A dialogue between artist Chuck Ceraso and Daniel Lev Shkolnik on the nature of spiritual awakening and consciousness. Chuck had an awakening experience in college which for a time destabilized his life. Afterward, he began his path to return to that state of awareness and discovered that his practice of painting was no different than his spiritual practice. Now, when he teaches others to paint, he not only teaches the craft but how to perceive the world from that state of op...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Daniel speaks with Eliot Red about his transition from the rationalist movement to a broader way of looking at reality and what prompted him to make that shift.
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Crossbones Cemetery sits in the heart of London, and thanks to two decades of activism, John Constable has helped transform this outcast's burial ground into a protected sacred space. Memoria Symposium - https://youtu.be/PXFlNnTxW3E
Dec 15, 2021•57 min
How does the faith, fanaticism, and utopic vision surrounding crypto-currencies mirror age-old patterns of religious fervor and salvation? Daniel talks with Devin Singh, an associate professor of religious studies at Dartmouth and author of "Divine Currency: The Theological Power of Money in the West."
Dec 02, 2021•36 min
Yannick Jacob is an existential coach. He talks about how to apply this 20th century philosophy in a practical way to help us find a greater sense of meaning and purpose in our lives.
Nov 16, 2021•38 min
Paul Bulencea speaks about creating the College of Extraordinary Experiences—an immersive, Harry-Potter-style conference around experience design. But even more interesting than his work with the College is his work with nature. He reaches a level of connection with the natural world that is astoundingly intimate and deeply profound.
Oct 27, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Think and Grow Rich was a seminal book of American success and self-help literature that Napoleon Hill wrote in the wake of the Great Depression to help Americans pick up and start their lives over. I discuss the book and its ideas with Mitch Horowitz and what role it can play in peoples' lives as they strive to recover from the COVID pandemic.
Oct 21, 2021•51 min
Daniel speaks with Professor David Potter about his new book which looks at five periods of major historical change to better understand when and where the next big change might come from.
Sep 22, 2021•33 min
What does it take to free-climb El Capitan? What does it take to survive a Vietnamese POW camp? How do seemingly regular people rise above and beyond to achieve seemingly impossible things? In this episode, I explore some of the psychology of setting fantastically audacious goals—and achieving them.
Aug 25, 2021•30 min
Our brains have a difficult time subtracting. It's often easier for a doctor to add a medication than figure out which to take away. It can take less brain power to rent another storage unit than sort and throw out old stuff. Yet research shows that subtraction can be key to finding the optimal solutions to problems. Professor Leidy Klotz joins Daniel Lev Shkolnik on Re-Enchantment to share a positive take on subtraction.
Aug 18, 2021•36 min
We used to sit around fires and tell epic stories of mythic heroes. Today, our most widespread epics play out on our glowing screens. It's no surprise that when we try to find heroes and ethical role models to emulate, sometimes the first person that comes to mind is a fictional one. Whether it's the noble Jedi knights defending the Republic, wise Gandalf fighting for Middle Earth, or Patrick Stewart bringing diplomacy to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, these fictional figures play an import...
Aug 11, 2021•33 min
Yes, there is an answer. No, it's not 42. ~ If you’re interested in more go do my website daniellevshkolnik.com where you’ll find more of my writing and ideas, as well as info about how to work with me one-on-one.
Jul 14, 2021•24 min
Why is it that we idolize heroes, but when we want to be a hero ourselves it can feel immature or grandiose? In this episode, I breaks down six components of mature heroism and what differentiates it from immature heroism. ~ And go check out the new website at: reenchant.life
Jun 30, 2021•22 min
Despite our access to information (or because of it?) bad ideas spread faster than ever. Andy Norman's new book, Mental Immunity, seeks to give readers tools to strengthen their mental immunity so they're less likely to become unwitting hosts to self-perpetuating and potentially harmful ideas. Buy Mental Immunity and help support the how by going to - https://bookshop.org/shop/reenchantment And check out Andy's new nonprofit dedicated to cognitive immunology - https://cognitiveimmunology.net/...
Jun 23, 2021•30 min
A bonus episode where we get into all our favorite aspects of the Jewish and hermetic Kabbalahs we didn't have time to talk about in the main episode.
Apr 28, 2021•37 min
This episode is about the difference between Jewish Kabbalah and the hermetic Kabbalah. Daniel and Mike talk about why this difference matters and how can understanding these relatively obscure traditions show us how to create rich ways of interpreting—and re-interpreting—our world.
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Religious traditions often promise the immortality of the soul. More recently, technology has been promising the immortality of the mind. But some philosophers believe that immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Specifically, they argue that if nothing can be lost, then nothing really matters. They say it's our finitude—not our immortality—that makes life worth living. Mike Myers and Daniel Shkolnik delve into what immortality might be like and whether it's something worth wanting.
Apr 21, 2021•38 min
Mike Myers is back on again. We kick off the episode with words from Maynard James Keenan, the lead sing of Tool: "If you don't believe in magic on some level, your art probably sucks." It's a bold claim, but it speaks to the intersection (and equivalence?) of art and magic. And listen to Mike's new album on Spotify by searching "Cracks in the Real" or by following this link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7zQyJitKz7WRtSLUr6PCA3?si=EKCVOcbFSnekJ3UUKBAjCg
Mar 31, 2021•50 min
Jeffery Kripal is a religious studies professor at Rice University and he studies everything from UFO encounters to Tantra to Christian homoeroticism. I deeply enjoyed reading his ideas in his book "Secret Body"—a book about all his other books.
Mar 17, 2021•40 min
Ezra Bookman, ritual designer and founder of Ritualist, talks about his view on the seven components of ritual and the ethics of creating ritual spaces in corporate settings. ~ Read more about the cult-like culture of WeWork: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/11/inside-the-fall-of-wework Read more about the demise of SoulCycle: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22195549/soulcycle-decline-reopening-bullying-bike-explained
Mar 09, 2021•33 min
Father Adam Bucko is a committed voice in the movement for the renewal of Christian Contemplative Spirituality and the growing New Monastic movement. My conversation with him was one of my favorite from the Open Div Summit and I'm happy to share it with you here. The Open Div Summit is done! You can access around 70 pre-recorded conversations with academics, thought leaders, and practitioners by searching "Open Div Summit" on Spotify or Anchor.fm.
Mar 03, 2021•33 min
This episode is dedicated to the Open Div Summit! The summit is happening Thursday Feb 25th - Sunday Feb 28th. To help make sense of the many amazing speakers and live events we've organized, I've decided to list some of my favorite pre-recorded talks and the live events I'm looking forward to most. Register for free and view the full schedule for yourself at summit.opendiv.org — I'll see you there!
Feb 24, 2021•20 min
This episode is an exclusive sneak-peak at the Open Div Summit I'm co-hosting at the end of this month, Feb 25-28th. Register for the summit by going to Summit.OpenDiv.org — it's free and welcoming to those of any faith and no-faith.
Feb 17, 2021•42 min
How does a two-millennia old myth find relevance in the modern age? Gnosticism can be interpreted as both a critique of an overly simplistic, human-like God, and an empowering story about our own participation in the ongoing creation of reality.
Feb 10, 2021•31 min
Gnosticism was believed to have been lost to time—a relic of history—until two boys stumbled upon a hidden library in the desert. Enter into the Nag Hammadi Library, where the scrolls are kept in jugs, where God is not necessarily good, and where Jesus might have something to say about gender fluidity. Welcome to the esoteric world of the gnostics.
Feb 03, 2021•20 min
On psychedelics, people claim they see the face of God. They claim the existence of energies and universal consciousness. But if you're a naturalist like Dr. Chris Letheby, how do you interpret these experiences? Daniel speaks with Chris about naturalizing psychedelic spirituality and making it applicable to those skeptical about supernaturalism and yet find immense value in psychedelics.
Jan 27, 2021•54 min
Science fiction isn't just entertainment. It's not just about technology. It's also about imagining, and reimagining, the future. That future includes the ways in which we live together and the ways in which we fulfill our spiritual needs. Daniel speaks with Taj Smith about Afrofuturism, alternate paradises, who gets to be human (and who doesn't). — https://bookshop.org/shop/reenchantment
Jan 20, 2021•37 min
The Urantia Book appeared in the 1950s. It doesn't have a known author. It doesn't have churches or temples built in its name. What it has is 2,000 pages of imaginative writing that tries to combine spirituality with science. Angie Thurston speaks about what lies between the covers of the Urantia Book and why she accepted it as her central spiritual text later in life.
Jan 13, 2021•34 min
Philip Morris is the CEO of Proctors, the largest performing arts organization in the Capital Region of New York. He helped lift a struggling theater from the brink of collapse, and with it, revitalize downtown Schenectady and beyond. What's more, he did it with a care and loyalty for his employees and the surrounding community that's often talked about but rarely practiced.
Jan 06, 2021•29 min
Most people know about Richard Dawkins's atheism. Few people know about his spirituality. I speak with Professor Eric Steinhart about his new book, "Believing in Dawkins: The New Spiritual Atheism." In Dawkins's writings, Steinhart sees a grand but fragmented vision for what lies beyond atheism. He attempts to collect and connect these fragments to create a "cathedral of mind" that could rival, and even surpass, theism. — Listen to my bonus conversation with Steinhart by becoming a Patreon subsc...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 1 min
