Podcasts about like alice

Ever find yourself spiraling into overthinking, anxiety, or worst-case scenarios? Like Alice in Alice in Wonderland, one thought can send you tumbling down a mental rabbit hole. But what if you could stop the fall?In this episode, learn why you spiral, how to press pause, and practical steps to regain control.Listen now and take back control of your thoughts!

How much like Alice in Wonderland is the American Economy? Zach Abraham joins usZach Abraham joins us today to discuss the state of the economy and what the future holds. We talk about government run grocery stores being launched in Chicago and what appears to be a plan to kick out private retailers. We also circle back to the current state of our Alice In Wonderland economy and the truth behind the scam known as the ‘Federal Reserve'.What does God's Word say? Proverbs 29:2 2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.34 Bible Verses about sorcerers4Patriots https://4patriots.com Protect your family with Food kits, solar generators and more at 4Patriots. Use code TODD for 10% off your first purchase. Alan's Soaps https://alanssoaps.com/TODD Use coupon code ‘TODD' to save an additional 10% off the bundle price. American Financing https://americanfinancing.net Visit to see what American Financing can do for you or call 866-887-2275 BiOptimizers https://bioptimizers.com/todd Use promo code TODD for 10% off your order. Bonefrog https://bonefrog.us Enter promo code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your subscription. Bulwark Capital http://KnowYourRiskRadio.com Find out how Bulwark Capital Actively Manages risk. Call 866-779-RISK or visit KnowYourRiskRadio.com Patriot Mobile https://patriotmobile.com/herman Get free activation today with offer code HERMAN. Visit or call 878-PATRIOT. RuffGreens https://ruffgreens.com/todd Get your FREE Jumpstart Trial Bag of Ruff Greens, simply cover shipping. Visit or call 877-MYDOG-64. SOTA Weight Loss https://sotaweightloss.com SOTA Weight Loss is, say it with me now, STATE OF THE ART! Sound of Freedom https://angel.com/freedom Join the two million and see Sound of Freedom in theaters July 4th. GreenHaven Interactive https://greenhaveninteractive.com Digital Marketing including search engine optimization and website design.

This podcast starts with an ODE!!! Sparrow on poetical fire. #waveon. Did you see that? We interviewed the Milkman and then the GWS Giants hung in there and gutsed out a win in the pouring rain in 8 degrees centigrade at Traeger Park in Alice Springs in the middle of a desert. Is it a coincidence? (imagine thinking face emoji) Every possible angle in every possible universe is picked over by Ragnar Lothbrok, Sparrow and Needles in a forensic hour of fascinating football banter. Never Surrender by the Squinters is the world's best GWS Giants AFL fan-made podcast and we know it. And now that Ragnar has migrated from angry email writing fan to embittered podcast pundit, there is room in our inbox for YOU! Neversurenderpod@gmail.com

A Town Like Alice 4x-xx-xx (01)

Some brutally honest bedroom feedback, rating our hall passes & MG's most touching Random Act Of Kindness so far. #sydney #triplem See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the nonlinear library, where we use text-to-speech software to convert the best writing from the rationalist and ea communities into audio. This is: Thiel on Progress and Stagnation, published by Richard_Ngo on the effective altruism forum. This is a linkpost for Peter Thiel is one of the most exciting and original thinkers of our era, but many of his opinions are scattered across a range of talks and articles. So Jeremy Nixon and I have put together an organised presentation of his views on progress and stagnation, in his own words. The full document, which is a little over 100 pages, is here; below I've listed some of his key quotes. While I don't agree with all of his opinions, I've found many of them very insightful and valuable. I'm particularly interested in understanding how to reconcile his views on stagnation with the sort of accelerationist view of technological progress portrayed here and elsewhere. Key quotes: When tracked against the admittedly lofty hopes of the 1950s and 1960s, technological progress has fallen short in many domains. When we talk about how fast science is progressing, we do it with little precision. Are we accelerating in scientific and technical fields? How fast is this? In response, we get fairly vague answers. I would submit that the consensus in both a Silicon Valley and academic context is that we are doing great and that everything is just moving super fast. All these forms of accelerations. And we can debate whether it's utopian - Kurzweil with the singularity is near, where all you need to do is sit back and eat some popcorn and watch the movie of the future unfold, or this dystopia, all the science fiction movies from Hollywood and all the robots will kill you, or you'll be in this matrix - we're either accelerating to utopia or accelerating to dystopia. The somewhat contrarian thesis I have on this is that perhaps the progress is not as fast as advertised. Things have been slower and have been slower for quite some time. The single most important economic development in recent times has been the broad stagnation of real wages and incomes since 1973, the year when oil prices quadrupled. To a first approximation, the progress in computers and the failure in energy appear to have roughly canceled each other out. Like Alice in the Red Queen's race, we (and our computers) have been forced to run faster and faster to stay in the same place. Probably the only engineering fields that are doing really well are computer science and maybe, at this point, petroleum engineering. And most other areas of engineering have been bad career decisions the last 40 years . Nuclear engineering, aerospace engineering, were really catastrophic decisions for very talented people to go into. So even though rhetorically we always say that we want more science and engineering people, in practice, these have been extremely tough fields. You could say that all these gadgets and devices, they dazzle us but they also distract us from the ways in which our larger surroundings are strangely old. So we run cell phones while we're riding in a 19th-century subway system in New York. San Francisco, the housing stock looks like it's from the 50s and 60s, it's mostly quite decrepit and incredibly hard to change these sort of things. So you have bits making progress, atoms are strangely very stuck. On our website, we have this tagline – “They promised us flying cars and all we got was 140 characters.” Which is a little bit of a dig at Twitter. But in some sense Twitter is probably a great business. The thousand people who work at Twitter are going to have well-paying jobs. I suspect it will last for decades. It's probably not enough to take our civilization to the next level. But again it's a mistake to blame Twitter for that. It's more a problem with not enough happening elsewhere. The story of specific success that masks generalized failure is one we find very hard to tell. We live in a world where we've been w...

All the land in the world. And god chose this land as his own. God saw this land and called it good. He said to the Europeans. This is the land. To divide and to take. Land to till and plant. Land to build and expand. The natives? Kill them in my name. You'll need slaves. And god told them, there's a continent not too far away. Where there are humans you can take. So god saw the land and said it is well. This land is great land. In the name of virgins. To establish a western front. A western world. A magic kingdom with kings and jokes.a blessed land. A blissful land. The dirt and earth cannot exchange hands. Holy is the nothing we come from, the abyss we'll float inside of. Like Alice. for eternity. They have everything on camera. All is a record. So it's ok. You've been found and you are exposed. They know it all. Your addictions. Your hang ups. Your wants. Your desires. Your search engines. So fuck it. There's nothing to lose. Other than your life. And life you lose anyway. So step out in radical behaviors to end the evil that is practiced. Evil in the name of god. Evil in the name of Christ. Evil in the name of lives. Evil in the name of lies.

My Links New Romance Author Website! Check it out and see what you think! You can also join the mailing list and get free short stories and be the first to hear about new romance books or giveaways! www.pennymayromance.com   Interested in a spicy contemporary romance book? Check out Blissful Awakenings here1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096T46KX7/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_V5RSM8Q1XM7HJQ45Q974   Tools I Use for This Show: Podbean - I use Podbean to host my website because I think they do a great job of distributing it to podcast channels are super easy to use. If you'd like to give it a whirl, here's a link for one month free! https://www.podbean.com/GoFindOutPodcast   Canva - Free 30 day trial of Canva Pro! Make stunning social media images with Canva's designer tools! https://partner.canva.com/c/2534412/647168/10068   Looking for more inspiration? Sign up for the Go Find Out Podcast email list and get tips on how to kick your fears to the curb and go find out! You'll also hear about upcoming guests and any new book releases!  https://mailchi.mp/269e51a68b80/im-ready-to-go-find-out   You can also follow this podcast on: Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/GoFindOutPodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/gfopodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gofindoutpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChkAbL0fPvaomE_vZKz-hIQ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jjrussellwrites Email me: EvergrowthCoach@gmail.com   Interested in my fiction or articles about being an Indie-Author? Check out my author website at https://www.jjrussellwrites.com Want to support the podcast? Buy me a cup of coffee here! https://ko-fi.com/gofindoutpodcast

At the very center of the Christian faith lies a Community; a loving, self-sustaining, beautiful Community. The Trinity - God as Three-in-One - is the Mystery at the center of it all. We want to spend the summer exploring the Trinity by looking at each unique person that makes up the Godhead. We will first spend 5 weeks asking: Who is Jesus? Next, we will move to look at 4 key attributes of God the Father. The fact that God is trustworthy, holy, generous and self-sacrificing. Last, but not least, we will spend 2 weeks pondering how God the Spirit works in the world and in our lives. At the heart of our faith, lies a Community. A Community we are invited into because of God's love for us and God's desire to bring us into unity with himself.

I am someone who lives in the world of both/and. Meaning, I find deep value for the scientific research being done to explain the structure, functionality and physiology of our Bodies, BUT I believe we cannot take our finger off the pulse of the Spirit and Dao that courses through these temporary vessels we call our Bodies. Our bodies are the storytellers of our lives. But are we really listening? More and more of us are turning towards traditional cultural lineages of healing for guideposts of how to feel more at home in our bodies. Because we need both the microscope and the telescope to connect the dots on how to be safe, whole and embodied. I’ve invited Tracey Stevens to share her wisdom about these intangible narratives that run through our physical cells. Tracey is also someone who lives in the world of both/and.She has worked in the health industry for over 30 years. She started out in western medicine as an Occupational Therapist later trained in Five Element Acupuncture, Hypnotherapy, Past Life Regression Therapy and Compassionate Inquiry.  Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole she has been on a deep metaphysical journey resulting in her practice today which specializes in helping people understand the emotional root cause of their physical problems. What You'll Learn in this Episode: Stoking curiosity about our Body to reclaim the medicine of alignmentThe history of colonialism and the fracturing of mind-body-spirit medicineHow the Body speaks through metaphorsThe potency of healing through stories Resources: Polyvagal Theory by Steven W. Porges Your Speakers:Kat Lee  is an Intimacy + Relationship Coach, host of The Empowered Curiosity Podcast and Creator of The Heart Lab. She guides pattern-breakers to alchemize their emotions and embody their healing journey to cultivate intimacy as a spiritual practice. Kat Lee's Website // InstagramTracey Stevens is an acupuncturist specializing in the mind body connection  She helps people find the emotional root cause of their physical issues.Tracey's Website // InstagramThis podcast is made possible with sound production by Andre Lagace.Original music by Mayan KitesSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=34245616)

Like Alice in wonderland, follow the white rabbit and go explore wonderful wonderland

Zazen is the bomb,the essence of essential.Without it, no Zen.* * *You can’t spell “zazen” without “z-e-n, zen,” and you can’t practice Zen without zazen. Some who should know better may disagree, but Zen cannot be separated from Buddhism, and Zen is founded exclusively on the insights that come from zazen. Some might argue that they do not have to practice meditation in order to “get” Zen, to adopt its worldview, and enjoy the benefits thereof. I say good luck with that.While working on my graduate degree in design, I had a roommate sharing an apartment on the north side of Chicago, a jazz pianist who would come home from the gig, toss his hat at the hat rack, and declare “My Zen thing is working!” — or not — depending on whether he missed, or not. For some, Zen is just that simple. We are either in the flow, or not. In the moment, or not. When we are, that is Zen. When we are not, it is not.This particular stereotype may stem from Zen’s Taoist heritage in China. Taoism stresses being in harmony with the Great Way, and offers some parables on that theme, including a shaggy dog story about the Taoist’s sympathetic neighbor, who loudly laments when his only horse runs off, then celebrates its return, followed by a whole herd of horses. Next, he laments the Taoist’s son breaking his leg while taming one of the wild stallions, then celebrating the fact that the army does not conscript the son, and on and on, with the pendulum swinging wildly, day after day. Meanwhile the Taoist himself responds only, “I don’t know, could be good, could be bad…” with each reversal of fortune.This tale, which begins to sound like a standup routine from the Borscht Belt, certainly has a grain of truth in it, like any good stereotype. It offers a shortcut way of thinking, so that we don’t have to take its message too seriously.But seriously, folks… life gets tedious, as grandma used to say. There are endless, and unrelenting — and not only technical — circumstances beyond our control — beyond anyone’s control — that intrude at the most inconvenient moments. Like the current pandemic. Or the impending election. But no worries — we won’t go there.Where we will go is back to zazen. It is the “bomb” — or more accurately, “da bomb” — which the dictionary defines as “an outstandingly good person or thing.” That such a hipster colloquial expression would be given space in what used to be the pages, now the computer screen, of what used to be the somber, sober, primary authoritative tome on English vocabulary usage — the dictionary — is both refreshing, and disturbing. Purists lament such liberal laxity of language, while laissez-faire anarchists celebrate mocking what used to be “the king’s English.”Which brings us to the repeat references to language that you may stumble across, if you are not careful enough to avoid the Soto Zen liturgy, especially those gnarly missives from China, three major teachings that we chant, from the early Chinese transmission. The first, second and third hail from around the 600s, 700s, and 800s CE, respectively, almost exactly a century apart. I will read the Japanese version of the Masters’ names, the Chinese pronunciation being more challenging:Hsinhsinming / “Faith Mind”(Jianzhi Sengcan/Kanchi Sosan d. 606)Sandokai / “Harmony of Difference and Equality”(Shitou Xiqian/Sekito Kisen 700–790)andHokyo Zammai / “Precious Mirror Samadhi”(Dongshan Liangjie/Tozan Ryokai 807–869)The first is by the third Ch’an patriarch after Bodhidharma, usually referred to as Sengcan, and is the longest, at a bit fewer than 1,000 words in English translation. The second is the shortest, at just under 300 words, and the third is in-between, at just under 500. That translates roughly into three pages for the first, one for the second, and two pages for the third. A factoid that, 100 years apart, these three Masters felt moved to comment on Zen at radically different length. Do you suppose that they imagined that we would be reading these, over 1,000 years later?What they have to say about Zen, and our compulsion to translate experience into words and concepts, is instructive. The first, Hsinhsinming, starts out challenging our very preference for preferences:The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferencesShortly thereafter, he points out that this applies to all dimensions of practice and daily life, without mentioning meditation, including our preference for passivity over activity, for example trying to suppress the monkey mind, which in Zen is a losing proposition:When you try to stop activity to achieve passivityyour very effort fills you with activityAs long as you remain in one extreme or the otheryou will never know OnenessWe should note that while both extremes are to be avoided, the gist of the poem points to nonduality of reality, where even emphasizing “oneness” as a thing can be misleading:Although all dualities come from the Onedo not be attached even to this OneAnd later, toward the end,When such dualities cease to exist, Oneness itself cannot existNonetheless, we dance with the idea of duality versus nonduality as we work our way through the Master’s analysis:Those who do not live in the single Way fail in both activity and passivity — assertion and denialTo deny the reality of things is to miss their realityto assert the emptiness of things is to miss their realitySo even emptiness, the holy grail of Zen, can be a case of over-thinking. Further:The more you talk and think about itthe further astray you wander from the truthStop talking and thinking, and there is nothing you will not be able to knowThat is pretty brutal, but compassionately so. Talking and thinking do not necessarily help. They can even get in the way of knowing, in the deepest sense of the term. From the second poem, Sandokai, we hear more comments about language from Sekito Kisen:…revered and common, each has its speechHow many times have we heard, and recoiled from, that holy-holy sort of tone of voice, preaching in stentorian resonance, or hush-hush whisper — indicating that what is being said is really special, apart from the ordinary, so listen up — but which often comes off as somewhat strained, even phony? Attempted eloquence slides into artificial cadence.But according to Master Dogen, in his first manual on meditation, “By virtue of zazen, it is possible to transcend the difference between common and sacred.” It is said that there is no “stench of holiness” in Zen. The down-to-earth, earthy and pithy comments of great Zen masters of the past, such as Dogen — who recognized the importance and rarity of encountering and hearing the “true Dharma,” but considered it nothing out of the ordinary — are downright refreshing by contrast. Sandokai also includes comments on the nature of language itself:Darkness merges refined and common wordsbrightness distinguishes clear and murky phrasesHere the reference to darkness versus brightness may be Ch’an symbolism, but I think a simpler, more direct interpretation is in order. Refined or revered speech includes the vernacular, when considered from the standpoint that there is no daylight between the common and sacred in Zen. The brightness of Zen’s direct, experiential insight allows us to sort through the phrases of the ancients, no matter how clear or murky the syntax.Toward the end of Master Sekito’s poem, we find another zinger on language itself:Hearing the words, understand the meaningdo not establish standards of your ownWhile Zen is the ultimate in do-it-yourself as a practice, there is something to be said for listening to others who have been there and done that, and to not be fooled by the words themselves, or our preconceptions of their meaning. Perhaps the most famous phrase from Zen, one that everyone seems to think they know the meaning of, is “The finger pointing at the moon.” Do not be taken in by either the finger, or the moon. The standards that have been handed down from the ancients — who were no slackers, after all — are what Dogen was interested in finding out, in China. Which he demonstrated, when asked what souvenirs he had brought back, by holding out his empty hands.Master Tozan, the founder of Soto Zen in China, begins the third poem with the stunning assertion:The dharma of thusness is intimately transmitted by buddhas and ancestorsNow you have it; preserve it wellWe have to wonder who he thinks his audience is. Is he implying that we already have the Dharma? “Thusness” is a tricky word here, pointing to the “as-it-is-ness” of reality, the ineffable truth that is fully in front of our face, but totally beyond expression, like the moon that can only be pointed to. If we “have it,” it must have somehow already been transmitted to us, in this intimate fashion, so intimate that we may be totally unaware of when and how it happened. Again, Master Dogen has got you covered (Jijuyu Zammai “Self-fulfilling Samadhi”):When you first seek Dharmayou imagine that you are far away from its environsBut Dharma is already correctly transmittedyou are immediately your original selfSo we don’t have something else to worry about acquiring, this Dharma. It is innate, our birthright. Yet we are charged with preserving it, and doing that well. So we have to at least have some idea of what it is that we are preserving, and how. Not to mention who, exactly, we are preserving it for. We understand that it cannot be transmitted in words, so in what kind of language is it communicated? Master Tozan, the “To” in Soto, drops a clue in the next stanza:The meaning does not reside in the wordsbut a pivotal moment brings it forthThis “pivotal moment,” of which we have heard much, seems to be the ticket to what is missing. As Master Dogen reminds us some 400 years later, in the same tract:All this, however, does not appear within perception, because it is unconstructedness in stillness, it is immediate realizationIf the Dharma were an object of perception, in other words, it would by definition have to be a mental construction. He continues clarifying this point, the difference between appearance and essence, in the Genjokoan excerpt from Bendowa, the first chapter in Shobogenzo, his comprehensive collection:The boundary of realization is not distinct, for the realization itself comes forth with the mastery of Buddhadharma. Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. Its appearance is beyond your knowledge.So we cross some sort of boundary on this journey, but we cannot be aware of crossing it. I have to add my usual caveat that, just as we do not master Zen, but it masters us, the same may be said for Buddhadharma. It is more a process of surrendering to this truth, the “compassionate teaching,” than mastering it, as if one had taken up the challenge of actually reading Tolstoy’s War and Peace or James Joyce’s Ulysses cover-to-cover, and actually assimilating its meaning. Dogen seems to belabor the obvious, that the inconceivable, being inconceivable, would necessarily not be in any way, shape or form, apparent. So within this realization, we must enter into a new dimension of reality, in which nothing is as it appears. Like Alice in Wonderland.Zen has been said to be about the pursuit of the understanding of meaning. But that particle of meaning that can be translated into language is regarded as just the tip of the iceberg. And the truism from communications design, that the message is not that which is sent, but that which is received, holds true for Zen. As the poem relates further:Just to portray it in literary form is to stain it with defilementThis defilement is the attempt to reduce the profound essence of Zen to words and concepts. Because we are human beings communicating with human beings about Zen, we find that there is no exit from this trap. But we do not have to be confused, regarding the efficacy and precision of language, whether written or spoken. It is the best we have to work with, in all its inadequacy. But Master Tozan goes on to assure us that the effort, nonetheless, is worthwhile:Although it is not constructed, it is not beyond wordsAnd then he follows with an attempt to put his dharma where his mouth is, with the title stanza:Like facing a precious mirrorform and reflection behold each otherThis conjures quite an image. The mirror is mentioned as a repeat trope, or theme, in Zen, so we should give it due consideration — but as an image, rather than a concept. Like Alice going right through the looking-glass to the other side, or Einstein, engaging in thought experiments beyond thinking, and at the speed of light, the dharma gate begins to open just a crack. We can just barely see the light leaking through. Master Dogen captures this same spirit in another visionary passage from the same Genjokoan:When you see forms and hear soundsfully engaging body and mindyou grasp things directlyUnlike things and their reflections in the mirrorand unlike the moon and its reflection in the waterWhen one side is illumined, the other side is darkTaking the analogy of the mirror to new heights, or new depths. What we are actually seeing — in lieu of an actual mirror — is like a mirror, but radically different. In order to see something reflected in a mirror, or on the smooth surface of a body of water, both sides have to be illuminated: that which is reflected, and its reflection. Otherwise, nothing can be seen on either side, like a mirror reflecting an unlit, underground vault under a pyramid.However, our usual condition of seeing reflects only one side of the totality. Behind the eyes, so to speak, and on the other side of the objects in our field of vision, lies the dark. This velvety dark extends throughout the universe. We even suspect that there is a preponderance of dark matter, and dark energy, throughout. But as the poem reminds us, grasping this truth can be taken as an example of personal, perceptual relativity, illuminating the limits of our “eye of practice” (Master Dogen’s coinage):In darkest night, it is perfectly clear; in the light of dawn, it is hiddenSomething there is that comes out at night, but recedes in daylight, recalling the phrase, “How bright and transparent, the moonlight of wisdom,” from Master Hakuin’s poem, Zazen Wasan, “Song of Zazen.” This begs the question: if this light in darkness is not coming from the sun, the moon, or the stars, then where does it come from?In Sandokai, this same point is touched upon some 100 years prior:The spiritual source shines clear in the lightthe branching streams flow on in the darkHere the reference to the single source becoming many streams may be a trope for the five houses of Zen carrying the light of enlightenment into the ubiquitous darkness of ignorance characteristic of civilization. Bringing it down to the personal level once again:In the light there is darkness, but do not take it as darknessIn the dark there is light, but do not see it as lightLight and dark oppose one anotherlike the front and back foot in walkingThe direct experience of light under the intense glare of zazen reveals a vacillation characteristic of all sensory stimulus and sense-data. There is no darkness without light, and no light without darkness. And there can be neither without the observer.Matsuoka Roshi once made the startling declaration, “The light by which you see things comes from you.” In zazen, we begin to witness the nonduality of our so-called internal, versus external, lighting. It seems to originate on both sides of the sensory interface. Further, there is something timeless about it, as reflected in the “Precious Mirror”:Within causes and conditions, time and season, it is serene and illuminatingAnd even further, it is not really dependent upon our understanding of it, or lack thereof:Now there are sudden and gradual, in which teachings an approaches ariseWhether teachings and approaches are mastered or not,reality constantly flowsThe reference here is to the so-called Northern and Southern schools in China after the advent of Huineng, the famous Sixth Patriarch of Ch’an Buddhism, also known as the “gradual” and “sudden” schools of enlightenment, respectively. Of course, sudden and gradual comprise another binary dyad, which dissolves in the nonduality of reality. If there is such thing as enlightenment, it must be both sudden and gradual, simultaneously. The main point is that the reality that Zen points to is constantly flowing, outside of and independent of our ideas about it. It doesn’t care what we think.The earliest poem, Hsinhsinming, seems to verify this same finding:All is empty — clear — self-illuminating, with no exertion of the mind's powerThat this level of insight is not really accessible through ordinary exertions is easy to understand. But that does not mean it is entirely out of reach. It is some comfort to know that whatever the truth — the Dharma — is, it already is true, and that no amount of mental effort will make that any plainer.Lastly, it should be mentioned that the ancient masters did not suffer fools gladly, but they were willing to appear foolish themselves, if need be. In the last line of the third poem, Master Tozan gives us some friendly advice:With practice hidden, function secretly, like a fool, like an idiotJust to continue in this way is called the host within the hostThe “host” reference is to a Zen teaching model using the “host and guest” analogy as a foil to examine the relationship of self to other, mind to body, subject to object, et cetera — all the binary pairs of seeming opposites the discriminating mind may conjure. The host within the host is the “inmost” reality, in which the apparent separation between inside and outside — a fundamental dyad — disappears. What is left is not one, exactly, but definitely not-two. In society, we can function in this reality without making a big deal of it to others. We can be in our milieu, but not of it, like a fool, like an idiot. And we can continue in this way with no regrets. Please just do your best, on the cushion and off. I bow in gassho to you.* * *Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Kyōsaku Jon Mitchell

Today we celebrate a son of France who developed the first natural classification of flowering plants. We'll also learn about the young female garden writer who teamed up with an Australian botanical illustrator and turned out some fabulous garden classics. We salute the English Poet Laureate who wrote inspiringly about gardens. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a tour book of American Gardens that was just released this past week. And then we’ll wrap things up with the birthday of one of the greatest plant collectors of all time.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” It's just that easy.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There’s no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.    Important Events November 6, 1777   Today is the anniversary of the death of the French naturalist and botanist Bernard Jussieu. We remember Bernard for developing the first natural classification of flowering plants. And although both Bernard and his brother Antoine were botany professors in Paris, Bernard was the stronger botanist, and there's a famous story about his incredible dedication to botany: One time, after botanizing in Lebanon, Bernard was sailing back to France. Of course, drinkable water onboard a long voyage home would have been a precious commodity. Yet, Bernard Jussieu purportedly shared his precious water with a little Lebanon Cedar seedling he was bringing home. He wanted to plant the little seedling in the Royal Garden, and he was determined to bring the little tree back alive to Paris. The French say the seedling lived to be over 200 years old and grew to eighty feet high. As for Bernard Jussieu, in 1759, he was summoned to Versailles to develop the Royal Botanical Garden at the Petit Trianon. Unassuming and laid back, Bernard quietly began arranging the plants in the garden in a new way. Jussieu's system of organizing plants into a more natural order was revolutionary at the time, and his method was something he wouldn't disclose to others. However, Bernard did put together a catalog of the plants in his garden. Bernard recognized a kindred spirit in his nephew, Antoine-Laurent. Bernard trained him for four years, and when he came of age, Bernard confided his methods of plant classification. As a result, Antoine-Laurent's work extended his Uncle Bernard's ideas around grouping plants. It took Antoine-Laurent Jussieu almost twenty years of refinement and perfecting of his Uncle's work before he finally published it as the Bastille was falling in 1789. Antoine-Laurent Jussieu kept Linnaeus' binomial nomenclature in his book, Genera Plantarum, but he grouped plants by genera and then into families. He called his system natural and strived to let nature be his guide. Today, many plant families can be attributed to Jussieu. Today, there's a metro station near the Paris botanical garden named in honor of the Jussieu family - which boasted five notable botanists in the family over several generations.   November 6, 1868  Today is the birthday of the botanist and garden writer Alice Lounsberry. (Note: Online databases report the date of birth as 1873 - which is incorrect as Alice was already two years old on an 1870 census with her brother and parents.) Alice was a New Yorker, and she developed a love for botany as a young girl. In her mid-twenties, she was already serving as a board member for the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). But Alice is best known for her botanical books written with her dear friend and collaborator - the Australian botanical illustrator Ellis Rowan. So we have Alice and Ellis - and here's the fabulous story of how they met. In the late 1890s, Ellis decided to travel to New York. She caused a bit of a sensation during her first trip to the States a few years earlier. This trip was no different - except that Ellis contracted influenza after her arrival, and she needed to be hospitalized. Like Alice, New Yorkers read about Ellis's illness, and they sent cards and flowers to her hospital room to cheer her. Now Alice had an enormous sense of admiration for Ellis, and she felt she needed to do something more personal for her. So, Alice decided to hand-deliver a box of fresh wildflowers she had handpicked to the hospital and gave them to Ellis's nurse. Ellis was thoroughly charmed by the bouquet and the card which read, "From one flower seeker to another - and an admirer of your work." The following day, Alice visited Ellis. Even though Alice was twenty years younger than Ellis, the two hit it off. They spent an entire afternoon discussing botany and their work. When Alice offered to show Ellis where she liked to botanize for wildflowers, it was the incentive Ellis needed to get her health back on track. When Alice invited her to illustrate a book on Wildflowers she had been asked to write, their fates as writer and painter were jointly sealed. Together, they produced three books: A Guide to the Wild Flowers (1899) describing around 500 wildflowers. A Guide to the Trees (1900) describing nearly 200 trees & shrubs. And, Southern Wild Flowers & Trees (1901) where Alice wrote in the preface:   "To learn something of the history, the folklore and the uses of southern plants and to see rare ones growing in their natural surroundings, Mrs. Rowan and I traveled in many parts of the south, always exercising our best blandishments to get the people of the section to talk with us. Through the mountainous region, we drove from cabin to cabin, and nowhere could we have met with greater kindness and hospitality."   While they were working on their book on Southern Wildflowers, Alice and Ellis's time together was marred by tragedy. They were surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains when a telegram came for Ellis. Her only son, Eric, had died in South Africa. He was 22 years old. After finishing these books, the two women went their separate ways. Alice continued to write after working with Ellis - but without Ellis's artwork, her books failed to attract the same level of popularity. In 1910, Alice wrote a book called Gardens Near the Sea. In this book, Alice shared her thoughts on the garden:   “For the garden is not only a place in which to make things grow and to display the beautiful flowers of the earth but a place that should accord with the various moods of its admirers. It should be a place in which to hold light banter, a place in which to laugh, and, besides, should have a hidden corner in which to weep. But above all, perhaps, it should be a place of sweet scent and sentiment.”   After suffering a stroke, Alice Lounsberry died at the age of 81 on November 20, 1949.   Unearthed Words A garden that you make yourself becomes associated with your personal history and that of your friends, interwoven with your tastes, preferences, and character, and constitutes a sort of unwritten, but withal manifest, autobiography. Show me your garden, provided it be your own, and I will tell you what you are like. – Alfred Austin, British poet laureate, The Garden That I Love, 1894   Grow That Garden Library American Gardens by Monty Don and Derry Moore This book came out just last week, and the subtitle is 100 Contemporary Designs. In this book, the beloved British horticulturist Monty Don and world-class photographer Derry Moore take us on a diverse and mesmerizing tour of American Gardens. Monty and Derry take us on a garden adventure: from Jefferson's Monticello ("MontiCHELLo”) to Longwood Gardens in Delaware to Middleton Place in South Carolina, to Central Park in New York, Bob Hope's Palm Springs garden, Frank Lloyd Wright’s garden, and the Seattle Spheres, and many many more. This book will leave you with a richer understanding of some of America's top gardens with beautiful photography and fascinating garden stories. This book is 224 pages of gorgeous American Gardens, and I think it would make a wonderful gift for the holidays. You can get a copy of American Gardens by Monty Don and Derry Moore and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $38   Today’s Botanic Spark November 6, 1885   Today is the birthday of the British plant collector and explorer Frank Kingdon Ward. During the beginning of the twentieth century, Frank Kingdon Ward went on twenty-four Indiana-Jones-like expeditions throughout Tibet, China, and Southeast Asia to search for rare and elusive species of plants. Among his many accomplishments, Frank found the legendary Tibetan blue poppy. Frank’s accounts of his adventures are captivating. In 1942, he arrived in New Delhi after a 500 hundred mile walk over mountains and through jungles. The newspaper account said:   "A thin, wiry little man in his 50s, Captain Kingdon-Ward...decided that the Japanese were getting too close for comfort, so he loaded two 60-pound bags of rice on two mules... But instead of taking the short road through the Chaukan pass, [he] decided to travel the 500-mile mule trail through Tibet... [Frank tramped] knee-deep in the snow [and] crossed the Himalayas at the 14,500-foot pass... [Frank said] "It was a pleasant walk and [my] reward is in the finding of dazzling flowers never seen before. You know they may always blush unseen — unless you manage to take them back and make them grow where others can admire them. They are a little bit of the enchantment of Asia transplanted into England or America. It is satisfying enough, if you can feel in an industrial age like the present, that you have brought home a little beauty for others to enjoy."

During Alice's adventures in Wonderland, she found herself in the presence of the King of Hearts. He wanted her to go, so he cited Rule 42: "All persons more than a mile high to leave the court." Heads turned to Alice. "I'm not a mile high," she objected. "You are," said the King. The queen testified that Alice is nearly two miles tall. "Well, I shan't go, at any rate," Alice said "besides, that's not a regular rule: you invented it just now."[0 Min] Alice in Wonderland and Rule 42. A reflection on what rules have been applied to manage Covid 19.[2 Mins] From chevrons on the floor to kids not singing in school, where do you stand?[3 Mins 30] Prof Christofer Toumazou (Regius Professor of Engineering, Imperial College) and a PCR test that is possibly far too  sensitive?[5 Mins] We need more granulation on resolution data e.g. discharged through death, with ill health, or effectively well. How do we judge out proportional action?[6 Mins 30] The need for a circuit breaker? Let's discuss this. Don't treat us all like Alice.[7 Mins 30] Are we trying to catch the wind with a sieve? Competing paradigm's in battle.[8 Mins 30] What do you agree with? A CTA to think about all of our filter bubbles. JOIN US on Side Effects - email me at hello@weareten.co.ukLISTEN to this series on iTunes | Spotify | StitcherREGISTER for your FREE Daily Dose of Inspiration by me Matt Pattison [Receive an audio file each day that details insights from my work in health]BOOK TIME with me, on your project or 1:1 mentoringSupport the show (https://weareten.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4ed5154e0f1cdbad62b378156&id=dc1a8d24c1)

Tanja is an entrepreneur, product leader and working mum based in Switzerland. After co-founding and scaling several start-ups in Madrid, Munich and Zurich, she is now leading her own company Product Academy as part-time CEO (40%) while also taking care of her two toddlers. Like Alice in Wonderland, Tanja usually thinks of "as many as six impossible things before breakfast" and can't go one day without eating chocolate. Listen to this interview and discover how Tanja balances part-time entrepreneurship and family time in order to find a sustainable work-life balance.

This is our first episode recorded in Alice Springs. Alice Springs is about 1,500kms south of Darwin, in the heart of Australia, but still in the Northern Territory. It is the second biggest city in the Northern Territory after Darwin, with a population of about 30,000. Pippa Tessmann has been a resident of Alice Springs for more than 30 years. She arrived from England as a backpacker and loved the place so much, she stayed. Pippa is a physiotherapist and runs her own business; Alice Springs Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic. She talks about her arrival in Alice Springs and her life in the red centre. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/territorystory/message

UNCUT VERSON - FIRST PLOG EPISODE Imagine lying in bed, in the middle of the night. You’ve woken up fully alert and switch on your bedside lamp. Your mind is ready to start the day, yet your body is heavy knowing it’s still dusk. You just lay there, looking up at the roof. Your eyes wandering from one corner of the ceiling to the other. Tilting your head to look over at the dresser, you see a family portrait, candle holders, an ornament you bought from an overseas trip; but it doesn’t give you any emotion or thought. You’re just blank! As blank as a canvas! So, you just stare and stare and stare. That’s my interpretation of “Writer’s Block”. It’s the most dreadful experience. It can happen in the middle of a story or at the end; as you’re wrapping it all up. In my case, it usually happens at the beginning. I had a marvellous response to my blog last week about learning lessons from my recent relationship. It wrote about the internalising and questioning yourself type stuff we all go through. Doubt kicks in and I ask myself “But what will I write about now?” “What next?” I have so many stories to tell that I don’t know where to begin. I thought about looking back at my past and working my way forward. Like Alice in Wonderland I think about my past actions. I dissect and analyse; innocently trying to make sense of utter nonsense.  But I’m not the same person I was yesterday and what I will do today, will impact what lies ahead. Besides, I don’t want to go back. Instead, I choose to write about the here and now.  Right now, in the present moment; is where I need to be. I’m sitting up against my bedhead with a blanket pulled up high; keeping me toasty during this miserable, yet satisfyingly rainy day. This is my “writers desk”! The place where my imagination runs wild and free. Oddly, it’s also the place I can feel empty and numb.  It’s the future that scares me; the fear of not knowing. I suppose it’s because right now, at this present moment; I am confused and lost. My only wish is to grow small, small enough so I can somehow see the bigger picture. To see “where” it is that I need to put my focus.  With all the work I have done through personal development, I know that I need to put myself first. Along with that comes my daughter. We are a package. She’s a seedling I am nurturing, watering and shining light on; so she can grow strong and evolve into a wise respectable woman.  My business; Aquatique, Holistic Beauty & Skin Therapy, is also important to me. It’s a place where I feel most comfortable and my clients become my friends. Twelve years on, I still love my job but it’s more practical than bringing out my idealistic, dreamy and sensitive self.  My passion is communication and I have so much to say. In fact, it’s why I have created this new path for myself. My aim is to inspire others to express themselves authentically by aligning the heart with the head and speaking truth.  So, today I write about the struggle of writer’s block. Of putting down in print what I’m living in this present moment. Letting others know that it’s OK to have that blank, emptiness and to allow yourself to feel it, sit with it, embrace it. The confusion about the past and future and understanding that knowing yourself in the present is all you really need. To focus on your internal self, rather than the external. For the truth lies within.  “Go inside you, feel the silence, use the eternal now that rules the past and the future.” ~ Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel How does one do this? Well, firstly, if you have struggled to live in the present moment, you need to admit to yourself you have been living in the past. Samantha from Sex & The City put it quite perfectly to those still living in the past, “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda!”  Talking about your past is like reliving your story instead of creating a new one and moving forward. It took me till my 36th year to actually embrace the present and to find a way to do it simply. I met with a fellow life mentor, Toni-Maree Hannan. She taught me a great way to ground myself. I practise it daily and it is effective. I would love to share this technique with you.  Sit upright and ground both feet on the floor. Close your eyes and breath in through your nose, fill your tummy like it’s a balloon and release. Concentrate on your breath, breathing in and releasing. Do this for 5 minutes. Then, as you are starting to feel connected with yourself, think about the 3 most important things you need to do for the day. No more. No less. Complete these tasks within the day. Keep your mind active thinking of the tasks at hand.  If you do this daily, you will begin to start living in the moment. The anxiety of the future will ease. The guilt of the past will fade. I encourage you to move past your writer’s block and begin anew. In the present.  LJ  Lisa Jane is based in the northern area of Melbourne, Australia.  She is an aspiring writer, with a magnetic smile and charismatic in nature.  She educates and entertains with her stories bringing balance to any life experience.  Lisa Jane is a separated mother; who in the present moment is choosing to stay single, co-parenting with her daughter’s Father whilst running her Holistic Beauty & Skin Therapy salon; Aquatique.  Lisa Jane hosts a podcast: Yummy Mummy since 2017.  Where she will make sense of what it means to be a parent, partner and lover in modern society whilst staying true to yourself.  Follow Lisa Jane;facebook.com/YummyMummyPodcast Instagram: Yummy Mummy Podcast

Episode 75 (Franco-Files Pt. 2) Next stop on our journey through the world of Jess Franco is his haunting 1971 fever-dream A Virgin Among The Living Dead. Traveling to Portugal, naïve orphan Christina Bentham (Christine von Blanc) arrives at Montserrat Mansion for the reading of her father’s will, and is introduced to her family of decadent layabouts (including Franco regulars Britt Nichols, Howard Vernon, Paul Müller and Franco himself as the retarded manservant Basilio), and the mysterious Queen of the Night (Anne Libert). Like Alice’s trip through the looking glass, Christina’s voyage will tempt her beyond the boundaries of the logical. Without entirely abandoning the necessary sleaze, Franco creatively infuses this gothic premise with some of the most memorably poetic and surreal images of his entire career.You can Support PsychotroniCast by subscribing to our Patreon! www.patreon.com/psychotronicast

Happy New Music Friday, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show! So, Alice in Chains, new album out today, woohoo!!! I’ve been a fan since their debut album dropped way back in 1990, so I’m super stoked to reveal the secret formula behind this band’s unique fusion of dissonant riffs and catchy vocals. But first… Tea! GUITARJerry Cantrell’s riffs are legendary! For three decades, he’s been walking the line between metal and rock. By taking the dissonance of metal and combining it with the accessibility of rock, Jerry created an instantly-recognizable style. And if you wanna dam the river of Cantrell and syphon off a little for yourself, you’ll need those two elements. So firstly, create that dissonance by using the Phrygian or Locrian mode. Then secondly, create that accessibility by using a slower tempo and fewer notes. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the riff that we wrote using the music theory from Jerry’s riffs. We’re in the Locrian mode here (our root is D♯), and we’re at 67.5 BPM, which is the tempo of their song “So Far Under”. Right, so we’ve got four loops of the riff here, and the first thing you’ll notice is that the riff consists of two sections: the first section is made up of 1/16 notes, and the second section is just one long note. And this is another clever hack of Jerry’s, where the guitar and vocals take turns for your attention, which prevents things from ever getting overwhelming (like they do in metal). So we kick things off with a few 1/16 notes that really emphasize the dissonant Locrian vibe (♭2 and ♭5), then we restrain ourselves by just hitting one long root note while the vocals have their turn in the spotlight. And lastly, depending on how full you want your riff to sound, you can play it as single notes, or “power chords”, or a combination of the two. VOCALSVocals are catchy when they’re easy to remember and sing. And while singing in the Phrygian or Locrian mode is easy for William DuVall, it sure ain’t easy for most people, and that is exactly why he often uses the pentatonic minor scale as the basis for his vocal melodies. And yes, when done right, pentatonic minor melodies work great over the top of Phrygian or Locrian riffs. However, limiting your vocal melodies to only five notes (pentatonic) will get boring quick, so that’s why every now and then William throws in a spicy non-diatonic note, which is a note that is not in the key. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the vocal melody that we wrote using the music theory from William’s melodies. And underneath that is the guitar riff, but that’s muted (it’s just there for reference). So you can see we’ve got this descending vocal line coming down through the pentatonic minor scale, starting up at the ♭3, then hitting the 1, ♭7, 5, 4, and landing on the ♭3 an octave lower. Then the second time through, for variation, we throw in a spicy William note, which is actually that happy major 3rd note. And that gives us a little glimmer of hope, but only a 1/16 of hope, cos this is Alice in Chains after all haha! Also, you’ll notice there’s a little controlled clashing where we have a ♭5 in the guitar at the same time as a 5 in the vocals, but the ♭5 in the guitar is just a quick 1/16 note, so it sounds super tasty and not too clashy! MOREOkay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? Great questions, and if this is something you need help with, then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll literally learn every step of the music making process, and most importantly, you’ll learn how to finish your songs! NEXTAnd just before the playthrough. Please note, we intentionally wrote the music and lyrics of our example to be very similar to Alice in Chains, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Jerry and the boys, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, if you truly wanna get that Alice in Chains sound, you’re gonna need an ultra mega powerful world-class male vocal, like Layne and William, so we called up the best singer we know: Meyrick de la Fuente. And big up respect to Meyrick for jumping in on such short notice. If you wanna hear more of this dude’s phenomenal singing, then check out his awesome band Exist Immortal, who, by the way, also happens to contain a couple of my former students - wassup Kurt and David (#ProudTeacher). Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we believe in sharing our knowledge for free. So please pay it forwards by teaching this hack to a friend, so they can benefit from this lesson as well. Yeah I’ve been teaching music theory for 24 years, so I can safely say that the best way to learn something, is to teach it to someone else. So, go forth and teach! On that note, thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next New Music Friday. Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada   LEARN1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music! ABOUTHack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more. Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).     Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.   “The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK /* Layout */ .ck_form { /* divider image */ background: #EAE9EA url(data:image/gif;base64,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) repeat-y center top; font-family: 'Montserrat'; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #000000; font-size: 16px; border-top: none; border-top-color: #666666; border-bottom: none; border-bottom-color: #3d3d3d; -webkit-box-shadow: none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px; } .ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } #ck_subscribe_form { clear: both; } /* Element Queries — uses JS */ .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { width: 50%; float: left; padding: 5%; } .ck_form.ck_horizontal { } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: none; } .ck_form.ck_vertical { background: #fff; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content, .ck_vertical .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; overflow: hidden; } /* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */ @media all and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form { background: #fff; } .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; } } /* Content */ .ck_form_content h3 { margin: 0px 0px 0px; font-size: 0px; padding: 0px; } .ck_form_content p { font-size: 14px; } .ck_image { float: left; margin-right: 5px; } /* Form fields */ .ck_errorArea { display: none; } #ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee; } .ck_label { font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; } .ck_form input[type="text"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto; } .ck_form input[type="email"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto; } .ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa; } .ck_checkbox { padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px; display: block; clear: both; } .ck_checkbox input.optIn { margin-left: -20px; margin-top: 0; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt { margin-left: 4px; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt p { display: inline; } .ck_form .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px 8px; font-size: 18px; background: #d74128; -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ cursor: pointer; border: none; text-shadow: none; } .ck_form .ck_guarantee { color: #626262; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; padding: 5px 0px; display: block; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by { display: block; color: #aaa; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by:hover { display: block; color: #444; } .ck_converted_content { display: none; padding: 5%; background: #fff; } /* v6 */ .ck_form_v6 #ck_success_msg { padding: 0px 10px; } @media all and (max-width: 403px) { .ck_form_v6.ck_modal .ck_close_link { top: 30px; } } @media all and (min-width: 404px) and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form_v6.ck_modal .ck_close_link { top: 57px; } }

Happy New Music Friday, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show! So, Alice in Chains, new album out today, woohoo!!! I've been a fan since their debut album dropped way back in 1990, so I'm super stoked to reveal the secret formula behind this band's unique fusion of dissonant riffs and catchy vocals. But first… Tea! GUITARJerry Cantrell's riffs are legendary! For three decades, he's been walking the line between metal and rock. By taking the dissonance of metal and combining it with the accessibility of rock, Jerry created an instantly-recognizable style. And if you wanna dam the river of Cantrell and syphon off a little for yourself, you'll need those two elements. So firstly, create that dissonance by using the Phrygian or Locrian mode. Then secondly, create that accessibility by using a slower tempo and fewer notes. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the riff that we wrote using the music theory from Jerry's riffs. We're in the Locrian mode here (our root is D♯), and we're at 67.5 BPM, which is the tempo of their song “So Far Under”. Right, so we've got four loops of the riff here, and the first thing you'll notice is that the riff consists of two sections: the first section is made up of 1/16 notes, and the second section is just one long note. And this is another clever hack of Jerry's, where the guitar and vocals take turns for your attention, which prevents things from ever getting overwhelming (like they do in metal). So we kick things off with a few 1/16 notes that really emphasize the dissonant Locrian vibe (♭2 and ♭5), then we restrain ourselves by just hitting one long root note while the vocals have their turn in the spotlight. And lastly, depending on how full you want your riff to sound, you can play it as single notes, or “power chords”, or a combination of the two. VOCALSVocals are catchy when they're easy to remember and sing. And while singing in the Phrygian or Locrian mode is easy for William DuVall, it sure ain't easy for most people, and that is exactly why he often uses the pentatonic minor scale as the basis for his vocal melodies. And yes, when done right, pentatonic minor melodies work great over the top of Phrygian or Locrian riffs. However, limiting your vocal melodies to only five notes (pentatonic) will get boring quick, so that's why every now and then William throws in a spicy non-diatonic note, which is a note that is not in the key. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the vocal melody that we wrote using the music theory from William's melodies. And underneath that is the guitar riff, but that's muted (it's just there for reference). So you can see we've got this descending vocal line coming down through the pentatonic minor scale, starting up at the ♭3, then hitting the 1, ♭7, 5, 4, and landing on the ♭3 an octave lower. Then the second time through, for variation, we throw in a spicy William note, which is actually that happy major 3rd note. And that gives us a little glimmer of hope, but only a 1/16 of hope, cos this is Alice in Chains after all haha! Also, you'll notice there's a little controlled clashing where we have a ♭5 in the guitar at the same time as a 5 in the vocals, but the ♭5 in the guitar is just a quick 1/16 note, so it sounds super tasty and not too clashy! MOREOkay, so now that you've got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? Great questions, and if this is something you need help with, then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you'll literally learn every step of the music making process, and most importantly, you'll learn how to finish your songs! NEXTAnd just before the playthrough. Please note, we intentionally wrote the music and lyrics of our example to be very similar to Alice in Chains, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Jerry and the boys, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, if you truly wanna get that Alice in Chains sound, you're gonna need an ultra mega powerful world-class male vocal, like Layne and William, so we called up the best singer we know: Meyrick de la Fuente. And big up respect to Meyrick for jumping in on such short notice. If you wanna hear more of this dude's phenomenal singing, then check out his awesome band Exist Immortal, who, by the way, also happens to contain a couple of my former students - wassup Kurt and David (#ProudTeacher). Alright, that's it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we believe in sharing our knowledge for free. So please pay it forwards by teaching this hack to a friend, so they can benefit from this lesson as well. Yeah I've been teaching music theory for 24 years, so I can safely say that the best way to learn something, is to teach it to someone else. So, go forth and teach! On that note, thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we'll see you next New Music Friday. Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada   LEARN1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music! ABOUTHack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more. Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).     Wooohooo!!! You're a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.   “The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I've ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. DOWNLOAD FREE BOOK /* Layout */ .ck_form { /* divider image */ background: #EAE9EA url(data:image/gif;base64,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) repeat-y center top; font-family: 'Montserrat'; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #000000; font-size: 16px; border-top: none; border-top-color: #666666; border-bottom: none; border-bottom-color: #3d3d3d; -webkit-box-shadow: none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; clear: both; margin: 0px 0px; } .ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } #ck_subscribe_form { clear: both; } /* Element Queries — uses JS */ .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { width: 50%; float: left; padding: 5%; } .ck_form.ck_horizontal { } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: none; } .ck_form.ck_vertical { background: #fff; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content, .ck_vertical .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_vertical .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; overflow: hidden; } /* Trigger the vertical layout with media queries as well */ @media all and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form { background: #fff; } .ck_form_content, .ck_form_fields { padding: 10%; width: 100%; float: none; } .ck_form_content { border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa; } } /* Content */ .ck_form_content h3 { margin: 0px 0px 0px; font-size: 0px; padding: 0px; } .ck_form_content p { font-size: 14px; } .ck_image { float: left; margin-right: 5px; } /* Form fields */ .ck_errorArea { display: none; } #ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee; } .ck_label { font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; } .ck_form input[type="text"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto; } .ck_form input[type="email"] { font-size: 16px; text-align: center; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 8px 8px; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ height: auto; } .ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa; } .ck_checkbox { padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px; display: block; clear: both; } .ck_checkbox input.optIn { margin-left: -20px; margin-top: 0; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt { margin-left: 4px; } .ck_form .ck_opt_in_prompt p { display: inline; } .ck_form .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px 8px; font-size: 18px; background: #d74128; -moz-border-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 30px; /* border radius */ cursor: pointer; border: none; text-shadow: none; } .ck_form .ck_guarantee { color: #626262; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; padding: 5px 0px; display: block; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by { display: block; color: #aaa; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by:hover { display: block; color: #444; } .ck_converted_content { display: none; padding: 5%; background: #fff; } /* v6 */ .ck_form_v6 #ck_success_msg { padding: 0px 10px; } @media all and (max-width: 403px) { .ck_form_v6.ck_modal .ck_close_link { top: 30px; } } @media all and (min-width: 404px) and (max-width: 499px) { .ck_form_v6.ck_modal .ck_close_link { top: 57px; } }

Happy New Music Friday, and welcome to the Hack Music Theory show! So, Alice in Chains, new album out today, woohoo!!! I’ve been a fan since their debut album dropped way back in 1990, so I’m super stoked to reveal the secret formula behind this band’s unique fusion of dissonant riffs and catchy vocals. But first… Tea! GUITARJerry Cantrell’s riffs are legendary! For three decades, he’s been walking the line between metal and rock. By taking the dissonance of metal and combining it with the accessibility of rock, Jerry created an instantly-recognizable style. And if you wanna dam the river of Cantrell and syphon off a little for yourself, you’ll need those two elements. So firstly, create that dissonance by using the Phrygian or Locrian mode. Then secondly, create that accessibility by using a slower tempo and fewer notes. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the riff that we wrote using the music theory from Jerry’s riffs. We’re in the Locrian mode here (our root is D♯), and we’re at 67.5 BPM, which is the tempo of their song “So Far Under”. Right, so we’ve got four loops of the riff here, and the first thing you’ll notice is that the riff consists of two sections: the first section is made up of 1/16 notes, and the second section is just one long note. And this is another clever hack of Jerry’s, where the guitar and vocals take turns for your attention, which prevents things from ever getting overwhelming (like they do in metal). So we kick things off with a few 1/16 notes that really emphasize the dissonant Locrian vibe (♭2 and ♭5), then we restrain ourselves by just hitting one long root note while the vocals have their turn in the spotlight. And lastly, depending on how full you want your riff to sound, you can play it as single notes, or “power chords”, or a combination of the two. VOCALSVocals are catchy when they’re easy to remember and sing. And while singing in the Phrygian or Locrian mode is easy for William DuVall, it sure ain’t easy for most people, and that is exactly why he often uses the pentatonic minor scale as the basis for his vocal melodies. And yes, when done right, pentatonic minor melodies work great over the top of Phrygian or Locrian riffs. However, limiting your vocal melodies to only five notes (pentatonic) will get boring quick, so that’s why every now and then William throws in a spicy non-diatonic note, which is a note that is not in the key. Alright, so what you see on your screen is the vocal melody that we wrote using the music theory from William’s melodies. And underneath that is the guitar riff, but that’s muted (it’s just there for reference). So you can see we’ve got this descending vocal line coming down through the pentatonic minor scale, starting up at the ♭3, then hitting the 1, ♭7, 5, 4, and landing on the ♭3 an octave lower. Then the second time through, for variation, we throw in a spicy William note, which is actually that happy major 3rd note. And that gives us a little glimmer of hope, but only a 1/16 of hope, cos this is Alice in Chains after all haha! Also, you’ll notice there’s a little controlled clashing where we have a ♭5 in the guitar at the same time as a 5 in the vocals, but the ♭5 in the guitar is just a quick 1/16 note, so it sounds super tasty and not too clashy! MOREOkay, so now that you’ve got one section down, how do you write a new section for it, and then, how do you transition between those two sections? Great questions, and if this is something you need help with, then check out our cutting-edge online apprenticeship course, where you’ll literally learn every step of the music making process, and most importantly, you’ll learn how to finish your songs! NEXTAnd just before the playthrough. Please note, we intentionally wrote the music and lyrics of our example to be very similar to Alice in Chains, but we did that for the sake of this lesson. So, instead of copying Jerry and the boys, please explore how you can use this hack creatively with your own musical personality, so it sounds like you! Also, if you truly wanna get that Alice in Chains sound, you’re gonna need an ultra mega powerful world-class male vocal, like Layne and William, so we called up the best singer we know: Meyrick de la Fuente. And big up respect to Meyrick for jumping in on such short notice. If you wanna hear more of this dude’s phenomenal singing, then check out his awesome band Exist Immortal, who, by the way, also happens to contain a couple of my former students - wassup Kurt and David (#ProudTeacher). Alright, that’s it! We really hope you found this video helpful, and if you did, subscribe and hit the bell to get notifications. Also, we believe in sharing our knowledge for free. So please pay it forwards by teaching this hack to a friend, so they can benefit from this lesson as well. Yeah I’ve been teaching music theory for 24 years, so I can safely say that the best way to learn something, is to teach it to someone else. So, go forth and teach! On that note, thanks for joining the Hack Music Theory revolution, and we’ll see you next New Music Friday. Kate & Ray Harmony (AKA Revolution Harmony)Music Teachers & Producers in Vancouver BC, Canada   LEARN1: Read our free book (below) & watch our YouTube videos2: Read our "Part 1" book & "Songwriting & Producing" PDF3: Learn our Secret Art of Song-Whispering, and effortlessly finish your music! ABOUTHack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more. Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory YouTube lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).     Wooohooo!!! You’re a mere 30 minutes away from being even smarter than you already are. Just head on over to your inbox now for your free download. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.   “The most brilliant, fast, easy & fun music theory book I’ve ever seen!” DEREK SIVERS, CD Baby founder We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer. 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Jane Shore lives among the list of the most famous mistresses - along with the likes of Roseamund Clifford, Alice Perrers. Like Alice, Jane lives and loved at the very centre of political power for a while - but unlike Alice, left an attractive reputation. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

When I was six years old, I had my first love affair. Yes, really. Of course, not until years later did I recognize the experience for what it was. But like every first love, it changed my life forever. My father was a jazz musician, so our house was equipped with the best possible sound equipment. He and I loved to listen to music—just about any music available—at full volume, of course. This, my mother, could not stand—which made it, even more, exciting. While my playmates roamed the hills of Hollywood skinning their knees, I would lie on my belly in our living room, listening to music as loud as I could make it. One day, combing through our vast supply of records, I came upon Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." The name meant nothing to me. But I liked the colors on the cover, so I put it on the record player, turned up the volume and flopped down in front of our huge speakers. Strange, mysterious, discordant sound flooded my body, opening a secret door to somewhere deep inside me—a mysterious inner world I had never entered. I didn't know such a place even existed. I trembled with fear and excitement while Stravinsky's music continued to wind its way through my body. I flushed hot and then cold. My heart raced, then calmed. I lost all sense of place and time as I rode the waves of an imaginal sea of sound into unexplored worlds, too numerous to name. I have no idea how long all this lasted. Eventually, even the "boat" carrying me along on vivid images began to dissolve like sugar in water. In a perfect union, the sounds and the child-that-had-been-me swirled into a vortex and became lost in each other. We shared the excitement, fear, longing, fierceness, and sadness. As lovers, we had come together—music and child—in an immediate, passionate, all-encompassing union. Eventually, I found myself at the center of this whirlpool. Then, even the ecstasy of the movement vanished. Like Alice down the rabbit hole, I tumbled—not into Wonderland, but into an experience of unspeakable stillness. Zen practitioners claim this experience is available at any moment to each one of us. For me, it was an indescribable event—beyond space, beyond time, outside thought. Without the slightest possibility of ever being able to describe it, I knew that everything was as perfect as it was meant to be. In the words of Zen Master Daisetz Suzuki, in this place, I would eat when I am hungry, sleep when tired. I knew that "it was fine yesterday and today it is raining." In the words of Julian of Norwich, I was sure that "All things shall be well, and all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." My affair with Stravinsky lasted more than four hours. At least, that's what my mother said. "Don't tell me you are still listening to that awful music." She had to raise her voice to be heard above the sounds. "For God's sake, turn it off. Do something useful." So I did something useful. I went to school, then to university where I learned, at least, some of what you are supposed to learn. I earned praises for top marks, went to work, won prizes, gave birth to four children by four different men, raised them on my own, wrote books, made films, gave talks, led workshops, created products for companies, made television programs and so on and so on. In effect, I did what millions of men and women do—I became the breadwinner, the caretaker, the nurturer of people's lives. Through all the years between six and now, my passion for music, painting, books, poetry, architecture and movies has never left me. Far from it. During all of these years, the epiphany of emptiness that Stravinsky brought to me that day and the sense of absolute stillness has never faded. It has made it possible for me to create so many things as well as to explore new places and ideas. It's invited me to move beyond thought towards a place of unity with the rest of the universe. All this continues gnawing at me. I suspect it will never go away, just as the urge to breathe never goes away, no matter how long we try to hold our breath. What I did not know—and this took me scores of years to find out—is that the rabbit hole into which I had unexpectedly tumbled has for millennia, been, described by every culture and religion in the world in one form or another. Nor had I any idea that, at any moment in time, regardless of the circumstances of our lives, it is available to each of us. To Zen Buddhists, this wordless, timeless space represents ultimate reality: That which can only come through immediate experience. In Suzuki's words, "For the sake of those crucial experiences Zen Buddhism has struck out on its own paths which, through methodical immersion in oneself, lead to one's becoming aware, in the deepest ground of the soul, of the unnameable Groundlessness and Qualitylessness—nay more, to one's becoming one with it." It is a state in which nothing is thought or contrived, longed for or expected. It reaches out in no particular direction, yet it knows itself able to handle the possible as well as the impossible. Concentrated, yet so expanded too, such power is both purposeless and egoless. As such, it can be called truly spiritual. Why? I believe because it is charged with an awareness that spirit is present everywhere. Because the cosmos is present everywhere, we too are present everywhere. We can have direct experience of this, and access the power that continues to create the universe itself. And we have full access to that power of creation to use in our lives, in whatever way we choose. The Sufis call this state fana—the annihilation of your individual selfhood. When you experience fana, your everyday personality becomes transparent, so the larger being that you are shines through. You soon become absorbed in an all-encompassing fascination for the moment. Life is lived in the NOW. Cutting-edge physicists speak of a holographic universe in which we live but seldom access because we are plagued by endless mental concepts that blind us to so-called reality. This blinds us to the experience of Samadhi—"a non-dualistic state in which the consciousness of the subject becomes one with an experience of the object." This selfless absorption and total surrender of Samadhi is characteristic of children when left alone to follow their instincts. It is available to each one of us, regardless of age or condition. Honoring whatever brings you bliss in your life opens the door to it. That day, when I lay on the floor lost in Stravinsky, without recognizing, I became conscious of it what would inspire me most: The beauty of art—whether it be music, words, stories, sculpture, buildings or what-have-you. Why? Certainly not because I had any idea that art was supposed to be valued as part of what grown-ups refer to as culture. I couldn't have cared less. After all, I was a kid who, when not entranced by what I was seeing, hearing, feeling or touching, spent the rest of my day learning card tricks, wrestling with my huge dog Tuffy, and trying—unsuccessfully—to sell packets of chewing gum which my grandfather gave me to neighbors' kids. Nope—I loved the beauty and wonder of art in all its many forms because, unlike the world around me, with which had little in common, it had grabbed hold of me and would never let me go. It demanded of me both a submission as well as active participation in the making of it. I now believe that my first love affair at the age of six became the harbinger for how I have lived my life. At any moment in time, regardless of the circumstances of our lives, fana is available to all of us regardless of age. Honoring whatever brings you bliss opens the door to it for you.

When I was six years old, I had my first love affair. Yes, really. Of course, not until years later did I recognize the experience for what it was. But like every first love, it changed my life forever. My father was a jazz musician, so our house was equipped with the best possible sound equipment. He and I loved to listen to music—just about any music available—at full volume, of course. This, my mother, could not stand—which made it, even more, exciting. While my playmates roamed the hills of Hollywood skinning their knees, I would lie on my belly in our living room, listening to music as loud as I could make it. One day, combing through our vast supply of records, I came upon Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." The name meant nothing to me. But I liked the colors on the cover, so I put it on the record player, turned up the volume and flopped down in front of our huge speakers. Strange, mysterious, discordant sound flooded my body, opening a secret door to somewhere deep inside me—a mysterious inner world I had never entered. I didn't know such a place even existed. I trembled with fear and excitement while Stravinsky's music continued to wind its way through my body. I flushed hot and then cold. My heart raced, then calmed. I lost all sense of place and time as I rode the waves of an imaginal sea of sound into unexplored worlds, too numerous to name. I have no idea how long all this lasted. Eventually, even the "boat" carrying me along on vivid images began to dissolve like sugar in water. In a perfect union, the sounds and the child-that-had-been-me swirled into a vortex and became lost in each other. We shared the excitement, fear, longing, fierceness, and sadness. As lovers, we had come together—music and child—in an immediate, passionate, all-encompassing union. Eventually, I found myself at the center of this whirlpool. Then, even the ecstasy of the movement vanished. Like Alice down the rabbit hole, I tumbled—not into Wonderland, but into an experience of unspeakable stillness. Zen practitioners claim this experience is available at any moment to each one of us. For me, it was an indescribable event—beyond space, beyond time, outside thought. Without the slightest possibility of ever being able to describe it, I knew that everything was as perfect as it was meant to be. In the words of Zen Master Daisetz Suzuki, in this place, I would eat when I am hungry, sleep when tired. I knew that "it was fine yesterday and today it is raining." In the words of Julian of Norwich, I was sure that "All things shall be well, and all things shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." My affair with Stravinsky lasted more than four hours. At least, that's what my mother said. "Don't tell me you are still listening to that awful music." She had to raise her voice to be heard above the sounds. "For God's sake, turn it off. Do something useful." So I did something useful. I went to school, then to university where I learned, at least, some of what you are supposed to learn. I earned praises for top marks, went to work, won prizes, gave birth to four children by four different men, raised them on my own, wrote books, made films, gave talks, led workshops, created products for companies, made television programs and so on and so on. In effect, I did what millions of men and women do—I became the breadwinner, the caretaker, the nurturer of people's lives. Through all the years between six and now, my passion for music, painting, books, poetry, architecture and movies has never left me. Far from it. During all of these years, the epiphany of emptiness that Stravinsky brought to me that day and the sense of absolute stillness has never faded. It has made it possible for me to create so many things as well as to explore new places and ideas. It's invited me to move beyond thought towards a place of unity with the rest of the universe. All this continues gnawing at me. I suspect it will never go away, just as the urge to breathe never goes away, no matter how long we try to hold our breath. What I did not know—and this took me scores of years to find out—is that the rabbit hole into which I had unexpectedly tumbled has for millennia, been, described by every culture and religion in the world in one form or another. Nor had I any idea that, at any moment in time, regardless of the circumstances of our lives, it is available to each of us. To Zen Buddhists, this wordless, timeless space represents ultimate reality: That which can only come through immediate experience. In Suzuki's words, "For the sake of those crucial experiences Zen Buddhism has struck out on its own paths which, through methodical immersion in oneself, lead to one's becoming aware, in the deepest ground of the soul, of the unnameable Groundlessness and Qualitylessness—nay more, to one's becoming one with it." It is a state in which nothing is thought or contrived, longed for or expected. It reaches out in no particular direction, yet it knows itself able to handle the possible as well as the impossible. Concentrated, yet so expanded too, such power is both purposeless and egoless. As such, it can be called truly spiritual. Why? I believe because it is charged with an awareness that spirit is present everywhere. Because the cosmos is present everywhere, we too are present everywhere. We can have direct experience of this, and access the power that continues to create the universe itself. And we have full access to that power of creation to use in our lives, in whatever way we choose. The Sufis call this state fana—the annihilation of your individual selfhood. When you experience fana, your everyday personality becomes transparent, so the larger being that you are shines through. You soon become absorbed in an all-encompassing fascination for the moment. Life is lived in the NOW. Cutting-edge physicists speak of a holographic universe in which we live but seldom access because we are plagued by endless mental concepts that blind us to so-called reality. This blinds us to the experience of Samadhi—"a non-dualistic state in which the consciousness of the subject becomes one with an experience of the object." This selfless absorption and total surrender of Samadhi is characteristic of children when left alone to follow their instincts. It is available to each one of us, regardless of age or condition. Honoring whatever brings you bliss in your life opens the door to it. That day, when I lay on the floor lost in Stravinsky, without recognizing, I became conscious of it what would inspire me most: The beauty of art—whether it be music, words, stories, sculpture, buildings or what-have-you. Why? Certainly not because I had any idea that art was supposed to be valued as part of what grown-ups refer to as culture. I couldn't have cared less. After all, I was a kid who, when not entranced by what I was seeing, hearing, feeling or touching, spent the rest of my day learning card tricks, wrestling with my huge dog Tuffy, and trying—unsuccessfully—to sell packets of chewing gum which my grandfather gave me to neighbors' kids. Nope—I loved the beauty and wonder of art in all its many forms because, unlike the world around me, with which had little in common, it had grabbed hold of me and would never let me go. It demanded of me both a submission as well as active participation in the making of it. I now believe that my first love affair at the age of six became the harbinger for how I have lived my life. At any moment in time, regardless of the circumstances of our lives, fana is available to all of us regardless of age. Honoring whatever brings you bliss opens the door to it for you.

On this show, A treasure trove of movies for those raised in the 90s, We hunker down in the back of an abandoned police station with John Carpenter and his synth, and Alice, Alice, who the @#*?!!! is Alice? Welcome to They Don’t Make ‘em Like They Used To.