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Portals of Perception

Portals of Perception

By: Aviv Shahar Peter Barry
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Portals of Perception endeavors to create conversations at the frontier of discovery, and to bring to life the natural processes of human development. Each of us, by design, can become a living agency for the evolutionary process, as it arises, through our living expression, and can become an intentional participant in the emergence of a wiser future. Join our hosts Aviv Shahar and Peter Barry every week for conversations on a wide variety of topics including human purpose, personal development, evolution and the future, community of conversation and discovery, and more.2021 Portals of Perception Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • 129 - Beyond the Collapse - Event Part 2

    129 - Beyond the Collapse - Event Part 2
    Jun 19 2026

    As we regather for the second part of this event, Aviv Shahar offers this reflection: “One of the ways I answer the question, ‘What is it like to be in this liminal transition from an epoch that's fading to a new epoch that's emerging?’ Well, it’s like being in a playground — after I allow myself to relax to the situation. A lot of the time I don't feel relaxed. I feel I need to be something, to do something, to meet a certain need.” Sound familiar?

    We have been exploring together the shift from one epoch to another, and what that means for us as individuals and as a global community: letting go of what is no longer needed (making space), finding balance and stability while relaxing into the unknown, being open to what is newly possible and upholding in ourselves what we want to nurture into the future.

    It is easy to grasp these concepts intellectually without them ever hitting “home” for us personally. Far more powerful is to engage these contemplations with our Soul, our faithful guide and companion, designed to see us through these changes. What unfolds here are experimental and experiential ways of exploring these concepts so that we can feel them — literally, in the rigidity of a coiled fist compared to an open hand — and encouraged toward our individual discovery because that is the kind of playground where we learn and discover best.

    The invitation here is to dive deeper, beyond the brain, into the interiority, into the emotions/heart, into the sensory responses that are activated, or inspired, by contemplation into the questions at hand. The whole of us is the playground, under the management of our Soul, for this exploration, while connecting us to ways of engaging our full system that will serve us well in the times ahead.

    Discover what it is like for the Soul to facilitate the shift, From > To:

    • From Rigidly Fixed > to Dynamically Evolving
    • From Separated > to Connected
    • From Valuing Things > to Prioritizing Relationships
    • From Anchored in the Known > to Immersed in the Unknown
    • From Reliance on Plans > to Trusting the Process

    This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

    TWEETABLE QUOTES

    “One of the ways I answer the question, what is it like to be in this liminal transition from an epoch that's fading to a new epoch that's emerging? Well, it is like being in a playground, after I allow myself to relax to the situation. A lot of the time I don't feel relaxed. I feel I need to be something, to do something to meet a certain need. And what if actually, this which is now seeking to access that which is latent in us, what if it needs us to relax into not knowing? What if it needs us to relax into playfully discovering?” (Aviv)

    “One of the contemplations that emerged for me about the idea of separated and connected is that it teaches me to honor that we are separate individuals. And there is a design reason as to why life would want us each to be configured as a unique individual, and there is a design and purposeful reason behind why, along the evolutionary story, we released ourselves from tribal entity where we were homogenous, one unified self, to the discovery of the individuated self over recent centuries. And that there is a reason why this continual evolution is now nudging us to discover a new way of coming together.” (Aviv)

    RESOURCES MENTIONED

    Portals of Perception Website

    Aviv’s LinkedIn

    Aviv’s Twitter

    Aviv’s Website

    Beyond the Collapse – Event Part 2: Separate Yet Connected
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    31 mins
  • 128 - Beyond the Collapse - Event Part 1

    128 - Beyond the Collapse - Event Part 1
    Jun 5 2026

    We all experience parts of ourselves moving in different directions at the same time. The cells in our bodies continually die as new ones are born. Throughout our lives, we release what no longer serves us and shift our attention toward new opportunities. So, we are no strangers to seeing that something is ending, fading, dying — while at the same time, something else is emerging, arriving, birthing through us.

    This conversation brings to life the transition from an epoch that's fading to one that's emerging, and explores the soul's journey in placing both within a larger frame, one that recognizes three simultaneous processes: something ending, something emerging, and the liminal space in between. It is within this threshold that we can immerse ourselves in the unknown and embrace our struggles as whole human beings.

    This journey invites us to expand beyond the familiar impulse to solve problems, and instead to explore options, widen our sense of what’s possible, and rewire our ways of seeing and being. The inquiry opens up vast questions, like “Where does the future come from?” — and illuminates latent potentials in humanity and higher states of consciousness. The soul, with its latent memory of the future, transcends the linearity of time in an entangled universe. It can serve as a powerful guide as the transition between epochs intensifies. To navigate these times with resilience and adaptability, we are called to both “hospice” the old epoch and “midwife” the new within ourselves and the world around us.

    Strategies that help us approach this include:

    • Releasing the conditioning of the old epoch, even as it resists being released
    • Embracing the liminal in-between state and the opportunities it provides
    • Facilitating, ripening and liberating the new epoch as it appears in us

    This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

    TWEETABLE QUOTES

    “The answer to the question, ‘Where does the future come from?,"’ is, well, it comes through all of us, each and every one of us, potentially. When you found a way to forgive deeply inside you, a person, or a certain situation, you have released that situation into a new future, rather than being stuck in a historic point of pain. When you come up with a new way of seeing the challenges you are facing, you are literally opening for yourself, and likely for the people around you, a future that was not available before. So, we are each, simply by the definition of being a human at this time on Earth, we are each an active agency for the future.” (Aviv)

    “Can we find a way to embrace the totality of who we are as humans, and recognize that perhaps there is a way to imagine and envision this crisis point as a birthing crucible. If there is a test in it, the test in it is to live fully in the here and now, in the every moment of what it is that we encounter, whether it's a struggling moment at work, whether it's a struggling moment at home in our relationships, whether it is when we are in the meditation and the deepest prayer we choose to formulate, and refuse almost defiantly, to bypass this moment, to bypass this life.” (Aviv)

    RESOURCES MENTIONED

    Portals of Perception Website

    Aviv’s LinkedIn

    Aviv’s Twitter

    Aviv’s Website

    Beyond the Collapse – Event Part 1: The Soul’s Role in Birthing a New World
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 127 - 10 Elements of the Elevation Process Mystery - Current Openings #24

    127 - 10 Elements of the Elevation Process Mystery - Current Openings #24
    May 22 2026
    What does it mean for a human to elevate? Esoteric pursuits are often associated with ancient mystery schools that promise to teach an initiate their secret knowledge. But, of course, you can’t walk in the door and be told the meanings of life. There is a rite of passage, an apprenticeship, a service required to earn the right to access sacred knowledge. Importantly, true sacred knowledge offers energetic potency, so the rite of passage is also a process of naturalizing a person to higher energies and frequencies, so that they will be able to handle more potency without getting out of balance. This is the esoteric journey, but we recognize the process from everyday life. If you want to be a race car driver, you don’t start in a car that goes 200 miles per hour — you learn in less powerful cars and learn to handle them, moving up as you gain skills and stability. You don’t start as a head chef; you chop 10,000 onions first. So, how do we apply this understanding to our life? In this episode of Current Openings (#24), Aviv Shahar and David Price Francis make a foray into codifying the mechanics of elevation, through 10 Elements, as it arises in any endeavor where we seek to grow and improve — to better ourselves and to access new knowledge. Because it is a natural process, once we understand it for one path, it can be seen in almost any undertaking. They begin with the premise that we are first and foremost energetic beings, we are processing energies through our system non-stop. And, the ways of energies are graduated — there is a spectrum from low to high, coarse to refined, in all things. The journey is to move from the lower, entry level energy, to the higher, more complex and more intelligent energy. And there will be challenges along the way — always! There is resistance that will test our resolve, there are setbacks. We’ll find we need to change things about ourselves to manage the next step. We’ll have to brave uncertainty, and we’ll have to find a way to trust our instincts and find ways to persist. Understanding the process offers a huge advantage toward succeeding. Why might the universe want a mechanism such as this? Perhaps it provides the greatest safety for us — we aren’t given more than we can handle, and for the universe, where quality control ensures a reliable product. Ultimately, we want to meet the energetic requirements of the elevation we seek. Insights into elevation: Resistance is a necessary part of the journey to elevationPersistence is needed to overcome our default patternsWhen we surrender we allow higher intelligence to work through usWe need to rewire ourselves to meet new requirementsQuantum leaps help us in making transformational changesAcclimatization: how do we stabilize connections to higher sources of energy? This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel. TWEETABLE QUOTES “This idea that every domain, everything you're going to do, has its requirement, and the reason this is so important is because, as we said, there is an energetic dimension to this. So once we begin to enter a new domain of practice, a new domain of knowledge, a new domain of artistry and mastery, what we are really describing is that the immersion inside this elevated energy space rewires and activates new internal pathways and connections. It's like the whole vessel that you are is rewired on the inside.” (Aviv) “The reason we often need to find the point of surrender through crisis is because we are creatures of habit, and also because we tend to love, not only our successes, but also our struggles and pain. We're not easy to let go. And so this entire focusing theme of the journey to elevation is a journey of learning to release, learning to let go, reaching the point of surrender, and reaching the point, as you said, where instead of you doing it, it begins to do it through you. Now what is this it? Well, it is the latent intelligence. It is the latent potential.” (Aviv) RESOURCES MENTIONED Portals of Perception Website Aviv’s LinkedIn Aviv’s Twitter Aviv’s Website 10 Elements of the Elevation Process Mystery – Current Openings #24
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    1 hr and 42 mins
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