Gin And Tantra

This is our first of three episodes with Esteemed Professor and Translator of Tibetan Buddhism, Guy Newland.  In it, we talked about his background and how he found his own path, including his childhood desire to understand the origin of the Universe—who hasn’t been there, right? We specifically got his thoughts on the fears, desires and the pressures one feels in society when one is trying to find one’s own unique way. Most importantly, he makes a point that we all have something of our own to share with the world and the importance of patiently working your finding your way towards doing that. We also talked about religious experience as the actual core of religion and spirituality . . . with a Twist. I suppose I had to drop the tagline in there . . . Unexpected Works mentioned including T. S. Eliot’s 4 Quartets and St. john of the cross. Hmmm . . . Enjoy the episode.

In this, the 4th installment in our series called 'The Psychology and Spirituality of Conspiracy' we discuss one of our favorite thinkers, Carl Yung.  We highlight his ideas on the Archetypes, The Trickster and The Shadow.  We get into shared ideas on being heroic and freeing the power of emotions.  We also highlight the nature of Avatars and the infamous Q as well as views on Christianity and its role in being a conspiracy primer.

This is the third episode in our series on The Psychology and Spirituality of Conspiracy.  In this episode we discuss several pre-existing vulnerabilities as factors for those whom are more susceptible for conspiratorial ideas.  Such as evolutionary psychology, historical and cultural factors, emotional factors and cognitive biases.  Get ready for a deep dive into the minds of our fellow humans!  We also go over the 5 aggregates which Buddhism identifies as the 5 main compilations of conscious existence.  Enjoy the episode!

This is the second episode in our series on the 'Psychology and Spirituality of Conspiracies'.  We discuss the some of the psychological forces giving rise to vulnerability for conspiracy... ie Psychosis, mood and personality disorders, isolation, a high tolerance for inconsistency and various types of attachment phenomenon.  This is a bit if a deep dive into psych theory but backed in research and presented with real life applications.  Enjoy the episode!

This is the first episode in our series we are titling,  The Psychology and Spirituality of Conspiracy, we begin to dive into how we arrived at this point literally and figuratively.  We discuss conspiratorial influences in New Age and healing communities,  the government, the media and in corporate circles.   

In this last episode of our series on mindfulness, we give our personal and experiential insights into the practices that transcend the mindfulness paradigm.  We highlight some other technologies that human beings have been developing for millennia, , ie mantra, visualization and tactile sensation.  We go over the benefits that each may bring the practitioner and how we may overlook these in attempts to quell the racing mind.

In this second episode of our continued discussion on mindfulness, we discuss the scholar, author, teacher and Buddhist philosopher Robert Thurman.  We highlight his critique of mindfulness (MBSR) and that there is more to meditation than turning off the mind.  We ask the question on whether or not the changes made through this type of practice actually last...  and is meditation a gateway drug?  Later we discuss B. Allan Wallace, author, and his views on prospective, retrospective and discriminate awarenesses i.e. future, past and present.  We also discuss translating the changes one makes into their daily life.

This the first episode in our continued discussion on mindfulness.  Specifically we highlight the ideas of Brad Warner, a Zen Buddhist and author, and his thought that Mindfulness actually IS Buddhist... not just a secular take on a practice.  We discuss the intensity of mediation and the importance of having others around you whom can speak the language of experience.  We also highlight the difficulty of ideas having the run the gambit of societally accepted ideas in order to find their place.