Further Reflections

In this final episode of Further Reflections Mark looks back on his podcasting journey. From 2007 podcasts have been a constant in his life whether it was teaching English as a Second Language, volunteering in the Peruvian Amazon or getting involved in sustainable initiatives in Ottawa, Canada. Hear about how his own podcasts have evolved over the years and what he liked most about producing Further Reflections.

In this episode Mark Arneson discusses Tai Chi, Qigong as well as his long-standing interest in Astrology through a lens of health and vitality and helping others. In the second half of the podcast travel from home as Mark shares 10 destinations he hasn’t talked about on the show before. In the Final Five minutes there’s a review of the movie The Lighthouse.

Abrah Arneson, Amber Westfall and Adele Stratton return to the program to discuss the COVID 19 Pandemic and the value of connecting to nature. In the Final Five minutes Mark talks about At Eternity's Gate.

In this episode of the podcast Mark delves into his final few months as an English Language Teacher. Before deciding on a career change he spent a couple of months in Casablanca, Morocco. Looking back Morocco was memorable even though it may not have necessarily seemed that way at the time with all the changes going on. Learn about visits to the largest car-free zone in the world in Fes, exploring the ancient city of Meknes and a meaningful encounter with a Pakistani heart surgeon. In the second part of the podcast Mark looks at 3 2006 films: Children of Men, Babel and Pan's Labyrinth and their directors. Can we draw any parallels to today? In the Final Five minutes Mark reads from two books about Jesus.

In this episode of the podcast Mark delves into his time teaching English as a Second Language in Poland for two years from 2008-2010 and draws parallels to that time and today. Hear about heartbreak in Wrocław, setbacks in Warsaw and redemption in Krakow as well as travels to the other parts of the country as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Also included are reviews of two books on the subject of pilgrimage by the author Robert C. Sibley, The Way of the 88 Temples and The Way of the Stars which talk about journeys he undertook in Japan and Spain respectively. In the Final Five minutes Mark plays a song by Antje Duvekot.

In this episode of the podcast Mark dips into the archive of Reflections On to re-broadcast an interview from 2011 with poet and philosopher Henry Beissel. Hear Henry discuss coming to terms with his childhood in Nazi Germany, his call for greater equality in society, Humanism, Daoism and Christianity and living sustainably and many other thoughtful subjects. In the second part of the podcast Mark plays reviews of three books set in the Amazon rainforest: Mother of God by Paul Rosolie, Pulse of the Jungle by Daniel Cleland and Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik. In the Final Five minutes Mark talks about sickness and health and how the focus of the podcast may be changing along with his interests.

In this episode of the podcast Mark presents an interview with Dr. Ian Prattis to discuss his book Shattered Earth: Approaching Extinction. Through a collection of short stories and personal anecdotes Ian reflects on the climate emergency we find ourselves in. He talks here about how to be better stewards for the earth and society, community activism, his involvement in the climate strikes in Ottawa, the need for mentors, experiences in Scotland and more. In the second part of the podcast Mark re-broadcasts a talk Ian gave in 2011 talking about his book Earth My Body, Water My Blood. In the final five minutes Mark presents some words of wisdom by astrologer Naidya Shah.

In this episode of the podcast we take a look back on the last year and a look forward with a new interview. It’s the two year anniversary of Further Reflections and Mark plays some of the highlights of podcasting in 2019. Hear excerpts from interviews with Mitch Horowitz, Ivy Xie McIsaac, Abrah Arneson and Joe Gunn, discussions about travel and some unique experiences in China. Also hear Mark reflect on the movie Midsommar and the book Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson. In the second half of the podcast there is an interview with author Alex Chionetti discussing his book Mysteries of the Tayos Caves: The Lost Civilizations Where the Andes Meets the Amazon. Learn all about the myths and legends of these little known caves and share in Alex’s enthusiasm for travel and adventure. In the Final Five minutes of the podcast Mark gives some appreciations and discusses the future of Further Reflections.

In this episode of the podcast we hear from 13 previous guest discussing the subject of travel. Mark had posed the question if you could travel anywhere in the world you haven’t been where would you go and why? This lead to some wide ranging discussions on such topics as the value of travel, how climate change will mean less of it and how maybe staying in one place can be the greatest learning experience. Hear why people want to go to Finland, Ethiopia, Colorado, The Amazon Rainforest as well as many other interesting places. Among the guests featured are authors David Chernushenko, Dr. Emma Mardlin and Mike Nickerson, David McGee of Lost Ottawa and Pamela French of the Authentic Relating Ottawa community. Mark also share some places he would like to go as well including Russia and Guatemala.

Consider this a bonus episode. Mark has been sharing stories of his time teaching English in China from 2004-2008 and here they are in one place. Hear about life in Fuzhou, Xuzhou and Guangzhou cities and many interesting travel experiences..

In this episode of the podcast we talk about plant medicine and hear some more about life in China. Abrah Arneson is a herbalist and clinical herbal therapist who joins the show to talk about Plants and Planets, her apprenticeship program and related book, reconnecting with her roots in Scotland and an an upcoming trip to Mexico to present a workshop. Visit https://www.abraherbs.com/ to learn more about her work. In the second half of the program Mark talks about his final year in China teaching English from 2007-2008 in Guangzhou. Guangzhou was a big and exciting city with a rich history, language and cuisine but even there Mark could not escape suburban sprawl. Mark also touches upon a trip to Hong Kong and Macau for the Chinese New Year and other interesting cities and villages in Guangdong Province. In the Final Five minutes Mark discuss Secrets of Britain’s Great Cathedrals.

In this episode of Further Reflections Mark welcomes author, speaker, environmentalist and former city counselor in Ottawa David Chernushenko to discuss his book Burning Souls. David describes this story of four friends over several decades as a climate breakdown thriller with the book getting apocalyptic towards the end. David discusses in the interview, among other things, the Laudato Si, the Fukushima disaster, the turn-around generation and his potential vision for the future. Visit http://davidc.ca/ to learn more. In the second half of the podcast Mark looks at some of the films of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Examined are the movies Maborosi (1996), Still Walking (2008) and Shoplifters (2018). In the Final Five minutes Mark examines the book Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson.

In this episode we welcome Stephen Whiteley to the show. Stephen was known as The Happiness Coach and is now becoming The Freedom Coach. We discuss freedom and themes from his book Happiness Works. In the second half of the podcast Mark talks about a trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hear about what that city has to offer and day trips to Peggy's Cove, Fisherman's Cove and Terrence Bay.

In this new episode of Further Reflections Mark profiles some female trailblazers. First we hear an interview with Adele Stratton of the Phoneix Rising Healing Centre. Adele is an integrational manual therapist and talks about her healing practice, self-love, quality vs quantity of life, travel, work with the embryo among other interesting topics. Click here to hear Mark’s previous interview with Adele from 2013. In the second half of the podcast Mark profiles some young breakout actresses and their movies from this summer. Learn about Jessie Buckley, Florence Pugh, Honor Swinton Byrne and Awkwafina via their movies Wild Rose, Midsommar, The Souvenir and The Farewell. In the Final Five minutes Mark plays some music by Rebecca Noelle.

Further Reflections is conducting a survey

In this episode of Further Reflections we hear about Permaculture and life in China. In 2012 Mark gave a presentation while he was volunteering in Peru about Permaculture design principles. He touches on the works of Bill Mollison, Toby Hemenway and Sepp Holzer, discusses sustainable living and raises the issue of ethics in this interactive talk. Mark then returns to the subject of China and reflects on the years 2005-2006 when he was living for a year in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. Hear both the highs and lows of that experience, learn about travel in Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui and Zhejiang and the story of the girl on the train. In the Final Five minutes Mark talks about War and Peace.

In this episode of Further Reflections we hear two new interviews. Joe Gunn is the recent Executive Director of Citizens for Public Justice and currently the Oblate Centre in Ottawa. Joe will discuss themes from his book Journeys to Justice: Reflections on Canadian Christian Activism. He touches upon how everyday Christians and Churches in the past have moved the yardstick forward on issues related to social and ecological justice. Joe also spent 7 years living and working in Latin America and reflects on those experiences. Towards the end we touch upon Climate Change, climate grief and biophilia. The second interview is a familiar voice, that of Mike Nickerson. Mike is the founder of the Lanark Eco Village and the author of Life, Money and Illusion. Mike discusses issues related to limits to growth, Climate Change and puts forward a message of hope towards the end. Listen to Mike’s previous interview here or visit Mike on the web at http://www.sustainwellbeing.net/ . In the Final Five minutes Mark reflects on a recent trip to Montréal. 

In this episode of Further Reflections we welcome back Pamela French to the show. Pamela is the woman behind the Authentic Relating Ottawa community, which can be found on facebook and meetup. Pamela recaps her last year full of exciting changes. Pamela has taken leave from her job to focus on creating authentic experiences for people whether at games nights, edgy or otherwise, or weekend workshops or in the workplace. Find out what is alive for Pamela in this new interview . In the second part of the episode Mark returns to talk about his time in China teaching English. This time he recounts a memorable three weeks in Western and Central China in the summer of 2005. He reflects on time spent in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Xi’An and Bejing among other interesting stops along the way. In the Final Five minutes Mark talks about Oscar Romero.

In this episode of the podcast we talk about yoga, meditation, kirtan and the movies. The guest in the first half is Ivy Xie McIsaac of Wishingtree Yoga. Ivy is originally from Guangzhou, China and touches on life during the Cultural Revolution, how she discovered yoga in the 90s and the influence of Tibet on her life. She also discusses her book A Complete Yoga Manual, the origins of yoga and spirituality vs religion. To learn more visit https://www.wishingtreeyoga.ca/ In the second half Mark reflects on some of his favourite movies from the 2000s. These include Before Sunset, the story of second chances, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, about a robbery gone wrong, Traffic, which discusses the war on drugs from different angles, The Secret in Their Eyes, which showcases how Argentina changed over a twenty year period through the lens of a murder investigation and Lost in Translation, with two kindred spirits of different generations meeting in Tokyo. In a new segment called The Final Five Mark also reads from the book Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson.

In this episode of Further Reflections we hear an interview with Dr. Emma Mardlin. Emma is the author of Out of Your Comfort Zone: Breaking Boundaries for a Life Beyond Limits. The book offers effective working tools to conquer our deepest fears, be they minor or major, and harness them to achieve our ultimate goals, establish higher purpose and get everything we want. Visit https://www.outofyourcomfortzone.uk/ to learn more. In the second half of the podcast Mark talks about stepping outside of his comfort zone when in 2004 he went to Fuzhou, China to teach English as a Second Language. Mark was the only Non-Asian teacher at a vocational language school and got to visit some unique towns and villages. Along the way Mark reflects on time spent in Fujian as well as trips to Shanghai, Jiangsu and Hubei Provinces and how a new relationship impacted his life at the time.

Further Reflections presents two new interviews, Ron St. Louis and David McGee. Mark interviewed Ron before back in 2011. At that time Ron was concerned with peak oil and energy issues but was just getting into beekeeping. Now it is a main interest in his life and source of income. Ron runs the business Capital Bees where he sells honey, breeds bees and does a beekeeping apprenticeship program. In the interview Ron discusses all things bees including a trip to a conference in Istanbul, Turkey in 2017. He also returns to some of the themes of the first interview towards the end. David McGee is the man behind the Lost Ottawa website and facebook page which is one of the largest local interest pages of its kind in Ottawa. Lost Ottawa shares pictures of Ottawa as it was then and elicits lots of memories and nostalgia from people online. Recently it was turned into a two book project and has proved very successful in that format too. David discusses all things ‘lost’ as well as reflects on time spent living in Boston and Berlin, Germany.

Further Reflections returns for a second year with a change to the format. In the first half of the podcast we hear from author Mitch Horowitz to discuss his new book the Miracle Club. Mitch is interested in how thoughts can be causative and the New Thought movement and weaves those themes together with personal examples from his own life and those of his heroes to enable us to potentially manifest positive change in our lives. In this second half Mark talks about several movies that made an impact on him in the second half of 2018 including Roma, The Favourite, Eighth Grade and Beast. He also looks back at Don’t Look Now and recommends the Maltin on Movies podcast among other things.

It’s the one year anniversary of Further Reflections and Mark takes a look back at some of the highlights. We hear Jim Birtch, Chris Bisson and Mike Nickerson share their experiences of the city of Ottawa, Glenn Campbell discuss Shamanism, Mark review the book Brida and Pamela French discuss authentic relating games. Later Corrie Rabbe, Randal Goodfellow and Mark talk about the movies, Laurin Fulton discusses environmental sustainability, Stewart McIsaac, Amber Westfall and Daniel Foor share unique travel experiences and Mark ends with some new material, perspectives on the books Muhammad, Jesus and The Buddha by Deepak Chopra. Thanks to all for making the first year of Further Reflections an enjoyable one.

Daniel G Mauro of Awakening Ottawa discusses Ottawa's potential for spiritual emergence on the world stage.

Mark asked seven of his previous guests including Tim Yearington, Amber Westfall and Stewart McIsaac to describe a unique travel experience and has compiled their responses here.

Trevor Haché talks about the need for more low income housing near rapid transit stations in this episode of the show. Trevor is the vice president of the Healthy Transportation Coalition.

Stewart McIsaac is the guest on this episode of the podcast. He is a sound yogi, yoga instructor and leads Kirtan. He discusses the influence of Eastern philosophy and thought on his life including the work of Sivananda and reflects on time teaching English in Guangzhou, China as well as trips to Tibet and Yunnan.

Amber Westfall of The Wild Garden is the guest in this episode to talk about herbalism, foraging, regenerative harvesting practices, ethical wildcrafting, the Transition movement and more.

Mark examines themes from six of author Paulo Coehlo's books including The Alchemist, The Zahir and Brida.

Jane Duncan Rogers author of Before I Go: The Essential Guide to Creating a Good End of Life plan joins the podcast to discuss the book.

Tim Yearington is the guest on this episode of the podcast. He describes himself as as an Algonquin knowledge keeper and will discuss Thunderbird teachings and being a Thunderbird himself as well as a proposed Shaman school to embody people to heal others and themselves among other interesting topics.

In this episode Mark recaps some of the movies that made an impression on him in the first half of 2018. He discusses Black Panther, Annihilation and First Reformed, looks back on Mildred Pierce and The Long Goodbye and re-visits Brokeback Mountain and Her among other titles.

Sébastien Bacharach is the guest in this episode. He is based in Perth, Ontario, and discusses his interest in Islamic art, the influence of Islam on his life, meditation retreats in Thailand and the Transition movement.

Daniel Foor of Ancestral Medicine discusses his work with the ancestors.

10 previous guests of the podcast give their thoughts about what they like, dislike and would change about the city of Ottawa.

Laurin Fulton is the guest on this episode of the podcast. She is the blogger at Vegetable Visions, a blog on growing food from the garden, cooking and life in between. Lauring discusses how we can grow more food in the urban environment, an internship at an organic farms, some of her travel experiences among other things.

Christopher Kelly Bisson recaps a recent conference on agri-food policy and discusses some of his political views that come from his PHD studies.

Mark recaps trips taken in the last six months to England and The Netherlands to visit family there. He reveals a slice of life of both countries.

Brian Tohana is the guest in this episode. He talks about his work with a dementia patient, his spiritual awakening, his interests and inspirations, Authentic Relating, his upcoming book and more.

Corrie Rabbe is a Certified Nutritional Practioner with a focus on gut health. She is here to talk about her new business Radical Health, the gut microbiome, animal welfare, the Transition movement and more.

Pamela French is the guest on this episode of the podcast, she discusses her role as co-founder of Authentic Relating Ottawa, her coaching business and travels to The Ukraine, Afghanistan, Thailand and Burning Man.

Robert Meagher is the guest in this episode. Robert is many things and he talks about his own spiritual journey, becoming an Inter-Faith Minister, psychotherapy, A Course in Miracles, the work of Richard Harvey and more.

Glenn Campbell is the guest on this episode. He is a Shamanic practitioner who teaches workshops for The Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He will discuss his work for them and reflect on his own personal journey and practice, helping spirits, transcendental meditation among other things.

Mark goes solo in this episode to recap some movies that made an impact on him in 2017. These include newer releases such as The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Blade Runner 2049, The Lost City of Z and Mother! as well as movies going back to the 1950s through the 2000s such as Witness For the Prosecution and Paris, Texas. He also touches on the films of Louis Malle and Hirokazu Kore-eda. 

Mike Nickerson is the guest in this episode. Mike touches on familiar themes related to the concept of sustainability and limits to growth, including such topics as facing uncertainty with optimism and near term human extinction. He also gives an update on the Lanark Eco Village.

Mark Daniel is the guest in this episode. Mark describes himself as a Guide. He talks about being a Sound Shaman, astrology, the Tree of Life and upcoming trips to Europe.

Jim Birtch is the guest in this second episode of Further Reflections. He discusses and gives an update on The Ottawa Biosphere Eco City.

In this first episode of Further Reflections Randal Goodfellow Chair of Faith and the Common Good discusses his work and spiritual worldview.