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Steve Taylor: The Evolutionary Impulse to Awaken

Steve Taylor is a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in the UK and the author of many books, including The Fall, The Leap, and Waking from Sleep. With Sounds True, he has published the audio program Return to Harmony: From Turmoil to Transformation. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Steve and Tami Simon talk about the concept of spiritual awakening: what it means, the different ways it arises, and how it changes a person’s day-to-day life. They also discuss why the most common and sudden form of awakening occurs during psychological distress and trauma. Steve describes his concept of a “wakeful self system” that comes online after a spiritual awakening and how this corresponds to the concept of the higher self. Finally, Steve and Tami speak on spiritual awakening as a part of the evolutionary process, including Steve’s thoughts on humanity’s historical relationship to wakefulness and the joyous possibility of an “evolutionary leap” to come. (65 minutes)

Karen Johnson: The Jeweled Path: Meet the Diamond Appr...

Karen Johnson is a co-developer and long-time teacher of the Diamond Approach, a spiritual and philosophical modality that strives toward inner realization. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Karen speaks with Tami Simon about the experience of developing the Diamond Approach into what it is today, including how she first met Hameed Ali—the man who would take up the pen name A. H. Almaas. Drawing on her recently released book The Jeweled Path, Karen relates how she discovered presence in the midst of great turmoil, as well as how that discovery set her on a lifelong path of spiritual inquiry. Tami and Karen discuss the principles behind the Diamond Approach, including an explanation of “wisdom vehicles” and how they manifest in the course of daily life. Finally, they talk about the Diamond Approach’s stance on ultimate truth and how Karen hopes the Approach will impact the world. (67 minutes)

Steven Kotler: Flow, Ecstasy, and Adult Development

Steven Kotler is a journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and the director of research for the Flow Genome Project. His many books include Tomorrowland, Abundance, A Small Furry Prayer, and Stealing Fire. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon talks with Steven about his interest in “flow states”—those states of consciousness in which we act largely without thought, purely in the moment, and at the peak of our abilities. Steven draws upon his personal experience of healing from Lyme disease to illustrate the many beneficial ways these states can be harnessed. Tami and Steven discuss the steps necessary to achieve a flow state, as well as how these experiences fit into the “ecstatic spectrum” of states characterized by selflessness, timelessness, and lack of ego. Finally, they speak on the tricky proposition of using psychedelics to induce a flow state and whether there are better alternatives—especially in the treatment of psychiatric conditions such as PTSD. (58 minutes)

Sera Beak: Bringing Your Soul Home

Sera Beak is a scholar of comparative religions who has conferred with shamans, monks, and mystics the world over. She is the author of The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark and Red Hot and Holy: A Heretic’s Love Story. With Sounds True, she has most recently published Redvelations: A Soul’s Journey to Becoming Human. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Sera about the fragmentation of the soul and the journey that Sera undertook when she realized that pieces of her own soul had gone missing. They discuss the passage of core wounds between lifetimes and Sera’s experiences of remembering and reclaiming Sarah, the forgotten daughter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as a lost part of her own soul. Sera describes how she reckoned with her experiences—first wanting to not share them with anyone else, and then growing into the realization that to not do so would be to abandon a key part of her essential self. Finally, Tami and Sera talk about how to embody true, divine love and how this eternal love transmits through “the organic lineage” of all life. (61 minutes)

Edward Espe Brown: No Recipe

Edward Espe Brown is a renowned chef and Zen teacher who is best known as the first head cook at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. In addition to writing several cookbooks including the classic Tassajara Bread Book, Edward founded Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. With Sounds True, he has published No Recipe: Cooking as Spiritual Practice. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Edward about Zen teachings on what it means to have to feel our way through the dark—both in the kitchen and on the spiritual path. They talk about cooking as a form of offering and why working with food can be one of the most potent ways to express our hearts in wholeness. Edward shares what he learned in his turbulent first days as the head cook for a spiritual community, including insights from his first Zen teacher, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Finally, Edward and Tami discuss what it means to seek out our heart’s true desire, as well as how to embody that search in all that we do. (72 minutes)

Gustavo Ferrer: Making Peace with Death

Gustavo Ferrer, MD, is a pulmonologist who specializes in end-of-life care and has been named one of the best doctors in the nation—including Most Compassionate Doctor—by US News & World Report. With Sounds True, he has published Graceful Exit: How to Advocate Effectively, Take Care of Yourself, and Be Present for the Death of a Loved One. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon talks with Dr. Ferrer about our society’s anxiety around death and how he tries to alleviate it for both patients and their families. Dr. Ferrer advocates strongly for a conscious approach to dying, especially when it comes to getting one’s affairs in order so that death does not become even more of a burden for loved ones. Tami and Dr. Ferrer also discuss the need for open, honest conversations about dying and why this can actually help alleviate our fears around the process. Finally, Dr. Ferrer recounts the time he spent with the Warao people of South America as a young medical student, describing how their acceptance of death and grieving as a people greatly influenced his current approach to end-of-life care. (60 minutes)

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