#41 | The Journey of Soul Initiation - Bill Plotkin (Soulcraft)

06/11/21 • 79 min

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My guest today is Bill Plotkin, PhD, a depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and founder of western Colorado’s Animas Valley Institute.

Bill has led thousands of women and men through nature-based initiatory passages, and is the author of number books, including Soulcraft, Nature and the Human Soul, and Wild Mind.

In our conversation today, we discuss his recent book The Journey of Soul Initiation, which distills decades of his insights into human development and the mythopoetic relationship between humanity and ecology.

We explore the Five Phases of what he calls The Descent to Soul, including Preparation

Dissolution, Soul Encounter, Metamorphosis, Enactment. We compare his model and the significant differences between Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, along the challenges of navigating through each stage of development.

And finally, Bill names the blessing and burden it is to take on one’s own unique ecological niche, and how this invites us to become visionary artisans of cultural evolution.

Support this podcast http://patreon.com/ianmack
Join the Network http://themythicmasculine.com/network

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe

My guest today is Bill Plotkin, PhD, a depth psychologist, wilderness guide, and founder of western Colorado’s Animas Valley Institute.

Bill has led thousands of women and men through nature-based initiatory passages, and is the author of number books, including Soulcraft, Nature and the Human Soul, and Wild Mind.

We explore the Five Phases of what he calls The Descent to Soul, including Preparation

And finally, Bill names the blessing and burden it is to take on one’s own unique ecological niche, and how this invites us to become visionary artisans of cultural evolution.

Support this podcast http://patreon.com/ianmack
Join the Network http://themythicmasculine.com/network

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe

Previous Episode

#40 | Before The Patriarch, The Trickster - Allan Chinen (Beyond the Hero)

My guest today is Allan B. Chinen, a psychiatrist in private practice in San Francisco and Clinical Professor Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

He has lectured extensively and presented numerous workshops on the role of myths, fairy tales and legends on our life stories. He the author numerous books, including In the Ever After: Fairy Tales and the Second Half of Life, and Beyond the Hero: Classic Stories of Men in Search of Soul.

In our conversation today, we explore the relationship between the Hero and the Patriarch, and men’s initial fear and fascination with the Feminine. We unpack the tales that may guide men’s roles at mid-life, after the Hero has come home. And finally, we reach further back into the time before civilization, wherein lies the deep masculine wisdom of the Trickster.

Support this podcast http://patreon.com/ianmack
Join the Network http://themythicmasculine.com/network

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe

Next Episode

#42 | Attuning to the Deep Feminine - Maya Luna (Holy Darkness)

My guest today is Maya Luna, a poet and creator of the Deep Feminine Mystery School.

She has also authored a book of poetry, OMEGA: Feral Secrets of the Deep Feminine and released a spoken word album, Holy Darkness: A Tantric Opus.

In our conversation today, we discuss how to tune into the frequency of the Deep Feminine, through the gateways of the senses. We speak of the historical consequence of literacy on the cultures that venerated the Goddess and the subsequent rise of distorted masculinity. We wonder on the original trauma that may illuminate the gender conflict still unfolding today, and the Madonna/Whore split that many women (and men) are seeking to integrate.

And finally, Maya shares one of her powerful poems on the truth of Feminine power.

Join the Network http://themythicmasculine.com/network
Support this Podcast http://patreon.com/ianmack

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themythicmasculine.substack.com/subscribe