In this very personal episode, I am joined by Perdita Finn. Perdita and her husband Clark’s work with their organization The Way of the Rose has had an enormous impact on my own practice.

Perdita and I both felt we were joined by the presence of my niece, Adelia (8) who left this earth all too soon. (For this reason alone, this is an episode unlike any other I’ve done).

Together we explore the significance of loss, the power of the rosary as a spiritual practice, and the importance of motherhood and collective healing in navigating the complexities of modern life. Perdita emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of spirituality that transcends conventional frameworks, inviting listeners to reconnect with their desires and the mysteries of existence. We delve into the themes of reincarnation, intergenerational healing, the power of prayer, and how listening to children can reveal deep truths about our past and how ancestral connections can guide us in the present. The discussion also touches on the importance of manifesting desires through spiritual practices, the creativity that arises from prayer, and the revolutionary potential of women's voices in shaping new narratives. Ultimately, they emphasize the need for a collective reimagining of our stories and connections to foster healing and transformation in our lives and communities.

Perdita Finn is the co-founder, with her husband Clark Strand, of the feral fellowship The Way of the Rose, which inspired their book The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary. They are currently at work on their next book together Circles Not Lines: Spiritual Community Beyond Patriarchy.  To find out more about her devotion to “ecology not theology” visit www.wayoftherose.org

In addition to extensive study with Zen masters, priests, spirit workers, and healers, she apprenticed with the psychic Susan Saxman, with whom she wrote The Reluctant Psychic. Perdita Finn now teaches popular workshops on Getting to Know the Dead. Participants are empowered to activate the miracles in their own lives with the help of their ancestors and recover their own intuitive magic. Her book Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World is an intimate journey through her recovery of these lost ways. She speaks widely on how to collaborate with those on the other side, on the urgent necessity of a new romantic animism, and on the sobriety that emerges when we claim the long story of our souls. Her next book is The Body of My Mother.

She lives with her family in the moss-filled shadows of the Catskill Mountains.

Chapters

11:08 The Impact of Loss and Grief

16:57 Reimagining Spiritual Practices

22:52 The Power of the Rosary

28:59 Motherhood and Collective Healing

39:06 Exploring Reincarnation and Intergenerational Healing

44:52 The Power of Prayer and Ancestral Connection

54:20 Creativity and the Role of the Rosary

59:25 Revolutionary Conversations: Women and Change

01:06:19 Imagining New Stories for a New Era

Join Our Election Session Livestream, November 5, 7pm EST  – Root deep in your spiritual values as we face the most consequential election of my life. When you join our Newsletter, we will send you a link for the Zoom event a day and then an hour before. 

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See you then and enjoy this preview of our Election Day Conversation.

Summary

In this conversation, Josh Summers and Miles Sherts delve into the intricate relationship between spirituality and democracy, exploring how practices like meditation can inform our understanding of democratic engagement. They discuss the role of ego in personal relationships and political dynamics, the historical context of Buddhism in political landscapes like Burma, and the importance of personal experiences in navigating political tensions. The dialogue emphasizes democracy as a spiritual practice that requires ongoing effort and awareness, particularly in the face of polarization and conflict.

Miles Sherts: https://www.practicalpresence.org/

Books by Miles: Conscious Communication, The Tyranny of the Ego, Human Nature

Takeaways

• Democracy and meditation both require constant practice and effort.

• Ego can hinder both personal relationships and democratic engagement.

• The political landscape of Buddhism in places like Burma is complex and nuanced.

• Personal experiences can shape our understanding of political tensions.

• Democracy should be viewed as a spiritual practice that fosters inclusion.

• Navigating political polarization requires empathy and open-heartedness.

• The practice of democracy involves recognizing our shared humanity.

• Ignoring the outside world can detract from our spiritual practice.

• Emotional responses to political events can be integral to our practice.

• Healing in a polarized environment requires understanding and connection.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Spirituality and Politics

10:06 Emotions and Spiritual Practice in Political Contexts

15:00 Democracy as a Spiritual Practice

21:54 The Challenge of Inclusivity in Democracy

22:52 The Intersection of Democracy and Meditation

25:46 Ego and Relationships: A Deeper Connection

28:58 Personal Stories: Bridging Political Divides

Originally recorded on June 17, 2024, Josh reflects on a few of Death’s lessons, nihilism, quitting caffeine, moods of depression and the rainbow nature of self.

LINKS mentioned:

Sign up for our FREE Everyday Vitality practice pack for effective (and simple) ways to improve the vitality of your body, energy and mind.

Josh and Terry share 4 guided practices:

• Self-Massage for Circulation + Energy Flow (10min)

• Daily Mobility for Joint Suppleness + Longevity (15min)

• Dynamic Flow for Integrated Stability + Coordination (30min)

• Soothing Flow for Relaxation + Inner Renewal (30min)

=====>>>>www.joshsummers.net and sign up for your pack of Everyday Vitality practices.

Everyday Strength: 4 Weeks to a Stronger You! Join Josh and Terry for a four week strength training program as a foundation for an integral life practice of yoga, energy work and heart-based meditation. ======>>>>>Everyday Strength Series.

In this episode, Josh talks with Mushroom Revival founder, Alex Dorr, about how functional mushrooms can support mental and physical health.

"We share over 50% of our DNA with fungi. We're more closely related to fungi than plants." - Alex Dorr

Mushroom Revival:  Revive your health with the help of functional mushrooms in every form. Always organic, non-gmo, vegan, gluten free, lab tested, and super potent. Always 100% mushroom fruiting bodies and never mycelium on grain. A sub 5 second routine to 10x your health.

With time, practice will reveal our unresolved wounds that are still wound within the conditions of original trauma. - Josh Summers

The conscientious young monk Meditating three years alone Can no longer be moved By the four worldly winds. - from fictional Zen story told by Ajahn Brahm

Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup? - Zen Master Nan-in

Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings. - Buddha (from the Metta Sutta)

When we shift from being subject to a racial worldview to looking at it as an object; when we are able to see how it works and work to not racialize ourselves or others... now we're getting to where we can start to actually get off that karmic cycle. - Greg Thomas

The Buddha spoke of sati (mindfulness) and sampajanna (clear comprehension) as the twin aspects of awareness that nurture wisdom and compassion. Mindfulness and clear comprehension suggest the relationship between deep listening and deep understanding. - Josh Summers

Real compassion includes wisdom and so it makes judgments of care and concern: it says some things are good, and some things are bad, and I will choose to act only on those things that are informed by wisdom and care. - Ken Wilber

The three intentions of compassionate RAIN (receptivity, alignment, inquiry, and negotiation): May I create the conditions for this energy or part of me to feel safe, to feel heard, and to feel integrated. - Josh Summers

Trauma - any experience that cannot be integrated at the time of its occurrence - causes parts of oneself to freeze, like blocks of ice. These frozen parts evolve to keep us safe, but in their frozen state they alienate us from flowing with life. - Josh Summers

Originally recorded on June 10, 2024, Josh returns to the podcast, reflecting on personal updates: the death of his niece and the relationship that formed with his neighbors while building a chicken coop together. 

LINKS mentioned:

Sign up for our FREE Everyday Vitality practice pack for effective (and simple) ways to improve the vitality of your body, energy and mind.

Josh and Terry share 4 guided practices:

Self-Massage for Circulation + Energy Flow (10min)

Daily Mobility for Joint Suppleness + Longevity (15min)

Dynamic Flow for Integrated Stability + Coordination (30min)

Soothing Flow for Relaxation + Inner Renewal (30min)

=====>>>>www.joshsummers.net and sign up for your pack of Everyday Vitality practices.

"More than anything, there is a value placed on listening as closely as possible to the mysterious silence that supports existence, which is both the actual silence of the desert landscape and the silence of the self in contemplation. They listened to this silence with hopes of transforming their identities and reimagining community." - Douglas Christie

"As a teacher, you won't be able to address the specific needs of each individual. However, what you can offer is a creative way of working with posture, breath, intention and attention so that student and customize - within their own experience - a way to nudge their particular pattern, whatever it might be, towards homeostasis." - Josh Summers

"Qi produces the human body just as water becomes ice. As water freezes into ice, so Qi coagulates to form the human body. When ice melts, it becomes water. When a person dies, they become spirit again. It is called spirit, just as melted ice changes its name to water." - Wang Chong (Taoist philosopher, AD 27-97)

Yin Yoga collaborates with the organs of Chinese Medicine to support holistic health. It's not just a matter of stimulating the channels; it's a matter of optimizing organ health through the integration of posture, breath and psycho-spiritual practice. - Josh Summers

"Everything I play is a reaction to everything that I just played and to what everybody else is playing at that moment. Great jazz is played when multiple people play together with that kind of necessity and mindset." - Aaron Goldberg

Mindfulness functions like a stone that doesn't stop the flow of the river, rather it comes to a deeper and calmer relationship to the flowing content of the river of experience. - Josh Summers

"One of the paradoxes about life is that when we're really open to life, the tremendous suffering and the tremendous joy can coexist." - Donna Brooks

When you dig the well deep enough, you realize we're all drinking from the same source. - Abdullah Ibrahim

Listen to the movement of experience and listen to the space within which this occurs. - Josh Summers

The only job of a yogi is to note the object that is most predominant, moment by moment. - Sayadaw U Pandita

Originally recorded on May 6, 2024, Josh offers reflections on the confusing relationship between renunciation and practicing one’s heart’s desire. Often seen in conflict, the practice of renouncing unfulfilling activity for the pursuit of one’s deepest desires is an ongoing evolution itself. 

FREE: 4 Simple Ways To Feel Better Now!

Sign up for our FREE Everyday Vitality practice pack for effective (and simple) ways to improve the vitality of your body, energy and mind.

Josh and Terry share 4 guided practices:

Self-Massage for Circulation + Energy Flow (10min)

Daily Mobility for Joint Suppleness + Longevity (15min)

Dynamic Flow for Integrated Stability + Coordination (30min)

Soothing Flow for Relaxation + Inner Renewal (30min)

Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. - Robert Wright

Buddhists, however, saw that karma acts in feedback loops, with the present moment being shaped by both past and by present actions; present actions shape not only the future but also the present. This constant opening for present input into the causal process makes free will possible. - Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The point of a map isn't to be right. The point of a map is to help me with something; it's to be useful. - Bernie Clark

Buddhists, however, saw that karma acts in feedback loops, with the present moment being shaped by both past and by present actions; present actions shape not only the future but also the present. This constant opening for present input into the causal process makes free will possible. - Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The kind of attention you rely on, and the kind of attention you let atrophy, ultimately becomes a decision about what you value as worth perceiving. - Howard Axelrod

A person of integrity is grateful and thankful. This gratitude, this thankfulness is advocated by civil people. - Buddha, Katannu Sutta

If you sit and patiently endure, you find your mind going into a state of calm. That calm occurs because there's no more trying to become something or trying to get rid of something. - Ajahn Sumedho

Yet, along with sorrow, there is the backdrop of consciousness, the inner atmosphere that holds whatever arises, like the sky holds lightning... Through our practice of meditation, access to the backdrop becomes possible. - Narayan Liebenson

Recognition of the Yin Will allows for the creation of the virtue of Wisdom. This Wisdom is not about knowing things. In fact, it is more about being deeply connected to the Unknown... Wisdom is a recognition of a deep knowing that infuses life. - Ted Kaptchuk

Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. - Robert Wright

Originally recorded on April 22, 2024, Josh reflects on the parallels between artistic and spiritual development. He explores a maturing relationship to tradition. How do we draw from the world’s wisdom traditions and channel their pathways of heart in our own lives? And how might we consider cultivating a devotional practice to a personalized expression of the divine?

Join Terry and Josh for weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====>

For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====>

For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====>

For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Within the process of Vipassana meditation, the meditator develops and rests within a capacity to remain calm and clear towards the entire display of visceral, cerebral and environmental content. - Josh Summers

Just as sounds arise and cease naturally within the field of awareness, when attending to their body, the meditator begins to perceive the same impersonal display of sensations arising and ceasing within the stillness of the mind. - Josh Summers

When we shift into a vipassana lens of practice, there are no distractions. Each experience the meditator encounters becomes the practice, itself - an experience to see clearly and relate to with compassion. - Josh Summers

"Meditation is not a matter of trying to achieve ecstasy, spiritual bliss or tranquility, nor is it attempting to become a better person. It is simply the creation of a space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self-deceptions, and our hidden fears and hopes." - Chogyam Trungpa

"We do not confront the world; rather, the world confronts itself, temporarily masquerading as each of us." - David Barash

"This mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful. Our practice is simply to see the Original Mind." - Ajahn Chah

"Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things." - Ajahn Chah

Just as a musician learns musical etudes to develop and refine their capacities for musical expression, a contemplative can learn meditative etudes - exercises that nurture the capacities of the Heart/Mind.

Many thanks to all the listeners and members of the River Bird Sangha. We look forward to reconnecting in September.

"I would say that cognitive empathy is a strength that needs to be built, cognitive empathy being the ability to look at things from the perspective of other people. And one thing the explain-excuse conflation does is undermine cognitive empathy." - Robert Wright

Originally recorded on April 15, 2024, in this dharma talk, Josh offers a fresh perspective on how to cultivate an ethical commitment within your meditation practice. 

Instead of referencing an orthodox list of do’s and don’ts, Josh uses each of the five training precepts in Buddhism as a way to open to a deeper exploration of your heart’s desire.

Many members of the sangha have expressed ambivalence or uncertainty around what their heart’s deepest desire is, and this talk is an introduction to a way of practicing to really listen in a way that allows your heart’s desire to speak.

***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>

Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====>

For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====>

For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====>

For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

"When we meet difficulty with a kind and loving heart, compassion naturally arises. Often easy to feel for others, self-directed compassion can get blocked by old belief patterns and cultural conditioning. However, self-compassion can be awakened through a few simple steps that echo the Four Noble Truths." - Lauri Glenn

"We aren't looking to get away from our personal lives [in this approach]... but we're given permission to bring what's alive in our lives into our meditation practice." - Linda Modaro

"It would be well if you directed your mind to the deathless element." - Venerable Sariputta, senior disciple of the Buddha