Basecamp for Men E94: The Path of Initiation-Part 2

E94: The Path of Initiation with Special Guest Joe Grube

 

E94 Introduction

This week I wanted to do a continuation of the theme we set in E86 The Path of Initiation but with a different guest. I believe that initiations mark our Soul’s journey. And that these initiations will come throughout our lives and can come in unusual ways. Sometimes we don‘t even realize that we were in an initiatory phase until the years ripen us and we look back. Through this initiatory lens, we can see how life was bringing us forth through mythic dimensions. Teaching us all the way.

Like so many young people, both my guest and I experienced the initiatory intensity of psychedelics on many occasions.  It is not something I talk about very often but as it was a clear initiation with a “before” and “after” Tony. So I thought I would take a look at it today.

There is something expansive and transcendent in this path. But it is fraught with danger, as spiritual teachers have often stated. Psychedelics are strong. Sometime REALLY strong. And they can take their toll on your nervous system and your mind. I would not recommend them to everyone.

Yet for the intrepid explorer, psychedelics have proven to open the doors of perception to a more cosmic dimension. Furthermore, what is seen, felt, and understood under the influence of psychedelics will often last a lifetime. In other words, you don’t need to take them over and over again. Although some people certainly do.

To bookend this edgier initiation, I thought I would include some wisdom from another initiation that my guest and I share: fatherhood. Here is another initiation that some men take and some don’t. It is a terrifying thing, becoming a father. You might not hear men say how scared they are as they await the arrival of their child but I can certainly attest to it.

I can usually tell if a man is a father just by how he carries himself. There is something intangible in a man’s aura or body language that indicates that he has children. It is something in the man’s soul. Perhaps it‘s that he has participated in his lineage in an active way and seems to carry something from his ancestors and future generations with him. Or perhaps it’s just because he has skin in the game, literally.

It might seem like strange bedfellows for an episode. Psychedelics and fatherhood. Let’s see if we can make a little sense of these powerful initiations.

Joe Grube Bio-

My guest today is my friend Joe Grube. Joe is an attorney, a husband and father, and a man known for his love of life, his great sense of humor, and for bringing a lightness and ease to his conversations and interractions with others. Here is my interview with Joe Grube.

E94 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed my interview with Joe Grube. Joe and I both recommend Ram Das’s Be Here Now, which is considered a classic in psychedelic and mystical literature. Whether or not you ever explore the psychedelic path, Be Here Nowcarries incredible wisdom and Light. It has the distinction being one of the first books that brought the teachings and wisdom of the east to the minds of  us westerners.

Basecamp for Men E92: Bridging the Left and the Right

E92: Bridging the Left and the Right with Special Guest Chris Beatie

 

E92 Introduction

One of the most crippling things about 2020 and 2021 has been the stark division amongst WE THE PEOPLE. The narrative in any MSM outlet is clearly designed to create separation instead of unity.

Mask wearers vs. unmasked. Vaccinated vs. unvaccinated. Biden supporters vs. Trump supporters. BLM vs. back the blue.There is a sub-conscious tendency to demonize the other side. I have spoken and written about this on several occasions. We have to find a path that integrates all aspects of WE THE PEOPLE.

The left and right both have their own unique conditioning and part of that conditioning is to put the other side in a sort “aren‘t they stupid” sort of thing. As someone who was a liberal for 30 years, I know the conditioning of the left quite well. I am a product of it. However as the radical left advanced on my tried and true traditional liberal foundation, I found myself looking for less constraints for my ideas and my truth.

Between identity politics that focused on dividing us along racial and sexual identities, a stifling conformity that would not allow me to question the mainstream narrative without being cancelled, I naturally started to drift to the right, in search of others who were curious and questioning about what the hell was going on.

I don’t know about you but I don’t like it when I hold harsh judgments of whoever is in the other group. Thoughts like “they are stupid” or “they are crazy, insane”or  “how can they be so in the dark, ignorant, etc. etc.”don’t let me express my natural love of our mutual humanity.

It is true I have interesting new friends in the Patriot community. But I also have tons of loved ones on the left. I see them working to figure things out. It’s not easy, I know that.

These are challenging times to navigate. On a personal level, I am working on my compassion. To not be so quick to condemn my brothers and sisters who are at a different stage or even a different path up the mountain.

For those that I travelled far and long with on the left. I haven‘t abandoned any of you. Not in any permanent sense. We are all mystic travellers finding our way. If our paths were deeply connected in the past, my sense is we will see each other again on common ground. There may be much to learn by travelling separate roads right now.

In this episode, I thought you would enjoy hearing two friends with quite different political orientations take a run at a few of the issues that seem to be so deeply dividing us. I hope you enjoy it.

Chris Beatie Bio-

Chris Beatie has been a computer engineer for the last 25 years.  Finding that the stress and rigors of 12+ hour work days was taking a toll on his health,  Chris decided to apply his engineering skills to improve his life, becoming a biohacker of sorts.  Books, podcasts, doctors, medications, eastern medicine, Chris has explored and experimented far and wide!  His personal mission passion is to help others find their most enlightened, capable, healthy and happy version of themselves.

E92 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Chris Beatie. Here are two men who are on different sides of some of these contentious wedge issues but have not lost their affinity, respect, or love for one another. I hope it helps you navigate the conversations and interactions that you are having.

I thought it was interesting that, even though we made opposite choices on the vaccine issue, there is mutual respect for one another. We both expressed concern for the other. He is hoping I don‘t get Covid and die and I am hoping he has no long-term effects from an experimental vaccine. Both of us have made informed choices and we both wish the best for one another. I don’t need him to do what I am doing and vice versa.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Chris. He’s smart, lives from the heart, and makes good choices for himself and his family. I know that he also has positive regard for my character and my decision making process.

If you liked the interview, go check out an earlier one I did with Chris in on EP #41 titled Conversations with Men. In that episode, Chris and I talk about men’s health, testosterone replacement,  men’s personal development and some other interesting topics.

Basecamp for Men E91: Restoring Our Republic

E91: Restoring Our Republic with Special Guest Lenka Koloma

 

E91 Introduction

As someone who was educated on liberal principles at an American university, I was taught to (perhaps not HATE my country) but to be deeply suspicious of anything that smacked of jingoism or pride in our nation. Noam Chomsky was a writer and thinker who drove much of this way of thinking.

I remember when I became aware of the CIA black ops when I was a young man and being appalled at what we were doing to other countries and their people. Running heroin and cocaine to introduce to inner city populations here, helping to foment revolution when it suited our corporate interests, assassinating leaders if need be. It was an education in the grisly reality of geopolitics.

Looking back I can see the clever trick that was played on my young mind. If my conditioning could get me to doubt anything American, then I was ripe for further conditioning in cultural Marxism with its hatred of unity, WE THE PEOPLE and all things family, God, and country.

Chomsky also, to my young mind, did not properly differentiate the CIA from the American Republic, making the two seem one and the same. We now know that the CIA is a powerful, deceptive arm of the Deep State and does not carry the same values as WE THE PEOPLE or the American Republic.

I have come full circle. Raised in a working class, conservative small town and educated in college and having lived in great liberal cities, I have in the past five years arrived a place where I unabashedly ADORE our nation and what she represents. We are, right now (whether you realize it or not), renewing our beloved Republic and all that she stands for.

A few things that have emerged for me and others in this movement. One, the U.S. Constitution is a priceless treasure. One that many Americans have given their lives to protect. Every American (left, right or center) should have a copy and study it.

I liken it to the American Grail. If you honor and treasure this exceptional gift to our nation, it will be there to serve WE THE PEOPLE. Like the myths we have been unpacking for you, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are a living, breathing document that responds to your reverence and respect, activating something profound in oneself.

Personally, I was embarrassed that I had lost so much of my knowledge of the Constitution and everything it stands for. I think many of you, especially on the left, can probably say the same thing. It wasn’t until left leaning Governors and Tony Fauci started to attack our liberties with all their rules, guidelines, and mandates hoping WE THE PEOPLE would simply comply instead of taking a cool, rational look at things and recognizing that mandates and recommendations do not supersede Constitutional law.

There is a feistiness that runs in our American blood. I know my guest today exhibits it. I know my wife does and I like to think that I do too. I am willing to fight for what is true and good and beautiful. The founding fathers meant for us to cherish this divinely given document and to keep it close in times like these. It is one of our many Allies in restoring the Republic.

Our rights and liberties are protected by the highest court and highest law in the land. Whatever Tony Fauci or Andrew Cuomo or Jay Inslee or any other so-called authority figure says doesn‘t change that one damn bit. Oh people are free to voice their OPINION of what you should do. You just don‘t need to act like that opinion changes your constitutional rights. It doesn’t.  And the more people that realize this, the stronger WE THE PEOPLE will be, no matter which way you lean politically.

There will come a time soon when most Americans will realize how close we came to losing our ability to choose our lives for ourselves. To live free and pursue happiness as sovereign people. WE THE PEOPLE were awakened by the events of 2020 and 2021. WE THE PEOPLE have become aware of the attacks on our liberties and have grabbed our two most powerful weapons to combat this: One, our beloved Constitution and two, the courage to speak our truth. This is all we need to produce the outcome we are seeking.

It seems there is still some fight and courage in the American heart and thank God. For those that prefer to comply, conform, obey orders, trust the authorities, wear their masks everywhere, I stand by your right to live that way. I don‘t understand it and I know you are not leaders in any of this, but I will give you space to figure this out. I think of the old saying “If you’re not going to lead, then stay out of the way.” I think that captures the essence of this.

But I do have a request for you. Stop attacking those that are fighting for YOUR freedoms. Someone has to do the gritty work and deal with confrontation and people getting in your face. My gang can handle it. We were made for this and we have proven it over and over again as my guest today so beautifully expresses.

Lenka Koloma Bio-

My guest today is an author, thought leader, and spiritual warrior. Lenka Koloma has studied far and wide and is a powerful activist for WE THE PEOPLE. Courageous, smart, and able to speak truth to power, Lenka is a living example of someone who is committed to truth, freedom, and honoring and restoring our great Republic.

Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed my interview with Lenka Koloma. To find her, her book and her work, go to www.lenkakoloma.com. To support the great work she is doing on behalf of WE THE PEOPLE and to find tools and resources, go to Freedom to Breathe Agency at www.ftbagency.com

Basecamp for Men E89: The Myth of the Fallen Goddess

E89: The Myth of the Fallen Goddess

 

E89 Introduction

It seems that season three is the season to deepen our mythic imagination. And since the tagline of BFM is “Men, Myth, and the Hero‘s Journey”, this seems like an appropriate direction right now. Among Gnostics, May is the month of the Divine Goddess. So what better month to pay homage to her than this one. 

Throughout our history, there were always groups that held secrets to our heritage and our potential. These groups were not confined to one region or one philosophy or one way of thinking. Yet, when you compare their essential truths and expressions, there is a tremendous amount of agreement as to who we are as a species and how we got here.

These groups had many myths and tales for future generations. Yet the central myth, told in secret over and over again so it would not be forgotten, was the myth of the fallen goddess Sofia. It was the story of the descent of the Soul into the material realm. It is, in every sense,our story.

I will do my best to represent this myth but please allow me a bit of clumsiness. I have been working with it for just a few short years. One finds that the more you work with a myth, the more fluent and powerful your speaking becomes when it comes to expressing the central themes and motifs of that particular myth.

I was first exposed to this myth a number of years ago. I came across it in my interest in Gnosticism and soon found that the Fallen Goddess Myth was central to Gnostics. After all of my “men’s work”, I had finally arrived at the footsteps of the Goddess herself. I was spellbound.

As I began my study of and courtship of Sophia, as fate would have it, she seemed to take an instant liking to me. She was approaching me in dreams and visions, and making herself know in all sorts of ways throughout the day. I found myself typing Gnosticism and Goddess Sophia into You Tube and following the rabbit hole. The myth (and the Goddess) was starting to talk to me. It seems, perhaps, that I have been here before.

“It is truly a miracle that our species has survived the patriarchal campaign to eliminate the Goddess and her Mysteries. Without the indigenous peoples all around the world preserving the native wisdom in their lives, we would never have seen it today. At any given moment there are vastly more good and decent people in the world than evildoers. Yet those who intend evil and practice deceit gain a disproportionate advantage because they rely on the passive consent of the believers.”

Author, Jacques Lacarriere

 

What is the myth trying to say to you? What wisdom does it hold? How do you begin to interact with it so as to bring you to your own awakening?

“The Watchers became jealous. They could sense that humankind’s mercurial intelligence provided the potential for the awakening of the Divine Sparks within matter. The imprisoned Light had been active all this time.

     The very resistance of the enemy was bringing the Divine plan to fruition. In each human there emerged the potential to have contact with a Higher Self or Holy Guardian Angel. The enemy angels now took a more concentrated interests in humans. Forming a plan to thwart the All-Mind from realizing Itself. The cosmic battle between the Light and Darkness descended from the macrocosm to the microcosm.As above, so below.”

By entering this myth with your consciousness, what might you learn? How might it transform you?

We are on the verge of something historical. In the world and in ourselves. Myths such as the Fallen Goddess or the Grail are here for us. Pointing us in a direction we can trust. Restoring our Kingdom, our world, and ourselves. We have come this far together. Walk with me just a bit further. I promise you that this transformation includes you my friend. For you are within earshot of the faint trail near the clearing.

E89 Final Thoughts

To dig deep into this myth, there are a slew of resources at your disposal. I hate to endore You Tube but there is a lot on Gnostic myth and thought there. Any search from any source will lead you to all sorts of interesting threads.

John Lamb Lash is, in my humble opinion, the great bard of the Fallen Goddess Myth. He is exquisite in his embodiment of Sophia’s wisdom. He actually pronounces her name Soph Ia because he says, Sophia is too ordinary name for such a powerful deity. His book Not in His Imageis a top shelf book in my library.

Two other books I love. Anne Baring’s The Dream of the Cosmos and Return of the Divine Sophiaby Tricia McCinnon. Both are exceptional and will help build your understanding of this myth, no matter where you are at with it today. I promise that if you work with either of these books, you will come to a deeper understanding of yourself and our place in the Cosmos.

 

 

 

Basecamp for Men E88: Conversations About Men

E88: Conversations About Men with Special Guest

Brandon Clift

 

E88 Introduction

It has been interesting to me to watch the evolution of the show as we make our way along season three. When we created the tagline of the show of “Men, Myth, and the Hero’s Journey” it was made to be specific enough to give me focus but wide enough to make room for inspiration, the esoteric, and any other topics that caught my fancy.

I knew that if we continued to focus on our collective awakening, The Great Awakening, as it is now being called and giving you tools for your own Hero’s Journey, you would find value in the 30 minutes each week that you listen.

As my own spiritual journey has progressed, I have found that my radar for Truth has been fine-tuned by the Divine. I know that many of you are having your own breakthroughs as well. Whether that comes in the form of deepening your spiritual work, taking better care of yourself, or challenging the oftentimes surreal narrative of the MSM, I hope that you are finding that, in the final analysis, WE THE PEOPLE are one tribe and one heart.

I have been promising you an episode on the UFO phenomenon. I did an interview recently but it just wasn’t good enough. Not interesting enough. So I am reaching out to a few more people. I am committed to making a good episode or two on this topic.

I am really excited about the upcoming guests. I think it will provide us a nice balance between menswork, mythic viewpoints, the evolution of humanity, and some edgy red-pill episodes for your consideration.

I appreciate you riding shotgun with me. And thank you for all the email and text messages supporting the show. I really appreciate it.

Brandon Clift Bio

Brandon Clift is on a mission to break the archaic and outdated molds of manhood that have led to many of the challenges we face in the world today. He is the host of The Mankind Podcast where he interviews leading researchers, experts, and influencers of change to find out how you can become a champion for healthy manhood.

Here is my interview with Brandon Clift.

E88 Final Thoughts-

I hope you enjoyed our conversation with Brandon. For a different sort of men’s podcast, one that is more focused on racial issues and social justice, go check out The Mankind Podcast at all the places you listen to podcasts. I like the sound of EP #7 with Tony Porter, so that might be a great place to start.

Also, I have been meaning to recommend Jeremy Elliot of the Iconic Podcast. It has been in my notes for a month now. Jeremy speaks truth to power and does it in a gracious and skillful way.

Like most other podcasters, I don‘t have time to listen to many other podcasters as I am really busy making mine once a week. But I have recognized in Jeremy a kindred spirit. A man who is committed to truth and the elevation of our human tribe.

He is not available on the usual podcast platforms. The best way to listen to Jeremy is to go to The Iconic Podcast on Facebook. You can also find him on You Tube (although they are deeply censoring counter-narrative voices like his) or BitChute.