Basecamp for Men E52: Psychedelics and the New Vision

E52: Psychedelics and the New Vision

 

E52: Introduction

Growing up on the west coast, the lore of the 1960’s free-thinking hippie/peace movement was something that was part of our heritage. Within this culture, psychedelics always had a strange, mysterious, and transformative power. An elixir that had the ability to throw open the doors of perception, revealing a sacred, divinely infused electromagnetic field that we are in constant communication with.

The lineage of these psychedelic explorers carried forth into the rave and music culture of the 80’s and 90’s and today is kept alive by festivals like Burning Man. Whatever your take is on this controversial topic, psychedelics seems to be an important part of our mythical Tree of Knowledge.

Tales of seeing the face of God or the Goddess abound. Scores of courageous people have had profound experiences that changed the course of their lives. What these intrepid psychic explorers seemed to discover was a portal in consciousness. A DMT-primed access point that seemed to accelerate their understanding of the underlying design and meaning of the cosmos.

My guest today has built his podcast around profound discoveries made in sacred space, having participated in many ayuhuasca ceremonies with shamans in the Amazon. I am excited to dialogue with him about what he learned from what is commonly called plant medicine.

Alex is the host of the Natural Born Alchemist podcast. The podcast has been going since 2014 and features a wide array of guests. The theme of the podcast revolves around shamanism, psychedelics, philosophy and alternative ideas. www.naturalbornalchemist.com it is also available on Apple podcasts, Spotify and elsewhere.

Alex has had a life long interest in esoteric topics and his quest for meaning eventually led him to visiting many different indigenous groups around the world and discovering his main teacher in life: Ayahuasca

Here is my interview with Alex from Natural Born Alchemist.

Basecamp for Men E51: The Happiness Index

E51: The Happiness Index with Special Guest Nic Marks

 

E51 Introduction

Happiness is something that I have had a keen interest in for a long time. I have enjoyed looking at this topic and experimenting in my own life as to what makes a happy person. I have even created a presentation that I deliver to groups called How To Create Happiness, which I will talk about in an upcoming episode.

What I love about my guest today is that he has studied happiness in countries and workplaces using statistics as a guide. Which is something that you don‘t see every day. What does this data tell us about what makes a happy country or happy workplace? And most importantly, how do we create more happiness, satisfaction, and well-being in the world while treading lightly on our beloved planet? Here is a conversation about this very issue.

Nic Marks Bio– My guest today is Nic Marks and he was once describe as a “statistician with a soul” due to his unusual combination of hard statistical  and soft people skills. He has been working in the field of happiness, wellbeing and quality of life for over 25 years with a particular emphasis on measurement and how to create positive change.

In 2010, he gave a TED talk on his work in public policy, which has now been watched over 2 million times.

Nic as ben applying his creative thinking to the world of work since 2012. He is the founder of Friday Pulse and has worked with over 1000 organizations and teams measuring and improving their happiness at work. Here is my interview with Nic Marks.

 

Basecamp for Men E50: Navigating Change

E50: Navigating Change with Special Guest Sharon Weil

 

E50 Introduction

We are in the midst of great change. It would be hard to argue against this observation. There are enormous changes afoot in society. Changes in how we work; in how we educate our children; in our relationship with others,  and in how we interact with the planet. And consciousness is evolving and expanding, as many of you are noticing.

How do we navigate the suddenly stormy waters we have found ourselves in? What can we depend on that will help us through these transitions? How, as creative humans, do we continue to create with alignment and heart, in the midst of such uncertainty and stress? Today’s conversation is about this very topic.

My guest today is Sharon Weil. 

     Sharon Weil has long been engaged in the conversation about courage and change as an author, activist, award-winning filmmaker, and somatic educator.She is the author of ChangeAbility, How Artists, Activists, and Awakeners Navigate Change, which draws upon the collective wisdom of twenty-five change-innovators across many fields. She is also the host of Passing 4 Normal Podcast (iTunes), conversations about change.   For the past twenty-one years, Sharon has been a  somatic movement educator and Continuum teacher.

Here is my interview with Sharon Weil.

Basecamp for Men E49: Men’s Health and Virility

E49: Men’s Health and Virility with Special Guest

Dr. Myles Spar

 

E49 Introduction

With a pandemic afoot and all the stress generated by the media, it seems a good time to look at some common sense things that we can focus on that will actually make a difference for us men. Our health is one such area. And with all the talk about viruses and immune systems, what better time to take a look at health and how to optimize for this for yourself.

I have gone into our social conditioning many times on this show. How we have been taught to more or less ignore our health unless something terrible starts to happen to us. Rarely do men, especially middle-aged men, take an active approach to their vitality and well-being. We tend to coast along.  Why is that? Is “good enough” REALLY good enough for us?

It is my hope that you come to see your health and self-care as an essential foundation for yourself. One that you can quietly build on over time and that, by taking better care of yourself, you’ll feel better, be a better version of yourself. Vibrant good health and healthy habits are not just for women. They are very much for us men. I hope today’s conversation will help show you this.

My guest today is Dr Myles Spar and  he is a thought leader and expert in the area of men’s health. Join us as we talk about building healthy habits, testosterone, and how to optimize your vitality and your virility.