The Integrated Self

Continuing the discussion on differing circumstances from the last episode, today we go deeper into our Kabbalistic contemplation of the common life force present in all people, things, and circumstances.Review of the 4 levels of reality through the metaphor of the Torah scrollThe true nature of esoteric teachings and why they're secretive How perceiving and relating with the shared life force (the ink) makes it impossible to hateThe difference between electric light and starlight What is natural? Seeing the same ink in both a tyrant and their victim(s)What we're doing here: Awareness becoming aware of itselfIntegrating dual and non-dual Chinese landscape paintings, and exercising restraint with the expressions of our ink

Coming in in a very weird mood, this episode is a real time process of living in a world of inequality and astronomically different situations. I also share an unplanned Kabbalistic teaching on 4 levels of interpreting the Torah Scroll and reality, which I learned from my teacher Zvi Ish-Shalom. It's not about finding a neat answer to inequality and living with differences, but about feeling our way through the complexity and multidimensionality at play in all our circumstances.In this episode:- The weirdness of all of us living together, all with different circumstances- The 4 Layers of the Torah: Words, Letters, Ink, and Parchment - The heartbreaking gift of Life in all circumstances

In this first episode of Season 2, I share my key insights from studying and practicing the KonMari method of tidying up a physical home as a spiritual practice.Covered in this episode: - A thanks to listeners and a technical note on my recording technique- Overview of Marie Kondo and the KonMari method of tidying up your life- Marie Kondo as a role model for living one's life authentically - How to decide how much stuff you need, what to keep and what to throw away- Possession as an honoring practice - Sparking Joy, and living a life aligned with your personal and intuitive sense of Joy, aligned with your unique nature and life purpose - Acknowledging and appreciating when things have served their purpose and are complete for you- Discarding papers- The dangers of too much good storeage- How and where to store things you want to keep- Living spaciously- The Animism of living intentionally with freer energy in the material world- The difference between daily cleaning and the tidying marathon- The Click Point - what you need to be happyFootnote: one thing I'd like to emphasize is that the point of tidying up is not to live with the least amount of things. The point is to live only with things that you love, to live a life of greater and greater Love, physically and beyond. And in that sense it's okay to keep sentimental things and other stuff; this process helps clarify what you really love now, in the current version of yourself.

In our 18th Episode Spectacular (!), join me in a living meditation. You don't have to be sitting still, but to get the full effect, you are warmly invited to listen, not just to me, but to the full energy of Life as it moves through you throughout this episode. Preceded by a short left-brain (rational) talk, we then drop into a direct right-brain (experiential) relationship with Life itself. Including some guidance and spontaneous teachings throughout, this episode speaks to: • The Hebrew word for life (chai) and its relationship to the number 18. • The typical podcast (and modern living) left-brain orientation and an invitation into a right-brain experience of living. (This is referencing the left and right hemispheres of the brain and their general functions.) • Songs versus musical improvisation. • Labeling what you're doing in categories (i.e. worrying, judging, reliving, planning... Appreciating, breathing, listening, etc.). • Forgiveness - what it really is and does. • Gratitude. Thanks for listening to this show. With infinite Love,Dan

Listening to the radio sparked a contemplation on the side effects of having so many choices of on-demand experiences, namely the difficulty of staying present with what's happening.Sifting through and discarding geniusThe difficulty of being just fineFinancial wealth and spiritual povertyTrue fulfillment will never come from an external impermanent thing Eternal satisfaction in the complete process of never-ending nowsThe addiction to seeking the perfect highAppreciating the normal any day

This episode is an invitation to take time throughout your life to pause your habitual activity and open to something else—the mystery of what's beyond our personal fixations. In pausing and listening, you can enter into a personal relationship with Life itself. In my experience, and in that of countless streams of wisdom, Life is unceasingly generous and intelligent; so give her a chance. Put down your phone, pick up the silence, and listen.PausingHow self-obsession plays out through our plans and agendasNot-doing and at first hearing the echoes of our recent inputs and ourselvesOpening to something greater than yourselfLiving in relationship with Life itselfIntellectually knowing about vs experientially knowing what actually isConnecting with Eternity, the Eternal Now.

This episode is a continuation of the threads explored in episodes 14 and 13.How recognizing the safety of Death enables greater trust with LifeHow Life's needs moved through me at a recent concertDancing and standing still at general admission showsDancing with the variety of life's needs expressed through different people at different timesA prayer and a blessing for your Trusting this moment

From a narrow and constricted view of reality, death can be a scary end. From a wider openness to all of existence, death is safe.Death will not kill usA song of birth and death

Beyond the techniques of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) (explored in the last episode), I find a deep spiritual connection to life that NVC can bring us into greater contact with. When we connect with our needs, we are connecting with the dynamic edge of life's evolution. In this episode, I contemplate some of the juiciest and most interesting aspects of the philosophy underpinning NVC.How blaming others disempowers usReclaiming power and responsibility for our emotional states no matter the circumstancesRecognizing alignment - working with right/wrong in a way that doesn't violently divide lifeHow Spirit speaks through needs - yours and every other individuation of life

Nonviolent Communication (NVC), developed by Marshall Rosenberg, has been used to foster peace, reconciliation, understanding, empathy, and collaboration in settings from warzones to personal relationships. It's also an incredibly helpful framework to develop self-understanding when you're feeling disturbed by an inner or outer conflict. In this episode, I explain the simple 4-step process of NVC so you can begin using it to create more inner and outer peace in your life.How to build a stronger connection with someone when you're upset with them, rather than a larger divideHow to speak in a conflict without making the other person defensiveHow to tune into and take responsibility for what's really happening under the surface for you in a challenging situation

This episode largely focuses on Western Medicine and is inspired by Gabor Mate's book The Myth of Normal. This episode is not about taking a black or white stance for or against any particular strategy of health, it's about being informed and thinking critically about the decisions you make for your health. How Western Medicine can be a force of oppression and colonization (especially through birth)Colonization as "one right way" and the BorgBias in expertise Working with alternative medicine

A working theory on the spectrum of "normalcy" and "neurodiversity."What is normal?Neurodiversity as a way of acknowledging needsHighly sensitive people and highly numb peopleThe difficulty and magic of life on the spectrum in the modern worldWeird blessings on blessed weirdness

"The bad news is you're falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is, there's no ground." - Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.In this episode:- The Western tendency to solidify concepts- All life as a verb- Addressing anxiety about the past and the future through the Eternal Now

Desire is a driving force of life. It can be so helpful to clarify what your desires are. But what happens when you get stuck on wanting something other than what's happening?In this episode, we address: - the suffering of life - how attachment to results causes much suffering - what happens when you loosen your attachments to the specific results you want - not getting the job you want - wanting something else while parenting and being present with your kids

This episode is an invitation to deepen into your own experience of your life. Including:A quick vent about the crunchy pressure of capitalism Three dimensions of reality: thoughts, emotions, and sensationsThe difference between stories and direct experience Feeling the body's sensations as an invitation into the unconditionally supportive presence of being

This episode is meant to help you move through Doing to come back to Being, and bring your Being into all you're Doing.

On Waiting When it's Time to Wait."The Master eats when it's time to eat, waits when it's time to wait, and moves when it's time to move."In this episode:• Attuning to timing• The gold of accepting when it's not the right time to do, but is the right time to wait.• Waiting as a way of widening vision and relating to what else is here. • Recognizing what opens up and becomes possible by waiting when it's time to wait.

A quick little process on the sometimes overwhelming amount of exciting new things in the world, and how slowing down can help you choose how to use and direct your will and energy in this sea of so much stuff!

Continuing from the previous episode (2. The Essence of Healing), here I describe one method and philosophy for how to meet life on its own terms, with your own authentic responses. Drawing from a foundational principle of improvisation, you can improvise with life, jumping in the current of reality as it is and choosing how to swim within it.Improvisation in Comedy, Theater, Dance, and MusicGrief as a portal to a richer and fuller lifeEmpowering yourself through agency and choiceLife Lessons from Herbie Hancock and Miles DavisHow does suffering fit into reality?Buddhism's First Noble TruthA simple guided practice to work through irritations using Yes, And.

In this episode, I describe the fundamental cause of human suffering and its antidote. Avoidance, resistance, and meeting life on life’s terms. The intelligence of dissociation. Building capacity to tolerate the charge of a nervous system in a(n overly) stimulating world. Grief as an expression of love and a portal to a fuller life. The intrinsic movement towards healing. A guided practice for meeting your life as it is.

Who am I? Why am I here? How am I doing this? Why this way? All this and more, in less than 9 minutes