I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of "Flourish or Fold: Stories of Resilience," where we dive deep into the transformative world of spiritual growth and the power of psychedelics. I had the pleasure of sitting down with the remarkable Austin Mao, head minister and founder of Ceremonia, an energetic church that's redefining spiritual practice in Colorado.
The Energetic Church & Psychedelics as Sacraments: We explored the intriguing concept of an energetic church and how psychedelics, like ayahuasca, are used as sacred tools to deepen our connection with the divine. Austin opened up about his first encounter with ayahuasca and the profound impact it had on his life, reshaping his memories and guiding him on a path of enlightenment.
Guiding Others Through Personal Transformation: Austin and I discussed a crucial question: Should one do their own inner work before leading others? The answer is a resounding yes! Austin emphasized the importance of self-accountability and practicing what we preach to truly guide others toward their spiritual truth.
Challenges, Intuition, and Spiritual Ego: Life's challenges are often our greatest teachers. Austin shared his personal struggles, including overcoming pride and spiritual ego, and how these experiences cemented his commitment to his spiritual journey. We also delved into the art of accessing intuition, quieting the mind, and tuning into our body's signals.
The Role of Suffering in Growth: Do we need to suffer to change? This thought-provoking question led us to discuss David Hawkins' map of consciousness and the pursuit of truth. Austin recounted a pivotal moment of rejection at an ayahuasca retreat that forced him to confront his humility and the lessons learned from suffering.
This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for anyone interested in spiritual growth, the role of psychedelics in religious practice, and the journey towards self-discovery. It was a reminder of the importance of doing our own inner work before guiding others, the power of intuition, and the profound lessons that can emerge from our darkest moments. Thank you so much to Austin Mao for sharing his journey with us.
To learn more about Austin and his church visit: https://www.ceremoniacircle.org and https://www.austinmao.com.
Until next time, keep flourishing!
Here are some highlights of the episode to look forward to:
Intuition and Personal Growth (00:00:00): We discuss the importance of personal growth and intuition in guiding others.
Introduction to Ceremonia (00:01:20): Austin introduces Ceremonia, an energetic church, and its use of psychedelics as sacraments.
Austin's Personal Journey (00:04:07): Austin's journey in founding Ceremonia and the transformative effects of psychedelics on his life.
Accessing Intuition (00:11:10): Austin explains the process of accessing intuition through quieting the mind and connecting with the body.
Challenges and Spiritual Growth (00:18:40): Austin shares significant challenges that have shaped his spiritual growth and personal transformation.
Courage and Suffering (00:27:21): Discussion on how courage can release one from suffering and the steps from apathy to courage.
Risking for Freedom (00:30:00): Exploring the willingness to risk everything for freedom and the consequences of perpetuating suffering.
Transformation in Relationship (00:32:22): The impact of being willing to risk a marriage and the transformative effects of introspection and change in a relationship.
Awakening Others (00:37:28): The possibility of awakening and helping oth
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.