Zeitgeist is excited to be participating in this year's Wild Goose Festival, an annual community gathering to co-create art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and by engaging in robust and respectful conversation with each other and with thought leaders and artists.

Workshops, Storytelling, and Conversations with ZG folks:

Thursday, August 28; 9 am - 5 pm
Radical Mysticism with Carl McColman & Debonee Morgan
Subversive Contemplation, Playful Visioning, Storytelling and Other Keys to Interior/Exterior Healing and Transformation
Ever since the Gospel of Luke presented Mary and Martha squabbling with Jesus over who gets to sit at his feet and who has to work in the kitchen, western spirituality has had a difficult time integrating deep contemplation with world-reforming activism. But some of the great mystics over the ages have also been visionary change-agents: and vice versa. Drawing on the wisdom of figures as diverse as Howard Thurman, Teresa of Avila, the Buddha, Pauli Murray, Dorothy Day, and Simone Weil, this day-long event offers an opportunity to take a deep dive into interior exploration as a roadmap for discerning meaningful and effective action in the world at large.
Friday, August 29; Noon 
Read the Bible Like a Mystic with Carl McColman 
Can the Bible be saved? Conscious Christians are troubled by how difficult passages in the Bible can be used to promote sexism, homophobia, hostility to other faiths, and other problems; meanwhile, a sterile, academic reading of the sacred text can seem spiritually unfulfilling. This experience, based on Carl McColman's book "Read the Bible Like a Mystic" explores the ancient third way of approaching the Bible: reading scripture through contemplative wisdom. This approach to the Bible understands that much of the sacred text was never meant to be taken literally, although spiritual wisdom, guidance in prayer, and encouragement for meditation remains encoded throughout the sacred text. Come to this experience if you seek an expanded relationship with Christianity's sacred text, whether you identify as a Christian or not. All of us - Christian and non-Christian alike - can bring together the wisdom of the written word with the wisdom of the contemplative life and the call to foster peace, justice, and equality in our world. Whether you come to the Bible from a pre-existing interest in Christianity or mysticism, let's discover how contemplative wisdom unlocks the liberating power of the Word for our time.
Friday, August 29; 1:00 pm 
"How to Read the Bible Like a Mystic"  book signing with Carl McColman 
Friday, August 29; 2:00 - 2:50 pm 
Energy healing and Somatic Reset with ZG's Bec Cranford, Frances, and Donald Guffey
Gathered with energy healers from various schools, we will clear energy and show others the basics of some somatic stimulation, including vagus nerve reset for self-healing. Practitioners will be certified Reiki masters, Shamanic energy healers, Qigong, Somatic Experiencing, and Holy Fire Reiki Masters.
See also - Zeitgeist's upcoming Exploring program for group Spiritual Companionship.
Friday, August 29; 3:00 pm 
"Bapticostal Misfit: Tales of Effing Grace"  book signing with Bec Cranford 
See also - Zeitgeist's upcoming Exploring program for group Spiritual Companionship.
Friday, August 29; 3:00 - 3:50 pm 
Declaration of Independents with Rabbi Mitch Cohen and Debonee Morgan 
What does it mean to be "Spiritually Independent"? How do we honor traditions we might want to keep as well as expanding beyond them? If you'd like new language and ideas to transcend "spiritual but not religious" or supplement a well known faith paradigm, join Debonee and Rabbi Mitch, Holy Rascals and Spiritual Directors from Zeitgeist for an interactive and experiential workshop to learn more about what it means to be passionately Spiritually Independent. Bring your curiosity, playful energy, and those little baby candy bars if you got 'em. (If you don't, we do!)
Friday, August 29; 4:00 pm 
Stories That Stick -a Moth style experience with Bec Cranford & others
See also - Zeitgeist's upcoming Exploring program for group Spiritual Companionship.
Friday, August 29; 4:00 - 4:50 pm  and again Saturday, August 30; 1:00 - 1:50 pm
Psychedelics & Religious Trauma with Debonee Morgan 
Those who've experienced spiritual trauma know the effects on your soul/psyche, relationships, and vocation: the rigidity, fear, disconnection, anxiety and distrust. What the research and anecdotal evidence of centuries show is the potential of healing those traumatic experiences through plant medicine that creates expansiveness, fluidity, a sense of universal wholeness, trust and love. Many are now using the term "entheogens" to clearly connect the 'trip' to the whole-making embrace of Something Bigger. Join Debonee to learn more about the distinction between plant medicine and other drugs, latest research, ethics and legality, and possible healing through psychedelics.
Saturday, August 30; 1:00 pm 
Mysticism, Psychedelics & Spiritual Guidance; Panel including Carl McColman 
Four seasoned spiritual directors from the Christian psychedelic society, Ligare, will explore the intersection of psychedelics and spiritual guidance by examining how these substances play a role in mystical experiences and contemporary spiritual direction. Mysticism and spiritual guidance have long been intertwined, from the early Desert Fathers to medieval Christian mystics such as Meister Eckhart and Julian of Norwich. Across traditions, spiritual directors have provided counsel to those experiencing visions, revelations, and altered states of consciousness. As psychedelic research gains mainstream recognition, many are turning to experienced spiritual guides to help navigate profound, transformative journeys. Organizations such as Ligare, MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) and Johns Hopkins University are leading the conversation into the mystical as well as therapeutic potential of these substances. As interest grows, so does the need for responsible, ethical, and well-informed guidance. The panel will feature short presentations from each panelist, followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A. We aim to create an engaging, thoughtful dialogue that respects diverse perspectives and experiences. The discussion will consider historical precedents, ethical concerns, and practical approaches to integrating psychedelics into spiritual life.
See also - Zeitgeist's upcoming training program to credential folks for Psychedelically Informed Spiritual Direction.
Saturday, August 30; 5:00 - 5:50pm 
IFS, Psychedelics and Religious Trauma with Rabbi Mitch Cohen and Debonee Morgan 
Two Certified Spiritual Directors, who serve the Spiritually Independent, will facilitate an interactive conversation about the experience of religious trauma and the application of Internal Family Systems and / or Psychedelics to support unburdening wounding, healing and engaging on a more meaningful spiritual journey
See also - Zeitgeist's upcoming training program to credential folks for Psychedelically Informed Spiritual Direction.