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Religion & SpiritualitySociety & Culture

Soul Search

ABC Australia

Soul Search explores contemporary religion and spirituality from the inside out — what we believe, how we express it, and the difference it makes in our lives

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  • 22 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 54 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • Thursday · 54 min

    The Zen masters of haiku

    Haiku poetry is both simple and evocative, largely due to Zen Buddhism. The now familiar 5-7-5 haiku verse developed in ancient Japan, and now, across language and culture, haiku remains a popular way for people to engaging with nature, the seasons, and the fleeting moments of life.

  • August 20 · 54 min

    Poetry that soars — from Rumi to Australia

    Poetry is one of the world's most enduring artforms. It predates writing, and we’re still compelled to express our deepest thoughts through verse. What does poetry have to do with spirituality and the sacred — whether its big, mystical experiences, or the small moments that nonetheless ring with truth? Dr Toby Davidson is a poet and Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities at Macquarie University. He is the author of Christian Mysticism and Australian Poetry, and editor of the Collected Poem

  • August 13 · 54 min

    Zeus' Law — Hospitality in Homer's Odyssey

    Underneath all the sex and violence of Homer's Odyssey, hospitality shines as a key theme. So, what does "Zeus' Law", outlining the responsibilities of hosts towards guests and strangers, have to teach us today, as our own society debates difference? Guests Dr Susan Lupack is an archaeologist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities at the Macquarie University. She is co-editor the new Cambridge Guide to Homer. Dr Ben Brown is Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences a

  • August 6 · 54 min

    Katherine May on winter's transformative power

    Some people love crisp winter mornings and bracing ocean swims — one of those people is author Katherine May, who says there are winter periods in life too. In her book Wintering, Katherine writes about her own cold and fallow seasons, and says we shouldn't run from our winters because they contain seeds of transformation. Guest Katherine May is an internationally renowned writer and podcaster based in Kent, in the south east of England. Her work covers nature, spirituality, slow living and ne

  • July 30 · 54 min

    How gardening is a conversation

    Gardeners have cultivated — or dominated — the natural world for thousands of years. But as any green thumb will tell you, in the garden nature has an opinion about how things will go and you won't always get your way. So, what does your garden say about you? And what does your garden say to you? Guests Georgina Reid is a landscape designer, gardener, writer and former editor of Wonderground — a print and online journal exploring questions of nature, culture and care. Megumi Bennett has been

  • July 23 · 54 min

    Philosopher Simone Weil's guide to paying attention

    With so much going on in the news and in the world right now, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, and even powerless. But how can the philosophy of a brilliant young Frenchwoman help us navigate through tragedy and troubles? Simone Weil wrestled with the question of how to live a moral life, and she gives us a remarkable vision of how to pay attention.

  • July 16 · 54 min

    Recovering the art of listening

    Would you say you're a good listener? Listening well to others, and being properly listened to yourself, is the baseline for genuine encounter with each other. There's a vulnerability and intimacy to listening when it's done properly, so how do we do it in a noisy, divided world?

  • July 9 · 54 min

    The neuroscience of spirituality with Iain McGilchrist

    How are our internal, spiritual lives shaped by the physical structure of our brains? Dr Iain McGilchrist is the author of two big books that have thrown into question our assumptions about knowledge and meaning and even our capacity to perceive the sacred.

  • June 25 · 54 min

    Visualising the Hindu gods and goddesses

    The word 'god' can bring many images to mind — perhaps a man with blue complexion and four arms, an old bearded man in the sky, or a woman seated on a lotus throne. Gods and goddesses have been visualised in all kinds of ways, through different times and societies. And when it comes to Hinduism, the deities can take on countless forms.

  • June 18 · 54 min

    Can ritual help restore broken politics and bruised spirits?

    Rituals mark moments throughout our lives, big and small. They are also used to draw attention to political injustice and social inequality, to express lament and to reorient the participants in the ritual toward wholeness. What role might rituals play in our lives, and how can rituals be part of the reparative work in our society and politics?

  • June 11 · 54 min

    The joy and anguish of the Psalms

    How do you express your deepest emotions? Over the centuries many have turned to poetry, including the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible. From anguish to ecstasy and anger to joy, how can one collection of poetry cover such a range of emotions and experiences?

  • June 4 · 54 min

    Being human in the age of AI

    Pope Leo XIV has just published his first encyclical, and it's on artificial intelligence. But for 75 years, people from diverse religious traditions have been thinking about AI and the ethics of AI, including from Buddhist and Protestant perspectives.

  • May 28 · 54 min

    Who was Vivekananda, the young revolutionary swami?

    Swami Vivekananda made giant contributions to interfaith dialogue and interpreting Hinduism to the west. So who was Vivekananda, the young swami who impressed America at the end of the 19th century? And why does his legacy matter to young Hindus today?

  • May 21 · 54 min

    War and peace — St Augustine and the Pope he inspired

    Pope Leo is the first Augustinian pontiff and has quickly made headlines speaking out about war an peace — which makes sense, because St Augustine was a major influence on Western understandings of war and when it is morally justified.

  • May 7 · 54 min

    What does pilgrimage look like today?

    What's the difference between a pilgrimage and a holiday? Going for Hajj in Mecca is an obvious pilgrimage, but something like going to Graceland for Elvis Week gets a bit tricky. So what does pilgrimage look like today?

  • April 23 · 54 min

    Why did an atheist spend a year as a secular priest?

    Does a society lose anything if we lose religion? Niki Harré is a lifelong atheist who wanted to test this. She took a year off from her job as an academic, to the point of setting herself up as a 'secular priest!' What did she uncover?

  • April 16 · 54 min

    Active body, active soul — encountering the spiritual side of sports

    Australia's devotion to sports takes on many religious qualities. And in many religious traditions, the physical discipline of the body is one way of working on the soul. So, how do shared activities, like running groups or football clubs, keep us healthy physically, mentally — and spiritually? 

Showing 1–20 of 22 episodes