Voices of Esalen Podcast

Paul Selig is considered one of the foremost mediums working today. He is the author of several extraordinary works of channeled literature, including I Am the Word, The Book of Love and Creation, The Book of Knowing and Worth, and The Book of Mastery.

Voices of Esalen host Sam Stern spoke to Paul at length about his work  before becoming a medium, when he was a well known playwright and director of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College.

They discuss the creative process and explore connections between creativity and the work of channeling before turning to the content of Paul's work and the remarkable message of his guides.

This is a must-listen episode for those who are fascinated by the art of channeling, and those who find their interest piqued by the message of the Word.

The music for this episode is Slow Dissolve, courtesy of http://www.purple-planet.com.

This week's episode is a special one. Voices of Esalen host Sam Stern is joined by Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, both brilliant writers and co-hosts of the podcast Dear Sugar Radio, an existentialist and compassionate take on the age-old form of the advice column.

Cheryl Strayed is well known for her memoir, the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild, which was made into a feature film released in 2014. She is also the author of Tiny Beautiful Things, Torch, and Brave Enough.

Steve Almond is the author of CandyFreak, My Life in Heavy Metal, God Bless America, and many other terrific books.

In their far-ranging conversation with Sam, Cheryl and Steve share their wisdom and convey their understanding of writing as an exploration of human nature and human experience.

Music for this episode is from Weinland - the track is Hardly Worth Saving used under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

"The purpose of THE MAX is to discover yourself beyond who you know yourself to be. It is a voyage through your own humanity—a journey to discover the extent of your self-expressive power."

Paula Shaw has been leading a workshop called "The Max" at Esalen for nearly 30 years. Today, we talk to her about the roots of The Max, touching upon her history with est and her experiences with the Actor's Theater of New York.

The music for this episode is Sleep Seeds by Graham Bole from the album "First New Day," licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

Ian-Michael Hébert, Property Development Manager at Esalen Institute, comes aboard to talk to host Sam Stern about the state of Esalen's campus renewal project, the challenges and triumphs of sustainable building, and plans for the future.

They discuss Stanislav Grof's holotropic breathing, shamanic portals, perinatal matrices, re-experiencing one's own birth, fatherhood and how amazing it is, visions of a post-capitalistic society, intergenerational alchemy, Ian-Michael's admiration for Dick Price and the Murphy family, his roots in the wilds of Alaska, Esalen as a refuge for revolutionaries, and much more.

The music for this episode is Dave Depper's All the Pieces Come Together, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Dr. Sam Berne is known internationally as a pioneer in vision science, integrative health, and subtle energy therapies. He has developed innovative methods for healing the mind-body-spirit through eye therapy.

In this episode, Dr. Berne talks through a process and offers concrete techniques to host Sam Stern to strengthen his vision, while exploring somato-emotional territory.

"When you can engage the powerful feelings of others without the need to control or tame them, that’s radical aliveness."

Ann Bradney is the founder and director of the Radical Aliveness Institute, where she facilitates challenging and exciting work that asks individuals to be fully present and honest to their energy and emotions.

"When you can learn to hold a space where conflict and challenge are welcome because they serve as doorways to fresh insights, that’s also radical aliveness."

The music for this episode is VYVCH's Barely Baked, included under an Attribution-NonCommercial License.

Michaela Boehm is a teacher and clinician specializing in deep intimacy and the art of maintaining healthy polarity within self and relationship.

She received a formal, classical Tantric education from a female teacher in a Kashmiri Shaivism tradition from the age of 16. She is also the co-founder of a Malibu celebrity drug rehabilitation center, and for 13 years has taught with David Deida.

This conversation is a lot of fun, and touches upon Michaela's life and her ten-year marriage, the possibility of healthy sexual media, polygamy and its pitfalls, and ways to maintain a healthy balance with a partner.

The theme song for this episode is Daily Beetle by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.

Look for upcoming workshops with Michaela Boehm.

Dr. Rick Hanson, author of Buddha's Brain and Hardwiring Happiness joins us to discuss neuroscience, love, happiness, and wisdom.

We get into a wealth of topics, including neuroplasticity, contentment, mindfulness, and basic practices that can enable us to better find happiness.

Theme music from Bensound.com.

Peter Meyers is the creator of High Performance Leadership Communication, and in this interview, he teaches several basic, effective tools to overcome fear of speaking in public.

Theme music from Bensound.com.

Environmentalist and Buddhist author Allan Badiner introduces the 2019 Psychedelic Integration workshop of which he was a catalyst to its creation. He introduces key speakers and discusses why psychedelics have become a key touchstone in society. Then listen to a brief sampler of some notable moments of the week’s keynote addresses.