Becoming Conscious

In this episode, Andres we delve into the groundbreaking work of Qualia Research Institute (Andres' core project), uncovering its ambitious principles and goals aimed at understanding the very core of consciousness and suffering. From the quest to grasp the conditions for meaningful existence to the pursuit of reducing extreme suffering and enhancing positive conscious experiences. We talk about the computational properties of the mind and the nature of joy and suffering. Through the symmetry theory of valence, we decode the underlying patterns that shape our experiences of bliss and suffering. Gain insights into how understanding the texture of experience and fostering pro-social emotions like loving-kindness can lead to profound shifts in well-being.Whether you're a seasoned explorer of consciousness or a curious newcomer, this episode offers a thought-provoking exploration of the frontiers of human experience. Prepare to expand your understanding of consciousness and uncover the secrets of bliss and suffering with Andres Gomez and the Qualia Research Institute. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this thought-provoking discussion, political philosopher and metamodern thinker Daniel Görtz offers a radical new lens for making sense of our conflicting modern era. As a leader of "the Nordic school" and co-author of the influential "Hanzi Freinacht" book series, Daniel argues that both traditional and progressive worldviews are ultimately flawed and self-undermining.He posits that metamodernism can coordinate the legitimate perspectives of traditionalists, mainstream modernity, and the postmodern critics - without simply defaulting to absolutist stances that inevitably alienate and silence others. Daniel unpacks how metamodernism's "sincere irony" and "serious playfulness" allow for the creative leaps needed to transcend modernism's limitations and postmodernism's self-defeating deconstructions.Drawing from developmental theory and integral thought, he envisions an evolved societal framework that is nevertheless uncompromising in including and negotiating multiple value systems. By taking a "metamodern" approach grounded in nuanced coordination of conflicting perspectives, Daniel offers a timely third way for healing our culture wars and evolving beyond the modern/postmodern deadlock. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we speak on utilizing strategy in service of deepening our capacity to love, be in relationship, develop virtue and ethical capacities, increase cognitive complexity and increase emotional intelligence. As well as:* Strategy serves as a defense against the white noise of the digital age, clarifying our purpose in each waking moment.* It applies to personal facets of life such as emotional, spiritual, and relationship development, rather than just career progression.* Confronting the smallest fears can lead to a cascade of courage, unlocking doors we once thought impenetrable. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I speak on how humanity is still enslaved. We're all selling our souls to a system that none of us can stop. It started before we were born and now the only way to survive in today's world is to commit your life-force to this machine. What are the implications of this? How does it show up in our lives? What can we do about it? These are all questions I ask in this episode. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I speak with Danial Garner from the OG Rose duo, and we speak on embodying virtues and engaging in existential preparation is essential for personal growth, effective decision-making, and creating a better world.Timestamps* 00:00 Prioritizing the Internal Life* 11:18 The Conflation of Virtue and Morality* 25:03 Existential Anxiety & Discernment in Virtue Development* 33:16 Virtue Training Improves Mental health* 47:51 Writing and Internal Challenges as Existential Prep* 56:18 Standing Strong in Face of Criticism* 01:04:32 Virtue Training As Antidote to Close-Mindedness* 01:14:34 Truth, Goodness and Beauty Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I speak with Vince Horn about how multiplayer meditation, incorporating AI systems and interpersonal practices, can deepen human connection and create meaningful impact in the world.Linkshttps://meditatewith.ai/vincehorn.spaceTimestamps* 00:00 Multiplayer Meditation* 15:19 Interpersonal Practices* 33:41 AI Meditation* 43:09 Social and Spiritual Impact Through Business* 55:09 Honoring Spiritual, Social, and Cultural Capital* 01:10:22 Building Ethical Organizations within Capitalism* 01:22:38 Meditation through an App Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I speak with Artem Zen and we explore Zen communities of practice, balancing intellect and wisdom, pursuing Truth as our life path, circling practice, shedding attachments, different schools of Buddhism, and deepening into the profundity of the mundane.Links to Artem's ProjectsArtem's Youtube ChannelHis WebsiteElevating Consciousness Podcast on SpotifyElevating Consciousness on Apple PodcastsTimestamps00:00 Zen practice, Monastic Academy12:14 Psychedelics, Meditation, Awakening19:20 Radical Experimentation and Finding Buddhist Practice That Works for You36:23 Daily Meditation, Concentration and Insight Practices, Emotional Layers of Practice52:23 The Pursuit of Truth01:04:11 Start with Transformation, Attachment Work, Dropping Stories01:12:33 Embracing the Unknown, Emptiness, Profundity in the Mundane Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I sit down with Cory Katuna and we talk about how to uncover hidden motives, the choice-point where realize we realize our identity is chosen, how positive feelings relate to higher degrees of truth, and how manipulation is everywhere and what it takes to become conscious of it in ourselves so we can change our behavior and much much more. Cory on Instagram: @corykatuna Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Schmidt is a meditation teacher and has created multiple highly acclaimed documentaries on the topics of Samadhi, Awakening and understanding the world religions. We speak on the topics of what it takes to release our attachments to self and the stories that we hold, why environments of no escape are so important, psychedelic use to support awakening practice and much more. Links to Dan's WorkAwaken the WorldSamadhi Part 1Samadhi Part 2Samadhi Part 3Inner Worlds Outer Worlds Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Daniel Ingram is a meditation teacher and author of the acclaimed book Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. We dive into all things impermanence, no self, insight practices, how everything we have ever experienced is a sensation. Thoughts as sensations, emotions as sensations, and learning how to more rapidly be aware of the impermanence of sensations. All in an effort to deepen insights into the nature of self and reality such that we decrease our suffering and get closer to the Truth. Books MentiondRight Concentration by Leigh BrasingtonShifts into Freedom by Loch KellyPath of Serenity and InsightMindfulness in Plain EnglishThe Path With Heart by Jack KornfieldFind Daniel On the Web AtMastering the Core Teachings of the Buddhafirekasina.orgIntegrateddaniel.infotheeprc.orgebenefactors.orgDharmaoverground.org Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

So much of what we say and do is manipulative and we don't even realize it. We communicated in roundabout ways to try to get our needs met, to feel loved, to feel safe, respected, capable, or just to be seen in a certain light. All of these are subtle manipulations of speech and our relationships suffer as a result. Honest communication is to say something solely for the sake of saying it. To communicate what is true without needing it to elicit any response in another person. We walk about this and much more in this episode. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we dive deep into the topics of self-acceptance, overcoming self-doubt, and finding motivation through self-love rather than self-hatred. Kela offers eye-opening perspectives on how self-love lays the foundation for fulfillment in all areas of life. She provides tips on how to motivate yourself with compassion rather than criticism. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Join us in this episode as we dive into something we all navigate: authenticity and integrity. Ever felt like someone's putting on a show? We unravel how that might indicate a lack of integrity. On the flip side, let's talk about valuing our true selves and expressing from that place, no matter the external image. We'll explore how being authentic within ourselves brings a unique kind of harmony and how communicating from that space requires a deeper integrity and therefore an integrated psyche. In other words, lack of fragmentation. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of the Becoming Conscious Podcast Ethan interviews Buddhist Scholar David Loy and discusses the nature of our cultural lack, how so much of our drives for economic success and fame are based on this core feeling that we are lacking, and then we go into how Buddhism relates to this fact. You can find more info at about David's work at davidloy.org Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of "Becoming Conscious" Ethan speaks with Exeter University professor Christopher Gill on stoic ethical development, care for self and others, the 4 cardinal virtues of stoicism and much more. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of the “Becoming Conscious” podcast Ethan talks about the facets of his life philosophy that includes components like ethics, ambition, courage, relationships, introspection, study, dialogue and more. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of "Becoming Conscious" Ethan sits down with Forrest to discuss his book Immanent Metaphysics, and the implications of the many triads of his work (see below). The conversation covers especially how the machine of civilization is co-opting man and nature for it's own purposes.

In this episode of "Becoming Conscious" Ethan sits down with Daniel from the O.G. Rose duo to discuss imposing restrictions on yourself and your freedom in order to unlock meaning and purpose in your life. Furthering on that we talk about the trap of sitting in potentiality without any actuality. That self-imposed suffering as the key to meaning development. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we talk about what it looks like to enact ecologies of practices, how Jamie Wheal's hedonic engineering protocols can support the effort to install ecologies of practices in your life and why this is crucial for getting out of downward spirals in your life. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

All too often we can get caught up in trying all the new transformational techniques, but never sticking with one for more than a few weeks. In this podcast I riff on the necessity of long-term dedication to development and bringing a badass ethos to inner work.The Hero100 Challenge is what a team of us at Phoenix Culture have put together to cultivate this ambition. Learn more here: https://phoenixculture.earth/hero100 Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

What is the gift economy and why does it matter? In what ways is our current economy flawed? I recorded this episode about a year ago and my ideas have changed so much since I recorded them. A lot of ideas in the initial rant were inspired by Charles Eisenstein, and a lot of my ideas have changed since then. This commentary is on the topic of what a more generative economy could look like the supports the gifts of each individual. Enjoy :) Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Eric and I riff on the necessity of a balance between internal psychological development and external-facing action in the world. We also touch on the meta-crisis and how the various problems in the world are all co-arising and none of them are entirely separate from the others, which we like to describe using the cymatic frequency analogy. We also touch on rerouting one's life if it's in a downward spiral and how to start cultivating more agency and sovereignty. We then riff on how a systems view of life can remedy cosmic insignificance and nihilism. This is just the tip of the iceberg, listen to the full episode now.Read Eric's Musings at The Edge of Being and find him on Twitter. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

A good friend of mine, Joe Faulkner, joins me for my first IRL podcast interview. Joe is pursuing a master’s degree in Mindfulness-based Transpersonal Counseling and has tons of experience with the integration of altered states of consciousness and embodiment practices. This conversation is multi-faceted hovering around the topics of relationships, psychedelics, and the psychological/relational difficulties that arise in seeking community and spiritual connection to others. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

I’m joined by the wonderful Lawrence Toye. He’s currently co-creating YES&, a conscious living startup with the big picture mission of “Shifting Consciousness for a Generative Human Presence on this Planet.” I had the pleasure to work with Lawrence on co-creating their podcast for the launch of the YES& Festival. Lawrence continues to inspire me with his dedication to the embodiment of ecological consciousness and connection to land/nature. Enjoy this podcast :) Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Why is advertising inherently corrupted, and what are some alternatives?How do we create We-spaces that reduce the degree that we delude ourselves?Steelmanning modernism, postmodernism & metamodernism.Core insights of the metamodern approach to politics & a summary of Hanzi Freinacht’s Listening SocietySupporting the internal needs of everyone in societyMass manipulation of people’s attention on social mediathe importance of reaching global empathyHow can we act from our core values in deeper and more profound ways?Wisdom = overcoming fearMost of the evil in the world is a byproduct of insecurity and fear. What is wisdom? and how it relates to integritycongruence with one’s deepest values and not easily be swayed by bullshitas self-knowledgewisdom as the degree to which one can reconcile their conflicting identities Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Jake Ruiz is a filmmaker and fellow integralist. He recently released the acclaimed Game B Film (on Youtube here) in collaboration with Jim Rutt, Daniel Schmactenberger, and other leading thinkers. You can find more of his work at Futurity (his production company) and on Twitter. In this conversation, we touched on: Game B vs. the Dark Renaissance, the nature of competition, the fall of integral communities, win-lose dynamics vs. win-win dynamics, class dynamics in regards to the Game B vision, pathos, and sexual energy as it relates to the development of society, the importance of darkness and difficult shadow re-integration. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

This is the second podcast I’ve recorded with Daniel Garner. In this episode, we talk about the meaning crisis as a sign of hope, game theoretics, critical thinking, and the dark renaissance. The Meaning Crisis as a Sign of HopeThe meaning crisis is a sign of hope because we have higher moral and ethical standards than we did in the past. In the past, we solved the meaning crisis through ideologies like nationalism, racism, fascism, totalitarianism, etc. Instead of responding to the meaning crisis with apathy, we can instead become enlivened by it becomes a heroic act of maintaining moral standards and developing new approaches to meaning in the 21st century. Part of the problem is that we don’t know what new solutions to the meaning crisis may look like. Yet many people are actively engaging with this systemic crisis — see the work of John Vervaeke. Critical Thinking Doesn’t Entail Being CriticalWords have a way to capture our thinking without our realizing that’s what’s happening. Garner introduces the perspective that being a good thinker is not synonymous with being critical. And that the impulse to be critical engenders a culture of deconstruction — or perhaps a postmodern, deconstructive culture engenders an environment of breaking down and being critical as opposed to developing new mental models and ways of thinking. Reconstruction is just as important as deconstruction. The reason that we like critiquing everything without building our own theories is that it positions us as superior. Whereas constructing new theories puts us in a vulnerable space, at risk of people breaking our prized mental framework down. And perhaps the reason that deconstruction is so endemic in our culture is because the game-theoretic environment of our culture is conducive to positioning ourselves as intellectually superior to the ideas of others. We are rewarded by critiquing the ideas of others and thus incentivized to continue doing it. The Dialectic Between Freedom & ControlO.G. Rose has a fascinating and long-time running series titled Belonging Again, which we discuss in this episode of the podcast. In it, they dive into how belonging and feeling connected to a community is often in direct tension with freedom and lack of social-legal order. These are just a few of the topics that Daniel and I discuss in this episode. For the full episode listen to the audio above or search Becoming Conscious on your podcast player of choice!You can find Daniel and Michelle (together O.G. Rose) on substack, youtube, Twitter, and Instagram. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Zoe Curzi is an actress, writer, filmmaker and has an active interest in trauma-informed introspection, manipulation dynamics, healing journeys, and adult development. In this episode we have a fascinating conversation about the psychological dynamics of mind control, what it looks and feels like to have your reality distorted by a charismatic person or organization, and how to listen to and sense into the signal that our psyche is communicating to us in every moment and in how we’re relating to other people. You can find her on twitter @curzirose Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Listen now (82 min) | On the interwingularity, modern journalism, relationships, cross-cultural contexts and travel Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Cadell Last is a philosopher (Ph.D.) with an interest in anthropology and psychoanalysis, and the author of Global Brain Singularity, Sex, Masculinity, God. In the conversation, we discuss everything from the practicality of philosophy to libido to the dialectical relationship between wholeness and lack.A more expansive list of topics discussed includes:Breaking down the myth of armchair philosophyFlow states as a dropping of self-identitythe philosophy of lackthe most extreme version of wholeness is ideologythe most extreme version of lack is suicidethe dialectical relationship between lack and excessinstincts are difficult for the mind because the mind doesn’t control instinctsrepressing evil leads to committing evilthe energy that we call evil is energy that if you look at it and work with it can produce the highest goodlong term relationships can be the most adventurous because the perception of other and what love is, is constantly dying and changing.the paradox of datingbeing adventurous and having sex with a lot of people and going out all the time actually becomes boredom and repetition and avoidance of deep feeling and emotiona 5-10 year relationship is risky because it could endnow the problem is that no one is putting their heart on the line and thus we’re becoming cold and our relationships are shallowthe key to long term relationships is cultivating sexual desire and long term loveand the real you is constantly changing and shifting, the libido/life-force is constantly in motionwhen do polarity and differences turn into incompatibilitywhy something is of value to me is because if I act in contradiction to that thing then I find myself in painwhat’s missing in this metamodern space is a discussion about how all of this meaning crisis stuff is sexual in nature Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

A 23-year-old full-time nomad and mother of one that I had the beautiful opportunity of meeting while in Guatemala joined me to speak on her experience with a natural/water birth, listening to our bodies, learning from our children, choosing a conscious approach to educating her child and what it’s like to travel as a mother. You can find more of char on her Instagram (@charemilyk) and her motherhood-focused Instagram (@followthemoonmotherhood). Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

I’m joined by Daniel Garner (part of the O.G Rose Duo), a philosopher, intellectual, and fascinating thinker. In this episode, we discuss everything from creativity to rationality, from aesthetics to infinite formlessness and death drives. Here you can find their essays, audio essays + interviews, Instagram, and Twitter.You can listen to this episode of Becoming Conscious on Youtube. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Nora White is such an inspiring human being that uses sexuality & tantric practices to explore the human experience. In this conversation, Nora speaks on using tantra to see the divine in the material and how we can engage with every moment in a tantric way in drawing forth our full presence in every instance of life. We also explore our cultural shame around sex and how we may begin to work with it.+ Overview of Topics DiscussedNora’s journey and the war on consciousnessunderstanding love on the physical, emotional, and mental levels through Tantrathe tantric way of life is recognizing the divine in the material and commanding one’s full presence in every moment - every instance of life is Tantricworking with polaritiessexual practices for energy-work and transcendencethe freeing power of being vulnerable, authentic self, completely naked in an intimate spacesexual trauma we’ve all inherited from the toxic social climates we’re born intoand how to begin to unpack the layersthe innocence of pleasurerepressing and being at war with our own nature and our own desires is when denying pleasure becomes unhealthydropping all of yourself into the very moment, the human can get an experience of life that’s so much richer and more fulfilling than ANY material dreams can bringnoticing dissonance between the head and the heartthe work is getting to a full-body yes (mind, heart, gut) during sex and sexual practicesgetting in touch with the signals our body is sending us while in situations of intimacy Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast, I’m joined by Katrina Michelle. Katrina is a holistic psychotherapist who practices from a transpersonal and humanistic framework that centers around cultivating psychospiritual growth at both the individual and cultural levels. For her doctoral thesis, she conducted research on Exploring Resistance to Spiritual Emergence, which I found particularly fascinating.In this conversation, we discuss Katrina’s story, the various types of spiritual resistance, and what to do when the terror/disorientation/crippling experiences arise, creating cultural frameworks to hold various types of spiritual experiences, and the tremendous powers/dangers of psychedelics as a tool for finding (and often losing) meaning in life and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls of psychedelic use.  Check out Katrina’s film in the making: https://www.whenlighteningstrikes.com/home Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Susanne Cook Greuter is internationally known as the leading expert in mature ego development and self-actualization. In this episode, Susanne and I explore:using metaphor and story to better understand Ego Development Theoryovercoming the idea that everyone needs to convert to your worldviewthe necessity of every stage of developmentthe fantasy of integral — and the delusion that stage yellow will save usconventional stages mastering integral theory without embodying itEDT as the stories we tell ourselvesknowing what it’s time to drop stage theory and perceive reality directlythe developmental process defined as the degree of not-knowingdeconstruction process as perceiving reality without conceptssimplicity on the other side of complexityvalues and virtues as more important than stage developmentdeveloped human beings who can be quite contemptible vs. simple human beings who are generous, humble, and in service to humanitythe myth of the self-made man and the interdependence of all thinghow some systems thinkers may still be operating at the expert-achiever stage of developmentlanguage as central to meaning-makingcolonization of the western mindenglish as being phenomenologically limited, yet fundamental to development at the same timeIf you’re interested in learning more about Susanne’s work I’d recommend starting here: Introduction to Ego Development Theory. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Ethan Kahn and I explore:metaspiritualityspirituality outside of the common contexts we find it indiscernment in the spiritual developmental processthe importance of maintaining the diversity of spiritual traditionstoxic solipsism in modern spiritual communities — solipsistic awakeningways in which absolute and relative truth isn’t as straightforward as we may thinkhow something can be true, not true, both, and neither all at the same timeupgrading relativism beyond naive pluralismspirituality as beyond any single paradigm or conception of spiritualitywhy science is not antithetical to spiritualityHere you can find Ethan’s youtube channel, website and forum called Everything Explained where he speaks on everything from cessation to nonduality to paranormal phenomenon. Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we discuss:survival anxietya multi-contextual lens on the worldthe necessity of studying multiple different perspectivesdifferent modes of knowingoperating from being mode and the beauty of existencediving deeper into introspectionuncovering self-delusionholism as having a long-term horizonmoving beyond right and wrongfocusing on the generator frequency behind other’s wordsnoticing that most of our individual problems stem from a lack of holism Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we explore:survival anxiety as contrary to experiencing holismsurvival anxiety as a mechanism that perpetuates separation/fragmentationattaining security through a deeper lived experience of interdependence and adding value to the systems that I’m a part ofunderstanding the self as relationship / as interdependencyhow science dismisses higher-order phenomenonevery part is indispensable to the wholelife is an emergent property arising out of complexitycapitalism as exploitation of higher-order phenomenon and reducing all value to reductionistic lower order phenomenonall human action is geared towards holism and harmonyall evil in a system is happening because the conditions are there for it to thrivepsycho-pathology as a byproduct of systemic fragmentationgame a dynamics in the mediataking responsibility for more of realityunderstanding systemic health in the body and in the collective Get full access to Becoming Conscious at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

We dive into:non-linearityemergent properties of systemsa systems approach beyond cognition and rationalitythe un-pinndownable nature of systemsto cognitively understand a system is inherently to reduce it downthe importance of context in systemsholism as an antidote to navigating the information agefeeling into the emergence/complexity in order to act in a trans-rational mannersystems are affected by things that are intangible; like love, truth and freedom.reciprocal feedback loopsthe importance of context in moving beyond toxic pluralismthe intuitive nature of feeling into the emergence of a systembottom-up sensing to respond more effectively to realityinter-disciplinary reality as being more real than a categorical reduction of realityfragmentation as the root cause of the meta-crisisrealizing that because we’re a part of systems that every action is deeply meaningful and has a deep impact on everythingsystemic health = degree of harmony within the system This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at becomeconscious.substack.com/subscribe

Deep Polarity in DatingApproaching dating and relationships from a place of unity consciousnessThere’s no separation between meeting a women and anything that happens in the relationship, it’s a deep exchange of energyTantric Philosophy — the play of duality with masculine and feminine energiesSex as the universe creating itselfAwakening experiences as a prerequisite to deep relatingMind as feminine, nondual witness as masculineViewing dating through an integral lensStages of development in the dating process Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

Understanding ComplexityWhat is Sense-making?Rule OmegaPrimary Characteristics and Values of this StageHow does this stage emergeSurvival vs. BeingFully being within and operating in the world rather than trying to make it conform to our expectationsthe limits of activism and pluralistic thinkinginhabiting complexity in the world vs. wanting the worldthe felt experience of reality vs. forcing reality into our concepts Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

Listen now (77 min) | Exploring different ways to respond to the growing crises with agency Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

In this episode, I explore the different narratives, core beliefs, phenomenological experiences, and potential solutions and approaches to curing victim mentality.What is victim mentality?What does it feel like?What other similar topics are related to and intersect with the feeling of victim mentality?Going deeper into victim mentality to the level of ontology. Taking a more inclusive approach to reality as an antidote to the victim mentality. Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

Hussam Shareef is a participant in the Stages of Consciousness course that I'm running. In this call, as part of the course, we discuss what a healthy integration of the pluralist/collectivist vmeme looks like.OverviewGreen’s pushback against stage orangeThe fast-paced material world of Orangethe pluralist stage slowly recognized that material wealth alone is not sufficient to live a satisfying life.Start to realize that not everything can be explained and solved with reasonThere is not only a need for achieved tangible wealth but also a need for more emotional well-being.When one realizes that we can’t solve all of the world’s problems with more money, economic growth, pollution, and everything happening on wall streetNow realizes Orange is unsustainable and we need to think about ecology.So, Green emerges when materialism and success fail to feed the human spirit. We used to think that money and success could make us actualized, but now we are noticing that there is still a hole inside us.Now, after getting much money and success, one discovers that life is not about it; instead, we should have been chasing connection and relationships.this emotional voidWhat moves Orange into Green is sometimes a health crisis because Orange is living in such a toxic way that many health issues started to come out.stress-related diseaseslonelinessanxietydepressionOne's view of the world expands.Orange only viewed the world as being a marketplaceGreen views the world as a community where we all get to collectively need to take care of our Planet.Life is not about things, life is about people. It’s about deep human bonds. Now, Green is starting to realize that people should cooperate rather than compete with each other.Life is about more than just egoic success but the success of the whole community; but now, the sense of what community means has expanded beyond blue.There is the recognition of this larger global community and now it starts to notice all the inequality and oppression in the world that is caused by Blue and Orange.The community of green is the entire world, regardless of the country, gender, race, etc.Whereas blue was promoting the civilization (in the sense of my civilization against all the other ones)Healthy Green / What Can We Include / How Does Green Look When Used For Higher-Order PurposesTo work together, it is essential to make real contact. This means that people are able to bond on an emotional level. This asks for a lot of communication, understanding, and empathy.Give attention to everyone and give everyone the space to be heard.Accept every person completely in their own individuality.journey of discovery is more important than reaching a goalConnection with natureI feel emotions, therefore I am alive. In essence, everyone is equal.LoveHeartSoulEmpathy, Intimacy, KindnessCompassion, Mercy, and LeniencyEqualityHarmonyHuman well-beingWhere am I not taking into account the emotional component of life?Where am I not valuing others for their innate human-ness, but rather putting them lower or higher based on their beliefs, success, ego, etc.? Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

Maya is a spontaneous artist and permaculture magician. She is more embodied in a state of abundance, trust, and child-like play than anyone I know. 👩🏽‍🎨We talk: 🗣A being-level embodiment of the state of abundance. How to access your deepest artistic state through bringing child-like play into your art, poetry, painting, and creative endeavors. This leads us into a discussion of how every single action we take in life can be a source of child-like creativity — and turning this into a spiritual practice. Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

Oscar Correa is the founder of The New Activist and Ekumal (located between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, Mexico), a hub for conscious individuals to co-create and experience the magic of planetary regeneration at the local scale. We speak on 👇What is activism? Activism as doing rather than just having opinionsLocal vs. GlobalOpen Sourcing EkumalWhat are the ripple effects of building a community like this?Regenerative Community Buildingthe pillarsBuilding Bridgesconstructing an inter-dependent network of regenerationSEEDS Cryptocurrency Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

Eric Brown is the steward of Phoenix Culture and an all-around fascinating dude. He’s on the leading edge culture design, creating systems for embodied awakening, and truly doing what it takes to combat the meaning crisis. We Talk About:DAOstop-down and bottom-up stewardshipPhoenix Culture the call to action for those who are willing to play the biggest gameon designing and enacting a civilization-level transformation so that we can continue to play the human gamea collective co-collaborative fusion of the mind and heartwhat does it take to show up and play the game? the self-actualized man as the scaffold to steward the collectivewhat is stopping some people from showing up and playing?ie: ecology of practicesartists as a way to steward the collective towards a bright future to re-enchant life and the globeto create compelling visions of the futurethe neccessity of themon re-aligning our collective with what we're actually trying to do success?being?heart?Top down control is unnatural.Create Self-Sovereign individuals ready to become Cultural Architects.Provide aspiring architects with thetools, technologies, training, culture, contexts, and support they need to continue their evolution and growth towards becoming Architects of Culture.ecologies of practices religious technologiesthe psycho-technologies, repeatable processes to allow us to transcend our mind and move into beingthese have been scattered and they are everywhere.phoenix culture = holistic ecology of psycho-technologiesHedonic Engineering: Building a Psycho-Spiritual Growth Stackpheonix culture as the generative step towards the emergence of new religions the religion of tomorrow - ken wilbera decentralized religion based on a new shared metaphysicsthe myth of the self made man we are all part of systems so how could we individually be the ones that created all our successwhat are we actually searching for? heartintuitiontrauma is a lack of completion of an energetic cycle in the body it's not conceptual whatsoeverListen to what life wants to do next. Listen to the calling of my heart. Listen to the rhythm of the cosmos. So I answered the call. I went to a river, sat down, and listened.on intuition and listening to the heart 👆the fear of death / social exclusion and this is entirely based on the definition that you have of yourselfcreative evolution on the fundamental nature of the creative evolutionary processas the fundamental process of life itselfEmergence is not chaos. It’s creative evolution. 🧬open-ended questionswhat slowing down looks like?how do you steward the collective intelligence towards creative evolution on the individual and collective level within a DAO Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

A period of crisis and regression before the higher level system emergedthe perspectives they had on life were inadequacy to solve the problems that they were facingthe old 'solutions' to former existential problems didn't apply to this new problemgrowing pains and a sense of loss, or uncertainty about how to make sense of this new problem emerges and one must be faced with a crisis in order to make the jump to a higher level of meaning makingchanging a stage of development induces discomfort, pain, losses, and uncertaintythe need for the emergence of the next system as the only way to solve the problems one is facingHe must come by an insight which enables oneself to solve his new problem more effectivelythe barriers, one’s family, friends, or the established and its way of thinking, must be overcome or ignored if the insight is to fully sink in. Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

earlier vs. laterNote: We use "earlier and later" vs. "lower and higher" to avoid the bias found in the latter.rather than higher vs. lower implicit assumptionsno one is entirely at one stage or anotherit's more like a probabilityall stages are idealizationsevery human being is a unique idiosyncratic representation of these mental models and never fits the model perfectlyif you're stressed then you'll be at the lower stage and if your life is going well then you'll probably peak experience one of the higher levelsthis is a scientific modelso it has it's limitsit can't handle every instance of life and the worldnot every situation in the world can fit into this modelall growth happens in separate lines of developmentdifferent lines of development can be at different stages of growthThere's no "stage development" without a particular line. the levels of development never occur on their own, they are always levels of some linelater stages aren't necessarily happiershadows develop at every stagelater stages can understand earlier — but earlier can't understand laterit's pointless to try to get someone at an earlier stage to understand a later stage concept or way of viewing the worldgrowth can't be forcedthese stages are the map NOT the territorythe later the stage, the lesser the need for defending our perspectivenone of these stages are good are badthey're all a necessary part of human developmentthe hard part of this work is:being humble enough to admit that there are stages that are higher and more developed as youto a 1st grader who sees calculus on a chalkboard will seem like new-age woo woo that means nothing. so not judging the higher stages is crucialeach stage has the capabilities of the stages beneath ittranscend and includekey word INCLUDEeach stage builds on top of the previous stageseven advanced stages can still conform, to use the rational mind, they don't lose these abilitiesthe higher stages can understand the lower stages, but the lower can't understand the higherwhen you're stressed and in survival-mode you will regress stagesmystical experiences can happen at any stages but the mind will interpret the experience in terms of whatever stage you're atGreuters model consists of mostly the cognitive linewhat's being measured is your capacity to take perspectivesit's how you mind make sense of realitythis model relates to meaning makingAnd Spiral Dynamics relates to what we valuewhat we deem as important and what we're driven byThese aren't the only psychological models of developmenthorizontal vs. verticalhorizontal could mean getter better and better at business and expert skillsself-help is most often done on the horizontal levelvertical movement much more difficultrequires more depth, effort and a longer visionThe levels alternate between differentiation and integrationfrom impulsive differentiation of self - separate from everything elseto integration into a conformist mindsetto differentiation into a individualistic (expert/achiever)Note that each stage is it's own realitywhy conservatives and liberals can't understand each otherevery structural stage of belief systems are their own realities Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

the myth of scienceturning out lives and the universe into a machine - the myth of science Secular materialist indoctrination The Ascent of Humanitythe ideology of sciencethe technological and scientific programs of controlthe mind and rationality are put on a pedestalby accepting the materialist paradigm is to lose meaning, purpose and the sacredness of reality.the myth of technologyTechnology will never solve our problems control is a trap control only perpetuates controlthe more you control, the more you have and need to controlas technology relieves physical hardship, psychological suffering (loneliness, despair, depression, anxiety, angst, etc.) has grown to epidemic proportions.they can't realize the more technology will never fix the underlying cause of "bad" human behavior and even the idea that there's bad behaviors that need to be shamed in oneself that acquiring more will never fill the gaping void of cosmic alienationyour emotions will stay the same no matter how much you try to control your life Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com

with Howard Whitehouse speaking on:On sacred initiation vs. dualistic initiation (in the military specifically).How this dualism that is imprinted during basic training to enter the military is the root cause of soldier suicide and the split in the psyche that develops as a result.  Get on the email list at becomeconscious.substack.com