Deep Transformation

Alexander Beiner, co-founder of Rebel Wisdom, explores sensemaking and truth finding in a culture that has lost coherence. He discusses the role of psychedelics in healing our culture, the need for embodied practices like meditation, and the potential of deep, psychotherapeutic group processes in political decision making. The podcast also touches on the evolution of the internet, struggles with integrity and motivated reasoning, cultivating perspectival fluidity, and the resurgence of psychedelics combined with meditation and inquiry.

Ep. 28 (Part 2 of 2) | David Loy, Zen teacher, scholar, and prolific author, reveals his acute understanding of the crises we face today, the psychology at the root of the problems, and how we can make our way forward in this in-depth discussion. He has adopted the term ecodharma to focus attention on the challenge Buddhism faces now: integrating personal transformation with global activism and social transformation. As David points out, the focus needs to be on this world, with transcendence being a metaphorical understanding but not an excuse to abandon the problems we and our planet face today. Besides gaining great depth of knowledge from being a scholar and student of koans, David’s insights come from a plethora of nondual experiences, which led David on a path of eco-action. Ecodharma asks: How does Buddhism need to change? How much is dwelling in emptiness becoming problematical in these challenging times? What’s best for the Earth? Everyone says practice, practice, practice…when is the performance? Is evolutionary pressure going to create a new way of living sustainably? Recorded February 22, 2020. “When your sense of separation dissipates, it becomes not what’s in it for me, but what can I do to help make this a better world for everybody?”Note: Regrettably 4 minutes of the recording were irretrievably lost at minute 21:26, but thankfully, the recording resumes just as Roger succinctly sums up the previous minutes of conversation. Also, this podcast was recorded live and includes, at times, some extraneous noises in the background. Please excuse them -- we felt the conversation was very valuable and well worth sharing with our audience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2The role of technology, moving into an age of virtual reality, and the creation of supernormal stimuli (01:41)Ecodharma: addressing the need for a new understanding of practice and walking the bodhisattva/ecosattva path (04:37) Keeping “don’t know” mind in the face of the eco-crisis (09:57)How can Buddhism contribute to facing the critical issues of our time? (10:54)The Extinction Rebellion, a grassroots direct action movement (11:49)The election of Trump has highlighted our problems in making them worse (15:16)The problem of complacency (17:24)What signifies that one has started to walk the bodhisattva path? (19:42)Desire versus craving (21:26)Karma yoga and not being attached to the outcome (22:14)The cycle of withdrawal and return common to those people who have contributed the most to humankind (23:45)The deepest challenge of our practice is integrating the knowledge that everything is perfect, but also knowing action is needed to improve things (26:36)Evolutionary psychology, the evolution of religion, and what we need to do today (28:18)What socially engaged Buddhism has to contribute (34:02)The challenge of the gnostic intermediary to transmit a wisdom tradition across cultures and across time (34:59)Resources & References - Part 2Edward O. Wilson, aka the Darwin of the 21st centuryGuhyapati, founder of the Eco-Dharma Centre in northeast SpainDavid Loy and Guhyapati, Remaking Our Dharma: Expanding the Scope of EcodharmaDavid Loy, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat CenterDavid Loy, "The Bodhisattva Path in the Trump Era" Greta Thunberg and the School Strike for ClimateExtinction Rebellion: Grassroots movement engaging in direct action focused on climate, species extinction, population, toxins, plastic and moreThe Bhagavad Gita Arnold Toynbee, A Study of World History* (abridgement by D.C. Somervell)Robert Thurman, first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai LamaShunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind Paul Hawkins, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World*Wes Nisker, You Are Not Your Fault and Other Revelations*Roger Walsh, The Transmission of Wisdom: The Task of Gnostic IntermediariesDavid Loy, "How to Be an EcoSattva" David Loy, EcoDharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis*David Loy, co-editor, A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency*Full list of David’s writings: https://www.davidloy.org/writing.htmlDavid Loy’s websiteDavid Loy, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Early on, David Loy studied koans under Yamada Kōun Roshi while teaching Eastern and Western philosophy in Japan. He began to have direct experiences of nonduality, and the recognition of unity, or connection with others, led to his activism in the spheres of social justice and the eco-crisis. A scholar, professor, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition, David brings a Buddhist perspective to the ecological crisis we face today. He points out there is an important parallel between what Buddhism says about our personal predicament and about our collective predicament in relation to the rest of the biosphere. David is also a prolific author; his latest book is Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis; and he is co-editor of A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 27 (Part 1 of 2) | David Loy, Zen teacher, scholar, and prolific author, reveals his acute understanding of the crises we face today, the psychology at the root of the problems, and how we can make our way forward in this in-depth discussion. He has adopted the term ecodharma to focus attention on the challenge Buddhism faces now: integrating personal transformation with global activism and social transformation. As David points out, the focus needs to be on this world, with transcendence being a metaphorical understanding but not an excuse to abandon the problems we and our planet face today.Besides gaining great depth of knowledge from being a scholar and student of koans, David’s insights come from a plethora of nondual experiences, which led David on a path of eco-action. Ecodharma asks: How does Buddhism need to change? How much is dwelling in emptiness becoming problematical in these challenging times? What’s best for the Earth? Everyone says practice, practice, practice…when is the performance? Is evolutionary pressure going to create a new way of living sustainably? Recorded February 22, 2020.“When your sense of separation dissipates, it becomes not what’s in it for me, but what can I do to help make this a better world for everybody?”Note: This podcast was recorded live and includes, at times, some extraneous noises in the background. Please excuse them -- we felt the conversation was very valuable and well worth sharing with our audience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Social activism, Zen practice, philosophy, koan study: how it all started (03:52)How does David’s Zen practice inform his activism? It was the experiences of nondual reality (05:48)The emergence of compassion: when your sense of separation dissipates, it becomes not what’s in it for me, but what can I do to help make this a better world for everybody (09:14)The cold civil war in the U.S. and the need to find a way to talk with each other and understand conflicting points of view (12:03)Our fundamental problem is that we don’t feel real, because the separate self is a construct, inherently insecure, inherently uncomfortable, and we experience this as a sense of fundamental lack (14:03)The psychological and sociological implications of this sense of lack and how society is constructed to take advantage of it: the contemporary world religion is consumerism (17:31)The positive and negative sides of individualism (22:23)The heart of the bodhisattva path: personal transformation and social transformation (24:57)The challenge of integrating nondual experiences (27:31)3 elements of the Pali Canon’s Motivation for Awakening (28:31)Dukkha (suffering) is structural not just individual (30:09)Awakenings: transcendent, imminent, and the decline of Axial religions that devalue this world (36:26) The problem with mindfulness and the 3 poisons: greed, ill will, delusion (40:51)Resources & References - Part 1David Loy, EcoDharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis*David Loy, NonDuality: In Buddhism and Beyond*David Loy, co-editor, A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency*Full list of David’s writings: https://www.davidloy.org/writing.htmlDavid Loy’s websiteDavid Loy, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat CenterYamada Kōun Roshi, David's teacher and author of The Gateless Gate : The Classic Book of Zen Koans* (2004)Robert Aiken, one of the original founders of the Buddhist Peace FellowshipDōgen, Japanese Buddhist priest, poet, philosopher, and founder of the Sōtō school of ZenWilliam Blake, poet, painter, mysticErnest Becker, The Denial of Death*Mahatma Gandhi, “The world has enough for everyone’s need…”Theravada sutras, the Pali Canon, Bodhipakkhiya DhammaAldous Huxley, Island*Dogen’s Genjokoan, Actualizing the Fundamental PointLoyal Rue, Everybody’s Story: Wising up to the Epic of Evolution*Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate*Stockholm Institute’s 9 markers of ecological sustainability* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Early on, David Loy studied koans under Yamada Kōun Roshi while teaching Eastern and Western philosophy in Japan. He began to have direct experiences of nonduality, and the recognition of unity, or connection with others, led to his activism in the spheres of social justice and the eco-crisis. A scholar, professor, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition, David brings a Buddhist perspective to the ecological crisis we face today. He points out there is an important parallel between what Buddhism says about our personal predicament and about our collective predicament in relation to the rest of the biosphere. David is also a prolific author; his latest book is Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis; and he is co-editor of A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 26 | Samaneri Jayasara, a Theravādin renunciate in the Thai Forest tradition, became inspired to record readings of profound wisdom texts written by the great spiritual masters of all time and traditions, put them to music (in most cases), and post them on YouTube. Intending simply to share the gift of wisdom, Jayasara didn’t expect much in the way of listeners, maybe 100 or so. But with her sublime understanding and exquisite voice, accompanied by beautiful music tailored to the individual texts, Jayasara has turned mere readings into transmissions of wisdom and healing that are helping and inspiring people around the globe, and she now has upward of 70,000 followers. In this conversation, Jayasara talks about the power of the spoken word to bypass intellectual filters and enter straight into your heart, how listening can result in unexpected awakenings, how contemplating death can shift our illusions and wake us up, and the story of how she came to be a contemplative. In this episode, she also treats listeners to two lovely samples of her readings, from St. John of the Cross and Chuang Tzu. Recorded October 14, 2021.“Silence is God’s first language.” – St. John of the Cross(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time StampsThe inspiration behind reading wisdom texts on YouTube: the advantage of absorbing dharma wisdom through listening (03:11)The power of the spoken word to go straight to the heart (06:12)Samaneri Jayasara, a rare Theravadin to have studied such a broad variety of religious traditions (13:38)Theravada: The Teaching of the Elders based on the Pali Sutras (15:37)The Thai Forest tradition focuses on practice (16:44)St. John of the Cross reading (17:49)The intention: a heartfelt sharing of the dharma; as the Buddha said, “The greatest gift you can give is the gift of the dharma.” (22:34)How Jayasara came to be a contemplative: suffering, dissatisfaction, and the teachings of Buddha and Krishnamurti (24:44)How one can support Jayasara’s practice and the Viveka Hermitage (33:15)Hearing teachings expressed in different ways, different conceptualizations with different traditions, can enliven your practice, make the wisdom go deeper, and help you not get stuck (33:48)The “flow and rhythm” of the spiritual life and the poetry of Ram Dass (35:28)How does Jayasara choose which text to read? (37:58) On the transmission of wisdom (40:44)Chuang Tzu reading (46:24)When striving in our practice turns to opening to what is latent within us (51:35)Sudden awakening versus gradual awakening (54:44)How death contemplations can shift the illusion and wake us up (56:46)The story of Ramana: pure awareness and the deathless realm (01:02:26)The tendency to pick up a new identity after an ego death (01:04:24)What’s next? Mother Mountain Gulaga retreat (01:07:16)Choosing the music that goes with the readings (01:11:23)Resources & ReferencesSamaneri Jayasara, Wisdom of the Masters podcastJayasara’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SamaneriJayasara/featuredSamaneri Jayasara’s hermitage: Viveka HermitageDonations to the hermitage can be made via PayPal using the link: https://paypal.me/VivekaHermitageOr become a Jayasara patron: https://www.patreon.com/jayasaraPadmasambhava’s Self-Liberation Through Seeing Through Naked Awareness*Ramana Maharshi, Indian sage and liberated being, 1879-1950Lectio Divina (divine reading)Ajahn Sumedho, longtime abbot and one of the senior Western representatives of the Thai Forest tradition of Theravada BuddhismTheravada sutras, the Pali CanonAjahn Mun, co-founder of the Thai Forest traditionSt. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul*Krishnamurti, philosopher, speaker, author focused on psychological revolution, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in societyVipassana retreatsSt. John of the Cross, Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friarRam Dass, Love, Service, DevotionChuang Tzu, Taoist sage, influential 4th century BC philosopher in China credited with writing Zhuangzi,* one of the two foundational texts of Taoism (along with the Tao Te Ching*).Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu*Kamalashila Tibetan Buddhist Centre at the foot of Mother Mountain Gulaga* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Samaneri Jayasara is a Buddhist nun in the Theravadin Forest tradition. She has studied and practiced Buddhism and meditation in various capacities for over 35 years. Jayasara has a Ph.D. and Master's Degree in education, focusing on comparative spiritual traditions, Buddhism, and psychotherapy. She has taught at secondary, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels in psychology and counseling; and also worked as a trainer in mental health and crisis intervention in the welfare sector. Jayasara initially ordained as an Anagarika in 2003 living at both Dhammasara nun’s monastery, Western Australia, and Amaravati, UK. She re-entered the robes as a Samaneri in 2018 at Santi Forest Monastery where she lived and practiced for four years.  Jayasara now resides in a quiet hermitage (Viveka Hermitage) with another Dhamma sister in rural New South Wales.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 25 (Part 2 of 2) | Thomas Hübl, renowned spiritual teacher, author, expert on collective trauma, and creator and facilitator of The Collective Trauma Integration Process, shares fascinating, life changing information about the dynamics of collective trauma—how it is embodied and perpetuated in the language we use, and how we are bound together in a sort of “mutual collusion” that predisposes us to repeat our past, and to repeat over and over the things we would much rather leave behind. With remarkable insight and wisdom garnered from years of study, exploration, and effectively working with large groups to integrate collective shadow, Thomas also explains how we can create space for a new future by metabolizing the suffering held in both our personal and collective unconscious and making awakening and spiritual clarity the indubitable priority of our lives. Recorded at the Science and Nonduality Conference, October 2019, with Dr. Roger Walsh, John Dupuy, and Douglas Prater.“Healing the broken glass of reality.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2The work of purification is more than only shadow work (00:48)Shadow, encoded trauma, and the “it-ification” of processes: how language embodies and perpetuates shadow (02:40)We are in mutual collusion in perpetuating shadow in this collectively traumatized world (06:22)Language keeps the past in place and the destiny of humanity fixated (08:50)Our relational network is an extension of our immune system (10:43)The word is creation and the art of truth telling is a practice (11:10)Climate change is an externalization of the pollution in our interiors (15:44)The need for us (and our leaders) to say I’m sorry to each other publicly (16:52)Letting go of the need for comfort (20:01)We are all writing or composing our experience moment by moment (22:07)We find God in the deepest expression of our own purpose (23:42)Our energy needs to be consciously integrated to clear a space for a new future (27:37)It is essential to adjust our practice over time (31:11)Spiritual clarity = knowing what we see and also what we don’t see is God’s will (35:05)Opening to the bottomless mystery (37:45)Walking the path of karma yoga (39:36)Resources & References - Part 2Collective Trauma Summit 2021: Collective Healing in ActionWilliam Ury, leading expert on negotiation and mediation and best selling author of Getting to Yes* (with Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton), Getting Past No,* and Getting to Yes with Yourself*Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan* Thomas Hübl & Julie Jordan Avritt, Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds*Thomas Hübl's Academy of Inner ScienceThomas Hübl’s website: https://thomashuebl.comThomas Hübl’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/thomashueblThomas Hübl, Modern Mystic - Principles for Living Consciously: Thomas Hübl in Conversation with Stephan Breidenbach** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Thomas Hübl is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator whose lifelong work integrates the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. Over the last two decades, Hübl has taught and facilitated programs with more than 100,000 people worldwide. His events have focused on processing the collective trauma of racism, oppression, colonialism, genocides, and the complexities of those regions and groups which experience multiple historic and current challenges. He is the author of the book Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds, which outlines his methodology called the “Collective Trauma Integration Process” as a safe framework for guiding groups through collective trauma. His non-profit organization, the Pocket Project, works to support the healing of collective trauma throughout the world. Hübl’s educational organization, the Academy of Inner Science, offers a master’s and doctoral studies program in cooperation with universities in Europe and the US. In 2020, Hübl received an honorary doctorate from Ubiquity University in California for “his pioneering work in the field of trauma.” He has been teaching workshops and presenting trainings for Harvard Medical School since 2019.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 24 (Part 1 of 2) | Thomas Hübl, renowned spiritual teacher, author, expert on collective trauma, and creator and facilitator of The Collective Trauma Integration Process, shares fascinating, life changing information about the dynamics of collective trauma—how it is embodied and perpetuated in the language we use, and how we are bound together in a sort of “mutual collusion” that predisposes us to repeat our past, and to repeat over and over the things we would much rather leave behind. With remarkable insight and wisdom garnered from years of study, exploration, and effectively working with large groups to integrate collective shadow, Thomas also explains how we can create space for a new future by metabolizing the suffering held in both our personal and collective unconscious and making awakening and spiritual clarity the indubitable priority of our lives. Recorded at the Science and Nonduality Conference, October 2019, with Dr. Roger Walsh, John Dupuy, and Douglas Prater.“Healing the broken glass of reality.”Note: This podcast was recorded live and includes, at times, some extraneous noises in the background. Please excuse them -- we felt the conversation was very valuable and well worth sharing with our audience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Introducing Thomas Hübl (01:03)By definition, awakenings are not nondual if people haven’t dealt with their shadow: nondual needs to be the talk and the walk (3:03)The body is a sophisticated energy pipe system; mystics are like plumbers or electricians who free up the pipes (05:50)On stabilizing, generalizing, integrating insights: state practices versus process awareness (07:10)Tibetan Buddhism’s three developmental maps: 1) turning towards contemplative practice, 2) the stabilization of realized states, 3) ongoing purification (08:56) We need to commit to a spiritual path, to cleaning up, and make space to clear things or the same difficulties will repeat again and again (10:12)Trauma is the collapse of time/space (11:46)Making divine awakening your highest priority is what constitutes a serious practitioner (14:06) All serious shadow and trauma work is relational (15:24) How can we stay committed to the path? Community, an externalization of our intention (18:22)Two challenges: We are tempted to abandon our practice both when it gets very dark—and when life gets very good (20:35) Consciousness is catching: the way to develop desired qualities is to hang out with people who embody the qualities we want (22:14)Our cultural relationship to hierarchy: we’ve thrown it out, but there are hierarchies of development, maturity, wisdom, insight, and compassion that should be honoredWhat are the most valuable ways to engage with what is inside us and integrate what we discover? (25:18) Paying attention to congruence and coherence in our mental, physical, and emotional expression (28:21)Collective trauma: all of us have been born into a traumatized world (29:10) Healing the broken reality: every trauma healing needs to result in an ethical upgrade; we have to become better people (31:54) Thomas’ collective trauma group work where the field in the room is able to mirror the unseen dimension stored in the cultural unconscious  (32:31)We are all sculptures in a transpersonal nervous system, called to metabolize the suffering held in both our personal and collective unconscious (38:14)Resources & References - Part 1Thomas Hübl & Julie Jordan Avritt, Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds*Thomas Hübl's Academy of Inner ScienceThomas Hübl’s website: https://thomashuebl.comThomas Hübl’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/thomashueblThomas Hübl, Modern Mystic - Principles for Living Consciously: Thomas Hübl in Conversation with Stephan Breidenbach*Roger Walsh, Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Thomas Hübl is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator whose lifelong work integrates the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. Over the last two decades, Hübl has taught and facilitated programs with more than 100,000 people worldwide. His events have focused on processing the collective trauma of racism, oppression, colonialism, genocides, and the complexities of those regions and groups which experience multiple historic and current challenges. He is the author of the book Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds, which outlines his methodology called the “Collective Trauma Integration Process” as a safe framework for guiding groups through collective trauma. His non-profit organization, the Pocket Project, works to support the healing of collective trauma throughout the world. Hübl’s educational organization, the Academy of Inner Science, offers a master’s and doctoral studies program in cooperation with universities in Europe and the US. In 2020, Hübl received an honorary doctorate from Ubiquity University in California for “his pioneering work in the field of trauma.” He has been teaching workshops and presenting trainings for Harvard Medical School since 2019.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 23 (Part 2 of 2) | Integral leaders Kateryna Yasko, Vytautas Bučiūnas, and Bence Gánti illuminate many of the most poignant and pressing questions of our time, brought to the fore by the ongoing war in Ukraine: Can postmodern people embrace a warrior consciousness when necessary? Are Russians, brainwashed by propaganda, who explicitly support the war worthy of compassion? Can people remain sane and humane while at the same time taking up arms? How can we handle the effects of the psychological trauma that will cascade over generations? And how do we prevent the mass delusion and psychosis that is so easily propagated via modern media technology? What are the global consequences of the Russian war on Ukraine? The trillions of dollars now being diverted to defense and military weaponry in the West are trillions of dollars that will not be spent on social programs, global health, education, climate change, and food—many people in Africa will starve as a result of this war on the breadbasket, wheat-producing Ukraine. What is wrong with democracy if its leaders can’t step up to the plate, be authentic, strong, and stand up for what is right, while autocrats do whatever they please? A powerful, heart wrenching conversation asking the right questions, pointing towards the answers. Recorded April 15, 2022.For more wrestling with the questions, and to share wisdom, ideas, support, and inspiration, there is IEC 2022 (Integral European Conference) this May online and in Budapest. And to donate directly to help the Ukrainian people via Kateryna and Vytautas using iAwake's Funnel to Help, Heal, and Support the Ukrainian People, see below.The reality is: “If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 2The difference between Ukrainians and Russians is Ukrainians long to be and remain human and humane; but Russians have been through a long dehumanization process (01:00)How can we stick to the Geneva Conventions and not become what we’re fighting against? (01:59)Around 60% of Russians on the street honestly believe they are liberating Ukraine (04:59) The power of today’s information and communication technology, coupled with our awful vulnerability to delusional thinking, is a recipe for inducing culture-wide psychosis (07:05)The analogy with Nazi Germany and Putin’s Russia is right on (10:30)Are Russians who are brainwashed and explicitly supporting warfare worthy of our compassion? (11:30)What are the global ramifications, the psychological and cultural implications, of this great tragedy that will affect global health, social welfare, even the survival of the human species? (16:20) The systems we have been trusting to maintain global order were not good enough to save us from this challenge (20:34)How to come up with more Integral, inclusive solutions and systems of sensemaking? (21:22)The leadership factor in the West over the last 20+ years has been reactive, compliant, generally avoiding facing reality – until Zelensky (Vytautas’ keynote at IEC will be about this) (21:52)Working on solutions at the Integral European Conference (IEC) May 2022 online and in Budapest (25:05)How this invasion has opened hearts, created an explosion of trust, people are really “showing up” (Kateryna’s keynote at IEC will be about this) (26:57)Showing up – what will you do when it’s time to act? There is a way to contribute for everyone (28:09)iAwake’s Funnel to Help, Heal, and Support the Ukrainian People (30:15)IEC will be an opportunity to involve people from Latin America in the fight for democracy and freedom in Ukraine, and hear about their ongoing wars as well (32:35) IEC will sponsor a global discussion on war and peace everywhere; there are more than 100 wars going on at any given time on the planet (35:06)Are only autocratic leaders allowed to be bold, decisive, real, and authentic? (37:31)Zelensky is the role model for other democratic leaders (38:50)Resources & References – Part 2Integral European Conference 2022: World Peace with the Integral Approach, online and in BudapestVytautas Bučiūnas’ website: Upgrade of Leader’s Operating SystemTMThe Annexation of CrimeaThe Budapest Memorandum* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---How can I help? iAwake's Funnel to Help, Heal, and Support the Ukrainian PeopleDeep Transformation sponsor, iAwake Technologies, sends all funds raised on behalf of the Ukrainian people directly to Kateryna Yasko and Vytautas Bučiūnas, who are giving on-the-ground support to Ukrainian refugees in the bordering countries, and sending life-saving medicines and emergency first aid kits into Ukraine via trusted drivers. Sending money directly to the people who are doing the work is much more effective at this stage than sending money to an established NGO or other aid organization, as there is a lot of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape that greatly delays the money from reaching the people who need it the most.→ Donate herePlease know that 100% of your donation (after PayPal fees) will go directly to Kateryna and Vytautas to be used at their discretion to address the greatest needs as this terrible situation unfolds hour to hour, day to day. This couple has our absolute trust and confidence that they will use the funds we send them in the best and most compassionate and effective way possible.#StandWithUkraine---Kateryna Yasko (Ukraine) is an organizational psychologist, a trainer for the development of emotional intelligence, trust, cooperation, effective communication, and peaceful conflict resolution, and co-founder of the consulting company U-Integral. Her academic background is in the area of international relations and law (MSc), business (MBA), and psychology (MSc). She bases her programs on the principles of Ken Wilber’s Integral approach and Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, and is certified in Spiral Dynamics Integral and in Susanne Cook-Greuter’s Maturity Assessment Profile. Kateryna is also head of the public association "International Institute for Integral Development" and a founder of the educational initiative EMPATIA.PRO, specializing in bringing  holistic approaches into educational leadership and learning cultures.Vytautas Bučiūnas (Lithuania–Ukraine) is a co-founder and managing partner of U-Integral, an integral leadership development company. Vytautas also has vast experience as a top manager in the banking sector including working as the Head of Resident Office, Senior Banker, Associate Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Russia, Ukraine). Vytautas' professional profile includes building organizational units from scratch, carrying out large-scale transformations, and managing crises. Vytautas is a certified Integral Master Coach™ (Integral Coaching Canada), an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)™, and the only business consultant in Ukraine certified in Leadership Maturity Framework – Maturity Assessment for Professionals (LMF-MAP) and Global Leadership Profile (GLP). Vytautas explores the development of human consciousness and complex social systemsfrom a holistic perspective. He considers the growth of a critical mass of mature leaders with systemic thinking and transformational capabilities to be the key to society's healthy development.Bence Ganti, MA, is the main organizer, co-founder, and director of the Integral European Conferences (since 2014) and the co-founder of Integral Europe team (since 2012). He also created the Integral Academy in Budapest, a 3-year adult education program on integral psychology in 2006. Bence is an integrally oriented clinical psychologist, vipassana meditator, and international teacher of integral psychology. Being a dual citizen of the USA and Hungary, Bence bridges cultures delivering keynote addresses, making presentations, and leading experiential workshops worldwide, including his version of a cutting-edge we-space practice called Integral Flow Experience. In the US, he has taught integral psychology at Meridian University and San Francisco State University and at integral events at  Bay Area Integral, Integral Center in Boulder, and the Integral Theory Conferences. He also represented integral consciousness during the World Economic Forum week in Davos, Switzerland, in 2019.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 22 (Part 1 of 2) | Integral leaders Kateryna Yasko, Vytautas Bučiūnas, and Bence Ganti illuminate many of the most poignant and pressing questions of our time, brought to the fore by the ongoing war in Ukraine: Can postmodern people embrace a warrior consciousness when necessary? Are Russians, brainwashed by propaganda, who explicitly support the war worthy of compassion? Can people remain sane and humane while at the same time taking up arms? How can we handle the effects of the psychological trauma that will cascade over generations? And how do we prevent the mass delusion and psychosis that is so easily propagated via modern media technology? What are the global consequences of the Russian war on Ukraine? The trillions of dollars now being diverted to defense and military weaponry in the West are trillions of dollars that will not be spent on social programs, global health, education, climate change, and food—many people in Africa will starve as a result of this war on the breadbasket, wheat-producing Ukraine. What is wrong with democracy if its leaders can’t step up to the plate, be authentic, strong, and stand up for what is right, while autocrats do whatever they please? A powerful, heart wrenching conversation asking the right questions, pointing towards the answers. Recorded April 15, 2022. For more wrestling with the questions, and to share wisdom, ideas, support, and inspiration, there is IEC 2022 (Integral European Conference) this May online and in Budapest. And to donate directly to help the Ukrainian people via Kateryna and Vytautas using iAwake's Funnel to Help, Heal, and Support the Ukrainian People, see below.The reality is: “If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Ukraine update: the level of trauma has grown very high in the last month, both inside and outside Ukraine, with the discoveries in Bucha and elsewhere (03:18)Everyone feels guilty: the people who have fled, the people in the cities, the people in territorial defense: everyone feels a strong need to contribute more (05:03)The West is consolidating; there’s less naivete about Russia (07:45)People around the world can and need to contribute (09:34)True heroism is coming to the fore; this could be a wake up call for a lot of us (11:35)Bence Ganti, Integral leader and director of the Integral European Conference, talks about the situation in Hungary and the coming IEC in May 2022 (12:32)Kateryna’s perspective on recent weeks: facing an overwhelming, multi-fronted battle on all levels, it’s impossible to give yourself space to take care of yourself (15:40) In Russia, children in school are taught only propaganda; refugee children are traumatized and don’t speak the language of their host countries (18:28)Disappointment and frustration with opinion leaders, prominent intellectuals in the West, writing articles totally disconnected from the realities of the Ukrainian situation (19:55)Ukraine is slowing gaining agency on several fronts (21:35)This is a meta historic conflict; the West saying this conflict is their fault or the US’ fault is going too far; Russia has been threatening Ukraine since before the US existed (24:40)Otto Scharmer’s article about collaborative diplomacy is not good enough; it’s abstract and divorced from the physical realities of the situation (27:52)The reality is: “If Russia stops fighting, there will be no war. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no more Ukraine.” (30:38)What is the most strategic response we can make in this situation to directly address this tragedy and its needs? (32:38)Children in primary school are very tuned in to the collective: smart teachers are using military analogies when teaching (35:12)We have to integrate the “red” stage of development in the educational system…we have to let boys play with guns and speak about it (37:40)We need an Integral stage to understand when to act with which stages (38:57) Green = a postmodern stage where we strive for harmony, unity, authenticity, connectedness and believe only with love we will solve all conflicts; red = the warrior stage; Integral = a yogi with a rifle (40:35) Ukrainians fighting from a place of love, somehow they are integrated (43:17)Resources & References - Part 1Integral European Conference 2022: World Peace with the Integral Approach, online and in BudapestVytautas Bučiūnas' website: Upgrade of Leader’s Operating SystemTMPresencing Institute, founded in 2006 by MIT Sloan School of Management Senior Lecturer Otto Scharmer and colleagues to create an “action research platform at the intersection of science, consciousness, and profound social and organizational change.”Otto Scharmer, “Putin and the Power of Collective Action from Shared Awareness”Robb Smith, “Russia is Catalyzing the Transformation Age”Michael McFaul, columnist and former ambassador to Russia, “Ukraine is Putin’s Afghanistan,”Michael McFaul, “Why the West Must Boost Military Assistance to Ukraine”Robert Person & Michael McFaul, “What Putin Fears Most”Otto Scharmer, Theory U** As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---How can I help? iAwake's Funnel to Help, Heal, and Support the Ukrainian PeopleDeep Transformation sponsor, iAwake Technologies, sends all funds raised on behalf of the Ukrainian people directly to Kateryna Yasko and Vytautas Bučiūnas, who are giving on-the-ground support to Ukrainian refugees in the bordering countries, and sending life-saving medicines and emergency first aid kits into Ukraine via trusted drivers. Sending money directly to the people who are doing the work is much more effective at this stage than sending money to an established NGO or other aid organization, as there is a lot of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape that greatly delays the money from reaching the people who need it the most.→ Donate herePlease know that 100% of your donation (after PayPal fees) will go directly to Kateryna and Vytautas to be used at their discretion to address the greatest needs as this terrible situation unfolds hour to hour, day to day. This couple has our absolute trust and confidence that they will use the funds we send them in the best and most compassionate and effective way possible.#StandWithUkraine---Kateryna Yasko (Ukraine) is an organizational psychologist, a trainer for the development of emotional intelligence, trust, cooperation, effective communication, and peaceful conflict resolution, and co-founder of the consulting company U-Integral. Her academic background is in the area of international relations and law (MSc), business (MBA), and psychology (MSc). She bases her programs on the principles of Ken Wilber’s Integral approach and Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, and is certified in Spiral Dynamics Integral and in Susanne Cook-Greuter’s Maturity Assessment Profile. Kateryna is also head of the public association "International Institute for Integral Development" and a founder of the educational initiative EMPATIA.PRO, specializing in bringing  holistic approaches into educational leadership and learning cultures.Vytautas Bučiūnas (Lithuania–Ukraine) is a co-founder and managing partner of U-Integral, an integral leadership development company. Vytautas also has vast experience as a top manager in the banking sector including working as the Head of Resident Office, Senior Banker, Associate Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Russia, Ukraine). Vytautas' professional profile includes building organizational units from scratch, carrying out large-scale transformations, and managing crises. Vytautas is a certified Integral Master Coach™ (Integral Coaching Canada), an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)™, and the only business consultant in Ukraine certified in Leadership Maturity Framework – Maturity Assessment for Professionals (LMF-MAP) and Global Leadership Profile (GLP). Vytautas explores the development of human consciousness and complex social systemsfrom a holistic perspective. He considers the growth of a critical mass of mature leaders with systemic thinking and transformational capabilities to be the key to society's healthy development.Bence Ganti, MA, is the main organizer, co-founder, and director of the Integral European Conferences (since 2014) and the co-founder of Integral Europe team (since 2012). He also created the Integral Academy in Budapest, a 3-year adult education program on integral psychology in 2006. Bence is an integrally oriented clinical psychologist, vipassana meditator, and international teacher of integral psychology. Being a dual citizen of the USA and Hungary, Bence bridges cultures delivering keynote addresses, making presentations, and leading experiential workshops worldwide, including his version of a cutting-edge we-space practice called Integral Flow Experience. In the US, he has taught integral psychology at Meridian University and San Francisco State University and at integral events at  Bay Area Integral, Integral Center in Boulder, and the Integral Theory Conferences. He also represented integral consciousness during the World Economic Forum week in Davos, Switzerland, in 2019.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 21 (Part 2 of 2) | Steve McIntosh, philosopher, author of the groundbreaking book Developmental Politics, and co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, outlines an extraordinary framework to make sense of our political conflicts—extraordinary in that it points to ways through and out of our persistent polarity consciousness. Steve convincingly argues our opportunity is right now: to create a synthesis, a cooperative agreement space, that transcends and includes thesis and antithesis, left and right, individual and community. Steve’s is a passionate and prophetic voice; there is hope for politics. With vertical development we can recover a common sense of truth, a common sense of goodness—transcendent ideals could become social norms. Steve ends with an invitation to listeners to investigate this new concept of cultural intelligence and the implications of the new truth: consciousness and culture co-evolve. Recorded on September 8, 2021.“An Invitation to Creating a World That Works for Everybody”Topics & Time Stamps - Part 2The practice of virtues: character development is an important psychological technology (01:34)Deep happiness, Aristotle’s eudaimonia (05:07)Reestablishing cultural agreements around transcendent character development: an “upward current of the good” (06:48)How do you practice courage? (11:26)The magnetism towards being better: towards the good, the true, the beautiful (12:12)The evolutionary power of value polarities (13:05) Understanding the new inter-subjective We Space: a social medicine that can help heal the wounds of history (20:11)How do we begin to walk this path of cultural emergence and post-progressivism as a practice? This new truth that consciousness and culture co-evolve? (21:43)The need to build a political movement, break through into mainstream culture with the new truth of the vertical dimension of development (25:27)Truth is one of the casualties of the current culture wars (28:25)How does technology come into it? (35:05)The Black Death plague and the impact of COVID-19 (38:14)With post-progressivism, we’re trying to negate the negations of progressivism (40:18)The role of contemplative practices and spiritual development in fostering psychological development and helping transcendent ideals become social norms (43:10)An invitation to listeners to participate and investigate this new cultural intelligence (48:41)Resources & References - Part 2Aristotle’s eudaimonia, the highest human goodCreate your personal Portrait of the Good, online character development exercise at Institute for Cultural EvolutionLao Tzu, Heraclitus, Nicholas of CusaThe Post-Progressive Post (now The Developmentalist)The Worldview Questionnaire at The DevelopmentalistAldous Huxley, Island*Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient TruthWinston Churchill, “...truth should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies”Jesus, “...the truth will set you free”Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit*Steve McIntosh, Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself*Institute for Cultural Evolution, co-founded by Steve McIntoshPost-progressive.org is now The Developmentalist.orgSteve McIntosh's author website is stevemcintosh.com.* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Steve McIntosh, J.D. is author of Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself (Paragon House 2020), and co-author of Conscious Leadership—Elevating Humanity Through Business (Penguin 2020), with John Mackey and Carter Phipps. McIntosh is president of the Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank, which focuses on the cultural roots of America’s political problems. His work has appeared in USA Today, Real Clear Politics, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Areo Magazine, and The Developmentalist. He has been interviewed on NPR, Oxford Review, Rebel Wisdom, and many other podcasts. His author website is: stevemcintosh.com.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell

Ep. 20 (Part 1 of 2) | Steve McIntosh, philosopher, author of the groundbreaking book Developmental Politics, and co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, outlines an extraordinary framework to make sense of our political conflicts—extraordinary in that it points to ways through and out of our persistent polarity consciousness. Steve convincingly argues our opportunity is right now: to create a synthesis, a cooperative agreement space, that transcends and includes thesis and antithesis, left and right, individual and community. Steve’s is a passionate and prophetic voice; there is hope for politics. With vertical development we can recover a common sense of truth, a common sense of goodness—transcendent ideals could become social norms. Steve ends with an invitation to listeners to investigate this new concept of cultural intelligence and the implications of the new truth: consciousness and culture co-evolve. Recorded on September 8, 2021.“Almost every problem is a problem of consciousness.”Topics & Time Stamps - Part 1Introducing Steve McIntosh and Developmental Politics (02:08)Normality is not the ceiling of development—more like a collective form of developmental arrest (04:04)We can keep growing, not only personally but politically and culturally; right now we have the perfect conditions for the next phase to emerge: a cultural renaissance (06:22)Progressive spirituality: the intersection of science and spirituality (08:08)Spiral Dynamics, the Cultural Creatives, and Integral consciousness (10:51)The emergence of the post-progressive worldview and the profound truth that consciousness evolves (13:02)A calling to apply the new worldview to politics, climate change: founding the Institute of Cultural Evolution (15:17)Making the ideas and political philosophy of developmental politics accessible to people, so people can recognize their worldview and the positive and negative of other worldviews too (20:23)The structure of emergence in the noosphere: America’s trajectory in the world is not done yet—we can grow our way out of this and give birth to a new worldview (25:10)Breaking out of modernity: progressive postmodernism breaks the spell of the old establishment (29:04)Our bedrock values have energetic properties like magnets, attracting and repelling. How can we create new forms of agreement so we can all work together in a new type of culture? Cultural intelligence (32:19)Recognizing how the hinges of history continue to animate our political climate and that the dialectical pattern of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis is in the structure of emergence itself (34:58)Worldviews oscillate between focusing on the whole/community and focusing on the part/individual (36:33)Tug of war between moral systems on either side of modernity with traditionalism pulling on one side and progressivism pulling from the other (37:49)Our current opportunity is to create a synthesis, a new cultural agreement space, that includes traditionalism, modernity, and progressivism, characterized by interdependence (39:07)How can we overcome hyperpolarization if people have their own facts? (42:49)Transcendence is the key to reclaiming a sense of common good and restoring sufficient unity for a functioning democracy (44:37) Higher ground rather than common ground: a new political agreement space, where people can begin to appreciate that the existential polarity in politics is permanent and interdependent, where people can embody the left and the right in themselves, preserving what’s right and fixing what’s wrong (47:07)Resources & References - Part 1Steve McIntosh, Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself*Steve McIntosh, Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution*Steve McIntosh, Evolution’s Purpose*Institute for Cultural Evolution, think tank co-founded by Steve McIntosh with Carter PhippsPierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man*Paul Ray, The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World*Clare Graves, adult developmental stages psychologist foundational to Spiral DynamicsDon Beck & Christopher Cowan, Spiral Dynamics*Integral Institute and Ken WilberAl Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient TruthJonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and ReligionEsalen Institute, leading center for exploring human potentialJohn Mackey, Carter Phipps, and Steve McIntosh, Conscious Leadership*John Mackey and Raj Sisodia, Conscious Capitalism*Brandon Goleman, Emotional Intelligence*Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the CitizenHerbert Spencer’s Theory of Social EvolutionCharles Taylor, A Secular Age*Steve McIntosh’s author website: stevemcintosh.com* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.---Steve McIntosh, J.D. is author of Developmental Politics—How America Can Grow Into a Better Version of Itself (Paragon House 2020), and co-author of Conscious Leadership—Elevating Humanity Through Business (Penguin 2020), with John Mackey and Carter Phipps. McIntosh is president of the Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank, which focuses on the cultural roots of America’s political problems. His work has appeared in USA Today, Real Clear Politics, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Areo Magazine, and The Developmentalist. He has been interviewed on NPR, Oxford Review, Rebel Wisdom, and many other podcasts. His author website is: stevemcintosh.com.---Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell