#295: The Alchemy of Initiation with Francis Weller - a podcast by Mark Groves

Themes: Nature, Culture, Initiation, Life’s Challenges, Loss, Grief, Death, Individualism, Community, Technology, Transformation, Authenticity, Belonging, Spirituality
Summary: Today I welcome back returning guest Francis Weller, MFT, a psychotherapist, writer, and soul activist. He is a master of synthesizing diverse streams of thought from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous cultures, and poetic traditions. For 40 years, Francis has worked as a psychotherapist and developed a style he calls soul-centered psychotherapy. As a gifted therapist and teacher, he has been described as a jazz artist, improvising, and moving fluidly in and out of deep emotional territories with groups and individuals, bringing imagination and attention to places often held with judgment and shame.
In this episode, Francis teaches us about initiations—what they are, why they are important for finding our place in this world, and the power they hold in ushering in personal growth and cultural belonging. We also jam about the importance of returning to nature, how disconnected and individualistic we are, and the soul’s relationship with grief. Francis has had a profound impact on me over the last three years, and I’m so excited to share this episode with you so that you can experience a deeper relationship with yourself and the world around you. Dive in!Discover:

What initiation is and its role in personal growth and cultural/planetary belongingRebuilding our lost relationship with nature

The power of grief and how to move through itThe impact of technology on our soulful connection with the world

00:00 Intro 01:22 Initiation as a path to personal growth and cultural belonging
04:21 The impact of individualism08:23 The grief for our loss of intimacy with nature
11:38 What is an Initiation?14:27 Accepting and moving through initiation
20:07 Relationship between grief and initiation24:09 The loss of your soul 
28:05 Returning back to the community30:30 Impact of technology in our world
37:09 Rough initiation44:59 Finding a place of belonging
48:34 Being disassociated from our own attention52:13 Befriend your own life
55:19 A journey of transformationLinks:


Website:  www.francisweller.netThe Alchemy of Initiation: Soul Work and the Art of Ripening Audio Recordings: https://www.francisweller.net/the-alchemy-of-initiation-a-five-week-series.html

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