Water permeates our lives and our minds in more ways than we think. How nature was demystified in the West over time. Why science should combine with art to retain awe in nature.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9517665/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8702154/

https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/152/1/172/2838285/Effects-of-spatialized-water-sound-sequences-for

https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/53430-Noise-colors-white-pink-brown-tinnitus-hearing

https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/whiskey-rebellion

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/906269001 

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Can a wavy line change our entire society? In this episode, I speak perhaps too quickly about the way curved edges in park paths give us deeper, more spiritual thoughts than straight paths. As the Midwestern states of the US are filled with straight highways and gridline subdivisions, our way of life is structurally at odds with nature.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3502202/

https://www.britannica.com/animal/mastodon

https://www.nps.gov/natr/learn/historyculture/chickasaw-history-a-summary.htm

https://www.chickasaw.tv/events/the-creek-war

https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/d/1690/files/2019/10/61A-thought-in-the-park_The-influence-of-naturalness-and-low-level-visual-features-on-expressed-thoughts.pdf

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What is something someone has done that you cannot understand? What is something you have done that you are struggling to understand? This episode divulges my personal story of learning to understand myself, through the bad and the ugly, in order to lead a more bountiful and genuine existence.

This episode was expanded from my short essay given to the Wisconsin Empathy Project Spring class of 2024 through the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee's Honors College.

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TW: Rape, eating disorders, AIDS

I discuss the goths: Germanic, Victorian era, and modern goth subculture along with the way we perceive shadows.

MACFARLANE, ROBERT. The Wild Places. GRANTA BOOKS, 2023. 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/shadows-and-illusions/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28285176/

https://www.atmostfear-entertainment.com/lifestyle/fashion/origin-development-creative-goth-subculture/

https://www.artsy.net/gene/shadows

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/how-you-think-about-death-may-affect-how-you-act.html#:~:text=Researchers%20had%20people%20either%20think,for%20society%20by%20donating%20blood.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselle

https://www.britannica.com/biography/P-T-Barnum

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Have you experienced sleep paralysis? Did you know it causes hallucinations, out of body experiences, and even death?

This episode explains neurophysiological and psychological underpinnings of sleep paralysis down to 3 scenarios: Intruder, Incubus, and Unusual Bodily Experiences.

Further, I briefly unwrap why getting good sleep is essential to controlling your dreams and manifesting them into reality. Just your typical podcast stuff.

Works Cited

Cheyne, J.Allan, et al. “Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Hallucinations during Sleep Paralysis: Neurological and Cultural Construction of the Night-Mare.” Consciousness and Cognition, Academic Press, 25 May 2002, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105381009990404X.

Cox, Ann M. “Sleep Paralysis and Folklore.” JRSM Open, SAGE Publications, 28 July 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5167075/#sec4-2054270415598091title.

Denis, Dan, et al. “A Systematic Review of Variables Associated with Sleep Paralysis.” Sleep Medicine Reviews, W.B. Saunders, 8 June 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079217301120.

Elliot, Josh K. “Why the Paralyzing 'Sleep Demon' Still Haunts Humans in the Age of Science.” Global News, Global News, 20 Apr. 2019, globalnews.ca/news/5177498/sleep-paralysis-demon-science/.

Fuseli, Henry. The Nightmare. 1781, Detroit Institute of Arts, Midtown Detroit. Wikipedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightmare#Exhibition.

Jaiswal, Samiksha. “Night Hag - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia.” Alchetron.com, 6 Feb. 2018, alchetron.com/Night-hag.

Madrigal, Alexis C. “The Dark Side of the Placebo Effect: When Intense Belief Kills.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 14 Sept. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/09/the-dark-side-of-the-placebo-effect-when-in tense-belief-kills/245065/.

Munger, Ronald G. “Sudden Death in Sleep of Laotian-Hmong Refugees in Thailand: a Case-Control Study.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 77, no. 9, Sept. 1987, pp. 1187–1190., doi:10.2105/ajph.77.9.1187.

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TW: Physical abuse, discussion of racist imagery

Ever wondered why kids are so naughty and what makes them nice? This episode details cultural shifts of naughty behaviors, punishment, and even Christmas monsters that shape a child's worldview. I also discuss how social isolation has led to a rise in claiming neurodivergence.

Email [email protected] for source and reference materials.

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Whales and trees may have more in common than being efficient bodies that capture carbon dioxide.

https://www.sdu.dk/en/om_sdu/fakulteterne/naturvidenskab/nyheder2018/2018_10_29_eelgrass#:~:text=The%20ecosystem%20storing%20most%20carbon,mangrove%20forests%20and%20salt%20marshes.

https://hakaimagazine.com/features/when-whales-and-humans-talk/

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1913&context=djilp#:~:text=Every%20part%20of%20the%20whale,activities%20associated%20with%20the%20whale.

https://umistapotlatch.ca/objets-objects/index-eng.php?nojs=true&object=02.05.008

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312626

https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/12/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami

https://time.com/5733954/climate-change-whale-trees/

https://www.whalefacts.org/whales-in-mythology/

https://hakaimagazine.com/features/in-the-mind-of-a-whale/

https://ocul-yor.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991008157239705164&context=U&vid=01OCUL_YOR:YOR_DEFAULT&lang=en

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WEZvOhEu15gVBRcJs3ZmYed9SAkF77IPCAEi08hSPME/edit

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9226434/

https://anthropology.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/helmreich_genders_of_waves_color.pdf

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/orcas-killer-whales-menopause-grandmothers

https://www.southernliving.com/garden/trees/manchineel-poison-tree

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TW: War

This episode details the history of Palestine's colonization preceding 1948 and how Britain's colonization of Ireland has unexpected ties to Palestine. Sinéad O'Connor's song "If You Had A Vineyard" (link below) takes lyrics from the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible to discuss the implications of colonization and war. Some neuroscience of our perception of beauty being tied to a preference of nature and how children are resilient through play in the face of terror and destruction. Psychology of wealthy people finding less meaning in life than impoverished people. How land is not simply land, how war is more than just killing human beings. How a show called Teenage Bounty Hunters is giving me strength in this time. And finally, an impulsive rant about people who celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving, but then finding compassion for those who need holiday cheer in our darkest days.

If You Had a Vineyard by Sinéad O'Connor:

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Kf24-rgyOeI?si=PS_Yz6_IzWDmGGCq

Website: https://www.sineadoconnor.com/

Environmental Preferences in Children and Adults, Perception of Beauty:

https://voices.uchicago.edu/bermanlab/research-the-external-environment/

Oishi, S., & Diener, E. (2014). Residents of poor nations have a greater sense of meaning in life than residents of wealthy nations. Psychological Science, 25(2), 422–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613507286

Teenage Bounty Hunters:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10584608/

History of Palestine:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sykes%E2%80%93Picot_Agreement

https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100040636618.0x000002#:~:text=It%20is%20written%20in%20French,contributing%20to%20their%20economic%20development.

Viorst, Milton (2016). Zionism: The Birth and Transformation of an Ideal. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-4668-9032-9.

Bull, P. (1993). The significance of the nationalist response to the Irish land act of 1903. Irish Historical Studies, 28(111), 283-305. doi:10.1017/S0021121400011056

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/11/2/more-than-a-century-on-the-balfour-declaration-explained

https://jcpa.org/article/the-evolution-of-israels-boundaries/

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I interview Jessica Plotkin about her personal relationship with spirituality. After having a hard time identifying herself in her traditional Jewish upbringing and going through and atheist phase, she found herself within reformed Judaism and devotes herself to mindful activities every week. For Jess, God is "the forces that push life forward."

If you are confused about your own spirituality, how to pray, or the practicality of having a spiritual relationship with the universe, this episode will shine light on the topic of prayer, religious tradition, and spiritual identity in 2023.

Tangents include tattoos in Judaism, minor vs major keys in worship music, the Jewish celebration of the birthday of trees, and connecting with the inner child to access the simplicity of spirituality.

P.S. Jess was a a UWM HARPY officer!

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