Embracing Mystery

About Embracing Mystery

Finding ourselves in compassionate, creative interconnection. Monthly conversations discovering the intersections of creativity and spirituality. Join Kevin Caldwell, Nazia Islam, Raymond Singh, and Steven Spicer as they explore together ways that we can embrace creative and spiritual mystery in our lives and simultaneously find ourselves embraced in the mystery of compassionate, creative, interconnection, held by what may be called the Divine, or Source, or Consciousness, or even Mystery itself. In the process, we seek to become more fully ourselves, find our home and places of belonging, and grow as creative, spiritual, and relational beings. Kevin Caldwell is a singer-songwriter, poet, author, holding a PhD in Intercultural Studies. Nazia "Naz" Islam is an academic librarian, artist, and poet, with graduate degrees in Religious Studies and Library & Information Science. Raymond C. Singh is an amateur philosopher, musician, and poet, holding an MA in Philosophy. Steven Spicer is a spiritual director, visual artist and graphic designer, with a graduate degree in theology. The Embracing Mystery Podcast is an offering of the Table Collective, a creative interspiritual community of artists and contemplatives who seek to integrate their creative and spiritual selves (www.tablecollective.art).

Publisher

Table Collective

Category

arts · religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 May 2025

Latest episode

3 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Sept 2026

   15 | Yogiraj Utkarsh Sanjanwala - How Yoga Shapes You

   This month we had the joy of talking with Yogiraj Utkarsh about his life and understanding of yoga. In particular, we explored what yoga is about, including the many types of yoga, and some of the misconceptions about it. We also got to explore the ways that yoga shapes a person over time. It's not just a set of physical postures (though it includes that!), but a way to connect with your Source, which he suggests people of all traditions can practice. Yogiraj Utkarsh Sanjanwala—master yoga and meditation teacher, is a dedicated leader in global wellness education. The title Yogiraj—meaning "Master among Yogis"—recognizes him as a lineage holder and senior representative of an authentic yogic tradition through his training in the Guru-Shishya tradition under Sri Swami Vidyanand. Through the World Yoga Federation and Meditation Alliance International, he provides inclusive, trauma-informed yoga education to diverse communities, specializing in supporting neurodiverse students using innovative pedagogical approaches integrating yoga, mindfulness, and life skills.

2. 

   1 Jul 2026

   14 | Amy Kisei - A Zen Approach to Life and Creativity

   Explore the profound connections between Zen, creativity, and compassion in this conversation with Amy Kisei, a Zen Buddhist priest, artist, and spiritual counselor. We discuss how Zen’s direct experience approach and the practice of paying close attention can transform your creative process and deepen your understanding of yourself and Reality. And Amy's insights on the role of attention as an act of love, and the myriad ways compassion manifests in creative expression, are an inspiring invitation. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or new to spiritual exploration, you will learn practical ways to integrate mindfulness, artistic expression, and compassion into your daily life. Check out Amy's Podcast, "Earth Dreams: Zen Buddhism and the Soul of the World" here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ECHLLy... Amy's website: https://www.amykisei.org

3. 

   1 Jun 2026

   13 | Lorna Elliott - A Journey of Self-Compassion

   In this month's Embracing Mystery podcast, we have the joy of welcoming Lorna Elliott to a conversation about the journey of learning to love who we are. She shares about her own insights from trauma training, inner child work, and connecting with her creativity. Learning to love who we are is a journey that can take a lifetime, but it is one of our most essential tasks. It is framed in different ways depending on the spiritual tradition, but there is a common move in contemplative spirituality towards having greater self-compassion, letting go of our egos, and not taking ourselves too seriously. It is an embracing of our true selves. Yet, so often it is easier to have compassion for others and to enjoy who they are, than it is to simply enjoy our own selves. Why is that?! Music licensed through Soundstripe. UMRYJKRNGXDPVDIX

4. 

   1 May 2026

   12 | Adnan Hussain - Justice and Rehumanization through Creativity

   This episode explores the ways that creativity intersects with justice in the world, and particularly how it serves to rehumanize others who are being dehumanized and oppressed. We have a conversation with Adnan Hussain, who has intentionally sought to integrate his creative work with advocacy and giving a voice to others. In particular, he has created in relationship with the Uyghur community. This topic is also an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between our own creative work and justice in the world. Check out Adnan's work at madguru.com!

5. 

   2 Apr 2026

   11 | Jaimin Rajani - It's Not Just Me in My Creative Process

   Have you ever felt like creative ideas suddenly flowed through you in ways that are beyond your own conscious choices? Jaimin Rajani, our latest guest on the Embracing Mystery podcast, shares with us his own creative and spiritual journey, which led him to say there is something More involved in his creative process. For him, that meant a turn to the Bhagavad Gita, and an acknowledgment that his songwriting is a gift. His experiences then were also an opportunity for us all to reflect on ways we've experienced something more than our conscious choices involved in the creative process. Check out Jaimin's music at: music.jaimin.in.

6. 

   1 Mar 2026

   10 | Azeem Khan - Living in the Liminal: Integrating Creativity and Sufi Spirituality

   In this episode we have the joy of welcoming our first guest, Azeem Khan. He shares with us ways his upbringing, music, art, and spirituality beautifully inhabit the liminal spaces of life. Our conversation touches on religious and cultural identity, dreams, the creative process, and Sufi practices and ways of seeing. You can find his art on Instagram @surreal.fakir Listen to his albums on bandcamp at whalesoundmusic.bandcamp.com Intro song: “The Universe’s Heart” - Whalesound

7. 

   1 Feb 2026

   9 | Exploring Our Journeys with Mystery

   This episode we each share our ways of relating to Mystery, responding to three questions: How did our formative spiritual contexts shape us? What kinds of disruptive experiences did we have? And how would we describe where we are at now? In all of this we surface different kinds of disruption and paths that our spiritual experiences and questions have taken us.

8. 

   13 Dec 2025

   8 | How Does Personal Growth Matter for Your Art? Pt. 2

   What is the relationship between personal growth and growth in your craft? How do they work together to shape the quality of your creative work? These are the questions we explore in this episode of the Embracing Mystery Podcast. This is also Raymond's last time, at least as a regularly contributing member of the team, and he has some real wisdom that he shares on the topic!

9. 

   17 Nov 2025

   7 | How Does Personal Growth Matter for Your Art? (Pt. 1)

   For artists, does it matter who you are and how you are growing as a person if an audience might not understand the experiences and emotions you are trying to communicate? In this episode Kevin explains relevance theory of communication, which looks at the interpretive worlds of symbols and meanings of a communicator (artist) and an audience as an integral part of what meaning is communicated. We discuss what this means for artists, knowing that there are both unanticipated experiences your audience might have, and that you can't ultimately control what someone gets from your work.

10. 

    10 Oct 2025

    6 | Is Creativity More than Self-Expression?

    Is there more to creativity than self-expression? Is all self-expression art? In this episode we explore why it is that more concretely personal creative expression connects more universally. We raise the question of whether there is anything More involved in the creative process and whether that affects how the audience experiences the work.

11. 

    12 Sept 2025

    5 | Embracing Inner Mystery

    In this episode we explore inner mystery and the ways we steward, share, and cultivate our creative and spiritual lives. Is everything we create or experience spiritually meant to be shared? Are there ways we should guard or protect our inner life? How does all this affect what we choose to share?

12. 

    11 Jul 2025

    4 | When and Why Do You Share Your Creativity?

    What’s going on inside of you when you decide to share your art with others? In this episode we explore what happens when you’ve completed a finished piece. You have your new song, poem, painting, sculpture, dance, etc. But now what do you do with it? Do you share it automatically? With who, and in what spaces? And even more importantly, we talk about what goes on inside of us as we decide whether to share something and how we receive feedback. Our approach to sharing our art can reveal a lot about ourselves and our own motivations. Reflecting on it can help us move toward a greater freedom and ability to engage in the creative flow and sharing with others without taking ourselves too seriously!

13. 

    24 Jun 2025

    3 | Experiencing Source(s) in the Creative Process

    This episode builds on our discussion of the Source(s) of creativity in our second episode. This time we get more concrete as we discuss the ways that our view of Source and experiences of the creative process relate. Our creative processes are each different. Creativity is a conveyor belt where we combine all the various inputs from all of life. It's a chaotic process that is both random, and yet emerges from research and study. It's a process of empathizing with others and experiencing as them. It's a process of getting still and in touch with a deeper flow of intuitive thought. In the process, we reflect on the ways we posture ourselves for inspiration and creative work, and whether this is something that requires intentionality, or simply part of our day to day experience of being human. To stay up to date with all we do at the Table Collective, join our free newsletter and online community at www.tablecollective.art!

14. 

    24 May 2025

    2 | What Is the Source of Creativity?

    The hosts of Embracing Mystery podcast contemplate the origins of creativity, sharing single-word responses and discussing how these perspectives shape creative experiences in this reflective episode.

15. 

    16 May 2025

    1 | Where Does Creativity Come From?

    Steven, Kevin, and Naz explore the origins of creativity through personal reflections and guided practices, revealing how early experiences shape creative expression in this episode.