Every blessing to you at the start of this new year! I hope this day finds you well on your way to remember who you are, to claim your life's true purpose, and to offer your unique gift to the world. The world needs you.
And those bumps and scars you've picked up along the way? They're not ugly; they're the beautiful and necessary marks of your rebirth. For all the blessings you give to the world, may you yourself be blessed.
The Mystic Cave is a unique gift I feel blessed to be able to offer the world. It tracks my exploration of "the soulful terrain on the far side of conventional religion" and it shares that exploration with fellow seekers and travellers along this Unknown Path ... with you!
In one hundred and thirty-one podcast episodes over the last three years, we've spoken with ministers and mediums, with death doulas and Wall Street investors, with writers and poets, with visionaries and prophets. We've heard people's personal stories and considered their ideas. I've even shared a few of my own, a life's work in progress.
Along the way we've marvelled at the mystery of it all and asked more questions than we've been able to answer. We've inched our way toward a deeper appreciation of a world that is extravagant in its divine manifestations. Again and again, we've been brought to the threshold of wonder, which surely is the beginning of wisdom.
Looking ahead, I continue to be amazed at the opportunities that keep opening before us, the avenues that invite our exploration. Even when I fear we may be coming to the end of the podcast trail, new possibilities present themselves, often miraculously, and sometimes at the last possible moment.
Here, for example, is the line-up for the next few months:
Barry Foster, the best-dressed man in church land, on soulful habberdashery;
Teresa Hanlon, a female Catholic priest (you heard that right), on the spiritual power of the feminine;
Gareth Higgins, a writer and peacemaker, on the stories we tell ourselves that foster either fear or hope;
Jan Thompson, a Reiki Master and spiritual healer, on the healing power of our Higher Selves;
Ryushin, a Zen Master and medical doctor, on the use of natural psychedelics to aid and promote our awakening;
Wade Prpch, a modern-day shaman, on accessing the cosmic realms (and taking me with him on a two-part cosmic journey);
Jessica Waite, the memoirist of "The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards," on reconciling with the dead.
And those are just the episodes I know about! It is such an enormous pleasure for me to be engaged in this work. I am left with nothing but gratitude. So, thank you for reading these blogs. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Thank you for writing to me with your comments, your questions and, especially, with your own personal stories. I am deeply honoured to have such faithful, interesting, travelling companions.
And now, onward. New Years calls and the Path beckons. I'm even offering you a song to help guide and inspire us on our way. It's only a demo, as I continue to work on the arrangement. But nothing's perfect, right? Or, everything is. Either way, just press the Play button, below:
Brian, that is a beautiful song. Thank you. And your line-up of interviewees looks amazing and I look forward to every podcast. May the New Year bring you and Jean health, laughter and peace.