Life is a Festival

In times of chaos and trouble, look to the grandmothers for wisdom, compassion, and above all, patience. On June 4th, a few days after protests against police brutality roiled across the country, I sat with Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook of the Oglala Sioux Nation and her sister Jyoti Ma, convener of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. We came together in a virtual circle of sacred fire to better understand how to respond to these times of anger and confusion as we seek justice. On the podcast, Loretta and Jyoti speak of patience and right relationship with the Earth and all her creatures and peoples. We discuss our current cultural moment and what is being asked of us. Loretta shares deep wisdom about Oglala Sioux traditions, including the famous Sundance, a four day ceremony of purification and self-sacrifice. I ask how the children of colonizers can make amends, and also how to cultivate patience in the process of seeking justice without falling into passivity.  Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook is the faith keeper and holder of the Afraid of Bear/American Horse Sundance Pipe and has led Sundance with her husband Tom for the past 20 years. She is a cultural specialist on the board of The Paha Sapa Unity Alliance and The Black Hills Initiative, whose mission is to return the sacred Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation. Jyoti is the Grandmother Vision Keeper of the Center for Sacred Studies, through which she co-founded Kayumari, a spiritual community in both America and Europe. She helped to convene the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and is the founder of The Fountain, whose mission is to restore an economic model that is based on reciprocity and collaboration.  Jyoti and Loretta both serve as delegates on the Mother Earth Delegation of United Indigenous Nations.  As you listen to this podcast, I invite you to make time for the wisdom of these grandmothers and utilize your own patience and humility for the complexity of their storytelling. LINKS Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook: https://www.schumachercollege.org.uk/about/loretta-afraid-of-bear-cook Black Hills Initiative: https://www.facebook.com/theblackhillsinitiative/ Center for Sacred Studies: https://www.centerforsacredstudies.org/ International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers: https://www.grandmotherscouncil.org The Fountain: https://thefountain.earth TIMESTAMPS
 :11 - Open with a prayer :19 - Jyoti Ma speaks of racial healing, from the white nation and black nation to the great granddaughter of Custer begging for forgiveness from the Cheyenne :35 - Loretta Afraid of Bear Cool speaks of patience and how her Oglala people carry a bundle in mourning until her throat stops hurting. :46 - Loretta speaks of community: Community is the first tool of survival, Loretta speaks of all the important Oglala ceremonies from Tossing the Ball to the Sundance :56 - The reason for the Sundance and the colors of the medicine wheel 1:04 - How can the children of colonizers make it right or at least walk with grace if we cannot make it right? 1:19 - Jyoti speaks of bringing Elders to festivals like Lightning in a Bottle 1:26 - How do we cultivate patience without passivity?

This week on Life is a Festival, I am honored to share the vibrant voice of Adah Parris. Self-isolating in her flat in London, Adah offers her perspective on these difficult times, from Covid-19 to racial injustice in the United States. On the show, we talk about Afropunk and Adah’s radical self-expression, including mystical tattoos of imaginary numbers, DMT molecules, and the ancient Ouroboros. Recorded just as news broke of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, we discuss the impact of “othering” and how to be an ally. We also discuss Adah’s idea of cyborg shamanism, a synthesis of ancient and futurist movements and Adah’s new venture, a global network of forward thinking humans dedicated to eradicating the -isms that create boundaries in our world. Adah is a storyteller, an Afropunk futurist, and a master pattern recognizer. You can check out her writing on Medium and join her community of future thinkers at ism.earth. LINKS Adah Parris: https://www.adahparris.com/ Adah Parris on Medium: https://medium.com/@adahparris -Ism: https://www.ism.earth/ TIMESTAMPS :13 - Adah never had the curiosity educated out of her :16 - Tattoos of imaginal numbers, DMT molecules and ouroboros :20 - Every plant is plant medicine :27 - Cyborg Shamanism :37 - Afropunk and Radical Self-expression :45 - The impact of “Othering” :49 - How can allies shine a light on injustice? :56 - Can radical self expression be a way to alchemize the “othering” of a dominant culture? 1:06 - Adah’s “ism” project

Is it possible to have a mystical mindset without getting lost in magical thinking? Or worse, getting hijacked by harmful fantasies? In the chaos of coronavirus, I’ve noticed an increasing deficit of critical thinking within conscious communities. With an upswell in conspiracy theories and lack of good sensemaking on social media, I asked Dr. Anna Zakrisson of the Swedish Skeptics Association to help us think about thinking in this confusing time. On the podcast, we discuss how to notice and own the emotional triggers that hijack our deeper thinking. We talk about how not to be manipulated by our personal mythologies (which has been a big challenge for me). We discuss how to effectively engage with people who disagree with us, and finally, how to keep the mysticism without magical thinking. Along the way we discuss groupthink, the Dunning Kruger effect, ad hominems, and a host of other impediments to critical thinking. One thing we don’t do on the show is discuss or debunk any of the specific conspiracy theories floating around the internet right now. We leave that up to you. For further supplemental reading, I recommend reviewing Carl Sagan’s “Fine Art of Baloney Detection,” (via Brainpickings) which offers a helpful list of cognitive biases. Dr. Zakrisson is a biologist, a green roof specialist, and a science communicator. She is a member of Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning (Swedish Skeptics Association) and Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften - GWUP (German Skeptics Association). Her primary platform for communication is Doctor Anna’s Imaginarium, which debunks faulty science on Facebook and elsewhere. Growth requires discomfort, so if we can sit with our triggers long enough, we may be able to unravel our own biases and possibly touch the ineffable just as it is. LINKS: Doctor Anna’s Imaginarium Website: https://annazakrisson.com/ Doctor Anna’s Imaginarium Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctor.annas.imaginarium Doctor Anna’s Imaginarium Telegram: https://t.me/doctorannasimaginarium Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning (Swedish Skeptics Association): https://www.vof.se/about/ Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften - GWUP (German Skeptics Association): https://www.gwup.org/ Ben Goldacre: https://www.badscience.net/ The Baloney Detection Kit: Carl Sagan’s Rules for Bullshit-Busting and Critical Thinking: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/03/baloney-detection-kit-carl-sagan/ ‘Conspirituality’ — the overlap between the New Age and conspiracy beliefs: https://medium.com/@julesevans/conspirituality-the-overlap-between-the-new-age-and-conspiracy-beliefs-c0305eb92185 TIMESTAMPS :10 - Proper skepticism is being willing to say “I don’t know” :14 - Awe-inspiring experiences in the psychedelic realm vs the real world :23 - Noticing and owning your emotional triggers, including Anna’s oily black triggers :33 - Using H.A.L.T. to check in with yourself emotionally :37 - It’s liberating to recognize that you were wrong :47 - The pharmaceutical industry and the alternative medicine industry :58 - Alternative medicine can help you feel seen and engage the placebo effect for healing, but promising unfounded cures is unethical  1:07 - If you want to know if you are being manipulated, look for the shop 1:18 - How we get tricked by our own personal mythologies and how faith and critical thinking can possibly coexist 1:25 - Create a toolbox for understanding your own biases  1:28 - Invite people into your life who trigger you and challenge your thinking 1:37 - That liberated feeling when your worldview expands  1:46 - How to create an in-group with someone who disagrees with you 1:58 - How do we keep our mysticism without magical thinking?

“How much can I feel?”  When we experience trauma, whether shock trauma (too much too fast) or developmental trauma (too little too long), it is common to disassociate. The healing process begins with reconnecting to the body and courageously experiencing all that we reject and hold inside. Tina Nance, a yin yoga and yoga therapy teacher in Bali, is a true master of the art of cultivating interoception (the internal felt sense of the body) and meeting her edge with mindfulness and compassion. Two years ago I trained as a yin yoga teacher with Tina at Yoga Barn in Ubud and it is an honor to share her wisdom with you today.  Our wide-ranging conversation on healing trauma weaves through Tina’s journey and my own. We talk through attachment theory, PTSD, yin yoga, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, and above all radical compassion. Along the way we explore yin and yang, a mystical perspective on menstruation, and a menagerie of wisdom teachers. Finally we rest with how personal healing leads to service and how we can work with trauma during a time of global isolation.  A student of Yin Yoga founder Sara Powers, Tina Nance has been teaching yoga and women's work globally since 2001. Tina’s current focus is embodied somatic trauma integration. She teaches in Ubud, Bali. They say you have to feel it to heal it, but with the right embodiment practices, the healing journey can be a sacred and joyful dance. LINKS Tina Nance: http://www.tinanance.com/ Yoga Barn: https://www.theyogabarn.com/ Yoga Barn classes online: https://www.facebook.com/pg/theyogabarn/videos/ Trauma and attachment theory: Somatic Experiencing (Peter Levine): https://traumahealing.org/ IFS : Internal Family Systems (Richard Schwartz): https://ifs-institute.com/ Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning experience (DARe) (Diane Poole Heller): https://dianepooleheller.com/ NARM - Neuo-Affective Relational Model (Laurence Heller): https://drlaurenceheller.com/ Kathy Kain: http://www.somaticpractice.net/ Stephen J Terrell: https://www.austinattach.com/ Aline Lapierre: http://cellularbalance.com/ Attached: https://www.amazon.com/Attached-Science-Adult-Attachment-YouFind/dp/1585429139 Wired for Love: https://www.amazon.com/Wired-Love-Understanding-Attachment-Relationship/dp/1608820580 What if the Virus is the Medicine?: https://www.kosmosjournal.org/kj_article/true-health-what-if-the-virus-is-the-medicine/ Menstrual Awareness: Alisa Vitti: https://www.floliving.com/ Alexander Pope: https://redschool.net/ Wisdom Teacher: Befriending Yourself (Jeff Foster & Matt Licata): https://www.befriendingyourself.com/ Radical Acceptance (Tara Brach): https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Acceptance-Embracing-Heart-Buddha/dp/0553380990 Non Linear Movement (Michaela Boehm): https://www.michaelaboehm.com/ TIMESTAMPS 9 From Shiatsu message to meeting the founders of yin yoga in Taiwan, Tina explores the mind body connection 17 Yin and Yang and how the pandemic creates a yin experience 24 The menstrual cycle dipping into the underworld 35 Attachment theory and Eamon’s attachment wound 40 Tina’s personal experience with trauma and the difference between PTSD and CPTSD 47 Using the Internal Family Systems model for healing 54 How to help our internal drill sergeant evolve through radical compassion 1:05 Big Ts, Little Ts and the twin wings of equanimity and compassion 1:10 Yin Yoga and somatic experiencing 1:17 Depression, anxiety and other aspects of mental health 1:21 When does the personal healing journey become self indulgent? 1:31 What practices can we use for dealing with trauma in the era of shelter-in-place?

The Psychedelic Renaissance is a profound step forward in our understanding of the mind, but there’s growing concern that important lessons and a vibrant culture may be left behind in the rush to medicalization. My guest today, Liana Sananda, has spent a lot of time considering the cultural delivery mechanism of psychedelics into society. Liana is the Development Officer of MAPS and co-founder of North Star and the Auryn Project, which just released the North Star pledge. With input from over 100 stakeholders, North Star is setting a foundation for psychedelic values for an emerging industry. The pledge is an initiative by the Auryn Project, authors of last Autumn’s “We Will Call It Pala,” a cautionary tale about the dark side of psychedelic business. On the show, we set a foundation through Liana’s own story from festivals to Occupy to the Archview Group, and MAPS. We talk about the philosophy behind North Star and the unique participatory process of becoming a signatory. We go over each of the seven invitations and how you can join this growing coalition. I also have an exciting announcement! I have been looking for a community building role in the psychedelic space and speaking regularly with Liana over the past year as I explored different organizations. I am proud to announce I’ve accepted a position leading community for Maya, a psychedelic therapy intelligence platform co-founded by my friend, David Champion. Today we are launching the Psychedelic Therapy Podcast a new show for therapists, healers and enthusiasts. If you’d like to help build it, please join us in the Psychedelic Therapy Facebook Group. The psychedelic movement is at a threshold point where it is vitally important to create an attractor coalition of value-driven leadership. However, in order to get this right we need to co-create and move at the speed of trust. LINKS North Star: https://northstar.guide/ethicspledge Auryn Project: https://aurynproject.org/ “We Will Call It Pala”: https://aurynproject.org/pala North Star Town Hall Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOCsrToqHtyfVS8Q1GM0wEBzPe6dqINR Maya: https://www.mayahealth.com/ The Psychedelic Therapy Podcast: https://www.mayahealth.com/podcast The Psychedelic Therapy Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2876946142342178/ TIMESTAMPS :12 - How Liana got involved in this work :20 - The cultural delivery mechanism of psychedelics into society :23 - Liana’s background in Occupy and the Cannabis industry :29 - Will psychedelics go the way of cannabis? :33 - “We Will Call It Pala” :36 - The process of creating the Northstar pledge :44 - MAPS and Northstar :50 - How the pledge starts a conversation :59 - 1. “Start Within” 1:05 - 2. “Study the Traditions” 1:09 - 3. “Create Equality and Justice” 1:12 - 4. “Focus on Process” 1:18 - 5. “Build Trust” 1:21 - 6. “Consider the Gravity” 1:26 - 7. “Pay It Forward” 1:31 - How can individuals support this pledge? 1:36 - How do we impact the “big boys” in psychedelic medicine? 1:42 - North Star Town Hall

Coming hot on the tail of a hugely successful digital festival, today I offer you the humor, joie de vivre, big heart, and kookiness of Papa Lee Reynolds, co-founder of Desert Hearts. On the show we get an intimate look inside the mind of a mad scientist, from his days as a BMX rider — including a stint riding for D.A.R.E. — to co-founding Southern California’s premier micro-festival. Along the way we dip our toes in 5MEO-DMT, crafting community, overcoming dark times and an amazing Sean Connery story. Lee’s outlook on life is as unconventional as they come from conspiracy theories to his thrupple relationship with his Clam Jam compatriots Zoe and Dani. Lee insists that he isn’t a role model and that’s probably a good thing considering few possess his mythic constitution. However he still has a lot to teach about staying young and living from love. So let’s get our minds over what matters, fly our freak flags, forget to grow up, and get weird enough to *maybe* believe the Earth is flat on today’s episode of Life is a Festival! Links Lee Reynolds: https://soundcloud.com/lee_reynolds Desert Hearts: https://deserthearts.us/ Desert Hearts Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/desertheartsrecords Outro Track: Lee Reynolds “Revolution Earth” https://soundcloud.com/mixmag-1/premiere-lee-reynolds-revolution-earth?in=desert-hearts-records/sets/dh062-lee-reynolds-cant-rewind-ep Timestamps :10 The root of Lee’s belief in mind over matter :17 How psychedelics like 5MEO-DMT helped Lee connect with a deeper frequency :21 Lee is know as a conspiracy theorist, how does he verify his belief? :26 Combining his Hindu and Buddhist perspectives, Lee gives everyone a chance. :31 Lee’s history as a BMX biker and how he road for D.A.R.E. after school programs :36 Lee’s love of community :41 Lee’s life in a thrupple relationship and letting your freak flag fly :49 Lee’s dark time after his BMX accident :54 DHDigitalFestival using Twitch 1:01 Lamps, plants, pineapples and the Desert Hearts necklace 1:06 Lee’s Spirit Animal and other questions from the Desert Hearts Community 1:16 The Sean Connery Story

“Metamodernism is the marriage of extreme irony with a deep, unyielding sincerity,” writes today’s guest Hanzi Freinacht. If that sounds a lot like Burning Man snark, you won’t be surprised to learn that Hanzi’s enigmatic writings have found a home in the Scandinavian Burning Man community. On the show we begin with the death of the individual and how true freedom is actually relational. Hanzi then defines the Burning Man community as an alchemy of hackers, hipsters, and hippies. We discuss the dark side of Burning Man and I ask Hanzi for a metamodern solution to class stratification. We talk about what a metamodern political revolution would look like, as well as a metamodern approach to mental wellness. Hanzi is the author of The Listening Society and Nordic Ideology. He is also a contributor to Metamoderna and a frequent thought-provoking Facebook poster. He spends his time alone in the Swiss Alps, walking and thinking about the world. Hanzi calls Burning Man a little playground for the world’s soul… so let’s play. LINKS * The Listening Society: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36107916-the-listening-society * Nordic Ideology: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46147242-nordic-ideology * Metamoderna.org: https://metamoderna.org/ TIMESTAMPS :13 The Individual is dead, freedom is relational :22 Hackers, Hipsters, and Hippies and the class stratification of Burning Man culture :39 Defining metamordernism :50 Is there a metamodern solution for the dark side of Burning Man? :58 What would a metamodern political revolution look like and what would it require? 1:06 Metamodernism and mental health

In this global crisis, financial uncertainty affects us all, especially those whose livelihoods are based on gatherings like festivals and other events. Today on Life is a Festival, my friend and fellow member of Burners Without Borders, Nick Farr CPA, will help us navigate the byzantine networks of government programs so we can get the resources we need now, and prepare for the future. On the show Nick shares the immediate steps we can take for financial resilience, specifically how to get money from the government including Economic Impact Payments, unemployment benefits, and loans. We talk about how communities can support each other with initiatives like the Bay Area Safety Net Fund. We discuss what people with privilege can do, like redirecting institutional giving and support like the #sharemycheck initiative. Finally once we have some ground under our feet, long term resiliency means switching our mindset from disaster response to birthing a new way of being. Nick is an accountant at Kroon & Mitchell in Grand Rapids and practices in New York, Michigan and California. He as spent 20 years in disaster response including as Volunteer Coordinator at the Alvaro Obregon 286 building collapse site during the 2017 Mexico City Earthquake. He is also the author of The Long Disaster, a manifesto of preparedness written in collaboration with the BWB Spring Summit at Fly Ranch in 2019. Conditions are changing daily making some details in the show already obsolete. Therefore Nick has generously offered to create and respond to a thread in the Life is a Festival Facebook group to answer any questions you may have. Because in times of crisis, resilience ultimately comes from community. LINKS: The Long Disaster: https://longdisaster.org/ Burners Without Borders Response to Covid: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/projects/bwb-response-covid-19 Life is a Festival Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lifeisafestival/ IRS Covid Relief and Impact Payments: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus-tax-relief-and-economic-impact-payments  IRS Get My Payment: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment Covid Resources from Intuit: https://aidassist.intuit.com/app/home#/home #Co-Caring Dashboard https://co-caring-dashboard.netlify.app/ Treasury Department Assistance for Small Businesses: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares/assistance-for-small-businesses The Safety Net Fund: https://medium.com/@safetynet/the-safety-net-fund-20040273d291 #Sharemycheck: https://www.sharemycheck.org/ Liz is All Biz Covid-19 Resource: https://lizisallbiz.com/covid-19-resources TIMESTAMPS :09 The first step is to take a breath :15 Don’t pay anything you don’t have to. If you can’t afford rent, pay $1 :23 How to get your Economic Impact Payment :28 The CARES Act has expanded Unemployment Benefits :39 PPE loans :44 Other loans and resources including :47 Bay Area Safety Net Fund :50 People in positions of privilege and #ShareMyCheck :54 Mutual Aid networks :57 Longer term resiliency 1:04 Becoming a Long Responder: Don’t just respond, birth a new way of being

If you’ve discovered my work through this show and you want to know more about the Life is a Festival philosophy and how I met so many fascinating people to interview (or if you just want to hear some silly stories on my birthday) this is the podcast for you! My dear friend David Colón used to have the most delightful weekly radio program on FCC Free Radio called Behind The Mynd​. It was a celebration of San Francisco’s local musicians, artists, and creative humans. Every November I would come on the show to review my year. On this episode I had just returned from my biggest festival run as Creative Director of Fest300, Chip Conley​’s guide to the world’s best festivals. This was truly the peak of that special chapter in my life and I’m so happy to share it with you now. I’ve offered a lot of my perspectives on the podcast lately, including my morning ritual and my musings on whether life is still a festival in this time of crisis, so why share this now? Well, it’s my good god dang birthday! And I wanted to offer a whiff of nostalgia for a more playful time, a time when we still gathered and when our bungler-in-chief had yet to squeak his way into office. On the program we talk about surrendering to psytrance at Boom Festival Official​ in Portugal, how to stop showing off at Rainbow Serpent Festival​ in Australia, why you shouldn’t try iboga in an Airbnb in suburban Cape Town, and finally, how to be “anally dearmored.” The show is filled with jokes, adventure, songs, surprise callers, and the foundational ideas of Life is a Festival. Enjoy!

What if the coronavirus crisis is an initiation for humanity? What if, amidst all this suffering and uncertainty, we have an opportunity to rewrite the story of our species? What if this is the moment we’ve been waiting for to step into our sovereignty and forge a mature partnership with our Mother Earth? Many of us have been asking these questions, but to my knowledge, no one has explored these ideas with the depth and precision of Charle’s Eisenstein’s powerful new essay, The Coronation. On today’s episode I speak to Charles about his magnificent 9,000 word piece, following its arch from our cultural sense of separation and fear of death, through to the splendid possibility of sovereign investiture. Along the way we discuss germ theory vs terrain theory, the missteps of magical thinking and spiritual ego, and Charles’ own experience of initiation during these chaotic times. Death is the worst possible catastrophe for the separate self, but something inside us must die in the crucible of our becoming. Charles is an author, public speaker, and an advocate of the gift economy. He has written six books, including The Ascent of Humanity (2007), Sacred Economics (2011), The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible (2013) and Climate - A New Story (2018). How long is the journey from crisis to coronation? It may be very long and will certainly be very difficult, but a more beautiful world is possible. LINKS
The Coronation: https://charleseisenstein.org/essays/the-coronation/ Charles Eisenstein: https://charleseisenstein.org/ 
TIMESTAMPS :11 How our trend towards separation existed before coronavirus but has become more obvious and clear :15 Why we choose safety, security, and self-preservation over all other values and why death is the worst possible catastrophe for the separate self :22 The crisis reveals our deep need and longing for real experiences :26 Bringing the those most vulnerable into our conversation and how suffering comes back to those who believe that they are privileged in the form of disconnection :36 Why the coronavirus is a rite of passage :48 Why do we mobilize for coronavirus and not nuclear armageddon or ecological collapse? Germ theory vs terrain theory :56 How do we respond to this crisis in a way that builds our personal sovereignty and prepares us to take on the challenges of the world? :64 How do we combat magical thinking and spiritual ego in confronting this crisis? 1:16: Generosity comes from having received, going all the way back to infancy 1:20 How is Charles personally responding to this crisis