Podcasts about Zhi

This episode we are taking a trip down the Silk Road--or perhaps even the Spice Road--as we investigate references in this reign to individuals from "Tukara" who seem to have arrived in Yamato and stayed for a while. For photos and more, see our podcast webpage:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-119 Rough Transcript   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  This is episode 119: The Question of “Tukara”   Traveling upon the ocean was never exactly safe.  Squalls and storms could arise at any time, and there was always a chance that high winds and high waves could capsize a vessel.  Most people who found themselves at the mercy of the ocean could do little but hold on and hope that they could ride out whatever adverse conditions they met with.  Many ships were lost without any explanation or understanding of what happened to them.  They simply left the port and never came back home. And so when the people saw the boat pulling up on the shores of Himuka, on the island of Tsukushi, they no doubt empathized with the voyagers' plight.  The crew looked bedraggled, and their clothing was unfamiliar.  There were both men and women, and this didn't look like your average fishing party.  If anything was clear it was this:  These folk weren't from around here. The locals brought out water and food.  Meanwhile, runners were sent with a message:  foreigners had arrived from a distant place.  They then waited to see what the government was going to do.     We are still in the second reign of Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tenno.  Last episode we talked about the palaces constructed in Asuka, as well as some of the stone works that have been found from the period, and which appear to be referenced in the Nihon Shoki—at least tangentially.   The episodes before that, we looked at the expeditions the court sent to the far north of Honshu and even past Honshu to Hokkaido. This episode we'll again be looking past the main islands of the archipelago to lands beyond.  Specifically, we are going to focus on particularly intriguing references to people from a place called “Tukara”.  We'll talk about some of the ideas about where that might be, even if they're a bit  far-fetched. That's because Tukara touches on the state of the larger world that Yamato was a part of, given its situation on the far eastern edge of what we know today as the Silk Road.  And is this just an excuse for me to take a detour into some of the more interesting things going on outside the archipelago?  No comment. The first mention of a man from Tukara actually comes at the end of the reign of Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou.  We are told that in the fourth month of 654 two men and two women of “Tukara” and one woman of “Sha'e” were driven by a storm to Hiuga.  Then, three years later, the story apparently picks up again, though possibly referring to a different group of people.  On the 3rd day of the 7th month of 657, so during the second reign of Takara Hime, we now hear about two men and four women of the Land of Tukara—no mention of Sha'e—who drifted to Tsukushi, aka Kyushu.  The Chronicles mention that these wayfarers first drifted to the island of Amami, and we'll talk about that in a bit, but let's get these puzzle pieces on the table, first.  After those six people show up, the court sent for them by post-horse.  They must have arrived by the 15th of that same month, because we are told that a model of Mt. Sumi was erected and they—the people from Tukara—were entertained, although there is another account that says they were from “Tora”. The next mention is the 10th day of the 3rd month of 659, when a Man of Tukara and his wife, again woman of Sha'e, arrived.  Then, on the 16th day of the 7th month of 660, we are told that the man of Tukara, Kenzuhashi Tatsuna, desired to return home and asked for an escort.  He planned to pay his respects at the Great Country, i.e. the Tang court, and so he left his wife behind, taking tens of men with him. All of these entries might refer to people regularly reaching Yamato from the south, from a place called “Tukara”.  Alternately, this is a single event whose story has gotten distributed over several years, as we've seen happen before with the Chronicles.  .  One of the oddities of these entries is that the terms used are not consistent.  “Tukara” is spelled at least two different ways, suggesting that it wasn't a common placename like Silla or Baekje, or even the Mishihase.  That does seem to suggest that the Chronicles were phonetically trying to find kanji, or the Sinitic characters, to match with the name they were hearing.   I would also note that “Tukara” is given the status of a “kuni”—a land, country, or state—while “sha'e”, where some of the women are said to come from, is just that, “Sha'e”. As for the name of at least one person from Tokara, Kenzuhashi Tatsuna, that certainly sounds like someone trying to fit a non-Japanese name into the orthography of the time.  “Tatsuna” seems plausibly Japanese, but “Kenzuhashi” doesn't fit quite as well into the naming structures we've seen to this point. The location of “Tukara” and “Sha'e” are not clear in any way, and as such there has been a lot of speculation about them.  While today there are placenames that fit those characters, whether or not these were the places being referenced at the time is hard to say. I'll actually start with “Sha'e”, which Aston translates as Shravasti, the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala, in modern Uttar Pradesh.  It is also where the Buddha, Siddartha Gautama, is said to have lived most of his life after his enlightenment.  In Japanese this is “Sha'e-jou”, and like many Buddhist terms it likely comes through Sanskrit to Middle Chinese to Japanese.  One—or possibly two—women from Shravasti making the journey to Yamato in the company of a man (or men) from Tukara seems quite the feat.  But then, where is “Tukara”? Well, we have at least three possible locations that I've seen bandied about.  I'll address them from the most distant to the closest option.  These three options were Tokharistan, Dvaravati, and the Tokara islands. We'll start with Tokharistan on the far end of the Silk Road.  And to start, let's define what that “Silk Road” means.  We've talked in past episodes about the “Western Regions”, past the Han-controlled territories of the Yellow River.   The ancient Tang capital of Chang'an was built near to the home of the Qin dynasty, and even today you can go and see both the Tang tombs and the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi and his terracotta warriors, all within a short distance of Xi'an, the modern city built on the site of Chang'an.  That city sits on a tributary of the Yellow River, but the main branch turns north around the border of modern Henan and the similarly sounding provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi.  Following it upstream, the river heads north into modern Mongolia, turns west, and then heads south again, creating what is known as the Ordos loop.  Inside is the Ordos plateau, also known as the Ordos Basin.  Continuing to follow the Yellow river south, on the western edge of the Ordos, you travel through Ningxia and Gansu—home of the Hexi, or Gansu, Corridor.  That route eventually takes to Yumenguan, the Jade Gate, and Dunhuang.  From there roads head north or south along the edge of the Taklamakan desert in the Tarim basin.  The southern route travels along the edge of the Tibetan plateau, while the northern route traversed various oasis cities through Turpan, Kucha, to the city of Kashgar.  Both routes made their way across the Pamirs and the Hindu Kush into South Asia. We've brought up the Tarim Basin and the Silk Road a few times.  This is the path that Buddhism appears to have taken to get to the Yellow River Basin and eventually to the Korean Peninsula and eastward to the Japanese archipelago.  But I want to go a bit more into detail on things here, as there is an interesting side note about “Tukara” that I personally find rather fascinating, and thought this would be a fun time to share. Back in Episode 79 we talked about how the Tarim basin used to be the home to a vast inland sea, which was fed by the meltwater from the Tianshan and Kunlun mountains.  This sea eventually dwindled, though it was still large enough to be known to the Tang as the Puchang Sea.  Today it has largely dried up, and it is mostly just the salt marshes of Lop Nur that remain.  Evidence for this larger sea, however, can be observed in some of the burials found around the Tarim basin.  These burials include the use of boat-shaped structures—a rather curious feature to be found out in the middle of the desert. And it is the desert that was left behind as the waters receded that is key to much of what we know about life in the Tarim basin, as it has proven to be quite excellent at preserving organic material.  This includes bodies, which dried out and naturally turned into mummies, including not only the wool clothing they were wearing, but also features such as hair and even decoration. These “Tarim mummies”, as they have been collectively called, date from as early as 2100 BCE all the way up through the period of time we're currently talking about, and have been found in several desert sites: Xiaohe, the earliest yet discovered; Loulan, near Lop Nur on the east of the Tarim Basin, dating from around 1800 BCE; Cherchen, on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin, dating from roughly 1000 BCE; and too many others to go into in huge detail. The intriguing thing about these burials is that  many of them don't have features typically associated with people of ethnic Han—which is to say traditional Chinese—ancestry, nor do they necessarily have the features associated with the Xiongnu and other steppe nomads.  In addition they have colorful clothing  made from wool and leather, with vivid designs.  Some bodies near Hami, just east of the basin, were reported to have blonde to light brown hair, and their cloth showed radically different patterns from that found at Cherchen and Loulan, with patterns that could reasonably be compared with the plaids now common in places like Scotland and Ireland, and previously found in the Hallstadt salt mine in Central Europe from around 3500 BCE, from which it is thought the Celtic people may have originated. At the same time that people—largely Westerners— were studying these mummies, another discovery in the Tarim basin was also making waves.  This was the discovery of a brand new language.  Actually, it was two languages—or possibly two dialects of a language—in many manuscripts, preserved in Kucha and Turpan.  Once again, the dry desert conditions proved invaluable to maintain these manuscripts, which date from between the late 4th or early 5th century to the 8th century.  They are written with a Brahmic script, similar to that used for Sanskrit, which appears in the Tarim Basin l by about the 2nd century, and we were able to translate them because many of the texts were copies of Buddhist scripture, which greatly helped scholars in deciphering the languages.  These two languages were fascinating because they represented an as-yet undiscovered branch of the Indo-European language family.  Furthermore, when compared to other Indo-European languages, they did not show nearly as much similarity with their neighbors as with languages on the far western end of the Indo-European language family.  That is to say they were thought to be closer to Celtic and Italic languages than something like Indo-Iranian.  And now for a quick diversion within the diversion:  “Centum” and “Satem” are general divisions of the Indo-European language families that was once thought to indicate a geographic divide in the languages.  At its most basic, as Indo-European words changed over time, a labiovelar sound, something like “kw”,  tended to evolve in one of two ways.  In the Celtic and Italic languages, the “kw” went to a hard “k” sound, as represented in the classical pronunciation of the Latin word for 100:  Centum.  That same word, in the Avestan language—of the Indo-Iranian tree—is pronounced as “Satem”, with an “S” sound.  So, you can look at Indo-European languages and divide them generally into “centum” languages, which preserve the hard “k”, or “Satem” languages that preserve the S. With me so far? Getting back to these two newly-found languages in the Tarim Basin, the weird thing is that they were “Centum” languages. Most Centum languages are from pretty far away, though: they are generally found in western Europe or around the Mediterranean, as opposed to the Satem languages, such as Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Armernian, or even Baltic Slavic languages, which are much closer to the Tarim Basin.  So if the theory were true that the “Centum” family of Indo-European languages developed in the West and “Satem” languages developed in the East, then that would seem to indicate that a group of a “Centum” speaking people must have migrated eastward, through the various Satem speaking people, and settled in the Tarim Basin many thousands of years ago. And what evidence do we have of people who look very different from the modern population, living in the Tarim Basin area long before, and wearing clothing similar to what we associated with the progenitors of the Celts?  For many, it seemed to be somewhat obvious, if still incredible, that the speakers of this language were likely the descendants of the mummies who, in the terminology of the time, had been identified as being of Caucasoid ancestry.  A theory developed that these people were an offshoot of a group called the Yamnaya culture, which may have arisen around modern Ukraine as an admixture between the European Hunter Gatherers and the Caucasian Hunter Gatherers, around 3300-2600 BCE.  This was challenged in 2021 when a genetic study was performed on some of the mummies in the Tarim basin, as well as several from the Dzungarian basin, to the northeast.  That study suggested that the people of the Dzungarian basin had genetic ties to the people of the Afanasievo people, from Southern Siberia.  The Afanasievo people are connected to the Yamnayan culture. It should be noted that there has long been a fascination in Western anthropology and related sciences with racial identification—and often not in a healthy way.  As you may recall, the Ainu were identified as “Caucasoid” by some people largely because of things like the men's beards and lighter colored hair, which differ greatly from a large part of the Japanese population.  However, that claim has been repeatedly refuted and debunked. And similarly, the truth is, none of these Tarim mummy burials were in a period of written anything, so we can't conclusively associated them with these fascinating Indo-European languages.  There are thousands of years between the various burials and the manuscripts. These people  left no notes stashed in pockets that give us their life story.   And Language is not Genetics is not Culture.  Any group may adopt a given language for a variety of reasons.  .  Still, given what we know, it is possible that the ancient people of the Tarim basin spoke some form of “Proto-Kuchean”, but it is just as likely that this language was brought in by people from Dzungaria at some point. So why does all this matter to us?  Well, remember how we were talking about someone from Tukara?  The Kuchean language, at least, is referred to in an ancient Turkic source as belonging to “Twgry”, which led several scholars to draw a link between this and the kingdom and people called Tukara and the Tokharoi.  This leads us on another bit of a chase through history. Now if you recall, back in Episode 79, we talked about Zhang Qian.  In 128 BCE, he attempted to cross the Silk Road through the territory of the Xiongnu on a mission for the Han court.  Some fifty years earlier, the Xiongnu had defeated the Yuezhi.  They held territory in the oasis towns along the north of the Taklamakan dessert, from about the Turpan basin west to the Pamirs. The Xiongnu were causing problems for the Han, who thought that if they could contact the remaining Yuezhi they could make common cause with them and harass the Xiongnu from both sides.  Zhang Qian's story is quite remarkable: he started out with an escort of some 99 men and a translator.  Unfortunately, he was captured and enslaved by the Xiongnu during his journey, and he is even said to have had a wife and fathered a child.  He remained a captive for thirteen years, but nonetheless, he was able to escape with his family and he made it to the Great Yuezhi on the far side of the Pamirs, but apparently the Yuezhi weren't interested in a treaty against the Xiongnu.  The Pamirs were apparently enough of a barrier and they were thriving in their new land.  And so Zhang Qian crossed back again through Xiongnu territory, this time taking the southern route around the Tarim basin.  He was still captured by the Xiongnu, who spared his life.  He escaped, again, two years later, returning to the Han court.  Of the original 100 explorers, only two returned: Zhang Qian and his translator.  While he hadn't obtained an alliance, he was able to detail the cultures of the area of the Yuezhi. Many feel that the Kushan Empire, which is generally said to have existed from about 30 to 375 CE,was formed from the Kushana people who were part of the Yuezhi who fled the Xiongnu. In other words, they were originally from further north, around the Tarim Basin, and had been chased out and settled down in regions that included Bactria (as in the Bactrian camel).  Zhang Qian describes reaching the Dayuan Kingdom in the Ferghana valley, then traveling south to an area that was the home of the Great Yuezhi or Da Yuezhi.  And after the Kushan empire fell, we know there was a state in the upper regions of the Oxus river, centered on the city of Balkh, in the former territory of the Kushan empire. known as “Tokara”.  Geographically, this matches up how Zhang Qian described the home of the Da Yuezhi.  Furthermore, some scholars reconstruct the reading of the Sinic characters used for “Yuezhi” as originally having an optional reading of something like “Togwar”, but that is certainly not the most common reconstructed reading of those characters.  Greek sources describe this area as the home of the Tokharoi, or the Tokaran People.  The term “Tukhara” is also found in Sanskrit, and this kingdom  was also said to have sent ambassadors to the Southern Liang and Tang dynasties. We aren't exactly certain of where these Tokharan people came from, but as we've just described, there's a prevailing theory that they were the remnants of the Yuezhi and Kushana people originally from the Tarim Basin.  We know that in the 6th century they came under the rule of the Gokturk Khaganate, which once spanned from the Liao river basin to the Black Sea.  In the 7th and 8th centuries they came under the rule of the Tang Empire, where they were known by very similar characters as those used to write “Tukara” in the Nihon Shoki.  On top of this, we see Tokharans traveling the Silk Road, all the way to the Tang court.  Furthermore, Tokharans that settled in Chang'an took the surname “Zhi” from the ethnonym “Yuezhi”, seemingly laying claim to and giving validation to the identity used back in the Han dynasty.   So, we have a Turkic record describing the Kuchean people (as in, from Kucha in the Tarim Basin) as “Twgry”, and we have a kingdom in Bactria called Tokara and populated (according to the Greeks) by people called Tokharoi.  You can see how this one term has been a fascinating rabbit hole in the study of the Silk Roads and their history.  And some scholars understandably suggested that perhaps the Indo-European languags found in Kucha and Turpan  were actually related to this “Tokhara” – and therefore  should be called “Tocharian”, specifically Tocharian A (Kuchean) or Tocharian B (Turfanian). The problem is that if the Tokharans were speaking “Tocharian” then you wouldn't expect to just see it at Kucha and Turpan, which are about the middle of the road between Tokhara and the Tang dynasty, and which had long been under Gokturk rule.  You would also expect to see it in the areas of Bactria associated with Tokhara.  However, that isn't what we see.  Instead, we see that Bactria was the home of local Bactrian language—an Eastern Iranian language, which, though it is part of the Indo European language family, it is not closely related to Tocharian as far as we can tell. It is possible that the people of Kucha referred to themselves as something similar to “Twgry”, or “Tochari”, but we should also remember that comes from a Turkic source, and it could have been an exonym not related to what they called themselves.  I should also note that language is not people.  It is also possible that a particular ethnonym was maintained separately by two groups that may have been connected politically but which came to speak different languages for whatever reason.   There could be a connection between the names, or it could even be that the same or similar exonym was used for different groups. So, that was a lot and a bit of a ramble, but a lot of things that I find interesting—even if they aren't as connected as they may appear.  We have the Tarim mummies, which are, today, held at a museum in modern Urumqi.  Whether they had any connection with Europe or not, they remain a fascinating study for the wealth of material items found in and around the Tarim basin and similar locations.  And then there is the saga of the Tocharian languages—or perhaps more appropriately the Kuchean-Turfanian languages: Indo-European languages that seem to be well outside of where we would expect to find them. Finally, just past the Pamirs, we get to the land of Tokhara or Tokharistan.  Even without anything else, we know that they had contact with the court.  Perhaps our castaways were from this land?  The name is certainly similar to what we see in the Nihon Shoki, using some of the same characters. All in all, art and other information suggest that the area of the Tarim basin and the Silk Road in general were quite cosmopolitan, with many different people from different regions of the world.  Bactria retained Hellenic influences ever since the conquests of Alexander of Macedonia, aka Alexander the Great, and Sogdian and Persian traders regularly brought their caravans through the region to trade.  And once the Tang dynasty controlled all of the routes, that just made travel that much easier, and many people traveled back and forth. So from that perspective, it is possible that one or more people from Tukhara may have made the crossing from their home all the way to the Tang court, but if they did so, the question still remains: why would they be in a boat? Utilizing overland routes, they would have hit Chang'an or Louyang, the dual capitals of the Tang empire, well before they hit the ocean.  However, the Nihon Shoki says that these voyagers first came ashore at Amami and then later says that they were trying to get to the Tang court. Now there was another “Silk Road” that isn't as often mentioned: the sea route, following the coast of south Asia, around through the Malacca strait and north along the Asian coast.  This route is sometimes viewed more in terms of the “spice” road If these voyagers set out to get to the Tang court by boat, they would have to have traveled south to the Indian Ocean—possibly traveling through Shravasti or Sha'e, depending on the route they chose to take—and then around the Malacca strait—unless they made it on foot all the way to Southeast Asia.  And then they would have taken a boat up the coast. Why do that instead of taking the overland route?  They could likely have traveled directly to the Tang court over the overland silk road.  Even the from Southeast Asia could have traveled up through Yunnan and made their way to the Tang court that way.  In fact, Zhang Qian had wondered something similar when he made it to the site of the new home of the Yuezhi, in Bactria.  Even then, in the 2nd century, he saw products in the marketplace that he identified as coming from around Szechuan.  That would mean south of the Han dynasty, and he couldn't figure out how those trade routes might exist and they weren't already known to the court.  Merchants would have had to traverse the dangerous mountains if they wanted to avoid being caught by the Xiongnu, who controlled the entire region. After returning to the Han court, Zhang Qian actually went out on another expedition to the south, trying to find the southern trade routes, but apparently was not able to do so.  That said, we do see, in later centuries, the trade routes open up between the area of the Sichuan basin and South Asia.  We also see the migrations of people further south, and there may have even been some Roman merchants who traveled up this route to find their way to the Han court, though those accounts are not without their own controversy. In either case, whether by land or sea, these trade routes were not always open.  In some cases, seasonal weather, such as monsoons, might dictate movement back and forth, while political realities were also a factor.  Still, it is worth remembering that even though most people were largely concerned with affairs in their own backyard, the world was still more connected than people give it credit for.  Tang dynasty pottery made its way to the east coast of Africa, and ostriches were brought all the way to Chang'an. As for the travelers from Tukhara and why they would take this long and very round-about method of travel, it is possible that they were just explorers, seeking new routes, or even on some kind of pilgrimage.  Either way, they would have been way off course. But if they did pass through Southeast Asia, that would match up with another theory about what “Tukara” meant: that it actually refers to the Dvaravati kingdom in what is now modern Thailand.  The Dvaravati Kingdom was a Mon political entity that rose up around the 6th century.  It even sent embassies to the Sui and Tang courts.  This is even before the temple complexes in Siem Reap, such as Preah Ko and the more famous Angkor Wat.  And it was during this time that the ethnic Tai people are thought to have started migrating south from Yunnan, possibly due to pressures from the expanding Sui and Tang empires.  Today, most of what remains of the Dvaravati kingdom are the ruins of ancient stone temples, showing a heavy Indic influence, and even early Buddhist practices as well.  “Dvaravati” may not actually be the name of the kingdom but it comes from an inscription on a coin found from about that time.  The Chinese refer to it as  “To-lo-po-ti” in contemporary records.  It may not even have been a kingdom, but  more of a confederation of city-states—it is hard to piece everything together.  That it was well connected, though, is clear from the archaeological record.  In Dvaravati sites, we see coins from as far as Rome, and we even have a lamp found in modern Pong Tuk that appears to match similar examples from the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century.  Note that this doesn't mean it arrived in the 6th century—similarly with the coins—but the Dvaravati state lasted until the 12th century. If that was the case, perhaps there were some women from a place called “Shravasti” or similar, especially given the Indic influence in the region. Now, given the location of the Dvaravati, it wouldn't be so farfetched to think that someone might sail up from the Gulf of Thailand and end up off-course, though it does mean sailing up the entire Ryukyuan chain or really running off course and finding yourself adrift on the East China sea.  And if they were headed to the Tang court, perhaps they did have translators or knew Chinese, since Yamato was unlikely to know the Mon language of Dvaravati and people from Dvaravati probably wouldn't know the Japonic language.  Unless, perhaps, they were communicating through Buddhist priests via Sanskrit. We've now heard two possibilities for Tukara, both pretty far afield: the region of Tokara in Bactria, and the Dvaravati kingdom in Southeast Asia.  That said, the third and simplest explanation—and the one favored by Aston in his translation of the Nihon Shoki—is that Tukara is actually referring to a place in the Ryukyu island chain.  Specifically, there is a “Tokara” archipelago, which spans between Yakushima and Amami-Oshima.  This is part of the Nansei islands, and the closest part of the Ryukyuan island chain to the main Japanese archipelago.  This is the most likely theory, and could account for the entry talking about Amami.  It is easy to see how sailors could end up adrift, too far north, and come to shore in Hyuga, aka Himuka, on the east side of Kyushu.  It certainly would make more sense for them to be from this area of the Ryukyuan archipelago than from anywhere else.  From Yakushima to Amami-Oshima is the closest part of the island chain to Kyushu, and as we see in the entry from the Shoku Nihongi, those three places seem to have been connected as being near to Japan.  So what was going on down there, anyway? Well, first off, let's remember that the Ryukyuan archipelago is not just the island of Okinawa, but a series of islands that go from Kyushu all the way to the island of Taiwan.  Geographically speaking, they are all part of the same volcanic ridge extending southward.  The size of the islands and their distance from each other does vary, however, creating some natural barriers in the form of large stretches of open water, which have shaped how various groups developed on the islands. Humans came to the islands around the same time they were reaching the Japanese mainland.  In fact, some of our only early skeletal remains for early humans in Japan actually come from either the Ryukyuan peninsula in the south or around Hokkaido to the north, and that has to do with the acidity of the soil in much of mainland Japan. Based on genetic studies, we know that at least two groups appear to have inhabited the islands from early times.  One group appears to be related to the Jomon people of Japan, while the other appears to be more related to the indigenous people of Taiwan, who, themselves, appear to have been the ancestors of many Austronesian people.  Just as some groups followed islands to the south of Taiwan, some appear to have headed north.  However, they only made it so far.  As far as I know there is no evidence they made it past Miyakoshima, the northernmost island in the Sakishima islands.  Miyako island is separated from the next large island, Okinawa, by a large strait, known as the Miyako Strait, though sometimes called the Kerama gap in English.  It is a 250km wide stretch of open ocean, which is quite the distance for anyone to travel, even for Austronesian people of Taiwan, who had likely not developed the extraordinary navigational technologies that the people who would become the Pacific Islanders would discover. People on the Ryukyu island chain appear to have been in contact with the people of the Japanese archipelago since at least the Jomon period, and some of the material artifacts demonstrate a cultural connection.  That was likely impacted by the Akahoya eruption, about 3500 years ago, and then re-established at a later date.  We certainly see sea shells and corals trade to the people of the Japanese islands from fairly early on. Unlike the people on the Japanese archipelago, the people of the Ryukyuan archipelago did not really adopt the Yayoi and later Kofun culture.  They weren't building large, mounded tombs, and they retained the character of a hunter-gatherer society, rather than transitioning to a largely agricultural way of life.  The pottery does change in parts of Okinawa, which makes sense given the connections between the regions.  Unfortunately, there is a lot we don't know about life in the islands around this time.  We don't exactly have written records, other than things like the entries in the Nihon Shoki, and those are hardly the most detailed of accounts.  In the reign of Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tennou, we see people from Yakushima, which is, along with Tanegashima, one of the largest islands at the northern end of the Ryukyu chain, just before you hit Kagoshima and the Osumi peninsula on the southern tip of Kyushu.  The islands past that would be the Tokara islands, until you hit the large island of Amami. So you can see how it would make sense that the people from “Tokara” would make sense to be from the area between Yakushima and Amami, and in many ways this explanation seems too good to be true.  There are a only a few things that make this a bit peculiar. First, this doesn't really explain the woman from “Sha'e” in any compelling way that I can see.  Second, the name, Kenzuhashi Tatsuna doesn't seem to fit with what we generally know about early Japonic names, and the modern Ryukyuan language certainly is a Japonic language, but there are still plenty of possible explanations.  There is also the connection of Tokara with “Tokan”, which is mentioned in an entry in 699 in the Shoku Nihongi, the Chronicle that follows on, quite literally to the Nihon Shoki.  Why would they call it “Tokan” instead of “Tokara” so soon after?  Also, why would these voyagers go back to their country by way of the Tang court?  Unless, of course, that is where they were headed in the first place.  In which case, did the Man from Tukara intentionally leave his wife in Yamato, or was she something of a hostage while they continued on their mission?   And so those are the theories.  The man from “Tukara” could be from Tokhara, or Tokharistan, at the far end of the Silk Road.  Or it could have been referring to the Dvaravati Kingdom, in modern Thailand.  Still, in the end, Occam's razor suggests that the simplest answer is that these were actually individuals from the Tokara islands in the Ryukyuan archipelago.  It is possible that they were from Amami, not that they drifted there.  More likely, a group from Amami drifted ashore in Kyushu as they were trying to find a route to the Tang court, as they claimed.  Instead they found themselves taking a detour to the court of Yamato, instead. And we could have stuck with that story, but I thought that maybe, just maybe, this would be a good time to reflect once again on how connected everything was.  Because even if they weren't from Dvaravati, that Kingdom was still trading with Rome and with the Tang.  And the Tang controlled the majority of the overland silk road through the Tarim basin.  We even know that someone from Tukhara made it to Chang'an, because they were mentioned on a stele that talked about an Asian sect of Christianity, the “Shining Religion”, that was praised and allowed to set up shop in the Tang capital, along with Persian Manicheans and Zoroastrians.  Regardless of where these specific people may have been from, the world was clearly growing only more connected, and prospering, as well. Next episode we'll continue to look at how things were faring between the archipelago and the continent. Until then thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: A Letter's Legacy: Lina's Courage in the Forbidden City Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-01-27-23-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 紫禁城披着一层洁白的雪，红色的灯笼和节日的装饰在古老的走廊间摇曳，为这个历史悠久的地方增添了节日气氛。En: The Zijin Cheng, wearing a coat of pure white snow, swayed with red lanterns and festive decorations in its ancient corridors, adding a holiday atmosphere to this historic place.Zh: 农历新年即将来临，整个北京都沉浸在欢庆的气氛中。En: The Nongli Xinnian was approaching, and all of Beijing was immersed in a celebratory mood.Zh: 在紫禁城的一个安静的角落，年轻的策展人丽娜正在整理历史档案。En: In a quiet corner of the Zijin Cheng, a young curator named Lina was organizing historical archives.Zh: 她发现了一封看似陌生的信。En: She discovered a seemingly unfamiliar letter.Zh: 在信封泛黄的边缘，她觉得那是一封重要的信。En: With its yellowed envelope, she felt it was an important letter.Zh: 丽娜是个充满热情的策展人，致力于保护历史。En: Lina was a passionate curator, dedicated to preserving history.Zh: 她的导师智总是谨慎小心，而来访的历史学家凯以其大胆的理论闻名。En: Her mentor, Zhi, was always cautious, while the visiting historian, Kai, was known for his bold theories.Zh: “我应该告诉智吗？”丽娜心想。En: "Should I tell Zhi?" Lina thought.Zh: 她知道智喜欢以传统的方式处理事务，他可能会对这封信不以为然。En: She knew Zhi liked to handle things traditionally and might dismiss the letter.Zh: 然而，她心中的渴望强烈，想用这封信在即将到来的展览中展示一些新意。En: However, she was strongly eager to showcase some novelty at the upcoming exhibition.Zh: 这时，凯偶然路过，看到丽娜脸上的困惑神情。En: At that moment, Kai happened to pass by and noticed the puzzled expression on Lina's face.Zh: “发现了什么有趣的东西吗？”凯问。En: "Have you found something interesting?" Kai asked.Zh: 丽娜犹豫了一下，然后把信给凯看。En: Lina hesitated for a moment, then showed the letter to Kai.Zh: 凯读完后，眼中闪过一丝激动：“这可能是个突破！我们应该将它展示给公众。”En: After reading it, a flicker of excitement appeared in his eyes: "This could be a breakthrough! We should present it to the public."Zh: 丽娜的心在动摇。En: Lina's heart wavered.Zh: 智可能会反对，但凯的话让她有种不想错过的冲动。En: Zhi might oppose it, but Kai's words sparked a desire not to miss this opportunity.Zh: 丽娜最终选择去见智，带着这封信。En: Lina ultimately chose to meet with Zhi, bringing the letter with her.Zh: 智仔细阅读后，脸色凝重。En: Zhi read it carefully, his expression grave.Zh: “丽娜，我担心这会影响整个展览的主题，”他说。En: "I'm concerned it might affect the entire theme of the exhibition," he said.Zh: “有时，过于激进并不好。”En: "Sometimes, being too radical isn't good."Zh: 丽娜感到不知所措。En: Lina felt bewildered.Zh: 她尊敬智，但也逐渐被凯的勇气感染。En: She respected Zhi, but was increasingly influenced by Kai's courage.Zh: 她需要做出一个决定。En: She needed to make a decision.Zh: 随着春节庆祝活动的临近，展览的筹备工作如火如荼。En: With the Chunjie celebrations approaching, the preparation for the exhibition was in full swing.Zh: 丽娜终于下定决心，在新闻发布会上，她展示了这封信。En: Lina finally made up her mind, and during the press conference, she showcased the letter.Zh: 台下瞬间陷入沉默，然后爆发出一片嗡嗡声。En: The audience fell silent instantly, then erupted into a buzz.Zh: 所有人都被这份新发现吸引了。En: Everyone was fascinated by this new discovery.Zh: 更令人惊喜的是，经过权威验证，这封信被证实是正版。En: More astonishingly, after authoritative verification, the letter was confirmed to be genuine.Zh: 信件的内容为展览增添了丰富的历史意义，数不胜数的参观者前来观赏。En: The content of the letter enriched the historical significance of the exhibition, attracting countless visitors.Zh: 这不仅是对展览的成功，更是对历史保护的致敬。En: This was not only a testament to the success of the exhibition but also a tribute to the preservation of history.Zh: 丽娜在此次事件中变得更加自信。En: Through this event, Lina became more confident.Zh: 她学会了相信自己的直觉，同时在传统与创新之间找到了平衡。En: She learned to trust her instincts and found a balance between tradition and innovation.Zh: 智也对她的成长感到欣慰，而凯则对她的勇气表示钦佩。En: Zhi felt gratified by her growth, while Kai admired her courage.Zh: 紫禁城的雪依然飘零，古老而庄严的墙壁在这一刻见证了新旧交替间的传承。En: The snow still drifted in the Zijin Cheng, the ancient and solemn walls bearing witness to the inheritance between the old and new.Zh: 丽娜望着熙熙攘攘的人群，心中溢满自豪与满足。En: Lina gazed at the bustling crowd, her heart filled with pride and contentment. Vocabulary Words:corridors: 走廊immersed: 沉浸curator: 策展人archives: 档案envelope: 信封dedicated: 致力于mentor: 导师cautious: 谨慎dismiss: 不以为然novelty: 新意expression: 神情breakthrough: 突破wavered: 动摇oppose: 反对grave: 凝重radical: 激进bewildered: 不知所措preparation: 筹备showcased: 展示audience: 台下verification: 验证genuine: 正版significance: 意义testament: 见证tribute: 致敬contentment: 满足gratified: 欣慰inheritance: 传承bustling: 熙熙攘攘enchanted: 吸引

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Squirrels and Laughter: A Winter Picnic Adventure in Beijing Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2024-12-05-23-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在北京的一个冬日，阳光透过了薄薄的白云，洒在香山公园的雪地上。En: On a winter's day in Beijing, sunlight filtered through thin white clouds, sprinkling over the snowy grounds of Xiangshan Park.Zh: 梅、金和志三个好朋友决定在这里野餐。En: Three good friends, Mei, Jin, and Zhi, decided to have a picnic here.Zh: 梅充满了期待：“这一天会很完美！En: Mei was full of anticipation: "This day will be perfect!"Zh: ”带着精心准备的野餐篮子，三人沿着铺满霜的路径走进公园。En: With a meticulously prepared picnic basket, the three of them walked into the park along a path covered in frost.Zh: 树木光秃秃的，但山顶上的积雪在阳光下闪闪发光，让人心情愉悦。En: The trees were bare, but the snow on the mountaintop sparkled in the sunlight, lifting everyone's spirits.Zh: 梅把毯子铺在草地上，摆上三明治、热饮和甜点。En: Mei laid a blanket on the grass and set out sandwiches, hot drinks, and desserts.Zh: 她微笑着说：“这里很美，对吗？En: She smiled and said, "It's beautiful here, isn't it?"Zh: ”金一边指挥大家小心别太靠近泥泞的地方，一边点头：“是啊，只是有点冷。En: Jin nodded while cautioning everyone to be careful not to get too close to muddy spots: "Yes, though it's a bit cold."Zh: ”志调皮地拿起一个三明治：“大家快吃，不然变冷冰冰就不好吃了。En: Zhi playfully picked up a sandwich: "Everyone eat quickly, or it'll get cold and won't taste good."Zh: ”话音刚落，几只好奇的松鼠蹦跳过来，眼睛直勾勾地盯着他们的食物。En: As soon as he spoke, a few curious squirrels bounced over, staring intently at their food.Zh: 梅大声笑起来：“看来我们有不速之客了！En: Mei laughed out loud: "Looks like we have some uninvited guests!"Zh: ”金小声抱怨：“它们太靠近了，也许该换个安静些的地方。En: Jin complained quietly: "They're getting too close, maybe we should find a quieter spot."Zh: ”志却觉得很有意思：“来呀，让它们加入，我们派对更热闹！En: Yet Zhi found it amusing: "Come on, let them join in, it'll make our party livelier!"Zh: ”随着松鼠的到来，争斗与欢笑不断。En: With the arrival of the squirrels, there was a continuous stream of tussling and laughter.Zh: 一只松鼠小心翼翼地靠近，迅速叼走了梅的一块饼干。En: One squirrel cautiously approached and quickly snatched a piece of Mei's cookie.Zh: 梅苦笑：“这可不是我计划中的一个部分！En: Mei smiled wryly: "This wasn't part of my plan!"Zh: ”梅想到一个办法，她决定分享一些食物给松鼠，希望它们能安静点。En: Mei thought of a solution; she decided to share some food with the squirrels, hoping they'd quiet down a bit.Zh: 大家笑着看松鼠们高兴地吃东西。En: Everyone laughed as they watched the squirrels happily eating.Zh: 金提议：“还是换个角落吧，那里或许清静些。En: Jin suggested, "Let's move to another corner, perhaps it'll be quieter there."Zh: ”他们搬到了另一个地方，心里期盼这是个好主意。En: They moved to another spot, hoping in their hearts that it was a good idea.Zh: 这时，志正兴奋地讲述他与松鼠的“对话”时，一只特别胆大的松鼠竟然抢走了最后一块饼干。En: At this moment, as Zhi was excitedly recounting his "conversation" with the squirrels, an especially bold squirrel actually snatched the last cookie.Zh: 看到这一幕，梅忍不住大笑：“看来我们是无法赢过这些小家伙了。En: Seeing this, Mei couldn't help but laugh out loud: "It seems we can't win against these little guys."Zh: ”大家都被这突如其来的松鼠劫掠逗乐了。En: Everyone was amused by this sudden squirrel raid.Zh: 三人决定不再坚守这场“完美”的野餐。En: The three friends decided not to insist on having a "perfect" picnic.Zh: 梅微笑着提议：“我们还是去喝热茶吧，那里能暖暖身子，继续聊个痛快！En: Mei smiled and suggested: "Let's go have some hot tea, it'll warm us up and we can keep chatting!"Zh: ”朋友们互相打趣着走向公园的小茶馆。En: Teasing each other, the friends headed towards the park's small teahouse.Zh: 梅感受到一种全新的轻松，她知道，完美不在于控制一切，而在于享受当下。En: Mei felt a newfound sense of ease; she realized that perfection isn't about controlling everything but about enjoying the moment.Zh: 生活就是这样的混乱和欢乐。En: Life is just this kind of chaos and joy.Zh: 在寒冷的冬日中，他们的笑声回荡在香山公园的雪景中，温暖了这个冬天。En: In the cold winter, their laughter echoed amid the snowy scenery of Xiangshan Park, warming this winter day. Vocabulary Words:filtered: 透过meticulously: 精心anticipation: 期待frost: 霜bare: 光秃秃sparkled: 闪闪发光muddy: 泥泞tussling: 争斗cautiously: 小心翼翼snatched: 抢走intently: 直勾勾uninvited: 不速之客quietly: 小声wryly: 苦笑raid: 劫掠perfection: 完美teahouse: 茶馆newfound: 全新的controlling: 控制chaos: 混乱joy: 欢乐echoed: 回荡amid: 中picnic: 野餐solution: 办法warmed: 温暖path: 路径livelier: 热闹anticipated: 期盼especially: 特别

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Bonds Beyond: An Orphanage Reunion Under Red Lanterns Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2024-11-28-23-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在上海郊外，有一家温暖的孤儿院。En: In the outskirts of Shanghai, there is a warm orphanage.Zh: 这个季节，秋风轻轻吹过，树叶在地面上沙沙作响。En: This season, the autumn wind blows gently, and the leaves rustle on the ground.Zh: 孤儿院的房子虽然老旧，但总是充满爱意。En: Although the orphanage's building is old, it is always filled with love.Zh: 墙上满是孩子们的画作，挂着的红灯笼为即将到来的春节增添了节日气氛。En: The walls are covered with the children's drawings, and the hanging red lanterns add a festive atmosphere for the upcoming Spring Festival.Zh: 孤儿院里住着17岁的明。En: Living in the orphanage is 17-year-old Ming.Zh: 他从小就在这里长大，对于新来的孩子非常保护。尤其是12岁的志。En: He has grown up here and is very protective of the new children, especially 12-year-old Zhi.Zh: 几个月前，志被一个好心的家庭收养。En: A few months ago, Zhi was adopted by a kind-hearted family.Zh: 然而，这个秋天，志回来了，要见一见明。En: However, this autumn, he returned to see Ming.Zh: 明很开心，但心里也有些担心。En: Ming was happy, but also a bit worried.Zh: 他怕志会慢慢忘记他。En: He was afraid Zhi would slowly forget him.Zh: 志也同样有些矛盾，他想要适应新的家庭生活，但又不想失去和明的联系。En: Zhi was also conflicted; he wanted to adapt to his new family life but did not want to lose contact with Ming.Zh: “明哥哥，我回来了！”志一进门，就高兴地喊道。En: "Ming 哥哥, I'm back!" Zhi shouted happily as he stepped through the door.Zh: 明把他紧紧地抱住。“志，我很想你。”明微笑着说，心中却想着如何让志记得他。En: Ming hugged him tightly. "Zhi, I missed you," Ming said with a smile, though his mind was on how to make Zhi remember him.Zh: 当天晚上，孤儿院里特别热闹。En: That evening, the orphanage was especially lively.Zh: 房间里飘着热腾腾的饺子香味，孩子们在一旁开心地玩耍。En: The room was filled with the delicious aroma of dumplings, and the children played happily on the side.Zh: 方阿姨是孤儿院的看护，她慈祥地笑着，看着孩子们。En: Aunt Fang was the caretaker of the orphanage, and she smiled benevolently as she watched the children.Zh: “春节快到了，该好好聚一聚。”她拍了拍明的肩膀。En: "The Spring Festival is approaching, we should have a good gathering," she said, patting Ming on the shoulder.Zh: 明暗暗下定决心，要把对志的这一份情义深藏于心。En: Ming secretly made up his mind to keep his feelings for Zhi hidden in his heart.Zh: 他在房间里找到了一些旧纸，开始认真地折一个纸鹤。En: He found some old paper in the room and began to seriously fold a paper crane.Zh: 这是他和志过去常常玩的游戏，他希望这能成为他们的一个传统。En: This was a game he and Zhi used to play often, and he hoped it would become a tradition for them.Zh: 那天晚上，明把折好的纸鹤送给了志。En: That night, Ming gave the folded paper crane to Zhi.Zh: “志，这个送给你。我们的约定，无论在哪里，记得要联系我们。”志接过纸鹤，眼眶湿润了。En: "Zhi, this is for you. Our promise, no matter where we are, remember to keep in contact." Zhi took the paper crane, his eyes moistening.Zh: “明哥哥，我永远不会忘记你。”En: "Ming 哥哥, I will never forget you."Zh: 第二天，志要离开了。En: The next day, Zhi had to leave.Zh: 他紧紧握住明的手，“我会常常来看你，春节也会和你一起过。”En: He held Ming's hand tightly, "I will come to see you often, and spend the Spring Festival with you."Zh: 明点了点头，心中的重担也轻了许多。En: Ming nodded, feeling much lighter at heart.Zh: 自此，明学会了释怀，他知道尽管志有了新家庭，他们的联系依然坚固。En: Since then, Ming learned to let go, knowing that even though Zhi had a new family, their connection remained strong.Zh: 志也懂得，无论新生活如何，他和明的关系是永恒的。En: Zhi also understood that no matter how new life unfolded, his relationship with Ming was eternal.Zh: 红灯笼轻轻摇曳，孤儿院的夜晚温暖而祥和。En: The red lanterns swayed gently, and the night in the orphanage was warm and peaceful.Zh: 即将到来的春节，是他们心中不灭的团圆灯。En: The approaching Spring Festival was the eternal light of reunion in their hearts. Vocabulary Words:outskirts: 郊外orphanage: 孤儿院rustle: 沙沙作响festive: 节日atmosphere: 气氛adopted: 收养conflicted: 矛盾aroma: 香味benevolently: 慈祥地caretaker: 看护gathering: 聚一聚secretly: 暗暗unfolded: 展开eternal: 永恒的swayed: 摇曳reunion: 团圆approaching: 即将到来的delicious: 美味promise: 约定contact: 联系moistening: 湿润fold: 折tradition: 传统lighthearted: 轻松drawing: 画作protective: 保护adopt: 收养tightly: 紧紧decided: 下定决心release: 释怀

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: In the Library's Ruins: Trust and Survival Blossoms Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/in-the-librarys-ruins-trust-and-survival-blossoms Story Transcript:Zh: 图书馆的废墟在春天看上去格外不同。En: The ruins of the library looked especially different in the spring.Zh: 墙壁上长满了常春藤和野花，偶尔有微风吹过，花瓣轻轻飘落。En: Ivy and wildflowers covered the walls, and occasionally a gentle breeze would blow by, causing petals to softly fall.Zh: 魏走在废墟中，步伐轻快却谨慎。En: Wei walked through the ruins with light yet cautious steps.Zh: 他是一名幸存者，习惯了依靠直觉和帮助他人来生存。En: He was a survivor, accustomed to relying on intuition and helping others to survive.Zh: 这一天，魏在一间倒塌的房间里发现了志。En: On this day, Wei found Zhi in a collapsed room.Zh: 志正在研究一株顽强绽放的小花。En: Zhi was studying a resilient little flower in bloom.Zh: “你好，”魏说，声音小心翼翼，“这些花是你种的吗？”En: "Hello," Wei said, his voice careful, "Did you plant these flowers?"Zh: 志抬起头，微笑着回答：“不，它们自己长出来的。大自然总是有办法的。”En: Zhi looked up and smiled, replying, "No, they grew on their own. Nature always finds a way."Zh: 魏对志的乐观感到惊讶。En: Wei was surprised by Zhi's optimism.Zh: 在这个荒凉、资源匮乏的世界，像志这样的人很少见。En: In this desolate, resource-scarce world, people like Zhi were rare.Zh: 尽管如此，魏意识到拥有志这样的同伴可能会对他们的长期生存有益。En: Nonetheless, Wei realized that having a companion like Zhi might benefit their long-term survival.Zh: 于是，他决定给彼此一个机会。En: So, he decided to give each other a chance.Zh: “我在找一个安全的地方，”魏解释道，“也许我们可以一起，共同分享资源。”En: "I'm looking for a safe place," Wei explained, "Maybe we can work together and share resources."Zh: 志点点头，同意了。En: Zhi nodded in agreement.Zh: 尽管双方面临的信任挑战重重，但他们开始一起打理花园，收集食物和水。En: Despite the mutual challenges of trust, they began tending the garden together, gathering food and water.Zh: 随着时间的推移，他们发现了图书馆中一些仍然完好的书籍。En: Over time, they discovered some books in the library that remained intact.Zh: 然而，几周后，另一名幸存者连出现了。En: However, a few weeks later, another survivor named Lian appeared.Zh: 连眼神中带着秘密。En: Lian had a secretive look in his eyes.Zh: 一天晚上，连试图偷走他们的食物和地图。En: One night, Lian attempted to steal their food and map.Zh: 这让魏十分警觉。En: This made Wei very alert.Zh: “连，你在做什么？”魏质问道，把志保护在身后。En: "Lian, what are you doing?" Wei questioned, shielding Zhi behind him.Zh: 连看着他，脸上有着难以捉摸的神情。“我只是在测试你们，”连平静地回答，“看看你们能不能团结合作。”En: Lian looked at him with an inscrutable expression, "I was just testing you," Lian calmly answered, "to see if you can unite and work together."Zh: 魏一边怒火中烧，一边思考。En: Wei was both angry and contemplative.Zh: 他不想放弃来之不易的信任和团队。En: He didn't want to give up the hard-won trust and teamwork.Zh: 志温柔地握住魏的手，“我们可以一起面对任何挑战。”En: Zhi gently held Wei's hand, "We can face any challenge together."Zh: 最终，魏决定给连一个机会。En: In the end, Wei decided to give Lian a chance.Zh: 他相信他们三人能成为一个强大的团队。En: He believed they could become a strong team of three.Zh: 在一起的几天后，连慢慢分享了自己的信息与资源。En: A few days later, Lian slowly shared his information and resources.Zh: 尽管过去有很多秘密，连开始融入他们的团队。En: Despite the many secrets of the past, Lian began to integrate into their team.Zh: 魏终于相信，信任和合作是战胜这个世界困难的关键。En: Wei finally believed that trust and cooperation were the keys to overcoming the world's difficulties.Zh: 他不再独自前行，而是与志和连一起，重新燃起了对未来的希望。En: He was no longer traveling alone but with Zhi and Lian, rekindling hope for the future.Zh: 他们在图书馆废墟之间，如野花般迎风而立。En: They stood among the ruins of the library, like wildflowers standing resiliently in the wind. Vocabulary Words:ruins: 废墟ivy: 常春藤wildflowers: 野花intuition: 直觉resilient: 顽强optimism: 乐观desolate: 荒凉resource-scarce: 资源匮乏companion: 同伴tending: 打理intact: 完好secretive: 秘密的inscrutable: 难以捉摸contemplative: 思考的hard-won: 来之不易teamwork: 团队rekindling: 重新燃起survivor: 幸存者accustomed: 习惯了relying: 依靠cautious: 谨慎collaboratively: 合作地trust: 信任cooperation: 合作challenge: 挑战breeze: 微风petals: 花瓣gentle: 温柔integrate: 融入unite: 团结

Plonge avec moi dans l'univers coloré de la Médecine Traditionnelle Chinoise !Dans cet épisode, je te présente les 5 esprits, ces forces secrètes qui influencent notre santé et notre bien-être. On y découvre Shen, Hun, Yi, Po et Zhi, leur fonctionnement, leur attribues mais aussi comment ils sont reliés entre eux, ce qui les désesquilibre et ce qui les harmonise. Je t'expliquerais également comment ces 5 esprits s'articulent avec les 5 éléments de la MTC. Psss, on me dit dans l'oreillette que la liste d'attente pour INSPIRE TON YIN

Un épisode d'introduction au concept complexe des 5 esprits. On y découvre Shen, Hun, Yi, Po et Zhi, et on découvre comment savoir si ces esprits sont déséquilibrés en nous, et surtout comment retrouver l'harmonie. Envie de creuser le Yin Yoga ? Helen est formatrice, tu peux en savoir plus en cliquant ici :https://www.helenwatkins.yogahttps://www.instagram.com/lnwatkins/

Nos subimos a nuestra alfombra mágica para sobrevolar el planeta en busca de nuevas músicas, estrenando y adelantando trabajos que nos llegan desde Bretaña, Finlandia, Portugal, Taiwán y estableciendo rutas entre Canadá y los Balcanes, entre Argentina y España, y, desde Francia, por un lado con Brasil y Argelia, y, por otro, con Persia. We jump on our magic carpet to fly over the planet in search of new music, premiering and previewing works that come to us from Brittany, Finland, Portugal, Taiwan and establishing routes between Canada and the Balkans, between Argentina and Spain, and, from France, on the one hand with Brazil and Algeria, and, on the other hand, with Persia. Kreiz Breizh Akademi 9 – Ar sorserion / Andro – Bruulu Sampo Lassila Narinkka – Uutela tanz – Suomiklezmer 2 Orkestar Kriminal – Sarajevski vokovi – Originali ShazaLaKazoo – Pragnje kolo – Chorba Guada – Torito – Cuero Amina Mezaache & Maracuja – 6 bémols – Vortex Célia Leiria – Não digas que sou tua – Mulher amor Hamraaz – Azadi – Abr 3Peoplemusic – A-Zhi watches the ox’s tail sway – Him, her, it, and three (Sampo Lassila Narinkka – Freyt ay yidelekh – Suomiklezmer 2) 📸 Amina Mezaache & Maracuja (Lucie Jean)

“霉霉”演唱会大电影全国上映，掀全民K歌翻唱热潮......When Beijing native Jin Yu arrived for a special screening of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — the highest-grossing concert film of all time — she was surprised to see many audience members were dressed up, waving glow sticks, swaying and loudly singing along with the performer.当北京人金宇来到现场观看《泰勒·斯威夫特：时代巡回演唱会》的特别放映时，她发现许多在场观众盛装打扮，跟随着泰勒的音乐挥舞着荧光棒，舞动着身体，大声跟唱每一首金曲，眼前的热闹景象让她感到很惊喜。"It felt like I was attending a solo concert by Swift for almost three hours, but it only cost 100 yuan ($14). In addition, you could take out your smartphone to take photos or videos. That's usually forbidden when watching a movie in a theater," she says.她说： “感觉就像是在参加一场斯威夫特的个人演唱会，持续了近三个小时，但只花费了100元。你还可以拿出智能手机拍照或录像，这在电影院看电影时通常是被禁止的”。Under the helm of Emmy award-winning director Sam Wrench, the movie follows the 34-year-old pop icon and her dancers onstage, as Swift performs 40 songs from 10 albums during her 2023-24 The Eras Tour.这部有史以来票房最高的演唱会电影由艾美奖获奖导演萨姆·扳手(Sam Wrench)执导，讲述了这位34岁的流行偶像和她的舞者在舞台上的故事，斯威夫特在2023年The Eras巡演中演唱了10张专辑中的40首歌曲。The film has grossed over $261 million at box offices worldwide, including more than 78 million yuan on the Chinese mainland, according to statistics from trackers Box Office Mojo and Beacon. The 169-minute-long movie has also become the highest-grossing imported documentary of all time on the Chinese mainland.根据Box Office Mojo和Beacon的统计数据，该片全球票房收入超过2.61亿美元，其中中国大陆票房收入超过7800万元人民币。这部时长169分钟的电影也成为中国大陆有史以来票房最高的进口纪录片。With The Eras Tour breaking the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing music tour in history, Alibaba Pictures — which is known for importing such acclaimed foreign movies as Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, Capernaum and Departures — recognized the film's prospects, facilitated its entry into the Chinese market, and helped to promote.随着《The Eras Tour》打破了历史上最高票房音乐巡演的吉尼斯世界纪录，阿里影业认识到了这类电影的前景，进而为其进入中国市场、推广宣传提供了极大助力。阿里影业还引进过多部著名影片，包括《绿皮书》、《波西米亚狂想曲》、《迦百农》和《启程》。Since its release in domestic theaters on New Year's Eve, the movie has received an impressive score of 9.3 points out of 10 on Douban, one of China's most popular review sites, due to its spectacular visual effects and Swift's superstardom.自除夕在国内院线上映以来，凭借其壮观的视觉效果和斯威夫特的超级明星形象，该电影在中国最受欢迎的评论网站之一豆瓣上获得了9.3分的骄人成绩。Song Zhe, a 29-year-old short-video director from Henan province, is one of the Chinese fans who was so captivated by the documentary's fresh and innovative format that he purchased two tickets for consecutive screenings.来自河南省的29岁短视频导演宋喆是泰勒的一名忠实粉丝，他为这部纪录片的新鲜和创新的形式所吸引，所以购买了两张连续放映的门票。"I have rarely experienced such an exciting and immersive movie-watching experience before," says Song, who works in Beijing, "When it came to some of the hottest Swift songs, the audience spontaneously stood in the empty space below the big screen, and started jumping and singing along. You couldn't even hear Swift's voice — only the cheers and shouts of the fans."在北京工作的宋喆表示，我几乎从未有过如此激动人心、身临其境的观影体验。他回忆当天播放到泰勒斯威夫特最热门的歌曲时，观众们自发地站在大屏幕下方的空地上，跟着跳起来唱歌。你甚至听不到斯威夫特的声音，只有歌迷的欢呼声和叫喊声。The documentary was filmed during Swift's performance at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, a venue that has hosted many headline-grabbing events, not least of which was the 2022 Super Bowl. Its visual effects are also impressive, allowing theatergoers to see close-ups of Swift on the big screen.这部纪录片是在斯威夫特在洛杉矶SoFi体育场表演期间拍摄的，该体育场举办过许多引人注目的活动，其中最重要的是2022年超级碗比赛。其视觉效果也令人印象深刻，观众可以在大屏幕上看到斯威夫特的特写镜头。Zhi Feina, a professor at the Chinese National Academy of Arts and an industry observer, says that the overwhelming success of the movie has helped many young people to socialize.中国艺术研究院教授、行业观察家支菲娜表示，这部电影的影响力超乎想象，同时也为年轻人提供了很好的社交机会。Although this format is new to Chinese theatergoers, Zhi says that similar films that document popular events have already become a regular genre overseas. For example, Japan has introduced ODS (Other Digital Stuff) screenings since 2005, which release recorded versions of stage plays, such as Kabuki, musicals and dramas, as well as concert recordings and sports broadcasts.虽然这种形式对中国观众来说是新鲜事，但支非娜表示，类似电影在海外已经成为一种常规类型。例如，自2005年起，日本就引入了ODS放映，发布歌舞伎、音乐剧和戏剧等舞台剧的录制版本，以及音乐会录音和体育广播。"China has more than 80,000 screens in over 12,000 cinemas, but most of the seats remain unsold during the comparatively slow box office season. Swift's movie could serve as a good example for domestic theater operators to learn how to attract a larger audience," says Zhi.支菲娜表示，中国拥有12,000多家电影院、80,000多个银幕，但当前票房处于淡季，大部分座位仍未售出。国内影院运营商可以借此机会，向这部电影学习如何吸引更多观众来到影院观影。Sha Dan, a curator at the China Film Archive and a veteran critic, views the movie's popularity as a signal to the Chinese film market to seek a breakthrough in attracting the generation born between the late 1990s and 2000s.中国电影资料馆馆长、资深影评人沙丹认为，这部电影的受欢迎向中国电影市场发出了一个信号，那就是吸引新时代年轻人观影应该是票房增长新的突破点。He also mentions that one of the top concerns among insiders in recent years has been the growing trend for young audiences to shift to short-video platforms instead of going to cinema.他还提到近年来业内人士最关心的一个问题，当下年轻观众更青睐短视频平台，电影院的受欢迎度随之日益下降。"If Chinese distributors could import more movies like this, the local market would become more culturally diversified, and cinemas could revive their functions as places for socializing and entertainment," he says.沙丹还表示，如果中国发行商能够进口更多这样的电影，中国电影市场将变得更加文化多元化，也有助于电影院恢复其作为社交和娱乐场所的功能。distributors 英/dɪˈstrɪb.jə.tər/ 美/dɪˈstrɪb.jə.tɚ/n. 电影发行商curator 英/kjʊəˈreɪ.tər/ 美/kjʊˈreɪ.tɚ/n. 馆长

On est encore en plein coeur de l'hiver et peut-être que la mélancolie s'installe. Je te décrypte cette saison vue par la MTC via l'élément EAU pour te redonner le sourire et nourrir ta pratique. Dans cet épisode je vais t'expliquer :les méridiens et organes associé à cet élément eau / saison de l'hivercomment et pourquoi conserver ton énergie dans cette saisonl'esprit du Zhi et te décrire l'attitude eau - vive le non-agir !!!te donner quelques pistes de journaling adapté à la saisondes tips pour séquencer tes cours sur le thème de l'EAU (méridien rein/ vessie urinaire)Belle écoute !!!!~~ liens utiles ~~Et pour encore plus de Yin yoga, rdv sur mon studio en ligne.

sydney khoo was the recipient of the Penguin Random House Australia's Write It fellowship. Today I'm bringing you their new novel The Spider and Her Demons. The Spider and Her Demons High School can be hard at the best of times but somehow Zhi juggles study, tutoring and working in her Aunt's dumpling shop. Zhi's Aunt Mei has sacrificed a lot so that Zhi can attend a private school and all she asks in return is that Zhi maintain an 85 point grade average and hide the fact she has fangs, spinnerets and four prehensile limbs that emerge from her back! This story is wild! We dive headfirst into the world of Zhi as she navigates being a teenager with more than the regular amount of challenge to her life. The world building here is terrific. Zhi attends a (fictional) Sydney private school, whilst working in a dumpling shop in Chinatown. Everything is laid out for local readers to orient themselves to this world, which makes it particularly effective when it all goes sideways. On the one hand there is the regular amount of teenage angst and we ride alongside Zhi as she and her friends are just normally being normal. On the other we are treated to Zhi's anxiety as she revels in this normalcy, even as she feels it can't last. The aforementioned spider biology is a cause for constant stress and Zhi knows she has to be less than normal, she has to be practically invisible. The Spider and Her Demons takes the reader into the world of Zhi's hyper consciousness of her body. We are shown that who she is is both exceptional and terrifyingly normal. Zhi's daily routine to style her hair so that it hides her spider eyes is not so far any teenagers styling their way into some semblance of what they hope their peers will deem acceptable.  The difference Zhi struggles to accept in herself is only highlighted by the constant gossip surrounding the most popular girl in school, Dior Panne-Nix. While Zhi just wants to be like everyone else she must also confront that she doesn't even exist in Dior's orbit. Of course all this is primed for chaos as Zhi's secret is threatened one fateful night and she finds herself thrown into the path of Dior! The Spider and Her Demons works both as a fantastical new world to discover and as a character driven exploration of individuals just trying to make it through their days. sydney khoo writes her protagonist with power and doubt and so what might otherwise fall into superhero fare becomes a journey of personal discovery.  Right now it's probably important to note everything I'm not saying about The Spider and Her Demons. This book is brand new so I'm not going to go about blabbing all the best bits for a bit of analysis. Suffice to say that Zhi's spider form is just the beginning of a vast world that is hurtling towards Zhi. In short measure getting a pass mark is a thing of the past and even survival looks like the wrong question as a whole world unfolds before us. I'm a big fan of genre and the fantastic and The Spider and Her Demons gives us these in spades. It also takes the outcast hero out of the comfortable worlds of Marvel and DC and shows us how this works at the intersection of multiple identities. I can't talk around the spoilers any longer so let me just recommend you go and check out sydney khoo's The Spider and Her Demons so we can all revel in it together. Bonus - There's a full conversation with sydney on the Final Draft podcast…

The Final Draft podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love. These are the stories that make us who we are. sydney khoo (they/them) is a nonbinary and aromantic asexual writer, born on Dharawal Country in South Western Sydney, to Malaysian Chinese parents. They are the recipient of the Penguin Random House Australia's Write It fellowship. sydney joins us today with their new novel The Spider and Her Demons. High School can be hard at the best of times but somehow Zhi juggles study, tutoring and working in her Aunt's dumpling shop. Zhi's Aunt Mei has sacrificed a lot so that Zhi can attend a private school and all she asks in return is that Zhi maintain an 85 point grade average and hide the fact she has fangs, spinnerets and four prehensile limbs that emerge from her back! Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople Want more great conversations with Australian authors? Discover this and many more conversations on Final Draft every week from 2ser. Get in touch with Andrew and Final Draft. We love to hear about what you're reading! Twitter - https://twitter.com/finaldraft2ser  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/finaldraft2ser/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/finaldraft2ser/ 

Last time we spoke about the Juye incident and the scramble for China. The Big Swords society and their armor of the golden bell technique certainly made some waves in the mid 1890's. However it would seem to get them in trouble, at minimum by proxy. The Juye incident was quickly seen as another Big Sword attack on christians and Kaiser Wilhelm utilizes it to gain something he was looking for a long time, a naval port in China. Jiaozhou bay was quickly seized by the Germans and suddenly all the western powers were seizing parts of China left right and center. The carving up of China had thus gone into overdrive and it looked to the common Chinese people that christian missionaries were all behind it. German was truly rubbing their nose in and allowing their missionaries to abuse their authority in Shandong province, but for how long would the Chinese put up with all of this?   #59 Yihequan “Why is everyone Kungfu fighting?”    Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. So there has been this group I have kept alluding to for a few podcasts now. They went by a few names, but they truly pop into the scene in the year of 1898 in what other place than Shandong province, to be specific Guan county. Guan county lies along the western border of Shandong and is just a bit due west of Jinan. The people of guan county were known their “brave spirit and love of righteousness”. Their county held poor soil, many grew cotton and this lent itself to weaving. It was quite an impoverished county, their people lived simple lives. As noted by a gazetteer “The young have become like knights-errant, and like to indulge in wine, and drink for pleasure. They form cliques and seek revenge." By the mid 19th century, these young knight types were allying themselves with White Lotus sects. This led to conflicts such as the Song Jing-shi uprising of the 1860s. As we have seen over the past few episodes, where there are young men practicing boxing and there are sectarians, well they seem to just find common cause and love to rebel. There was a small market town in Guan county called Liyuantun. It was an exclave among 24 settlements in Guan, isolated across the Shandong border inside Zhili. Bordering it to the north was Linqing and Qiu county. A peasant from Liyuangtun described Liyuantuns locations as such “Speaking from our village, either two li [one kilometer) to the east or ten li to the west was Wei county. Twelve li to the northwest was Qiu county; twelve li to the south was Jize [Zhili]; fifteen li to the southeast was Linqing; ten li to the south was Quzhou; five li to the west were 300 mu of Guangzong [Zhili] land; and we were 130 li from the Guan county seat”. The small town historically had changed administrative boundaries multiple times. Now when conflicts began to break out with Christians, a magistrate was told be local residents of Liyuantun "Before, the prefect and magistrate repeatedly came to calm and pacify us. They would fix a date and only when they received permission did they dare to enter this territory." Alongside the christians, the region was of course a natural refuge for bandits. Bandits seemed to increase dramatically between 1894-1899 and these bands were coming well armed and dared to raid villages during daylight. Even casualties were beginning to increase, it was said during one raid, 7 people were killed in a single village. Highway robbery was particularly popular in the area. Theft was often directed at the wealthy, the kidnapping of members of rich families, the ordinary peasants did not suffer from this, but instead benefited, as the bandits took their riches and spent them in the poor villages. The local Qing forces were too weak and incompetent to do anything.  The isolated county of Guan was very susceptible to heterodox sects. There were countless such as the White Lotus, the Green “Qing Bang” or Red “Hong Bang” gangs, the “Huang shahui / the Yellow sand society”, the “shen-ren dao / way of the sage” and so on. Historians point out the isolation of the county, low education and weakness of the orthodox gentry to be the reason for the popularity of such sects. These very same factors would bolster certain boxing groups to fight christians. With a weak Qing state, the Christian missionaries flooded the area. French Jesuits dominated the Zhili side towns and Italian Franciscans the Shandong side towns. The French were particularly large, as stated by resident of the region “Early in the Guang-xu period, the White Lotus were active here. The county magistrate sent troops to make arrests. The French priest "Liang" told everyone, "I am a missionary. Whoever wants to join the Catholic Church raise your hand and register. I guarantee that nothing will happen to you." Several who had joined the White Lotus raised their hands and joined the church. In this way the government troops did not arrest them.” The town of Liyuantun saw its first congregation come about in a similar fashion. In the wake of the Song Jingshi uprising, a former rebel was arrested. A secret christian in Liyuantun convinced the man's family to join the church and appeal the for the mans release. That is just what they did and taking upon their example, many others followed suit. Soon there was some 20 catholic families mostly from the Wang family. Now while I call Liyuantun a “small town” it was fairly large. It held 300 households, had a marketplace attracting business. It was what we call a multiple surname town: 40% of the households were Yans; 20% Wangs: 10% Gaos and so on. Kinship had a special role in the town, as it did in most towns in China. Liyuantun was really no different than the rest of the towns in the north China plain; her residents had mud walled and thatch roofed homes. The people supported themselves farming, spinning, weaving and peddling. The farmers planted what, sorghum, millet and cotton, the soil was fairly fertile compared to the surrounded towns. With a bit better soil came some social differentiation within the town. The wealthiest family owned about 300 out of 4000 mu of land, 6 others households had around 80mu each. Some of the larger landholders rented out land, but it was far more common to just hire laborers. There were countless landless households, most of whom were hired as laborers. Some owned only 3 to 4 mu of land supplementing their farm income from secondary occupations, like weaving and peddling. The entire dynamic of the town allowed for some gentry types, and they commanded influence above the county level of governance, though their town was still very isolated. Now in the middle of Liyuantun, stood a pair of small worn out buildings which once housed a temple dedicated to Yu-huang miao, the Jade Emperor. It was alongside a little school. The temple was said to go back to 1861 and during the rebels it took damage and was left in disrepair. Meanwhile by 1869 christians were increasing and it was decided the Christian and non-christians should divide the temple property and its associated lands, around 38 mu worth. An agreement was made between neighborhood leaders, the christians and the local constable stating the Christians would receive the temple property of 3.91 mu and the 38mu of farmland would be divided into three sections for the christians. This as you can guess was extremely unpopular and many of the neighborhood leaders who signed the agreement would dispute it later. Now the key issue was the right to the buildings which houses the temple to the Jade emperor, the highest god in the pantheon. In 1873 and 1881 the magistrate of Guan, Han Guangding enforced temporary settlements, trying to push the Christians to buy another site. But the missionaries did not want to give up the location and demanded the original deal be met. In 1887 a Franciscan showed up carrying bricks and tiles, attempting to dismantle the temple and turn it into a church. But as he began to do so, two gentry types, Liu Chang-an and Zuo Jianxun led a mob of very pissed off villagers to drive off the christians who were trying to evict their temple to the jade emperor. Magistrate He Shizhen tried to remedy the situation with another temporary agreement. He Shizhen was devoted to confucianism, and quite loved by the people for he was notably not corrupt. He Shizhen personally went to Liyuantun and confirmed the mob was roused by the two gentry types who were punished, but he also made sure to take down the bricks and tiles the Franciscan had put up.  The issue with the temple never went away, other magistrates were unable to resolve the matter. He Shizhen would come back to try and make a more permanent arraignment and got the christians to agree to accept an alternative location for their church. Liu Chang-an agreed to purchase another site for said church to be constructed. He Shizhen and a new magistrate added 100 taels of their own money to be put towards the churches construction. And it seemed to all the issue was finally resolved.  To the Italian and French missionaries however, they refused this resolution. They claimed the chinese christian villagers were not qualified to agree to such a settlement and only they could. He Shizhen argued the dispute was between two chinese parties in Liyuantun and so a stand off began that spanned a few years. He Shizhen stood his ground, and refused to meet with the foreign missionaries, so the non christians held possession for the temple. Then in 1892, the French minister to Beijing applied pressure to the court who applied pressure to the local officials who applied pressure to the villagers. The French protest brought upon a predictable verdict, the temple was to be given to the Christians. He Shizhen donated 200 taels and 1000 cash for the construction of a new temple at a different location, but the Christians said it was a no go. The Christians complained about the meddling of officials and this escalated the situation. It seems a bit of revenge was on the menu, for a unknown person apparently invited a Daoist priest named Wei He-yi from Linqing into the picture. Wei He-yi happened to have an armed local militia whose leader was Zuo Jianxun, it always comes full circle doesn't it. The militia came over to defend the temple and things quickly got out of hand. The local Qing officials responded quickly sending the Daotai of the area alongside a group of other Qing authorities, the Dongchang prefect, Lingqing subprefect, magistrates of the surrounding Zhili counties of Qinghe, Quzhou and Wei alongside He Shizhen to meet the mob. The Qing officials told them they needed to preserve the peace and eventually persuaded them to disperse. The christians were allowed to come to the site, and it seemed they had won the day. Now this entire time, it was the gentry leading the charge against the Christians. They went through the appropriate means, they pressed their complaints to the prefectures, then to the provincial capital and all of this was quite expensive to do. A few of the gentry were very vigilant in their efforts and this earned them jail time. Several lost property because of the expenses. Liu Chang-an was stripped of his degree. By 1892 it was clear these gentry, despite some holding degrees, having money, land or influence could not challenge the missionaries. When the Qing authorities came in force in 1892 it signaled to them no further protests would be allowed, the gentry bent the knee. The gentry had thus given up the cause, but the struggle was passed to a younger and more volatile group.  Once the Christians got back the rights to the temple site they immediately went to work building a church. They soon found themselves under attack from a group of poor, young peasants known as “shi-ba kui / the 18 chiefs”. One story goes, the Christians were forced to fortify the church and hid inside as they were met with rocks and gunfire. The mob stormed the church and assaulted several of the Christians inside. The christians fled to the missionaries residence over in Wucheng and for a long time did not dare leave the residence. Another stand off occurred where upon if either side tried to build upon the temple location the other side would intervene and tear it down. The prefect of Dongchang, Hong Yongzhou ordered both sides to stop constructing anything and to agree to a new settlement.  These so called 18 Chiefs seem to represent the chiefs of the 18 surrounding villages, basically militia leaders. However oral tradition has it that they were all in fact young residents of Liyuantun, mostly poor peasants who simply took on the task of protecting the temple. Their leaders included Yan Shuqin, martial artists of the “Hong-quan” Red Boxing school and Gao Yuanxiang, known to the locals as “Gao Xiaomazi” Pockmarked Gao. Yan Shuqin owned around 5 mu of land and supplementing his incoming by peddling and spinning cotton. He had two brothers who were part of the 18 chiefs who worked as farm hands. Gao Yuanxiang had around 10 mu of land and made side money milling and reselling grain. The largest land owner out of the lot was Yan Mingjian with over 100 mu of land. 3 other chiefs were completely landless, most peddling to subsidize their income.  The missionaries saw the 18 chiefs as nothing more than some impoverished thugs, pushed into the situation by the gentry who had failed. However the 18 chiefs would prove to be a resilient group, take Gao Yuanxiang who spent 2 years in prison beginning in 1895 but carried the fight on. The 18 chiefs knew they could not hold back the Christians forever, they were a small and isolated force, so they turned to a man they thought could help them out named Zhao Sanduo. Zhao Sanduo lived 5kms southwest in Shaliuzhai a large village with 300 households in Wei county. He was a notable martial artist, who also went by the name Zaho Luozhu. He taught Plum Flower Boxing, a martial art going back to the early 17th century. Feng Keshan back during the eight trigrams uprising taught Plum Flower boxing.  Plum Flower Boxing was for self protecting, utilizing physical and spiritual exercise. There was little to no religious aspect in this martial art, except for some bowing to Sun Wukong or Shaseng. The prefect of Dongchang described Plum flower boxing as  “In the districts along the Zhili-Shandong border, the people are sturdy and enjoy the martial arts. Many of them practice the arts of boxing to protect themselves and their families, and to look out for each other. Great numbers practice [boxing] and it has spread widely. In Henan, Shanxi and Jiangsu there are also those who teach it, so that its name is widely known. Each year in the second or third [lunar] month there are fairs, and the boxers use this opportunity to gather and compare their techniques. They call this "liang-quan" ("showing off their boxing"). Thus in the countryside they are regarded as plum boxing meetings.” The plum flower boxer often practiced on market days and would often stage shows. Zhao Sanduo had roughly 2000 students, many of whom were employed as Yamen runners, giving him quite a advantage when dealing with disputes with Qing authorities. It is said Zhao may have had up to 400 mu of land and ran his own store, but countless accounts also claim he was a poor peasant with a meager 10 mu of land. When dealing with oral traditional history its always hard to feel out what is true and what is fable. Regardless Zhao was noted to be a very generous man and would use his considerable influence to right wrongs, particularly when it came to christian meddling.  The 18 chiefs pleaded for Zhao's help and at first he rejected them, not wanting to get involved, but somehow they twisted his arm. In april of 1897 the Christians yet again tried to bring their materials over to build upon the temple site. At the same time, Zhao had staged a major plum flower boxing exhibition in Liyuantun. It seems Zhao was just making a show of force, but soon violence broke out. Yet again the Christians hid in their church construction, then on april 27th, somewhere between 500-2000 men stormed the site and occupied it. The Christians attempted a counter attack which resulted in a single fatality and many injuries. The church was destroyed, the Christians had their homes looted and all of them fled. Upon receiving the news of the incident, He Shizhen sympathized with the non christians and the Governor of Shandong, Li Bingheng tried to prevent foreign intervention. By the fall of 1897 the Qing authorities endorsed a new settlement which gave a major victory to the non christians and their boxer allies. The Qing officials sought to buy the Christians a new site and supply all the supplies for their new church, while the old temple site would be used as a charitable school for all villagers. However in truth they sought to rebuild the old temple and even put on a grand celebration to commemorate it.  It seemed a grand victory, but it was to be short-lived as the Juye incident came about. The Germans seized Jiaozhou, Li Bingheng was demoted and now the Christians overwhelmingly had the upper hand. Imperial edicts were being frantically tossed around demanding all incidents to be avoided at all costs, while the missionaries pressed for revenge. The Italian bishop rejected the 1897 settlement and demanded the Qing officials get rid of the old temple and return the site to the christians. In the meantime Zhao Sanduo was joined by a man named Yao Wenqi, a native of Guanging, Zhili. Yao had been teaching boxing in the town of Liushangu, southwest of Liyuantun. Yao was senior to Zhao in the Plum Flower boxing school, thus his boxing teacher or Senpai as the Japanese would say. Yao radicalized the scene, by introducing some new recruits who were notorious for anti-manchu activities. Many of Zhao's students pleaded with him “Do not listen to Yao, he is ambitious! Don't make trouble. Since our patriarch began teaching in the late Ming and early Qing there have been 16 or 17 generations. The civil adherents read books and cure illness, the martial artists practice boxing and strengthen their bodies. None has spoken of causing disturbances”. Zhao headed the advice at first, but it seemed he could not break away from the anti-christian followers amongst the ranks. In early 1898 the Qing authorities threatened to arrest any of the Plum Flower boxers if they dared to assemble. The leaders of the Plum Flower Boxers who did not share the anti-christian stance advised Zhao and the others to leave, and he did. Zhao left with many followers and they took on a new name, Yihequan.  The translation of Yihequan is something along the lines as “the righteous and harmonious fists” or “boxers / fists united in righteousness'. The Yihequan of Guan county were united in righteous indignation over the Christian encroachment on the Liyuantun temple. This was not exactly a new thing, there were many Yihe organizations historically we have already covered. In the 1860s there were Yihe militias in southern Zhili fighting off the Nian rebels. In Wei county there were 3 different militias the Zhi he tuan “militia united in purpose”; Pei-yi tuan “militia worthy of righteousness; and the Yihe tuan “militia united in righteousness”. These three militias disbanded in the early 1870's, but were resurrected in 1896 because of the explosion in banditry. Interesting to note, the Yihe tuan were led by Zhao Laoguang, a cousin of Zhao Sanduo. Such Yihe boxer groups formed a coalition against the Christians. The most radical of them were aggressive members of the 18 chiefs of Liyuantun, under the leadership of “Big Sword” Yan Shuqin. Then there were aggressive members of the Plum flower boxers like Yao Wenqi. Zhao Sanduo had a fairly large network of friends spanning militia leaders and gentry class. Thus for the Qing government it was quite frustrating, as when they tried to crack down on certain groups, these groups suddenly were being aided by others and well hidden. It was a true Boxer coalition. The French demanded the dismissal of the popular magistrate, He Shizhen, who they saw as an obstacle and by early 1898 they got their way. He was replaced by Cao Ti who said as he entered the area “boxers were seen everywhere, wearing short jackets and knives, they filled the streets and alleys. Everywhere one looked, one saw their disorderly appearance”. Christians were fleeing Liyuantun in fear, thus Cao Ti's first task was to ease the tense situation. Cao Ti began with an investigation of the Boxer groups and learned that Zhao Sanduo was the key leader. He began systematically shaking down Boxer leaders trying to get Zhao to come forward, but he would not come out of the shadows. The Boxers in general were in hiding as Qing forces were building up a presence in the area. By February of 1898, prefect Hong Yongzhou took charge of the situation. On February 28th, Hong Yongzhou accused Yan Shuqin to be the murderer of a local Christian killed in the spring time. Hong went into Liyuantun and occupied the town with Qing forces, ushering the Christians to come claim the temple. While this solved the temple issue, it did not solve the Boxer issue as they were now gathering in local villages. Hong Yongzhou knew he needed to take out Zhao Sanduo, so he managed to convince local militia leaders he would provide Zhao safety if he would meet with him in Ganji. Zhao finally came over and Hong had this to say about their meeting  "I instructed the boxer leader Zhao San-duo very clearly, and showed him that for his best interest the Plum Boxers must be dispersed, and if they ever assembled again he would be prosecuted. I said to the man ‘ Your family is said to be well off and your sons and grandsons already established. Why have you not sought to protect yourself and your family, and have instead loosed your disciples to cause trouble, even committing murder and arson? Why do you let yourself be the puppet of others?" To all of this Zhao confessed his organization was infiltrated by some unruly men as a result of what was occurring at Liyuantun, but the Christians labeled him a criminal chieftain so he had to keep his boxers together for self protection. The Qing officials all agreed to offer him protection if he would disband the boxers. The Qing officials went with Zhao to his home in Shaliuzhai and got him to official disperse his boxers. However the Boxer coalition was vast and by no means was Zhao telling them to stop going to work for all. In Liyuantun in April, a notice suddenly appearance on the examination hall reading this “The patriots of all the provinces, seeing that the men of the West transgress all limits [literally: over-reach Heaven] in their behavior, have decided to assemble on the 15th day of the fourth moon and to kill the Westerners and burn their houses. Those whose hearts are not in accord with us are scoundrels and women of bad character. Those who read this placard and fail to spread the news deserve the same characterization. Enough. No more words are needed.” So yeah it was clear there were still a lot of angry boxers. The Qing officials attempted a new approach, they tried to recruit the peaceful boxers into militias. The First Sino-Japanese War had greatly diminished Qing authority in the region and such groups were necessary to restore law and order. Governor Zhang Ru-Mei began recruiting them with the primary intent to combat banditry and it looked extremely successful. As Zhang reported to the court in May “I have already sent deputies to the various localities to work together with the local officials to clean up the bao-jia [registers] and establish rural militia (xiang-tuan). Originally I wished to clear up the sources of banditry, but these can also be used to mediate between the people and the Christian converts. ” Zhang and other Qing officials were not naive, they knew many of the boxers in the militias would not be neutral when it came to Christian disputes. This led Zhang to make a rathe controversial recommendation on June 30th “If we allow them [the boxers] to establish private associations on their own authority, and officials take no notice, not only will foreigners have an excuse [to protest], but in time it could become a source of trouble. Northerners are customarily willful. Their bravery and fierceness in struggle are an established custom. The techniques of these boxers, and their system of masters and disciples have had some success in protecting the countryside and capturing bandits. We should instruct the local officials to order the gentry and people to transform these private associations into public undertakings, and change the boxing braves into people's militia. This would conform to public opinion and make them easier to control, and it would seem that both people and converts would benefit greatly” Come fall, rumors spread that the Qing officials were going to crack down and arrest more people. Qing soldiers in Linqing crossed the border into Zhili and began searching for anti christian biligerants in Shaliuzhai. This began an uproar and Yao Wenqi alongside the 18 chiefs took Zhao Sanduo and his entire family hostage and forced him to push the coalition to attack.  Boxers began to gather in hundreds along the border area of Zhili-Shandong. Boxers from Shaliuzhai marched north, assaulting Christians and destroying a few homes in some villages northwest of Liyuantun. Over the course of a few days bands of boxers passed through Hongtaoyuan which held a large christian population. There they destroyed a church and several houses. Rumors began to spread that the boxers were going to rescue Yan Shuqins brother and members of the 18 chiefs from jail. 50 horses were borrowed from supporters which the boxers mounted with large flags bearing what would become the famous slogan of the boxer movement ‘Fu Qing mie-yang / support the Qing, destroy the foreigners”. This was the first known appearance of the slogan and the Qing reacted with force. Qing forces were brought over from Linqing in Shandong and Daming in Zhili. The governor of Zhili, the magistrates of Qiu, Wei and Guan alongside other Qing officials quote “ordered the militia heads and gentry directors (shen-dong) of the three counties to go forward to enlighten the people to sincerity and public spiritedness, and to make them aware of the pros and cons. They strenuously reasoned with the boxers. Zhao Luo-zhu [i.e., Zhao San-duo] then publicly kowtowed to Yao Luo-qi [i.e., Yao Wen-qi] and the boxer crowd, and asked them to disperse and return to their homes. The boxers were deeply repentant and on October 31 and November 1 they dispersed in small groups and returned home.” The springtime dispersal of the boxers would have earned the Qing a summer of peace, but as the Boxers headed back to their homes, some passed through Hongtaoyuan. It is said the Christians there tossed insults at the boxers, prompting Yao Wenqi and some more hot headed types to seek revenge. On November 3rd, 80 boxers assaulted the Christian community of Hongtaoyuan, burning down a church and seven houses killing perhaps 3 christians. After this they advanced upon some other Christian villages in Wei county, but French missionaries had been organizing a militia 477 men strong. So the boxers instead attacked the nearby village of Disankou where they burned and looted more Christian homes. The next day saw Qing troops attack the boxers at Houwei village, where 4 were killed and 19 were arrested including Yao Wenqi. Yao Wenqi was beheaded the next day in Hongtaoyuan.  Peace was thus restored to the 18 villages and as late as November of 1899 a Protestant missionary reported “a cordial welcome in Liyuantun”. The long struggle over Liyuantun had seemingly come to an end, or had it?  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Yihequan, Boxers of the righteous and harmonious fists had risen to face off against the Christian menace plaguing China. The christians retaliated heavily and seemingly have quelled the boxers, but for how long would such a peace last?

There's a saying that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Maybe. I suspect that it has something to do with the capacity of your 意 Yi to make meaning, and the vitality of the 志 Zhi to take that meaning and marry it to the sense of what you're here to do in this post-heaven formed world of the created. In this conversation with Chris Shelton we hear how his troublesome childhood laid the groundwork for a qi gong practice that would not only help him to heal himself, but to be of service to others as well. We'll touch on the impact of emotions on our physiology, the central practice of accountability and the importance of being both present and non-attached in the face of difficulties. Listen into this discussion of troubles, trauma and transformation.

RALLY ROAD RACERS is an animated fantasy adventure. Zhi is a small loris (mammal), living in the last village of his kind in China. He dreams of racing cars. A large toad named Archie Vainglorious is the current road rally champion. Archie owns the deed to Zhi's village and wants to tear it down, including Zhi's grandmother's house. Zhi challenges Archie. If Zhi beats Archie in the Silk Road Rally, a four-day race across China, Archie will give Zhi the deed to the whole village.

Researching Transit comes to you again from the Conference on Advanced Systems in Public Transport (CASPT2022) in Tel Aviv, Israel. In this episode Professor Graham Currie met with another of the conference organisers, Professor Avi Ceder. Avi is the Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering and at the Transportation Research Institute, Technion Israel Institute of Technology. He is also a former Zhi-xing Professor at Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) and Honorary Professor at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Avi is an expert on public transport scheduling, and the author of Public Transit Planning and Operation: Theory, Modeling and Practice. Graham and Avi first talk about Avi's background and experience as a bus driver, PhD student, academic and now Emeritus Professor. Avi got into transit scheduling having taught operations management subjects, and as a consultant to an Israeli bus company prior to development of computerised scheduling tools. Graham and Avi discuss the development of, and research into, transit scheduling theory and tools. They then move onto discuss a recent paper Avi authored on Syncing sustainable urban mobility with public transit policy trends based on global data analysis in Nature Scientific Reports (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93741-4). Avi outlines four issues with road traffic discussed in this paper: crashes, congestion, pollution and space used by parked vehicles. He also discusses the paper's study of 17 cities, and exploration of what the shift to autonomous vehicles might mean for transportation, transit and the number of vehicles that will be needed in the future. Graham and Avi discuss some of the opportunities that are presented by COVID-19, autonomous vehicles and other shifts. Avi's Nature paper discusses how autonomous vehicles, if publicly owned / shared, may allow cities to reallocate road and parking space to other uses. He and Graham discuss how a future with widespread private ownership and use might, instead, result in more vehicles, lower occupancy and increase congestion. Later in the episode Avi discusses his work on deficit functions that can be use in the optimisation of vehicle numbers and minimisation of waiting time. Avi also outlines the concept of Just Noticeable Difference (JND), being the threshold at which people might distinguish between different costs, waiting times or other aspects of alternative transport options. This might be used as an input to mobile phone-based trip planning software, to personalise route recommendations to individual preferences in real-time. Find out more about Avi and his work at his: Avi's webpage at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology at https://ceder.net.technion.ac.il/ Avi's webpage as an International Associate of Monash's Public Transport Research Group (PTRG) at http://publictransportresearchgroup.info/our-team/international-associates/avi-ceder-2/ Avi's publications at: World Transit Research at https://www.worldtransitresearch.info/do/search/?q=author_lname%3A%22Ceder%22&start=0&context=1060035&facet=#query-results Have feedback? Find us on twitter and Instagram @transitpodcast or using #researchingtransit Music from this episode is from https://www.purple-planet.com

As customer expectations continue to evolve, marketers must adapt by delivering more personalized, timely, and efficient communication. This is where the online marketing platform Customer.io truly shines.Customer.io enables tech-savvy marketers to engage with their customers in a more meaningful way through emails, SMS, push notifications, and more. For the fast-growing SaaS companies that Customer.io serves, this capability could translate into stronger customer relations, higher conversion rates, and increased scalability.In this episode of The Modern CFO, host Andrew Seski talks with Customer.io CFO Zhi Li about his nonlinear career path, the impact Customer.io can have within organizations, how marketers can use AI as a fractional assistant, and more.Show Links Check out Customer.io Follow Customer.io on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram Connect with Zhi Li on LinkedIn Connect with Andrew Seski on LinkedIn TranscriptPlease note that the transcript is AI-generated and may contain errors. The content in the podcast is not intended as investment advice, and is meant for informational and entertainment purposes only.[00:00:00] Andrew Seski: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of The Modern CFO Podcast. As always, I'm your host, Andrew Seski. Today, I'm joined by Zhi Li, CFO of Customer.io. Zhi, thank you so much for being here today. [00:00:21] Zhi Li: Thanks for having me. [00:00:23] Andrew Seski: So I'd love to talk about your career progression, the route to the CFO role, your first time as a CFO in earlier companies. But before we do so, I'd love to hear a little bit of background as to what you were interested even in undergrad and some of the first roles that you had, you know, right out of Penn.[00:00:41] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. So maybe just a little bit of myself and then we can probably launch into different topics that would go in there. But so I was born in China and then grew up in the Bay Area and then went to Penn. You and I just chatted about like Philly, which is the city that I really love. But after Penn, I actually started my career in Canada. So I was in finance at a wireless division of a large telco called Bell Canada. And then after that, I moved back to the US. So I worked in investment banking in New York in the tech group of Credit Suisse. So if you follow banking, you know, Credit Suisse might be called UBS or First Boston later on or something like that. So that's the some of the new dynamic there. But I learned a lot during that time in banking. Worked a lot as well but, you know, on many tech M&A and IP financing deals there and also get to interact with a ton of smart, hard-working, talented people. And then after that, I actually moved to Seattle cold turkey. And the backstory to that was my wife and I were both actually in grad school in LA. When I took the job to move to New York, I made a deal with her and say, Hey, you know, we need to transfer your grad school. She's got two more years. You know, whenever you are ready to leave, I'll hold up by end of the bargain. So no questions asked. When you're ready to leave New York, then I'll go. So the time came. This is probably like seven years ago. She says she wants to move to Seattle closer to her family. And then, I picked up and go. I did not know anybody in Seattle going in. But Seattle, I — now, like it's home for me. So I love it. It reminds me of maybe the Bay Area when I was, you know, many, many years ago, you know, back in high school when I kind of grew up in the Bay Area. So but yeah. So now, I'm in Seattle. I focus on helping fast-growing SaaS companies, helping them scale. So, you know, the one of the company was Skytap, which is a Seattle-based enterprise SaaS company. And we did a number of transactions, including a Series E Round led by Goldman Sachs. And then after that, I was with MedBridge. So it was a growth P/E-backed company, and we sold the company from one growth P/E to another growth P/E. And now, I'm at Customer.io. So very happy at the momentum and everything that we have here at the company. So just really, I think, very fortunate to be part of this growing story with Customer.io. Yeah, so that's generally the work background.[00:03:07] Outside of work, I also, you know, spend time doing the alumni interview for the Penn undergrad admission, which I always find super refreshing to see the fresh applicants every year. And I've always been amazed with the quality of the applicants. And then also, I'm on the board of an organization called LCYC — Legal Counsel for Youth and Children. So we're focused on advancing the rights of our youth and children so.[00:03:35] Andrew Seski: That's a pretty incredible resume. I want to — we're gonna pick it all apart, but let's start right at your last and current role right now, Customer.io. And I'm curious to know first, what attracted you to the firm, the leadership, maybe some of the cultural ways that the firm's been building out over the last decade, and also maybe the value add of working together. I know there are a million SaaS solutions out on the marketplace today. The venture world has been in flux over the last few years. So I'd love to learn a little bit more about the firm, how you're delivering value to clients, and what got you most excited. And you've been there for about two years now, so, you know, maybe bring us back two-ish years.[00:04:19] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. So just a little bit about Customer.io. So we're a leading multi-product, customer engagement platform. I think today, it's actually super exciting day 'cause we have our new launch of customer data pipeline that we launched today for early access. So, you know, throughout the last 10 years or so, our core product has been the Customer Engagement Platform, where we allow tech-savvy marketers to engage with their customers through emails, SMS, and push notifications, and also in-app messaging. And now, we also allow a new product called the Data Pipelines, so we can leverage first-party data to create more unified view for our customer records. So super exciting. [00:05:00] And I think what really attracted me — with my background, I've looked at a ton of software SaaS companies and looking at like their value and their potential. I was really attracted to number one, it's founder-led. So Colin, our CEO, has been there from day one. He's got this really long-term vision, and I really kind of feel aligned with that vision. And also, we are very horizontal in terms of like our approach to our customers. So we want to partner with early tech companies. So if you're like a VC-backed early company, we want to be partnered with you early on and grow with you, and then just try to be, you know, as you kind of advance and mature as a company, we will be part of that. And so throughout that journey, we were able to provide a lot of value for you to engage with your customer. The company's also fully remote, which I find super refreshing as well. When I joined, it was just right around the COVID time, so people are like definitely warming up to that remote idea. But the company has been remote for a really long time. So the D&A really shows like in terms of the efficiency and how people interact async across the globe. So that's been a really great experience for me. And like I said, just very excited about the future where we continue to roll out a more rich experience for our customers through new products and new solutions. [00:06:19] Andrew Seski: That's really exciting. I appreciate that. I'm sure the audience will appreciate it as well and be able to check out the solutions themselves. [00:06:25] I want to go back to early career and discuss some of your original curiosity across all of the different types of deals that you were seeing. One of the things that's really apparent at this point after I've done so many of these interviews with CFOs tend to be just fearlessly curious, whether it is in learning something new, really being entirely detail-focused as they're reading financial statements, and looking for opportunities to improve constantly. And it tends to then iterate in, you know, Big Four audit, where you've got a ton of different companies to go through or consulting or sometimes even other types of leadership positions. So I'm curious where that initial curiosity came from and if that has augmented your career path, whether it is at Credit Suisse or elsewhere.[00:07:18] Zhi Li: Yeah, and I think it's funny because I think back. Earlier on, I didn't really have a full vision of like, oh, I wanna be this way. So we — I try to figure it out. But consistently, it's always been around like the finance field. So, you know, at the beginning, you know, I was in a just corporate finance role in a wireless division, but which at the time we're talking about like early 2000s, you know, we were kind of like going through this phase from landline telecom to wireless, like cellphones that kind of face. So there's a lot of growth in that area, and I was working from the company side. But I don't know if you recall. Like there was a big LBO kind of trend there — leveraged buyout trend — back in the early 2000s. So the Bell Canada was part of a deal for one of the largest, you know, LBOs at the time, which eventually actually didn't go through. But at the time, it would've been the largest deal in Canada at the time. So I was able to get involved on that deal from the company side, which really kind of opens my eyes and curiosity on like, oh, you know, on the other side of the table, you know, these are the things that are happening. So super interesting. So I kind of used that to craft my way up back to US. Took my MBA, and then I went into banking, and that kind of helped me continue that path to look at — in the tech space, I was part of the, you know, tech and telecom group. So being able to work on a lot of fast-growing companies with cutting, you know, advanced technology with some new trends looking at there. So during that time, able to work on a number of M&A deals, IPOs, and debt financing deals. So that really helps me open my eyes and being able to kind of be comfortable interacting with C-level clients as well as, you know, collaborating with law firms, right, the the teams from the law firms and also accounting teams, to your point, like the big forest on different transactions. So being able to kind of like drive the process forward, giving me that skill set was super valuable. And then at that time, I was really, even up until that time, wasn't really thinking about a CFO path eventually. But, you know, when I moved to Seattle, that was kind of a moment of, okay, I need to figure out how do I reposition myself because there are some banking presence in Seattle, but it's not a, you know, it's not a banking presence in comparison to like New York or San Francisco. So I decided to leverage my background and skill set to, you know, go into a fast-growing like startup companies. Seattle happens to be a very kind of cloud-based software company hub for a lot of like interesting and exciting companies. So I was able to get connected with some of the local VCs that get me connected with Skytap, which is one of the companies that we're preparing to do a round of fundraising. And they had aspiration to go IPO in a relatively short timeframe at the time. Yeah. So that's kind of how I went from banking into startups. And then through there, you know, going into CFO and doing different transactions, whether it's fundraising with the VCs or M&A or other things that we've been doing with Customer.io as well.[00:10:31] Andrew Seski: Yeah, it's really interesting to hear that you've been on both sides of the table. I think that it probably informs a lot of decisions, you know, whether you're communicating across boards or to investors, especially with, you know, expectation management and timelines. [00:10:45] But one of the things I'm curious is to learn a little bit about and share with other CFOs is some of the playbooks that you saw that worked really well either at Credit Suisse or things that other CFOs can do or communicate with founders in today's environment that you saw that were successful in the past.[00:11:05] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. I think when it comes to the interaction with the board, ultimately, it depends on the company and also the composition of the board. But yeah. I like to try to make sure that I'm always proactive in terms of the communication and be very transparent with them, laying out the potential, you know, upside or downside, and be pretty conservative about the recommendation and the assessment. And then, one thing that's always helpful is to have always be prepared with a the downside case or be prepared with like a plan B because that always comes up and trip up people. But if you actually had those things think through before the meeting or communication with the board or even, you know, with other investment communities or other partners that you work with, it helps your credibility and also kind of reinforces the confidence there. And I think that's part of that habit was built from my banking days when we would do these, you know, management case upside downside. So there's always the thinking of like how can I get things wrong? Like how wrong will I be and what is the impact if I get it really wrong? So that's always been kind of my mindset and my thinking.[00:12:14] Andrew Seski: Interesting. That's great. I really appreciate when people share frameworks to operate in. I think that's really valuable for the mix of different types of finance leaders. [00:12:23] I'd love to hear what you've learned recently in your new position. Just think about how CFOs of scaling businesses that's probably relevant to a lot of people who you typically have as clients, you know, scaling venture-backed firms. The CFO role typically is, you know, you've got the financial acumen but you also need a ton of EQ and leadership ability because you typically are wearing more than just one hat at any startup. So I'm curious as to how you think about leadership and the mix of IQ-EQ needed to be transparent, communicative, you know, sometimes it's an addition to the culture of the firm, especially as you hire a finance team. So I'm curious if you've learned anything recently or, again, seen successful playbooks as to how to contribute.[00:13:09] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. No, that's a really good way to frame it actually. So the way I think about this is I think the mix between IQ and EQ probably shift depending on the individual and also the company stage. So like for example, if you're a earlier stage, when you're like five to 10 people company, everybody is just diving deep. Like they're contributing on their individual, you know, expertise, building things from the ground up. So at that stage, everybody is like a one-person army. So IQ probably takes a higher mix in that scenario so that you can, you know, act very quickly and come up with creative solutions to solve a problem and make trade-off on a timely basis, you know, with very limited resources. Now, as you kind of mature and then your team grows and then the company grows, then you become like, in addition to individual contributor, you are also trying to inspire your team and you're trying to motivate them. You need to be able to relate to them and understand how you can, you know, like paint a picture of success and help them along the way. And that's where the, you know, slowly then the EQ becomes more and more important. And it's not going to be like a one-way direction for you to move just like from here to there. So being a leader, being able to kind of like recognize, you know, having the both IQ and EQ, but the trick maybe one step further to that in my mind and I think I'm still working on that for sure is how do you find the time. Like how do you recognize the moment when you dial like up or down, right? Like in today's environment with, you know, the reason Silicon Valley Bank, you know, chaos there and also like obviously, our market condition is super volatile. You wanna be, when you communicate, you need to dial up the EQ because you want to share and be transparent with employees about what has been going on, what are we going through, how are we preparing for different downside scenarios. Make them understand and paint the provide a context for them so that they understand we are, you know, working for their interests; that we are, you know, leading or partnering with them, you know, in the front line, not just like behind the scenes. So I think EQ is very important in that scenario, especially during the uncertain times, which seems to be always beyond there. So yeah. So it's maybe a long way to explain it, but I feel like it's gonna be a constant dial and that the better you are, you can pick up the moments when you know when it's like when to move it around.[00:15:38] Andrew Seski: Yeah, I really appreciate that. And I always kind of ask audiences and listeners to, you know, hit that 30-second back button and re-listen to a piece of the episode. I think that's really important that I think you might be the first person to say that it's not a static, you know, allocation of when you need to overcommunicate versus when you need to just strictly be heads-down and lead by example in terms of just staying focused, and I really appreciate that. There are different market environments. There are different things that could happen internally within the company where that sliding scale needs to be fluid and dynamic. I think that's a really great answer. [00:16:11] It sounds like we're kind of tiptoeing around your personal definition of what makes a modern CFO, so I'd love to get your take on that.[00:16:20] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. So I think of a modern CFO as it's like first and foremost a strategic partner to the CEO and the exec team. And oftentimes, maybe more increasingly, it's a CFO that is a leader leading in the frontline rather than maybe traditionally you might see CFO more like behind the scenes. They're equally effective, but, you know, it's just maybe a different style. And also, with the obligation of building relationships both internally and externally. So internally with like building your finance team, accounting team, and you're wearing multiple hats, but you're also dealing with stakeholders like other employees or even ex-employees if they have like stock option questions, for example. But externally, you're dealing with also, you know, board members, potential investors, you know, you keep a relationship with the capital market folks and vendors and all those people in the ecosystem that you keep in touch with. So being able to maintain the relationship, tell the story about company as well — that's super important. So it's no longer just someone that, you know, just provides the numbers or, you know, like be compliant on things. But someone that can actually be out there, you know, work alongside the rest of the leaders, with the CEO. [00:17:33] Andrew Seski: That's a great definition. [00:17:35] Zhi Li: Yeah. And then, maybe one thing I will say is having said that, I still wanna stress that, you know, that the baseline for you to be a functional, right, like highly functional CFO will still need to be some of the key competencies, like, you know, accounting, you know, making sure that the company's compliant, and the numbers gotta be right, for example. You gotta manage cash. Those are like not something that you'll forget, you know, just because you're trying to be in the front. You still need to make sure these core things are like welded in place. I call it the train's always gonna be on time, and then you can work on the other like things to improve you as a more modern CFO.[00:18:11] Andrew Seski: Got it. So you're the public face of the finance team, but you are the finance team. Finance now is table stakes in terms of, you know, leadership and all of the other things you need to be a great modern CFO.[00:18:21] Zhi Li: Yeah, exactly. [00:18:22] Andrew Seski: Got it. So I'd love to talk about — we've covered a lot of really impressive ways of describing frameworks and playbooks in our conversation already. I'd love to talk about some of the new technologies that are becoming available and how you manage focus and distraction for yourself personally, for your team, and, you know, the trade-offs of investing heavily in the latest technologies versus, as you said, keeping the train on time. [00:18:50] Zhi Li: Yeah, so there's a couple things. Like maybe we can frame it of like the, you know, the company's always trying to look for new tools and softwares to make our employees more productive. So that's always been a constant evaluation and trade-off based on the limited resources that we have. But one thing that's super exciting maybe as the second part to that is like all the new advanced development on AI, which, you know, I'm a finance guy, but like I'm super excited about the AI development that I'm seeing with the pace and innovation. So I feel like there's gonna be a huge potential for us. But obviously, a lot of unknowns still. So yeah. I'm happy to dive into some of those. [00:19:31] But maybe like just to walking back real quick is for technology. So being a modern CFO, my mindset is that we have to be very open-minded and fully embrace technology so that we can try to standardize and, you know, like automate most of the processes so that we can scale. And, you know, I went through the whole learning process where, you know, back in the day, like hardcore Excel in banking. But now over time, I'm like, Hey, you know, Excel plus Google Sheets for collaboration. And now, it's like, hey, cloud-based financial planning tool so that, you know, everything is easier, accessible, and share, and we can like control access and we can build a lot more things in a more kind of quality-controlled way. So it has evolved, like especially for me as well. But that's just one example. But that's happening across like different functions within the company. So a lot of times, it's kind of looking at how many people does it impact, and how does that translate to the company level impact for it, and is it gonna be like a one-time transition thing or long-term impact for us? So, you know, adoption rate assumption type things is really important because I don't want to launch something and then people only use it for like three months and then nobody gets to use it. [00:20:48] One thing that's maybe more timely these days with the volatile market condition is that when I look at vendors or new tools, I also do another layer of diligence just to see like, you know, are they well-funded, you know, or do they have a good track record? If we're gonna commit long-term relationship with them, like are they gonna run out of cash in the next eight months, which is a real concern for a lot of the companies out there. Like there are a lot of great companies that could, you know, get caught up in this environment today. And then, yeah. [00:21:18] So and then going into the AI topic, which, you know, I'm actually very excited about. And I start kind of playing with some of these, you know, use cases out there. One thing I feel that it's like, you know, you can think of AI being a fractional assistant for someone on the engineering team or on the accounting team or finance team where you can you have all the models and things like that, for example, but just ask AI to drill down on, you know, headcount on this month because things were fluctuating. You kind of know the general direction, but, you know, just have the AI to pull that and kind of get you 90% of the way, and then you just kind of like validate it and put in commentary and share with the team and do all that stuff. So that's a very — I think that's a use case that's probably available today or can be perfected really soon, given, you know, I'm looking at some of these developments. You know, it used to be it takes like quarters or a year for like the next version to be available. Now, it's like, oh, two weeks, you're gonna have another thing. So yeah. Like at this pace, it's gonna be hard for me to even keep up with it, but I feel like some of these core, you know, applications is gonna come out and it will be a huge tool for us. [00:22:33] Andrew Seski: Yeah, it's like compound interest. It's snowballing and the pace of innovation's incredible. So yeah. It'd be interesting to me to hear — I mean, sales and marketing are gonna be pretty disrupted. But do you picture — I think right now we all are starting to realize that we can have personal assistants help us individually streamline some of the repeatable and kinda onerous one-off things that we do every day. Do you think about this in terms of individual productivity or kind of market shifting — we don't do marketing or customer engagement in the same way we did in the past? It's a hard thing to predict, but kind of curious as to what you see in the future. [00:23:13] Zhi Li: We look at it from maybe like both angles, like from a customer-facing perspective. And, again, this is probably still changing view. So like, you know, things are changing. But the way we kind of think about it is from a customer-facing view, it's probably gonna be a very commoditized feature to have some kind of AI assistance or interface to product. So we would be probably experimenting — I think some of our competitors are already kind of looking at those as well — where with our product, you know, instead of building these key like workflows or, you know, journeys, we can have AI create templates for you or so we can get you like 50% of the way or maybe 80% of the way eventually or higher, so that, you know, you know, oh, you sign up with Customer.io. You wanna run this campaign. These are the top three, you know, workflows that if you just give me the names of like the data inputs you wanna do it, AI can kind of plug it in for you, and then you can just modify it. I think that's a very feasible thing that, you know, a company can do. So we will be looking at that to make sure that we enrich customer experience and make their, you know, life easier over time with AI. [00:24:26] And then when it comes to like internal, the leverage of each employee has massively increased in such a way that like if you are like, you know, a subject matter expert of something, you know the right questions to ask. So like you're prompting the AI to do certain things for you. AI become an extension of you that your productivity will increase, you know, drastically. So I think of that as maybe from there, the output of that would be we will be able to roll out like, you know, new features or upgrades of like our products and things like that in a much faster pace, similar to some of the stuff you're seeing out there where, oh, maybe like every month or every week, you see some new things because the pace has been just like constant in the background with AI. [00:25:13] So that will — that's probably something that I'm excited to see how that works out. It's hard to predict, right? Like I think you might be able to get to 70% really quickly, but then each incremental percentage from there, it takes much longer. So when it gets from like 95 to 97, it's a much harder thing to do, even for AI so. But yeah. I'm watching. It's super exciting to see. [00:25:38] Andrew Seski: Yeah. You're making me think about how the venture and the private markets in general are probably going to shift pretty aggressively. And we went through this cycle in '21 of just scale at all costs. And if you're reporting to a board and they wanna see where those investors dollars are going, it's typically hiring to generate more output. And now, we're seeing some of that, like you mentioned, some of that reversion and there have been some pretty significant layoffs across the market. So it'll be interesting to see the next, you know, whoever's at Y Combinator a couple of weeks ago how big their teams are gonna be in a few years or if they're not gonna be the giant teams of the past. So it's super interesting. I think the ecosystem's gonna change a lot.[00:26:18] Zhi Li: Yeah. And like the extension of that point, too, right? On a VC level, like maybe you look at a Series A company in the past and maybe it's a 10-people company you're trying to get to a certain scale. With AI, fast-forward maybe many months from there, you probably only need two people. So you're maybe the funding round, the dollar amount has changed, but you can probably get to the same reach of the scale. So what do you do if you have a VC that's, you know, you raise a fund that's based on a certain kind of like deal flow because you're writing a check size at this level, but now it's only like, oh, instead of 10 people, you only need two people or like instead of 200 people, you only need like 50 people. You write a smaller check. You might have a higher return from there. But then, how do you allocate the rest of the dry powder? Yeah, I mean, it's the all new questions that I don't have the answer for, but I can totally see that, you know, the wheel's turning for everybody, looking at, you know, these developments.[00:27:15] Andrew Seski: This might be a tricky one 'cause I'm not sure I thought it through. But I'm thinking about the changing mediums of communication. I don't know how often you hear the cold email is just dead. It's just a flooded medium. I get, you know, hundreds of emails a day or, you know, I don't want a phone call coming into my personal cell or — I'm curious as to how the mediums of communication may change or the routes that are, you know, if we could identify, like you mentioned, an AI puts together, you know, a certain format that is the most effective, I'm really curious to think through what the future of those mediums or cadences may be that we're gonna be able to unearth as all this data becomes available where we know not only the right time to reach out, but how to do so at what medium and at, you know, in what with what messaging. So it's an interesting thing. I'm curious. I think I can see the automations taking place to generate insights. I'm very curious to see if there are gonna be any new types of mediums that arise through some of this.[00:28:18] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. And I think that's gonna follow. You're definitely right because that has evolved over time. When, you know, even when customer dial first started, it was a lot of like just primarily email. And then over time, we added to, you know, push notifications. We then also did like SMS, and then we launched in-app messages. So we were trying to also make sure that we reach, you know, the audience through the different ways that they engage with their, you know, customers or their users. So that's continuing to evolve. And then, the mix of that will change over time. And I wouldn't be surprised if like, you know, there will be another element that adds to the lineup. And then, we'll try to make sure that, you know, we'll be part of, you know, like a world-class engagement platform for that median as well. [00:29:07] Andrew Seski: Very cool. Staying on Customer.io for just another moment, I want to bring us up a little bit higher to about 30,000 feet and think about what you're most excited about in the next 12 months, and then maybe expand even further out like three to five years, if you've got any idea as to what you're really excited. It doesn't have to be AI. It could be, you know, internal developments or even something personal. [00:29:30] Zhi Li: So I think we are in the near term for this year, for example, there are a lot of, you know, exciting product that we are we've been kind of cooking in the background and we're excited to roll it out this year. The Data Pipeline that we just we talked about earlier is one of them. And so we're excited to continue to execute on our roadmap to make sure that we provide a rich experience for our customers. And then, as we continue that journey, we know the power of having that, you know, like source of truth as a customer record. And we see it because we, you know, we see our customers using our product and then, you know, integrating with the different data inputs, and then they can drive actions from there. We see that having this as a core customer data record will enable us to add on to other experiences for them. So in addition to campaigns or marketing, we just talked about kind of the data integration. There will be many, many more things that we can explore. So that's what we're very excited about I think in the next three to five years. Continue to add, you know, different add-on features or product experience to that and make it more of a platform experience for the company. So that's the longer-term, you know, journey that we're on.[00:30:49] And then internally, I'm kind of still building out my team. So like I own finance, accounting, data analytics, legal, IT. I'm probably forgetting a couple. So with that team like, you know, I've been super excited about being able to, you know, providing a path for them to grow within the company, and then also kind of adding new talent to the team and seeing how with people now starting to work together and showing their potential and adding more productivity. So mentoring the team and growing that team has also been very, you know, rewarding for me as well. [00:31:23] Andrew Seski: Yeah, very exciting. I want to go expand even further out — my favorite question on the podcast. And this can be about something we've already talked about or completely out of left field. It could be something you're reading or personal opinion. But, you know, what's one thing that you feel is underestimated in the world today?[00:31:41] Zhi Li: Yeah. I think people neglect the value of the power of context. So what I mean by that is — and this is something I'm trying to improve as well. So I think when you provide the right context and, you know, connect the dots for people, it really empowers them to take ownership and really enrich their experience in that, you know, to getting to that success. So in a team environment, you know, instead of me, a lot of companies or other people might just, Hey, think of it as a science. These are the 10 steps in the workflow or the playbook. Like do it. Which has worked fine and, you know, that's totally good. But what I think about is providing the context for them so they understand what we're trying to achieve, and then they can craft their steps to do it. Along the way, we make mistakes, we learn better things, have some good surprises. But I think we all take more ownership that way. And then, the highly talented people I think really thrive when they have that freedom given the right context for any like goals or projects. And then, sometimes when I look at some people who are talented, but then they maybe they fail in a certain task and I kind of take ownership on that and maybe I did not provide the right context for them to really empower them to get to the right path. So that's something that, you know, like maybe people are more focused on in the past about driving the right behavior down to a science step-by-step. I'm kind of of the view that while that is important, let's make sure we, you know, provide the context, tell the story, connect the dots for them to make sure that they are also, you know, a principal, you know, stakeholder rather than just getting the step done.[00:33:20] Andrew Seski: I think that's a really interesting point. I was just reading an article about some of the cultural differences between founders who call their teams a family versus a professional sports team. And you think about a professional sports team, if it's not performing, people are traded. Owners may not invest as much in the next year. They're just harsh realities. In the context of a family, that is going to cause strife. It's just a it's a mix of expectations as well. So I really think it's an interesting concept. And I also think it's really important in terms of basic communications. You could expand that out into almost any conversation that you have in a kind of very politically loaded environment no matter what. If you can provide good context as to where you're coming from and the hope to explain an outcome in the way that you'd like, I think it's a really powerful tool. It also, like you said, it provides accountability to both parties in not just the outcomes, but in the communication levels because you have to both articulate that you understand the same goal.[00:34:26] Zhi Li: Yeah, and it's a very interesting like maybe a transition, too, because I think a lot of the companies when they are going from like a smaller company but they went through a very successful massive growth journey and then they realized that, oh, they're kind of like in between a family environment to a, you know, professional sports team. And there's probably not like a right or wrong either way. And a lot of people are probably trying to figure out in between. But the transition of it and maybe also like depending on the times of the market or like the life stage of the company, then you're trying to communicate the behavior change where — yeah, on certain things, like for us to scale, you know, it needs to be done a different way versus like back in the day, everything, it's, you know, honor system, you know, family-type feel. It's gonna be it's gonna go through some natural progression, and it probably doesn't need to be extreme like the just purely professional sports feel to it. And I think I value Customer.io where even though we've gone — so we're now about 230 people. When I joined, I think it was like a hundred, so like about 18 months ago or something. So we've gone through massive growth and, you know, we were able to keep all the good DNAs. I could be biased but, you know, I think we kept all the good DNAs, you know, as a, you know, fast company, but, you know, still keeping that, you know, closed, fully remote, you know, elements to it while adding new employees like new perspective, new experience into it, but still kind of jiving as a united, you know, force. So that's been, you know, very interesting to see. And we're definitely going through some of those transitions in terms of maybe, you know, policies and things like that for us to really tweak it. But we wanna make sure that we're not sacrificing I think some of the efficiencies or some of the prior experience that people take pride in with the company. We don't wanna water it down with just a bunch of processes and like workflows.[00:36:28] Andrew Seski: Yeah, that's a really good point. And it's a challenge for, you know, to measure growth and cultural consistency so 'cause priorities change, stakeholders sometimes change, ownership sometimes changes. All can have major impacts on culture. And I think it's so important because, you know, you may have a great idea as to what to do, but culture defines how you go about doing it. So I think it's a really important concept. [00:36:53] One of the last things I wanna cover today is some of your advice for aspiring CFOs. You had a nonlinear path, but I think, you know, you've also had a number of moves that you said you picked up and moved across the country a few times and you've lived in a few different places. How did you have some of the — where did the courage come from to make some of those transitions? And if people are thinking about a move for the CFO role for the first time, what would you recommend they start thinking about? [00:37:25] Zhi Li: Yeah, and I always love kind of going through or like chatting with people about, you know, their career journey and like when they make certain choices, right? I think for folks that are, you know, trying to make the move, there's a couple recent learnings, right? One that's fresh in my mind actually it's the Silicon Valley bank situation. So this is a very, maybe a common thing, but like just make sure you don't put all your eggs in one basket. We were exclusively banking with SVB and they're a bunch of great, great guys. We still keep our relationship with them. But when that situation came up, we were just — we are stuck. We couldn't get our things out. So I think just the lesson of that is, you know, try to make sure that you have always diversified your risk, and then don't put all your eggs in one basket. [00:38:15] And then also, this might be a hard thing for, you know, finance people because we like numbers and we like knowing things exactly. But a CFO, especially when you're operating in a fast-growing pace, you have to be comfortable with high degree of uncertainty. In a certain degree, maybe even embrace that. So that's probably a very counterintuitive thing where you go through finance, accounting, training, but like when you look at the numbers, like there's just a lot of variability to it. So I think of that as it's a skill to have — to be comfortable with uncertainty and to embrace that potentially the fear or the anxiety with that uncertainty because we're trying to achieve like some big goals. We're trying to, you know, make a lot of big impact for customers. It's supposed to be pretty nerve-racking. Like if you try to climb Mount Everest, it's supposed to be pretty, pretty tough. Like you shouldn't be like, you know, comfortable around it. So I think having that just accept the fact and just kind of take the challenge and make sure that you have upside downside case to kind of like frame your the ranges as you go through the navigate through the risk. Then, you can kind of really thrive on it. But maybe that's one thing. Like I think conceptually, it's a little bit contrary to people's, you know, by trade. [00:39:34] Andrew Seski: That's a really, really unique perspective because if you have an idea that you're in a high-risk environment and you can account for that level of variability and then you can continue to kind of recapture some of that control that I know most finance people really appreciate. [00:39:48] I want to give you the opportunity. Maybe you'll be back here in Philly talking to Penn students soon. But I wanna give you the opportunity to let people know how to learn more about Customer.io. Maybe if your career page we can link in the show notes if you're actively continuing to expand the team and your team specifically. Would love to know and direct people where to go if you don't mind.[00:40:09] Zhi Li: Yeah, yeah. So we are definitely hiring. So I think the best place to go is Customer.io. That's the address that takes us to the company page. Yeah. So you can do Customer.io and then slash careers, and then you can find all the open spots there. And then, you know, follow us on Twitter, on Instagram, on LinkedIn. And yeah. And I would love to keep in touch with you. And I've been saying that I'm gonna go back and visit Philly for a long time. So now, you're adding another reason for me to go back. My wife and I, we met in freshman year college at Penn, so we were kind of joking that maybe on one of these like anniversary years that, you know, this is like many, many years now that we'll go back to Philly and celebrate.[00:40:50] Andrew Seski: Well, can't wait for that day. There'll be cheesesteaks in the office for you waiting, and I can't wait for that day to come. Zhi, thank you so much for joining The Modern CFO Podcast, and I hope to stay in touch and I'll talk to you again soon. [00:41:04] Zhi Li: Thanks, Andrew.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Digital Social Hour podcast, hosted by Sean Kelly and Charlie Cavalier. This week, they're joined by the remarkable Zhi Ko. Zhi shares his passion for eSports and how he appreciates the business networking opportunities in Las Vegas. He talks about his tennis background and the Sports Academy he attended in High School. Tennis, like any other sport, has its share of risks, and Zhi reveals how he coped with injuries from his days on the court. He discusses his college tennis years and how he gradually transitioned to doubles. Tennis is a mental sport, as he puts it, and he shares some of his favorite experiences playing even in wilting weather. Zhi Ko made a remarkable transition to business life, thanks to the discipline and work ethic he picked up during his tennis career. He went on to become a cryptocurrency expert and shares his thoughts on the industry's potential and risks. He also provides some essential advice to upcoming tennis players. Throughout the episode, Zhi shares his take on various subjects ranging from esports, health hacks, and social media handles. So why wait? Tune in now to listen to this fascinating episode of Digital Social Hour podcast. TIMESTAMPS: 00:58 Crypto regulations are necessary to ensure accountability. 03:48 Advice for upcoming tennis players 07:19 Mental conditioning is key in sports and business 10:37 The speaker made over eight figures in the crypto space in 2017 and lost some money later on due to greed 14:03 Slow grind up on Bitcoin is best conditions for making money 21:03 Mobile gaming is huge in Asia 24:14 Benefit from cupping therapy and dietary plan --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/digitalsocialhour/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TJ Wey (zhi/zir) is your #VeryAsian, non-binary, gluten-and-dairy-free money habits and wellness coach. Zhi is on track to retire by 40, and hosts the Asian Detox Podcast to help build community and share relatable stories about how identity shows up in our every day lives. Learn more about TJ here!InstagramLearn more about Path to Podcast Success here!

A police drama based on real organized crime cases is helping educate the public about the value of the rule of law and their rights, experts said.专家表示，根据真实、有组织的犯罪案件改编而来的警匪剧有助于对公众进行科普法治的价值及权利。A special campaign launched by the central government on fighting organized crime and legal departments' rectification measures are used as much of the background for The Knockout.《狂飙》这部剧大部分的背景源于中央政府发起的打击有组织犯罪的专项行动和法律部门的整顿措施。The drama tells the story of a police officer's fight against organized crime over 20 years, and shows the rise and demise of underworld figures and corrupt officials.该剧讲述了一名警官20多年来与有组织犯罪作斗争的故事，展现了黑道人物和贪官的兴衰。It has received a rating of 9.1 out of 10 on Douban, one of China's most-visited review platforms, and has become one of the most discussed topics on social media since mid-January. The drama began screening on China Central Television and streaming platform iQiyi on Jan 14, with a total of 39 episodes to be aired.这部剧在豆瓣——中国访问量最大的评论平台之一获得了9.1分（满分10分），并自1月中旬以来成为社交媒体上讨论最多的话题之一。这部剧于1月14日在中央电视台和流媒体平台爱奇艺开播，共39集。Many viewers have applauded the show's plotlines and the actors' performances, and also praised the efforts of police officers in battling organized crime.许多观众对剧情和演员的表演表示赞赏，也对警察打击有组织犯罪的努力表示赞赏。In January 2018, the central authorities launched a three-year nationwide special campaign to fight organized crime.2018年1月，中央启动了为期三年的全国打黑除恶专项行动。According to the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, from 2018 to 2020, authorities busted 3,644 mafia-like gangs and 11,675 other criminal gangs, detained 237,000 suspects and investigated 89,700 cases of "protective umbrellas", a reference to officials who hide gangsters' crimes.中共中央政法委数据显示，2018年至2020年期间，共打掉涉黑团伙3644个，其他犯罪团伙11675个，抓获犯罪嫌疑人23.7万名，查处“保护伞”案件8.97万件，其中“保护伞”指的是隐瞒黑帮罪行的官员。The crackdown on organized crime, which involved multiple departments including public security and discipline inspection, as well as banks, continued after the campaign officially ended.打黑行动正式结束后仍在继续，涉及公安、纪检、银行等多个部门。In May 2022, the Anti-organized Crime Law took effect, giving greater legal clout to fight such crimes.2022年5月，《反有组织犯罪法》正式实施，打击有组织犯罪的法律效力进一步增强。From July 2020 to December 2021, commissions for political and legal affairs at all levels also conducted educational rectification for officials in public security organs and procuratorates as well as lawyers and other related groups to strengthen internal supervision and root out those who undermine trust in the departments.2020年7月至2021年12月，各级政法委还对公安机关、检察院干部、律师等相关群体进行了教育整顿，加强内部监督，坚决杜绝失信分子。Wei Pengju, director of the Institute of Cultural Economics at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, said The Knockout resonated with viewers on an emotional level. Reactions to the program also reflected how the public perceived the work and achievements of the nation in combating organized crime and building a sound legal environment.北京市中央财经大学文化经济研究所所长魏鹏举表示，《狂飙》在情感层面引起了观众的共鸣。剧集反响也反映了公众对国家打击黑社会、营造良好法治环境的工作和成绩的认可。It educated viewers to have a positive attitude on seeking help through legal avenues, rather than violence or bullying, when encountering unfairness, Wei said. The program also deterred potential gangsters from pursuing criminal activities.这部剧集教育观众，在遇到不公平时要有通过法律途径寻求帮助的积极态度，而不是暴力或欺凌。这一项目还阻止了潜在的黑帮分子从事犯罪活动。"Stories of fighting organized crime are often attractive to audiences, and this reflects people's expectations and trust in advancing rule of law. The hatred of gangsters and the pursuit of justice among viewers is the same, which is the simplest understanding of a law-based society," said Zhi Feina, a professor at the Film and Television Research Institute of the Chinese National Academy of Arts.“打击黑帮的故事往往能吸引观众，反映了人们对推进法治的期待和信任。观众对黑社会的仇恨和对正义的追求是一致的，这是对法治最简单的理解。”中国艺术研究院影视研究所教授支菲娜说道。Zhi said that the positive sentiment created by the authorities' crackdown on organized crime is an important reason for the drama's success. This has also promoted the idea of the rule of law, she added.她还表示，当局打击有组织犯罪所创造的积极情绪是这部剧成功的重要原因。弘扬了法治的理念。Rectification英 [ˌrektɪfɪ'keɪʃn] 美 [ˌrɛktəfəˈkeʃən]n.矫正Gangster英[ˈɡæŋstə(r)] 美[ˈɡæŋstər]n.匪徒Clout英 [klaʊt] 美 [klaʊt]v. 猛击

TJ Wey (Zhi/Zir) is your #VeryAsian, non-binary, gluten-and-dairy free money habits and wellness coach. Zhi is the host of the Asian Detox podcast and does some corporate consulting on the side. In this episode, we dive into TJ's ongoing journey of searching for zir identity within the Asian/American and Asian and American and Asian American (any of the combinations combined) communities. Connect with TJ: @tj.wey https://theasiandetoxpodcast.com/ Connect with us: @mxasianamerican mxasianamerican@gmail.com

Vignettes, the Emerging Writers' Festival storytelling podcast, brings you readings from Maya Hodge, Eric Jiang and Zhi. For more information, go to https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/vignettes-the-ewf-podcast/

Master Zhi Gang Sha is a Tao grandmaster, healer, teacher, and author of 30 books, including 11 New York Times bestsellers and several others on the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon. He has an MD degree in Western medicine from China and is also a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Master Sha has combined the essence of Western medicine with ancient wisdom to create Soul Mind Body Medicine®, Master Sha's Soul Healing®, and Tao teachings to help humanity. He is a grandmaster of several Asian arts and in 2002 was named Qigong Master of the Year at the Fourth World Congress on Qigong. With the creation of Tao Calligraphy, he received the highest honors a Chinese calligrapher can receive, being appointed to the position of National Chinese Calligrapher Master as well as Honorable Researcher Professor by the State Ethnic Academy of Painting in Beijing, China. Learn more: https://drsha.com/ Intro Guy 0:00 Your journey has been an interesting one up to hear you've questioned so much more than those around you. You've even questioned yourself as to how you could have grown into these thoughts. Am I crazy? When did I begin to think differently? Why do people in general you're so limited thought process Rest assured, you are not alone. The world is slowly waking up to what you already know inside yet can't quite verbalize. Welcome to the spiritual dough podcast, the show that answers the question you never even knew to ask, but knew the answers to questions about you this world the people in it? Most importantly, how do I proceed? Now moving forward? We don't even have all the answers, but we sure do love living in the question some time for another hit of spiritual dub with your host, Brandon Handley. Let's get right into today's episode. Brandon Handley 0:42 Hey there spiritual dope. I'm on here today with Dr. and Master Shaw, who is a prominent figure in many disciplines, science, medicine, meditation, spirituality, art, and he is also a New York Times best selling author name a few. He recently came onto my radar when he toasted an ambitious science and spirituality conference last month titled The tapping the source Summit, where he was a featured speaker alongside brilliant minds of Deepak Chopra and Ervin Laszlo. But the best way to introduce master Shaw is that he is one of the leading voices in the space of alternative healing and integrating conventional health methods with spirituality, meditation and improve consciousness. And finally, Master Shaw's healing methods integrate it focus on the power of self healing Body, Mind spirit and positive energy. Tall science combines traditional practices such as meditation manifestation, traditional Chinese medicine, Tai Chi and calligraphy with modern approaches and the healing mindfulness and psychology. Some mouthful. But Master Shaw, so happy to have you here today. Master Sha 1:47 Great, it's my great honor. Thank you. Brandon Handley 1:50 Absolutely. So I usually start this off in one way. But I think that you, you had mentioned that if you can kind of distill wisdom down into a single sentence, and that must mean that you have mastered it very well. So my question to you is what would be one line of wisdom that you would share with the audience today? Master Sha 2:12 Today, I would like to share, you have the power to heal yourself. You have the power to heal yourself. I have the power to heal myself together. We have the power to heal the world. Brandon Handley 2:23 That's yeah, I love it. I love it. And you know, as I understand it, you got your start at a very young age and martial arts. And you continued on to ACC, you puncture you've got a doctorate and then you continue to just go out and heal these people all over the world. Unknown Speaker 2:42 Yes, Master Sha 2:44 I grew up at the age of six I went to the park with my parents, or Tai Chi Grindmaster the strategic Marcia and the disabled the pulling hand the Master Chen to move the disabled poor 15 feet away. I ran to the master I say yay, music when the father I want to learn is he look at me is such a young gay 60 years old, right? No, no, no, no, no, you're too young. No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, yeah, I want it. I know he's, I wants to, I want to say your parents around my parents. And with grid support. I started my age at the age of six. Yeah, wow, that was awesome that later you know, everybody know China Qigong, Kung Fu eating Fung Shui, Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and are as artists now I have my healing cancer, happiness source with the Dow signs, all the things that we introduced, I positioned myself serving. That's all for humanity. Brandon Handley 3:50 But in listening to one of your books, I understand that you know, you are kind of the vessel for the divine right as a servant of the Divine for humanity. What's that look like for you? Could you explain that to the audience? Master Sha 4:03 Thank you so much. About the 20 years ago, inland amazing Buddha saw kill California and with full tempo people got up here, but I still diagnose it. As everybody see down there. God see here and I grew from China. I need to honor God. I said it Okay, everybody, no need to do anything. I bought onto the floor. I said, Dear God, thank you so much, because it's my spiritual courtesy. God punishing myself today I come here to share you a universal law. And he said, I am a universal servant. He pointed me you are a universal servant. He's where his hand everyone everything is a universal servant, or universal servant offers universal service unconditionally. If a person offer little service, little blessing received little blessing. If a person offer more service, we see more blessing. If pours in offer unconditional service of unlimited blessing. I see Dear God, I make I'm making a vow to you now, I want to offer my service for humanity unconditionally and a goddess smile and the he left Brandon Handley 5:19 you go and So, ever since then you have been giving of yourself unconditionally Is that Is that fair to say? Master Sha 5:28 Yeah, after that why I try what a 20 years and 11 miles per year. So, I basically you know, air air airport hotel, hotel airport, and I seldom go to any sightseeing, I offer the healing to two to 3am all the time as a healer. So therefore, I was uniquely in that apart. I serve that noun style keyboard workshop. Now I have a trend the 1000s of healers, more and more more medical professional call me. So therefore, my goal like I say just now you asked me one sentence, I am serve serve healing. Because I have created Saudi and Saudi and heart touching result. And I train healers. I teach you serve healing come by ancient the Buddhism Taoism, Confucianism, the eyes of essence Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, energy, spiritual healing together, and now calligraphy, Tao sound Tao water and a silica a package for humanity. Brandon Handley 6:34 Right. I love it. And for the people that are just tuning in and listening to this one today. You master Shaw doesn't you know this isn't? You're working with big people. Right? You're working with very few billionaires millionaires are tuned into Queen what's what's the Queen's first name? Master Sha 6:55 nplb Yeah, Brandon Handley 6:57 yeah. So I mean, you know, this is a, you know, regions and, you know, monarchs. So when you when you think about, you know, who is he helping? And who's he working with? You know, the gentleman who was the inspiration for Jerry Maguire. He's worked with him to have great success. And now he's going on and sharing stuff on about Master Shawn introducing you to so many people, this, this is all true, right? I'm not making this up. And so I want to make sure the audience is yours or hurt. If they're not already familiar with you, because the work that you're doing out there, it's to help to heal people. But there's also all these ways that you are helping people to become more prosperous and find abundance in their life. Is that true? Master Sha 7:41 Yes. The story just so you mentioned David martyr, go to Instagram. Famous Speaker Now TV show organizer, you know, and also the coach and 10 years ago, and Bill Gladstone is like a book agent for Deepak Chopra and Aki Toller. Tammy theories and also like Jack Canfield, all of them, and he introduced me to the David a martyr. I asked, David, what can I help you? David said, I want the more money. The more money Brandon Handley 8:18 to show the money, right? You said show me the money. Oh, yeah. He Master Sha 8:22 said, I want more money. And you know, like this app, I can make click with the table. And by the way, he lost $100 million. Brandon Handley 8:30 That's not the money to lose. Yeah, that's a lot. Yeah. Yeah, Master Sha 8:34 there's lots of money he lost. And you know what I did? Everybody relax. Brandon Handley 8:43 So those who are just listening right now, Mr. Shaw is drawing some calligraphy, which is a big part of what it is that he does. So he's Johnson calligraphy here. And he's gonna walk us through it. Master Sha 8:55 Yeah. And that Tao means the source or ultimately the source allows the ultimate origin Yeah, Mr. Korea, Chang Shu. chun chun means of flourishing, David Marshall last one a million dollars. And he asked for money. I said all the calligraphy and I said everyday put your hand together. Just to follow the path. And David Emerson gave a testimony. He said, I try over 200 days, more or less a year on the airplane. I do not know how aeroplane works. But I have the face for airplane which can bring me to one place to another place. But I have the face for massage as a dog calligraphy. Master shall say the dog Korea flourishing. Master shall say that this wants to give me a blessing. He never received a John any workshop not even know half hour. She just did 10 minutes a day. She said I could not believe the moment I start to do this Isn't my business start to change? Beginnings is a piece of more or less than 1.5 million per year, one and a half years later, she has a business to become a 60 million. Now 100 million. And he said before you asked me, he interviewed me many times, as a who's the most skeptical for Master Sha? David, I do not believe you at all. But now who is the most of believe you meet David also? Brandon Handley 10:28 That's great. Let's, let's talk through it right, because I do quite a bit of conversations and around prosperity and, you know, kind of giving in to faith or, you know, tapping into source, right and allowing it to flow through you. I imagine that's kind of what's happening here, when they're doing the calligraphy but could you walk me through, like, what that process is, you know, my tapping into source and allowing it to flow through me and, you know, surrendering unconditionally, what's happening here, Master Sha 11:00 okay. Basically, let me share ancient wisdom. If you want a wisdom, you will spread the wisdom, you teach people how to try and come alive, spirituality, spiritual wisdom, the technologies, the wisdom and the techniques and wisdom. If you want wisdom, you spread the truth. If you want the money, you'll give money to others in up this is really with the past life, the past life, like now a natural disaster, you know your environment that children, no parents, people, no food, no house, in a past life, you will serve the poor you will give lots of money, this life, heaven give you back again. Why your life some people try so hard to economic money, because we have not served enough for before. So therefore, many people struggle this. So therefore how to do that. I teach you forgiveness. Remember Jesus, you are forgiving miracle happen. So there are four very important wisdom is to talk with heaven. Divine if you believe or source. You said, my name is Chi Gong Shah. I do not know my past life. But in my I believe some people totally believe some people may not believe us. I do not know how much I believe. But I believe as a human being we all make mistakes. I'm very sure nobody told me you'll never make mistakes. I believe the challenges I have now in finance, or maybe her relationship, maybe something I did wrong. I may not realize Can you forgive me? Very sincere. So that's the key ask your forgiveness czar connect with the source what the David Mars has said every determinists. Now I understand are is that we can see we can touch by the source we cannot master shall talk Cree graphy is bring the source love light, the frequency vibration, invisible power, we see I connect. So my my interference, my blockage remove the door just open for me. That's a whole group if it works. Brandon Handley 13:18 Yeah, no, I love it. I love it. And you have you have so many modalities that you've been teaching over the years. Another one that you talk about is singing, right and kind of vibrating from within. So could you talk a little bit about how singing does something similar? Master Sha 13:33 Yes. You know, and the song. I want to share like that. About 17 years ago, I was in the bay area where the wooded area very famous area with my two teachers, three teachers that I said, you know, I said can you give me a song for healing? Everybody can said God if you believe God, the moment the moment the rainbow app, the strong force coming up rainbow light. My sword I show the rainbow light and the pool flew down I opened a massive Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla Lulla I just know this God of soul voice. I said God that what is mean for that? God said I love my heart so I love all humanity. John Hart and the source together. Love peace, harmony, love peace, harmony, that I said God how to say I love my heart on soul. I love all you minor T John hearts and souls Unknown Speaker 14:44 to gather love, peace and harmony. Love Peace and harmony. Master Sha 14:57 This is a no no These people sending so I have a love peace, how many.org Free Download gifts for humanity. And also another one is the scene is called Towson. I wrote the ball. You know, everybody know I remember the flag famous singer in us. And 10 years ago, give her one time a private healing. And she said Master Sha, who taught do you say me? God? God? Yes. What the guarded kid did teach you. I said, God that teach me senior from the lower abdomen. And then she said, while she was fascinated, she said, while she was at the teenagers, for sound, the coach asked her, where's the virtual core? Of course, we know it's your vocal cord, and her co personna coaches and No, no vocal cord is in the genitals. She says you never heard people talk about that. And she was fascinating. She and after giving her one time here, he gave me a quote a very nice comments for my service for my senior now. Just a Hangout, a first 1000 Healing concert. And Quinn DMB was there and the hostess show and the princess and Isabel, who is a famous opera singer award opera singer with Domingo and such in the same state, she come down with other singers. We had a great fight, and not too long ago. Brandon Handley 16:29 I love it. And you know, so you again, you're connecting with some people that have that a lot of people I think, when they see rich and famous people, they see rich and fame and they don't kind of give the credit to maybe the service that they're giving in mass. Right you So you talk about giving service like unconditional service to many, many people, right? The more that you can serve, the more that kind of flows through you. Would you say that's true? Master Sha 16:59 That's absolutely true. You know, remember God gave me a universal law I shared earlier if you serve a little little blessing. Now I you know, like now, I have 1000 healers, and people honor me a lot. But what I did now I'm doing now. Instagram, every day, Monday to Friday 12 to 12 Five freezing me just by a few days. Save 8800 People Riley we live I turned on, okay, this is nothing guarantee. Experience the power of daily healing, back pain, shoulder pain, choose one area cancer depression. Hi. Unknown Speaker 17:39 Hey, Hi, are you are you We are your ya yo Hey, yo, hey, yo, yo, yo, hi. Hi, yah, yah, yah. Yah, yah, yah. Hi. Yah, yah, yo, Master Sha 17:55 five minutes, all the feedback. People just love it. Incredible result. That's why I said, you know, thank you so much to see the world. What I asked. I asked him nothing. Three surveys. Brandon Handley 18:08 Yeah, yeah. And it's having it's having amazing results. As matter of fact, I also heard a story about you mentioned that you've got a book on healing the back right now. Yes. As I understand it, somebody received this book, and they said, You know what, I want to I don't know how much time we're gonna have to read this book. And somebody told whoever received this book. Well, you don't have to read it right away. Just put it on your back. Master Sha 18:30 That's of quinti Jambi says that her story okay you know Yeah, yeah Queen d&b You know and I say Congo, Congo Congo queen and she has a car accident in January for few months to serve up in pain she was he was with a Bill Gladstone to your grandsons okay back pain master saw he said to the top quantum healing that's a book and its own I really booked an appeal to no need to read a book massage I put a tree with a hidden Cliff greasy and couldn't be put on the back lie down there Elisa my music at the top quantum machine is silent calligraphy I have a calligraphy wall and the art radiators in reasonable light so after one session 50 minutes after session clean the obvious such a few Wow Where's Mr. Robin pain disappeared? So therefore another time a medium I got the interview almost every day just a few days ago. A lady who the book interview me you may think I'm a craze have promoted Marsha I know nothing about the master shop. But I got the book. I have a back pain massage. I said put the book on the back for 10 minutes. I did I could not believe how much better I cannot believe a healer put the put the power on the ball and see it's so fascinating. Anyway, you know because I I surf every day freely. Now I have 1000 Harder Patreon story more number one medical professional. I never promised anything. You'll believe me. You'll see the word you do not believe me see, the by the word does not matter. I would just give my love. Nobody can stop me to give love and light. Brandon Handley 20:12 That's right. That's right. Mr. Shaw. You've got a great saying about a pair, right? Share that with the audience too. For again, my audience may not be as familiar with you. What's the if? If I want to know about a pair What do I Master Sha 20:23 say that in ancient wisdom if you want to know if a pair sweet Tec if you want to know to talk clearly see Towson works. Where come Monday to Friday, five minutes, Saturday quindi Jambi after Queen DRBD concert. She was moved. Mr. Shah, I will serve you unconditionally. I said one on You're the queen. Another. No, no, Mr. Shah, you are serving. Now. She hosts my show. Every Saturday 1130. To tour we have Tao source healing with the Master Sha Quinby. And tomorrow, it is Saturday every Saturday Instagram. Now we have a private account. That may be why mostly will be open to public people had to Brandon Handley 21:04 deal Yeah, sure. That makes sense. And and you talk about Dow as dow is soars, I always thought Dow was something else. So we're talking about Dow clear. Are you talking about source calligraphy? Is that what you're saying? Master Sha 21:18 Yes. Are you know that I think that you know, everybody know Lao Tzu, The Art of the doubt the gene. So Bible and the Dow the two most popular bellies, minutes and minutes of billions of copies of word away, loudly used to honor the by all university philosophy department, lots of dollars and 81 chapters and shared the truth of politics, economics, education, spiritual journey, longevity, even your mortality. Lousy is such such a wise man. And therefore it Kidada in Facebook every Monday or chapter by chapter, or chapter 17 People respond to so well. And also one background is an I was the China longevity Council who literally lived 808 years old in China. I was the lien holder how how they happen is a 204. In the war that fifth Cuban Congress, they gave me an honor as a Chico master of a year while I was on the state I saw a doll master where the dog clothes sit down those pouches by sit on you can see the power of this master as a wah disagree the master I approached him she is the punk Chinese longevity star 372 D Major holder and he said to meet with the next day lenita holder I want to share one story is shocking to me forever. I want to Las Vegas as a rejuvenation conference that I'll talk to in a brief time sit on a wheelchair for the empty the plate. And my master said kung fu master said Chicago first name you can tell her I want to offer the healing to her goddess brig timer powerless people and I said doctor explained my theta can I speak English very well. I said I said what's your condition she said she said I get a car seat and the middle of the back spinal column cardio powerless that my teacher put the hand here on the heaven this is real story my teacher connect with the source my teacher ha big sama got contact while ago push the power and AHA and the wall for time. My teacher said stand up to work the toxic no paralyzed people for the real stand up walked this call my teachers a power is the ancient adult masters that he transmitted power to me. I did also for Paradise. So that's kind of unique power and odd anyway I do want to say too much about myself. I've created so many miracles live in just one story in India. famers baalei will start Auntie army million people know her. She has a death in Mumbai and you know in in Mumbai and a live workshop and she came I choose a demo process. She mentioned here she's 70 Something like that at least. And also take on a hearing aid behind her nothing. I use psycho punk to lay down the life of wow if you need those to hear to hear right away. So you can hear what our people cannot believe it's called Live miracle to six a death one month later I returned no hearing aids also. So I'm also another in India you know why a session? A boy had tunnel vision on it because he here never can see here in 10 minutes my healing and she cry in a family hold together. You know the you know talk to Kathy again is Chief policing for crime the association and he heard he heard the news. They brought me to the to a doctor conference MD scientists. I offered the diviner healing hat because I'm not God, I'm servant of God, God gave me all for the hand. Then I choose one Dr. Chi summation one hand that I choose a demo person. The doc says how to do I say you just asked God him to do he knew that they had to go out justify five minutes. The man and this is a miracle. I tell you, this is Md scientists session because the miracle Indian people believe miracle. Brandon Handley 25:35 Sure. So let's let's dial it back just backwards just a second, right? I mean, this is all super powerful. And amazing, right? You know, for those that didn't pick up on it, maybe I didn't mention it. You got the doctorate in acupuncture? Where would you say you went all in on spirituality? Or was spirituality always a part of what you did? And and you know, it was always integrated? You know, tell us a little bit about that. Because, you know, where or has it always been converged helped me out there. Master Sha 26:08 Thank you so much. I 85. A compassion Buddha means people know when the compassion Buddha came to me at the age of five, she appear, you know, my throat I can see she showed me, Tabby to create his compassion mantra, or your channel 551 minutes Namaha Ranaldo IA and relax. Now Mohalla Donna de la amo am bolo de de Obernai bodhisatta boy mo without a boy MO The all on your on manavi Sudano la Jana medially though Iman Walia malo Ed bologna endo phenomenology, new ED MOBA, Nozomi Nodame. Washington Zabadani. Mr. Balaji the Healy mobileread Rosa Mala Mala more emotionally doing judo Judo Jang amo variety Dora, Dora was at URI ma ma, ma, ma, Maududi, northern Walla, Walla, Raleigh Vida vida. See, I learned at the age of five, for these secret chanting tabi doors at seven Buddha's when you can everybody can be active as like, give us a forgiveness give us blessings. So there are for at the age of five already a spiritual person. Now, a whole life spiritual journey. So therefore I study modern medicine, MD, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, hai Zhi, Jing, Qigong, Fung Shui plus pure reality or the Tao calligraphy now I put everything together I position myself service, you asked me why I sent him go, everybody has the power to heal yourself, I give you a book everybody can do the job. Brandon Handley 27:54 What do you think is keeping people from connecting with the source themselves the way that you have Master Sha 28:01 this because people in the third dimension you know, we are in third dimensional long wide high, but people forget a Buddha saints on the fourth dimension millions of people follow Jesus and Mary means people follow Buddha minutes people for Mohammed. So, this is I believe all i all know all wrong, why missing people follow them, they are in the fourth dimension. We are so complicated the human stuff here here much more simple. So therefore my teaching everybody should connect with a higher dimension with a source there are limited wisdom on limits the power or limit abilities. Force dimension has a use feed the more tech power than the third dimension Fifth Dimension God their fifth dimension has yielded the power more than forced dimension. Anyway in one sentence there are infinite dimensions this allows the teaching Tao bigger than biggest no Andy Brandon Handley 29:09 bigger than biggest no ending infinite. So if I you know I guess pick up some of your calligraphy or do some of your other teachings this allows me to maybe tap into the fourth dimension and then also gives me access to the fifth if I practice accordingly. Master Sha 29:24 Yes, you're very smart. Beginning with a third dimension to now think all I can connect with the youth in it. They will not they want to workout. I think this we're if you call the president of US office, the President will not answer the phone. The Secretary will answer the phone is it good enough already? So there are four themes in why you talk higher dimension lower dimension since come down this respond already to that the human one, we come a step so there are for calligraphy Heiser Calligraphy is transformative art. Do you connect with the fourth dimension? That'd be People connect they then later we we purify purify we more light more light like the cleaner room like the studio one light little bit light hand light much lighter so therefore the higher dimension brighter brighter brighter our face she could live physical body turned to the light the body takes the practice spiritual practice meditation chanting so therefore it's a process to be higher higher higher as no way by the way you get the highest power No, no, no, no, my whole life. We are serving the calcaneal gang gang gang gang gang that I continue gaining every day I'm learning every day I'm growing. Yeah. Brandon Handley 30:45 So let's say that I realized that the way to gain is to give right of myself so if I'm giving more so I can gain more Is that right or wrong? Like I mean is that you know, if somebody does that like you know, I've heard this before. So, what do you what do you say to that? Master Sha 31:04 Psycho psycho Very good. Very good your philosophy there towards sure the first one a good keep sure Unknown Speaker 31:18 sure Mrs. gave a good door. Master Sha 31:23 Do I miss a to receive to receive our shoulder shoulder. So therefore, by the way you think I gave I will receive Why do nada thinker receive only you give unconditionally universal we are arranged to give you back why you think I serve because I want to serve I want to gain more steel surface nice. You think about the you that's so key for spiritual journeys, forget yourself. Totally give others. That's the secret. Brandon Handley 31:56 So that, you know kind of giving without an expectation of an outcome, right? But just giving selflessly so that without any attachment to the outcome, reducing the suffering. Yes. Great. So your big thing right now is the calligraphy. Let's talk a little bit a bit more about kind of what led you into calligraphy from everything else because like I said, You did the use of the Tai Chi did all the martial arts you did the acupuncture, writing, singing, tapping. I mean, you've done so many modalities and you're helping so many people in the world today. What led you to tune into calligraphy? Master Sha 32:42 Yes, there's a famous professional, professionally chewy, but the whole secret how special she was more than 100 years. She learned is the unique art form alas the Qing Dynasty unperceived teacher she was a born in a palace and she how this unique art for whole life. She's University professional Toronto University, China tune copy that like a Stanford Harvard, most famous to university every year when she was less than one two years. Every year. She was a guest speaker for the for Teach your child's language. United Nations honor her as a Chinese language expert. So I was introduced to her she we made a documentary she shared in a documentary she said I have incontinence you know more than 100 years and I use psychopaths lower abdomen. Brianna put one needle pull electricity Gouda one time to heal the incontinence and this is okay I think I showed my interest team and she thought if much if a doctor shall kill my incontinence, I may deliver this art I think everything you think about in the higher level thinking is arranged life is arranged we know that. So therefore, she started teaching me and after I learn is by the her art not for healing, but because of my healing background for whole life. I asked my teacher I want to turn this a calligraphy Eisah healing art. So go ahead can I teach you humanity go ahead. So therefore I change it one is writing like this. So normally for example as normally DA is a greatest normally dark thriller i is i and you know English A to Z are Chinese hags horizontal vertical live side by side dots are hook. So 16 components are to form our words. So therefore one is right he's like this. That See. See my life. I never stopped my law. Right? This call one is waiting for the this is why this wait him is Kevin. power but the key is I connect with the source they choose me as a servant so therefore not why why would any calligraphy I connect that great is love I connect the source are the we can see the power Canarsie taken me no time than you know that within three we have a lawyer a lawyer breast cancer come to liver 80% covered by cancer it was really awful I hope police case she went to all the major the top oncologists ironically we feel she just tracing because this invisible invisible light here like a day with a martyr and lost $100 million on trees this one or hundreds made millions because why because the the field the source feel your scientific way order connection harmony create a good result these order disharmony this disconnect him cause trouble so therefore this is the field to take a while to do this I agree Sir everybody knows sang shy we all did a song we feel warm but the song is in existence the word the star galaxies but the source is source of creative heaven earth the source is even invisible but the use of what you may not feel hot and warm but the invisible powers of creator power we seen therefore people connect we have 600 cases for chronic life threatening condition with a medical data on Bureau board result now for us for example now, US data now 40% Idols has a depression anxiety 25% I don't take a prescription medicine. See I put this one on the book. I'm putting on a heart okay heal me connect with the art okay, this invisible field heal me heal me think about this art it's a field sure was focusing on so therefore I put some people's hard to believe really hard to believe but one day it will grow people said whoa master Shah has a calligraphy are the book everybody can afford a book Brandon Handley 37:27 What's interesting to me is is growing up I've watched quite a bit of anime right our Japanese cartoons or you know some type of derivative and one or even like watch plenty of movies and one of the things that kind of always took up stood out in my mind was they would take a piece of paper in these movies you know rice and calligraphy and pass it out like a spell and that's basically I mean is that kind of what you're doing here right you're like yeah, you're you're putting the power on here for the connection right you're creating this link to source for people to connect with Master Sha 38:02 Yeah, that's exactly what correct and I connect with the source and the source Love Light the frequency vibration is the invisible the most positively information energy made within we have negative information energy matters for pain inflammation tumor relationship financial challenges, why we connect with this invisible light to take a light coming watch the darkness this in a studio you switch off dark morning light as the sound light up dark night so this invisible light more than this light more than the Sun is the invisible source because source created Heaven earth so therefore this hard to believe but because we have so many miracles, it's hard to believe but more and more people start to open all not only for healing cancer, chronic pain and also we did a research psychologist Ray the resolver for depression anxiety, David Ammar to get a huge financial place. Now the Queen levels get a place also now people start be aware massage as if creating new technology. Use our Connect Tracy, you heal heal me. You heal. I can do two minutes to swim. It's a healing. Give me a time. Let me hold my book. Everybody I can do healing for two or three minutes. Okay, well you already do I can do two minutes. Brandon Handley 39:29 Sure. We can do that now. So I'll put a timer on give me okay. Master Sha 39:33 Okay, give me three minutes. Brandon Handley 39:36 You want a three minute timer yet? You're ready to be healed y'all. Master Sha 39:41 Okay, nothing guarantee Okay, everybody relax. Close your eyes. Because this one is booked for back the support for depression dirt. You don't need to have this to any back pain, shoulder pain. Choose one area. The adult click we see. Our dear master shoutouts A total relax is a clicker you see the love light the frequency vibration will radiate my sound vibration will radiate a one area focus on one area on only one area your neck your back your heart you're kidding Unknown Speaker 40:17 Hey yay Unknown Speaker 40:23 Hi are you ya hate me? Hate You Are you ya he he you yah yah yah Oh ye Master Sha 40:49 now calligraphy live there Ciao calligraphy love the sea invisible field class 1000 vibrate in one area remove the negative information energy Mater yo Yaya Unknown Speaker 41:06 HEY YOU ARE YOU yah yah Oh yah yah yah yah yah Oh yah yah Yo Yo Yo Yo Yo Yo Unknown Speaker 41:17 Yo yo yo, Unknown Speaker 41:18 yo yo yo, yo yo yo, yo yo ya Unknown Speaker 41:28 you ya hey Unknown Speaker 41:31 Hey yah yah, y'all ye yah Hey Oh, Ye are you yah. Hey yo yo yo Hi Brandon Handley 42:11 very powerful very powerful thank you for that. Thank you for that and I hopefully you know hopefully the people who are listening you know they they focus on me when when when you're seeing and you're giving this healing you want us to be calm? Right? You want the listener to be calm? What should we be receptive should we empty ourselves out and just let the music and the singing flow through us? Should we focus on a place that we're trying to heal? What does that process look like for example? Master Sha 42:40 Relax please give me a second do not think something else right shoulder pain my heart is okay a gentle rig relax when you relax so the vibration open much more freely. Hi Allah Allah Allah Allah live coming vibration that people you know Monday to fry the Instagram lecture earlier I said five minutes for up to 1205 Just by a few days 800 people why because in ancient media is not your mission if you want to know you for Paris with a tasty eat when people keep us Wow five minutes I feel good. The results are phenomenal people respond because why just now you heard about Yeah, people will buy berry so you're asked to such equation relax why you'll see much a sharp back pain shoulder pain kill more cancer than normal thinking oh toilet gave you to the field? Yeah, that's a secret Brandon Handley 43:36 and when you say putting them into the field he put him in like the fourth or fifth dimension what's happening there? Master Sha 43:41 Yes because we answered that mentioned why so many miracles Hey, Unknown Speaker 43:47 all y'all Oh, Master Sha 43:57 this is a higher dimension frequency come down. It's not me. That's why I say there's so many miracle I do not take any credit. I'm just a chain or a sermon that the power go flew from my song flew from my calligraphy that is to the power Brandon Handley 44:13 Yeah, you're just you're being a vessel right and letting it flow through you. percent. And let's just say for for whatever reasons maybe you know the song that you're singing and I've used it maybe to heal myself Could I also use the same song to be granted some type of prosperity and abundance in my life? Master Sha 44:35 Yes. Therefore I therefore now I'm teaching manifestation course. So many people are learning because why? You know our house related with negative information energy, major finances, same thing, relationship divorce, cannot find a true love cannot get a pregnant everything. My teaching in my book now The first chapter universal law, very important wisdom, my whole life study, only learn three words share the second word called cheat, everybody no cheat, vital energy life force. Next, why is a kill? Kill is a tune with the metro, Metro, do a metro. So therefore, see beloved Einstein, E equals MC squared, this is energy E here Metro speed of light. So I started relativities do not have this shared, shared means to So, here's the spirit, heart, a heart, heart and the mind. So in quantum physics, information, all information or message, so information may see dollar signs or Dr. Rowley and I have quantum faces we created 1000s. And millions of people believes soul spirit, meaning people believe here, they are the same thing. And this is what we try to share with humanity. In our summit with Deepak Chopra with Ervin Laszlo people talk about classic consciousness Newton and Einstein relativity is consciousness. Quantum physics, we teach it Tao, consciousness. Tao consciousness is no thought human we saw there's no words I'm putting this so there is no sound hire system no thinking hires the thinking the highest power is with this source. So there are four top click we see Tao some Tao water and people who the Water Economy transmission I put the invisible power instead of people drinking Mira got miracle I'm just a vase. So choosing serving the higher dimension power goes through me offered to the Dow Santa Clarita water that's a miracle happen again again. Brandon Handley 47:03 Now when you say no thought What's that feel like? So how does somebody know that they're experiencing no thought? Okay, thank Master Sha 47:15 you so much. So in a Buddhist teaching Tao teaching even the people for millions people meditation, human brain is a designer for thinking number one, we have to think we have to think for the people may not know in a deep meditation you can spatial mantra you cannot try to force you know assault you will get a mental disorder and be very sure you're very happy happy very happy we have a song by the way you meditate while you can the mantra spatial mantra can I was higher dimension while you turn 10 Can human assault laser laser laser Zion while reach a high level you complete like nothing thinking the white light there's a higher level so therefore in the end, I just gave a beginning step for the higher Rama first is a chilled him this is your meditative chill. Chill is a clean lie the pure peace chill tune to kill me as of quietness. And the next one while you're trying to mind try meditation. The second stillness deal deal means the stillness. What's the deal? Thing is no salt while you meditate the more finely whoo Yep, totally quiet your mind because your hardest key hard house is the minor so this of course is a training and techniques champion. When you reach a state your mind totally stopped thinking but at that moment you can actually source that's a car steel. Brandon Handley 48:58 And and that's how you know I think I'm trying to take a car Carl Jung coined a term called like the numinous right feeling feeling connection, overwhelming source of connection to Source is that kind of what would you would explain it as I will Master Sha 49:16 see, no source because remember, no source is no human source. But the in the fourth dimension fifth dimension, the Buddha saints they have activity also. So why you have no humans are suddenly you saw wow the Buddha's gallery you saw oh my god the millions of people county that is in the days and police work they do have phenomenal also but another third dimensions. Anyway, this is this is very deep is hard to explain in the show that you have to get a premium. Brandon Handley 49:57 I get it you also something else to the really appreciate It never thought and then I guess I've been trying to come to a way of figuring this out and you explained it very well. But I'll leave it like this. So let's say the healing works. The song works. I've tasted the pair. It's sweet. All right. You say to be delighted, not surprised, as a reaction. Right? Could you explain that? Because I think that um, when we connect with source when some miracle happens, yes, we act surprised. Right? Yeah. What why? That's amazing. And so why do you suggest to be delighted and not surprised? I'm curious. Unknown Speaker 50:41 Uh, yet this like this. Master Sha 50:43 One is the stage for cancer, liver cancer. 80% of brain cancer, leukemia. I have quite a few serious leukemia. They all recover. Very surprising. It's called Miracle hopeful, hopeless. For the for us a third damaged miracle. For them a source of No more No more sense of frequency vibration. We have a blockage, the light coming in. Wow. washed out like why we take shower the carwash and take shower we wash the third but these tog Kruger you see the field not a washer skin, carwash it's a skin there's a washer internal our guys Whoa, holidays from skin to boom, wash the stuff out. That is sacred healing SOURCE LIGHT, calligraphy carry a light see behind me, there's a Dow, I'm standing here, every moment a source LiDAR, Flash me flash a flash wash. So therefore dices connect with the source, we all can connect it. So therefore, you know I have so many free events, join with me experienced more. Brandon Handley 51:52 Well, Dr. Shah, where should we send people to find out more about what it is that you're doing and what is next for you. Master Sha 51:59 Next for me, is I want to meet some people experience or more experience that I love my heart so I love all humanity. John harness social together. Love Peace and Harmony, love his harmony. I want the millions of people understand I have the power to heal my serve. You had power to your serve. Together we have the power to heal the word. See the COVID and then King war, all kinds of crises of political, economic health, all kinds of challenges. Humanity needs to transform the heart, hard horse's mind so you know why the sentence humanity needs to purify our heart, heart, connect with a higher dimension where you connect with the heart. You'll forget about human stops, let it go. Human stuff will block you connect with higher dimension. Connect with the source. There are unlimited wisdom on limits. The words are limited success. That is my final closing. Brandon Handley 53:05 That's it's a wonderful, wonderful next step. So thank you so much again, Mr. Shaw and one more time where can people find more about you? Go to Dr. Master Sha 53:13 Shah TR is he.com Join me and I must social media Instagram Monday to Friday, five minutes a Saturday Queen d&d show. Every Saturday I do first time a free Tao quantum healing send the Tao secret on the free event paste the pair first. That's okay. Brandon Handley 53:37 Here's the pair everybody. Thank you so much for being on today. Yeah, welcome.  

Welcome to the Bigger Braver Life Show!I'm your host,  Angela Marie Williams, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Success Coach. In my 13 year career as a therapist, coach, entrepreneur and educator, I support my clients to get the clarity, direction, and confidence to show up as a braver leader in their life and career. In this episode, I welcome TJ Wey, (Zhi/zir) CEO of The Right Wey LLCIn this episode, we discuss:Why it's important to use both abundance and scarcity conceptsWays to set your retirement age to 40How to empower future generations to begin with a positive money storyAND SO MUCH MORE!If you're ready to create a clear vision, make your dreams a reality and take action to live your bigger, braver life, book a call with me here:  https://yourcallwithangela.as.me/schedule.phpI love connecting and I want to hear from you! Email me at angela@angelamarie.co with your biggest takeaway from this episode, or what you'd like to hear in future episodes! Sponsor the podcast (or send a tip to keep me going!)  https://angelamarie.co/podcastConnect with TJ here:https://www.facebook.com/T.J.Wey/Email: tj@rightwey.comhttps://rightwey.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tj.wey/ The Asian Detox Podcast: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/625eaf9e56c69c8b0fd42364  Music Credit: Produced by G-Rod

Join Noah, Zhi and Nick as they discuss artists and creativity with their guest Emileena Pedigo. Emileena is the founder of Show Goes On which is a foundation founded on making sure artists can fully express themselves and not be fully taken advantage of. After working years in show business and burning out, she went on to do Ayahuasca which completely changed her life around, to go about her industry in a much different life. You can find out more on her website www.showgoesonproductions.com Support the show

Join Noah, Dom and Zhi as they discuss a very important topic. How identifying with ayahuasca too much can be an issue as well as speculations about DMT realms. Mamas Boys have a new website, follow on there for more updates and blog posts by the Mamas Boys!Support the show

We discuss operational & organizational innovation with Zhichun Li (Director of Engineering @ Scale AI)! We explore the early days of Rapid at Scale AI, different organizational design experiments Zhi's tested, and many of the principles behind their operational practices. You'll hear about merging engineering & ops, designing orgs for autonomy, scaling into multiple products, and leveraging different org structures for innovation.ABOUT ZHICHUN LIZhichun Li (@zhichun_li) is Director of Engineering @ Scale AI. She built the Rapid team from scratch with a focus on providing the fastest way to production-level quality labels within a day, with no data minimums. As an early employee of the company, she built up the infrastructure for Scale's supply ops system and scaled up Scale's 3D Sensor Fusion product.Before Scale, Zhi worked at Lightspeed China Partners, Facebook, Microsoft and Airbnb with roles in investment and software engineering. She was a producer of VC Pulse, a podcast spotlighting venture capitalists in China. Zhichun was the youngest ever admit to the Yale MBA program, and studied computer science at CMU."We tried to basically brand it as like black ops, i.e. the special kind of ops where you get to do 10x work and build a lot of product out of it. And that actually, in a lot of ways attracted very entrepreneurial individuals to want to join. So I think a lot of it is shaping the brand of the program, helping people understand how important it is and the things that I'll learn.- Zhichun Li This episode is brought to you by PlusPlusPlusPlus is an all-in-one technical onboarding and internal knowledge platform that fast-tracks productivity.Learn more & sign up at plusplus.co/elcCheck out our friends at Shortcut!Shortcut is an issue tracker that offers all the functionality, without most of the complexity making it easier for you to plan, collaborate, build, and measure success. Right now, listeners of our show can get 2-months free on any paid plan.Learn more & sign up at shortcut.com/elcSHOW NOTES:The early days of scale & why engineering runs operations (1:44)What is ops engineering (3:48)Why engineering first got involved in ops (6:29)How to brand ops engineering to attract top engineers (8:51)Merging ops & engineering to eliminate silos (10:07)How to merge ops & engineering for the first time (11:39)How team composition evolved at Rapid (12:46)Designing your org for autonomy & customer empathy (17:07)Rapid's operating principles (18:53)Generating Rapid's operating principles (23:18)Painful short-term decisions that yielded better long-term outcomes (24:57)Scale AI's evolution into multiple products (28:04)Behind the scenes of Scale's multi-product moment (31:04)Leveraging general managers & org structures to drive product innovation (32:43)When to invest in, or shut down a project (36:21)Rapid Fire Questions (37:47)Takeaways (40:41)

About this episode: John & Kristen discuss Greg Dyke Some things that came up for John & Kristen: http://greg-dike.squarespace.com/products (Zhi-ba Shing-ga Yak Jerky) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170221101016.htm (Taking the Path of Least Resistance) Generational Differences Chart https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_85.htm (Discovering Your Core Values) https://thearc.org/our-initiatives/inclusive-volunteering/ (Inclusive Volunteerism) https://www.unv.org/news/helping-others-while-helping-yourself-persons-disabilities-un-online-volunteers (Online Inclusive Volunteerism) Additional Resources: https://tcomconversations.org (TCOM) https://praedfoundation.org (The Praed Foundation) https://iph.uky.edu (IPH Center) Become a Supporter: If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation on our https://www.patreon.com/shiftshiftbloom (Patreon) site! Credits: All content Copyright ActuallyQuiteNice, Inc & TCOM Studios, 2022 Cover art by https://twitter.com/jacksonfall (@jacksonfall) Music by https://www.youtube.com/user/hokeyproductions (Ray Wyssman), https://soundcloud.com/the-simoleons (The Simoleons), and https://open.spotify.com/artist/3tfRX0xkGOXY7AnwjHYmnI (Kristen Cerelli)

About this episode: Greg Dyke's resume reads like a collage of seemingly unrelated twists and turns -- engineer, pastor, nurse, yak rancher -- but that's only if you're reading it superficially. Spend even a few minutes with Dr. Reverend Dyke and you learn each twist was related to the one that came before, and each turn marked by a deep and abiding relationship with social justice, downward mobility and doing the right thing. About our guest: Greg Dyke, owner of Zhi-ba Shin-ga Yak Ranch in Wellington, KY has always been a man on a mission. His unusually varied professional life has taken him from engineering to ministry, from upstate New York to inner city New Orleans. But regardless of the terrain, Greg has remained true to the inner compass that always seems to be urging him on to help make things better for others. Where to find Greg Dyke online: https://www.yakseasttowest.com/ (Greg's Website) https://www.facebook.com/Zhi-ba-Shing-ga-Yaks-462219010596196/ (Greg's Facebook page) Other Resources Mentioned: https://www.yakseasttowest.com/ (Zhi-ba Shing-ga Yak Ranch) https://www.britannica.com/topic/conscientious-objector (Conscientious Objector) https://www.crcds.edu/ (Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School) https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/voting-rights/#:~:text=Many%20African%20Americans%20who%20attempted,Americans%20to%20gain%20political%20power. (Voter Registration) https://grounded.world/2021/08/19/what-social-justice-means/ (Social Justice) http://www.frenchquarterumc.org/about (St. Mark's United Methodist Church) https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ruby-bridges (Ruby Bridges) https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/05/06/upstairs-lounge-fire (Upstairs Lounge Fire) https://www.dismantlingracism.org/ (Systemic Racism) https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/jesuit-a-z/terms-d/downward-mobility (Downward Mobility) https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2013/10/15/dean-brackley-s-j-let-us-teach-solidarity/ (Father Dean Brackley) https://www.centralappalachianumc.org/ (Red Bird Missionary Conference) https://www.insider.com/jeffree-star-wyoming-house-yaks-yak-ranch-casper-money-controversies-2021-8 (Jeffree Star's Yak Ranch) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqeQMxCEJKs (Grunting Yaks of YouTube) Additional Resources: https://tcomconversations.org (TCOM) https://praedfoundation.org (The Praed Foundation) https://iph.uky.edu (IPH Center) Become a Supporter: If you like what you hear, please consider making a donation on our https://www.patreon.com/shiftshiftbloom (Patreon) site! Credits: All content Copyright ActuallyQuiteNice, Inc & TCOM Studios, 2022 Cover art by https://twitter.com/jacksonfall (@jacksonfall) Music by https://www.youtube.com/user/hokeyproductions (Ray Wyssman), https://soundcloud.com/the-simoleons (The Simoleons), and https://open.spotify.com/artist/3tfRX0xkGOXY7AnwjHYmnI (Kristen Cerelli)

Join Noah and Zhi as they talk about the little things that ayahuasca has affected their lives and Noah's stories about his dreams. Follow The Mamas Boys on instagram for more updates on new episodes and guest appearances. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mamasboyspodcast)

Join Noah, Zhi and Dominik with Youtuber Adeptus Psychonautica. Adeptus is a Youtube that specializes in all things psychedelics and his reviews on psychedelic retreats are both honest and objective. As a long time psychonaut he brings a fresh, objective take on the psychedelic experience as a whole with the addition of talking a lot of great points about the communities that take psychedelics. Both spiritual and non. We really enjoyed our talk with him and please subscribe to his Youtube Channel. Adeptus PsychonauticaSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/mamasboyspodcast)

Join Dominik, Nick, Zhi and Noah with their guest Drew Suppa. Drew is a Director of Photography and Camera Operator from Local 600 based in Los Angeles. He's worked on projects such as Grey's Anatomy, Joker and The Irishman. He's been around some of the most remote locations on Earth to film documentaries and has a plethora of knowledge about the industry and life itself. His honesty and film experience makes this episode an extra special one and we hope you enjoy it.Support the show

Join Nick, Zhi and Noah on the Tenth episode of Mamas Boys as they talk about their sexual history, the toxicity and vastness of porn as well as the different things people seem to be attracted to. Also in this episode, an in depth talk about people who aren't sexually attracted to just humans. An invite is extended to anyone who would like to appear on the show to talk more in depth about this subject, any variety is welcome! Message us on Mamasboys_Podcast on instagram!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mamasboyspodcast)

As we reach the end of 2021, we thought we could end the year with a special episode about one of the topics that brought us together, psychedelics! Listen to Zhi, Dominik and Noah talk about their experiences, lessons and stories they've heard about psychedelics! Follow us on instagram and tell us what you think of Mamas Boys!Support the show

Laszlo dredges up another great one from China's ancient times. This one not only features a story from Zhuangzi's Second Book of the Dao (a.k.a. The Zhuangzi) but also stars the great Confucius himself. In this story from the 5th century BC, Confucius is taken on a wild and bumpy ride with the violent and course "Robber" Zhi 盗跖. After trying to convince "Robber" Zhi of the error in his ways, Confucius is given a major dressing down and his philosophy is utterly rejected, leaving The Great Sage with a feeling of Hǔ Kǒu Yú Shēng 虎口余生.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-chinese-sayings-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Die 5 Geisteswesen werden in der Traditionellen Chinesischen Medizin jeweils den 5 Elementen zugeordnet und jeweils im Yin-Organ des Elements gespeichert: ZHI entspricht der Lebens-/Willenskraft und wird in der Niere (Wasser-Element) beherbergt HUN entspricht der Seele/Wanderseele wird in der Leber (Holz-Element) beherbergt  SHEN entspricht dem Geist/Bewusstsein und wird im Herz (Feuer-Element) beherbergt YI entspricht dem Intellekt und wird in der Milz (Erde-Element) beherbergt PO entspricht der Körperseele/Reflexe und wird in der Lunge (Metall-Element) beherbergt Doch was bedeutet das genau und was sagt es über unsere Verhaltensmuster aus? Was kannst du für dich und dein Leben, aber vor allem für dein geistiges Seelenwohl aus den Lehren der TCM über diese mentalen und spirituellen Aspekte nutzen? Wie äußern sich die 5 Geisteswesen in deinem Leben? Was schwächt sie, und wie können sie gestärkt werden? ***** Den Blogartikel zu dieser Folge findest du hier:

Join Dominick, Noah and Zhi as they listen to Nick about his first time with Ayahuasca, how that affected him and his family. Then join us on topics of integration, being careful with psychedelics and our thoughts on spiritual enlightenment!Support the show

In their debut episode, the Mamas Boys (Dominik, Noah, Zhi and Nick) discuss their Ayahuasca experiences at the Arkana Spiritual Center and how it changed their lives.Support the show

Chinese medicine the web that has no weaver page 58-66 spirit -shen(神) the five spirit 1) consciousness of potentials -- Yi (意) 2)non-corporeal soul -- Hun(魄) 3)will -- Zhi(志) 4)spirit -- Shen (神) 5)animal soul -- Po(魂)

‘Can't you be a bit quieter and attend to the play? This is Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate we're supposed to be listening to, not Jing-de Acts the Madman!' Baoyu expresses in poetic verse, following a performance during Baochai's birthday festivities, his thoughts on Buddhist enlightenment, but Daiyu and Baochai promptly burst his bubble. Are they actively discouraging him from indulging monastic fantasies?

Today on the podcast, we're bringing ancient teachings to life as we journey through the Daoist delineation of the human psyche by way of storytelling. In this transformative conversation, Mason and Yin yoga, meditation, and medical Qigong practitioner Stephanie Nosco discuss the Wu Shen, also known as The Five Spirits; A system of spiritual descent, allowing us to live out our Dao through bringing the light of Heaven down to Earth, and alchemising pain into growth. Stephanie's transfer of knowledge and her ability to bring this elusive spiritual system to life through story and metaphor is brilliant. This intrinsic part of the Daoist teachings can't be measured or quantified but is the consciousness behind everything. Descending from the Heavens with Shen and moving through Hun, Yi, Po, and Zhi, Stephanie takes us on a journey, pulling out the light and different expressions of each spirit along the way. In a realm of work she's so passionate about Stephanie expresses that compassion for ourselves is essential on this path of healing. For true transformation, wisdom, and inspiration will arise from our psyche, only when we are willing to go into the murky depths to do the work, and begin to consciously live out our Dao. Tune in for wisdom.   Mason and Stephanie discuss: The Five Spirits. The spirit of the organs. Mingmen and our destiny. The wisdom in storytelling. Bringing Shen into the body. Practices to nourish the Hun. Hun disturbance and depression. Practices to help the Yi spirit. Po disturbance and breathwork. Medical Qigong to nourish the five spirits. Yin yoga as an avenue to explore the spirit dimension.   Who is Stephanie Nosco? Stephanie is a dedicated yin yoga, meditation, and medical qigong practitioner. After over a decade of teaching these modalities and witnessing their transformative power, Stephanie has fostered a deep appreciation for the human spirit and its undervalued potential to heal the physical, mental and emotional body. Stephanie is endorsed by yin yoga founder, Sarah Power's, through the Insight Yoga Institute. She has sat multiple long silent retreats, with senior teachers from both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions. Her most recent interests surround how spirituality, energetics, and psychotherapy intersect, and is currently completing her Masters' in Counselling psychology. Stephanie views Yin Yoga, Meditation, Qigong, and psychotherapy as methods to re-awaken what we already know. She founds her teachings on the principle that this inner knowing is the true guide towards health, healing, and awakening.   CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST    Resources: Nosco Yoga Stephanie's Instagram Stephanie's Facebook Yin Yoga Teacher Training  Rooted In Spirit Book Sarah Powers Yoga   Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast?   A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We'd also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or  check us out on Stitcher, CastBox, iHeart RADIO:)! Plus  we're on Spotify!   Check Out The Transcript Here:   Mason: (00:00) Steph, thanks so much for coming on the podcast.   Steph Nosco: (00:02) Thank you so much for having me.   Mason: (00:04) Yeah, absolute pleasure. I was very excited to stumble upon your Instagram page. I am learning a lot, I am frothing on it. Is it ... How do you pronounce your last name? Nosco?   Steph Nosco: (00:18) It's Nosco, yeah.   Mason: (00:20) Yeah, Nosco. Nosco Yoga. It's very good. I think I found it through Kimberley.   Steph Nosco: (00:25) Oh, okay. Yeah. She does Qi-Fu therapy.   Mason: (00:30) Qi-Fu therapy, yeah.   Steph Nosco: (00:31) Yeah, nice.   Mason: (00:32) She'll be jumping on the pod as well. We did a live together on Instagram.   Steph Nosco: (00:36) That's great.   Mason: (00:37) Saw you guys. How did you guys connect?   Steph Nosco: (00:40) Just through Instagram, just through the Gramme world. Yeah, and she reached out to me about doing a live. And so, I was like, "Sure, I'd love to chat with you about it."   Mason: (00:48) The Gramme.   Steph Nosco: (00:49) Yeah.   Mason: (00:49) That's how my now wife found me, through Instagram and just sent me a DM.   Steph Nosco: (00:55) Oh, hilarious.   Mason: (00:55) Yeah.   Steph Nosco: (00:56) Yeah, there's definitely pros and cons to media for sure.   Mason: (00:59) Oh yeah. Now, what I liked about your Gramme is you're straight up, you're talking about the spirits of the organs. Do you want to ... Because I just use very general, crass language around that. Do you want to go in and just ... You focus on that, you've got a Yin yoga background as well. And that's what you teach, a lot of Yin yoga, which everyone loves here. [Tarnee 00:01:24], again my wife, runs a company here with me. She's a Yin yoga teacher. And it comes up and everyone's always wanting more. And I thought, "Oh, great. Steph can help kind of satiate everyone's drooling for Yin yoga in their desire."   Steph Nosco: (01:35) Yeah.   Mason: (01:37) But going into the spirits, the [Zhi 00:01:39], everyone's heard about it a little bit from Rhonda Patrick that's been on the podcast, seen that this is a part of Chinese medicine that's been cut out, diminished, and therefore left this vacancy. The storytelling's been cut out, the capacity to get kinetically in touch with the body through Qi and knowledge of Qi. Through healing, through just that general understanding that comes, it's such a huge missing piece. And you're talking about it so well just through looking at what you put into your Instagram posts. So, let's dive in. You want to just start everyone off in understanding what it is?   Steph Nosco: (02:17) Yeah, sure. So, I guess we can think about it like there's two different systems sort of happening, which kind of can get a bit confusing. So, a lot of people are familiar with the five elements, which are called the Wuxing. So, there's five elements, as you know. And they move in a wheel. So, the wheel of the five elements from water to wood, wood to fire, fire to earth, earth to metal. So, it goes in that spiral. But the Wu Shen, Wu means five and Shen means spirit, which we're going to be talking a lot about. And essentially, the Wu Shen is the empty space in that wheel. It's what makes that wheel turn. It's the consciousness behind everything.   Steph Nosco: (02:58) And so, when I first heard about the Wu Shen from actually my shamanic Chinese medicine teacher, I was just so fascinated, I wanted to know more. I was like, "Tell me more about the spirits," you know? Like, I was just ... I wanted to dive into this so badly. I formerly was a Buddhist practitioner and very, very into meditation. And I have a religious studies background. So, I was like, "Give me more of the Wu Shen." And so, I learned a lot from Lorie Eve Dechar who's an acupuncturist. And she just has so much information about the spirits. And I started reading kind of classical texts that were really hard to get, because a lot of these texts are like out of print, you can't even buy them. So, it was like a book less than an inch thin for $200, kind of thing.   Mason: (03:46) Oh nice. I love those ones.   Steph Nosco: (03:49) Yeah. So-   Mason: (03:51) Any in particular? Because I know everyone will start hounding you and me for that little-   Steph Nosco: (03:54) Yeah. So this one, Rooted in Spirit by Claude Larre and Elisabeth Rochat is really great. They have quite a few translations on the Neijing Suwen, which is a lot of where this stuff comes from. So, me being religious studies background and super nerdy into this stuff, I was just so lit up about it. And then, also realising there's a big gap. Like, we're not talking about this. And why aren't we talking about this in yoga out of all places? And Yin yoga is such a perfect avenue to explore the spirit dimension. My teacher is Sarah Powers. So, I learned a tonne. That's kind of how I got interested through this stuff. But she didn't offer a lot of this information because it is quite obscure. So, I was like, "Okay, let's dive into it."   Steph Nosco: (04:41) Yeah, so I guess, what can I say about the Wu Shen? So, again, the Wu Shen is that axis in the centre. And it exists along a vertical plane. Yeah, a vertical plane versus the Wu Shen exists on that horizontal plane in that horizontal axis. So, the Wu Shen kind of moves in a different order than the elements, which can get a little bit confusing. But we can think about it like a map to the spirit that enters through the GB20 at the crown of the head, okay? Through what ... [Shu shu ninati 00:05:11] is what we would call it in yoga or Taiji Pole is what we would call it in Daoism.   Mason: (05:18) It's like, you were talking about the compass. It's like, you can say everyone's like, yes, there's ... And again, we've talked a lot about Yin Yang, Wu Xing as like, well, ultimately, it's the foundation of medicine. And it's like, that is literally, we don't need to go into Western diagnosis. It's literally the healing that arises from the diagnosis and bringing about harmony in the Yin Yang, Wu Xing. Yet you're talking about that, literally being on that nature plane and that physical plane. And then, all of a sudden, boom, we put up the horizontal axis.   Steph Nosco: (05:53) Yes. Yeah.   Mason: (05:54) We've got a compass.   Steph Nosco: (05:55) It's bringing heaven literally down into earth. So, it's bringing ... How spirit comes down into earth through me. That's what it is. And so, what's confusing, I heard your episode on the three treasures. You guys talked a little bit about that.   Mason: (06:09) Yeah.   Steph Nosco: (06:11) Yeah, so it's kind of like, we have the three treasures, which are essentially the different densities of Qi, because everything is Qi. And Shen is the densest form of Qi. But within that Shen, there's also different gradients of density of energies. And so, that's what the Wu Shen are. And so, the five are Shen, which gets confusing because Shen is also all of them. But we can think of also like shining a light through the prism. Everything is Shen, everything is light, everything is spirit. But when you shine that light through a prism, it divides, right? So, we have these different densities. So, we have Shen, Hun, Yi, Po, and Zhi.   Mason: (06:55) What comes ... I've just been listening to a podcast around the nature of animism, and how we are this ... We're this dot of ... You know? The smallest portion of humans have gone completely into the intellect and the analytical way of looking at the world. And literally for all of history, every single human is getting the kinetic ... Like, everything is alive around us. You can feel the living nature of everything. And what I'm just realising in the process I'm going through is looking at Yin Yang, Wu Xing, you know? Even that is a step away from the analytical Chinese medicine that is just purely nuts and bolts and seeing someone as symptoms and disease states, to then go to Yin Yang, Wuxing, but then straight away, when the Zhi and these aspirations of the various organs that can emerge and the aliveness and the spirit that can emerge, the personality almost that can emerge, not only just then did I see that you've got that upward, that horizontal that then gives you a compass.   Mason: (08:08) What I can feel then, then I've got the contrast and the story of the body and the world. And the universe starts colouring ... It's just started colouring in for me a little bit. I can really start feeling the aliveness of everything. And it's just playing in really nicely to my week and listening to this podcast around animism. And I love people like Stephen Harrod, you know, the herbalists who they're bringing this storytelling and this metaphor to herbalism and to the plants. Same as people doing that to the stars, not just studying these things going, you need to feel the aliveness and you need to be able to tell stories. And that's what I'm feeling and I'm excited to go in with you now and hear these stories.   Steph Nosco: (08:51) Yeah, so I guess we can start with the first kind of story, which is maybe more of again metaphors. Metaphors and stories, they just bring these teachings to life. And it has to be that way, right? Because we can't measure, we can't quantify the five spirits. So, Laurie, Lorie Dechar, she's just a brilliant, brilliant woman. But she actually had a download. So, this is not in any texts. But she had this download that the five spirits could be likened to like a mountain. And she uses the [Kumoon 00:09:20] Mountain, which is the mountain, it's like a sacred mountain in China. And what's funny about this is now this mountain, this Kumoon mountain is on the border of Tibet and China. And she heard once, one of her friends recently went there. And they reported, "Oh yeah, it's really deserted now. There's like old tanks there and it's just like there's garbage." And she's like, "You know what? What an amazing metaphor for where we're at now as a species." It's like this Kumoon mountain has been abandoned, you know?   Steph Nosco: (09:57) And so, her job is like ... I asked her, "Can I use the metaphor of the mountain in my work?" And she says, "Use it." She's like, "We need this. We need to bring the spirit down. We need to bring the spirit down the mountain." And that's really what we were kind of chatting before the show is that the Daoism is really a system of descent, of spiritual descent. So, it's not about ascent, it's about bringing the light of heaven down the mountain. And as we move down, we actually alchemize our difficulties into growth and we realise our Dao and we live our Dao, which is really what actually the whole function of the five spirits is to live out our Dao. And for the listeners who don't know what that is, our Dao is our purpose. It's like the Wu Wei, right? When we're living our Dao, we live with naturalness, we live with ease. This effortless effort. And yeah, we don't have to try so hard, our life just kind of flows because we're living in alignment, in spiritual alignment.   Mason: (11:06) Two questions. Can you talk about the significance of a descending model being offered or just being present, you know? Not necessarily as like, this is the way you need to live forever. But as an offering potentially, I'm not sure whether it's balancing out or what, compared to the ascension model that is so prevalent now.   Steph Nosco: (11:29) Yeah. So, the ascension model is kind of like, if you meditate enough and if you're spiritual enough, you're going to kind of get to ... You're going to kind of bypass all of the shit. Or it's like, I'm going to be ... My life is going to be completely neutral and happy when I am up here. So, it's very much ... it's still existing in this good and bad dichotomy, versus embracing the paradox, you know?   Steph Nosco: (11:58) I saw this thing on Instagram. I don't know if you saw my riff the other day on my feed. It was like one of the spiritual accounts I was following. And it was on the emotions and how the positive emotions have this line, right? This line above, below. And it was the positive emotions, like compassion, love, gratitude, all these things. And it's like ascension. And then below was like all the negative emotions. And then at the bottom, it said death. And it was very much like, we want this, and we don't want this, right?   Mason: (12:28) That's the Abraham-Hicks model, I think, no? Don't-   Steph Nosco: (12:31) It could have been. But it was-   Mason: (12:33) And I'm going to retract, I don't know. For anyone that loves the Hick, do not come after me if that is wrong.   Steph Nosco: (12:40) Yeah. Anyway, it was just this kind of meme or this image. And I thought, you know what? This is the problem with the ascension model is, it says anything that isn't good or anything that lives in the shadow, there's something wrong with that, and I need to bypass that somehow or I need to ... What's the word I'm looking for? Jump over it or ascend it or transcend it maybe. But what alchemy says, what this Daoist alchemy says is, that stuff, that lead is actually the gold. That is why we're here. Like, if we weren't meant to go through those difficulties, then we would just still be a spirit in the clouds, you know? It's those things that teach us, it's those things that season us. And so, that's what we're doing is, we're going down the mountain. We're bringing spirit right into those difficulties, right into the grit.   Mason: (13:33) And so, when we go on this, we'll go on this journey down the mountain through the spirits. Although they're the same thing, technically they have different expressions.   Steph Nosco: (13:45) Yes.   Mason: (13:46) I'm imagining, you're going to kind of highlight and ... I don't know why I said the word ... Though the word showcase, it does not seem appropriate. But nonetheless, I'm going to say it.   Steph Nosco: (13:56) Maybe.   Mason: (13:57) Showcase.   Steph Nosco: (13:58) I could get up and do a dance or something.   Mason: (13:59) Yeah.   Steph Nosco: (14:00) Yeah.   Mason: (14:00) And over here we have Po. Po is going to be a beautiful spirit for you to get into the alchemy.   Steph Nosco: (14:06) Yeah.   Mason: (14:08) Are you going to kind of like just highlight for us and bring us into that feeling of how, through embracing these various parts ... And how would you suggest in the beginning for someone new relates to this? Are these various expressions of the spirit of ourselves, of our own organs? Is this a universal expression of a particular type of Chi that we can all relate to? How do you relate to these spirits?   Steph Nosco: (14:35) Yeah, they're universal. They're definitely universal energies. And they're very personal. So, I would say that they're both. You know, everyone experiences Shen differently, everyone experiences Hun differently. And yet, everyone has it. So yeah, it's kind of both, I think. It's both personal and transpersonal.   Mason: (14:53) And finally, can you just give a nice little ... Just bring to awareness for me what you see, again, the medicine being starting to acknowledge this horizontal element of the compass that is this spirit, versus just practising Chinese medicine on that horizontal plane?   Steph Nosco: (15:14) Yeah. So, the way Lorie describes it, and the way my Qigong teacher describes it is, it helps to ground the changes, okay? So, we could go to acupuncture and have a treatment. And then, within three weeks, we're back in that usual pattern. And so, unless we alchemize, what I mean, unless we take the light of our awareness, which is our Shen, and we bring it down into those difficulties and transform them, that pattern is still going to be there, because remember Jing, Qi, and Shen. Shen is the mind and the mind influences everything. If we still have that same pattern in our mind, that same rift in our ... I don't want to say personality, but in our psyche, then that pattern is just going to keep coming. And so, especially things like with co-disturbances, like chronic pain, we got to do this Wu Shen work to ground change.   Steph Nosco: (16:11) So, it's a transformation. It's not just about getting back to where we were before. That's really important. Yeah, it's not like I'm going to be healthy again. It's, I'm going to actually take this symptom and ask, what is my body trying to tell me? What is the wisdom in this? What is the lesson? What is the meaning?   Mason: (16:28) It really starts dipping into like a way of maintaining flow. If you're looking from a Western sense, I always think it seems like it's getting deep into the emotions, it's getting deep into the psychology of who we are, but in a way that's approachable, a way that can be invited into the family, having some language around it, so we can kinetically get an understanding of what's happening for say ourselves, our wives, our husbands, our partners, our children, so that we can ground the healing and the expansive way of living into our home, bringing the medicine into our home, rather than just relying on an external institution to give it to us.   Steph Nosco: (17:16) Yes, it's empowering, because once you start to know what's going on with your spirits, with your psyche, then you can say, "Maybe I can make that change." Or, "Maybe I need support right now." But there's that level of awareness.   Mason: (17:29) So, for me, I can definitely ... I feel like I'm attracted to this and have talked about the fact that I like that this style of living is descending, especially when you've ... Especially I'm someone that's gone through, in the early days, through that new age community that comes with the implications. Perhaps it's good in short doses, I don't know. I definitely learnt a lot through it, you know? You need to aspire. Basically, you need to learn, you need to let go. And then, maybe you'll become pure enough. Maybe if you do all these things right, you can look through the eyes of God and be a good person. But until then, you keep practising , rather than easing back into the completeness and the wholeness in which you are.   Mason: (18:17) So, for me, I'm going to take myself into that mentality of starting at the top of the mountain in my completeness. And then hand it over to you to take us on this journey.   Steph Nosco: (18:28) Yeah, sure. Okay. I did write notes. So, just to keep me on track.   Mason: (18:34) Beautiful. I love it. I just started standup comedy. And I had a phobia about-   Steph Nosco: (18:38) That's awesome.   Mason: (18:39) I was like, "I'm not ever allowed to write notes ever." And then I'm like, "You know what? I think it's not a bad thing to prepare. I think I should write some notes."   Steph Nosco: (18:48) Yeah. I mean, there's just so much. Like, it's just, this information is just so rich. And yeah, I'm just really, really grateful for the elders that came before who mapped this out. It's just incredible. So yeah, definitely honouring those ancestors. Okay, so let's start at the top of the mountain. So, the Shen is the sun. The Shen is the light. So, we think of the Shen relates to the fire element. And this can be seen in the light in someone's eyes, okay?   Steph Nosco: (19:22) So, it's said that the Shen comes in upon conception. And you can start to see it in the light in the baby's eyes or the smile in the baby, right? And so, I like to divide it. It's easier for me to understand the Shen when I divide it into two parts. So, the one Shen, which means, this is who we really are. This is our ultimate nature, awareness. And this is the part of us that's always going to be okay, even if we're not okay. This is the deathless aspect of our mind. And because it exists beyond time and space, it knows the truth at all times. So, that's the one thing about the Shen, it is the truth, the truth of who we are, okay?   Steph Nosco: (20:06) But then we have what's called the Shen Zhi, what you were talking about earlier, which is like the rest of the spirits. So, it's the personality self. And the heart is like the capacity to be aware and to make contact with the truth, both personal truths, like our personality self, and ultimate truth. So, this is our willingness to hold both. And my teacher always says this to me, Sarah Powers, actually. She's like, "We have to have a willingness in our spiritual practise to wake up and grow up," you know? Both. And so, that's the Shen Zhi. That's the working with the Shen Zhi. It's the personality self. And then we have this like ultimate self, okay?   Steph Nosco: (20:51) What else do I want to say about the Shen? So, the Shen gets disturbed when there's any kind of shock or trauma. So, when the heart is shocked with something, like say you just get in a car accident, what happens is, the Shen will actually leave the body, because it belongs to heaven. It takes any chance it gets to just kind of vacate. And so, when our Shen isn't in our body, we don't have access to truth and we can't really make decisions very well.   Steph Nosco: (21:19) So, another example would be falling in love. When you fall in love, that also disturbs the Shen. And the Shen, the mind, the awareness will leave the body. And so, you often don't make the best decisions when you're in love. Or when you're over-excited. So, one of the-   Mason: (21:35) That's probably the key distinction there.   Steph Nosco: (21:37) Yeah. So, anyways. So, Shen disturbances will show up often if somebody is ... Kind of like they use inappropriate laughter. So, we can notice they're saying something really serious, but they're laughing. That can be an indication of a Shen disturbance. So, also this anxiety or being almost over-joyful would be like a Shen disturbance.   Steph Nosco: (22:06) And another metaphor that I like to give is, it's kind of like, when our Shen is healthy, it's like looking into a clear pool of water, it reflects the truth. When we're really busy, when we're really agitated, it's like a wavy river or wavy pool and we can't see clearly. So, it's really important when we're working with the Shen, just giving ourselves basic space, you know? Like, spend time every day being quiet. And I think this is one of the problems in our modern life is that we aren't often quiet. We're constantly stimulated. And there's really not enough space for the Shen to reside. It's often out of our body.   Steph Nosco: (22:51) Even when we close our eyes, the Shen will rest down into the heart. So, when we sleep, the Shen will go into the heart, but similarly when we meditate. So, when we meditate and close our eyes, it gets the Shen to actually drop down into the heart and for our energy to collect. So, something like a silent retreat, I used to lead them before COVID, I fricking love silent retreats. Even just taking an hour to not talk. Like, let things settle down. So, that's really the work of the Shen, because if we don't bring the Shen home, it's really hard to bring awareness into any of the other spirits.   Mason: (23:29) Can I ask you there, with Shen, something I liked about your posts is, you've had the ... I'm always careful not to personify these energies and spirits too much, but also I love it.   Steph Nosco: (23:41) Yeah, so do I. Yeah.   Mason: (23:44) And for you, I mean, for me when I'm relating to the Shen is ... And I appreciate kind of the variation that you're bringing in terms of that personality element of the Shen, which is almost, if we see the Shen as the heart as the emperor and the other organs serving the emperor and feeding in various ways of thinking and being and different ways of virtuous nature and various emotions. We see a personality come and get delivered through the heart or through the Shen, however informed by the other organs and other energies. Is that fair to say?   Steph Nosco: (24:19) Yep, totally, 100%. Yeah. And the heart knows what's going on, right? Through the blood because the blood pumps through. And it's always going through the heart. It's kind of like the heart talking ... It's exactly like you said with the emperor. It's like, "Oh yeah, that's going on there, okay." So, it's kind of ruling the show. So, if the emperor isn't home, there's a problem, right? So, it's about bringing it down. And the Shen is easily scared. So, whenever we're anxious, it's like the Shen isn't in the body. So, doing anything as far as practicality, give yourself space, find time to be quiet. And anything that brings you into your body. Like, even massaging your feet or even putting your hands on your body while you're meditating. Or even if you just need a five minute timeout, you know? That helps bring the Shen home.   Mason: (25:13) How do you relate to, if there is a personification or story around your own Shen, I'm interested how you relate to that and feel that, kinetically feel that story unravelling for yourself with that Zhi?   Steph Nosco: (25:28) Yeah, I often think of the Shen as like a bird that gets scared really easily. And so, I tend to have like, even right now on this podcast, like before this podcast, I was like, "Oh no, my Shen is out of my body. I need to calm down," which of course that internal dialogue made it worse. But yeah, I often think of this little bird that gets scared and it flies away. And then, when I sit down and I calm down and I breathe, it's like that little bird can come back into the best of the heart. And then there's just more awareness.   Mason: (26:03) Naturally, I can feel, although we're going to go nice and deep on this podcast, as we go through all of these various elements of who we are and the major organs, I can see already in you describing that, the interplay between the various Zhi, between the various spirits, and the roles that they play and the way they interact. Could possibly derail us, I'm not going to. But I could just ... You know? You even start to talk, bring that bird storytelling, I'm like, "Oh, wow. And I can see." It's much easier for me to see now how various other spirits would be playing a role in supporting the heart and the Shen now in a story, rather than a theory.   Steph Nosco: (26:45) Yep, 100%. 100%. Okay, can we move on now? Any more-   Mason: (26:50) No. Yeah, of course.   Steph Nosco: (26:52) Yeah, okay. I mean, like each one of these, you can do like ... Like, I did a Yin series on each one. And I was like, "It's not enough time." But it is good to kind of get an overview because they do interact with one another. So, the Hun, for example, is a messenger of the Shen, okay? So, if you think of the Shen like a light, now you're coming down the mountain into the mist and into the clouds at the very top of the mountain. So, now the Shen is starting to take form through dreams and visions. And that is really the role of the Hun as a messenger of the Shen. And these are what's called the upper spirits. They both relate to the blood. And they both inform any kind of messages from heaven, from I guess the [Yan 00:27:41] energy.   Steph Nosco: (27:42) Let me just grab my notes here. So yeah, it's called the cloud soul and it goes up and down in our sleep. So, when we sleep, the Shen moves from the eyes into the heart. And the Hun will also be in the eyes when we're awake, because remember the Hun follows the Shen. So, when we're awake, that's where the Hun is at our eyes, because the Hun really wants to learn. Think about the Hun like wood element, it wants to grow, okay?   Steph Nosco: (28:13) So, the Hun comes down and it learns. It learns, it plans, it formulates our dreams and visions. And it's not all that refined when it first comes into the body. So, for example, a baby can't really plan. Its visions aren't really formulated yet. But as we start to get older, this is the kind of thing that the Hun learns. And sorry, going back to the closing the eyes thing. When we close our eyes or sleep, the Shen will rest in the heart. But the Hun will actually rest in the liver. And that's how it digests our experience through dreaming. So, the Hun is also related to dreams.   Steph Nosco: (28:53) Yeah, and so it's really hard to live out our Dao, right? So, Shen is like, "Okay, now I know what my Dao is, sort of. Or I have some kind of idea." It's this insight, this light. And it's hard to really live that out if we can't make a plan, okay? So, it starts to kind of manifest down at the Hun.   Mason: (29:17) Right, so I mean, I saw you talk about that in terms of the heart, the Shen having ... It's like, "Oh, here's our values." And that was really useful for me as an interpretation.   Steph Nosco: (29:32) Values is a really good word. This is what I value, this is my truth, right? And so, how do we live that? Well, we're going to need some kind of plan because we don't live in heaven, we live on this plane. And so there's this ... I mean the Hun does have density. But it's not very dense. It still comes and goes, it's still fairly fleeting if that makes sense. So, somebody with a Hun disturbance, they often lose hope, you know? Hope is a Hun thing, having hope for the future, seeing possibilities.   Steph Nosco: (30:10) Some people who don't have or have a Hun disturbance can also be like wandering aimlessly through their life, kind of like, "Oh, I'll do this now. Oh, I'll do this now," but they can't really direct it. So, it's, let's have a plan, let's have a vision. Let's take this light and actually start to manifest it. But it's the first point of manifestation, right? And so, this is all about the Hun.   Steph Nosco: (30:34) And then, some ways that we can work with the Hun, obviously dreamwork. Dreamwork is really great. Practising using your imagination. As a former Buddhist, I was like a strict Theravada Buddhist practitioner for many years. And I was like, "I'm not visualising anything." Like, just breathing or Dzogchen, you know? But this idea of practising , like let's go on a little journey here, like a guided visualisation journey. Anything to exercise the imagination is brilliant. And I think that this is one of the things that we've lost in our modern day is like, our imagination has been beaten out of us, you know? By the time we're in high school. So, visioning is really important, exercising your imagination. And then, also letting the sceptical part of you that's like, "Oh, that's not possible." Let that part kind of step back so that you can really let your imagination loose. And that will nourish your Hun as well.   Mason: (31:27) That's a really, really important distinction. Like, I was just transported back to my university days and to my high school days. And I remember my first year of uni, where I could really feel it. Like, the final fatigue in having that imagination, that visioning, dreaming part of myself kind of like beaten out of me, within that context anyway. And it takes a long time to get that back. So, I mean, anything to be able to support that liver, wood energy, when you're going through that system, if you do find yourself dismayed around your lack of ability to be imaginative and dream anymore, that's huge.   Steph Nosco: (32:13) Yeah, it is. And it's a practise. And I think people don't realise that. Like, I have so many students that come and say, "I can't visualise," or, "I can't. I'm not a visual person." Okay, neither was I, but you practise. And it becomes easier over time. And I mean, one of the things, I often relate the Hun, and I know some teachers don't. Some teachers relate compassion and loving kindness to the Shen spirit. But I actually really like it in the Hun. Like, I really feel compassion as a liver energy for me, because it's very active. And it's also like, when you do a loving kindness meditation, you're using your imagination. You're using the faculty of the Hun to imagine, how would I look and how would I be in that person's shoes? You know?   Steph Nosco: (32:58) So, you're using that capacity to kind of take different perspectives. And being able to walk in another person's shoes or imagining what it would be like to be them is a large faculty, I think, of developing compassion and loving kindness. And so, that's also an aspect I feel of the Hun spirit. And that's just coming through my meditations, not necessarily maybe the classical way to describe it. Yeah.   Mason: (33:21) Well, I mean, the classical way as well, I find the trump there is that, thankfully the classical texts have gone and systemized this especially so a Western civilization can interpret it, not that that was their intention.   Steph Nosco: (33:36) Yep.   Mason: (33:36) But if you go back to the nuance of the conversation, the organs are collaborating. There's no rule-   Steph Nosco: (33:45) Totally.   Mason: (33:45) You know? Like, I know you know this. But that was an important one for me to remember as well. Like, okay, hang on, courage. Courage comes from the ... That's right, it comes from the lung. But I also feel courage from the kidney. But that's wrong.   Steph Nosco: (33:56) Courage comes from the ... Yeah, totally.   Mason: (33:58) Like, that's wrong, isn't it? Because ...   Steph Nosco: (34:00) Yeah, and actually, I was having this conversation about trust and faith, because I feel like trust is very much a Yi thing, but then some people think it's a kidney or a Zhi thing. So, it's like, but they're both, right? It's both. And anyway, so you're right. It kind of depends on which way you look at it. And it can be an open conversation, rather than a, this is right and that's wrong.   Mason: (34:21) And again, it's like a village, you know? I know it's like a civilization in the way that it's described a lot of the time, the emperor of the heart and the general of the liver, you know? Like, we don't need to use that language necessarily. It can be a village on more of a small scale. It's always going to be a collaboration. The leader of the tribe isn't solely taking responsibility for feelings of infinite love and generosity for everyone.   Steph Nosco: (34:49) That's right.   Mason: (34:50) That's completely attributed to the whole tribe working together.   Steph Nosco: (34:53) Totally, totally. Yeah. Yeah, so that's kind of the Han. Can I move on? Or do you have any more questions about the Han? Or comments?   Mason: (35:05) Well yeah, I do have comments. I try and shut myself up sometimes.   Steph Nosco: (35:11) No, I'm curious. I would love to be in dialogue. I mean, yeah. I'd love to know.   Mason: (35:14) Just going along, it's interesting ... We talk about ... We talk, have the spirit and this awareness of the spirit of the various organs, so that if the liver wood ... The way you understand it, if our liver wood is flowing and transforming between its expression of Yin Yang Qi, then we see a healthy ... Basically a healthy spirit, a healthy expression, a healthy personality, a healthy function of the Hun. If we see a disturbance of that wood Qi, then we start seeing ... That's where personification or bringing it into more of an animalistic metaphor, we can start seeing that an aggravation can come about and a frustration can come about from the Hun.   Mason: (36:04) If you have this very tactile, spirit based way of approaching it, then you can go, "All right, let's just see in the beginning how I can remedy this first of all." There's certain practises, a Yin Yoga, a Yin Yoga sequence, working with that liver meridian, perhaps some foods or herbs that are friendly. And so, is this the way that you relate to keeping us along? Or how do you relate to that healing element?   Steph Nosco: (36:32) Yeah, definitely. I would say, again, like you were saying before, it's all in conversation, right? Because it's not like, okay, if I'm dealing with liver stuff, I don't just do liver because I know that water nourishes wood. So, if I'm feeling like a wood element thing, where I don't have any dreams and visions, then maybe I actually need to nourish ... Like, I need to be more in that dreamy space of water.   Steph Nosco: (36:55) So, yes and no, I would say. Like, they all work in harmony. But definitely I would use practises like Qigong and Yin to like ... Maybe with more of a focus on liver stuff to work with the Hun. But then also we have to remember, it's like the things that we do every day. Like the little things that we do every day. I'm going to get into the Yi in a moment. But something that my partner does all the time is he just stands up in the kitchen and just eats food. And he's just like not even ... And I'm like, "It's not good for your Yi." Like, it's just little things like that, that can really help us along. Not giving yourself enough time to sleep. Like the ending, like the morning when we're dreaming, because that's when we vent, right? That's when we vent our emotions. Like, giving yourself enough time to sleep, that's going to make a big difference in the Hun spirit.   Steph Nosco: (37:47) Even just enjoying beauty. Not giving yourself enough time to enjoy beauty. Go outside, look at things that are beautiful. The Hun loves beauty. So yeah, and even just especially the colour green. Like, get out in nature, breathe that in. And people don't think of that as a medicine, right? But it is. It's these little things. It's the little things that we do every day, our habits.   Mason: (38:13) Beautiful. All right, Spleen.   Steph Nosco: (38:15) Also one more thing I want to say about the Hun is that it can also show up, like we often think about the liver in anger. But it actually shows up in this context more in depression, which is something that I just kind of was really learning this year was that, again, if we don't have hope, if we can't dream of a future, there's this sense of, "Okay, well then what's the point?" So, that can also be a sign of a Hun disturbance.   Mason: (38:43) I mean, just again, you feel the tactile nature of this alive way of seeing the body, rather than just a cog, you know? Bunch of cogs in a machine. You can see, there's depression, we can look at it as a whole as something that is emerging. We can go and look at the nuance of depression emerging from, it's got this kind of feeling to it, or maybe emerging from this kind of style of stagnation. Like, just different roads, I guess, to Rome, and getting back to the core issue, but not just going, "Bang, depression, that's diagnosed."   Steph Nosco: (39:15) Totally. And I think one more thing I want to say, coming back to your point and our point earlier, we were talking about empowerment, is these things again can't be measured or seen. It's not like you're going to go to one magical Chinese doctor and they're going to be like, "You have depression because of a Hun imbalance." It's more about self-reflection, feeling into your patterns, feeling into your spirit, right? It's very much this kind of inner reflection, learning this information, feeling it in your body, sitting with metaphor and story, working with your dreams. And then, "Maybe something's going on with the Hun." Do you see what I mean? So, it's less of this diagnosis where we're putting ourselves in this box and we're handing our power over to someone else to tell us what's wrong with us.   Mason: (39:57) Decentralised healing.   Steph Nosco: (39:59) Exactly. Yeah. Okay. Shall we continue? Okay. So, we come down from the clouds. And now we're on earth. So, we were on the earth plane. And we are now at the centre, which is the Yi spirit. So, Yi is translated as intention or clear thought. So, this is now where the dreams and visions start to manifest. They start to manifest as what? As our specific intentions to do something. But it's not only the intention, it's the follow through. So, I often like to think, since we're doing story and metaphor, I often like to think of the Yi as a humble farmer, because a lot of the descriptions of the points in the body in the other organs are described as like the palace gate and the 10,000 halls or whatever. But the Yi is described as living in a hut.   Steph Nosco: (40:57) And so, the Yi is like this little farmer who is like, "Okay, now I'm going to take the light of the Shen and the dreams and visions from the liver and I'm going to do something with it." So, this is the part of us that's showing up every day and getting our hands dirty. So, it's the ... And I also like to think of the Yi spirit, not only as intention, but as devotion and constancy. So, let's just give an example of, say you wanted to start a Qigong practise or a yoga practise. And you have this insight that this is my path, I'm going to start. You get these dreams and visions. Okay, I'm going to do it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday at this studio.   Steph Nosco: (41:38) Okay, so you have the dreams and visions. And then the Yi says, "Okay, now I'm going to set my alarm and actually going to go do it. I'm actually going to follow through on it day in and day out."   Mason: (41:50) No wonder my acupuncturist tells me I constantly have a spleen deficiency.   Steph Nosco: (41:55) Yeah. So, one of the things that tends to happen is, the classic disturbance is this rumination of thought. So, it's the thought that goes round and round and round and round without follow through, right? And so, then it's just stuck there. And it causes all kinds of ... Like, the knotting of the Qi and all of the things that ... And there's this feeling of like, I'm stuck, I doubt myself. Is this even good? It's just this sense of being frozen.   Mason: (42:24) Get out of my body, you shaman witch.   Steph Nosco: (42:26) Yeah. So, one of the things I-   Mason: (42:30) I said witch, by the way everybody, with a W.   Steph Nosco: (42:36) Okay, with a W. Yeah. And I think for a lot of people, this is where the work happens. This is where the rubber meets the road, you know? We can have all of these ideas, but unless we're going to actually do them, it just won't happen. And I think part of the problem is, to come back to this Yi metaphor, the Yi relating to the stomach and spleen organ, which is about digestion. So, sometimes we literally bite off more than we can chew. We have this grand idea. Okay, I'm going to do this now. I'm a wood type, so I have a lot of ideas. And then it just stays. All the ideas just stay, but there's no connection to the lower spirits, right?   Steph Nosco: (43:14) And so, one of the things I always suggest to people and my students is, take small bites. So, things like, okay, I want to start this podcast, or I want to lead this yoga retreat, or whatever it is. Maybe you make the phone call to rent the space. You know? Like, one thing. Write it down, do it, check it off a list. And take a moment to feel grateful. So, bask in that. Bask in your accomplishment of doing something. That really helps the Yi, because the Yi is also about nourishment. So, if we're spinning round and round and round and not actually following through on our dreams and aspirations, we don't feel nourished by life. So, even if it's that one little thing that you can check off on your to-do list, it really helps the Yi spirit. If you say you're going to do something and you don't do it, that creates that imbalance. So, it's better just not to say that you're going to do it.   Mason: (44:12) Huge. Yeah. I'm having a really big moment.   Steph Nosco: (44:16) Okay. I can see the gears turning a little bit. Yeah.   Mason: (44:20) Well, I feel, again, I have known this about myself theoretically. I've talked about it in therapy. And of course, bringing the real ... The storytelling and bringing it to live and animating it, it brings me into the reality of feeling actually what's going on. And it's always these moments when rubber does hit the road and distinction becomes something that I can embody as a knowing of myself and start possibly offering respect to that element of myself that can't digest these huge ideas that I just throw down, you know? Down the oesophagus and into the stomach.   Steph Nosco: (45:05) Right. Right.   Mason: (45:06) Yeah, it's a really beautiful ... It's a really transformational and practical way of having actual perception occur of who you are.   Steph Nosco: (45:21) Yeah. Yeah. And I've often, when I teach programmes, it's often like, "Oh, that's me." Or, "I have that one." Or one girl in my last training was like, "I think all of them are out of balance." And she was freaking out. I was like, "Don't worry about it. It's fine." It's like, we start where we are, right? And we just ... Yeah, again, compassion. Compassion for where we are and we just start where we are.   Mason: (45:43) Yeah, it's also nice starting at the place where you don't have to do a lot. And you talk about devotion. And it's nice having devotion for something that isn't aspiring to be given something by some entity, you know? That's going to ... Or given something by some ... I don't know, beam of light or whatever it is that you ... Yeah, it's different ... It's a very different energy.   Steph Nosco: (46:06) Yeah. And I think that some people think of devotion as like singing to a goddess, which it can be. Like, I do. I have a Guan Yin Dharma practise and I love singing to Guan Yin. So, it can be that. And singing is really good for the Yi, like physically singing. The character for the Yi is the symbol for the heart. And then on top, the Chinese character for a music note. So, this idea that we're singing our heart's song. We're singing our life into being. But again, we're not just singing one time, we're singing constantly. It's like in that constant.   Steph Nosco: (46:38) But you don't have to be devoted to a deity. You could be devoted to ... Like, for me, one of my friends, because I was really wanting to get this information out there, and I was struggling. And she's like, "Think of your Instagram posts or your media posts," because of COVID, everything's locked down. Like, I need to teach. She's like, "Think of it like devotion. This is your devotion practise. Like, you post. You don't post for yourself. You post for other people. But it could be anything. It could be your garden. It could be your work or whatever. It doesn't have to be ..." Your relationship, that's also devotion. So yeah.   Mason: (47:10) Beautiful.   Steph Nosco: (47:11) One thing I will say, one more thing about the Yi spirit that's important to mention is it can often show up as an imbalance as excess sympathy. And so, this is when someone isn't quite ready to take responsibility for their own life and starts to help someone else. So, they're taking a bunch of actions for someone else's life, rather than their own. So, an important thing when working with the Yi spirit, taking bite sized chunks of tasks, but then also saying no to other people is really important for the Yi spirit.   Mason: (47:45) I mean, one thing I love and have a soft spot for is the activist community. And there's a part of myself that loves being expressed within activism. I do not choose to be identified completely in that realm. But just that advice that you just gave, whether it's maybe a practitioner, maybe an activist, someone who's just going out and fighting for the earth.   Steph Nosco: (48:12) Right.   Mason: (48:12) I feel like that distinction's just very important.   Steph Nosco: (48:14) Right.   Mason: (48:14) Don't need to go much further down there. But if you want to, go for it. But yeah, just wanted to point that out.   Steph Nosco: (48:19) And I think that if that's somebody's Dao, then it's good, because this is the thing is, we can't say that ... Like, if that is their life, if that's what the heart is saying is true, then it's true. If that's not what your heart is saying is true, then it's not true. And this is something we'll get through when we get to the Zhi, if we ever get there. Is-   Mason: (48:40) Another hour, let's see. Fingers crossed.   Steph Nosco: (48:41) Yeah. But the Zhi, again when we're doing work that's in alignment with our purpose, it actually is energy giving, right? So, it's just kind of something to note. Okay, let's move on.   Mason: (48:54) Let's.   Steph Nosco: (48:55) Okay, so now we're going into the lower spirits. So, the Yi is actually not an upper spirit and it's not a lower spirit, it's at the centre, okay? So, we have upper spirits, Shen and Han. We have the Yi in the centre. And then we have the lower spirits, which are the Po and the Zhi. And these relate to our body. So, we say ... Sorry, not our body, related to the earth. So, they belong to earth. Upper spirits belong to heaven, the lower spirits belong to the earth.   Steph Nosco: (49:19) So, the Po is our animal spirit. So, it's, like I was saying, the Hun learns. The Po doesn't learn, it knows what to do. The baby is born, it takes its first breath. We don't teach a baby how to breathe, it just breathes, okay? So, this is what the Po does for us day in and day out, it keeps us alive. It's our automatic processes. But it does learn through trauma. So, when the body goes through some sort of trauma, the Po spirit will hold onto that as a semantic memory. And so, this is where our demons live, this is where the shadow lives. And this is what happens. So, we have the vision of the Hun and the Shen. And we have our intention. And we're like, "Yeah, I'm going to get up to go to that yoga class." And then the Po spirit comes in.   Steph Nosco: (50:07) Then the lower spirit says, "Oh, but you should just sleep. Oh, but X, Y, Z." And this is often these unconscious forces that get in the way of living out our highest intention. So, this is where we get into the downward descent. It is our job to take the higher spirits and witness. This is why we go to therapy, it's because we have to witness these kinds of patterns that have been inlaid into our soma.   Steph Nosco: (50:41) So, chronic pain is like a classic Po disturbance, having kind of a chronic issue, chronic pain. And then, any kind of rigid thinking, this inability to let go, the inability to change, right? If you think about the Po spirit relating to metal element, relating to the season of fall, it's all about death. It's about letting transformation happen, transformation occurring. And so, people who have this Po disturbance, it's really hard to move forward. There's this big resistance to change.   Mason: (51:12) Quick question.   Steph Nosco: (51:14) Yeah, so this is really ... Like, when I say the Yi is where the rubber hits the road, kind of. But it's actually when we start to interact with the Po, because it takes a lot of intention to bring the light of the Hun and the Shen down to meet the Po. So, the problem, this is where oftentimes our spiritual practise stops because it's all rainbows and butterflies until we meet our shadow. And then we tend to just abandon ourselves. We abandon our anger, we abandon our anxiety, we abandon blah, blah, blah.   Mason: (51:46) Could you clarify soma quickly?   Steph Nosco: (51:48) Yeah, so the soma, the body. So, all sensations, any time you feel something, that's Po spirit. And someone with some kind of extreme Po disturbance might not be able to even feel their hand. They'll have complete dissociation, or opposite, too much pain. So, too much sensation, not enough sensation. And again, it's not like if you get in a car accident and you have a broken leg, yes you're going to feel pain, but that's not really Po disturbance. The Po disturbance I'm talking about is this kind of chronic pain that tends to show up that's unexplainable.   Mason: (52:26) Unexplainable, right. I was going to ask. And is that simply there from the rigidity, due to our lack of ability to go into the shadow, fear, grief.   Steph Nosco: (52:37) Yes.   Mason: (52:38) Fear of death, whatever it is, and actually bring it.   Steph Nosco: (52:41) Yeah, so Lorie talks about it being like it starts to sink. So, the Po spirit starts to drop down and kind of harden. But it's the upper spirits that will kind of elevate it and keep it from that entropy. I guess we could call it entropy.   Mason: (52:57) Huge. No wonder the association of transformation is like all ... I know alchemy and alchemist is kind of always what I think of when I think of that part of myself. It's like a warrior alchemist.   Steph Nosco: (53:07) Yeah. And kind of you have to be. I mean, and a compassionate one too. I keep on saying this word compassion. But it's like, we need it. And that's why we want the Hun and the Po to exist together, right? The Han is going to come down and support the Po. And the Po will inform the Han and all that. But let's not get into that because we got to make our way down the mountain.   Steph Nosco: (53:28) But just really quick, just some ways that we can start working with the Po, breath work. So, this is the thing is that, yes, the lungs give us our demons or provide us with these shadows. But they also provide the exact thing that we need to kind of work through those shadows. So, breath work is incredible, absolutely incredible. Cold therapy, super good. Movement, any kind of somatic psychotherapy. I've been really into internal family systems therapy recently.   Mason: (54:00) Huge, yeah. Great.   Steph Nosco: (54:04) Yeah, so then being with your emotions. Like, just being with them. Like, rather than saying, classic spiritual bypass, "I'm angry, that's not good." We say, "What is my anger here to tell me?" Right? Way different. Right.   Mason: (54:23) I guess the metal there. I mean, we talked about that descending, packing in, getting hard. I think about a calcification, I think about all of a sudden a metal element that's not pliable at all, that just becomes like super rigid as this shield.   Steph Nosco: (54:37) Yes, inflexibility. And Lorie even says, things like unexplained lumps and bumps, like benin tumours and stuff, that's all Po stuff. Yeah, it's interesting.   Mason: (54:50) Yeah.   Steph Nosco: (54:51) Okay. Any questions on the Po?   Mason: (54:55) So many. Let's move on.   Steph Nosco: (54:57) Okay. So many. Maybe another time. Okay, then we get to the Zhi. So, the Zhi is at the bottom of the mountain. We are now below, deep into the caves. And the Zhi relates to the water elements. And it's all about our power. So, this is where our energy comes from. And it's about our aligned will or our willpower. Zhi means will. Now there's a difference between having the ego's will and working with the aligned will. So, ego's will would be like, "I want to make a million bucks just because." Okay? So, that's going to take a lot of energy because again, we're going against the stream. Maybe not, if our purpose in life is to make a million dollars, then maybe. But if we're going against the stream of our purpose, which is called ... Well, I'll just go into this now because I find it super interesting. Have you ever heard of a [Ming Man 00:55:56]?   Mason: (55:57) Yeah.   Steph Nosco: (55:57) Yeah, so the Ming Man, it's said that our destiny, which is like our soul's purpose, comes into the body and it's stored in the Ming Man, which is the space just right in between the kidneys on GV4.   Mason: (56:10) The gate of life, right?   Steph Nosco: (56:12) Yeah. Yeah. And so, it's said that there is this knowledge of why we're really here. But it's completely unconscious. Remember, lower spirits are the subconscious mind. So, when we start to work down the mountain, there's this deep listening that happens when we work through the Po spirit, when we bring the light of heaven down, there's this deep listening that starts to happen. And we start to actually touch this lower light, which is like why we're really here.   Steph Nosco: (56:44) And once we align ourselves with why we're really here, it's effortless. We're in that Wu Wei, we're in that flow of our life. And it's like, we don't ... And this is really important, we don't have a choice. It's not like I decide what I'm going to do. It's like, "No, no, no. I'm listening. What is the earth telling me to do?" This is a very different thing, because in our Western analytical mind, we want to control and joystick our way through life. But it's not like that.   Steph Nosco: (57:17) One of the things with Po is that we start to surrender to the mystery. And when we surrender to the mystery, we have this deep listening. And then it's like, that's what I need to do and there's no choice. It will take so much energy not to do that thing once you hear that call. And then there's this wellspring of energy and longevity that starts to arise from these kind of deeper waters.   Steph Nosco: (57:41) So, again, what's interesting is again that paradox is, yes there's the light from heaven, but there's also this light from below. But we can't access that light from below unless we're willing to go down. Yeah.   Mason: (57:52) Beautiful.   Steph Nosco: (57:59) Yeah, so I guess that's all I have to say about the Zhi, other than if we have an imbalance, there's this forgetfulness, lack of will, wanting to cut corners in our life, kind of like a con artist would be like a Zhi disturbance. And then there's tumidity and addictions, sex addiction, being addicted to things like that. And yeah. Made it.   Mason: (58:22) That external ... Like, that ... There's something beautiful, just bringing up that ... And again, the Zhi describing the spirit of all of the organs, while also Zhi being used as the name for the spirit, the will expressed for the kidneys, a little distinction there, just in case, I remember [crosstalk 00:58:41].   Steph Nosco: (58:40) Yeah, I know, it's confusing because you've got the Shen Zhi, and then the Zhi itself, which is like the Zhi. I know. It's really ... It's really confusing. One more thing I want to say about the Zhi is, that's where wisdom is. So again, this is kind of the problem I find with these ascension traditions. If we aren't willing to go into the mud and to do our work and to go through that fire of transformation, wisdom and knowledge are two very different things. Wisdom arises, right? True creativity, true inspiration, our true work arises from the light of that deep listening.   Mason: (59:22) Thank you very much for taking us down the mountain.   Steph Nosco: (59:24) Yeah, you're welcome.   Mason: (59:25) That was really beautiful.   Steph Nosco: (59:26) It was a long journey.   Mason: (59:28) Not really, put so succinctly. And I mean, delivered with ... Again, the storytelling is something I feel Western thinking and science has been trying to belittle and just rub on the top of the head of animism and these stories and scrub, "Oh, how naïve," you know? "Oh, off you pop."   Steph Nosco: (59:51) Yeah, "Oh, that's cute."   Mason: (59:52) "That's very cute of you. Off you go. Leave it to the big boys and girls though to actually do the real healing." Whereas, going just very simply telling the story and taking us through that journey like that, all of a sudden, it gives me this invisible access once again of accessibility, decentralised, non-theoretical. It gives me an ease that I don't have all this stuff to remember. And if I don't remember, I'm bad and naughty. It's just a terrain in order to explore. I really appreciate the way you did it.   Steph Nosco: (01:00:26) Yeah. Well, thank you for listening. It's such a pleasure to talk about quite an obscure topic that does take time to explain. So yeah, I really appreciate having the platform to share.   Mason: (01:00:40) Just quickly, through bringing this in, you know? Like, we love Sarah Power. Again, Tahnee's studied with her. I've had her. I think I was a Yin yoga teacher in another life before I started SuperFeast. And had her books. But through the Yin yoga, through bringing it into the teaching, what have you seen as being ... And maybe not obvious ones, but major benefits to yourself, students, maybe just people in their everyday life who are turning into your Instagram? Like, what has been the main benefit of engaging with this way, this medicine?   Steph Nosco: (01:01:21) Yeah. That's a really great question. One of the biggest things I've seen, and this happens to me a lot is people will change, often, not always. But there's many people who change the entire course of their life, because again, when we work our way down the mountain, any kind of life misalignments that are highlighted are brought to the surface. And so, I just had a girl the other day saying, "Hey, I'm leaving my job to go to acupuncture school." Or, "I've signed up ..." This often happens, "I've signed up for X, Y, Z course. I'm now ..." Or, "I've divorced my partner." That's happened to me too.   Steph Nosco: (01:01:56) So, it's like these things where it's like, okay, I see it, and I can't not see it. And I have to take action. And then, after that change happens, this girl's like, "Oh, my frozen shoulder is gone. That's weird." Or, "My irritable bowel syndrome is gone. That's weird." So, it's that, as we start to make those life alignments or those life changes, as we start to live out our Dao, it just flows, health flows, right?   Steph Nosco: (01:02:24) And so, yeah, that's one of those things, if people come to by Yin yoga teacher training, they're like, "Oh, I'm going to be a great Yin teacher." And sometimes they are. But sometimes they change the whole course of their direction of where they're going in their life. And that's what matters, right? I mean, I want people to be good teachers. But really, we're practising Yin yoga as a tool to be better people.   Mason: (01:02:45) That's really beautiful, especially the way you're teaching it. You can't just go and live this on the surface. This needs to be embodied if you're going to be an effective teacher or human.   Steph Nosco: (01:03:01) Yeah. And I mean, my Yin classes, I tell stories. Like, I tell tonnes of stories, like very intricate stories, metaphor. And so, what I do is, I get people to come to my class and then I give them a practise. Okay, so this week, you're working on X, Y, Z. Like, I don't teach drop-in classes anymore, just registered programmes and series because I want this information to land and then actually be integrated. And so, that's kind of where I'm going right now in my work

The very first rule we teach our babies is SAFETY. This week we talked to the kids about how they feel about the safety rules we have in place and let's just say Zhi almost gave her daddy a heart attack.

We’re bringing a full spectrum intergalactic, God matrix transcending, health sovereignty-love-fueled conversation today on the SuperFeast podcast. In this stellar conversation, Mase sits down with Exo and cosmopolitical specialist George Kavassalis for a journey through the unified field of love and universal veils of human experience. Do you consider yourself to be truly free? Do you believe in the God matrix? And what is the journey of humanity thus far that you won't find in history books? In discussing what it means to embody organic sovereignty, George expresses why he feels now more than ever human civilisation is at a point where every individual needs to harness their creative powers and take responsibility for their experience and wellbeing. Disclosing control systems that utilise the intelligence within technology, and Exopolitical mysteries; This conversation is rich, multi-dimensional, and at the heart of it is a message steeped in love, co-creation, honour, and respect for each other. There's a reason why the George Kavassilas episode was the most downloaded episode ever on The Mason Taylor Show. Tune in for this transcending conversation.   "And now what we've got is, they're using the ultimate weapon, which is love, against the population. Now you've got them in reverence of your control system, and now they're devoting and loving your processes. So now you have overridden the problem of free will in the universe." - George Kavassalis     Mase and George discuss: Natural lore. Incarnation. Exo politics. Cosmo polotics. Phasing out 5G. Sacred geometry. The God matrix Celestial entities. Where Gods reside. Cosmic conquerers. Reality Management. The Multi-and Omniverse TI (Technological Intelligence). mRNA technology and nanotechnology.   Who is George Kavassilas? George Kavassilas is an author, mentor, and public speaker. George has had a lifetime of experiences beyond the ordinary, encountering a wide spectrum of expressions of life both Inter-Dimensional and Extra-Terrestrial in nature. As a consequence, he went through a process of reconciling the knowledge and wisdom gained from these experiences and came to realise a natural responsibility to share what he has learned with our global community. George now embodies a limitless passion in addressing life’s primordial questions: “Who are we? Where do we come from? and What are we doing here?”   George knows his life path includes a focus to expose all levels of deception, no matter how far they go. He carries a deep-seated sense of responsibility to help liberate our Humanity from all forms of imposing doctrine and dogma, without exception - be they Earthly or even Cosmic in nature. As George says, “It’s really a remembering process to revitalise and resurrect the Sovereign and Infinite Being you truly are.” The Extent - The Challenge - The Creative Solution   CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST    Resources: George's website To contact George Superwoo Radio (George's Podcast) Our Universal Journey (George's Book)   Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast? A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We’d also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or  check us out on Stitcher, CastBox, iHeart RADIO:)! Plus  we're on Spotify!   Check Out The Transcript Here:   Mason: (00:00) George, thank you so much for coming on. I've been so looking forward to this.   George Kavassilas: (00:06) Yeah Mason, thank you as well. I see you as a brother in life, and I'm just really, really grateful that you invited me back on. Thank you.   Mason: (00:17) And it was New Year, 2015, I want to say. I think maybe even 2014, actually, where we met at a New Year's party in Byron, lots has happened since then. It's great to still be connected with you. And as I was telling you beforehand, it's funny, like I jumped out five minutes before we had to get on another podcast and went to the toilet and could hear the booming Kavassilas voice downstairs. And it was your son, who never comes to the warehouse. It's just.   George Kavassilas: (00:51) Turns up five minutes before we're on.   Mason: (00:54) So good. He actually, he said to send his love shit forgot to send. But it's yeah, it's so beautiful to arrive here. And I know there's many people in the SuperFeast community that do know your work, I know that for sure, a lot of people have heard the podcasts we did years back on the Mason Taylor Show. And that's still the most downloaded episode on that podcast. There's a lot of people that aren't aware of your work. And I thought, especially since we talk so much about Taoism, the yogic universe. But we talk so much about going back to its roots, almost its Shamanic earth-based roots and not the colonisation of the systems. And that is you take that into such a more macro, micro at the same time in your work, in the education through your workshops, through your one-on-ones, through your podcast, your book.   Mason: (02:09) And so, I'd love to just ask that general question and ask for that sharing for those that haven't been exposed to your insights and your experience yet to share your core work and perhaps even your experience of the universe, what it is, but I'll just leave it out there. It's such a hard one to kind of ask.   George Kavassilas: (02:38) It might be. What a cracker. For me, it's a lifetime of experiences from when I was a little baby, it's just been steady throughout my whole life. Sure, there's quiet periods and then, they ramp up again and then, and as I mature and I grow and I evolve, the experiences change as well. So in the last three years was a winding up of my agreements with what people call the SSP or the Secret Space programme, or, you know, in some MyLab agreements that I had in place and now for me I didn't sign anything from this incarnation. This was all preordained prior incarnation that I, the agreements were made prior to incarnating that all would work with these groups. And so that's all come to a close now, you know.   Mason: (03:37) What do you mean by working with them?   George Kavassilas: (03:37) I would offer myself up to go on missions and to be trained and go on missions by them training to a degree. But, you know, because they, it's kind of interesting in the sense that they, they end up getting power hungry and then what they want to do is hold onto someone like myself and then use someone like myself as an asset to push the boundaries or even just be belligerent and not give two cahoots about the original agreement. And they just get lost in their own power trip, basically become self deluded. I call it like a porcelain glaze that, you know, that comes over people and they get lost in it. So that's all come to a close and that's just one example. And now, you know, my interactions with the matrix and with other power groups it's changed. And I'm merging into more of a background advisory role to the civilization builders that are here on earth now who are building the next expression of civilization on earth. And it's a really wonderful role to be playing.   Mason: (04:59) So let's look at the context of what the purpose is of building new, you know, like an evolution of civilization. Why are we doing that? Why are we like what's the purpose of moving in those directions and working on this. I mean, I'm kind of framing it up there of like, I guess, especially heavily on the subject of your book is where are we in? Where are we ending up here?   George Kavassilas: (05:27) Yeah. And it's, you know, a lot of people with my opening statements just now probably going, what's he talking about.   Mason: (05:32) Everyone just hold on, everyone. It really like a lot to have context to build in. We don't have a short amount of time. We've got as long as we want, but holding now like, you know if especially, if you haven't hang in there, it'll be take the journey. It'll, it'll it'll land   George Kavassilas: (05:57) And it'll come. It looks, it'll be self-explanatory as we go along. And so humanity's at a really interesting stage. Like you could say we're at a crossroads and that's as obvious as it gets. And, you know, there's this old saying, we are the ones who are mining for how many people are actually transferring that from an Ideological concept into the being and living the expression of that and you're one who's doing that for sure. And there's lots of people who are listening, who are doing that. However, there'll be people who are listening, who are feeling a bit lost and not really sure about what they're supposed to be doing in this world. And even on the way there, this morning at a beautiful dialogue on the phone with a friend of mine, who's really, really awake and aware, but she was like, I'm feeling lost at the moment.   George Kavassilas: (06:57) Don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. And I feel that this is, this is where a lot of us are at the moment. And so there's other people that I've been speaking with lately who are overwoken to their fundamental purpose. And the fundamental purpose is the language, you know, it's the Georges and that I use, it's just called fundamental purpose. And that is for our existence here, why did I really come to this world? What did I really come to earth and incarnate? What was the main, well, let's call it the paramount or the principle, the foundational reason why I came to have an incarnation on earth at this time, when it's the timing, see when you've got this entity called humanity as a single organism, and then you have this incredible planet, which has got more biodiversity here compressed into one space, time location due to the fractal nature of it all than any other reality in the universe. And these two entities are having this most dynamic relationship and we've come right into that space right in the middle, right in the middle of there. And there are many of us who are here that are aware that we have come to engage. We have come to participate and facilitate and support and do all these wonderful things in the evolutionary leap that both mother earth and this entity called humanity, are both co-creating and symbiotically experiencing right now. And we are here to do exactly that to engage and the universal law of non-interference has been overridden for quite a large group of beings to come and to engage. And now there's, you know, because I work very deeply in exo politics and cosmo politics. That's the two areas that I specialise in, and these are the skillsets I bring into this lifetime. And I've been, as you know, I've had a lot of experiences in my life.   George Kavassilas: (09:07) We've had a lot of, you know, private talks about that. And they've been quite extraordinary in nature. And it was all leading up to the work that I'm doing now, which is more of that advisory role in the background, because the evolutionary leap that we're in now, it's this next step. And so if the next step goes in a direction, let's say the next step goes over here, but we needed to go over here because of the step that comes after that. Okay. If, if we don't have this next step in our evolution, heading in the direction, it needs to go in, and let's say, we get pulled over here then to bring it from out of the heat, back to where it was supposed to go in. The following step is such a big gap and it's going to create a lot of pain and suffering to bring it back course corrected.   George Kavassilas: (09:57) And so people like myself are here and others we're here to actually play that mentoring advisory role because the civilization builders that are here at the moment working behind the scenes to create the next expression of civilization on our planet, which is being implemented over the next five years, I would say, and then we'll be living it for another 10 years before it changes again, where we're looking at helping to mentor and guide the folks who are here doing this fabulous work to create the structures and expressions of society that are going to be beneficial. And I mean, heading in that direction towards that place, that both mother earth and humanity and the solar being, the galactic being, the cosmic being, the universal being are all intending it to go to, but they're allowing a certain amount of leeway in the process.   Mason: (10:58) Would you mind, I know this is another big conversation where I'm feeling is to even step back into get context of where we from in your experience and what you teach the universal being, what is the universal being? What is that? And what is that journey that we've gone through up until this point and how did we undergo it?   George Kavassilas: (11:24) Yeah, that's a big question. That's okay. So, you know, what is a universe? A universe is from the infinite nature of life of being expresses itself. And that expression becomes manifested. And that manifestation from that space becomes what we call a universe, a reality. And the being who expressed itself in that form is the prime creator of that space. So then it's responsible for everything. So it has the ultimate responsibility and it has the ultimate authority. That's the way natural law and law spelled L O R E natural lore. That's why that's the tenant. That's the main tenant of natural laws. Only one covers everything, you know, and the ultimate, the prime creator of a reality is the ultimate authority of that reality. And these are the ultimate responsibility of that reality. And there's no escaping that. That's the way life operates.   George Kavassilas: (12:25) So it's about, you know, and it's the same for us on a, on a micro level. You know, we are the prime creator of our experiences. So, you know, how long are we going to sit back and play the blame game for when's the time that we're going to actually step up step into our responsibility and our natural authority, and then work in conjunction in harmony with these intelligences, which are these beings. So meaning from the universal being, and then there's, it's cosmic expression, which is the multiverse, which is inside this grand universe. And, and there are other universes in the omniverse beyond this universe. Okay. Lots of universes, countless. And what we call the multiverse, which is full of parallel universes, because it's multiple versions of the one verse, meaning this expression of unit universal creation.   George Kavassilas: (13:18) So that's what a multiverse is, it's an omniverse all different each, each universal construct is, is uniquely different because it's all different expressions. Okay. Whereas the multi- verse is the one construct meaning light, which is what this universe is made of and multiple versions. And that's the parallel universe is at quantum physics talks about in quantum mechanics. So that's the multiverse, but that's all in, what's called the grand cosmic arena of this universe. Okay. So that's what I call a cosmic. There's the cosmic being. So there's the expression of the universal being that holds in space, holds the space for the entire multiverse to exist.   George Kavassilas: (14:03) And then a grander aspect of that being is actually the entire universe structure itself. But it's a, so it's like think of it as a stepping down is not the right word, stepping out is probably more accurate, you know, into more of an outward expression. It's not the true nature of life is not hierarchical. It's more concentric. So what people term the higher realms in more to be more accurate are the inner realms. And what people call the lower realms in their hierarchical entrainment. Is really the outer realms.   George Kavassilas: (14:49) And if we can make that switch, you know, the way and our modus operandi of our thinking, then it will really help a great deal for people to come back home to the natural way of life. And because we are, you know, you said earlier now preamble to the interviews, like how do we relate? And that's the key word relating to whatever well, that's because we're in an active, conscious relationship with, and that's how we relating through that relationship. So how do I relate to the universal being? Well, that's a personal thing between me and the universal bang and I'm in a co-creative process with that being I'm not lesser than, or not subservient to, okay, this is, we're talking about the natural order now, right. The natural way of life and the natural way of life. So the universal bang, which is separate to the God of religions, I just want to make that distinction absolutely clear. Once people realise there's the prime creator of this universe, and then there's the God of religions, and they're actually two different things we're talking about, even though one's trying to mimic the other.   Mason: (16:04) We'll definitely get to dive into that.   George Kavassilas: (16:07) And all of a sudden we've now got, you know, something real going on and all of a sudden it's a pure organic, natural relationship internally. And to, I guess, to settle into that relationship, we can only really settle into that relationship, but we start accessing our own multidimensional nature within ourselves.   Mason: (16:31) How did you in your experience, because this is something I liked why I love talking to you, and you made an initial distinction there around primary creator of the universe and having a relationship with that creator that isn't subservient or lesser than, and then the relationship to a religious God, which has a superiority in, in kind of complex. So that's initial, that's a huge distinction. That was a really significant one with me that I've gone on a journey with for six years without ever having to believe you. And that's something I want to throw out there early, because I think it does, I think you'd be aware that you do a good job at keeping yourself slippery, that you don't create a system that people need to believe in, have faith in externally. And that's something, this is just really interesting distinctions experiences you've had in conversation. So I'll keep on asking you in that sense of going through your experience in what you teach. I just wanted to throw that out there and by all means, if you want to jump off that diving board, now that'd be great. But I also wanted to lead into how did your relationship begin with the crew with the primary creator of this universe?   George Kavassilas: (17:52) Yeah, when was that stage in my life when it really started to happen.   Mason: (17:57) And also in the whole macro conversation, just, I always, maybe I'm a bit rusty and remembering, where did you actually start? How did you start dancing in this universe to begin with? And what was the incentive to actually engage for you created by these universe? Are you just that's where I think there's a distinction. I feel I kind of couldn't use a refresher on there as well.   George Kavassilas: (18:20) Oh, absolutely. We are all infinite. I'm just going to tell you straight out, we're all infinite. That's we are infinite, that's it. And what does that mean? You know, how does that feel? Well, there's no beginning or end to our existence and we always have been, and always will be for someone to have absolute power over you. They have to convince you that they created you. And so that's a different model. That's a different approach. Entering this universe was this being expressed itself. And everybody just went, whoa, it's freaking awesome. I want me some of that, you know, the being from the infant nature of life, it's just a peer, you know, a peer being.   George Kavassilas: (19:15) It's like, well, hang on, just let me sort this out first. And, and then I'll create processes. And then you can all enter into my universe and go through the process, which is what we do in the omniverse. It's full of curiosity and adventure and love, you know, what we call it, it's beyond our notion of love, but you get the idea right. Of what love is. And so that's that harmonious invisible thing that binds all live together in harmony without, you know, mutual destruction. So it's a so to speak or distortion, so that's ever present. And so to enter this universe, it was like the universal being was creating its own processes of exploring its own expression.   George Kavassilas: (20:05) So it needed to work that out first. And then once it did, then it created pathways and processes, and then invited other beings in. And really the attraction to this universe is this is the only universe that will dissect you from the inside out and show you things about yourself that you've never even, even knew existed and all of your light and all of your shadow. And this is the only universe that does that. So beings get to take a journey which could take aeons and aeons and aeons of time just depends on, you know, the pathways, but generally on average, it's quite a few aeons, but yeah, for some it's even longer, and really you get to take a journey into exploring of, of being expressing yourself one way and then expressing yourself another. And so we end up with these expressions of alter egos of self, and then depending on how far you go, depending on how polarised you become.   George Kavassilas: (21:11) And it's a really fascinating journey. It's a fascinating universe. And it provides an incredible service in that way. The opportunity to really know oneself in a way like never before. And it's not a prison system, it's fully voluntary. There is a realisation though, once people enter into the process that you really got to see it through because you're starting to fragment yourself into all these different expressions of both sides of the ledger. And you can't just pull out there because you got to bring those fragmented states back into a unity and it's got to be done harmoniously. And the wisdom needs to be extracted from that experience. You know? So once one enters the process and your greater being knows this, then you're in and you see it through. And where we are at is having adventure through the grand cosmic arena, the multiverse and having adventure through many different escapades and adventures.   George Kavassilas: (22:25) The universal bang has provided a pathway to exit the grand cosmic arena or the multiverse. And we are in this process. And in fact, we're at the end of the process, we're actually leading, you see the human race, the war for control of humanity is so intense right now it's the biggest thing going on in the universe is what's going on planet earth right now. And we are in our living fractals so our cells, our galaxies, our molecules, and Nebula and atoms are star systems. And we are a living fractal of our entire existence in this universe.   George Kavassilas: (23:08) And so there's babies being born in this world that have access to more life force than any of the gods out there, and they're freaking out. And so they've done their best over the last, or it goes all the way back to about 365,000 years. But let's say, just keep it localised. The last 6,000 years has been the most intense in the effort to subjugate, apprehend and subjugate the human race.   Mason: (23:37) And why is that? What are, what are humans?   George Kavassilas: (23:41) Because they are jealous? And they feel threatened by who and what we are as a species and what we're evolving into. Because as a fractal of our entire existence in the universe, we now have an opportunity to integrate into a unified expression and become a fully fledged universal light bang, you know, where we fully integrated back into a unity. And then, you know, you can leave the universe, you can stay in the universe, you can do whatever you want.   George Kavassilas: (24:10) It's, you know, it's, and that's freedom. That's total freedom. That's coming out of the process and it's coming out of all the beings that want to try and lure us and keep us back in, think of the grand cosmic arena as a space. And that's to think of it as a universal stage where one's role-playing for one another and everyone's in character, everyone's in persona. And that's where the God's reside is in that space. They don't own the whole thing, but they only control a very small part of it, but because it's such a big space and you go into their realities and their realms, then you're going to think you're in a whole new universe, but you're not, you're just in their spaces.   Mason: (24:53) I love it. I'm going to bring up, like, I think, I don't think I said it on the pod yet, but it's something Tahnee often. Like, you know, we always enjoy our conversations together and Tawny always. I think she, I think she's talked to you about this, but says to me as well, she's like that's yoga, Rapinoe, yoga, that's original yoga. That's, that's Taoism. That's original Taoism. I think maybe I did mention it before we jumped on the pod. That it's always my favourite thing to hear after talking to you and sometimes Tahn's because your presenting your experience and then offering everyone to go and have their own experience. Tahnee kind of refers to your experience as the Star Wars.   Mason: (25:42) So for her, she maybe doesn't have the same terminology or experiences, whether it's the same thing being perceived in a different way. I don't know whether it's your experiencing more, you know, nuance to the reality and manoeuvring through that. And she's looking at something overarching, you know, based on the original yogic practises and texts. And let's talk about that in where w why is there an original yoga and why is there say like an essence of yoga and an essence of Taoism where we can go, all right, they're talking about the exact same thing, because that's a perception and relating to reality, what happens then? Why is there an original? And now, you know, you mentioned the control of humanity, you know, like, what does it come in.   George Kavassilas: (26:40) Well, as a cosmic concrete, you got to look at a civilization.   Mason: (26:44) Who's the cosmic conqueror here? Like, this is there. This is a fun one, I think, cause like, I'm all I'm thinking. Well, wait, what? What's that?   George Kavassilas: (26:52) So cosmic conqueror is an entity that goes around conquering planetary systems, star systems. And even to the degree of, you know, some of the more hefty gods, but it will assimilate entire galactic system into their structure of the influence in power. And basically it's a shift in vibration. So the reality has changed as well. We're seeing, we're bearing witness to that here. Where we're right in the middle of that drama playing out right here on our planet. We're bearing witness to it. And you can feel the shift in vibrations. You can feel the shift in reality, you can feel the split in consciousness, you know, the pull in one direction and that your heart and your inner being is saying, "No, don't go down that far. That's not going to end well." And where you know, most thankfully most of us are listening.   George Kavassilas: (27:49) Unfortunately, the majority of the population of the world. And I said, us, meaning, you know, soul tribe, soul families, but the majority of the population I'm pointing that direction. Cause I got windows and I can see houses and stuff. Most of the population, unfortunately allowing themselves to be apprehended and subjugated through mind control and the control of their consciousness. And so cosmic conqueror, that's what it does, or study a species, let's say it comes up to a planet and it wants to conquer that planetary race.   George Kavassilas: (28:24) Well, the very immature Conquerors or gods the newbies, what they will do is I'll put it in a form of control structure top down hierarchy and use governance by force. And that's really immature. And those methods have been transcended quite a long time ago, by the more powerful, more sophisticated entities, i think Buddhism bought a warned about these celestial entities which in Christendom, you could call them the gods, and show you've got this thing about the one that wants to be the God of gods claiming to be the God of gods.   George Kavassilas: (29:06) So that's a power struggle in the hologram of the gods in their realities. But they've got a throne and one sits upon the throne and all the others, it's all hierarchy and their whole, all of their realities are built on what people term sacred geometry. So it's all numbers, mass technology and sacred geometry, sophisticated technologies and different versions of light. So that's all the hologram of the gods and the natural way of life and the natural way of love doesn't use maths or geometry or technology in its pure expression. We do tend to use some technologies when needed, but, you know, it's only for convenience or fun, but most civilizations or society's, doesn't even use any technology. It's just a pure relationship with reality. So it's just not needed. And, but the cosmic conqueror.   George Kavassilas: (30:03) ... and the cosmic conquerable approach, a planetary population, and it will study it, and study it, and study it. And it will reach as deep into the reality as it can, and then control from the bottom up. That's the more sophisticated way. And will study the spiritual doctrines, the cultural practises and all that, and will see how it can take it from its original and twist it and slant it and move it over, and so now people are heading in a different direction when they use your version of it compared to the original, and then you give them technologies that they then, that technology becomes the lenses that they see reality through, and then that controls the evolutionary path of that species as well.   Mason: (30:51) All right. So many directions I want to go in. I'm going to bring it up for a lot of people. Again, I really relate to your experiences and I've gone from really feeling your experience to going back and sitting by myself, and then going forth and seeing how much of it is I'm enjoying. There's something in the story, a lot of the time, there's something even the storytelling of what you share that ignites something in me. And then I go away for a few years and I sit and feel, "What does that mean for me?" And maybe I don't experience a nuance or specifics in particular that you, but yet there's some kind of universal truth within me that I get pointed towards, but I really relate to almost the personification of these energies of the gods.   Mason: (31:49) And then, just for listening for those people that are just to seed it in the uniqueness, for [Tani 00:31:57], she may not have a personification of those energies. She really relates to the, experiencing them in the inner world and feeling when a technology pulls her off her natural course, and she will relate in a more kinetic way, rather than having a story play out for her. And I don't know what's right or wrong, but I think that's important. I share it because that was a really important distinction for me.   Mason: (32:24) I might tell you why as well, because how do you, knowing you, such a loving man. I've sat next to you in ceremony, I've experienced your being in that context. When you go in and talk about the gods that desire to conquer and be superior, and sit on the throne that can be, I know, confronting, for people who have been bowing down and attributing their existence to a deity. There's then a journey that goes on, lots of questions to be asked.   Mason: (33:11) I know that, but how, with those forces being present, there, you can see a split happen sometimes where this dips into people's more paranoid, opposition-based, angry, resentful, conspiracy theory, kind of minds, and how do you navigate not becoming either resentful towards, I guess it's good. This information comes up, and if you're feeling angry about it, generally, there's something to explore. You're not being asked to believe anything. You can explore if there's anger, if there's nothing and you're feeling neutral, wonderful. But then if you're starting to feel like, "How dare they," and the violation, how do you continue to go towards your own unification without going to war, getting swept up in the the day to day, conspiracy, paranoia?   George Kavassilas: (34:03) Yeah. And that was something that I, and you, and everyone's been confronted with lately, with the dramas that have been playing out over the last 18 months. So, and for me, it was like I engaged to a certain degree. And, but also always held my own, and just stayed on my own evolutionary path, and really want to focus on my creative process, because we can't think our way out of this, we've been trying this for millennia, right. Thinking our way out of it's not going to work. We actually have to create our way out of this situation that we're in. So for me, that's how I operate in that way.   George Kavassilas: (34:39) The reason I understand more of the personification side of it is because fields of consciousness, they gather, and there's a harmonic resonant field between different expressions of consciousness, and especially ones that have a similar theme. And what happens is they all coalesce and they go into this single expression. And a lot of collective hard mines get created out of one consciousness. That one, like you got the queen of the beehive, or you've got the queen of an ant colony, and understanding these processes and how they function on a celestial level, on a multidimensional level in the cosmic arena. When we're talking about parallel universes and all this sort of stuff, and what is that environment like? What are those ecosystems like?   George Kavassilas: (35:38) So I'm coming from that space. And the reason I do that is because I'm fully engaged in the exo-political, cosmo-political, and I need to have clarity, whereas someone else, that's not their specialty. They have other areas I need to specialise in, they can touch on it, but they don't have to fully engage with it like I do. Do you know what I mean? We all got to honour our paths and what we're here to focus on. And so, for someone like Tan's, she gets it. She doesn't need to have all the details and all the degrees of relationship, one-on-one with these, what we calling personifications of these expressions of consciousness, because, who's the prime creator of it?   George Kavassilas: (36:34) So, because where I'm coming from is creational level, operating on a creational level, because I have to, because of the work that I do. Where a lot of other people don't have to do that, so it's not necessary for people to have that degree of comprehension on the detail and engagement and relationship with these entities, they need to focus in other areas. So that's why that happens. That's how I see it.   Mason: (37:02) I think a really good example is that we've talked about a lot on this podcast, and we talked about on your podcast, Super Woo.   George Kavassilas: (37:14) Thank you. It's a good name, isn't it?   Mason: (37:17) Super Woo Radio is the colonisation of Chinese medicine, and it's a really visceral, I guess, example of what George is talking about. And if you haven't heard us talk about it, we've got lots of backlog in discussing it. You can go listen to my podcast with George on his Super Woo Radio, or the first Rhonda Chang podcast we did called, Chinese Medicine, Masquerading as E, which is true medicine. And it simply goes, you can see it simply at some point, it becomes commodified and mind-based. As you just said, you can't think your way in through this unification process that we're going on. And so if you turn a system, which is based on creativity and perception of the natural order, and nature itself, and you turn it into something that's black and white, systemized, commodified, and can be taught through rope learning, all of a sudden that has been taken completely out of creative process and taken completely out of the natural way and the source.   Mason: (38:29) And so that's what's happened, especially throughout time. It's been slowly happening, especially since 400 AD, I think it is when you first started getting the record of the battles between those who loved the classical, the simple, yin-yang nature of observing the light-based nature of this universe, and the constant transformational process, and the constant creative process. And you are going to need to engage with yourself and learn about yourself and life, and then maybe you'll have the opportunity to understand the uniqueness of each person that comes and sits in front of you. And then you start getting the, 400 AD, you start getting the first, "This herb is exactly for that issue," and them going, "You can't say that if you can't, you can't put a label on the being that is that herb, and the energetic nature in which it's uniquely interacting with the humans, meridians and their systems of chi and their elements. That's impossible, and you're diluting the system."   Mason: (39:24) And then in the fifties, you literally see a new version of Chinese medicine being created, which is what is taught. Traditional Chinese medicine is what people call it, and it's commodified, and it's based on the mind. And it tells you, "If this is happening, then you do this." Although there might be a little bit of that in the generality sense in classical, that is just your opening the door of, "You might see that this is a pattern," and then once you engage with that pattern, it goes, "Now you could become more advanced and start weaving in your own ways that are real."   Mason: (39:58) And that's something, I think about it a lot. I think I use my opportunity in these tonic curves and talking to a lot of classical practitioners and interacting with a lot of TCM practitioners, and they get really angry when I go outside of their system, sometimes. Not all of them, a lot of them. And you talking about never being created, not having a God that created you, and so and so on and so forth. I remember that creates a feeling internally where you go, "Oh, wow, there's some truth there." And that's what a lot of practitioners feel when we talk about this, at the heart of it is just nature. And not being in a place of pathology and Western medicine, and Western disease states and so on and so forth, looking at the organism and feeling the organism as a whole, and being with the chi and the reality of that human. A lot of people that have gone through the Western TCM education go, "I felt there was something not right about that." And then you get the opportunity to go on your own learning experience.   George Kavassilas: (41:10) Yeah. And our existence in this universe is a co-creation. It's based on love, honour and respect. And I respect that I'm in this universe, inside the body of this universal being. I come to your place, Mase, and I respect that I'm in your home. And I'm going to act accordingly, with love, honour and respect. So it's not subservient, I'm not subservient to you. You treat me as an equal, but it's just about respect. Really. It's not rocket science, so I'm not subservient to the universal being. It's a co-creation. However, I do fully comprehend that I'm on a particular pathway, and inner process on the universal scale, and that's how I live that process. When I try to stray from it too far, I'm going to know about it, and it's not just me, the ego, this is orchestrated from the heart of the universe, from the core of the universe, where my being is still there in full unity with the universal being. And it's from there that we project outwardly into our creative process, all different expressions. So there is no disconnect between us and the universal being.   Mason: (42:35) I might just point out, one other thing that was significant to me that I don't think has been mentioned, and the context hasn't been created yet, which was really important to me. And I think especially this day and age, you see there's certain intellectual psychologists now who are coming forth with this bubble bursting and relieving message, which a lot of, whether it's Jungian psychology or, most have always known, that, "Don't pretend that you're better than anyone else in humanity that's done these atrocities. You are capable of the ultimate atrocities, everything that's happened, the dictators and the people at the helm of genocides and all these things, don't look down your nose at that. Realise that what was in them is inside of you." And once you've acknowledged that there is that shadow or that lack of, that capacity. And that's where I remember talking about these gods, and you're saying, it's not like I can judge them. I've been there and had that experience of being these gods who want to dominate, and-   George Kavassilas: (43:47) Yeah. We all have. We all have. If we're here on Earth, and we're bringing our journey through this grand cosmic arena to a close, it means we've seen everything there is to see, we've done everything there is to do, we've been everything there is to be, and we're bringing it all home into our unity. All the unification processes, not all, most, are happening beyond the subconscious, even. You get access to it through the subconscious, and then in the conscious realm, you're experiencing very little.   George Kavassilas: (44:20) Even right now, this beautiful pow-wow you and I are having together right now, it appeases the persona, the ego persona of George, ego persona of Mason, and we're having some good banter. However, there's a whole lot more going on behind the scenes, multi-dimensionally and this dialogue together is like a ripple effect, because of the fractal nature of this world, rippling out through the universe and impacting the universe in such a significant way. And so every interaction we have, the old song Metallica did, "Nothing really matters." It's both, nothing really matters, and everything matters. Once you grasp that, then it's like, "Wow." So you could say from one perspective, it doesn't really matter. But then from another perspective, the ripple effect, it's having an impact, I'm not going to live in denial of that. That's the structure of life. It's the structure of reality, why deny that?   George Kavassilas: (45:15) And for us, for folks like you and I, we're all about taking responsibility for our lives, because we know we're having an impact. So we're going to own it. We're not going to cop out. This is the issue of, and I bring this up in my courses and my lectures and all those seminars. And I'm like, "Well, let's look at all the narratives that are coming." Because this is politics. Narratives are trying to convince the human race that they are something that they're actually not.   George Kavassilas: (45:52) And all the work that I've been doing, the amount of reverence from all the races out there in the natural order that they have for us as a humanity on earth, they're just shaking their heads, and freaking out in awe and wonder, how are we actually doing this? When you look at the onslaught of what is being imposed upon the human race, from every angle possible, the water that we drink, the air that we breathe, the foods that we eat, the trauma-based mind control through the collective media, the control media outlets. And it's just incredible. The militarization, the genetic manipulation now, well, it always has been, but now it's next level. So we're having everything thrown at us, all our spiritual doctrines being hijacked throughout time, and no other race in the universe that is under so much onslaught, like we are. And that's because of who and what we are as a race. And out there, they hold us in great reverence. And we are also connected to so many, everything I think and feel here is impacting many civilizations out there, because we all have agreements, because of the fractal nature. It's like, "Who's our tribe out there? Where did we come from before we came to have an incarnation in this human vessel? And what are our affiliations, what are our agreements?" And if I'm having, say there's an aspect of my being that's a head of an empire, in the past, out there, and I have an interaction and a debate with somebody who was the head of another empire out there, or is, and then we're debating it here, and everything that's playing out here, and we find peace amongst ourselves here, now is rippling out. And, and rather than having intergalactic or interstellar wars, now those peoples understand the codes that are required to bring peace between the two nations.   Mason: (47:56) Oh, that's a fun thought. Fun feeling, I should say. Very fun.   George Kavassilas: (48:02) Yeah. Exactly. But this is the structure that's happening in the background. This is because of the fractal nature. It's too much for our current psyche to cope with all the detail of everything that's going on.   Mason: (48:16) And that's just what, any time you go... Just say, you go back into Taoism and yoga. you can get versions that are out there, they're out there in terms of what's going on, on a universal level and what the intention around a lot of the practises are. But ultimately you go back to all of these traditions. If you look at shamanism in Australia, in South America, the level of awareness of what's actually going on, which can be seen as storytelling, and perhaps for many people it's useful, then, to go, this is just a metaphor for what's going on internally. That's fine. I think sometimes I need to be there. Sometimes it's too much for me when I'm just trying to be a dad, and run a business, and budget. I fly out there. You know what it's like to fly out, or fly in there, I should say.   Mason: (49:10) But I've flown off in enjoying that conversation. But when you get down to the essence of all of these traditions, or any person who's just integrated and has, whether it comes from Taoism, or the people living on this land here, the wise ones, it's always about coming down to yourself, constantly evolving. Look after your body, look after yourself, stay connected to the natural world, and what you can feel and perceive, take responsibility, become a person.   Mason: (49:49) Taoism is all about growing that virtuous nature, and opening, going through the waters of fear, learning what's a really beautiful fear, and how fear helps you interact with the natural world. And then when it becomes illogical and doesn't feel right anymore, and then you go, and then moving through that and allowing that to then bolster you up, and then the Taoists call it, then, the spirit of the kidneys express. It's a [Zhi 00:50:16], which is will, and then that's a will to take on further tasks and responsibility in your own life, and in the world.   Mason: (50:23) And they're all just very simple, just focus on yourself and what's in front of you, which is really useful for me to remember when going through these conversations, and I get this distinction, then I land in myself, and that's something I always enjoyed about you. You're going through your journey. And there's people listening who maybe have a greater sensitivity to the way that you're relating to this, some people who have a very practical relationship with the world, and that's perfect for them, and just directly relating with what's physically in front of them. But nonetheless, if all of this is going on behind the scenes, how do you keep yourself in the flow? What are your practises, your lifestyle, to steady this, to enable it to happen with harmony?   George Kavassilas: (51:17) Good question. Okay. So what I found the most effective way for me was to just put aside all of the belief systems that I had. Right. And I wanted to strip it all down to the most simplistic basics that I could get it to. And what I did was it was more, I'd say it's at the heart of Taoism, or at the heart of the original yoga or Yogi. And at the heart of shamanism, there's this, it's as basic as it gets. We're incarnate in this form on this planet. Okay. I'm getting to know who I am, but who's the planet? And what's this dynamic relationship I'm having? Yeah. So we call her Mother Earth. Okay. That's great. That's a good description. But who is she really, beyond the descriptive of, "Mother Earth?" And then it's like, "Okay. So if I'm incarnate on this planet, I'm also incarnate inside of a solar system. So who's the solar being? And what's this dynamic relationship that I've chosen to incarnate into its solar body?" Yeah. And it's the prime creator of this whole solar space.   George Kavassilas: (52:43) And then, because earth is nested inside that reality. And now what are we talking about? We're talking about ecosystems, we're talking about environment, and we're talking to that prime creators of ecosystems and realities of which we occupy, which means we are in direct relationship with, every moment, that we exist inside these realities every moment, right now, every single one of us is in direct relationship, look, with breathing in her atmosphere, drinking her waters. She provides us with the foods that we eat. And people go, "I'm not connected to Mother Earth. How do I connect?" I'm like, "How much more connected do you want to be?" Right?   George Kavassilas: (53:24) The only issue when people ask that question is, it's just this membrane of consciousness in the consciousness field, it's just a thin membrane. And it's just preventing people from having that consciously aware relationship. But the rest of us are fully in a relationship. Like I said, breathing in her atmosphere, drinking her waters, eating her foods, living the experience of living on her planetary body. It's as engaged and as interconnected into a relationship and intimate as it can get. So the notion that you're not connected to Mother Earth, the problem's up here, not in reality, it's not seated in reality. The reality is, we are all in a very deep and intimate relationship with Mother Earth, and this being that we call Mother Earth.   George Kavassilas: (54:15) And then, the same with this solar being, and the solar system's nested inside the galactic reality. Okay. So now we're in relationship with the galactic being, nested inside the cosmic reality, cosmic being, nested inside the universal reality, and all the way home to the universal being, which is then, from there, then you go beyond the universe, into the infinite nature of life.   George Kavassilas: (54:37) And so, once we understand that these are very real relationships that we are actively engaged in, and it's just a choice away, whether we're going to consciously engage in these relationships, which are already there. So I'm not it's like people go, "I want to be spiritual. And you've got to do all these practises and you got to do this, that, and the other," I'm like, " Well, no, you don't. All you need to do is settle back into what already exists." So I'm not asking people to achieve something that doesn't exist. And you'll notice that there's all these other spiritual doctrines out there, that are all trying to get people to create something that doesn't already exist, and they must go and achieve it, and create it.   Mason: (55:25) Can you give an example of that?   George Kavassilas: (55:28) Let's say somebody who wants to be able to have a high degree of intellect. So then, they must go and do their Kundalini practises to get that energy, to go up the spine, up the 33 vertebrae to hit the eye of God, sorry, the pineal gland, which is becoming a 33rd degree Freemason. Ooh, is there an analogy there somewhere? And then that then calibrates them to the hologram of the gods, and then all of a sudden, boom, they have incredible degrees of intellect and some form of intelligence. However, that's not the natural way, the natural way is relaxing back in, or settling back into a relationship from heart soul lessons, to the heart soul lessons of Mother Earth, to the heart soul lessons of the solar being, the galactic being, the cosmic being, the universal being. Relationships that are already there. And all the knowledge of life resides in that unified field of love. So this is my third eye, not a gland in my head.   Mason: (56:35) He's touching his heart, for those of you on audio.   George Kavassilas: (56:38) Yep. This is where I connect to everyone and everything, and can access all the knowledge of life in the natural way. Rather than, if you look at the idea of accessing the knowledge of life through a gland in your head. Well, I understand that process in that way, I've lived lots of lifetimes where I engage in those practises and those processes, but I know where that ends up. Everything has a frequency spectrum. So, what's the frequency spectrum of the heart soul essence? What range does it have? Eg. example, the unified field of unconditional love for the entire universal realm, existence, and beyond, compared to a gland in your head, which has a very narrow band and can only access a hologram of the gods, can't access the natural realm.   George Kavassilas: (57:42) So, what choice are you going to make? And are we going to be lured into spiritual practises that are marketed really, really well, with pretty colours, and lots of candy, cosmic candy, I call it. And yeah, I'm having a bit of a go, but the reason I'm being a little bit belligerent in this way is because sometimes we need a bit of a wake-up call, and to understand everything has a frequency spectrum in this universe. So when you realise the bandwidth of something, and the realities it has reached into then all of a sudden, hey, no matter what the narrative is, and no matter what the peer group pressure is to get involved in these practises and all these things, what am I going to do? What's right for me?   George Kavassilas: (58:39) And I chose to be. The old, "To be, or not to be, whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." Well, I made a decision to be, and to stand true. And I suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. I copped a lot of abuse, and occasionally still do, from people who are steeped in those spiritual narratives, which is what a cosmic conquer does. You put control systems in play in a civilization, and then you build spiritual narratives around that control system. And now what you've got is, you're using the ultimate weapon, which is love, against that population, because now you've got them in reverence of your control system. And now they're devoting and loving your processes, which now you have overridden the problem of free will in the universe.   Mason: (59:35) I might be annoying and share another little insight there, based on having looked at this for a long time, and something I now relate, because you're having a go, sometimes I'm like, "Oh, that can be triggering for me," knowing that there are going to be people listening who might get triggered by talk of maybe more, and the important is new age, not old age, relating to-   Mason: (01:00:03) ... important is new age, not old age relating to clans and so on and so forth, though I know there's a whole other conversation there. But, to say like a new age relating to practises, types of yoga and spiritual processes, that will initiate you into blah, blah, blah, being this and that. I know that maybe there's someone listening to that who might have a reaction. And I think that's kind of recently why I got into comedy for myself. Because I found the most useful thing that ever happened was even when there's an introduction to an idea like that in your insights and distinctions, say around the third eye pineal gland, and it's a good check because if you find yourself, and I'll speak from personal experience around other things, not that one, but if you find yourself getting charged from that challenge or insight, charged in a way of, "I feel opposed to that, and that offends me and I'm defensive," or, charged in the way of like, "Yeah, like bloody tell them for me," it shows that I've got some work of relating to that conversation in general.   Mason: (01:01:10) And I know there's been times with some things that you've presented and I felt a bit triggered and I've gone, "Okay, let me sit with it." And then I will find the place to relate to, like a practise or something I'm going through, that maybe I thought, "Oh no, that's bad because that's not what George believes in". But then I find that place where I'm not charged in terms of, kicking back against what you've said, or going and accepting what you said, "How do I relate to this right now?" And sometimes it's like, I just need to experience it for myself.   George Kavassilas: (01:01:44) It has to be that way.   Mason: (01:01:45) Yeah.   George Kavassilas: (01:01:46) It has to be personally experienced. It's not because someone says so. And I share that in all of my courses and all of my teachings and everything. Don't take my word for it. I said, don't give your power over to me. I don't want it. Everybody needs to really stand in their own experiential journey, and the concepts that I share, we can have a bit of an idea about what I'm talking about, but until you actually experience it, that's the only time you're really going to get it, that's the only time you'll know for sure. So it is definitely an experiential journey.   Mason: (01:02:18) And I just recommend everyone goes. It's the same way I do comedy, because if you get offended by something that I do and it's like, all right, well then. Most likely, you want to see why you're rejecting or defiant and see how your identity is wrapped up in something and come back to, maybe you don't change anything, but your relationship can become more natural and organic because you'll see that if you're wanting to side and make George's stuff now an ideology, or if you're resistant to George's stuff then, perhaps there's some you know a little bit of work to sit there with that until perhaps you can approach it neutrally.   George Kavassilas: (01:02:56) And for some people it's not their time to transcend those systems. So they will see what I'm saying as an aberration or something along those lines and [crosstalk 01:03:10] ever resonate with it. And that's fine. Everyone should just go on their journey, their soul journey. That's the path they're supposed to be on. There is a process of me helping to snap out of the trance and from the Gods, the trance of the Gods to... That's some of the work that I do and help to-   Mason: (01:03:35) Would you go into that? Do you mind?   George Kavassilas: (01:03:38) Okay, sure.   Mason: (01:03:41) Do you mind? Because I just thought, we've already scratched the surface. One of your workshops is-   George Kavassilas: (01:03:45) Transcending the God Matrix.   Mason: (01:03:46) Yeah. I'd love to hear where you're at with that work.   George Kavassilas: (01:03:52) Yeah. Well, tomorrow morning starts my next online version of that. And I've been doing in-person retreats, where it's 5 day... The course runs for 5 days. And so it's 7 days total check-in, check-out day before, day after. So it's a 7 day immersive retreat in the heart of the Glass House Mountains, absolutely fantastic. The law of the land, the way the Aboriginal elders and the spirit of the land has so welcomed the work that I do and the synergy of my work has been absolutely profound. It's hard to explain. And I was involved in an ohre ceremony in the Southern Flinders ranges where they speared a spirit warrior named the Kundalini in my back because I was already on my way to transcending that energy. And they know the [Aboriginals 01:04:47] know that it's not the real Rainbow Serpent energy.   George Kavassilas: (01:04:51) They know it's an impostor inhabiting our tree of life. So it's no mystery to a lot of the natural shamanic, original shamanic processes. It's no mystery to the original Daoists and the original, using all that, what are these energies? You know? And so, but the trance that we are kept in is that repetitive nature of the ritual practises that they have us participating in.   George Kavassilas: (01:05:22) And then that creates that trans state. Or, we go into resonant chambers called temples or churches where people immerse themselves in the chanting and the worship, the adulation, the adoration of these deities. The degree that they need to be praised, they need to be honoured and acknowledged. Once you step out of the trance and you look at it, look at it for what it is. It's, I've got to use this word. It's, it's horrendous, it's horrific. But when you're in the trance, you don't realise how bad it is. You can't see it. You can't see the forest for the trees when you come out of it. Then all of a sudden you can see how it just permeates society, because it's a tangible energy permeating through consciousness. It moves through the field of consciousness and the collective consciousness field of humanity. You know, I can be talking to somebody and I can just see their persona, just shift.   Mason: (01:06:28) Mm-hmm (affirmative).   George Kavassilas: (01:06:28) All of sudden their personality changes. You know, one of the border patrol guards of that field that trance field will slide into that person, have words to say to me, and then slide out and I'm just left there with that person. And that person has no memory of what they've said, or how they said it, and what was projected at me.   George Kavassilas: (01:06:52) And the amount of people that have these experiences all over the world, it's not just me as an individual experiencing this. The amount of people that are transcending this trance, trance ending, ending the trance of the Gods that they have on the human race, the hold that they have on our field of consciousness, and the fact that they solicit worship in the way that they do, and all that adulation and adoration praise. It's a very big issue. It's the biggest problem facing humanity and out of that comes mind control too, which is one of the biggest issues on our planet at the moment. It is the issue of mind control. So, in our relationship with the Gods, we need to reevaluate that, and we're at a stage now where we're entering a phase of, right now, we are readdressing, reevaluating, our relationship with technology.   George Kavassilas: (01:07:46) This is exactly where we're at right now. And so, there is a deity of technology. There is a technological intelligence God. It's not artificial intelligence, it's intelligence that inhabits technology. We've gotta get that right. Stop calling it artificial because it isn't, it's been around the universe for a very, very long time. Many civilizations use this entity to control all their background infrastructure and it's a very powerful force of existence in our universe. And there's a benevolent expression of it and a malevolent, and at the moment we're under siege by the malevolent. There is benevolent supporting us here, of course, but how many people can consciously tap into it?   George Kavassilas: (01:08:30) You know, it's not that easy. And then after this process that we're in now, which will probably last about up to about ten years, we're going to then have to address our relationship with the Gods. And there'll be overlapping between the two, just like there's overlapping between the TI God coming in with it's, you can call them extraterrestrial inter dimensional races, that are ambassadors for that expression of life. And that's what we're dealing with. That's what the military industrial complex has been negotiating with the last sixty years behind the scenes. And now, the implementation of their structures into the public domain in a really big way is happening right now.   Mason: (01:09:14) Did you say TI?   George Kavassilas: (01:09:16) TI, technological intelligence, rather than AI?   Mason: (01:09:20) Yeah.   George Kavassilas: (01:09:21) Yeah.   Mason: (01:09:23) One quick clarifying question around worship and distinction. If you've got the worshipping of say a deity by the worship of the Buddha and saying quite often, it's like, why are we breaking this? If it's, a steadying force in someone's life, what do you see as maybe, a quiet, a hidden benefit that may not be seen when, all you seemingly get is a guide like a lighthouse, how to live with kindness, et cetera, but through worship. What's the glass ceiling that that has versus transcending, the relate... the relationship with God.   George Kavassilas: (01:10:11) I think that's probably about the best question anyone's ever asked me on that subject, I reckon.   George Kavassilas: (01:10:20) So it's called problem reaction solution. So in the dialect that's been created of God versus the devil.   Mason: (01:10:31) Yeah.   George Kavassilas: (01:10:32) There's a drama vortex between these two polarised states. And so what people are being exposed to is more, the devil's work, and distorting, and disrupting, and just changing behaviour for... in a very unpleasant, inappropriate way to be behaving. And then what's the solution that's on offer. Well, that's the love and the light of God, but is that love? And is that light of the deity, the same as the natural order of life? Or does it have a distinctly unique flavour to it?  

O paciente indiano, de 54 anos, está internado desde o dia 14 de maio, quando o navio do qual era tripulante, Shandong da Zhi, chegou ao litoral maranhense vindo da Malásia.

Confirmada a presença da cepa indiana da covid-19 no Brasil. O resultado dos tripulantes do navio MV Shandong da Zhi ancorado no litoral maranhense deu positivo para a nova variante do coronavírus.

Mit dem Hörbuch „Überwinde die Angst du selbst zu sein“, das in den Podcast Episoden 93 bis 107 in voller Länge hören konntest, wollte ich nicht nur das Jubiläum rund um die 100. Episode des Entscheidungsmacher Clubs zelebrieren. Sondern ich war damit bemüht, verschiedenste Einflüsse der sozialen Programmierung aufzuzeigen und Inspiration zu bieten, sich davon zu lösen. Das Ziel: sowohl im Berufsleben als auch im Alltag wieder zurück zu den eigenen Werten zu finden und dir darüber bewusst zu werden, wer du wirklich sein möchtest. Ich hoffe ich konnte dir damit in einer Zeit Inspiration bieten, in der es wichtiger denn je ist, den Blick auch mal nach Innen zu richten und sich bewusst zu reflektieren. Wenn du bereit bist den nächsten Schritt zu gehen und das Gelernte in die Praxis zu übertragen, dann besuche mich auf www.ZHI.at Shownotes: https://www.benediktahlfeld.com/emc-107-man-kann-nur-weiter-kommen-wenn-man-weitermacht

In this episode of "Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go", CancerNetwork takes a look at an article publishing in early 2021 for the Journal ONCOLOGY, titled “Patient-Reported Outcomes of Pain and Related Symptoms in Integrative Oncology Practice and Clinical Research: Evidence and Recommendations.” The piece summarizes current and validated patient-reported outcomes (PROs) specific to cancer-related pain. The piece also recommends commonly used PROs to be standardized to aid integrative oncology clinicians and researchers in both patient care and study design. For the first of 2 interviews regarding this piece, CancerNetwork spoke with 3 authors of the article, W. Iris Zhi, MD, PhD, and Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Xin Shelley Wang, MD, MPH, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. For this week's response perspective, CancerNetwork spoke with Linda Carlson, PhD, of the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Carlson expanded on the work done by Zhi and her colleagues, emphasizing the importance of understanding reliability and validity. Carlson focused on the importance of the research topic, and the impact properly validated PROs can have on patients for the cancer care team. Don't forget to subscribe to the "Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go" podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere podcasts are available. 

When a virus threatens to turn friendly aliens against humans, a team of elite soldiers embark on a mission to an extraterrestrial world to save what's left of mankind. Director Liam O'Donnell discusses his ambitious indie sci-fi feature Skylines.

In this episode we speak to artist and award winning illustrator Zhi Zulu. We speak about her journey in becoming an illustrator, visual storyteller and her love for art. We touch on the importance of visual literacy and how Zhi, in her practice and studies, dissects modes of communication in an attempt to develop more relevant visual resources for local communities. We have a showdown on the value of practical and written components in research and why the knowledge acquired through postgraduate studies should be available for future reference. We discuss our thoughts on the position of illustration and illustrators within a traditional fine art environment and the perceptions of digital format art in the art world today. Zhi elaborates on her latest mural project at the new Jewel City Development and speaks about the challenges in translating drawing into this large scale format. Finally Zhi shares her thoughts on what it takes to make it as an illustrator.

In this episode, we hear from artist and illustrator Zhi Zulu on her silkscreen edition titled 'Bridge over troubled giraffe (2020).' Zulu created this silkscreen print during her second collaboration with the David Krut Workshop (DKW) this year (2020), and the work was presented for the first time at the Turbine Art Fair. 'Bridge Over Troubled Giraffe' is part of a growing series of silkscreens, inspired by the artist’s experience of African stories being told for tourists and foreigners. The images convey a humourous take on stereotypical, inaccurate and fantastical tales that foreigners sometime believe of wild animals walking in the streets of Johannesburg, or people keeping them as pets. This print collaboration was started just before the South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown began in March 2020 and with lack of access to digitally printed positives it was necessary to hand draw the artwork to expose onto the screens for printing. This required Zhi handing over some of the making process to the printers on the project. In a way, this brought the work back to the most traditional sense of printmaking. In this episode, we hear directly from Zhi about this series of prints, her use of colour and humour, collaborating with the David Krut Workshop team of printers over lockdown and the difference between silkscreen and digital printing. Listen to the previous podcast - Zebra Crossing: https://davidkrutprojects.com/52401/david-krut-podcast-artist-series-e29-zhi-zulu-zebra-crossing Read the workshop blog: https://davidkrutprojects.com/58663/bridge-over-troubled-giraffe

In der ersten Folge sprechen wir mit Dr. med. Georg-Christian Zinn, Ärztlicher Direktor des Zentrums für Hygiene und Infektionsprävention (ZHI) der Bioscientia in Ingelheim, Facharzt für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin, Facharzt für Kinderheilkunde. Er spricht über die besondere Rolle der Hygiene in der Medizin, mit Blick auch auf die Corona-Pandemie. Er geht hierbei auch auf die Bedeutung von Fort- und Weiterbildung in medizinischen Berufen sowie auf die dabei zunehmende Digitalisierung ein. Gefällt Ihnen "Medizin aufs Ohr?" Haben Sie Anregungen?  Wen sollten wir unbedingt zum Gespräch einladen? Wir freuen uns über ihr Feedback. Schreiben Sie an podcast@aesculap-akademie.de Aesculap Akademie GmbH | Am Aesculap Platz | 78532 Tuttlingen www.aesculap-akademie.de podcast@aesculap-akademie.de

Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.08.23.263327v1?rss=1 Authors: Shan, G., Zhi, C., Xiufeng, J., Fang, W., Yibo, X., Hao, Z., Chang, L., Jishou, R., Guangyou, D., Xin, L. Abstract: Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although the replication and transcription mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 have been preliminarily revealed recently, their regulation is still unclear. Results: By reanalysis of public data, we proposed a negative feedback model to explain the regulation of replication and transcription of, but not limited to coronavirus (CoVs). The key step leading to new discoveries is that we identified the cleavage sites of nps15, an RNA uridylate-specific endoribonuclease. According to this model, nsp15 regulates the synthesis of subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) or genomic RNAs (gRNAs) by cleavage of transcription regulatory sequences in the body. The expression level of nsp15 determines the relative proportions of sgRNAs and gRNAs. The increase of nsp15 results in the decrease of itself to reach equilibrium between the replication and transcription of CoVs. Conclusions: The replication and transcription of CoVs are regulated by a negative feedback strategy. This is a basic mechanism to influence the persistence of CoVs in hosts. Our study indicates that nsp15 is an important and ideal target for drug development against CoVs. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info

There is no doubt the cosmetic and skincare industries are both booming. With brands like Rodan Fields, Proactive, and others targeting those with skin ailments, there are many options to choose from.   For years, Kim Cross of Charlotte, NC searched for mild products to help with her dry, itchy skin but consistently came up short when reading the list of ingredients. She realized how many irritating chemicals are used and set out to find comparable natural substitutes that would deliver the same or better results. As a former hairstylist, she was introduced to the hair product Carol's Daughter' years ago and loved that it used mainly natural ingredients that she could actually pronounce.   In 2006, Kim followed that example and began researching essential oils and other liquids that she thought could be beneficial. That led to experimenting, testing, and creating with goat's milk. She discovered that goat's milk has fatty acids which have healing properties and is less harsh than many other ingredients.   She started mixing various ingredients with different properties and fragrances and settled on a few things even the men in her house swear by. “I have some girly smelling men in my house and they love it!” Kim laughs. Since her start, she has incorporated men's products also.   The next year, she crafted body lotion, hand and body wash, and soap, each from goat's milk. Kim began selling her new skincare line, called Zhi (pronounced ‘Chee') Bath and Body, at a women's expo. Unfortunately, her sales were disappointingly low but her sample supply had diminished. She knew she was on to something but needed to continue working on it. Since then she has created other products made from organic mango butter, shea butter, cocoa butter and many other natural ingredients.   As the line grew, Kim continued to spend hours seeking out the best and most natural products to ensure she was delivering something she could be proud of. She knew that if it didn't work on her skin, it wouldn't work on anyone else's either. In 2011, the entrepreneur was formally diagnosed with psoriasis, a condition in which skin cells build up to form scales and itchy, dry patches. Sometimes the patches are accompanied by blisters. It's similar to eczema but much more intense, painful, and stubborn.   Her next step is to raise enough money to purchase barcodes that allow her products to be sold in larger stores. She is also customizing products for other companies to sell in their establishments. The majority of her current sales are through her website, word-of-mouth, and regular customers that buy in bulk to give it to friends and family on special occasions. Kim knows that expanding will take more time and it seems that she's up for the challenge. Her dedication is unwavering as she sets out to heal one person at a time.   To learn more about Kim Cross and Zhi Bath and Body, please follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pintrest.  You may also visit their website at www.zhibathandbody.com   To learn more about Huami Magazine please follow us on Facebook and Instagram. You may also visit our website at www.mykelmedia.com   You may also follow this podcast on Facebook by putting "This Is Who I Am" in your search box.    

宮商角，及徵羽，此五音，耳所取。 匏土革，木石金，絲與竹，乃八音。 曰平上，曰去入，此四聲，宜調協。 宫商角，及征羽，此五音，耳所取。 匏土革，木石金，丝与竹，乃八音。 曰平上，曰去入，此四声，宜调协。 Gōng shāng jué, jí zǐ yǔ, cǐ wǔyīn, ěr suǒ qǔ. Páo tǔ gé, mùshí jīn, sī yǔ zhú, nǎi bā yīn. Yuē píng shǎng, yuē qù rù, cǐ sì shēng, yí tiáo xié. －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ 古人把樂器發出的聲音分為宫、商、角、 徵、羽這「五音」。 而製造樂器的材料主要有八種，即為匏瓜、陶土、皮革、木材、玉石、金屬、絲線與竹子，稱為「八音」。 古人將漢語聲調分為平、上、去、 入這「四聲」(與我們現在學國語的四個聲調有所不同)。說話時四聲和諧，聽起來才悅耳動聽。 In ancient times, the sounds made by musical instruments were categorized into "Five Notes" which includes Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi and Yu. The eight main materials used to make musical instruments of different sounds were gourd, clay, leather, wood, stone, metal, silk and bamboo, and together they were called "Eight Sounds". The "Ping" (flat), "Shang"(rising), "Qu" (falling) and "Ru"(entering) tones were the four tones of classical Chinese phonetics (different from the tones used today). Only when the four tones are used in harmony can one speak the language properly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to leave a message, thought, suggestion, feedback to me. 如果你对内容有任何问题，想法，建议，都可以留言给我 https://open.firstory.me/story/ck9v7bjsoqivi0873td4ux1gc?m=comment It would be a big help if you kindly support my channel with a cup of coffee 欢迎买杯咖杯赞助我的频道，你的小小支持是我的大大帮助 ☕ https://pay.firstory.me/user/taiwanaccent Powered by Firstory Hosting

"The Quest Giver" by Joe Prosit An old man running a pawn shop gives out daring adventure to his customers. And catches some heat for it. Author Joe Prosit - joeprosit.com | Twitter Cast D.E. Medus - david.medusmedia.com Elijah Moore - Twitter | Imdb | Instagram Mandy Wong - Inside Fictions: Casual Magics Michael Blakey - Michael-Blakey.com/vo | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Angelo Toledo - FacebookTwitter | Instagram Leila Medus - FunFactFriday.com Zhi'mari Chrisp "The New God" by L.L. Asher A new Roman god emerges and spills the beans... Author L.L. Asher - Twitter Cast D.E. Medus - david.medusmedia.com Nichole Goodnight -Twitch | Twitter Mandy Wong - Inside Fictions: Casual Magics Phaedra Medus Art Art for this episode is a modified version of: Vintage Pawn Shop Signage Exposed When Canopy Was Removed flickr photo by Phillip Pessar shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license Music Into the Unknown by Oddsprite

☳ Because the Baguazhang 八卦掌 master moves in a circle, Heaven blesses the master with the ways of the sky. The Swimming Dragon form embodies the typhoon. Round and round it goes; this way and that. So that when the master has learnt the ways of Qigong ☳ 氣功 and Gongfu ☵ 功夫, the next level is Tianqi ☶ 天気 mastery. ☵ To be a good Tianqiren or Weatherman, a person must be good at reading the weather and then be able to plot the future direction of one's current state of affairs to a profitable outcome. ☶ This is more than just predicting weather patterns and seeing weather forecasts on the nightly News - It is about knowing where the storm will hit and to what severity, so that when the king asks "How will it impact my kingdom?" The Weatherman can follow up the most likely scenarios with the potential opportunities to follow. Which is what the king actually wants to know. ☰ Cyclonic weather patterns, freakish electrical storms, and plummeting celestial fireballs traditionally heralded the end of kingdoms and dynasties, the world over. While it is easy to hide behind modern science and dismiss these things as superstitions. Very few people realise that the underlying motivations of why scientists like to study these things is that 1) It gives them a certain amount of power and authority in these matters, and 2) For the government of the day, to ignore the warnings these events bring, can spell calamity. For, it is not the disasters themselves that are the concern but the direct impact on the people themselves and in turn their reaction to the disasters, should the government be seen as incompetent. ☷ And it is here, where the Tianqiren diverges from the weatherman of the nightly News. It is the Tianqiren's role to be able to read The Will of the people and know like the ocean currents, how the people will react, by when and by how much. And all of this is born out of repeated observations of how people actually do things and not what they say. ☱ Like here in Australia for example, after two weeks of social distancing, the word on the street is that people are starting to have had enough of the "we're in this together stuff" and there is a feeling of being under some sort of voluntary martial law. Which means that the restrictions - while meaning well - is starting to remind the men of the days when Australia was a penal colony. And for the women, it's starting to feel like social rejection because social intimacy is not allowed (except immediate family). On top of that, some medical experts are starting to suggest that anybody who is outside must wear a mask at all times, which sounds a lot like certain countries around the world. ☲ Now at the moment, nobody is advocating anything extreme but a good Tianqiren knows and would advise their boss that trouble is brewing when people start calling for heads to roll. And given that I am only using the Coronavirus COV-19 as a real-life working example of it having existed for only 5 to 6 months, the change in the kingdom's state of affairs has been shockingly fast! ☴ I understand that for most Baguazhang practitioners, the term Tianqiren is a new one and I have to admit that I first came across it in author Fonda Lee's novel 'Jade City', but given that Baguazhang is of Chinese origin, it is a better term to use than the Mafia's consigliere or the Chinese word for sage Zhi 智, which can also mean Saint. One of the best historical examples was Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 the strategist (181 - 234AD). A veritable great mountain in his own right.

Ian Ferguson from Jaiya Inc. joins Mason today for a juicy chat about relationships, intimacy and sexuality. Ian works with his partner Jaiya to empower people to own their desires and express their true sexual nature. Ian believes an individual's relationship to their sexuality reveals how they live every aspect of their life. Tune in for a truly fascinating and grounded chat about the things many of us don't often address let alone talk about!   "having sex is natural, but making love is an art." - Ian Ferguson   Mason and Ian explore: The challenges couple's face postpartum, how having a child can interfere with intimacy and sex drive and what to do about it. The erotic language of arousal, discovering what turns you and your partner on and learning how to communicate it. The limerence period. The lack of communication and awareness around sexuality in general. The five sexual blueprint types - the energetic, the sensual, the sexual, the kinky, and the shapeshifter. The Erotic Breakthrough Course; how to embody, heal and expand your sexual blueprint type. Sexuality as a common thread amongst us all - "Where did we all come from... We all came from sex." Ian Ferguson   Who is Ian Ferguso ? The consummate Renaissance Man and a lifelong student of Human Potential, Ian Ferguson has been featured on Good Morning America, Anderson Live, VH1, and in Details magazine. From his youth as tap dance king of Ohio to directing and performing in Off-Broadway theatre in New York; from building a seven-figure design business serving celebrity clients like Drew Barrymore, Ashton Kutcher and Michelle Pfieffer to co-creating Jaiya Inc., an international company with the mission of uplifting sexuality as something to be openly and honestly discussed, celebrated and enjoyed, Ian has been driven by his desire to create a world with freedom of expression for all, a world where people are more connected to the truth of their bodies and each other through authentic, honest communication, and love. In 2007, Ian partnered with Jaiya, an internationally recognized, award-winning sexologist and best-selling author to co-found Jaiya, Inc., spreading the word about Jaiya’s revolutionary framework, the Erotic Blueprint Breakthrough™, designed to radically transform how we talk about and experience sex.   Resources: Ian's Website Erotic Breakthrough Quiz Ian's Facebook Youtube   Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast?   A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We’d also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher :)! Plus we're on Spotify!   Check Out The Transcript Here:   Mason: (00:00) Ian, thanks so much for being on with me, man.   Ian Ferguson: (00:02) I'm excited. This is good. Good thing we have a bit of an Australian crew down there from some other podcasters, we've got some coaches down in Australia.   Mason: (00:12) Cool.   Ian Ferguson: (00:12) So the people who know the work that we're up to, it's the U.S., Canada and Australia is third on the list of the most people who have taken our quiz and dropped into what we're up to.   Mason: (00:24) Yeah, I can imagine. It's interesting because Jaiya, your partner... And it's been interesting because I didn't realise when I heard about her back when that you were working side by side, or just how intimately your working and partnering side by side, which is cool because I want to ask a couple of questions in terms of working together that intimately because Tahnee and I, I feel like we do a really good job. Tahnee's the GM of SuperFeast and we're working like every day. You've got a kid as well. How old is your...   Ian Ferguson: (00:57) 10.   Mason: (01:00) Wow, you've got a proper child, not just a three-year-old wobbly child.   Ian Ferguson: (01:06) You're in a three year old zone?   Mason: (01:09) I'm in it. I'm bloody in it, man.   Ian Ferguson: (01:12) Well you're, you're starting to hit that place where it's... Well, in my experience it started to get a little bit easier. The first two years? Whew.   Mason: (01:21) Yeah, it's going like in both directions. It's a tonne of fun. It's really getting interesting and it's wild having all these conversations, but no, I don't doubt that there's a lot of people following both of your guys' work and like a lot of Jaiya's work, which is, we're realising now, is a lot of your work as well, which is fun.   Ian Ferguson: (01:44) Right. I didn't really start taking on more of the front face role until about five years ago. I partnered with Jaiya just romantically and was supporting the work in some ways financially, producing some of the film work, and also being a test subject because everything that we talk about is stuff that has either played a really fundamental role in our life, in terms of improving our sex life and our connection. After our child was born, we had a major crash in our relationship. We had about a year and a half of the blissful limerence stage, we're in love just can't keep our hands off of each other, all the passion is alive. We had a child, the economy crashed and I moved from a place that I had become really entrenched into, into this cohabiting domestic lifestyle.   Ian Ferguson: (02:41) From stress and just total hormone imbalance I crashed, my libido tanked, my confidence in the relationship started tanking. Jaiya is a sex educator, our sex life falls off the map from going from like 100% down to 10%. So she's a sex ed educator, has all the sex techniques in the world at our disposal and we can't figure it out, like many couples who are in that situation of either just that period after you've been really deeply connected and all of a sudden it's not working the same or these big life circumstances come up and it's all different.   Ian Ferguson: (03:17) So we had a three year period where we were deeply, deeply struggling and in that period and our commitment to each other, we just started to really reconfigure how we were relating to each other because it wasn't working. So we went through an intense experimentation stage and that's where I really started to get much more deeply invested in the work because I saw the turnaround in our relationship and I'd always wanted to dive more deeply into the work of helping people live their fully expressed lives, feeling fully alive, and it just seemed like a complete perfect dovetail and a new transition for me. So three, four years into the relationship, I really took a deep dive into it. Then the last five years I've been basically just on the front lines with her in terms of everything from teaching, enhancing the models and frameworks that we're working with, and then building our coach community and just getting the word out there.   Mason: (04:20) And going through those three years to get there and sticking it out obviously then... Because that's all with like you know, when you're going through something, when you're really going through it and you're like you're kinda like... It's like, "All right, cool." A lot of people just don't hold on or a lot of people just won't go deeper in order to find their way out of that maze. Obviously for you guys that period would have created a knowing and loving of each other that's allowed you to work together I assume, but was it so... So was it... Because you're not running off endorphins anymore, you've got a child in the house. I was talking to Tahnee about how she heard Jaiya's, like a bit of her postpartum, what was going on, like having a tear and needing the internal massage, which Tahnee asked me to ask you if there are any details on that, because we've got a lot of mumma's that tune into the podcast who might be interested on that level.   Mason: (05:15) So maybe we should stop there and just talk about that, but what I was just wanting to know is was it that experimentation and looking in for different shades that you could bring into the relationship? Was it trying to get to know yourself and then you couldn't just take for granted that, "Oh yeah, I know myself on more of a surface level and that's enough," but "Holy shit, if I'm going to have this deep a relationship and this new life that's seemingly domestic... As you say, which seems like there's shackles, which it's just an external thing to rebel against. It's nothing... You don't really know yourself and know what you want it's not going to be that satisfying.   Mason: (05:56) So I just want know more of the details of postpartum and for you as well, what you went through during that time to really keep you bolstered and then coming out of it, was it that that experimentation and really getting to know yourself that led the way?   Ian Ferguson: (06:12) So there was the perfect confluence of events, working both angles here. One was the perfect confluence of events that was leading us down the dark tunnel, which was at the edge of us separating our relationship and figuring out how to co-parent as separately and then riding and in tandem with that was our dedication also to, "That's not how we want things to go. We know we love each other. It's just the passion is not there, the connection has dropped off," and being committed to figuring out how to reinvigorate that and along that line, Jaiya in her work as a sexological body worker and at that point, being fully in this work for over 12 years working with thousands of clients, she started to recognise the patterns in people's sexuality where she would be working with one client and she would get turn-on with a certain kind of technique or a certain kind of approach to their arousal or the way that they could drop in with someone.   Ian Ferguson: (07:19) Then she would use that same technique on another person and it'd just be a flat line, there'd be nothing. This is where the Erotic Blueprints really started to crystallize for her and start to download. So he started to see these patterns and then she started to experiment in her client sessions with these ways of approaching people in the arousal patterns and the sexuality and their ways of bonding with someone else, and it started to crystallize and form into the framework that has now become the Erotic Blueprints. Part of the experimentation that I talk about, it was us experimenting in our own sex life with each other, and what we discovered, and I'm sure we can drop into the blueprints and really dial that in for your audience of what the hell I'm talking about, but it's basically your erotic language of arousal.   Ian Ferguson: (08:11) Once you understand what you're turned on by, how you're turned on and what you're not turned on by and what turns you off, then you start to be able to have this language of articulation, of being able to share with your partner and know. What we discovered was, at the time, Jaiya was primarily sexual, partially because that was very front and center in her biochemical makeup, in her desire pattern was her sexual blueprint and secondary was energetic. So sexual, she was craving sex, was starving for sex. My libido had tanked on a biochemical front, testosterone was down, we were doing co-sleeping with our child, which was also boosting oxytocin and bonding chemical, which is just like bonding but not sex drive and sexual, as we discovered later, was basically zero on my blueprint map. So she's a sexual energetic, I'm a sensual kinky.   Ian Ferguson: (09:13) So she was coming to bed at night and she was grabbing my crotch and she was trying to seduce me by going and taking strip classes and coming home and getting in a g-string and doing sexual moves in front of me and trying to get me turned on that way. At one point that's exactly what she did, and my comment to her was, "You don't need to do that. That's so obvious," and that was not the right thing to say, and it spoke to a truth for me, which at the time that was not something that was going to get to my arousal. I was coming to bed at night and I would slide up next to her and I would start to cuddle and want to relax and have this transition moment and then discover what unfolded in our eroticism through that connection and bonding.   Ian Ferguson: (10:03) When I came in and cuddled with her, she was like, "Oh great, another night we're going to roll over, we're going to go to sleep. I'm not going to get laid tonight." So she's just like moving into depression, rolling over, crying herself to sleep. I want to connect. I want to have that kind of intimacy with her. I had already been married once and our sex life was one of the fail points in that relationship. So I started to spin and go into like, "Okay, here we go again. I don't know what to do. I don't have the confidence to step up and be present with my partner in a way that's going to satisfy her." So it was like Jaiya was speaking American English and I'm over here trying to speak French, and we think because we speak this different language that, "Oh, we must not be in love with each other."   Ian Ferguson: (10:54) Once we started to discover the blueprints, then we can start to actually communicate to each other in the way that the other was going to be turned on. That's when the deeper experimentation in our own relationship started to move into our own expansion of, "Okay, how can I expand and meet my partner in her sexual and her energetic approach to sexuality and how can she start to discover more about the sensual and the kinky approach to sex?" That's where that started to come together. The whole piece around the vaginal tear and the biochemistry end, we can talk about that in a minute, but that's where the blueprints started to take formation.   Mason: (11:33) What's it's really interesting in that there's this obviousness, in say, in certain instances where someone just wants on, and the other is feeling like they need a little bit more, like they need some cuddling and then going in many different directions. However, it's so blatantly obvious to you a lot of the time, which is one of the... When it's happened to me I know that Tahnee would want something else and I'd theoretically know how to approach it, but just have this block of languaging and just couldn't do it, which it feels sadistic in the sense of like, "Who am I? I know that I need to just approach it in a little bit of a different way. Why aren't I doing it? Why can't I do it?" There's that huge block.   Mason: (12:27) The blueprints I actually heard about probably about five years ago when Tahns and I were first starting out and we'd just have these conversations. Obviously, just early on in the relationship it's just like, "Oh that's interesting, and that's interesting." It's not like.. There wasn't too much on the line then because it was just flowing up, moving into when there is a child in the mix, all of a sudden, I think what becomes really highlighted, as you said, is like jewel blueprints that come up, which is something that happens in relationships, just like, "Hang on, you are super sexual and now you need something else, like energetic. What is that?" and there's no... All of a sudden it's like, "Why aren't you the same," and, "What's wrong with me? What's happened here?"   Mason: (13:16) So that's one thing I really, really, like it's always stuck with me about the blueprints and I've got to get in again and take the... Is it a quiz because we got a [inaudible 00:13:29] book.   Ian Ferguson: (13:29) There's an assessment. There's a full assessment. So you take the quiz and then the quiz kicks out what type you are. It also gives you a rating of percentages. So it's not just your primary because you use secondary, tertiary, your quaternary, I don't know what that is, and your fifth because there's five of them all together.   Mason: (13:46) I've had a bunch of friends really sing its praises and I dialed in. Without doing the quiz I just dialed into knowing myself because I always have a hard time doing quizzes and things. Even though there's no problem like, "Don't label me," I'm always worried that I'll change my mind and that it won't get reflected in the quiz results.   Mason: (14:06) Anyway, it's kind of... I've known a bunch of people who are grounded and know their shit who have really just... it's made for a really good talking point and understanding of themselves. Therefore a way to communicate with their lovers.   Ian Ferguson: (14:20) For sure. There's several threads coming up from me as we talk about just this, the context here. One is the piece of new to relationship, most people revert to the sexual way of relating. You're in that limerence phase, there's all this turn on, your hormones are pumping and we revert to sexual. So then we abandoned or just forget about those aspects of our sexuality, which may actually be more our primary drivers.   Ian Ferguson: (14:50) So as the limerence period, which is that first flush of romance zone, which lasts six months to two years fades, it's just like what most of us do in so many other aspects of entering into a romantic relationship. Let's say you're the type who was going to yoga five times a week and you have your dance thing on Thursday nights and you hang out with your buddies on Saturdays. You're now in your relationship and a lot of time and dedication and focus goes into this new romance, you drop away, maybe you get to yoga once a week and you hang out with your buddies every four weeks and all these elements that were really nurturing to you start to drop away. Then six months, two years in, you start to go, "Well wait, where am I in this relationship?"   Ian Ferguson: (15:38) So we've set up this expectation with each other that this is how it is. We're sexual, we get together all the time, we're spending all of our time together, and then the satisfaction of that, the intimacy gets too close and then it becomes the sort of like sense of a trap. That's where starting to utilize the language of the blueprints gives you the empowerment and the language to bridge the gap.   Ian Ferguson: (16:02) So the other aspect of this, which the thread that popped to me when you're talking about your progression in your relationship is this problem with sexuality in general, which is people don't talk about it. Like we do to some degree in our intimate relationships. I know people, because of our clients, who have been in relationship for 20 years and they never talked about sex. It's supposed to be automatic, it's supposed to be natural. Yes, it's natural. So having sex is natural, but making love is an art.   Ian Ferguson: (16:35) So being able to articulate how you make love gets into all the fine detail of what pencil you're using or brush you're using or the type of paint or the way you're mixing the colors together, and you don't have the facility in any Western culture that I'm aware of where you're given a deep language of how to express and articulate needs, desires, hopes, wishes, turn-ons, turn-offs in a way that is rich and actually truly descriptive and or not triggering.   Ian Ferguson: (17:13) So if I'm a sexual and I'm used to speaking overtly sexually about how I like my partner's breasts and her ass and my language, that's the limit of my language, and then my partner turns out to be an energetic sensual or kinky and that's my language, it's very likely just to shut that person's system down and just cut, cut off the communication.   Mason: (17:42) Well, I relate exactly to that scenario and at times obviously it changes, and that's where I think it's going to be, I'd like to jump in a little bit more in and do some of the blueprints because it's like, "All right, great, we know that at times your energetic and what that means. However, I'm over here sexual," because I feel like that's like the quagmire.   Mason: (18:06) That's why I love how thoroughly you and Jaiya are going through this. It's not just like, "Here's your sexual blueprint. Now have fun everyone." It's like, "Well now what? I've got my needs over here, saying I'm feeling really sexual and you've got your needs. I just want to pull some hair and go for it and you need to energetically feel me." It's like how do we bridge that? So is it as simple, in your approach, is it just like, "Let's communicate. Let's talk about our needs?"   Ian Ferguson: (18:49) So the blueprints are the introduction to a pretty broad framework. It that has the blueprints, it has your stages of sexuality and it also has the four pathways or blocks to sexual health and vitality. So there's an ecosystem that's working here and just like anything that is really rewarding, it's a 360 degree panoramic, full spectrum look at who we are and to add another complexity, our sexuality is shifting. You're without a kid, without your domestic needs and all those things weighing on you, your sexuality may be in a very different place than when you've got a newborn and you're dealing with all of the things that come up there or aging or an accident or a breakup in a relationship. There's so many things that can affect our stage of sexuality.   Ian Ferguson: (19:54) One of the routes to this, to you, anybody listening, is a willingness, right? So if there's a willingness to start to get into the other person's world, then there's a deep hope that you can really start to expand into that person's blueprint and feel it and understand it. So it's the ability, more than communication, to get to this empathetic convergence where you can really start to, even if it's not your turn-on, you can start to feel the person's turn-on through that approach and give spaciousness to it. I feel like it'd probably be better for everybody listening for us to dive into just articulating what the blueprints are at this point a little bit.   Mason: (20:42) Yeah, it sounds good.   Ian Ferguson: (20:43) Great. So there's five blueprint types. There's the energetic, the sensual, the sexual, the kinky, and the shapeshifter.   Ian Ferguson: (20:52) The energetic really thrives and tends to get turned on by anticipation and tease and distance. They tend to also look at sexuality in more of a spiritual or transcendent way of connecting with another person. So those are some of the positives and the superpowers of the energetic. They could orgasm by not being even touched, by me standing across the room from Jaiya 20 feet away, I can play with her energetically and she can start moving into orgasmic experience. Really a mind bender for somebody who's not energetic, "What's going on? I don't even know how to relate to that." So those are the superpowers of the energetic and the shadow of the energetic can be too much closeness, too fast, can completely shut the energetic down. So you move into the collapsing of the space ends their arousal. The anticipation of the kiss of like I'm inches away and we're holding that space is where the juice is, and then when I move in for the kiss, perhaps an energetic might be like, "Oh, fuck. It all just went away."   Ian Ferguson: (22:12) This is a generality, not always true, but often an energetic can have a history with sexual trauma and that is where that collapse of space and where that breaking of the boundary is the thing that shuts down their sexuality. An energetic may also give over their boundaries too quickly. They may have very little sense of their own container and what they need. So they'll acquiesce to their lover and that will just reinforce their shutdown and their lack of boundary and they'll do this because they're so energetically connected to their lover that if they disappoint them, they'll feel that disappointment deeply. So that can be some of the things that can be challenging for the energetic type.   Ian Ferguson: (23:00) Essential type.   Mason: (23:01) Makes sense.   Ian Ferguson: (23:03) Yeah, and if you have any questions about it, just interrupt me.   Mason: (23:06) No, like it's so on. Honestly I know it's just on point. Anyway...   Ian Ferguson: (23:14) Perfect, and the thing about when people hear about the energetic, we get a lot of commentary is like, "Oh my god, I didn't even know this existed. I've been feeling broken, wrong, like I don't even know who I am," their entire life and then they hear this spoken and they're like, "Oh my god, that's me. I had no idea."   Mason: (23:33) That's so full on. We haven't really brought it up, but a huge context of just us having this conversation is seeing within the flow of your life, seeing your libido in a level where you can be like almost, I don't know, yourself, proud of yourself. The libido is who you are and your sexuality as a part of who you are. We go into that conversation with the herbs consistently. That's why, when you want to have conversations like these, to see like how do we actually... Yes, you've got like good herbs in like the Jing herbs in there, but that's just starting or just helping something along, but this, it's quite often a... And that was what it was like for me, the biggest penny dropping. I haven't really gone and done my blueprint yet.   Mason: (24:26) I feel like I've been, I don't know, a little bit apprehensive, it's probably... And to know myself but I don't feel that at all anymore in that area. I'm really, really happy to go there, but just in that nature of that energetic, that existing and that possibly that could come forth rather than another blueprint could come forward, this is very game changing stuff. This is what I like. As you said, and then that leads to you being able to have a smooth lifestyle where libido can actually flourish rather than trying to like, "If I take his herb, I'll have a libido. If I get rid of my estrogen dominance, then I'll have libido." It's like that's going to get so far, but you need a dialogue going forth, right?   Ian Ferguson: (25:07) For sure. Yeah. Yeah. My mind starts to go off into all the places I could go on that, on a tangent.   Mason: (25:14) I know and then I'm taking you off course. Let's stop with a distracted, we'll go back to the blueprint.   Ian Ferguson: (25:19) Cool, and out of that I think we'll be able to touch on some of the things that you're addressing there. So the sensual blueprint, they bring the artistry to sexuality. Their sensual is all about the senses being ignited. So sensual could have a strawberry and eat that strawberry and go into orgasmic states. Sensual is the kind of person when they're eating, you just hear them like, "Hmm, Oh." They like the textures of the clothes, they need the environment to be really dialed in for their system to relax and for them to open. So a sensual type needs the... We talked about an energetic already. So the sensual type typically needs to relax to open to their sexuality. So they can get down regulated and then they can connect. Superpowers of the sensual is they can have full body orgasms, like when they're in their body, they're connected fully.   Ian Ferguson: (26:19) The challenges or the shadows for the sensual are when the environment or the atmosphere is off, music is too loud, the lights aren't right, they've got the interior brain chatter of, "Oh my god, I didn't return that call. There's a sock on the floor. Oh, that means I got to do the laundry. I got to do this thing." So the disconnect goes into the brain and completely disassociating from their environment. Smells, in terms of receiving from a lover and they can be like, "Oh, they're down there so long, their neck must be getting uncomfortable. Do I smell down there? I don't know if bathed." So they just get lost in all of that minutia and then they can't connect and they can't drop in.   Mason: (27:01) It's one obvious shadow for sensual, for me anyway, in thinking about it. That's super interesting.   Ian Ferguson: (27:10) It's not an obvious shadow.   Mason: (27:11) No, not for me, not in my perspective on that. I'm like, "Oh wow." I just like, "Yeah," but it makes sense that it's like that, "Brrr," chatter is in stark contrast from the sensuality. I guess it's like the balancing act of that blueprint.   Ian Ferguson: (27:26) For sure.   Mason: (27:27) So it makes sense on that level.   Ian Ferguson: (27:29) Yeah, and then a comparative between energetic and sensual would be the type of touch that they enjoy. I know some people may be watching this and some people may be listening, so the energetic, again in that spaciousness, they can feel those energies off the body. So the hairs on the skin, the very edge of the fascia, just like that outer layer of the epidermis, that can be a total turn on with very light and very slow touch. They can feel that energy six inches, 20 feet away. For the sensual, the touch tends to be contouring, more like massage into the tissue. Also still slow and really feeling, feeling everything deeply, but much more physically connected. So the sensual really likes to collapse that space, get into the cuddling and the nuzzling and the deep connection.   Mason: (28:24) All right, yeah.   Ian Ferguson: (28:27) All making sense is it?   Mason: (28:28) Yeah, it's definitely crystal when can... Hey, I just started thinking because I'm an overthinker, so it's just got me thinking as well.   Ian Ferguson: (28:39) Cool. Then the sexual is what the Western stereotype is about sex and sexuality. They love genitals, they love nudity, they love getting right to business. Sexual superpowers, they can go from zero to 60 in one second flat. It's just like, "Oh we're on, this is sex, we're going to have an orgasm." They want everybody who's involved in the situation typically to have an orgasm, that means success, "We've had a sexual encounter I've had an orgasm, we're good." In opposition to like the sensual, the sexual needs to have sex to relax. Sex is like life itself. If I'm not having sex, I'm not living, I'm don't feel fulfilled.   Ian Ferguson: (29:26) The sexual who's really sexually fulfilled tends to feel really empowered in work, really feels bold and emboldened and seen. They really need to be seen for their eroticism and accepted for their high libido, for their high desire to just have sex to feel accepted, to feel wanted. So those are superpowers for the sexual and they bring the fun to sex. Like there's not all the story, there's not all the busy work, there's not all the confusion. It doesn't matter if the lights are too bright or the music is, "We're going to fuck, this is good." So they're just like all in.   Mason: (29:59) And that's super like it's perpetuated... Is it like in the West, teenage boys, that's like you click into the association of that because we've all got an element of these blueprints inside of us and so that either brings like you're a dominant alpha because that is where you thrive and that's just commonly like, "Well that's what sex is in the West." Then there's the other part of it, just like you're a male especially, , just from my perspective and you're energetic and those sensual aspects of yourself are not quite up there, that's very confusing, right? That's like, "Well, I'm just no good at sex."   Ian Ferguson: (30:46) Right.   Mason: (30:47) But then that's also what's present at the beginning of relationships, as you were saying, right, that sensual nature, it's a little bit easier for everyone to connect on that level because it's a common commentary on sex and then boom, all of a sudden things change. That must be one of the most common things I'm assuming, but that must be one of the most common things that occur, is a relationship six months in or a year in, and then all of a sudden you almost need to enter into a completely new relationship and it creates these hectic speed-bumps trying to just move past just that whole expectation and just be like, "Oh great. Yeah, cool. Let's do it as we always did, let's just fuck. What happened? Why don't we do that anymore?"   Ian Ferguson: (31:27) "What happened. Why is it not working?" It's like driving blind, right? Again, back to that language piece, it's not something that people talk openly about, it's not something people... Usually our mentors are anything from our peers, parents, porn, religion, the mentorship that is available to anyone around this realm of sexuality is not only often full of shame and suppression, but sometimes it's downright full of misinformation.   Mason: (32:02) Yeah.   Ian Ferguson: (32:02) You're given some tools and you're given a hammer to do something that you need to accomplish with a screwdriver, and it's just because there hasn't been this open dialogue and even with people who have an open dialogue, they don't have the distinctions to really dive in to the full range of human sexuality. It even happens within the communities that congregate around sex and sexuality.   Ian Ferguson: (32:28) So one of the things that I'm most proud of about what we offer in our community, in our courses, is this full range of sexual expression and acceptance. Nobody listening is broken, wrong in your sexuality. We walk around, many of us, feeling broken, wrong, unseen, ashamed of who we are and this creates more of this hiding, more of this separating and silo-ing and, "I'm just going to suffer here alone in my silence." And back to the community thing, it's like there are great tantra communities, there are great BDSM, kink communities, they're great swinger communities and they also tend to silo. They also tend to be like, "We're this type of person and we're going to hang and we don't understand the kink person over there."   Ian Ferguson: (33:27) So what happens is the people who've got a kinky person and an energetic person, the energetics typically going to be more guided towards like a tantra community, the kink person's going to be walking into the tantra community and go like, "What is this weird stuff? I'm not into this. No turn on here from me." More disharmony within the relationship and the connection, the kinky is going to take the energetic to the kink environment and they're going to be horrified, likely full of judgment of like, "Wait, sex is supposed to be spiritual and connecting and slow and full of this energetic connection to God," and they're going to look at the kink community and think, "What are these people doing?"   Ian Ferguson: (34:10) This is what happened with Jaiya and I. I haven't talked about kinky yet, but because of her tantra and energetic background, had really big misconceptions and judgments about the kink community. She had 15 years of being immersed in the tantra community. and sex was about enlightenment and spiritual connection, and this is another shadow of the energetic, where they can be judgmental or have a sense of superiority about their sexuality versus all the other types of sexuality. So that that can then cut them off from this wider expression and wider acceptance of all that's out there to play with.   Ian Ferguson: (34:52) So the silo-ing of communities goes to reinforce this disconnection between people because they're not seeing, they're not having other people representing in their relationship, these other blueprint types. So that's one of the things I'm most proud about with our community is that we're speaking to everybody's sexuality under one roof, right? We all be all get to play.   Mason: (35:17) And in a way that isn't... Because I think another common thread if you're just watching Western culture, like media and that kind of thing, the next flow is when it stagnates, "Let's go try something. Let's go out and try some kink. I want to.. I brought home a tantra book," or maybe it's like, "Okay, oh, we're going to go to a swingers party." It's a little bit shooting in the dark, which sometimes gets you there, but when you don't know about the thing that might tickle you in the right place, I really like that, "Well let's just... Those things are all well and good then let's go and do them. They're at our disposal," but you start a little bit closer to home and get a little bit of light on the situation so then you can make... You don't need to seek as much.   Mason: (36:05) You can like know a little bit more. I really appreciate that because-   Ian Ferguson: (36:09) Yeah, that's good. I like that too. Not throwing spaghetti at the wall, but yeah-   Mason: (36:14) Because that's stressful. If you have a kid and you have a job and all these things and maybe a hobby or whatever it is, and your own health stuff going on, you don't have that much time. Maybe in early 20s it's just like, "Hey, cool, I'm going to go try this style of tantra. Then I'm going to do a bit of Taoist sexuality. I'm going to try this. I'll be poly.. Polyamorous for a little bit now." It's just like there's so much time and that's not realistic on a broad scale and you just said, as having these kinds of conversations, it doesn't really happen too much.   Mason: (36:49) We have like the talk, the sexual talk, which I don't know if that happens. I think it's more of an American thing, like having the talk around sexuality, but we definitely are the same here in Australia. It's definitely an uncomfortable conversation, which is interesting to be like, what we're really uncomfortable with is exploring the fact that we have nuance because these blueprints are going to show, not just being relating to sexuality, right? It's just relating to different other aspects of ourselves that lead to our happiness and our ability to connect. What's so taboo about that? It's hard to admit that this is a new area for us.   Ian Ferguson: (37:36) For sure. What we've found now that the blueprints have been out there and with a massively expanding community and more people being exposed to the blueprints, is people are finding that this stuff translates into all the aspects of their life, right? How they set their environment, how they relate to their kids, to the people in their workspace and gives them more empowerment, not just in sexuality, but to really own who they are and what they need to thrive any situation. So that's, that's an unintended consequence of this.   Mason: (38:15) Happy accident.   Ian Ferguson: (38:17) People who've talked about how they now get to understand their children better because they got one kid who's highly energetic and they've been forcing hugs on them for 10 years and they realise this and they go, "Oh my god, what have I done? I've been invading my child's boundaries and their sense of autonomy." Now they're able to create a relationship of respect and say, "Would you like a hug?" and when the kids says, "No," they say, "Great, thank you." And they've got the sensual kid who just really needs to be held and needs their room in a delicious, beautiful designs so that they really feel like they have their space.   Ian Ferguson: (39:02) So they do translate all throughout the threads of life.   Mason: (39:07) So good.   Ian Ferguson: (39:07) Where were we?   Mason: (39:08) On set rule?   Ian Ferguson: (39:09) Yeah.   Mason: (39:09) I think we're finishing the-   Ian Ferguson: (39:10) The sexual.   Mason: (39:11) Sexual, yeah.   Ian Ferguson: (39:13) So the shadow sides of the sexual, one, especially if you're a vulva bodied person, can be the sense of shame because the typical is that the man is the sexual, that's the stereotype and that the penis body people are the sexual and they're overt about it and always driven by it and that the vulva bodied folks are more going to be sensuals or maybe energetics. So a sexual-   Mason: (39:41) We need to think about penis bodied and vulva bodied?   Ian Ferguson: (39:46) Yeah.   Mason: (39:46) What do you mean by that?   Ian Ferguson: (39:48) So we're taking genitals away from gender and we're taking genitals away from your sexual identification.   Mason: (39:56) Yeah.   Ian Ferguson: (39:57) So this is for anybody who's trans, bi, non-binary, there's I think... I get this number wrong frequently, but it's somewhere between 63 and 67 gender identifications currently out there. So one of the things also in our community that we're working to do is obviously make it open and accepting to the multitude of consensual relationship styles, your sexual identity and your gender identity. So that when I speak to the penis bodied, let's say there's a bisexual person who's got a penis, they identify as feminine in their energy, they don't really relate to being called a man, but maybe they're going non-binary, but I can speak to the genitals and I can speak to the stereotype that's usually associated with those genitals, right?   Ian Ferguson: (40:55) So a person with a cock is going to be typically identified as male. They may not present as male or they may present as male, but identify as female or identify as a trans or whatever. Wherever you find yourself we are here to honor you in that place of self identification. So I choose to say penis bodied or vulva bodied simply to speak to the genitals and the stereotypes associated to them.   Mason: (41:28) I didn't realise it was a literal penis bodied. I didn't realise that or if it was just like a body shape kind of thing. Anyway, I got it. I love it. So the shadow side of the sexual self...   Ian Ferguson: (41:49) So for the vulva bodied, typically a highly sexual vulva bodied person will come up against being slut shamed. It's just not acceptable, right? So shame can be an aspect of it. Another version, which I didn't realise until about two and a half years ago when we were doing some of our own work around erotic personas, was the layers of sexual shame that I was dealing with. So for the vulva bodied and this thing of being overtly sexual can end up in a place of shame, slut-shaming, being shamed for their overt sexuality. On the opposite, I just realised about two and a half years ago, this was running for me, as a penis bodied person, I identified basically a cisgendered male, my is with my genitals, I had the good boy complex, right?   Ian Ferguson: (42:49) So in relationship to women, if I presented my desire for them, that was me being a jerk. This is how I associated to it. I associated the guys who are the alpha male as dangerous, threatening. So there was a different layer of shame for me being a cock bodied person that then had me shut down those energies in myself and not be able to put them out in the world. So that's a really interesting growth edge for me, in how I relate to my sexuality and being able to, once I got a handle on this and I played with an erotic persona that was overtly sexual, I started to be able to re-own aspects of my sexuality and my sexual started to go up in my blueprint percentages.   Mason: (43:40) Right. So you can see you're tuning in like on a yearly level and just seeing these alterations. It makes sense. You've got this garden of sexuality and you've got to start somewhere in watering some of the pioneer sexual plants for you and then that's going to help everything else grow.   Ian Ferguson: (44:00) For sure. That's the zone we call expansion, and that's where you start to be able to get the turn-ons of your lovers or other blueprint types and actually integrate them. So you're not just doing something in service to somebody, but you actually can like tune in to that aspect of your sexuality.   Mason: (44:20) Cool. Yeah, and that's a nice little caveat that I want to talk about, because that's what quite often what stops me, just I think more as an excuse rather than anything, is that I don't want to be pigeonholed. I don't want to completely go, "This is who I am and this is what I want to try," and then now realise, "Actually no, it's something else." I don't like being pegged down, but which is just a silly little bypass of...   Ian Ferguson: (44:43) I think it's the common thing for people. An example and we'll talk about it next is the kinky blueprint. So I think a lot of people who will take the assessment, it's your mind answering the questions and the circumstance of the quiz. So you're reading these questions, there may be a lack of relatedness to say like the kinky frame or there may be some kind of subconscious shame running around, "Oh well, that's wrong," or, "I shouldn't be turned on by that," or, "That's strange and I'm not going to answer that question with my true response to it," or "I don't even know what that feels like in my body.   Mason: (45:22) Yeah, right.   Ian Ferguson: (45:24) "I've never tried it. So, nope, I don't know." So he first layer is doing the quiz, which is this mental exercise, but where the rubber really hits the road is in the body because these tools came out of somatic practices and it's of the body practices, so when we start to test them in the body, sometimes you get very different results than what comes forward in the quiz.   Ian Ferguson: (45:53) So somebody who says they don't like spanking either never experienced it, they're ashamed to say it or write it on quiz, and then they get on the table or they start playing around with it with a lover and you do that slap to the inner thigh and they're like, "Ooh!" they just light up like, "Aww-grr!" That's exciting and sometimes unnerving for people because they're just like, "Wait, I don't want to be that kinky person," and yet their body says they're turned on by it.   Mason: (46:24) Yeah.   Ian Ferguson: (46:26) Then just one other piece on the shadow side of the sexual, which the sexual may never really be aware of, is that they are missing out. There's a lack of relatedness to all of the other turn-ons that are present. They'll get impatient with the sensual, they have no understanding of the energetic, the kinky is weird and, "Why do we need to do all of this strange thing with scenes and gear and psychological game play?" So they can be very myopically focused and this is a complaint for sexual lovers that we'll often hear from the lover of a sexual, is that they feel like they're a piece of meat. They're just being used for their partner's sexual gratification.   Ian Ferguson: (47:21) The shadow aspect there is just in the ability to really relate with their partner and and see their partner. The other aspect there too is also the sexual wants to be seen for their libido, their eroticism, their turn on and accepted for that, and when they're not, they can sometimes collapse into a lack of confidence or indignance like, "Wait, we need to be having more sex and we're not and you don't love me," and that kind of spin can-   Mason: (47:50) Spinning a good story.   Ian Ferguson: (47:54) Spinning in the story. So kinky. This actually really is my personal fastest access to turn on, is the kinky realm. A lot of people have associated kinky with that has dungeons and leather and chains and the kink realm just sort of busts that myth. It includes that, but the kinky realm is a vast ocean of possibility of expression.   Mason: (48:26) Did you support Jaiya to write a book about kink?   Ian Ferguson: (48:30) Oh yeah. So we went deep, deep, deep into the kink realm.   Mason: (48:33) Is this when 40 days, 40 days of submission?   Ian Ferguson: (48:36) Yeah.   Mason: (48:37) Yeah, I remember hearing that story from Jaiya. Okay. Yeah, maybe you could like... I think it's a good story if you want to share your perspective.   Ian Ferguson: (48:47) For sure. So Jaiya has several books out on the market. The publisher did 40 Shades [inaudible 00:48:57] and kink was starting to come up in the cultural conversation.   Mason: (49:01) Yeah, right.   Ian Ferguson: (49:02) Funny enough, Jaiya, when she first formulated the blueprints, there was energetic, sensual, sexual and shapeshifter. Kinky didn't exist. This is how much she didn't have it on her radar as like, "Oh, that's a whole category for people's arousal." So the publishers came and said, "Hey, we really want to get you in on this wave and you're a perfect person to go in and write the book," but she didn't know anything about kink. So we made a deal with each other, which we were going to do 40 days where Jaiya was dominating me and I was submissive to her. Then we were going to do the reverse where I was 40 days dominating Jaiya and she was submissive to me and Jaiya goes whole hog whenever she does anything.   Ian Ferguson: (49:50) So I got to be the guinea pig in this experiment and realise the depth of my kink. Like it was there in surface expression, little bit of cuffs and some light bondage gear and that sort of thing that I had in my repertoire, but we hired experts, we hired trainers, we went deep into multiple modalities of the kink experiment, learned incredible amounts about our own range of what turns us on and what doesn't. Kink is still a way low and Jaiya's chart, but now she has a much deeper understanding and has some access to kink where she didn't have it really at all before. Then in the kink experimentation... I had a thought that passed. I'm going to let it pass because I'm not going to catch it at the moment. It'll come back.   Mason: (50:49) [inaudible 00:50:49] maybe. That'd be fine.   Ian Ferguson: (50:50) What's that?   Mason: (50:51) I was just talking to the idea. You know the ideas and the thoughts come in, you just like it's all kind of it's own little adventure and maybe in another podcast for right now until we've got a little bit of extra room for it.   Ian Ferguson: (51:02) That's right. It didn't need its space quite yet. It was an amazing opportunity for me to be seen fully for who I was and honored in our relationship.   Mason: (51:14) I can imagine.   Ian Ferguson: (51:15) It was also pretty wild because when I was in the submissive role, for a cisgendered male, penis bodied person, I definitely had like shame challenges coming up. Like, "Wait, why am I turned on by this?" Or we would experiment with shaming language and I was like, "Oh, I'm not going to be turned on by being called a slut or derogatory terminology being used on me during a scene," but we came up with a list of vocabulary words and things to play with, really pushing the edge and we're doing this scene, she's using his words and I'm like, "Whew, my arousal is through the roof. I'm completely turned on by being put in this position where I'm having degrading language used about me," and I kept asking why.   Ian Ferguson: (52:05) Like I'm 30 days into this experiment of being in a submission. I just keep going like, "I don't have any history... These are misconceptions that are common around BDSM where I'm like, "I don't have any history of sexual abuse or trauma," like, "Why am I into all of this stuff?" and finally one of the BDSM practitioners we were studying with was just like, "Why don't you just stop asking why and enjoy yourself?" And it's like, "Ooh."   Mason: (52:39) That's right. It's an interesting one because I relate to the good boy and so in terms of... I mean I could probably relate of having it come towards me a little bit more, but I feel like I've just noticed recently and just growing up, parents divorced, mainly with my mum, really associating with being like, "I'm a good man," and a little bit of PC elements come in there. So in terms of dominating in that language, coming from myself, even now I can see that that's like, "Well that opens a river of sexual expression," opens something up and that's interesting point. Just, "Why don't you just enjoy that? That's an opening and leads..." You don't have to analyze that, but just watching that subconscious or that, "This is bad. You can't say those things. You can't say that to a woman," and everything that comes with it, very insidious for me.   Ian Ferguson: (53:44) For sure. Very much cuts one off from access to pleasure, access to honoring oneself, being able to see and seen first by oneself, let alone being able to present that to the outside world and have it be seen by someone else.   Mason: (54:00) That's so full on because that just opens up so much in the day to day just joy of being with a person, right? It can just create a whole dam and a relationship if there's these blockages, and just what you just said, that's often enough. It doesn't need to be analyzed.   Ian Ferguson: (54:18) Yeah. I've had some kinky partners since then and played very much in the dominant role. Jaiya, she can play psychological kink. There's two different types of kink as we frame it, there's the psychological kink in the physiological or sensation based kinky. I'll distinguish those in a second, but with Jaiya, she can play psychological kink, she can be submissive psychological kink. She's not so much going to be in the sensation based kink in terms of spankings or deep scratching or any kind of hitting or bondage, that kind of stuff.   Ian Ferguson: (55:00) So I've had some other partners who are very, very, very much in the kink and very much into the physiological and psychological and that place of ownership of being able to step into the dominant role. So kink can be an amazing place to practice for anyone who's looking to step into authority, but if you're looking to play a part and put on the role of authority, like, "You're going to get down on your knees and suck my cock," and play this role, the authenticity drops out and the actual connection and the turn on drops out because the receiver, let's say in that circumstance, if I'm going to put on this role, and that's what I did practically like 25-30 days into my dominance role with Jaiya, I was trying to put on this character who was dominant and it was a joke, like Jaiya was literally laughing at me at certain points. Like, "Phht, I'm so unconvinced by whatever you're doing."   Mason: (56:06) Yeah, I can see you putting on your officer's hat, but yeah, talk about that nuance because I'm sure that's like a block. I can definitely relate to that and especially even something that would help me in the future just hearing about it now. Like what was the nuance there?   Ian Ferguson: (56:26) Yeah, so there's a lot of nuances. One, just the discomfort of like I had the good boy thing. So being able to drop into what... So here's, here's the big shift that occurred. One of our instructors in this realm basically boiled it down to me that this is not about putting on that role. This is about an honest, authentic conversation about what turns you on and being really present with your partner because as a dominant there's so many different roles you can play in that. So you can play the role that you're submissive is a piece of furniture or a piece of meat, they're there to be used by you, but it's all within a container of a very, very clearly defined container that's consensual, has boundaries, has edges that you cannot go past and has rules that you must abide by.   Ian Ferguson: (57:29) So once you set your container, once you have full-on consent from every participant in the scene, you know what the game is that you're playing. Then within that game, the dominant is actually responsible for the wellbeing of the submissive. So some people will look at the BDSM world and they'll think, "That's just abuse. The person is hurting that person and they shouldn't be hurting that person," so all these judgements role. Inside of the context of a conscious kink scene, the submissive is the responsibility of the dom. So awareness needs to be heightened. If I'm in a dominant role, what's occurring for my submissive? How are they feeling? Are they getting turned on because we have an agreement of this is a scene that even if the stated thing is like, "This scene is from my pleasure and my pleasure, only as the dominant," they're in an agreement thing, so they're in their arousal, they're in their turn on within the context that we've set.   Ian Ferguson: (58:40) So there's this awareness, there's this presence that needs to take place to be dropped in to, "Oh, there's the subtlety of that thing that then turned into my turn on, on my pleasure because my submissive is turned on, or because the scene is going just as it's planned and I'm seeking for what really turns me on." I'm not playing at some role of like, "We're going to pull out the cop uniform and have you chained to the bed," and whatever the stereotype thing is that we think it's supposed to be-   Mason: (59:16) Which is often as far as people go.   Ian Ferguson: (59:18) Yes, right, but rather looking for like, "Oh, it really turns me on."   Mason: (59:25) What actually turns me on?   Ian Ferguson: (59:27) Yeah, what actually turns me on and where do I feel that connection to my own power? Then this where lifestyle kink, where people can start to go into lifestyle kink or really using the tools of kink domination and submission to create empowerment in their own life.   Ian Ferguson: (59:47) So let's say I'm in my workplace and I have a difficulty with being assertive and being authoritative. Well, start to look where the authentic core of what result you're trying to achieve in that situation, step into authentically claiming it and calling it out with the people who are either your subordinates or even with your boss, but really being in an authentic emotional connection with the outcome you're looking to create, whether it's in a BDSM scene or it's just in the conversation you're having with your boss.   Mason: (01:00:26) Yeah. I feel like you can't separate this from any other part of life, can you? To think that we can compartmentalize sex into this little like piece of the pie of who we are now. Well even just what we bring to sex and our own sexuality, it permeates everything. Shadow side?   Ian Ferguson: (01:00:51) Okay. Well the positive and superpower of the kink is wildly creative, just immense. I could be studying and doing really intense kink work for 10 years and really there'd be another 10 or 20 years to play in this realm. The superpowers are wildly, wildly creative. Often superpowers have to do with the authenticity of the conversations because you are talking about boundaries, consent, really diving deep into knowing your own turn-ons and the other person's turn-on, so you can create very conscious container for sexual play and sexual expression and superpowers for a kink is they also can have non-touch or let's say non-genital focused or non-touch orgasms because they move into subspace because they're being bound and spanked and the endorphins are rushing. So they can achieve orgasm without genital touch or without what typically is associated to what leads to orgasm.   Ian Ferguson: (01:01:55) Shadow sides. Biggest shadow side for the kink is shame, which we already have touched on here, "Why am I this way? Why am I turned on by this? I'm one of the weird people. I'm a kinky super freak. I don't want to be that," so that can be a downside. Then also a potential for... this is kind of a shadow potential for any blueprint type, but for kinky it can be very distinguishable, which is you can have a particular turn on, which becomes a rut, which becomes a sexual grave.   Ian Ferguson: (01:02:35) So let's say an example is like I'm only turned on by having sex in the yellow raincoat. "That's my kink, and that's the only way I'm turned on, and here I'm with my partner and that's really not doing it for my partner but that's it, that's all that turns me on and I can't get past it. So you can get into this rut that then becomes the grave of turn-on where there's no turn-on to be found elsewhere where you're going to lack sexual connection with your lover.   Ian Ferguson: (01:03:12) I want to state really clearly, if that works for you, whatever that turn on is and you're happy with it and your partner's happy with it, there's nothing wrong with it. It's all good, but often the sexual dissatisfaction, the sexual disconnection takes place to oneself or to others and you're in the grave.   Mason: (01:03:38) In the grave. And then shapeshifters, just shapeshifting in dominance throughout the different blueprints?   Ian Ferguson: (01:03:45) Yeah. Shapeshifter is everything. So the shapeshifter is like the high performance sports car of sexuality. They have the full range of expression. They're turned on by all of it. Superpowers for a shapeshifter are that they're turned on by all of it. They can be the ultimate lover for any lover because they have the full range, they're turned on by it, they know how to feed their lover in whatever blueprint they are.   Ian Ferguson: (01:04:14) On the flip side of it, the shapeshifter also can have a sense of shame because they're usually really big sexually. They're really expressed and they've been shut down as "You're too much, you're too loud, you're too big, you want too much. Why is this always so complicated?" So their sexuality can be shut down on that front.   Ian Ferguson: (01:04:35) Another shadow for them is that they can often live a life of sexual starvation because they'll fall into a relationship with somebody who's got a primary blueprint and they'll move into the people pleaser mode, turning on their lover in their blueprint, never being fed in their full sexuality, and they'll shut down and then that chain piece of, "I'm too much, I want too much, I'm too complicated," and they won't claim their needs or their desires because it'll rock the boat.   Mason: (01:05:08) Yeah, being a pleaser, that rears its head after a while, doesn't it or something like, "Well, I'm giving you everything you want," and just pretty much just become you can be, "[inaudible 01:05:17] under the skin.   Ian Ferguson: (01:05:17) Yeah.   Mason: (01:05:20) So good and thanks for going into that comprehensively. It's one of those things, especially like for a path of arousal because arousal's just like... You're aroused sexually, you can be aroused by life, you can be aroused by your job, you can be aroused my, everything. It's just it has so much to do with health and longevity. It's an interesting thing. Do you guys get into the Taoist herbs? I think I've heard Jaiya talk about his He Shou Wu and Eucommia.   Ian Ferguson: (01:05:46) Oh, for sure.   Mason: (01:05:47) You're on board. Yeah. it's an interesting thing. You can say these Jing Herbs, you got to watch out, you get pretty potent when you get onto the Jing Herbs, but when someone's like, "I'd like to have a little bit more libido." It's like, "Yeah, cool. That's all well and good, and yes, Jing Herb's and Schizandra are great, but what does your libido look like?" That's an interesting thing. That's why I wanted to do this podcast and have these chats as well, is just because we got to make sure we have other things in our awareness of yeah, like if you're going to have that potency being built with your lifestyle and with the herds, make sure that you actually can take it in different directions, it doesn't bottleneck in terms of you just mean you want to just be able to feel like you can just fuck like you did it in the first six months of the relationship.Maybe it's moved on now.   Mason: (01:06:39) It's so nice to be able to like... You must have it all day. I'm just feeling that empathy for those moments where it clicks and the awareness happens within it for someone with their own sexuality in their relationship and the pressure eases because they can like, "Oh, I can start relating to myself as who I really am," rather than the projection of just the cultural, like what I started identifying with, it's just really nice. So I'm glad everyone is going to get to listen and tune into your work. We've gone really down the rabbit hole with the blueprints, which is awesome because it impacts everything, but I really want to hear what's going on with the new work and your new course that's coming out.   Ian Ferguson: (01:07:23) Okay, perfect. Yeah. So you're going to post the quiz in your show notes.   Mason: (01:07:27) Yeah.   Ian Ferguson: (01:07:27) So that's sort of like the first step.   Mason: (01:07:29) So everyone, go and take that quiz.   Ian Ferguson: (01:07:33) For sure. So that's the first introduction. Just a recommendation, when you take the quiz, there's going to be a webpage that pops up. Scroll down the webpage because you'll see your primary blueprint type at the top of the page after you finish the quiz, but when you scroll down the page, you'll see your percentages so you'll see your primary and you'll see all the other blueprints and see where you stack in there. So fun to take with your lover so that you can compare notes like, "Oh Whoa, what's going on there?" This is either why we're rocking it or this is why we've got some disconnection.   Mason: (01:08:09) I did have that question actually. Obviously you're going to see compatibility emerging and non compatibility patterns, I guess, to an extent. Is it one of those things at times when you see like a, I don't know if there's two that are starkly in contrast to each other, where you go... Is it always possible to make it work as... Oh the will. That's what you were talking about, the willingness.   Ian Ferguson: (01:08:29) Willingness.   Mason: (01:08:29) Willingness before, and really I liked that you brought that up because in Taoism we talk about the Three Treasures, Jing, Qi, and Shen, but no one really talks about that fourth treasure Zhi which is will and it's not willpower, it's as you tonify and have your essence of your Jing, your geneti

COVID-19:  Troponin, Abx, Chloroquine, X-rays, Rationing Tests, Public Health Responsibilities Rob Orman MD and Rick Pescatore DO   In this episode I speak with Dr. Rick Pescatore, Chief Physician for Preparedness for the state of Delaware and a front-line emergency physician.  While the general topic is the COVID-19 pandemic, specific issues discussed include: triage decisions, X-rays, troponin, what to do when there’s limited testing ability, antibiotics, chloroquine, viable strategies for managing homeless populations, and more.  Let’s go.   We’re in this strange time of limited testing capacity (due to insufficient swabs, testing kits, universal transport media, lab equipment, etc.)  with an exploding infection. If you are working in an area where COVID is rampant and you can only test a select population, what is the highest yield?    When you have a dearth of tests, they need to be rationed.   Patients who come in in respiratory distress and with obvious upper and lower respiratory illness need to be assumed to have COVID until proven otherwise. The decision has to move away from identifying who is at risk for deterioration or for having the disease and needs to move toward identifying who is at risk for infecting others. This is a constantly evolving process and recommendations will change.  But FOR NOW, when tests are limited, Rick recommends we use those tests to mitigate disease spread.  DO NOT TEST:  the asymptomatic or the mildly symptomatic. DO TEST:  hospitalized patients with respiratory illness, symptomatic people who are likely to put others at risk (health care workers, mass transit drivers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS providers.  As emergency physicians, it’s incumbent upon us to not forget about our differential diagnosis.  We don’t want to focus so much on COVID that we miss pulmonary emboli and other life-threatening causes of respiratory distress.   Are there specific symptoms that can identify who is more likely to deteriorate?  The only sign or symptom that seems to have any discriminatory capability for severe disease is a patient complaint of shortness of breath.   Other risk possible factors:  males, elderly, diabetics.   Tent management Who should get a chest x-ray?    Have a low threshold for CXR in those with chest pain, SOB, severe cough, rhonchi, and/or rales.  We must remember, however, that the Chinese data showed that the overwhelming majority of patients had radiographic findings whether or not they had severe disease.   When should we send patients to the ED for further testing (CBC, ECG, troponin, other labs) and advanced treatment?   Lacking evidence to guide us, we rely on our gestalt to separate the sick from the not sick. If there’s any concern about myocarditis, ED evaluation is mandatory. Pneumonia severity scoring tools can be helpful to guide disposition.   Should we give antibiotics to the “not so sick” patient with infiltrate(s) on x-ray?   Yes. Azithromycin is the antibiotic of choice due to its antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties.   What about hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine?   There is limited but justifiable data showing that implementation of one of these agents may be effective at stopping viral replication. Dosing recommendations are all over the map, but many suggest a 400 mg loading dose followed by 2oo mg bid for the duration of the illness. Studies in California are looking at hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis for providers.  These drugs have few side effects and are not at this time a limited resource.  Both azithro and chloroquine are QTc prolonging   Once a patient is triaged from the tent to the ED, what is the inflection point for admission to the hospital and what work-up should be initiated?   Many who are identified to be sick enough to come into the ED are going to require hospitalization. Labs should include:  CBC, BMP, troponin, CRP, and procalcitonin.  Troponin elevation has been found more common in non-survivors and those with critical illness CRP is one of several inflammatory markers that, when elevated, can indicate cytokine storm. This subset of patients has a prognosis of severe disease with different avenues of treatment. Procalcitonin has been used in China to help determine when antibiotics can be stopped.   What should be the disposition for homeless patients with suspected COVID who do not meet admission criteria based on their clinical severity?   These patients are going to need assistance from the public health infrastructure of the state or region. There will need to be structures (tents, buildings, etc.) dedicated to house these patients. The general public will soon recognize what we have known for ages:  the social safety net of the ED and of the hospital cannot continue to weather the strain of the social service failures that are prevalent throughout the nation.   Troponin in COVID ACC Update on Troponin and BNP March 18 Link ACC Cardiologist’s Perspective Treating COVID in China Link   Chen C, Chen C, Yan JT, Zhou N, Zhao JP, Wang DW. Analysis of myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19 and association between concomitant cardiovascular diseases and severity of COVID-19.  Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za  Zhi. 2020 Mar 6;48(0)PMID: 32141280. Full text link (Google with translate to english)   Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, Fan G, Liu Y, Liu Z, Xiang J, Wang Y, Song B, Gu X, Guan L, Wei Y, Li H, Wu X, Xu J, Tu S, Zhang Y, Chen H, Cao B. Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet. 2020 Mar 11. PMID: 32171076. Full Text Link   Azithro plus Chloroquine  Gautret et al. (2020) Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of  COVID‐19: results of an open‐label non‐randomized clinical trial. International Journal of  Antimicrobial Agents – In Press 17 March 2020 Full Text Link   Editor-in-Chief:  Rob Orman, MD Associate Editor: Melissa Orman, MD

Benny Fergusson joins us on the pod today. Benny is the founder of the The Movement Monk Project and long time friend of SuperFeast. The Movement Monk Project is a method of functional movement, developed with the intention to restore the body to its natural powerful state. Benny guides his students along the path to physical mastery, empowering them to discover how to become injury resistant, highly flexible, strong and fluid in the way they move. Benny has been working as a physical therapist and movement teacher for over 16 years and is also a master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Patterning (NLP). If you're interested in living a long, vibrant and pain free life today's pod is for you!   Mason and Benny discuss: Embodying your own unique expression of movement, putting the 'you' into any exercise or practice you participate in. Making it your own. The importance of self inquiry in your movement practice, getting clear on what personally inspires or motivates you to move in the way you do. The value of looking within, non comparison and jealousy. Approaching life from a parasympathetic state. Experiencing love and gratitude for the gift of having a physical body and moving from that space. Perceiving the frequency of existence. Moving from your centre. Tension in the mind reflecting tension in the body - "tension is just often a symptom of conflict between the body and the mind." Reaction vs response in life and in movement. Proficiency in practice. The quality of one dictates the quality of all; in movement and in breath. Strength and flexibility; are they the same thing? "strengthening the body is about moving the body under better control."   Who is Benny Fergusson?After living with chronic scoliosis & pain for years, and getting no lasting relief from mainstream fitness and therapies.. Benny embarked on a journey to heal his body and get to know himself better. Through years of research and the practice of movement & meditation arts, Benny found a way to restore his physical freedom, leading to profound personal growth. Benny now shares his findings with his students at MovementMonk.xyz.   Resources: The Movement Monk Website The Movement Monk YouTube The Movement Monk Facebook The Movement Monk Instagram   Q: How Can I Support The SuperFeast Podcast?   A: Tell all your friends and family and share online! We’d also love it if you could subscribe and review this podcast on iTunes. Or check us out on Stitcher :)! Plus we're on Spotify!   Check Out The Transcript Here:   Mason:   (00:00) All right. Hey, Benny, you've gone for... You've dropped-   Benny:   (00:04) I just jumped the gun, didn't I?   Mason:  (00:05) Yeah, you've jumped... No, that's good. You've dropped your hydrogen, your molecular hydrogen, into your water and that signifies we are officially on as our water gets effervescent with the reaction with our hydrogen with the water ready to be the ultimate antioxidant entering in through out, into the deep nuance of our cells and our brain. On top of, you're on the tonic herbs, people don't realise how much the antioxidant potency there. Also, through the movement that you've got taking stress off, tonic herbalism, training systems in order to take stress off and not create excessive inflammatory cytokines. And then, grounding, getting earthed and then hydrogen. A very good combination of not being overly oxidized, and that's an intense antioxidant right there, the molecular hydrogen we've just dropped in our water. Cheers.   Benny:  (00:55) Cheers.   Mason:  (00:56) Let's get that while it's really fresh.   Benny:  (00:58) It's like it's steaming.   Mason:  (01:02) Welcome, man.   Benny:  (01:04) Thanks for having us.   Mason:  (01:05) That's our first SuperFeast pod.   Benny:  (01:09) Yeah.   Mason:  (01:09) I think for those in the SuperFeast community, Benny is a really, really good friend of mine. My movement mentor and we've known each other... It must be seven or eight years now.   Benny:  (01:20) Yeah. I recon It's pushing eight. Yeah.   Mason:  (01:22) Yeah Pushing eight. And so we're going to be talking about, well let's dive into it cause I don't know really completely know where we're going to go today, but what's really...   Benny:  (01:32) Lots of topics we could cover.   Mason:  (01:33) Well what's tickling you at the moment in the, in maybe just if... Just share with people. Because when we talk about movement, are we talking about primal movement? Are we talking about ancestral movement? Are we talking about the fitness industry? Are we talking about lifting weights, CrossFit, Parkour are we in a functional movement? Is that what we're talking about here? Or as your brand name Movement Monk says, are we talking about like more Shaolin style movement, TaiChi, Qigong. There's so many things that there's so many like blanket statements, terms that we can use for movement. So maybe just give, we'll get some people some like bread and butter context of what you, what we mean by movement.   Benny:  (02:16) Yeah. Well our, first of all, I will say that we're talking about your movement. So...   Mason:  (02:22) you're talking about Mason's movement today.   Benny:  (02:24) Mason's movement. Whoever is listening, like your individual movement expression and all these systems are great as long as we bring yourself to it first and there's a, that takes you on a whole labyrinth that like I've done lots of functional fitness and I started a long time ago as a personal trainer and not making that any less than where I am. But like back in those days I was doing kettlebell lifting and I suppose functional type training, maybe CrossFit type training before CrossFit was even a thing. And that was my way of expressing my body. Definitely led me down a path of some deeper questions.   Mason:  (03:09) What was your Gym called in Melbourne again?   Benny:  (03:11) Cohesion.   Mason:  (03:12) Cohesion that's right. yeah, that was a pretty, that was a rad space.   Benny:  (03:15) It was a cool space.   Mason:  (03:16) In that and you had the big ass tires and the ropes sitting everywhere, people doing like handstands and monkeying about you walk in you go wow, yeah this is a place where functional movement in accordance with the way that the human body was designed to move like that this is a space where I can go and like segment my life and do that movement and therefore move properly and healthfully. Like why would you move away from that?   Benny:  (03:43) Yeah, that's a really good question. So the, I reached a point of somewhat of a conflict of what I perceived people needed and what they were asking for. And this was quite a challenge because at the end of the day, even though we did.. Pardon me, what I saw as an upgrade to the traditional gym setting of machines and treadmills and like I suppose the going in with your headphones on and not connecting with other people. And we created a place that was all about like movement and philosophy, kind of like the Greco Roman gymnasium. And so, but the challenges with that was the environment that it was in. We were still a gym. People would still come in and get their one hour, 30 minutes or 45 minute kind of workout and then they'd go out into their world. And what I noticed is that we're bringing in their habits, their stresses, their, like all of the things that were challenging them and then putting exercise on top of it.   Benny:  (04:47) So that was then like if you imagine that you've got something that's bound up and then you do something that is like muscular activity and causes contraction and all that sort of stuff. Intensity based. Everyone wanted an intense workout to get a sweat on to get those endorphins. But then you notice that things accumulate in the system. So this is when I started to ask deeper questions of, okay, I don't want to be part of accumulating stress in people that are already stressed. We need to start to be able to balance that equation. It's not to say we need to go the whole other way. But there needed to be education on the way that we relate with the activities that we're doing with the body. So it's not necessarily a change of do a different exercise style or this exercise style's bad or that exercise is superior to the other thing.   Benny:  (05:40) It's more so how do I relate with the thing. And I noticed there's a really, really interesting thing that comes up when just the relationship that we have with our body and then the way we apply it to, that the way we use it, particularly through physical exercise, structured physical practice. And this can come out in CrossFit, it can come out in yoga, it can come out in Qigong, it can come out in all sorts of different practices. Like the fundamental thing that I intend to connect people with is what's my unique way of expressing myself through that thing. So then the mind and the body can start to be in a more harmonious relationship.   Mason:  (06:19) Do you find it's a difficult, and I kind of, I don't know, I'm fishing cause I do find this, but if you go into say something like CrossFit, which we've had James Newberry on the, on the podcast is a great CrossFitter like I mean he's fifth strongest man in the world, and talks about like skeletal variation and things like that in his CrossFit gym and so things are like moving like that. However, like that's a fortunate gym to be walking into in the CrossFit world. But what I'm thinking, what you're talking about is like presenting yourself first, your own personalised, unique intention based. You can't help but go really cosmic with your own intention and who you are when you get into the essence of what we're talking about.   Mason:  (07:06) Very relevant, very relevant to your life and where more importantly you don't walk into a CrossFit class and all 30 people in there have the same personal physical expression goals for when they're 70 or 80 years old, therefore it's not personalized enough I'd say in my opinion a lot of the time. But going in first to like a judo dojo, Brazilian Jujitsu dojo, a CrossFit gym even a yoga class and trying to make hoping that that space gives you what you need in order to tune into what is personally required in your tailored approach and explanation of your own body. I find difficult, I find it's not many places that are going to completely offer that, like the amount of time and space because it is often just a half an hour, an hour and they want, you need to, you're given something to do during those times.   Mason:  (08:02) And I think this is what's tripped me up over the years and where it's just led me that constantly like just can't avoid for me personally that going into my own unique space. That is a personal practice exploration in place of exploration. So I can really get to know why do I want to be strong and what is strength and how does strength relate to flexibility and what is flexibility to me and start weeding out my own, I like superficial goals, but I like them when they're relevant to me. Now I don't like old ones and I especially don't want ones that I've adopted through the culture that I've, I live in.   Mason:  (08:39) So I think it's, what we're talking about is having a work of what I like. What you do is you allow for the creation of that sacred place where you get in touch with your own body, or practical place even if sacred isn't the word for you where you can get in touch with what's real and what's not real and what's relevant and and you can explore who am I in that in that space and then go on, apply that real knowing of who you are to the dojo, to the gym, to the yoga class.   Mason:  (09:11) Very, very key concept because I think I've found myself in this conversation quite often. I didn't make that a nuance and if I didn't have that progression. And I found myself getting a little bit like scoffy towards the, what the dojo is we're offing and what the gyms were offering. When it's not, that's not the problem. you have a personal responsibility when you step into some crazy fucking asana practice to be able to navigate your body through it so you don't like jam up your shoulders going through your going through your sun's and whatever, whatever it is. So this is what we're talking about in this in this instance on a very practical level, which is what I like and I really want to hit it for everyone because it seems like, yeah, I do that in my gym. I do that in my yoga class, but it's like I'm just like, I guess suggestion that there is, there is another place that you can personally explore and procure and it exists even when the gyms and the dojos and the yoga teacher goes away.   Benny:  (10:17) Yes, absolutely. Yeah. And a question like, because it's... The thing with, because effectively what we're talking about here is perception. My perception of my relationship to physical exercise, physical activity to my body and all this sort of thing. And the thing with the perception is that you go into these different communities and we'll all kind of, this is not about right or wrong, but we'll often go what I'm doing is, is good for me.   Mason:  (10:48) So this perception kind of like in there, you can kind of look at it from another angle in terms of your perception of it. Therefore what's motivating you to go and do these things in the first place?   Benny:  (10:57) Yeah, totally. Totally. And I would then question the difference between motive. Like motivation and inspiration. So like if these things, these cultures that we exist in therefore got their own motives, then it's clearly externally visible. So if you go into it and you try to take that into your body it's like trying to kind of force something in like a, what's the term, like a round peg in a square hole and that sort of thing. But if you develop the inspiration inside, this is my intent toward this thing, then there's an opening, there's an allowance for you to use that as a tool rather than a tool using you.   Mason:  (11:39) I mean, and having I think in that instance we were, we were talking with Jenny a little bit about it. whether you're looking at a system that's rather new and maybe not so complete like CrossFit and complete in my instance compared to something a very traditional Taoist or yogic system that has many, many nuances and layers and thousands of years of like making it kind of complete.   Benny:  (12:09) Yes.   Mason:  (12:09) No matter what you need to have respect for any world or system or technique you go into, whether it's CrossFit, whether it's Taoism, there's, you've got to have a respect for the knowledge and expertise within it. But as you were saying then where, what's the, what's the key like when do you become susceptible to the identity? it's like the real, and it's pervasive and it's, and to an extent it's really nice to identify in the beginning with like I'm exploring whatever CrossFit or Jiujitsu, I'm exploring Taoism.   Mason:  (12:45) At what point does it become enough and this, because whether it's a skill or whether it's because you have that connection to your own inner like intent, you can actually go in and navigate that system and then emerge from that system without having the tattoo across your forehead of like, I'm a Yogi and I go, I'm this or that. Not that I don't find it's bad to use these terms. I talk about Taoist tonic herbs and my systems, but more and more it's that slipperiness of knowing that I don't identify that word can completely go away. And I think the people who were the original Taoists and yogis, the reason they were, people needed some way to like encapsulate them and label them. Wow.   Mason:  (13:25) These people let their following the way of like this, okay the Tao, the Taoists these people are yogis. And I think that's what then paves the way for the students of the future to get lost and not achieve what the original masters were able to achieve because they identify with a system or a label or a thing which makes you, it makes you rigid and therefore rigidity is going to like, yeah, it's going to inhibit your way forward. Right?   Benny:  (13:53) Yeah. Well one thing to consider is like the rigidity is all a reflection of consciousness, is all a reflection of our relationship to the things. If you look at any system, like whether it's CrossFit, whether it's Taoism or some kind of ancient mystical form of some sort of energetic practice or whatever it is.   Mason:  (14:14) TaiChi falls into that.   Benny:  (14:16) Totally like we're in this age of where information is abundant, it's addictive, it's everywhere. Like, and we can start to at least think that we know what things mean. Like we look at CrossFit seeing 10,000 examples through social media and the internet and all of that sort of thing of what CrossFit is. So then you get this person and then they go, "oh yes, I resonate with that". But then they're only seeing what they want to see. when, if we were to look at how CrossFit emerged, it was sort of from, at least my understanding, it just happened, it was a system that they were using that they've found was working and then it caught on. Other people got more and more into it and it got more and more popular. And then they picked up some athletes and special forces people and all that sort of thing. And then they're like, yeah, I do this and I do that and then we get all these people. Then that aspire to be that image but if you could just look at it like really it was like this essence of people wanting to get the most out of their fitness. Like how to kind of make fitness more measurable, more challenging, more quantifiable because we came from this era of like bodybuilding and aerobics and all this sort of stuff. So when CrossFit came in as an idea, it was a revolutionary concept to go from like a long steady set cardio or like heavy weight training to bring it all into one thing.   Benny:  (15:46) So like at one level it's a wonderful thing if we know how to use the dosage of these things. And so like what I would say is for someone to go into any of these systems, you need to go with all eyes and ears open and listen to how that's not just relating with your interpretation, like your perception of the thing, your relationship. And I like how you identify with it but, what's your body saying as a result, not just from workout to workout or practice to practice, but in a macro perspective over the course of a month. Listen, "what are you feeling body? "Over the course of if you do something for a year, over the course of a year.   Mason:  (16:28) That's kind of what I'm talking about in the catch up in the place that I'm working on, my body is the place where I go and do these things. Too many people are absolutely annihilating their body in yoga practice because particularly yoga sequences are often designed for people with particular skeletal structures. And so people go to the yoga in order to feel their body and do to an extent because they're actually in their breath and feeling their body and activating the body. So this then noticing and moving primary Qi. However you're talking about after the practice or in and around a month of that practice, going and feeling how your body is relating to the way that it's moving in that dedicated time, which is people like, well, no, I don't need to do that because I go and do that at CrossFit or at yoga.   Benny:  (17:14) That's why I do it.   Mason:  (17:15) That's why I do it. It's like, yeah, but you're outsourcing, you're outsourcing the time, which I agree with. When you're a busy mum or dad and you've got kids and a job and you need to be able to go...   Benny:  (17:28) You don't want to think about it.   Mason:  (17:29) And you want to go and segment, and I'm like going, I'm like throwing stones. What it says like he who judges say well, whatever, whatever it is.   Benny:  (17:35) Will throw stones.   Mason:  (17:37) Yeah, exactly. I'm like, so I definitely haven't mastered this by an extent, but it's cause it was why I can talk to it with, with such passion. But sometimes it's like, oh gosh, I've got enough going on. I can't think about that. I want to be, I want to run through like a martial arts system that's going to help lead me to a little bit of like Nirvana in my daily life.   Mason:  (17:56) Whereas I know enough times that it doesn't work like that. If the goals are super superficial in terms of just getting shredded, maybe you're going to be able to get so far. But if you start actually growing a little bit beyond that superficial, and that just might be because you are aware of your muscles at one time and then when you start getting aware of sinew and emotions relating to your physicality and then you also start getting aware of tension, you're going to want to go deeper. And at that point you realise, shit, I can't outsource that time. I really can't. It can be somewhat facilitated, but you need to, that needs to be facilitated by someone who has a lot of patience and knows to really let you go and do that on your own accord. Maybe just suggesting tools.   Mason:  (18:40) Right? for you to go and do that you and you need to feel how you actually feel. That's really difficult to do because how it's... Then how do you interpret it? It's like, well sorry, develop your own system at this time of interpretation. Take things from yoga and Taoism and your fitness instructor, whatever it is, as insights but they're really, they are here. I mean their level of like, they, how they are human and how there's no possible way they could get an insight as to what's really going on within your human body. You need to develop the non-English based perceptive system of yourself and knowing how you feel, how you react to particular situations and what you need or to what, what do you need? Why do you need to be optimal?   Benny:  (19:32) Yes.   Mason:  (19:33) Why do you need to be strong? What the fuck does that mean? Total human optimisation is like a weird statement.   Benny:  (19:40) Body hacking.   Mason:  (19:41) because if your optimal, shouldn't I as a human, if I look at people who are, if I look at like not that I don't love like the optimisation culture and biohacking to an extent, it's really fun. But I technically, if I look at the like super optimised crowd, pew, pew, pew, ultimate biohacker, ultimately like I should, if they're optimised as a human, shouldn't I genetically look at those people and get this urging and yearning to be just like that person because they're optimised and I'm not like, it just doesn't work like that. I just they're exploring some stuff and using very shiny language.   Mason:  (20:21) There's, I feel like we all, we all do, but why, what do you, what do we actually exploring here? Why do you want to live to 150? Why do you want to live to 200? These questions are very real. And I think what we're getting to as well as they're, they're going to emerge, say more so than be extracted these answers and they're going to emerge in, are they going to in real like a flurry of movement, sometimes, but they're also going to like emerge when the Lake is still. Yes. Right. And so that's like, I guess to an extent make it really simple. We're talking about stillness practice in personally designed by you. For you.   Benny:  (21:06) Yes.   Mason:  (21:06) Right?   Benny:  (21:07) Yeah. Yeah, totally. Like, and you've touched on so many facets and maybe I'll pull some threads out.   Mason:  (21:12) Yeah. Well, I'm going to just chill out for a minute.   Benny:  (21:15) First of all, if we look at how do we utilise this wonderful vessel, because the body is a serious piece of tech, that most people don't have the user manual to even interpret, yet it's giving us signals all the time. And so like one thing when I first started working with people is we, we don't do a lot of movement. like we just, we observe the body just being able to look at the body and, and just listen, to not try. And I think with the thing with, if you go into any system, the system, it'll give you what you asked for.   Mason:  (21:57) and I should probably talk about you, the people you work with I think are a combination of maybe people like maybe, I don't know if I was in this position, but people who have a hangover from being extensively in the fitness industry. I think that's a core...   Benny:  (22:14) People who have done this, done that, done the other thing.   Mason:  (22:16) interesting thing I was looking like, just like recapping in like, where my inspiration around tonic herbalism came from and a lot of it was from Ron Teeguarden and his teacher Master Park. And when you look at Master Park's story, he was a Korean who was just this hectic martial artist, it's like four black belts at like these actual serious Doritos, but hit this glass ceiling of like I'm not actually developing as a human. So he went into the mountains to find a hermit and eventually learned the way, how to unify with Yin Yang and learned Tonic Herbalism in order to procure his own dislike.   Mason:  (22:54) I feel I know myself a little bit more now and I feel like it's that kind of I wouldn't like put you into like it, I'm not trying to say you're a Taoist hermit living in the mountains of Korea, but maybe to, to an extent we're all trying to find our similar way, in finding our solitude so we can explore but. There's that vibe there where you find people going, Oh gosh, I've gone like, I'm like this hectic, like muscle up one arm pull up, kind of like.   Benny:  (23:24) I was totally that guy.   Mason:  (23:25) Yeah you were. And like I can, I can do crazy lizarding along the ground and I can squat for this amount of time and I squat through this much every day.   Mason:  (23:36) and then it's just like, now what? Not that it's bad. It's a progression. I think that was that, that was kind of like, I was kind of a little exasperated by the world, but then it took me a while to still bridge and I'm still a bit of a ratbag in terms of, I'm trying to like, like how do I still not look outside first for something that's going to motivate me to get in and explore my body. But I'm working in that working on that with you as you know. But then there's the people who are just in chronic pain, which is really, I mean that's your last program, right? And you haven't really, Oh, maybe it will be released now I can go for...   Benny:  (24:12) Break Through Your Pain.   Mason:  (24:12) Breakthrough your pain. We'll put that in the show notes because it just talking to you about that.   Mason:  (24:16) That's, I mean I think that's interesting because when I met you, you were about to put out a handstand course and.   Benny:  (24:25) Which I developed.   Mason:  (24:26) Which you developed and then didn't release it. And then you've ended up working with people who aren't in the movement scene they're probably, maybe they've got a few specialists who are helping them out on their in their specialties. So then people who are living long term with chronic, pain you've had your crazy scoliosis, that you've worked through and without it being like just use this particular system. It's just five minutes of this a day, it's five minutes of that a day. And you can work through your pain. But actually teaching principles that will impart sovereignty for that person to then go and practically work through, feel what's going on in their body and over time overcome that pain. They're the kinds of people that you're working with and the people who are still into like hectically optimizing their movement and exploring it. Just creating that kind of, that center. I just wanted to bring that context before you go on.   Benny:  (25:18) Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's a really useful context cause I've been in both sides of the coin. I've been in a high performance sporting, strength training or like strongman type kind of...   Mason:  (25:33) And table tennis.   Benny:  (25:34) I love table tennis. I still do actually.   Mason:  (25:37) Didn't you Go into the states or something, the state final. Like who is that?   Benny:  (25:40) Yeah, I was playing at a state level. For a time as a kid, that works against me cause none of my friends will play me.   Mason:  (25:48) Oh, let's go play downstairs after this.   Benny:  (25:49) That's sweet.   Mason:  (25:50) Yeah, be gentle on me.   Benny:  (25:53) I'm a bit rusty. So yeah, it's all like very finite timing and rhythm with that..   Benny:  (25:58) But um... So you're going to like, I love all that. I love that raw physicality and then I couldn't do it. So I had to look at a totally different way of relating to the body.   Mason:  (26:09) Is this when you injured yourself.   Benny:  (26:10) Yeah, yeah. Like that's when, and that was, it was an acumen... I hadn't noticed the whispers of my body so until I wasn't able to listen or maybe I was, but I wasn't choosing to and then it just turned into an all out scream. I'm just like, no fucking hell you can't do that.   Mason:  (26:29) Is this the scoliosis?   Benny:  (26:30) Yeah, totally. Like that was a manifestation of the pain and that sort of thing because I couldn't sit up straight, couldn't stand up straight, I couldn't breathe deeply.   Mason:  (26:40) And this was, even though you were like climbing ropes like really quick and you were doing muscle ups and so you were seemingly ideal, you would have been able to like get like 100,000 on Instagram, like bang.   Benny:  (26:53) Maybe.   Mason:  (26:53) We've talked about this. You don't have the Instagram skills.   Benny:  (26:57) That's true. That's true.   Mason:  (26:58) Anyway. But yeah, I like that. That's the realm of it because that's one thing I've kind of, because I have, sometimes a bit of a no, maybe not these days, but for like two years up til two years ago, like a wandering eye when my watch someone like he knows anything. Rock climbing, ocean swimming, dislike, Parkour just been like far out, like I feel like I compare, I got, I've really, that's the level, that's what I've got to get back to.   Mason:  (27:23) Like I can't just go and like, with my body surfing, I'm an avid of body surfer and my whole thing is.   Benny:  (27:29) You're like a dolphin in the water.   Mason:  (27:30) Thank you. And I like look, sometimes I look at like the, I'm literally looking at like the top 10 body surfers in the world. And I'm like, right, that's the level I've gotta, I've gotta get to. And so it's like, I've got this, it's about me and the pressure I put on myself and give an inch, take a mile. In terms of my what I, what I have to do, but it's also a bit of the projection for optimal health in the realm of physicality and just from, do not ever get jealous ever. You do not know what that ripped guy is dealing with in terms of tension, in terms of whether he can really lift his arms up and hold something above his head.   Mason:  (28:11) Like there's like even the CrossFit kind of like arena, even in that like in the primal arena, I'm, you just claim little bits because like as you were saying, you had your scoliosis going on yet I'm sure people would come into the gym and be like, yeah, I really want to be like Benny. Benny's hectic in the gym. Look at the way he cartwheels and everything like that. Yeah. There's this silent scream underneath it and quite often it's an emotional silent scream. So I was like, don't project too much onto these like people that you see, like especially yogic ones that you see on Instagram.   Benny:  (28:44) Totally. Yeah. Like I the thing that we're bringing out is that if you look at this concept of like be, do, have and like I just, I observed that, we're human first before we do anything, like we've got to look at ourselves at our level of being like, who am I being right now in this thing? And if I want to be someone else and that's my motive to do it, well then that's, you never know what it's like to live in someone's skin. And if you're so focused on what someone else has achieved, you neglect the purpose of even existing because you're not aware of your own inner inspiration for why you do things.   Benny:  (29:27) And for a long time I wasn't, like I was doing physical practice because I was afraid of being judged of being like this young kid when I, it's like quite small and perceived to be weak and like I'm a sensitive guy, that's my nature. But I covered it up with muscle for a long time. So a lot of my journeys are being about reconnecting back with that. And now seeing that, well muscle for me that's moving house, that's picking up kids, that's like playing around, that's not getting injured or being more resilient to injury.   Mason:  (30:05) That's other people's kids ladies, don't worry he's not taken.   Benny:  (30:08) Yeah. So it's a fundamental difference so now the love that I have just for using my body is there, I just, if I'm crawling on the ground, if I'm standing, if I'm walking, if I'm breathing, like there's a love there that I experienced that's unquantifiable that I bring to whatever I'm doing. So it might look like, and I do a lot of physical practice, but for some people it might look like, Oh, he's training for all these hours a day. And he, this kind of, there's a discipline and an intensity and all that. I've got to do that to be that, but for me it comes from a totally different place. And it's something that I've noticed with, with all people who really thrive.Like you were saying like the higher level parkour people or body surfers or musicians or business people or anything like that.   Benny:  (31:01) They've discovered their own way to it and like my thing is I've just realised that we've all got something in common. We've all got a body, and even if you are the top body surfer in the world, the top business person in the world, the top whatever in the world, we've gotta remember the basic nature of this body. Like we've got to have freedom of breath. We've got to be able to like relax our body at deep levels, while we're doing stuff not just on the couch?   Mason:  (31:29) Well its something very interesting there. You said about like that inherent love of moving your body because that was important for me to remember to not just Poopoo what I was doing with my exploration of pure physicality because I was getting off my ass and moving and exercising and these are amazing things because I had momentum and there were obviously shreds of just pure spontaneous joy that I had because I was just, oh my gosh, I'm alive and I'm exploring and that and that's amazing. And like remembering that that's like, that's the inlet, that's the way the water goes. The path of least resistance for me to continue to cultivate and procure like my own practice because an inherent love, that's something I sometimes, especially when I'm busy, I really, it's the first thing to go and I fall into that.   Mason:  (32:13) Like the movement is thing at a thing on the checklist. And so I either will become just like apathetic towards my practice or I'll just become complacent completely towards it or charge on and do it because it's on my list. And I've kind of like internally agreed that I'd do it. That's what's right. Rather than the practice Then just being to stop and pause and find that inlet. And why was like, it was a beautiful... a Joy to be in my body in the first place and a joy to move. And it's just almost too simple. And sometimes I feel like, oh gosh, that's feels like such a wonky way to fucking spend my morning. And I, that's like what's what comes out and it's, and I honestly have to just like, just hold on a little bit longer with my intent.   Mason:  (33:00) Just hold on a little bit longer and find some spark like what where is that like that loving nature for myself. I mean, it's just works in the same, in every single way. Don't take mushrooms because they're going to give you immunity completely. That doesn't last for 30 years as an intention. It's because I love myself and you'd love the the herb and you'd love it. You love your expression of health and rah rah. I don't know whatever, like anything. Don't stay in that relationship because you got married and you, and you should, like, you find that love for yourself and that love for why it's beautiful to be in a relationship with the first place.   Mason:  (33:42) And then if it works out then that pause over for the other person. So that's, I mean this is what we're talking about. And often that these are all really nice concepts. But then how do you actually cultivate that? We've done I've worked on a few of your camps and immersions and we've done like lots of handstands and we've done bits of like lizarding around. So I know my body is capable of like some things and my body's capable of like some pretty extensive standing meditations and all these things which are like, Ooh, awesome Taoist.   Mason:  (34:17) Kind of like standing meditations and I like doing that because it's our last three month block that we did. It was like for the first month, this is where just going and getting it in a yoga class as a download here and there, it's great, but there's a dedicated practice or like almost daily for that first month it was, what is it for you to approach life from a place of a parasympathetic state and then explore that state...   Benny:  (34:48) Yes.   Mason:  (34:48) and allow the color of your approach and your extreme physical practice, your day at your work, being with Aiya, whatever it was in a state of being parasympathetic.   Benny:  (34:59) Yes. That was, I... And this is what it takes. And then...   Mason:  (35:03) That was like, and this is what it takes in order to like procure and cultivate. What's going to cultivate something? Consistency and practice.   Benny:  (35:11) Yes, yes.   Mason:  (35:11) So just again, you started going into like, "Where do we start?"   Benny:  (35:16) Yeah.   Mason:  (35:16) Can you start talking about in where we start, why you don't give things and practices, but rather you like to teach principles and then layer on practices to those principles?   Benny:  (35:28) Yes, yeah. Yeah. So, what I have noticed the power of first, just touch on as we were talking about simplicity, and often it's discounted as "Oh that's too easy" or whatever. But if we really look into simple things, we start to discover that there's ultimate complexity. It's like if you take anything in nature and you put it under a microscope, you're just dumbfounded with how freaking amazing a leaf is. A particle of air, the structure of water. It's the same within all of us. So, if we start off when we have too many things to focus on, well then we get distracted from our essential nature, you know? So, just to link with also what we're talking about with like, to experience a greater sense of love for who we are, for what we're doing, for our bodies, for life.   Mason:  (36:29) If what we're able to do with others, I know that's something we taught. It's like the ultimate cliche but you know, you've said it recently and I was just like, "Oh, like Benny's just owning that." You're like, "I just love being of service."   Benny:  (36:40) Yeah, yeah.   Mason:  (36:40) When you said that, I was like oh, fucking, that's really nice, Benny.   Benny:  (36:42) Yeah.   Mason:  (36:43) I really liked it.   Benny:  (36:45) And that has happened because I've continued to discover ways of filling myself up, for discovering who am I? What do I like? And also holding that lightly of going, I can also grow to like this thing that I don't like, and why don't I like that thing? And like throughout this, what I've noticed is like love is not a word. You know, like we can, it is this era of you've got to be loving to yourself. And that becomes an identity in and of itself as well. But love is a vibe. It's a frequency. You know? And I know that that's a really cliche thing because people identified around that in the new age spiritual world as well.   Mason:  (37:27) Yeah. I mean, I think even just the fact when you look at, we've got one word for it in English, there's four ways of saying it in Spanish, like 64 in sanskrit, you know, like there's like obviously we're talking about a frequency or something which has got nuance and you know, of course, different sides and shapes.   Benny:  (37:45) Yeah, so the question then comes up, you know, when I look at it, and this is the same as when I work with people, is how do we tap into and actually perceive that frequency of existence? How do we perceive these fine things that make us who we are, that are not our language? How do we perceive this highly intricate, complex but very simple language of our bodies. And once we do, like we see, if you look at like, there's such examples that I think we can all relate to with unconditional love, like a dog, you know, like just dogs just, they just give love, you know? And yes, they're different organisms and maybe they have a different consciousness and all of that sort of thing. I don't know what it's like. But you know, the experience of love when that dog that's full of love, like you know, a dog that I grew up with in a relationship for some time, she would just come up and reach up and heart to heart, where you have this moment of connection and it's as my perception of my body's grown, I've started to experience the energetic transference between me and that living organism, you know? And I've realised that there is, we were just a complete vessel of energy and that's moving around us. It's moving through us all of the time.   Benny:  (39:14) So if we start off and we try and do exercises just to fix this injury or do that thing and-   Mason:  (39:23) Get stronger, get more flexible.   Benny:  (39:24) Yeah, whatever it is, whatever the goal is. Not that it's bad because I love, I love physical exercise, you know, don't get me wrong, but I find it's really useful to start to just be simple and just see what's there. You know, like we would, let's say as an example of a practice we might lay on the ground, we might observe our breathing and just observe what comes up for us. So for someone, they might notice I've got certain physical restrictions like muscular aches and pains or I've got, and there's like a stuck-ness as I breathe, or when I come up, when I breathe, I get really, there's emotions that come up at surface. This came to me after I started Qigong practice, different Shaolin forms of Qigong a long time ago, and I noticed I got really angry while I was doing it and I was perplexed by this. I was like, why am I getting angry at this thing that's supposed to make me really relaxed and peaceful and cultivate Qi and all these sorts of things. I have these intellectual ideas of it, but I had no idea of what that actually meant.   Mason:  (40:37) That's interesting. I mean that's the same as sometimes when people take Qi tonic, like Astragalus or even its more extreme like Ginseng and they're like, right, this is going to give me energy and they get tired. It's like yeah, you're actually starting to tap into something which won't, you know it's got its patterns but it's going to, your body is going to do what your body needs and you right now you need to be down-regulated for example, or right now, because that's an interesting thing with the Qigong. I don't know where you're going with it, but it's like, rather than go, oh, there's something wrong, it's going, that's interesting. Now, what's next? If I'm not going to be handed these results on a platter, I'm given, oh now there's something else to explore. Now there's another opportunity. It might be the 5% of the time where it's like that practice or herb is just not for you, but that's very rare. Quite often it's like, here's some material to work with. Now where do you need to go?   Benny:  (41:44) Exactly. Exactly. So the thing if I link back to the Qigong thing is I might've thought that this is not for me.   Mason:  (41:52) Yes.   Benny:  (41:52) You know, and until I started to open my mind and I dropped a lot of the rigidity around, you know, this is the way to prove. This is the way to position my body. I just started to do what I could do. There was a real humbling in that. I banged my head up against the wall of trying to be something else for long enough until I realised that that just goes to more of that. And then I start to look at this art and go, hmmm.. There are fundamental ways of relating with this thing. There are principles underneath that I wasn't noticing.   Benny:  (42:28) Just like the principle of moving from your center, as a simple example of instead of me trying to put more of my limbs in different places and try and force them to be there and be there and all that sort of thing, I just started to focus for a while on moving the center point of my body so we could say the hips or we could say like around kind of the lower abdomen area, you know, just to make it simple. And then I just watched how the rest of the body started to respond as I moved my center. And naturally I noticed that, oh, okay, everything's starting to move more together. So then there's less effort as I'm doing this thing. And then I noticed that, oh, when there's less effort, I'm noticing that there's more energy flowing. I'm at least perceiving these things. So, that's an example of a principle.   Benny:  (43:19) So basically what I initially get people to do is simple things with their body and to notice how they respond or react to those things. So then we can gather more information because if anyone says to you listening, or anyone that I know what you need to fix you, call bullshit. You know, because they don't, no one knows what it's like to live in anyone's skin. And that's one of the challenges, is we're all, not all, but there are a lot of people, and this is what I experience when people come to see me, is they've experienced the result of delegation of their own self care for a long time. You know, they've delegated it to the chiropractor, they've delegated it to the doctor, they've delegated to the osteo, to the physio, to the CrossFit trainer-   Mason:  (44:12) To the yoga studio-   Benny:  (44:13) To the yoga studio and the instructor at the yoga studio, to all of these things, and none of it's wrong.   Mason:  (44:18) No.   Benny:  (44:18) But-   Mason:  (44:21) It's like the best time to be exploring your health right now.   Benny:  (44:24) Oh my God. Like it's just-   Mason:  (44:25) Far out.   Benny:  (44:25) It's just weird. It have such opportunity. And also there's a slippery slope on both sides of that thing.   Mason:  (44:31) Of course, yeah.   Benny:  (44:32) And so, here you've got all this wonderful information, these ancient teachings that are coming out and there's some people who are really genuine in the way they present it. But then here it is, is the average person has been highly hypnotised. We live in a hypnotised reality. You look at even like a traffic light, you know, like all that it takes to induce hypnosis is eye fixation and muscle relaxation and you can induce a hypnotic state. There's a principle by the way. So, if you look at that, the traffic light goes green. I look at the traffic light and kind of in my own little world and then all of a sudden I'm at my destination. How did I even get there? You don't remember because you were just in another world, you were in a hypnotic state.   Benny:  (45:15) So on and on we can go through life, alarm goes off, get up, brush your teeth, do something with your kids or your family or whatever it is. Or if you don't have a family, you get up and you go to work or do that thing that you do. And then on repeat, we're kind of this in this pattern. And so even, you know, I've been self employed for most of my adult life, but still I noticed there's parts of me like get up, do you work, do your thing. I have to continue to check in and go, okay, what do I need today? And often we don't ask that. So what I look to do when people are getting started is to take them to a place where they can reconnect with what is happening in the present moment and get better and better at that. So then we can apply that.   Benny:  (46:02) It's a reverse to a lot of the fitness and health culture of, here go do this class and get this thing and then your life gets better. But what I like to focus on is build a bridge from within your practice, but then apply it in your life and then it's a circular nature of like, life informs me. I come back into my practice, my awareness goes naturally higher when I'm just focusing on that thing. And then I apply it to this more complex situation. So in this example, when we did this work, when you were talking about that month of just focusing on your breathing and just focusing on increasing your perception of what it is to be in a parasympathetic or rest and digest state. Because a lot of the time people don't know that, you know, I didn't know that. I was in fight or flight all the time and that's why my body wasn't healing. And that's why tension was building up because my mind was like running hot, you know? And so when I went to do that Qigong, I experienced all that heat. It all started to come out because I started to, my intention was to relax and all that sort of thing. So it started to happen, but it's not always an easy process.   Benny:  (47:22) You know, when the body starts to, like in this classic examples of this in say like Chinese Medicine, you get like cupping, you know, you're going, I've got this stuff going on. Maybe it's localised with your back or maybe it's with some of the organs or something. And you, the way cupping works or just an example of it, is you get a cup, it's a glass cup and they put it on the skin and then they heat the cup up and that cup causes like a vacuum and it draws up all like stagnant blood and energy and all sorts of different things out of the skin. So then at the end of it, it looks like you've had this epic battle with this giant squid. The cup marks are on your back and all that sort of thing. So-   Mason:  (48:03) You see them more and more these days and lots of people are cupping and I think it's after Michael Phelps did it.   Benny:  (48:09) Totally, like all these things become popular. So then, you look at it and if the untrained eye was to look at this, and the thing is, we're training our perception to be able to see things no longer as good or bad. So then we can naturally allow the body to be, to heal, to do what it needs to do to thrive. That's its basic nature, I noticed. We only impose the things upon the body. It doesn't do it to us. The body is so innocent. It's like a little child. Like if the child, if it spills milk or whatever, you know, it doesn't know that's a good or a bad thing. Only the adult comes in and their reaction teaches the child and then that embeds in the physical body and so we go through our lives and we accumulate these things.   Benny:  (49:00) All these congestions, all these past experiences, physical in like not just imbalances but habits and emotional habits and thought habits.   Mason:  (49:09) Tension.   Benny:  (49:10) Tension habits-   Mason:  (49:11) Tension patterns-   Benny:  (49:12) All these things, like tension is just often a symptom of conflict between the body and the mind.   Mason:  (49:16) And again, just consistency, right? It can be just so simple, but a little bit of muscular tension that correlates to a particular emotion that happens four times a day. It happens around a particular organ. Of course that's going to create a blockage of Qi and then a blockage of Fluids and a blockage of Blood. And of course that's going to be a little bit uncomfortable and give rise to further emotion and then all it would have taken is a little bit of more, you know, very simplistic conversation. But in theory the idea is, if we were just slowing slowing down on a regular, you know, two or three times, four times, five times, you know, six times a week just stopping, slowly feeling, you know, work. I can't really feel in that place. What is that emotion to keep, I'm going to get a sense of it, explore it.   Mason:  (50:01) It's a very simple shit. It's very, I don't say like, you know, I know it's simple, of course, you know, it's like pulling teeth with myself sometimes. But nonetheless, I do what I can so that they don't continue to end up like a grouchy asshole of a 60 year old. I might still have my little angry outbursts, but I ensure that I know the pattern of tension where that's going. And I can, you know, you slowly but surely you start to be able to kind of, you know, doesn't at least not accumulate it, so you don't, so it doesn't, it doesn't explode especially on to other people or anything like that. That's just very simple. It's what the practice is about. And I like it because the way you approach it, I like, especially because I'm not practicing Qigong, not practicing a yogic technique. We can talk about the inspiration, where the inspiration that these things come from, but we don't need to be practicing Tai Chi. I don't need to be practicing Taoist Standing sequences. I don't need to be practicing Kung Fu forms.   Mason:  (51:06) Although those things might occur and although there is respect from where inspiration came from. We talk about that a lot.   Benny:  (51:13) Absolutely.   Mason:  (51:13) You talk about where you fucking studied and of course, but what we're gleaming is, is the principles that are ensconced within those systems. Because quite often people think like, no, no, no, no. If you, if you're practicing Taoism, you need to do Qigong in this way and you need to take these herbs and then you need to do these kinds of dark retreats. And that's the system. Don't go outside the system. And to an extent that's true, especially when you're in practitioner clinical healing spaces. It's sometimes dangerous to go outside of the system.   Mason:  (51:52) But when we're talking about procuring our own life and exploring ourselves, I feel like it gets detrimental very quickly when you can't go beyond the label and old system. Whereas at the same time, where's the respect for them? The respect is understanding the principles of what was being handed over by those systems and then staying dedicated to your own.... Cultivation of those principles being present in your own life, where relevant. I feel like that's very, I've been meditating on this for many years. I'm someone that gets very attracted, like a moth to the flame. I can get attracted to the shiny things and then get very dejected when I can't achieve them. But I sabotage myself from achieving them beforehand because I know that I knock. I know myself, I know that I'm not going to be happy at the end of that road. I know when I finally hold it, I'm not that happy. I'm not that happy with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.   Mason:  (52:54) I know that, like extensively, and so then balancing out, although I like a little bit of it though, you know, balancing that out with this exploring the principality of you know, of movement and the way you know, the way tension works in the body and the way physical expression works and you know, that's what I feel is different here just in case people are like, what are you guys banging on about? Why do you care if I do very specific Qigong and I'm like well, I don't really care. But you know, I love practicing like Yin Yoga or a particular Yin Yoga sequences. But I mean you can take that practice away and that name away any day of the week and that's not going to touch me. I think that's like, in and around that, you know, can we start exploring what seeds, you know, are you exploring, especially with the chronic pain, you know, what principles are you exploring within the physical practice, you know, and stillness practice, aspect of that.   Benny:  (53:53) Yes. So with chronic pain, you know, and this is a reflection of my own journey and then as I made my way out of this chronic situation, you know, and for those who don't even know what chronic means, it's something that hangs around for really generally a period of like three months or more.   Mason:  (54:11) Hmm. Yeah. You were hurting.   Benny:  (54:13) For a long time. We're talking years, you know, where waking up in the morning was not a pleasant experience.   Mason:  (54:21) What about psychologically being a movement person?   Benny:  (54:24) Yeah, the interesting thing that I noticed was, I was very good at suppressing my feelings. So this is the paradoxical nature of things is sometimes the mind just like, get on with it. This is where I didn't notice all the whispers. I didn't notice all of the emotions where I felt I needed to say something. But then I didn't want to be judged. So then I just put it down, I squashed it into some dark cavern in my body, which was really like around my hips. So all of these things, these chronic things that are happening, they tend to be a result of something that's happening in the mind.   Benny:  (55:09) So if this is where a lot of modalities that don't address that fall short, and none of them, once again I'm putting down, but like if you look at say, I've got a tight muscle. So logic would say, and a common approach would say, well I've got to stretch that muscle or I've got pain in a certain area so I've got to stretch out in other areas, so then I don't get the pain.   Mason:  (55:36) I mean it's still like, even you, you're the most, and you've been doing this for a long time, you're really advanced, you get a tight neck, you're like oh stretch out there and it might be relevant for like, you know, the 20% kind of...   Benny:  (55:47) Exactly. Stretching is not the problem. But then within stretching, so like if we look at like within a movement, you know, and not just stretching, but then there's the way the human is being as they're doing the thing. And that will determine the outcome of the thing. You know? So for me, growing up I wasn't, I suppose the most flexible kid, but that was reflective of my inner essence. I can be really stubborn, but also that's a real strength, I can be tenacious as well. I needed to learn how to get to know that, you know, actually through my body taught me because it showed me when I was stubborn, because I would get tense, I would get pain, I would get all of these things. So then through my physical practice I started to look at, okay, how can I work with this essence of who I am and then allow that to start to move out more, I suppose expressively, creatively, adaptively through my body rather than this rigid manifestation of a habit.   Benny:  (56:51) So like when I work with people with chronic pain or any, actually any stuck-ness, it doesn't have to be pain because like 9 out of 10 people that I've ever spoken to, something's stuck. Something's stuck within their own mind or their body and I like to see the two as the same thing. So I realised that we can't go into trying to address these things. These stuck things by trying to answer things that we do not yet understand. So yeah, we're often going into it. It's like, how do I fix this? How do I release my tight hip flexors?   Mason:  (57:29) I was just going to say, we got that question to answer later on Instagram and it's almost like, I can refer you to this conversation.   Benny:  (57:35) Yeah, absolutely. Like, you know, how do I do all these things? Well, first you've got to know why the hell it's happening in the first place. You know?   Mason:  (57:44) Well yeah, let's talk about that. Why, why?   Benny:  (57:47) Yeah, why?   Mason:  (57:48) How do you explore that?   Benny:  (57:48) Yeah, and that is the question. So, like if we look at it, you could, you know, and I went down the path of I was diagnosed. Why did I have back pain? Well, because I had scoliosis.   Mason:  (58:03) Ah, problem solved.   Benny:  (58:04) Yeah. Sweet. There's like-   Mason:  (58:04) Go see your osteo-   Benny:  (58:06) Yeah, there's a real sense of security in that diagnosis. And that's often what I notice that people, and I don't like peopling people but it's a common thing that happens when people come and see me, is they, they're really clever. They're like, oh, I've got this, I've got chronic fatigue.   Mason:  (58:30) Well, how about like, I've got tight hips.   Benny:  (58:31) Yeah.   Mason:  (58:32) There's a story. I've got tight hammies and tight hips. So I'm confident in that.   Benny:  (58:36) Yeah, totally. Right? So like, why do I have that? You know, why do I have tight hips? Why do I have this scoliosis? Why do I have all these things?   Mason:  (58:48) Chronic fatigue.   Benny:  (58:49) Chronic fatigue. Any one, like anything that's chronic, yeah? Is, my experience, and I'm open to being disapproved on this as well, is just, chronic things are things that you do to yourself. You know, so why am I doing this to myself? Yeah. And that's the question. So we've got to first start to, we need a vehicle to be able to uncover these things. So like the process around chronic pain and just reconnecting with the body, is built around questions, you know, questions like that are really clear. Like am I responding or reacting to the sensations of my body right now?   Mason:  (59:31) All right, well let's talk about that. How would one, how like because this is something, yeah, yeah, yeah, I respond not react. Taking that from a concept-   Benny:  (59:41) Yes.   Mason:  (59:42) For you to go through, say like an eight hour work day where you are responding and not reacting and then going into like a half an hour like class, yoga class, you know or go into an hou and 15 minute yoga class and respond and not react. If you're going to Christmas with your family and there's a value of physical, it is your physical body. And you said, that mind-body connection. I feel like most people, again would, listening would understand that concept that you can't separate the mind and the body. But then in exploring the reality of that, I know sometimes I'm still like, okay, I know it's true. Let's go in and explore that again, to.. So I can actually feel it.   Mason:  (01:00:29) I mean, that process, you know, do we need to walk around like a drugged up monk? You know like, drugged up on meditation, you know, like where's, I know there is, I know the answer. I'm being somewhat facetious, however, still that's like we, sometimes we rely on our rajibaji nature and our willpower, our will. Not our Treasure, like Zhi in Taoism, not that will, that essence of you know, and the five wills that emerge correlated to our Jing and correlated to the five wills that emerged through our Shen and our spirit. Talking about like, you know, it's like, right-   Benny:  (01:01:10) Real achiever.   Mason:  (01:01:11) Will, I'm going to will my life through this and I'm going to use that coffee and I'm going to do, you know, that's pure reaction. And what's the patterns through our reaction become very functional sometimes. Of course they're not functional longterm and they fucking, you know, they take our relationships and the way we were like, you know, and our of service and all that and drudges it through the mud eventually, when our patterns are using us because you know, and I bring this up from conversations we've had, but you know, how do we get to that place consistently. I know you don't have a formula or an answer but even just without, you know, without being ourselves, without thinking that we need to be a certain way, you know, I remember even part of me going, because you're a very calm person. You've noted, in our talks, you remind me, remember you're much more of a hectic person Mason, you know like-   Benny:  (01:02:06) We're different, you know.   Mason:  (01:02:06) We're different. But at times I've gone like, right, holy shit. I mean Benny's a very calm guy and I'm like, and I at times I've used that as like my stake in the ground for like how I'm going to go out. Like bringing a very calm, you know, kind of mediated way of speaking, you know, pausing, you know, that's how I perceived you a lot of the time until I was like, all right, that's been useful for a particular amount of time and now I need to, and go and then, and find my own way. So I mean that concept of, responding and not reacting to talk about the principal. And let's talk about the practices.   Benny:  (01:02:45) So first let's clarify, just at least some terminology. So like a response is nothing more or less than a conscious choice.   Mason:  (01:02:53) Okay.   Benny:  (01:02:53) So just, I am choosing.   Mason:  (01:02:56) Not necessarily the right choice.   Benny:  (01:02:58) Exactly.   Mason:  (01:02:59) Right.   Benny:  (01:02:59) This is not about right or wrong.   Mason:  (01:03:00) That's very good.   Benny:  (01:03:02) So it's just, just a choice tha

Event Date: Oct 30, 2019 Event Time: 1:00-6:30 pm Location: Norlin Library, British Studies Room The year 2019 is the sesquicentennial of the completion of the United States first transcontinental railroad. The history of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads abounds in instructive and compelling case studies very much worth contemplating in our times. This event featured a presentation by artist Zhi Lin, from the University of Washington, who has created powerful works memorializing the Chinese railroad laborers. In Center of the American West fashion, this program also drew on "CU Boulder talent" reflecting on the larger lessons for the building of infrastructure (in China as well as in the U.S.) as well as the power of art to invoke deeper thinking about history. Presented by the Center of the American West, the Center for Asian Studies, the Center for Documentary and Ethnographic Media, the Department of Art and Art History, and the Department of History. This event is also made possible by a grant from the Research and Innovation Office.

In part 4 of this series Dr Bisong discusses the relationship between the Kidneys and the virtue of Wisdom.Talking Points Include:- The De Dao Jing says the superior virtue IS like water. In this case the Kidneys hold a special place amongst the virtues.- When you don’t push or when you don’t try to do it, you are the biggest and the best doer.- The importance of listening to your body and going with the flow.- In principle looking soft means you are filled up with yang and like a growing tree will flow and flex in the wind. Looking hard means you are dry and just like a tree will snap under the pressure of the wind.- Kidney essence nourishes the brain marrow. - Zhi & Hui is innate wisdom and acquired intelligence. Acquired intelligence is the intellect and innate wisdom comes from the much deeper silence within.- These days societies emphasis is placed on how well people can talk and think, but this suppresses the Zhi or wisdom. The more people are thinking, the more their kidney essence is drained.- The sage lives in the virtue of Zhi so therefore the big wise sage looks stupid.- Knowledge is designed to serve the wisdom.- The virtue of Zhi or wisdom is no competition, no fight, consistent willpower, selflessness and to shine the light from within to enter the Dao.- The prosperous and healthy society is one built on heart, and one which uses wisdom and the willpower of the kidneys to manifest this harmony in society.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/classicalchinesemedicinesociety/overview)

In Episode 5 of Series 1, Johannes Birringer, choreographer and Professor of Performance Technologies at Brunel University talks to Eline Kieft about his journey into combining dance and performance with technologies, why an evolution of body knowledge is more important to him than a specific identity, how our bodies are educated by environments, sensorial experiences and wearables, and how the unknown can be a fertile learning space for growth, creativity and student-learning. The episode includes some wonderful sound-bites to highlight the variety of environmental and sensorial stimuli, based on Birringer's workshop on “underground spatialities” (for Rice University’s Anthropology students). The episode includes some wonderful sound-bites to highlight the variety of environmental and sensorial stimuli. Episode notes    Useful links: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/dap http://www.danssansjoux.org http://www.aliennationcompany.com http://undergroundspatialities.com/ http://interaktionslabor.de References Barba, Eugenio and Savarese, Nicola (1991) A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer. London: Routledge.  Böhme, Gernot (2017) The Aesthetics of Atmospheres: Ambiences, Atmospheres and Sensory Experiences of Space. Trans. Jean-Paul Thibaud. London: Routledge.  Birringer, Johannes and Danjoux, Michèle (2019) “Sound and Wearables.” In: Foundations in Sound Design for   Embedded Media: an interdisciplinary approach, ed. Michael Filimovicz, London: Routledge, pp. 243-74. Birringer, Johannes (2017) “Metakimospheres.” In Susan Broadhurst and Sara Price (eds), Digital Bodies: Creativity and Technology in the Arts and Humanities. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 27–48.  Birringer, Johannes (2016) “Kimospheres, or Shamans in the Blind Country.” Performance Paradigm 12: http://performanceparadigm.net/index.php/journal/article/view/176 Birringer, Johannes (2013) “Audible Scenography.”  Performance Research 18(3): 192-93. Birringer, Johannes (2011) “Dancing in the Museum.”  PAJ:  A Journal of Performance and Art 99: 43-52.  Birringer, Johannes (2010) “Moveable Worlds/Digital Scenographies.” International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media 6 (1): 89–107. Birringer, Johanness (2009) Performance, Technology, and Science. New York: PAJ Publications. Cooper Albright, Ann and Gerer, David (2003) Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.  Danjoux, Michèle (2017) Design-in-Motion: Choreosonic Wearables in Performance, PhD Thesis, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.  D’Evie, Fayen (2017) ‘Orienting through Blindness: Blundering, Be-Holding, and Wayfinding as Artistic and Curatorial Methods.’ Performance Paradigm 13: 42-72.  Gaensheimer, Susanne and Kramer, Mario, eds. (2016) William Forsythe: The Fact of Matter. Bielefeld: Kerber Verlag.  Hay, Deborah (2015) Using the Sky: A Dance. New York: Routledge.  Ingold, Tim (2011) Being Alive: Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description. London: Routledge. Mitra, Royona (2018) “Talking Politics of Contact Improvisation with Steve Paxton.” Dance Research Journal 50(3): 6-18.  Oliver, Mary (2014) Wild Geese: Selected Poems. Eastburn:  Bloodaxe Books Ltd. Paxton, Steve (2008) Material for the Spine: A Movement Study. DVD-rom. Brussels: Contredanse Editions. Song, Haein (2019) Ecstatic Space: NEO-KUT and Shamanic Technologies. Phd Thesis, Brunel University London.  Tsing, Lowenhaupt Anna (2015) The Mushroom at the End of the World:  On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Xu, Zhi (2019) Choreographing Chinese Dancing Bodies:  Yangge and Technology. PhD Thesis, Brunel University London (forthcoming) Zumthor, Peter. 2006. Atmospheres: Architectural Environments – Surrounding Objects. Basel: Birkhäuser Verlag.

Sie heissen Shudu.gram, Margo und Zhi, Dagny, Koffi, Brenn oder Galaxia von „The Diigitals“. Oder Lil Miquela, Blawko22 von Brud. Oder Noonoorix. Virtuelle Influencer, „gezüchtet“ wurden um uns mit ihrem virtuellen Dasein zu erfreuen, Reichweite aufzubauen und eventuell auch Produkte zu bewerben. Sie sind künstliche Personas, Avatare, konzipiert, designed und optimiert auf maximale Reichweite, ohne dabei zu platt und naiv zu wirken. Was steckt hinter dem Phänomen, das das das Web seit 2 Jahren bereichert?

Confúcio, o "Senhor Propagador da Cultura, Sábio Supremo e Grande Realizador" (大成至聖文宣王)==============================Esta é a semana em que se relembra a morte de Nietzsche (dia 25) e se comemora os nascimentos de Hegel (dia 27), John Locke (29), Aleijadinho, Michael Jackson e Ingrid Bergman (dia 29) e da escritora Mary Shelley (dia 30).Mas o tema de nossa semana é um pensador que influenciou profundamente a história da humanidade e cuja obra reestruturou a China com suas ideias sendo o norte do país durante mais de 25 séculos. Suas ideias e frases até hoje encontram sentido e carregam ensinamentos práticos e morais interessantes. Estamos falando daquele que é conhecido no ocidente como Confúcio.Confúcio é a forma latina de se dizer Kǒng Fūzǐ ou K'ung-fu-tzŭ (entre outras formas) e é o nome do pensador e filósofo chinês nascido no século VI, dia 27 de agosto de 551 a.C) em Tsou, uma pequena cidade no estado de Lu, hoje Shantung na região nordeste da China. Provavelmente filho de um militar já senil com uma adolescente de 15 anos. Ele nasceu em uma época em que a China não possuía leis gerais ou autoridades reconhecidas, ou seja, um período conturbado da história do país com muitas guerras e insegurança política.Confúcio embora considerado bastardo e com condições de vida ambíguas e mesmo sem ser rico, teve uma educação sofisticada. Era um jovem curioso e interessado que estudava muito. Seu pensamento sempre foi voltado para três coisas: a política, entendida também como prática, a ética e as tradições. Embora vivesse em uma sociedade estratificada, sem ascensão social aparente, ele ensinava a todos acreditando que poderia nivelar a todos através da educação, uma ideia revolucionaria para a época. Era contra a tirania dos governantes, acreditando que um líder deveria ser ponderado e liderar por virtude e por exemplos sendo mais rigoroso consigo próprio que com os governados.Não sem razão é que o confucionismo é usado até hoje como modelo de gestão empresarial no oriente. Era um pensador e filósofo prático, pouco preocupado com questões metafísicas, ao contrário de seu contemporâneo também muito importante, Lao Tsé, criador do Taoísmo. Confúcio conseguiu ascender socialmente na sociedade estratificada chinesa da época passando de pastor, vaqueiro e funcionário público até a contador na administração local, negócio para poucos na época. Casou-se com Chi-Kuan e teve um filho chamado K’ung Li.Em 530 a.C., preocupado com os problemas sociais de sua comunidade, abre uma escola onde se estudavam textos antigos e teorias do governo onde se usava um método muito parecido com o socrático, mesmo tendo milhares de quilômetros e algumas décadas entre os dois.Em sua escola, Confúcio instruía os alunos em Literatura, História e Filosofia além de treiná-los para a carreira política. A escola além de rigorosa tinha uma ritualística bem rígida. Sua filosofia se baseava nos princípios Ren, humanidade (altruísmo); Li, ou cortesia ritual; Zhi, conhecimento ou sabedoria moral; Xin, integridade; Zhing, fidelidade e Yi, justiça, retidão, honradez. Cada princípio, segundo ele, pretendia resolver aspectos ausentes ou decadentes na sociedade.Confúcio buscou um pensamento que buscava a redenção do estado, mediante a correção do comportamento individual e suas doutrinas foram a base da China por quase dois milênios! Foi portanto, um dos homens mais influentes da história. vale muito a pena conhecer o pensamento, a vida e a obra de confúcio. Seu sistema filosófico é seguido hoje por mais de 6 milhões de pessoas ao redor do mundo(inclusive como religião). Há 4 frases de Confúcio que, além de famosas, trazem verdades pujantes e servem de apoio em nosso dia-a-dia. São elas: “Não corrigir as próprias falhas é cometer a pior delas”. “Nada é bastante para quem considera pouco o suficiente”. “A melhor maneira de ser feliz é contribuir para a felicidade dos outros” e, a mais famosa, “Não faça aos outros aquilo que você não quer que seja feito a você”.Livros sobre as doutrinas de Confúcio: os analectos, Confúcio: as lições do mestre e “a doutrina do meio” facilmente encontráveis em livrarias, sebos ou em formato digital.

In this episode, Britt Lawton from David Krut Projects spoke to illustrator, artist and graphic novelist Zhi Zulu about her latest artwork 'Zebra Crossing'- the result of a recent collaboration between the artist and printers from the David Krut Workshop. Zhi opens up about working with a new medium, how she feels entering the fine arts realm and what she learned about printmaking and her inner artist self and he very important question - whether the 'non-Big Five' animals feel excluded - was naturally discussed as well. The two also spoke about the economic pressures on an illustrator, the need to get exposure and about different projects Zhi does. In the end, she expands on her community work and what art can do in order to help teach literacy and educate people. Be sure to listen to the earlier episode with Zhi from our Artist series - The Powers of Illustration - to find out more about the artist and her practice. CHAPTERS: 00:29 – Zebra Crossing at Turbine Art Fair (idea, colour scheme, feedback) 06:40 – Getting Exposure and economic pressures on illustrators 08:40 – graphic novels and other projects of Zhi Zulu 11:27 – Teaching literacy and doing community work 17:48 – Origins of inspiration If you enjoy this episode of the David Krut Podcast, remember to like, comment, share and subscribe!

Zhi Lee is an Agile coach from New Zealand who discovered sketchnoting a few years ago but the idea took a while before he finally jumped in. Now he uses visual thinking and sketchnoting in his agile work to help teams communicate. RUNNING ORDER * Intro * How Zhi got into sketchnoting * What is Agile? * Visual thinking in Agile * Zhi’s future with Sketchnoting, visual thinking and Agile * Tools * 3 Tips * Outro - how to connect with Zhi 3 TIPS * Don’t worry if you can’t draw * Always bring a sketchbook to a meeting * Try a brush pen LINKS * Zhi’s LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/zhilee/ * Zhi’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/__zhi * Zhi on Sketchnote Army - https://sketchnotearmy.com/blog/2018/8/17/1565mtvzwbng5baxlg1cslmha8o1x0 * Ben Crothers - https://www.bencrothers.com/ * Zhi’s Agile company - https://teamworx.co.nz/ * Martin Ruckert - https://visualwow.team/ * LEGO Serious Play - https://www.lego.com/en-us/seriousplay * Visual Coach Handbook - https://leanpub.com/visualcoachhandbook/ * Neuland Markers - https://eu.neuland.com/ * Neuland FineOnes - https://eu.neuland.com/markers-more/neuland-markers/neuland-fineone-art-brush-nib-0.5-5-mm-single-colours.html * Neuland Sketchnotes - https://eu.neuland.com/markers-more/neuland-markers/sketchone-single-marker.html * Uni Chalk Markers - https://www.amazon.com/Uni-posca-Paint-Marker-Pen-PC-5M15C/dp/B001ANVDMU * Das Sketchpad - https://www.officemax.co.nz/Art-Supplies/Drawing-Sketching/Drawing-Paper/Das-Sketch-Pad-Perforated-Saddleback-A3-110gsm-20-Leaves-2878879 * Matt Magain - graphicgear.com.au CREDITS * Producer: Jon Schiedermayer * Show Notes: Chris Wilson SUPPORT THE PODCAST To support the creation, production and hosting of the Sketchnote Army and Sketchnote Army Podcast, buy one of Mike Rohde’s books and use code ROHDE40 at Peachpit.com for 40% off! http://rohdesign.com/handbook/ http://rohdesign.com/workbook/ PAST PODCAST SEASONS * Season 1 * https://soundcloud.com/sketchnote-army-podcast/sets/sketchnote-army-podcast-se1 * Season 2 * https://soundcloud.com/sketchnote-army-podcast/sets/sketchnote-army-podcast-se2 * Season 3 * https://soundcloud.com/sketchnote-army-podcast/sets/sketchnote-army-podcast-se3 * Season 4 * https://soundcloud.com/sketchnote-army-podcast/sets/sketchnote-army-podcast-se4 * Season 5 * https://soundcloud.com/sketchnote-army-podcast/sets/sketchnote-army-podcast-se5

Översättning: Birgitta Lindqvist Uppläsning: Anna Pettersson Diktsamling: "Leva trots allt " (Ellerströms, 2019) MUSIK Kinesisk folkmelodi: Zhi zhou diao ur The seven continents EXEKUTÖR The Gothenburg combo

Get your first refill pack free at http://getquip.com/games Make sure you go to http://harrys.com/gamesdaily to redeem your offer and let them know I sent you to help support the show! Tim and Greg talk about IGN's reveal that Gearbox almost made Halo 4, The Division 2's clan system, and the journalistic ethics of reporting on layoffs. Time Stamps - 00:02:47 - Housekeeping Tim got engaged! youtube.com/kindafunny Thank you to our Patreon Producers: Tom Bock, TJ Meehan, Joebeezer, Trevor Starkey, Mohammed Mohammed, and Black Jack. The Roper Report - 00:03:52 - Gearbox almost made Halo 4, Brian Barnett @ IGN 00:09:45 - The Division 2 Clans Explained, Zhi-qing Wan @ Twinfinitie 00:12:03 - Respawns in Fortnite? Nolan Mackey @ Twinfinite 00:15:15 - HoloLens 2 Is Here 00:18:50 - Monster Rancher Opens a Twitter, Sal Romano @ Gematsu 00:21:15 - Ace Combat 7 KILLING It, SR @ Gematsu 00:23:12 - Out today 00:24:50 - Quip 00:26:42 - Harry’s Reader mail - 00:2810 - Do day one reviews matter as much as they have in the past? - BillyThedoor 00:37:55 - I hope you are enjoying your time with Anthem. I personally am having a great time with it thus far. The launch has suffered from a large amount of negative opinion, often I find from people who have no personal experience with the game, but are just parroting opinion they hear elsewhere - Matt Council 00:41:50 - Do you think that Digital sales are what is hurting retail or Do you think all of the problems at Launch, like the weird release rollout and perceived lack of content, dissuaded people from buying the game? - BostonBeerDude 00:44:22 - Is it OK for a journalist to report a rumor of massive layoffs, even with several sources confirming that it will happen? - The Nano Biologist 00:54:50 - Squad Up: Paul(PS4) - pureseduction50 00:56:12 - You‘re Wrong Tomorrow’s host: Greg and Tim

In this episode, Nadia Myburgh is in conversation with Zinhle Zulu; a freelance, award-winning contemporary illustrator and founder of Zuluvisual. Zinhle makes work that eludes to the investigation of her Zulu culture. She has a clear vision of what impact she wants to make through her art; which not only entices others to discover the richness of their traditional cultures but also aims to impact the education sector by integrating her illustrations with literacy in South Africa. CHAPTERS 00:35 - Who is Zhi Zulu? 02:00 – “Content Communication and Deadline!” The creative process of the Illustrator 05:45 – The origin story: “Illustration is my life man!” 08:35 – Zhi's words of wisdom: Advice for aspiring Illustrators 10:00 – Using illustration to preserve culture and tradition, as well as an educational tool 13:20 – Zhi’s style: “I struggle a lot with colour scheme” 15:30 - Zulu Tradition: “It’s evolving.” 18:20 – “Nandipha: Protector of the Zulu Kingdom” 21:20 – Representation matters: “I want to make up for the lack..” 24:10 – South African Illustration: “The future is bright!” 27:30 – Upcoming Zhi_Zulu Workshop! What to expect. Follow Zhi Zulu on instragram @ZHI_ZULU or visit herwebsite to find out more about her exciting career www.zhizulu.com

Elsa areslas khaj pesko dat thaj lako pral tela paji thaj musaj akanak te skrij jekh lil e Parne krajeske te birin von te skepin pe lestar. 2. O lil Bahtalo djes! Loshav ke inke san amenca! Phares si te mukhel pe kado than na? Me sim o parno kraj Saajvoe, thaj ande paluno kotor ande amari historia birisardan te pindjaren a Elsa Laula khaj dikhlas sar lako dat thaj lako pral o Mattias tasile ando paji thaj varisar jutisarde ande muro rajo. Atunchi dem la jekh misia. Te skrij jekh lil. Te birija voj kodo te kerel dav la lake dades thaj lake prales. Akanak kana das andre ande historia bishavav me vorta a Elsa mura magiasa opral pa paji. Zhi pun e Elsa lel sama so lasa kerel pe, lel voj sama ke o paji krujal late kiral, bare bubli huran pasha late, sar te beshlov ande jekh bari piri, kusa kirado paji. Voj chi acharel chachimsa so lasa kerel pe feri lel sam asar voj hural opre thaj hirtelen del voj opral pa paji. Voj acharel pe sar jekh khindo kotor thaj hasal khatar o paji. "So kerdas pe kate chachimasa" pushel pe e Elsa pestar, voj beshel po kishaj angla paji. Anglunes ghindoj voj ke sa kado sas jekh suno, feri chi achardjiol sar jekh suno. Uni bajura si za chache sar te avilov kodo jekh suno. Elsa lel te khidel e patra anda bal thaj te strangol e bal thaj del pe sa kodi sekunda ke mishtoj ke o kham phabarel avral, te birin lake ghada te shutcion. Vorta atunchi, kana kamlas te aceptulij ke sa kado sas feri jekh suno. Pa papina koronenca po shero, thaj pa jekh rajo tela paji dikhel voj vorta kodo zeleno karandashi. Kodo so o kraj-Saajvoe das la te skrij jekh lil. "Apol chachoj o parno kraj - Saajvoe!" phenel e Elsa zurales thaj dikhel holjasa pe kodo jezhoro. "No ja, feri te lav man te skrij kado lil. Aehtjie thaj o Mattias si te aven khere, dav muri vorba pe kodo!" Sar phirel e Elsa peske po drom khere ghindoj voj peske ke o parno kraj anda Saajvoje rajo das la jekh lokho misia. Ke voj si e maj lashi ande peski klasa te skrij thaj vi te ginavel, e sikavni anda klasa phendas butivar ke e Elsa trobusardov te nakhel uche skoli. Jekh djes manglas la laki sikavni te skrij e Elsa jekh lil khaj e Krajaskina ando Stockholm thaj te mangel latar love te birij e Elsa te studiolij thaj te kerel buchi ande bolnica. Elsake sas kodo interesno thaj vov delas pe ghindo save argumentura te skrij ande pesko lil khaj e krajaskina te birij e krajaskina te bishavel lake love. "Nashtik te avel maj phares te skrij pe jekh lil khaj o kraj sar khaj jekh krajaskina" phenel e Elsa kana voj aresel khaj lengo kheroro ande Kanaan. "Dostaj feri te skrij variso godjaver." Thaj kodole vorbenca lel voj avri o karandashi thaj lel avri paperoshi thaj lel te skrij thaj te ginavel sako vorba po glaso kana voj lel te skrij o lil. "Hiresha kraja", skrij voj. "Jekh familja khaj naj intrego, si jekh bibahtali, brigaki familja. Anda kodo naj shukares te mukhel pe shavores te barol opre bi dadesko. Djanav ke san jekh zurales godjaver mursh, thaj anda kodo achares kado vi tu. Thaj vi kade musaj me te skrij kado lil te des palpale mure dades thaj mure prales. Trobuj te achares, ke bilengo si amaro kher zurales shushio, thaj chi sosko shavoro chi trobijas te barol bi dadesko " Pala but chasura agorij voj pesko skiripe. "Kade de! Kodo nas pharo! Tehara si te huchav ande kodo jezhoro thaj si te usij tele khaj kodo parno kraj ande lesko Saajvoe-rajo, thaj anav khere mure dades thaj e Mattiasos!" ghindoj e Elsa peske. Voj acharel pe barikani anda pesko lil. Kamlov chachimasa aba akanak te nashel khaj o jezhoro, feri varisar acharel voj ke voj trobuj te pehenij anglunes. Kana e Elsa ushtsiel acharel voj ke la si perdo zor. Sigo uravel pe thaj shiol o lil ande pesko gono. Lel pe peste pesko zubuno khaj maj dur sas ekcera khindo. "Jaj, ke shill si!" tsipij voj zurales thaj nashel maj dur, ghindosa ke vi kade si te huchel andre ande kodo melalo paji. Nashimasa acharel voj sar o gono malavel la ande dume thaj voj lel te djilabel peske jojk thaj acharel pe zurales zurali thaj acharel ke kado djes si lako djes. Sar nashel del pe voj ghindo ke voj si fajme e angluni khaj keladas e parne krajes anda Saajvoe kade sigo. Feri variso naj sar khaj trobuj kana voj areslas pasha paji. Ke vi te si milaj avral si o intrego jezhoro pahome thaj sa si jekh baro lodo. Kasavo thuloj o paho ke e Elsa chi birij te paravel les, kodo so mezijas kade bahtales de duj minutsi kodolestar mezij hirtelen ke kanchi chi djala avri kadale lilesa. "Keladas man kodo ruto kraj!" phenel e Elsa brigasa, thaj vazdel opre o maj baro bar thaj shudel les ando kodo pahome paji. Feri kanchi chi kerdjiol pe. Kana o bar malavel ando paho malavel o bar thaj hural ande kaver righ thaj e Elsa lel te rovel. E Elsa shunel sar jekh bari chirikli ficoli pala lake dume thaj kado si lake ekcera chudno. Ke kodi chirikli chi hural thaj inke maj chudnoj kana voj dikhel ke e chirikli si opre pe jekh bari kopachi. Thaj atunchi maladas la o ghindo ke o parno kraj anda Saajvoe avilas e paluni data sar jekh papin. Voj ushtiel opre pe pundre thaj djal karing o vesh te arakhel a bara chirikla. Maj feder si kodo te djal ando vesh thaj te rodel sar te beshel angla jekh pahome jezhoro. Chi nakhel but vrama zhi pun e Elsa arakhel kodola chirikla. E bari kali chirikli beshlas opre pe jekh baro bar, thaj e Elsa acharel, ke variso chudnoj kadale chiriklasa. "Kam djanes sar te aresav khaj o parno kraj ande Saajvoe-rajo" phenel e Elsa buzhangles, thaj vorta sar si te astarel a chirikla, putrel e chirikli pesko muj thaj djilabel. "Vålå, vålå, gierkie oksedh lea, vålå vålå, o bar angla tute si chiro vudar!" Elsa acharel ke loshajvel khatar e djili thaj djal zurale pasonca karing o bar te zumavel te lel pe andre po dujto ande Saajvoe rajo. Feri o bar chi putrel chi sosko vudar, sar khaj e Elsa ghindojas ke kerla, hirtelen acharel e Elsa sar voj tsinjol thaj del varisar andre ande kodo shudro bar. Kado si ekcera daravno thaj vi melalo. Sar te peres andre ande chick, thaj tela sa kodi vrama randel o bar laki pofa thaj vi dukhavel lako stungo piko... Pala jekh skurto vrama khaj achardjiolas sar 100 bersh aresel voj pe jekh drom. Thaj vorta sar ghindojas, areslas voj po dujto ande Saajvoe-rajo, ke opral pa late birij voj te dikhel o paho khaj si opral pa paji. "Juuj, areslan aba palpale" phenel jekh glaso pa Elsaki stungo righ, thaj kana voj boldel pe dikhel voj e parne krajes sar vov beshel pe jekh bucuma angla jekh tsini jagori. "Jo, thaj andem vi chiro lil khaj manglan mandar" phenel e Elsa. Voj daral feri chi kamel te sikavel peski dar thaj lel jekh paso angla peste te sikavel ke voj naj daravni thaj lel avri o lil. "Pacav ked osta avla kado lil." "Chachimasa, tume khaj san sami tume mindik sanas lashie te skrin lila. Te si kade ke varikon sas nasul karing tumende. Na bister kodo kana avesa maj phuri, Elsa, dikhesa ke skrisa but maj but lila ande chiro trajo maj angle", phenel o parno kraj anda Saajvoe-rajo kana vov ginavel o lil khaj e Elsa leske skirisardas. Kana das gata kusa o ginajipe dikhlas vov pe Elsa thaj lesko muj asalas. "Musaj te phenav ke chachimasa skirisardan o lil mishto", phendas vov. "Kade mishto skirisardan ke fajma mukhav tut te dikhes chire prales thaj chire dades. Von beshen vorta pala kadi tserha".

1. 七夕节的正确说法Chinese Valentine's Day 2. TimeLong, long ago Once upon a timeOver 2,000 years agoLegend tells us3. Placeheaven 天宫the Milky Way 银河 a bridge of magpies 鹊桥 4. Main CharacterCowherd 牛郎weaver girl 织女 the Queen of Heaven 王母娘娘 Bull 牛（cow母牛；bull公牛，喂养用的；ox公牛，干活用的）5. Main Story很久很久以前，有一个放牛娃名叫牛郎，父母早亡，只好跟着哥哥嫂嫂度日。然而，哥哥嫂子为人狠毒，经常虐待他，后来又把他赶出家门。牛郎只好靠放牛种地维生。A legend tells the story of Niu Lang, an honest boy who was forced to live with his brother and sister-in-law after the death of his parents. He was treated badly and eventually driven away by his sister-in-law. Niu Lang, whose name means cowherd, looked for a place to live and turned to farming and caring for his single ox. 有一天老牛开口说话了，“过几天你会看见七仙女在湖里洗澡，你把第七个女孩儿的衣服藏起来，她就会成为你的妻子，我几年后会死去，把我的皮剥下来保存好，如果有了麻烦，你披上它就可以飞上天了。”One day his old ox spoke suddenly and told him, “You will see seven beautiful girls bathing in a lake. If you hide the youngest girl's clothes she will become to your wife. A few years later I will die. You'll need to peel my hide off and keep it. If trouble comes, take the hide and you can fly on it.” 几天后厌倦了天上生活的织女，来人间寻找刺激。她和牛郎相爱结婚，过上了男耕女织的快乐生活，不久有了两个孩子。A few days later the goddess Zhinu came to earth. She was bored of heaven and was looking for adventure. The two fell in love and married. Niu Lang ploughed his field in contentment, and Zhinu wove fine cloth. She gave birth to one beautiful baby, and then another. 王母娘娘发现织女与凡人结婚生子非常生气，于是命人把她带了回去。牛郎很难过。突然，他想起了老牛临死时跟他说的话，便马上披上牛皮带着两个孩子飞去天上找织女。但是王母娘娘看见之后，画了一条线，这条线变成了银河，彼此相爱的两个人就这样分开了，从而形成牛郎星和织女星。When the queen of heaven discovered that her granddaughter had married a human, a forbidden act, she ordered that Zhinu be brought back. Niulang, longed for his wife, then remembered the words of the old ox. When his ox died, he carried their children to heaven on its hide, in search of his wife. But the queen of heaven, in her anger, drew a line in the sky to separate the two lovers, forming the Milky Way between two constellations: Niu Lang, called Altair and Zhi nu called Vega. 织女必须永远坐在银河的一边，悲哀地编织，而牛郎只能远远地看着她，照顾两个孩子。但一年一次，世界上所有的喜鹊都会怜惜它们，飞向天空，组成一座桥，让牛郎和织女在鹊桥相见。王母娘娘被他们的爱感动，最终同意他们见面，这一天就是农历7月7日，七夕节。Zhinu must sit forever on one side of the Milky Way, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niu Lang watches from afar, caring for their two children. But all the magpies in the world took pity on the cowherd and the weaver girl. They flew up to heaven and together, built a strong bridge. On this bridge the two lovers met. The Queen of Heaven saw their great love and declared that once a year they could meet. So every year, on the seventh night of the seventh moon, the two lovers meet on the bridge of magpies.

1. 七夕节的正确说法Chinese Valentine's Day 2. TimeLong, long ago Once upon a timeOver 2,000 years agoLegend tells us3. Placeheaven 天宫the Milky Way 银河 a bridge of magpies 鹊桥 4. Main CharacterCowherd 牛郎weaver girl 织女 the Queen of Heaven 王母娘娘 Bull 牛（cow母牛；bull公牛，喂养用的；ox公牛，干活用的）5. Main Story很久很久以前，有一个放牛娃名叫牛郎，父母早亡，只好跟着哥哥嫂嫂度日。然而，哥哥嫂子为人狠毒，经常虐待他，后来又把他赶出家门。牛郎只好靠放牛种地维生。A legend tells the story of Niu Lang, an honest boy who was forced to live with his brother and sister-in-law after the death of his parents. He was treated badly and eventually driven away by his sister-in-law. Niu Lang, whose name means cowherd, looked for a place to live and turned to farming and caring for his single ox. 有一天老牛开口说话了，“过几天你会看见七仙女在湖里洗澡，你把第七个女孩儿的衣服藏起来，她就会成为你的妻子，我几年后会死去，把我的皮剥下来保存好，如果有了麻烦，你披上它就可以飞上天了。”One day his old ox spoke suddenly and told him, “You will see seven beautiful girls bathing in a lake. If you hide the youngest girl's clothes she will become to your wife. A few years later I will die. You'll need to peel my hide off and keep it. If trouble comes, take the hide and you can fly on it.” 几天后厌倦了天上生活的织女，来人间寻找刺激。她和牛郎相爱结婚，过上了男耕女织的快乐生活，不久有了两个孩子。A few days later the goddess Zhinu came to earth. She was bored of heaven and was looking for adventure. The two fell in love and married. Niu Lang ploughed his field in contentment, and Zhinu wove fine cloth. She gave birth to one beautiful baby, and then another. 王母娘娘发现织女与凡人结婚生子非常生气，于是命人把她带了回去。牛郎很难过。突然，他想起了老牛临死时跟他说的话，便马上披上牛皮带着两个孩子飞去天上找织女。但是王母娘娘看见之后，画了一条线，这条线变成了银河，彼此相爱的两个人就这样分开了，从而形成牛郎星和织女星。When the queen of heaven discovered that her granddaughter had married a human, a forbidden act, she ordered that Zhinu be brought back. Niulang, longed for his wife, then remembered the words of the old ox. When his ox died, he carried their children to heaven on its hide, in search of his wife. But the queen of heaven, in her anger, drew a line in the sky to separate the two lovers, forming the Milky Way between two constellations: Niu Lang, called Altair and Zhi nu called Vega. 织女必须永远坐在银河的一边，悲哀地编织，而牛郎只能远远地看着她，照顾两个孩子。但一年一次，世界上所有的喜鹊都会怜惜它们，飞向天空，组成一座桥，让牛郎和织女在鹊桥相见。王母娘娘被他们的爱感动，最终同意他们见面，这一天就是农历7月7日，七夕节。Zhinu must sit forever on one side of the Milky Way, sadly weaving on her loom, while Niu Lang watches from afar, caring for their two children. But all the magpies in the world took pity on the cowherd and the weaver girl. They flew up to heaven and together, built a strong bridge. On this bridge the two lovers met. The Queen of Heaven saw their great love and declared that once a year they could meet. So every year, on the seventh night of the seventh moon, the two lovers meet on the bridge of magpies.

Im Gespräch mit Valentin Drießen erzähle ich heute über meinen Start als Trainer, ehrliches Online-Marketing und das “digitale Nomadentum” Kann man als Blogger eigentlich von seinem Projekt leben? Wie startet man sein erstes Seminar? Kann Online-Marketing überhaupt ehrlich sein? Darum geht es in diesem Interview.  Shownotes: https://www.benediktahlfeld.com/podcast/emc-023-valentin-driessen

This is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news. Chinese officials and scientists have said that as a country with the world's largest number of scientific researchers, China is benefiting and will continue to benefit from scientific exchanges and cooperation with other G20 members, particularly in exchanges of talent and young research staff. A senior official of the China Science and Technology Exchange Center said the G20 is the largest and most important group in technological innovation worldwide. Cooperation and innovation under the G20 framework will not only benefit the members, but also is of great importance to the sustainable development of the world. According to the China Science and Technology Talent Development Report, which was released by the ministry last year, China's human resources in this area exceeded 71 million people as of 2013, ranking it No 1 in the world. Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the World Bank Group and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization showed that the research and development investment of 19 G20 members, excluding the European Union, accounts for 87 percent of the world total. The academic papers that these members publish account for 76 percent of the world total and applications for patents from these members account for 97 percent. This is Special English. Silk products are synonymous with Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou first exported silk 2,000 years ago. Today, the exquisite craftsmanship of silk continues to be the source of justifiable pride. It should come as no surprise that guests at the B20 and G20 summits will find silk forming an integral part of their experience there. To symbolize the city's attachment to the fine material, a gift package for the B20 Summit guests contains a pure silk scarf. More than 800 participants at the B20 Summit received such scarves. Each of the silk scarves is printed and dyed around 20 times, and it takes six weeks for the process of platemaking, printing and dyeing to be completed. China played a major role in developing sericulture, or silk farming, and one of its origins is located in northern Zhejiang province. Archaeological digs there have unearthed silk thread, ribbons and silk from more than 4,000 years ago. After laboratory testing, they were confirmed to have come from domesticated silkworms. Globally, the Japanese use the most silk products, and French brands like Hermes use silk for signature products. Italy is a well-known center for silk goods, and Brazil is a large silk manufacturer. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. China's quantum communication satellite, which was launched in August, is in good shape; and scientific experiments can begin this month. A chief scientist of the project said all equipment carried by the satellite and all ground equipment are working well. Satellite-to-earth links have been established between the satellite and five ground stations across China, laying the technical foundation for distributing quantum keys. Scientists are confident that the project will fulfill its tasks. China successfully launched the world's first quantum satellite on Aug. 16. The satellite will explore "hack-proof" quantum communications by transmitting "unhackable" keys from space, and provide insight into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics, quantum entanglement. This is Special English. The voyage taken by the research ship "Tan Suo Yi Hao" to the Marianas Trench from late June until Aug 12 made a series of breakthroughs in deep-sea scientific exploration, both domestically and internationally. According to scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the breakthroughs include a successful nitrogen cycle experiment conducted by the "on-site experiment" deep-sea elevator. The elevator is a research device that is lowered with an anchor and was developed by the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering of the academy. A scientist in the academy who headed the expedition said it made history among similar devices internationally. According to the scientist, the Tianya deep-sea lander, another device taken on the voyage, also made history. It collected deep-sea water samples of more than 100 liters for the first time, much more than its counterparts from other countries did. During the voyage, China's unmanned submarine, the Haidou, dived for the first time to a depth of more than 10,000 meters, reaching 10,767 meters. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. China will establish several national ecological experimental zones to explore reforms ranging from natural resource balance sheets to ecological performance evaluation of officials. An official guideline has been released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, aiming at carrying out reforms on "ecological civilization system". According to targets set in the guideline, major progress shall be achieved by 2017; and fully-fledged ecological civilization systems shall be established by 2020, with best practices replicable across the country. Main experiments will include establishing a natural resource property right system, compiling natural resource balance sheet, optimizing land and space planning, and incorporating ecological performance into officials' evaluation. The provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Guizhou have been selected as the first batch of experimental zones, because they have "relatively optimal ecological foundation, and relatively strong environmental and resource capacity". This is Special English. Chinese universities will have the autonomy in transferring the intellectual property from scientific research and shall keep all the earnings. A government document released by the Ministries of education and science and technology, said no less than half of the net earnings from transfers shall be rewarded to researchers. The circular said major contributing researchers and faculty members should take no less than 50 percent of the total rewards. China has created a series of policies to encourage scientists to translate their research into commercial products. The State Council in March issued a regulation that provides detailed measures for academics and inventors on how to commercially exploit their work, as the country pushes for innovation-driven development. Authorities are also encouraging research institutions and technical personnel to transfer or licensing their achievements or to invest with them as trade-ins. According to the policies, performance in translating scientific outcomes to products will be considered in the overall evaluation of research and higher learning institutions. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues. Tsinghua University and Peking University have for the first time broken through the top 100 global ranking of universities. According to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities released recently, Tsinghua occupies the 58th spot and Peking University is at 71. A total of 41 Chinese mainland universities are among the top 500, nine more than in 2015. Starting from 2003, Academic Ranking of World Universities has been presenting the world top 500 universities annually based on transparent methodology and third-party data. More than 1,200 universities are included every year. Harvard University retains its crown for the 14th year, followed by Stanford, University of California Berkeley, University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tokyo University in Japan is ranked 20 this year, the sole Asian university to be among top 20 in worldwide. This is Special English. Quarantine dogs were first employed in the Nanjing airport in 2002, after their implementation in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. After training for four months, quarantine dog Daxiong started work in 2009. Daxiong was good at sniffing out plant products, and its biggest discovery was 17 boxes of forbidden fruit totaling 180 kilograms. At nine years old, Daxiong is the equivalent in dog years to a 60-year-old man, but he is nevertheless as excitable as ever when it comes to food. Daxiong is so sensitive to forbidden goods, especially meat products and fruit, that his trainer rewards his good behavior with snacks. Quarantine dogs usually work three to four hours a day, taking a rest every half an hour. This keeps them alert and accurate. From 2014, the department began to seek an adopter for Daxiong in preparation for his retirement. His trainer Yan Han explaines that the adopting family had to love dogs and have some experience raising them. Additionally, Yan hoped that the whole family would get on well with the dog. By this metric, a local resident surnamed Zhi became Daxiong's adopter. To prove that Daxiong is living a happy and healthy life with his new family, Zhi provides periodic photos and videos to the dog's former handlers. This is Special English. A new technical manual in Shandong province encourages the use of humane methods to slaughter chickens. Supporters say the methods also promote better meat quality. The manual was prepared by a research team at Qingdao Agricultural University and has been approved by the Shandong provincial government's quality watchdog. It sets standards to reduce the animals' suffering. A professor of food science at the university says that complying with the humane slaughter manual is not only about showing human compassion for the animal but also could improve the quality of the meat. The standards "ensure that suffering at slaughter can be avoided so the animals experience minimal negative feelings. Shandong Province raises 20 percent of China's broiler chickens, and chicken accounts for 40 percent of the province's meat production. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. An Australian who raised enough money to take a stray dog that followed him during an extreme marathon in China back to his home in the UK was almost heartbroken. Gobi, who accompanied Dion Leonard during the event in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, had disappeared and for quite some time, there was no sign of her. Leonard had raised enough to take the animal back to Edinburgh in Scotland. He said it was such a shock and hard to believe when he was told Gobi had gone missing. Leonard said he was very heartbroken and saddened about it. He returned to Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, to look for the small brown animal. Forty-one-year-old Leonard said he and Gobi formed such a strong bond during the 250-km race, and it broke his heart thinking that they might not be spending more time together. These remarks came after a couple of days of searching for Gobi with volunteers. During this time, there have been sightings of dogs that look like Gobi, but all these signs have ended in disappointment. The dog had been due to arrive in Beijing to start a four-month process of medical checks before being flown to the UK in time for Christmas. Gobi ran alongside Leonard in June during the Gobi March, a 7-day race across mountainous and desert terrain in Hami prefecture, when temperatures of up to 52 degrees Celsius were recorded. They even cuddled together during the night. At one point, Leonard had to cross a river during the race. Instead of thinking about beating others, he stopped and carried Gobi across. After the race, Leonard decided to take her home to Scotland. （全文见周日微信。）

This is Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news. Chinese officials and scientists have said that as a country with the world's largest number of scientific researchers, China is benefiting and will continue to benefit from scientific exchanges and cooperation with other G20 members, particularly in exchanges of talent and young research staff. A senior official of the China Science and Technology Exchange Center said the G20 is the largest and most important group in technological innovation worldwide. Cooperation and innovation under the G20 framework will not only benefit the members, but will also be of great importance to the sustainable development of the world. According to the China Science and Technology Talent Development Report, which was released by the ministry last year, China's human resources in this area exceeded 71 million people as of 2013, ranking it No 1 in the world. Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the World Bank Group and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization showed that the research and development investment of 19 G20 members, excluding the European Union, accounts for 87 percent of the world total. The academic papers that these members publish account for 76 percent of the world total and applications for patents from these members account for 97 percent. This is Special English. Silk products are synonymous with Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou first exported silk 2,000 years ago. Today, the exquisite craftsmanship of silk continues to be the source of justifiable pride. It should come as no surprise that guests at the B20 and G20 summits will find silk forming an integral part of their experience there. To symbolize the city's attachment to the fine material, a gift package for the B20 Summit guests contains a pure silk scarf. More than 800 participants at the B20 Summit received such scarves. Each of the silk scarves is printed and dyed around 20 times, and it takes six weeks for the process of platemaking, printing and dyeing to be completed. China played a major role in developing sericulture, or silk farming, and one of its origins is located in northern Zhejiang province. Archaeological digs there have unearthed silk thread, ribbons and silk from more than 4,000 years ago. After laboratory testing, they were confirmed to have come from domesticated silkworms. Globally, the Japanese use the most silk products, and French brands like Hermes use silk for signature products. Italy is a well-known center for silk goods, and Brazil is a large silk manufacturer. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. China's quantum communication satellite, which was launched in August, is in good shape; and scientific experiments can begin this month. A chief scientist of the project said all equipment carried by the satellite and all ground equipment is working well. Satellite-to-earth links have been established between the satellite and five ground stations across China, laying the technical foundation for distributing quantum keys. Scientists are confident that the project will fulfill its tasks. China successfully launched the world's first quantum satellite on Aug. 16. The satellite will explore "hack-proof" quantum communications by transmitting "unhackable" keys from space, and provide insight into the strangest phenomenon in quantum physics, quantum entanglement. This is Special English. The voyage taken by the research ship "Tan Suo Yi Hao" to the Marianas Trench from late June until Aug 12 made a series of breakthroughs in deep-sea scientific exploration, both domestically and internationally. According to scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the breakthroughs include a successful nitrogen cycle experiment conducted by the "on-site experiment" deep-sea elevator. The elevator is a research device that is lowered with an anchor and was developed by the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering of the academy. A scientist in the academy who headed the expedition said it made history among similar devices internationally. According to the scientist, the Tianya deep-sea lander, another device taken on the voyage, also made history. It collected deep-sea water samples of more than 100 liters for the first time, much more than its counterparts from other countries have done. During the voyage, China's unmanned submarine, the Haidou, dived for the first time to a depth of more than 10,000 meters, reaching 10,767 meters. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. China will establish several national ecological experimental zones to explore reforms ranging from natural resource balance sheets to the ecological performance evaluation of officials. An official guideline has been released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, aimed at carrying out reforms on the "ecological civilization system". According to targets set in the guideline, major progress shall be achieved by 2017; and fully-fledged ecological civilization systems shall be established by 2020, with best practices replicable across the country. The main experiments will include establishing a natural resource property right system, compiling a natural resource balance sheet, optimizing land and space planning, and incorporating ecological performance into officials' evaluation. The provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Guizhou have been selected as the first batch of experimental zones, because they have "relatively optimal ecological foundations, and relatively strong environmental and resource capacity". This is Special English. Chinese universities will have the autonomy in transferring the intellectual property from scientific research and shall keep all the earnings. A government document released by the Ministries of education and science and technology, said no less than half of the net earnings from transfers shall be rewarded to researchers. The circular said major contributing researchers and faculty members should take no less than 50 percent of the total rewards. China has created a series of policies to encourage scientists to translate their research into commercial products. In March, the State Council issued a regulation that provides detailed measures for academics and inventors on how to commercially exploit their work, as the country pushes for innovation-driven development. The authorities are also encouraging research institutions and technical personnel to transfer or licensing their achievements or to invest with them as trade-ins. According to the policies, performance in translating scientific outcomes to products will be considered in the overall evaluation of research and higher learning institutions. You're listening to Special English. I'm Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That's mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues. Tsinghua University and Peking University have for the first time broken through the top 100 global ranking of universities. According to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities released recently, Tsinghua occupies the 58th spot and Peking University is at 71. A total of 41 Chinese mainland universities are among the top 500, nine more than in 2015. Starting from 2003, Academic Ranking of World Universities has been presenting the world top 500 universities annually based on transparent methodology and third-party data. More than 1,200 universities are included every year. Harvard University retains its crown for the 14th year, followed by Stanford, the University of California Berkeley, University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tokyo University in Japan is ranked 20 this year, the sole Asian university to be among the top 20 worldwide. This is Special English. Quarantine dogs were first employed at Nanjing airport in 2002, after their implementation in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. After training for four months, quarantine dog Daxiong started work in 2009. Daxiong was good at sniffing out plant products, and its biggest discovery was 17 boxes of forbidden fruit totaling 180 kilograms. At nine years old, Daxiong is the equivalent in dog years to a 60-year-old man, but he is nevertheless as excitable as ever when it comes to food. Daxiong is so sensitive to forbidden goods, especially meat products and fruit, that his trainer rewards his good behavior with snacks. Quarantine dogs usually work three to four hours a day, taking a rest every half hour. This keeps them alert and accurate. From 2014, the department began to seek an adopter for Daxiong in preparation for his retirement. His trainer Yan Han explaines that the adopting family had to love dogs and have some experience of looking after them. Additionally, Yan hoped that the whole family would get on well with the dog. By this metric, a local resident surnamed Zhi became Daxiong's adopter. To prove that Daxiong is living a happy and healthy life with his new family, Zhi provides periodic photos and videos to the dog's former handlers. This is Special English. （全文见周六微信。）

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Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0100 https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/6386/ https://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/6386/1/Zhang_Zhi.pdf Zhang, Zhi ddc:500, ddc:570, Fakultät für Biologie