Western Baul Podcast Series

There is a Crack in Everything—That’s How the Light Gets In: The Myth of Self-Perfection (Matthew Files)

This iconic lyric from a song by Leonard Cohen hints at the cracks in our self-image: the wounds, weaknesses, and apparent flaws which we usually want to ignore or cover up. Rather than trying to fix ourselves or perfect some image that we have, can we simply see the cracks for what they are, let the light in, and allow the light within us to shine out? Matthew has facilitated spiritual groups that support people to look deeper into their process, formulate their own questions, and become responsible for their choices.

My Body is a Temple: Creating a Life of Practice (Christina Sell)

The body as a temple is a metaphor in many spiritual traditions. We can build a temple of the body dedicated to our heart's intention, inner freedom, and self-knowledge through a life of practice. But how can any practice we engage shift us from perfectionistic notions towards greater compassion for ourselves and others? True practice needs a solid foundation and to focus on the highest spiritual principle. Christina has been teaching yoga for over twenty years and is the author of three books on yoga and body image: Yoga from the Inside Out, My Body is a Temple, and A Deeper Yoga.

Be Kind, Be Generous, Be Tender-Hearted (Rick Lewis)

There is a tendency to judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. But we can learn to extend the kindness that we have within us to others, despite any fear and insecurity, in order to embody that which we intend to be. We can explore mechanics that continue to separate us and keep us in a comfort zone. Rick provides inspirational presentations for conferences and events. He has been deeply involved in a few spiritual communities and is author of You Have the Right to Remain Silent, The Perfection of Nothing, and 7 Rules You Were Born to Break.

Neither Attracted nor Repelled—The Value of Cultivating Equanimity (Nachama Greenwald)

Equanimity is a principle that is woven into the dharma of many different traditions, including Buddhism and yoga. We are all subject to what attracts and repels us, what we push away and what we grasp for. Our daily experience of life is our mirror, gauge, and training ground. We can learn to ride the waves of experiences of fixation and reactivity in a world of polarities, develop discrimination, and live in a bigger world. Nachama is a physical therapist, editor, and musician who was a member of the Shri blues band for seventeen years

Following a Path with Heart—Reflections on Castaneda’s Literature (Karl Krumins)

Castaneda’s stories about his experiences with his teacher, Don Juan, illustrate spiritual principles through use of specific language that we can consider in self-study: tonal and nagual (which comprise the totality of ourselves), seeing, death as an advisor, losing self-importance, stalking, stopping internal dialogue, dreaming, assemblage point, warriorship, omens, man of knowledge, etc. Karl Krumins has been a spiritual practitioner for forty years. He lived in India for seven years and has a passion for considering the essential similarities of spiritual traditions.

Traps on the Path (Karuna Fedorschak)

It is inevitable that we bring our conditioning, beliefs, and life experience to the path, but inner work involves an examination of the way that we relate to spiritual teaching through the filters of mind. This talk covers six basic traps outlined by Lee Lozowick: unrealistic expectations, a tendency to idolize, mistaking intellectual understanding for bodily knowledge, the seduction of peak experience, thinking one is a special case, and needing approval rather than trusting one’s work. Karuna Fedorschak was a singer and musician in the Western Baul bands LGB and Small Change and author of Parenting: A Sacred Task.

Confirmation Bias (Bandhu Scott Dunham)

Working with confirmation bias, the tendency to look for validation of our worldview, involves examining assumptions we make about ourselves and reality and the inclination to seek, interpret, and remember information which confirms our particular perspective. But the spiritual traditions point to an underlying Organic Innocence or openness to life and the possibilities that lie beyond our own biases. We can learn to be vigilant and courageous and to step outside the limits we have created to have a deeper experience of the world. Bandhu Dunham is author of Creative Life and an internationally recognized glass artist and teacher.

The Possibility of Inner Freedom through Recognizing Ego Insubstantiality (Vijaya Fedorschak)

Survival is the first concept that a child is impressed with when he or she is born. This talk considers the formation of ego, principles of ego functioning and the search to substantiate itself, practical work with our condition of assumed separation, and the spiritual freedom pointed to in the traditions. Only the universal process that can resolve the human dilemma; yet, something is required of us to open to a deeper truth. VJ is author of Shadow on the Path and Father and Son.

Tantra and Ordinary Life (Angelon Young)

Tantra works with both duality and non-duality, with both the immanent and transcendent aspects of the Divine. It involves gathering and focusing one’s energy toward a specific aim. The whole purpose of tantra is to be in relationship with Truth. In this talk, Angelon Young discusses principles of tantra, one of the most misunderstood teachings of the East. Angelon is a workshop leader, editor, and author of As It Is, Under the Punnai Tree, The Baul Tradition, Caught in the Beloved’s Petticoats, On the Road to Enlightened Duality (e-book), and Krishna’s Heretic Lovers, a novel.

Spiritual Authority (Regina Sara Ryan)

“What Is Spiritual Authority? How to Recognize and Use It.” While taking responsibility for our lives is a necessary part of the spiritual process, there is also a need for help to realize the presence of the divine and who we are beyond our identifications. In this talk, Regina Sara Ryan considers the question of our own trustworthiness and the trustworthiness of spiritual authority on the path. Regina is the author of Igniting the Inner Life, The Woman Awake, Praying Dangerously, and Only God. She is a workshop leader, editor of Hohm Press, and a former Catholic nun.