The Container

Guy Sengstock was one of the founders of Circling, a social meditation practice that has transformed the world of personal growth. He has spent decades developing and teaching the practice. In recent years, he's also faced struggles in trying to protect and nurture Circling while also keeping its culture as open as the practice itself.  Find the Circling Institute here: https://circlinginstit...

Brian Roberston explored, created, and codified Holacracy, a system of non-hierarchical organization specifically for the workplace. He comes onto the podcast to talk about the impact of our organizational structures on consciousness. What opens up is a discussion of how shadow content ends up driving decision making on a group scale and how to work toward flow rather than projection. You can lear...

Amanda “Pua” Walsh founded Astrology Hub, an amazing resource for astrological information online. In her new memoir, Life by the Stars , she goes on a spiritual odyssey from a conventionally successful life in the corporate world of Manhattan to the islands of Hawaii and on to the stars. We talk to her about the book as well as practical tips for integrating astrology into your own life. The conv...

Denis Poisson guides people through the world of the Occult. His YouTube channel Foolish Fish has helped hundreds of thousands of people wrap their minds around the Western Mysteries, and now, he’s come onto the show. He acquaints us with the basics of Occultism and even points out easy (and practical) steps to begin your journey into real, actual magic. Find more of his work at the Foolish Fish w...

Christine Caldwell talks using psychedelics to work with those facing death. Through her non-profit End-of-Life Psychedelic Care (EOLPC), she supports the popularization and research of this breakthrough approach to death work. She talks to us about their current home-based ketamine pilot, why these medicines are so potent in this stage of care, and so much more. Her insights take us deep into wha...

Anna Krishtal is a ketamine coach and host of the Ketamine Connections podcast. She joins us to talk the ins and outs of ketamine, the compound at the forefront of the psychedelic renaissance. Ketamine is the leading chemical used in legal psychedelic therapy in the US, and it's widely considered as one of the most versatile, effective, and direct tools available to improve mental health. But...

Martje Witzel is a leader in the Relational Arts movement. And on this episode, she comes back onto The Container to talk about feminine leadership. What is the special wisdom in the vessel? How can vision, holding, and space making transform? Is it possible to define feminine leadership outside of a comparison with masculine leadership? It's this and so much more on this episode! If you&apos...

Frank Elaridi began his career as a journalist, going on to win four Emmys and covering everything from forest fires to celebrities. But then, he struck out on his own to spread the story of mysterious practitioners who are able to see while blindfolded. That began an odyssey into the strange world of spiritual powers where he ended up becoming a healer himself. Today, his podcast Quite Frankly ge...

Stephen Jenkinson is a culture activist and author who brings together ceremony, music, and story. His much-loved book Die Wise taught us how to face that hardest of topics: death. In 2024, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Now, in his new book Trembling Still , he captures in intimate detail his path with the illness. You can find his work at Orphan Wisdom ( https://orphanwisdom.com...

C. Derick Varn is a poet, philosopher, and podcaster (among so much else). He comes on The Container to talk about how we make reality. Spoiler alert: it's a mixture of spirit, mind, history, politics, and so on. In particular, he helps us understand why the political left broke off from spirituality. We even talk a little bit about how to enchant the incredible theoretical work of Marx and t...

The Relating Arts teach us how to engage with ourselves, each other, and the world in a more conscious way. So, what would happen if we grew these practices at scale? Peter Munthe-Kaas comes on The Container to talk about just that. His Relating Arts project gathers these kinds of practices into a single, easy to use space. It's beautiful, too! [There is an audio issue on this episode with Jo...

The rebirth of humanity is upon us. Everywhere you look, people are participating in something big. The renewable energy revolution. The rise of urban agriculture. The return of God and enchantment. All over the place, we find signs that humanity is about to undergo a cultural, spiritual, and economic revival and renaissance. But here's the thing: we have to be the ones to do it . We can&apos...

Lubaina Choudhury is a powerful energy healer with a hands-on, in-depth knowledge of how to care for and operate this magnificent human body. Her background is in Eastern traditions like yoga. But her mentor delivered high impact teachings from the Kabbalah, a fundamental force in Western Occultism. Now, she blends East and West (along with her own inherent gifts and honed skills) into a healing m...

Will Jefferson is a writer, coach, and facilitator who brings poetry into vivid connection and conversation with everyday life. Interested in his Poetry of the Everyday course? Use promo code ‘container’ for 20% off! It starts Tuesday, April 28. But spots will go fast, so be sure to sign up today. Go to:  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-poetry-of-the-everyday-6-week-online-course-registration-1...

The Container is launching a new adventure: Mystical Creatures. On this journey, Jonathan and Marei are going to deep dive into mystical practice, that collection of tools that bring us into radical union with the sacred. Call it God, why don’t you? In this conversation, Marei talks about her life, how she began to notice something strange was going on, and how you can begin to reclaim your birthr...

Daniel Schmidt, the documentarian behind the fantastic Samadhi film series , shares the best practices he's found for spiritual awakening. This includes the ones used in the Samadhi Center's 7-Day I AM Retreat . We touch on meditation, psychedelics, and even relating practices (like Charles Berner's two-person method of self-inquiry). But most of all, we investigate how any spiritua...

Stemless is a radical new entry to the world of the relational arts, mindfulness, and social meditation. It takes us out into uncharted waters, where we use skillful projection to wake us up and make vital contact with how we create our reality. We brought the entire founding team on to talk about what Stemless is, how it came from and builds off of Circling, and what you can expect when you jam w...

The brilliant Andrew Venezia comes on the podcast to talk about the many layers of Circling. He takes us from the basics of an interbeing practice to deep insights into the nature of reality itself. It's a mind-bending episode, but it's always grounded in Andrew's warmth and openness to the questions themselves. You can work with Andrew by visiting his website here: https://www.andr...

Can circling bring us into deep mystical and magical practice? Certainly, yes. And Ben Hodgson comes into The Container to tell us just exactly how that might work. He also gives us a delightful account of his magical journey.  Oh, did I mention we talk about the Kabbalah, ritual magic, and insanity? It’s that kind of discussion. You can work with Ben at Transformational Connection . Support Our W...

The Month of Potential (MoP) experiments with living in radical connection. Using the practice of circling as the foundation, they recently spent a month living and working together fully engaged in relational practice.  They share their experiences, challenges, insights, and plans for the future. They even give tips and insights (and invites) to people who want to go on similar journeys. You can...

Angelo Dilullo is an author, podcast host, and teacher who brings a down-to-earth reality to the topic of awakening. His podcast Simply Always Awake is a treasure trove of insights into awakening with a refreshing lack of pretense or unnecessary spiritual window dressing. His approach is practical and lived in, and that’s probably why tens of thousands of people have benefitted so much from his te...

Marc “Marco” Beneteau is a major force in the Authentic Relating and Circling world. His newsletter has become a must-read feature of the field, and his introduction to Circling has been one of the most important resources for newcomers. And now… Marco’s working on a third version of his intro book, bringing in some of the biggest names in Authentic Relating to help. He comes on the podcast to hel...

These five weird books will change your life. This isn’t a list of great books you’ve already read. No, no. These are a bit off the beaten path, but they all support a spirit-forward life. These will guide you, support you, and even entertain you, whether you are seeking enlightenment, sainthood, or a little growth in the right direction. Below is the full list with links to buy them: Spacecruiser...

Boundaries define us. They draw the border of the country of ourselves. They help us negotiate relationships. They help us discover what's important to us. And when they are violated, they call us to go inward and pursue explosive personal growth. The Circling practice in particular allows us to discover our edges and learn how to be artful when we move into deep territory in others. All that...

It's our Halloween Episode of The Container! We discuss the power of masks that we wear in our lives: the Cool Guy, the Good Mother, the Professional, etc. Sometimes, we struggle to feel authentic while wearing masks, but there is so much more to what's going on. If we are really paying attention, it even touches our ability to shape reality. We also see how circling is such a rich pract...