The Mystic Cave
An exploration of the soulful terrain on the far side of conventional religion. A sanctuary for seekers.
Episodes
174 episodes
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...
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 ...
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...
"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...
“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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
Edge Walkers: Eco-spiritual Director Sarah Lyon and the Call of the Wild
In inner city parks and in remote forest clearings people are gathering to remember their sacred connection to the Earth. Some call it "worship;" some call it "church." Sarah Lyon meets them there, to guide them to their soul's true home in the...
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Anne Boleyn: Martha Tatarnic's new book says we still need Anne, a revolutionary woman of power and influence.
The myth is that Henry VIII founded the Church of England because he wanted a divorce. The reality is that his second wife, Anne Boleyn, was using her influence with Henry to foment church reform in England, as on the Continent. That he thanked...
The Oracle: A Consequential Chapter from "Talking to Trees: A Journey into Soul"
With the reading of this chapter from my book, Talking to Trees, we close the sixth season of The Mystic Cave, even as the events described there opened up my spiritual path, leading me here. I hope you enjoy it. A...
Jules Howatt's Soulful Journey from Bruce to Julianna
Soul has only one agenda--that we live into who we really are and offer our unique gifts in service to the world. Soul is less concerned about the obstacles that that may plant in our path. So, for rugged mountain guide Bruce Howatt, the call t...
Christian Mystic Cynthia Bourgeault: Living Large in the Imaginal Realm
We dwell within a realm of spacious possibility; and it dwells within us. The mystic experiences this firsthand. So does any seeker alert to the subtle movements of the heart. Cynthia Bourgeault knows the territory well. She's lived it, and she...
Bill Plotkin: Soul Initiation and the "small opening into the new day"
Out here, on the far side of conventional religion, no path is more compelling than the one that leads us to know our natural place within the larger earth community. And there may be no better modern guide than Bill Plotkin, the author of four...
Native Ways: How Elizabeth Buller Page Found her Path by Returning to her Roots
The Indigenous culture that European colonizers encountered here in the New World, and then so brutally suppressed, is the very repository of wisdom we now need. Elizabeth Buller Page knows this personally. Deep into a midlife descent, Liz turn...
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 ...
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...
"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 ...
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,...
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...
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...
"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, ...
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...
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...
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,...
