On this episode of Point of Relation, Thomas is joined by author, poet, ordained Zen Buddhist priest, teacher, and artist, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. They discuss the gateways in Zenju’s life that put her on her spiritual path. Zenju beautifully describes the joyful curiosity of spiritual inquiry, and the power of ritual and ceremony to create sacred spaces where collective pain and trauma can be expressed, witnessed, and healed. She explores the rhythmic quality of ritual and meditative practices, and how they can help us access a deep silence from which creativity and presence naturally emerge. She and Thomas also explore the accessibility of meditation, the benefits of ancestral healing, and the spiritual qualities of social justice work.   ✨ Registration is open for Thomas’ all-new, live online course: The Spiritual Healing Journey Learn more and sign up here: 

EP43|  Zenju Earthlyn Manuel | Paths to Healing: Contemplation, Mysticism, and Ritual

Point of Relation podcast illuminates the path to collective healing at the intersection of science and mysticism. Host Thomas Huebl welcomes visionaries, innovators, artists, and healers for deep conversations about how we can activate our shared intelligence to meet the most pressing challenges of our time.

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Thomas guides you through a meditation to connect you to your physical body, and then expand out to include your emotional system, exploring your emotional landscape. Which emotions are you comfortable with? Which would you rather avoid? You’re encouraged to approach this meditation with openness and curiosity.   ✨ Order Thomas’ new book, “Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma–And Our World” here: 

Meditation: Mapping the Emotional System

Thomas shares his understanding of the nature of trauma and what is most essential for us to heal as individuals and as a collective.  He explains that trauma is not something that should be stigmatized, but is actually an intelligent evolutionary response that has helped humans to survive overwhelming and painful experiences. But when these events are not fully felt, processed, and integrated, they become frozen in our subconscious, making us reactive to triggers, and causing us to become either hyperactivated, or dissociated and numb.  Thomas explores how we can learn to instead be responsive to these moments, absorbing crucial learning from our reactions, giving us the space and awareness to be present, related, and open to inspiration for constructive solutions and positive change. ✨ Order Thomas’ new book, “Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma–And Our World” here: 

What Do We Mean by Trauma?

On this episode of Point of Relation, Thomas is joined by Andrea Gibson - one of the most celebrated and influential spoken word poets of our time. They discuss how Andrea’s cancer diagnosis resulted in a profound spiritual transformation stemming from a liberating feeling of acceptance. She also explains how this shift radically changed her writing and performances. Andrea shares stories and poetry that illuminate their unique perspective on death and grief, imploring us to face the unknown with curiosity and courage, and stop fighting against the circumstances of life. They and Thomas explore how welcoming feelings of grief and embracing mortality can enable us to truly cherish our lives and relationships, and imagine a world filled with wonder and awe. ✨  Enrollment is closing soon for Thomas’ live, online course: Navigating the Levels of Trauma Healing.  

Andrea Gibson | Befriending Mortality

Thomas is joined by Francis Weller, MFT - a psychotherapist, soul activist, and author of the bestselling, The Wild Edge of Sorrow. They discuss the need to return to a communal, ritual model of witnessing and processing grief. Francis explains that grief requires two things: containment, and release, and he shares how a structured grief ritual creates a supportive space where grief can be honored, held, and digested. Francis calls this the “village mind” - a communal field that invites us to let go of our individualistic notions about healing. In this context, we can be reminded of our interconnectedness, opened to transmissions from our ancestors, and more receptive to intuition and creativity. Francis invites us to see our collective crises as an initiation and grief as a reminder of the depth of our love. By understanding generational trauma, and slowing down to engage in communal practices, we can face these dark times with the courage and creativity needed to step into a radically new world.   ✨  Enrollment is open for Thomas’ upcoming live, online course: Navigating the Levels of Trauma Healing.  

Francis Weller | Grieving in Community

Thomas examines the relationship between technological innovation, creativity, and trauma healing. He explores how trauma hinders our ability to evolve, update, and grow, and how advances in technology have outpaced the ethical maturity of our collective consciousness.  He emphasizes the need for our societies to integrate collective and ancestral trauma so that we can stop repeating cycles of harm and learn to use our technology wisely.  Thomas stresses that this is possible and that creativity and art can help us to “speak the unspeakable” and harvest essential learning from the frozen wounds of the past. This episode is part three of a four-part series on Technology, Innovation, and Consciousness. ✨  Enrollment is open for Thomas’ upcoming live, online course: Navigating the Levels of Trauma Healing.  

EP43| Zenju Earthlyn Manuel | Paths to Healing: Contemplation, Mysticism, and Ritual

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