Sacred Listening and the Art of Seeing the Other with Daniel Epstein

In this conversation, Victoria Loorz speaks with Daniel K. Epstein, photographer, author, and founder of Portraits in Faith, a twenty-six-year project of environmental portraiture and spiritual interviews spanning 500 people across 30 countries. Portraits in Faith is a traveling exhibit, a process of conversation-ing with people very different than you, and a nonprofit committed to sacred listening which leads to a conscious understanding that there is no "other." Daniel has devoted his life to asking people how they encounter mystery, meaning, doubt, love, and the sacred. His work demonstrates how sacred listening itself can become a practice of healing in a polarized world.

Daniel reflects on growing up Jewish in the American South, the personal crisis that cracked open his understanding of faith, and the questions that have guided hundreds of conversations across cultures and traditions. Victoria and Daniel sit with the tension between the particular and the universal, what the wild teaches us about trust and belonging, and why learning to truly see one another may be one of the most vital spiritual practices of our time.

Connect with Daniel:

• Website: portraitsinfaith.org
• Youtube: @portraitsinfaith
• Exhibit Info: portraitsinfaith.org/exhibit

Mentioned in the episode:

• Portraits In Faith Interview with James Finley: God Is All and All Is Love
• Retreat Center: Ghost Ranch
• Book: The Coming of the Cosmic Christ by Matthew Fox
• Book: The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
• Organization: The Center for Action and Contemplation
• Musical Artist: Netanel Goldberg (Spotify)
• Book: The Death of the Mythic God by Jim Marion

Connect with the Center:

• Website: wildspirituality.earth
• Victoria's Website: victorialoorz.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Linktree: linktr.ee/ctrforwildspirituality
• Instagram: @center_for_wild_spirituality

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Introduction
• 04:07 – Interview Begins 
• 07:12 – The Calling Behind Portraits in Faith
• 11:34 – The Portraits in Faith Format 
• 16:19 – Going Beyond "The Other" 
• 17:53 – Warmth and Competence 
• 19:15 – The Particular and the Universal 
• 23:57 – Portraits in Faith
• 29:05 – Sacred Listening 
• 34:12 – Dialogue Across Exclusive Truth Claims 
• 40:16 – Beholding the Other with Wisdom 
• 45:09 – What Gives You Hope? 
• 48:13 – Wild Invitation 
• 49:50 – Credits