Love is an inner energy that flows naturally when the heart is open, but people block it by holding onto past pain and resisting reality. The external world does...
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Tami Simon’s in-depth audio podcast interviews with leading spiritual teachers and luminaries. Listen in as they explore their latest challenges and breakthroughs - the leading edge of their work.
Join the New York Times bestselling author of The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment, and Living Untethered for this free series of curated teaching sessions, recorded at his Temple of the Universe yoga and meditation center.
True spirituality is about aligning with reality—what is actually happening—rather than resisting or clinging to what the mind likes or dislikes. By storing emotionally charged impressions of past experiences (samskaras), we create inner resistance, which becomes the root of suffering and distraction from our divine nature. The path to liberation lies in relaxing instead of resisting, allowing all of life to pass through without suppression, thereby purifying the inner being and becoming a force for peace in the world.
[UPDATED EPISODE] Please note, this episode was originally released with a teaching from another recording. If you would like to ensure you’ve heard “E145: From Personal Preference to Universal Harmony,” please delete any existing downloads of this episode and re-download. We apologize for any inconvenience.
True spirituality is not about getting what you want or fixing the outside world, but learning to be okay inside by letting go of preferences, stored pain, and inner resistance. Reality unfolds through universal causes, not personal desires, and suffering comes from pitting yourself against what is. Enlightenment comes from witnessing your inner experiences without suppression, honoring all emotions, and living in harmony with, and selflessly serving, whatever life presents to you.
What if the challenges we face—both personal and collective—are signs of humanity crawling up the reed, preparing for a metamorphosis as dramatic as a dragonfly’s transformation?
This week on Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Richard Rudd—a teacher, mystic, award-winning poet, and founder of the Gene Keys. Richard shares the story of his remarkable three-day awakening at age 29, when he experienced what he now understands as glimpses through “the future human”—a state of pure light, intelligence, and complete absence of fear. This experience led him to develop the Gene Keys, a synthesis of ancient wisdom traditions with modern understanding that helps people transform shadow patterns into creative gifts.
Join Tami and Richard to explore:
Richard’s extraordinary awakening and memories of both past and future consciousness
The dragonfly as an allegory for humanity’s evolutionary metamorphosis
Why 2026-2027 may mark a critical turning point—”the year of the closing door”
The Gene Keys system: transforming 64 shadow patterns into gifts and divine attributes
The art of contemplation as gentle, patient transformation
Why fear increases as old paradigms decline—and what’s emerging beneath the surface
Strange attractors and signs that systems are preparing for quantum leaps • Heart intelligence versus AI and the resistance of remembering what’s real
How doubt, corruption, conflict, and other shadows contain hidden gifts of inquiry, equilibrium, and peace
If you’re sensing both the collapse of old structures and the emergence of something new, this conversation offers poetic wisdom for navigating the threshold between worlds.
Listen now to discover the contemplative path through transformation.
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.
In every social interaction, we convey signals of trust and accessibility to those around us. In other words, whatever’s happening within your nervous system is seen and felt by others. Dr. Stephen Porges’s groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory has led to a revolution in mental health, showing us that when you bring conscious awareness to your own inner state, you can choose to self-regulate (and ultimately to co-regulate), stop the cycle of fight-flight-freeze, and become a source of empathic connection and mutual safety for yourself and the people in your life.
Join Tami Simon in conversation with Dr. Porges and Karen Onderko, coauthors of the new book Safe and Sound to learn about: the origins of Polyvagal Theory; the minimization of bodily feelings and emotions in mental health care; the evolutionary hierarchy of our brainstem’s survival mechanisms; the concept of co-regulation; the neurobiology of trust; neuroception and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP); why the intonation qualities of vocalization are more powerful than the words we say; the amazing vagus nerve; applying the SSP for trauma healing; self-compassion and honoring the body’s wisdom; the transformative potential of a felt moment of safety; how to remain open and accessible without becoming overwhelmed by vulnerability; breathwork, qigong, and other neural exercises that facilitate the social engagement system; 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.
Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist, science journalist, and the author of the books Emotional Intelligence (over 5 million copies in print in 40 languages), Social Intelligence, and Ecological Intelligence. He is cofounder of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. With Sounds True, he is a faculty member of the Inner MBA nine-month immersion program. In this podcast, Sounds True founder Tami Simon speaks with Dan about the insights in his landmark book, Emotional Intelligence, and where we’ve come since its publication in 1995. They discuss the physiology and origin of emotions; the relationship between thought and emotion; constructive worry versus destructive worry; self-awareness and the practices that support it; temporary states versus abiding traits; the four domains of emotional intelligence; perseverance, drive, and high performance; cultivating unflappable equanimity; and more.
How do we reimagine society and build it anew upon a foundation of love, unity, and compassion? This is the central question Rainn Wilson explores in his new book, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. In this podcast, Tami Simon sits down with the actor and comedian to learn, in Rainn’s words, “Why the hell is the actor who played Dwight in The Office writing a book about spirituality?”
Enjoy this inspiring conversation that is at once funny, clever, and sincere, as Tami and Rainn discuss the cultural critique of people on a spiritual path; connecting with others from both our brokenness and wholeness; God, higher powers, and belief in a great mystery; the radiant word “devotion”; finding your authentic voice; the need for a spiritual revolution in our times; creating a new mythology; the potential pitfall in being “spiritual but not religious”; the Latin word “religio”—to bind together; the Baha’i faith; Rainn’s advice to don’t just protest—build something; the maturation of humanity; keeping hope alive and fighting for joy; 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.
Psychology focuses on understanding and managing the mind’s learned patterns, emotional struggles, and conditioned behaviors. Spirituality is about transcending these mental and emotional constructs to center on the consciousness which is aware of them. From this seat of witness consciousness, you can actually watch the mind create a false concept of self that is based on your past experiences. This false self leads to suffering unless the world matches how you think it should be. True spirituality involves realizing yourself as the conscious observer and learning to embrace life’s experiences as a gift from Creation. You can learn to free yourself from suffering and achieve a state of peace, love, and self-realization.
Your life is the fleeting moments between your birth and death. During this time, true fulfillment does not come from external achievements but from an internal state of unconditional joy and love. Because we condition our happiness on outside circumstances, it often leads to suffering, attachment, and endless striving for some satisfaction. By letting go of stored past disturbances that have blocked your natural well-being, you can unlock a state of unconditional happiness and appreciate each moment as it unfolds.
The mind is a powerful tool that is crucial for both spiritual growth and living everyday life. However, when you are drowning in the chaos of your thoughts and emotions, there is the need for distance and objectivity. If you allow your mind to cling to the effect of disturbing past experiences, you will distort the reality happening now and perpetuate suffering. The solution lies in deep acceptance and openness to embracing life’s experiences as they come, without resistance or judgment.
Spirituality is about recognizing that you are a conscious being, separate from your thoughts, emotions, and external experiences. You suffer because you identify with the past experiences that have molded your preferences and desires. True spiritual awakening occurs when your consciousness ceases to be distracted by the ego, permitting thoughts and emotions to pass through without clinging to them. This allows the shift inward to the infinite consciousness that lies beyond personal identity.
Seeking external solutions to make up for internal issues leads to endless struggles and suffering. But going beyond the limitations of past experiences and attachments leads to inner transformation and spiritual evolution. By releasing attachments and emotional blockages, you can experience a profound state of love, joy, and freedom. Always remember, true fulfillment is not found in external circumstances but in awakening to your higher consciousness.
Life’s events are not personal; they are shaped by the force of cause and effect. Countless past causes are resulting in the moments that are unfolding in front of you. You take it personally because you are looking at life through the limited veil of your ego-mind. The personal mind was formed from the past experiences that made the strongest impressions on you. This distorts your perception of reality to your own limited frame of reference, creating unnecessary fear, anxiety, and suffering. By recognizing this truth, you can transcend your self-concept and align with the broader universe, unlocking profound love, peace, and self-awareness.
Deep spiritual states transcend the mind, but the mind can be a useful tool for spiritual growth. You know your consciousness can concentrate on a single object or expand to include everything in front of you. Likewise, your concept of self can be narrowly focused on your ego-mind, or it can expand to include thoughts of this vast universe. You suffer when your mind’s perception of reality does not align with its personal desires and fears. Spiritual growth involves letting go of this ego-mind and honoring all of life as your participation in the Divine Creation. True freedom is found in ceasing to contract awareness, which allows its natural expansion beyond the personal self.
Shakti is the universal life energy that flows through the body, mind, and heart, and its flow is the basis of all emotional and physical experiences. Blockages created from suppressed past experiences distort this flow, leading to mental, emotional, and physical suffering. Instead of releasing these blockages, most people try to manipulate the external world to avoid triggering them. True spiritual growth is the art of letting go of these blockages and allowing Shakti to flow freely. Ultimately, this leads to a life filled with love, joy, and Self-Realization.
There are two viable spiritual paths: one is reaching upwardly to touch your higher self, and the other is working inwardly to release the blockages that keep you bound to your lower self. The latter encourages radical self-honesty, acceptance of reality, and daily inner work to stop resisting life and start letting go of stored blockages that create suffering. Through this surrender-based path, the natural upward flow of energy is restored, leading to lasting well-being, freedom from disturbance and, ultimately, full spiritual liberation.
Gratitude is not about getting what you want but about appreciating the profound gifts of existence that are freely given to you. These include the flow of your breath, the beat of your heart, the ability to think and feel, and above all, the gift of conscious awareness. Suffering stems from ignoring all of this and fixating on your personal preferences. Liberation lies in shifting your focus from the personal self to the vastness of existence, where appreciation, joy, and love are the natural state of your being.
The spiritual journey is not about chasing external goals but about realizing that these pursuits only mask a deeper truth—we are not okay inside and driven by deep-seated fears and needs. Spirituality begins when we recognize that this comes from storing unresolved experiences inside that block our natural energy flow. Liberation is not about controlling life to achieve more but about learning to let go of these blockages during everyday life. Over time, this leads to a state of unconditional well-being culminating in unity with divine consciousness.
The spiritual journey explores the fundamental question of identity—not who you think you are, but who you truly are: consciousness itself. Ego, the false concept of self, is created when the mind clings to certain events and forms rigid preferences, desires, and identities around them. True freedom lies in ceasing to store these inner impressions and letting the energy of Shakti rise unimpeded into a state of unconditional joy and well-being.
“In a split second,” teaches Michael Singer, “your mind can make you miserable or ecstatic. All it takes is a thought.” Our hopes, dreams, opinions, and preferences—all of these are constructs that we’ve made up. And they pit us against reality, limiting our contentment and joy. So what can we do about it? In this episode, Michael answers that question.
Life’s events are not personal; they are shaped by the force of cause and effect. Countless past causes are resulting in the moments that are unfolding in front of you. You take it personally because you are looking at life through the limited veil of your ego-mind. The personal mind was formed from the past experiences that made the strongest impressions on you. This distorts your perception of reality to your own limited frame of reference, creating unnecessary fear, anxiety, and suffering. By recognizing this truth, you can transcend your self-concept and align with the broader universe, unlocking profound love, peace, and self-awareness.
Seeking external solutions to make up for internal issues leads to endless struggles and suffering. But going beyond the limitations of past experiences and attachments leads to inner transformation and spiritual evolution. By releasing attachments and emotional blockages, you can experience a profound state of love, joy, and freedom. Always remember, true fulfillment is not found in external circumstances but in awakening to your higher consciousness.
Spirituality is about recognizing that you are a conscious being, separate from your thoughts, emotions, and external experiences. You suffer because you identify with the past experiences that have molded your preferences and desires. True spiritual awakening occurs when your consciousness ceases to be distracted by the ego, permitting thoughts and emotions to pass through without clinging to them. This allows the shift inward to the infinite consciousness that lies beyond personal identity.
The mind is a powerful tool that is crucial for both spiritual growth and living everyday life. However, when you are drowning in the chaos of your thoughts and emotions, there is the need for distance and objectivity. If you allow your mind to cling to the effect of disturbing past experiences, you will distort the reality happening now and perpetuate suffering. The solution lies in deep acceptance and openness to embracing life’s experiences as they come, without resistance or judgment.
Your life is the fleeting moments between your birth and death. During this time, true fulfillment does not come from external achievements but from an internal state of unconditional joy and love. Because we condition our happiness on outside circumstances, it often leads to suffering, attachment, and endless striving for some satisfaction. By letting go of stored past disturbances that have blocked your natural well-being, you can unlock a state of unconditional happiness and appreciate each moment as it unfolds.
