Powered by RND
PodcastsReligion & SpiritualityThe Building 4th Podcast

The Building 4th Podcast

Doug Scott
The Building 4th Podcast
Latest episode

Available Episodes

5 of 100
  • Cosmic Christ: Celebrating 10 Years of Finding My Voice
    Today marks the 10th anniversary of my blog, Cosmic Christ, and I find myself filled with gratitude as I reflect on this journey of exploration, discovery, and spiritual growth. What began as a humble attempt to articulate my evolving understanding of spirituality has blossomed into a decade-long conversation about the profound intersection of Christianity, the Ra Contact, and the perennial wisdom traditions that connect them. Today marks the 10th anniversary of my blog, Cosmic Christ, and I find myself filled with gratitude as I reflect on this journey of exploration, discovery, and spiritual growth. What began as a humble attempt to articulate my evolving understanding of spirituality has blossomed into a decade-long conversation about the profound intersection of Christianity, the Ra Contact, and the perennial wisdom traditions that connect them. [more here: https://cosmicchrist.net/2025/04/19/cosmic-christ-celebrating-10-years-of-finding-my-voice/]
    --------  
    38:03
  • The Spiral Path: A Journey Towards Spiritual Growth
    In this enlightening episode, Dr. Troy Caldwell, a retired MD psychiatrist and practicing spiritual director, delves into the spiritual theology's spiral path, a model depicting the journey towards spiritual growth and union with God. Discover how this ascending spiral serves as a metaphor for our movement toward divine consciousness and the likeness of Christ. Dr. Caldwell explains the three fundamental stages of this spiritual journey, known as the 'three ways': the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways. He highlights the trials and triumphs of each stage, drawing from renowned mystical teachings and historical figures in Christianity, such as Evelyn Underhill and St. Teresa of Avila. Engage in a reflection on personal transformations with guests sharing their profound experiences. Hear diverse perspectives, including the once-born mystics who feel an innate connection to the divine from birth. Finally, the conversation touches on how understanding these spiritual stages can enhance our everyday relationships and lead to a deeper acceptance of self and others.
    --------  
    49:20
  • Embracing the Mysteries of Dreams and Spiritual Growth
    This episode captures a dream analysis session led by Troy Caldwell, a retired psychiatrist with Jungian training who serves as a spiritual director for the Building 4th Community. The session follows a structured format where participants share their dreams and the group collectively interprets them through spiritual and psychological lenses. The meeting begins with a brief meditation focusing on gratitude for embodiment and divine presence in the current moment. Three participants share their dreams with rich interpretations: Rudy's Dream: Rudy describes being at the bottom of the ocean wrapped in a pink-red octopus, feeling surprisingly comfortable despite normally being afraid of the ocean. The group offers these interpretations: The ocean represents the unconscious mind, with Rudy finding unexpected comfort in its depths The octopus symbolizes intelligence, balance, and protection - a "still point" amidst chaos Its pink-red color connects to "red ray" energy (related to embodiment and survival challenges Rudy mentioned facing for six years) The dream suggests finding comfort amidst traditionally uncomfortable situations Doug notes the octopus represents "balance and integration, personal power and manifestation, wholeness and unity, and order amidst chaos" The scene reflects Rudy "reworking foundations" at a soul level Duncan's Dream Series: Duncan shares three dreams with a recurring theme of animal-human transformation: A butterfly with color-shifting wings landing on his shoulder transforms into a woman giving spiritual advice A monk turning into a dolphin, with Duncan following suit and swimming through luminous blue waters A monkey that transforms into a Native American woman who communicates through gestures about his "good heart" Interpretations include: The butterfly symbolizes "numinosity" from the "upper unconscious" The left shoulder represents embodiment and limitation The progression from verbal communication to gesture-only communication suggests movement toward contemplative spirituality The dreams show integration of instincts with higher spiritual awareness Troy frames the dreams within three stages of spiritual development: purgative (discipline), illuminative (joyful insights), and unitive (walking with God) The dreams function as affirmations rather than lessons - "you're doing a good job" Troy's Dream: Troy shares a dream about societal breakdown, family members filling his house leaving no place to sleep, and adolescent-like competition where he catches a "gooey gray ball." Interpretations include: The character "Shackleford" represents feeling shackled or limited The lack of sleeping space reflects how societal chaos prevents finding rest The competition scene mirrors social media one-upmanship culture The gray gooey ball represents societal messiness, potentially with creative potential (likened to semen/seed) Doug suggests Troy "caught the catalyst" (a Law of One reference) despite challenges The dream reveals Troy's tendency to "make the best of a bad situation" with playfulness Throughout the discussion, participants reference spiritual concepts and frameworks to understand the dreams' deeper meaning, creating a supportive environment for personal growth through collective dream interpretation
    --------  
    46:15
  • Thinking Together about Consciousness Shift: Ra Material, Process Thought, and Hope
    This episode documents a deep philosophical conversation between Doug Scott and Carys Vaughan, exploring complex spiritual and metaphysical concepts. The dialogue weaves together themes of consciousness evolution, spiritual development, societal polarization, and personal responsibility in a time of global transformation. Major Themes 1. The Womb/Tomb Metaphor and Transformational Consciousness A central metaphor emerges of our current global moment as a "tomb that is a womb" - a space of both death and rebirth. Doug introduces this concept through the Christian archetype of resurrection: "What is a neglected part of that archetype often is the tomb... You have the dying on the cross, and then the resurrection. But in between you have in the archetypal story 3 days in the tomb. And what is the tomb? If it's not a womb... the tomb is a womb." This frames their understanding of current global challenges as a necessary death-rebirth process: "How to midwife the death of the old and the birth of the new." Carys relates to this idea, noting how she had previously conceptualized it as liminal space: "I was kind of seeing it as a bit like we're just in this kind of liminal space... But there's this kind of liminal space that we're in at the moment where we we can't see the new yet." 2. The Law of One Philosophy and Cosmic Evolution Doug presents a detailed cosmology based on the "Law of One" material, explaining consciousness evolution through "densities" and the cosmic journey of the Creator experiencing itself: "The primal Logos, the Creator, is a being, a protean being, protean meaning changing. Growing is a protein being that develops and learns on... the ultimate macro scale." This framework provides context for understanding human development, societal challenges, and spiritual evolution. Doug explains how consciousness evolves through various "densities" with Earth currently in "3rd density" - a particularly challenging stage characterized by veiled awareness and polarization. 3. Navigating Polarization and Division Both speakers explore the challenge of dealing with societal division and polarization. Carys expresses difficulty empathizing with those who deliberately cause harm: "What I find difficult is how the rich and powerful, like Trump or Elon Musk, are cutting into things that help relieve the pain and suffering of the marginalized, without any empathy or even curiosity of what most people's lives are like. They are purposefully choosing. This is the evil that I that I see." Doug offers a perspective that reframes even negative polarization as part of cosmic development: "From the law of one perspective, those who have chosen the negative polarity from 3rd density we call that evil. But in the metaphysics of it all it's not. There isn't an evil or a good. They're just 2 pathways that create catalyst for each polarity." 4. Personal Agency and Response to Global Challenges The conversation explores how individuals should respond to global disruption and conflict. They discuss the importance of "witnessing" (or as Doug suggests, "withness") rather than fighting against what is happening: "Our job, I think, is to midwife the new spirit of standing under... to help those who are entrapped in their own belief systems, not hating on them." Doug emphasizes detachment from outcomes while staying engaged in service: "So work hard, be an activist, do the things. Every act of love counts; yes, butterfly effect. But then strip the ego's need to clothe itself in success or failure, and walk off the field when the harvest is done." 5. Spiral Dynamics and Levels of Consciousness The speakers discuss different levels of consciousness development, referencing "blue level," "green meme," and other terms from Spiral Dynamics. They explore how people at different levels perceive reality: "They can't see. But look beyond that, say blue, level consciousness. So anything that they see that perhaps, is, you know, green or yellow, or whatever is, is seen as a threat." This framework helps them understand why some people may be resistant to change or threatened by different perspectives. 6. The Ripple Effect of Personal Actions The conversation concludes with a beautiful recognition of how small actions create meaningful ripples. Doug shares how Carys's environmental activism has inspired him across continents: "Your act of love towards God as the creation has made an influence to some dude way in Texas." Carys appreciates this while acknowledging the beauty in not knowing the full impact of our actions: "There's something beautiful in the not knowing as well. I think you know just you're scattering your seeds, and you don't quite know where they're going to blow off to what they're going to kind of produce." Conclusion This rich dialogue explores profound questions about humanity's current evolutionary moment, framing global challenges as a necessary transition toward a new consciousness. It balances metaphysical concepts with practical approaches to navigating polarization and contributing positively to societal transformation. The speakers ultimately find common ground in the importance of committed action paired with non-attachment to outcomes - being present to suffering while maintaining hope in the possibility of rebirth.
    --------  
    1:08:20
  • Earth and the Evolving Creator: Ra and Whitehead's Cosmic Process Thought
      Introduction In the transcript, Doug Scott, LCSW, presents a profound exploration of process philosophy through the lens of the Ra Material, drawing parallels with Whitehead's process thought. The discussion centers on the nature of consciousness evolution, the unique role of Earth in cosmic development, and how the Creator experiences and learns through the diverse manifestations of existence. The conversation weaves together metaphysical concepts, spiritual insights, and philosophical frameworks to understand humanity's place in the larger cosmic narrative. The Creator Learning Through Experience A central theme in the transcript is the idea that the Creator is continuously learning and evolving through the experiences of its creation. Doug Scott emphasizes that the One Infinite Creator is engaged in a process of self-discovery through the countless manifestations of itself throughout creation. This perspective aligns with what we see in the provided document about Whitehead's process philosophy, where Whitehead describes God as "completed by the individual fluent satisfactions of finite facts" and the temporal occasions as "completed by their everlasting union with their transformed selves." The Ra Material elaborates on this concept by describing the Creator as not merely creating but experiencing itself. As noted in the transcript reference to this material: "The Creator does not properly create as much as It experiences Itself." This reflects a dynamic, participatory understanding of divinity that is characteristic of process thought. Whitehead's vision of God as presented in Process and Reality portrays the divine as having both a "primordial nature" (the realm of pure possibility) and a "consequent nature" (God's reception and integration of all that happens in the world). The latter aspect is particularly relevant to the discussion, as it represents how God "saves the world as it passes into the immediacy of this divine everlasting life." Earth as a Cosmic Catalyst One of the most provocative claims made by Doug Scott is that Earth represents a unique "catalyst" for the logos (the creative principle or organizing intelligence of the universe) to learn and evolve. He describes Earth as an "anomaly" that plays a central role in cosmic evolution not because it is "ontologically special" but because it serves as a pivotal point for growth in the larger cosmic process. Scott outlines several factors that contribute to Earth's uniqueness: Diverse Origins of Consciousness: According to the Ra Material as discussed in the transcript, Earth's third-density population at the beginning of its cycle included souls from multiple sources: one quarter from evolved Earth primates, half from Mars (whose civilization destroyed itself mid-way through their development), and another quarter from thirteen different planets. Psychological "Third Density Repeaters": Earth contains many souls who have gone through multiple incarnations without successfully "polarizing" (making the fundamental choice between service to others or service to self that allows progression to the next density). The Mixing of Densities: Earth contains both highly evolved wanderers (sixth-density souls incarnated in third-density bodies) alongside newer third-density beings, creating an unusual mix of conscious capabilities and spiritual awareness. This diversity creates intense catalysts for spiritual growth but also produces what Scott calls a "log jam" in development, similar to the stagnation that occurred before the implementation of the "veil of forgetting." The Veil of Forgetting and Cosmic Evolution A significant concept discussed is the "veil of forgetting" - a metaphysical barrier between the conscious and unconscious mind that was implemented to accelerate spiritual evolution. According to Scott's interpretation of the Ra Material, before the veil was implemented, third-density beings experienced existence without the mystery and intensity necessary to motivate development: "There was no love that was too great. There was no sadness that was too great. There was no joy that was too great. There wasn't progress. There wasn't polarization in order to get to fourth density." This resulted in extremely long third-density experiences lasting millions of years, creating a "log jam" in spiritual evolution. The implementation of the veil created the necessary conditions for polarization by introducing: Mystery between the conscious and unconscious mind Intensity of experience The capacity to polarize toward service to others or service to self Scott suggests that Earth now represents the opposite extreme - where the veil has become so thick that it has created another kind of log jam, this time characterized by nihilism, existential despair, and spiritual confusion. This extreme situation, however, may itself be serving as a catalyst for another evolutionary leap in cosmic consciousness. The Law of Three and Teleopotentiation Drawing from the document on the Ra Contact and Whitehead's process thought, Scott alludes to what is described there as the "Law of Three" or "principle of teleopotentiation." This principle states that "every contrast potentiates tension, every tension potentiates resolution, and every resolution potentiates a higher order of contrast." This trinitarian dynamic is seen as the fundamental mechanism driving cosmic evolution. In Whitehead's terms from Process and Reality, this might be understood as the process where "the many become one and are increased by one," a phrase that captures the ongoing integration and transcendence that characterizes reality. The principle of teleopotentiation describes how reality advances through purposeful becoming. The document describes it as "that mysterious generative force through which contrast potentiates tension, tension potentiates resolution, and resolution potentiates higher-order contrast." This dynamic process allows for continued development and increasing complexity throughout the cosmos. The Simultaneous Experience of Multiple Densities An interesting observation made during the discussion is that Earth contains elements of multiple "densities" of existence occurring simultaneously. While primarily a third-density planet (focused on self-awareness and the choice of polarity), Scott suggests that many humans are engaged with fifth-density concepts and experiences: "I think a lot of what we earthlings especially who are, you know, invested in psychology and we've the way that we talk here and just the fact that we can talk about a self and talk about the things that we're learning in counseling and and how to dig deep and and express inner realities. I think that's fifth density stuff." This mixing of densities creates unique opportunities for accelerated growth alongside unique challenges, as beings must navigate this complexity while still operating within the limitations of third-density consciousness and physical forms. Institutional Traps and Spiritual Evolution Scott highlights how institutions created to facilitate spiritual growth often become impediments to that very growth. He provides the example of religious institutions that, while providing community and guidance, can trap individuals in patterns of judgment, bellicosity, and spiritual stagnation. This phenomenon represents a broader pattern where structures intended to support evolution become calcified and begin to hinder it. Scott suggests that this paradox is itself part of the catalyst for further development, as it creates the contrast necessary for new growth. The Cosmic Significance of Human Experience A profound implication of the discussion is that human experiences, including suffering, are meaningful within the larger cosmic process. Scott describes humans as "God's sense organs," emphasizing that our pain is God's pain and our joy is God's joy. This view challenges nihilistic perspectives by suggesting that all experience contributes to the Creator's self-knowledge. As Whitehead puts it in Process and Reality, "God is the great companion, the fellow-sufferer who understands." This portrayal of divinity embraces the full range of human experience as valuable within the larger cosmic process. Conclusion: The Emergence of Something New Scott concludes by suggesting that Earth is at a pivotal point where "something new" is emerging. The very extremity of Earth's condition - with its mixture of advanced spiritual capabilities and primitive violence, its simultaneous experience of multiple densities, and its thick veil - may be creating the conditions for another evolutionary leap comparable to the implementation of the veil itself. This perspective offers a hopeful framework for understanding Earth's current challenges as part of a larger process of cosmic evolution. In Whitehead's terms, the "insistent craving that zest for existence be refreshed by the ever-present unfading importance of our immediate actions which perish and yet live forevermore" may be finding a new expression through Earth's unique evolutionary path. The discussion provides a profound contemplation of humanity's role in cosmic evolution, suggesting that our struggles may have significance beyond what we can comprehend from our limited perspective. As participants in this process, we are invited to recognize ourselves as both unique individuals and essential components of a larger cosmic drama - a dance of becoming in which creation and creator continuously transform and enrich one another.
    --------  
    55:28

More Religion & Spirituality podcasts

About The Building 4th Podcast

Welcome to the Building 4th Podcast where we explore the Perennial Philosophy from various lenses including the psychological, theological, spiritual, conventional, and esoteric. Our points of emphasis include the Hebrew and Christian scriptures (including the non-canonical Christian texts), the Law of One material, the Enneagram, Process thought (ie Whitehead’s Philosophy of Organism) integral theory, and developmental psychology.
Podcast website

Listen to The Building 4th Podcast, The BEMA Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
Social
v7.17.1 | © 2007-2025 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 5/10/2025 - 10:00:49 PM