative work a...
There is No 'More': Billy Wynne on "The Empty Path" and the Radical Art of Lessening
We might have thought just a little more would make us happy. More money, more time, more things. But that's the problem. Like a cat chasing its tail, 'more' will never give us what we seek. As meditation teacher Billy Wynne explains, 'more' is...
"The Satisfied Woman": Alanna Kaivalya on Reclaiming the Archetypal Feminine
The archetypal feminine can be many things--fierce, wily, nurturing, creative, and deeply rooted in the natural world. But Alanna Kaivalya regards two qualities in particular, intuition and emotion, at risk of being lost in the modern age, wher...
Dream Worker: Mary Marsden Guides us Through the Portal of a Dream
It's not about working a dream, about unpacking its symbols and wresting from it its cryptic meaning. It's about allowing the dream to work you, which is a very different thing. Mary Marsden is a nature-based soul guide, a personal mentor, and ...
Facing the Forces of Darkness: A Shaman, a Spiritualist, and a Reiki Master on Walking in the Light
One thing that keeps people from exploring their spiritual path is fear of the dark. Not just darkness itself, but what darkness hides--ghosts, demons, spirits. The mere thought of such entities drives nascent seekers away before they even get ...
Humanizing Work: Sona Khosla and One Company's Attempt to Put Social Values First
We don't tend to think of the corporate world as 'soulful.' But some companies realize that paying attention to social and environmental values, and not just to the bottom line, is good for the workers, good for the world, and, as it turns out,...
Lyanda Haupt's "Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit"
How do we rekindle our love for the Earth? According to naturalist and eco-philosopher Lyanda Haupt, the smallest step does it. Her book, Rooted, is a compendium of such steps, from wandering barefoot in the woods to welcoming the myst...
Anam Cara: Barry Foster, Don McLeod and I, on Soulful Friendship
To be alone in the world is a terrible thing, unless of course it is by choice. Especially for men, the heart may long for deep connection while all our social posturing creates the opposite--distance. When men discover deep friendship with oth...
"Once Upon a Time": Natalie Pepin and Tad Hargrave on the Power of Ancestral Stories
Stories arrive on our TV screen daily, unbidden. We are momentarily entertained or diverted but rarely are we changed. The old stories, however, passed down from generation to generation, were meant to instruct us, to identify us with a tribe, ...
The Cavewoman Way: Invoking the Wild Woman, with Michelle Rigling
Whatever Soul is, it's not tame. That's why we seek Soul in the wild places, where something locked away can be released and we can remember who we are and why we're here. That's also why we need an experienced guide to take us there, someone w...
Understanding Karma: Mordy Levine on Living Like it Matters
Positive karma makes the world a better place and lightens our load in both this life and the next. Negative karma harms the world and burdens us with destructive habits. Becoming conscious of the bad habits we accumulate is the first step towa...
Peia: A Soulful Singer Takes us All the Way Back
Here's a seasonal offering of word and song that will warm your heart, whether it's Christmas you celebrate, the Winter Solstice, Festivus, or any of the many other culturally rich wintertime observances. As we turn inward at this time of year,...
"The Great Search": John Philip Newell and the Spiritual Awakening of our Age
With every new war and with every new natural catastrophe, we are being driven to consider new ways of being human on this planet. This search is not new, but perhaps it's never been so critical. Celtic spiritual teacher John Philip Newell has ...
Soulful Gatherings: Peter Scanlan on the Way of Council
How many of us emerged from the last US presidential shaking our heads and saying,"There's gotta be a better way." There is, and there has always been. The Way of Council is the time-honoured method of gathering soulfully that doesn't leave the...
At the Crossroads: Sarah Arthurs on Earth Advocacy and Religious Faith
Does religion have a role in "The Great Turning," where humanity is rediscovering what it means to be creatures of the earth? Or are its own wounds and divisions too deep to allow it to see beyond its protective walls? Sarah Arthurs is both an ...
