The Emerald
Joshua Schrei
The Emerald explores the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination. Brought to life through the wise, wild, and humorous vision of Joshua Michael Schrei — a teacher and lifelong student of the cosmologies and mythologies of the world — the podcast draws from a deep well of poetry, lore, and mythos to challenge conventional narratives on politics and public discourse, meditation and mindfulness, art, science, literature, and more. At the heart of the podcast is the premise that the imaginative, poetic, animate heart of human experience — elucidated by so many cultures over so many thousands of years — is missing in modern discourse and is urgently needed at a time when humanity is facing unprecedented problems. The Emerald advocates for an imaginative vision of human life and human discourse as it questions deep underlying assumptions about societal progress.
Episodes
Mentioned books
4 snips
Jun 11, 2019 • 31min
The Bright and Bristling Mind: Hair in Imagination and Myth
Explore the magical relationship between hair and energy in this intriguing discussion. Discover how military haircuts affected cultural identity and spiritual perceptions. Delve into the sacred meanings of hair in various spiritual practices, from yogic traditions to ancient Egyptian symbolism. Uncover the transformative trance rituals of the San people and their connection to broader cultural themes, including the powerful goddess Durga. The conversation invites listeners to understand hair as a gateway to deeper consciousness and a link to the cosmos.
14 snips
May 26, 2019 • 34min
The Case of the Man Who Grew Horns: Imagination as a Driving Force of the Human Experience
Today on The Emerald. How did paleolithic and neolithic peoples see the world? What if, as an increasing number of anthropologists now think, they had access to a trance state — a vision-space — that is all but missing from the modern mind? A state that we don’t miss or see as vitally important because it’s like a relative we never knew we had. Gone out of mind and memory. Join Josh for this look at the human relationship with trance and imagination and how these essential states of consciousness have shaped the human mind and history. Explore lucid visions of theriomorphic beings from Siberia, Indian philosophies of the role imagination plays in the shaping of the cosmos, and Tantric practices that were designed to harness imagination as a living force that was ultimately considered more real that mundane reality itself.Support the show
20 snips
May 26, 2019 • 44min
The Cow in the Elevator — An Anthropology of Wonder. An Interview with Professor Tulasi Srinavas
Today on the Emerald, we dive a little further into the topic of wonder. Not wonder as just a fleeting feeling, but rather wonder as a state of consciousness deliberately architected through creative ritual. Wonder that is pursued systematically, stoked, as our interviewee says, in order to break open our day to day experience and get us to something deeper. In this way, wonder becomes a form of resistance to the current state of the world.Join us as Josh interviews professor and author Tulasi Srinivas about her book The Cow in The Elevator: An Anthropology of Wonder. Tulasi Srinavas is Professor of Anthropology, Religion and Transnational Studies at Emerson College. She is currently a Luce ACLS fellow in Religion and international Affairs, and a World Economic Forum expert in the study of religion. Support the show
101 snips
May 26, 2019 • 32min
Notre Dame in Flames, The Goddess Isis, and the Architecture of Consciousness
Exploring the mythic implications of the Notre Dame fire, the podcast discusses the importance of buildings in human consciousness and myth. It explores the connection between architecture and sacred geometry, and reveals the little-known history of Notre Dame's worship of the goddess Isis. The podcast also questions the role of architecture in power dynamics and contrasts it with the meditative practice of San Mandala. Finally, it reflects on the rebuilding of Notre Dame and envisions a sustainable and inclusive future for the iconic cathedral.
