Basecamp for Men E252: The Way of the Soul

E252: The Way of the Soul with Special Guest Dr. James Hollis

 

E252 Introduction

Today‘s episode is a special one for me as I get to speak with someone so well versed in depth psychology and the way of the Soul. To me, these interviews have a timeless quality to them as my guest and I talk about life’s most important questions and how a brave and sensitive Soul might go about navigating these questions and finding a true path for oneself.

We seem to be in the midst of a profound collective identity crisis. And I believe it is a calling back to Soul itself that will most help humanity emerge with new perspectives, new life, and a renewed sense of vitality and purpose. Turbulent times seem to guide and prod us to find our deepest resources within.

Before we get to our excellent guest, I wanted to read you a passage from one of his 19 books.

“As children we suffer the wounds of too-muchness or not-enoughness, feeling overwhelmed or abandoned, and wind up adapting our Souls to protect our wounds.

What a difference it would make in the life of the child, and of the whole world, if the parent could repeatedly, sincerely, say ‘You are brought into life by nature having all you need. You have a great force, a great spirit, a great energy within.

Trust it, stay in contact with it, and it will always lead you towards what is right for you.”

Profound words from a very wise man. Enjoy the interview.

Dr. James Hollis Bio-

My guest today is renowned author and teacher Dr. James Hollis. Dr. Hollis is the author of nineteen books (soon to be 20) and is a Washington DC-based Jungian analyst and speaker. Here is my interview with Dr. James Hollis.

 

Basecamp for Men E90: Body and Soul

E90: Body and Soul with Special Guest Beth Pettengill Riley

 

E90 Introduction

As a former athlete, I have always been appreciative of my body. I have long intuited that the body could be a portal into something vast and mysterious.  This ran counter to the old lower masculine, Cartesian way of looking at the body as simply a machine. A separate object set aside from one’s mental, emotional, and spiritual lives. The body, in this way of looking at things, is not sacred. It is just a thing.

While it is true that the body is a temporary vessel for our Soul and Spirit, to diminish the body or disregard it leaves us dry and up in our heads. How many men are smart but lack the juicy presence of being embodied? How might men continue our evolution with a proper reverence for earth, bodies, the sensuous, and the feminine?

I think we will need to build it like a muscle. Something that has atrophied but not left us. Presence and embodiment seem to be waiting for our collective discovery. Men are starting to find what we have left behind.

I have said this before on a number of episodes. We aren‘t going to be able to think our way along the faint trail of the Hero’s Journey. If we could think our way through it, we would have done that already. For aren’t we all really good at thinking about it all. No. We will need to navigate it with our hearts and our FELT sense. It is here that the body suddenly arrives as an obvious ally in our quest.

There are ways of discovering this aspect of yourself. Somatic movement is a growing field that carries much wisdom and gifts for our tribe. As my guest today so elegantly expresses, the body’s wisdom can be the path that takes you all the way to the top of the mountain.

Beth Pettengill Riley Bio

Beth Pettengill Riley is a global leader in Somatic movement education and therapy with over 40 years of experience facilitating workshops in Continuum, Yoga & Meditation. She is the author of the book A Moving Inquiry: The Art of Personal Practice and maintains a private practice in the Santa Cruz area teaching classes and workshops and assisting individuals in finding greater freedom of movement. Here is my interview with Beth Pettengill Riley.

E90 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Beth. To find her online classes or her great book A Moving Inquiry, which was created to help you create your own somatic movement practice, go to Beth’s website at www.themovingwell.com

To find out more about Somatic Movement, go to the hub of all things Somatic Movement at www.ismeta.orgIsmeta has a directory of practitioners in your area and a list of approved trainings in case you are looking to be trained in this exceptional work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basecamp for Men E29: Into the Mystic

E29: Into the Mystic with Special Guest Paul Dunion

 

E29 Introduction

I have long been attracted to teachers who aren’t afraid to explore psychological truths. Whether the teacher is considered a spiritual master, a mystic, a therapist,  or someone who can speak from the Soul, my heart has gravitated towards learning that feels deep and timeless.

And anything that runs counter to the shallow, banal, and distracting nature of our culture is like food for the soul. I want to feel that we are all on an adventure together, a collective Hero’s Journey that we all play an important part in.

In all of the wisdom traditions, there has been the talk of an awakening in the human Spirit.

A quickening in our learning. Consciousness seems to be entering a new phase and let’s be thankful for that. As a tribe, we are ripe for new information, new models for problem-solving, and new methods for transcending our habit of creating a sense of separation in the world.

My guest today is a gifted writer and teacher and someone I am excited to introduce to you.

Paul Dunion Bio-

Paul Dunion is the co-founder of Connecticut’s Men’s’ Gathering, a biannual Retreat for men that began in 1992. He is the founder of Boys To Men, a mentoring community for teenage boys. He’s been in private practice as a Psychotherapist for 37 years and is presently a faculty member for Mobius Executive Training.  His blogs can be accessed at the Huffington Post as well as Medium.com.

His next book: Wisdom – Apprenticing To The Unknown & Befriending Fate is due to be released in the summer of 2020.