RECORDINGS
Conversations that continue to illuminate and inspire.
I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.
—Ernest Hemingway
For more than three decades Great Mystery brought together mystics, artists, healers, scientists, and explorers from many traditions to ask life’s deepest questions. These recordings preserve many of those remarkable conversations. Although some were filmed years ago, their insights remain as fresh and relevant as ever. We invite you to browse, linger, and discover what speaks to you.
Techniques of Discovery Panel 1: Ancients, Axioms and Archetypes is a compelling panel discussion recorded live in 2001 at Great Mystery’s The Prophets Conference: Techniques of Discovery, held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Representing the fields of psychiatry, consciousness research, theoretical physics, cultural evolution, spirituality, and parapsychology, each speaker reflects on the discoveries, experiences, and guiding principles that have shaped their life’s work. From John Mack‘s exploration of extraordinary human experiences and Stanislav Grof‘s pioneering research into non-ordinary states of consciousness, to Michio Kaku‘s insights into the quantum universe, Riane Eisler‘s partnership model of society, Gregg Braden‘s integration of science and spirituality, and Russell Targ‘s groundbreaking investigations into remote viewing and psychic phenomena, the conversation reveals remarkable connections across disciplines.
Library of Conversations
In this panel presentation, Ralph Metzner explores the landscape of the human psyche, drawing connections between modern psychology, psychedelic research, and ancient shamanic traditions. Gabrielle Roth reveals movement as a sacred language of transformation, inviting us to awaken through the wisdom of the body. Oriah Mountain Dreamer speaks of story, symbol, and the Sacred Mystery, illuminating how meaning emerges through the stories that open our hearts and help us find meaning.
Huston Smith shares insights from a lifetime devoted to the world’s spiritual traditions, reflecting on the “Third Eye” as an organ of wisdom. Ram Dass traces the journey from psychedelic exploration to the mystical nature of consciousness, offering a vision of living with presence, compassion, and love. Robert Anton Wilson challenges conventional thinking with his signature “maybe logic,” encouraging us to question certainty and escape the confines of linguistic and perceptual conditioning.
Rumi: The Music of Our Meeting with Coleman Barks
Beloved poet, translator, and interpreter of Rumi, Coleman Barks explores the timeless wisdom of the 13th-century Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi, whose ecstatic poetry has touched millions around the world. Through stories, readings, and reflections, Barks reveals the profound friendship between Rumi and Shams of Tabriz and the transformative power of love, longing, and spiritual awakening. Joining Coleman Barks is Corben Keep on cello and Pepe Danza on flute and drums, whose improvisational music beautifully complements the rhythm, emotion, and spirit of Rumi’s poetry.
A Visionary’s Message of Hope with Barbara Marx Hubbard
In this passionate presentation, Barbara Marx Hubbard explains how the planet’s many crises are not signs of collapse, but the birth pangs of a new Earth. Offering a visionary message of hope, she suggests that humanity is in the midst of a collective birth into a new stage of conscious evolution—one that can give rise to a sustainable, thriving planetary civilization.
Cool Heroism – Response To Our Crisis Of Violence with Robert Thurman
In a world increasingly shaped by anger, polarization, and violence, Robert Thurman, one of the world’s foremost scholars and teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, offers a profound alternative: cool heroism. Rather than reacting with rage or self-righteousness, he invites us to cultivate a calm, deliberate, and compassionate strength.
The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things with Larry Dossey, MD
Drawing on years of medical practice, scientific research, and personal observation, Larry Dossey explores the overlooked forces that contribute to health and well-being: optimism, music, tears, nature, risk-taking, the healing power of plants, and even the wisdom of doing nothing while the body finds its own balance. He also reflects on the role of mystery, miracles, and spontaneous healing—experiences that often challenge conventional medical understanding yet continue to inspire both patients and physicians.
The Hidden Sacred Landscape of Yucatan with Freddy Silva
Can a temple transform ordinary humans into extraordinary beings? In this fascinating conversation, Freddy Silva explores the hidden purpose of the ancient temples and pyramids of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Far more than monumental architecture, these sacred sites served as centers of initiation and spiritual transformation, preserving a wisdom inherited by the Maya and Toltec from a much older Golden Age. Blending history, archaeology, mythology, and esoteric tradition, Silva invites us to reconsider the true purpose of these extraordinary places and the timeless quest for human awakening.
Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything with Ervin Laszlo
In the first decade of the 21st century, a cosmic vision dawns: a vision that embraces all things in the universe. A theory that is truly an integral theory of everything (I-TOE) is within our reach. Using everyday language and clear reasoning, Ervin Laszlo‘s presentation conveys the essential elements of this vision. The emerging I-TOE lends credence to what we have always felt and had intuitively known about the oneness of all life and all of creation. As William James said, we are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep. In today’s fragmented and conflict-prone world, a vision of our fundamental connections with each other, with the biosphere, and with the whole of the universe is timely and important as never before.
Hyperspace and “Reading the Mind of God” with Michio Kaku
In this captivating presentation, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku explores one of humanity’s most profound questions: Can we “read the mind of God”? With his gift for making complex ideas accessible, Kaku bridges the worlds of cutting-edge physics and human imagination, inviting us to glimpse a universe that is far stranger, more beautiful, and more interconnected than we ever imagined.
Human Encounters with Aliens and the Transformation of Consciousness with John Mack, M.D.
In this compelling presentation, John Mack shares his determination to bear witness to cosmic mysteries with extraordinary implications for the future of humanity. An esteemed professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, Dr. Mack worked closely with hundreds of individuals from around the world who reported life-changing experiences with aliens, and he shares many of their remarkable stories in this thought-provoking presentation.
Consciousness: The Bridge between Science and Spirit with Peter Russell
Philosopher, physicist, and consciousness pioneer Peter Russell explores the question at the heart of both science and spirituality: What is consciousness? Drawing on physics, psychology, philosophy, and mystical traditions, Russell proposes that consciousness is not a byproduct of the brain but a fundamental aspect of reality—perhaps even more fundamental than space, time, and matter. From this perspective, science and spirituality are no longer opposing worldviews but complementary ways of understanding the same universe. With his characteristic clarity and insight, Russell presents a compelling vision of a new worldview in which the discoveries of modern science and the wisdom of the mystics converge, inviting us to rethink our place in the cosmos and humanity’s future.
Slower Mind, Deeper Wisdom with Ram Dass
In Slower Mind, Deeper Wisdom, Ram Dass invites us to discover the profound clarity that arises when the mind grows quiet and the heart opens. His explorations of human consciousness led him to pioneering research with LSD and other psychedelics that became a gateway to a lifelong exploration of the mystical dimensions of consciousness and the nature of the spirit itself. His presence is as transformative as his words, offering a gentle reminder that beneath the constant activity of thought lies a deeper awareness rooted in love, compassion, and simply being.
A Quest Beyond the Limits of the Ordinary with Rupert Sheldrake
A Quest Beyond the Limits of the Ordinary is an experiential workshop with biologist and consciousness pioneer Rupert Sheldrake exploring morphic fields, morphic resonance, and the possibility that consciousness extends beyond the brain. Rather than simply presenting ideas, Sheldrake invites viewers to participate in an experiment designed to explore our hidden connections with one another and the living world.
Healing Ourselves and the Planet with Sandra Ingerman
Drawing on decades of shamanic practice and spiritual inquiry, Sandra Ingerman shares the profound insight that lasting change begins within. Through the ancient understanding of alchemy—not the transformation of lead into gold, but the awakening of consciousness into light—she reveals how personal healing and daily spiritual practice become powerful acts of service to the Earth.
Creation Spirituality: Gifts of Awe, Gifts of Liberation with Matthew Fox
Passionate and thought-provoking, theologian Matthew Fox explores a creation-centered spirituality that weaves together Christian mysticism, social justice, feminism, and care for the Earth. At the heart of his message is the transformative power of awe—the capacity to encounter creation with wonder, opening the heart to compassion, justice, and inspired action. This timeless presentation invites us to rediscover the sacredness of the living world and our role within it.
Healing Practices of the Medicine Way with Alberto Villoldo
Can we heal by transforming the luminous energy field that surrounds the body? Blending humor, storytelling, and ancient Andean wisdom, medical anthropologist and shaman Alberto Villoldo explores the Medicine Way, revealing how this luminous blueprint shapes health, illness, and transformation. Drawing on healing practices refined over thousands of years, he offers a practical and inspiring vision of our innate capacity to heal.
Continue the Conversation
The conversation didn’t end with the conferences.
In Curious and Curiouser, Robin Johnson continues the exploration with contemporary thinkers, artists, scientists, and wisdom keepers helping us navigate these extraordinary times.