In 'The End of Your World', Adyashanti explores the 'I got it/I lost it' phenomenon, where individuals experience fluctuations between 'nonabiding' awakening and the ultimate state of 'abiding' enlightenment. He discusses various pitfalls, such as the trap of meaninglessness, the ego's co-opting of realization, the illusion of superiority, and the danger of becoming 'drunk on emptiness'. The book offers practical advice and honest insights into maintaining an awakened state and navigating the complexities of spiritual life in a practical, everyday context.
This book delves into the biological aspects of risk-taking, especially in the context of financial markets. John Coates, drawing from his experiences as a trader and his research in neuroscience, explains how physiological changes, such as fluctuations in testosterone and cortisol levels, influence traders' behavior. He describes the 'hour between dog and wolf' as the moment when traders transform into exuberant risk-takers or cautious risk-avoiders based on their physiological state. The book also discusses how these biological factors can lead to market bubbles and crashes and suggests strategies for managing these risks, including changes in bonus systems and diversifying trader demographics.
In 'The Matter with Things', Iain McGilchrist delves into the neuroscience, epistemology, and metaphysics of the brain's hemispheres and their impact on human perception and understanding. The book is divided into two volumes: 'The Ways to Truth' and 'What Then is True?'. McGilchrist argues that the left hemisphere's dominance has led to a skewed perception of the world, neglecting the vital role of the right hemisphere in integrating science, reason, intuition, and imagination. He explores topics such as attention, perception, judgement, and the nature of reality, including concepts like time, space, consciousness, and the sacred. The book is a call to re-enchant the world and ourselves by recognizing the deeper, more holistic understanding provided by the right hemisphere[1][3][4].
This book argues that the division of the brain into two hemispheres is essential to human existence, allowing for two incompatible versions of the world. The left hemisphere is detail-oriented, prefers mechanisms to living things, and is inclined to self-interest, while the right hemisphere has greater breadth, flexibility, and generosity. McGilchrist takes the reader on a journey through the history of Western culture, illustrating the tension between these two worlds as revealed in the thought and belief of thinkers and artists from ancient to modern times. He argues that the increasing dominance of the left hemisphere in today’s world has potentially disastrous consequences.
Redwall Abbey, a peaceful home to a community of mice and other woodland creatures, is threatened by Cluny the Scourge, a ruthless and cunning rat warlord. Matthias, a young and clumsy novice monk, finds himself at the center of the abbey's defense. Guided by visions of Martin the Warrior, the legendary founder of Redwall, Matthias embarks on a quest to find the magical sword of Martin, which is their only hope to fend off Cluny's army. The novel is a tale of courage, friendship, and the struggle between good and evil, set in a richly detailed world of anthropomorphic animals.
In this episode, I'm speaking with Tom Morgan — who after 15 years on Wall Street and experiencing what he describes as a "hellish midlife transition" (which is putting it mildly) has emerged with profound insights about human development and — especially relevant for this podcast – the nature of curiosity itself.
In this conversation, we explored:
🧠 How we might navigate the delicate balance between intellectual understanding and embodied wisdom, especially for high-achieving individuals seeking deeper meaning in their lives
🏔️ An insight about what he calls "intellectual recapture" — which is the tendency, especially among highly educated or successful people, to turn spiritual or embodied practices into yet another achievement to conquer.
⚡ Practical insights about designing personal experiments and the importance of what he calls "minimum viable woo" — finding ways to engage with transformative practices that don't require abandoning our critical thinking.
Official Links
👋 Follow Tom on Twitter/X @tomowenmorgan
📝 Read Tom's Writing at The Leading Edge
✏️ Apply to join the Leading Edge Community
Connect + Follow Jonny:
🐦 Follow on Twitter/X @jonnym1ller
💌 Subscribe to the Curious Humans Newsletter
🫁 Learn more about Nervous System Mastery
🙋♂️ Join Five to Thrive — a zero-cost educational email series.
📝 Take the Nervous System Quotient (NSQ) Self-Assessment (totally free)
🫁 Episode Sponsor — Nervous System Mastery
This is my flagship 5-week bootcamp designed to equip you with evidence-backed protocols to cultivate calm and emotional regulation. Our seventh cohort will run in Spring 2025 ~ and applications are currently open. My sense is that if this conversation resonates with you, then you'd likely be a great fit for our upcoming cohort. This curriculum represents my attempt to distill everything I've learned in recent years about creating the conditions for our nervous system's flourishing. It's run in an intensive cohort-based way since this is, in my experience, the most efficient way to embody and practice the protocols.
Previous students have shared how partaking improved their sleep and quality of relationships and tapped into deeper states of joy, clarity, and confidence in their lives. We've had over 1000 students have completed this training, and many have said that it has been the most impactful thing they've ever done for their personal growth — so if you're intrigued at all, you can find more details and apply to join this year's cohort over at nsmastery.com
Further Ways to Support the Podcast:
🎙️ I use Riverside to record all of my podcast conversations (it's so much better than zoom for podcasting!)
🎧 I also use Transistor to host this podcast, it's fricking awesome, and I would highly recommend.
😎 RaOptics make the world's best Blue Blockers – I wear these anytime I'm out of the house after dark, and it makes a huge difference!
🤖 I use AI wizardry from Castmagic to help with each episode show-notes + timestamps
📹 Want to create a Hollywood-quality home studio? Get in touch with Kevin Shen here & save $500 with code JONNYSENT500OFF
📝 Test out my favourite journaling app using journal prompts that have made a huge impact in my life.
Curious Humans with Jonny Miller 
