Philosopher, pro-activist and author Jeremy Lent joins Terry in a deep and vulnerable exploration of where we are right now as a species, the underlying nature of our ecological and civilizational crises and how we frame our work to catalyze emerging potential for a rapid collective transformation toward a sustainable future. They consider how a gr…

Poet, teacher and interfaith chaplain Fred LaMotte joins Terry to listen, notice, honor and share the mysterious depth that emerges between them, among them and beyond them. Terry begins by reading one of Fred’s poems, and later Fred shares a couple of his favorite poems with Terry. They explore the inner processes and revelations from which lumino…

Futurist, teacher, and author Peter Russell joins Terry in person at his home to connect more intimately and explore several profound considerations about this human miracle and our current predicament. In a previous podcast episode (February 2020), their conversation focused on an essay Peter had written called Blind Spot, in which he explores how…

Social psychotherapist, political theorist & entrepreneur and community organizer Indra Adnan joins Terry to explore the politics and power dynamics of “waking up” to the “meta-crisis” and to one another. Indra is in contact with the raw nerve of possibility. While many thinkers look at our civilizational predicament with increasing pessimism, she …

This episode of State of Emergence, features an additional conversation with last week’s featured guest, the evolutionary biologist and important social theorist David Sloan Wilson. If you haven’t already listened to last week’s episode with David — episode 069, titled “A Human Superorganism — The Higher Potentials of Cooperation” — we encourage yo…

Brilliant evolutionary biologist and important social theorist David Sloan Wilson joins Terry to clarify the real implications of what we know about evolution, focusing on how “multi-level selection,” interpersonal cooperation and altruism are no less central to evolution than is competition. Groups of “prosocial” individuals, under the right condi…

Spontaneous poet, culture activist, and shamanic bard Stephen Jenkinson joins Terry to explore the totally disarming ordeal of bearing witness to death up close — both our individual mortality and our collective mortality. They also drop into felt contact with Terry’s present, uncertain situation — recently on his 70th birthday, Terry was suddenly …

This week, we are featuring one of our favorite past episodes — a tender, intimate, and deeply grounding conversation with the psychotherapist and soul-activist Francis Weller. We recorded this conversation almost a year ago, however, it’s feeling very alive and timely to us now. Francis’ transmissive presence and his “soul obligation to register t…

Chess Grandmaster, philosopher, author, and social entrepreneur Jonathan Rowson joins Terry to explore our global, civilizational predicament from new angles — inspired by his recent brilliant essay “Tasting the Pickle: Ten Flavors of Meta-Crisis and the Appetite for a New Civilization.” They go beyond its more recognized features such as COVID, th…

Integral scholar and Exostudies pioneer Sean Esbjörn-Hargens joins Terry to explore an integral approach to conspiracy theories and “exo realities” — including the anomalous phenomena that challenge our current models of reality. Sean begins by sharing an illuminating series of wise guidelines for navigating our post-truth conspiracy-theory-filled …

Author and professor Jeffrey Kripal joins Terry to explore the multidimensional, psychophysical nature of reality, as well as the potential of new kinds of agency, cooperation, and co-creativity. They begin by noticing the stranglehold that materialism still seems to have on our popular imagination, and also acknowledge the recent emergence of what…

Prophetic teacher, psychologist, author and poet, Bayo Akomolafe joins Terry to explore the “cracks in the world” that are opening to swallow everything we’ve been taught to believe and sense into the voices, adventures, and new worlds that are poised to emerge. With vivid original imagination and a ruthless deep kindness, Bayo names the limits of …

Philosopher and author Tim Freke joins Terry to explore the personal, cultural, and global implications of an integration of our best rational and spiritual understandings of reality. Tim Freke is an English philosopher and author of 35 books, including a Sunday Times bestseller and Daily Telegraph 'Book of the Year'. He is the founder of ‘Unividua…

Terry Patten explores the delusion, anxiety, loneliness, and fear experienced across our culture as well as the potential for sacred, next-stage friendship to be a key leverage point for healing the madness. Terry also invites members of the New Republic of the Heart practice community to share their experiences participating in a daring social exp…

Purpose guide and psychotherapist Jonathan Gustin joins Terry to explore the vital processes of discovering and actualizing our soul’s purpose, in clear and practical terms, to benefit our world in crisis. Jonathan builds upon our recent episode with Bill Plotkin by offering important distinctions between purpose, vocation, and pleasure. He also de…

In light of the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, host Terry Patten shares spontaneous reflections on endings, new beginnings, hope, despair, the spiritual tasks of this time, and how we can refuse to put anyone out of our hearts. We hope that you appreciate this episode, and, most importantly, that you are finding your own way to a rene…

Ecopsychologist, wilderness guide and author Bill Plotkin joins Terry to consider the human crisis as essentially a crisis of immaturity — that true human adults and human elders are both extraordinarily rare today. Bill speaks to what is truly required for us — as individuals, and collectively — to grow from our extended adolescence into mature hu…

Evolutionary leader, thinker, and founder of The Shift Network Stephen Dinan joins Terry to explore how conspiracy thinking and new paradigm ideas are sometimes merging in a phenomenon some call “Conspirituality” — which he articulated, with clarity and courage, in a Medium essay some months ago titled, “Anatomy of Delusion: How Otherwise Conscious…

Remarkable mystic and teacher Thomas Hübl joins Terry to discuss his new book Healing Collective Trauma, and they take the exploration into some new deep places. Every human being is born into and affected by, either directly or indirectly, the collective wounds of human history — epigenetically, energetically, and systemically. This is why Thomas …

Author of Wake Up Grateful and the Executive Director of A Network for Grateful Living, Kristi Nelson joins Terry to explore the elusively obvious gift of this very breath and moment and the transformational practice of living with grateful generosity at this moment in our human journey. Kristi illuminates the differences between gratitude and grat…

Leadership development expert Barrett Brown joins Terry to explore the most advanced levels of leadership, especially as they apply in the US as a new Biden administration begins to navigate simultaneous, interpenetrating fast-moving crises. Barrett shares which leadership capacities are most essential for “leading in the unknown” amidst hypercompl…

Environmental philosopher and activist Rupert Read joins Terry to explore the current state of our ecological emergency, its philosophical implications, and our human responses. They probe into what kinds of understanding, spiritual growth, truth-telling, and nonviolent direct action are appropriate now. They also consider the kinds of communicatio…

Systems change strategist and facilitator Tuesday Ryan-Hart explores the trauma, care, tenderness, and sacredness that are underneath our discussions of equity and systemic injustice. She and Terry consider which mindsets, skills, and relational practices can enable us to stay in the complexity of difficult conversations and collective healing with…

Cosmologist, futurist, and mystic Jude Currivan describes her understanding of the quantum nature of reality, which has profound implications for our planetary crises, and the potentials for creative emergence. In the process, she points to several recent scientific discoveries that reveal a holographic, nonlocal, and conscious universe, and descri…

Diane Musho Hamilton (award-winning mediator and Zen Roshi) and Jeff Salzman (integral political commentator and host of The Daily Evolver) join Terry to react, reflect, and take to heart this week’s historic, record-breaking, and, in many ways disturbing U.S. election. In true 2020 fashion, the election insisted on being an ordeal, and it will of …

Filmmaker, social observer, and humorist Neal Rogin joins Terry to explore the kinds of communications that can break through the cultural narratives that are tending to bind the human imagination. A cross between Yoda and Forrest Gump, Neal Rogin’s playful humor startles and liberates us into self-compassionate capital-H Humor. His unique brand of…

Psychotherapist, professor, and author Carolyn Baker joins Terry for a sober, deep, and instructive conversation to consider our planetary predicament as a sacred rite of passage that necessitates a “collective descent into the darkness,” the possibility of our collective “sacred demise”, and the possibility of a collective rebirth or “radical rege…

Science writer, evolutionary educator, and more-than-human ‘grassroots’ climate activist, Connie Barlow joins Terry to reflect on the heartbreaking journey of accepting our ecological predicament, what it means to be a good ancestor, and how "life stages" open possibilities for a more sacred relationship to climate grief, to death, and to transform…

Prominent eco-theologian and “post-gloom collapsologist” Michael Dowd shines the light of evolutionary and ecological wisdom on this time of plagues, fires, floods, corruption, and collapse. He and Terry explore the psychological and relational journey into accepting our sobering predicament, living with accountability to the future, and even disco…

Author of The Quantum Revelation, Paul Levy joins Terry to explore the radical, mind-bending implications of quantum physics and how they can transform our relationship to good and evil. For starters, Paul asks us to face the fact that there’s no “independently existing world out there” — we are co-dreaming it all into being. We consider how the wa…

Modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, and scholar Cynthia Bourgeault joins Terry to explore what it is to live and imagine from the “eye of the heart” in a seemingly apocalyptic world. They reflect on how each of them is relating to death and also discovering new strength and guidance by keeping the company of saints, sages, and our courageous ances…

Social entrepreneur, technologist, and policy analyst Vinay Gupta joins Terry to reflect on the complexity and planetary scale of our existential risks. Given the urgency of our predicament, how can humanity best deploy our limited capacities? How might each of us more strategically prioritize our efforts to make a difference? What are the “hard” t…

Deep thinkers and community innovators Dougald Hine & Anna Björkman (who also happen to be life partners and co-parents) join Terry to reflect on the nature of sanity, evil, community, and the crafting of a “living culture.” First, we delve underneath the surface of what’s happening here in the U.S., intuiting archetypal energies. Is this the time …

Insightful author, speaker, and consultant Carter Phipps joins Terry to explore our intensifying political, economic, and cultural crises in the U.S. Carter begins by reflecting on his previous home — the San Francisco Bay Area — and how, in many ways, today’s progressive cities do not resemble the healthy and sustainable future societies he envisi…

Lifetime social and political activist Jim Garrison joins Terry to reflect on both the extreme state of our world and the subtle forces driving the collective consciousness. They reinterpret our collective madness in light of the wisdom of the natural world, and the archetypes of apocalyptic stories. Ultimately, they imagine what it means to proact…

Monastic, community leader, and host of the Emerge podcast Daniel Thorson joins Terry for a tender, open-hearted, and spacious inquiry into what really matters in this vulnerable and sacred collective moment. Recently, Daniel became an overnight focus of media attention during the beginning of the pandemic after he emerged from a long silent retrea…

Inspiring master facilitator and social impact consultant Gibrán Rivera joins Terry to explore how our very way of being together might be our most meaningful response to this choice point in human history. They discuss how our social justice work might evolve to serve the flourishing of life in ourselves and one another, and how we can move beyond…

The original, caring, and influential thinker Charles Eisenstein joins Terry to explore what’s really happening in this disorienting, liminal ordeal we find ourselves in — what he calls the “space between stories.” We confront the pattern of dehumanization we’re seeing across human culture, especially amidst our converging crises, and we consider w…

Gracious meditation teacher, author, shamanic practitioner, and community leader Spring Washam joins Terry to offers compassionate guidance and insight for how all of us can be authentic allies to people of color and the more-than-human world. She encourages everyone to be guided by our conscious heart intelligence and she effortlessly expresses a …

In this episode, we offer recent remarks Terry Patten gave on the topic of "holistic antiracism" to a mostly white community of caring spiritual practitioners. Afterward, several people mentioned that these reflections were useful and requested that Terry share them with others. So, we offer Terry's reflections in this week's episode. Below is a me…

Social entrepreneur and community innovator Richard D. Bartlett joins Terry to explore the dynamics, challenges and potentials of conscious communities, and the possibility for small-scale social experiments of “micro-solidarity” to scale in a way that meets our global challenges. Richard D. Bartlett is on a mission to help catalyze a more compassi…

Social entrepreneur Emanuel Kuntzelman joins Terry to explore what is required to unify local and international projects dedicated to cultural and social transformation. Emanuel beautifully and intimately shares his personal story of childhood spiritual inspiration, living internationally and falling in love with the larger human family, and how th…

Can we “go sane” together, even amidst so much turmoil? Can this dark and disorienting process that billions of us are experiencing become a sacred, global right of passage that transforms us into new human beings? Who will we choose to be? In this bonus episode, Terry Patten addresses the collective shock wave is rippling through our world, our re…

The fierce and wise physician, epidemiologist, author, and leader for sustainable and equitable change Monica Sharma joins Terry to reflect on her years of experience with UN public health initiatives and help us see the current pandemic in a cross-cultural, historical, and more humanizing context. Monica speaks to the challenges and tremendous cou…

Psychotherapist and soul-activist Francis Weller joins Terry for a tender inquiry into the profound sorrow and initiatory power of this collective moment. They each share their present griefs and honor the importance of ritual in times of collective loss. As they accompany each other in “registering the rips and tears of the world,” they rediscover…

Zen Roshi, professional mediator, and author Diane Musho Hamilton joins Terry to explore the deep human crisis of relationship and communication that underlies so many of our current challenges by emphasizing our divisions and disabling our ability to work together or make intelligent collective choices. Diane identifies key insights and practices …

Internationally known author and expert on leadership, Meg Wheatley joins Terry to consider the global unraveling that’s occurring across cultures and societies. She shares her perspectives on hope and fear and how an unconditional and open-ended commitment to be of service might ultimately be more effective, sustainable and joyful than “hope.” A f…

International development and climate change geographer Gail Hochachka examines similarities and differences between the COVID-19 pandemic and our more existential crisis of climate change. She and Terry discuss how the pandemic might be training institutions, leaders, scientists, and citizens to manage the climate crisis more effectively going for…

To celebrate the fiftieth Earth Day, Terry carried a drum, a tripod and some recording equipment as he climbed to the top of a nearby hill and offered a prayer. Earth Day 2020 arrives at a time when our world has finally mobilized, but not to save the Living Earth — to save ourselves, as if we were separate from the larger body of Life. So it is a …

Physician, scholar, researcher, transpersonal psychologist, professor, and Buddhist lama, Roger Walsh joins Terry to discuss how they each can be of the best benefit at a time when our societies are shutting down and experiencing unprecedented stress. Roger had been on silent retreat for over a month before he emerged to have this conversation abou…