The Knowing – Details, episodes & analysis

When attempting to work with the deceptive adversary that is our self importance it is necessary to have many tools. Practices like shadow exploration, working with the voice of impeccability, and virtue-based work can be immensely helpful (we’ll explore these a little later in the process), but for today’s practice we’re going to shift to a kinda fun and light-hearted way of loosening its grips on us: shape shifting.

Shamans throughout time have been able to release their attachment to form and shift their consciousness into alternate forms, and this is only possible because they have released their attachment to self and identity so completely. Through the process of consciously identifying with other energies or perspectives—that of the wind, the trees, other species, etc—we can practice this art, and come into greater awareness as to the impacts and effects that our egoic self importance is having on us.

Children practice rudimentary shape shifting all the time, pretending to be different energies and animals in play. The impact of this play is far from rudimentary or simple, however, and actually forms a necessary basis for relationship with all of life. Because of the hyper-availability of media and the general impacts of modern life I don’t think we are engaging in this play enough in both childhood and adulthood, and are instead becoming immediately focused on obsessed upon our self image and identity from a very early age. This practice track will take you into and through the experience of releasing attachment to form and self, and back into the fluid (and I don’t mean ‘gender-fluid’, please) and consciously connected reality that is the true, enemy-free state of human consciousness.

In this episode of the Initiated Series, we move from an exploration of initiatory tools and perspectives into a more direct focus on who and what helps and hinders us on this path.

Episode 5 is an introduction to our ‘one true enemy’. This enemy is elusive, wily, deceptive, and relentless, and is both exceptionally difficult to notice in ourselves and yet, paradoxically, quite easy to recognize in others. It is also an enemy of enormous appeal and seductive power: not a foe that fights us directly, but that consumes our energy and focus through deception and distortion, and that can corrupt our spiritual path entirely should we not be on the lookout for it always. It is an enemy that has been spoke and taught about for thousands of years, appearing in nearly every lineage of teaching I have come into contact with, though especially within that of Shamanism and Buddhism.

The rather astounding thing, I think, is that we seem to have come into a kind of adoration of this enemy in contemporary society, entirely forgetting the teachings of our ancestors and their wisdom with regards to its impact. I’m not a religious person, but if I was and I had any faith in the idea of the ‘end times’, I would be inclined to say that we are truly facing an ‘anti-christ’-like energy in our world right now in the form of our destructive relationship with this enemy, and how we are emphasizing the importance of its presence and demanding that the world around us revolve around it as well. Rather than exploring its damaging influence on us all, we are instead even encouraging our children even to uphold its perspectives and desires, and have become seemingly incapable of recognizing how far into its grasp we are placing ourselves.

Aligned with the characteristics of the ‘anti-christ’, this enemy looks like a beneficial and necessary thing, and yet it is entirely destructive. It will, ultimately, completely annihilate social bonds, relationships, and the potential for spiritual growth if we do not become aware of it.

And what is it? Self-importance, and our obsession with ‘identity’.

Join me for this exploration of how self importance (and its correlate, spiritual materialism) shows up in our experience, how it is functioning in our world, and some practices that might, hopefully, assist you in releasing its grip.

As I mention in this episode, many years ago my teacher told me that in the course of human evolution we would split, as a species, and walk down two roads. I have heard this sentiment echoed by many other teachers and lineages.

It has never felt more true than in the last two years, and I feel that we are watching (and participating in) that split, and it is unfolding in a truly immediate sense: there are those who are walking a path that I would perceive to be committed to (as Stella offers in this episode) a ‘Gaian’ philosophy, and those that propose that Trans-humanism and the products of ‘Science’ are what we should place our absolute faith in.

I will expose myself here as being one of the earlier, not the latter, and one who feels that the excessive use of Science without a fulsome acknowledgement of the limitations and functional challenges of that system poses an enormous threat to our survival. I think that our current system negates and oppresses the soul self within each of us, and is being driven by a megalomaniacal and deeply inaccurate perspective on reality. These systems can work together, certainly, but as it stands right now the prevalent ‘Scientific’ view leaves little room for the grander intelligence of the system as a whole and for the processes of the soul self, and that just won’t work.

I am deeply grateful and honoured to have Stella Osorojos Eisenstein, healer and sage, as a guest on the podcast for this episode. We explore Stella’s approach to healing and medicine, the necessity of befriending death within healing work, a beautiful demonstration (on me!) of her methods and approach, bringing the soul into medicine work, and much more. I hope you enjoy.

Well, hey friends. It’s been a hot minute, hasn’t it?

I’m not entirely sure where the last six months have gone, but my apologies for the abrupt and extended and unexplained absence. I’m so happy to be back here in this space with you all, and to share the powerful conversations and explorations I have lined up for the next while.

The Knowing is officially back with a whole new season, a shifted and updated format, and some really, really exciting (and provocative) conversations to share. Episode 1 starts the season off with a solo conversation, however, and an introduction to the focus of the next while.

In this first episode you'll hear all about:

• Where I’ve been hiding out for the last six months.

• An update on the second edition of the deck and the new cards.

• The emphasis of this season and the big questions we're going to be exploring with all new guests and teachers.

• The soapbox I've been hanging out on lately.. (let's still be friends after, please?)

So happy to have you here, and to be back with this offering. As always, please reach out if you have questions or comments by emailing hello@theknowing.ca or find me on Instagram @cielgrove.

love x

Amidst the craziness of spring up here there hasn’t been a lot of time for podcasts around here, but I was so very pleased and honoured to get to sit down with my guest for this episode, Asia Suler.

Asia is a brilliant teacher and practitioner based in West Virginia, and the creator of One Willow Apothecaries. She has studied with several lineages and styles of healing, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dreamwork, Shamanism, and classical Herbalism, and now offers courses and teachings integrating all of these practices into her unique syncretic offerings.

Apologies for the audio quality as Zoom was particularly glitchy on the day we recorded, but I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it!

You can find more about Asia and her work here, or follow her Instagram page for beauty, inspiration, and incredible content.

I hope this finds you all well, and enjoying the movement and release of the liver/spring/eclipse season if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere! It certainly seems to be a time of great awareness and expression of energy, coinciding rather perfectly with the easing of restrictions in many people for a significant shift!

(Not here in British Columbia…we are still very much restrained, but looking forward to movement soon!)

Another wonderful conversation with Allison here for you, during which we explore:

• The importance of asking and exploring the big existential questions

• Attempting to navigate the intersections of Buddhism and Shamanism (I think this will keep coming up…!)

• Exploring the meanings of words, both subconsciously and consciously, when exploring systems and their processes

• What a good use of power looks like

• The true purpose of coming into Knowing: to ‘forget’ the self, and move into service.

• One angle on ‘sacred wounds’ (let’s for sure mark this topic to come back to!)

Please reach out if you have questions, if you just want to say hello, or if you have suggestions on potential guests for the show! We love it all :)

Connect with us here:

Allison Strickland: Website and Instagram

Ciel Grove: Website and Instagram

Hey there lovely people.

We’ve been having some crazy technology issues in recording over the last while, but finally got things together to be able to have this fantastic conversation (minus a blip at the beginning where we had to switch to the ol’ school telephone…We’ll blame the moon, maybe).

Not sure what was in the air (or my water) the day we recorded, but we took on some really big topics in this episode, including:

- Exploring both the downsides AND benefits of Capitalism and our current system, and why that’s important to acknowledge.

-How we use our personalities as our path and as a tool for awakening, and how they can trap us.

-How scarcity mindset can be a place we stay, albeit unhappily, so as to avoid other feelings.

-Why it’s essential that we extract ourselves from this system and stop abiding by its dictates and values.

Preeeeeetty sure I’m going to people off with this one, and…pretty sure I’m okay with that. We need to be having difficult, nuanced conversations right now, and I hope you’ll experience this one with an open heart and mind, and send some feedback if you have it (positive or negative!).

All the love, always.

Connect with us here:

Allison Strickland: Website and Instagram

Ciel Grove: Website and Instagram

Lovely humans!

So happy to be back here in this space, and, apparently, using an entire hour of Allison’s life to get her to try to help me navigate the chaos in my life. Ahhh…it has been a time. A very good and potential-filled time, and a time with a lot happening as well.

In this episode we explore:

The realities of what ‘emancipation’ actually entails and requires

Exploration of the unexpressed childhood emotions, and how this happens

Releasing the idea of ‘heaven’ on the spiritual path

Relating nondualistically to the karmic experience

…and, of course, so much more. Apparently when I’m in therapy and I just talk and talk and talk….

So much love to you all. Thanks for the support, big time.

I first encountered David Richo’s work many years ago, amidst a period of my life where I was, admittedly, not much of a functioning adult. Crippled by fear and self doubt and seemingly unable to offer consistent presence to the people in my lives, I ordered his book, ‘How to be an Adult’ praying that there would be something sacred within its pages. I was far from disappointed.

I can credit his writings (I went on to devour and apply the principles offered in many more of his works!) with some of the most significant shifts in my relational abilities and understanding of self, and I was overjoyed that he was willing to come on to the show to have a conversation.

My teacher always told me that each person had three unique medicine gifts that they were to figure out in this lifetime, and that our gifts are just as variable as human nature in form and function. It has been my journey to come to know and practice my gifts, and now to help others in articulating and offering theirs too.

We will certainly return to this topic in future episodes, I’m sure, but Allison & explore a bit of this topic in today’s episode, along with some other wonderful conversation:

• Exploring the value of emptiness in spiritual practice, and the difficulties inherent in approaching this topic

• How emptiness relates to the Divine Feminine, and offers answers for suffering

• What guides us to our soul, and, ultimately, to our gifts

• Yet another little tidbit of Ciel’s sordid personal past…

Love you all.

Connect with us here:

Allison Strickland: Website and Instagram

Ciel Grove: Website and Instagram