The Mystical Positivist: February 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #59 - 25FEB12

The Mystical Positivist is now a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP 107.3 FM, Occidental, CA. Listen live on Saturday evenings from 4:00 - 6:00pm, PST, via the web at KOWS Live Stream.

This week's podcast features:

A conversation with Cynthia Bourgeault. Modern day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader, Cynthia Bourgeault divides her time between solitude at her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom path. She is the founding Director of both The Contemplative Society and the Aspen Wisdom School.

Cynthia is the author of seven books: The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, The Wisdom Jesus, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening, Mystical Hope, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Chanting the Psalms, and Love is Stronger Than Death. She has also authored or contributed to numerous articles and courses on the Christian spiritual life. She is a past Fellow of The Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN, and an oblate of New Camaldoli Monastery in Big Sur, California.

Cynthia continues to contribute to The Contemplative Society in her role as Principal Teacher and advisor. She passionately promotes the practice of Centering Prayer, and has worked closely with Thomas Keating, Bruno Barnhart, Richard Rohr, as well as many other contemplative teachers and leaders within the Christian tradition as well as other spiritual paths.

More information about Cynthia Bourgeault's work and interests can be found at:

The Contemplative Society website: http://www.contemplative.org/
The Aspen Wisdom School website: Aspen Wisdom School
Books by Cynthia Bourgeault

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #58 - 18FEB12

The Mystical Positivist is now a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP 107.3 FM, Occidental, CA. Listen live on Saturday evenings from 4:00 - 6:00pm, PST, via the web at KOWS Live Stream.

This week's podcast features:

A conversation with Cogen Bohanec. Cogen Bohanec, a teacher at Sonoma Yoga Martial Arts in Penngrove, California, is registered with the ISKF (International Shotokan Karate Federation) as a third-degree black belt (Sandan) in Shotokan karate. He has been studying Karate for the last 13 years under many highly venerated ISKF instructors, including Japanese masters who were among the first generation of Japanese Karateka to bring Karate to the U.S. and the rest of the world. Students who train under Sensei Bohanec receive insight to the highly refined technical aspects of the art as well as insights into the fundamental Zen foundation of karate, and its transformative power in daily life.

In addition to martial arts, Cogen Bohanec has been practicing Yoga for over 10 years. He began training with various teachers in Sonoma County in the hatha traditions of Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Sivananda Yoga and eventually lived and trained on an ashram at the base of the sacred Mt. Arunachala in Tiruvanamali, India. He has spent 13 years studying Eastern Philosophy (Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, etc.) becoming literate in Sanskrit, and memorizing the entire Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. He is currently studying Sanskrit and Eastern Philosophy at U.C. Berkeley, becoming versed in Indian Epic Literature (Mahabharata and Ramayana), Orthodox (Astika) and Heterodox (Nastika) systems of Indic thought, as well as the mythology, history and culture of India. He has worked to bring the incredible art of Yoga to hundreds of students over the last decade.

Cogen has spent over a decade training and performing in many forms of dance. Much of his formal training is in ballet though he is also well versed and certified in Jazz and Modern dance. Cogen's deepest passion for dance is for contact/acrobatic dance, and he is an expert at weight sharing, lifting, and stunt work. He was Co-director, Choreographer, and dancer for Grassroots Movement, a local dance company, for over 6 years.

More information about Cogen Bohanec's work and interests can be found at:

Sonoma Yoga Martial Arts website: www.sonomayogamartialarts.com

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #57 - 11FEB12

The Mystical Positivist is now a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP 107.3 FM, Occidental, CA. Listen live on Saturday evenings from 4:00 - 6:00pm, PST, via the web at KOWS Live Stream.

This week's podcast features:

A conversation with Mirabai Starr. Author of critically acclaimed new translations of the Spanish mystics, and reflections on the unifying teachings at the heart of all spiritual paths, Mirabai Starr uses fresh, lyrical language to help make timeless wisdom accessible to a contemporary circle of seekers.

Mirabai has been an adjunct professor of Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos since 1993. Her emphasis is on making connections between the perennial teachings found at the heart of all the world’s spiritual paths, in an effort to promote peace and justice.

Mirabai speaks and teaches nationally and internationally on the teachings of the mystics and contemplative practice. Her latest book, GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is due to be published this Spring.

More information about Mirabai Starr's work and interests can be found at:

Mirabi Starr's website: mirabaistarr.com

Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Mystical Positivist - Radio Show #56 - 04FEB12

The Mystical Positivist is now a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP 107.3 FM, Occidental, CA. Listen live on Saturday evenings from 4:00 - 6:00pm, PST, via the web at KOWS Live Stream.

This week's podcast features:

Stuart Goodnick and Rob Schmidt discuss a variety of topics:

The impact of modern electronic media on spiritual practice
Imagination and spiritual work

More information about Tayu Meditation Center can be found at:

Many Rivers Books and Tea Website: www.manyriversbooks.com
Tayu Meditation Center Website: www.tayu.org/~tayu/
Old Many Rivers Blog: www.manyriversbooks.com/blog1/

"The Mystical Positivist" Radio Show

The Mystical Positivist is a weekly radio show on KOWS-LP FM 107.3 Occidental, CA, and on the web at KOWS-LP Live Feed, Saturdays from 4 - 6pm PST. Coming up on The Mystical Positivist:

April 20: A pre-recorded conversation with Ken McLeod, Buddhist teacher and author of the newly released book, The Magic of Vajrayana. In this conversation, we plan to explore a compelling quote from Ian McGilchrist's The Matter with Things: If you had set out to destroy the happiness and stability of a people, it would have been hard to improve on our current formula: remove yourself as far as possible from the natural world; repudiate the continuity of your culture; believe you are wise enough to do whatever you happen to want and not only get away with it, but have a right to it—and a right to silence those who disagree; minimise the role played by a common body of belief; actively attack and dismantle every social structure as a potential source of oppression; reject the idea of a transcendent set of values.

One of the more innovative Buddhist teachers today, Ken McLeod is known for his clear explanations, poetic translations, and pragmatic approach to practice. He is one of the first generation of Western teachers in the Tibetan tradition and one of the few to be authorized to transmit the full scope of these teachings to students. In particular, his approach resonates strongly with those whose path lies outside established institutions.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics, Ken cycled across Europe to Istanbul and then continued his journey overland to India. In 1970 he met his principal teacher Kalu Rinpoche at his monastery near Darjeeling. There Ken began a study and practice in Tibetan Buddhism that lasted more than twenty years. He completed the traditional three-year retreat program two times, translated for many teachers, and helped set up Buddhist centers in Canada and the United States. After his teacher's passing, Ken moved away from the hierarchical structures of Asian Buddhism to explore new approaches.

In 1990, he founded Unfettered Mind in Los Angeles. His approach of one-on-one consultations roiled the Buddhist world in the early '90s, but was quickly recognized as a viable way to teach and guide students in the West. He made individual interviews a central feature of the many retreats he taught in California, New Mexico, and British Columbia. Through numerous small groups in Southern California, he developed the materials that became the encyclopedic meditation manual, Wake Up to Your Life.

Now retired from formal teaching, he lives in Northern California where he hikes and writes. His writings and translations include The Great Path of Awakening (1987), Wake Up to Your Life (2001), An Arrow to the Heart (2007), Reflections on Silver River (2014), A Trackless Path (2017), and The Magic of Vajrayana (2022), as well as a corpus of articles and translations in Tricycle and other Buddhist magazines.