Episode 52: F*ck the Empire Oh Wait I Am the Empire with Jon Hartigan

On this episode of the podcast, Jon Hartigan from @samsara.is.for.lovers⁠ is back. On this episode, we get right into it with Pluto’s Return and what it means for the 2024 Election, Gaza, substance use disorder, why fentanyl is being put in the drug supply, and much, much more. "Even though punk rock is dead", says Jon, "its spirit lives on". We find that revolutionary spirit exploring a secret third option about how to engage with all of this. How the best way to bust out of the Empire, the best way to weaken the systems of oppression are through connection to each other. It sounds simple, but tune in. It’s powerful and experiential and relational and beyond all of the conceptions and simulacrums of ideas that we’re swimming in these days. This all speaks to the orientation I’m feeling towards a collective of people who are not collapsing the narrative down into easy us vs them answers but who are holding paradox and space for something new to emerge. The feeling that the fringes of society, the edgedwellers, the weirdos, the mystics, wanderers, artists, experiencers, the people who aren’t neatly situated inside of the consensus reality Overculture, are who are needed in this time. I think it’s the scrappy counterculture who will live new stories into being, stories that we need as we face the multitude of crises which are arising (and yes, I include myself in that counterculture, even though I live a docile life in the shire in a little hobbit dome in the middle of nowhere). "I am still punk rock", I whisper into my chamomile tea at 830pm on a Friday night.  Also, don’t get me wrong. Even as I say Fuck the Empire and call upon us to enter into a bloodless (r)evolution through Joy (more coming on that concept soon), I am also well aware that we are the Empire. I am the Empire. I am the Overculture. It is in me and I am it, even as I do the work to decondition and dissent. In this episode, we get into all of that, and throughout the conversation Jon delivers a dharma talk that weaves in Tibetan Buddhist cosmology and practices. He also talks about harm reduction in a way I’ve never heard before and which really changed and enlivened me. Speaking of scrappy kids and the fringe, I really love hearing everyday people’s stories. If you have a story about a wild experience, or if every time you listen to this podcast you feel like you have something to say or add in, please reach out to me! Send me a voicenote and I’ll play it on the show. No more than about 5 minutes please – or reach out to me to be a guest on the show. Your shares can be anonymous or not, it’s up to you. So… who’s going first. Reach out, send them in, and let’s get to know each other and continue to build this community. The Bridge Collective registration closes soon! Sign up today. @samsara.is.for.lovers The Experiencer Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ My book is out!! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Earth: A Love Story ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠exists as a physical object in the world. Deep forever gratitude to those of you who have purchased the book and left reviews on Amazon. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Our beautiful musical soundscapes are provided by Morgan Jenks. You can support ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠his new album on bandcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠morganjenks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find me on instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@robin_lassiter_honeyheart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@earth_a_love_story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To join my mailing list or book a 1:1 session with me, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠honeyheart.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠