21st Century Vitalism

Joining us this week is the silversmith, Benjamin Ripley! In this conversation we cover the intimate and high risk process of crafting beautiful and expensive jewelry. From this foundation we explore ultimately what it takes to maximize your artistic output while first and foremost taking care of yourself. From navigating the dreaded 'pit' of feeling uncreative, to balancing the other elements of your life, to working with clients on a project that is then going to be used as a spiritual talisman to navigate rites of passage. It's a really meaty conversation that is relevant to anyone pursuing an artistic endeavor.  Check out his website and socials to keep up to date on his beautiful work https://www.benjaminripleyjewelry.com/  @benjaminripley

Joining us this week is the project manager and content curator from the Love, Serve, Remember Foundation, Mangala and Ganesh Das. These wonderful humans are helping us explore the path of Bhakti Yoga! Alongside their work at the LSRF, they also write and maintain The Sloppy Bhakti blog that explores the intersection of music festivals and the path of love and devotion. In this episode we talk about Bhakti Yoga, Kirtan, Ram Dass, and their own spiritual journeys from righteous atheists to falling in literal love with a path of devotion. The Hindu god of Bhakti and strength, Hanuman also makes an appearance near the end!  If you wish to stay in contact with these two lovely humans, head on over to Ramdass.org or Thesloppybhakti.com To keep up to date on the newest iteration of the Soul Land Music Series, head on over to Ramdass.org/music to see all of the lovely work that Mangala has been up to! 

This weeks episode is with the one and only Anthony Thogmartin of Papadosio and Earthcry! Both a talented musician as well an incredibly effective teacher, Anthony has spent his life exploring unique sonic soundscapes through playing guitar, singing, and producing electronic music through Ableton. His band Papadosio has spent the last 15 years touring all across America playing over 150 shows a year in every major city and a majority of the larger music festivals that you've likely heard of. When he's not touring or creating music, he's likely producing online content for his Seed to Stage music academy and mixing/mastering tracks for clients. In this episode we talk about the experience of spending 15 years on the road, managing the ego while amassing a large fanbase, finding a proper orientation in an increasingly shifting world, the role of the musician on stage, and tuning into the version of yourself that you admire.  Links to keep up to date with his goings ons:  Papadosio.com  https://music.papadosio.com/ https://earthcry.net/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWQWZ-CNtAiDTkBW5mfeuQ

Joining us this week on 21CV is the intellectually stimulating Phoenix Wright!  Phoenix (They/them) is a reiki master, Life Story Life Coach, event producer, and mutli faceted performer of the arts through music and acting. In this episode they help us dive deep into the world of archetypes, identity, and story! Based off from their recent 'Story of You' life coach program that was newly developed and their work with cultivating men's circles, we explore what common archetypes and blueprints Western society is currently navigating through. Understanding how these psycho-spiritual forces manifest in our lives, how advertisers use them to sell us products, and how we can best move with the energetic current of the archetypes we are resonating with helps us orient in our day and age with more grace, flexibility, and clarity.  You can keep up with Phoenix's work as well as get involved with their upcoming workshops, retreats, and one on one coaching sessions by heading over to Higher Ground Healings Arts on Facebook or email reiki.higherground@gmail.com 

Joining us this week is my meditation teacher David Nichtern. David is a senior meditation teacher of forty years! Having studied under the legendary Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, David has gone on to author two wonderful books, mentor thousands of students, and still have time to win an Emmy and be nominated for a Grammy. He's been a guest on some of the top podcasts in the spiritual scene such as Duncan Trussel's Family Hour, and Pete Holmes 'You Made it Weird' as well as being featured in Netflix's The Midnight Gospel. In this episode we dive into some core Buddhist principles as well as investigate the importance of tradition and lineage while still embracing your unique individual expression.  Keep in touch with David's work by checking out his website, Davidnichtern.com as well as catching up with his work on the aforementioned podcasts above. He has tons of free and wonderful YouTube content to help you get started on your journey of meditation and I highly encourage listening to both this episode and his extended wisdom talks. Starting April 7th 2021 is his next round of mindfulness meditation teacher training courses so if you wish to get signed up for that, head on over to https://tibethouse.us/event/level-1-100-hour-mindfulness-meditation-teacher-training-with-david-nichtern/  Be well everyone and we'll talk to you next week!

Sean Dunne and Cass Greener join us this week on 21CV to talk about psychedelics! Independent filmmakers and fellow podcasters, Sean and Cass are stewards of the chill and incredibly insightful on the path of self exploration with plant medicines. We cover proper intention setting, integration post trip, the importance of dying before you die, what big lessons we've learned from our experiences, and ultimately the value of plant medicine in our radically shifting world.  You can plug into Sean and Cass over at Veryape.tv to check out their incredible films and addictive podcast. Everything they offer is free on Youtube as well.  Stay weird my friends.

Joining us this week on 21CV is Alone Ft. Company, a spoken word poet and activist from the Grand Rapids scene here in Michigan. Alone's mission is to speak openly and freely about the varying injustices of the world, from dismantling white supremacy, to trans rights, LGBTQ rights, and ending police brutality. In this whopping two hour episode we talk about the psychological nature of whiteness, cultural appropriation, assimilation, access to public spaces, and traveling as a person of color. 

Multi-instrumentalist Ashton Robertson joins us on 21CV to talk about his spiritual bass focused electronic music project, Spaceship Earth! We also spend a good deal of time talking about the importance of celebration, accountability in the music scene, and maintaining a political awareness. A big takeaway from this conversation was how crucial it is for artists to wear many hats and to stay engaged with empowering their fans through every means possible.  Spaceship Earth is available on all major streaming platforms, with his newest single, 'Revolution'.  https://fanlink.to/R_EVOLUTION?fbclid=IwAR2L3nh4A8YtMMdw9L4DQ7WWGt0eAgYuhG0O_LsPlwq9RTjNp6KVE9Qvl2A @spaceshipearthmusic 

In today's episode we sit down with Jellybean, creator of the Plant Sluts Project and burlesque performer. To mark the month of love, we talk about different relationship types on the polyamorous spectrum (meaning more than one partner), how to best navigate them with structuring emotional boundaries, and tips to ensure everyone feels seen and appreciated. We also spend some time talking about consent, sex positivity, and the birth of the Plant Sluts group. https://www.facebook.com/plantslutproject

Sitting with us this week is my dear friend Alex Beecroft. A grassroots activist of 9 years, spoken word poet, farmer, and father of two twin boys, Alex exemplifies what it means to be a genuinely kind but firm man in our current society. In this episode we talk about what it means to be a father beyond the utilitarian roles that our culture places on us, the importance of fostering exploration in our children, creating space for ourselves as full beings while parenting, understanding toxic masculinity, and the rural vs urban divide of America.