Shows
Brad Hook PodcastDangerous Wisdom: What It Means and Why Philosophy Matters — With Nikos Patedakis, PhDPhilosopher and educator Dr. Nikos Patedakis joins me for a deep, expansive conversation about the soul of education, the legacy of Socratic inquiry, and the urgent need for meaningful dialogue in an era of accelerating technology. Nikos challenges the idea of philosophy as abstract theory and instead shows how it can be a transformational way of life. We also explore the ethical and existential questions raised by artificial intelligence—and how wisdom traditions might guide our path forward.Resources from Nikos: https://dangerouswisdom.org/hook💡 Big Ideas We ExploreWhat Socratic dialogue really means (it’s...
2025-06-241h 10
The Resilience PodcastResilience 4.0: How Learning from Wisdom Traditions Unlocks Lasting Fulfilment | Dr. Nikos PatedakisThis episode is brought to you by the Resilience Assessment and hosted by Brad Hook.
Order your copy of Brad's new book, Start With Values, now!
The Guest:
Dr. Nikos Patedakis is a philosopher and advocate for integrating wisdom traditions into modern life. With a focus on resilience, fulfillment, and philosophy's role in everyday experience, he brings insights into how ancient wisdom can address modern challenges. Dr. Patedakis encourages individuals to discover their core values, cultivate resilience, and embrace the process of self-discovery through philosophical practices.
Connect with Dr. Nikos Patedakis:
2024-11-011h 05
Dangerous WisdomSoothing Sounds, Timeless Wisdom - Drukmlo Gyal, the Victorious Dragon Woman of Mantra and SongA super special episode with the magical yogini Drukmo Gyal, a sonic shaman and practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism who bridges Tibetan traditions and global healing. Born into a family of Ngakpas in the culturally rich Amdo region of Tibet, Drukmo Gyal's life has been steeped in the practices of mantra and meditation from a young age. Growing up in a diverse community in Rebgong, she was immersed in an environment where spiritual practices were a daily ritual.Her journey in traditional healing began with studies in Tibetan medicine in Amdo, after which she furthered her expertise by...
2024-07-121h 15
Dangerous WisdomThe Backward Step - Getting Unstuck by Moving Forward and Backward at the Same TimeAn essential aspect of philosophy or LoveWisdom: How do we move forward in our lives? Maybe you have some problem or challenge in your personal life, or in your professional life. Or maybe you can sense the general stuckness of humanity, and maybe you even take that to be your own stuckness. Given all the confusion of the world, all the fear and uncertainty within our own soul and in the soul of the world, how can we find genuinely creative and beautiful ways to cultivate our lives forward, and cultivate the life of the world forward at the...
2024-06-241h 12Dangerous WisdomThe Artefact: Holographic Habits and Healing, Part 1The Artefact: Holographic Habits and Healing, Part 1We inquire into the nature of habit and freedom, the meaning of life, and how we can do our jobs and live together while feeling good in our mind, heart, and body, and feeling good about ourselves, about how we are living and loving.
2024-06-111h 04Dangerous WisdomSummoned by the Earth - Dialogue with Earth Bodhisattva Cynthia Jurs on Becoming a Holy Healing Vessel for Our WorldDialogue with a spiritual visionary. Cynthia Jurs experienced that almost comical spiritual archetypal pattern of meeting a wise old yogi in a mountain cave. She thought long and hard about what to ask him. His reply sent her on a remarkable spiritual pilgrimage.In this very special episode of Dangerous Wisdom, Cynthia shares her incredible journey, which she documents in her book, Summoned by the Earth: Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World. This is one of my favorite guests!Cynthia Jurs received Dharmacharya transmission from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh to become a...
2024-06-011h 32Dangerous WisdomDangerous Witches - Dialogue with Phyllis Curott - Priestess and Spiritual PioneerVideo version here: https://youtu.be/FtDBx1IBkoAA spiritual pioneer, Phyllis Curott is an attorney, writer and one of America’s first public Witches. Her international best-selling memoir Book of Shadows, 5 other books and groundbreaking Witches’ Wisdom Tarot have been published in 14 languages, making her the most widely published Wiccan author in the world. An outspoken advocate in the courts and media, she handled or consulted on groundbreaking cases securing the legal rights of Witches, including cases of child custody, religious assembly, organization, expression, and free speech. Phyllis was named one of The Ten Guts...
2024-05-041h 40
Dangerous WisdomThe Way of the Wolf, Part 3—The Secret to Entering Wolf Wisdom and Wolf MagicThe secret of entering the Way of the Wolf, the Way of the Wild, the Way of the Soul; a celebration of the Gospel of Mountains and Wolves; and a path to creating a vitalizing civilization, based on a nonduality of Nature and Culture.
2024-04-251h 29
Dangerous WisdomThe Way of the Wolf, Part 2—The Credulity of Humans and the Honesty of WolvesWhat is the truth that human credulity covers over, and what is the truth that the wild honesty of wolves seeks to reveal?
2024-04-2554 min
Dangerous WisdomWay of the Wolf, Part 1 - Wolf as Spiritual Keystone Species, Teacher, and FriendWe consider wolves as a spiritual keystone species. We have considered the horse as a spiritual keystone species, and we can learn a lot from both Wolf and Horse as archetypal currents in the soul. Wolf is part of the mandala of the Dangerous Wisdom curriculum. In light of recent events in Wyoming and more broadly, this contemplation on the spirit of Wolf seems important and overdue. Includes reflections on the books, The Philosopher and the Wolf (by Mark Rowlands), Beyond Words (by Carl Safnia), and the books on the Yellowstone wolves by Rick McIntyre, which start with The...
2024-04-2055 minDangerous WisdomThe Myth of Freedom and the Way of Mountain ThinkingOur best science and philosophy suggest very clearly that we don't know what thinking IS. If large ecologies are mind, what is thinking? If mountains think better than most human beings, how can we learn to think like a mountain?
2024-04-161h 02Dangerous WisdomWhat Owls Know, What Humans Believe - Dialogue with Carl Safina, author of Alfie and MeOne of Sophia's owls of wisdom made friends with a delightful and insightful human, the author and ecologist Carl Safina. If you enjoyed My Octopus Teacher, you will love hearing about Carl Safina's fabulous feathered friend, Alfie. Carl's book, Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, is a wonderful work of philosophy and ecology, and I think you'll enjoy this dialogue as much as I did. It was a great pleasure to speak with him.Carl Safina’s lyrical non-fiction writing explores how humans are changing the living world, and what the changes mean for no...
2024-03-281h 24Dangerous WisdomDangerous Medicine - Tibetan Holistic Healing with Amchi Dr. Tawni TidwellDr. Tawni Tidwell is an exceptional—and exceptionally interesting—person. She is the first person from the dominant culture to go through the whole Tibetan medical curriculum and earn a Tibetan medical degree. She also has a Ph.D. in bio-cultural anthropology. And her impressive experience and insight go beyond even this already remarkable education. We discuss her education and some aspects of Tibetan medicine. This is one of my favorite dialogues with one of my most favorite guests, and I look forward to having Tawni-la back to inquire further into the nature of health, healing, and liberation.
2024-03-151h 23Dangerous WisdomThinking Like a Mountain - How Our Decisions Go Wrong, and How to Get Them RightWhat is it to think like a mountain? How is it that many of our decisions go wrong, sometimes producing negative side-effects?You might remember hearing about a hole in the ozone layer that appeared last century. No one intended to create that hole. But we did it.We didn’t intend to put mercury in our brains and lead in our bones. A recent study tested 62 samples of human placenta and found microplastics in every single one of them.How do things go wrong on personal and planetary scales? And how can we...
2024-03-021h 14Dangerous WisdomThe Mind of a Bee: Dialogue with Lars ChitkaLars Chittka is the author of the book The Mind of a Bee and Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology at Queen Mary College of the University of London. He is also the founder of the Research Centre for Psychology at Queen Mary. He is known for his work on the evolution of sensory systems and cognition using insect-flower interactions as a model system. Chittka has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of animal cognition and its impact on evolutionary fitness studying bumblebees and honeybees.I often say that human beings have lost the sense of the...
2024-02-2358 minDangerous WisdomThe Mind of Nature and the Nature of MindThe Mind of Nature and the Nature of Mind Part 2 in an Introduction to Ecological Thinking—A Wisdom-Based ApproachWhat is the nature of mind? What is the mind of Nature? We inquire into some radical and revolutionary aspects of mind and ecological thinking.
2024-02-161h 39Dangerous WisdomIntroduction to Ecological Thinking, Part 1: A Wisdom-Based ApproachWhat is ecological thinking? Why does it matter? A contemplation for everyone—a series of contemplations for everyone. It’s an incredibly important series, because the idea of ecological thinking as we will approach it relates to the basic question of why we have so many problems in our world, and how we can resolve them, and it relates to the nature of mind and the mind of Nature, and how we realize our highest potentials. In other words, it’s about what we are.
2024-02-091h 36Dangerous WisdomNotes on the Nature of All Things - Neil Theise on Complexity, Zen, and InterwovennessThe biggest bite of knowledge fruit humanity has taken in the past millennium or two has to do with complex systems—the very stuff of life. Neil Theise has written an excellent, accessible introduction to complex systems, and we discuss the basic elements.Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Through his scientific research, he has been a pioneer of adult stem cell plasticity and the anatomy of the human interstitium. Dr. Theise’s studies in complexity theory have led to interdisciplinary collaborations in fields such as integrative medicine, consciousness stud...
2024-02-011h 34Dangerous WisdomRock Star of LoveWisdom - Bob Thurman on Bliss, Buddhas, and Having More FunBob Thurman, known in the academic circles as Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, is a talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture, Bob was named by The New York Times the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. Time Magazine chose him as one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997, desc...
2024-01-261h 16
The Human Beauty Movement PodcastThe Philosophy of Wisdom, Love, and Beauty with Nikos PatedakisIn this thought-provoking episode, we’re taking a deep dive into wisdom, love, and beauty to discuss how these ancient ideals can shine light on our modern lives. Consulting philosopher Nikos Patedakis introduces the wild, fierce, and gentle aspects of wisdom that are so often at odds with today's societal norms.Let’s journey together to understand how we can foster a more soulful, impactful existence. Tune in, and let's awaken the compassion, love, and wisdom within. This podcast episode is sponsored by*: Humanist Beauty - Beauty for your skin & soul, Humanist Beaut...
2024-01-2343 minDangerous WisdomThinking with the Earth - Dialogue with Dogen, Gary Snyder, and Jason WirthHow can we practice with Earth? How can we think with Earth? Can we allow our thinking and our practice of life to become undomesticated, wild, and indigenous again? In this dialogue, Tetsuzen Jason Wirth, philosopher in the academy and Zen priest, joins us to discuss Dogen, Gary Snyder, and the possibilities for a practice of the wild that can heal self and world in mutuality.
2024-01-171h 26Dangerous WisdomYou Are Super Natural - We Were Super Before We Were Human - Jeff Kripal, PhDIf Nature is super, if superness belongs to the very character of the Cosmos, then our attempts to exclude the super and the "impossible" may contribute in fundamental ways to the mess we find ourselves in (politically, economically, spiritually, and of course ecologically). We may claim that we want to exclude the impossible because we insist on excluding "superstition" and "woo," but in fact we may discover that we have thereby excluded the superness that belongs to the nature of Nature, and thus created and perpetuated confusion about what we are and what reality is.Jeffrey J...
2024-01-101h 24
disembodiedinterview with nikos patedakisFollowing in the footsteps of the Greek philosopher Epicurus, Nikos Patedakis works with individuals, groups, and organizations, bringing to bear the most powerful and holistic teachings of the wisdom traditions in relation to our most daunting personal and global challenges. Nikos works with the unity of nature and culture, drawing from the sciences, the arts, and the wisdom traditions. His educational and consulting practice offers a genuinely holistic approach to creativity and critical thinking, ecoliteracy and true sustainability, achievement and excellence, mindfulness and attention, wellness and stress reduction, burnout recovery and prevention, and more. https://dangerouswisdom.o...
2024-01-041h 09Dangerous WisdomDangerous Revelations: UFO UAP and Alien Disclosure Dialogue with Daniel SheehanOn the Winter Solstice of 2023, U.S. President Biden will sign a law that could move our entire planet a step closer to global transformation--or not. It's up to us. But the law will require the disclosure of UFO/UAP and alien encounter information held as some of the deepest secrets of the U.S. government. What does this mean for us? It may surprise you to learn that even the Vatican has formally acknowledged the existence of advanced life outside our solar system, and the need to come together to discuss the implications for us in terms of...
2023-12-201h 12Dangerous WisdomSophia's Wild Garden of Awakening and Love - Dialogue with Mary ReynoldsWhere do we find Sophia's wild garden of awakening and love? We're it. And we can see that garden in every direction, if we look with awakening eyes, eyes of love, eyes of wisdom, eyes of beauty. And we need to cultivate that garden, with "Acts of Restorative Kindness". We find references to Sophia as a presence in the Earth, a presence in soil and soul. She calls to us to attend to Her, and to all Her sacred beings.In this episode, we enjoy a deep dialogue with Mary Reynolds, emissary of Sophia, and...
2023-11-231h 22Dangerous Wisdom5 Errors of Embodiment - Error 5 - Missing Some Nuances of TraumaOur need for wholeness has revealed itself clearly in many ways, and one of them relates to trauma. And, that puts us in dangerous wisdom territory, because talking about trauma can provoke anxiety and confusion. How can we relate most skillfully to the experiences we consider traumatic, and to our lives and our world as we metabolize those experiences?
2023-11-171h 47
Chapter X with Michael KayWisdom Traditions with Nikos PatedakisWe often mistake experience for wisdom. But today, our guest challenges this notion. Wisdom isn't just about ourselves; it's about the legacy we craft. How do we become good ancestors and leave the world better than the one we entered? Join me in a conversation with Nikos Patedakis, a philosopher dedicated to unleashing wisdom and compassion. Brace yourself—the ideas exchanged in our conversation were nothing short of mind-expanding. Nikos, armed with multiple philosophy degrees, including a PhD, wields wisdom, love, and beauty to transform lives. Through his role as a consu...
2023-11-1552 minDangerous Wisdom5 Errors of Embodiment - Error 5 - Failing to Address Our Need for Holism and VisionWe live in a fragmented culture. That means our attempts at holism, including any supposed holism of body and mind, could involve significant fragmentation and ignorance. We need holism and vision in order to make sure our practices of embodiment heal self and world at the same time.
2023-11-101h 25Dangerous Wisdom5 Errors of Embodiment - Error 4 - Forgetting the Goals of Liberation, Ecology, and NonlocalityInstead of becoming more “embodied,” we, in some crucial sense, need to become more . . . ecologied, encosmosed, and liberated into the mysteries of interwovenness, liberated into sacredness and wonder. If “embodied” signifies getting “into” our “body,” it misses our true need in a variety of ways.For a free pdf of practices to help facilitate ecosensual awareness and a more ecological embodiment, visit the Dangerous Wisdom website:https://dangerouswisdom.org/practices-of-a-sacred-place
2023-11-0430 min
What's the value?"The power of philosophy to heal society" - Nikos Patedakis"Philosophy is actually the end of abstractions."
Wow, what a statement to think about. How different our approach to life might become if we embrace that thought. How much more reflective and humble we might become.
This conversation with Nikos was full of interesting and insightful thoughts. We talked philosophy, biology, evolution, psychology, and spirituality-- all with the same goal of trying to better understand what the hell we are doing here.
Not because it is interesting to think about, but because it is...
2023-11-0155 minDangerous Wisdom5 Errors of Embodiment - Errors 2-3 - Forgetting the Abstraction and Maintaining the DualityEmbodiment and somatics are big business. But do our practices of embodiment and somatics subtly maintain the duality between mind and body, Nature and culture, human and the larger community of life? And do we lose track of the fact that what we refer to as "my body" is usually an abstraction?In the worst case scenario, “embodiment” becomes another form of spiritual materialism, in which we bypass the more serious demands of a philosophical life with rationalizations so perfect they sound like the voice of liberation. An expansive (skillful and realistic) vision can help us to libe...
2023-11-0136 minDangerous Wisdom5 Errors of Embodiment - Error 1 - Forgetting We Already Identify with the BodyEmbodiment and somatics are big business. We need to recover our balance and our sanity, and heal our wounding in relation to embodiment. How can we do it in a way that minimizes spiritual materialism and prevents all these practices from becoming part of the self-help catastrophe and the continued elaboration of the pattern of insanity? Reflecting on some common errors of embodiment and how we can transcend them might give us some much needed nourishment.
2023-10-2733 minDangerous WisdomWisdom and the One-Day Incubator - Dialogue with Jay Tompt of Schumacher CollegeJay Tompt joins us for some economic reflections in the spirit of E.F. Schumacher. As part of our dialogue, Jay shares an inspiring idea you can put top use in your own community, to germinate sprouts of wisdom, love, and beauty: The One-Day Incubator.Jay is a co-founder of the Totnes REconomy Centre, a lecturer for Regenerative Economics at Schumacher College, an associate lecturer in economics at Plymouth University as well as a regular teacher on our post-graduate economics programmes. He co-developed the Transition Network REconomy Project’s Local Economic Blueprint course and handbook, co-founded the REc...
2023-10-121h 13Dangerous WisdomIf People Only Knew - Two Philosophers and a Neuroscientist Walk into a PodcastWhat happens when two philosophers and a neuroscientist walk into a podcast? They talk about things they wish more people knew. If people only knew how magical the world is, they might take better care of it, and relate to it with a greater sense of reverence and wonder. It's not that our reverence and wonder should depend on the existence of woo-woo phenomena, but that nature's superness is palpable in every direction if we would only slow down, brush the cobwebs of dogmatism away, and relax into the mind of Nature and the nature of mind. Mystery and...
2023-10-051h 10Dangerous WisdomListen to the Land Speak - Dialogue with Manchán MaganDangerous Wisdom with a friend from the Emerald Isle. Take a journey to Ireland without leaving home, and take a leap into the sacred wells of wisdom, wonder, and magic.Join us as we contemplate the power of place and the places of our empowerment. The delightful and insightful Manchán Magan and I read and reflect on passages from his book and other sources of wisdom, inviting you into your own practice of sacred place.In addition to reading Manchán's beautiful book, you can get some extra, free support on reconnecting to the la...
2023-09-301h 37Dangerous WisdomThe Wisdom of Scale and the Beauty of Smallness: Dialogue with Kate RuddKate Rudd joins us to talk about a short and highly accessible chapter from the classic book seeking to integrate economics and wisdom: Small Is Beautiful, by E.F. Schumacher. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Small Is Beautiful, Dangerous Wisdom will host a series of dialogues with faculty and alumni of Schumacher College.Schumacher's book is exceptionally relevant today, as we have continued the pattern of insanity he sought to question, and his insights and suggestions still offer us the possibility to arrive at better ways of knowing and being, better ways...
2023-09-011h 31Dangerous WisdomEvidence for Dangerous Things: Dialogue with Mona Sobhani, PhDMona Sobhani joins us to discuss her book, Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist’s Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe. Mona is a cognitive neuroscientist, author and entrepreneur. A former research scientist at the University of Southern California, she holds a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Southern California and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University with the MacArthur Foundation Law and Neuroscience Project. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, VOX, and other media outlets. She lives in Los Angeles.
2023-08-181h 24Dangerous WisdomHow to Heal Yourself and the World by Creating the World’s Biggest National Park - Dialogue with Doug TallamyThe nature and scale of ecological degradation can provoke empathy distress that devolves into depression, despair, anxiety, antipathy, avoidance, and outright denial. But ecological awareness and ecological education can help us to see how much power we have when we become attuned to spiritual and ecological realities. We can actually help to heal the world—each and every one of us, wherever we live.Imagine a national park bigger than Yosemite, bigger than Yellowstone, bigger than the Grand Canyon. Imagine a national park bigger than all three of those combined. Now imagine a national park bigger than th...
2023-08-101h 05Dangerous WisdomMarijuana - A Love Story - Dialogue with Derrick JensenDerrick Jensen's new book is called, Marijuana: A Love Story. It details his wild romance with this oft misunderstood plant teacher and medicine, and how the dream the Marijuana once offered people (a version of "the American Dream") became ruined by the corporatized capitalistic system. From the book description: "In state after state, the wealth-building capacity of this extraordinary plant is now concentrating into the control of the already rich. From seed to smoke, legalization is eroding the lives and livelihoods of the people it was supposed to help: the patients, growers, trimmers, "mules," and activists who...
2023-08-0847 minDangerous WisdomThe Magnificent SwindleA magnificent swindle attempts to keep us from realizing true peace and happiness. How can we overcome it? We must begin by seeing through it, with the help of Lewis Mumford, Walter Kaufmann, C.G. Jung, Kurt Vonnegut, and others. We consider addiction, domestication, distraction, and the material bribe we all must keep ratifying in order for the pattern of insanity to perpetuate itself. We can stop ratifying it here and now.
2023-08-011h 43Dangerous WisdomThe Others and the Interwovenness of Earth and SoulPicking up our contemplation on the feedback loop of Mind and Nature, we enter into insights and suggestions from Nietzsche and the poet-philosopher-farmer Wendell Berry. These thinkers help us to face some troubling questions:What are we not likely, or not able, to become conscious of, simply by living in the dominant culture?What does the culture make likely as our experience?What does it make likely as our world?The general answer to the latter question seems to be something degraded, limited, limiting.The philosophy of the dominant...
2023-07-251h 10Dangerous WisdomThe Feedback Loop of Earth and SoulWe arise embedded in mind, with mind in every direction. Human beings in the dominant culture seem to miss the mindedness all around them.The “modern” human walks around with “ideas” “in” their head. This localization of mind remains untenable on scientific grounds, and does not fit with most of the spiritual/philosophical traditions we have inherited. Nature is already Minded. Because of this, we need to mind Nature—that is, attend to Nature, and also allow Nature’s mindedness to spontaneously presence itself in/through/as us and our World.We likewise need to allow Nat...
2023-07-201h 10Dangerous WisdomThe Deepest, Darkest, Dirtiest Secret of Our Stress, Strain, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Imposter Syndrome, Burn Out, and LonelinessIt's something the self-help-industrial complex covers over, turning our sincere search for healing and success into the self-help catastrophe. What does our soul really want? How can we get on a path of sanity and sacredness, a path of true healing and happiness? Wisdom can help us find our way---but first we have to see things as they are, which means seeing our deepest, darkest, dirtiest secret.
2023-07-131h 28Dangerous WisdomWisdom, Love, and Strangeness: Dialogue with Sharon Hewitt RawletteIn honor of Interdependence Day, celebrating the total interwovenness of all things, we speak with Sharon Hewitt Rawlette, a philosopher specializing in the anomalous.Sharon Hewitt Rawlette is a philosopher and interdisciplinary researcher specializing in anomalous phenomena and their implications for our understanding of consciousness. She earned her PhD from New York University in 2008, studying under Thomas Nagel, and taught at Brandeis University before leaving academia for an independent writing career.She currently serves on the advisory board of the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies and is a supporting researcher for the International Centre for...
2023-07-041h 20Dangerous WisdomHealing Self and World Through Sleep and Dream: Dialogue with Rubin NaimanIf you struggle with getting enough sleep, you aren't alone. Keep in mind: six hours or less per night on an ongoing basis seems about as bad as getting zero for two days straight.As much as 41% of adults in the U.S. report short sleep, and as much as 84% of high school students report short sleep. Worse yet, 50-70 million U.S. citizens (perhaps more) qualify for a formal diagnosis of sleep disorder, ranging from insomnia to sleep apnea.All of this should create a sense of urgent compassion for ourselves, each other, and...
2023-06-071h 41
Leadership Launchpad: The Legacy EditionDangerous Wisdom with Nikos Patedakis Part 2
This week, Nikos Patedakis, consulting philosopher and host of the Dangerous Wisdom podcast, Rob Kalwarowsky from Elite High Performance. We talk about what leaders need to know from philosophy, wisdom traditions and what it means to be your neighborhood soul doctor.
In this episode, you will learn:
⊛ Why leaders need to learn philosophy
⊛ What we can learn from wisdom traditions
⊛ Why wisdom can be dangerous
Check our the Aspiring Leaders Program - https://elitehighperformance.mykajabi.com/aspiring-leaders
We at Elite High Performance specialize in building high impact...
2023-05-0149 minLeadership Launchpad: The Legacy EditionPhilosophy for Leaders with Nikos Patedakis Part 1This week, Nikos Patedakis, consulting philosopher and host of the Dangerous Wisdom podcast, Rob Kalwarowsky from Elite High Performance. We talk about what leaders need to know from philosophy, wisdom traditions and what it means to be your neighborhood soul doctor.
In this episode, you will learn:
⊛ Why leaders need to learn philosophy
⊛ What we can learn from wisdom traditions
⊛ Why wisdom can be dangerous
Check our the Aspiring Leaders Program - https://elitehighperformance.mykajabi.com/aspiring-leaders
We at Elite High Performance specialize in building high impact leaders that...
2023-04-2450 minDangerous WisdomThe Story of Sophia and Melanthea: Wisdom, Love, and LaughterWe begin with a story, and thread all the way through the meaning of enlightenment, and the need to receive initiation into the mysteries of life, follow a path of joy, cultivate reverence for wisdom and wildness, and truly realize the inconceivable interwovenness of all things.
2023-04-141h 30Dangerous WisdomLove, Luck, and the True Wealth of Nations: Seeds of a Gaia ScienzaLove is a trainable skill, and luck is an inevitable ingredient in our lives. Our current science challenges the notion of the sovereign individual, the importance of love, and the need for a paradigm shift. The Harvard Study of Adult Development goes together with other data to invite us to question the nature and the role of love, luck, and the true wealth of nations. The Harvard Study also supports the need for a new kind of science.
2023-04-091h 21Dangerous WisdomMassive Harvard Study Reveals True Wealth of NationsIn this episode we rewrite the headlines: Massive Harvard Study Reveals the True Wealth of Nations. What is the true wealth of nations? Isn’t it gross domestic product?And if nations are comprised of people, what is our true wealth?We’re thinking through the true wealth of nations in relation to our last contemplation. At that time, we considered the famous Grant Study, more formally known as the Harvard Study of Adult Development. If you haven’t heard about the study, it’s worth listening to that other contemplation of it first.The pr...
2023-04-061h 38Dangerous WisdomFamous Harvard Study Misses the Most Crucial FindingIt’s an impressive study, the longest scientific study of adult development, conducted across decades (it started in 1938). Referred to as the Grant Study or the Harvard Study of Adult Development, this famous research program has gotten several rounds of press.But the press coverage seems to miss something incredibly vital and far-reaching in this study. Even the books have failed to make it clear. In a way, we could suggest the lead researchers of the study missed this finding—didn’t notice it, didn’t fully grok it, or didn’t understand how crucial it is.This...
2023-03-3052 minDangerous WisdomThe Only Way I Know to Live a Human Life: Healing, Wholeness, the Challenges of Suffering, and the Paradoxes of SuccessA contemplation of healing, wholeness, the challenges of suffering, and the paradoxes of success. We consider some of the essential questions: In what sense is life a self-healing truth? What is the nature of health and healing? What is the nature of sickness—our cultural sickness and our own mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical sickness? What is the role of nondoing in our healing and in our life?
2023-03-241h 44Dangerous WisdomThe Insidious Captain Clock and His Mechanized Conquest of the SoulIn our culture, we have placed a set of habitual notions about time on top of the soul’s instincts and intuitions about rhythm and temporality. The physicist David Bohm said that, “. . . every thought assumes time. Whether we discuss thought or anything else, we always take time for granted. And we take for granted the notion that everything exists in time. We don’t take for granted that time is an abstraction and a representation, but we take for granted that time is of the essence—reality—and that everything is existing in time, including thought.” What if we have some ve...
2023-03-1342 minDangerous WisdomAttending to Our Dreams: Dialogue with Dr. Leslie EllisLeslie Ellis, Ph.D.,RCCAuthor, A Clinician's Guide to Dream Therapyhttps://drleslieellis.comA delicious discussion of the importance of dreams and some of the basics of how to approach them. Dr. Ellis wrote a book called, A Clinician's Guide to Dream Therapy that provides a highly accessible, yet insightful education on the nature of dreams and how to work with them. By offering a unified model, Dr. Ellis makes it possible for all of us (clinicians and non-clinicians) to begin to understand the importance of dreams, and to begin to...
2023-03-091h 47Dangerous WisdomHuman humus humility homo sapiens and Om: LoveWisdom and Scatology (part 4 of 4 on the shadow)A little singing and swearing, to help us arrive at our awesome presence.Humus, humility, homo sapiens, and Om share a common root, and considering their interwovenness can help us to touch our basic dignity. In this contemplation, the first to have both swearing and singing, we look at some elements of the dominant culture’s way of living that indicate how Nature has gotten pushed into the shadow. We consider the architectural manifestos of Hundertwasser, the memories of Jung, and the teachings of world philosophers who seek to help us find our awesome presence, even in th...
2023-03-021h 49Dangerous WisdomJung's Greatest Discovery: Part 3 in the Shadow SeriesJung made at least two incredible discoveries. He wrote about one of them, and we discussed it in our first episode in this series. The other discovery appears nowhere in his writings, but it may have been his greatest by far.In this contemplation of the shadow we ask some questions, take a kind of inventory, that can help us detect the presence of the shadow so that we could begin to bring light to its contents. But first we consider some of what we need to have in place in order to work skillfully with our...
2023-02-281h 26
Psychedelic ConversationsPsychedelic Conversations | Nikos Patedakis - Dangerous Wisdom #76Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!
Episode 76:
In this episode we discuss Nikos's background story, what real philosophy is, Socrates' beliefs and teachings, how to begin your own journey of philosophy, the western module, thoughts on divine timing and traumatic leverage, Nikos's experience with psychedelic medicines, his offerings and so much more!
00:00 - Fire Moment
01:27 - Introduction
02:58 - Nikos's Background
07:08 - What Is Real Philosophy, Socrates
13:20 - Philosophy Is The Framework For Excellence
22:34 - Psychedelic Medicine And Dangerous Wisdom
28:31 - How Does One Begin Their Journey Of Philosophy?
2023-02-261h 12Dangerous WisdomThe Psyche Is Vaster Than We Realize: Part 2 in the Shadow SeriesPart 2 in a short series. The dominant culture tends to trivialize many of the spiritual teachings and practices that present a threat to it, or a threat to the egos within it. We get McMindfulness because a genuine practice of meditation, as part of a holistic and skillful philosophy of life, results in citizens who want nothing to do with many of the core practices of the dominant culture.Shadow work runs the risk of the same kind of trivialization, such that we'll end up nibbling on McShadow nuggets and thinking we've confronted the vastness of the...
2023-02-231h 25Dangerous WisdomShe Waits for You in the Shadows (part 1 of 4)If you don’t look for Sophia in the shadows, She might come leaping out of them. The consequences can become severe.“Shadow work” has gotten increasing attention in the dominant culture. This tends to carry the risk of trivialization and increasing spiritual materialism. Here we take a philosophical look at the unconscious and the nature of shadow work. Generally speaking, the dominant culture and most of the people of that culture haven’t come to terms with the unconscious, even though the spiritual and philosophical traditions warn us of its power to keep us in delusion. We avoid...
2023-02-172h 04Dangerous WisdomIf Sheer Openness Had a Tongue, Who Would Have It?A philosophical story, based in fact and imagination, and rooted in the nature of mind and the mind of Nature.
2023-02-0935 minDangerous WisdomThe Dangerous Ignorance of Adam Smith, part 1 of 2Adam Smith's ignorance remains a major danger--at this point, a danger to life as we know it. We will also consider one more gem of Adam Smith's dangerous wisdom: class war. Long before Karl Marx, Smith recognized class war, and tried to warn us. We look at how that relates to the shift from moral statistics to market statistics, and how infection with the capitalistic style of consciousness and thought begins to shape our world. Examples include slavery, Exxon (and the fossil-fuel industry in general), Ford (and other car makers), and more.
2023-02-021h 28Dangerous WisdomPart 2 of The Dangerous Ignorance of Adam Smith (part 2 of 2)One of Smith's biggest philosophical blunders. We continue with the key elements of Adam Smith's dangerous ignorance, focusing on a major case of that ignorance--one that still haunts us today--and how it relates to his idea of "the invisible hand".
2023-02-0240 minDangerous WisdomA Renegade Economist: Dialogue with Della Z DuncanThis episode relates to a whole series on transforming our sense of right lifestyle and right livelihood. Check out others in the series: The Magnificent Swindle (56); The Others and the Interwovenness of Earth and Soul (55); The Feedback Loop of Earth and Soul (54); The Deepest, Darkest, Dirtiest Secret of Our Stress, Strain, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Imposter Syndrome, Burn Out, and Loneliness (53); Famous Harvard Study misses the most Crucial Finding (47); Massive Harvard Study Reveals the True Wealth of Nations (48); Love, Luck, and the Tue Wealth of Nations: Seeds of a Gaia Scienza (49); and others--with more to come!In this...
2023-01-261h 17Dangerous WisdomThe Dangerous Wisdom of Adam SmithAdam Smith's not exactly the most brilliant philosopher, even though he’s rather perceptive and clever in some ways. He’s not even really a philosopher so much as a professor of philosophy, and that kind of writing rarely interests me.But what shocked me about his writing was both the nature of his ignorance and the nature of some of his insights. His writing seems perfectly symptomatic of the dominant culture.By thinking through economic ideas from a philosophical viewpoint, we can come to a little better understanding of the dominant culture, its influence on t...
2023-01-191h 36Dangerous WisdomK-Wholeness: Dialogue with Sunny Strasburg on the LoveWisdom of KetamineAnother installment in one of our ongoing pathways of contemplation: How to bring a little more wisdom, love, and beauty into our work with the medicines of this world.In this episode, Sunny Strasburg, LMFT joins us to discuss ketamine, magic, and more.Sunny Strasburg, LMFT is a psychedelic trainer, consultant, therapist, and presenter. Mrs Strasburg is an EMDR-certified trauma specialist, experienced and certified in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, and trained in Internal Family Systems. Mrs. Strasburg is a graduate of the Certification for Psychedelic Assisted Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, trained...
2023-01-121h 30Dangerous WisdomDangerous Science: Dialogue with Dean Radin on Empirical Magic in Compassion, Quantum Physics, and BeyondDean Radin joins us to discuss some of his paradigm-busting research, and he shares a wild story about the magical power of love and the benefits of a trained mind. A dialogue you don't want to miss.Peer-reviewed papers we discuss or that might be of interest:Consciousness and the Double-Slit Interference PatternCompassionate Intention As a Therapeutic Intervention by Partners of Cancer PatientsMetaphysics of the Tea Ceremony: A Randomized Trial Investigating the Roles of Intention and Belief on Mood While Drinking TeaElectrocortical Activity Prior to Unpredictable...
2022-12-211h 25Dangerous WisdomDangerous Symbols: A Dialogue with Artist Nica QuinnMore Dangerous Wisdom at https://dangerouswisdom.org/In this episode of The Dangerous Wisdom Podcast, artist Nica Quinn and I reflect on art, symbolism, synchronicity, magic, and the natural world. Before the dialogue begins, we consider the nature of symbols, their potential role in our spiritual/philosophical development, and some of the special symbolic and magical potency of the horse in particular.The video version of this episode includes images of Nica's artwork:https://youtu.be/OInMqIrQUYw Nica Quinn is a visionary artist, perpetually inspired by nature and horses and the...
2022-11-121h 50Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic Part 7 of 7: The Patterning that Creates and ConnectsNote: For most listeners, it will be helpful and even essential to start with episode 1 :-)What is the difference between the way human beings think and the way Nature functions? What is the patterning that connects all things? What is the meaning of the phrase, “We are a patterning of primordial awareness?”Patterning. Isn’t an object. In fact, we suffer because we turn our patterning into objects. We mistake primordial awareness, which is open and spacious, for something solid.We treat the manifestations of patterning as objects, rather than as a dance...
2022-10-071h 33Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic 6: Patterns of Primordial Awareness—Conjuring, Symbols, and SelfIf we live in a magical way, if we know the world in a magical way, then we can know things that must remain unknowable to someone not living that way.We might think it has to do with mere belief, as if believing in magic becomes a self-fulling prophecy. Not so. A properly philosophical practice of magic seeks experience, not belief.The fundamental wholeness of the Cosmos makes magic possible. Practicing in accord with this wholeness allows magic to happen. Magic is the practice of wholeness.
2022-10-071h 10Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic 5: Horse Magic, Horse Medicine, Horse MysteryWhether we love horses or not, whether we have contact with horses or not, they can teach us a lot about wisdom, love, and beauty. How do we get close to an honest openness to the potential magic of horses? And what does it even mean?The horse as a mirror for the soul and a vehicle for the soul could show us our true nature, and carry us into sacred spaces, initiating us into transformational healing and insight. Horses could heal conquest consciousness and help us reindigenize. But, for that to happen, we would have to...
2022-10-071h 47Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic 4: Principles of Magic—Horses, Time, and PrecognitionYeats tells us, "the borders of our memories are as shifting as the borders of our mind, and that our memories are a part of one great memory, the memory of Nature herself." In this contemplation, we consider how that relates to horses, trauma, and the mysteries of remembering something that hasn't happened yet.
2022-10-071h 36Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic 3: Principles of Magic—The Nature of Mind and MemoryThe practice of magic is taboo precisely because it draws from the experience of mind as a process that transcends the skin, and the experience of self and world as profoundly relational—which means ecological—rather than solid, or, we could say, economic.
2022-10-071h 07Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic 2: Principles of Magic—Yeats and the Extended MindThe poet William Butler Yeats had a passion for magic, and he offers us three principles of magic that we will explore through philosophical and scientific perspectives. Can we arrive at a scientific understanding of magic, beyond woo-woo? Following these principles will bring us into an exciting and mind-expanding journey.
2022-10-061h 21Dangerous WisdomDangerous Magic 1: How Magic Saved My LifeIn this episode, we go into the wisdom, love, and beauty archives to re-release our series on magic. If you haven’t heard this series, I think you’re in for a treat. It’s like a box of wisdom donuts—paleo superfood wisdom snacks for the soul.We begin with events from my own life, in which the experience of magic transformed a situation of tension and aggression into spaciousness and wonder.If you have listened to some or all of this series before, these podcasts usually require more than one listen. We go into ide...
2022-10-061h 20Dangerous WisdomThe Dangerous Desert: Wisdom and Ignorance at Burning ManThe Burning Man phenomenon involves a lot of good intentions and a lot of wonderful experiences—aesthetic, gastronomic, social, and even spiritual. It emerges from, and thus expresses, the incongruencies and general confusion of the pattern of insanity, even as it stands in defiance of that pattern of insanity. In some sense, it gives us an image of conquest consciousness wrestling with itself. Lia Helena Rubinoff, a friend and fellow philosopher, went to Burning Man this year. She joins us for some reflective dialogue about the wonders and the dangers of the Burning Man phenomenon. We try to...
2022-10-011h 32Dangerous WisdomThis Changes Everything: When Mystery Pivots Our LifeFrom the Wisdom, Love, and Beauty archives. A breath of fresh air, even if you listened to this one last year.Sometimes we get lucky enough to experience a shocking moment when the great mystery confronts us so directly that we have to say, "This changes everything!" In this contemplation, we consider the nature of "this changes everything," how the dominant culture tries to keep those experiences at bay, and how we can begin to think about them with greater care—perhaps even begin to invite them in.Our guide is Dr. Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer. We...
2022-09-131h 32Dangerous WisdomWisdom and Jazz: Dialogue with Composer and Musician Carole NelsonComposer and musician Carole Nelson helps us contemplate the dangerous wisdom of jazz and her new album, Night Vision. In honor of our dialogue, Carole and I collaborated on a meditative video project. You can check out the two takes we released here:https://youtu.be/aWN6UDYp86Ehttps://youtu.be/OrnoYWUkVBwIn our dialogue, we make reference to Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, as well as The Diamond Sutra.We also make reference to an older podcast episode titled, “This Changes Ever...
2022-09-011h 33Dangerous WisdomIn the Church of the Love of the World: A Dialogue with Poet Grace WellsA dialogue with the poet Grace Wells, in relation to her latest book of poetry, The Church of the Love of the World (https://www.dedaluspress.com/). Grace is an award-winning eco-poet and nature writer living on the West Coast of Ireland. Nature, spirit-of-place and environmental concern are the large themes of her writing. She is an organic gardener and orchard-planter who hosts The Little Sanctuary a small retreat space for human, plant and creaturely species, and she regularly volunteers with Hometree a native woodland charity, which looks after biodiversity and encourages the reforestation of large landscape areas.
2022-08-251h 51Dangerous WisdomThe Dangerous Wisdom of HorsesHorses are both a mirror for the soul and a vehicle for the soul. Even if we don't think of ourselves as being really "into" horses, they are still a spiritual keystone species, and they can teach us a lot about ourselves, and lead us into the great mystery.In this episode, we consider how horses threaten certain aspects of our identity, our sense of love, and in some ways our whole way of life in the dominant culture. Whether you have horses in your life or not, there's a lot to learn here.
2022-08-141h 21Dangerous WisdomThe Greatest Experiment: Inhabiting Reality vs. Inhabiting DelusionIt may seem strange to ask it, but one way to put the most important question for humanity right now is this: Can we learn to inhabit reality?By implication, this question suggests we currently inhabit delusion. That’s what the wisdom traditions of the world—including many indigenous traditions—try to make rather clear to all of us living in, or infected by, the dominant culture.This divergence from reality appears in many ways and in a variety of forms. One of the most crazy-making forms comes to us in the economic and political realm...
2022-07-301h 20Dangerous WisdomInhabiting Interwovenness: DIY Architecture, Art, Mindfulness, and Ecology, with Dr. Sarah Breen LovettHow can we inhabit interwovenness? This is like asking:Can truth be inhabited?Can truth be embodied?We consider these deep questions (in relation to DIY architecture) with Dr. Sarah Breen Lovett. Sarah is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Manager of the Future Building Initative at Monash Art, Design & Architecture MADA. Breen Lovett has instigated and been included in many exhibitions, symposiums and publications at the interdisciplinary meeting point of art and architecture. Her PhD dissertation was titled, “Expanded Architectural Awareness: Exploring Intersections of Architecture and Expanded Cinema.” Recent publications include "Expanded Architecture: Temp...
2022-07-231h 17Dangerous WisdomEnlightened Craving: A Dialogue with Lia Helena RubinoffIn this dialogue with Lia Helena Rubinoff, a philosopher and certified nutrition consultant, we consider how craving itself can lead to liberation and healing.Enlightened craving means our craving itself is enlightened—it’s just encumbered. When we look directly at it, we can bring the medicine of awareness to our craving and liberate it into bone fide wisdom. In particular, craving has to do with the wisdom referred to as the wisdom of discernment, which helps us to know exactly what we need to eat, based on the ecological intelligence of our mind and body in rela...
2022-07-161h 06Dangerous WisdomThe Philosopher and the Priestess: Dialogue with Eden AmadoraSocrates was initiated by a priestess into the mysteries of wisdom, love, and beauty. A modern-day priestess joins a modern-day philosopher for dialogue and dangerous wisdom.
2022-07-091h 23Dangerous WisdomMagic Mind Synchrony: The Most Important Training for Working with the Medicines of Our WorldPicking up the thread of compassion training, as part of A Philosopher's Guide to Working with the Medicines of Our World, we contrast compassion with empathy distress. We also introduce the notion of the tonglen attitude, a special mindset that can empower and liberate our practice with any of the medicines of our World. Finally, we look at one way to understand one aspect of how compassion and tonglen function: a kind of magic mind synchrony in which self-regulation and co-regulation become integrated.
2022-07-041h 41Dangerous WisdomCompassion: The Most Important Training for Working with the Medicines of Our WorldPart of A Philosopher's Guide to Working with the Medicines of Our World, this is the single most important recommendation I can make, for those facilitating work with the medicines of our world, and also for those seeking healing and insight from those medicines. This is a two-part discussion of compassion as a skill that requires training. Learn how compassion differs from empathy, and how it presents a revolutionary challenge to central aspects of the dominant culture. This is part of the shift from conquest consciousness to a culture of wisdom, love, and beauty.
2022-06-241h 13
Pursuit Of Infinity19. Interview: Nikos Patedakis PhD, PDCNikos Patedakis PhD, PDC is a brilliant philosopher and educator whose transdisciplinary work arises at the intersection of Nature and Culture—the sciences, the arts, and the wisdom traditions. He also works with people to help them with, as he puts it “the most pressing problem of all, which is how to be truly happy and successful, and how to truly touch the most sacred meaning of their life.” He also has a podcast called Dangerous Wisdom.Dangerous Wisdom Podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/7tTjK8aByogOr74Jv035AfWebsite:https://danger...
2022-06-221h 09Dangerous WisdomThe Ethics of Consciousness: Part of a Philosopher’s Practice Guide for the Medicines of Our WorldAn exploration of the ethics of consciousness—what that means and how it relates to the medicines of our world, including psychedelics.
2022-06-151h 10Dangerous WisdomHolism in Healing and Learning: Part of a Philosopher’s Psychedelic Practice GuideWe can only overcome fragmentation if we can begin to admit how much it has infected us, and if we can admit that we don't fully understand holism. Psychedelics and other medicines demand a revitalized sense of healing and wholeness, learning and culture, mind and Nature, self and World.In this contemplation, we try to sense the ways we may not understand, let alone wonderstand, the notion of a holistic approach to life and love, to healing and transformation. On this basis we can then move on to outline some of the basic elements of a holistic...
2022-06-091h 45Dangerous WisdomA Philosopher’s Psychedelic Practice Guide: Plato, the Mysteries, and the Possibility for RebirthWhat can Plato and Socrates teach us about working with the medicines of our World? In this first chapter of a philosopher's guide to working with psychedelics and other medicines, we look at what Plato and Socrates, and their relationship with psychedelics, initiation, and walking a path of healing, a path of wisdom, love, and beauty.
2022-06-041h 36Dangerous WisdomThe Buddha Molecule, Part II: Psychedelics and the Soul of Visionary LoveWisdomHow can Buddhist philosophy empower us to work more skillfully with the medicines of our world—including psychedelic medicines like DMT, LSD, MDMA, and others?Psychedelic medicines have a burgeoning presence in our culture. People have experienced healing and transformation with them. How can we work with them, and with our whole lives, in accord with wisdom, love, and beauty? With a more holistic approach, these medicines could empower us in ways that might yet surprise us.In this contemplation we begin with the source of the term, “psychedelic”. By looking at where it came from...
2022-05-251h 43Dangerous WisdomThe Buddha Molecule: DMT and the Soul of Visionary LoveWisdomHow can Buddhist philosophy empower us to work more skillfully with the medicines of our world—including psychedelic medicines like DMT, LSD, MDMA, and others?This contemplation was inspired in part by the surge of interest in psychedelic medicines in the past decade or so, and also in part by the dialogue I had with Rick Strassman, author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, and DMT and the Soul of Prophecy. Rick found himself turning away from Buddhist philosophy as a framework for modeling and working with psychedelic experiences. While I applaud his work to show how the He...
2022-05-201h 35Dangerous WisdomDMT and Psychedelic Wisdom: A Dialogue with Rick StrassmanA dialogue on the wisdom, love, and beauty of DMT with Rick Strassman, author of DMT: The Spirit Molecule, DMT and the Soul of Prophecy, and The Psychedelic Handbook.
2022-05-131h 39Dangerous WisdomThe Psychedologist and the Philosopher: A Dialogue with Leia FriedwomanLeia Friedwoman is a psychedelic integration facilitator, a trainee in restorative and transformative approaches to conflict, and the host of a podcast called The Psychedologist: Consciousness Positive Radio. Leia holds her permaculture design certificate from Starhawk’s Earth Activist Training, a program that emphasizes social permaculture and spirituality in activism. In this dialogue, we touch on a wide range of subjects related to psychedelics and the soul.You can learn more about Leia at thepsychedologist.com
2022-05-061h 03Dangerous WisdomWildfire Wisdom and Wildfire Ignorance: Dialogue with Chad Hanson, Forest EcologistThe megafire narrative . . . Wherever you live, you likely depend on forest ecologies. Even though the western U.S. has gotten a lot of press for wildfires, fire affects us all, forest integrity affects us all, and ecological ignorance affects us all. In this dialogue with Chad Hanson, forest ecologist and director of the John Muir Project, we confront the megafire myths and the bad science done in the name of forest ecology. Chad's book, Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate (University of Kentucky Press), serves as the framework for our dialogue.
2022-04-291h 55Dangerous WisdomBright Green Lies and Solar-Powered Suffering: Dialogue with Derrick JensenDerrick Jensen brings his unique style of dangerous wisdom to a dialogue about the bright green lies of the mainstream environmental movement. We can think of that movement as an attempt to establish solar-powered samsara, solar-powered suffering, or even solar-powered insanity. We need to get beyond this style of consciousness, but to do that we first have to confront our situation with clarity. Derrick Jensen is the author of more than 25 books, including most recently Bright Green Lies, which he co-wrote with Lierre Keith, and Max Wilbert.
2022-04-221h 05Dangerous WisdomWisdom, Love, and UFOsUFOs, UAPs, Alien Abduction Experiences…What can they tell us about the nature of reality, the nature of mind, and the mind of Nature? How can we relate to these experiences as a call to journey into mystery and discover deeper truths about ourselves and the vast Cosmos? We can learn a lot just by dropping the dualistic notion that these experiences are either literal “space creatures,” or they are a matter of delusion, deception, hallucination, superstition.In this episode, we consider UFO and abduction experiences as the mystery itself trying to get our attention, inviting us into t...
2022-04-171h 17Dangerous WisdomThe Great Field of New Discoveries and the Terrifying Dream of William JamesWhat is the great field of new discoveries? Where will the truly paradigm-shifting breakthroughs come from?The great psychologist and philosopher William James invites us to see how our next big breakthrough will come from what we now see as noise in the data, as impossible, as absurd.In this suggestion, James joins a vast group of philosophers who understand the true spiritual meaning of the impossible. He also points us directly at a vast collection of data that right now doesn’t fit in the paradigms that rule the science of the dominant culture.
2022-04-151h 06Dangerous WisdomFacing Our Fear to Understand Reality and Rethink What's PossibleWith a little help from Aldous Huxley, we embrace the fact that love is the soul’s compass as we journey the landscape of mystery. We need that love to acknowledge our fear, and to rouse the great passion needed to understand (and wonderstand) reality.When we look around and see conflict, aggression, and injustice, to what degree can we attribute it not merely to fear, but to fear of reality? And how can we begin to turn toward a reality we may unconsciously fear?As Aldous Huxley pointed out: When we look at water, no...
2022-04-081h 05Dangerous WisdomApocalyptic LoveWisdomWisdom and love can bring us profound revelations about ourselves, our world, the nature of reality, and the meaning of life. But a special kind of fear—sometimes conscious, but mostly operating unconsciously—can keep those revelations at bay. Do we put up scarecrows to keep away reality, intimacy, and wonder—perhaps even magic? In this contemplation we inquire into this spiritual or existential fear and the challenges it presents. It's active in our lives and in our world, right here and right now. Facing it can empower and liberate us and our world at the sa...
2022-03-311h 34
The PsychedologistDangerous Wisdom with Nikos Patedakis, PhD, PDCNikos Patedakis, PhD, PCD is your friendly neighborhood soul doctor and soil doctor. Nikos comes on the podcast to discuss philosophy and psychology, data, insanity, wisdom traditions and psychedelics, metabolizing our experiences, empathy versus compassion, the self, spiritual chocolate cake versus spiritual broccoli, and dangerous wisdom.
Nikos is a consulting philosopher who works with individuals and groups in support of the mutual healing of ourselves, our culture, and the world we share. He helps people apply the greatest untapped resource we have (the wisdom traditions of the world) in order to think in genuinely new ways, and to fulfill our f...
2022-01-171h 06