Podcast Alembic

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

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Living Hero Podcast

I was very fortunate to take courses in university in the mid 80's from Dr. Morris Berman. The first book in his trilogy on the history of consciousness had just been published: The Reenchantment of the World (2nd: Coming to Our Senses 3rd: Wandering God). I learned much in his classes and through the books he assigned.

His two most recent books are: The Twilight of American Culture and Dark Ages America. The reviews of these books, his blog, and some podcasts I've listened to, indicate he sees a very bleak future for the U.S.

I value improving my understanding of the crises and their causes. At the same time, this work brings up an optimism/pessimism debate for me. Despairing vs. encouraging - an area often and importantly explored on Reality Sandwich. I'm compelled to wish him more optimism-inducing experiences.

Does that sound trite? Maybe a megadose of Dr. Berman's strong medicine is required by us all. Spoonfuls of honey are unavailable, and the bee population problem is a metaphor.

But isn't it interesting that there is renewed interest in his trilogy on consciousness? Like many people here I think some answers lie in the evolution of consciousness. And saying that does not equate me with the philosophy of "The Secret" and things of that sort, as Dr. Berman says in the podcast. I perceive there to be deeper layers of research and evolution available through yoga, "psychedelics and other spiritual technologies" (to borrow Dr. Strassman's subtitle).

Yes, I may be talking about longer-haul solutions. Not for everyone's taste. And no, going to an Amazonian retreat will not directly help a homeless person in a different city afford food. But it's a positive way forward, a potent meme that may have positive ramifications for others I could never imagine.

In this great interview with Jari Chevalier, he briefly addresses a mystical experience he had in the 70's, something he has rarely talked about directly. He also talks about his move to Mexico and how loves it there. And the beauty of silence.

Makes me hope the seeds for positive reenchantment are making themselves available to this important author, cultural historian, and social critic. I look forward to a book-in-progress he mentioned called Progress and its Shadow.

MP3 Embedded :: All Living Hero Podcasts :: Subscribe in iTunes :: MorrisBerman.com (blog)

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The C-Realm Podcast

#112 "Incantations & Intimations"

KMO podcasts from Iquitos! A great conversation with Jim Clark, and raw audio footage from the Peruvian Amazon. Thanks for sharing this KMO.

Direct MP3 :: All C-Realm Podcasts :: Subscribe in iTunes

Psychonautica

#043
Max Freakout is back and in great spirits. Nicely synchronous with Jonathan Phillips' recent video interview, Max podcasts an interesting lecture by Jeremy Narby at the World Psychedelic Forum.

Direct MP3 link :: All Psychonautica Podcasts

The Entheogenic Evolution

Martin Ball reads Part 2 of the transcript of his interview with Rick Strassman - author of "DMT the Spirit Molecule". They discuss his new book "Inner Paths to Outer Space".

Direct MP3 link :: All Entheogenic Evolution Podcasts :: Subscribe in iTunes :: Dr. Rick Strassman :: Cottonwood Research

The Psychedelic Salon

# 149 “The Heavens”
Another interesting McKenna/Sheldrake/Abraham Trialogue.

Direct MP3 link :: All Psychedelic Salon Podcasts :: Subscribe in iTunes

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