In the quest for spiritual growth, the quest for truth does not seek conclusions but rather opens the path to deeper questions. In today’s episode, I explore the vertical imagination of the French philosopher Henry Corbin. Using his book The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism, I explore his understanding of what it means to be human and to walk the spiritual path.  

This exploration happens through the mythology of the Exile, as seen through Sohravardī’s Recital of the Occidental Exile. The Exile represents the soul's journey trapped in a well, constrained by oppressive forces, yet seeking light and liberation through spiritual ascension. The Exile is a metaphor for the soul's struggle against the forces of conformity and forgetfulness, ultimately striving for reunion with the Divine, symbolized by the quest for the "Emerald City" or “the Cosmic North”. Corbin illustrates this as a battle of consciousness, where mystic awareness resists the secular forces that try to reduce the individual to madness or heresy. On the other hand, the Seeker is portrayed as a fragment of divine light, searching to reunite with the source of all light. This mystical journey leads to a profound cosmic salvation where the individual, transcending geographical boundaries and personal limitations, reaches a direct relationship with the divine. In this transformation, the "man of light," or the subtle body, emerges—an essential aspect of spiritual development that allows one to perceive and experience the spiritual realms. Through these narratives, Corbin emphasizes that the spiritual path is not a collective journey, but a deeply personal one, where the seeker must confront their inner darkness and strive to manifest their light. In the end, the seeker’s relationship with the divine is intimate, unique, and unshareable, a relationship defined by love, the highest expression of being.

For more information on Rick Alexander, check out wwww.rickalexander.com

You can find today's intro and outro music here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1b5jf2kJ73trBAbME4eSSq?si=b6283c50a12f47a7

In today’s episode, I am joined by Tom Cheetham, an author, teacher, biologist, and poet whose work delves into the role of creative imagination in human life and culture. During our conversation, we explore Henry Corbin’s concept of the Imaginal realm, discussing its profound implications for how we perceive and engage with reality. We also examine the necessity of moving beyond consensus reality in spiritual life, as well as the limitations of both religious and scientific fundamentalism.

The best way to stay in touch with Tom's work is by subscribing to his Substack @ https://www.tomcheetham.com/blog, or you can check out his books by clicking here

To engage with Rick Alexander's work, check out www.rickalexander.com

The intro and outro music for today's show is the song Divide by Odesza featuring Kelsey Bulkin

Today's show is about exploring the archaic worldview. When the ancient way of seeing is recovered, the sacred is made visible. 

For more content or to work with Rick Alexander, visit www.rickalexander.com

To sign up for the upcoming Psychology of Cannabis workshop, click here

Sources mentioned in today's show:

Hatab, Lawrence J. Myth and Philosophy: A Contest of Truths. Open Court, 1992. 

Homer, Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics, 2nd edition, 1998.

Krell, David Farrell. “Martin Heidegger the Anaximander Fragment.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics, vol. 1, no. 4, 1973, pp. 576–626

Leland, John. “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Apr. 2022.

Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, et al. The Birth of Tragedy, and Other Writings. Cambridge, University Press, 2019. 

Vervaeke, John. Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, YouTube,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54l8_ewcOlY.

In today's show, I feature another Deep End episode with Dr. Danielle McGinnis, where she and I talk about the psychology and spirituality of Pornography and porn addiction. 

For more from Rick, go to www.rickalexander.com

In today's Deep End episode, Danielle McGinnis and I discuss our views of embodiment on the psychological and spiritual path. 

Today's episode is another Deep End Podcast with Dr. Danielle McGinnis. In this show, we talk about the relational dynamics that result when only one person in the relationship is committed to 'inner-work'.

For more content and coaching from Rick Alexander, click here

In today's Deep End episode with Dr. Danielle McGinnis, we discuss themes around Memorial Day and how to make sense of our experience with the holiday through a psychological lens. 

For more info and content from Rick Alexander, click here

For more info and content from Dr. Danielle McGinnis, click here

Today's episode is another 'Deep End Podcast' with myself and Dr. Danielle McGinnis where we discuss the nature of the psychic complex and the way it impacts our ability to love.

To explore the work of Rick Alexander further, click here

Today's episode features another 'Deep End' podcast with Dr. Danielle McGinnis where we discuss some of the mythic motifs surrounding the Easter story. 

To join Danielle and I's upcoming book club, click here

For more info, content, or to inquire to work with me, click here

Today's teaching comes from chapter 15 of my latest book Ambitious Heroes and Heartache.

For more content from Rick Alexander or to inquire about working with him, click here

Today I talk about how analytical psychology can help the Western person better understand Eastern philosophy, especially in reference to the Chakra system found in Kundalini Yoga. This episode is based heavily on the work of Carl Jung (cited below) and the teaching comes from an academic paper that you can find here.

For more content or to inquire to work one on one with me, click here

Sources mentioned in this show:

The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga

The Secret of the Golden Flower

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Integrative Spirituality 

Today I chat with Dr. Daniell McGinnis for another Deep End episode. Our topic today is spiritual materialism. 

To sign up for our upcoming book club, click here

For more information about working with me, click here

Today's episode is a talk given by Rick Alexander for the Myth Salon on September 30th 2023.

See the full description here:

In 1932, C.G. Jung first put analytical psychology in dialogue with Tantra through his lectures on Kundalini Yoga. Tantra and the Path of Individuation is an attempt to dream that conversation forward, asking essential questions about how the Tantric worldview might inform our models of psychic development and the unfolding of our personal myth. In this lecture, we will look at and contemplate the psychological and spiritual path in light of these two philosophies. As Tantra and Jungian Psychology come together, the seeker is given new images to see by and imagine their individuation. This new way of seeing includes a reorientation of one’s relationship to the body, to one’s own desire—which can be seen here as the fuel for individuation—as well as a reorientation of the ego’s relationship to the Soul. 

Use this link to watch the original video version: https://youtu.be/Uth-_u4PTjo?si=Ti6t7Pxjlj6FRS8Q

Intro and Outro music is Royals by The Vitamin String Quartet

Today's teaching is a reflection on our Western models of reality and how they might hold us back from experiencing the fullness of who we are and what this life is about. 

To sign up for the upcoming book club, click here

To engage more with the work of Rick Alexander visit www.rickalexander.com

Today's teaching comes from the third patriarch of Zen, Seng-Ts'an, and focuses on the role of acceptance in the spiritual path.

To  register for Danielle and I's upcoming book club on Trauma and the Soul, click here

To engage more with Rick Alexander's work, click here

Sources mentioned in the show:

The work of Eknath Easwaren 

The work of Tara Brach

Stephen Batchelor's Buddhism with beliefs

Intro music

Outro music

In today's episode, Dr. Danielle McGinnis and I talk about our recent tour of Carl Jung's house, using the episode to talk about his life, work, and philosophy. 

To engage more with the work of Dr. Danielle McGinnis, click here

To engage more with Rick Alexander's work, click here. 

In today's episode, I talk about the role of trust in the transformational journey. In order to talk about the importance of trust, I use lecture material and quotes from Alan Watts. 

Sources:

Click here to learn more about my lecture series on transformational work

Click here to get my book Ambitious Heroes & Heartache

Click here to hear my spoken word album The Devastated Kingdom

Click here to listen to the Intro / Outro music

Click here for the full Alan Watts lecture

Today I air chapter four from my latest book Ambitious Heroes and Heartache. 

To check out my new lecture series ReBirth; Psychological and Spiritual reflections on Transformational work, click here.

Today I use Homer's Odyssey to talk about the spiritual path to liberation by comparing the story with a lecture given by psychotherapist Polly Young-Eisendrath called The Spiritual Adventure of Being Human. 

To sign up to be notified when my Transformation Lecture Series drops, please click here.

To apply to work with my one on one, click here.

Sources:

The Odyssey 

Lecture by Polly Young-Eisendrath 

Today I offer some reflections on a sermon written by Martin Luther King Jr. called Love in Action. 

Sources:

Strength to Love by Martin Luther King Jr.

The outro music is Mountain to move by Nick Mulvey

In today's show, I use comparative mythology and depth psychology to talk about the process of learning to let go while on the spiritual path.

To sign up to be notified when my transformational lecture series drops, click here.

To inquire about one on one coaching, click here.

To check out my newest book, click here

In today's show, I share some of my own reflections on the contemplative path as well as some wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita that I am currently working to integrate. 

Links & Show Resources:

To apply to work with me directly click here.

To sign up to be notified when my next lecture series drops, click here

To join the next cohort of our book club, click here (kicks off on Nov 14th!)

To check out the Art of Contemplation by Richard Rudd, click here

To learn more about the Gene Keys, click here

In today's show, I continue last week's teaching on changing your disposition so that you approach your life as if it were an adventure.

To sign up to be notified when my transformation lecture series drops, click here.

To inquire about doing one on one work with me, click here.

To sign up for Danielle and I's upcoming book club, click here.

To get a copy of Ambitious Heroes and Heartache, click here

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Simon Yugler, author of "Psychedelics and the Soul." As a seasoned psychedelic facilitator and therapist, Simon brings a wealth of expertise to the discussion. Together, we delve into the transformative potential of psychedelics, examining their capacity to facilitate encounters with mythic realms. We also explore how an understanding of mythology can provide valuable frameworks for navigating these experiences and fostering meaningful integration. Join us for an enlightening conversation that bridges the realms of psychedelics and myth.

For more from Simon Yugler, visit www.simonyugler.com

To work with or explore the work of Rick Alexander, check out www.rickalexander.com

Today's show is a teaching out of chapter 9 of my book Ambitious Heroes and Heartache.

To inquire about working with Rick Alexander, check out www.rickalexander.com

In this Deep End Podcast, I chat with Dr. Danielle McGinnis about the 'WWJD' phenomenon and what its decline might say about our culture's current level of consciousness.

To sign up for our upcoming book club, click here

To inquire about working with Rick Alexander directly, click here

Today's show features lessons from the tao te ching, as well as a breakdown of masculine and feminine energy dynamics.

If you are interested in working with Rick One on One, click here

For information on our upcoming book club, click here

To purchase the translation of the tao te ching that I quote in today's show, click here

To sign up to be informed when my transformation lecture series drops, click here

Today's episode is a recording of a past workshop where I explored what it means to identify your personal call to adventure. 

To sign up for my upcoming lecture series on the psychological and spiritual realities of transformation, click here

To inquire about doing one on one work with me, click here. 

Today I reflect on the symbolism that comes forward in the myth of the Phoenix. 

To be notified when my 5 part lecture series on the psychological and spiritual realities of the transformation process, click here.

For the written version of today's essay, click here.

Today's intro music was by Super Duper, find it here.

Today's show is a teaching based on my book Ambitious Heroes and Heartache. 

To learn more about Rick Alexander, click here.

The outro music is by Nick Mulvey, listen more here

In today's episode, I share an essay about the necessity of development in masculine psychology.

If you are interested in learning more about developing masculine psychology, click here

 To learn more or work with Rick directly, click here

Today's show explores the spiritual path which underlies and transcends most of the world's great religions. 

To apply to work with me one on one, please fill out this form.

If you are interested in the Clarity Academy, click here.

For today's Intro music click here

For today's outro song, click here

Today I read Joseph Campbell's version of the Buddha Myth and relate it to our own spiritual path. 

To get an audible version of my latest book, click here.

To register for my upcoming workshop, click here.

Sources & Links:

Intro / Outro Music

The Hero with A Thousand Faces 

Today's episode is about the individual's quest for higher consciousness.

Sources & Links:

• To sign up for my upcoming workshop series, click here.
• To engage more with my work, check out my book!
• Intro / outro music
• David Hawking’s Power Vs Force
• Ken Wilbur’s Integral Psychology
• Richard Rohr's Wisdom Pattern
• Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism

In today's episode, I use the spiritual teachings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite to make a case for the fact that you, everyone you've ever met, and everything you've ever known, is in fact, an outpouring of God's Erotic Ecstasy. As Paul D’Arcy asserts, “God comes to you disguised as your life." Today's show, which falls somewhere between an academic lecture and a sermon, attempts to explain how this might be possible. 

Sources:

For more information on Rick Alexander's work, check out Rickalexander.com

Today's show draws heavily from Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, which can be found anywhere books are sold.

The outro music is a song called Higher than the Mountains by Sam Garrett

In today's show, I break down some of the philosophical underpinnings behind the name of the show. I also talk about the value of our perspective, how our perspective is influenced by emotion, and what our personality structure has to do with our image of God.

Sources and links in the show:

• Intro music
• Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson
• Awakening from the meaning crisis (Lecture series)
• David Hawking’s Power Vs Force
• Ken Wilbur’s Integral Psychology
• Outro Song
• To engage more with my work, check out my new book!

Friends, this episode is just a short message to say thank you for following my work and for engaging in these ideas. I am making a slight pivot and going forward this show will be called A Thousand Names for God. It will be dedicated to exploring mysticism, mythology, spirituality, and psychology. 

Today I welcome trauma-informed life coach Juliane Dallas back to the show. To listen to our previous podcast, click here.

To check out Julianne's upcoming nervous system recovery program, click here. 

Today I talk about how previously patterned ways of being may come back after being disrupted. 

To learn more about the Clarity Academy, click here

Today I am joined by coach and podcast host Lyssa Scott. We discuss the creative process, how to create from a heart-centered place, how to monetize creativity, and how to stay inspired, among many other things.

To check out Lyssa's podcast, click here

Today I shed some light on the formation of the human ego and why it tends to keep us from experiencing a sense of wholeness.

To check out my latest book which I quote in this episode, click here

Today I talk about how different levels of awareness and understanding change the way that we hear advice.

To register for the Clarity Academy, click here

Today I talk about the way that past experiences affect our ability to author a satisfactory life.

To learn more about The Clarity Academy, click here.

Today I discuss the archetype of the Good King as the basis for understanding fully developed masculine psychology. 

Today I discuss what goes into creating our internal narrative and how it affects our lives. 

To register for Race for the Future, click here

In today's episode, I talk with Rachael Spyker about psychedelic psychotherapy. Toward the end of the show we specifically focus on cannabis and MDMA. We also explore religious trauma and the search to find an authentic sense of self.

Rachael is a therapist in British Columbia, Canada. Learn more about her client work at Alchemy Psychotherapy by visiting alchemycounselling.ca. She is also the host of the Deconstruction Podcast where she explores the intersection of psychology, spirituality, and society. 

For more information about my work, check out rickalexander.com.

Today's intro and outro music is a song called Falling by ZenAware.

Today I chat with Dr. Danielle McGinnis for another Deep End Conversation. This time we talk about the denial and banishment of feminine consciousness. 

Human Design is a synthesis of ancient wisdom and modern science that sheds light on a person’s energetic makeup, as well as specific tools they can use to live at their happiest, healthiest, highest potential. It doesn’t change who they are; it teaches them who they are. It offers insight into what’s possible, and highlights the significance of understanding and living as the fullest expression of themselves.

Erin Claire Jones uses Human Design to help thousands of individuals and companies step into their work and their lives as their truest selves and to their highest potential. Her work as a guide, coach, and speaker has attracted a growing community of over 100,000 people who turn to her teachings for practical tools, digestible tips, and deeper self-knowledge they can access to live with greater ease and authenticity every single day. 

With work featured in Forbes, mindbodygreen, Well&Good, and Nylon; words shared on over 100 podcasts such as Almost30, That’s So Retrograde, Highest Self, and Chatty Broads; and conversations with crowds of hundreds around the world, Erin’s insights are highly sought-after because they make Human Design pragmatic, tangible, accessible — and immediately applicable to everyday life.

Today's show poses some thoughts on the difference between freedom and control and how they show up in our lives. 

Today I talk about some of the many reasons that we begin a growth journey and then seemingly abandon it. 

For more from Rick Alexander, click here