Gin And Tantra

In this episode we continue our conversation with Mary Kay Ryan.  She and Daniel detail Shamanic experiences of interacting with what are perceived as divine forces.  Mary Kay mentions the show Lucifer and its many humurous perspectives on various traditional views on the relationships between God and his family.  She also shares a story of meeting a Daoist Immortal... in Chicago!  Also we detail wisdom as a process of remembering, seeing the world as divine and communicating the feeling of an experience through storytelling.

In this episode we dive headfitst in nuance as we discuss perfectionism as a philosophical movement, a moral standard and a psychological impediment.  We discuss a journey to perfection experienced by Mary Kay and how she feels that a lot of therapy is about finding out who is at fault for why you are the way you are.  Mary Kay also discusses using Shamanic techniques for healing and asking oneself, what is the point of my life?

In this episode we share our thoughts and illuminate some of the aspects of the Robert Thurman episode, Rebel WITH a Cause.  We  go into  further detail about the 8 fold Path and Professor Thurman's book, Wisdom is Bliss and also dive deep into what is referred to as emptiness or as PRofessor Thurman calls it, freedom.

In this episode we share our thoughts and illuminate some of the aspects of the Robert Thurman episode, CTFU.  We  go into detail about wisdom and ignorance, science and realism, bliss and having fun, a dive into the Ground Path and Result, working on seeing beyond the mundane and experiencing everyday as its own life.

In this episode we conclude our conversation with Ashely around the chapter in her book titled, Dark Night of the Soul, a quote from Joseph Campbell.  We discuss the hero's journey, embodying all of the aspects of one's story and much more...

https://www.amazon.com/BETWEEN-ZEN-NOW-Journey-Shamanic-ebook/dp/B09DK8N1RY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CHN5187P1J6R&dchild=1&keywords=between+zen+and+now&qid=1632075513&sprefix=between+zen+and+now%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-1

In this episode we discuss Ashley’s beginnings and some driving forces in her life as well as understanding one’s experience’s and caring about people. Ashley also give the story around how she discovered ‘The Five Questions’…

A link to Ashley's book!

https://www.amazon.com/BETWEEN-ZEN-NOW-Journey-Shamanic-ebook/dp/B09DK8N1RY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7S0BGN5EKJCB&dchild=1&keywords=between+zen+and+now+ashley+tomasino&qid=1632069160&sprefix=between+zen%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

In this episode we begin the discussion on meditation, connecting to one's deepest nature, the default mode network and people with highly refined senses.

This is the second of this Spirituality And Psychedelics Series, we discuss the Buddhist Theory of "Good, Bad and Neutral" and the use of psychadelics. We look at the brain and psychedelics, breaking down the Default Mode Network and the role it plays in our limiting and distorting our experiences of our worlds.  

The Default Mode Network "The concept of a default mode network was developed after researchers  inadvertently noticed surprising levels of brain activity in  experimental participants who were supposed to be "at rest"--in other  words they were not engaged in a specific mental task, but just resting  quietly (often with their eyes closed). Although the idea that the brain  is constantly active (even when we aren't engaged in a distinct mental  activity) was clearly expressed by Hans Berger in the 1930s, it wasn't  until the 1970s that brain researcher David Ingvar began to accumulate  data showing that cerebral blood flow (a general measurement of brain  activity) during resting states varied according to specific patterns;  for example, he observed high levels of activity in the frontal lobes of participants at rest.

Thus, the default mode network is a group of brain regions that seem to show lower levels of activity when we are engaged in a particular task like paying attention,  but higher levels of activity when we are awake and not involved in any  specific mental exercise. It is during these times that we might be  daydreaming, recalling memories, envisioning the future, monitoring the  environment, thinking about the intentions of others, and so on--all  things that we often do when we find ourselves just "thinking" without  any explicit goal of thinking in mind. Additionally, recent research has  begun to detect links between activity in the default mode network and  mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Furthermore, therapies like meditation have received attention for influencing activity in the default mode network, suggesting this may be part of their mechanism for improving well-being." -NeuroScientifically Challenged

Finally, we tackle society's list of "accepted mind altering substances"--coffee, sugar, alcohol, pharmaceuticals--and the criminalization of Consciousness Elevating Substances throughout history until the now . . .