In this episode, Jacob and Scott talk about…

* the teachers we choose and the expectations we place on them

* the shift away from the guru/disciple paradigm

* their respective experiences in their cults

* our proclivity to put our teachers on pedestals as better than

* the inherent pull of cult-like behavior in most of us

* the difference between belief and knowing

* the importance of getting in touch with our own inner truth and knowing

* the parallels between cult and culture

* the human compulsion for safety and certainty

* how fear directs our responses to one another

* the power of teachers who act as guides rather than gurus

* the difference between doubt and fear where our knowing is concerned

* tools, like meditation, walking, and journaling, to create more peace in our lives

* the power of being intentional with our choices

* the importance of micro-practices for creating a more centered reality

* the gap between stimulus and response as a place of power

Books mentioned:

Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection by Robert A. Johnson

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Here’s what Jacob read today:

I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in your darkness, the astonishing light of your own being. - Hafiz

In this conversation, Jacob and Scott talk about…

* the benefits of a news detox

* the ways in which the news creates anxiety and fear

* getting clearer about how and where we direct our energy

* the teachings of Dr. Joe Dispenza and Abraham Hicks

* creating future-present memories instead of only past memories

* getting in vibrational alignment with Source

* our relationship with the past

* to keep us rooted in fear in the present

* using the past to benefit rather than inhibit us

* the tendency to anchor painful moments

* how thoughts create feelings and feelings create our reality

* the three questions Jacob asks himself each morning in his journal

* how do I feel right now?

* what do I need right now?

* focusing on core needs, rather than wants

* what would I love?

* the power of showing up as you are

* letting go of the need to be perfect

* trust in what you have to share

* creating healthy partnerships

* the process of healing your imagination

* asking, “how would I love to feel right now?”

* small actions, like short meditations and walks

* such power lives in choice, and in practice

* reconnecting to the boundless self, divine spark within us

* acknowledging the miracles present in our current lives

Jacob’s A Gathering of Creatives Workshop this weekend, April 16th-18th: https://insighteventsusa.com/live-in-person-events/gathering-of-the-creatives-online-paint-poetry-inspiration/

Scott’s Creating Joy Workshop this Saturday, April 17th: https://creatingjoy.eventbrite.com

Teachers mentioned:

Abraham Hicks: https://www.abraham-hicks.com

Dr. Joe Dispenza: https://drjoedispenza.com

Here’s what Jacob read today:

"The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is made of, you can make of it whatever you wish." – Terrence McKenna

In this conversation, Jacob and Scott talk about…

Men’s “We See You, We Hear You” FREE Event with Scott & David Kirkpatrick, on Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11th from 4-6pm EST (pick one day): https://www.storysummit.us/we-see-you-we-hear-you-mens

Teachers mentioned:

Abraham Hicks: https://www.abraham-hicks.com

Tara Brach: https://www.tarabrach.com

Dr. Joe Dispenza: https://drjoedispenza.com

In this conversation, Jacob and Scott talk about…

* their feelings about the Covid vaccine (Jacob just got his first dose)

* the mixed reactions around masks

* the placebo effect in our collective health

* the need for embracing a fuller picture of things

* holding space for the lived experience of our fellow humans

* viewing the pandemic through a more holistic lens

* the weight of uncertainty in our lives

* reactionary versus rational thought

* the need for empathy without having to experience what people are going through

* the many inequities revealed during the pandemic

* how do we show up for ourselves in times of stress and uncertainty

* the healing power of a regular journal practice

* getting in touch and playing with the inner self

* the downsides of people-pleasing and why nice is a bad word

* how Hey Jacob, Hi Scott was almost Hey Scott, Hi Jacob

* Scott’s fear of seeming demanding with Jacob

* deepening friendship with honest communication

* being honest to avoid resentment

* the need for approval

* getting to know each other’s triggers

* taking responsibility for your feelings in a communication

* the value in investigating your own triggers

* how easy it is to put off and dismiss the hard conversations

* trusting where truth and vulnerability takes a dialogue

* Scott’s insecurities about last week’s podcast

* how crippling fear of judgment can be

* squelching our deepest truths in order to be liked

* the importance of understanding that you matter

* the hurt caused by not understanding that you matter

* the fact that your worth is not earned but inherent

* the ways in which love for others can help us love ourselves more deeply

* self-love as a support for everything else good in our lives and world

* how we project our own qualities onto others

* the ability within us all to love ourselves no matter what

* the beautiful music of Chris Assaad (www.chrisassaad.com)

Books that Jacob mentioned:

Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection by Robert A. Johnson

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Books that Scott mentioned:

Here’s the poem Jacob read at the end of the show:

Wild Geese

by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile, the world goes on.

Meanwhile, the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile, the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting — over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

In this conversation, Jacob and Scott talk about…

* the inability of the US to deal with gun violence

* Scott’s very personal experience with gun violence

* Scott’s trip to a gun range

* young Jacob’s 12-inch Bowie knife

* that time Jacob shot a squirrel, and a robin

* taking ownership of our hypocrisy

* the Avatar-vibe to hunting and raising animals

* Jacob’s plant-based diet (don’t call him a Vegan though)

* feeling called versus feeling pressured

* the impossibility of caring about everything

* listening to and trusting your heart

* Jacob’s 30-day complete news detox

* one way to make a real difference in our world

* the importance of focusing on what’s within your arm’s reach

* honoring the deepest call of your being

* anti-racist, et al. activism

* the body’s immune system as a metaphor for activism

* how love = joy = life

* the power of love to create real, healing change

* resisting the call to hate and dehumanize

* being intentional with how we show up in the world

* maintaining empathy and compassion no matter what

* moving beyond perceived truths that are no longer accurate

* the slow crawl to evolution, and acknowledging the progress

* being with our feelings of heaviness and overwhelm

* feeling empowered by our open connections with others

* Jacob’s experience with his son’s mental health

* how inner health adds beauty to every aspect of life

* destigmatizing mental illness and autism

* how it’s never too late to create change in our lives

* being there for someone without trying to fix them

Books that Jacob mentioned:

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

Freedom: Medicine Words for Your Brave Revolution by Jaiya John

Movie mentioned:

Here’s the poem Scott read at the end of the show:

A Prayer

by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Refuse to fall down

If you cannot refuse to fall down,

refuse to stay down.

If you cannot refuse to stay down,

lift your heart toward heaven,

and like a hungry beggar,

ask that it be filled.

You may be pushed down.

You may be kept from rising.

But no one can keep you from lifting your heart

toward heaven

only you.

It is in the middle of misery

that so much becomes clear.

The one who says nothing good

came of this,

is not yet listening.

So these two writer guys are friends. They have long conversations about life, our beautiful and fucked-up world, how to live all the way with an open heart, what it means to keep on becoming, all kinds of spiritual shit, and you know, whatever else comes to mind and heart.

Basically … everything.

At some point in every conversation, one of them says, “Dammit, we should have recorded that!”

Well, now they are.

In this conversation, Jacob and Scott talk about…

* who they are and why they’re doing this podcast

* the commitment to living in one’s truth

* the freedom that comes with giving up the chase for enlightenment

* how they define love, and how they move with love in their lives

* the importance and power of self-love

* the ease with which we get pulled into hatred

* getting really honest with ourselves and each other

* making choices that create more peace and joy in our lives

* listening to the body for guidance

* maintaining relationships with loved ones with different political views

* walking away from unhealthy relationships

* connecting to our inherent worth

* letting go of martyrdom, as a parent and in general

* saying goodbye to all the shoulds

* healthy selfishness

* accepting the reality of what is, and creating change within it

* the energy of victimhood and reliving damaging patterns

* bringing peace to the present moment

* trusting our inner compass to guide us

* looking at and transcending conditioning

* taking responsibility for how we show up in the world

* the importance of the question, “who am I?”

* how similar we all are at our core

* reflecting on the uglier aspects of our personalities

* replacing shame with love

* pretending not to be who we really are, and vice versa

* saying what you really want to say to others

What Scott’s reading:

The Creative Cure by Jacob Nordby

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

What Jacob’s reading:

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

What’s Scott’s watching:

Anything with Vampires, Witches & Werewolves

What Jacob’s watching:

The End of the Tour, directed by James Ponsoldt

Here’s the poem Jacob read at the end of the show:

Forget About Enlightenment

by John Welwood

You are here:

Forget about enlightenment.

Sit down wherever you are

And listen to the wind singing in your veins.

Feel the love, the longing, the fear in your bones.

Open your heart to who you are, right now,

Not who you would like to be,

Not the saint you are striving to become,

But the being right here before you, inside you, around you.

All of you is holy.

You are already more and less

Than whatever you can know.

Breathe out,

Touch in,

Let go.

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