Everyone Is Right

Art as contemplation. Poetry as incantation. Relationship as enlightenment. Such are the words and experiences of Saul Williams. Though digitized, synthesized, and edited into bit-sized segments, the man and the trans-man-transmission are as clear as ever. Here you will find a stream of consciousness shared between two conscious brothers exchanging soul-symbols over copper wires, molding verbal form to the demands of that which cannot be expressed, and yet must be. As Saul says in “Untimely Meditations” (Amethyst Rock Star, 2001): "Mere language is profanity, I’d rather hum, or have my soul tattooed to my tongue, and let the scriptures be sung in gibberish, as words be simple fish in my soul aquarium." -Saul Williams, Amethyst Rock Star And yet, the dialogue continues. Thomas Edison: “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” In the world that we live in, it is the individual’s job to translate that sliver of inspiration into a creative act that lives up to the original brilliance of that divine spark. Saul: “Where I am now is at the point of realizing that I have to harness this sense of discipline, that it is my duty, my dharma, so to speak, to write all these things that come to mind.” Complementary to that conversation is one concerning the value of being in intimate relationship. Often, intimate partners are much quicker to spot the ways we are lying to ourselves than we are. They can help us serve that one percent of inspiration, because they can keep us honest. Saul goes on to share the rather extraordinary circumstances surrounding how he and his then-girlfriend Varshini came to be together. The lesson learned: Be careful what you write poetry about, you might just get it…! When Ken and Saul first met, they talked nonstop for four hours, only interrupted because Saul had a gig. All Ken said about that meeting was, “That might be the most beautiful human being I’ve ever met.” Please join us in sitting with this extraordinary soul….

Robert Kegan, author of The Evolving Self, discusses the role of interior development in creating a more integrated world. He explores the misconceptions about developmental stages and the importance of understanding interconnectedness in various fields of work. The podcast delves into the harmonious integration of hierarchies in scientific forms, advocating for inclusive perspectives devoid of biases.

In this classic dialogue — so classic, in fact, it was the very first dialogue we ever published! — Stuart Davis discusses his music and creative process in intimate detail and offers an intimate performance of 8 of his songs, including a incredibly touching version of “Swim”, based on the death of Treya Killam Wilber.

We live in an infinitely creative universe — and with every passing moment we have the option to actively and consciously participate with that creativity. We can either follow the familiar rhythms of our own habituations and comforts, or we can make a different choice altogether — we can do something new, something unpredictable, something that allows this creative novelty to work through our own nervous system and spill new forms of beauty into the rest of the world. Because we are all artists at the end of the day. We are constantly creating new realities and conjuring new possibilities, both for ourselves and for the rest of the world. Every decision we make is a creative act, whether we are aware of it or not. Sometimes we live our art in unconscious ways, following a path of least resistance as far as we think it will take us. But we are also invited to bring more embodied awareness to our creative expression — harnessing the untamed sounds, colors, and energies of nature and willing them to bend in the service of beauty, meaning, purpose, and connection. This is what Ryan and I explore in this special episode of Inhabit — how to more fully align ourselves with our own deepest source of beauty, inspiration, and creative emergence. Watch as we discuss: - The creative confluence that exists between beauty, evolution, and spirit, - The importance of a 2nd-person perspective to your creative process, - How the neoliberal commodification of art influences and/or limits our own creative expression, - How the integral mindset allows us to increase our enjoyment and enactment of art, - How our immersion in entertainment culture can make us overly critical of art, - The importance of beauty and aesthetics for the healing process, - How work with our own creative blocks and ruts

Habituation is the enemy of growth. It is rare for any circumstance to force us completely out of our accumulated habits, patterns, and comfort zones — which is exactly what is happening right now, as people all over the globe are having to drastically alter their lifestyles and livelihood in response to the corona pandemic. The good news is, when this happens and our normal day-to-day inertias are interrupted, it’s also an opportunity to make new choices: to recognize the patterns that haven’t been working for you, and to begin cultivating new patterns that work better, that take you farther, that bring you greater resilience, deeper compassion, and more skillful responsiveness. In times of extreme fragility such as these, it becomes all the more important to find new ways to practice our own anti-fragility. In this episode of Inhabit we are joined by special guest Keith Martin Smith, an acclaimed author, teacher, and dear friend to the show, in order to explore key practices and postures to help us maintain our physical, mental, and spiritual health while enduring the painful realities that all of us are so immersed in right now.

Robb Smith and Corey deVos discuss what's really going on deep in the heart of the world system as we get ready for The Transformation Age.

Jeff Salzman takes a look at the Coronavirus pandemic, humanity’s response to it, and how the integral lens helps us see more clearly the myriad forces and opportunities rising out of this crisis — which increases our wisdom, compassion, and resilience while dealing with it.

“I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong. If we will only allow that, as we progress, we remain unsure, we will leave opportunities for alternatives. We will not become enthusiastic for the fact, the knowledge, the absolute truth of the day, but remain always uncertain … In order to make progress, one must leave the door to the unknown ajar.” —Richard P. Feyman “Let go of certainty. The opposite isn't uncertainty. It's openness, curiosity and a willingness to embrace paradox, rather than choose up sides. The ultimate challenge is to accept ourselves exactly as we are, but never stop trying to learn and grow.” —Tony Schwartz “We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!” —Douglas Adams Human beings abhor uncertainty. Ego and civilization are both built upon the illusion of certainty, cushioned by pleasure and comfort and designed to reduce uncertainty wherever possible. We try to rationalize uncertainty, placing ambiguity into discrete mental categories like “worst case scenarios”. Our society has become so addicted to predictability that, when predictably unpredictable events shake the foundations of our reality, we suddenly feel like we no longer have any place to stand. And when that happens, our ego’s first reaction is usually something like panic, fear, and self-preservation. Sound familiar? Have you had any trouble finding toilet paper recently? But there is another way to manage uncertainty — to surrender to it, to fully inhabit it, to embrace ambiguity and discover the incredible source of wisdom, curiosity, and anti-fragility that can only be found in the heart of the unknown. Because when the ground opens beneath our feet, there’s an opportunity to make contact with a far deeper and more enduring ground — the Ground of All Being, the unmovable mountain at the very center of you. Watch as Ryan and Corey invite us to deepen our practice in the face of uncertainty, finding strategies in all four quadrants to help us better acclimate ourselves to the massive pressures, social responsibilities, and societal realignments that are coming to the surface as we plunge into the opening act of the Transformation Age.

All politics are personal. But does that mean we need to take it so personally? In this episode of Inhabit, Ryan and I explore ways to bring more embodied awareness and skillful discernment to our political lives, overcoming the corrosive and often paralyzing effects that both our cynicism and our idealism can have upon our political decisions and our willingness to engage our most fundamental civic responsibilities. Watch as Ryan and I discuss: - How to remain an idealist when the world constantly refuses to live up to our ideals. - What happens when our mechanisms of enfoldment completely break down, both in our governing systems and in our media platforms. - How lack of enfoldment leads to mistrust, misinformation, false equivalence, epistemic collapse, and aperspectival madness. - How to relate to postmodern media platforms where contradictory truths are no longer enfolded with each other, but instead slide frictionlessly across one other. - How to develop a more anti-fragile sensibility that can begin reducing fragility in the world. - How the left has created a culture of fragility, and the right a culture of resilience — and why both are anti-growth. - Why Trump, and not Hillary, was seen as the transformation candidate in 2016. - Why we need another genuine transformation candidate for 2020 — and who we think that is. Join us in this exceptionally rich and hopeful exploration of our inner political landscapes!

Jeff Salzman talks to Bence Ganti, the driving force behind the upcoming Integral European Conference, a major six-day event for the Integral community which will commence on May 26th at the Azur Resort at Lake Balaton in Hungary. This fourth biennial conference will be the biggest and most comprehensive yet, with over 700 participants from 50 countries. Titled Global Integral Awakens, the conference will offer 250 programs on a wide range of integral issues, from contemporary politics to organizational development to art, culture and spirituality, in a potent goulash of presentations, workshops and experiential processes. And there’s goulash night too, the Hungarian specialty cooked in cauldrons over an open fire … then trance dance … then a firewalk! To extend your integral immersion, consider the pre-conference training on human development with Dr. Robert Kegan, as well as a post-conference 3-day sightseeing tour by bus. Click here to find out more about the Integral European Conference: https://integraleuropeanconference.com/