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John Michael Greer – Spirituality in an Age of Decline

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John Michael Greer discusses spirituality in an age of decline.

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If you do not consider yourself spiritual or remotely interested in spirituality, do not think that this is not for you. As industrial civilization continues to cascade into chaos, questions of meaning, purpose, and what life really is will become more important than ever. The myth of endless progress tells us that modern material lifestyles can only get better and that science and technology can solve any problem.

Despite this hubris, it is becoming increasingly clear that the material world is a place of limits and no amount of wishful thinking can avoid looming crises in energy, economy, environment, and in society at large. History tells us that religiosity often re-emerges in times of strife, even if religions themselves often have little to offer the social problems of the day. Taking the twin perspectives of perennial spiritual teachings and cutting edge quantum science, we ask what we can still accomplish and what there is to hope for.

Previous interviews with John Michael Greer

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4 comments

  1. Nadim Mahi-Bahi says:

    I’ll meet the guest half way in the sense that he makes excellent points that I totally agree with, but I would add that there’s another facet about that’s wrong with progress. Some people say we aren’t evolving fast enough to keep up with progress. I feel there’s some truth to that. In the way that we have such incredible things available to us ( just having a shower is something awesome that most humans who lived in the last 2000 + years would have liked to have) but we take it for granted.

    In a way, hi-tech is dumbeddown for all of us idiots (i include myself in that) to easily use it.
    When I can check the weather on my phone instead of looking out the window, I’m kinda of impressed of all the knowledge and work that was necessary for me to have access to this pocket computer. But still, even with all that mind blowing technology, society sucks. Well I feel it sucks.

    I do feel like progress could help humanity in lots of way, but for some reason we just can’t seem to make it work. Maybe with more wisdom, this progress could be put to good use. But the reason why we still live in such an unfair and hard world, while having all access to this amazing tech can’t be understood with a material world view I think.

  2. Kayr Robison says:

    Great interview, Greg. I thought it was a great sharing of ideas of both of your perspectives on the spiritual realm and how it intersects with the material. Lately this seems to be a synchronicity of what I have been reading.

    I guess we are all trying to find our way through unknown territory and it seems to me that everyone offers a glimpses of the path or a glimpses of the pitfalls when they share their experiences. Our own experience creates a map for ourselves. Sometimes we can share it.

    1. Greg Moffitt says:

      Glad you enjoyed it. I thought JMG would be the ideal guest on these subjects given the feet he has planted in different camps, sometimes seemingly opposed camps.

  3. Sid Beam says:

    Perhaps this fellow’s written material is more direct and coherent, and less distracting than his spoken presentation. I felt a constant subtle attempt to somehow draw attention to himself and to prove his implied spiritual authority on every matter imaginable.
    What’s missing was the sense of humility and selfless love that makes real voices of authority so appealing, and attractive, and resonates with the vibrations of the non-material, spiritual reality that is the source of wisdom within the human heart..the bridge to the non material dimensions…the source and the seat of our conscious being that exists both outside of, and within time and space..
    To experience, and realize this as our true identity is exactly what Jesus referred to as being
    ‘born anew’. Just as in natural birth, nothing at all is the same after it happens…and until it does, nothing changes..nothing can be understood or seen as it is…The process of spiritual birth is no less dramatic and transformative…
    It simply can’t be explained to those that remain in the womb of the mind and the 5 senses…and there is no need to explain it to those who have experienced it, because it brings a knowing that
    doesn’t require the reasoning mind. It’s reality is unquestionable and doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody..
    I see the troubles of this time as the contractions of labor for those who are ready to be born..
    and as the alchemical fire that will transform the impurities of the yet immature, into the philosopher’s stone that has the power to initiate those yet unborn, who are still becoming ready…
    those who must be touched by authentic power, and not by words that only generate beliefs..,
    That’s the process with no end and no beginning..and can’t possibly be avoided..
    The sooner we take utopia off of our collective itinerary, the sooner we will arrive…and we won’t call it that when we do, because that concept will equate roughly with Disneyland in it’s trivial
    insignificance and shallow lifelessness..
    Everybody wants to go to heaven…nobody wants to die…this is just childish immaturity..It will and must pass away…and, my…how death has a way of making things real for humans..
    We can truly see it as our friend, once we stop being afraid of it…
    That will happen as soon as we discover who we actually are…The kingdom of heaven is within us..
    so we’d better stop looking for it somewhere else..and imagining our friends to be our enemies..
    failing to se our crises as opportunities…
    The way of life, love, always leads to the doorway of death..so we may learn to pass through it more alive than when we entered..and sometimes that doorway is big enough for many souls to pass at once….the real ‘great reset’

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