Episode description

Talking points: collapse, culture, masculinity, psychology, Jung

There are very few people out there I consider genuine, authentic elders. Francis Weller is one of them. With a perfect marriage of gentle compassion and firm sincerity, Francis is the man you want to share a campfire with when times are tough. He lays out what we’re facing collectively from the perspective of someone deeply in tune with the natural world, and how we need to respond.

(00:00:00) - Why we’re in “the long dark”, and what needs to dissolve collectively

(00:09:04) - Navigating the things that are negatively affecting the psyche, and “death cafes”

(00:14:40) - What Francis has been noticing and gathering from our current times 

(00:21:03) - The balance between being aware of what’s going on and catastrophizing

(00:27:31) - Is talking about collapse and degrowth inherently anti-American?

(00:34:49) - How does someone stay present and grounded in the face of a collapse, and how people normally navigate

(00:44:09) - How do you find satisfaction without relentless pursuit? How do you get okay with “adequate”?

(00:50:30) - Francis on the nuance and variance of masculinity and masculine culture

(00:56:31) - How to be the medicine, and how to develop a deeper relationship with nature

Francis Weller, MFT, is a psychotherapist, writer, and soul activist. He is a master of synthesizing diverse streams of thought from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous cultures, and poetic traditions. Author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow, The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation, (with Rashani Réa), and In the Absence of the Ordinary, he has introduced the healing work of ritual to thousands of people. He founded and directs WisdomBridge, an organization that offers educational programs that seek to integrate the wisdom from indigenous cultures with the insights and knowledge gathered from Western poetic, psychological, and spiritual traditions. 

Francis received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and two Master’s Degrees from John F. Kennedy University in Clinical Psychology and Transpersonal Psychology. His writings have appeared in anthologies and journals exploring the confluence between psyche, nature, and culture. He is currently completing his third book, A Trail on the Ground: The Geography of Soul.

He has created three CD sets, two focusing on healing shame and one on “Restoring the Soul of the World.” His latest offerings are a 10-session audio series on "Living a Soulful Life and Why It Matters." and ​"The Alchemy of Initiation: Soul Work and the Art of Ripening."

Connect with Francis:

-Website: https://www.francisweller.net/

-Books: https://www.francisweller.net/books.html

-Programs: https://www.francisweller.net/programs--workshops.html

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