About Open Div

Open Div is a new project that aims to translate divinity for a secular world.

This summit happened in February 2021, and brought together top academics, theologians, clergy, and secular experience designers to offer frameworks around creating meaning for oneself and others.

Most talks from the event are freely available in podcast form. We hope that you come away from these talks with new ideas for how to bring matters of ultimate concern into your life and the lives of others.

Schedule

The event was a "PodConference" - meaning each day, we had 1-3 live, interactive events and released 10-12 audio-only talks via podcast.

We hoped this format would allow opportunities to connect with other attendees and to engage with the content unmediated by screens.

While live events have all completed, the podcast talks listed further down are still available for listening.

Live Events (ended)

All times below are in US Eastern Standard Time. If you use Google Calendar, you can use this link to easily translate events into your local timezone.

Podcast Drops

Speakers

Angie Thurston

Angie Thurston

Sacred Design Lab

Angie Thurston is a co-founder of Sacred Design Lab and a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School.

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Devin Singh

Devin Singh

Dartmouth College

Devin Singh, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized thought leader, award-winning professor, and path-breaking author, speaker, and coach working at the intersection of social theory, ethics, and leadership development.

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Marshall Ganz

Marshall Ganz

Harvard Kennedy School

Marshall Ganz is the Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing, and Civil Society at the Kennedy School of Government, where he teaches, researches, and writes on leadership, organization, and strategy in social movements, civic associations, and politics.

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Casper ter Kuile

Casper ter Kuile

Sacred Design Lab

Casper ter Kuile is the co-founder of Sacred Design Lab, a co-host of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and a Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School.

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Pamela Ayo Yetunde

Pamela Ayo Yetunde

Center of the Heart

Pamela Ayo Yetunde, Th.D. is a chaplain and pastoral counselor.

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Chris Cotter

Chris Cotter

Religious Studies Project

Chris Cotter is Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Chester, and IASH-CTPI Duncan Forrester Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

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Marcelle Dawson

Marcelle Dawson

University of Otago

Associate Professor Marcelle Dawson teaches sociology at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

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Micky ScottBey Jones

Micky ScottBey Jones

Faith Matters Network

Micky ScottBey Jones – the Justice Doula – accompanies people as they birth more love, justice and shalom into our world.

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Bradley Onishi

Bradley Onishi

Skidmore College

Bradley Onishi is Associate Professor of Religion at Skidmore College.

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Ann Taves

Ann Taves

UC Santa Barbara

Ann Taves is Professor (Emerita) of Religious Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara and PI of the Inventory of Nonordinary Experiences Project.

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Tim Victor

Tim Victor

Tim Victor is an emerging artist, singer, songwriter, and model originating from Brooklyn, New York.

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Killian Noe

Killian Noe

Recovery Café

Killian Noe is the Founding Director of Recovery Café.

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Broderick Sawyer

Broderick Sawyer

Broderick Sawyer, PhD, is an activist, spiritual teacher/practitioner, and psychologist in Connecticut.

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Ezra Bookman

Ezra Bookman

Ritualist

Ezra Bookman is an experience designer, artist,and facilitator exploring the transformational power of ritual.

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Rev. Ineda P. Adesanya

Rev. Ineda P. Adesanya

Allen Temple Baptist Church

Reverend Ineda Pearl Adesanya is an ordained American Baptist minister and spiritual director. Rev. Ineda serves as President and CEO of The Chaplaincy Institute - An Interfaith Seminary and Community.

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Hanifa Nayo Washington

Hanifa Nayo Washington

Sacred Activist

Hanifa Nayo Washington is an award winning cultural artivist and the Cultivator of Beloved Community for the Fireside Project, which aims to help people fulfill the potential of their psychedelic experiences by providing compassionate, accessible, and culturally responsive peer support, educating the public, and furthering psychedelic research.

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Rev. Richard S. Gilbert

Rev. Richard S. Gilbert

Rev. Dr. Richard S. Gilbert retired in 2005 after serving 44 years in the Unitarian Universalist ministry in Cleveland, Ohio, Golden, Colorado, Ithaca, New York, and for 32 years at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York.

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David Fuller

David Fuller

Rebel Wisdom

David Fuller is a multi-skilled journalist and filmmaker and the founder of Rebel Wisdom, a platform to make highly complex ideas accessible to as many people as possible.

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Ayden LeRoux

Ayden LeRoux

Odyssey Works

Ayden LeRoux is the Assistant Director of Odyssey Works and the author of two books related to their work, Isolation and Amazement (Samsara Press, 2013), and Odyssey Works: Transformative Experiences for an Audience of One (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016) co-authored with Abraham Burickson.

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Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez

Sergio holds a degree in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin and has recently finished a M. Sc. in Applied Social Research, also in the same university.

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Josh Bullock

Josh Bullock

Kingston University

Josh is a criminology and sociology lecturer at Kingston University, London.

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Sarah Cledwyn

Sarah Cledwyn

Sarah Cledwyn MA is a spiritual guide and healer.

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Tom Wagner

Tom Wagner

University of Manchester

I am a lecturer, researcher, writer, and editor, interested in all things music and the creative industries.

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Casey Rosengren

Casey Rosengren

Open Div

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Meisaan Chan

Meisaan Chan

Meisaan Chan works intimately with people who, like her, exist in the liminal spaces of spirituality and has a deep passion for translating Spirit into a vernacular for people who exist outside the walls of religion.

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Gina Magyar-Russell

Gina Magyar-Russell

Loyola University Maryland

Gina Magyar-Russell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Loyola University Maryland.

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Stephanie Paulsell

Stephanie Paulsell

Harvard Divinity School

Stephanie Paulsell has been a member of the HDS faculty since 2001.

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Christian Watkins

Christian Watkins

Kansas State University

Rev. Christian Watkins (she/her/hers) graduated from Yale Divinity School in 2014 with her Master of Divinity.

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Ian Reader

Ian Reader

Ian Reader is Professor Emeritus at the University of Manchester.

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Guy Hayward

Guy Hayward

British Pilgrimage Trust

Guy Hayward co-founded the British Pilgrimage Trust (britishpilgrimage.org) in 2014, and leads guided pilgrimages around Britain.

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Chris Stedman

Chris Stedman

Augsburg University

Chris Stedman is the author of IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives (2020) and Faitheist (2012), and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Atlantic, BuzzFeed, Pitchfork, VICE, The LA Review of Books, and The Washington Post.

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Wesley J. Wildman

Wesley J. Wildman

Boston University

Wesley J. Wildman is Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics and Professor in the Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences at Boston University.

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Anthony Garcia

Anthony Garcia

The Attention Collection

Anthony is a writer, storyteller, and gifted public speaker.

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Abraham Burickson

Abraham Burickson

Odyssey Works

Abraham Burickson is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Odyssey Works, an interdisciplinary performance group that makes bespoke performances for one-person audiences.

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Tiu de Haan

Tiu de Haan

Tiu de Haan is an Oxford-educated ritual designer, creative facilitator and ‘Serendipiter’, specializing in reminding people how to shift their perspective to see the magic in the mundane.

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Alexander Darius Ornella

Alexander Darius Ornella

University of Hull

Dr. Alexander Darius Ornella's research interests sit at the intersection of religion, popular culture, visual and material culture, and technology.

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Nick Moraitis

Nick Moraitis

Foundation for Young Australians

Nick Moraitis is CEO at the Foundation for Young Australians.

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Erik Davis

Erik Davis

Erik Davis (www.techgnosis.com) is an author, independent scholar, podcaster and teacher based in San Francisco.

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Daniel Pryfogle

Daniel Pryfogle

Sympara

Cofounder and CEO with a vocation to lead in between.

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Dan McKanan

Dan McKanan

Harvard Divinity School

Dan McKanan is the Emerson Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, where he teaches courses on Unitarian Universalism, religion and social transformation, ecological religion, and liberal theology

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Julie Exline

Julie Exline

Case Western Reserve University

Julie Exline, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

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Jillian Richardson

Jillian Richardson

The Joy List

Jillian Richardson is a writer and connection coach.

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Charles Stang

Charles Stang

Harvard Divinity School

Charles Stang is Professor of Early Christian Thought at HDS and is the Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions.

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Brian Victoria

Brian Victoria

Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies

Brian Victoria is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and a 1961 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Eric Steinhart

Eric Steinhart

William Paterson University

Eric Steinhart grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania. He received his BS in Computer Science from the Pennsylvania State University.

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Terry Washington

Terry Washington

Terry J. Washington is in the final year of the Master of Divinity program at Drew University School of Theology.

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Daniel Shkolnik

Daniel Shkolnik

A graduate of Yale University, Daniel Lev Shkolnik is a Humanist speaker and community organizer interested in creating a powerful spiritual alternative to traditional religions.

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Danny Fluker Jr.

Danny Fluker Jr.

Black Boys OM

Atlanta Native, Freelance Writer, Yoga and Meditation practitioner, 200 Hour Registered Yoga Instructor.

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Lerita Coleman Brown

Lerita Coleman Brown

Lerita Coleman Brown, PhD, Ayşe I. Carden Distinguished Professor Emerita of Psychology, Agnes Scott College, is a spiritual director/companion, writer, retreat leader, and speaker.

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Paul Bulencea

Paul Bulencea

The College of Extraordinary Experiences

Paul Bulencea is a transformational experience designer, entrepreneur, and author.

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Carole M. Cusack

Carole M. Cusack

University of Sydney

Carole M. Cusack is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney.

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David G. Robertson

David G. Robertson

Religious Studies Project

David G. Robertson is Lecturer in Religious Studies at the Open University, co-founder of the Religious Studies Project, and co-editor of the journal Implicit Religion.

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Christina Baldwin

Christina Baldwin

PeerSpirit

Christina Baldwin is a writer and seminar presenter of 30+ years experience.

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Jeremy Nickel

Jeremy Nickel

EvolVR

Rev. Jeremy D. Nickel thrives at the intersection of spirituality and technology. He founded EvolVR, a VR spiritual community.

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Tasshin Fogleman

Tasshin Fogleman

Monastic Academy

Tasshin is a resident at the Monastic Academy in Vermont. He also helped to start MAPLE's California location, OAK.

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Leah Coloff

Leah Coloff

Leah Coloff is a cellist, singer, creator described by The New York Times as “a combination of artful angularity and a rock-inflected assertiveness.”

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Markus Davidsen

Markus Davidsen

Leiden University

Markus Altena Davidsen (1981) is University Lecturer in the Sociology of Religion at the Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion.

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Dr. Jason Nieuwsma

Dr. Jason Nieuwsma

Duke University Medical Center

Dr. Jason Nieuwsma is a clinical psychologist who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center

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Dr. Erika Gault

Dr. Erika Gault

The University of Arizona

Dr. Erika Gault is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies with a Ph.D. in American Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

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Steven C. Hayes

Steven C. Hayes

University of Nevada.

Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor in the Behavior Analysis program at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada.

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Katie Gordon

Katie Gordon

Nuns & Nones

Katie Gordon is co-founder, national organizer, and network weaver with Nuns & Nones

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Elan Babchuck

Elan Babchuck

Glean Network

Rabbi Elan Babchuck is a rabbi and an entrepreneur and spends much of his time exploring the rich intersections between these two traditions, and the abundant possibilities therein.

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Rev. Andrew Chirch

Rev. Andrew Chirch

The Chaplaincy Institute

Andy Chirch is learning how to integrate a two-decade career in finance and business with a calling to ministry.

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Drew Rau

Drew Rau

A writer, theologian, teacher, and spiritual entrepreneur

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Daniel Libenson

Daniel Libenson

Judaism Unbound

Daniel Libenson is the founder and president of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future and co-host of the Judaism Unbound podcast.

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Arelis Benítez

Arelis Benítez

Vanderbilt University

Arelis Benítez (Aly) is a graduate student in Religion, Psychology, and Culture. She earned a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Spanish from Denison University and an M.A. in Clinical Ministry from Loma Linda University.

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Sebene Selassie

Sebene Selassie

Sebene Selassie is a teacher, author and speaker who explores the themes of belonging and identity through meditation, creativity and spirituality.

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Barbara Groth

Barbara Groth

Nomadic School of Wonder

Barbara Groth is founder and creative director of the Nomadic School of Wonder, and handles Experience Design for the immersive art project known as Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Jeff Genung

Jeff Genung

Contemplative Life

Jeff is co-founder of Contemplative Life, a non-profit organization that connects people and communities with transformative practices, and co-founder of Transformation365.org, an experiential practice network.

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Rev. Sarah Bowen

Rev. Sarah Bowen

OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary

Rev. Sarah Bowen is an interfaith/interspiritual minister serving on the academic staff of One Spirit Interfaith Seminary in New York City, where she teaches both interspecies and 12-step spirituality.

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Jay Stolar

Jay Stolar

Jay Stolar is a songwriter and producer known for developing signature sounds for artists in multiple genres.

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Freedom Imani

Freedom Imani

International recording artist Freedom Imani, a singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and music arranger started his journey in singing at the age of 12.

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Rev. Diane Berke

Rev. Diane Berke

One Spirit Learning Alliance

Rev. Diane Berke is the Founder and Spiritual Director of One Spirit Learning Alliance. Ordained as an interfaith minister in 1988, she is a respected pioneer in the field of interfaith/interspiritual education; this past June (2020) she stepped down after 18 years as Director of the One Spirit Seminary Training.

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Nick Demeris

Nick Demeris

Theodore Nicholas Demeris is a singer, player, composer, writer and teaching artist who travels the world to activate our human instruments.

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Fr. Adam Bucko

Fr. Adam Bucko

The Center for Spiritual Imagination

Fr. Adam Bucko has been a committed voice in the movement for the renewal of Christian Contemplative Spirituality and the growing New Monastic movement.

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Reggie Hubbard

Reggie Hubbard

Active Peace Yoga

Reggie's life path has surely been non-traditional, and that has suited him just fine. He was the first person in his family to attend college, which profoundly changed his life, literally opening him up to a world of possibilities he never would have imagined.

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Vanessa Mason

Vanessa Mason

Institute for the Future

Vanessa Mason is the research director at the Institute for the Future, a 52 year old nonprofit organization that helps individuals, organizations and communities think systematically about the future.

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Dr. Josh Packard

Dr. Josh Packard

Springtide Research Institute

Dr. Josh Packard, Executive Director of Springtide Research Institute, is an accomplished researcher and academic with an expertise in the sociology of religion and new forms of religious expression.

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Rev. Cristina Moon

Rev. Cristina Moon

Daihonzan Chozen-ji

I'm a strategist, writer, and Zen teacher at Daihonzan Chozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple and monastery in Honolulu. I anchor Chozen-ji's rigorous, body-based approach to Zen; and train in Kendo, Chado, and ceramics.

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Luis Gil

Luis Gil

JOGA

I’m a mindfulness instructor with over a decade of experience practicing and teaching at centers and organizations all over North America.

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200 $

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400 $

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