Awakening and the Need for Some Kind of Grounding (Clip)
Robert Pirsig, of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” also had an awakening experience, where he said he was in touch with “quality,” the key concept of his metaphysics. But he ended up hosp...
31 Aug 20252min
“The Spirit in the Bottle” from The Brothers Grimm
A poor woodcutter sends his son to the high school to have a better lot in life, but the money runs out before the son can complete his studies. He returns home and embarks on his father’s living wit...
26 Aug 20251h 55min
Mystical and Awakening Experiences
We discuss mystical experiences and higher states of consciousness. We start with an awakening account of a Japanese business executive and Zen student, referenced below. Higher states of consciousn...
20 Aug 20251h 35min
The Brothers Grimm’s "Rapunzel:" Tears Wash Away Grief
A man and a woman long for a child. The woman looks out of her back window into the walled garden of an enchantress and desperately desires the Rampion (Rapunzel) plant. Her husband goes to get it f...
16 Aug 202532min
A Part of Your Soul Leaves When You Give Up on Getting Better (Clip)
The image of the dark, ruined castle as the unconscious mind. Then there is a series of steps going deeper and deeper, and silent. And after Hans' repeated bouts of suffering, the princess is able t...
16 Aug 20254min
Von Schonwerth’s “The Iron Shoes”
The king’s groundskeeper doesn’t know what to do with his son so he kicks him off the farm with anger. Hans goes out into the world and encounters a dark, ruined castle. Inside, all is silent. Exha...
11 Aug 20251h 50min
The Loneliness of the Tyrant (Clip)
The loneliness of the tyrant. Swiveling head, eyes leery of plots real and chimerical. Ian: the need for power to that degree can only come from a misunderstanding of power as the means of procuring...
10 Aug 20253min
Aristotle, Character, Wisdom and Foolishness, Part 2
Ian and I continue our discussion on Aristotle’s idea of Character and the Golden Mean, bringing in other ideas from wisdom traditions and our experiences. Join us for this wide and deep dive into th...
6 Aug 20251h 36min
