Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
If someone asked you about your personal cosmology — who are you, why are you here and what is your role on our planet — what would you tell them? Or, more to the point, could you really answer the question?
For best-selling author Mark Gober, it took years for him to understand the huge gap between following a personal cosmology that was nihilistic, random, superficial and meaningless and living an intentional one that embraces Spirit and the divine in all of us.
A decade passed before Mark was ready for his first plant medicine ceremony, and the healing work he did on developing his personal cosmology made all of the difference in creating a positive, intimate experience that keeps on delivering insights.
Join Mark and Paul on a journey of discovery and lasting growth with help from plant medicines and learn why a personal cosmology matters this week on Spirit Gym.
Check out Mark and his work on his website ( markgober.com ) and on social media via Facebook at facebook.com/markgoberauthor , Instagram at instagram.com/markgober_author , Twitter/X at https://x.com/MarkGoberAuthor , LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mark-gober-bb957220 , YouTube at youtube.com/channel/UCXvOTXJKZGtcF1m4z5FWnew and Telegram at https://t.me/s/MarkGoberOfficial . Find Mark’s 2019 podcast series, Where Is My Mind?, on Apple Podcasts ( podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-is-my-mind/id1470129415 ) or wherever you listen to them.
0:00 Intro
3:46 Does our intellect or something in our biology block us being receptive to our natural state, especially as we age?
12:23 How plant medicines reconnect us to the various aspects of ourselves.
15:20 Amnesia is built into the human experience (with a large dose of ignorance thrown in).
22:27 Ibogaine: A medicine that loves through truth, even when it is painful.
31:12 Mark meets ibogaine.
44:00 It took a decade for Mark to be ready for his first plant medicine ceremony.
46:55 Mark’s four intentions going into his first plant medicine ceremony.
1:05:31 Self-betrayal: A form of self-loathing that our society trains us to do.
1:09:35 Ancestral trauma, underlying terror and catastrophic thinking.
1:17:27 “Whenever we heal for ourselves, we’re really healing for our family.”
1:26:54 The purpose of existence and authenticity is the only game in town.
1:32:07 A sign Mark was tapping into his divine guidance before his plant medicine ceremony: Writing a book about it.
1:48:30 Plant medicine can introduce you to the community you thought was you.
1:53:09 A person’s cosmology — who we are, why are we here and what is our role in the world — really matters.
2:08:09 Where and how do we find the truth?
2:22:58 “It’s become easier to be authentic in the no and in the yes post-ibogaine.”
Listen to Paul's conversation with Mark Gober and check out the show notes page on our Spirit Gym website at paulchek.com/blog/podcast-episodes/396-does-your-personal-cosmology-need-improvement-before-a-plant-medicine-ceremony-with-mark-gober
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
• BIOptimizers bioptimizers.com/spiritgym (save an extra 15% on your purchase by using the code PAUL15 at checkout)
• Wild Pastures wildpastures.com/paulchek (save 20% and free shipping for life plus $15 on your first order)
• Organifi organifi.com/chek20 (save 20% on your purchase by using the code CHEK20 at checkout)
• CHEK Institute paul.chekinstitute.com/spiritgym (learn about the new CHEK Integrated Health Foundation program today!)
• Pique Life piquelife.com/paulchek (save up to 20% for life and get a FREE starter kit when you subscribe to one or more of Pique’s amazing beverages!)
• Paleovalley paleovalley.com/chek15 (save 15% on your first purchase)
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music
If someone asked you about your personal cosmology — who are you, why are you here and what is your role on our planet — what would you tell them? Or, more to the point, could you really answer the question?
For best-selling author Mark Gober, it took years for him to understand the huge gap between following a personal cosmology that was nihilistic, random, superficial and meaningless and living an intentional one that embraces Spirit and the divine in all of us.
A decade passed before Mark was ready for his first plant medicine ceremony, and the healing work he did on developing his personal cosmology made all of the difference in creating a positive, intimate experience that keeps on delivering insights.
Join Mark and Paul on a journey of discovery and lasting growth with help from plant medicines and learn why a personal cosmology matters this week on Spirit Gym.
Check out Mark and his work on his website ( markgober.com ) and on social media via Facebook at facebook.com/markgoberauthor , Instagram at instagram.com/markgober_author , Twitter/X at https://x.com/MarkGoberAuthor , LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/mark-gober-bb957220 , YouTube at youtube.com/channel/UCXvOTXJKZGtcF1m4z5FWnew and Telegram at https://t.me/s/MarkGoberOfficial . Find Mark’s 2019 podcast series, Where Is My Mind?, on Apple Podcasts ( podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-is-my-mind/id1470129415 ) or wherever you listen to them.
0:00 Intro
3:46 Does our intellect or something in our biology block us being receptive to our natural state, especially as we age?
12:23 How plant medicines reconnect us to the various aspects of ourselves.
15:20 Amnesia is built into the human experience (with a large dose of ignorance thrown in).
22:27 Ibogaine: A medicine that loves through truth, even when it is painful.
31:12 Mark meets ibogaine.
44:00 It took a decade for Mark to be ready for his first plant medicine ceremony.
46:55 Mark’s four intentions going into his first plant medicine ceremony.
1:05:31 Self-betrayal: A form of self-loathing that our society trains us to do.
1:09:35 Ancestral trauma, underlying terror and catastrophic thinking.
1:17:27 “Whenever we heal for ourselves, we’re really healing for our family.”
1:26:54 The purpose of existence and authenticity is the only game in town.
1:32:07 A sign Mark was tapping into his divine guidance before his plant medicine ceremony: Writing a book about it.
1:48:30 Plant medicine can introduce you to the community you thought was you.
1:53:09 A person’s cosmology — who we are, why are we here and what is our role in the world — really matters.
2:08:09 Where and how do we find the truth?
2:22:58 “It’s become easier to be authentic in the no and in the yes post-ibogaine.”
Listen to Paul's conversation with Mark Gober and check out the show notes page on our Spirit Gym website at paulchek.com/blog/podcast-episodes/396-does-your-personal-cosmology-need-improvement-before-a-plant-medicine-ceremony-with-mark-gober
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
• BIOptimizers bioptimizers.com/spiritgym (save an extra 15% on your purchase by using the code PAUL15 at checkout)
• Wild Pastures wildpastures.com/paulchek (save 20% and free shipping for life plus $15 on your first order)
• Organifi organifi.com/chek20 (save 20% on your purchase by using the code CHEK20 at checkout)
• CHEK Institute paul.chekinstitute.com/spiritgym (learn about the new CHEK Integrated Health Foundation program today!)
• Pique Life piquelife.com/paulchek (save up to 20% for life and get a FREE starter kit when you subscribe to one or more of Pique’s amazing beverages!)
• Paleovalley paleovalley.com/chek15 (save 15% on your first purchase)
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music
