This is the first half of a discussion in which Layman and the Rabbi Marc Gafni discuss the origins, nature, community use, philosophical necessity, and intriguing extensions of the tripartite concept of pre-tragic, tragic & post-tragic.
Part 3 of a three-part conversation with Layman Pascal on The Integral Stage.
[Part 1 — link] · [Part 2 — link] · Part 3
Our exploration of “The Evolution of Tears” concludes with a look at the role of sorrow in visionary experience & spiritual maturity with a special focus on the need to reclaim and integrate the tears that we might displace onto “the angels.” The key textual references here are Isaac and Ishmael.
This podcast is the third and final part 3 of the conversations on the Book The Evolution of Tears—published at the time of these recordings as Tears: Reclaiming Ritual, Integral Religion, and Rosh Hashanah—in the exploration of CosmoErotic Humanism.
The Evolution of Tears
Reclaiming Integral Ritual and Personal Myth: Towards a Meta-Psychology of World Religion: The Biblical Model of Rosh Hashanah
Dr. Marc Gafni. Second edition, 2025. World Philosophy & Religion Press with Integral Publishers. Forewords by Ken Wilber and Rabbi Gershon Winkler. Fifty pages of primary source texts in Hebrew and English appended.
About The Evolution of Tears:
This is a book about tears—about the sacred dance of tears in our lives. Tears are not all the same; they come in many different forms and textures. Part of waking up is to learn to identify the nature of your tears and give them voice. To wake up is to become fluent in the language of tears.
The Evolution of Tears is a profoundly original re-engagement with the Hebrew wisdom ritual of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year holy day. Best-selling author and educator Dr. Marc Gafni re-reads an entire corpus of biblical and mystical literature to unlock a hidden esoteric code that is the essence of the ritual—the code of tears. Dr. Gafni identifies eleven major forms of tears woven throughout the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, along with the archetypal figures who cry these different tears. This book invites you to enter this sacred code, to explore the depths of your own tears, and to awaken to their profound melody and meaning.
Tears are our greatest teacher. But most of us are ashamed of our tears. We repress them. We don’t know how to interpret them. We don’t realize that they hold an important message for us. Tears are the colors with which the tapestry of our awakening is painted. Sometimes we cry surface tears in response to stuff that happens—good stuff and bad stuff. But the truest tears are those that well up from the deepest place, the place on the inside of the inside. They may be triggered by a specific event or image, but they are larger than any one event. Every time we cry these true tears, we cry for all the times we never cried before. True tears come only on occasion, but when they do, they are harbingers of great wisdom and guidance.
Identifying the nature of our tears, giving them voice, is to know the language of tears. When we know that language, we wake up, hearkening to the melody and message of our tears. We find that we are guided by our tears in all their forms: tears of joy and tears of protest, tears of longing and tears of transformation, tears of prayer and tears of ecstasy, tears that break through and tears that break down, tears of expansion and tears of contraction, tears because it is all so big and tears because it is all so very small.
More than a study of Hebrew wisdom ritual, The Evolution of Tears demonstrates how world religion as a context for our diversity can emerge from within classical Western traditions. World religion represents a deep ethos and commitment to a shared grammar of evolving value alongside a set of binding injunctions and practices. It stands steadfastly for Spirit in the world, and it honors rituals and community—which embody value in themselves even as they are crucial in the transmission of value. This approach offers a post-postmodern framework of meaning for those who are engaged by Spirit but who can either no longer locate themselves in the traditions or for whom one religion can no longer be an exclusive home.
Whether you are Jewish, spiritual-but-not-religious, or are simply seeking deeper meaning in life’s rituals, this book provides a fresh lens for understanding both ancient wisdom and your own emotional landscape. Beyond its accessibility and highly engaging and transformative transmission, the text offers scholarly readers a rich collection of sophisticated insights drawn from the depths of esoteric Hebrew wisdom tradition.
Part 2 of a three-part conversation with Layman Pascal on The Integral Stage.
[Part 1 — link] · Part 2 · [Part 3: “Angel Tears” — link]
In this episode of The Integral Stage podcast, Layman Pascal and Dr. Marc Gafni continue their exploration of the backstory and intellectual journey to CosmoErotic Humanism with a further exploration of the “relentless Rabbi’s” book on Tears. This time, they focus on questions related to God’s Voice, Laughter in Hell, Bondage & the Abraham/Isaac tale.
This podcast is Part 2 of a series focusing on the book The Evolution of Tears—published at the time of these recordings as Tears: Reclaiming Ritual, Integral Religion, and Rosh Hashanah—in the exploration of CosmoErotic Humanism. The book uses the rite of Rosh Hashanah in the wisdom of Solomon lineage to explore the necessity of the return of ritual and the importance of religion beyond philosophy and spirituality.
The Evolution of Tears
Reclaiming Integral Ritual and Personal Myth: Towards a Meta-Psychology of World Religion: The Biblical Model of Rosh Hashanah
Dr. Marc Gafni. Second edition, 2025. World Philosophy & Religion Press with Integral Publishers. Forewords by Ken Wilber and Rabbi Gershon Winkler. Fifty pages of primary source texts in Hebrew and English appended.
About The Evolution of Tears:
This is a book about tears—about the sacred dance of tears in our lives. Tears are not all the same; they come in many different forms and textures. Part of waking up is to learn to identify the nature of your tears and give them voice. To wake up is to become fluent in the language of tears.
The Evolution of Tears is a profoundly original re-engagement with the Hebrew wisdom ritual of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year holy day. Best-selling author and educator Dr. Marc Gafni re-reads an entire corpus of biblical and mystical literature to unlock a hidden esoteric code that is the essence of the ritual—the code of tears. Dr. Gafni identifies eleven major forms of tears woven throughout the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, along with the archetypal figures who cry these different tears. This book invites you to enter this sacred code, to explore the depths of your own tears, and to awaken to their profound melody and meaning.
Tears are our greatest teacher. But most of us are ashamed of our tears. We repress them. We don’t know how to interpret them. We don’t realize that they hold an important message for us. Tears are the colors with which the tapestry of our awakening is painted. Sometimes we cry surface tears in response to stuff that happens—good stuff and bad stuff. But the truest tears are those that well up from the deepest place, the place on the inside of the inside. They may be triggered by a specific event or image, but they are larger than any one event. Every time we cry these true tears, we cry for all the times we never cried before. True tears come only on occasion, but when they do, they are harbingers of great wisdom and guidance.
Identifying the nature of our tears, giving them voice, is to know the language of tears. When we know that language, we wake up, hearkening to the melody and message of our tears. We find that we are guided by our tears in all their forms: tears of joy and tears of protest, tears of longing and tears of transformation, tears of prayer and tears of ecstasy, tears that break through and tears that break down, tears of expansion and tears of contraction, tears because it is all so big and tears because it is all so very small.
More than a study of Hebrew wisdom ritual, The Evolution of Tears demonstrates how world religion as a context for our diversity can emerge from within classical Western traditions. World religion represents a deep ethos and commitment to a shared grammar of evolving value alongside a set of binding injunctions and practices. It stands steadfastly for Spirit in the world, and it honors rituals and community—which embody value in themselves even as they are crucial in the transmission of value. This approach offers a post-postmodern framework of meaning for those who are engaged by Spirit but who can either no longer locate themselves in the traditions or for whom one religion can no longer be an exclusive home.
Whether you are Jewish, spiritual-but-not-religious, or are simply seeking deeper meaning in life’s rituals, this book provides a fresh lens for understanding both ancient wisdom and your own emotional landscape. Beyond its accessibility and highly engaging and transformative transmission, the text offers scholarly readers a rich collection of sophisticated insights drawn from the depths of esoteric Hebrew wisdom tradition.
Part 1 of a three-part conversation with Layman Pascal on The Integral Stage.
Part 1 · [Part 2 ] · [Part 3: “Angel Tears”]
In this episode of The Integral Stage podcast, Layman Pascal interviews Dr. Marc Gafni on his book The Evolution of Tears—published at the time of these recordings as Tears: Reclaiming Ritual, Integral Religion, and Rosh Hashanah—in the exploration of CosmoErotic Humanism. The book uses the rite of Rosh Hashanah in the wisdom of Solomon lineage to explore the necessity of the return of ritual and the importance of religion beyond philosophy and spirituality.
This podcast is the continuation of their conversation about the predecessors to CosmoErotic Humanism.
The Evolution of Tears
Reclaiming Integral Ritual and Personal Myth: Towards a Meta-Psychology of World Religion: The Biblical Model of Rosh Hashanah
Dr. Marc Gafni. Second edition, 2025. World Philosophy & Religion Press with Integral Publishers. Forewords by Ken Wilber and Rabbi Gershon Winkler. Fifty pages of primary source texts in Hebrew and English appended.
About The Evolution of Tears:
This is a book about tears—about the sacred dance of tears in our lives. Tears are not all the same; they come in many different forms and textures. Part of waking up is to learn to identify the nature of your tears and give them voice. To wake up is to become fluent in the language of tears.
The Evolution of Tears is a profoundly original re-engagement with the Hebrew wisdom ritual of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year holy day. Best-selling author and educator Dr. Marc Gafni re-reads an entire corpus of biblical and mystical literature to unlock a hidden esoteric code that is the essence of the ritual—the code of tears. Dr. Gafni identifies eleven major forms of tears woven throughout the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, along with the archetypal figures who cry these different tears. This book invites you to enter this sacred code, to explore the depths of your own tears, and to awaken to their profound melody and meaning.
Tears are our greatest teacher. But most of us are ashamed of our tears. We repress them. We don’t know how to interpret them. We don’t realize that they hold an important message for us. Tears are the colors with which the tapestry of our awakening is painted. Sometimes we cry surface tears in response to stuff that happens—good stuff and bad stuff. But the truest tears are those that well up from the deepest place, the place on the inside of the inside. They may be triggered by a specific event or image, but they are larger than any one event. Every time we cry these true tears, we cry for all the times we never cried before. True tears come only on occasion, but when they do, they are harbingers of great wisdom and guidance.
Identifying the nature of our tears, giving them voice, is to know the language of tears. When we know that language, we wake up, hearkening to the melody and message of our tears. We find that we are guided by our tears in all their forms: tears of joy and tears of protest, tears of longing and tears of transformation, tears of prayer and tears of ecstasy, tears that break through and tears that break down, tears of expansion and tears of contraction, tears because it is all so big and tears because it is all so very small.
More than a study of Hebrew wisdom ritual, The Evolution of Tears demonstrates how world religion as a context for our diversity can emerge from within classical Western traditions. World religion represents a deep ethos and commitment to a shared grammar of evolving value alongside a set of binding injunctions and practices. It stands steadfastly for Spirit in the world, and it honors rituals and community—which embody value in themselves even as they are crucial in the transmission of value. This approach offers a post-postmodern framework of meaning for those who are engaged by Spirit but who can either no longer locate themselves in the traditions or for whom one religion can no longer be an exclusive home.
Whether you are Jewish, spiritual-but-not-religious, or are simply seeking deeper meaning in life’s rituals, this book provides a fresh lens for understanding both ancient wisdom and your own emotional landscape. Beyond its accessibility and highly engaging and transformative transmission, the text offers scholarly readers a rich collection of sophisticated insights drawn from the depths of esoteric Hebrew wisdom tradition.
Join Layman Pascal in conversation with Dr. Marc Gafni and Dr. Zak Stein
The Integral Stage
In this third and final episode in this series, which is cross-posted to both the Cosmo-Erotic Humanism and Authors Series playlists, Layman sits down again with Marc Gafni and Zak Stein to talk further about their jointly authored book, First Principles and First Values, this time focusing on some of the core philosophical arguments.
They are publishing the book pseudonymously under the name, David J. Temple.
First Principles and First Values https://www.amazon.com/First-Principl…
by David J. Temple
AS THE META-CRISIS DEEPENS, THE FATE OF CIVILIZATION AND HUMANITY HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
First Principles and First Values is the tip of the spear in the fight for a humane future. Establishing frameworks for a new school of thought called CosmoErotic Humanism, the book is built around forty-two propositions that provide new source code for the future of planetary culture.
Like Europe in the early Renaissance, humanity is in a time between worlds, at a time between stories. First Principles and First Values contains blueprints for the bridge needed to cross from this world to the next.
“The position argued for in this book is of vital importance . . . it needs urgently to be read.”
IAIN McGILCHRIST, author of The Master and His Emissary
Join Allana Pratt in conversation with Dr. Marc Gafni.
In this episode, which is cross-posted to both the Cosmo-Erotic Humanism and Authors Series playlists, Layman sits down again with Marc Gafni and Zak Stein to talk further about their jointly authored book, First Principles and First Values, this time focusing on some of the core philosophical arguments.
They are publishing the book pseudonymously under the name, David J. Temple.
First Principles and First Values https://www.amazon.com/First-Principl…
by David J. Temple
AS THE META-CRISIS DEEPENS, THE FATE OF CIVILIZATION AND HUMANITY HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
First Principles and First Values is the tip of the spear in the fight for a humane future. Establishing frameworks for a new school of thought called CosmoErotic Humanism, the book is built around forty-two propositions that provide new source code for the future of planetary culture.
Like Europe in the early Renaissance, humanity is in a time between worlds, at a time between stories. First Principles and First Values contains blueprints for the bridge needed to cross from this world to the next.
“The position argued for in this book is of vital importance . . . it needs urgently to be read.”
IAIN McGILCHRIST, author of The Master and His Emissary
In this episode, Layman Pascal sits down with Dr. Marc Gafni and Dr. Zak Stein to discuss their jointly authored book, First Principles and First Values. They are publishing the book pseudonymously under the name, David J. Temple.
In this episode, Layman sits down again with Marc Gafni and Zak Stein to talk further about their jointly authored book, First Principles and First Values, this time focusing on some of the core philosophical arguments. They are publishing the book pseudonymously under the name, David J. Temple.
In this third and final episode in this series, Layman sits down again with Marc Gafni and Zak Stein to talk further about their jointly authored book, First Principles and First Values, this time focusing on some of the core philosophical arguments. They are publishing the book pseudonymously under the name, David J. Temple.
by David J. Temple
AS THE META-CRISIS DEEPENS, THE FATE OF CIVILIZATION AND HUMANITY HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
First Principles and First Values is the tip of the spear in the fight for a humane future. Establishing frameworks for a new school of thought called CosmoErotic Humanism, the book is built around forty-two propositions that provide new source code for the future of planetary culture.
Like Europe in the early Renaissance, humanity is in a time between worlds, at a time between stories. First Principles and First Values contains blueprints for the bridge needed to cross from this world to the next.
“The position argued for in this book is of vital importance . . . it needs urgently to be read.”
IAIN McGILCHRIST, author of The Master and His Emissary
Layman is joined this time by Dr. Marc Gafni — the world philosopher of “cosmo-erotic humanism” together with Dr. Zak Stein. Gafni is the co-president with Stein of the Center for World Philosophy and Religion, founded with Ken Wilber in 2010, where they are articulating a “new meta theory story of value in response to the meta crisis”, even as Gafni lives as a character, both beloved and controversial, in the public mind.
Our task in this episode, and in this series, is not to demonize or exonerate. We encourage people to do their own research if they are interested. Facts matter. So do feelings. But that is not our topic in this series where we are focused on something more specific. We are not exploring the content of the narratives but rather how they emerge, how they are perceived by the people inside them, how those people respond under the conditions of the emerging digital, planetary age & what they have concluded about their responses.
We are not exploring content of the narratives but rather how they emerge, how they are perceived by the people inside them, how those people respond under the conditions of the emerging digital-planetary age & what they have concluded about their responses.
In this new mini-series, Layman Pascal talks with Marc Gafni about an emerging model he is developing together with Zak Stein and others, which they call CosmoErotic Humanism.
For episode three, Layman and Marc discuss the concept of Eros, its understanding and role in esoteric Judaism, its connections to evolutionary spirituality, the uniqueness and irreducibility of desire, and much more.
In this new mini-series, Layman Pascal talks with Marc Gafni about an emerging model he is developing together with Zak Stein and others, which they call CosmoErotic Humanism.
For episode two, Layman and Marc discuss the concept of Soul Prints, the origin of the notion of the Unique Self; the importance of story and spiritual autobiography; the issue of working appropriately with boundaries; and towards the end of the conversation they begin to open up the question of evil and shadow in relation to the Unique Self.
In this new mini-series, Layman Pascal talks with Marc Gafni about an emerging model he is developing together with Zak Stein and others, which they call CosmoErotic Humanism.
We will be adding to this post whenever new dialogues are being published. So, come back and scroll down for the most recent episode.
For episode one, Layman and Marc discuss the origins of this project, and Marc’s work on exploring and unfolding a model of Certainty and Uncertainty for addressing the meaning crisis, grounding moral value, and wrestling with perennial theodicies.
For episode two, Layman and Marc discuss the concept of Soul Prints, the origin of the notion of the Unique Self; the importance of story and spiritual autobiography; the issue of working appropriately with boundaries; and towards the end of the conversation they begin to open up the question of evil and shadow in relation to the Unique Self.
For episode three, Layman and Marc discuss the concept of Eros, its understanding and role in esoteric Judaism, its connections to evolutionary spirituality, the uniqueness and irreducibility of desire, and much more.
What paths lie ahead for religion and spirituality in the 21st Century? How might the insights of modernity and post-modernity impact and inform humanity’s ancient wisdom traditions? How are we to enact, together, new spiritual visions – independently, or within our respective traditions – that can respond adequately to the challenges of our times?
For episode 39, Layman meets with Marc Gafni to talk about his thoughts on an emerging World Spirituality, grounded in ritual and practice; the need for an integral orientation to encourage “dual citizenship,” embracing a global spirituality while also preserving and developing historical religious traditions; spirituality as the ground of value for human becoming; Marc’s notion of the Unique Self and its relationship to enlightenment; cosmic history as intimate conversation; and Marc’s recent work with Zak Stein on developing a Cosmo-Erotic Humanism. Dr. Marc Gafni is a visionary thinker, social activist, passionate philosopher, and author of ten books. He is the co-founder of The Center for Integral Wisdom, and a rabbinic lineage holder in Bible, Talmud, and Kabbalah. He self-describes as a “citizen” of both Integral World Spirituality and classical Hebrew practice. He has been an editor of the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice on issues of Integral spirituality and a faculty member of J.F.K. University. In 2014, Dr. Gafni co-initiated the Success 3.0 Summit and Rise Up movie, with John Mackey and Kate Maloney whose method and movement is to bring together key thought leaders and change-agents to collaboratively evolve a bold new Integral vision of Success, rooted in the entrepreneurial values of Wake Up, Grow Up, Show Up, and Evolutionary Love.
Layman Pascal is joined by Dr. Marc Gafni, the co-founder of the Center for Integral Wisdom and the author of multiple books and essays on integrative spirituality and spiritual activism.
Marc presents his vision of what a planetary politics could and should be, and together they explore the question of AI and the enormous challenges manipulative algorithms pose not only to informed voting, but to sensemaking in general; the emergence of techno-feudalism; the problems with voting protocols rooted in rivalrous dynamics, and the possibilities for liquid democracy or a synergistic democracy; the viability and role of nation states in a globally interconnected and interdependent society; the dynamics of intimacy, and the importance of shared first principles and a shared story; and much more.
Dr. Marc Gafni is a visionary thinker, social activist, passionate philosopher, and author of ten books. He is the co-founder of The Center for Integral Wisdom, and a rabbinic lineage holder in Bible, Talmud, and Kabbalah. He self-describes as a “citizen” of both Integral World Spirituality and classical Hebrew practice. He has been an editor of the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice on issues of Integral spirituality and a faculty member of J.F.K. University. In 2014, Dr. Gafni co-initiated the Success 3.0 Summit and Rise Up movie, with John Mackey and Kate Maloney whose method and movement is to bring together key thought leaders and change-agents to collaboratively evolve a bold new Integral vision of Success, rooted in the entrepreneurial values of Wake Up, Grow Up, Show Up, and Evolutionary Love.
The Mystery School for the New Human and the New Humanity
Join the online school of world philosophy and practice.
Articulating a new story of value in response to existential risk.