The Mystic Cave
An exploration of the soulful journey. Stories, conversations, and reflections from the other side of conventional religious belief and practice. A sanctuary for seekers along the Unknown Path.
Instrument of the Soul: Jennifer Mason on the Magic of the Human Voice
If we're searching for a connection with our souls, we needn’t look any further than our voice. Quite apart from the words we use and the intentions behind those words, our voice reveals the state of things within. Are we anxious, are we confident, are we restful? The voice knows. Consequently, so does the world.
Jennifer Mason is a trained singer and vocal coach who helps people discover and utilize the full dynamic range of their voice. As to her own voice, Jennifer is releasing a re-mastered version of "Mothers of the World," her haunting album of...
'Circles of Rhythm': Julien Lepage on the Call of the Drum
Some say before we could sing, we drummed. Whether or not that's accurate, drumming is one of our most primitive forms of communication. Perhaps, it once helped us to "talk" across great distances. Perhaps, it brought us together to unify and strengthen the community. Perhaps, it was just ... fun.
Julien Lepage leads modern-day drumming circles where we can re-experience a deep resonation with our own bodies, with one another, and with the Earth. There are no ideologies to label us, no religion or politics to divide us, and no boundaries to keep us out, not when we...
Wild Yoga: Rebecca Wildbear on an Embodied Way of Being
Yoga is not just about poses and posers. It's about a soulful engagement with our own lives that includes both our bodies and our dreams. It's about the rediscovery of the connection we have lost with the Earth, and about the purpose that the Earth itself is dreaming for us.
Rebecca Wildbear is a soul guide, a wilderness therapist, and a yoga instructor. Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration And Advocacy for the Earth is her new book on, in her words, "an embodied practice to help us love ourselves, deepen our relationship with the natural w...
The Soul of Wall Street: Howard Fischer on Investing in the Planet
"You can be so heavenly minded," the saying goes, "that you're of no earthly use." Ouch for all us lofty-headed idealists! But bringing together heavenly ideals and earthly resources--now that's useful!
And that's what Howard Fischer is doing with Gratitude Railroad, his impact investment firm he started with his friend Eric Jacobsen: move investment capital from the safe and conventional financial world to a whole new world of environmental protection and social justice. It might not be heaven on earth ... yet. But it's a start.
Link
Gratitude Railroad: https://gratituderailroad.com
Personal...
Old Souls: Judy Steiert on Conscious and Positive Aging
Many of us fear aging. We suppose that the long slow slide on the other side of the hill is a negation of the one life we've been given to live. But what if it's the opposite? What if aging is our crowning glory, all that experience finally adding up to something: meaning, depth, and even wisdom?
Judy Steiert trains "sage-ing" guides and leaders, and she herself mentors those who want to welcome aging, rather than to fear it. For those of us retiring from our jobs and facing the next chapter of our lives, this is...
Beyond Hope: Jodi Lammiman on the Challenges of Eco-Grief
What if the Earth is beyond saving? What if only the abandonment of hope will deliver us to the new world we seek? What if eco-grief is the portal we need to rediscover our role in the natural world, and in its healing? Jodi Lammiman is an eco-awareness counsellor and spiritual guide who connects our fears and sorrows to the work we've each been given ... to be in communion with the living Earth. This connection, in the end, may be our only hope.
Links
Refugia: https://www.refugiaretreats.com
"On Being" Podcast: https://onbeing.org...
A Wreath on the Door
Bob had decided to lock Christmas out this year. Given the events of the past year who could blame him? But Christmas had other ideas and snuck in the back door instead, leaving the door ajar. As it must be, if we're to let the Christ Child in.
Music Credits (under license by SOCAN 2022)
"O Holy Night," from the album Noël by Terry McDade & the McDades
"In the Bleak Midwinter," from Midwinter by Terry McDade & the McDades
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," from Winter Rose by Terry McDade & the McDades
"Silent Night," f...
Romancing the Moon: Inside a "Soulcraft Intensive," as shared with Liz Wiltzen
It was indeed intense, but I was learning the ways of Soul and shedding the fears that prevented me from knowing and living out, fully, my purpose on the earth. As we camped in the woods and wandered and drummed and danced and dreamed, I knew something important was happening. I was becoming ... myself. Naturally.
To be guided through the threads of my conversation with Liz Wiltzen, click on the Chapters tab, above.
Links
Liz Wiltzen, Life Coach: https://www.lizwiltzen.com
Liz Wiltzen, "Tracking Yes" podcast: https://www.trackingyes.com
...
Paying Attention: John Griffith on a Spiritual Practice of His Own
Morning coffee with one's spouse? Listening to other people's stories? Reading whatever you want? This is spiritual practice? If you've been on the spiritual path all your life, then, yes. Because in the end spiritual practice is whatever works, not whatever others have told you to do.
My conversation with retired minister and former spiritual director John Griffith is filled with wise insights into the spiritual journey. There's a reason we've been taught to listen to our elders.
Referenced in this episode
Hillhurst United Church: https://hillhurstunited.com
Personal Links
My...
Inward Journey, Outward Journey: Liz Rees on the Way of Contemplation
Some forms of prayer seem to assume that we must capture the attention of a far-off God, like lassoing a star. Contemplation assumes God's already here, deep within, and not just within us, but within all created beings. Liz Rees, a contemplative teacher and guide, talks to me about how contemplative practice connects us deeply to the natural world.
Resources:
Berry, Thomas. "Dream of the Earth"; Sierra Club, 1988
Keating, Thomas. "Open Mind, Open Heart"; Continuum International Publishing Group, 1994
Loorz, Victoria. "Church of the Wild"; Broadleaf Press, 2021
Merton, Thomas. Kathleen Deignan (ed). "When the...
Sacred Rites: Sarah Kerr on the Transformative Power of Ritual
When it comes to change in our lives, our rational minds can carry us only so far. Our bodies take us further. But rituals connect body and mind to Soul, creating transformative experiences that help us move through life's most significant passages.
Sarah Kerr, death doula and ritual healing practitioner, speaks to me about the power of rituals, their constituent parts, and what difference rituals make to how we live our lives. It could be that the cosmos is counting on us to become agents of transformative change, in other words, ritualists.
Episode Links
...
Ties That Bind: Janet Handy on the Good, the Bad, and the Cosmic of Belonging
Don't we all want to belong? Don't we miss it, and yearn for it, when we don't? Out here, on the other side of church land, belonging to a community is what seekers miss most about their religious pasts. But not all community is good community, and not every community lasts. In this conversation with Janet Handy, we explore the range of possibilities for human belonging. In the end, we may be more a part of things than we realize.
Resources
Jan's book, The Secret Tribe, on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Secret-Tribe-Memoir-Resilience-ebook/dp/B07DQ9...
Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land: Richard Osler on Poetry as Prayer
Out here, on the other side of church land, how do we give voice to the deepest longings of our hearts? Might poetry help us? Reading poems, might they become our sacred texts; writing them, our personal prayers? Poet Richard Osler believes that poetry delivers us to the deep and holy places of our own souls, places of healing, of inspiration, and of profound Mystery. In this conversation, Richard reintroduces us to the power of poetry ... which, he warns, is not for sissies.
Episode Links
Richard's web site & blog: http://www.recoveringwords.com/site/
...
Secular Spirituality: Exploring Thomas Moore's "A Religion of One's Own"
With this episode we launch a new season of The Mystic Cave, with a look at Thomas Moore's 2014 book, "A Religion of One's Own"--for seekers who don't want to give up religious practice just because they've given up religion! In fact, Moore would say, we cannot escape religion, even in the secular world, because our souls will always seek out the sacred. But we can make it our own.
Resources:
Thomas Moore, "A Religion of One's Own," published by Gotham Books, 2014
Photo Credit:
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
Personal L...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 6, Part III--Homeward Bound
As David prepares to leave for home, he knows there is no going back. There is only going on, to wherever life is leading him next. But now, he looks forward to that mystery unfolding before him. He's faced it already, and he's found, in the process, his own soul.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Coming Home...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 6, Part II--Rock Bottom
David is breathing easier now. His days on the Coast are coming to a close and soon he will be heading home, and whatever that will mean. But first, he must face the one challenge that has eluded him. He is drawn one more time to the rugged shoreline.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Danger at the...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 6, Part I--"You Go Home Now"
Forgiveness is one thing, but penance is something else altogether. David faces the consequences of his actions, but that means facing his own humanity, which is perhaps what lies at the bottom of our deepest descent.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "The Way Home" by ZakharValaha" from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on Unsplash
...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 5, Part III--All the Way Down
David, desperate to regain some measure of control over his life, makes one last attempt to train his mind on his ministry. But it's futile. The darker forces of Soul will not be repressed by the lofty ways of Spirit. Inevitably, all hell will break loose.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Emotional Piano" by Lesfm from Pixa...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 5, Part II--The Messiah's Cellist
David's dark days are lightened by a beatific vision that raises new life within him. But not new hope. It's a vision whose fulfillment must be avoided, not embraced. Still, love will have its way, for better or for worse.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Motivational Inspiring Piano" by ZakharValaha from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 5, Part I--Christmas Redux
David continues on a downward spiral, all his grand Christmas plans crashing onto the rocks of his flawed humanity. There's not much to give him hope at this darkest time of the year. Except perhaps certain doors closing behind him. Doesn't that always mean new doors opening?
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Far From Home Acoustic Vers...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 4, Part III--"To Suffer”
Dark days bring with them dark thoughts, driving David inward. The sparkling lights of Christmas might have offered him a respite. Instead, like a lighthouse, they serve as a warning: Sailors Beware.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Under Pressure" by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on Unsplash
Personal Links
My web...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 4, Part II--New Challenges
David leans into his new job, with all its new possibilities. But a coastal ramble warns him that there are dangers here, too, if he's inclined to mind them. New possibilities seem to be accompanied by new risks.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Christmas Story" by Lesfm from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on Unspl...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 4, Part I--New Friends
David's West Coast days are beginning to work their magic on him. It's the long nighttime shadows that remind him he still has work to do. But his way is lightened by something he hadn't anticipated finding here--friends.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Peaceful Garden" by HarumachiMusic from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on Unsp...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 3, Part III--New Beginnings
David faces his two congregations without the practiced decorum he's used to. And he faces his family too, down the long line of a telephone call, without a decent excuse to call his own. Still, he's wondering if there might be something here, just beneath the surface, that's worth paying attention to, some new version of himself perhaps, something ... soulful.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 3, Part II--West Coast Wake
It is a week of 'firsts' for Father David, chief among them the loss of his honorific. He’s "just David" now. That will have to be enough as he strives to make his mark in his new community and in his new congregations.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Hard Working' Man" by Brooks & Dunn, from the al...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 3, Part I--Strange New World
The West Coast reveals itself to Father David in all its eccentric charm. But all the props he might have counted on, to guide him in this strange new world, will not help him here. His ministry--and his life--must now find some deeper source.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Morning Garden--Acoustic Chill," by Alexy from Pixabay.
...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 2, Part III--All the Way
The church mocks him, the mountains overwhelm him, but the West Coast welcomes Father David, as finally he arrives at his destination. It's not "home," but it may be a place where "home" will reveal itself.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Anthem of Victory," by ZakharValaha from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on Unsplash
...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 2, Part II--No Turning Back
As Father David heads west, through a landscape he has never seen before, what he has left behind him haunts him, like ghosts. But he can't afford to heed them, whether to welcome them or to exorcise them, not yet. He must press on.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "The Cradle of Your Soul," by lemonmusicstudio from...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 2, Part I--On the Road
Father David hits the road. He can't leave fast enough. His past assurances are crumbling behind him. His future is beckoning in new and terrifying ways. If we all must embark on a Hero's Journey, then , surely, this is his.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Sedative," by Lesfm from Pixabay
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on U...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 1, Part III--Outta Dodge
The ground has fallen away beneath Father David. His instinct is to flee, somewhere far away, to put distance between himself and all that is hurting him. But he can't flee from his own soul. Like with the ancient Israelites, it will "prevent and follow" him into the wilderness.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "Kabuki," by Serg...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 1, Part II--Losing Everything
Father David seeks sanctuary in the two places that promise him comfort when the world is unsettling--his church and his home. But trouble is brewing in both places, trouble from within and trouble from without.
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild," by Steppenwolf, from the album, Steppenwolf, 1968; licensed by SOCAN 2022.
Interlude: "The Introvert," by MichaelKobrin from Pixabay.
Photo Credit:
LandonParenteau on Unsplash
Perso...
PASSIONTIDE: Chapter 1, Part I--Something Happening
Father David is an earnest Anglican priest who is proud of his vocation and uncompromising in his ministry. But as he navigates his way through his daily tasks--a visit to a nursing home and a meeting of his local clergy colleagues--something feels off. The ground is rumbling beneath his feet. Is it the church that's changing, or the world, or is it him?
Making Contact:
Face Book: “The Mystic Cave” Face Book group
Web site: https://www.brianepearson.ca/
Email: mysticcaveman53@gmail.com
Music Credits:
Intro and Outro: "Born to be Wild...
Soul Encounter: Doug Van Houten on Becoming our Natural Selves
Doug Van Houten, a soul guide with the Animas Valley Institute, takes seekers out into the wild and, with only a bed roll and a water bottle ... leaves them there. He's not being cruel. In fact, he's being kind, providing an opportunity for people to have a soul encounter with the Earth. Not only do we need to know what the Earth asks of us, the Earth needs us to know that too.
Episode Links:
Animas Valley Institute: https://www.animas.org
Doug Van Houten: https://www.bodyartsoul.org
Resources:
Bill Plotkin, S...
Desert Spirituality: Richard LeSueur on the Hidden Wisdom of the Wild Places
We might think of the desert as a wasteland, a place devoid of life. But that's not how Richard LeSueur sees it. He's spent over thirty years not only studying the wilderness of the Middle East but leading pilgrims out into its vastness for overnight excursions. He knows that in the silence and apparent emptiness of the desert, the richness of one's own spiritual journey can only rise to the surface. After all, it was the wilderness that turned Jesus from a carpenter's son into the Son of God.
To see the topics covered in this conversation...
Getting Lost: Michael Trotta on the Art of Being in Nature
Becoming reacquainted with the natural world seems daunting at first. We've lived so long indoors, amusing ourselves to death with things that go Ping!, we've almost forgotten what it's like to be part of nature, how to be, what to do.
Michael Trotta, with whom I spoke last fall about myths and fairy tales, agreed to return to The Mystic Cave to give me a hand. A survivalist teacher and personal coach, Michael walked me through a program of reentry. First, I had to lose my busy brain with its grand delusions of communing with coyotes and...
Into the Wild: Ageing, Nature, and a Horse Named Jackson
I had started to think that my Nature Boy days were over. For one thing, I wasn't a boy anymore. And Nature seemed a lot less friendly than it used to, perhaps even malevolent. So why go out at all? Except, that way death lies. A slow death, my body atrophying by degree.
But Nature has begun calling to me anew, as if we weren't through with each other yet. In fact, my spiritual path "on the other side of church land" might be leading me, not just beyond the walls of the church, but right back...
Raising Hope: Poet Juleta Severson-Baker on the Power of Words
Hope is sometimes harder to define, out here "on the other side of church land," but it's not hard to find. At Easter, in church services across the land, worshipers joyfully rise to sing "Jesus Christ is Risen Today! Alleluia!" as if that's all the hope we really need. Meanwhile, among those of us who feel less sure about what Jesus' resurrection has to do with the rest of us, we look instead, not to some eventual rising from the grave, but to the seeds of new life hidden deep within this mortal frame, even within death itself. In...
