We're In This Shift Together
As a rabbi, Matthew Ponak knows the significance of community in the good times and the bad. We’re in this Shift Together explores the meeting place between ancient spiritual teachings, cutting-edge research and innovation, and the needs of our era. The conversations cover insights and experiences that improve our world and give us hope during these tumultuous times. In our secular society, millions of people are dedicating themselves to the work of innovation. Simultaneously, camps of traditionally religious people are tending the fires of insights and practices which have sustained them for thousands of years. Leaders and thinkers from all arenas benefit from cross-pollination and there is much more common ground between these two camps than is often acknowledged. When approaching any new problem today, religious and spiritual insights can offer a sense of how our ancestors grappled with similar issues. At the same time, inherited wisdom is, by definition, from a prior era. In dialogue with scientific expertise and new circumstances, the storehouses of human knowledge inevitably grow and mature. Together these different perspectives help us navigate our transitioning world. Host Rabbi Matthew Ponak is a teacher of embodied mysticism, a spiritual counsellor, and the co-founder of the Mekorah Institute — an online spiritual centre. Also holding an MA in Contemplative Religions from the Buddhist-inspired Naropa University, Rabbi Matthew weaves world wisdom with ancient Jewish insights. He received ordination from Hebrew College where he specialized in the study of Hasidic spirituality and Kabbalah. Visit mekorah.com to learn more.
Episodes
Tapping into ancient wisdom to shed light on modern problems is essential for grounded cultural transformation. Today's guest is Natan Margalit—the author of The Pearl and the Flame—a book which synthesizes traditional Jewish insights and contemporary ecological theories to envision a more integrated, connected, and hopeful path for humanity.
Natan Margalit is a rabbi and scholar with 30 years of experience in teac...
Can commissioning public art ensure a happy afterlife? Many wealty merchants in medieval Italy sure hoped so! Dr. Brian Pollick opens a window for us into their worldview and how it can enrich our own.
Brian was born in England in 1946 but grew up in Toronto after his parents
emigrated in 1952. After getting his BA from York University in 1967 he
embarked on multiple careers that included teaching, correctional ...
Being of service to the world means more than just working for a cause you believe in: it's also about striving to live harmoniously with who you truly are.
In this episode, Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman describes her own journey to becoming a climate activist and spiritual leader. Through many years of seeking and searching, she discovered the best ways her talents could be utilized to help a planet which is struggli...
Four contemplatives share, reflect and face challenging questions. Christian, Buddhist and Muslim healers and teachers join Rabbi Matthew Ponak to discuss the gifts that our traditions can offer the world in these changing times — and the ways in which these traditions are (or ought to be) changing as well.
Charlotte Z. Rotterdam is a Buddhist teacher, meditation instructor and contemplative educator. She received the ti...
We're changing things up in this episode! Our guest Rabbi Joel Goldstein asks the questions — challenging Rabbi Matthew about the experimental home ritual "Oasis Time." This innovative practice is inspired by Shabbat but not bound by its traditional customs. Rabbi Matthew and his family have been testing it out in an effort to capture the essence of spiritual refreshment in a shareable way for our time. Join us for t...
Promoting spiritual health for individuals, churches and organizations of all kinds is Rev. Sandra Summers' speciality. She lays out what it is, why we need it and how to bring it into our lives. We also delve into The Great Resignation's effects on clergy, being authentic, balancing our use of technology and the surprising relationship between pregnancy and intuition.
Sandra is a Christian pastor's kid wh...
In this episode, we discuss embodied transformation, spiritual entrepreneurship, Jewish Mysticism, and the current state of modern religious life.
Emma Sartwell is the founder and owner of Somatic Spiritual Counseling, a collective of body- and mindfulness-based therapists and coaches. She grew up in a reform Jewish household in Baltimore, MD. After a spiritual crisis in college, she found Buddhist meditation, which led h...
This episode features Rev. Dr. Ian Mevorach talking about the historical Jesus.
Rev. Dr. Ian Mevorach is the founding minister and director of the Common Street Spiritual Center in Natick, MA, a love-centered community that values many spiritual paths and is a hub for environmental justice and peace activism. He is an ordained American Baptist minister and holds an M.Div., and a Ph.D. in Ecological Theology and Ethics, f...
This episode features Dr. Piers Steel, one of the world's leading experts in the study of procrastination.
Piers Steel is a professor in the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources area and is the Brookfield Research Chair at the Haskayne School of Business. He is a recognized authority on the science of motivation and is known internationally for his productivity research, receiving widespread media coverage.
Pie...
This episode's guest is Dr. Beth Hedva who lives in Calgary, Canada. Author of Journey from Betrayal to Trust and the award-winning Betrayal, Trust and Forgiveness, she is an internationally recognized healer, counsellor and teacher. A past Director of the International Council of Psychologists and current Co-Chair of the Canadian Institute for Transpersonal and Integrative Sciences, Dr. Hedva was invited to train local recove...
Are you cautiously optimistic about the world’s future? I am. My name is Rabbi Matthew Ponak and I’m the host of a brand new podcast: : “We’re in This Shift Together.” Like you, I’m concerned about the well-being of our families, our planet, and our internal realities. As a student of Jewish wisdom, I know that even in the most uncertain times, there is always hope through communal effort and opening ourselves up to new potentials....
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