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Pneuma by Daniel FinneranTurning Water into WEIGHT LOSS? The secret about SAUNASA sauna can be immensely beneficial to your overall wellbeing: It boosts cardiovascular health, enhances recovery, deepens sleep, and supports detoxification. But there’s a common misunderstanding about its power to help you lose WEIGHT, of which you should be disabused. Does sweating in the sauna = weight loss? Have you implemented regular sauna use into your regimen? What impact has it had on you? I'd love to hear about your experience! Send a...2025-05-1004 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranNutrient TIMING: It's not only what, but WHEN you eat that matters!The nutrients with which you fuel up and recover are important, but so too is the time of day at which you consume them. The term for this is, simply enough, “Nutrient Timing”. In this episode, my pal James Flood explains the basics of “Nutrient Timing”, including: The post-workout feeding window: what to eat, what to avoid, and when. The difference between fast and slow digesting carbs, and when each should be consumed. When protein should be consumedAnd more! Please send comments or questions to pneu...2025-05-0727 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Lullaby for Lovers: SEX and SLEEPThe unspoken remedy to restlessness…The quiet cure-all for sleepless nights…Sex!A sleep aid–provided to us by the beneficence of nature–than which there is none more effective, satisfying, nor potent. Have you experienced the soporific impact of sex? Send your (PG-rated) comments toEmail: pneuma.finneran@gmail.comX: DanielEFinneranIG: DanielEthanFinneranAnd, with your consent, we’ll discuss them on an upcoming episode! 2025-05-0624 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranThe untold PERILS of Protein PowderAre protein powders detrimental to your health? 🤔Recently published studies have revealed significant amounts of heavy metals (namely cadmium and lead) to be hiding in them. The highest concentrations were found in: 1. Chocolate flavored powders2. Plant-based powdersMy good pal James Flood offers his take on the issue. X link: https://x.com/DanielEFinneran/status/1885158418329075920YouTube link: https://youtu.be/mhumQJdwl2IComments? What kind of protein powder do you take? Send me an email: pneuma.fin...2025-05-0122 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranThe MILL and the WATER: A meditation on memory, futility, and FLOW“The mill cannot grind with the water that has passed”. In this episode, we’ll meditate on an old proverb that addresses the difficulty of: 1. Letting go of the past2. And focusing, instead, on the present. I wonder…Where is your energy directed? Is it concentrated on the PAST–a deep pool of regret into which it impotently drains? Or is it concentrated on the PRESENT? I’m curious to know! If you feel comfortable doing so, send your thoughts and replies to: ...2025-04-2717 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranThe Drain SNAKE of the SOULImagine using a "sink snake", or a drain clog remover, to clean your mind of negative thoughts. With what kinds of thoughts and emotions is it currently filled? Were you easily able to dislodge and dispose of them? What thoughts and emotions remain stuck? Let me by reaching out to Email: pneuma.finneran@gmail.comX: DanielEFinneranIG: DanielEthanFinneran2025-04-2311 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranCollagen: The protein (literally) holding you together!Skin, hair, and nails--Collagen is the foundation of them all! And yet...It's severely de-emphasized in our diets. In this episode, we'll cover everything you need to know about this essential protein (including how to consume more of it). Reach out to me with comments and questions: Email: pneuma.finneran@gmail.comX: DanielEFinneranIG: DanielEthanFinneran2025-04-2016 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranThey never TASTE, who always DRINKThey never TASTE, who always DRINK; They always TALK, who never THINK. -Matthew Prior What did you taste? Let me know! Email: pneuma.finneran@gmail.comX: DanielEFinneranIG: DanielEthanFinneran 2025-04-1618 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranWhat your BRAIN really thinks about your GUT feelings!Have you ever had a “gut feeling” about something? What about “butterflies in your stomach”? Have you ever had them? It turns out, the GUT is much more than a grumbling, bottomless repository for food; Inextricably linked to the BRAIN, the gut plays a vital role in the regulation of your emotions, moods, and stress. In this episode, we’ll examine the mysterious “Gut-Brain Axis” and offer tips on how to strengthen it and improve your overall well-being.Thank you so much...2025-04-1319 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranBecome UNCLUTTERED! How? Simple: Have nothing in your house that is not BEAUTIFUL or USEFULWilliam Morris (1834-1896) was an English poet, designer, and political reformer.He developed a simple philosophy for “keeping house”: Keep nothing in your house that you do not Know to be USEFULBelieve to be BEAUTIFUL If your possessions are neither useful nor beautiful, dispose of them. Abide by this easy philosophy, and enjoy the bliss of an uncluttered, clean, and peaceful living space! If you don't mind sharing, please, tell me…Of what item d...2025-04-0623 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranWelcome back to Pneuma! (Renewed and Relaunched, 2025)After an inexcusably long hiatus, Pneuma returns! I'm so excited to relaunch this program and, with your help, develop healthy bodies and souls. I sincerely hope that you enjoy the forthcoming content. (If you don't, please--don't hesitate to advise me on ways to improve it!) Reach out to me on X @DanielEFinneran, IG @DanielEthanFinneran, or send your comments, questions, and criticisms to pneuma.finneran@gmail.com Until then, Fare thee well! 2025-04-0406 min
Finneran's WakeTo Photograph is to Learn How to Live | Ulrich BaerUlrich Baer is an author, editor, and a professor of photography at NYU. I wanted to chat with someone about photography in the “iPhone” age (along with a bunch of other things!), and Uli was kind enough to indulge me. I was dazzled by his breadth of learning and the expertise he has in so many different fields (poetry, philosophy, and literature, to name just a few). In this wide-ranging conversation, Uli and I discuss: Photography; Art; Nostalgia for Film; Th...2025-03-271h 30Finneran's WakeArt, Wonder, and Oscar Wilde | Joseph PearceJoseph Pearce is an educator, essayist, and author of over two dozen books. I reached out to Joseph because I wanted to learn more about the great Irish playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde, about whom he has written extensively. Joseph’s excellent biography of Wilde, “Unmasking Oscar Wilde” is linked below. Using Wilde as a springboard, Joseph and I leapt into a variety of topics, including:The different forms of Tragedy: Pagan v. Christian; Oedipus; Macbeth; Shakespeare’s religion; Catholicism...2025-03-2040 minFinneran's WakeKeju: The Ancient Test of China’s Strength | Yasheng HuangYasheng Huang is a professor at MIT and the author of many books, including his most recent work, “The Rise and Fall of the EAST”. I reached out to Professor Huang because, after reading his book, I wanted to learn more about Chinese history. In this episode, Yasheng and I discuss: Imperial China v. The Roman Empire; Keju; The origin of Civil Service Exams; Purges: Hard and Soft; Meritocracy v Aristocracy; Enlightenment Thinkers; The American Founding; Stalin and Mao; Xi Jinping; Autocratic “Stickiness”; Liberal Democracy...2025-02-061h 50Finneran's WakeRun like a Philosopher | Sabrina LittleSabrina Little is an author, ultramarathoner, and a professor of philosophy. Her latest book, “The Examined Run” is suitable not only for competitive athletes, but for anyone who wants to: Strengthen his body, discipline his mind, learn the basics of philosophy, and, most importantly, cultivate long-lasting virtues. In this episode, Sabrina and I discuss: Ancient Greek Philosophy; Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; How a strong BODY makes for a strong MIND; Admiration v. Imitation v. Emulation; Envy: Benign and Malign; iPhones...2025-01-301h 01Finneran's WakeThe Genius of Michelangelo | William WallaceWilliam Wallace is an author, a lecturer, and a professor of art history at the University of St. Louis. Professor Wallace is America’s expert on Michelangelo, the great Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. In this episode, Professor Wallace and I discuss: Michelangelo’s upbringing; Florence and Rome in the 16th century; Italy before it was “Italy”; Competition between artists: Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Raphael; Powerful Popes; The Reformation; Getting old; Defying Retirement; Finding your Calling; Striving toward Greatness; Aesthetics; Beauty; The Sistine Cha...2025-01-1653 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow to Deal with DISTRACTION with TS Eliot“Distracted from distraction by distraction”Look around: we’re in an inescapable loop of distraction. How do we liberate ourselves from this endless cycle? Borrowing from the great poet TS Eliot, this episode offers some advice. I hope that it’s helpful! Check out my sister channel Finneran’s Wake for profound, long-form conversations. Like, subscribe, and share with friends!2024-01-0816 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranThe “Burning Babe” Who Makes Your Heart GLOW (Christmas Episode!) | Pneuma Nuggets“As I in hoary winter night stood shivering in the snow, Surprised was I with sudden heat which made my heart to glow;And lifting up a fearful eye to view what fire was nearA Pretty Babe all burning bright did in the air appear.” Robert SouthwellI hope that you enjoy this bite-sized Pneuma Nugget! Please consider sharing this episode with a friend and subscribing to this channel for more sleep stories, meditations, and soothing content! 2023-12-2504 minPneuma by Daniel Finneran“A man travels the WORLD in search of what he needs and returns HOME to find it” | Pneuma Nugget“A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it”. - George Moore I hope that you enjoy this bite-sized Pneuma Nugget! Please consider sharing this episode with a friend and subscribing to the channel for more sleep stories, meditations, and soothing content! Visit my YouTube page @pneumabydanielfinneran. Email me at pneuma.finneran@gmail.comInstagram: @danielethanfinneranX: @Danie...2023-12-1503 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranDon't Live An IMAGINARY Life In The Mind of Others“We do not content ourselves with the life we have in ourselves and in our own being; we desire to live an imaginary life in the mind of others…” Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, inventor, and philosopher, came to this realization about humankind in the 17th century. It remains as true today as it was back then. In this episode, we discuss living an “imaginary life” in the mind of others, as opposed to embracing our real existence in the pursuit of truth. I...2023-12-1321 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad | Fall Asleep With MeJoseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) was a Polish-English novelist. He was born in 1857 and died in 1924. His twenty years spent as a sailor in the British merchant navy inspired many of his literary works, among which Heart of Darkness is most highly acclaimed. In this episode of “Fall Asleep with Me”, I read this work’s opening scene. It takes place on the tranquil waters of the River Thames. Please consider subscribing to this channel for more sleep...2023-12-0534 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Meditation For A RAINY Day: Tracing The “History Of A Single Raindrop”“How interesting (it is) to trace the history of a single raindrop!” In this guided meditation, we’ll join the American outdoorsman, conservationist, and writer John Muir as we contemplate the dramatic life story of a single raindrop. Muir was a man of extraordinary depth. In this episode, we’ll accompany him to lofty poetic heights–high, in fact, as the craggy summits atop which he made his home–before following him and his raindrop down to the oceans, rivers, puddles, and flower cups in which they c...2023-10-1823 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranFour Quartets by TS Eliot | The Great Poems Of All TimeThomas Stearns Eliot (1888 - 1965) was an Anglo-American poet. A devout Christian, Eliot was an important figure in the Modernist movement that sprang to life in the first quarter of the 20th century."Four Quartets", a uniquely sublime work by which all his other poems are eclipsed, addresses the theme of time. It's a theme on which, as you doubtless know, so many of our meditations here on Pneuma are based. I think that you'll enjoy it. 2023-10-141h 03Pneuma by Daniel FinneranFour Quartets by TS Eliot | The Greatest Poems Of All TimeThomas Stearns Eliot (1888 - 1965) was an Anglo-American poet. A devout Christian, Eliot was an important figure in the Modernist movement that sprang to life in the first quarter of the 20th century."Four Quartets", a truly sublime work by which all his other great poems are eclipsed, addresses the theme of time. It's a theme on which, as you doubtless know, so many of our meditations here on Pneuma are based. I think that you'll enjoy it. Subscribe, like, leave a five-star rating, and share this with friends. Send me p...2023-10-131h 09Pneuma by Daniel Finneran“Footfalls Echo In The Memory”: How To Think About And Deal With REGRETFootfalls echo in the memoryDown the passage which we did not takeToward the door we never openedInto the rose-garden.This is an excerpt from the first poem of TS Eliot’s masterpiece, “Four Quartets”. It is, in my opinion, the most memorable part of “Burnt Norton”.In this episode, we’re going to meditate on the theme that Eliot presents: Regret. Be sure to listen to my prior episode about remorse. What is the one thing you regre...2023-09-2627 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow to Think About and Deal with REMORSE, The “Poison Of Life”“Dread remorse when you are tempted to err, Miss Eyre; remorse is the poison of life.”In Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 masterpiece, “Jane Eyre”, Mr. Rochester issues this stark warning to young Jane, the novel’s titular character and heroine. In this episode, we’ll focus on remorse, contrast it with regret, and implement techniques to relieve us of its heavy burden. I ask you, dear friend and listener, which of the two do you think is worse: Remorse? Or regret? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or send me an email at...2023-09-0824 minFinneran's WakeBulls, Booze, and Broken Bones: A Cowboy’s Story | Barry BrownBarry Brown is an author, cowboy, horse breaker, bull rider, and rodeo competitor to whom the nickname, “The Bionic Bull Rider” has been, I think, very fittingly applied. Barry began competing as a bull rider at the tender age of 15. Despite its perils, he fell in love with the sport, in which he continued to participate (either as a competitor or a judge) for the next four decades of his life. During the course of his long career, he broke just about every bone in his body.2023-07-0352 minFinneran's WakeMovies and Madness, Through a Psychiatrist’s Eyes | James CharneyJames Charney is a psychiatrist, cinephile, professor, and author. His latest book, “Madness at the Movies” examines the mental disorders by which Hollywood’s most infamously deranged characters (Travis Bickle from Scorcese’s “Taxi Driver”; Norman Bates from Hitchcock’s “Psycho”) are afflicted. The book, written for a popular audience, is an extension of a beloved course (also entitled, “Madness at the Movies”) that he taught at Yale University for many years. A physician by training, Dr. Charney is not only a lover of movies, but a faithful student of their history and a discerning judge of the...2023-06-072h 10Pneuma by Daniel FinneranWhat If You Had to Relive Each Moment Of Your Life Again And Again (Forever?)What if you had to live your life not only once, but innumerable times over? Would this be a blessing? A curse? Would you delight in the opportunity to live it again? Or, if you haven't lived such a good life thus far, would you bewail the prospect? In his work, "The Gay Science", Friedrich Nietzsche explores this idea. He does so through his doctrine of "Eternal Recurrence", of which the Pre-Socratic philosopher, Heraclitus, is acknowledged to have been the originator. In this meditation, we take up the doctrine of Et...2023-06-0734 minFinneran's WakeWelcome to Finneran's Wake!Welcome to Finneran’s Wake – where the ART OF CONVERSATION lives. Here, no topic is untouchable, no idea inadmissible, and no one too heretical to be heard. As the great French essayist Montaigne once said, “To my taste, the most fruitful and natural exercise of our minds is CONVERSATION. I find the practice of it the most delightful activity in our lives”. It certainly is the most delightful activity in my life. I want it to be so in yours as well. To...2023-05-3102 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHidden Inside Each One of Us Is An Unimaginable “I”. Where Is Yours?The concept of the Unimaginable “I” is one to which, so far as I can tell, the Czech-French writer, Milan Kundera, is chiefly responsible for having given life. Kundera, twice expelled from the Czech Communist Party (of which he was, in his youth, a devout member) published a book in 1984 entitled The Unbearable Lightness of Being, about which I talk, at some length, on my sister channel, Finneran’s Wake (Check it out on Podcast/YouTube!) In the book, Kundera contemplates the idea of the Unimaginable “I”, to which today’s epis...2023-05-3021 minFinneran's WakeThis Book Has Had the BIGGEST Impact On Me (So Far This Year!)I realized, while reflecting on the last few conversations of which I partook, that I twice made reference to one special book: “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera. Kundera, a Czech-French author who is (at the time of this posting) an incredible 94 years of age, is an extraordinary man. Twice expelled from the Czech Communist Party, he’s a reform-minded liberal bohemian (in the best sense of the word) to whom my friend and prior guest, Noah Charney, introduced me. In his 1984 masterpiece, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”, Kundera employed his capacious int...2023-05-2925 minFinneran's WakeEscaping the Secret Police, Studying Ancient Greece, and Defending Human Rights | Svetlana SlapšakSvetlana Slapšak is an author, editor, anthropologist, philologist, expert in gender studies and the history of the Balkans. Born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1948, she now resides and works in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Svetlana is the type of person to whom I could talk for hours: the breadth of her experiences is exceeded only by the depth of her reading (which, I assure you, is unfathomably DEEP, indeed!)In this conversation, Svetlana and I discuss: Her upbringing in post-War, Soviet-controlled east...2023-05-282h 13Finneran's WakeNietzsche, Shakespeare, Aristotle, And The Soul Of American Politics | Glenn EllmersGlenn Ellmers is an author, journalist, political scientist, and fellow at the Claremont Institute. The late Harry Jaffa–of whom Glenn was a student–is the subject of his excellent 2021 book, The Soul of Politics (of which I strongly urge you to buy a copy!) His forthcoming work, The Narrow Passage, will be released in the Summer of 2023. Glenn is a true renaissance man; he can write and speak as fluently about Aristotle and Machiavelli as he can Shakespeare and barbells. In this episode, Glenn and I discuss…What it means t...2023-05-231h 38Finneran's WakeHow to Outsmart Your Brain, Procrastinate Less, Read More, and LEARN More! | Dan WillinghamDan Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of many celebrated articles and books.His latest work, Outsmart Your Brain, offers invaluable advice for the student whose goal is to maximize his or her fullest learning potential.But you don’t have to be a student–enrolled at a prestigious university or an expensive high school–in order to benefit from his wisdom;We can ALL afford to become better learners, more discerning readers, and more intelligent people...2023-05-2258 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranBrideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh | Fall ASLEEP With MezzzzZZZZzzzz😴😴😴Hello everyone! Welcome to this latest installment of “Fall Asleep With Me”.In this series, I read classic bedtime stories and great works of literature to which you can (and most assuredly WILL) fall asleep! Tonight’s episode is a sleepy, dream-inducing reading of “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh. Please subscribe to this channel for many more sleepy bedtime stories and soothing meditations to which the whole family can listen along.2023-05-2040 minFinneran's WakeCanada’s FUNNIEST Young Comedian! | Neema NazNeema Naz is a comedian, an actor, and the creator of The Estupid Club and NeemaNazTV. This conversation–my first with a REAL, card-carrying comedian–was an absolute delight! Of course, if you’re among his quarter-million followers on Instagram, this will come as no surprise; Neema is not only an immensely talented actor, but a refreshingly candid person. In this episode, Neema and I discuss: His origin story; the role of his parents (who immigrated to Canada from Iran) in his life; beginning and sustaining a successful business with his brother; t...2023-05-1644 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow To Breathe As Nature Intended: (Deeply) With Your DIAPHRAGM!To breathe deeply into the abdomen with the diaphragm–that’s precisely the way in which Nature intended us to breathe! And yet…We’ve unlearned this simple technique (for which a remedial lesson is urgently needed!)Together, let’s relearn how to breathe properly. Follow along, and–within a few minutes’ time–you’ll significantly improve the quality of each breath. You’ll lower your stress, improve the structure of your palate and face, and appear much more confident and refined...2023-05-1523 minFinneran's WakeThe Tension Between LIBERTY & SLAVERY At America's Founding | Edward LarsonEdward Larson is a lawyer, historian, professor, and Pulitzer-Prize winning author. A distinguished professor at Pepperdine University, his most recent work, American Inheritance explores the tension between liberty and slavery in America’s founding era. In this episode, Professor Larson and I discuss: The importance of April 19th, the day on which the American Revolution formally began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord; The reasons why the American Revolutionary War was fought; If we’re deserving of our inheritance of freedom; The merits of the NYT’s 1619 Project; Did the colonists revolt in order...2023-05-101h 09Pneuma by Daniel FinneranWe’ve Surpassed 50k Downloads! And It's All Thanks to YOU!Since its inception in Autumn of 2022, Pneuma has accumulated 50,000 downloads (almost exclusively on Spotify)!I just want to take this opportunity to THANK everyone for supporting this channel and for helping our community grow. Behind every number is a person, a deeply complex and unique human being, to whom I extend my sincerest gratitude. It’s my goal for Pneuma to become the FIRST (and perhaps only!) place you visit when in need of a soothing voice and a thoughtful word. A soothing voice and...2023-05-0816 minFinneran's WakeOpen the FLOOD Gates! James Flood’s Bio, Inspiration(s), and Diet | James FloodIn this inaugural episode of “Finn and Flood” (a segment focused on vitality, fitness, and wellbeing!), I sit down with my good pal, James Flood! Aside from being an all-around swell (*swole*) guy and a dear friend, James is one of the most knowledgeable trainers I know, with many years of experience in the gym upon which he never hesitates to draw.In this episode, James pulls back the curtain to reveal a bit about his past; how he discovered wellness and fitness; who his inspirations are; his current appro...2023-05-0634 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow To MASTER Your EMOTIONS! (It's Easier Than You Think!)Are you ready? Here’s the secret: Gaining mastery over your emotions is as simple as replacing one word with another. When angry, do you say: “I am angry”? Try this: the next time that you’re visited by the emotion of anger, simply substitute the word “feel” for “am”. “I feel angry” is much different from “I am angry”. Feelings are fleeting. They are visitors to which you can either open or close your...2023-05-0529 minFinneran's WakeAchieve RADICAL Physical Transformation! | Marty GallagherMarty Gallagher is an author, powerlifter, trainer, and coach. Bearing nicknames such as the “Iron Monk”, the “Carefree Psychotic”, and the “Hibernian Hulk” (okay…I just made that last one up!) Marty is one of those rare specimens around whom legends are formed. A champion powerlifter before the age of twenty, Marty has spent the entirety of his career (spanning over five decades) improving his technique, refining his philosophy, teaching the fundamentals, and making everyone around him not only dramatically stronger, but significantly smarter. He is the author...2023-04-302h 02Pneuma by Daniel FinneranA Guided GROUNDING Meditation | My Personal Technique (ADVANCED)Grounding (or mindfully connecting your bare feet to the earth) is one of the simplest, least expensive, and most powerful things that you can do for your health. And guess what? With a little guidance, it’s something at which you can become an expert in just a few minutes’ time! In this episode, I’ll help you to become a “grounding” pro! I’ll lead you through my own grounding practice, to which I religiously commit a few minutes every single day, no matter the weat...2023-04-2732 minFinneran's WakeBecome an ART EXPERT in just 12-Hours! | Noah CharneyNoah Charney is an art historian, lecturer, author, and expert on art thievery. His latest book, The 12-Hour Art Expert, is the perfect entree for the layperson (like me!) who’s interested in learning more about art, but doesn’t quite know where to begin. It’s scholarly, but not abstruse; simple, but not condescending; thorough, but not tedious. Oh–and its pictures are absolutely stunning! Read this book, and you’ll be able to walk into any art museum with a breadth of knowledge and...2023-04-251h 10Pneuma by Daniel FinneranA SUPER SLEEPY Countdown From 100 To 0 To Help You Fall Asleep (More Effective Than Counting Sheep!)The title, I think, says it all! In this video (over whose script I toiled for weeks!), I count down from 100 to 0 in a super SLEEPY tone of voice. My prediction is that you won’t make it past 75. When you wake up, be sure to comment below with the last number you remember hearing. I’m curious to know if there’s a soporific “sweet-spot” at which everyone falls asleep.Please consider subscribing to this channe...2023-04-1930 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA DEVIL’S Response to HAMLET’S Big Question: “To Be Or Not To Be”?In a previous episode, we meditated over a question than which, in my opinion, there simply is none bigger, more profound, nor more important: “TO BE, OR NOT TO BE”. (Or, in other words: to keep on living, or to give up and die).This is the famously quotable line with which Act III of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” opens. Hamlet, the troubled Prince of Denmark does what he does best: he dithers. I suppose, ultimately, he decides NOT to be (a decisio...2023-04-0640 minFinneran's WakeHow Elite Ivy League Schools POISON Everything | Evan ManderyEvan Mandery is a professor, lawyer, (former standup comedian!) and the author of eight books. His latest work, Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us is available for purchase at all reputable (and even some disreputable) booksellers. I highly recommend you go out and pick up a copy of this important book. Evan is one of those rare polymathic types from whom you can learn just about anything. An expert on capital punishment, he can easily expound on law, fiction writing, comedy, mindfulness, running, higher education, poker, and politics. ...2023-04-062h 04Pneuma by Daniel Finneran“You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s GONE”: How Deprivation Sharpens Our Idea of ValueDon’t it always seem to goThat you don’t know what you’ve gotTill it’s gone…The legendary Joni Mitchell (to whom the Counting Crows don’t hold a candle!) said it best: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. GK Chesterton, the great English essayist, cultural critic, and Christian apologist of the early 20th-century wrote something very similar in his article, “On Being Moved”. In it, he said: “For it is the point of all deprivation that it (deprivat...2023-03-3142 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranNourishment For The Body and Soul: Getting to the MARROW of LifeThe marrow–be it of a bone or of a book–is the deepest, healthiest, most sought-after thing that we can nourish ourselves with. It is the hidden flake of gold, the buried piece of diamond for which we all dig–than which every lustrous rock and special stone is far less valuable. In this episode, we draw our inspiration from the great French Renaissance writer, François Rabelais. In his immortal book, “Gargantua”, Rabelais compares a dog (crowned by Plato as the animal kingdom’s most...2023-03-2530 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Meditation on Life's BIGGEST Question: “To be, or not to be?”“To be, or not to be, that is the question…”Verily, ‘tis a line quotable not only by every English-speaker, but most non-English-speakers who are scattered across the world. And while it deserves, and shall forever deserve, our quotation, it no less demands our contemplation. I’m convinced that this line, and the entire passage of which it’s the opening and defining part, is more than mere poetry, scribbled out by a short-lived bibulous bard at the end of the sixteenth century.No.It is, in no exaggerated terms, life’s...2023-03-1945 minPneuma by Daniel Finneran20-Minute Morning Affirmations To Build Your CONFIDENCEGood morning! Are you looking to boost your confidence as you prepare for the trials and tribulations of the day ahead? Are you looking to uplift your spirit and strengthen your resolve as you embark upon a new and daunting journey? I can assure you: you’ve come to the right place! Take a seat, close your eyes, attend to your breathing, and join me on this 15-minute affirmation meditation, at the end of which your confidence will be comple...2023-03-0924 minFinneran's WakeSouth Carolina, Secession, and the CIVIL WAR | Eric LagerEric Lager is an academic and entrepreneur who lives and teaches in South Carolina. A native of Illinois, Professor Lager obtained his Ph.D in antebellum American History from the University of Tennessee. He currently lectures at The Citadel–that famous Charleston military academy from which so many valiant rebels took their degrees! When outside the classroom, Professor Lager spends his time, well, outside! He is the founder and operator of a burgeoning little business, “Charleston History Walk, LLC”, to which you can find a link below. 2023-03-0447 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow to Keep Calm in a Crazy World | A Gentle Guided MeditationNo doubt—this world in which we live is a crazy one! From political unrest, to economic uncertainty, to global pandemics, and interminable wars, you might begin to feel as if there’s no escape. Rest assured, there is. The path is simple: all you need to do is retire into yourself and find your inner peace. Join me on this soothing meditation to rediscover your inner peace and, above all, to keep your calm in what is, by any meas...2023-03-0355 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranLife Lessons From YouTube's SLEEP GURU | Jason StephensonJason Stephenson is the founder and host of the wildly popular YouTube channel, “Jason Stephenson: Sleep Meditation Music” to which some 3 million people (and counting!) are subscribed. Since joining the platform in 2011, Jason’s videos on sleep, mindfulness, meditation, music, nature, life, and breathing have amassed over 700 million views–a number to which I’m honored to say I’ve contributed!In this conversation, Jason and I discuss…His tumultuous background and how it led him to a life devoted to wellness; quitting his job in order to pursue his true passion; the prodigious grow...2023-02-251h 37Finneran's WakeLife Lessons From The Internet's SLEEP Guru! | Jason StephensonJason Stephenson is the founder and host of the wildly popular YouTube channel, “Jason Stephenson: Sleep Meditation Music” to which some 3 million people (and counting!) are subscribed. Since joining the platform in 2011, Jason’s videos on sleep, mindfulness, meditation, music, nature, life, and breathing have amassed over 700 million views–a number to which I’m honored to say I’ve contributed!In this conversation, Jason and I discuss…His tumultuous background and how it led him to a life devoted to wellness; quitting his job in order to pursue his true passion; the prodigious grow...2023-02-221h 37Pneuma by Daniel FinneranSailing to Byzantium by WB Yeats | The Great Poems Of All TimeWilliam Butler (WB) Yeats (1865 - 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and statesman. A poet to whom I was introduced at the tender age of twelve, Yeats has continued to inhabit a special place in my heart. His finest work, in my opinion, is "Sailing to Byzantium". After the collapse of Rome in the fifth century AD, the center of European culture shifted east to the Golden Horn. Renamed "Constantinople" after the famed Christian Emperor, Byzantium was, to Yeats, the spiritual homeland to which, in a modern world overcome by materialism, he yearned to return. 2023-02-1907 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Celebration Of The Sun: Gratitude For Our Great Star AboveThomas Traherne (1636-74) was an English poet, writer, theologian, and Anglican cleric to whom I was recently introduced.His only extant work, Centuries of Meditations, completely swept me away. It’s a short but powerful book with which you should spend an afternoon. In this episode, we’ll focus on a couple of passages from Traherne’s Meditations. In them, he lists the countless gifts that the sun bestows upon us every single day–of which we’re almost always unmindful, and for which we’re hardly ever grateful. 2023-02-1230 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Simple 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise | On The BeachThe 4-7-8 breathing exercise, of which the great Dr. Andrew Weil is widely-acknowledged to be the inventor, is simple and effective. You need only do the following: inhale for 4 seconds; hold the breath for 7 seconds; and exhale for 8 seconds. That constitutes one cycle. You'll then repeat this sequence for a total of four cycles. Perform this at least twice a day. A little "behind the scenes": this episode, which was completely unscripted, was recorded while I was sitting on the beach. Sadly, I was a bit too far away from the shoreline to capture the calming m...2023-02-0705 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranIf-- by Rudyard Kipling | The Great Poems Of All TimeRudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English poet, journalist, and author of short stories. An unbending defender of the British imperial project, his reputation has suffered in recent years. Many of his detractors today echo the judgment rendered by George Orwell, who called him, in positively venomous terms, a morally insensitive, aesthetically disgusting, brutal, sadistic, jingo imperialist. Well then! Despite Orwell's unflattering assessment of his near contemporary, Kipling's finest poem, "If--", is one you'll want to commit to memory. It's a brief, beautiful work that you can memorize in but a few weeks' time. Untarnished by politics, inspirational from its first...2023-01-2906 minFinneran's WakeDid Steven Crowder BETRAY Conservatives?The fourth realm of the the ninth circle of Dante's Inferno is reserved for those who betray their benefactors and are unfaithful to their friends. In the fallout of the Steven Crowder/Daily Wire controversy, some people are prepared to open up the gates of hell and toss Mr. Crowder into its fiery depths. In this video, I give my opinions and a little bit of commentary on the situation, as I understand it. Embarrassingly, the microphone failed to capture the music for the intro! Aside from that, comment below with your thoughts. With whom do...2023-01-2619 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Quick, Calming Breathing Meditation At The BeachThe title says it all! After a peaceful morning spent reading on the beach, I took a few minutes to absorb all the natural beauty, tranquility, picturesqueness, and happiness that surrounded me. Join me and interrupt your day with the gentle sound of waves rolling on the beach, wind blowing through the trees, laughter dancing in the air, music echoing in every direction, and--the least euphonious of the aforementioned--my calming voice leading you through a simple breathing exercise. Visit my website at pneumameditation.com and send me an email at pneuma.finneran@gmail.comVisit my...2023-01-2510 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranTreat Your Feet Right! Basic Strength, Balance, and Grounding For A Healthier BaseEncased by slippers, sneakers, and shoes all day, our poor feet are suffering from the mistreatment of modernity. For twelve, sixteen, eighteen hours, they're confined to ill-fitting shoes from which they want nothing better than to be set free. Sadly, they're prohibited, for almost the entirety of their life, from bending, bearing, feeling, and moving as the Author of nature intended. In this episode, we'll go through a few simple exercises that can help restore the strength, flexibility, and sensitivity of the feet. Repeat this every day, and, before you know it, you'll have greatly improved your s...2023-01-2017 minFinneran's WakeHey (Doctor) Jill!--Did Hunter Remember to Close the GARAGE door?In this episode of "Our Thought Bubble", my father and I discuss the shocking revelation that President Biden was in unlawful possession of classified documents dating back to his tenure as VP six years ago. This is the same infraction, a "strict liability" crime, over which the FBI raided former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. More importantly, it appeared to be one of a few crimes on which House Democrats and Biden's DOJ were hoping to indict him. That seems less likely to happen now. Some points on which we expand in this video: our...2023-01-171h 03Pneuma by Daniel FinneranMomotaro (The Peach Boy) | Fall Asleep With MeThe story of Momotaro (the "Peach Boy") is one of the most famous and beloved in Japanese folklore.Born of a giant peach that was floating down the river, Momotaro was adopted by an elderly couple that was incapable of having a child of its own. Nurtured by his parents' unremitting love and care, Momotaro grew to be a big, virtuous, strong young man. Eventually, he set out to confront the nasty demons who made a habit of terrorizing Japan. Try, if you can, to listen to the entirety of this very special Sleep Story. I...2023-01-1342 minFinneran's WakeBottom’s Up! A Tipsy History of Politics, Alcohol, and Prohibition | Mark SchradMark Schrad is a professor in the department of political science at Villanova University, over whose “Russian Area Studies” he presides as director. Professor Schrad is the author of three books: The Political Power of Bad Ideas; Vodka Politics; and, his latest work, Smashing the Liquor Machine (to which, if interested in their purchase, I’ll include links below). We sip our spirits, imbibe our beers, and become giddy over the prospect of tasting an evening’s dram of liquor, without ever really thinking about the history hidden behind these pote...2022-11-201h 29Finneran's WakeLessons from a Lawyer turned Yoga Master | Ignacio ZuletaIgnacio Zuleta is a Colombian lawyer, writer, and yogi. Born into politics, raised in the capital, trained as a lawyer…Ignacio’s career path appeared, until the transformative age of thirty (that strange moment in the life of a man at which epiphanies most often occur–just ask the Buddha, Joseph Smith, and Jesus) somewhat predictable: he’d ascend the ladder of his profession and society, accumulate wealth, acquire status, maybe run for office, and luxuriate in the fruits of his labor. No sooner had he reached his third decade tha...2022-11-0456 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranA Meditation on Human Nature with Machiavelli and The BuddhaI'll bet that you weren't expecting to see those two names joined together! Such are the promiscuous and varied sources from whom we here on Pneuma draw our inspiration. We look at once to the courtly Florentine political philosopher (by whom the murderous Medici were, for better or worse, advised), and to the ascetic Indian sage who, in the sixth century BC, attained enlightenment and enjoyed an apotheosis. In this episode, we'll examine one of the fundamental features of human nature: the insatiability of our appetite. We desire everything, but, in our lifetime, we're only ab...2022-11-0424 minFinneran's WakeThe Death of Boring History | The Pop HistorianThe Pop Historian is a general historian with an exciting, eclectic new channel on YouTube. “The historian must serve two masters: the past and the present”. In compliance with Fritz Stern, the late German-American professor of history at Columbia University by whom the above statement was issued, the Pop Historian has undergone to do just that. In a highly original, accessible, and entertaining way, he has packaged fascinating bits of history in a series of compelling videos, using the technology of today to tell great stories from the past. 2022-11-011h 06Pneuma by Daniel FinneranA Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens | Fall Asleep With Me"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."Is there, in all literature, an opening line with which more minds are stamped? A passage more famous and quotable than that with which Dickens' timeless classic begins? I think not! Set in those two great centers of learning and culture, London and Paris, before and during the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities follows the tribulations of Dr. Manette, his blue-eyed daughter, Lucie, and her dashing, strong-willed husband, the expatriate Charles Darnay. It is, according to every c...2022-10-1536 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranGuided Meditation For When You're On An AirplaneNot even the most experienced traveler (to whom thousands of valuable “miles” and precious points have accrued!) is totally immune to the uneasiness and discomfort associated with flight. These feelings, sadly, are an inescapable part of our airborne journeys. In this episode, we’ll go through a mediation by which our stresses will be quieted, our equanimity restored, and our flight made much more peaceful and, perhaps, enjoyable. We’ll perform a simple breathing exercise, a gentle body scan, an act of thanksgiving and appreciatio...2022-10-1029 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow To Lose Weight Like a Stoic"To live in accordance with nature". That, in its simplest form, is the central principle around which the entire philosophy of Stoicism revolves. To live in accordance with nature is to practice the four virtues (temperance, prudence, justice, and courage) for which we all have an inborn aptitude and reverence. It’s to elevate temperance, the virtue of moderation, self-control, self-possession, and self-governance, above the lower appetites by which we’re too easily overcome. In this episode, we’ll talk about the virtue of temperanc...2022-10-0527 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranIs Happiness Attainable in THIS Life?Can you be happy in this life? Can anyone, for that matter, be happy (I mean truly happy) in this life?Join me, Aristotle, and St. Thomas Aquinas as we address this difficult question. Be sure to subscribe to and follow this channel. Leave a Five-star rating on it and share it with friends! Finneran’s WakeListen to some fascinating conversations on your favorite podcast streaming service: Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/74eUg83Q8zOgaRA5EBuzyl?si=871b6aa8082146af. Apple https://podcasts.apple...2022-09-2329 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranConfessions of an English Opium Eater by Thomas De Quincey | Fall Asleep With Me#sleep #bedtimestories #bedtime #relaxing #calming #soothing Get comfortable! Here's an excerpt from Thomas De Quincey's intoxicating work, "Confessions of an English Opium Eater". The title, I think, says it all. De Quincey's confessional joins a timeless genre to which such luminary names as St. Augustine and Jean-Jacques Rousseau contributed. In this excerpt, you'll learn how the esteemed British author got hooked on the soporific drug, against whose recreational or medicinal use he's not exactly explicit in warning us! Here on Pneuma, it should be said, we promote sobriety and whole...2022-09-1830 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranHow To Think About The Sublime And Beautiful: A Lesson In Aesthetics For EveryoneRefine your aesthetic sense, heighten your appreciation for nature's splendor, learn what it means to experience the sublime and the beautiful.
This episode, at whose center the great Irish philosopher Edmund Burke stands, is something of a didactic meditation. In it, you'll learn how to think about the sublime and the beautiful, and how to talk about aesthetics in a more sophisticated way.
If you enjoy this content, please subscribe to or follow this channel! Share it with friends and visit my YouTube Channel.
Be sure to visit my sister podcast/YouTube Channel, Finneran's Wake2022-09-1441 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranGentle Stretches for the Relief of Neck Pain and Tension (Delivered to You by a Buttery-Smooth Voice!)That bothersome, inescapable tension in which your sore neck is all "knotted up"...
Well, it's about to be unravelled.
If these simple stretches don't put your neck at ease, the buttery-smooth cooing of my voice just might.
Check out my new YouTube channel, "Pneuma by Daniel Finneran", on which I'll post an accompanying video.
And visit my sister channels, Finneran's Wake (YouTube and podcast) and Finneran's Wake for Kids for more content. 2022-09-1023 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranFood, Shelter, Clothing - How Our Most Basic Needs Become Our UndoingFood, shelter, and clothing--these are the fundamental needs without which we can't long live, the biologic claims on us to which we can't be inattentive (lest we cease to exist!)
We all know this to be true, but these things quickly become, once we detach ourselves from the modest demands of nature, ostentatious treasures, immoderate indulgences to which we become lost.
Let's think about these basic needs and the the ways in which they become perverted into sumptuous feasts, capacious dwellings, and expensive, fashionable clothes.
Be sure to follow or subscribe to this channel, and leave a five-star Rating! Visit...2022-09-0814 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranLearn to Love and Celebrate the Morning! It's the Most Memorable Season of the DayAre you most decidedly NOT a morning "person"? Listen to this episode, inspired by the wisdom of Henry David Thoreau, and your affirmed dislike of the dawn might just change!
“All memorable events transpire in morning time and in a morning atmosphere. The Vedas say, ‘All intelligences awake with the morning’. Poetry and art, and the fairest and most memorable of the actions of men, date from such an hour. All poets and heroes, like Agamemnon and Achilles, are the children of Aurora, and emit their music at sunrise”.
May you be a child of Aurora, the dawn, the morning as well...2022-09-0625 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranWalden by Henry David Thoreau | Fall Asleep With MeAn excerpt from Henry David Thoreau's enduring contribution to the great American canon: Walden.
Picture yourself nestled in bed, encased in blankets, warmed by the embers of a fading fire. You're in a tiny cottage on the northern banks of Walden Pond, a cool, limpid body of water off whose pristine surface, a chilly breeze is now blowing. The chime of the crickets, the lapping of the waves, the crackling of the fire, (the sound of my voice!)--these are the sounds by which your sleepy ears are tickled.
If you have a book you want read in a sleepy...2022-09-0331 minFinneran's WakeIs Government Necessary?Given all the dysfunction, ineptitude, profligacy, venality, shortsightedness, and unscrupulousness with which our political institutions are rife, we have to ask ourselves: is government necessary? Can we get along just as well without it?
In this episode, the first in a series on the “Great Ideas”, we address the question in a dispassionate, philosophical way.
This series is inspired by the work of Mortimer Adler, one of America’s foremost public intellectuals and educators with whose countless works, you’d do well to spend some time.
What do you think? Is government necessary? Comment below or email me at finneranswake@gmail.co...2022-08-3019 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranThe Bible: Genesis | Fall Asleep with MeA reading of Genesis from the Hebrew Bible. Fall asleep to the most majestic tale ever told (or sacred truth revealed).
IF you succeed in staying awake through this episode (a feat of which only the most caffeinated among you has any real chance!), you'll hear the timeless story of creation; day by day, how the vast cosmos came into being; the earth and all its verdure; the sea and all its fathomless splendor; the birth of man, the molding of his helpmate, woman, and their fatal transgression of the one prohibitory law; A sin and the the expulsion of...2022-08-1738 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranCzeslaw Milosz; Unity in Multiplicity; E Pluribus Unum; Art; Personality; the Divine; Parmenides| Jog Your Mind - Episode 3After a 10-mile run, join me as I cool down on my spin bike and air my thoughts!
This episode covers the idea of "Unity in Multiplicity", a phrase to which the great Polish-American poet, Czeslaw Milosz makes reference. I expound upon this idea, which leads me to think about art, nature, personalities, God, and Parmenides--the Pre-Socratic philosopher to whom Unity, or oneness, was the fundamental truth of all being and life.
Be sure to subscribe to this channel and leave a review! Send me a note at pneuma.finneran@gmail.com. 2022-08-1315 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranWorks and Days by Hesiod | Fall Asleep with MeWorks and Days, by which restful nights are made all the sweeter. You're going to love this super sleep-inducing tale first told by Hesiod, a Greek poet of the 7th-century BC, who was a contemporary of Homer, an inspiration to Plato, and a hero of mine.
IF you succeed in staying awake through this episode (a feat of which only the most caffeinated among you has any real chance!), you'll hear the story of Prometheus' punishment; the creation of Pandora, the first mortal woman to step foot on earth; the reason behind her name; her eponymous jar (not a BOX...2022-08-1235 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranWorldly Possessions: Do You Possess Them? Or Do THEY Possess You?How should we think about our manifold worldly possessions?--the cars, clothes, houses, boats, bags, and countless fancy electronic gadgets by which we’re everywhere surrounded (and, whether we notice their encroachment on us or not, increasingly consumed?) Do we submit to and agree to be enslaved by them? Or, resisting their claim on us, do we fight, renounce, and abstain from them entirely?
Perhaps there’s a middle path.
In this episode, we’ll explore two ways of dealing with the problem of worldly possessions: one offered by Aristippos the Cyrenaic, and the other by Antisthenes, the ascetic. Both bear t...2022-08-1123 minFinneran's WakeUp From Liberalism by William F. Buckley Jr. | Book ReviewA book review of "Up From Liberalism" by famed Conservative thinker, William F. Buckley Jr. I spend a few minutes tracing my political inspirations: Aristotle, Cicero, Tocqueville, Jefferson, Hitchens and, yes, Buckley.
Subscribe, leave a rating, and visit my sister podcast, Pneuma by Daniel Finneran and Finneran's Wake for Kids2022-08-1128 minFinneran's WakeConcise Recap Ep. 9 - Al Qaeda Emir Killed; Pelosi Visits Taiwan; Kansas Abortion Proposition Fails; Inflation Reduction Act PassesQuite a week!
Ayman Al Zawahiri, the Egyptian physician-terrorist by whom Osama Bin Laden was succeded, was killed by an American drone strike. He was living large at the time in the heart of Kabul. Nancy Pelosi, undeterred by warnings from both the White House and the CCP, visited Taiwan. In Kansas, a ballot initiative to move the issue of abortion from the judicial to the legislative branch fails, while, in the Senate, the "Inflation Reduction" Act passes.
Subscribe to this channel for more content! Visit my sister podcasts, Pneuma and Finneran's Wake For Kids for even more! 2022-08-0833 minFinneran's WakeThomas Jefferson and Joe Biden - A Contrast Of Two Presidents at 79While reading Thomas Jefferson's collected writings, I realized that, until the very end of his life, his mental acuity never suffered. The same brilliance with which he dazzled the Continental Congress in 1776 sustained itself (and perhaps grew even brighter) until the first quarter of the next century when, on the Fourth of July in 1826, he died. I contrast, in this recorded essay, Jefferson's eloquence at the age of 79 years with the inarticulacy of our current president, Joe Biden, by whom the English language is, each time he opens his mouth, severely abused. The examples I provide are shocking.
Be sure...2022-08-0322 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranSun Yourself Like a Cynic - A Philosopher's Guide to SunbathingMy advice to you this summer: Sun yourself like a Cynic!
That's right--like a Cynic!
Diogenes the Dog, founder of the Cynic school of philosophy, liked nothing better than to bask all day in the sun. Perhaps he didn't know that, by so doing, he was generating vitamin D, increasing his testosterone, heightening his serotonin, setting his Circadian clock, and extending his life. He just knew how to live best--how to live simply and in accordance with nature (an idea on which the Stoics later grounded their own philosophy). Even in the presence of a powerful king, Alexander the Great...2022-08-0234 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranIn The Garden Of Life, Sow Great Thoughts. A Great Destiny Will Blossom“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Can a simple thought truly influence your destiny? Can a state of mind, so easily adopted, really make you into the person whom you want to be? Join me on this episode as we explore the power of thoughts and how they, more than anything else, help to determine your destiny.
Check out my latest work, Finneran's Wake For Kids, for stories about heroes and...2022-07-2122 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranDo You Want a Transcendent Experience? (For Free?!) Go Out Into Nature, and Connect with a TreeI grant you, it all sounds a little bit too "hippie" and "green", too earthy and primitive for you, my civilized and sophisticated listener, but you'll be absolutely AMAZED by how transcendent it can be to simply examine, admire, and celebrate a tree--that marvel of nature by which, almost everywhere you look, you're quietly surrounded (and, if you'll notice, made to feel quite small).
Appreciating a tree, silly though it sounds, is a powerful way to practice mindfulness, to become attentive to detail, to cultivate a poetic spirit, to fall in love with nature, to feel gratitude for life, to...2022-07-1723 minFinneran's WakeConcise Recap - Ep. 7: Unrest in Akron; A Mass Shooting Carried Out in Highland Park (and Averted in Richmond); Boris Johnson Steps Down, While Shinzo Abe is Shot downOn this week’s Concise Recap, we cover the following:
1.) Unrest in Akron after the release of police footage (of Jayland Walker’s Death)
2.) A mass shooting carried out in Highland Park, and a mass shooting averted in Richmond
3.) Boris Johnson steps down, and Shinzo Abe is shot down.
Subscribe and leave a five-star rating and review! Visit my newest projects, "Finneran's Wake - For Kids" and "Pneuma" 2022-07-1026 minFinneran's WakeConcise Recap - Ep. 6: 53 Migrants Die in a Semi Truck in Texas; January 6th Committee Welcomes a New Witness; Religious Freedom Prevails AgainAn extraordinary week! The three items you must know:
1. 53 Migrants Die in a Semi Truck in San Antonio Texas
2. The January 6th Committee Welcomes a New Witness
3. Religious Freedom Prevails (Again) in the Supreme Court
Visit my new podcast, "Finneran's Wake, For Kid's" for wonderful family-friendly content and my wellness podcast, "Pneuma". 2022-07-0332 minPneuma by Daniel FinneranYour Complete Guide to Sleep: From Sunrise to Sunset, How to Prepare for and Enjoy a Blissful, Restful Night“O sleep! O gentle sleep! Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, that thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down and steep my senses in forgetfulness?” - Shakespeare
Let’s reacquaint ourselves with gentle sleep. Let’s return to Nature’s soft nurse, into whose cozy bosom we hasten when the night is near.
Beginning at sunrise, ending at bedtime, this episode will give you simple tips to have a great night’s sleep. Sweet dreams!
Subscribe and leave a 5-star rating!
Visit my sister podcast, "Finneran's Wake" for stimulating talks about news, philosophy, history, and politics. 2022-06-1840 minFinneran's WakeConcise Recap | Ep. 3 - Tulsa Shooting Leaves 4 Dead; The "Depp-Heard" Dénouement; The Commencement of Pride Month; BONUS item | NewsThis week's "Concise Recap" on Finneran's Wake!
For those short on time, but on long on curiosity; for those to whom news and politics are an interest, but whose time is limited.
The three most important news items of which you should be aware, with which you should be fluent, all brought to you in a half-hour's time:
1.) A shooting in Tulsa leaves four people dead, of whom two were orthopaedic physicians. How the media covered this and previous shootings.
2.) The "Depp-Heard" Dénouement: The Trial of the Year Concludes.
3.) Pride Month Begins And, With It, The Commencement of June
4.) B...2022-06-0525 minFinneran's WakeConcise Recap | Ep. 2 - Uvalde, Texas Elementary School Massacre; Political Responses to the Aforementioned; Biden's Commitment To Defend Taiwan | NewsThis week's "Concise Recap" on Finneran's Wake!
For those short on time, but on long on curiosity; for those to whom news and politics are an interest, but whose time is limited.
The three most important news items of which you should be aware, with which you should be fluent, all brought to you in a half-hour's time:
1.) A mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas left 21 people dead, of whom 19 were children. This is the second mass shooting in as many weeks.
2.) Political responses to the aforementioned.
3.) President Biden asserts America’s commitment to defend the island of...2022-05-3023 minFinneran's WakeConcise Recap | Ep. 1 - Buffalo Shooting, Stock Market Suffers, Disinformation Governance Board Suspended | NewsThe inaugural "Concise Recap" on Finneran's Wake! For those short on time, but on long on curiosity; for those to whom news and politics are an interest, but whose time is limited.
The three most important news items of which you should be aware, with which you should be fluent, all brought to you in a half-hour's time:
1.) A racially-motivated shooting in Buffalo claimed the lives of 10 people, whom the assailant–a young white supremacist–deliberately targeted.
2.) The stock market suffered its worst week since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. The financial future of the country appears to be, at b...2022-05-2322 minFinneran's WakeThe Prelude by William Wordsworth | A Reading“The earth is all before me: with a heart joyous, nor scared at its own liberty, I look about, and should the guide I choose be nothing better than a wandering cloud, I cannot miss my way”. Let us mount that wayward nimbus, upon whose broad back we leap to climb, if only to seek the sunrise of a fresh and glorious day. Let us follow that venturesome spirit, by which, in heat, the verdant land is shaded, and, in solitude, the quiet empyrean conveyed. This much we know—we shall not be led astray. We shall not find ourselves on pat...2021-05-301h 04
Finneran's WakeEp. 16 - On The Art Of Conversation, Part II | Michel De Montaigne“I welcome truth, I fondle it, in whosesoever hand I find it; I surrender to it cheerfully, welcoming it with my vanquished arms as soon as I see it approaching from afar”. With the exception of love, and perhaps beauty, truth is the only power to which, once beaten, we can’t but gladly submit. We smile as we bow our heads in its royal presence, and cheer the conquest of its arrival. It’s the supreme force, greater than any other, before which we unhesitatingly genuflect, and to which we happily commit our lightsome fate. Truth, steady in its march to...2021-05-2351 minFinneran's WakeOn The Art Of Conversation by Michel De Montaigne | A Reading“To my taste, the most fruitful and most natural exercise of our minds is conversation. I find the practice of it the most delightful activity in our lives. In their academies, the Athenians, and even more the Romans, maintained this exercise in great honor”. In our own times, however, we’ve all but forgotten this delightful art—this melodious exchange of ideas, and interplay of opinions, in which classical tongues were so fluent. We no longer feel the spark by which it once tickled our nerves, nor the heat with which it once warmed our lagging spirits. It was, once, the acti...2021-05-231h 03Finneran's WakeThe History Of Rasselas, Prince Of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson | A Reading‘The Europeans,’ answered Imlac, ‘are less unhappy than we, but they are not happy. Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed’. Alas, is this not the divine punishment for our original transgression?—the terrible consequence of our old, Edenic sin? Were our first parents not warned against tasting of the fruit with which that tempting tree was laden? Were they not then told, having eaten it, and having satisfied both hunger and curiosity in a single bite, to expect sorrow, pain, and a joyless life of toil? That much is to be e...2021-05-091h 07