Ep. 123 - The Weight of Awakening: Truth, Loss, and the Cost of Transformation

In this powerful episode of MAX Afterburner Matthew “Whiz” Buckley shares where he is nearly four years after first sitting with the medicine—and why the path of awakening is anything but easy. Spiritual awakening is not all light and bliss. It often feels like a death—the death of who you thought you were. The dismantling of ego, identity, and the structures that once made you feel safe. It’s disorienting. It’s heavy. And it can feel painfully lonely. But Whiz reminds listeners: you are not alone. If you choose to heal, if you choose to walk through this fire, you’re walking with others who are doing the same. What feels like destruction is actually divine reconstruction. God removes the old not to punish, but to make room for the new. Truth isn’t good or bad—it’s just truth. And once it’s seen, it demands change. And there’s no turning back.  This episode also touches on the recent passing of the Pope and Whiz’s public disagreement with how the Church has handled American Catholic politicians who support abortion—even up to and beyond birth. Silence from spiritual leaders in the face of moral conflict is not neutrality—it’s complicity. Finally, Whiz shares the gut-wrenching news that three people he knew personally were killed in a tragic plane crash in Boca Raton—news he received immediately after leaving the studio during a previous recording. Raw. Honest. Unapologetic. MAX Afterburner Episode 123 is full throttle. In this powerful episode of MAX Afterburner Matthew “Whiz” Buckley shares where he is nearly four years after first sitting with the medicine—and why the path of awakening is anything but easy. Spiritual awakening is not all light and bliss. It often feels like a death—the death of who you thought you were. The dismantling of ego, identity, and the structures that once made you feel safe. It’s disorienting. It’s heavy. And it can feel painfully lonely. But Whiz reminds listeners: you are not alone. If you choose to heal, if you choose to walk through this fire, you’re walking with others who are doing the same. What feels like destruction is actually divine reconstruction. God removes the old not to punish, but to make room for the new. Truth isn’t good or bad—it’s just truth. And once it’s seen, it demands change. And there’s no turning back.  This episode also touches on the recent passing of the Pope and Whiz’s public disagreement with how the Church has handled American Catholic politicians who support abortion—even up to and beyond birth. Silence from spiritual leaders in the face of moral conflict is not neutrality—it’s complicity. Finally, Whiz shares the gut-wrenching news that three people he knew personally were killed in a tragic plane crash in Boca Raton—news he received immediately after leaving the studio during a previous recording. Raw. Honest. Unapologetic. MAX Afterburner Episode 123 is full throttle.