Gin And Tantra

In this episode we discuss a real life example of creativity and integration in the form of communal art... the enigmatic drum circle!  Daniel shares his role in the group of musicians and artists known as the Dog Beach Drummers and Dancers!  This community brings together people from all walks of life to share in self-expression and cohesion.  Bringing together one's desire to integrate the artistic parts of oneself and share that with a community at the same time.  We discuss reaching ecstatic states, improvisation and transcending the mundane.  On a more serious note, Daniel shares his hopes for the future of the Dog Beach Drummers and Dancers as they seek to help underserved communities on the South and West sides of Chicago through a gofundme.  Check it out and share if you feel called to do so.

  https://gofund.me/098134a1 

So this is the first conversation that Eric and Daniel have, completely off script, off the cuff and off the chain.  There was no preparation for this what so ever.  The conversation was had after recording a podcast and it was recorded and only then was it decided that it was worth sharing.  The views and opinions shared here are born of observation and experience from two Western dwelling men from different generations that have interacted with technology and social media very differently.  The discussion centers around the impacts of the current iteration of social media, the desire for attention, anxiety, shaping one's world to fit their addictions and having the desire to be a force of internal motivation through means of external motivating forces.  

This is the last of our series discussing spirituality in comics and this one is particularly deep!  We discuss the Marvel story titled, Deadpool kills the Marvel universe... regardless of how you may feel about comics this story is one that transcends the genre and makes bold points about life and death.  The story highlights breaking the cycle of samsara, suffering and the attachments we all have.   In addition to this story we discuss expressing  oneself and not letting in doubt.

This is the second part of our episode on the themes and ideology of comics and the work of Professor Jeff Kripal's book, Mutants and Mystics.  We briefly recap the previous episode and then discuss real-life beings of great power, the battles of Daredevil and Kingpin and achieving realization within the matrix.  We also discuss creation of one's reality, the author Grant Morrison and ritual magic and much more.

This is the first part of a mini series on Spirituality in odd places, Comics!  We take a dive into the work of Professor Jeff Kripal and his book Mutants and Mystics which gives insight in the archetypes behind many of the characters we love and the authors who create and curate them.  We also discuss briefly the movie Unbreakable, we highlight the forces in the world that work to suppress our deep and exponential abilities.  We also discuss Niche's Uber Mensch and the research of Dean Radin.

This episode is the first in a series where we dive into the mystic and spiritual aspects of comics!  In this episode we discuss being influenced by comics and the characters at a young age and how comics are one of the very few culturally accepted spaces for fantasy.  We discuss Professor Jeff Kripal's book, Mutants and Mystics.  We discuss authors Alan Moore and Grant Morrison in addition to the Fantastic 4 and their battle with a version of a Gnostic God?  We also highlight what seems to be a cultural moment of 'Waiting for Superman'.

In this episode we continue our discussion on traditions, and more specifically Kaballah and Tantra.    We discuss the Tree of Life, different stories of creation, viewing sexuality as holy, Yoga Babies and the Union of Practice and Life.

In this episode we circle back a bit and praise some of the very traditions that we so often critique in hopes of highlighting the deep nature of much of the information that has survived for such a long time.  We openly ask the question, Is it ok to be critical of faith and still remain engaged with it?  We also ask who 'owns' these various traditions?  Are they the right of a certain people, or are they for all people to find benefit from?  Listen and find out!

In this episode we conclude our discussion on the Divine Feminine and the hierarchies that have been imposed upon our society.  We attempt to further illuminate the story of Adam, Eve and the Tree of Life... during which the phrase was coined, "Dont Look Up, Look in"