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Better late than never, Amanda and Tim are back with the April mailbag! They begin with a discussion on their trip to NAEA and interacting with the art teacher community. And maybe a little garden talk because spring is here? They then get into a conversation on how we help kids accept being told no, a discussion on shifting jobs, and follow that with advice on putting together a curriculum and dealing with different expectations when it comes to which artworks are appropriate in your classroom. Full episode transcript below. Resources and Links Be part of the Community discussion on Accepting 'No' 3 Considerations When Taking a New Job Listen to last month's mailbag with a discussion about spiraling curriculum What Do New Teachers Need to Know About Curriculum? Join the Art of Ed Community
In this episode, The Creativity Department chats with NAEA's Western Region Vice President, Carrie Barnett, about mentoring. Carrie shares her experience guiding mentees while encouraging creative independence. Learn about the challenges that come with mentoring others. Hear stories from her life that helped shape her philosophy, including one of a former student becoming an art educator because of her. Listen in to hear more on mentoring from Carrie!
In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi sit down with renowned artist and author Olivia Gude. Olivia is a Professor Emerita of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago, having developed numerous frameworks and programs at these institutions. Among the topics the triad discusses are the evolution of process-based art education, dialogical pedagogy, Olivia's work with Spiral Workshops, and the role of the educator in a TAB program. For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB! Here are resources to more information discussed in the TABcast: Olivia Gude's Articles and Concepts “New School Art Styles” (2013): Published in Art Education journal (awarded the Manuel Barkan Award). “Postmodern Principles” (2004): Art Education journal article describing contemporary alternatives to the classic Elements & Principles. “Principles of Possibility” (2007): Art Education journal article proposing themes and frameworks for deeper meaning-making in art curricula. Spiral Workshop: A teaching/research project Gude led at the University of Illinois–Chicago, featuring thematically driven, open-ended artmaking experiences. Examples and images can be found in Olivia Gude's NAEA e-Portfolio (includes slides/videos of workshops) https://naea.digication.com/Spiral/Spiral_Workshop_Theme_Groups/ Forthcoming & Recent Publications Book: Promoting Civic Engagement Through Art Education (edited by Doug Blandy and Flavia Bastos). Gude's chapter: “Limit Acts and Constructed Situations: Paulo Freire and the Situationist International.” (Fall 2024) Dialogical Pedagogy & Assessment Skeptical Assessment Society: Gude's collaborative workshop series with educators such as Katherine Douglas, challenging rigid scoring rubrics and emphasizing authentic learning/meaning-making. Paulo Freire's “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”: Foundational text for dialogical, student-centered teaching approaches that inform Gude's community-based and thematic curriculum work. National Core Arts Standards (2014) Gude served on the writing team for these standards, which encourage self-directed play with materials, authentic artmaking processes, and reflection over rote skills. Find them at: National Core Arts Standards – Visual Arts Here is a link to the edited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are potentially errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at storytellers@teachingforartisticbehavior.org
In this episode, The Creativity Department chats with NAEA's Southeastern Region Vice President, Joshua Drews about the evolution of Media Arts over the years. Throughout his career, Joshua's students have used a variety of media but over the last handful of years much of that has been digital. In this episode, Joshua discusses how technology has evolved within the art classroom and changed it for the better. Learn how much technology has shifted since he started teaching and even from when he was in school himself. Listen in to hear more about media arts from Joshua!
Raine Valentine, the Past Chair for NAEA's Caucus on the Spiritual in Art Education, joins The Creativity Department to explore spirituality as the expression of self and discuss how that manifests in the art we make. Listen in to hear what that can look like in the art room as she shares her personal experiences and methods. From personal beliefs and how they translate to art making, to how approaching art making from a different perspective can be beneficial, learn how entwined art and spirituality are when you approach it as passion for self-expression.
In this installment of TAB Storytellers, Abi and Jen sit down with Julie Toole, K-8 art teacher at Baker Demonstration School and faculty member of the renowned TAB Institute at MassArt. Julie, whose career spans a remarkable 34 years, shares her journey with us from special education to discipline-based art education to discovering TAB at an NAEA conference and beyond. Among the topics discussed are the power of learning in community, the critical DEIJB (diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging) work we do in teaching and learning, and the small but powerful steps we can take to “move the needle” in our classrooms. For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB! Here are resources to more information discussed in the TABcast: SEED - https://www.nationalseedproject.org/ Rudine Sims Bishop - https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/2018/04/video-rudine-sims-bishop-on-mirrors/ Here is a link to the unedited transcript of this episode. We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at storytellers@teachingforartisticbehavior.org
In this episode of Learning Unleashed, Tim Needles, an art educator and author, discusses the evolving relationship between art and technology, particularly the role of AI in creativity and education. They explore how AI can enhance artistic expression, democratize creativity, and the challenges educators face in preparing students for a rapidly changing technological landscape. The conversation highlights the importance of maintaining traditional art forms while embracing new tools that can augment the creative process. Follow on Twitter: @ISTEofficial @mrhooker @timneedles @shellthief @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork #edchat #edtech #edtechchat Tim Needles is an artist, educator, performer, and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum. He is a TEDx Talk speaker, a technology integration specialist, and teaches art and media at Smithtown School District and Five Towns College. His work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, Columbus Museum of Art, Norman Rockwell Museum, Alexandria Museum of Art, Katonah Museum of Art, and Cape Cod Museum of Art. He's the recipient of ISTE's Technology in Action Award and Creativity Award, NAEA's Eastern Region Art Educator Award & ArtEdTech Outstanding Teaching Award, and The Rauschenberg Power of Art Award. He's also a National Geographic Certified Teacher, PBS Digital Innovator, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, an ISTE Community leader, NAEA ArtEdTech interest Group chair, and an Adobe Creative Educator. He's active on social media at @timneedles.
In this episode, The Creativity Department is joined by returning guest Paula Liz, Youth and Preservice Program Manager at NAEA, to talk about National Art Honor Society (NAHS). Listen in to learn what it is, projects and activities students can participate in, and the amazing opportunities available to members. For example, during NAEA 2024 in Minneapolis, students worked with world renowned mural artist Alice Mizrachi to create a mural that is on exhibit at the Davis Art Gallery. Discover how to start your own chapter!
In this episode The Creativity Department speaks with art educators and artists James Rees, Frank Juárez, and Rama Hughes! As a follow up to their extremely popular NAEA conference presentation, Frank, James, and Rama join Matt and Laura to discuss ways of maintaining creative practice and the benefits it holds for art educators. Explore how nurturing studio practice strengthens teaching practice, helps educators relate to students' experience, and helps re-ignite the creative spark that energizes us all. Listen in to hear more from James, Frank, and Rama!
In this continuation of NAEA's Connected Arts Networks (CAN) episode about Professional Learning Community (PLC) Leadership, Oral Historian Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and The Creativity Department's Matt Grundler talk to arts educators Emily Ban and Luana Palimetakis. Hear about creating positive learning environments for adults and why participating in a PLC can develop highly effective arts educators. Discover what PLC leadership looks like and strategies that can be utilized to build PLC's. Listen in to hear more from Emily and Luana in this latest CAN episode!
In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and The Creativity Department's Matt Grundler talk to arts educators from NAEA's Connected Arts Networks (CAN) about Professional Learning Community (PLC) Leadership. Arts educators Joy Wright and Hilary Morefield Colman join the conversation to talk about what leadership looks like in a PLC, tools and strategies they utilize with their PLCs, as well as advice for other arts educators who want to build their own PLC's. Listen in to hear more from Joy and Hilary in this latest CAN episode!
With the month of May upon us, it is time for another mailbag episode! Amanda and Tim begin with a chat about NAEA in Minneapolis and their own visits back to the classroom as volunteers. They then dive into a bit of advice on watercolors, strategies for ELL students, ideas on student behaviors, and strategies for upcoming job interviews. See the links below for all the resources mentioned in today's discussion! If you have a question for a future mailbag episode, email podcasts@theartofeducation.edu or leave a voice recording at 515-209-2595. Resources and Links The Perfect One-Day Art Lesson Substitute Tips and One-Day Art Lessons Simple One-Day Lessons (Ep. 307) and Even More Simple One-Day Lessons (Ep. 308) 12 One-Day Lessons for the Secondary Art Room The Art Teacher's Ultimate Guide to Getting Hired Find the Getting Hired as an Art Teacher pack in PRO Learning How to Support ELL Students Check out Strategies for English Language Learners in PRO Learning End of the Year Cleanup Jobs for Your Students There are PRO Learning packs on choice for both Secondary and Elementary 13 Fresh and Seamless Ways to Expand Your Art Lesson
NAEA's 2024 National Convention is right around the corner! New to this year's conference is the Digital Playground, an area where attendees can try out a variety of hands-on art related activities! In this episode, the Creativity Department is joined by returning guest Tim Needles, as well as Illinois Art Educators Sherri Kushner, and Kerry Parrish who are running activities in the Digital Playground. Listen in to hear about activities such as laser cutting, Adobe Express demonstrations, a cell phone photoshoot, and much more!
In this continuation of the Equitable Protocols in Action episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and The Creativity Department's Matt Grundler talk to arts educators from NAEA's Connected Arts Networks (CAN). Jessica Lucas & Alexa Wynschenk join the conversation about creating structure and setting expectations for students with classroom protocols. Listen in and learn how they teach students to collaborate, respect each other and their cultures, and implement induvial protocols to facilitate organization in their classrooms.
I Like Your Work: Conversations with Artists, Curators & Collectors
Jennifer Combe is a mother, artist, and associate professor of art at The University of Montana. Before shifting to higher education, she taught K12 in Washington State public schools for fifteen years. Her artwork investigates gender, contemporary mothering, and children's development. Her visual work has been exhibited at The Missoula Art Museum, Holter Museum of Art, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, The Gift Shop exhibition space at The Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, the NAEA gallery in Virginia, and The Washington State Center for Performing Arts. Her work is featured in the book An Artist and a Mother, published by Demeter Press. Her work in art education spans early childhood education, community arts, and social theory. Her educational work has been featured in The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education, The Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement, The Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, and Visual Arts Research. She has lectured for The National Art Education Association in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Dallas/Fort Worth and New Orleans. She lectured on mothering and art education in Florence, Italy for The Motherhood Initiative on Research and Community Involvement. She lives outside of Missoula, MT with her family. "My research and artistic work explore cultural constructs around gender and mothering, ability, and schooling. Drawing from autobiography, I locate the essence of an experience and then distill my understanding of that experience into simplified, often geometric, forms. This process helps deconstruct cultural paradigms that complicate interpretation and meaning—ultimately how we perceive ourselves. Working in the studio involves a form of meditation and contemplative translation of experiences and anxieties through the direct process of applying paint or fabric to various surfaces such as glass, panel, linen, or paper. Non-objective abstraction allows an ambient space for the ambiguities of memory and the tumult of emotion to be freely realized. Often working in multiples, I process experiences in singular works and then rejoin the simplified forms to make a complex, yet fleeting whole. My hope is to claim control over the ambiguities of experience and emotion, if even for a moment." LINKS: jennifercombe.com @jkcombe I Like Your Work Links: Check out our sponsor for this episode: The Sunlight Podcast: Hannah Cole, the artist/tax pro who sponsors I Like Your Work, has opened her program Money Bootcamp with a special discount for I Like Your Work listeners. Use the code LIKE to receive $100 off your Money Bootcamp purchase by Sunlight Tax. Join Money Bootcamp now by clicking this link: https://www.sunlighttax.com/moneybootcampsales and use the code LIKE. Chautauqua Visual Arts: https://art.chq.org/school/about-the-program/two-week-artist-residency/ 2-week residency https://art.chq.org/school/about-the-program/ 6-week residency Join the Works Membership ! https://theworksmembership.com/ Watch our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ilikeyourworkpodcast Submit Your Work Check out our Catalogs! Exhibitions Studio Visit Artist Interviews I Like Your Work Podcast Say “hi” on Instagram
You will fully enjoy this tour through the heart and journey of Frank Naea. “My journey in this whole revelation has been like going back to school again. If any man thinks they know something, they do not yet know as they ought to. This journey has not just been about learning something new; it has also been a journey of unlearning what I thought I knew. After 30 years of being in Youth With a Mission, youth pastoring and many other things I have done, you have a groove, a way of seeing and doing. I have realized I am still in process; Father is still fathering me in some places I did not know I needed fathering!”Franks opens up about this unlearning and relearning - it will open your heart more for your own adventure with grace, faith and Father.
In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi are joined by the NAEA Choice Art Interest Group Co-Presidents Mandy DeWitt, Julie Jacobusse, Michelle Puhl-Price, and Damien “Coach” Phillips. Among the topics discussed are some of the nuances between Choice and TAB, finding the balance on the choice continuum that works for you, and how to get involved with the Choice Art Interest Group. For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB! For more information about the Choice Art Interest Group or to join as a member you can find out more at these great links: https://sites.google.com/view/choicearteducators/home https://www.arteducators.org/community/articles/257-choice-art-educators-cae Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1699665476977044/ Here is a link to the unedited transcript of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mbWsR5gbDvrt1tc6WB6yJwKjdAx3xuDL_8vXGguXIrI/edit?usp=sharing We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at storytellers@teachingforartisticbehavior.org
In this episode of Federal Tax Updates, hosts Roger Harris and Annie Schwab are joined by special guest Megan Killian, Executive Vice President of the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA). Megan discusses her background in association management and her role leading NAEA, the premier organization representing the interests of Enrolled Agents. She talks about the benefits of NAEA membership for EAs, including advocacy, education, community, and support obtaining the credential. The discussion covers NAEA's strategic priorities like membership growth, how the EA credential compares to the CPA, and efforts to address the talent shortage by promoting the EA path, including to accounting students and career changers. Megan also shares details on NAEA's ongoing fight to regulate paid tax preparers and protect taxpayers from unethical or incompetent preparers. Additional topics include getting involved with NAEA and using its resources to advance your career as an EA.(00:00) - Federal Tax Updates: Why Become An EA? (00:50) - Welcome Megan Killian to the show (01:36) - Megan's background and role at NAEA (03:41) - Benefits of NAEA membership for Enrolled Agents (05:39) - NAEA leadership and strategic priorities (08:42) - Promoting the Enrolled Agent credential (11:34) - Comparing EAs, CPAs, and other tax professionals (14:39) - The declining number of accounting majors and CPAs (18:23) - The EA exam as a faster credentialing path (20:25) - Addressing the talent gap by hiring EAs (23:16) - Helping employees become EAs (26:33) - Regulating paid tax preparers (30:27) - Efforts to pass federal preparer regulation (32:23) - Getting involved with NAEA (34:42) - Where to reach Megan and learn more This Bonus Episode is NOT Eligilble for CE or CPE Credits Learn more about becoming an EA https://www.naea.org/Connect with Megan KillianLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megkillianWebsite: https://www.naea.org/about-naea/naea-evpConnect with the Hosts on LinkedInRoger HarrisAnnie SchwabReviewLeave a review on Apple Podcasts or PodchaserSubscribeSubscribe to the Federal Tax Updates podcast in your favorite podcast app!This podcast is a production of the Earmark MediaThe full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this pageAll content from this podcast by SmallBizPros, Inc. DBA PADGETT BUSINESS SERVICES is intended for informational purposes only.
In this episode, Oral Historian Dr. Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz and The Creativity Department's Matt Grundler continue the conversation on Cultural Responsiveness with NAEA's Connected Arts Networks (CAN). New York City educators Lidia Menniti & Catherine Plichta join the conversation to discuss creating inclusive environments. Discover how Cultural Responsiveness celebrates differences, encourages students to find their passion, and fosters empathy. Listen in to learn more from the latest CAN episode!
In this episode, the accessibility and inclusion conversation from episode 146 continues. Matt Grundler (of The Creativity Department) and Amy Appleton, CAN Project Director for NAEA, are joined by Kirsti Lewis, Founder of People Like Us. An organization devoted to providing inclusive and meaningful instruction to students with disabilities, People Like Us helps teachers implement curriculum that allows these students to partake equally in class and have fun doing it! Listen in to hear more from Kirsti Lewis!
Blake and David discuss issues relating to the accounting profession's talent pipeline, including a high school student's negative experience in her first accounting class and efforts by state CPA societies to reduce licensing barriers. They move on to tech topics, like the slow adoption of AI tools such as ChatGPT among accountants and new product features announced by Intuit and Xero. Wrapping things up, they share listener feedback on finding resources to learn new accounting software and workflows and provide commentary on app subscription price increases and the need for accountants to price their services properly.Sponsors OnPay - https://cloudaccountingpodcast.promo/onpay CCH Access - https://cloudaccountingpodcast.promo/axcess Keeper - https://cloudaccountingpodcast.promo/keeperChapters (00:00) - Preview: Accountants need to charge more (01:02) - Welcome to The Accounting Podcast : Blake talks to high school senior in an accounting class (10:41) - The South Carolina Accociation of CPAs introduces new changes to 150 rule (20:02) - Air traffic controllers are understaffed and narrowly avoiding disaster (23:51) - The number of EA's in The NAEA is down 23% over the last 5 years (26:10) - Comparing air traffic controller shortage to accounting shortage (31:26) - Attestation reports are not audits (34:09) - Listener mail from a bookkeeper asking for recommendations on how to learn QuickBooks better (40:36) - What should firms do when accounting software raise their prices? (46:26) - LegalZoom launches LegalZoom Books (49:02) - How many Ohio CPAs have tried ChatGPT at all? (51:57) - Intuit released their year end earnings (55:07) - Some new Xero AI news & Xerocon is back in the US for 2024 (59:15) - Relay ups FDIC insurance to $2.5 million and Stripe offers sales tax calculations (01:01:25) - Wrap up and where to reach us Need CPE? Subscribe to the Earmark Accounting Podcast: https://podcast.earmarkcpe.comGet CPE for listening to podcasts with Earmark CPE: https://earmarkcpeShow NotesProduct wrap from Xerocon Sydney 2023 | Xero Blog https://www.xero.com/blog/2023/08/product-wrap-from-xerocon-sydney-2023/ 150 Hours is a Barrier – Really! - Going Concern https://www.goingconcern.com/150-hours-is-a-barrier-really/ Jacob Schroeder: 86% of OSCPA Town Hall attendees have not used ChatGPT at allhttps://x.com/jacobbschroeder/status/1694748226904060157?s=12 SCACPA Proposing Legislation to Address Pipeline Challenges – SCACPAhttps://www.scacpa.org/scacpa-proposing-legislation-to-address-pipeline-challenges/ Airline Close Calls Happen Far More Often Than Previously Knownhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/21/business/airline-safety-close-calls.html Please join the Arizona State Society of Enrolled Agents “Town Hall” https://aztaxpros.org/images/meeting/082323/Town_Hall/azsea_invite_to_town_hall_on_aug_23__2023.pdf Question from a bookkeeperhttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7094151084134338560/Upcoming changes to QuickBooks Desktop pricing + FAQshttps://www.firmofthefuture.com/product-update/quickbooks-desktop-pricing-changes/ Dext pricing change from today https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/any-answers/dext-pricing-change-from-today Introducing Ramp Plus https://ramp.com/blog/introducing-ramp-plus Fintech Ramp is Raising Capital at $5.5 Billion Valuation, Down 30% https://www.theinformation.com/articles/fintech-ramp-is-raising-capital-at-5-5-billion-valuation-down-30 Accountants face up to the cost of cloud app stacks https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tech/tech-pulse/accountants-face-up-to-the-cost-of-cloud-app-stacks Stripe Unveils “Tax for Platforms” to Streamline Tax Compliance for Small Businesses https://smallbiztrends.com/2023/08/stripe-unveils-tax-for-platforms-to-streamline-tax-compliance-for-small-businesses.html Intuit (INTU) Q4 2023 Earnings Call Transcript https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2023/08/24/intuit-intu-q4-2023-earnings-call-transcript/ Why Students Opt for Accounting (or Don't) https://cpatrendlines.com/2023/08/20/why-students-opt-for-accounting-or-dont/ CPA Exam Changes and Pipeline Woes Are a Perfect Storm of Problems For the Profession https://www.goingconcern.com/cpa-exam-changes-and-pipeline-woes-are-a-perfect-storm-of-problems-for-the-profession/ Stop calling them auditshttps://blockworks.co/news/blockchain-audits-ey FTX Bankruptcy Burning Through $1.5M in Legal Costs Every Dayhttps://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/08/23/ftx-bankruptcy-burning-through-15m-in-legal-costs-every-day/ 150 Hours is a Barrier - Really! https://www.goingconcern.com/150-hours-is-a-barrier-really/ SCACPA Proposing Legislation to Address Pipeline Challenges – SCACPAhttps://www.scacpa.org/scacpa-proposing-legislation-to-address-pipeline-challenges/ Xerocon Returns to the US https://www.intuitiveaccountant.com/education-hub/training-center/xerocon-returns-to-the-us/Get in TouchThanks for listening and for the great reviews! We appreciate you! Follow and tweet @BlakeTOliver and @DavidLeary. Find us on Facebook and, if you like what you hear, please do us a favor and write a review on iTunes, or Podchaser. Interested in sponsoring the Cloud Accounting Podcast? For details, read the prospectus, and NOW, you can see our smiling faces on Instagram! You can now call us and leave a voicemail, maybe we'll play it on the show. DIAL (202) 695-1040Need Accounting Conference Info? Check out our new website - accountingconferences.comLimited edition shirts, stickers, and other necessitiesTeePublic Store: http://cloudacctpod.link/merchSubscribe Apple Podcasts: http://cloudacctpod.link/ApplePodcasts Podchaser: http://cloudacctpod.link/podchaser Spotify: http://cloudacctpod.link/Spotify Stitcher: http://cloudacctpod.link/Stitcher Overcast: http://cloudacctpod.link/Overcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CloudAccountingPodcast ClassifiedsFinDaily - https://findaily.io/ Forwardly - https://www.forwardly.com/Royalwise - https://royalwise.com/Want to get the word out about your newsletter, webinar, party, Facebook group, podcast, e-book, job posting, or that fancy Excel macro you just created? Why not let the listeners of The Cloud Accounting Podcast know by running a classified ad? Hit the link below to get more info.Go here to create your classified ad: https://cloudacctpod.link/RunClassifiedAd The full transcript for this episode is available by clicking on the Transcript tab at the top of this page
We believe that this message from Frank Naea will be listened to many times. Frank served in YWAM as a teacher and base leader in New Zealand and the Pacific for 30 years, which included serving as the International President for over three years, but then life took a hard turn. Frank shares what happened, describing what he calls the most important and transformational reality in his life thus far. As you listen to the revealing journey God took him on, you will likely discover God has some incredible nuggets for you. Frank is a gifted communicator, authentic, humble and full of grace. Please note we had a wee challenge in the recording quality that evening, but the content will not disappoint.
Ja'Naea Modest appeared on stage in the inaugural performance of "That's What She Said" in Danville, IL. In her story "Live Your Life," she shares with our hosts how her mother's words continue to resonate in her life.
In this episode of TAB Storytellers, Jen and Abi are joined by Mario Rossero, Executive Director of the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Among the topics discussed are Mario's journey from classroom art educator to his current position with NAEA, the power of naming things, advocacy, and ways TAB educators can connect with NAEA. For more information about TAB, please visit the TAB website: www.teachingfor artisticbehavior.org. Also, you are invited to join us on Mighty Networks (https://teaching-for-artistic-behavior.mn.com/), an online platform dedicated to everything TAB! For more information about NAEA, the NAEA convention, and NAEA interest groups, including the Choice Based Art Education Interest Group head over to https://www.arteducators.org/. Here is a link to the unedited transcript of this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z2CTQWcoEHWqaoVpXNQvTKexQVYJDlJx07Pft7zYJZc/edit?usp=sharing We recognize that there are probably errors and grammatical issues. If anyone with the time or inclination to edit this wants to do so, please email us at storytellers@teachingforartisticbehavior.org
Today's guest is Operations Director for Location Location, Regional Executive for Propertymark, and a mentor at Agents Together. She is a member of NAEA & ARLA and subsequently, a fellow of ARLA, being a Finalist for a Propertymark Award 2019, Thames Valley Property Awards Young Person of the Year 2021 and Propertymark Executive of the Year 2022. Not only is she doing all of the above but, she is also running for Vice Presidency of ARLA Propertymark. There is a lot to take from this episode about social media, getting a work/life balance and so much more.
With the NAEA 2023 conference wrapped up, The Creativity Department sits down with returning guest Orlando Graves Bolaños to talk about the largest art education convention in years. Orlando was the Co-coordinator alongside Laura for this year's conference in San Antonio, Texas. Hear about sessions they attended, what inspired them, and their take aways from San Antonio, Texas as they dive into their personal experience from the largest convention in years.
This week is the start of the NAEA National Convention in San Antonio, Texas, and Tim is here with a preview of the event in today's episode. Listen as he discusses his love of learning and attending conferences, some events he is most looking forward to, and some of the happenings with the AOEU team. He also discusses some tips on how to make the most of your conference experience and how to find value in any type of professional development. Resources and Links 7 Reasons to Attend Professional Learning Events Why You Should Attend an Art Ed Conference 6 Strategies for Fast and Formative Assessments Take Home Assessments for the Art Room
In this episode, we're joined by Tim Needles, who shares how gamification engages students and allows for teachers to use the resources they already have to introduce gamification into their classrooms.Tim Needles is an artist, educator, and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum. He teaches art/media at Smithtown School District, is a TEDx speaker, and his work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, at the Columbus Art Museum, Norman Rockwell Museum, Katonah Art Museum, and Cape Cod Art Museum. He's the recipient of ISTE's Technology in Action Award and Creativity Award, NAEA's AET Outstanding Teaching Award, and The Rauschenberg Power of Art Award. He's a National Geographic Certified Teacher, Adobe Creative Educator, PBS Digital Innovator, and an ISTE Arts & Technology and STEM PLN leader.Twitter: @timneedlesFind his book; STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum: https://my.iste.org/s/store?_ga=2.146526900.1071356452.1669920146-903486003.1662733594#/store/browse/detail/a1w1U000004LpbDQAS
Remember, we welcome comments, questions and suggested topics at thewonderpodcastQs@gmail.com S3E34 TRANSCRIPT:----more---- Yucca: Welcome back to the Wonder Science-based Paganism. I'm one of your hosts, Yucca, Mark: And I'm the other one. Mark. Yucca: and today we are talking about Cauldrons. Mark: Yeah. Yucca: yes, and welcome to October. We're here all in. The wonderful aut month, the our kind of spooky hollows is coming and here we are. So we're gonna have some great episodes this, this month. Mark: Yeah, I'm really excited about it. We've got a lot of cool stuff to talk about for the witchy month and can't wait to get started. Yucca: Yeah. So speaking of witchy, there's probably three symbols which are most associated with witch broomstick, pointy hat and cauldron. Mark: Right. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: No one will make any mistake about what you are trying to represent. If you've got those three things with you Yucca: Yep. And oh please. Mark: Well, I was gonna say, we don't have enough to say about a pointy hat to turn it into an episode, but there's plenty to talk about with a caldron. Yucca: there is, Yes. So I think a good place to start would probably be, you know, the history. What is a coldron, what's the history and why? Why it really matters, why we're interested in this symbol. Mark: Mm-hmm. well. From my standpoint, I, I think you, you really identified the main reason why we're interested in it. I mean, for those of us that gravitate towards Paganism and it's aesthetic and it's iconography in our ritual practice, those. Those standard symbols, like the cauldron become very potent. They become very influential when, when you're, when you're brewing something over a cauldron, there is very much this sense that you're doing magic, right. Yucca: Yeah. Well, and I, and I think that the association with the witch, a witch is a powerful figure. Right. And they're, they can be represented in different ways in terms of the morality of them in stories, right? Depending on who's telling the story, whether they're, you know, the good guy or the bad guy. But they're always powerful, right? They're always, they have agency. But that agency also usually is coming from them and the home. And the cauldron has this association with the home because it's a tool of the. , whether that's an outdoor kitchen around the fire or whether that was your kitchen in the home at the Hearth. Mark: Right. Yeah. I mean, Among the very earliest implementations of of any kind of cooking equipment that we're familiar with are ceramic pots that were used for cooking. Things in hot stones would be put inside a ceramic pot. And then Cereals or meat or and water or whatever. It could be stirred in that and it would boil which would sterilize it of course, but would also break down proteins in the food to make it easier to digest. And we have evidence of that going back thousands and thousands of years. Yucca: Right. Well, because there's a lot of foods that, There's a lot of plants that you might be digging up that you can't eat. Mark: right. Yucca: Right. It's not gonna, you have to cook them. And so if we were gonna be doing that, then we needed to cook them. Mark: Right, and we've had. Thousands of generations to do the experimentation to figure those things out. I mean, people talk about, you know, indigenous knowledge and indigenous healing. Well, think about all the trial and error that went into figuring that stuff out. It's like, all right, who's gonna eat the mushroom? All right, Bob's gonna eat. Oh, Bob's gone. Yucca: Okay. Let's remember that measure. Mark: Right, But how did they ever get to the point of feeding the mushroom to reindeer and then gathering their urine? Yucca: Yeah. Mark: I mean, it's just Yucca: Well, I, We Mark: scale of Yucca: time, Yeah. The time we've been around. On the one hand, if you compare us to, Crocodiles, we've barely been around. Right. But compared to an individual human or an individual culture's memory, the, it's so, so long. Mark: Right. Yeah. 200,000 years since we really started developing culture Yucca: Or well human, at least our gen, our genius is older and you could quite, there's a lot of argument to be made that that other humans, not just homo sapiens had. Quite a bit of culture as well, Mark: Well, sure. They had the domestication of fire, which in many cases there are a lot of strong arguments to be made that the domestication of fire was. Kind of the, the launching pad for human culture. In many ways it also coincided with a rapid evolution of our brains because we were getting a lot more food value out of our food once we started cooking it. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: This is a tangent, but Yucca: Well, but we can relate it back though, because Fire and Cauldrons is that right? So we, This was planned, This was planned tangent. We can say Mark: So, yeah, the, the hearth, the, the home fire and the cooking pot sitting over it are very, very ancient symbols of of power of transformation. You know, you put those ingredients in and they, they, they come out different. They come out edible food, they come. Tasting different Yucca: smelling good. Mark: smelling good. There's, there's just all kinds of wonderful things that happen in the, the alchemy of that, that caldron. So historically, and, you know, we know that this has been a symbol for a very long time because it was already a trope when Shakespeare was writing about it. Right. You know, with, with the three witches and the double, double toil and trouble and all that. So now we inherit it today and it's become sort of a stereotype, but at the same time, a caldron is a really useful ritual implement, and we're gonna talk about ways that it, that it is useful for us. Yucca: Right, and we should say, The image that usually comes to mind when you think of a cauldron that rounded three-legged black, you know, big Iron Pot. That's one version of a Coran, right? This is, that's, we're looking at, that's coming from recent European history, but Qurans are much older and there's, you know, they're always kind of a pot shape, but we don't always see them as that round. Belly kind of shape. Sometimes we see other shapes involved. We're talking about that because that's what we associate with the witches and a lot of the kind of witch aesthetic is coming from a European aesthetic, but remembering that cultures all over the world had versions of this. Mark: Yes. Yes. And we should talk about some some variations that exist for the kinds of formats that people might. Experience as a part of you know, selecting a cauldron for themselves. We're in no way saying you need to go out and spend a couple hundred dollars on, on, you know, a pot beed, three-legged iron cauldron. They're out there, they're really cool, but Yucca: if you're into that, we're not gonna judge you on that, but yeah, you certainly don't need to. Mark: Yeah. And if we, and if we do a ritual with you and there it is, we'll go, Hey, wow. Cool. Caldron, Yucca: Yeah. Mark: But my caldron actually is not one of those, It is a Dutch oven that probably dates from the turn of the 20th century. It's got a lot of rust on it that I've never cleaned off because it's. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: And it has a wire bale that I can pick up and a lid. And I've used it in lots of caldron rituals and it's, it still, it still communicates that sense of antiquity. There's something that's lovely about having a lid for it because it's sort of mysterious. You know, you put the lid on and then some, something magical happens inside it. You take the lid off and things have changed. Yucca: I think that's really interesting because I, mine are also Dutch ovens. So mine are very used dutch ovens because I have a wood stove in the home and, and yeah, I have a little propane burner as well for cooking on, but as long as we've got, cuz we do heat with wood in the winter, as long as we've got that going. I love having things up on top of it and you can also stick it into the ashes of the fire. So we've got several different sizes and kind of different shapes there for them. And there's just something about that cast iron, right? Ours are probably are new Dutch ovens. They're probably made within the last few years, but they feel like something that could be around for a very long. Mark: Right, Yucca: They, you know, they could be passed on. My grandkids or great-grandkids could literally be using these. Yeah. Mark: that is the great thing about cast iron is that. It simply doesn't wear out. We use cast iron frying pans in my house and some of them come from thrift chops where they looked hideous. I mean, they're covered with rust and conclusions and just in the worst possible shape. But you get going on, taking all that stuff off, and then Yucca: take that top layer. Yeah. Mark: And it is a perfectly good frying pan once again, and it will be for decades, if not centuries, as long as you keep it from being eaten up by oxidation. Yucca: Yeah. That's what we use all of our, our pans in the kitchen, our, our cast iron, we've got. A couple of stainless steel for boiling, like a pot or kettle stainless steel. But that's, you know, they're just beautiful. And, and some people get very snobby about the exact correct way to treat them and wash them. And, but I think that they're just super forgiving and if you mess up, then you just it, right? You just re season it again. It's great. And enjoy the things you're eating that you're seasoning it with, you know. Mark: Right. And there are some things that you make that will take the seasoning off. Like if you cook a tomato pasta sauce, for example, the, the acids in that may very well take some of the seasoning off the pan. So you put a little oil on, stick it in the oven, heat it up for a while, and you've gotta see some pan. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So, and, and ode to to cast iron. We're big fans. Yucca: Right. Well, and so going back though to the cauldron, so we were saying that we use our, our cast iron Dutch ovens but there's a lot of Dutch ovens that are not iron. Right. And there's other things that, that would, that serve the same function that we use today. As a coulter would traditionally, So your big crock pots, right? Or your stockpot, right. We've got like this several gallon stockpot that, you know, is what I used to heat up the bath water with. And it's just, it's, it, it has that same vibe, right? And it, it's modern. It was made within the last 20 years probably, but it still does that same function and looks beautiful at the same. Mark: Mm-hmm. One of the things that is great about using a Dutch oven actually be is because they do have a lid. And what that means is that you have a little bit more control over temperature. Gradients. For example, if you've got a Dutch oven that is sitting on the fire or in the coals, the bottom of that is gonna get really hot. But the lid, you could put herbs on that to create a fragrance in your home. Or a little drop of essential oil to do the same thing. There are, if you just want to warm things, I mean, I know you can, you can warm bread and stuff like that on the, on the top of, of a dutch oven as well. So it's a very versatile tool for for a variety of uses. Yucca: and you can also put a fire right into it. Right? You could have your candle or something in that, and then. When you put your lid on afterwards, you can feel pretty secure that you're not, that you're not creating a fire hazard with that. Mark: Right, Yucca: So now it will, your lid will heat up too. So you need to be, be aware of that if you're, you are using it on the stove and, you know, not, not touch that with your bare hands, but it just, it, you could just use it in so many different ways. Mark: right. Right. And there is something about just the sight of that Dutch oven or caldron heating in a fireplace or over a stove that kind of says home and comfort and warmth and and magic, you know, the magic of the kitchen. We were talking before we were recording and I was mentioning that, you know, one of the things about about older times is that, you know, you, your, your medicines didn't come from a factory. They came from your kitchen, you know, and the caldron was a, a key. Tool for creating them. You know, you'd, you'd gather the proper herbs, you'd mash them up in a mortar and pestle, which is another classic alchemical sort of witchy, magical set of tools, and then you would brew them. Yucca: today too, Mark: Oh yeah, yeah. We, we use ours all the time. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: And then, you know, brew them or toast them or, you know, whatever it is in that hot pot. So it's, It's not an accident that a, that domestic tools like the broom and the cauldron are associated with the power of the witch because that kind of ritual magic, if you will, was really the purview of the home. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: That's where it happened. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: Very different than, Oh, go ahead. Yucca: I was gonna say, I still think that, I think that's still where a lot of it does, but in our very busy lives, we kind of forget about that sometimes. We're off running around, but when we come back, back home, back to center, then we go, Oh, I actually do have a lot of power from this place. Mark: Mm-hmm. . Yes. So, We've established that this is something that has been a symbol for a very long time, and it's been a, a useful tool for humans even going back into very, very ancient times. I'm sure we were heating things on hot stones long before we, you know, invented pottery or any of that kind of stuff. Yucca: Right. But as long as we've been in the neolithic. We've had something of the sort, right? Every, everybody who's doing that, who's doing the, the whole staying in one place thing, and even nomadic peoples as well could have things that they were, you know, packing up and bringing with them. Yeah. Mark: right. And we've established that cast iron is good. Yucca: yes. Yay for cast iron. Mark: Big fans of cast iron. Why don't we talk a little bit about the kinds of ritual things that you can do with a caldron Yucca: Hmm. Okay. Well I think we could start with the incorporating what you would be doing with it to begin with, just on a mundane level and adding some ritual and meaning into that. So in this case it, it might be your Dutch oven, but it also might be your stockpot on the stove. Right. What are you doing and why are you doing that? Right? So can you add something, Can you have a, a moment when you add in that salt or whatever it is that you're adding in, that you, that you take a moment and have just set an intention with that, right? Mark: Yeah, the adding of seasoning and spices I think is a great opportunity for metaphorically adding magic into whatever it is that you're cooking. Spices are. Spices are kind of magical substances when you think about it. I mean, they are the unique pesticides that various plants have evolved in order to defend themselves from insects mostly. And in some cases from fungal infections and stuff like that. Yucca: and small mammals and Mark: Sure, yeah. If they, Yucca: And us too. It's just, we're so big , right? They're, they're technically poisons, right? They're toxins that they produce because they don't wanna be eaten every, everybody wants to survive and reproduce and they can't get up and run, run away the way an animal can or bite you, but they can make themselves poisonous. Mark: Yes. And they can make themselves taste bad, but Yucca: But we ended up liking Mark: amounts, yes. In small amounts. You're, you're a regno and your terragon and your sage and your onions, and. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: All those wonderful things. Garlic, I mean, they, they give us wonderful, good feelings and very complex flavors that give us a lot of pleasure. So when casting those things into a cooking pot, we can be setting intentions, we can be stirring them in as meaning, you know, Yucca: It would be lovely if you made your own labels and added them to the spice jars. Maybe not covering up what they are. If you need to know which is, which is your cayenne and which is your cinnamon, you wanna know the difference, right? But if you put your label on that, you know, Oh, well this one is love, right? And this one is creativity. You know, when you're putting in your love and creativity and all of those things that you see that every time. Reach for that spice jar. Mark: I love that idea. That's a great idea. And it would be a really fun project actually, to do with kids to create the labels. Yucca: Yeah. And you could do, You could put them on in ritual too. Mark: Right? Right. Yucca: And even, No even grown up kids. Right. Mark: Oh yeah. I. Yucca: kids of whatever ages. Mark: I would want to be a part of it for sure. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So we can do caldron magic in the course of just using the caldron for the purpose, for an ordinary cooking purpose. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: We can also dispense with anything in the cauldron except fire. We can, we can burn. We can burn fire, burn wood, or you know, whatever it is that don't burn anything toxic because then you're not gonna want to use it for cooking ever again. Yucca: and you wanna be able to be around. You don't wanna breathe and smoke in general, but you wanna be really careful about what it is that you're burning. So you don't wanna be burning like synthetic fabrics or something like that, that really could be very toxic to you. If you get a little wolf of whiff of wood smoke, it's not great, but you know, it's, it's not gonna be quite as much of an issue as burning plastics. Mark: Right, right. Yeah. So, a flaming caldron is something that we, I've used many times in rituals and you can, you can feed stuff that you want to destroy or dispense with in the form of. Little pieces of wood that you've invested your intention on or written the message on what you mean. You can do that with slips of paper. You can do that with Little symbols that are flammable of, of some kind. So that's sort of the destructive approach to a flaming cauldron. But you can also do it with wishes. You can inscribe something hope hoped for, that you want to, The smoke will go up into the sky and inform whatever powers are up there and, and they'll put in an order for you. Yucca: Or thinking of it as this is fuel, right? This is, this is the fuel for the fire. That, that whatever it is burning inside of you, right? What is it that you want to feed into your fire to, for you to continue to grow and do all of these, you know, passionate, wonderful things, whatever it is that you are focused on. Mark: Right, And in the case of a ritual like that, I really encourage people to use low tech methods of actually lighting the fire. So that it, it takes a little effort, right? You know, whether that's a flint and steel or I, I don't recommend lighting a fire with a bow because it's an incredible amount of work. And it, you can have disappointing results while you're trying to light your inspiration. Fire. Yucca: Yeah. Well if, if you do, you might wanna practice that ahead of time and be, and get really good at it. Right. Just knowing that it is a skill that takes a lot of work. Mark: Yes. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: But there is, there is something to be said to something more than just flicking a lighter and . Suddenly there is flame. Yucca: Yeah. Well, and it, and you know, if you don't have access to one of those matches, right? There's something more, I, I find there's something very satisfying about striking the match as opposed to just the lighter. Although there are some really cool lighters. We were given one of those arc lighters. Mark: I have one I use it for, for my alter, my focus all the time. Yucca: Yeah, I feel so sci-fi, whenever I use Mark: Yeah. Yucca: like, yeah. It's just really nice and it's USB chargeable, so we just like plug it in and don't have to, I've got lots of lighters and matches all over the place because I don't wanna ever. Want to be lighting a fire and be shivering and being like, Where are my matches? Where are my lighters? But those are fun, but you know, there's matches. And there's also, I don't know what they're actually called, but you know, the ones we'd use in lab class for bunsen burners? The, Mark: Oh, those little pizza, electric things that, Yucca: Yeah, there's silver and you Mark: spark. Yucca: Yeah. Those are, you know, when you have a more. Just an out of the ordinary or kind of fun way of starting the fire. There's a little something extra to it. Mark: Right, right. There are these striker, they're, they're sort of like flint and steel. They're these sort of striker sticks that you scrape sparks off of onto like cotton or something, which will light on fire. And those are pretty neat for starting a fire too. I don't know what they're called exactly either, but they're you can get them in camping stores. Yucca: Okay. Mark: add to a survival Yucca: Oh, I think I've seen them and they, You can like put them on a key chain or something like that. Yeah, Yeah. Now you gotta be patient with anything like that that doesn't have a sustained flame because you're trying to catch that. Spark, Mark: Yeah. Yucca: like if you have like a little cotton swab from the bathroom, like those are really good and you maybe half of it, you dip into olive oil and the other half you leave open so that then it starts to burn the oil. And there's a lot of, that's another thing that you could do fire related is little fat lamps, little fat, an oil lamps. Those are really fun. Mark: Right. Yucca: This year the kids and I So they're, they're softa. So my stepmother lives up on our, where we do as well and is really into finding the, the clay here and fire making things and firing it. So they made little oil lamps. Yeah, so they made little oil lamps and we've been using lard in them and they worked remarkably well and doesn't smell like a fast food restaurant. I was very happy for that. Mark: That's amazing. Yeah, we've used NAEA uses Tao quite a bit in cooking and Yucca: how, Mark: Yeah, so we've, we've, I've used that sometimes as sort of an accelerant for a fire to get started, but, okay, so that's the fire inside the cauldron. That's one whole set of things you can do. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: Then there's the adding ingredients into the cauldron kind of. The, the classic example of that is stone soup, where everybody brings an ingredient and you start with water or stock. Could be vegetable stock, could be chicken, Yucca: Mm-hmm. , b flam, whatever you have Mark: Whatever you Yucca: and whatever matches your, your dietary approaches. Yeah. Mark: Right. And then people add ingredients and the whole thing becomes soup. Which. Is a lot more satisfying than it sounds. There is, there is really something wonderful about the kind of ceremonial, adding by a whole lot of different people of what they in particular have brought to add to a given dish. And then it's all put together, it's cooked, and then it's distributed out to everyone to enjoy. There's something very poetic about that, that process. Yucca: Yeah. Hmm. Mark: And then you can also do sort of magical potions, which aren't meant to be ingested, Yucca: Right. Mark: With whatever ingredients you feel are necessary. Now, bear in mind, cast iron is a little bit porous, Yucca: Yeah. So if you're gonna eat from it again, you don't wanna be putting non edible things in there, Mark: right? Right. You know, no Mercury Yucca: Yeah. Or I, I don't know why this one's coming to mind, but shampoo. Right, because shampoo, like there's really good smelling shampoos that'll bubble up really nicely. Like you could do some really kind of fun smelling and looking things with, with soap shampoos and soaps and stuff like that. But you don't want, you don't want that in your mouth. Mark: No. Yucca: And that's gonna spoil whatever you try and cook in there next. Right? If you get it out cuz you, you're not feeling well and you need that good soup, you know, And then, Oh, shampoo soup. Mark: it's, this is Lemon Sented shampoo. Oh, dear. Yucca: Yeah. But if it's one that you are using only for ritual and decorative purposes, that's very different. Mark: Right? Yucca: Right. Mark: Yeah. Yucca: I suppose you could put line it with foil or something like that, but it's kind of taken a risk. Mark: You know, if you really want a sort of bubbly, frosty effect I would just go for the dry ice, you know, put a little little layer of water in the bottom of the cauldron set in a block of dry ice. You'll get abundant fog pouring out of it. It'll look really cool. If you want to change the color, you can break a light stick and drop it in there. So that you've got like a green fog coming out or, Yucca: but that you cannot use for food again. Mark: Oh, I. Yucca: a light stick. Mark: I didn't mean to Yucca: Oh, good. Okay. You mean snap it so it activates? Mark: it so it activates Yeah. And drop it in there. Yucca: Well, and with the dry ice, there's nothing to clean up afterwards, which is really nice. Right. If when it come, it billows out, you know, might get things, you know, little damp, but not, you know, you're not gonna have to be mopping anything or cleaning anything up. Mark: right. Be sure you've got good ventilation. Yucca: Yes. Mark: Dry ice is co2. CO2 is poisonous. That's why we breathe it out because we don't use it. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: you just wanna make sure that you've got good ventilation in the room so that you don't get overcome by CO2 and pass out. Yucca: Right, Because if we, I mean, we breathe CO2 in and breathe it back out, but the problem is it's not oxygen. It isn't the same as carbon monoxide, which is really problematic for us because our bodies confuses that with oxygen and then it basically makes us suffocate. But co2, Yeah. That sort of thing you might wanna be doing either outside or with making sure you have the windows open, but yeah. And also when you're doing, going back to the fire, one being mindful about what size is your flame going to be, Right. If you're lighting a little candle inside of your little cauldron, The kitchen, you're probably fine, but if you're pouring something in Mark, you have a, Don't you have a story about a Mark: Oh yes, Yucca: flame that came out Mark: the flame vortex. Yucca: Yeah. That you wanna be outside for, with, you know, appropriate fire or safety equipment. Yeah. Go. So what happens with your Mark: Well, what What happened was we did a ritual where we burned some intentions for the coming year, and the caldron was sitting on top of. Coals and there was still some flame there. So the bottom of the, the cauldron was very warm. And what we did was afterwards we poured in two bottles simultaneously, two bottles of cheap red wine. And it was hot enough that the wine boiled on contact with the bottom of the pan, which we assumed was going to happen for the first little bit that we poured in. And then, Yucca: you gonna make mold wine or something? Is the Okay? Mark: Yes. And, and mold wide, which included the ashes of the Yucca: beautiful. Mm-hmm. Mark: had, you know, been. Been burning there, and then we could all have a sip. Well, what ended up happening was that the entire pot boiled, it boiled off the alcohol and the alcohol lit on fire, and created this sort of fire tornado that extended up maybe three feet above the, the lid of the, or the edge of the cauldron. And it did that for about 20 seconds. So what we ended up drinking had no alcohol in it for one thing, and it wasn't particularly tasty because it had been boiled also. But it's a pretty cool effect if you, if you wanna do that again, it just don't do it indoors. Yucca: Do it outdoors to have all of your, you know, your fire extinguisher or whatever you need Yeah. To put it out. Right. And maybe not, you know. Not near a bunch of, you know, brush and all of that. Mark: Yeah. Or overhanging branches, which is the thing that people often forget because the picture in their mind is of a fire that is, you know, a nice contained fire that only leaps up about a foot above whatever the container is. But sometimes fires get a mind of their own and they, they get bigger than that and then they can start to. The, the tree branches that are over the top. So you need to be, you need to be careful with fire, Yucca: Yeah. And you know, whatever the safety is in your area, check, check with your county regulations. Is there a fire ban on at the moment and all of that because you don't wanna burn your, your neighborhood down. So yeah, Mark: Yeah. Yucca: of those, those interesting. We have this lovely, beautiful relationship with it spanning back literally millions of years, but it's also extremely destructive. Mark: It's very dangerous. The fact that we were able to domesticate this incredibly dangerous chemical process is really a testament to courage in our, in our ancestry, honestly, because when we first got it, it was probably burning trees that have been struck by lightning Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: and you know, I would think you probably wouldn't wanna go near a tree that had been struck by lightning in case it got struck again. Right. Yucca: Yeah, and it's still, you know, can still be hot. The, the kids and I are reading some Greek mythology right now and we actually just were reading about Prometheus and my oldest asked, Well, mom, why was Sue so mad about fire? What's the big deal about giving humans fire? When we had to go through all the things that fire can do, how powerful Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: it made people, they went, Oh, okay. Still doesn't seem like a fair consequence. Mark: Well, yeah, e Eternal torment never seems like a fair consequence. . So, yeah. Yucca: they were very sympathetic to poor Prometheus, so yeah. Mark: So, the last kind of ritual that I can think of is the kind of potion making where. Where you're, you're mixing something up, which you're then going to pour off into jars or into, you know, like if you're making spell jars for example, and there's particular ingredients that you want in all of them. So you mix up sort of a, a formula of what all those different elements are, and then you can pour them off into jars and maybe add material items before closing them and sealing them. Yucca: What would be an example of a type of, of ritual that you would do with one of these s. Mark: I haven't done a whole lot of spell jar rituals myself, but I know of people that have done like spell jar protection symbols for their, for their land, Yucca: So they would bury it in the four corners or. Mark: Right. Yeah. Bury those, you know, at the boundaries in order to, well, realistically speaking in order to help them feel more protected. Yucca: Well, that's the point of the ritual, right? Mark: that's the point of the ritual. Exactly. I mean, many of the magical rituals that have been implemented over human history have been to try to get control over stuff that we don't have control. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: It just helps us feel better and that's fine. There's, there's nothing wrong with that. There's, it's absolutely a great thing to do. So, for example, if you had You know, water from a particular well and maybe some river water and some ocean water and some wine and some, I don't know. I'm trying to think of, you know, a few drops of blood. Whatever you wanted to put in there. You could stir all that up together. Add in whatever other. Miscellaneous ingredients felt like the right thing to do and then could decant out of the caldron. But you, you get to do that big stirring motion on the caldron, right? That, that wonderful double, double toil and trouble kind of thing. And so you can chant over it, you can sing over it, you can you can do that solo or you can do that with a group. Everybody can get a turn to do the stirring. I've seen that before. And then you pour off into the jars and put in items. I, I know that historically spell jars have been found that are full of nails, Yucca: Okay. Mark: that are sort of meant to protect against stuff, right? Put these sharp objects in to protect people from from what they don't want to contend with. Yucca: Well, brainstorming as, as you were talking about that everybody putting something in. Maybe one thing you could do is if you're with a group or you could do it on your own, having a, a jar that you're preparing for later when you're having a hard time, Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: the, oh, you know, here's the, all the, the friendship and joy and, and sense of connection and, you know, there's gonna be a day when I'm feeling alone and I need to, to open that up. To remember that, you know, I have this connection and this appreciation for the community or, or a day where, where you put patients into the jar. So when you're all out of patience, you can, you have a jar, patience stored on that back shelf that you can open up, right? Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: Things like that. Mark: Yeah. You could pour what's in there as a libation for a, a plant or just onto the earth as a way of releasing its power. And then you have a jar that you can refill again and do another spell with, I have patients in knots. Yucca: Ah Mark: so when I really need it, I can untie one of the knots on my patient's string and let some patients out. Yucca: hm. Mark: It at least gives me something to do other than reacting angrily in the, in the immediate term, cuz the knots are pretty tight, so it takes a while to get 'em undone. Yucca: Mm-hmm. . And do you have a time when you go back through and retie everything Mark: I haven't had to do that yet. I think I've got four or five knots left on my, on my patient's string. But yeah, we did that in the, in a ritual of the Saturday morning mixer, Atheopagan mixer that we do on Zoom. So. I found it useful. I've actually used it twice but I'm sure there will come a time when it's empty and I've gotta refill it. Yucca: Yeah. Hmm. Well, these have been, these have been fun to think about different ideas to do with Colton, and of course there's, you know, there's so many more that we didn't mention. Mark: Right. Yeah. The, the wonderful thing about having a, a ritual practice is that it's re it's everything that your imagination can come up with. Yucca: Mm-hmm. Mark: And of course, we like to swap our ideas so that we can take advantage of others imagination as well. And I hope that some of the ideas that we've talked about here today are helpful to you. But if you don't have some kind of a. Big cooking receptacle really encourage you to, to consider adding that to your magical tools. It's it, it really is a, a very useful thing both for individual work and for group rituals. Yucca: Right. And beautiful. Mark: Mm-hmm. Yucca: Right? Depending on your style, I know some people like to. Put their, their ritual tools away and wrap them in the beautiful cloths and things like that. And, and some people like to have them out on display because they like looking at them and they make them feel good when they see it. So it's both completely valid approaches. It just depends on what, what works for you. Mark: Right, Right. Yeah. So there you have. Caldron in non FIAs pagan practice. Pretty cool. Yucca: Yeah, Mark: I'm so glad it's October. Yucca: me too. Well, thank you for another great discussion and we will be back to see or talk with all of you next week Mark: Yeah, thanks everybody. Yucca: I believe. Mark: Oh yes. Talking about death. Yucca: Yes, it's October, Mark: Gotta do it. Yucca: All right. Thanks everyone. Mark: Bye bye.
https://vimeo.com/746382204 https://www.currentfederaltaxdevelopments.com/podcasts/2022/9/5/2022-09-06-aicpa-action-week This week we look at: AICPA issues proposed revisions to Statements on Standards for Tax Services AICPA requests additional guidance for filing of Schedules K-2 and K-3 AICPA and NAEA ask for additional time to file 2019 and 2020 tax returns to get penalty relief
We hate to break it to you, but… The internet is not special. It's just one of many marketing principles to lay hold of (albeit - a necessary one in this time). At least, that's what our guest Jassen Bowman, EA, asserts in this episode of the ProMarketer Podcast. He says it's no different from any other offline marketing medium. Of course, tax and accounting firms still need a strong online presence and a plan for marketing to new and existing clientele. But despite all the fancy tips and tricks for how to market online, a lot of the tried-and-true marketing principles still apply to the internet. After all, why reinvent the wheel when it's rolling just fine? In this episode, Jassen Bowman joins TaxProMarketer CEO Nate Hagerty to discuss how fundamental marketing principles are more applicable than ever for both your online and offline marketing. As an Enrolled Agent, Jassen has presented over 500 live seminars and webinars to CPAs, EAs, and attorneys on the subjects of tax firm marketing, practice management, ethics, real estate, and taxpayer representation. He has authored over a dozen books for tax professionals and written for NSA's Main Street Practitioner, NAEA's EA Journal, AccountingWeb, and CPA Trendlines. Check out Jassen's latest book, Profit Optimizers: 12 Big Ideas for a More Profitable Tax Firm, here: https://jassenbowman.com/books/
Book mentioned: “Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei & the Ritual of Everyday Life” by Patrick J. Donmoyer https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40605053-powwowing-in-pennsylvania Eric's website is at www.ericsteinhart.com Remember, we welcome comments, questions and suggested topics at thewonderpodcastQs@gmail.com S3E27 TRANSCRIPT:----more---- Mark: Welcome back to the Wonder Science: Based-Paganism. I'm your host Mark. Yucca: And I'm the other one Yucca. Mark: And today we have a very special episode of The Wonder. We're really excited to discuss urban paganism with two guests from New York City, Joh and Eric Steinhart. And so welcome to both of you. Eric: Hello. Joh: Hi, thank you so much for having us great to be here. Mark: really delighted to have you, so I guess, to get started why don't we just ask you to tell us a bit about yourselves? How did you come to non paganism? You wanna start Joh? Joh: Sure. My name is Joh. I've lived in New York for about 16 years. My path is very new. It's only about four years old. I've always been drawn to certain. Aesthetics around the occult I was a teen goth in the nineties, which perfect for that, but I never, I never really thought that I fit into any of those paths. I couldn't put my finger on why. A few years ago I purchased a, a beginner's book on, on witchcraft and developing your own identity as a witch. I got it just for fun, for a long train ride. There's a bit in there in the beginning that outlines different kinds of witches or witchcraft like green witches, kitchen, witches, chaos, magic, wicca. I'd heard some of these. Terms before, but they're described very plainly in the book and it gave me a little bit of a glimpse into how vast of a world paganism might be that I didn't know anything about, or I hadn't realized. So I started reading a lot more about developing a practice, but still didn't really feel like I fit in. I couldn't relate to the belief system parts. And in one of my internet rabbit holes, I learned about the book godless paganism, which described paganism from a more science based lens. And I just got really excited about what that sounded like. So I ordered it to my local bookstore and I devoured that book, the concepts, it taught me even more about how personal one's path can be and that there is this little corner of this world that felt like a fit and like I could belong. So then I started looking for a community because I was so excited and I wanted to talk about it with people. And I was clicking on links and links and links online and finally found the atheopagan Facebook group, which was the first active community that I had found that actually had recent activity in there. So I, I joined and I've been in that community for about two to three years, and it's just such an incredibly supportive, inspiring place that gives me ideas of how to develop my practice even more. And you know, now fast forward to today, I'm just really grateful to have found this community and group and little subset of of the path. Mark: That's great. Thank you. Yucca: Yeah, Eric, what about you? Eric: Yeah. So, I mean, I come from a very strange place. I mean, I'm Pennsylvania, German and Pennsylvania, German culture often known as Pennsylvania, Dutch, but we're not Dutch. We're Germans. And that culture is a magical culture and, you know, magic was normalized in that culture from the very beginning from its very roots. And so I grew up with a lot of that stuff. I mean, I grew up in, in a culture that was filled with magical practices of all sorts. And I mean, nominally, I mean, you know, nominally explicitly a Christian culture, but probably a lot of Christians would say, no, you know, you guys are doing some weird stuff. And, you know, I, I became attracted to science and early on and, you know, just don't really have a theistic worldview at all. So combining some of those things got me and I, you know, and I was in, I was involved sort of in, in atheist movements for a while and found a lot of atheism to be kind of, practically shallow, you know, there's, it's like, yeah, after you're done being mad at God, what do you do then? I mean, and there was like nothing. And you know, my, I would always say things like, look, there's no atheist art. You know, there's like atheist music, you know, there's just, you know, there's, there's no culture, right. Or the culture is, and more and more people have observed this. It's kind of parasitic on Christianity in a way. And so I found that very unsatisfying, right? Certainly I know plenty of atheists. I'm a philosopher, I'm a philosophy professor and I know plenty of, you know, professional atheists and all they do is talk about God. And so I'm like, look, I don't wanna talk about God. Let's let's let's talk about something else. Let's do something else. And I found that paganism in various forms, it was just kind of, kind of starting, but in various forms, you know, had a culture had art, had aesthetics, had practices, had symbols had a fairly rich worked out way of life. And as a philosopher, you know, I've got plenty of training in ancient cultures, particularly Greek and Roman but also also Germanic. And you know, I just thought, oh, This stuff, all kind of fits together. And so I became very interested in thinking about ways and I've advocated among atheists to say things like, look, you guys have to start. And, and, and women too, you've gotta start building a culture and you can't build a culture of negativity, you know, a culture of no, a culture and especially not a culture. That's essentially a mirror image of Christianity that all you're doing is talking about God. And you know, I've had a little success there, but it's a, it's a tough hall. But I think more and more something like a kind of atheopagan could really be a live option for the future of lots of aspects of American culture, right? As people become de Christianized, what are they gonna do? And some people say, well, they're just gonna be secular. But that's not really an answer and that's not a culture. And as you start looking around, you start to see these other cultures that are kind of bubbling up and developing. So yeah, I mean, I came to it from, you know, both the sort of old ethnic, Pennsylvania, German angle, the kind of philosophy and science angle and dissatisfaction with you know, sort of mainstream atheism. So lots of different roads in Yucca: Wow. That's a, that's a really interesting path to, to come on. So it'd be interesting hear more about the practice, the magical kind of practices that you talked about. Eric: well, there's a good, there's a good book by this guy, Patrick, Don moer called pow wowing. So you can check that out. It's incredibly rich and incredibly weird stuff, you know, Yucca: well, we'll find that and put it in the show notes. If people wanna take a look at it. Eric: Right. Mark: Yeah. Well, both of your stories are really very interesting that way in, in in that identification of Something being missing, but the, the main, the main offerings that are, that surround us in our culture, not really fitting that hole. That's certainly what I found as well, you know, and it's the reason that I wrote the essay that first started out a paganism. And I, I should probably introduce at this point that Eric, you, you especially have been involved with various non theist pagan efforts since long before I wrote that essay I just was, did a poor job of research and didn't find the other naturalistic non-theistic paganism efforts that were being done around the world. Until after I had already, you know, published and was starting to get attention for atheopagan So, as urban pagans living in the city what do your practices look like? Joh, you wanna, you wanna start on that? Joh: Sure. My practice may not be super urban sounding, but, but. There's some stuff about like spots in the city that, that I do. But generally my, my daily practice is in the morning. My apartment faces east and I wake up early enough to catch the sunrise every day. And I'll kind of first just stare at stare at it and kind of greet the sky every morning. I do stretches to start the day and I position my mat to face that window so that I can really connect with the day while I'm waking up. I have a small focus that I decorate seasonally. I really connect with ritual and the different physical objects around my practice, probably because I was raised Catholic and I always loved the sacred spaces, the incense, the bells, the rituals, and the regalia of it all. So it's a very tangible practice for me. And I have a. Personal calendar with the, the, you know, the solstice and the equinoxes in it. But also with other days that are very personal to me. Like I celebrate Freddie Mercury's birthday every year, for example, and, and the anniversary of when I move to New York and I'll actually take that day off of work and like use that whole day to really explore parts of the city that I love. And don't as easily make time for during the rest of the year. And then I also try to cook and eat seasonally as much as possible and really understand what the, what the ecology of this region is like. And I made this spreadsheet that tells me what's in season around here based on what month it is. It makes it easier to shop for and plan meals and things like that. Mark: Hm. Yucca: Hmm. Mark: Wow. That's a lot. Yucca: Yeah. Mark: Yeah, that's very cool. Thank you, Joh. Yucca: you have any parks nearby that you go to? Is that part of your practice or more? Just the relationship with the city and the sky. Joh: There is a really beautiful community garden in my neighborhood. That's open to the public a couple of days a week, and sometimes I'll walk there or ride my bike there and just kind of slowly walk down the paths and see how everyone's set up their plots and what they're growing. And there are bees everywhere and some benches off to the side. So sometimes I'll sit there and journal a little bit, or just kind of stare into space. And, you know, the people who have plots there are required to volunteer, you know, certain number of hours every week. And there's this section at the end where you can see everyone composting and things like that. So there's that piece. And then. In the city as well. There are different ways. Speaking of composting, that you can participate in kind of that cycle. So you can go to a drop off spot and bring your food scraps and they'll compost them and, and then use that for the public parks and things like that. Yucca: Oh, nice. Joh: that's like another way that allows me to feel more connected to the public parks and spaces of nature that are kind of engineered in such a dense area. Mark: Uhhuh. Nice. Nice. Eric. How about your practice? Eric: Yeah. I mean, my practices are probably a little too intellectual. I mean, one of my main practices is trying to figure out how all this stuff can work out and how to make sense of, of, of pagan ideas and practices. Right. That's cuz I'm a philosopher. That's what I do. I mean I do have a little I have a little altar and I do, you know, things, things like that, but I, I do try to think. A lot about how what paganism means and what kind of pagan concepts are relevant, for instance, in an urban context, right? I mean, cities are not trying to be forests. That's not what they're trying to do. They're not. And, and, you know, trying to work out pagan contexts or concepts and beliefs and practices in an urban setting it may, you, you have to think a little bit differently, right. Because there's a lot of you know, what you might call mainstream paganism that has a very I think very biased view of what paganism is or should be like we're all supposed to be farmers or, or, or Amish or something. I mean, I grew up with the Amish, you know, I mean, so I'm like, no, no, I know what that is. And so, you know, thinking of the ways that that cities are natural spaces and that cities are ecosystems not because they're trying to be, you know, a national park, right. I mean, and there's more and more wonderful research among, you know, biologists and ecologists of, of how cities themselves are ecosystems, you know, they are not, they're not phony ecosystems like, oh, New York. City's great because it's got central park. No, you know, the, the city isn't eco, I mean more and more research onto this is fascinating stuff because you're finding all these species, not just humans, humans are a natural species, but you know, raccoons, cougars, coyotes, you know, and New York city has there, there's beautiful research that's been done in New York city. Right. We have herds of deer. Wandering the city. We have, you know, foxes. I mentioned the, the raccoons, I think the bird life in New York city is, you know, and so you find things like, and there's a term for this, a technical term for these kinds of critters, right. Sin, Andros, right. These are animals that have adapted to humans and now live. They flourish with humans. They flourish in cities, right? So, New York city for instance, is an extraordinary place to be a Raptor, a bird of prey, right? New York city has some of the highest Paran, Falcon and Hawk populations anywhere. Right? Because they love the tall buildings. They love the bridges. Like the bridges are filled with Paragon, Falcon nests. And you're like, yeah, these, you know, life is adaptive. And So I try to think of all the ways that we live together with all these things in the cities and how humans have made a home, not just for humans, but for, for a whole ecosystem of, of critters. And, you know, like urban raccoons are not like rural raccoons, right. They've things. Right. And it's really interesting, you know, and people study this, you know, scientists, they study like how cities are driving bur particularly birds and raccoons. Are the species been studied most to become more intelligent, they're learning how to solve all sorts of problems. Right. So, so I find, you know, so part of, I guess my practice is sort of learning about that, observing that, thinking about ways that I mean, we haven't, we have a general issue. In the United States, right. Which is that so much of our space and structure is thoroughly Christianized. And it's not an easy thing to say, oh, well, let's, we're, you know, we're just gonna do something different, right. When all of your space is structured around a certain way of life. And so, you know, I, I try to think about ways that we can think of all kind like, okay, the four elements, you know, fire earth, air and water for me, light, you know, how do those relate in an urban context, right? Then in the, in a great way in New York city, you know, you can actually go into the earth. You know, in ways that most ordinary people can't right. And you can go deep into the earth right. In the, in the subways. I mean, you can do that on a daily basis. Right. And you can, you know, I mean, being stuck on a subway, train deep in the earth right. Is a way to like, encounter something that's terrifying and forceful. So how do you think of that sort of thing in, in a, in pagan ways, right? How do you think of, I mean, New York city is also very close to water. I mean, that's the reason the city exists. Right. It's one of the greatest bays in the world. We have dolphins, we have whales in the Hudson seals thinking of that kind of life as part of the city too. And I'll mention one other thing, thinking of things like, I don't know if people know about, I mean, you know, about Manhattan henge. Right. So, so you've got, you know, you've got structures there that people recently have started to say things like, Hey, we Stonehenge, we have Manhattan henge. You know, we have a, we have a thing and it wasn't designed that way, but Mark: Eric, would you like to explain what that is for our listeners? That don't know what it is? Eric: Yeah, Manhattan henge because Manhattan, the you know, the streets are in a sort of Southeast Northwest orientation. There are two times of the year when the sun come, you know, if you're stand on 42nd street in the middle and you've got skyscrapers on either side, my head is the sun, right. And the son just comes down between, you know, vertically between the skyscrapers and sets, right. You know, across the water sort of like Stonehenge, right? Like coming down between these monoliths. And I've seen it is, is really incredible. And people, you know, thousands and thousands of people go out in the streets to photograph it. And Thinking about ways that that kind of stuff can develop. And it might not be stuff that somebody says explicitly like, oh, this is pagan, like it's Wiccan or ARU or drew it, or, or whatever, or witchy witchcraft or something, but these are cultural things that people start to do. Right. And if you start to look around, you see all kinds of little shrines in the city, you know, I mean, there are, there are some obvious big ones in the statue of liberties, like a big pagan statue. And there are statues of old Greek and Roman deities in the city. There's like, mercury and Atlas are down at Rockefeller center, right? There's a statue of pan at Columbia university there. These, you know, these things exist. And not to, I mean, I, I think also, you know, a lot of urban places in a sort of practical sense of things to do things like art museums, right. Where you can go in, in New York, the metropolitan museum, and you can see lots of in fact they just are now having a big show on what old pagan statues used to look like. Right. Because they weren't white, they weren't white Mar they were painted. Right. They were dye. And so they've taken a bunch of them made replicas and they could still find microscopic traces of these dyes in the rock. And so they've now repainted them as they looked. So I'll go see that soon. So there's lots of opportunities for people to do all kinds of things. And I, and I real, but I really do think that. There's a, still a need to develop a lot of cultural infrastructure, right? You could go out in central park and, and do some ritual on the solstice or something, but that's really not. That to me is like something that sort of slides right off the surface of the culture, cuz it doesn't have any connections to things. There used to be some larger connections before COVID there was a network of drum circles. I don't know if people had been to prospect park in Brooklyn, there were some immense, there was immense drum drum stuff going on there. COVID kind of brought an end to a lot of that. So we'll see how that starts up, but I, I think there's a lot of There's there's a lot of thing. And if you do wanna go out in, in you know, in a kind of less urban environment, you know, New York city is actually is the highest density of Woodland trails over 2000 miles of trails within a 60 mile radius of the city, cuz the Appalachian mountains just arc right across the north. Mark: Right. Eric: And so you can, you can, yeah. It's the highest concentration of Woodland parks and trails anywhere in the United States. Mark: Wow. Eric: There's a lot, there's a lot still to be done. And I think I'll just, I'll just leave off with that. Mark: I was that's. Yeah. There's so much to say there. I mean, you mentioned the met and it's that talk about sacred spaces? I, I mean, the metropolitan museum of art is one of the great sacred spaces of the world. It's like a shrine to all human culture. Joh, I, I know you live in Queens, so I imagine you get to the Cloisters which is another super sacred space for me. This is kind of out of order of the, the questions that we talked about doing, but are there specific places or sacred spaces that you think of? When you, when you think about urban paganism in your city, Joh: Yeah. One thing that New York really does well is bigness. There are a few very stereotypically New York spaces that I have like religious experiences and in their giant. So the inside of grand central terminal is one of them. It's massive. It's echoy. The ceiling is painted with this beautiful night sky scene with the Zodiac constellations on it. Part of what feels so humbling being in there is going off of something. Eric said before is knowing that it's also this hub of this massive living transportation network that enables the movement of thousands, millions of people within this tri-state area. Another one is the branch of the New York public library with the very iconic lions out front it's, it's a beautiful piece of architecture. It's also inside cavernous full of this beautiful art, larger than life and quiet. It's really like church almost. You feel like when you're in there, cuz you have this like reverence and respect and gratitude for all of this knowledge that's contained in there and that it's free. Like you can just go and like getting a card is free. It's it still blows my mind. This one is pretty kind of cliche, but the empire state building it's so tall, but the city is so dense that I never expect to see it when I do so I'll be walking somewhere, probably distracted, multitasking, and then I'll look up and it'll just be there in front of my face. And it's this like instantly calming moment for me and kind of resets me in whatever's going on in life at the time. And then there's like smaller little smaller spots. Like there's a Steinway piano showroom near times square that I like to go visit. I play the piano and it's a really silencing experience, even though it's so busy around there and, and crowded and, and loud, but just to stand outside and gaze in at these beautiful pianos that are handmade just across the river in Queens, like it's really, really cool how accessible places like this are because of that, you know, that network that connects, although the parts of the city, so well, the subway. So yeah, those are, those are a few that come to mind. how about you? Eric: Yeah, I think, I think Joh says some great things. I mean, one point there is like the urban sublime, right? Like these, you know, towers that rise to infinity. I mean, it, you can have a kind of experience. That's hard to get anywhere else. If you go like up to the observation deck on the, you know, the freedom tower that replace the world trade centers or the empire state building or Rockefeller center, right. You go up on tops of these things and you see, you know, from a. Point, and that kind of space is you know, I mean, it's commercial, right? You pay, you're going up to the top of, of a skyscraper, but you, it can induce kinds of experiences that are hard to get elsewhere. And sure, grand central station, that's like a great example of a kind of space that's already, you know, sort of semi pagan in its kind of classical thing. Like the Zodiac is there and it's this immense space and you can, you can go in and just be you can experience awe and, and, and humbleness and things like that. A lot in the city. And I think, you know, especially when I first started coming to the city and, and probably a lot of people would have a similar experience. You, you just feel overwhelmed. I mean, the, the sheer size of these things that are around you and unlike I mean, other cities have some of this, but you know, it's not like in New York city, you can walk, you walk a few blocks and you're out. Right. I mean, if you're in Manhattan, you can walk for like 12 miles through this amenity and you're sort of like, I mean, it's, it's humbling. So I think that, I think, and I think there's a lot of symbolism that goes into that. I'll mention that there have been a couple of urban terror decks, right? That use, I mean, if you think of the tower and you think of just, well, the tower, you know, or you think of things like that, there have been some there have been, there are a couple of urban TA decks, some better than others, but you know, people are, and this is what I think about the cultural infrastructure. People are starting to build that kind of thing. Right. And start to see these symbolisms in these, in these places. So, yeah, that, I like, I like that. What Joh said about sort of the urban sublime and what mark, you said about kind of these museums that hold all this, this cultural stuff and. You know, I often think of, of paganism in terms of the symbolic, right. Rather than you know, I'm not much for, for ancient, ancient roots. That, that seems a little racist to me. I'm more into thinking about the future and thinking about things like, you know, if I think about superhuman minds, right? I mean, the city itself is like a high of mind. You know, the city itself is a super organism. It's a superhuman intelligence. Right. And, and things like me, I'm just like a little sell in this organism. I'm passing through contributing something to it, but the, the amount of energy that flows through San Francisco or New York, or, you know, something like that is astonishing. Mark: Yes. Eric: And it's it's information too. I mean, places like, okay. New York, Tokyo, you know, San Francisco, you know, are, are some of the most information rich places on the planet. Mark: London, Hong Kong. Eric: Right. And, and so if you think of like, you know, you think of a deity like mercury or somebody like, or thought, or Glen, you know, these, you may think of these divine minds and these patterns of information. I mean, I prefer to leave those Dees in the past where they lived, but now you look at super, if you want a symbol, cuz for me, a lot of this is symbolic. If you want symbolism for superhuman intelligence, you know, superhuman mind a superhuman agency, right? I mean the place to one place to find that there are other places, but one place to find that is in the, you know, the rich information flows the density of information flows in cities. Mark: Mm-hmm Eric: Right? You, you can really, you can, you don't have to think like, I mean, Okay. I lived in New York city. This means I am part of something that is immense it's 400 years old. It's I don't know how long it'll last, but you know, so many people have contributed to it and you're there you feel it you're like, yeah, I there's this thing, you know, it's immense, I'm a tiny little part of this huge thing. So. Mark: and, and I think that's really well said, and it also, it extends beyond the bounds of New York city so much. I mean, I, I think about watching old movies where pretty much everybody came from New York or their immediate family came through New York. It's like the entire culture of the United States is deeply informed by this urban collective experience that then spread throughout the rest of the country. I was thinking about, you were talking about culture and of course, city is where the culture is, right? I mean, there's culture everywhere, but big cities are there're places where it's easier for people that are cultural creatives to make it. There are more opportunities for them to, to make a living. And it reminded me, I've lived in two big cities in my life. I've lived in San Francisco and in Barcelona. And one of the things that attracted me the most about both of those places is busking in the underground. Eric: Oh Mark: the, the caliber of musical performance that you can experience. Just at random, you know, by stepping off of a train and suddenly finding yourself surrounded by it is it's like this, this spontaneous moment of, you know, truly religious kind of joy to me. And it's, it's one of the things that leaps immediately to mind to me, when I think about my fondness for those cities, right. Eric: Yeah. I mean, I, I think, and maybe Joh can speak to this too. I mean, the you know, thinking of those of those spaces where you can go and, and, and hear music and often the, the cultural thing is, is mixtures of cultures too, like in San Francisco or Chicago or New York. I mean, I can, you know, there are all these little I think, was it, Joh, did you mention Centia, did somebody mention that somebody mentioned that, but you know, there are all these, there are all these, you know, Afro-Caribbean cultures that have come into New York city and you could find all these little things, like all over the streets. You know, and they have some, you know, Afro-Caribbean significance and there they are. Right. And so you already find lots of, you know, there are lots of alternatives to a dominant, this sort of dominant Christian narrative. There are lots of alternatives already in these urban spaces, right. That come from from other other sources. Joh: I was actually also thinking about the, the mixture of different cultures. When thinking about some of the places that I like to visit there, there are a couple of neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan that I like to just I'm drawn to them. And I just like to walk around in and think about. The history and evolution of culture in those neighborhoods, like the history of music, of counterculture, of the different immigrant communities that settled there over time and everywhere you look, you can see little remnants of all this history from like a German inscription in the brick facade of a building or a plaque telling you that Charlie Parker lived in that building a 24-hour Ukrainian diner founded by refugees in the sixties that like still you know, still you can't, you it's always a weight. So there's that, there's that kind of magic too. And then I think just walkable urbanism in general, like increases the likelihood that you'll have chance encounters with not just different cultures, but like different kinds of people who are living different lives from you. Like. There's a community of local businesses and neighbors, and then the city workers, and it's all happening all in the same space. Like there's no alleyways in New York city. There's like two in the whole city. And so all that stuff is, and activity is just running up against itself and like keeping the environment running and thriving and kind of with this magical energy all the time. Mark: Yeah. And, and when you think about that, when you think about all those different cultures and different sort of value systems and so forth, all kind of coming together and finding a way to coexist, then it's no surprise that it's the cities that are the blue parts of the United States, right? It's like in the cities, people have figured out how to get along, cuz they have to, there's no choice about it, Joh: Yeah. And to coexist peacefully. Mark: And eventually to thrive. I mean, not, not just to coexist, but I to actually have melding of cultures and you know, new and interesting combinations of stuff like jazz, for example in new Orleans and New York and Chicago. Anyway, I, I don't know where I was going with that, but it, it occurs to me that the, the values that we associate with paganism, right? The inclusiveness, the tolerance, the the appreciation for beauty and culture and diversity and all those things, they really thrive more in the cities than they do in the, in the rural areas, which we think of as more natural, right. Eric: Yeah. I mean, that's a weird, you know, you find that kind of, to me, very, almost paradoxical or contradictory view in a lot of paganism, which is like, oh, the rural environment is the pagan environment. And you're like, no, the rural environment is filled with fundamentalists, man. Mark: Well, not entirely, not, not Yucca. Eric: nah, well, I mean sure, but, but still it's it's yeah, I mean, if you have a sort of polycentric culture where you've got lots of different cultures and lots of different religious ideas and lots of TISM lots of mixing of different religious ideas and you've got, you know, intelligent raccoons and, and you know, sparrows and yeah. Racoons have little hands, you know, they're learning to work stuff. They're gonna, that's what we're that's what's gonna take over after we're gone. You know, so, so I think that that's already seeing the multiplicity. I, I think of paganism often in terms of multiplicity, instead of, you know, unity, it's like, yeah, there are, there are many perfections and many ways to bring those together and, and integrate them into a system without, you know, reducing 'em to a, to like everybody has to act the same, you know? And I do think so. I think in, in that sense mark, what you said yeah. About cities having that, all those combinations right. Are really good. Really good. I don't think we're quite there yet in trying to figure out what, you know, the sort of next culture is gonna be, but won't happen in my lifetime, but I, I hope it will happen. So. Yucca: One of the things to kind of shift a little bit that, or some qualities that are usually not associated with urban environments that sometimes are, are highly valued in certain pagan circles are things like solitude and stillness and quietness. And those are things that I'm curious. Do you feel like. It is a fair assessment. That that's not something that really happens in urban environments. And also, is that something important in your practice? If it is, how is that something that is a pagan you, you search out or cultivate in your life? Joh: This made me think of something really specific. So it's actually, I feel like one thing that happens here is there's so much stimuli going on all the time. That it's actually, for me, at least fairly easy to, to, to be find myself in solitude. I, I live alone and You know, during the pandemic, especially, I didn't see anybody. And it was, it was very quiet. Actually, if you, you know, if you live in a more busy part of the city and you have an apartment facing the back of the building, that's like a sign that it's gonna be quiet. It actually can get really quiet here, surprisingly. But one thing that I don't know, I think this happened in multiple places around the world, in the beginning of the pandemic, but this, this thing started happening here where at 7:00 PM every day, everyone would leave their apartment and go outside and start clapping for the healthcare workers and essential workers who were actually having to still leave their apartments and help the city run. And this happened for months and months, every day at 7:00 PM, everyone would go outside and start clapping and, and it really helped, I think with the. Precarious kind of mental health situation that we were all finding ourselves in because we were trapped in these tiny boxes for so long, like scared of going outside because of the density and everything. And it helped us feel kind of alone together in a way. So that, that goes veers a little bit off of what you were asking, but I think it's actually not that it's pretty easy to find that piece and that, that that quiet and solitude if you if you try, like, not during a global pandemic, but but yeah, that just my mind kind of went there when you asked that. Eric: I think that was, that was a, a great place to go. I mean, I remember that we didn't go outside, but we leaned out our windows and banged on pots and pans, you know? And that's that was kind of a collective ritual. Mark: Yeah. Eric: I mean, it kind of, I mean, it was a collective ritual and I think, you know, I, I wonder about some of that solitude or something. I mean, certainly in, in lots of urban areas, there's a lot more, I think maybe I'm maybe I'm wrong here, but you know, a lot of collective action, there's a lot of political awareness political activity. And maybe that solitude, isn't quite what people are wanting. Right. Because it's not like I'm gonna go into myself and, and I'm gonna go, I mean, cities face outward, right. I mean, and that energy gets radiated outward. And I, I probably, if I had to think of my most well, you know, the two very pagan moments in New York city, both were musical. One was when I heard the band high long in New York, which was. You know, almost surreal in the, in the, the juxtaposition of this, this high, long shamanistic, you know, whatever they're trying to bring up. And it's in, it's in a theater in Manhattan and there are thousands of us there and we're all chanting and clapping and dancing and stuff like that. But probably even, even a little more, you know, pagan than high, long was like one time when I went to a Patty Smith concert in Manhattan. And that was just an, you know, an, I don't like to use this word, but that was intense. You know? I mean, that was something that was, I've been to a bunches of concerts and that was, you know, everyone just collectively this was, I think the 50th anniversary of her horses album and that's what they played. Mark: Oh, Eric: Right. And everyone knew all the words of course, and everyone was simply. Well, like in this unison and that's already you know, Patty Smith's already like, what space is she in with with these kinds of cultural things? You know? So I, I think there's a lot of opportunities for those kinds of collective mu I mean, music is one, art is one political, you know, political gatherings are be they protests or just activist gatherings. Mark: Dancing thing. Eric: Dancing. Yeah. All those kinds of activities really happen in, in cities. So I wouldn't go with the no, I mean, yeah, like, I mean, Joh was right. You can be solitary in the city if you want to. I mean, it's probably more solitary there than anywhere else. Right. Because it's certainly in New York because you know, if you're not engaged, like nobody's gonna talk to you. Mark: Yeah. Eric: Right. I mean, they're gonna leave you alone. And but I, I do think that there is an enormous amount of col I mean, that's the point of a city it's collective activity. Right. You know, I lived on a farm. I know what I know what rural isolation is. Like I, you know, I don't wanna do that ever, ever again, so yeah, I dunno if that answers that, but there you go. Mark: You know, it occurs to me when you talk about that. When I was, when I was in late high school and, and into my first couple of years of college, I was really into punk rock. And of course I was living, you know, very close to San Francisco and there was a huge punk rock scene there at the Maha gardens and some other places. And so I saw a ton of shows and one of the things that always struck me was these bands never come 60 miles north to where I live. They, they don't leave an urban environment. Right. Because punk lives in the cities and and many of those concerts were truly ecstatic experiences. Eric: Right. Mark: I, I mean, the mosh pit was just this glorious experience of mutual trust, where we knew we weren't going to hurt one another, but we were going to fling one another around. My partner NAEA tells a story about being in a pit in Philadelphia where somebody lost a contact lens and the entire pit sort of went who to make a space so that they could find their contact lens. And they actually did find their contact lens. So, you know, it very, I mean, there's a, there's a very abrasive kind of quality to the punk aesthetic, but really people who cared about one another and, you know, were, were part of something. And that was very much an urban experience. Yucca: Hmm. Eric: Right, right. I mean, I think you, can you get that kind of you get those kinds of energies and a lot of that so far is kind of aesthetic, right? Music, art, dancing, things like architecture, you know? And, and it'll be interesting to see, you know, people translating that more. You know, that's why, I mean, I think for instance, sort of the pagan music is really interesting and the ways that that can go. And different kinds of artistic expressions. And one of the things we didn't really talk about, which I think of as kind of pagan is sort of the, the visionary community, right? The transformational festivals and, and, you know, visionary art and that stuff, which to, to my mind, is in entirely a pagan culture, a pagan subculture. And that's, that's there too. Right? A lot of that is in urban areas. Also in New York city, there was an San Francisco too, I believe, but they're a big, you know, I think of stoicism as, as a pagan movement, contemporary stoicism, and there's an enormous enormously rich stoic groups in in New York. San Francisco comes to mind and a few, there are a few other cities that have, but yeah, San Francisco certainly has all this transformative tech stuff. Mark: And the, the whole burning man phenomenon, which is really interesting when you think about it. Because a lot of the people who go to burning, man, don't come from urban centers, but they have to build a city Eric: right. Mark: in order to have. The kind of crucible of creativity that they want. And burning man is a very pagan experience in, in at least the one time I was there. It definitely was not necessarily in a worshipful kind of way, but in a, in a cultural way, the, the kind of mutuality and celebration and expressiveness and creativity that you have in those kinds of environments are they remind me of the pagan community. And of course there's a lot of people there who are pagans. Eric: Oh yeah. Yucca: A lot of rituals. Mark: Yeah. Yeah. Eric: Yeah, that's gotta be like a paradigm case of how to do religion differently than it was done before. Right. And yeah, I mean, I teach a lot about burning man and you know, I always say to my students, I'm like, well, what do you think a new religion would look like? It's not gonna look like the old ones, you know? And you find, I mean, there's a lot of that around, I mean, that's, that's obviously closely connected with San Francisco, but there is a lot of that around not just burning man, but there's a, there's lots of places around New York city that are filled with that kind of stuff. I mean, yeah. I'm thinking in particular of like Alex Gray's chapel of sacred mirrors, Mark: mm-hmm Eric: which, which used to be in Manhattan, Joh, did you ever see that? Joh: No, I didn't. Unfortunately. Eric: It used to be in Manhattan. And now it's moved up the river into the Hudson valley and COVID kind of shut it down, but that guy used to have like weekly I'll just say raves at his place. Right. Wa in Weiner's falls check an hour north of the city. So, so that stuff is all around. Right. And it will be interesting to see if it gets more, you know, as things go on, if it gets, I mean, maybe it will just remain at a kind of level where it's people doing aesthetic things. Right. And they'll come together in these kind of groups and maybe it'll get more organized. I don't know. Mark: Hmm. Eric: Yeah, go to go to, Wappinger go to the chapel. I can't wait till the chapel sacred mirrors opens up again. I went with my, my friend, my friend of mine, Pete, and there was something about, I don't know what, you know, iowaska or something. And Pete looked at me and said, I didn't think this guy would be into drugs if you know, Alex Mark: Alex Gray. Really? Eric: yeah. It's like, Mark: the man who envisions gigantic halos of color all around the human form. Eric: you know, like 47 eyeballs, you know, like yeah, right. A little irony. But you know, that's, that's you know, it's all around and you know, maybe people don't conceive of it as pagan in a unified way, but maybe they should. Right. So we'll, we'll see where that goes. Mark: And I think, you know, the other part of it is that people are looking for rituals for, for shared communal experiences. Some of which we've just been talking about, but even people that are doing rituals in a more formally pagan kind of way, they have a much easier time finding others of like mind in a city than they do in an area like mine. For example, even though I'm close to San Francisco and there's a pretty large population of pagans here there's exactly one atheopagan other than me living in my county to my knowledge. Oh, that's not true four, there, there there's four of us, including me. And that's a, you know, there's half a million people living in my county, so yeah. Cities become this focus of such energy and, and collaboration. Eric: Yeah, I think they might. I mean, I, I, you know, there's probably like, you know, 7 million atheopagan in, in New York city. They just don't call themselves that. Mark: Huh? Eric: Right. And I think that's an inter I don't know if that's quite true, but it's, I think an interesting point, right? That you have people that are maybe nominally secular, but yet they do all these kinds of things. Right. And they don't I mean, I make contact with this through my students. Right. Who don't identify as, you know, pagan or atheists, but yet they're doing all sorts of they, you know, if you ask them, do they believe in God? No, but they don't identify as atheists. It's just, they just, they just don't do that stuff, but then they do all kinds of other things. Right. And you know, they, they do all sorts of, I mean, witchcraft was a kind of popular thing. I don't know if it still is, but they do things right. And they have all sorts of little rituals. Some of which are, are, come from family, traditions, others, you know, they do strange things with crystals, with their cell phones. Right. Those kinds of things could easily become more you know, a little deeper and a little more widespread where people start to think organically like, oh, what? And sometimes they might just not say, no, I'm not doing anything religious because they think of religion as Christianity and maybe they're right. And maybe that's right. And so I do find it an interesting point. That you say like, yeah, there might be a lot of atheopagan around you. They just don't call themselves that, Mark: right. Eric: you know, and they don't, you know, I mean, I know Masimo is a big leader of the stoic community and we just have this debate about whether or not he was a pagan. He'd be like, no, cuz that's like star Hawk. And I was like, no, dude, you're reviving, you're reviving an ancient pagan way of life, which is, oh, by the way, your own family history by your own admission, you know? And he's kind of like, like, guess that's true, you know? But he wouldn't call himself a pagan. Right. But he's doing the thing. So I, I do. And all those people out in San Francisco who do like the transformative text stuff and. A lot of the kind of consciousness hacking and things that goes into like some Americanized forms of Buddhism and things like that. That's, you know, there just might not be a single word for it yet. Mark: Sure sure. And all the, all the tech millionaires going to south America for iowaska ceremonies, you know, I mean, these, these are not the, the men who founded IBM in the 1950s and all wore an identical blue suit with a white shirt and tie. You know, this is, this is a very, very different culture that we've got now. Eric: Yeah. I think so. Was there, Joh, were you gonna say it, that it looked like you were gonna say a thing. Joh: The thing you were the thing you said about, you know, there, there might be 7 million Athens here, but they don't call it that. I just keep thinking about that because there's so many parts about like the set of values and the just human universal human needs, or like seeking for community for for ritual. The I've, I've seen acts of service, like in the past couple of years, like just becoming more community based here, like mutual aid, community fridges things like that. And, and what you were describing, like not, not your IBM founder, you know, people kind of looking for more right. Trying to. To look for more meaning it's all these little pieces kind of just existing at the same time, but not being named in any way. Eric: Yeah, or people aren't quite sure. That's why I think that, you know, building a cultural infrastructure, you know, some way to fit things together that says, oh, you guys are all have a lot in common. Right. I don't Joh, maybe, you know, maybe you're tapped into the secret networks. I mean, I don't know, like allegedly there's a zillion you know, iowaska rituals, like all the time in New York or there were before the pandemic. I don't know what the Panda, I mean, the pandemic transformed so much. There are big psychedelic conferences in New York, right? The the horizons which I've gone to. And but I, I don't know if this stuff is all, is all, you know, secret or, or not. Mark: Well, it seems as though we're at a time where culture and particularly the monopoly of Christianity has really shattered. And of course it's rebelling right now and trying to lock down everything it possibly can, as it loses its grip on the population. But there are all these fragments of things that are kind of floating around. It's like the accretion disc around a star, you know, Those things are going to, to glom onto one another and get bigger and bigger. And some of them will just spin off into space and be their own thing or dissolve. But I feel like nontheistic paganism is a kind of an organizing principle that a lot of these things can fit under because it provides meaning it provides pleasurable activities that people find joyful, provides opportunities for people to be expressive and to create family in whatever form that is meaningful and helpful to them. So it's, it's kind of an exciting time and I, I agree with you, Eric. We're not gonna see the outcome in our lifetimes. I don't think, but this, I think we're at a really pivotal time in this moment. And so working to be a culture creator is a really exciting thing. Eric: Yeah, I think that's true. And I, I mean, sure. I mean, I think that you know, and I don't know what to make of this as a, you know, an American who's growing older, but yeah, the, the sort of angry Christian nationalists trying to lock down what they can. And I don't know what it's like to live in, you know, Tennessee or Georgia or Indiana. I lived in the Northeast and, you know, Pennsylvania's an interesting case too, but I mean, you know, New York and north and east, it's like, Christianity's gone. Mark: Yeah. Eric: It's like, it's not here anymore. And I don't know if California or the west coast is that way. Certainly you have pockets here and there, but what a strange, yeah, that's just strange, Mark: After 2000 years of complete hegemony, right? Eric: Well, right. And you know, how are people living their lives around that? I mean, one of the things I like to do is catalog the existence of stone circles in the United States, you know? And like they're all over the place. I just found one like three miles from where I am now, Mark: Wow. Eric: know? I mean, and so what are people doing? Like what, Mark: It's a lot of work to build a stone circle. They must be doing something. Yucca: Is this is this in a park. Eric: No, this is on private land, up in the Hudson valley, you know, and I, and I just, just learned about it and you know, so I, I, I think we're all gonna, my prediction is we're everybody's gonna smoke weed and look at birds that's gonna be the, that's gonna be the thing, you know, bird. Now he's a bird, you know, now that now that weed is legal, but yeah. Where's this gonna go, Joh? You're young. It's up to you. Mark: Yucca is young Eric: Yucca is young too. That's right. You guys are young. Not, not is old, old foggy like us. Mark: Yeah. Eric: So what are you gonna do? I telescopes you got it all there. Yucca: Oh, yeah, I'm a science teacher. that's this is my classroom back here. Yeah. Eric: Oh, all right. Mark: Well, this has been an incredible conversation and I know we could go on for hours. But I think it's probably a good point for us to kind of draw down for this episode. And I would imagine we're gonna get a lot of really positive response from this episode. And we may ask to have you back to talk more about these things, cuz it's, it's really been just wonderful and super interesting talking with both of you. Yucca: Thank you for joining us so much to think about. Eric: Yeah. Thanks. Thanks for having us. Thanks for having Joh: Yeah, thank you so much. Us on, this was super fun to, to reflect on and think about, and talk about in this group. So thank you. Mark: You're very welcome. And of course we welcome feedback and questions from our listeners. The email address is the wonder podcast, QS, gmail.com. That's the wonder podcast, QS, gmail.com. So we hope to hear from you have a great week, everybody, and we'll be back next week.
CAEA's 2020 Elementary Art Teacher of the year and NAEA's 2021 Pacific Region Elementary Art Teacher of the Year, Alyssa Navapanich joins the Creativity Department this episode! Hear their tips and tricks for a successful start of the school year as well as the difficulties they've faced in the past few years with online and hybrid learning. Listen in to find out if you can utilize these strategies!
Swiss Army Knife of Real Estate From selling heat patches to real estate investing, listen in as Jacob Barnhill shares how he balances being an investor AND a real estate agent. Jacob will also go into why you are leaving 90% of the money on the table by NOT having your real estate license! Jacob Barnhill exudes professional knowledge, honor, integrity, and above all, a commitment to serve the agent community with exceptional efficiency and effectiveness. Jacob's sophisticated expertise, stemming from years of experience in investment and property acquisition, provide him with unique insight into local and national market trends, strategic transaction processes, and best practices. Twelve years of active duty in the United States Air Force also gives Jacob a strategically-honed mindset, which enables him to skillfully guide real estate professionals through the fundamentals of breaking through any barrier or problem area in their business. His heightened ability to see the big picture and find ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of any method ensures that when mentoring RE entrepreneurs their experience will be simple, clear, and successful. Jacob's job is to help the agents be more productive, help more people, and close more transactions by focusing on mindset, clarity and accountability. He is a military veteran, father, husband, speaker, real estate investor, realtor, and sales manager for The Barnhill Team in Columbia, SC. Jacob sold 26 homes his first year in the business. He is the proud owner of The Barnhill Team at eXp Realty in Columbia SC and the Action Oriented Agent community. The team operates as an investor/agent hybrid and offers more options for licensed professionals as well as additional options for clients when buying and selling. Action Oriented Agent is the playbook for any RE professional to launch and build their careers. Jacob started his real estate career in the Tacoma/Seattle markets running a successful investment company as well as working for one of the largest investment acquisition firms as an Acquisitions Manager. Jacob also is a FortuneBuilder Mastery Graduate, Certified Home Advisors through the NAEA, Certified ISA instructor, Certified Express Offer Agent and 2 time eXp ICON Agent. Jacob comes from 12 years active duty in the U.S. Air Force, a prior Keller Williams Ignite Instructor helping newer agents launch their business and heads the team's sales, marketing and business development with The Barnhill Team. Jacob has been a part of 100's of successful transactions, completed successful rehab projects, and owns several long term and short term rental properties. Jacob also has continuously been mentored by several top coaching and consulting firms for over 7 years. Jacob's passion is helping winners win bigger & faster. "There are those that have come before you"...Quit building your vision alone on an island. Contact Jacob today to start helping you grow your business. To learn more about Jen Josey, visit www.TheRealJenJosey.com To join REIGN, visit www.REIGNmastermind.com To learn how to flip houses, check out our Free Crash Course: www.tarekscrashcourse.com Join Jen in Jamaica for The Absolute Best Retreat for real estate investors: https://attend.tabretreat.com/tab-retreat-cancun-5-partner?affiliate_id=3233088
Wanting to grow your tax practice and make more money? Then this show is for you. Our first guest on the show, Jassen Bowman, will share why you should add IRS Collections representation to your practice and how to do so with confidence. Join Dan and Jassen as they take a deep dive into developing a recession proof tax practice. They discuss how you can transform continuing education credits into profitable services and how to shift your mindset to seeing the value in your experience. Key Takeaways: - Why taxpayer representation work is recession proof - The importance of turning mandated education into skills you can monetize - How to be confident when charging higher rates Jassen Bowman, EA, CTR™, NTPI® Fellow spent eight years exclusively representing tax debtors as an Enrolled Agent. He has presented over 500 live seminars and webinars to CPAs, EAs, and attorneys on the subjects of IRS Collections representation, practice management, and growing a tax firm. He is the author of several books, including Tax Resolution Secrets for consumers and Tax Resolution Systems, a checklist manual for practitioners. Jassen's work has been published in NSA's Main Street Practitioner, NAEA's EA Journal, and on AccountingWeb and CPA Trendlines. The IRS Whisperer podcast is dedicated to helping you develop an efficient and profitable IRS Representation practice. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you don't miss an episode. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a note in the comment section or reach out on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRSWhisperer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irswhisperer/ Helpful Resources: - Tax Resolution Secrets by Jassen Bowman: Discover the Exact Methods Used by Tax Professionals to Reduce and Permanently Resolve Your IRS Tax Debts - Profit Optimizers: 12 Big Ideas for a More Profitable Tax Firm by Jassen Bowman The IRS Whisperer is powered by the Tax Resolution Academy® - a digital community for tax pros seeking support, educational materials, and up-to-date instruction on IRS representation cases. Learn how to grow your firm, operate more efficiently and profitably, and provide the best possible representation to your clients. To learn more or join, go to https://community.taxresolutionacademy.com/ctr
We are excited for our Power Hour Q&A with Gene Darden and John Kitchens
Many of us think that we're not creative or that creativity is a talent you're either born with or not. Our guest explains how all of us can be more creative at a time when creativity is needed more than ever to get over the myriad barriers and limitations we face in our classrooms, schools, and life. Follow on Twitter: @ISTE @mrhooker @timneedles @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork #ISTE20 #ISTEturns40 #edchat #edtech #edtechchat Tim Needles is an artist, educator, performer, and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum. He is a TEDx Talk speaker, a technology integration specialist, and teaches art and media at Smithtown School District and Five Towns College. His work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, Columbus Museum of Art, Norman Rockwell Museum, Alexandria Museum of Art, Katonah Museum of Art, and Cape Cod Museum of Art. He's the recipient of ISTE's Technology in Action Award and Creativity Award, NAEA's Eastern Region Art Educator Award & ArtEdTech Outstanding Teaching Award, and The Rauschenberg Power of Art Award. He's also a National Geographic Certified Teacher, PBS Digital Innovator, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, an ISTE Community leader, NAEA ArtEdTech interest Group chair, and an Adobe Creative Educator. He's active on social media at @timneedles.
Join us as we dive into your questions and topics of : How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing
Join us as we dive into your questions and topics of : How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing
Join us as we dive into your questions and topics of: How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing
✴️Episode #66✴️
Ask your questions here in advance and join me as we dive into your questions and topics of: How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing
Do you want to be successful? Do you want to grow your business? Then don't let anything stop you. Stay committed, control your thoughts and turn them into action.
Join us as we dive into your questions and topics of: How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing Show notes: Decision-making filters [9:16] John talks about how decision-making takes a tremendous impact on our life, it can make or break your life's goal. Adding value and building trust [16:43] Jay talks about keeping current matters and John shares the importance of being consistent in everything that you do. Best tips for 10x team agent growth? [24:12] Jay talks about knowing what your goal is, he shares an example "that if your goal is to step out of production at some point it is easier to do that with 40 agents than it is with five. Vision and goal [33:13] John talks about how vision and goal build up a strategy that will help in solving the biggest problem. Add value and make a difference [36:48] John talks about how powerful putting values into the belief statement is.
Why does knowing your profit margin matter in your business? In this episode, John talks about how profit should be at an acceptable rate where it doesn't slow you down. Learn the pros and cons of maintaining the perfect profit margin to sustain your growth.
We are excited for our Power Hour Q&A with Jay Kinder and John Kitchens! Join us as we dive into your questions and topics of : How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing! Show notes: EXP Principles [2:40] John & Jay talks about the importance of eXp Principles that get everybody aligned with the resources of the company and makes everybody feel that they are part of the process. Perception [16:58] John believes that any obstacle you meet is just a matter of perception. It's how you look at it. We get to choose and we get to control how we react to each problem and if we don't change the way we think then it's only going to get harder. Building Awareness [21:52] The first step to solving a problem is to recognize them. John believes that sharpening your skills and building awareness will bring a big impact in bringing solutions to light. Challenges on International growth [27:10] Jay shares about the challenges of growing into the international market and creating the logical solutions for it. You don't have to wait for it to be perfect, you've got to figure it out. eXp Core Values [35:05] Core values create alignment within the team and when they are implemented, it shows on your people and it shows that the company is taking a known direction. How Video content helps in Agent Attraction [46:46] Jay talks about his 1st and 2nd recruit and how it is important to add value by creating content that would announce your presence in the digital world.
We are excited for our Power Hour Q&A with Jay Kinder and John Kitchens! Join us as we dive into your questions and topics of : How to navigate the current markets Business and Leadership Marketing and Branding Hiring and Recruiting and other issues or challenges you are facing
On episode 76 I am joined by Tim Needles who is an artist, educator and author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum. He is a technology integration specialist and teaches art/media at Smithtown School District, is a TEDx Talk speaker, and his work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, Columbus Museum of Art, Norman Rockwell Museum, Alexandria Museum of Art, Katonah Museum of Art, and Cape Cod Museum of Art. He's the recipient of ISTE's Technology in Action Award and Creativity Award, NAEA's Eastern Region Art Educator Award & AET Outstanding Teaching Award, and The Rauschenberg Power of Art Award. He's a National Geographic Certified Teacher, PBS Digital Innovator, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, an ISTE Arts & Technology and STEM PLN leader, NAEA ArtEdTech interest Group leader, and Adobe Creative Educator and Education Leader Emeritus. He's active on social media at @timneedles. You can find Tim on his various platforms and to know more about Storm Drain Mural Art head over to: Storm Drain murals with Nat Geo- https://youtu.be/FP5DY1B0I1Q Creative challenges during COVID- https://youtu.be/K9YgTazgavc Website: https://www.timneedles.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/timneedles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timneedles/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimNeedlesArt Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timneedles/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TimNeedles --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pixelclassroom/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pixelclassroom/support
Michael Day is a Fellow of the RICS, National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). He has been a Partner and Director in some of the UK's most successful property businesses and has held senior posts within the industry's professional bodies. Since 2005, he has been an associate within a successful private practice, Integra Property Services. As a well-known industry figure and a key influencer in the residential property sector, Michael is a regular contributor to the trade press and a well-known and experienced speaker at industry seminars, webinars, podcasts and conferences. What we cover: * How training within the property industry should look like * The mission of Agents Together * How to plan and diversify your business * Why it is important to stay connected within the industry Connect with Michael Day: * LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-day-173a2616 Connect with Marion Ellis: * LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-ellis-love-surveying-surveyor-hub * Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marionsurveyor * Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marionsurveyor/ * https://www.blueboxpartners.com/ Resources: * Integra Property Services https://www.integra-ps.com/ * Agents Together https://www.agentstogether.co.uk/ * Simon Sinek – Start With Why https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ * NAEA https://www.naea.co.uk/ * ARLA https://www.arla.co.uk/ * The Surveyor Hub Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.surveyor.hub.bluebox.partners
Michael Day is a Fellow of the RICS, National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). He has been a Partner and Director in some of the UK's most successful property businesses and has held senior posts within the industry's professional bodies. Since 2005, he has been an associate within a successful private practice, Integra Property Services. As a well-known industry figure and a key influencer in the residential property sector, Michael is a regular contributor to the trade press and a well-known and experienced speaker at industry seminars, webinars, podcasts and conferences. What we cover: * How training within the property industry should look like * The mission of Agents Together * How to plan and diversify your business * Why it is important to stay connected within the industry Connect with Michael Day: * LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-day-173a2616 Connect with Marion Ellis: * LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-ellis-love-surveying-surveyor-hub * Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marionsurveyor * Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marionsurveyor/ * https://www.blueboxpartners.com/ Resources: * Integra Property Services https://www.integra-ps.com/ * Agents Together https://www.agentstogether.co.uk/ * Simon Sinek – Start With Why https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ * NAEA https://www.naea.co.uk/ * ARLA https://www.arla.co.uk/ * The Surveyor Hub Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.surveyor.hub.bluebox.partners