Finding our Mythic Ground

We think we make them up, the myths, stories and dreams which so richly define the human imagination. But what if they have an existence that’s independent of us? What if they come to us as psychopomps–a beautiful old word of Greek origins which means “soul guide”? How then do we learn to listen to them, to see them, and…

Paul Hawken’s Drawdown

During this illuminating talk and slideshow at ABC Home in New York City, Paul Hawken circles back with us 18 months after the launch of Project Drawdown, a living research effort to reduce and sequester carbon as outlined in his book, Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. What has the response to his extensive research been from…

Climate: A New Story

The following is an excerpt of a talk Charles Eisenstein gave about his new book, Climate: A New Story. The key concept of my new book, Climate: A New Story, sees the earth as a living planet, unlike the conventional climate discourse, which is heavily influenced by a geo-mechanical view of the world. From that view, fixing the planet becomes…

How Can You Unhook Your Mind from Your Phone?

Perhaps the most basic tendency of the human mind is to get fixated on things. We ruminate about things we (or others) have done; we worry about things that may happen in the future. We also build up an idea of what kind of person we are – what opinions we hold, what values we stand for – and grow…

Art as Spiritual Practice

Meredith Monk opened the 2015 Artist and Buddhist Contemplatives gathering with a group vocalization of “AH.” This first sound of the gathering arose out of the silence and moved through all the participants together in a circle in the main hall at Garrison. And it proved a beautiful inspiration for Robert Thurman’s impromptu exposition on “A” during his talk that…

Glimpses From the Healing Spiral of Words

The beautiful words you will read below arose in the consciousness of participants in my recent writing workshop at the Garrison Institute. The workshop was based on Healing Rhythms of Words, my system of creative, psychological, and spiritual growth through rhythmical writing. Each of the brief passages here offers a glimpse into one moment of our weekend-long journey through different language…

neuroarchitecture

Design on the Brain

The term “neuroarchitecture” may sound like an industry buzzword, but in the rapidly evolving and intersecting world of technology, science, and design, it’s an idea worthy of greater attention. This burgeoning field applies the scientific rigor of neuroscience to the world of design, seeking to better understand how humans perceive and experience built spaces at a biological level. The ultimate…

Aphorisms for Our Age

The wisdom of our ancestors should be cherished. Those ancient bags of bones earned their knowledge by suffering through eons of abhorrent hygiene, repulsive cuisine, and horrendous wifi. Thus we should totally preserve the sayings passed on down to us. But also, it might be time to tweak them. After all, our ancestors created these sayings in times of abhorrent…