Tim began asking questions about the nature of life, death, suffering, and the world from an early age, and has never stopped. His first transformative awakening experience happened when he was twelve, and he became a philosopher, spending decades studying, writing, speaking, and leading experiential retreats. Over the last few years, he’s had a radical change of mind and is now in the process of laying out his new philosophy on the evolutionary nature of existence – and much else besides – in his podbook, Why Your Life Really Matters.

In this conversation, Tim and I tentatively begin to create a philosophical scaffolding for the dark night of the soul. We discuss – amongst many other things – Tim’s concept of “pastivity” and how the past is implicit in both the present and ourselves; being stunned by our own foolishness; and the importance of asking deep questions and cultivating an “open system”. We also talk about how everything is one process of evolutionary emergence, including the self; the nature of the big loving intelligence in which suffering is redeemed; the redemptive nature of the dark night and the bittersweetness of life; and how it is to be a lover of the fullness of existence.

Tim Freke has written many books on religion, mysticism, and spirituality, one of which – The Jesus Mysteries, co-authored with Peter Gandy – became a bestseller. In 2017, Tim wrote Soul Story: Evolution and the Self-Realising Universe, which offers a new narrative connecting spirituality and science. Tim also leads experiential retreats, both in person and online, in which participants experience the “Big Love” of deep communion. His new podbook, Why Your Life Really Matters, explores his latest philosophy in detail.

Connect with Tim

Fiona Robertson is the author of The Dark Night of the Soul: A Journey from Absence to Presence, and Eve Was a Realist: Poems for the Untamed Heart. She meets with people who are going through a dark night or spiritual emergency, accompanying them in this challenging terrain as they rediscover and deepen into their real selves. She also offers a monthly dark night gathering group, and occasional workshops for therapists and counsellors.

Connect with Fiona

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You’re welcome to contact The Dark Night of the Soul Unwrapped via email: darknightunwrapped@gmail.com

Music by James Waring / Design by Adam McKillop / Artwork by Stefan Armoneit