James Hollis, PhD, is a graduate of Zürich’s Jung Institute, a licensed Jungian analyst practicing in Houston, Texas, and author of 13 books, including Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life and What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life and the Sounds True audio learning program Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life.
Here, Dr. Hollis invites us to discern directly what a “spiritual life” is for us personally, opening ourselves to the mystery of our time here as a human being. At the end of our life, shares Hollis, we want to be able to say we’ve been here, that it mattered, that we lived our journey and not someone else’s, and that we’ve touched the deepest part of who we are.
James Hollis, PhD, is a licensed Jungian analyst in private practice in Washington, DC. Originally from Springfield, Illinois, he graduated from Manchester University in 1962 and Drew University in 1967. He taught humanities for 26 years in various colleges and universities before retraining as a Jungian analyst at the Jung Institute of Zürich, Switzerland (1977–82). He served as executive director of the Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas, for many years. He was executive director of the Jung Society of Washington until 2019, and now serves on its board of directors. He is a retired senior training analyst for the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, was first director of training of the Philadelphia Jung Institute, and is vice-president emeritus of the Philemon Foundation. Additionally, he was a professor of Jungian Studies for Saybrook University of San Francisco.
He has written 20 books, available in translations around the world, including Living Between Worlds, What Matters Most, and Living an Examined Life. He lives with his wife, Jill, an artist and retired therapist, near Washington, DC. Together they have three living children and eight grandchildren. For more, visit jameshollis.net.
**SPECIAL ENCORE PRESENTATION IN SUPPORT OF WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY THIS OCTOBER**
Dr. James Hollis is a Jungian analyst, a former director of the Jung Society of Washington, DC, and a professor of Jungian Studies for Saybrook University of San Francisco/Houston. He is the author of The Middle Passage, Living an Examined Life, Through the Dark Wood, and Living Between Worlds, among many others. With Sounds True, he’s released the expansive audio program A Life of Meaning: Exploring Our Deepest Questions and Motivations.
In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with James about the journey for personal fulfillment—how it starts, what it demands, and how it changes your life. James explains what it really means to take responsibility for your life’s path, as well as how you can rediscover and reclaim your innate authority. Tami and James discuss how childhood experiences shape our present behavior and what it takes to live fearlessly. Finally, they talk about overcoming lethargy and the joy of becoming comfortable with mysteries.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Listeners of Insights At The Edge get 10% off their first month at www.betterhelp.com/soundstrue.
By what lights do you live your journey? What fires your imagination? What stirs your curiosity? What asks of you something that is so deep within you that perhaps it hurts, but you can’t let go of it because it won’t let go of you? These are some of the “large questions” explored by Tami Simon and her guest, Jungian teacher and author James Hollis. Hollis is one of those authors who’s beloved by everyone who works at Sounds True—especially those of us who’ve entered the second half of life—and in this podcast, you’ll discover why.
Listen now as Tami and Jim discuss his new book, Living with Borrowed Dust, sharing thought-provoking insights about: the evanescence of our human journey; making your life luminous; asking large questions, and how we lose contact with the inquiries that serve our individuation; fate versus destiny; the independence of the psyche; the ego’s need for control; dreams as “health correctives” and an avenue to the numinous; showing up for your “appointment” in life; trusting the wisdom of nature; how psychoanalysis helps us rewrite the self-limiting narratives that hold us back; the worst damage of trauma: identifying who we are with what happened to us; why we can’t solve certain problems, but we can outgrow them; courage and perseverance; paying close attention to your inner life; living in a culture of distraction; dialoguing with your soul; the paradox of passion; facing the abyss; taking advantage of the precious moments; learning to live with ambiguity; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
Dr. James Hollis is a Jungian analyst, a former director of the Jung Society of Washington, DC, and a professor of Jungian Studies for Saybrook University of San Francisco/Houston. He is the author of The Middle Passage, Living an Examined Life, Through the Dark Wood, and Living Between Worlds, among many others. With Sounds True, he’s released the expansive audio program A Life of Meaning: Exploring Our Deepest Questions and Motivations. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with James about the journey for personal fulfillment—how it starts, what it demands, and how it changes your life. James explains what it really means to take responsibility for your life’s path, as well as how you can rediscover and reclaim your innate authority. Tami and James discuss how childhood experiences shape our present behavior and what it takes to live fearlessly. Finally, they talk about overcoming lethargy and the joy of becoming comfortable with mysteries.
How do we move beyond fear and separation to experience our true divine nature—especially in times of collective upheaval and uncertainty?
This week, Tami Simon welcomes Paul Selig, a channeler, author, and teacher who has brought through 13 extraordinary books from non-physical guides he describes as teaching from “the upper room.” Born an atheist and trained at Yale, Paul experienced a spontaneous kundalini awakening in 1987 that left him clairvoyant and fundamentally changed his understanding of reality. Since then, he has served as what he calls a “spoken stenographer” for teachings on consciousness, awakening, and our capacity to align with the divine.
Join Tami and Paul to explore:
Paul’s dramatic awakening experience and emergence as a channel
What it feels like to receive and transmit channeled wisdom
The “upper room”—a vibrational state beyond fear and separation
How to recognize when we’re acting from fear versus divine knowing
The clearing process that accompanies spiritual awakening
Why this particular time calls for radical transformation of old structures
The powerful attunement: “I am in God, I am of God, I am with God”
How to maintain trust and openness when part of us still holds back
Practical ways to realign with source amidst chaos and uncertainty
If you’re navigating this time of collective change and seeking a deeper connection to your divine nature, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical guidance for claiming the upper room—that aspect of consciousness where we already dwell in union with all that is.
This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.
What if the ability to channel wisdom and connect with higher guidance isn’t reserved for a select few, but accessible to anyone willing to open their heart?
This week, Tami Simon welcomes Lee Harris, a globally acclaimed energy intuitive, musician, and channeler of a group of intelligences called the Zs. Lee reaches over 1 million people monthly through his vibrant online community, The Portal, and is the author of The Future Human (with Regina Meredith) and the Conversations with the Zs series. In this profound exchange, Lee shares his journey from hearing his guides for the first time on a London subway at age 23 to becoming one of the most trusted voices in contemporary channeling.
Join Tami and Lee to explore:
How channeling works and why it’s becoming more accessible to everyday seekers
Practical techniques for connecting with your own guides through automatic writing and intuitive practice
The distinction between thinking and knowing—and why heart intelligence surpasses mental intelligence
Why the “flexible heart” is essential for healing trauma and moving through life’s challenges
How to ask for help from angels and guides in simple, powerful ways
The role of love as currency in humanity’s next evolutionary phase
Why we often fear the very love we claim to seek
How to serve love in daily life and contribute to raising Earth’s frequency midpoint
Plus: A direct channeling from the Zs with guidance for navigating these transformative times
If you’re ready to deepen your connection to intuitive wisdom, open your heart more fully, and understand your role in humanity’s shift toward love-based consciousness, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical pathways forward.
Listen now to discover how heart intelligence and channeled wisdom can transform your life and our world.
This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.
What does enlightenment look like in Christian tradition? How do we cultivate the kind of presence that transforms ordinary moments into sacred encounters?
This week on Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon shares a rebroadcast of one of her most cherished interviews—a conversation recorded at Mount St. Benedict’s Monastery in Erie, Pennsylvania with Sister Joan Chittister, just before her 83rd birthday. Sister Joan is an American Benedictine nun, theologian, and author of more than 50 books who has spent over 40 years advocating for peace, human rights, women’s issues, and church renewal.
Join Tami and Sister Joan to explore:
The Christian path from contemplation to unity and “seeing the world through God’s eyes”
Sister Joan’s mystical experience of light as a teenager and how it shaped her entire spiritual life
The sacrament of the present moment and what true presence actually requires
Why opening your heart sometimes means closing it to certain things
How spiritual traditions are evolving and what religion offers in an increasingly secular age
The prayer Sister Joan repeats before every talk: accepting “whatsoever deaths thou shall choose to send me”
Why consciousness—not mindfulness techniques—is the foundation of contemplative living
This is a conversation about what a lifetime of monastic practice reveals, the electricity of divine presence, and how struggle itself becomes the crucible for transformation.
Want to go deeper? Listen to the complete seven-hour conversation in the audio series Catching Fire at soundstrue.com
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