Podcast appearances and mentions of Catherine Ingram

Note: this is the audio version of my 'listen and co-create' posting on 'a calm presence'. On September 23, 2024, while driving in Victoria BC to record a conversation with educator and musician Azul Carolina Duque for conscient season 6 (to be released in 2025), I was listening to Nate Hagens' The Great Simplification episode 139 : Bioregional Futures: Reconnecting to Place for Planetary Health with regenerative living activist Daniel Christian Wahl. As I listened to the 36th minute of this engaging podcast, I felt a wave of relief ripple through my body, as if a burden had been lifted…I stopped the car to listen to that 36th minute again : It makes a difference how we go out and, bizarrely, if enough of us - all of humanity - reaches the point of maturity of caring more about life and less about individual lifespan or our species survival and we find our peace with maybe living the end day of a relatively young species, then I think exactly in that point, we will find the maturity to develop the patterns that will take us into not dying an early death as a species.‘That's it', I said out loud. ‘This is the horizon I have been looking for: ‘patterns that will take us into not dying an early death as a species'.Which patterns?I was also touched by the notion of dying with dignity (how we go out), which is on my mind and in my spirit lately. Azul and I in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, BC, September 23, 2024Wahl's notion of ‘finding peace as a relatively young species' came up during my conversation with Azul who kindly shared the 3rd type of hope in an upcoming publication by the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures Collective of which she is a member: The hope in composting harm represents the idea of acknowledging that we are past several critical tipping points, and that substantial consensus is unlikely to happen and that we will inevitably have to confront the consequences of our harmful actions and the harmful actions of those who came before us, too. So this hope says that new possibilities will emerge only after we have been taught by the partial or general collapse of our current systems, which is what this person, Daniel was saying in the interview. So it's about visualizing a process in which we are left with no other choice but to transform our relationships with the planet, with other species and with each other, to metabolize and repair the harm we have caused, and collectively learn to coexist differently through the awareness that we are part of a wider metabolism that is bio intelligent.Later that day I mentioned this insightful 36th minute in the Wahl interview during my conscient podcast conversation with composer Kenneth Newby (e207 kenneth newby - living with grace) who said: The planet's not dying. Our place and our version of it may be dying. So how do we deal with that? How do we accept and live with the knowledge that our version of it is dying. It's not something to panic about in the sense that the whole thing's going away, hopefully. We don't know, but I think that notion of living with grace, living without fear, trying to live without anxiety, because those are just places where we flounder, shut off and develop toxic escapes. People will drink themselves and take whatever drugs they want to take to escape. My conversation with Kenneth reminded me of this quote from Adam Urban's ‘10 Reasons Our Civilization Will Soon Collapse' that I used in my first a calm presence posting, called why? : my rationale for creating 'a calm presence' newsletter. I go back to it often:People have asked me, "If we're all doomed anyway, then what's the point of scaring people? Why not just let them live their lives?" It's a fair question. My answer is that the more people know about our predicament and start preparing for what's coming, the greater chance humanity has of surviving this century and creating sustainable societies in the distant future. I don't know if that's even possible. Perhaps we will pass so many climate tipping points that temperatures will rise high enough to snuff out life across the entire planet. Or perhaps after the population declines and the planet warms, new societies will spring up in places like Greenland and Antarctica. They won't be societies that use fossil fuels, so they will likely be much simpler and more connected to the Earth. Maybe these societies will learn from our mistakes and take better care of nature—and each other. If there's any chance that a future like that is possible, then we should do everything we can to make it happen. The first step is to inform people about what's happening, and the second step is to help them prepare.Why does any of this matter? Reality.why? https://acalmpresence.substack.com/p/whyMy experiences on September 23rd reminded of advice dharma teacher Catherine Ingram offered me in July 2023 that inspired the creation of a calm presence:Yes, there's a point in going on. It is to be here for others who are not as strong or clear as you and who will be frightened and in need of a calm presence.But how does one achieve and maintain ‘a calm presence'?I found some answers in this except from Yin Paradies' September 25, 2024 Facebook posting drawn from the Intercultural Communication Handbook.Sensing, attending and being patient requires slowing down, pausing, and taking time to listen, look, feel and learn. Seeking to activate and use all our senses to relate as part of the world. This involves learning through relationships, through actions and through careful attention, not just through asking questions and talking a lot. Being patient and humble enables recognition of the myriad of messages that humans and non-human beings are always sending out.Note: for more on Yin's work see e193 yin paradies - interweaving everything with everything else or on Yin's YouTube channel.I was struck by this sentence in particular : Learning through relationships, through actions and through careful attention, not just through asking questions and talking a lot.There's a lot to consider in his words for a podcaster who spends a lot of time and effort talking and asking questions!The timing of this  is good because I'm taking a break now from both conscient podcast and a calm presence for a few months as I prepare season 6 - which I think is necessary - exploring arts and culture in times of crisis and collapse. I'll be doing that collaboratively and co-creatively with those who are interested in joining me. To summarize, I feel privileged to have received a generous offering through the above quotes that I have presented to you today. For me, all of this comes down to: listening and co-creating. To listen and co-create. I would like to thank those I have quoted and their kin. *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES Hey conscient listeners, Thanks for your presence. Season 5 of this podcast is now completed. I'll be back with season 6 on art and culture in times of crisis and collapse (see trailer for details) sometime in 2025. Background on the conscient podcast I've been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020 on un-ceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory (Ottawa). It's my way to give back and be present.In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays about collapse acceptance, adaptation, response and art'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also, please note that a complete transcript of most conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 5 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on November 6, 2024

From the quote by Jesus, "The Truth will Set You Free." From a zoom session with Catherine Ingram on March 17, 2024.

The final episode of season 4 and my conclusion from my sounding modernity learning and unlearning journey featuring an exchange with Catherine Ingram about 'a calm presence'.See the web version of this site on a laptop or desktop computer for a complete transcription of this episode.*  *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

In this episode, we talk to Catherine Ingram about empathic activism, effortlessness, how to stay sane in a crazy world, and her teachers, Papaji and Leonard Cohen. To learn more about Catherine Ingram, please visit: https://www.catherineingram.com/ Here are links to some of the many songs discussed during this interview: "Crazy on You" – Heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADAeIokKKNs "What About Me" – Quicksilver Messenger Service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4RBB07S5Jo "Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdWGp3HQVjU "Waiting For the Miracle" – Leonard Cohen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXvG0SMP7tw "Boogie Street" – Leonard Cohen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6wdRLuzPJ0 NOTE: The actual song that Stuart Schwartz used to play in his Satsangs was not "Boogie Street," but actually "A Thousand Kisses Deep," which also contains the lyric, "back on Boogie Street." Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xwqpo-EJXs Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature. NEWS: Awareness Explorers has made the following top listener charts on Goodpods: #3 in the Top 100 Spirituality chart #5 in the Top 100 Religion & Spirituality chart #32 in the Top 100 Meditation All time chart To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/ If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z Or on our Awareness Explorers website: https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit https://findinghappiness.com/ and https://www.playawarenessgames.com/ You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n Enjoy, Jonathan and Brian 

Note: the podcast recording was improvised based on this script and therefore has additional material.This 127th episode of the conscient podcast marks the halfway point of season 4, which, as you might recall, is called Sounding Modernity and explores what modernity might sound like, how it affects us and what we can do about it.. Maybe…A heads up that this episode is 57 minutes in duration because it is part of the ‘afield' series of framework radio in Estonia. The season began on January 1 with e101 tension:(Beginning of e101)I was thinking about the tensions in our lives and the art of finding balance points… So I went for a sound walk in Vancouver and came upon a piece of fishing line. I brought it home, strung it up and recorded myself plucking it…(cross fade to the end of e101)Listeners might recall that each episode this season ends with a question:How do you feel now?‘How do you feel now' is actually at the heart of this project. How do one perceive the sounds of our modern world? What does it feel like to absorb these sounds into our bodies? How can we change the way we listen?  How can we move away from the madness of modernity? And if, tragically, we are unable to step away, at the very least, how can we help prepare future generations for what is coming? How can art help? How can listening help? Are we helpless?(Silence then ocean sounds) I've received some interesting responses and reactions to the first 26 episodes and 6 blogs of the project so far, in various forms and channels, for example, this poem from artist and educator Carolina Duque (also known as Azul), submitted on January 3, 2023, about her experience with e101 tension :I walked down the sea line of San Andrés Island, in the Caribbean, as I listened.ListenedFelt the tensiontensIonI grew up on this island. I notice the shoreline getting smaller.I notice the corals turning grey. I notice the buildings growing taller. The overlapping reggaeton and vallenato music from competing speakers.I notice everything getting louder.I notice theTens – ion.I notice the menus saying fish is scarce.I noticeIn my lungs the tension. In my eyes the tension.In my waves, in my feet.The tension.(Ocean sound fade out)My response : I was reading Jenny Odell's ‘How To Do Nothing' book today and came upon this sentence that relates to your response. I quote: ‘I hold up bioregionalism as a model for how we might begin to think again about place' (end of quote), which to me means that we need to be stewards of the land, wherever we are, in collaboration with all living beings. I documented almost all of the feedback I received from listeners in my monthly conscient blog on conscient.ca. I am grateful for these gifts of knowledge and insight. (e102 aesthetics)Most episodes in this podcast are about the relationship between art and the ecological crisis. For example, in e102 aesthetics:The problem with beauty is that it can distract us from reality. Sit with me, please, take a moment. Sit and listen…I've also integrated soundscape compositions in and around the narrative, for example, from e103 heat:(end of e103)This thing is smart. Everything talks to each other. I would just leave it on auto and let it choose what it wants to do.  What does decarbonization sound like to you?How do we decarbonize our lifestyles? One way is to rethink the way we use energy in day to day life, for example, in e110 - drain, I talk about water : (beginning of e110)It goes down the drain (again) and into the sewer system to be processed and dumped into the Ottawa river, then it evaporates into the sky and it rains back into our lakes and rivers, bringing with it with many pollutants, and then is pumped into our homes, in our bodies and heated until… A friend, artist Maria Gomez, shared this response to e110 on March 6:Only the water doesn't stay in the Ottawa region, as it travels south in the moist of the clouds all the way to the Patagonia glaciers, and in ocean currents to Asia and its skies and then it travels up the Arctic… the water I bathe in contains my cells that are distributed around the world, and particles from the world touch me in the water.I responded:It's true that water travels in us, through us and beyond. The sound of water can be either pleasant or a signal of danger but either way we need to listen and understand the language of water…Some episodes call upon quotes from previous episode such as photographer Joan Sullivan in e96 from season 3 which I used in e106 fire : (near the end of e106)And it suddenly dawned on me that I, my hands, weren't shaking up because of the cold, but because of an anger, you know, this deep, profound anger about our collective indifference in the face of climate breakdown. Wait, we're just carrying on with our lives as if you know, la la la and nothing, nothing bad happening. So there was this sense of rage. I mean, like, honestly, it's surprising how strong it'd be in a violent rage just sort of coming outta me. I wanted to scream, and I just, you know, took my camera and just moved it violently, right? Left up, down the, and almost, I suppose, it was almost like I was drowning in the water. You know, my arms are just doing everything. And I was holding down the shutter the whole time, you know, 20, 30, 40 photos at a time. And I did it over. And oh, I was just, I was just, I was just beside myself. And you know, you at some point, you just stop and you're staring out at the river. And I just felt helpless. I just didn't know what to do…I hear you dear Joan. I also do not know what to do.I also called upon climate activist and politician Anjali Appadurai from e23 in season 2 in e114 :(middle section of e114 privilege)Privilege can go back as far as you wanted to go back, right? And of course it's so nuanced. It's not every white guy has this much privilege, but you do have a privilege that goes back hundreds of years and I think one aspect of privilege, one that a lot of people leave out, is this economic aspect, right, of class and resources. And that is not often talked about in the climate conversation, but it's a huge piece of it. Because when we talk about the extinction of our species, this extinction doesn't happen overnight. It happens in a spectrum. Who are the last ones standing? Those with the most resources and who are the first ones to go? It's those with the least, the most disenfranchised. So I don't think you can talk about climate without talking about privilege ultimately. And I think it's on each of us to unpack that for ourselves and to bring that into the conversation.(field recording of natural soundscape from Florida)The most ambitious episode so far has been e112 listening, which I presented as my keynote speech at the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology (WFAE) conference Listening Pasts - Listening Futures, in Florida. It actually runs for over 10 minutes so I broke my own rule here of having only 5 minute episodes but I decided to go with the flow when an episode needed more time. Why not? Here the final sequence from e112: (from the end of e112)Conclusion 5 :  connect our effortsTodd Dufresne, e19: ‘Whoever survives these experiences will have a renewed appreciation for nature, for the external world, and for the necessity of collectivism in the face of mass extinction.'Asad Rehman, Green Dreamer podcast (e378) : ‘Our goal is to keep our ideas and policies alive for when the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable'. George Monbiot, tweet November 13, 2021 :  ‘We have no choice but to raise the scale of civil disobedience until we have built the greatest mass movement in history.'My question to you is ‘how can listening help'?During the performance I walked out of the room at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach around the building asking that same question :How can listening help?(Recording from live performance of my keynote) Each episode of this season has a different aesthetic, a different style, depending on my inspiration, mood and what I am learning or unlearning on any given week. For example, some episodes feature unedited field recordings, such as the subway in Montreal in e120 metro where I invite you, the listener, to sit with the sound and let it speak to you, as if the sound were a living entity, which, I think, it is.(beginning of e120)Sometimes we just have to stop and listen. Without passing judgement. Just listen…. Sometimes we just have to stop and listen.Another example is the sound of freezing rain on a canopy of hard snow in a frozen forest in e122 quiet:(middle of e122)I suspect this one might seem a bit boring for some listeners because not much happens, but I enjoy listening to quiet spaces and tuning into more subtle sonic patterns and layers of sound and silence.(end of e122)When I launched Sounding Modernity in December 2022 I wrote that my intention was to :Address some of the causes of this massive and violent overreach of planetary boundaries but also to explore how we can preserve some of modernity's benefits, without the destruction.In retrospect I realise this was a very ambitious goal but also pretentious and sometimes naive. I soon realized that failure was not only inevitable but necessary in order to experience boundaries and limitations.Here's a quote from the Gift of Failure teaching by the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures collective in my February blog :We chose the word “gesture” for the title of our collective to underscore the fact that decolonization is impossible when our livelihoods are underwritten by colonial violence and unsustainability. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, our health systems and social security, and the technologies that allow us to write about this are all subsidized by expropriation, dispossession, destitution, genocides and ecocides. There is no way around it: we cannot bypass it, the only way is through. How we fail is important. It is actually in the moments when we fail that the deepest learning becomes possible and that is usually where we stumble upon something unexpected and extremely useful. Failing generatively requires both intellectual and relational rigour.One of my favorite failures is e121 rumble where I impersonate a superhero, Dr Decibel, in Stanley Park in Vancouver.  It's pretty hokey and raw but I like the way it explores storytelling and fantasy.This is Dr. Decibel. Your sonic superhero on the unseated ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations otherwise known as…  Well, I think you know where I am. (plane passing by). You have a problem here people. The low frequencies are excessive : traffic, industry, ventilation. Layers and layers of rumble and I hate rumble. Rumbleeeee is not something that I enjoy, so I'm going to use my superpowers today to reduce the amount of rumble in your city. Ruuuuumble… (imitation of rumbling sounds)(middle section of e118)Another failed episode was e118 toilet about shit. My intention here was to comment upon composting, both literally and figuratively. Vanessa Andreotti talks eloquently about shit in her book Hospicing Modernity but instead of addressing the issue head on, I took the easy way out and produced an episode with the statement ‘where does your shit go' accompanied by four recordings of toilets flushing, which does not directly address the issue, but it's a start. And, to be honest, I was attracted by the rich sound of the toilet refilling and the silence that follows when it is full, waiting to flush, again and again, precious water in a wasteful cycle of flushing away our issues…(beginning of e118 toilet)(bell and breath) where does your shit go? (toilet flush 1)On April 25 my dear father in law Robin Mathews passed away of pancreatic cancer. His illness was on mind throughout the first half of the project. I had the privilege of recording him reading his last poem, deeper into the forest, in February 2023, at his home in Vancouver, in one take. I published it 2 days before his passing in both audio and video format. Here is how e117 deeper into the forest ends: (end of e117)You know the voicesAnd you know they cannot shape wordsthat will break the surface over your head.Lights flash in the skies above, Dart through the water. But words do not form.The surface above you,Which you cannot break through.Closes….In the darkness that moves toward youAs if a living creatureThe voices fade away … or seem to fade away,And you know the surface above your headWill not break.The voices beyond the surface Will grow distant and imperfectAnd you, quite alone, will move deeper into the forest.(sound of forest from Kitchener, Ontario) I received this comment from listener Cathie Poynter, a former student and friend of Robin's, on May 8 about this episode:This is so wonderful to hear, see, feel and read. Beautifully done, the poem, the paintings, the voice, all of the sounds. It is like reaching from beyond, to tell us where, and how to move through further into the depth of the forest: of reality, life, and death. I think it is very profound. It gives me hope that we all must go on this journey. He has captured the experience I feel of time and eternity.I also wrote a one person play during this time called e111 traps, which explores some of the traps in our live :(beginning of e111)(bell, breath and occasional balloon sounds)Me : Have you ever had the feeling that you were being observed?Observer : I'm observing you. Me: Who are you and what are you observing? Observer: Ah, well, I'm a part of you and  I'm observing the traps that you tend to fall into.Me:  Traps?Observer : Do you remember the Facing Human Wrongs course you took during the summer of 2022?Me: Ya.Observer: The one about navigating paradoxes and complexities of social and global change and all those trappings along the way?Me: Ya, I remember. Easier said than done, though.Observer: YaMe: So. What are you observing? Observer : Well, what can I say? I notice that you've fallen into a trap called ‘exit fixation' which is where people feel a strong urge to walk out on an existing commitment. For example, when someone realises that the path they are on is full of paradoxes, contradictions, and complicities. Often their first response is to find an immediate exit in hopes of a more fulfilling and/or more innocent alternative or maybe even  an ideal community with whom to continue this work. Me: Like an escape?Observer: Ya, something like thatI've also had the privilege of receiving insightful feedback from listeners about the conscient podcast as a whole, such as this email on May 16 from a friend who asked to remain anonymous:So grateful to have been able to listen and stay close to your work. It's wonderful to witness, feel and sense into the different layers and movements over the course of the episode and throughout the arc of the season so far. It's almost as if the story of Sounding Modernity is being stitched by the sounds, walks and episodes and shape-shifting it into this surprising creature (sometimes scary, sometimes funny, sometimes visible, sometimes fictional…). I wonder how else the story of Sounding Modernity will further weave itself (both in/out of control) as you continue to loosen even more of your grips on it, slowly and gently. I like how humor mixes with pain and poetry mixes with interviews, and ocean mixes with toilet shitty waters. The playful and surprising diversity is fun. It's even clear that you are both struggling and having so much fun, which adds honesty and trust in wanting to go with you on the inquiry. As you approach the middle of your journey, what might be needed at this time to invite further and what might be ready to be released into new soils? May more sounds reveal/be revealed.I responded:Your point about how Sounding Modernity might unfold in/out of control is a good one as I approach the midpoint in the project on July 1. I'm coming to terms with its failings, surprises and unanticipated unlearnings. The isolation in particular has been bewildering.  I think I have already ‘lost my grip on it', in a good way. I have essentially given up on it being a ‘exploration of the sounds of modernity' - which was quite pretentious anyway - but rather, as you suggest, has become a portrait of my struggles and discoveries through the sounds of modernity.Let me expand a bit on that idea of isolation. I hoped this project might engage the arts community in dialogue with me and each other about these existential issues, which is why each episode ends with a question. It's meant to be a prompt or an invitation but not a rhetorical enquiry. My expectation was that it might interest artists and others who are in a similar frame of mind as I am, you know, dealing with eco anxiety and eco grief and so on.For example, on June 7, Jean-Marc Lamoureux wrote about episode e123 maps: When it comes to unknown possibilities for humanity, it is important to acknowledge that our knowledge and understanding of the world are limited. There are areas in science, technology, philosophy, and exploration that remain largely uncharted. New discoveries, innovations, and breakthroughs are possible in these domains and could unveil unforeseen possibilities. It is also important to note that the future is uncertain, and it is challenging to accurately predict what will unfold. Technological advancements, social and political changes, as well as unforeseen events, can all shape the future of humanity in unexpected ways. To address the uncertainty of the future and the challenges of the ecological crisis, it is crucial to foster an open, inclusive, and collaborative approach. Encouraging research, innovation, and exploration across relevant fields, as well as promoting sustainability, environmental conservation, and social justice, are essential. We must also recognize that the future of humanity is closely intertwined with our relationship with the Earth and the other living beings that inhabit it. Taking care of our planet and living in harmony with nature are vital. … Thank you for your attention and for engaging in deep reflection on these important questions.I responded:I agree that we need to keep a positive attitude and that there is much we do not know. I quote writer Rebecca Solnit in episode 19, who said ‘hope locates itself in the premises that we don't know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act'. My point in e123 was to share my stress (and distress?) about where we are at and where we might be going. … What concerns me most is our deep disconnection with nature, which has been in the works for centuries and is killing us all. … So, Jean-Marc, I don't think innovation will help if it is built on a self-destructive model. … Certainly doomism does not help, but neither does naïve hope. …So, it's July 1st 2023 and I'm at the halfway point in this project. 26 episodes done with 25 to go.What's next?Well, to be honest, and I admitted as much in e123 maps, I really don't know. (e123 maps section of scrunching piece of paper)So these are the five elements on my map: mitigation, adaptation, tipping point line, survival and recovery, but the problem is that I'm wrong. The map is wrong.  The truth is that I don't know.  There are endless possibilities and dimensions that I'm not yet able to conceive or understand and yet sometimes, somehow, I can feel them. So I'm done with drawing maps and speculating with thoughts and ideas. Instead, I'm going to listen to the intelligence of my body, to the intelligence of non-human beings around me, to other forms of knowledge and beings that are emerging, and see where that takes me. I thought of erasing it all and returning the funds to the Canada Council and becoming a monk or a hermit.I expressed this sadness and grief at the end of my June blog as follows: I was reminded today of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures collective's SMDA Compass teaching about how to walk a tightrope between desperate hope and reckless hopelessness. It's a fine line … but these days I've fallen into a deep cavern of hopelessness but not (yet) recklessly.Speaking of erasure, I notice recently that Catherine Ingram, the brilliant buddhist scholar and philosopher who has deeply influenced my learning journey, wrote on her website, in reference to her seminal essay, Facing Extinction, that:I wrote the long-form essay ‘Facing Extinction' in early 2019.  Over these past years I have occasionally been able to update the information and perspectives contained therein. However, I am finding that the speed with which the data is changing and the pressing issues that we are immediately facing, such as the exponential rise of artificial intelligence and transhumanism, have made some of this essay obsolete.  I have thus decided to remove it.Her statement reminded of this prescient quote from Facing Extinction that I used in episode 19 :(middle of e19 reality)Love, what else is there to do now?  Here we are, some of the last humans who will experience this beautiful planet since Homo sapiens began their journey some 200,000 years ago. Now, in facing extinction of our species, you may wonder if there is any point in going on.  Catherine, you're right that love is what we must do, and be. It might be all we can do, and be. So where do we go from here? Is there any point going on?(long silence)What do you think? More importantly…(end of e101 tension)How do you feel now?After quite a bit of thought, I decided to finish what I started, every Sunday, through to episode 153 on December 31st and see what happens. What can I learn and unlearn? What can I slow down or undo? I'm actually quite excited about part 2 of this project. In particular I want to explore the idea of inviting listeners differently and releasing materials into new soils.Thankfully, I don't have to do this work alone. I have the privilege of working with a number of great collaborators, including content advisors Azul Carolina Duque and Flora Aldridge, translator Carole Beaulieu, communications advisor Jessica Ruano,  web designer Ayesha Barmania and countless friends and colleagues who provide feedback and support. Thank you for your input and trust. I'll leave you with an excerpt from an episode in development. Thanks for listening and take care.(crows in city with rumble + various nature field recordings)*I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this episode. (including all the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation and infrastructure that make this podcast possible).My gesture of reciprocity for this episode is to Living Dharma. *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

Excerpted from Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram from a session that took place in 2003 in southern California. Recorded on previous media and re-mastered for this podcast channel.

A session Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram, originally recorded in Los Angeles in 2004 and recently remastered and produced for this podcast channel.

Recorded on Maui in 2010 from a session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.

Excerpted from Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram. Originally recorded in Los Angeles in 2004 and recently re-mastered for podcast format.

Excerpted from a session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram. Recorded in 2001 in Malibu, California and recently re-mastered as a podcast from previous recorded formats.

This is another archival session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram, recorded in Malibu, California in 2005.  It's called Proper Identification.

Broadcast on June 20, 2021.  Hosted by Melanie Greblo and The Coterie:  https://thecoterieglobal.com/

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram, broadcast from NSW, Australia on March 26, 2022.

Mitchell interviews his colleague and good friend, Catherine Ingram, internationally beloved Dharma Teacher and author. This interview discusses her book Passionate Presence and her perspectives on a number of topice. Catherine works with communities in the U.S., and Europe. Since 1992 she has led Dharma Dialogues, which are public events that encourage the intelligent use of awareness within one's personal life and in one's community. Catherine also leads numerous silent retreats each year in conjunction with Dharma Dialogues. She is president of Living Dharma, an educational non-profit organization founded in 1995. Catherine has been the subject of numerous print, television, and radio interviews and is included in several anthologies about teachers in the West. A former journalist specializing in issues of consciousness and activism, Catherine is the author of two books of nonfiction, which are published in numerous languages: In the Footsteps of Gandhi: Conversations with Spiritual/Social Activists (Parallax Press, 1990) and Passionate Presence: Seven Qualities of Awakened Awareness (Penguin Putnam, 2003); and one novel, A Crack in Everything (Diamond Books, 2006). In February 2019, Catherine published the long-form essay “Facing Extinction” as a free link, an essay she updates every month as new data emerges about the crises we face. If you'd like to see more on an array of subjects like this, join our Newsletter at www.abetterworld.net. There are podcasts and videos which can keep you inspired and educated for years. At our Store, you'll also find one-of-a-kind items like a compact FAR Infra-Red Sauna, high-quality, low-cost nutritional supplements & micro-greens and therapeutic mushrooms in capsules, an In Harmony, vibro-acoustic Sound Lounge & the Brain-Tap for sound healing to the max, Mind-Movies for re-programming your brain (& Life), all the way to eliminating credit card and mortgage debt. Or interested in a Conscious Community Network across the planet? That too is available. Just visit Store for these & more. And if you haven't already, won't you subscribe to A Better World's Youtube channel? Love to have you part of our community: https://www.youtube.com/c/abetterworldtvshow --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/abwmitchellrabin/support

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Broadcast from NSW, Australia on Feb. 6, 2022.

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Broadcast from NSW, Australia on January 2, 2022

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Broadcast from Australia on Jan. 1, 2022.

UPDATE: The Cincinnati Bengals have won the AFC Championship and will be heading to Super Bowl LVI.This is the latest episode of the Chocolate News Podcast. We bring you news that discusses issues affecting the Black community. On today's show we will be discussing the Bengals heading further into the NFL playoffs, the tragic death of Regina King's son, Affirmative Action possibly ending at some universities, and moreJoining us today is Digital Correspondent Andria Carter, Ohio State Representative Catherine Ingram, and Beauty Entrepreneur Sylvia Brownlee.This week's episode is hosted by John Alexander Reese (Digital Editor, The Cincinnati Herald) and Morgan Angelique Owens (Chief Creative Beauty Consultant, The Cincinnati Herald)  For more information about beauty products from Sylvia Brownlee, go to: https://www.skinbybrownleeandco.com/ Make sure to check out the stories we talked about today on our website at www.TheCincinnatiHerald.com.Follow us at The Cincinnati Herald” on FacebookFollow us @CinciHerald on Twitter and Instagram.Follow us on YouTube, just search for The Herald TVMake sure to check out the stories we talked about today on our website at www.TheCincinnatiHerald.com. You can also follow us on social media. We're on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We also have our own YouTube channel. Just search for The Herald TV.

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Broadcast from NSW, Australia on Dec. 4, 2021.

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Recorded on Nov. 7, 2021, broadcast from NSW, Australia

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram. Broadcast from NSW on Nov. 7, 2021.

Tune in to episode 16 where I chat with the wonderful Berry Liberman, publisher and editor-in-chief of Dumbo Feather, creative director and co-founder of Small Giants Academy and all around climate action superhero about: Where she draws her insights about the future; What we can all do as individuals to better the planet; Why the “inner work” is necessary; How to manage conflict at the Christmas dinner table; How she tries to maintain a balanced relationship with technology; andHer mentoring relationship with Catherine Ingram. Show links: About Berry https://www.dumbofeather.com/people/berry-liberman/Dumbo Feather Podcast https://www.dumbofeather.com/podcast-2/Small Giants Academy https://www.smallgiants.com.auSmall Giants Masterclasses (including morality as discussed) https://www.smallgiants.com.au/masterclassesSmall Giants deep dives - https://www.smallgiants.com.au/deep-divesPoetry of Impact podcast episode I mention with Berry  https://poetryofimpact.com/berry-liberman-1/?_gl=1*12ee9fd*_ga*cmx6U2VISTRGSGYtcVpwTENwaWlIUnNZQ2tYNXd3ZGZMeGZGMU1GSWUzQWFSUWNpdUFtRFJRTXVBT0tiX0lDZg..In the Deep podcast with Catherine Ingram https://www.catherineingram.com/inthedeeppodcast/

Excerpted from a Zoom session with Catherine Ingram.  Recorded on Oct. 2, 2021; broadcast from NSW, Australia.

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram. Broadcast from NSW, Australia  on Sept. 4 and 5, 2021

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Broadcast from NSW, Australia on August 8, 2021.

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Broadcast from NSW, Australia on August 7, 2021.

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Recorded on July 4, 2021 broadcast from NSW, Australia. The post Want Nothing appeared first on Catherine Ingram.

'Welcome back to the History of 2021 in Canada seminar. We're going to conclude our case study today of the 2nd season of the conscient podcast.'Claude Schryerou can listen to part one here. This is the conclusion!The setting is an undergraduate university history seminar course called ‘History of 2021 in Canada'. I want to thank my son Riel for the idea. It is set in the distant future, where a professor is presenting a ‘case study' based on the second season of the conscient podcast as part of a class on art in 2021. There are four people in the class: the teacher played by myself, a young male student is played by my son Riel Schryer, a young female student, who is online, is played by my daughter Clara Schryer and a female adult student is played by my wife Sabrina Mathews. I want to thank the cast. A reminder that most of the narration is in English, but there are elements and excerpts of the interviews that are in French and some of the narrations as well. Episode 64 features excerpt from the following episodes in season 2 (in order of appearance):e19 reality (1m05s) (Claude Schryer reading Catherine Ingram)e43 haley (2m29s)e58 huddart (3m55s)e19 reality (5m27s) (Claude Schryer reading Britt Wray)e33 toscano (8m13s)e19 reality (9m53s) (Claude Schryer reading Richard Wagamese)e30m maggs (11m09s)e36 fanconi (13m07s)é37 lebeau (15m08s)e43 haley (16m36s) (second excerpt)e59 pearl (20m00s)e19 reality (21m51s) (Claude Schryer reading Todd Dufresne)e52 mahtani (23m05s)e22 westerkamp (23m58s)e54 garrett (25m19s)e41 rae (27m03s)e67 wanna be an ally (29m47)Screen grab of Reaper software edit of e64Recording cast : Sabrina Mathews (adult student), Claude Schryer (professor) and Riel Schryer (male student): September 2021, OttawaRecording cast : Clara Schryer (female student): September 2021, OttawaScriptNote: Some of the script has been slightly modified during the recording through improvisation and is not captured in this text.(Sounds of students chatting, arriving in class and sitting down)Teacher: Hello students. Let's start the class. Welcome back to the History of 2021 in Canada seminar. Last time we had to disrupt the class because of the air pollution alarm but now the air quality is acceptable, and we can breathe again so hopefully the alarm won't go off again. Let's pick it up where we left off last week. I see we have the same group as last week. a few students in class and one online. Je vous rappelle que c'est une classe bilingue. A quick reminder that we're going to conclude our case study today of the second season of the conscient podcast, which produced by an Ottawa based sound artist, Claude Schryer and at the end the last class he was reading a quote from a dharma teacher Catherine Ingram.  I think we'll start by playing that again so that you remember what that was about. Despite our having caused so much destruction, it is important to also consider the wide spectrum of possibilities that make up a human life.  Yes, on one end of that spectrum is greed, cruelty, and ignorance; on the other end is kindness, compassion, and wisdom. We are imbued with great creativity, brilliant communication, and extraordinary appreciation of and talent for music and other forms of art. … There is no other known creature whose spectrum of consciousness is as wide and varied as our own.Teacher: Alright. Let's talk about art. One of the key moments in the 2020s was when society started to understand that climate change was a cultural issue and that the role of art was not so much to provide solutions, even though they are important, but to ask hard questions and to help people overcome barriers to action. Here is excerpt that I really like a lot from British ecological artist David Haley. It's fromepisode 43:Climate change is actually a cultural issue, not a scientific issue. Science has been extremely good at identifying the symptoms and looking at the way in which it has manifest itself, but it hasn't really addressed any of the issues in terms of the causes. It has tried to use what you might call techno fix solution focused problem-based approaches to the situation, rather than actually asking deep questions and listening.Adult student: The 2020s sure were a strange time. I heard that some said it was the most exciting time to be alive, but I think it would have been terrifying to live back then and … Teacher (interrupting): You're right and that they were tough times, but they were also a time of possibilities, and some people saw how the arts could step up to the plate and play a much larger role. One of these was Stephen Huddart who was the CEO of a foundation called the JW McConnell Family Foundation based in Montreal. Let's listen to him in episode 58 talk about the crisis and the role of the arts. This is now an existential crisis, and we have in a way, a conceptual crisis, but just understanding we are and what this is, this moment, all of history is behind us: every book you've ever read, every battle, every empire, all of that is just there, right, just right behind us. And now we, we are in this position of emerging awareness that in order to have this civilization, in some form, continue we have to move quickly, and the arts can help us do that by giving us a shared sense of this moment and its gravity, but also what's possible and how quickly that tipping point could be reached.Male student: They keep talking about tipping points. What's a tipping point?Teacher: Ah. Right, sorry about that. I should have filled you in about that. Let me find a quote from episode 19 where Schryer actually refers to an expert on this (sound of typing). Here it is. It's from Canadian writer Britt Wray in an article called Climate tipping points: the ones we actually want. Again, this is Schryer reading that quote. Oh, and you'll notice in this one the sound of a coocoo clock in this one. Schryer liked to insert soundscape compositions in between his interviews in season 2. Here is Britt Wray: When a small change in a complex system produces an enormous shift, that new pathway gets reinforced by positive feedback loops, which lock in all that change. That's why tipping points are irreversible. You can't go back to where you were before. A tipping point that flips non-linearly could be the thing that does us in, but it could also be the thing that allows us to heal our broken systems and better sustain ourselves. Adult student: So, they knew back in the 2020's that they were on the verge of irreversible collapse due to climate change and yet they did nothing to heal their broken systems?  Teacher: It's not that they did nothing but rather that they did not do enough, quickly enough. it's easy to look back and be critical but that's why we're looking at this history and trying to understand what happened back then and what it means to us now. You are students of history, and you know how significant it can be. There were so many theories and great writing about the need for radical change back then by authors such as Richard Heinberg, Jeremy Lent, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Naomi Klein,Michael E. Mann, and so many more, and there were also great podcasts like Green Dreamer and For the Wild that provided words of warning, interviewed brilliant people and alternatives paths forward, it was all there – but at first it did little to mobilise the population. People were pretty comfortable in their lifestyle and mostly lived in a kind of denial about the climate emergency. People only really started changing their behaviour when climate change affected them directly, like a fire or flood in their backyard, and this is when it became clear that the arts had a role to play in shaping the narrative of change and changing the culture. I'll give you an example, performance artist and podcaster Peterson Toscanotalksabout the power of storytelling and the idea of touching people hearts and minds. This is from episode 33:It's artists who not only can craft a good story, but also, we can tell the story that's the hardest to tell and that is the story about the impacts of climate solutions. So, it's really not too hard to talk about the impacts of climate change, and I see people when they speak, they go through the laundry list of all the horrors that are upon us and they don't realize it, but they're actually closing people's minds, closing people down because they're getting overwhelmed. And not that we shouldn't talk about the impacts, but it's so helpful to talk about a single impact, maybe how it affects people locally, but then talk about how the world will be different when we enact these changes. And how do you tell a story that gets to that? Because that gets people engaged and excited because you're then telling this story about what we're fighting for, not what we're fighting against. And that is where the energy is in a story.Female student: Right, so something as simple as a story could change a person's behaviour? Teacher: Yes, it could, because humans are much more likely to understand an issue through a narrative, image or allegory than through raw scientific data. In fact, we need all of it, we need scientists working with artists and other sectors to effect change. People have to work together. As I was listening to episode 19 this next quote struck me as a really good way to talk about the power of words to affect change. It's by Indigenous writer Richard Wagamese in episode 19 :To use the act of breathing to shape air into sounds that take on the context of language that lifts and transports those who hear it, takes them beyond what they think and know and feel and empowers them to think and feel and know even more.  We're storytellers, really. That's what we do. That is our power as human beings.Teacher: How is everyone doing? Need a break? No, ok, well, let's take a look at arts policy in 2021 now. Cultural theorist and musician Dr. David Maggs, wrote a paper in 2021 called Art and the World After This that was commissioned by the Metcalf Foundation. In this excerpt from episode 30, Dr. Maggs explains the unique value proposition of the arts and how the arts sector basically needed to, at the time, reinvent itself:  Complexity is the world built of relationships and it's a very different thing to engage what is true or real in a complexity framework than it is to engage in it, in what is a modernist Western enlightenment ambition, to identify the absolute objective properties that are intrinsic in any given thing. Everyone is grappling with the fact that the world is exhibiting itself so much in these entanglements of relationships. The arts are completely at home in that world. And so, we've been sort of under the thumb of the old world. We've always been a kind of second-class citizen in an enlightenment rationalist society. But once we move out of that world and we move into a complexity framework, suddenly the arts are entirely at home, and we have capacity in that world that a lot of other sectors don't have. What I've been trying to do with this report is articulate the way in which these different disruptions are putting us in a very different reality and it's a reality in which we go from being a kind of secondary entertaining class to, maybe, having a capacity to sit at the heart of a lot of really critical problem-solving challenges.Adult student: We studied this report in an art history class. It's a good piece of writing. I think it had 3 modes of engagement: greening the sector, raising the profile :Teacher: … and I think it was reauthoring the world if I remember correctly. It's interesting to note how the arts community were thinking about how to create ecological artworks as well as theoretical frameworks and how does that happen. I'll give you a couple of examples. First, an environmental theatre company in Vancouver called The Only Animal. Let's listen to their artistic director Kendra Fanconi inepisode 36:Ben Twist at Creative Carbon Scotland talks about the transformation from a culture of consumerism to a culture of stewardship and we are the culture makers so isn't that our job right now to make a new culture and it will take all of us as artists together to do that? …  It's not enough to do carbon neutral work. We want to do carbon positive work. We want our artwork to be involved with ecological restoration. What does that mean? I've been thinking a lot about that. What is theatre practice that actually gives back, that makes something more sustainable? That is carbon positive. I guess that's a conversation that I'm hoping to have in the future with other theatre makers who have that vision.Teacher: This actually happened. The arts community did develop carbon positive arts works. To be realistic the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere was probably minimal but the impact on audiences and the public at large was large.  At the time and still today, it gets people motivated and open the door to change. People started creating their own carbon positive projects Female student: (interrupting) Amazing! I just found a video of their work on You Tube…Teacher: Please share the link in the chat. It's always good to see what the work looked like. The other example I would give is in Montreal with a group called Écoscéno, which was a circular economy project that recycled theatre sets. Now this one is in French, so let me explain that what Anne-Catherine Lebeau, the ED of that organization is saying. She suggests that the arts community should look at everything it has as a common good, praises the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in England for their work on circular economies and she underlines the need to create art that is regenerative…Let's listen to Anne-Catherine Lebeau in episode 37:. Pour moi, c'est sûr que ça passe par plus de collaboration. C'est ça qui est intéressant aussi. Vraiment passer du modèle ‘Take Make Waste' à ‘Care Dare Share'. Pour moi, ça dit tellement de choses. Je pense qu'on doit considérer tout ce qu'on a dans le domaine artistique comme un bien commun dont on doit collectivement prendre soin. Souvent, au début, on parlait en termes de faire le moins de tort possible à l'environnement, ne pas nuire, c'est souvent comme ça que l'on présente le développement durable, puis en faisant des recherches, et en m'inspirant, entre autres, de ce qui se fait à la Fondation Ellen MacArthur  en Angleterre, en économie circulaire, je me suis rendu compte qu'eux demandent comment faire en sorte de nourrir une nouvelle réalité. Comment créer de l'art qui soit régénératif? Qui nourrisse quelque chose.Male student (interrupting) Sorry, wait, regenerative art was a new thing back then? Teacher: Actually, regenerative art had been around for a while, since the 1960 through the ecological art, or eco art movement that David Haley, who we heard from earlier in this class. he and other eco artists did work with the environment and ecosystems. Let's listen to another excerpt from David Haley from episode 43:What I have learned to do, and this is my practice, is to focus on making space. This became clear to me when I read, Lila : An inquiry into morals by Robert Pirsig. Towards the end of the book, he suggests that the most moral act of all, is to create the space for life to move onwards and it was one of those sentences that just rang true with me, and I've held onto that ever since and pursued the making of space, not the filling of it. When I say I work with ecology, I try to work with whole systems, ecosystems. The things within an ecosystem are the elements with which I try to work. I try not to introduce anything other than what is already there. In other words, making the space as habitat for new ways of thinking, habitat for biodiversity to enrich itself, habitat for other ways of approaching things. I mean, there's an old scientific adage about nature abhors a vacuum, and that vacuum is the space as I see it.Teacher : So eco art was an important movement but it did not become mainstream until the 2020s when natural resources on earth were drying up and people started looking at art forms that were about ecological balance and a harmonious relationship with nature. . Now, fortunately, many artists had tested these models over the years so there was a body of work that already existed about this... Btw there's a great book about eco art that came out in 2022 called Ecoart in Action: Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities. I'll  put it on the reading list for you so that you can get it form the library. All of this to say that in retrospect, we can see that 2021 was the beginning of the end of capitalism that Dr. Todd Dufresne predicted, and the arts were at the heart of this transformation because they had the ability to us metaphor, imagery, illusion, fantasy, and storytelling to move people's hearts and presented a new vision of the world. So, I think you're starting to see how things were unfolding in the arts community in 2021. What was missing was coordination and some kind of strategic structure to move things along in an organized way now this was happening in the Uk with Julie's Bicycle and Creative Carbon Scotland and similar organizations, but we did not have that in Canada. I want you to listen to an excerpt of Schryer's conversation with Judi Pearl, who ended up being a very important figure in the arts in the 2020's because she was a co- founder with Anjali Appadurai, Anthony Garoufalis-Auger, Kendra Fanconi, Mhiran Faraday, Howard Jang, Tanya Kalmanovitch, David Maggs, Robin Sokoloski and Schryer himself of an organization called SCALE, which I mentioned earlier. Here is Judi Pearl who explains what SCALE was about in episode 59:It's a national round table for the arts and culture sector to mobilize around the climate emergency. A few months ago, you and I, and a few others were all having the same realization that while there was a lot of important work and projects happening at the intersection of arts and sustainability in Canada, there lacked some kind of structure to bring this work together, to align activities, to develop a national strategy, and to deeply, deeply question the role of arts and culture in the climate emergency and activate the leadership of the sector in terms of the mobilization that needs to happen in wider society. SCALE is really trying to become that gathering place that will engender that high level collaboration, which hopefully will create those positive tipping points.Teacher: OK, time is passing quickly here. there are many other examples in season 2 of the role of the arts, about community-engaged arts, immersive systems, activist art, ritual based art, etc. but in the interests of time, I suggest we move to the notion of hope now. There were so many amazing books and podcasts about hope during this time. Schryer mentions that he enjoyed the book by Thomas Homer-Dixon's Commanding Hope, Eslin Kelsey's Hope Matters, Joanna Macy's and Chris Johnstone's classic from 2010, Active Hope but there were many others. The thing about hope back then is that it was aspirational. Indeed, andthere were many different forms of hope. Let's start with Schryer reading a quote from Dr. Todd Dufresne in episode 19:We're all being “radicalized by reality.” It's just that for some people it takes a personal experience of fire, landslide, or hurricane to get their attention. I'm afraid it takes mass death and extinction. … Whoever survives these experiences will have a renewed appreciation for nature, for the external world, and for the necessity of collectivism in the face of mass extinction. There's hope in this — although I admit it's wrapped in ugliness.Teacher: And it is very ugly, isn't it...? Here's another take on hope from composer Dr. Annie Mahtani in episode 52. Annie was director of a electroacoustic music festival in the UK where the focus of the 2021 was on listening and how listening could us better understand our environment. If we can find ways to encourage people to listen, that can help them to build a connection, even if it's to a small plot of land near them. By helping them to have a new relationship with that, which will then expand and help hopefully savour a deeper and more meaningful relationship with our natural world, and small steps like that, even if it's only a couple of people at a time, that could spread. I think that nobody, no one person, is going to be able to change the world, but that doesn't mean we should give up.Female student: I love the focus on listening. I think Schryer was a specialist in acoustic ecology, if I remember correctly.Teacher: Yes. On a similar wavelength, here's excerpt from soundscape composer Hildegard Westerkamp from episode 22:We need toallow for time to pass without any action, without any solutions and to just experience it. I think that a slowdown is an absolute… If there is any chance to survive, that kind of slowing down through listening and meditation and through not doing so much. I think there's some hope in that.Teacher: Thankfully, we did survive, and we did develop the capacity to listen and slow down as Westerkamp suggests. She was quite prescient in this way. But the notion of hope was elusive, because science keep telling us that they were headed for catastrophe, and there was good reason to be concerned about this and this created massive tension. Male Student: How did they manage that? Teacher: They just kept going in spite of the uncertainty and the grim prospect... As I mentioned earlier, no-one knew if was possible to stop the destruction of the planet, but they kept going on and they   use art not only to change systems abut also to keep up morale.  Let's listen to this excerpt from episode 54 with theatre artistIan Garrett: I don't want to confuse the end of an ecologically unsustainable, untenable way of civilization working in this moment with a complete guarantee of extinction. There is a future. It may look very different and sometimes I think the inability to see exactly what that future is – and our plan for it - can be confused for there not being one. I'm sort of okay with that uncertainty, and in the meantime, all one can really do is the work to try and make whatever it ends up being more positive. There's a sense of biophilia about it.Male student: OK, they knew that there would be trouble ahead but what about adaptation and preparedness in the arts community. How did they prepare and adapt to the changing environment? Did they not see it coming?Adult Student: It's one thing to raise awareness through art but how did art actually help people deal with the reality of fires, floods, climate refugees and all of that?Teacher:  Remember that art had the ability to touch people emotions and motivate them to change their attitudes and lifestyles, but it was also a way to teach people how to adapt while continuing to enjoy the things around them. Artist-researcher and educator Jen Rae is a good example. Rae and her colleagues in Australia did a lot of work in the 2020's to develop tools and resources that call upon art to reduce harm during emergencies.  The notion of preparedness. This is from episode 41:The thing about a preparedness mindset is that you are thinking into the future and so if one of those scenarios happens, you've already mentally prepared in some sort of way for it, so you're not dealing with the shock. That's a place as an artist that I feel has a lot of potential for engagement and for communication and bringing audiences along. When you're talking about realities, accepting that reality, has the potential to push us to do other things. It's great to hear about Canada Council changing different ways around enabling the arts and building capacity in the arts in the context of the climate emergency. It'll be interesting to see how artists step up.Teacher: Online student, you have a question. Please go ahead. Female student: Did artists step up? Teacher: Yes, they did. For example, in 2021, there were the Green Sessions organized by SoulPepper Theatrecompany and the Artists for Real Climate Action (ARCA), a really great collective of artists who did all kinds of activist art projects that set the tone for years to come. Some of the most impactful art works were the ones that directly addressed the culture of exploitation and the disconnection from nature that caused the ecological crisis in the first place, so it was not observations but also critique of the root of the issues that humanity was facing at the time. There was also a body work by Indigenous artists, writers, curators and educators that was extremely important and transformative. A good example is Towards Braiding, a collaborative process developed by Elwood Jimmy and Vanessa Andreotti, developed in collaboration with Sharon Stein, in 2020 that opened the door to new ways of working with indigenous communities in cultural institutions and all kinds of settings. It was very impactful. I found an episode from conscient podcast episode 67 from season 3 called ‘wanna be an ally' where Schryer talks about this book and reads the poem called ‘wanna be an ally' from Towards Braiding and I think it's worth listening to the whole thing. It's really important to understand these perspectives. conscient podcast, episode 67, ‘wanna be an ally'? I've been thinking about decolonization and reconciliation and other issues in our relations with indigenous communities. I was reading a text the other day that really affected me positively but also emotionally and I wanted to read it to you. If you remember last episode, I talked about the idea of radical listening. Well, this is a type of radical listening in the sense that each of these words are, I think very meaningful and important for us all to consider. It's from a document called Towards Braiding by Elwood Jimmy and Vanessa. Andreotti written in collaboration with Sharon Stein and it's published by the Musagetes Foundation. I'd like to start by thanking them all for this a very important document that essentially talks about how to, or proposes how to engage indigenous and non-indigenous relations in an institutional setting and, principles and methods, to consider. It's very well-written and I recommend a strongly as something to read and something to do, but for now, I'll just read this poem, on page 39 of the document and, and leave it at that for today because, it's already a lot to consider and as we listen more radically, that means just sitting back and listening with our full attention and openness of mind. So here it is.don't do it for charity, for feeling good, for looking good, or for showing others that you are doing good don't do it in exchange for redemption from guilt, for increasing your virtue, for appeasing your shame, for a vanity award don't put it on your CV, or on Facebook, or in your thesis, don't make it part of your brand, don't use it for self-promotion don't do it as an excuse to keep your privileges, to justify your position, to do everything except what would be actually needed to change the terms of our relationship do it only if you feel that our pasts, presents and futures are intertwined, and our bodies and spirits entangled do it only if you sense that we are one metabolism that is sick, and what happens to me also happens to you do it recognizing that you have the luxury of choice to participate or not, to stand or not, to give up your weekend or not, whereas others don't get to decide don't try to “mould” me, or to “help” me, or to make me say and do what is convenient for you don't weaponize me (“I couldn't possibly be racist”) don't instrumentalize me (“my marginalized friend says”) don't speak for me (“I know what you really mean”)don't infantilize me (“I am doing this for you”) don't make your actions contingent on me confiding in you, telling you my traumas, recounting my traditions, practicing your idea of “right” politics, or performing the role of a victim to be saved by you or a revolutionary that can save you and expect it to be, at times, incoherent, messy, uncomfortable, difficult, deceptive, paradoxical, repetitive, frustrating, incomprehensible, infuriating, boring and painful — and prepare for your heart to break and be stretched do you still want to do it? then share the burdens placed on my back, the unique medicines you bring, and the benefits you have earned from this violent and lethal disease co-create the space where I am able to do the work that only I can and need to do for all of us take a step back from the centre, the frontline from visibility relinquish the authority of your interpretations, your choice, your entitlements, surrender that which you are most praised and rewarded for don't try to teach, to lead, to organize, to mentor, to control, to theorize, or to determine where we should go, how to get there and why offer your energy to peel potatoes, to wash the dishes, to scrub the toilets, to drive the truck, to care for the babies, to separate the trash, to do the laundry, to feed the elders, to clean the mess, to buy the food, to fill the tank, to write the grant proposal, to pay the tab and the bail to do and support things you can't and won't understand,and do what is needed, instead of what you want to do, without judgment, or sense of martyrdom or expectation for gratitude, or for any kind of recognitionthen you will be ready to sit with me through the storm with the anger, the pain, the frustration, the losses, the fears, and the longing for better times with each other and you will be able to cry with me, to mourn with me, to laugh with me, to “heart” with me, as we face our shadows, and find other joys, in earthing, breathing, braiding, growing, cooking and eating, sharing, healing, and thriving side by side so that we might learn to be ourselves, but also something else, something that is also you and me, and you in me, and neither you nor me Teacher: We need to wrap this class up soon, but I think you've noticed that Schryer was deeply influenced by indigenous writers and knowledge keepers of his time. He published a blog in September 2021 that quotes Australian academic and researcher Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta from episode 321 of the Green Dreamer podcast. I'll read a short excerpt now but encourage you to listen to the entire interview if you get a chance. Teacher:The most damaged people on the planet are going to have to set aside their IOUs, set aside any kind of justice, or hope for justice or karma, or anything else, and carry the load for another thousand years to keep everything alive. And it's going to be hard just to forgive and then hand over all this wealth of knowledge and relationship and everything else to the people who are still holding the capital from the last great heist and are not going to give it up or share it anyway. The only way that's going to save the entire planet is to bring everybody back under the law of the land, and be very generous with our social systems, open them up and bring everybody back in. And that's going to be really hard, because at the same time, people are going to be trying to extract from that, corrupt that and everything else. Adult student: That's interesting. It kind of brings us back to the notion of reality and grief, but Yunkaporta doesn't even mention art in that quote so how do we connect the dots with the arts here?Teacher (interrupting): It's a good point but the presence of arts and culture is implied through the notion of the transfer of knowledge and through relationships with humans and the natural world. I think art is there he just did not use the word. Most indigenous cultures at that time did not consider art as separate activity from day-to-day life. It's interesting to observe Yunkaporta's prophesy is essentially what is happening in our world today, isn't it? We're slowly returning to the natural laws of the land, at least in the habitable parts of the planet, and our social systems are being transformed by the knowledge and expertise of Indigenous peoples, right? It's true that we had to go through a tremendous amount of suffering to get there – and we still are - but we seem to be on the other side of that elusive just transition that Anjali Appadurai spoke about in episode 23. So that's why 2021 in the arts in Canada is such an interesting topic and that's why we spent two classes on it as part of this course on Canada in the year 2021. The arts essentially planted seeds for massive transformation that came later. Artists and cultural workers at the time guided the way for that transformation. Unfortunately, we're almost out of time for today's class and my voice is getting tired... I suggest we end the class with another quote from that same blog by Schryer. I've just put it in the chat. I suggest we read it out loud as a group, OK? I'll start and then point to the next person to read out loud. I'll begin.  Now that season 2 is complete, I've been thinking about I can be most useful to the ecological crisis. Is it by sharing more knowledge about art and climate through podcasts like this one? Is it by engaging in more activist and protest art? Or is it by developing more green policies for the arts sector? All of these will likely help, but I think the most useful thing for me to do is to listen radically. Let me explain what I mean by listening radically. Male Student: Listening radically is about listening deeply without passing judgment. Listening radically is about knowing the truth and filtering out the noise. Listening radically is about opening attention to reality and responding to what needs to be done.Female Student: I conclude this blog with a quote that I used at the end of episode 1 of this podcast by Indigenous writer Richard Wagamese, from his novel, For Joshua. ‘We may not relight the fires that used to burn in our villages, but we carry the embers from those fires in our hearts and learn to light new fires in a new world.'Adult Student: ‘We can recreate the spirit of community we had, of kinship, of relationship to all things, of union with the land, harmony with the universe, balance in living, humility, honesty, truth, and wisdom in all of our dealings with each other.'Teacher: OK. We'll continue with more about Canada in 2021 next week. Thanks so much for being such an engaged and fun group today. Merci. Miigwech.(speaking softly under the professor, improvised)Male Student: Thanks Prof. I'm really exhausted but I learned a lot. Female Student: Moi aussi. Merci pour cette classe. Aurevoir 2021. Adult Student: Yup, I learned a lot, but I'm bushed. Does anyone want to go for coffee? *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

'Welcome to the History of 2021 in Canada seminar. We're going to do a case study today of the second season of the conscient podcast.'Claude SchryerThe setting is an undergraduate university history seminar course called ‘History of 2021 in Canada'. I want to thank my son Riel, student of history, for the idea. It is set in the distant future, where a professor is presenting a ‘case study' based on the second season of the conscient podcast as part of a class on art in 2021. The episode is in two parts, episode 63 is part 1 and episode 64 is part 2. You'll see that they are separated by an event, that you'll hear.There are four people in the classroom: the teacher played by myself, Claude Schryer, a young male student is played by my son Riel Schryer, a young female student, who is online, is played by my daughter Clara Schryer and a female adult student is played by my wife Sabrina Mathews. I want to thank the cast.A reminder that most of the narration is in English, but there are elements and excerpts of the interviews that are in French and some of the narrations as well.Thanks for listening. Here are the excerpts from season 2 in this episode (in order of appearance):e54 garrett (2m50s) (with Claude Schryer speaking)é55 trépanier (4m57)e47 keeptwo (7m27s)e21 dufresne (8m38s)e23 appadurai (11m 26s)e26 klein (11h42s)é60 boutet (17m24s)e40 frasz (19m17s)e42 rosen (20m35s)e45 abbott (22m51s)e53 kalmanovitch (25m42s)e51 hiser (27m08s)e25 shaw (28m45s)e63 in Reaper editing softwareThe cast : Sabrina Mathews as 'adult student', Claude Schryer as 'professor' and Riel Schryer as 'male student', September 2021, Ottawa*The cast: Clara Schryer as 'female student', September 2021, OttawaScript (note: the recording has additional elements that were improvised during the recording)(Sounds of students chatting, arriving in class and sitting down)Teacher: Hello students. Let's start OK. Welcome to the History of 2021 in Canada seminar. How is everyone doing? OK? I see that we have 2 students in class and one online. So, today's topic is the arts and the ecological crisis in 2021… comme vous le savez, le cours Histoire de 2021 au Canada est une classe bilingue, alors sentez-vous à l'aise de parler dans la langue de votre choix. Please feel free to speak in the language of your choice in this class or in writing of any of your assignments. Alright, where shall we begin here? We're going to do a case study today of the second season of the conscient podcast, which ran from March to August 2021. It was produced by an Ottawa based sound artist, Claude Schryer, who is passed away now, but I was very fortunate that his children, Riel and Clara, kindly helped me do some of the research for this class. I want to check if you have all had a chance to listen to the course materials, which were… conscient podcast episodes…  19 reality and 62 compilation. Were you…Male student (interrupting): Excuse me, but can you tell us why did you choose this podcast? Historically speaking, you know, there were other podcasts in Canada in 2021 that also explored issues of art and environment. Why this one?Teacher: That's a very good question. I chose the second season of this podcast because Schryer was exploring the themes of reality and ecological grief, which were timely in 2021 and still are today. Also because it gives us a snapshot of what artists and cultural workers were thinking about in relation to the ecological crisis at that time. It was an interesting year, 2021.  This is when the Sixth IPCC report was released, it's when much of western Canada was on fire, which unfortunately become the norm across Canada, it's also when SCALE, the Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency, which an arts and climate emergency organization, was created and so many other things, It was a pivotal year. I'll start by playing a recording of Schryer himself explaining what season 2 is about in conversation with Ian Garrett in episode 54. Let's give that a listen.Why did I ask that question? The reason is because I was living it myself. I was feeling that accepting reality was necessary for me to move on into a more active, engaged... I had to kind of deal with that. The fact that it's so bad, that if I don't actually accept it - especially the baked in things that we can't change - I can't function and just today, May 25th, I had a really bad dark day. I was crying inside my head about how bad things are and just losing hope and then I read this beautiful piece by Rebecca Solnit, who was saying, that there's some hope out there because the combination of all these efforts. You have been made doing a lot, but when you combine that with so many like millions and millions of people around the world who are making a difference, it will come together and there will be a tipping point towards some kind of... not just an awakening, but action... collective action. That's where we need to go and that's where we are going.Female student (interrupting)OK, mais ce balado a été produit par un homme blanc avec tous les préjugés de l'époque…  Teacher: That's a good point. Schryer had good intentions did carry some unconscious biases in his discourse that were typical of his generation and his times but we're focusing on his guests, who were very interesting, and they come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, ages, and points of view. Why don't we start with one my favorite quotes from episode 55, because I was able to listen to them all as part of my work for this class. It's by indigenous artist France Trepanier, who was a visual artist, curator and researcher of Kanien'kéha:ka and French ancestry. Trepanier was known in the arts community in particular for a project called Primary Colours which placed Indigenous arts at the centre of the Canadian arts system. This excerpt is in French, so I'll let you listen to the original recording then I'll explain what France was talking about for those who don't understand French, and of course, you can use the simultaneous translation function on your computers as well. Je pense que ce cycle du colonialisme, et de ce que ça a apporté, on est en train d'arriver à la fin de ce cycle là aussi, et avec le recul, on va s'apercevoir que cela a été un tout petit instant dans un espace beaucoup plus vaste, et qu'on est en train de retourner à des connaissances très profondes. Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire de vivre ici sur cette planète? Ce que ça implique comme possibilité, mais comme responsabilité aussi de maintenir les relations harmonieuses? Moi, je dis que la solution à la crise climatique c'est cardiaque. Ça va passer par le cœur. On parle d'amour avec la planète. C'est ça, le travail.Teacher: What Trépanier is saying here is that she thinks that the 500 plus year cycle of colonialism on Turtle Island was coming to an end and we now know that she was right, with the Indigenization of Canadian Culture movement that started around then. People began to understand the true meaning of reconciliation during this era. In this quote Trépanier talks about how it's everyone's responsibility to maintain harmonious relationships in their communities and our need to love the planet. Does anyone have any questions so far? No, then I'll move on to…  Female student (interrupting): Wait, professor, are you saying that indigenous arts and culture were not at the heart of Canadian culture in 2021?  Female adult student: Can I answer that one? Teacher: Sure, please go ahead.  Female adult student: Throughout the early history of Canada the arts and culture scene was  dominated by European art forms and left little space for Indigenous voices. This was part of the colonial structure, but it changed when people started listening to indigenous voices and learning about indigenous culture and languages at school, like I did. This re-education led to massive change in cultural institutions and shift in people's worldview…Teacher: That's exactly right. Thank you for that. Let me give you another example of an indigenous artist from season 2. Suzanne Keeptwo was a Métis writer and teacher who wrote a book in 2021 called We All Go Back to the Land : The Who, Why, and How of Land Acknowledgements. This excerpt is from episode 47:In the work that I do and the book that I've just had published called, We All Go Back to the Land, it's really an exploration of that Original Agreement and what it means today. So I want to remind Indigenous readers of our Original Agreement to nurture and protect and honor and respect the Earth Mother and all of the gifts that she has for us and then to introduce that Original Agreement to non-indigenous Canadians or others of the world that so that we can together, as a human species, work toward what I call the ultimate act of   reconciliation: to help heal the earth.Teacher: We'll come back to more indigenous perspectives at the end of today's class. The next recording I want you to listen to isfromepisode 21 with philosopher Dr Todd Dufresne,who wrote a book in 2020 called The Democracy of Suffering:I think capitalism is over, but the problem is we have nothing to replace it with. Here's when we need artists, and others, to tell us what kind of vision they have for a future that is different than that: a future of play and meaningful work would be one future that I think is not just utopic, but very possible. So, there's a possible future moving forward that could be much better than it is right now, but we're not going to get there without democracy of suffering as we're experiencing it now and will at least over the next 20, 30, 40 years until we figure this out, but we need to figure it out quickly.Teacher: Well, overall, Dr. Dufresne was right. We did go through a lot of physical and mental anguish, didn't we, and we still are, in fact, with the resettlements, the food rations and all of that, but we survived and it's interesting to see that Dufresne was right in predicting that artists would help articulate a vision for the future. Artists have always done this, but it was particularly important at this time when the window of time before irreparable damage… was narrowing. There was a sense at the time that there were only a few years left and they were right. So we'll come to see how this happened a bit later but let's move on now to look at some of the causes of the ecological crisis. Why did this happen and what were some of the underlying conditions? Episode 23 features environmental activist Anjali Appadurai and provides insights on range of social and ecological justice issues. BTW does anyone know why Appadurai is famous in the history of climate activism?Male Student: Wasn't she the one that give that speech in 2011 in South Africa. I saw it on You Tube the other day in my History of Social Equity class. I think I can play it for you from my laptop. Here it is:I speak for more than half the world's population. We are the silent majority. You've given us a seat in this hall, but our interests are not on the table.  What does it take to get a stake in this game? Lobbyists? Corporate influence? Money? You've been negotiating all my life. In that time, you've failed to meet pledges, you've missed targets, and you've broken promises.Teacher: Thanks.That's right. Check out the entire speech when you get a chance. Now let's listen to Anjali in her conversation with Schryer. This except is quite fun because they are doing a soundwalk in a park in Vancouver and you hear some of the soundscapes from that time, like crows and those loud gas-powered vehicles during the conversation that were typical of that noisy era. Of course, it all sounds much different today. Here is an excerpt of their conversation. The climate crisis and the broader ecological crisis is a symptom of the deeper disease, which is that rift from nature, that seed of domination, of accumulation, of greed and of the urge to dominate others through colonialism, through slavery, through othering – the root is actually othering – and that is something that artists can touch. That is what has to be healed, and when we heal that, what does the world on the other side of a just transition look like? I really don't want to believe that it looks like exactly this, but with solar. The first language that colonisation sought to suppress, which was that of indigenous people, is where a lot of answers are held.Teacher: So Appadurai worked closely with fellow activist Seth Klein on a project called Climate Emergency Unit which made a parallel between Canada's effort during World War 2 and the efforts required to achieve the just transition and avoid the worse outcomes of climate change based on Seth's book A Good War : Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency.Female student: Can you tell us more about the…  Climate Emergency Unit? What happened to them? Teacher: Well, I know that they were funded by the David Suzuki Institute and that they had four goals. Let's see if I can remember them, oh, I have them right here: to spendwhat it takes to win, to create new economic institutions to get the job done, to shift from voluntary and incentive-based policies to mandatory measures and to tell the truth about the severity of the crisis and communicates a sense of urgency about the measures necessary to combat it.The unit was dissolved once they achieved those goals or at least were sufficiently advanced to be able to move on to other things.  Female student: (interrupting): That's amazing. Teacher: Yes, it was, but it was an uphill battle, but we are thankful that they persisted, along with thousands of other similar environmental initiatives around the world at that time, and most importantly once they were combined and people worked together as a community and they were able to push us away, and all living beings, from the precipice of catastrophe and towards the recovery that we are experiencing today. Of course, we're still in crisis now but back in 2021, they had no idea whether they would succeed. It was a time of great uncertainty, like the beginning of World War 2 in 1940 when Canada and its allies did not know whether their efforts to fight fascism in Europe would succeed. Let's listen to Seth Klein, leader of the Climate Emergency Unit from episode 26 and his interest in the arts to help rally people to this cause: Here would be my challenge to artists today. We're beginning to see artists across many artistic domains producing climate and climate emergency art, which is important and good to see. What's striking to me is that most of it, in the main, is dystopian, about how horrific the world will be if we fail to rise to this moment. To a certain extent, that makes sense because it is scary and horrific, but here's what intrigued me about what artists were producing in the war is that in the main, it was not dystopian, even though the war was horrific. It was rallying us: the tone was rallying us. I found myself listening to this music as I was doing the research and thinking, World War II had a popular soundtrack, the anti-Vietnam war had a popular soundtrack. When I was a kid in the peace and disarmament movement, there was a popular soundtrack. This doesn't have a popular soundtrack, yet.Female student: Yah, but we have a popular soundtrack now for the climate emergency. I sometimes listen to them on my oldie's playlist on Spotify. Do you know that tune from 2025, how did it go (mumbling words and a song, improvised)?Male student (interrupting): But professor, I have trouble understanding what was their problem? The issues seemed so obvious. All the scientific data was there from the COP reports and much more. Why did they have their heads in the sand?Teacher: That's another good question. Let's look at the social structure at the time. The oil and gas industry were extremely wealthy, and powerful and they were desperate to maintain their grip on power, despite the cost to the environment and life on earth it might be, but to be fair, people were also complicit in this dynamic because they were users of this oil and gas, but also because western society had built a massive infrastructure with essentially nonrenewable resources that was destroying the planet and continued to behave in destructive ways. How can we understand this? Schryer talked to a lot of researchers and thought leaders who provides context and insights. Let's listen to arts researcher Dr. Danielle Boutet. This one is in French. She explains the lack of collective awareness inepisode 60. This one is in French, so I'll give you a summary afterwards. Collectivement, on est inconscient. On cherche à parler de la conscience écologique. On cherche à parler de ça, mais en réalité… S'il y a une psyché collective, ce que je crois, je pense qu'il y a une espèce d'esprit collectif, mais c'est un esprit qui est inconscient, qui n'est pas capable de se voir aller, de se réfléchir et donc pas capable de méditer, pas capable de se transformer, donc soumis à ses peurs et ses pulsions. Je suis assez pessimiste par rapport à ça, mais c'est que le deuil écologique, tout le chagrin et toute la peur est refoulée présentement. Il y a des activistes qui crient dans le désert, qui hurlent, et les gens entendent, mais comme dans un brouillard. Ce n'est pas suffisant pour amener à une action collective. Donc, le deuil il est loin d'être fait, collectivement.Teacher: What Boutet is saying here, is that people in 2021 were collectively unconscious or unaware of the severity of environmental issues. Boutet, who was a leading expert on contemporary art, but also on social issues, explains that people were not capable of changing their ways and that their grief and fears were being repressed. She admits that some activists were screaming out loud, and that some people were listening, but was all in a fog, which she calls un brouillard as she says in French, and that there was simply not enough momentum to bring about collective action. Of course, thankfully, this would change once people finally woke up to reality a few years later. At the time it seemed quite grim.One of the issues at the time was also a lack of agency. Let's listen to researcher and arts strategist Alexis Frasz in episode 40 was very articulate about this:There is a lot of awareness and interest in making change and yet change still isn't really happening, at least not at the pace or scale that we need. It feels to me increasingly like there's not a lack of awareness, nor a lack of concern, or even a lack of willingness, but actually a lack of agency. I've been thinking a lot about the role of arts, and culture and creative practice in helping people not just wake up to the need for change, but actually undergo the entire transformational process from that moment of waking up (which you and I share a language around Buddhist practice). There's that idea that you can wake up in an instant but integrating the awakeness into your daily life is actually a process. It's an ongoing thing.Female student (interrupting): Ok, so I get that it's an ongoing thing but what made the difference then?  Do you really think that something as ephemeral and marginal as art had an impact?  Teacher: Well, yes, actually, it did, and we'll get to that soon but first, I'd like to give you another example of the social dynamic at the time. Speaking of time, how are we doing for time, ok?  Here's an excerpt from episode 42 architect Mark Rosen: The idea of enough is very interesting to me. The idea that the planet doesn't have enough for us on our current trajectory is at the heart of that. The question of whether the planet has enough for everyone on the planet, if we change the way we do things is an interesting way. Can we sustain seven, eight, nine billion people on the planet if everyone's idea of enough was balanced with that equation? I don't know, but I think it's possible. I think that if we've shown nothing else as a species, as humans, it's adaptability and resiliency and when forced to, we can do surprisingly monumental things and changes when the threat becomes real to us.Male student: Ok. I get it. When the threat became real, they changed their ways, out of self interest, I suppose… but I have a question. Schryer talks about reality and grief as the two main topics in season 2, right. Why did he do that? I know that he was a zen buddhist and that are interested in reality, but why did he explore those specific issues?Teacher : Schryer asked each of his 41 guests in season 2 how they viewed reality and ecological grief and he got, well, 41 different answers. I've listened to some of them all as part of my research for this class. One of my favorite responses to Schryer's questions about ecological grief is by filmmaker Jennifer Abbott, who was an activist film maker at this time…Male student (interrupting): I found some info her, let me see, I think she co-director and editor of, um (sound of typing) The Corporation (2003), wow, that became most awarded documentary in Canadian history at that time. She was also Co-Director of a sequel called…  The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel(2020)Adult student: I've seen both of those films in film studies class. Amazing documentaries. I bet they scared the living… Female student (interrupting) And she was also… director of The Magnitude of all Things (2020) which is kind of a classic of the ecological grief film. Teacher: Yes, that's right. Let's listen to an excerpt from episode 45 where Abbott talks about delusion and brainwashing:The notion of reality and the way we grasp reality as humans is so deeply subjective, but it's also socially constructed, and so, as a filmmaker - and this is relevant because I'm also a Zen Buddhist - from both those perspectives, I try to explore what we perceive as reality to untangle and figure out in what ways are we being deluded? And in what ways do we have clear vision? And obviously the clearer vision we can have, the better actions we take to ensure a more compassionate, just and sustainable livable world. I'm all for untangling the delusion while admitting wholeheartedly that to untangle it fully is impossible.Teacher: Let's move on now to the other main issue in season 2, ecological grief, which, at the time, was defined as psychological response to loss caused by environmental destruction. The term Solastalgia, coined by Australian Glenn Albrecht, was also used at the time. What it basically means is how to deal the emotional charge of environmental loss. Of course, we're still dealing with ecological grief today, but at least now we know that one of the best ways to address loss is through regeneration and rebuilding. But back in 2021, ecological grief was something people were becoming aware of and not able to turn it into a positive force, not at first anyway. I would like to start with musician Dr. Tanya Kalmanovitch.Kalmanovitch is an interesting case because she was both an accomplished musician and a leading climate activist. She was raised in the heart of the oil sands in Alberta in Fort McMurray…Female adult student (interrupting): I've heard some of her recordings. She was a great violist and improvisor. Pretty cool lady. Teacher: Great she was also a performer in a project called the Tar Sand Songbook, that actually became now a classic of the climate art canon. Let's listen to her talk about grief and art in episode 53:Normal life in North America does not leave us room for grief. We do not know how to handle grief. We don't know what to do with it. We push it away. We channel it, we contain it, we compartmentalize it. We ignore it. We believe that it's something that has an end, that it's linear or there are stages. We believe it's something we can get through. Whereas I've come to think a lot about the idea of living with loss, living with indeterminacy, living with uncertainty, as a way of awakening to the radical sort of care and love for ourselves, for our fellow living creatures for the life on the planet. I think about how to transform a performance space or a classroom or any other environment into a community of care. How can I create the conditions by which people can bear to be present to what they have lost, to name and to know what we have lost and from there to grieve, to heal and to act in the fullest awareness of loss? Seeing love and loss as intimately intertwined.Teacher: So you can see that people were struggling with grief, including educators, who were trying to figure out how to support their students, many whom were demoralised and had given up hope… but it's around this time that tools starting being created such as the Creative Green Tools and the Existential ToolKit for Climate Justice Educators. One of Schryer's interviews was with climate educator Dr. Krista Hiser, Let's listen to Hiser from episode 51:There's a whole range of emotions around climate emergency, and not getting stuck in the grief. Not getting stuck in anger. A lot of what we see of youth activists and in youth activism is that they get kind of burned out in anger and it's not a sustainable emotion. But none of them are emotions that you want to get stuck in. When you get stuck in climate grief, it is hard to get unstuck, so moving through all the different emotions — including anger and including hope — and that idea of an anthem and working together, those are all part of the emotion wheel that exists around climate change.Female Student: OK. I understand about not getting stuck in climate grief, but now we're paying the price of their neglect. It makes me very angry to think that they could easily have prevented most of the current climate damage during that critical decade in the 2020s, I don't know, by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and professor, you say that artists played a key role but how did this… Teacher (interrupting): Thank you.  I hear your anger and I understand and I promise we'll get to the role of artists in just a minute, but before that I would you hear Australian Michael Shaw, who produced a film 2019 called Living in the Time of Dying. He talks about fear and grief but also support structures in episode 25: It's a real blessing to feel a sense of purpose that in these times. It's a real blessing to be able to take the feelings of fear and grief and actually channel them somewhere into running a group or to making a film or doing your podcasts. I think it'simportant that people really tune in to find out what they're given to do at this time, to really listen to what the call is in you and follow it. I think there's something that's very generative and supportive about feeling a sense of purpose in a time of collapse.Teacher: Both Shaw and Schryer were influenced by dharma teacher Catherine Ingram, who wrote an essay in 2019 called Facing Extinction. Here's Schryer reading an excerpt from Facing Extinction in episode 19: Despite our having caused so much destruction, it is important to also consider the wide spectrum of possibilities that make up a human life.  Yes, on one end of that spectrum is greed, cruelty, and ignorance; on the other end is kindness, compassion, and wisdom. We are imbued with great creativity, brilliant communication, and extraordinary appreciation of and talent for music and other forms of art. … There is no other known creature whose spectrum of consciousness is as wide and varied as our own.Teacher: (alarm sounding) Darn. It's an air pollution alarm. You know the drill. We have to go to safe area until the air is breathable again. I'm sorry about this. An unfortunate disruption to our class. Why don't we call it a day and pick this up next week? Male Student: These damned things always go off when things are getting good. I really hope one does not go off next week. Teacher : Now let's get out of this smog. (coughing).Note: this episode continues in e64 a case study (part 2) *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

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[Arte] Resenha do livro “This is Andy Warhol“, escrito pela historiadora de arte britânica Catherine Ingram e ilustrado belamente por Andrew Rae. Aqui segue o link da resenha escrita. Você também pode ouvir todos os episódios, comentar, sugerir e adquirir o livro no site www.minhaestantecolorida.com

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Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues with Catherine Ingram.  Recorded on Feb. 6, 2021 in NSW, Australia The post Addicted to Stimulation appeared first on Catherine Ingram.

It's a real blessing to feel a sense of purpose that in these times. It's a real blessing to be able to take the feelings of fear and grief and actually channel them somewhere into running a group or to making a film or doing your podcasts. I think it's important that people really tune in to find out what they're given to do at this time, to really listen to what the call is in you and follow it. I think there's something that's very generative and supportive about feeling a sense of purpose in a time of collapse.michael shaw, conscient podcast, april 12, 2021, australiaMichael Shaw is a teacher and therapist by training. I learned about Michael's work by viewing his first film, produced in collaboration with Michelle Walter, called Living in the Time of Dying, which he describes as:The recognition of the stark reality of the climate crisis we are facing, and what it would mean to me in my lifetime, or what's left of it. When I first began to see it clearly, I felt a sense of shock and fear, as well as a profound sense of sadness. I was unable to pretend I didn't see what I did and felt internally undone for a considerable amount of time. Eventually I felt a powerful call to action from that place.Living in the Time of Dying websiteWithlittle funds, no experience in the field and knowing that his message might well also be unpopular (I know the feeling!), Michael now makes media projects to engage the public about climate anxiety and grief. It is through his film that I learned about the engaging work of dharma teacher Catherine Ingram and her powerful extended essay, Facing Extinction as well as the writings of Dhar Jamail, author of The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption, both of whom I quote in e19 reality. Similar to my humble aspirations with this podcast, Michael and Michelle's work seeks to face the global changes and explore how to best live in this 'time of dying' (as they say). This episode was recorded between my home in Ottawa and Michael's home in Australia on April 13, 2021.  Michael and I exchanged on a wide range of issues including the role of media to address the climate emergency, support structures for ecogrief, the role of the arts and the concept of hope. As I have done in all episodes in season 2 so far, I have integrated excerpts from soundscape compositions and quotations drawn from e19 reality in this episode.I would like to thank Michael for taking the time to speak with me, for sharing his insights as a fellow producer of climate emergency media projects and for providing a support structure for those struggling with eco anxiety and eco grief. For more information on Micheal and Michelle's work, see https://www.livinginthetimeofdying.com/ *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

Excerpted from a Zoom session of Dharma Dialogues.  Recorded on January 2, 2021 and broadcast from NSW, Australia.  The title is a quote from Leonardo da Vinci. The post “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication” appeared first on Catherine Ingram.

Today's episode is the fourth in a series of five live conversations as part Renew Fest and Resilient Byron's ‘Resilience & Regeneration Roadshow'; this episode from Ballina with special guest and local, Catherine Ingram. Keen listeners will remember Catherine from a previous episode on the show (Ep16) in which we spoke deeply on her essay called ‘Facing Extinction', and if you listened to that episode (which I *highly recommend*), you'll recall her profound thoughts and reflections on our life as humans and the possibility or, as she says, the likelihood, that we may not be long for this planet. In that episode she shares her wisdom on not what we must do, but how we must be; not the things we should do to ‘fix' the situation, but HOW we must approach life. So in today's live conversation, Catherine and I talk in more detail about what resilient and regenerative communities could and should look like... but not before facing some hard truths. And in the face of what feels like uncontrollable environmental and societal collapse she asks, “How do we manage our minds & hearts so that WE don't collapse?” We talk about the concept of resilience, and how many consider it to be quite rigid; this idea of things going back to the way they were. Catherine says this is a symptom of our privilege. That we have certain expectations of longevity and good health and lavish lifestyles and economic growth and we just EXPECT the party to continue. She offers us a different definition of resilience, true resilience, one of being open to change and uncertainty, which allows us a very different lens through which to see the world. She says that when our expectations don't meet our reality, for example when facing impacts of social and environmental crises, rather than thinking about how we can be individually resilient, we must consider what we can give and contribute to our ever-changing world This one, as all conversations with Catherine, was deep and profound. I think you'll love it.

(episode script)[frogs 2017 05 22, Preston River, QC]Welcome to the conscient podcast. My name is Claude Schryer. Season 1 was about exploring how the arts contribute to environmental awareness and action. I produced 3 episodes in French, 15 in English as well as a series of bilingual blogs and videos. You can see and hear them at https://www.conscient.ca/. Season 2 is about accepting reality, working through ecological grief and charting a path forward. Today you'll hear episode 1, called reality. It touches upon our perception of reality, the possibility of human extinction, eco anxiety and eco grief, hope, arts, storytelling and the wisdom of indigenous cultures. The episode mixes quotations from 28 authors with field recordings from my simplesoundscapescollection and from my soundscape composition, Au dernier vivant les biens. This poetic layering of ideas and sound is how I make sense of life and the world around me.A complete transcript of this episode, including weblinks to the source each of quotation and field recording, can be found in the episode notes. The rest of season 2 will feature interviews with thought leaders, in English ou en francais, about their responses and reactions to episode 1. This is where I will be fleshing out some of the questions I raise in the episode with experts and thought leaders. Please stay tuned. Veuillez noter que cette émission est également disponible en français. [e11 Arrival 2017 09 19, Dash-8, Ottawa Airport, ON]*Journalist Jack Miles, If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?Reality, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.” Instead of being the method through which we observe a thing, reality is the nature or truth of this thing.  [e55 crôute, 2018 01 28, Duhamel QC]Definition of Reality in Buddhism,WikipediaBuddhism seeks to address any disparity between a person's view of reality and the actual state of things.[e97 raven 2018 07 24 Saturna Island, BC]Writer Sherri Mitchell, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based ChangeWe must tune in to our ability to see beyond the physical reality that surrounds us and awaken to the vast unseen world that exists. [e169 chorus 2018 05 26 Duhamel, QC]Cultural theorist Thomas Berry, The Dream of the EarthOur challenge is to create a new language, even a new sense of what it is to be human. It is to transcend not only national limitations, but even our species isolation, to enter into the larger community of living species. This brings about a completely new sense of reality and value. Historian Paul Krause (also known as Hesiod),Francis Bacon's Philosophy of Scientific ConquestFor Francis Bacon, man is superior to nature. But man is also alienated from nature. Nature is harsh and unforgiving and something that needs to be conquered. Rather than seeing man as part of the web of nature, Bacon sees man as existing in a natural empire.[chainsaw, 2016 12 04, Duhamel QC] [ice falling, 1990 North Bay, ON]Political science professor Thomas Homer-Dixon, Commanding HopeToday's globe-spanning crises all stem from common sources: beliefs and values that are too self-centered, political systems that are too hidebound, economies that are too rapacious, and technologies that are too dirty for a small, crowded planet with dwindling resources and fraying natural systems.[birdsong, 2020 03 14, Biosphere2, AZ]Activist Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The ClimateWhat the climate needs to avoid collapse, is a contraction in humanity's use of resources and what our economic model demands, to avoid collapse, is unfettered expansion. Only one of these sets of rules can be changed, and it's not the laws of nature. Philosophy professor Todd Dufresne, For the Love of Wisdom: Climate Change and the Revenge of HistoryWe're all being “radicalized by reality.” It's just that for some people it takes a personal experience of fire, landslide, or hurricane to get their attention. I'm afraid it takes mass death and extinction.Whoever survives these experiences will have a renewed appreciation for nature, for the external world, and for the necessity of collectivism in the face of mass extinction. There's hope in this — although I admit it's wrapped in ugliness.[2 appel, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1996 Montréal QC]Environmental humanitiesprofessor Jennifer Atkinson, Facing It Eco-anxiety and climate grief are sometimes framed as “disorders” but in fact these feelings typically arise from an accurate perception of our ecological crisis. It may be more appropriate to identify eco-anxiety as a “moral emotion” – a sign of compassion, attachment to life, and desire for justice. Our future remains unwritten, and by embracing the unknown we are better able to reframe our thinking in empowering ways. Writer Rebecca Solnit, Hope is a​n embrace of the unknown​: Rebecca Solnit on living in dark timesHope locates itself in the premises that we don't know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. [33 nuage, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1996 Montréal QC]Dharma teacher Catherine Ingram, Facing ExtinctionLove, what else is there to do now?  Here we are, some of the last humans who will experience this beautiful planet since Homo sapiens began their journey some 200,000 years ago. Now, in facing extinction of our species, you may wonder if there is any point in going on.  Journalist Dahl Jamail, The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate DisruptionMy heart breaks for what we have done and are doing to the planet. I grieve, yet this ongoing process has become more like peeling back the layers of an onion — there is always more work to do, as the crisis we have created for ourselves continues to unfold.  And somewhere along the line I surrendered my attachment to any results that might stem from my work. I am hope-free.Journalist Richard Heinberg, The Big PictureHope is not just an expectation of better times ahead; it is an active attitude, a determination to achieve the best possible outcome regardless of the challenges one is facing.[protest, 2017 01 21 Ottawa, ON]Activist Greta Thunberg, Message to world leaders at #DavosAgenda For me, hope is the feeling that keeps you going, even though all odds may be against you. For me, hope comes from action not just words. For me, hope is telling it like it is.[8 capital, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1990 Montréal QC]Law Professor Shalanda Baker, Revolutionary Power: An Activist's Guide to the Energy TransitionWill we redesign systems to replicate the current structures of power and control, or will we reimagine our system to benefit those are so often left out of discussions regarding systems design? [49 temps, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1998 Montréal QC]Writer Britt Wray, Climate tipping points: the ones we actually wantWhen a small change in a complex system produces an enormous shift, that new pathway gets reinforced by positive feedback loops, which lock in all that change. That's why tipping points are irreversible. You can't go back to where you were before. A tipping point that flips non-linearly could be the thing that does us in, but it could also be the thing that allows us to heal our broken systems and better sustain ourselves. [7 brassage, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1996 Manitoba]Public policy professorEric Beinhocker, I Am a Carbon AbolitionistHumankind is in a race between two tipping points. The first is when the Earth's ecosystems and the life they contain tip into irreversible collapse due to climate change. The second is when the fight for climate action tips from being just one of many political concerns to becoming a mass social movement. The existential question is, which tipping point will we hit first?[41 profondeur, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1980s Ice breaker, Nunavut]Zen teacher David Loy, Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological CrisisThe Buddhist solution to this predicament is not to get rid of the self, because there is no such thing to get rid of. The sense of self needs to be deconstructed (‘forgotten' in meditation) and reconstructed (replacing the ‘three poisons' of greed, ill will and delusion with generosity, loving-kindness and the wisdom that recognizes our interdependence). Just as there is no self to get rid of, we cannot ‘return to nature' because we've never been apart from it, but we can realize our nonduality with it and begin to live in ways that accord with that realization. [43 réveil, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1990s Church bells, Europe]Actor Dominic Champagne, Le fond de ma pensée (in French only)Knowing that I will be leaving my three sons a world in worse condition than the one I inherited from my parents, knowing that we are contemporaries in a world where our actions are jeopardizing the future of life on Earth and knowing that the situation may get worse, what am I doing with my life? How can I keep putting on shows and spinning balloons on my nose as if nothing had happened?Journalist Julia Rosen,An artist set out to paint climate change. She ended up on a journey through griefSociety tends to see climate change as a scientific issue, rather than a cultural and political challenge that demands our full humanity — the kind more often explored and addressed through art.Composer R. Murray Schafer, Au dernier vivant les biensLook at war. People who want to use noise as a kind of weaponry. To frighten them.  To scare them. To beat them down. To pulverize them. If you want to destroy people. One of the first resorts you have is to noise.Artist David Haley, Going beyond EarthlyWe now need aesthetics to sensitize us to other ways of life and we need artists to sensitize us to the shape of things to come.[28 liquide, Au dernier vivant les biens, 1998 Montréal QC]  Artist Diego Galafassi, How the arts might help us grapple with climate changeArt is a space where we can ask very difficult questions and explore things in a more open-ended way and not be committed to solutions. Artist Lance Gharavi,In a climate crisis, artists have a duty to speak up – but what should they say?While individual works of art, ‘however genius,' may have value, they won't do the trick. What we need is for all art to be about climate change.[Marche sonore 1, Grenouilles, 1992 Montréal QC]  Composer Robert Normandeau, Marche sonore 1It's a bit like taking a frog, which is a cold-blooded animal, and putting it in a jar of water and heating the water, little by little. The frog will get used to the temperature rising and rising, and it will not notice that the temperature has risen and one day the temperature will be too hot for it and it will die. Therefore, our civilization, in terms of sound, looks a bit like that, that is to say we get used to it, we get used to it, we get used to it and at some point, we are going to have punctured eardrums. Historian Yuval Harari,Why Did Humans Become The Most Successful Species On Earth?If you think about any religion, any economic system, any political system, at the basis you will find some fictional story about God, about money, about human rights, about a nation. All these things are fictional stories. They are not a biological reality, but it's a very powerful and convincing and benign fiction that helps us organize our political and legal systems in the modern world.Writer Charles Eisenstein, To Reason with a MadmanExpository prose generates resistance, but stories touch a deeper place in the soul. They flow like water around intellectual defenses and soften the soil so that dormant visions and ideals can take root. Writer Richard Wagamese, Embers: One Ojibway's MeditationsTo use the act of breathing to shape air into sounds that take on the context of language that lifts and transports those who hear it, takes them beyond what they think and know and feel and empowers them to think and feel and know even more.  We're storytellers, really. That's what we do. That is our power as human beings.[fireplace, 2021 01 26, Duhamel QC]  Composer Claude Schryer, story from participation at How does culture contribute to sustainable futures?Here's a story.  Once upon a time… I think it was during the fall of 2019, I was at a meeting about how the arts and cultural sector, and in particular indigenous traditional knowledge community, could play a much larger role in the fight against climate change. I was very fortunate to be there, and I was very excited to learn more. So, we sat around a table, not quite a circle, but close enough, and each person shared knowledge and some stories. I spoke about how the institution that I worked for was trying to become greener and walk its talk on environmental issues. Others spoke about issues like built heritage and intangible culture and hat kind of thing. Then, the representative from an indigenous cultural organization took my breath away when he said that it would ‘likely take as long to resolve the ecological crisis as it did to create it'. Now, I played this back in my mind: take as long to resolve the ecological crisis as it did, or as it does, to create it. How is this possible? and then I said: ‘but, but we do not have that kind of time'. Or do we? We all looked at each other in silence. I'll never forget that moment. [e105 thunder, 2018 08 04, Duhamel QC]Activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Our survival utterly depends on living in nature, not apart from itIt's important to recognize how closely linked environment, health, economics, culture and rights are in our society. The Earth is a living, breathing entity just the same as our bodies are. Our survival utterly depends on living in nature, not apart from it. Writer Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of PlantsThe land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.[frogs 2017 05 22, Preston River, QC]Dharma teacher Catherine Ingram, Facing Extinction : Despite our having caused so much destruction, it is important to also consider the wide spectrum of possibilities that make up a human life.  Yes, on one end of that spectrum is greed, cruelty, and ignorance; on the other end is kindness, compassion, and wisdom. We are imbued with great creativity, brilliant communication, and extraordinary appreciation of and talent for music and other forms of art. There is no other known creature whose spectrum of consciousness is as wide and varied as our own.*I agree with Catherine that we humans are conscient beings, with an unlimited capacity for, yes, greed, cruelty, ignorance and selfishness but also for kindness, compassion, wisdom, creativity and imagination.My own understanding and perception of reality have been transformed since I started writing this episode. Yuval Harari's statement about how ‘fictional stories are not a biological reality' shook me up and woke me up.More and more, I now see, and more importantly, I now feel in my bones, ‘the state of things as they actually exist', without social filters or unsustainable stories blocking the way. So where do we go from here? Eric Beinhocker reminded us earlier in the program that humankind is in a race between two tipping points: irreversible collapse or mass social movement.  My heart, of course, is with massive social movement, there are signs of it growing, however, my rational mind, informed by science, sees irreversible collapse as the most likely outcome. and this collapse has already begun and so we must make every effort, for the benefit of future generations, to slow down the collapse while a mass social movement grows. Personally, my hope is that we find a way to accept reality, to work our way through ecological grief and to chart a path forward. My dream, as zen teacher David Loy suggests, is that one day, we can ‘realize our nonduality with nature and begin to live in ways that accord with that realization'.  *You've been listening to reality, episode 1 of season 2 of the conscient podcast. My name is Claude Schryer. I would like to warmly thank the 28 individuals who I quoted in this program. Some of their quotes have been slightly abbreviated for concision and clarity. I also want to thank all those who have helped me produce this episode, in particular my wife Sabrina Mathews and podcast consultant Ayesha Barmania.Please keep in mind that this podcast is a work in progress and that I'm aware that my work has moments of incoherence, contradiction, unconscious bias, a bit of panic and some naïveté, among other things, so please feel free to challenge my assumptions, share your thoughts and join the conversation through conscient.ca. Also keep in mind that these are troubling and challenging issues, so please do not hesitate to reach out to support groups or counselling services in your community for help. A reminder that episode 2 (é20 réalité) is the French version of this program and episode 3 will be the first in a series of conversations with guests about their response to the reality episode.Take good care and thanks for listening.[e74 sky, 2018 08 04, Duhamel QC]Thanks to Hélène Prévost and Lolita Boudreault for their support. *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

This was performed as a livestream as part of the National Sustainable Living Festival. The Climactic Collective is the podcast network by and for Australia's climate community. Curation is the monthly audio magazine show that highlights the best of the network – and the broader community. Participants get to see the live episode recorded and streamed live. Clips: Nourishing Matters to Chew On | On Eating Meat Part 1 "It's Not the Cow, It's the How"  Overview Effect with James Perrin | 14 - Catherine Ingram sees the purpose of accepting the unacceptableSustainable You | Episode 42: Preserving the right to witness nature's beauty Interviews:Michael Hilliard | The Red Line Mike Williams | Mike Williams and Friends/#100interviewsin24hours See /privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

NARAL's The Morning After is a production of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. This week, we're playing audio from floor speeches during today's House debate over a six-week abortion ban. This episode includes speeches from Rep. Nickie Antonio, Rep. Kristin Boggs, Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, Rep. Stephanie Howse, Rep. Brigid Kelly, and Rep. Catherine Ingram. The Ohio House passed a six-week abortion ban by a vote of 58-35. NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said: “Anti-abortion ideologues should not attempt to insert politics between a patient and their physician. What we're seeing is state legislators, John Kasich, and Mike DeWine playing politics with women's lives. This abortion ban would block patients from the care they need and deserve. If enacted, this legislation would worsen the reproductive health care crisis in our state. The decision to have an abortion is not a political decision.” Find info on upcoming events on our Facebook event page.

Gisele ponders what it means to be a One-Person Parade, “100 Words,” and part one of our interview with dharma teacher Catherine Ingram, who is so peaceful and nice!!! Our... The post The Gisele Show Podcast, mit Friends! (part 1) – January 16, 2016 first appeared on The Gisele Show Podcast, mit Friends.

Part two of Gisele’s interview with dharma teacher Catherine Ingram, a couple of listener submissions, and a game, “Live or Buy, or Who Said it Best: the Guru or the... The post The Gisele Show Podcast, mit Friends! (part 2) – January 16, 2016 first appeared on The Gisele Show Podcast, mit Friends.