BIO:

PAST

Survivor of Family Separation, Abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Graduate of The University of Texas at Austin

Sound Designer, DJ, Musician

Free-thinker and Political Activist

Founder of Waking Times

Shaman’s Apprentice

Martial Artist and Tai Chi / Qi Gong Instructor

 

PRESENT

Self-Mastery Coach for Battered Souls

Host of Battered Souls

Psychedelic Integrator

Writer, Interviewer and Speaker

Plant Medicine Retreat Facilitator

Grounded Visionary and Healer

Artist, Musician and DJ

 

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Hey there, I’m Dylan, and I’m stoked that you landed here.

I want to tell you about something amazing that happened to me many years ago.

Back then, I was in a place of quiet desperation, although, from the outside you’d of thought I had it all.

I was strong and healthy, had a great job, great friends, a nice house, a beautiful wife, and newborn baby girl. I was good at smiling and making people laugh.

But I wasn’t happy.

At the time I didn’t know what was driving me crazy, but I get it now. I was looking for something, but had no idea what it was, nor any idea that I was even in search of anything. I was totally unconscious of what was driving me and why.

Like so many of us, I stumbled into all the traps and pitfalls our modern, toxic culture has to offer. Materialism, addiction, narcissism, drugs, manipulation, exploitation, depression. I found every possible way to destroy myself.

But, here’s the amazing thing. I hit rock bottom. I’m talking all the way into the abyss, dark night of the soul, rock bottom. Zero hope. Nothing left to live for. Blackness all around.

Perhaps you know the place? Perhaps you’re there now? I feel you.

It’s amazing because, as I’ve come to realize, what seemed at the time to be a catastrophe was really the greatest gift a man could receive from this ever-loving universe. A paradox, I know, but so true.

The universe demanded I make a change in course. It wanted me to walk a different path, and so I made a firm decision to do so.

And I’ll never forget the exact moment everything changed.

I had just walked out of a psychiatrist’s office with a bag of free samples of seven different kinds of psychotropic drugs.

This would heal me, the doc had said. I just needed to take the pills everyday for the rest of my life and I would be OK.

As I looked out into a bright sunny sky I noticed a trash can next to me. Without a second thought or a moment of hesitation I tossed the bag of meds in the dump, and when I did, a stunning, powerful truth flashed inside my mind.

I alone am wholly responsible for my life, my health, and my happiness.

Whoa.

A funny thing happens when you make a big shift like this. All of a sudden the universe shows up to support you in every way possible. It’s unreal.

Synchronicities occur like clockwork. The right doors open and the wrong doors close. People who need to be left behind fall out of your life and are replaced by people who are meant to help or guide you. You feel aligned and in the flow, and life becomes magical. Not easy, but magical.

If it weren’t for my dark night I wouldn’t be the husband, father and man I’m so happy with and proud of today.

I never would have found myself in a Kung Fu dojo testing for black belt, or learning esoteric forms of Qi Gong, or getting choked out by guys half my age on the jiu jitsu mat.

I wouldn’t have ever left my home town, found myself living living in a foreign country for seven years, or have become a successful entrepreneur.

I never would have been called on by the Great Spirit to take ceremony with sacred plant medicines, and I never would have had the blessed opportunity to learn from and work with traditional elder shaman from the Amazon and from Africa.

I never would have let go of my anger, my pain, and my fear. I never would have released all of my trauma by screaming and puking under an ancient moon in the jungle night.

I never would have ventured to the heart of the Amazon to meet Mother Gaia face-to-face, and I wouldn’t understand her pain and sorrow like I do now.

I also would have never met my very own soul, looked him in the eye, and told him I love him.

In short, I never would have had the courage to so powerfully follow my heart.

I’ve since returned to living in the states, and I have a lot to share.

I was once a seeker and now I have become a bridge.

Pretty much all of the most amazing and enlightening people I know share common stories of being beaten up by the world and kicked to the curb of despair, but then finally learning to stand their ground and walk on their own.

This is what I want to share with the world, because this is the truth of how we evolve. Those of us that have been through this are Battered Souls, stronger than ever, more grateful than ever, and more ready than ever to serve. We’ve paid our dues, answered the call, taken the journey, and have returned with the truth: Life is a gift.

Thanks for tuning into this podcast. I hope you find something in here that helps you on your path.

Peace!

_Dylan Charles