The Laughing Mystics: Jungian Psychology, Christian Spirituality, and Laughter

Laura Lewis-Barr, Jungian Artist - Marci Madary DMin, Educator, Spiritual Director

The Laughing Mystics: Explore Christianity and Depth Psychology through weekly scripture reflections and lively conversations between friends. Each week, Marci shares her Christian perspective and infectious laughter, while Laura offers insights from Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. Together, they also explore the profound ideas of Ilia Delio, Richard Rohr, and other evolutionary thinkers of psychology and theology. This happy pair offer as many questions as answers. They invite listeners to reflect on mystery, faith, doubt, spirituality, and personal growth.

  1. 2d ago

    The Dance of God in my Life - Trinity Sunday - May 31, 2026

    (69) Our Question: How do I experience the reality of "The Trinity" in my daily life? The Greek word translated believe is pisteuō (πιστεύω). And it carries a much richer meaning than simple mental agreement.  It means to trust, rely upon, entrust oneself to, and align one’s life with someone. And from Marcus Borg - Thus in John, this verse is not about believing a set of statements about Jesus now for the sake of heaven later. It is about beloving Jesus and beloving God as known in Jesus, in the incarnation, and entering into "the life of the age to come" now. It is not about people going to hell because they don't believe. It is about the path into life with God now. Full article here. The book Laura was trying to remember - Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul. The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at ⁠ https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/⁠ Need more poetry in your life? ⁠Visit Marci's blog ⁠and/or ⁠subscribe to Laura's new substack ⁠and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio from your phone with a question or comment to ⁠ Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com⁠ We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! ⁠RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics⁠ Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! ⁠pod.link/1799776273⁠ New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit ⁠https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/⁠ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit ⁠https://psychescinema.com/⁠ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products⁠ (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    39 min

  2. May 21

    On Fire with God - Pentecost - May 24, 2026

    (68) Pentecost – Our question: When have I had a "fiery" experience of God?   Marci is in a singing mood. Laura offers a quote from Marcus Borg: Before Christianity became the civil religion of Rome in 337 CE, to name Jesus as Lord was to challenge the empire. It was a revolutionary statement. The “proclamation of Jesus as Son of God, Lord, and Savior directly countered Roman Imperial theology…. Jesus was Lord and the emperor was not! “Jesus is Lord” was high treason!… (The )message challenged the normalcy of civilization, then and now, with an alternative vision of how life on earth can and should be. “Jesus is Lord” offers fundamental opposition… Who is our Lord: Jesus or an empire? Jesus Christ as Lord led to resistance to the imperial vision, and advocacy of a different vision of the way the world can be”. (Marcus Borg- The First Paul)  We both share some of our interpersonal challenges and explore the idea of “being one Body” and what that means in daily life and how does that relate to having healthy boundaries.   We ask ourselves and you: what question does the story of my life ask me to answer, for myself and the world? The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/ Need more poetry in your life? Visit Marci's blog and/or subscribe to Laura's new substack and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio or video from your phone with a question, reflection, or comment to Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! pod.link/1799776273 New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit https://psychescinema.com/ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    47 min

  3. May 14

    The Angels Say, "Stop Looking Up." (Look Within)

    (67) Ascension Sunday. Our Question: How do I experience God? Join us today for our lengthy discussion of the story of the Ascension. What do you make of it? We struggle with the second reading and the Gospel. After our recording Laura found this great quote from Richard Rohr re: the "Great Commision" at the end of Matthew's gospel. In our discussion Marci got us there anyway but it would have been nice to have had this then! " If I wanted to create a great people, what I’ve got to do is get them outside of their country, their religion, their nationality, by saying: “Go give the message to everybody else,” and then you will find yourself converted by the people you thought you were supposed to convert. We call it “reverse mission.” https://cac.org/podcasts/reframing-the-great-commission/ The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/ Need more poetry in your life? Visit Marci's blog and/or subscribe to Laura's new substack and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio or video from your phone with a reflection, question or comment to Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! pod.link/1799776273 New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit https://psychescinema.com/ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    38 min

  4. May 7

    Inner and Outer Journeys - Miracles, Suffering, Charisms

    (66) The 6th Sunday of Easter. Our question: What has been a miracle in my life?  Laura shares some insights from her recent trip to Turkey - the "second Holy Land." We talk about charismatic leaders and our openness to religious ecstacy. We offer several quotes by Rumi and St. Julian of Norwich, and explore the tradition of the mystics -- intimacy with the divine. Marci Madary offered this quote from MLK Jr. "All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality."From excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr’s speech at Western Michigan University, 18 December 1963https://libguides.wmich.edu/mlkatwmu/speech Rumi quote - “Take the famous utterance, "I am God." Some people think this is a great pretension, but "I am God" is in fact a great humility. Those who say, instead, "I am a servant of God" believe that two exist, themselves and God. But those who say, "I am God" have become nothing and have cast themselves to the winds. They say, "I am God" meaning, "I am not, God is all. There is no existence but God. I have lost all separation. I am nothing." In this the humility is greater. The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/ Need more poetry in your life? Visit Marci's blog and/or subscribe to Laura's new substack and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio from your phone with a question or comment to Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! pod.link/1799776273 New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit https://psychescinema.com/ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    43 min

  5. Apr 30

    Poems, Proposals, Process – The Church Moves Forward

    5th Sunday easter - We begin with a poem by Lynn Unger. Our question: What is a memory I have of visiting a spiritual dwelling?  Do I have a memoryof visiting one from another spiritual tradition?   We read of complaints to early church leaders and imagineour “complaints” today.   We talk about the paradox of stones, and note that it is one of the archetypes of the Self.   If we were going to create a new lectionary, what other readings might we add? Marci names poets: Joy Hardjoe, Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver, or Tracy K Smith.   Laura mentions Wayne Teasdale and his passion for interspirituality. The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/ Need more poetry in your life? Visit Marci's blog and/or subscribe to Laura's new substack and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio from your phone with a question or comment to Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! pod.link/1799776273 New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit https://psychescinema.com/ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    44 min

  6. Season 2 Trailer

    Highlights from our new season! Second Season Trailer!

    If you haven't been around for awhile, our new second season has more laughs, surprises, and insights. Join us! New episodes drop every Thursday morning.

    2 min

  7. Apr 23

    Getting through the Narrow Gate - 4th Sunday of Easter

    (64) Good Shephard Sunday. Our Question: When have I been shepherded or been the shepherd? We explore the difference between "neurotic" suffering and "transformative" suffering. Quoted in this episode - from ⁠Alfred North Whitehead⁠'s Religion in the Making. "A system of dogmas may be the ark within which the Church floats safely down the flood tide of history. But the Church will perish unless it opens its window and lets out the dove to search for an olive branch".   Marci talks about the Enneagram. We talk about the paradoxical, contradictory, and powerful archetypes of shephards, sheep, and gates. Laura's voice suffers from Easter allergies. Boo. The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/ Need more poetry in your life? Visit Marci's blog and/or subscribe to Laura's new substack and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio from your phone with a question or comment to Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! pod.link/1799776273 New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit https://psychescinema.com/ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    40 min

  8. Apr 16

    "Peek-a-Boo Jesus" - 3rd Sunday of Easter 2026

    Our Question: When have I "seen God"? We talk of Peter's public speaking style and Stephen Colbert's talks with God. We wonder about modern spiritual metaphors and talk about the famous NASA photo "Earthrise." We imagine how the early church experienced blood and lambs and sacrifice - symbols that are different for us now. We recall memories of moments of revelations and clarity and how these often vanish. The Sunday Readings Thank you for listening! You're invited to join our FB community at https://www.facebook.com/laughingmystics/ Need more poetry in your life? Visit Marci's blog and/or subscribe to Laura's new substack and receive one of her fresh poems delivered to you periodically. Questions? Comments? Bring your voice to the conversation. We'd like to SHARE THE MIC with you! Send an audio from your phone with a question or comment to Laughing.Mystics@gmail.com We now have an easier way for you to leave a review or rating, using this link! RateThisPodcast.com/thelaughingmystics Please follow us to be alerted for new episodes. We hope you'll share this passion project with others, write a review, or rate/like our podcast on your favorite platform! pod.link/1799776273 New episodes now released on Thursday mornings! For more on Marci Madary visit https://www.insideoutspirituality.com/ For more on Laura Lewis-Barr visit https://psychescinema.com/ Want to support The Laughing Mystics? We now have MERCH! Visit ⁠https://www.zazzle.com/store/laughing_mystics/products (0ur show notes are always filled with many links. If your platform doesn't show them, visit the "episode webpage" or our Spotify page.) Music licensed from Artlist #jungianpsychology #depthpsychology #richardrohr #progressivechristianity #jungianwisdom #mysticalchristianity #religioustext #transpersonalpsychology

    42 min
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The Laughing Mystics: Explore Christianity and Depth Psychology through weekly scripture reflections and lively conversations between friends. Each week, Marci shares her Christian perspective and infectious laughter, while Laura offers insights from Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. Together, they also explore the profound ideas of Ilia Delio, Richard Rohr, and other evolutionary thinkers of psychology and theology. This happy pair offer as many questions as answers. They invite listeners to reflect on mystery, faith, doubt, spirituality, and personal growth.

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