The Observable Unknown – Ep. with Paul Samuel Dolman (Jan 14, 2026)

Overview

This episode of The Observable Unknown, hosted by Dr. Juan Carlos Rey, delves into the interplay of science and spirituality through a rich, introspective conversation with Paul Samuel Dolman—a writer, podcast host, and self-described “traveler of ideas.” Together, they explore how to remain awake to the mystery of reality, the meaning of “Source,” the role of synchronicity, and what grounds our experience of the sacred in a world often awash in distraction and materialism.

The episode is less about neat answers than a lived posture of inquiry—an invitation to slow listening, humility, responsibility, and playful engagement with both the measurable and immeasurable.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Truly Matters: Beyond Material Success

• Linear Blueprints vs. Deeper Meaning (03:24):
  • Paul reflects that society teaches us to value material gain, status, and security—“the illusion of security, status and power and these basically insatiable things”—but these never actually fulfill the deeper longing for meaning.
  • Quote [04:05]:
    “You can’t even take your body with you. So you’re not going to find it there. That’s what you’re sold... when it doesn’t work, you think it’s you. But if you’re fortunate, that rupture is an invitation to the quest—the hero’s journey.”
• Experiential Learning (06:10):
  • Paul shares a personal story of trauma and near-drowning that led to a separation from his ego and a dawning awareness of a loving, connected force—synchronicities began to “lean back fivefold, tenfold.”
  • Quote [08:50]:
    “It reminded me of when you put a jagged stone in a river and, after 5,000 years, it’s smooth. I think that’s the process through time and eternity.”

2. Exploring “Source”: Experience, Not Just Concept

• Defining Source (10:15):
  • For Paul, “Source” is not only a “spiritual reality” but a “disciplined way of paying attention”—a Venn diagram intersection of psychology, physicality, and mysticism.
  • Quote [10:20]:
    “You’re there, you’re observing... you’ve found yourself in a sea of consciousness. There are varying degrees of it; I can’t control it. I can be intentional, but the ego’s still the default.”
• Marketed Spirituality (12:37):
  • Paul intentionally resists turning “Source” into a commodity—agreeing with Eckhart Tolle about avoiding baggage-laden words.
  • Quote [12:51]:
    “If God was named Nazi, you’d be like, ‘How do I do that?’ Words are just pointers, but experience is what matters.”

3. Blocks and Practices: Living in Connection

• Distraction and Practice (15:29):
  • The news, biological urges, physical discomfort, and negative thought loops can all pull one away from Source—but transformational presence is always “there,” especially in nature.
  • Quote [16:02]:
    “If I just sort of watch it all... and don’t give it a lot of energy, it sort of peters out and then behind the curtain, then the current lifts up, and there is no curtain.”
• Navigating Roles (17:24):
  • Paul reflects on moving between public recognition (“rooms where reputation is currency”) and quiet anonymity in nature—and the importance of playing both roles with a sense of joyful detachment.

4. Materialism, Simplicity, and Connection Across Cultures

• Materialism vs. Source (22:21, 26:19):
  • Stories from travels in non-Western countries reveal greater generosity and joy among those with less; materialism is not the opposite of Source, but its blind pursuit is “the opposite of a deeper, more resonant life.”
  • Quote [22:21]:
    “There was an innate joy in the most simple things. The people with the least are the most generous... the smile comes easily, the eye contact is real.”

5. The Play of Synchronicity

• Meaning or Pattern Recognition? (28:16):

  • Paul describes synchronicity as both meaning and pattern—ultimately, “you create meaning”—offering stories of serendipitous encounters (e.g., meeting Lorde in a cafe [30:38], hitchhiking with Larry David [33:13]).
  • Quote [28:31]:
    “Everything is. You define the meaning. People want to find meaning. Instead, you create meaning.”
  • On acting during synchronicity:
    “It’s usually to marvel at the way everything’s connected... sometimes you’re just meant to be there.”

• Misreading Meaning (36:36):

  • “You just described my dating life… I think I’m supposed to save you because you’re beautiful… I’m the monkey who pulled a fish out of the river—thinking I’m helping.”

6. Music, Conversation, and the Art of Listening

• Music as Meditation (37:55):

  • Playing piano in the dark was Paul’s primordial meditation—music’s spaces and silences taught him spiritual listening.
  • Quote [37:59]:
    “Music is mostly space and silence. At one point, I decided—the lost art of listening. By that very intense, aware listening... suddenly there is a voice: the voice of the redwood, the hawk, the tree.”

• Interview as Improvisation (40:39):

  • When guests are guarded, humor and self-awareness open space—“saying the unspoken directly.”

7. Balance, Intensity, and Self-Acceptance

• Struggling for Balance (42:10, 44:29):
  • Paul admits to intensity and deep dives, having to vigilantly “add the spinach” to moderate and avoid burnout.
  • Quote [44:29]:
    “For 800 times in a row I pulled ‘self acceptance’ as my angel card. I would say, ‘I want another card,’ which said a lot.”
• Groundedness:
  • Pop culture and sports, curiosity about humanity (“it’s a daycare center and they let the kids play with grenades”—[47:51]) keep Paul tethered to reality.

8. Patterns of Wisdom: Realizing “Enlightened Selfishness”

• Traits of the Wise (48:47):
  • Wisdom is marked by humility, openness, love, kindness, and a quiet generosity.
  • On uncertainty: “Everything is uncertain... so we create artificial structures to cope” [51:18].
  • Quote [52:39]:
    “Be selfish—enlightened selfishness—do what makes you happy, not at the expense of anyone else.”
• If Wisdom Had a Scent (53:02):
  • Not rigor, but humility and tenderness—plus “the revelation that even Source is a mystery unto itself” [53:28].

9. Paradox, Unity, and Embracing Both Sides

• Subject-Object, Unity, and Polarity (54:50):
  • Paul and Dr. Rey explore the paradox of being both “I and Thou”—embracing duality and unity, joy and pain, the temporal and the timeless.
  • Quote [55:44]:
    “If you keep trying to make it dark or light… now you’re in polarity. But in the eternal… you see both and you are both.”

10. Shedding Identity: Letting Go of Material Success

• Stepping Away (59:26):
  • Leaving a lucrative entertainment business cost Paul his lifestyle, a relationship, and status—but delivered freedom, personal clarity, and unimagined opportunities.
  • Quote [61:13]:
    “Once I was out, I would never—I never would get back in the zoo or the prison… you couldn’t pay me anything to go back.”
• Impostor Syndrome vs. Avatar (64:22):
  • “We’re all imposters—there’s no Paul. The key is to change the imposter to the Avatar. Whatever this word is, that ineffable I am…”

11. Loving What—and Who—is in Front of You

• Practicing Radical Presence (66:03):
  • Paul notes the challenge of loving whoever and whatever is before you: “The only thing greater than my love for humanity was my hatred for people.”
  • Acceptance, surrender, and non-attachment help him respond to the unpredictable and the unlovely.

12. Seven-Day Experiment: A Prescription for Listeners

• Practical Advice for Discovery (69:19):

  • Paul prescribes seven days of journaling, silence, nature, good food, and attentive self-care—inviting the “Source” and listening without judgment.
  • “Don’t tell your harshest critics—protect your inner child. Establish boundaries. Learn to love yourself—not in an ego way.”

• Quote [72:19]:
  “Let’s do seven days. Let’s keep track… and see what we feel after seven days. Wow, that was great. Make the rules, do another seven days… and it becomes a lifestyle.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• The Unfillable Hole of Materialism
  “No matter how much money you have... you can never fill the hole.” — Paul Samuel Dolman [03:24]

• Hero’s Journey is a Fitness Program
  “It’s an ongoing sort of fitness program for the spirit, soul and body… you constantly manage that balance.” — Paul [05:15]

• On Experiencing Source
  “It was so much more complex and I was it, and it was me. And even saying that, intellectually, it’s hollow—it’s words. But when you experience it, when you viscerally have these… ineffable, it changes you.” — Paul [08:40]

• Synchronicity as Playful Clue
  “Some of it’s just so—you gotta be kidding me—crazy. Like, it’s so wild now… it loves to play too. What else has it got to do? It’s hanging around for eternity.” — Paul [29:26]

• Shift from Impostor to Avatar
  “We all are. I’m not Paul. There’s no Paul. Paul’s a made up thing... The key is to change the imposter to the avatar.” — Paul [64:47]

• Parting Wisdom
  “Have fun with it all. You’re playing with house money... pour first inside, fill yourself so you’re overflowing with love and joy and then it’ll just overflow into the everywhere room you go into… Be original. Be the source.” — Paul [74:25-75:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro to Paul Samuel Dolman – [00:58]
• Materialism & What Matters Most – [03:24–06:01]
• Source: Defining and Experiencing – [10:15–12:51]
• Marketplace Spirituality & Baggage of Words – [12:51]
• Distractions from Source & Practices – [15:29–17:24]
• Materialism vs Joy Across Cultures – [22:21–26:19]
• Synchronicity, Coincidence & Meaning – [28:16–33:13]
• Music, Silence & Listening – [37:55–40:39]
• Balance, Intensity, Self-Acceptance – [42:10–44:29]
• Traits of the Wise & Embracing Uncertainty – [48:47–52:39]
• Nonduality, Polarity, and Holograms – [54:50–57:47]
• Letting Go of Material Success & Identity – [59:26–64:22]
• Practical Experiment: Discover What Matters – [69:19–72:19]
• Summary and Parting Thoughts – [74:25–75:18]

Tone & Style

Both speaker and host balance warmth, vulnerability, humor, and directness. Paul is self-deprecating, story-rich, and candid about both his struggles and joys. The conversation moves between the deeply personal and the philosophical, never losing sight of practical care and humility.

Conclusion

This episode is a map to “the observable unknown” that can’t be reduced to formulas. Instead, it asks us to slow down, listen, experiment, and be willing to create meaning, not just demand it. Rooted in stories and metaphors, the conversation affirms that the greatest mysteries—Source, wisdom, love—are to be entered, not owned.

Final advice:
“Have fun with it all. Be original. Be the source.” — Paul Samuel Dolman [74:25–75:18]