Thought Leader

In conversation with Sarah Elkhaldy, someone with the rare and sincere blend of true understanding, authenticity, emotional intelligence and a mature and total lack of confusion about their own intentions, which are the essential pre-requisites for identifying true teachers.

We draw attention to the esoteric depths which lie just below the surface of superficial understanding of the mainstream.  Together we unpack 

• Energy and Energy healing, 
• Consciousness,
• Cosmology,
• Alchemy,
• Oppression,
• Domination and
• War.

Sarah is a mystic, spiritual teacher, and spoken word performing artist.  Sarah has described herself  as PR for spirit, and is exceptional at what she does.  Sarah is widely known as a leader in the field of Spirituality and the Esoteric Arts.

Sarah is also the first lady guest on the podcast and as can be heard throughout the episode someone I have a lot of time for.

The Alchemist YouTube Channel
The Alchemist Energy Healing Website

[email protected]

Connect with me on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/rocketsprocket/

Checkout my YouTube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhHg8lI-GbAFL9cPtLxMFg

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I am joined in conversation with Australia poet, philosopher, musician and Podcaster Simon Drew.  Simon and I began speaking in regards to the promotion of his new book The Poet and the Sage.  Simon shares two beautiful readings with us from the book.

We cover some of Simon's work, I share some of my own and we discuss the experience and the calling that leads us through journeys of awakening and the paradox of simultaneous blessings and burdens one is asked to assume along the way.

Simon and I have significant overlap and convergence in our areas of vocation, namely Poetry and Philosophy, and some interesting areas of digression namely academia and theology, but as you will tell, Simon has a humility around submitting himself to the process of a masters degree through academia, finding ways to challenge the limitations and find the room for creative expression within those boundaries.  As you will tell Simon has developed his previous intuitions very much within the context of Christianity, but again, as you will hear he has the heart and the mind to plumb the universal essence of that wisdom, and diplomatically but earnestly sidestep the dogma and haughtiness that usually typifies the Christian domain.

Simon's Podcast: The Walled Garden

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Connect with me on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/rocketsprocket/

Checkout my YouTube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhHg8lI-GbAFL9cPtLxMFg

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This is an episode which I have spent a long time biting my tongue about;  the sticky, polarising topic of the Pandemic.  

In this episode I do not to tell you what to think.  I do not even want to tell you exactly what I think.  I tell you how I think, and try and persuade you through reason, not emotion, that this is the better way to think about all of this.

It is a long episode, but honestly, if you have just spent the last two plus years of your life feeling frightened, angry, confused, controlled, stifled, disconnected and completely unsure what the f$&# is going on, what is 90 minutes between friends? 

This is exactly the kind of investment of time that makes sense right now.
 
The endless arguing in the public sphere cannot resolve itself, and is invariable going to just get worse, and the dysfunction of public discourse has dire consequences. 

How many friendships have you already lost to other peoples or your own commitment to an idea, the edges of which it turned out later were not so firm?  How many family conversations have been strained or broken because of a failure of reasoning and critical thinking, yours or theirs?

 There is no other thing to be doing with our time and attention right now.

email: [email protected]

Connect with me on Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/rocketsprocket/

Checkout my YouTube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhHg8lI-GbAFL9cPtLxMFg

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In Conversation with Logo Designer Author and Professional Creative James Martin.

James and I discuss the role adversity plays in growth, the power of 'failure' and how to enjoy the improvement process, in your work and in yourself.

James is an easy-going conversationalist that knows his subject matter and himself, very well, he doesn't take himself or his work too seriously, but is at the same time very passionate and committed to the work he does, to self-development and to growth.  James has some refreshingly honest insights about the outdated dogma of the design industry and academia on the subjects of creativity, design, collaboration and expression. 

James has a great eye for looking at our present moment, and the unflattering face of our society which we call the the internet, and some thoughts on how to go about challenging that in positive and constructive ways.

The pre-amble of the episode includes some housekeeping and exciting announcements around key upcoming projects at Eyes Wide Open Life and programs the listeners can join.

IG: @made.by.james
Web: themadebyjames.com
Book: Made By James

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A short bonus episode on my commentary of the brilliant, timely and disturbingly accurate movie Don't Look Up starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio.

If you replace the apocalyptic disaster scenario in the movie, with any number of possible alternatives, (man-made or otherwise), but you keep the perfect-storm of compounding dysfunctional anti-synergy of terribly incentivised Science, Journalism, Pop-journalism, Social Media, Pop-Media, Politics and Capitalism amplified by an apathetic ignorant population; 
you have yourself a prescient documentary of how our civilisation will end.

This movie is a showcase, like a documentary almost of how our civilization will end.  It is no longer a question of if, it is now a matter of when.   There is not a single issue people can agree on, and everything they disagree about can be further influenced by misinformation, people's lack of critical thinking and general ignorance on how to read and process information, in order to arrive at facts.  

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Discussing Crypto, Blockchain and Brokering Trust with my guest and dear personal friend Lawrence Dunning.

Lawrence and I share a mutual concern about the mounting global crisis, a perfect storm, a coming together of a number of severely neglected issues around disparate wealth and equality, climate concerns, failing education, failing healthcare, failing political system and most importantly a failing forum of public discourse.

Join us over a long (2 hour) discussion as we explore what it is, what crypto is, and how they can help us change the future, without bloodshed.  We dispel many myths and provide a mix of relevant technical detail and everyday language to shape the discussion and hopefully broaden your understanding.

• The Internet of Money - Andreas M. Antonopoulos. A solid introduction to the phenomenon of Bitcoin and other decentralized digital currencies focusing more on they WHY rather than the HOW.
• Hard Money you can't F*ck With.  Why Bitcoin will be the next global reserve currency - Jason A. Williams.  A great read for anyone new to Bitcoin and wanting to understand why it is relevant.
• The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking  - Saifedean Ammous, an more detailed academic look at bitcoin and cryptocurrency
• Lex Fridman Podcast - Episode 231 - Alex Gladstein - titled Bitcoin and the Fight for Human Rights
• Lex Fridman Podcast - Episode 171 - Anthony Pompliano - Bitcoin

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An episode of virtual communion with a great soul, Oscar Perez, who is, as you will discover, a consummate communicator.

One quote pinned to my Facebook page is: "You think you seek fire; you seek gravity - the fire is already within."

Oscar is an exemplar of both fire and gravity.  He is undoubtedly a keeper of the sacred fire, with much to share, much to teach, and moreover, he has done the work in himself, and so he comes at the work with authenticity, stillness and a warm sincerity that is disarming and reassuring, especially in our troubled times.  Oscar is a true kindred spirit, a self acclaimed Alchemist and Spiritual mentor, and as evidenced in the conversation, someone who easily lives up to those titles.

We discuss shadow work, spiritual awakening, dark nights of the soul, and a new concept which we coin a term for right here in the episode: Long Dark Winter of the Soul.

We discuss archetypes, naïve notions from many would-be seekers, enchanted by the trope of the Hero or the Warrior, where sometimes, the more adult, less glamorous truth, is that it is the anti-hero in us, that needs to do the boring tasks of sticking with discipline, and making the lasting changes in our life.

Oscar's Website: tendingthefires.com
Oscar's Medium.com Articles: medium.com/@hightechtoltec
Oscar's Instagram: instagram.com/tendingthefires

Questions and comments: [email protected]

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I sit down with Roy Dean for a conversation covering Zen, Dharma, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the umbrella of 'allowing what is', accepting the seeming imperfection, of where we are now.

Roy Dean is a 3rd Degree Black belt and highly regarded BJJ Instructor, and the creative mind behind several popular and utterly unique online repositories of articulate instructional content, subtly infused with philosophy, and a touch of the Zen mindset which Roy ascribes to.

We start off in what is familiar territory for Roy, which is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and we come back to it many times over the hour, but primarily we discuss the Art of simply being, the courage to be ourselves against the groundswell of noise and influence.

Roy is the author of two books, "The Martial Apprentice" and "Becoming the Black Belt."

https://roydeanacademy.selz.com/item/thecollection
https://www.roydean.tv/

Any questions about the guest, other episodes or the upcoming Accepting Your Nature course email: [email protected]

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In this Reflections episode we visit the classic treatise on Stoicism by Rudyard Kipling, in his timeless Poem If

This episode explores themes of

• self-initiation into Adulthood for Men (and Women), 
• self-leadership and actualisation
• the messages we wanted to hear from our Fathers, 
• the message we want to share with our Sons and Daughters, and 
• the way in which we need to make a stand regards generational trauma, no matter where we may have failed in the past, and decide that it does no go past us.

No One Else is Coming.

The Guided Meditation Series on YouTube mentioned is: Guided Meditations

If you would like a piece covered in a reflections episode, email: [email protected]

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What is Stable Mutual Actualisation and why does it matter?
Why do I do this podcast? 
Why does Eyes Wide Open Life exist at all?
Why am I public-thinking, what is the art page for, why don't i just relax? 
What's all the fuss about?
Why did I not just become a Stoic, or a Buddhist, or a Taoist?
Why is Love simply not the answer to it all?

There is a very serious chance that things are going to get worse, more chaotic, more fast paced, more overwhelming and more dysfunctional.  Human nature brought us all this way, but our features have become bugs.

This Episode covers the reason for this podcast, the outline and clear superiority of my core Philosophy for our time: Stable Mutual Actualisation.

We are living in unprecedented times.  Our old ways are failing us.  Our systems and 'isms' are all failing.  We are incapable of reaching consensus, and we lack the effective means to steer away from the cliff of existential demise and become as individuals and a society, the very best possible version of ourselves.

There are no Right or Only ways.  There are better and worse ways.  Stable Mutual Actualisation is not only a 'better way' it is a means to keep seeking out better ways, a philosophy designed to change, not designed to last.

email: [email protected]

 

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