The Mystical Positivist
The Mystical Positivist is hosted by Stuart Goodnick and Dr. Robert Schmidt and explores how reason and rational thinking can support rather than contradict deep spiritual practice. Episodes mix commentary, book reviews, interviews, and conversations with people from the local and wider spiritual community. The show's central thesis is that rationality is not the opposite of mystical experience but a necessary ally to it. It is aimed at listeners interested in thoughtful, grounded discussion of spiritual development.
Episodes
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #445 - 29AUG26
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a discussion from the Western Baul Podcast Series featuring Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick. The title is "Conversation as Spiritual Practice: The Legacy of Robert Daniel Ennis"
July 4, 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Tayu Meditation Center by Robert Daniel Ennis. Mr. Ennis dated the 200th birthday of Amer
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #444 - 22AUG26
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Kenneth Hillsman, a diviner in the Dagara West African tradition. Kenneth was born and raised in Tennessee as a preacher’s kid in a very religious family. In college while taking African studies classes, he read Elder Malidoma Somé’s first book, Of Water and Spirit, which planted the seeds for what was to come. Whi
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #443 - 11JUL26
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and author the recently released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. In today’s conversation, we discuss the challenges of spiritual practice in the modern world. Among the topics we cover are the contrasting roles of religious and spiritual practice, the crisis of meaning in contemp
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #442 - 18APR26
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with author, Peter Russell, about his latest book, How to Meditate Without Even Trying (An Eckhart Tolle Edition), just released from New World Library. The refreshingly simple approach that Peter unfolds in his book replaces effort with ease and reminds readers that true peace of mind is closer than they might ima
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #441 - 13DEC25
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Red Hawk, acclaimed poet and the author of 13 books, including Self Observation, Self Remembering, The Way of the Wise Woman, Return to the Mother, and Book of Lamentations. Of Self-Observation and Self-Remembering, he writes, “Every living thing is surrounded by a vibratory atmosphere, a
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #440 - 29NOV25
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Abby Havermann, speaker and podcaster, on the challenges of going through life in a waking dream and how practices like Self-Observation and Self-Remembering can metabolize the dream and restore our lost sense of presence. Abby Havermann is a psychotherapist, coach, and speaker who focuses
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #439 - 15NOV25
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest Stephen Aronson about his new book, AS INSIDE, SO OUTSIDE, AS ABOVE, SO BELOW – Reconciling Science and Spirituality through Consciousness, published by Karnak Press in 2024. This series of essays represents perspectives from Stephen’s half-century in the study of psychotherapy a
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #438 - 08NOV25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Donna McLaughlin, Mahamudra teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition. Donna was first introduced to the Dharma in her teenage years. In 1970, having finished college, she travelled overland to India. After attending retreats in Bodhgaya with S. N. Goenka, she stayed at a Buddhist mission outside Delhi. Several peo
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #437 - 01NOV25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Layne Negrin, author of Gurdjieff in Tibet. Divided into three parts, Part One looks at the evidence of Gurdjieff's presence in Tibet, Part Two researches the direct students of Gurdjieff who explored Tibetan or other Buddhist sects to one degree or another, and Part Three is a collection of comparative studies sho
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #436 - 18OCT25
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a discussion from the Western Baul Podcast Series featuring Rob Schmidt and Stuart Goodnick. The theme is “The Crisis of Continuity of Wisdom” and the description is as follows:
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus asserted that it’s impossible to step twice into the same river. In other words, flux is all. In terms of religious
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #435 - 20SEP25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with David Paul Coleman, professional astrologer, practitioner and teacher in the magical tradition of Franz Bardon, and author of The 26 Keys – The Magic of the Astral Light: A New Approach to Astrology. David has been a professional astrologer for 35 years and a practicing magician for much of that time, having first
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #434 - 30AUG25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded in-person conversation with OM C. Parkin at Gut Saunstorf near the Baltic in Germany. We discuss the intention behind Gut Saunstorf as a modern monastery, the impact that digitization in the external world has on our ability to do internal work, and more.
OM C. Parkin is a renowned European wisdom teacher and the initiator of
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #433 - 19JUL25
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a talk given by hosts Stuart Goodnick and Robert Schmidt at Many Rivers Books & Tea on July 10, 2025. The talk title is The Practice of Patriotism, and the description is as follows: The present moment is fraught with political tension and polarization. Many of us are left wondering what it means to be an American. Sp
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #432 - 14JUN25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Kenan Azam, host of the Potential Paradigms Show. In this discussion, we explore Kenan’s spiritual journey from a secular upbringing in the Pakistani part of Kashmir, to the worlds of academia in Canada and the US, and then through deep engagements with the traditions of Advaita Vedanta, Kashmiri Shaivi
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #431 - 31MAY25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Neil Douglas-Klotz about his latest book, The Aramaic Jesus Book of Days – 40 Days of Contemplation and Revelation, published this year by Hampton Roads. This latest volume offers new translations from Jesus’ native language in the form of a meditation a day, an oracle, or a guide for a 40-day retreat.
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #430 - 17MAY25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with David Brazier (aka Dharmavidya), author of many books including The Dark Side of the Mirror: Forgetting the Self in Dogen's Genjo Koan, Authentic Life: Buddhist Teachings and Stories, and The Feeling Buddha: A Buddhist Psychology of Character, Adversity and Passion. In this wide ranging discussion we cover Dharmavi
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #429 - 12APR25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Billy Wynne, author of The Empty Path: Finding Fulfillment Through the Radical Art of Lessening, published this year by New World Library. Providing an antidote to our never-ending quest for more, mindfulness teacher, successful entrepreneur, and Zen Buddhist Billy Wynne shows that embracing emptiness can decl
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #428 - 01MAR25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Bob Noha, co-editor of and contributor to Aikido – The Art of Transformation: The Life & Teachings of Robert Nadeau, published recently by Park Street Press, a division of Inner Traditions. A widely influential figure in the development of Aikido in America, Robert Nadeau is known as one of the few American dir
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #427 - 15FEB25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Lama Lhanang Rinpoche and Mordy Levine, authors of The Beginner’s Guide to Karma – How to Live with Less Negativity & More Peace, published recently by New World Library. Twenty-six centuries ago, the Buddha fleshed out the universal law of the spiritual realm: karma. The law of karma holds that our a
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #426 - 01FEB25
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Roger Jackson, author of Saraha – Poet of Blissful Awareness, published this year by Shambhala as part of its Lives of the Masters series. Saraha, “the Archer,” was a mysterious but influential tenth-century Indian Buddhist tantric adept who expressed his spiritual realization in mystic songs (dohas) that are
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #425 - 16NOV24
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, hosts Stuart Goodnick and Rob Schmidt feature two episodes from the Western Baul Podcast Series recorded earlier this year. In the first hour we present the talk, Cultivating Transparency: Realizing the Emptiness of the Stories You Tell Yourself, and in the second hour we present the talk, Languaging Nonduality. The podcast descriptions
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #424 - 09NOV24
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a prerecorded conversation with OM C. Parkin on the challenges and paradoxes around languaging Non-Duality and how to tune into the silence between the words when engaging with a sacred text.
OM C. Parkin is a renowned European wisdom teacher and the founder of the mystery school, Enneallionce, and Gut Saunstorf, a modern monastery. His boo
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #423 - 12OCT24
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and author the recently released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. In today’s conversation, we discuss Ken’s recent English translation of The Diamond Sutra from the Tibetan and his development of a new commentary. The Diamond Sutra is one of the most influential early Mahayana sut
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #422 - 14SEP24
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Moss Campion aka Peter Cohen, author the newly released book, Blindspot: Through the Wormhole of Science and Religion. Blindspot exposes the unseen distinctions that exist among the ways that people seek the Big Answers to the questions posed by life, the universe, and everything. When most people speak
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #421 - 20APR24
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and author the newly released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. In today’s conversation, we unpack a compelling quote from Ian McGilchrist’s book, The Matter with Things:
If you had set out to destroy the happiness and stability of a people, it would have been hard to improve on ou
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #420 - 02MAR24
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Sessei Meg Levie, head priest of Stone Creek Zen Center in Graton, CA. She assumed this role in April 2022, succeeding Dojin Emerson and Korin Pokorny, who had served in the role since 2014. Sessei serves with Founding Teacher Jisho Warner to offer the Dharma through talks, classes, individual practice discus
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #419 - 17FEB24
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with John Friedlander, author of Recentering SETH: Teachings from a Multidimensional Entity on Living Gracefully and Skillfully in a World You Create But Do Not Control. The Seth books, channeled by the late Jane Roberts in the 1970s, galvanized a whole generation of spiritual explorers. The entity known as Seth t
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #418 - 10FEB24
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Rawn Clark, author of A Bardon Companion: A Practical Companion for the Student of Franz Bardon's System of Hermetic Initiation. The Franz Bardon series of books on Magical Arts, Initiation into Hermetics (IIH), The Practice of Magical Evocation (PME), and The Key to the True Qabalah (KTQ), are considered by
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #417 - 03FEB24
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Terje Tonne, author of the newly published book, Rodney Collin: a man who wished to do something with his life, from Karnak Press. Rodney Collin, a key figure in the history of esoteric thought and the Fourth Way tradition, is best known for his seminal works, The Theory of Celestial Influence, and The Theory
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #416 - 27JAN24
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a recording of a live video stream with OM C. Parkin kicking off his new online series, Meeting with Teachers – Navigating the Wisdom Path. In this first installment, the Mystical Positivist hosts converse with OM about his book, The Birth of the Lion, as well as many profound aspects of his teachings on inner stillness.
OM C. Parkin is a re
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #415 - 20JAN24
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Theresa Dintino, co-author of the newly published ebook, The Oscan Oracle: from the Ancient Janarra of the Moon. In this wide ranging and remarkable conversation, we discuss her latest book, the nature of lineage, Dagara Stick Divination as a way to connect people to their true lineages, cultural appropriation and
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #414 - 16DEC23
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Robin Bloor about his latest book, Gurdjieff & Kundabuffer – Food for the Moon. Bloor writes: “The idea that mankind is ‘food for the moon’ seems, when you first encounter the idea, to be ridiculous. Nevertheless, it may well be so… To understand this theory, one needs on the one hand, to examine it from
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #413 - 17JUN23
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and author of the newly released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. In today’s conversation, we explore four ways of working in spiritual practice sometimes characterized by the archetypal forms of the King, the Warrior, the Magician, and the Lover. We discuss how these ways, Compassion, Wil
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #412 - 18MAR23
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, author of the newly released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. The Magic of Vajrayana weaves original translations of instructions, insightful commentary and context about key practices, and authentic personal experiences into a powerful transmission of this vibrant tradition of mystical practice.
One of t
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #411 - 25FEB23
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Jason Shulman, author of the 6-book series, Practical Guides to Enlightenment, Awakening, and Healing. Jason is an American spiritual teacher whose original work springs from his Judaic and Buddhist background. He is the founder of A Society of Souls: The School for Nondual Healing and Awakening, based in th
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #410 - 18FEB23
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Bernardo Kastrup, philosopher and author of many books and essays including, The Idea of the World: A Multidisciplinary Argument for the Mental Nature of Reality and More Than Allegory: On Religious Myth, Truth, and Belief.
Bernardo Kastrup is the executive director of Essentia Foundation. His work has bee
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #409 - 28JAN23
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Carol Squire, Sufi Dervish, Fourth Way teacher, Transactional Analysis (TA) facilitator, Sound healer, Reiki Master, Leader, Woman, Mother and a student just like all of us.
Carol Squire is also the co-founder of the International Akhaldans 4th Way School begun with Akash Dharmaraj in India. Together, they
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #408 - 21JAN23
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with William D. Glenn about his latest book, I Came Here Seeking a Person: A Vital Story of Grace; One Gay Man's Spiritual Journey, published by Paulist Press. William D. Glenn, a psychotherapist and spiritual director, is a longtime leader in the LGBTQ+ community. Influenced by Thomas Merton, Carl Jung, the Soci
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #407 - 24DEC22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Henry Schoenfield, ordained minister, spiritual director, and ICF certified professional coach, about the arc of his spiritual journey, the tension between an inner calling and the outer form that calling may take, and the challenges of inspiring modern American Christian congregations in the possibilities o
ChatGPT on Mystical Positivism
The following is a brief conversation with the newly released AI authoring tool, ChatGPT, on the topic of Mystical Positivism. Though ChatGPT will not profess knowledge on a non-existent topic, it seems very able to invent a response when requested. My questions are in red, and the ChatGPT responses are in green.What
are the basic tenets of Mystical Positivism?
I'm sorry, but I am not familiar wi
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #406 - 03DEC22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Mary Angelon Young about her recent book, The Art of Contemplation, published in 2021 by HOHM Press. In this compassionate and resourceful book, Angelon gently guides the reader into a larger awareness, reminding us of simple ways to stay grounded in the present moment and connect with what is real in an inc
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #405 - 12NOV22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Bruce Miller about his latest book, Uplift: How to Harness the Hidden Engine of Continuous Renewal, published this year by Miller eMedia.
After studying filmmaking and screenwriting at UCLA, Bruce Miller has spent his career as a brand strategist, media producer, writer, and marketing partner in an Atlanta
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #404 - 01OCT22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Neil Douglas-Klotz about his latest book, Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus – The Hidden Teachings on Life and Death, published by Hampton Roads.
Neil Douglas-Klotz, Ph.D. is a renowned writer in the fields of Middle Eastern spirituality and the translation and interpretation of the ancient Semitic languages
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #403 - 24SEP22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with OM C. Parkin about his upcoming October West Coast US visit and his recent book, Intelligence of Awakening - Navigating the Wisdom Path, published by Gateways Books & Tapes.
OM C. Parkin is a renowned European wisdom teacher and the founder of the mystery school, Enneallionce, and Gut Saunstorf, a modern
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #402 - 17SEP22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest Ken McLeod. Among the topics explored in this conversation are the engagement in spiritual practice with beings and deities, how to negotiate when entering into the ontology of a spiritual system, how to pray, the valuation implicit in focused attention, and the release of control in the deepening o
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #401 - 10SEP22
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, hosts Stuart Goodnick and Rob Schmidt feature a podcast they recorded on July 9th, 2022, for the Western Baul Podcast Series entitled Fourth Way Magic: How Hermetic and Indigenous Traditions Interface with the Gurdjieff Work. The podcast description is as follows:
The Fourth Way is a Western spiritual tradition founded by George Gurdji
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #400 - 25JUN22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest, Zen teacher, Brad Warner, about his latest book, THE OTHER SIDE OF NOTHING: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being, published this year by New World Library. In the West, Zen Buddhism has a reputation for paradoxes that defy logic. In particular, the Buddhist concept of nonduality — the realizati
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #399 - 21MAY22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Dean Sluyter, author of The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature, published this year by New World Library. Some of us were lucky enough to have one passionate, funny, inspiring English teacher who helped us fall in love with books. Add a lifetime of teaching Dharma — authentic, traditional approaches to medita
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #398 - 09APR22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Roger Jackson, author of Rebirth: A Guide to Mind, Karma, and Cosmos in the Buddhist World, published this year by Shambhala. This first-ever guide to ideas and practices surrounding rebirth in Buddhism covers the historical context for the Buddha’s teachings on the topic, explains what Buddhists believe is actuall
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #397 - 26MAR22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Dr. Asa Hershoff about his development of what he calls the 5-Element Energy Healing and Elemental Psychology system. This system posits a three-self model of the human being (Spirit, Essence, and Persona) in which the Essence has five modes of being corresponding to the five traditional elements (Ruler, Creator, L
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #396 - 26FEB22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest Ken McLeod in which we continue our ongoing discussion about the degree to which a transactional mode of being permeates our lives, relationships, and spiritual practice. We explore goals in relationship, the transactional as the currency of the Horizontal Realm, what a non-transaction way of living
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #395 - 12FEB22
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest Stephen Aronson about his new book, The Search for Meaning and the Mystery of Consciousness – A Psychologist’s Journey Through Gurdjieff and Jung, published by Karnak Press in 2022. This book explores the existential questions of reality, one’s purpose for existing, attention, co
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #394 - 15JAN22
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest Ken McLeod in which we delve more deeply into the nature of the Vertical and Horizontal dimensions of life, what this means in the context of spiritual practice, the nature of transaction as the currency of the Horizontal realm, how we might relate to a spiritual practice in non-transactional terms,
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #393 - 04DEC21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Michael Allswang, author of Symbolism: Modern Thought and Ancient Egypt. After much study, reflection, and also visits to many ancient Egyptian monuments, Michael has come to the conclusion that the development of consciousness was the essential project of the priests of ancient Egypt, and that one of the means the
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #392 - 27NOV21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Elliot Cohen, author of The Psychologisation of Eastern Spiritual Traditions: Colonisation, Translation and Commodification. This essential book critically examines the various ways in which Eastern spiritual traditions have been typically stripped of their spiritual roots, content, and context, to be more readily
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #391 - 20NOV21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Steve Taylor, author of Extraordinary Awakenings: When Trauma Leads to Transformation. In this book Steve shares dozens of amazing stories of individuals who “woke up” to profound transformation following bereavement, deep depression, suicide attempts, addiction, military combat, imprisonment, or other intense enco
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #390 - 30OCT21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Richard Payne, editor and contributor to the 2021 Shambhala publication, Secularizing Buddhism: New Perspectives on a Dynamic Tradition. This collection of essays explores how secular values impact Buddhism in the modern world, what versions of Buddhism are actually being transmitted to the West, whether it is poss
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #389 - 11SEP21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with returning guest Ken McLeod in which we discuss the role of Imagination in spiritual practice, the distinction between the Vertical and Horizontal dimensions of life and the modern struggle to imagine the Vertical dimension, how we might imagine a non-transactional embodiment of spiritual practice, and much more.
A
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #388 - 04SEP21
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with author, Peter Russell, about his latest book, Letting Go of Nothing: Relax Your Mind and Discover the Wonder of Your True Nature (An Eckhart Tolle Edition). Peter Russell is an author, speaker, and leading thinker on consciousness and contemporary spirituality. He believes the critical challenge today is fre
Rationality as a Necessary Ally to Mystical Experience
Recently in an online discussion, the thesis of our podcast came up and was the subject of some back anf forth comments. We state:The thesis of the show is that rationality is in no way the antithesis of deep mystical experience, in fact, we assert that it is a necessary ally.I realize that this description is provocative, and it is provocative in the sense of provoking the sorts of questions that
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #387 - 07AUG21
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with author, Pamela Logan, about her latest book, Compassion Mandala – The Odyssey of an American Charity in Contemporary Tibet. Pamela Logan can usually be found with her head in the clouds, moving uphill. At the age of 19 she took up karate while pursuing an engineering degree at Caltech. She later got an aero
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #386 - 24JUL21
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Zimbabwan healer, Mandaza Augustine Kandemwa. Mandaza is a spirit medium and medicine man from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. In Shona, his native tongue, he is known as a Mhondora, Svikiro, and Gombwa. He was initiated through the tradition of the njuzu, the water spirits. Mandaza carries with him in his heart the Cent
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #385 - 03JUL21
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Fiona Denzey, a long-time practitioner and teacher of the Gurdjieff Movements. Born into the Work, Ms. Denzey’s parents were founding members of the Gurdjieff Foundation of Toronto. At an early age, she was introduced to the Gurdjieff movements and received direct training from Mr. Gurdjieff's designated Move
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #384 - 12JUN21
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Robin Bloor about his latest book, Gurdjieff’s Hydrogens – Volume 1: The Ray of Creation. About the book, he writes, “Gurdjieff clearly wanted his pupils to try to understand Objective Science. He left two accounts of it. One adorns the pages of In Search of the Miraculous; the other merges itself into the te
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #383 - 29MAY21
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Professor Kate Crosby, author of Esoteric Theravada: The Story of the Forgotten Meditation Tradition of Southeast Asia. Theravada Buddhism, often understood as the school that most carefully preserved the practices taught by the Buddha, has undergone tremendous change over time. Prior to Weste
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #382 - 08MAY21
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded discussion with returning guests Anne Sweet and Amir Freimann about spiritual transformation through conversation. As Anne and Amir have found in multiple conversations with a number of spiritual exemplars that the interviewer/interviewee dynamic can somehow dissolve and give rise to a truly intimate and profou
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #381 - 01MAY21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Trevor Stewart, practitioner and writer in the Fourth Way tradition. Trevor Stewart has experience in both the Zen Buddhist monastic and Gurdjieff Work buy-a-farm-and-try-to-fix-it-up traditions. A longtime Beelzebub's Tales practitioner, he leads private online study groups. He presents regularly at the annual int
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #380 - 24APR21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ji Hyang Padma, author of Field of Blessings: Ritual & Consciousness in the Work of Buddhist Healers. Ji Hyang believes that we are hungry for a direct experience of the sacred in this culture. We try to fill the void with technology, and its “quick fix” of images and information. This leaves us hungry for true
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #379 - 10APR21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Christopher Pinard, author of Celtic Mythology for Kids: Tales of Selkies, Giants, and the Sea. Chris' interest in folklore and mythology began at a very young age when his mother first read the stories of the Mabinogion, Eddas, the Irish Mythological Cycle, and various collections of folk tales. Over the years, hi
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #378 - 03APR21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature feature a pre-recorded conversation in which Ken McLeod and Jim Wilson return to continue our discussion from several weeks ago. In this installment we go deep on the question allegorical thinking and the modern mind's difficulty with allegory. Only here will you find the subjects of Star Wars, the Borg from Star Trek, Game of Thrones, the functio
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #377 - 27MAR21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Jundo Cohen about his latest book, The Zen Master's Dance: A Guide to Understanding Dogen and Who You Are in the Universe. In The Zen Master’s Dance, Jundo Cohen takes us deep into the mind of Master Dogen—and shows us how to join in the great and intimate dance of the universe. Through fresh translations and spark
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #376 - 27FEB21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Theresa Dintino, author of the newly published book, Membranes of Hope: A Guide to Attending to the Spiritual Boundaries that Keep Life Systems Healthy from the Personal to the Cosmic. The membrane is a permeable boundary with intelligence and discernment that allows in or keeps out that which it senses is appropri
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #375 - 30JAN21
Podcast:
This week on the show on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with two of our favorite guests, Ken McLeod and Jim Wilson. Today we tackle a number of questions that have been bubbling up from the early days of Christianity through to the Reformation and into the modern epic. Topics include Faith versus Works as a path to salvation, what happens when Mythos is projected
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #374 - 09JAN21
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Father Joseph Azize, author of the 2020 book, Gurdjieff: Mysticism, Contemplation, & Exercises. Father Azize is a priest in the Maronite Catholic Church, working chiefly in the Chancery. He is also an honorary associate at the University of Sydney. For twenty-three years, he was a practicing attorney for the Co
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #373 - 05DEC20
Podcast:
This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Richard Whittaker in which he brings his considerable interviewing skills to bear on interviewing The Mystical Positivist hosts, Stuart Goodnick and Robert Schmidt, Spiritual Director of Tayu Meditation Center. Richard Whittaker is the co-founder, with Rue Harrison, of the non-profit "Society for theReCognitio
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #372 - 28NOV20
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Ken McLeod framed by two key questions. The first is whether mystics or mystically inclined practitioners have responsibilities to society and the World, and if so, what might those responsibilities be. Out of this question comes an extended exploration of what it m
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #371 - 26SEP20
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a telephone conversation with Barbara Du Bois. Barbara Du Bois, Ph.D., longtime teacher of Buddhadharma, is known for the clarity, freshness, humor, and fearless love with which she shines a frank Western light on the path. Her principal gurus are Padmasambhava, Milarepa, Machig, H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche, and H.E. Garchen Rinpoche. Barbara’s li
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #370 - 22AUG20
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Hersch Wilson, author of Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times. Hersch is a thirty-year veteran volunteer Firefighter-EMT with the Hondo Fire Department in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. He is also a story-teller, committed to explaining how First Responding can change how we see and experie
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #369 - 15AUG20
Podcast:
This week on the show, we present a pre-recorded conversation with Robin Bloor, author of To Fathom The Gist Volume III: The Arousing of Thought. In this book, Robin demonstrates a method of reading and comprehending the contents of G. I. Gurdjieff’s master work, All and Everything: Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson. Our conversation ranges from some practical insights from
The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #368 - 25JUL20
Podcast:
This week on The Mystical Positivist, we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Anne Sweet, Sydney-based artist and spiritual exemplar of living in the world from a point of view of transcendence. Of her spiritual life she writes:
I had a ‘change of identity’ about 15 years ago. This was very liberating for me, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was or what had happened.
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