Alle Episoden
Ep. 45 – Reclaiming Christ Consciousness with Sami Awad
16.07.2026, 19:22
Palestinian peace activist Sami Awad explores how all cultures and contexts can embrace Christ-consciousness and create a more peaceful, loving world.
Check out Sami’s book,The Sacred Awakening: Reclaiming Christ Consciousness
This week on Set & Setting, Madison and Sami discuss:
- What it means to be anointed
- Rediscovering Jesus and the concept of loving thy neighbor
- Christ-consciousness spirituality
- How patriarchy creates dualism and an us vs. them mentality
- The depths of sacred activism
- Neem Karoli Baba’s connection to Christ-consciousness
- The intersection of Christ-consciousness with psychedelic-consciousness
- Holding compassion even for our enemies
- How Jesus was a disruptor for the greater awakening
About Sami Awad:
Sami Awad is a Palestinian activist, author, coach, and facilitator. He is Co-Director of Nonviolence International and author of the Sacred Awakening, a book that invites readers to embody a radical path to liberation, justice, and peace. Raised in and currently living in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine, Sami has lived his life at the intersection of spirituality, justice, and nonviolent resistance. He brings lived experience with occupation and spiritual reflection to invite us to resist injustice, embody courageous love, and embrace a deeper way of living in the face of colonialism. Learn more on Sami’s website.
“We are living in what now I define as the prevailing consciousness, the consciousness of separation, fear, ego, hierarchy, patriarchy, us vs. them, competition, comparison, violence, that we live in our personal and collective lives, and there is another way of living consciously. It is the bigger umbrella that encompasses all culture, content, context.” –Sami Awad
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Ep. 44 – Anthropology of Healing with Bia Labate, PhD
18.06.2026, 15:30
With an anthropological perspective on psychedelics, Madison and Bia contrast healing as a cultural buzzword vs. an ongoing embodied process.
Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give here: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser
This time on Set & Setting, Madison and Bia discuss:
- The anthropological study of cultural foundations
- The commodification of indigenous plant medicines
- Giving platforms to people of color, the indigenous, LGBTQ people, etc.
- The transformation capacity of psychedelics
- Spiritual voyeurism & the media culture in America
- The constant process of revisiting our shadows
- How everyone can be a social scientist
- Healing as a private matter rather than a buzzword
About Bia Labate, PhD:
Dr. Bia Labate (Beatriz Caiuby Labate) is an anthropologist, educator, author, speaker, and activist, committed to the protection of sacred plants while amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in the psychedelic science field. As a queer Brazilian anthropologist based in San Francisco, she has been profoundly influenced by her experiences with ayahuasca since 1996. Dr. Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil. Her work focuses on plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion, and social justice. She is the Executive Director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as a Senior Advisor for Culture and Strategy at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Additionally, she is a Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and acts as advisor for around 15 organizations, among them the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, Soltara Healing Center, Sacred Plant Alliance and the Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council. Dr. Labate is also a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Group for Psychoactive Studies (NEIP) in Brazil and the editor of its site. She has authored, co-authored, and co-edited 29 books, three special-edition journals, and numerous peer-reviewed and online publications.
“You have different ways to define what is disease, and therefore you have different ways to define what is healing. These plant medicines originate from cultures that have different founding paradigms to understand reality itself.” –Bia Labate
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Ep. 43 – Music as Prayer: Inside the Psychedelic Life of Yehoo Shalem
21.05.2026, 16:15
Middle Eastern Medicine Musician Yehoo Shalem frames life as a psychedelic experience, tracing how sound, prayer, and mindfulness can create intimacy with the divine.
This week on Set & Setting, Madison and Yehoo explore:
- The meaning and dream symbol of “The White Donkey”
- Studying Middle Eastern Music at Maqamat Academy
- Tzfat in northern Israel, the historic hub of Kabbalah
- Music as a form of prayer and intimacy with God
- Seeing life as a psychedelic experience
- The intention behind creating medicine music
- Using music as a navigation to go to a different place
- Seeing yourself as a creator rather than a victim
- Taking time for a morning gratitude practice
“For me the reason for writing music and for playing music is prayer. This is my ultimate aim when I play is to be able to connect to this point of prayer. Prayer for me is beyond asking for something, it’s seeking intimacy with God, with creation.” –Yehoo Shalem
About Yehoo Shalem:
Yehoo Shalem is a singer-songwriter, Middle Eastern medicine musician, music producer, and a devotee of Love. His music invites the listener into a mystical journey of remembrance, opening their hearts and bodies. Yehoo is currently deepening his music study at Maqamat Academy, learning Middle Eastern music. In parallel, Yehoo is traveling and offering concerts, singing circles, and his special creation: ‘Wine Ceremony’ - a night-long deep dive into sacred prayer, devotional music, high-quality wine, heart-opening sharings, and deep revelations. Check out Yehoo’s music on Spotify.
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Ep. 42 – Seeing Beyond Form: The Mystical Art of Boaz Ronen
23.04.2026, 13:10
Artist Boaz Ronan joins Madison to explore how Jewish mysticism and disciplined practice shape his creative process, framing art as a gateway to the unconscious.
In this episode, Madison and Boaz discuss:
- Seeing beyond color and form when painting
- Experiencing the mystical in daily life
- How Boaz’s experience with military PTSD influenced his artistry
- Art as a mirror to the unconscious
- The land of Israel as a microcosmos
- How Jewish mysticism influences Boaz’s artwork
- The story of how Boaz met his Rabbi
- Conscious breathing as a necessary spiritual practice
- Forming positive habits by sticking to something for 40 days
About Boaz Ronen:
Boaz Ronen is a fine artist from Tel Aviv, Israel. Boaz Studied in New York at the Art Students' League and in 1990 was chosen to represent artists from New York in Barcelona. He also spent time in India in 1993. Check out some of Boaz’s exhibitions HERE and see more of his work on Facebook.
“I see through the colors, through the forms. It’s not that I paint what I want; I see what I want to paint. It is somewhat connected to what Michelangelo said—that you see the stone, you see already the sculpture." –Boaz Ronen
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Ep. 41 – Hisbodedus & Nonviolent Communication with Tsiporah Gottesman Bortz
31.03.2026, 16:15
In this exploration of divine connection and emotional awareness, Madison Margolin and communication coach Tsiporah Gottesman Bortz frame communication as a sacred practice for healing and self-expression.
Learn more about Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and its developer here.
This time on Set & Setting, Madison and Tsiporah have a conversation about:
- Tsiporah’s connection to Ram Dass after his death, and asking his spirit for guidance
- How spiritual teachers make themselves known in auspicious ways
- Seeing our life as a movie: objective narration in order to gain more perspective
- Linking NVC & Hisbodedus (a Jewish practice of personal and heartfelt conversation with God)
- Tips for people who have communication blocks with the divine
- Bringing mindfulness and deep listening to our conversations
- Tuning into feelings rather than language
- Communication as a type of prayer and accessing the deepest part of us that wants to be expressed
- Keeping a “feelings & needs” journal, allowing our feelings and needs to exist
- Moments of peace through Katonah Yoga, a hatha practice woven with sacred geometry and metaphor
- Psychedelic experiences and seeing how psychedelic life can be without plant medicine
About Tsiporah Gottesman Bortz:
Tsiporah Gottesman Bortz is a communication coach, mediator, and teacher with over 15 years of experience guiding individuals and groups in practices of presence, awareness, and connection. She teaches yoga, most recently through Katonah Yoga, and has completed Vipassana meditation training, which continues to inform and shape her work.
Her approach to communication is rooted in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication and is enriched by somatic practices, including Somatic Experiencing. She supports people in cultivating deep self-understanding and the ability to remain present and grounded, even in the midst of challenge.
Tsiporah also draws from her experience in integration work, helping individuals make sense of and find meaning in profound inner experiences. Keep up with Tsiporah on her Instagram.
"Stagnant water is like a swamp or puddle. Healthy water is a river you can drink from; it’s moving, it’s alive. Those things inside of us that can feel really heavy, when we allow them to move, the stagnation starts to go away, and life force moves through us. It’s moving to allow it to be part of us, when it can be alive in us, it doesn’t create lethargy or stagnation. Hisbodedus is this way of expressing from our heart, speaking to creation, and staying big and alive even when we feel like something is closing in on us." –Tsiporah Gottesman Bortz
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