Protect Your Noggin

Micah Bournes is a poet, rapper, singer and speaker. He stopped by our place to perform a house show along the route of his Simple Dreams Tour. For this episode, we first discuss the history of Moody Bible Institute’s compromises related to race. This serves as a microcosm of a problem found throughout the world of church related colleges and universities. At minute 40, we shift our discussion to the idea of abolition of police and prisons. Content warning: discussion of violent crime and sexual assault in the second part.

TOPICS MENTIONED

Micahbournes.com

Moody Bible Institute

D.L. Moody

James Cone

Ida B. Wells

Critical Resistance

#abolition #defundthepolice #prisons

A reflection on the power of receptivity as illustrated by the valley, which is an important symbol throughout the Tao Te Ching and philosophical Taoism. This is also an episode about the power of yin, and the concept of the mother goddess.

Reflecting in the wake of a wave of border traffic, Jeff and Stacie explore how what's going on at the US's southern border illustrates a global sickness that will continue to lead to immigration and refugee crises around the world. Couple capitalism with climate change and we can only expect more human suffering along borders for generations to come--that is, if we have generations to spare and unless we recognize that another world is possible.

The path. The way. The journey. Such concepts shift our focus from dogma and religious hierarchies, which helps us get out of the way of the way (tao). Behind all of this is a discussion of Guy Debord, the Situationists,the dérive, and psychogeography. We explore meditation through wandering and walking, the importance of attending to space, looking for synchronicities in our environment, and recognizing the ways in which capitalist society separates us from direct experience and connections with each other. Mindfulness techniques like aboriginal walkabouts, prayer labyrinths and religious pilgrimages can be powerful tools for emancipation.

Stuff Mentioned

The Haven open mic hosted by Psanctum

geocaching.com

micahbournes.com 

The importance of natural wood (also rendered as the uncarved block) and undyed or unbleached silk for aesthetics and mindfulness techniques in the ancient Taoist tradition. What does this have to say for meditation practices within our modern anxieties, clothing, and values? It may seem too simple, but contemplating nature has strong medicinal value for our ailing times.

Stuff Mentioned

Alan Watts on clothing

Soba pillows

Bird watching

Political turmoil surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu, American attitudes about Israel and Palestine, Dispensationalism, and Orthodox services in the Holy Land. We end with inspiration drawn from principled opponents of authoritarianism and defenders of judicial review.

CW: short, ghastly holocaust story, some profanity

David Rovics

John Hagee

Severance

Behind the Bastards

Antismetic Anarchism

Holy Fire Ceremony and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Why does the invasion of Ukraine matter? How does the history of religion and anarchism intersect with this question? How does this relate to the persecution of trans people in the US? How ought we confront seemingly endless threats to liberty in our world? We discuss these and other currently-relevant questions that require a bit of historical backstory.

protectyournoggin.org

taosurfers.com

@taosurfers on TikTok and Instagram

Stuff Mentioned and Links

The Tetris movie

The Fifth Estate

Nikolai Berdyaev

Russian Messianism

Micah Bournes

Andor

We examine the significance of the symbol of a twisted tree described in the Taoist text known as the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) and a related set of stories about deformed sages. This is a discussion about recognizing the beauty and intrinsic value of things and people who might seem unimportant at first glance. It’s also a conversation about why we shouldn’t trust in the wisdom of people, institutions, and political ideologies who despise those with disabilities.

www.protectyournoggin.org

@taosurfers on TikTok and Instagram

www.taosurfers.com

Check out our rendition of the Tao Te Ching in eBook and paperback formats on Amazon.

The Great Peng is a mythical bird that transforms from a giant fish and then into a winged beast that can fly for a year and a half, to the southern sea, stirring up the oceans and propelling the cycles of nature. The cicada and the dove are skeptical about this massive bird’s existence, since they can’t comprehend how it could fly so far and so high and be so huge. They think it would take too much flapping. But the Great Peng floats on the vast warm air, without struggling. It is the opening image of the great Taoist Classic The Chunk Tzu. When contemplating this image, you will do well to contemplate one or more of the following questions. Where in your life do you need to restore a sense of proportion? Are you feeling too small for the great task ahead of you? You might need to be compassionate on yourself and recognize the limitations of your current resources. Or, might you be in need of higher perspective? Consider starting or increasing your meditative practice. Maybe try out a new technique to help you gain perspective. Finally, is there a way that you can do less work but rise up on the powerful resources you already have?

protectyournoggin.org

taosurfers.com

Support us by buying a copy of TAO TE CHING: A Playfully Sincere Rendition by Jeff and Stacie Mallinson

#tao #deconstruction #taoist #dao #laotzu #chuangtzu #zuangzi #mindfulness #meditation

We discuss the concept of the inner alchemist, which is a metaphor for the process of spiritual transformation. First, Jeff sets up the conversation with some historical background about failed Western alchemists like Anna Maria Zieglerin (1550-75) and the demise of Chinese emperors who drank what they thought was the elixir of life that fraudulent Taoist priests concocted. Then Stacie and Sydnie join in to riff on the ways in which inner alchemy can help us navigate a sort of outer alchemy: the chemicals and plants we take into our bodies. We also talk about the ways in which we can transform the elements of our lives even in difficult times.

CW: brief mention of historical sexual assault of a minor, reference to drug use

protectyournoggin.com

@taosurfers on Instagram and Tik Tok

taosurfers.com 

Buy The Tao Te Ching: A Playfully Sincere Rendition by Jeff and Stacie Mallinson

https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Playfully-Rendition/dp/1735523011/ref=sr_1_1?crid=B905U7J9VSVI&keywords=tao+te+ching+mallinson&qid=1678853985&sprefix=tao+te+ching+mallinson,aps,196&sr=8-1