The Emerald

When Bread is No Longer Bread: The Importance of Context in Consciousness, Community, and Cosmos

Oct 8, 2020

Exploring the decontextualization in capitalism, from processed bread to spiritual traditions. Discussing the importance of context in consciousness, community, and cosmos. Reflecting on the consequences of losing context on our minds and world. Highlighting the need for rituals, communal integration, and reclaiming meaning in context. Delving into injecting sacredness into the corporate world and diverse cultural references.

52:01

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Quick takeaways

Importance of maintaining original context in spiritual exploration for ritual and communal essence.

Negative impact of decontextualization and monetization on nutritional value of bread, emphasizing need for holistic understanding.

Deep dives

The History of Bread and Nutrition

Bread has evolved from a simple mixture of flour, water, and yeast to a processed product stripped of its nutritional value due to decontextualization and monetization. Additives like emulsifiers and high fructose corn syrup are now used to make bread more nutritious, highlighting the negative effects of extracting essence from its original context.

The Emerald: Currents and Trends Through a Mythic Lens

01:40

The Mandala of Context

01:20

Introduction

4min

Contextual Mind and the Loss of Connection

10min

The Power of Context in Spiritual Traditions

28min

Injecting Sacredness into the Corporate World: A Commentary on Monetization

4min

Reclaiming Meaning in Context: Transforming Modern Structures

4min

A Diverse Array of Cultural and Literary References

2min

The defining characteristic of the postmodern capitalist world is a cycle of decontextualization for the sake of monetization. It happens everywhere — with the products we buy, the food in our grocery stores, and the spiritual traditions we import from other lands. Modern Yogic and Buddhist practices have been removed from the deep context of their original practice — and often what is lost in the process is the living, breathing, animist heart of tradition. This episode explores how consciousness naturally exists in context — mythic, animate, communal, and cosmic — and looks at the consequences of this deep loss of context on our minds and our world.

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