I've decided to set Dead Man's Forest down for a while to focus on some business goals I set for myself. Give a listen for more details, and for some parting thoughts. I'll still be around, so you are more than welcome to contact me at https://www.deadmansforest.org/ Mentions Daily LSAT Problems: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCleL7JjTogC_dFqtvtJgOGg?view_as=subscriber 

Dead Man's Forest

DMF 50: A few thoughts to roll around while we're apart

I hope that you're having a meaningful week.

DMF49.5: Quick hello while travelling

The conclusion of my conversation with Colleen (and of the interwoven conversations with Colleen and Tbird). She shares how she learned to listen to her inner "yes" and "no," and how living her life aligned with "yes" has allowed her to feel alive in each moment. Of course, if you have any questions for Colleen, or Tbird, feel free to reach out to me on deadmansforest.org. I would be happy to pass along your questions. Mentions Naropa University: https://www.naropa.edu/  More on Transpersonal Ecopsychology:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpersonal_ecology  Council: https://youtu.be/phZJs_ojeWI

DMF 49: Colleen, continued--thoughts on connecting with that inner "yes" and on being heard

Tbird and I finish our conversation. He wraps up his story on re-gathering the parts of himself he left behind as a child and in his 20s, and how his worldview has changed because of those experiences. He finishes with some powerful thoughts on living with--and sharing--grief. Mentions Shambhala Meditation: In many Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Shambhala is a mythical kingdom or city (sometimes called Shangri-la). In relation to meditation, it represent the perfect spiritual place that may perhaps be reached through meditation.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shambhala  Active Hope: A book by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13235686-active-hope  Prana: A Buddhist word meaning something along the lines of "life force." The power that animates all life--including us.  Tbird's non-profit: Alchemy of Prana, whose goal is to connect people with the land, with themselves, and with all consciousness.  Organized around a primarily ecophychological paradigm. https://www.alchemyofprana.com/about  Naropa University:  https://www.naropa.edu/  Transpersonal Ecopsychology: A philosophy that humans are a part of the larger ecological community, and that our psychological and societal health impact and are impacted by the health of natural ecosystems both small and large.  https://www.naropa.edu/academics/masters/ecopsychology/about/index.php  Pema Chödrön at the Tara Mandala retreat center:  https://www.taramandala.org/all-teachers/12145/pema-chodron/  Tbird's album, Songs of Earth & Mountain: Not publicly released. If it becomes so I will update this description  

DMF 48: Tbird continued, on catching up with himself, and on learning to acknowledge what is

T-bird is an incredibly passionate and caring man who has some remarkable experiences to share with you--and reflections on the lessons he's learned from those experiences. This week's episode is a bit of an interruption of my conversation with Colleen. This is an experiment; I wanted to introduce T-bird and his story so that I can make some connections for you in the episodes that will be coming in the next few weeks. Mentions Naropa University:  https://www.naropa.edu/  Joanna Macey and Three Stories of Our Time:  https://www.activehope.info/contents.html  Ecopsychology:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecopsychology  Council. All council circles are unique, but here is one example to familiarize you with the concept:  http://www.danielnpaul.com/TalkingCircle-FirstNations.html  Theodore Roszak. An video worth watching:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83VHiA2HhkM  E.O. Wilson and biophilia:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis  School of Lost Borders:  http://schooloflostborders.org/  Quote from Rumi:   “I said: what about my eyes? He said: Keep them on the road. I said: What about my passion? He said: Keep it burning. I said: What about my heart? He said: Tell me what you hold inside it? I said: Pain and sorrow. He said: Stay with it. The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

DMF 47: My friend T-bird shares a story about depression and recovery, and how "business as usual" has distracted so many of us from what really matters

My good friend Colleen shares some of her experiences in facing the choice that she had between the life she was "supposed" to live based on how she was raised and a life that aligned more closely with her inner spirit.  Mentions: Steven Levine:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Levine_(author)  Naropa University:  https://www.naropa.edu/  Transpersonal Ecopsychology (feel free to learn about it online, but it will be discussed in more detail in the next few episodes of DMF):  https://www.naropa.edu/academics/masters/ecopsychology/about/index.php 

DMF 46: Colleen talks about the inner "yes" and how it helped her realize that the path she was "supposed" to be on wasn't the one she wanted to be on

The things we learn over the course of our lives are largely determined by where and when we were born. Given the huge amount of potential knowledge, and the tiny slice of it any one of us happens to possess, it seems the things any one of us believes we know are more likely to be untrue than true. I think all our worldviews are probably false in one way or another. But perhaps, through respectful, good-faith discussion, we can discover the truths between our different viewpoints.

DMF 45: The truth may lie between the worldviews

What can people do when there's a conflict between what you believe you should do and what someone else believes you should do? And when, from each person's perspective, they're right?

DMF 44: An inherent conflict between two equally valid worldviews

I hope you have enjoyed the past couple episodes' conversation with Joyce. Today we wrap it up with a few personal examples. I think we all have something to learn from people who live with authenticity, such as Joyce. No mentions that need links.

DMF 43: Conclusion of my conversation with Joyce: some personal examples related to authenticity, courage, forgiveness

Joyce talks about her love for spring, and about how mindfulness of our mortality can help us be more present and more authentic. Mentions: Death Cafes

DMF 42: Continued conversation with Joyce on death and authenticity

This is the first part of my conversation with Joyce, who has some wisdom to share about why connection--to all things--is important, and how the disconnection our Western civilization teaches us is harming so many things. Some mentions: Grandmother's Counsel the World, a book Joyce is reading. MK Nature Center, a branch of Idaho Fish & Game that teaches outdoor education and gives wildlife experiences only minutes from downtown Boise. Steven Foster and Meredith Little founded the School of Lost Borders, of which the medicine wheel is an important conceptual piece. Their book, The Four Shields, describes in more detail the directions I roughly sketched in this episode.

DMF 41: The importance of connectedness and the cycles our lives go through: a conversation with my friend Joyce

I recently changed some of my ideas about science based on reading an important book called "The Beginning of Infinity," by David Deutsch. (Well worth the read, by the way.) I had what I now think are some misconceptions. I attempt to describe them in this episode.  I also connect my new concepts to the idea I shared in a recent episode: that of love being the answer. I share my new definition of love: it is the will or desire for a thing to exist. You can read about Saving Mr. Banks here:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140373/ (I misspoke on two accounts: the move is not called Saving Mrs. Banks, and the author's name is P.L. Travers rather than R.L.) Check out The Beginning of Inifinity (and participate in discussion!) here:  https://beginningofinfinity.com/  

DMF 40: Creativity in art and science; and how love powers it

Jared Jacobs, perhaps better known on the internet as Gold Yeller, makes stop-motion videos of sports highlights using Lego. Take a few minutes to listen to him talk about some of the lessons he's learned from his work and life.  If you want to see more of Gold Yeller's work, you can check him out on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5EN6DhpzVZM0sYk1kIXFAQ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoldYeller/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldyeller/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/goldyeller?lang=en

DMF 39: Jared Jacobs (aka Gold Yeller) on sharing, family, and the give-and-take of life

I couldn't record a full episode this week, but I've still been working on some thoughts. This episode will keep you abreast of two of them: first, that in the vision of the Dead Man's Forest that we are both the person AND the dead landscape--that we feed one another and are fed in turn; second, that our perceptual awareness relationship with the universe is perhaps better thought of as being a kind of inverse relationship to our physical existence--the latter happens in the space surrounding us, where we inhabit the universe, while the former happens in the space inside our minds, where stimuli from the universe produce our experience. A nuanced distinction, but I think it's important to be as accurate as possible.

DMF 38: Short Update, two tweaks to some previous DMF ideas that will be returning in future episodes

The conclusion of my conversation with Emily Marvosh, where she talks about what classical music is and what continues to interest and excite her about it.  You can read about and hear Emily's work on her website, http://www.emilymarvosh.com/

DMF 37: A conversation with Emily Marvosh, continued: classical music, art, and the humanities and their place in our lives

Dead Man's Forest is a weekly conversation about the unique wisdom and knowledge each of us possesses. Will you share yours?

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Dead Man's Forest

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