Nature Am I

This special episode of Nature Am I features Part 1 of a two-part conversation with Marcin Jakubowski (pronounced MAR-chin  Ya-coo-VOV-ski), the founder of Open Source Ecology.  In his inspiring 2011 TED talk, "Open-Sourced Blueprints for Civilization," which has garnered close to two million views so far, Marcin tells the remarkable story of how he developed the Global Village Construction Set (GVCS), a set of 50 of the most important machines for modern life. Through an open, collaborative process, he and a team of volunteer designers, engineers and builders have been developing and fabricating these machines, which include tractors, ovens, and circuit makers. All of the blueprints are open source, making them available to anyone seeking to build this technology for themselves. Part of Marcin's vision is to create prosperity at a local level by empowering individuals and communities with the skills needed to fabricate what he calls "democratic technology." Such technology can serve human needs, free people from material constraints, and unleash human potential.The machines that make up the GVCS are intended to be robust, modular, low-cost, efficient, and made from locally-sourced and recycled materials. Marcin envisions a process in which most, if not all, of the starting materials can be found in the "earth and twigs beneath our feet." His ideas point the way to a future in which all technology is sustainable, local communities are resilient and self-sufficient, garbage and waste are non-existent, and the population has the technical literacy needed for economic freedom, prosperity, and self-determination.Part 2 of this conversation can be found in Episode 13 of the podcast, to be released by the end of February 2021. On this episode, you will hear the following topics:5:27- Technology that serves human needs8:01- The product selection metric for the GVCS11:30- The open-source model applied to hardware12:55 Three ways that the GVCS can get built15:08- 3D printing17:58- Building an advanced civilization from dirt and twigs19:40- Three levels of recycling22:06- Lifetime design26:00- Open-source microfactories27:15- How to build it yourself28:03- The need for localized production29:13- Sustainable regenerative technology30:25- Economic localization and ecological integrity31:30- Natural law in ecological design33:13- Eliminating the waste stream

Here, we explore the relationship between Nature, on the one hand, and religion and spirituality, on the other, focusing on the concept of God. Topics include:1:13- Religion has failed to live up to its promise2:45- The growing trend of religious disaffiliation3:36- Why spirituality is misguided4:04- The concept of God5:04- The damage caused by dualism5:50- Wholeness in Nature7:21- Why the distinction between Nature and human makes no sense8:43- Experience your body!9:10- Creativity and desire9:41- Replacing spirituality with Naturality10:19- Creating paradise on Earth11:13- Fully aligned with Nature12:29- Experience the wonders of this world12:57- Nothing is "supernatural"13:51- Reversing the damage humanity has caused

Integrative Yoga Therapy founder and yoga scholar Joseph Le Page discusses the role of nature in yoga and the relationship between nature and humans. Our conversation touches upon the following topics:3:12- Knowing the true self (purusha)6:52- Lower mind (manas) vs. higher mind (buddhi)10:08- The need for spiritual culture11:34- Nature (prakriti) and spirit14:25- Seeing Nature in a new way16:10- Patanjali's view of Nature 18:41- Duality (samkhya) and non-duality (vedanta)20:04- The practice and qualities of samadhi21:45- Nature and the deity of creation (Ishvara)24:00- One enlightenment, many paths25:58- The essence of Tantra27:20- The purpose of living (dharma)29:04- The concept of kaivalya33:20- Kaivalya in the ecological movement35:12- The end of evolution36:50- Samadhi in the body (nirbijah samadhi)41:47- Becoming one with Nature43:52-Co-dependence in the ecological movement Excellent video of Joseph Le Page speaking about nirbija samadhi:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONh0U-VgEMgFor more information about Integrative Yoga Therapy (IYT):https://www.iytyogatherapy.com/YouTube channel for IYT:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0LXPRN8sEAybb0YNjSPM4g  

In this groundbreaking episode, Dr. Victor Shamas shows you how to eliminate your fear of death and elevate your quality of life. He expands upon the practice of Naturality described in previous episodes and shows you how that practice can help you thrive in the challenging times that we are now facing. Here are the topics covered:1:09-  2020 Milestones 3:05- The Age of Death4:12- Two major impact of recent forest fires5:27- Is this the end?6:52- Quality of life7:50- Humanity has become "unnatural"9:59- Wholeness and the implicate order11:46- You are an embodiment of nature12:33- The illusion of separateness 13:24- Why you never need to fear death14:26- Law of Conservation of Consciousness15:16- The power of OM17:10- Thriving in the Age of Death18:17- How social media can radicalize us19:11- Realizing our true nature     

On this episode, Richard Heinberg of the Post Carbon Institute discusses strategies for increasing sustainability and building community resilience. He touches on many of his seminal writings, including his books,  Our Renewable Future, The End of Growth, Power Down, and Memories and Visions of Paradise, as well as his award-winning Museletter. Our conversation covered the following topics:Immanuel Velikovsky's World in Collision (4:30)Visions of Paradise (6:53)Paradise as connection to Nature (9:08)Global disturbances caused by unsustainable practices (11:09)The need for community resilience (14:09)Balancing global and local perspectives (15:56)Protecting information in a post-carbon age (18:39)How our energy use is destroying the natural world (21:00)Making society more sustainable (23:15)Shifting away from unlimited growth (23:54)Steady-state economies (27:14)Time banking and income disparity (29:14)Coalition-building (30:37)Making non-profits more resilient (32:52)Building community resilience (34:55)Opportunities for idealists (36:35)Practices and principles of sustainability (38:34)Profit vs. Beauty as sources of motivation (41:39)Learn more about Richard Heinberg and the Post Carbon Institute.Listen to other episodes of the Nature Am I podcast or read our blog.

Discover what it means and takes to remake the world. Find out the creative power inherent in the experience of nature inspiration, why such power is essential at this time in human history, and how you can cultivate it by learning how to embody nature fully. Here are the topics we explore in this episode: 0:58- The need to remake the world1:27- Inspiration and creative power2:10- Embodying nature through nature inspiration2:33- The world is not as it appears3:18- Schrodinger on the myth of objectivity4:22- Bohm and Einstein weigh in on consciousness and imagination4:52- How the mind limits experience5:37- Nature as dynamic wholeness5:52- Bohm: Continuity is an illusion6:16- Analogy between perceived reality and a movie6:54- Re-creating reality at every moment (TD Suzuki quote)7:41- The dynamics of creation in the natural world9:06- Humans as the creative aspect of nature9:42- Embodying nature by transcending limitations10:56- Paradise and nature alignment11:24- The six qualities that give rise to inspiration12:04- Why experience nature inspiration?13:11- Stability and energy in nature14:14- How energy is building towards an enormous release15:16- Two ways to attain stability through energy release16:58- Showing the world the way to a more stable condition17:23- Accessing nature's wisdom17:54- Visionaries that offer a clear path to a stable, thriving way of life   

For eight years, Patrick Farnsworth has been addressing environmental issues in his insightful podcast, "Last Born in the Wilderness" (https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com). Here, he discusses his podcast, the deeper implications of ecological collapse, the significance of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and whether or not there are grounds for hope in the face of a potential apocalypse. The conversation includes the following: 6:45  What "Last Born in the Wilderness" signifies9:43  The evolution of the podcast and its themes12:47 Deeper psychological and emotional aspects of ecological collapse13:38 Why ecological collapse was never inevitable15:50 Building resilience16:35 Blindsided by a pandemic18:04 Hope and apocalypse20:02 Listening to indigenous people20:49 Freedom beyond hope21:22 Joe Brewer's work with regenerative hubs23:10 Being aligned with nature feels good25:02 Dahr Jamail and painful beauty27:23 Is humanity an addict hitting bottom?33:19 Paradigm shifts can be violent34:34 COVID-19 as a wake-up call36:03 A sliver of hope39:00 No going back41:21 Mutual aid in times of crisis45:55 Self-care and maintaining balance in chaotic times48:21 We Live in the Orbit of Beings Greater than Us

Learn about the powerful life philosophy and practice of Naturality. This episode covers:An introduction to Naturality (0:58)Redefining nature (2:52)Nature is infinite and eternal (5:09)Is nature conscious? (7:24)Nature as an organizing and sustaining principle (8:56)Naturality and transcendence (9:57)Nature connects us all (10:41)The three truths of Naturality (11:18)Why Naturality is revolutionary (12:04)The Naturality experience (12:33)"There are no others" (14:03)How humanity can thrive (15:21)

We speak with Richard Register about his 55-year career designing "ecocities" or ecologically healthy cities. The conversation covers these topics:4:35- What is an ecocity?5:44- 2D and 3D urban design7:46- Why a city's shape matters8:49- Ecocity design elements11:14- Human-powered transportation12:12- The city as a living organism15:01- China's ecocities17:32- Combining all the design elements19:09- Co-housing22:38- Retrofitting sprawled cities24:25- Challenges to building ecocities28:08- Deconstructing unsustainable cities31:27- The sounds of a well-designed space33:25- Nature-inspired urban design36:06- Courage and maps 

The experience of nature inspiration has been called "the greatest feeling in the world." Here, we delve into that experience, looking at what it takes to embody nature fully and introducing you to a set of simple activities you can try at home. This episode covers the following (time markers included):1:30  Nature and consciousness5:24 Nature knows best6:33 How humans became separated from nature7:29 Humanity on the brink7:56 The greatest feeling in the world11:00 What does nature do?12:13 How to thrive12:53 Ambisexuality13:42 Why minerals and fossil fuels must stay in the ground15:32 Glimpses of a nature-inspired society17:07 Maximizing good and minimizing harm17:39 Let nature lead the way18:24 Foot Love exercise

Interview with evolutionary ecologist Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris includes the following:Introduction to Dr. Sahtouris' work (0:58)How science can learn from nature (4:47)The evolution of species from competition to cooperation (5:53)Human transformation (7:40)The speed of the current evolutionary shift (9:09)Global Reboot (12:23)Building a better future (14:15)How an evolutionary shift begins (16:23)Strength in numbers (18:40)Ways to promote recycling (19:17)Feeding the world (20:35)Alternative Currencies and economies (21:48)Mobilizing Millions (26:40)Local vs Global Action? (27:24)Overcoming Fear of the Virus (28:30)Holistic View of the Pandemic (29:15)Vaccines (34:06)Nature-Based Ways to Manage an Epidemic (35:15)Sentient Plants (36:54)Restoring Man-Made Deserts (37:19)Eastern Approaches to Immune Strengthening (37:56)Nature Inspiration (39:17)Words from Rumi (41:22)

Dr. Victor Shamas introduces the themes and objectives of the Nature Am I podcast, focusing on the following topics (time markers included):A hopeful vision for humanity's future (1:01)Pandemics and climate change (2:30)How nature restores balance (5:58)Humans vs. Nature? (8:08)Nature inspiration (9:43)Why "Nature Am I" (10:57)Nature-inspired solutions (13:45)Future topics and an invitation to listeners (15:29)