Time & Other Thieves

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on February 10th, 2022, I share parts of my conversation with my friend Suni Pillay, who uses the I Ching, or Book of Changes, as a divination tool/oracle on a daily basis and therefore knows a lot about it. Suni will discuss some of the I Ching's history and the myriad reasons for its enduring appeal, especially for those interested in Confucianism and ancient China. Together we ask the I Ching some questions and see what wisdom it has to impart. "It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to cross the great water."

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In this episode, which originally aired on February 3rd, 2022, I reflect on some of the ideas presented in May Sarton's 1973 book, Journal of a Solitude. Themes discussed  include writing, the artistic lifestyle, love and relationships, aging, suffering, the gifts of Nature, and of course, solitude. Sweet, sweet, precious solitude. But also the difficulties therein. 

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In this episode, which originally aired on January 27th, 2022, I share my conversation with Intuitive Eating, body image, and self-trust coach, Naomi Katz. Naomi will explain the 10 principles of Intuitive Eating, the harmful messages of diet culture, and why she is unequivocally against intentional weight loss of any kind. She'll also talk about her own podcast, which she cohosts with Sadie Simpson, called "Satisfaction Factor."

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on January 20th, 2022, I explore some of the ideas presented in Sigmund Freud's 1930 book, Civilization and Its Discontents, including but not limited to: the purpose of human life, the frustration of dealing with other humans, how we tend to cope with that frustration, the role of technology (what Freud called our "auxiliary organs"), mankind's inclination toward aggression, Thanatos (the death drive), Eros (the life drive), and how civilization would probably be “most successful if no attention had to be paid to the happiness of the individual.”

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In this episode, which originally aired on January 13th, 2022, I share my  conversation with Asheville-based mother, writer, and veterinarian, Cat Ashe. Cat's 5-year-old daughter Hazel was diagnosed with leukemia in December of 2019, and in January of 2017, Cat's infant son James died of Trisomy 18. So she knows her way around grief and hardship, and I was curious to hear how she's gotten through it all, and how her perspective on life has changed as a result of her experiences.

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on August 19th, 2021, I share my conversation with homesteader, letterpress artist, and musician Sally Anne Morgan. We discuss some of the ideas presented in the book The Good Life, by Scott and Helen Nearing, and some of the insights Sally has gained from her life of gardening and animal husbandry in Alexander, NC. Featuring music from Sally's album Thread.

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on December 30th, 2021, I explore some of the ideas presented in the book The Seeking Heart,  a collection of spiritual letters written in the early 1700's by French Catholic theologian and Archbishop of Cambrai, Francois Fénelon. I translate Fénelon's decidedly Christian way of talking about the benevolent function of hardship into a more secular, universalist language. I also talk about dying to the self and turning towards God (a.k.a. the Present Moment, the Great Mystery, the True Self, the Ground of Being, etc.), and about the importance of gratitude. 

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on December 23rd, 2021, I share my  conversation with the oh-so-delightful award-winning sociolinguist Walt Wolfram. A long-time professor at NCSU (where I took one of his classes some years ago), Walt was one of the early pioneers in the study of urban African American English through his work in Detroit in 1969. Since the 1960s he has authored or co-authored 20 books and more than 300 articles on variation in American English. He's also produced a ton of documentaries. This guy loves dialects, and North Carolina has more dialect diversity than any other state in the country. Language is the coolest! 

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on July 22nd, 2021, I share my conversation with Lily Oster, who has a Master's in Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD in Religious Studies from Emory University, where she wrote her dissertation on nature and the erotic. Linda Hogan's book Dwellings: A Spiritual History of the Living World, and Audre Lorde's essay "Uses of the Erotic" will guide our discussion. Lily will also explain the fascinating field of study known as post-human ecological theory.

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In this episode, which originally aired in radio format on September 23rd, 2021, I share my conversation with Ali McGhee, who is a core faculty member at The Enneagram School of Awakening in Asheville, NC. Ali will discuss this wisdom system, model of the human psyche, and typology of nine interconnected personality types and how we can use it to transcend fixation and get back to Essence.