Singularities (01): Jacob Kishere
From Deconstructive Christianity to Psychedelic Christ Consciousness
I started a new podcast series last month titled Singularities. Singularities aims to explore religious and theological themes through personal narrative/story. This podcast series is primarily motivated by two tensions:
Our culture seems to be attempting to re-process its relationship to spirituality and religion, and specifically Christianity, in the context of both the breakdown of modernist secular narratives which attempted to replace pre-modern theological narratives, and the un-live-ability of postmodern deconstructive positionality which disenchants the world and leads to a breakdown of meaning structures
I feel that the biggest problem with this re-processing involves the conflict between abstract general universality and personal concrete singularity, with many difficult issues of economics/monetary systems, political power/governance systems, and sexual/libidinal social dynamics being obfuscated by an abstract general religious identification disconnected from the totality of personal narrative/story
Thus, Singularities aims to host a discussion about religious/theological themes that may reach universality, but only insofar as they pass through the sieve of the personal story.
The first episode in this experiment was with
a.k.a and creator of Sensespace. You can find the conversation below:Throughout the video we discuss:
Childhood with an unconventional Christian upbringing, a Father dedicated to missionary work, talking to/with different churches, breaking with leadership structures, interested in post-church deconstruction due to cult dynamics, skepticism of church authority
Gradual transition to an agnostic/atheist position during university years, basically occupying the identity of a secular liberal, a sense of self that was derived from intellectual ability which reduced/repressed emotional expression, and a focus on non-fiction over fiction (what I “ought” to read to be a “smart person”)
In university encountering the emotional catastrophe of heartbreak and experimentation with psychedelics, both of which escaped liberal secularist positionality, and opened the context of an encounter with Islam, its history, narrative and positionality which challenged the liberal secular worldview
From here an increased interest in Islam in the context of a lack of rich intellectual dialogue in university, combined with immersion in Islamic communities that made good arguments about and embodiment of the need for deep intergenerational connection, sense of community and a coherent God that organises action
During COVID-19 there was a calling to dialogos in the tension between Islamic consciousness and its cultural history, which possessed a deep pre-modern self-confidence, and Western post-modern deconstruction which seemed to lack self-confidence, which seemed to have deep implications for patriarchy and masculine identity
In this space there was the encounter with the Intellectual Dark Web, Rebel Wisdom and its intellectual figures, the opening of an emergent conversation that was lacking in academic university circles; finding people open to passionate conversations, as well as an encounter with a wilder form of Christianity, and a real Christ mystery invoking psychedelic dreams and visions
The encounter with the idea that the “Time of Christ” and the “Time of Now” were on the same plane, that there was a connection between Buddha nature and Christ consciousness, that human consciousness is something God is experiencing again and again, and that we must connect to the very bottom of human experience, suffering, humiliation to understand divine love
Beginnings of a theory of a “Holy Trinity” of Christianity beyond itself in philosophy, plant medicine and wild Christianity; necessary because Christianity is a trauma-bearing institution, that so many people live trauma ridden, shame-filled, and de-eroticised relation to divinity; here we can learn from plant medicines armed with philosophy, mixed with Christ consciousness
Christianity beyond itself should battle with mainstream culture and protect us from it, finding God in unexpected places, and especially in places related to the cultivation of a new masculine energy and identity, from the rave to rap music, holding space for the kingly space and intimate encounters, and an invitation in relationality to deeper possibilities in the unknown, with the knowledge that there is an underlying dignity that organises beauty
To find out more about Jacob Kishere’s work, see the links below:
Thank you Cadell, it was an absolute gift to be interview by you.