Hosted by Matthew Green. Produced by J’aime Rothbard.

What relevance do timeless mystical principles have for the way we work with groups of people today? And how can contemporary forms of “applied mysticism” help us rise to the challenge of these chaotic times?

For 35 years, Robin Alfred has been facilitating transformational processes for groups ranging in size from six to 600 people and encompassing everyone from U.N. climate experts and nonprofit leaders to government officials and corporate executives. 

In his forthcoming book Emergent Leadership: Applied Mysticism for Complex Times, Robin distils the essence of what he has learned about applying mystical principles in these contexts and the breakthroughs this approach can unlock. 

In this episode, Matthew and Robin dive deeply into a question at the core of both Robin’s book and this podcast: What does it take to establish the kind of coherent field that can change the destiny of individuals and organisations, foster innovation and genius, and help heal the individual, ancestral and collective trauma that traps us in repeating loops from the past?

Robin explains how the phrase ‘applied mysticism’ came to him during a training he was running two years ago called The Art of Facilitating Transformational Fields, which explored how to tap into a higher organising principle to help guide what happens in a space. 

“Contemporary mysticism is a mysticism that is continually being revealed. It’s not something that is fixed in time. It’s not something that is thousands of years old. It has a contemporary updating aspect to it,” Robin says. “And embodied mysticism also means that it’s a mysticism that isn’t just a philosophy, it’s something that lives in the cells of my being.”

Robin shares his sense of the growing willingness of people working in many different kinds of organisations to embrace more soul-oriented approaches as the planetary crisis reveals the limits of business as usual – and the opportunities this opens up.

“They know that there has to be another approach, that the existing approaches don’t work,” Robin says. “So the inner life of the leader is important. The collective fields are important. How do you create a healing field at work? That’s important. Belonging is important. All these things become more and more important because people see that the traditional ways of approaching all this have led us into this huge dysfunction.”

Matthew and Robin also explore the role of presence, precision, intention and humility in working with organisations – and some of the most striking and challenging moments from Robin’s long facilitation career.

This conversation is a must-listen for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of how mystical principles can be applied to support organisations to evolve – and hear more about how they can equip us to play a leadership role in the face of the world’s escalating challenges.

Robin’s book Emergent Leadership: Applied Mysticism for Complex Times is published by Open Circle in August.

Further Resources:

Pocket Project Resilience Program 

Open Circle Consulting

Emergent Leadership, Robin’s training in applied mysticism

The Art of Facilitating Transformational Fields (Article by Robin for Mobius Strip)

About Robin Alfred:

Robin Alfred is an executive coach, facilitator, and organisational consultant with over 35 years of experience working globally with NGOs, top teams, SMEs and individuals. A former criminal justice social work manager in London, Robin later co-founded Open Circle Consulting, bridging inner and outer transformation. His trauma-informed, emergent approach integrates frameworks including Appreciative Inquiry, Process Work, and Archetypes at WorkTM . A Senior Student of Thomas Hübl, he supports international trainings on collective trauma and mysticism. Robin also serves on the Pocket Project’s Trauma Consultancy Team and teaches “Emergent Leadership,” a training in applied mysticism.