You may have experienced a time in your life when you felt part of some great oneness. Not easy to explain to another person, right? Mystics have grappled with these experiences for as long as there have been mystics, coming up with many poetic ways of referring to them. In this episode, Simon Marvell speaks with ISTA facilitator and psychologist, Laura Deva, about a similar, poetic idea that has become prominent in recent years: it's called "the dark." As Laura explains, "...

In this episode, Simon Marvell speaks with ISTA Facilitator Aaron Mandelbaum about the importance of integration after transformational experiences. Going to a retreat for spiritual growth or personal development can be like shaking a snow globe. It can send flurries of emotions, thoughts, and experiences wildly into the air. At some point you need to let the snow settle into its new place. Only then can sustainable shifts in how you live your life begin to establish themselves...

In this episode, Usha Rose sits down with her longtime friend and colleague Kay’aleya Hunnybee, a clinical herbalist and integrative health coach, to explore the true power of herbs as aphrodisiacs, not just for boosting libido, but for supporting whole-body vitality, nourishing the nervous system, and enhancing pleasure from the inside out. Rather than offering a generic list of aphrodisiac herbs, Kay’aleya guides us through a holistic, nuanced approach to understanding our sensuality and se...

In this episode, Jeff DeLone shares his journey from a conventional, yet emotionally suppressed, upbringing in the United States to discovering the power of feeling and releasing emotions. Growing up in a large Catholic family, Jeff was surrounded by people but often felt alone. Looking back, he recognizes signs of inherited depression and the impact of unexpressed emotions. After excelling in school and sports, he entered the corporate world, only to find it unfulfilling. His turning point...

Jasmeen Hana, Egyptian spirituality facilitator (and previous ISTA facilitator), speaks with Caitlyn Cook about her journey of self-discovery, spirituality, and community living. From a multicultural background, she has moved through crises of identity, spiritual revelation, and many years of global travelling, to finally settle in her community in rural Egypt. Drawing deeply from her expertise in ancient Egyptian mythology and culture, Jasmeen explains the importance of bringing offe...

In this episode, ISTA facilitator Usha Rose speaks with systemic therapist and transformational guide Lars Borgmann about how to engage in conflict with others in a better way. As Lars explains, conflict can occur in any area of our lives, but our experiences of it are often so unpleasant that we aim to avoid it at any cost. Without being dealt with, it can fester underneath the surface of our relationships, causing even more problems. What we should do is stop seein...

It's not just the stuff of science fiction. As ISTA Lead faculty member Michal Maayan Don explains, bending time is possible when we drop deeply into what we love to do. That may be easier said than done. But if we aim to be more authentic, and practice healthy boundaries, we might be surprised by how quickly that sense of timelessness can come about. In this spontaneous and bubbly conversation, Michal and Simon Marvell also explore themes of vibrations, connection, and uncaging eros. T...

Aténougha is an Nganga (teacher) and bridge to the Bwiti Missoko tradition of Central Africa, where he helps people find transformation through this ancient spiritual science. In this conversation, Caitlyn Cook asks him, in a world that seems more and more chaotic, warring and disconnected, how do we relate to it as spiritual people? How does a spiritually mature person act or perceive this without being overwhelmed, disheartened or paralysed? Recorded in Libreville, Gabon, Aténougha explor...

Kamela Love is an integrative mediator, transformational relationship coach, and former lawyer who blends diverse teachings—from mystical Sufism to neuroscience and Tantra—to explore personal and organizational growth. She is the founder of Transform Into Love and co-founder of Queer Tantric Arts. With over 15 years of experience identifying as queer and poly, Kamela is passionate about awakening humanity to societal justice and divine love. In recent years, she has worked with ISTA...

In this first episode of the 6th season, Simon Marvell talks to blockchain pioneer and ISTA ally Jamie Zigelbaum about how the evolution of digital governance models can help us create smarter organizations and communities. Jamie's insights come from his career as a researcher, artist, and from contributions to billion-dollar Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) projects. Most of his work has been carried out under an online pseudonym, so the name might be unfamiliar! His mes...

It’s a situation straight out of the movies, or a teen magazine: jealousy causing a rift between two lovers. It could be as simple as your partner mentioning getting close to one of their co-workers, or as complex as negotiating the ups and downs of an open relationship. No matter how big or small the circumstance, or how experienced the people involved, jealousy can come on strong!In this episode, researcher and self-described relationship counsellor “for people who color outside the lines,”...

It’s one thing to summon the courage and create the safety to dive into an altered state of consciousness. It’s another thing entirely to know how best to care for ourselves, and be cared for, after the experience is over. But as our guest in this episode, psychedelic integration coach, Amánda Argot, explains, this post-experience phase is vital to being able to bring the gems we uncover in altered states into our non-altered reality. In this rich conversation, Simon and Amánda explore t...

What would it be like for us to use the tools that we learn in workshops to create a life, and a partnership, that is not just ordinary but extraordinary? This is the big question driving the work of this episode’s guest, relationship coach, Michael Gibson. For example, he says, fighting between partners is “ordinary.” This is not to judge the realities of relating between two humans. Difficulty is totally normal! But Michael is most interested in what we can do to digest that ordin...

Temple nights. They are popping up like wildfires! Some say there should be more of them. One of those people is Celeste Gonzalez, who runs some of the best in Berlin. For her, it is super important that they are deeply attuned events for sensual and soul connection. Not events even. Art pieces! In this episode, Celeste talks with Simon about what a Temple Night is and how you can best prepare for one. It’s all about care and intention. She shares what some of the key ingredie...

Asis Aviv is one of a kind, and the newest faculty member of the International School of Temple Arts. A self-described “rich witch, radical faerie, love priestexx, and shy-ning diva,” they are here for falling back in love with being humxn. In this conversation with Simon Marvell, Asis–a name which means “JUICE!” in Hebrew–shares their reflections on a vast array of topics, all anchored in the idea that we are so much more than our identity, whether influenced by parents, society or anyt...

It has become common to talk about creating safer spaces for healing work. And this is a good thing. Everyone in the field of conscious sensuality, embodiment, and healing work should be looking to improve their practice and rise to higher standards of care, support, awareness, and sensitivity.At the same time, it has also become common to resist this advancement in favour of the idea that self-development spaces should reflect the level of safety in the outside world. And sometimes, for some...

Over the last couple of years, Dave Boda has been really critical of ISTA. He’s composed blog-posts and spoken openly about how some of the people involved need to improve, and how some of the ways ISTA approaches its work need to fall away. In this episode, he talks with ISTA facilitator, the podcast founder, and his old friend, Ria Yoshida, about how important it is to not only have these frank conversations about improving the sacred sexuality space, but to do it in an engaged and lov...

There’s a lot of hot debate about the ethics of transformational spaces right now, driven by questions of how power should be held in these spaces. Who should be responsible if something goes wrong? Just what are the limits of what gets taught?Maybe it would be easier not to create spaces for transformational work, for looking at shadows and how power moves. Maybe making such spaces, if they are still to exist, should be made so anodyne as to neutralize whatever challenges people might feel a...

In this episode, Ria talks with Dr. Jen Howk about the collision of science and mysticism in the field of evolutionary psychology. With her feet planted firmly in both worlds, Dr. Jen delves into the how and why of our psychological quirks, revealing some of the mysteries of our development as a species.In particular, she tackles the intriguing phenomenon of cancel culture. In doing so, she explores the historical roots of our collective drive to create ‘in’-groups and ‘out’-groups, explainin...

Do you ever feel like you’re being held back in life by events and circumstances that are out of your control? Maybe you find yourself in uncomfortable, even terrible, circumstances thinking to yourself: how did I even get here? And, how do I get out? These are questions that arrived powerfully in the life of Carolyn Elliot, transformational guide and author of the book, Existential Kink. We won’t give too much away, but as she explains in this episode, she was really in a bind. And then, alm...