Basecamp for Men E287: Why Can’t We Talk About This?

E287: Why Can’t We Talk About This?

 

E287 Introduction

I was having a conversation with a woman the other day, someone I didn‘t know all that well and the topic of Covid vaccines came up. She brought it up, not me. She asked me what I thought and I sort of chuckled. “What do you want to know?”

Well, she said first do you mind if I ask you if you got any of them. I said I don’t mind the question at all and no, I did not take any of the Covid jabs nor did my wife and son. She went on the say that she knows a lot of people having issues, herself included and she is thinking that it might have something to do with the vaccines. I just listened.

Until she said this, she said “I don’t think we’ll know for years who made the right choice, the vaccinated or the unvaccinated.” I stopped here there. I said no, I agree that each person has to choose for themselves. But I told her something that I have said on this show a couple of times and it illustrates that we don’t need to wait to find out “made the right choice.”

I told her I know lots of people in both camps: the unvaccinated and the vaccinated. Of the unvaccinated I don’t know a SINGLE person who regrets not getting them. In fact, the overall sentiment is one of gratitude for not taking them. As in Thank You God for telling me not to get it, sort of thing.

And I told her that of the vaccinated, I simply know LOTS who, given the choice again WOULD NOT take the vaccine. Lots in that group that have regrets. Not everyone, but many. Lots of

Was I too harsh with her? I hope not. I just wanted her to know how the unvaccinated think about this. We are not waiting a few more years to assess whether we made the right choice. Are you following me?

My guest today has made an important documentary titled “Why Can’t We Talk About This?” about this very topic. I hope you enjoy the interview and will go watch the film and support this filmmaker. Enjoy Basecampers.

Dean Rainey Bio

My guest today is Dean Rainey. Dean is a Canadian filmmaker whose work has been aired on National Geographic, Discover Channel, CNN, and Fox Movies. His first feature length documentary “Why Can’t We Talk About This?” is a gripping look into the true story of a man injured my the MRNa vaccine and uncomfortable silence surrounding vaccine-related harm. Here is my interview with Dean Rainey.

E287 Final Thoughts

To watch “Why Can’t We Talk About This?” and support the film and Dean, go to www.raineymedia.com. Thank you Basecampers and we’ll see you around the fire next week.

 

 

Basecamp for Men E284: Recovery and the Hero’s Journey

E284: Recovery and the Hero’s Journey with Special Guest Kristy Stevens

 

E284 Introduction

One of my favorite sayings is that each chapter of your Hero‘s Journey will require a slightly different version of yourself. It is a saying with many layers, isn‘t it?

I was talking with my 18 y.o. son Lucas, who has taken a fairly cynical view of his future prospects. He doesn‘t think that there is any way he will ever be able to buy a house or get ahead. The hamster wheel perspective (totally justified btw, if not the most creative way to look at the future. ) But…..he’s really young, right?

And I was telling him that he is on Lucas Rezac version two or three right now. I am his father and I am on Tony Rezac 9.0 or 10.0. Getting ready for another version soon.

I went on to say that the way you see yourself and the world changes with each version. Sometimes subtly and sometimes quite drastically.

You can always tell when you are outgrowing the previous version of yourself. How? You may start to get tired of the same ole same ole routine you do. You find yourself annoyed at how you see and do things. You notice that shit ain’t working but you don’t yet have the next moves.

Oftentime, what is required is a LIGHTER version of yourself. And when I say lighter, I mean lighter in ego, lighter in the emotional/spiritual things that are weighing you down. Things like a lingering addiction or a victim mentality that no longer serves you or a habit that is completely running you around or maybe you keep telling yourself the same 2 or 3 disempowering stories about yourself and the world. You know, where the people around you know you are sort of lying to yourself and don’t know how to alert you, are you following me?

In many ways, you may not be fully aware that you have started a new version of yourself. It might feel like your just working through another mini-crisis, or you finally turned the corner on some part of life that you had been struggling with. Or maybe your friend circle looks a lot different like it does for me now. The friendship circle of Tony version 10.0 looks a lot different than the friend group of Tony in earlier version. This doesn’t mean you have to create new close friends, just that it may be required to successfully grow into what is needed from you.

Today’s guest is a wonderful example of growing into newer versions of yourself and travelling lighter on the road less travelled. I found her to be inspiring and charming. Enjoy the interview.

 Kristy Stevens Bio

My guest today is Kristy Stevens. Kristy is a mother, a former addict, and now a champion of recovery and helping young people find a better life path through her work with the Eastside Academy. Here is my interview with Kristy Stevens.

E284 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. To find and support the great work that Eastside Academy is doing right here in Seattle, go to www.eastsideacamemy.org. Thank you Basecampers!

 

Basecamp for Men E283: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful

E283: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful

 

E283 Introduction

Today is a bit of an odd little short-format Firestarter episode, under 10 minutes. With that Terrance McKenna audio clip and then a song at the end. I came across the idea for this mini-EP for this as I was on my run around the lake that I do. I had a playlist on and the song “Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione, which was one of the popular songs of the day when I was a little kid. It made me think back to my childhood when this song would come on the FM radio in my Mom’s car.

A simple little jazz and trumpet song that conveyed its central theme…..Feels So Good. And I realized that this thread of joy and God and Divine Guidance and love and family is absolutely essential for our ascension and redemption. The Globalists, the Luciferians, call them what you will, can’t stand this about us. Our Divine Spark, the life-force and emotions that gives meaning to this whole mythic storyline.

It all got me thinking about something the ancient Greeks referred to as The Good, the True, and the Beautiful. This ancient Platonic ideal contains three qualities or principles that are transcendent. These principles transcend nationalities, transcend Democrat vs. Republican, woke vs. Patriot, Trump as King vs. Trump as Hitler. The Good the True and the Beautiful is a wonderful lens and mirror and a barometer to see and feel how we are doing at each stage.

And you can see the attack on all of this in the mainstream culture and the mainstream media. The education system is dumbing down the kids (which is not True or Good or Beautiful). Our once-proud cities look ravaged by crime and addiction and filth. Again, nothing True or Good or Beautiful going on down the street.

The media landscape is a vipers den of lies and deception. Again, not Good or True or Beautiful. So much so that you could, as a practice, completely invert EVERYTHING that the media says and have a more accurate portrait of what is going on.

And yet….and yet we still have laughter, we still have beautiful children being born and raised, we still have joy in one another. Even as we all see the absurdity of it all like Terrance McKennan said in the beginning.

If Terrance McKenna is correct and moving into a higher dimension is like a “fire in the madhouse” then the game becomes how do we hold onto the Good and the True and the Beautiful while inside the “fire in the madhouse”. That is what we are all attempting to do. No wonder people are freaking out about every little thing and bracing for God knows what.

It’s important for us to keep one another close in these times. Even if it is just 2 or 3 trusted friends and family members. Large numbers in your tribe does not matter. This is not a popularity contest. The fire in the madhouse moment has us reach only for those most important to us. To keep alive the Good, the True, and the Beautiful as we watch this insanity reveal itself to this beautiful planet and all of the confused, traumatized and loving humans who call this place home.

I was going to conclude with a classical musical piece but God was whispering about this song so this song it is. And remember Basecampers, you and I , we belong to the Light. We’ll see you next week.

 

 

Basecamp for Men E273: Men and the Soul’s Journey

E273: Men and the Soul’s Journey

 

E273 Introduction

Today’s episode is both a new wrinkle and a bit of a throwback. I am being interviewed by Beth Marten, which is something we don’t often feature here on Basecamp, me on the other side of the interview.

Yet, it also a throwback to earlier days here on Basecamp as Beth and I get into men’s work, male initiation, the archetypal Hero, and why the journey of the Soul is so important for humans.

E273 Final Thoughts

Well, I hope you enjoyed that conversation. I love sitting on the other side of the interview, especially when I get someone I really jive with like Beth. If you like her stuff as much as I do, go subscribe to her excellent podcast The King Hero’s Journey.

 

Basecamp for Men E272: Getting Out of Our Bubbles

E272: Getting Out of Our Bubbles w Special Guest Jennifer Galardi

 

E272 Introduction

It is one of the things that mark the times. This Great Awakening. Where something that you thought was solid turns out to be a castle made of sand. This awakening is hitting every ideological group all over the world. The irony is that it seems that the more each group feels they are safe, the sooner that this transformative wave hits their so-called safe haven.

What is each camp being asked to wrestle with? There is certainly a high road to shoot for but that does not mean there is not uncomfortable truths or difficulties navigating this culture war. Far from it.

I have spoken about this many times before but I think it bears repeating. The times are requiring a lightness and nimbleness that we have not been too accustomed to. To be heavy with righteousness or ego or anger will not serve us.

For example, many people said foolish things over the pandemic. Present company included. Some were sure that the jabs were going to save us all. They were wrong, obviously. We don’t need to rub their noses in it, as long as they are honest and not trying to save face saying they were never like that. You were. We saved your old tweets and posts and text messages. Let’s move on.

I believe that as fast as things seem to be moving now, my sense is that something even more accelerated is just on the horizon. And I am not talking about a horizon of years but a horizon of weeks and a few months. We all have some hunches and instincts and inner knowing about what this might mean. But if this Great Awakening has taught us anything, it’s that God does indeed work and move in mysterious ways.

I am personally filled with gratitude for being on this journey with you all. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be gathering my thoughts each week with a microphone (now two microphones with The American Pulse) and checking in with you.

There will be many revelations and “ah-ha’s) in the coming days and my hope and prayer for you and your loved ones is that they are at a speed that you can integrate and make sense of. We will be here on Basecamp looking for the common ground, the Truth, and the uplifting, inspiring narrative that will take us to our shared ,bright future. Thank you Basecampers and I wish you all Godspeed and alignment.

Jennifer Galardi Bio

My guest today is Jennifer Galardi. Jennifer is a writer and content producer in the area of health and wellness. Her work has been featured in such publications as the Epoch Times, The Federalist, the New York Sun, and Blaze Media. She also serves as the daily politics and culture writer on 19fortyfive.com. Here is my interview with Jennifer Galardi.

E272 Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. To find Jennifer’s work and writing, simply go to www.jennifergalardi.com. Thank you Basecampers and we’ll see you around the fire next week.