The Initiation

Ecological Awakening and the Return of Soul - with Brian Stafford

In this episode of The Initiation, Sebastian speaks with Brian Stafford, a former psychiatrist who left a successful career after an unmistakable inner call - and went on to train with Animas Valley Institute, founded by Bill Plotkin.
Brian shares the story of how a single book - Soulcraft - cracked his world open, and how wilderness rites like the Vision Fast can catalyze profound, grounded transformation without any entheogens: through ceremony, fasting, solitude, soulcraft practices, and direct relationship with the more-than-human world.
Together they unpack:
the five phases of soul initiation (preparation, dissolution, soul encounter, metamorphosis, enactment)
why “find your purpose” often stays abstract - and how “soul image” makes vocation real
soul-centric dreamwork, imaginal intelligence, and the role of grief and awe in a time of planetary unraveling
Brian’s upcoming book, Pathways to Ecological Awakening, and why ecological belonging may be the prerequisite shift for everything else
A conversation about remembering our place on Earth - and discovering what you’re here to serve, specifically, in the middle of civilizational transition.
If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history - from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

Myth, Initiation, and the Art of Reweaving a World in Collapse - with Michael Maede

In this episode of The Initiation, Sebastian is joined by mythologist and storyteller Michael Meade for a deep exploration of myth, initiation, and the meaning of collapse.
Michael reframes myth not as ancient history, but as a living language for the deep patterns shaping human life. When we lose that language, he argues, we lose vertical intelligence - our felt connection to soul, nature, and the imaginal realm - and the world collapses into literalism, polarization, and loss of meaning.
At the heart of the conversation is initiation. We explore rites of passage as a missing cultural technology, the idea of a “second birth” where the inner eyes of the soul awaken, and why our era can be understood as a collective rite of passage - a prolonged liminal phase between a world that has ended and one that has not yet been born.
Anchoring the episode is Michael’s powerful story of the Old Weaving Woman - a mythic image of collapse, chaos, and renewal. In times like these, he suggests, the task is not heroic salvation but distributed genius: each person finding their thread and participating in the reweaving of the world.
The conversation closes with Michael’s “second level of hope” - not optimism, but the awakening of imagination itself: the capacity to see meaning, tolerate uncertainty, and envision a different future.
In this episode:
How myth reveals “the real behind the real”
Why rites of passage matter - and what happens when a culture loses them
The difference between the hero myth and a “genius” path
Liminality, uncertainty, and the skill of holding tension
The Old Weaving Woman story as a map for these times
Why imagination (not optimism) is the deeper form of hope
If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history - from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

Becoming True Human in the Age of the Polycrisis – with Samantha Sweetwater

In this episode of The Initiation, I sit down with Samantha Sweetwater for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation about the moment our world is moving through.
We explore Samantha’s work at the intersection of inner transformation and collective breakdown, and how she understands the polycrisis not merely as a convergence of external problems, but as a profound initiation for humanity itself. We talk about why so many people feel disoriented, exhausted, or called into something they can’t yet name – and how this moment is asking us to mature, individually and collectively.
A central thread of the conversation is Samantha’s latest book, True Human, which invites a radical re-orientation toward what it means to be human in times of collapse and transition. Rather than offering fixes or false hope, True Human points toward embodied truth, responsibility, grief, love, and the reclaiming of our capacity to meet reality as it is.
We speak about:
The deeper psychological and spiritual layers of the polycrisis
Why breakdown often precedes genuine maturation
The difference between spiritual bypassing and true initiation
What it means to become “adult” at a civilizational level
How to stay in relationship with life – even as old stories fall apart
This is a conversation for those who sense that something fundamental is ending, something unknown is beginning, and that our task is not to escape the moment, but to meet it more fully.
If you’re interested in consciousness, systems collapse, initiation, and the quiet emergence of a more honest humanity, this episode is for you.
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If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history - from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

The Dao of Bitcoin: Money, Energy & the Future of Human Systems - with Scott Dedels

In this episode of The Initiation, I sit down with Scott Dedels, author of The Dao of Bitcoin: Towards a Cosmology of Energy Money, to explore Bitcoin not just as technology or finance — but as a philosophical and energetic lens on how humans organize value and life.
Scott blends timeless wisdom with modern innovation, drawing from Daoist philosophy to show how Bitcoin reconnects money with energy, effort, and the natural flow of existence — in contrast with modern money’s disconnection from real human and ecological systems. 
In this conversation, we unpack:
Why Bitcoin is more than a financial instrument — it’s an energy currency that carries meaning and connection across human systems.
How the principles of the Dao illuminate Bitcoin’s role as a harmonizing force in a world fractured by centralized finance and abstract money.
The deeper philosophical questions at the intersection of money, life, and human purpose — and why this matters now more than ever. 
This isn’t a typical Bitcoin discussion — it’s an invitation to reflect on why money matters, how it shapes our world, and what it might mean when money itself is grounded in energy and human reality. Whether you’re a long-time student of Bitcoin or just curious about its deeper implications, this episode connects the dots between ancient wisdom and emergent systems.
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If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history - from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

Inside the Dollar Endgame: Why the Global Monetary System Is Reaching Its Limits - with Roberto Rios

In this episode of The Initiation, I’m joined by Roberto Rios also known as Peruvian Bull — monetary researcher, economist, and author of The Dollar Endgame — for a deep and unsparing conversation about the fate of the global financial system.
For decades, central banks have attempted to stabilize growth through zero interest rates, quantitative easing, and ever-expanding debt. What began as emergency policy has quietly become permanent architecture. Peruvian Bull argues that this system has now crossed a point of no return — and that the world is entering a phase of structural monetary breakdown rather than a cyclical downturn.
We explore why the US dollar-based system is increasingly trapped by its own design, how inflation is not an accident but a structural outcome, and why traditional policy tools may no longer be able to restore stability. From sovereign debt dynamics to the limits of fiat money, this conversation traces the deeper mechanics beneath today’s economic volatility.
At the heart of the discussion is Bitcoin — not as a speculative asset, but as a potential new monetary base layer. We examine whether Bitcoin could function as a form of hard money for a digital age, what conditions would be required for such a transition, and what this would mean for states, markets, and individual sovereignty.
This is a grounded, systems-level exploration of where our monetary world may be headed — and what kinds of choices lie ahead once old structures begin to dissolve.
If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history - from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

Economics of Happiness: Localization, Culture & a Future Worth Living - with Helena Norberg-Hodge

In this episode, I sit down with Helena Norberg-Hodge — writer, filmmaker, linguist, and pioneering voice in the localization and new economy movements. Helena is the founder and director of Local Futures, an international non-profit dedicated to revitalizing cultural and biological diversity and strengthening local communities and economies around the world.
Helena’s journey began in 1975 when she traveled to the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh, later known as “Little Tibet.” There, she encountered a society that lived in harmony with its environment — until the sudden pressures of tourism, consumer culture, and economic “development” disrupted centuries of ecological balance, community cohesion, and psychological wellbeing. Her experiences shaped her life’s work and became the foundation of her acclaimed book Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, now translated into dozens of languages.
In our conversation we explore:
How a linguist became one of the foremost critics of economic globalization — and why she believes localization is not just economic theory but a path to human and ecological flourishing.
The roots of what she calls the “new economy movement,” and how reconnecting economic life with people and place can counteract social alienation, environmental collapse, and cultural erosion.
Her experience living in Ladakh and witnessing first-hand how traditional societies were transformed by outside economic forces — and what that reveals about the hidden costs of globalization around the world.
The ideas behind her award-winning films, including The Economics of Happiness, which has helped popularize localization through narrative and visual story-telling.
How the work of Local Futures — from World Localization Day to community initiatives and global alliances — represents more than critique: it offers practical alternatives built on human-scale economies, local food systems, cultural diversity, ecological regeneration, and shared meaning.
More than a conversation about economic systems, this episode is a deep exploration of what it means to be human in an era of environmental constraint, social fragmentation, and cultural homogenization. Helena’s perspective weaves together personal story, global analysis, and hopeful possibilities for those seeking a world where economies truly serve people and planet.
Whether you’re curious about why the global growth model is failing us, how localization can restore community and purpose, or what it takes to change the story of our times — this conversation with Helena offers both clarity and inspiration.
If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history – from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

Building a Village for a New Way of Being - with Vincent Daranyi

Welcome to Season 2 of The Initiation. We’re beginning this new season with a conversation that is both deeply grounded and quietly radical – a look at what it truly takes to build a different way of living on this planet.
In this opening episode, I speak with Vincent Daranyi, founder of Neos.life, a 1000-acre village and retreat center in the Alentejo region of Portugal, designed as “a village for a new way of being.” Neos.life is envisioned as a living blueprint for a new form of civilization: regenerative by design, close to nature, and rooted in inner work, community, and ecological responsibility.
Vincent shares the long and often difficult road from early vision to actual place: finding the land, holding the project through uncertainty, navigating regulation and planning, raising capital, and slowly assembling a team and community around a shared commitment to regeneration and transformation. Today, Neos.life is becoming a self-sufficient village and transformational ecosystem - with independent water and energy systems, organic agriculture, a well-being and healing center, educational facilities, and a retreat hotel, all nestled around a large lake in Alentejo.
We talk about:
Why Vincent felt called to build a place like this in the first place - and what problem he believes Neos.life is really trying to solve.
The inner journey of the founder: doubt, persistence, near-failures, and the psychological cost of carrying a big, long-term vision.
The practical realities of community building: governance, money, land use, village design, and the difference between idealistic sketches and what actually works on the ground.
How Neos.life weaves together retreats, regenerative education, and residential living into one ecosystem - a “center for a new humanity” and a potential prototype for future villages.
If you’re interested in land-based projects, intentional communities, regenerative villages, or simply the question of how we might actually live differently on this planet, this conversation offers a rare, honest look behind the scenes of a very ambitious experiment.
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If you’re new to The Initiation, you may also want to explore Season 1, where I lay the foundations for the entire series. Across the first nine episodes, we dive into the core themes shaping our moment in history – from the rise of artificial intelligence and the breakdown of our monetary system to the climate crisis, geopolitics, and the breakthrough forces pointing toward transformation. Season 1 offers the wider context for everything we’ll explore this year.

The Initiation Trailer

Humanity stands at a threshold. Old systems are breaking down; new patterns of life are emerging. The Initiation invites listeners into the deeper story beneath this turbulence — a collective rite of passage for our species.
Hosted by Sebastian Dienst, entrepreneur, author and coach, the show explores how technology, money, ecology, and consciousness are converging to transform the human experience. Through soul-searching solo-episodes and conversations with visionary thinkers — from mythologists and scientists to spiritual teachers and economists — Sebastian traces the contours of our metamorphosis and asks what it means to rise to the occasion of our time.
Intellectually rigorous yet mythically alive, The Initiation is an invitation to participate consciously in the evolution already underway.

Episode 9 – The Evolution of Consciousness: Awakening Through the Metamorphosis

In this final episode of The Initiation, I turn inward—to what may be the most profound dimension of humanity’s transformation: the evolution of consciousness itself.
We’ve traced the forces of collapse and emergence reshaping our civilization. But beneath the noise of technology, money, and geopolitics, a quieter revolution is unfolding—in minds, bodies, and hearts. A revolution in how we understand who we are and what reality is.
I explore three interwoven currents of this awakening:
The Human Potential Revolution — our expanding capacity for healing, optimization, and self‑realization through trauma work, biohacking, precision medicine, and psychedelics.
The Ecological Awakening — a deep remembering of our kinship with Earth and the return of regenerative, relational ways of living.
The Awakening to Transcendence — the rediscovery of consciousness as primary reality, and the re‑emergence of the sacred within science, spirituality, and daily life.
Together, these shifts reveal that the deepest transformation of our age may not be technological or political—but spiritual. We are not just witnessing systems fall apart; we are participating in the birth of a more integrated, interconnected, and awake humanity.

Episode 8 – System Change: Money, Energy, and Governance Reimagined

In this episode of The Initiation, I continue our exploration of breakthrough trends—not through technology alone, but through the transformation of systems: how we coordinate, exchange, and govern in a world reaching its limits.
We move through three foundational shifts:
Bitcoin as a potential new base layer for value—decentralized, scarce, incorruptible
The new energy paradigm—clean, abundant, decentralized power reshaping geopolitics, economics, and human potential
Next-generation governance—emerging models that combine blockchain, AI, and swarm intelligence to coordinate at planetary scale
These aren’t band-aids on a failing machine. They’re imaginal cells of a new civilization—blueprints for organizing complexity, trust, and power in ways aligned with both human dignity and ecological reality.
I unpack the deeper logic of these shifts:
Why money isn’t neutral—but a cultural script shaping time, trust, and behavior
How decentralized energy could move us beyond scarcity and into a regenerative economy
Why governance must evolve from control to coherence—embodied in code, data, and collective intelligence
What ties them together is this: we’re not just upgrading old systems. We’re rewriting the core protocols of civilization. These are early signals of a new societal stack—growing quietly, experimentally, from the edges.
And they point to a critical question: What kind of world becomes possible when we reimagine money, power, and energy from the ground up?
Next time, we’ll explore the final—and perhaps most essential—layer of transformation: the evolution of consciousness. Because no system can sustain itself unless we also evolve the story of who we are.