Portals of Perception endeavors to create conversations at the frontier of discovery, and to bring to life the natural processes of human development. Each of us, by design, can become a living agency for the evolutionary process, as it arises, through our living expression, and can become an intentional participant in the emergence of a wiser future.
Join our hosts Aviv Shahar and Peter Barry every week for conversations on a wide variety of topics including human purpose, personal development, evolution and the future, community of conversation and discovery, and more.
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112 - The Epoch Mystery - Current Openings #20
Episode 112
Friday, October 24, 2025 • Duration 01:11:52
A powerful way to envision our entry into this new phase of evolution and epochal shift is as a fusion process — a merging of the physical realm with a new universal potency that unlocks immense possibilities and profound renewal. Imagine it as an energetic Cambrian release for humanity and the planet. We dive deeper into the mysteries of the epochal shift underway in the latest chapter of the “Current Openings” series with Aviv Shahar and David Price Francis.
To better understand what we mean by an epoch, Aviv and David begin with a closer look at the energetic nature of the human and the cosmos. Modern thinking often confines reality to the limits of our biophysical form. However, we recognize an energetic dimension residing within and between all layers of organic, physical existence. Humans can sense and attune to these spiritual or energetic frequencies through finer faculties naturally embedded in our design. The energetic or unseen natures of the human and the planet evolve over time, which can be traced in the evolution of culture throughout history. This perspective reveals epochs as intelligent, purposeful programs of growth and refinement — forward-looking pathways guiding us toward a universal future.
Other insights and ponders:
The new epoch calls for capacities beyond intellect — faculties essential for deeper integration of human life within the universe.
Epochal changes do not arrive all at once. The energetic permission of the past holds initially but breaks down swiftly, giving rise dramatically to the new.
By metabolizing new impressions, we activate new capacities and perceptions — a profound act of renewal; an evolutionary process creating something new on the inside.
Rather than rejecting the past, we harvest its best elements and respectfully leave behind the rest. We carry forward a tested, validated value system.
There is confusion, chaos, and suffering when we’re not able to connect with new energetic and spiritual fuel available for healing and development elevation.
This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
TWEETABLE QUOTES
“An epoch is an evolutionary program, a program afforded by the universe and the planet, where humanity can go through specific and necessary development. The idea that the evolutionary process is just a random trial and error makes no sense; it's too brilliantly constructed. And there is clearly an ascending refinement and complexifying vector of life wanting to support higher levels, higher capacities, higher sophistication, higher consciousness.” (Aviv)
“This realization that in learning there is renewal. Because what it actually means is that we metabolize new impressions, and those new impressions activate in us new capacities and perceptions. And that, in that itself, is a profound act of renewal. And that therefore, as the epoch shifts and a new energy permission is afforded to human experience and to humanity at large, we are to truly expect that everything around us will continue to change in an intensified manner.” (Aviv)
Let us imagine that one of the most powerful ways to create space and be open to an incoming wave of evolutionary progress — the future — is to consciously heal and absolve the past, with all of its trauma and scar tissue. Not just our personal past, but imagining in ourselves the flow of history through the current epoch. It’s not just possible, but some would say a vital process in a time of great change and new possibility.
In this conversation, Aviv Shahar and Portals friend Jeff VanderClute take a deep look into the epoch’s seven stages and the corresponding potencies of the energy spectrum, Red through Violet. It’s a way of attuning to the flow and energetic nature of history, and to what Aviv and Jeff believe is a step-function leap underway to a new wave of evolution.
Jeff is a consultant and author of three recent books, including Beyond Every Teaching, a collection of transformative spiritual transmissions.
In today’s exploration, we focus on the main stories or perspectives of the epoch, especially the very real human capacity to revisit, rewrite and clean in ourselves painful and traumatic aspects of history. It’s a process of energetic dialysis powered by the spectrum frequency of Yellow, which we can also trace in the epoch to the emergence of the axial religions.
Other amazing insights from Aviv and Jeff’s conversation include:
Universal culture: For the first time, there is a truly global civilization, with shared communication and commerce platforms — a core premise in the story of the shift from planetary to universal culture and civilization.
Power of Yellow: Yellow dialysis enables self-forgiveness and transformation — a life reboot. The Yellow frequency promotes inner rewiring and deeper integration.
Great alchemy: As we transcend and reach the source, the point where it all comes together, great alchemy is possible: polarities and multiplicities are seen in their root nature as unified; a new human species can emerge.
Liberating essence: The axial religions that emerged around an energetic source became in some paths an institutional bureaucracy. Yellow dialysis liberates the essence into new currency and updating.
TWEETABLE QUOTESRESOURCES MENTIONED
102 - Evolution, Consciousness, and the New Truth
Episode 102
Friday, June 6, 2025 • Duration 01:33:43
Where is our global culture today? How did we get here? What steps might we need to take now to shape a future that could become a saving grace for humanity? It feels special to find a clear, cohesive and compelling picture, one that encompasses the insights that help us make sense and meaning out of the tumultuous times we live in and answer these questions.
We dive deep into a new, emerging worldview in this conversation with Steve McIntosh, a leading developmental philosopher focusing on the evolution of consciousness and culture. Steve is the author of Developmental Politics, The Presence of the Infinite, Evolution’s Purpose and Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution. He is co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution.
With Steve’s help we trace the major forces that shaped human history and culture, from the Renaissance and Enlightenment, through the fuller development of the Modern era, to Postmodern culture, and into today’s search for a new truth. We view the past with a new understanding that these are not fixed periods of history, but a form of living consciousness that evolves inside us.
As the first Enlightenment opened up our understanding of the external universe, the new worldview that has been emerging promises to illuminate the interior universe of consciousness and connection. We actively contribute to the evolutionary process when we bring to life the universal values of truth, beauty and goodness.
Many more enlivening insights and profound understandings emerge in the conversation.
This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
TWEETABLE QUOTES
RESOURCES MENTIONED
012 - The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence
Episode 12
Thursday, January 27, 2022 • Duration 01:19:09
The central propulsion of Portals of Perception is an inquiry about how we humans evolve with our consciousness and perception, and where and how the future emerges. In this conversation, we are seeking to understand and appreciate how the nature of human experience and perception interrelates with technology. In other words, how our natural human capabilities and cognition correspond with and shape and then are influenced by the technologies we build and how these cross-pollinate and influence each other. Some researchers see in the advance of technology unlimited potential; others see a danger in its expanding influence.
Join Aviv Shahar and Dr. Alan Litchfield and Wai (Albert) Yeap, two global researchers on the leading edge of technology development, as they explore the evolution of artificial intelligence and its implications for the evolution of humanity.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
02:26 – Albert Yeap and Dr. Alan Litchfield join the show to discuss today’s fascinating topic: The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence
07:58 – The relationship between humans and technology
10:36 – Albert breaks down the origin story of computability and the birth of Artificial Intelligence
18:06 – Dr. Alan provides his thoughts on the evolution of technology in society
23:14 – An inflection point in technology
31:34 – The repercussions of replicating humanity in machines
39:30 – Dr. Alan and Albert dissect unintentional consequences of A.I.
48:51 – The mystery of learning
1:02:53 – Relativity
1:13:19 – Aviv poses three overarching inquiries pertaining to Artificial Intelligence
1:17:16 – Dr. Alan and Albert leave the conversation with one final thought
TWEETABLE QUOTESRESOURCES MENTIONED
011 - The Human as Spiritual Resource
Episode 11
Monday, January 17, 2022 • Duration 52:38
There is a deep emergent need in humans to access more and to understand more in terms of the spiritual dimensions of life. In this conversation, we explore the nature of what drives us and we look at some of the obstacles that we face when we seek to access the realms of originality and to access original experience, which is central to the story of human life. Join Aviv Shahar as he and Ron Lingard engage in a rich discussion of The Human as Spiritual Resource.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
01:53 – The Human as Spiritual Resource
06:55 – Ron shares a brief story from his childhood
10:17 – Is it possible to capture original perceptions and experiences?
13:49 – The objective actuality of the spiritual realm as an emergent phenomenon of human life
21:36 – The concept of expansion and contraction
25:19 – Aviv presents a compelling argument against a Biblical assertion
34:15 – Aviv and Ron expound on the concept of agency
39:42 – The Octopus Teacher
42:19 – How Ron places expansion and contraction within the lens of human experience
50:40 – Ron leaves the conversation with one final thought
TWEETABLE QUOTES
“So, when I say spiritual resource, what I mean by that is access to what the universe is actually trying to call out from human beings, to find its next steps, somehow, because we are at that forefront, somehow, of forging portals, forging new perception and new vision, about futures.” (09:15) (Ron)
“I think it’s not so much being able to describe it externally so much as it’s what is being called out of people now. There is a basic humanity I believe that lives within ordinary people. It’s the very fact that things are coming up to a point where the way forward is almost forcing this inner resource to actually come to the surface.” (18:00) (Ron)
RESOURCES MENTIONED
010 - Essence Music: The Emergence of a Collective Agency
Episode 10
Sunday, January 2, 2022 • Duration 01:09:33
Almost everyone can remember being moved by music. Feeling joy, inspiration, or even healing brought my listening and engaging in music. Different stories and perceptions are in place that could prove the ability of music to move or inspire a listener and that it doesn’t just come from a technical skill or a particular setting, it’s what’s inside the artist and the music itself. Join Aviv Shahar as he welcomes the musicians, Ed Dowrick and Paul Stone, to unravel the mysteries of Essence Music through their own experience and inspiration.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
07:20 – Aviv introduces today’s topic, Essence Music: The Emergence of a Collective Agency
08:07 – Paul talks about the interesting challenges on music languages
12:14 – Paul shares about the weakness of his left hand
17:10 – Aviv recaps what Paul has just said and shares his thoughts as well
24:01 – Ed speaks about his thoughts on Essence Music
33:39 – Ed opens up on something he heard from Hans Zimmer
39:05 – Paul shares his realizations on being in the audience in the previous years
48:54 – Ed shares his thoughts on the language and grammar of emergence
55:10 – Paul talks about museums and why he thinks it’s gives exhaustion
1:00:51 – Ed shares about great things music can give more than just physical healing
1:09:08 – Aviv thanks Ed and Paul for joining him
TWEETABLE QUOTES
“But I discovered that my left hand is very weak or was very weak. So, it’s been on a long program of strengthening and reconditioning. Not ‘cause I want to play good, it’s more in terms of so that it can be more versatile in what it can offer into any session or live piece of music”. (12:16) (Paul)
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009 - Inquiries into Humanity’s Future, Part 2
Episode 9
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 • Duration 01:16:15
In Part Two of this episode, the invitation is let’s be daring, in the sense of being prepared to challenge almost any assumptions we have. Because often when we frame inquiries, we already have some working assumptions. So here, what we’re proposing is a simple practice because what we want to do is approach the territory of inquiring into humanity's future whilst we also offer practical briefs, and practical tools, and practices that people can pick up and use. Join Aviv Shahar as he, Kyriaki Nikandrou, Avshalom Zack and Peter Barry continue with Part Two of Inquiries into Humanity’s Future.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
01:55 – The Economic Stop-Situation
08:23 – Kyriaki addresses the challenges of dealing with economic turbulence
18:57 – Peter speaks to the need to change the purpose of the economic system before changing the actual system
22:41 – The critical role of ethics
27:39 – Kyriaki explores the concept of The Wise King
36:04 – What comes to mind when you hear ‘experiential knowledge?’
45:42 – Other thoughts on the substrates of knowledge
52:29 – The threat of misinformation and false knowledge
56:36 – The Gender Issue
1:05:52 – Peter speaks to the relationship between energy and matter
1:10:47 – Kyriaki shares her thoughts on nurturing communication
1:13:40 – Aviv leaves the conversation with one final thought
TWEETABLE QUOTES
“A phrase that I’ve used for years is that, ‘There are no solutions that are not spiritual solutions.’ What I mean by that is what is the greater premise behind what we’re doing? What are the reasons why we’re doing this?” (19:23) (Peter)
RESOURCES MENTIONED
008 - Inquiries into Humanity’s Future, Part 1
Episode 8
Thursday, December 9, 2021 • Duration 58:45
What we have tried to demonstrate here is the idea that if you're going to approach an inquiry, if you're going to approach a domain - if you're going to approach anything - a good mindset is not to assume that we may be able to climb Everest just from anywhere. We'd need to get to basecamp, we need to make sure we have with us the right provisions, we need to make sure that we’re fit.
In other words, we need to engage in a whole preparatory work to create the scaffolding to embark on a journey. And we are still using the conversation today to substantiate that point, which is that you need to make the journey before you can make the journey. Join Aviv Shahar as he welcomes Kyriaki Nikandrou, Avshalom Zack and Peter Barry to dive deep into these rich inquiries.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
02:06 – Aviv introduces today’s topic, Inquiries into Humanity’s Future, Part One
02:38 – Kyriaki opens this rich discussion by sharing her thoughts on inspiration and encouragement
06:56 – Avshalom introduces the inquiry he brings to the table today
10:42 – The Three Premises
20:17 – Permanent Line Inquiry
25:02 – Kyriaki stresses the importance of challenging dogmas
28:27 – Aviv proposes a simple practice
40:13 – Peter expounds on the process of finding your question
43:11 – The living issue of Permanent Line Inquiry
49:13 – Aviv provides a quick recap and introduces a second practice
52:25 – Aviv teases the twelve challenges he will address in future episodes exploring this topic furthe
TWEETABLE QUOTES
“A true inquiry is not a destination. A true inquiry is a journey.” (09:15) (Aviv)
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007 - Polarity Management Moves
Episode 7
Thursday, December 2, 2021 • Duration 48:31
The core invitation we're making here is to recognize that each of us is one whole, integrated life. And that one whole integrated life is made of and is encompassing, and encompassed by, a universe of tremendous multiplicity within and without. And what we have explored here are the different moves you can make to release, to unleash, to unlock, to free up, to integrate and to transcend as we become a more fully embodied human life. Join Aviv Shahar as he welcomes Kyriaki Nikandrou and Liz Halter to engage in this rich examination of Polarity Management Moves.
03:26 – Aviv introduces today’s guests and poses the inquiry, ‘What comes alive in you when we bring the focus to Polarities?’
10:25 – Aviv names some of the moves of polarity management that we operate in every day
16:06 – Kyriaki talks about the ‘Go with the Flow’ move and the ‘Disarming’ move
25:21 – Aviv highlights the ‘Integration’ move
36:58 – Separation between professional and personal life
40:48 – Project Aristotle
45:40 – Aviv recaps today’s episode and thanks Kyriaki and Liz for sharing in this rich discussion on polarities
TWEETABLE QUOTES
“If we don’t actually work to identify and move beyond, then we spend a large part of our life with a lack of consciousness and being stuck in a kind of reactivity of actually something else running the show and we’re unaware of it.” (04:50) (Liz)
“There is an art to compromise and to not being locked in the either/or, but to find other options and other percentages that lead to solutions, that lead to agreements or co-creating, and that allow movement. Otherwise we are stuck, we are polarized, and a lot of disputes and quarrels ensue that really deplete us and we misspend our energy and happiness.” (09:49) (Kyriaki)
RESOURCES MENTIONED
006 - The Human as a Fountain of Encouragement and Hope
Episode 6
Monday, November 22, 2021 • Duration 01:37:07
The focus of our conversation today is that the human is a fountain of encouragement and hope. We want to sense into, and reflect on, the qualities of hope and encouragement, to explore what they are and how those properties, those qualities, those essences - how they influence our lives.
The essence of this conversation you're about to listen to and to discover is a weave of experiences from teachers, parents, and people who were touched and who touched others in moments where all that was needed was a little bit of help, with encouragement and hope, and how central these qualities are in our lives. Join Aviv as he and his guests dive deeper into this exploration.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
01:51 – Aviv introduces today’s topic, The Human as a Fountain of Encouragement and Hope
05:07 – Aviv introduces today’s panel of guests and poses the inquiry, ‘What comes alive in you when you hear the phrase ‘The Human as a Fountain of Encouragement and Hope’?’
08:21 – Perry speaks to what encouragement means to him
11:43 – Miriam shares her thoughts on encouragement
14:12 – The importance of self-encouragement
14:51 – Lisa discusses the concept of stepping into our futures with hope
17:25 – Karen speaks to the elusiveness of encouragement
23:22 – Why hope is such a critical component to the human spirit/experience
33:01 – The panel continues to share examples of the power and significance of encouragement in their own lives
37:30 – George speaks to encouragement as an influx of energy
41:56 – Encouragement and creativity
45:28 – Why encouragement and hope are the antidote to the world’s woes
46:58 – Turning stumbling blocks into steppingstones
Universal economy: The universe loves economy; if knowledge was codified earlier in the epoch, why waste it? Distill its essence, release what is no longer needed, and further the evolutionary story.
New sense organs: Activating Yellow brings online new human sense organs and communication apparatus; it encourages shared values and meaning, and connects with higher sources of inspiration.
Beyond the head: The Enlightenment and scientific revolution are based on the head or intellect-driven knowledge. We can experience knowledge differently through the vibrant, invisible blessing realms.
Living history: The feelings and traditions of ancient cultures are alive in energetic form. We can attune to those sentiments and passions to sense and wonder about the grandeur of their appearance.
This conversation is part of the continuing Portals discovery into what is emerging on the frontiers of human experience in this time of profound change. Information about upcoming special events can be found on the Events page. Also visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
“And so we build into this the recognition that the epoch is not a concept, it's not a mental structure, rather it is a living process. It's arising inside us. It's arising in between us. It arises all around us, and it is something we can live into, inside and in between us, in our conversations and discoveries, which is the premise to come together in small pods or in a larger network, to metabolize, to ease, to decode these ideas as they unfold.” (Aviv)
“I've had an interesting esoteric experience in which I actually changed the past and suddenly the map of where I was going in life changed, instantaneously. It's as if the past is actually quite malleable. So when we're rewriting the past here, I would say that it's powerful beyond the words that we use to tell these stories, there's something going on energetically, and archetypally, within the collective.” (Jeff)
“The sense that we know deep in our bones that a better way is possible, that has an influence on our consciousness, and it's what drives cultural evolution. It's not just this quest for the good life, it's also the quest to know what's true, and the quest to make our circumstances more beautiful. More beautiful architecture, more beautiful homes, more beautiful bodies. Those are all ways that we're lured to make things better. And so understanding that as an attractive force, or a kind of gravity, on consciousness, that the evolutionary impulse that our sense is responding to - that begins to illuminate what it is that we're trying to define and understand better.” (Steve)
“The greatest human purpose, at least while we're in this world, is to contribute to the evolution of the noosphere because, by doing so, we're contributing to the purpose of the larger universe as a whole. And so just being able to land that truth can really help people appreciate how science and spirituality are pointing to the same thing, properly interpreted, that I think can go a long way toward helping to plant the seeds for this next emergent worldview.” (Steve)
“People consider that technology is something which is separate from the person themselves. My view on this is that, actually, technology is a representation of our current state of mind. Technology has often followed what we have been doing or considering, and you see this as an example in the lead up to the Industrial Revolution. What we are now seeing is that technology has become a trigger for change, personally and socially.” (08:17) (Dr. Alan)
“The notion of computability really led us to understand what can be computed and what cannot be computed by computers. And incredibly curious minds of those days, especially Alan Turing, had discovered that notion of computability and asked the questions, ‘Could a machine be intelligent? And can we test that machine to be intelligent?’ From then on, the birth of the notion of A.I. emerged without us knowing.” (10:57) (Albert)
“We had an existence there where people constructed objects and artifacts according to input often that was socially mediated. So, you would have, for example, an artisan who was taught to be a carpenter by their father, or a weaver or whatever it may be. The function doesn’t matter. What matters here is that they came from a long line of previous artisans and they grew into a cultural construct that was built around that identity.” (20:35) (Dr. Alan)
“So, we have this problem where we don’t know how to make the shift in technology yet so that it better reflects the contents and intent of people collectively and individually. And that’s where we are now.” (22:47) (Dr. Alan)
“The trouble is this. Did we intend to create this thing? No, we didn’t intend. But we keep creating these things, which means that these machines will be more and more powerful and they will, I believe, one day take over the world.” (37:13) (Albert)
“In order for you to create a new cultural landscape, you have to dismember what already exists. In order for people to shift themselves out of a culture and into a new one, you have to break what already exists.” (1:09:01) (Dr. Alan)
“A very important aspect of ‘thinking new’ is bringing language more into the open and making it more connected and more meaningful in a way.” (24:53) (Ron)
“If you think about the Self in its other context, then it really needs to be the idea of self-realization as a process of discovery as we meet different languages to express what we are and contacting something that is not a personal property in that way. So, it’s tapping into something else that is actually being realized through human life.” (38:58) (Ron)
“The important thing that was catching me about the idea of contraction and expansion was the idea of seed. If you think of the way that floral life expands and then contracts, the one constant is the fact that the seed continues in that expansion and contraction. And what the seed represents is what’s needed for the next generation.” (43:38) (Ron)
“Many times, I would think that you can play the same piece of music, like for example, when you hear one rendition of Mozart from one orchestra on one day, and you hear it a month later, and it’s the same music but it doesn’t move you. Or di doesn’t move the audience.” (24:01) (Ed)
“In a way, people assume, I think in not just in music, that because a person has chosen to play an instrument, that all of a sudden there’s a bond between another person who has chosen to play an instrument. And it’s not the place to start. And I think again the world makes this mistake in many areas outside of music.” (33:14) (Ed)
“I stopped letting myself off the hook of being in the audience and thinking as the member of the audience, I had no effect on the musicians, the conductor and the song.” (39:05) (Paul)
“All of a sudden, out of the blue, this lady broke through. And something beautiful came through her voice and through her music. She was playing a harp. And it was brilliant!” (50:42) (Ed)
“But to be able to find the music that would say, not just to healing at a physical level, but music that would transmit say, for example, huge stream mental healing, or you could share the feeling somehow in a collective sense” (1:00:51) (Ed)
“Any sphere of human activity that we will approach or look at is, in one way or another, infected with a lot of diseases. And if we want to find a new operating system to replace a failing one, then we can’t ignore the ethical and spiritual dimensions.” (22:59) (Avshalom)
“Knowledge is not experience to start with. So, experience is higher than knowledge and real life is what is needed to gain real experience.” (38:16) (Avshalom)
“The majority of the education system has been oriented to make the young proficient to succeed in the economical requirements of that life. Well, what if the entire paradigm is changing and you need to have new kinds of skills? To create a sustainable future for humanity education will have to change as well.” (45:01) (Aviv)
“One of the biggest questions is: what kind of changes are necessary to get a different result? It is quite a common understanding in the world these days that you cannot really change the world before you change the humans that live in this world – and behave in this world, and cause things to happen in this world – and start to do it in a different way. It would provide a totally different result.” (14:59) (Avshalom)
“If you can find those important questions to your life that you will see them arising in the way you’ve gone on and the places you’ve been and the things you’ve done. Then there’s the confirmation of that by the reality you’ve experienced. So, you’ve brought from a great depth of yourself to a level of consciousness, something that really can be brought forward every day.” (41:25) (Peter)
“All the great men have gone and now it’s your turn. It’s a personal responsibility and the capability of each human to be part of the change and be an active part of the change.” (44:15) (Avshalom)
“Information or knowledge might seem unimportant but gets important and might be the exact key and the exact answer to your inquiry once you touch upon this core need.” (47:55) (Kyriaki)
“A complaint is the misdirected energy of an unmet need.” (21:38) (Aviv)
“The importance between balance and movement which is, in a way, another move because when we stop to move, we are bound to fall on one side or the other. Let’s say when we’re cycling or walking on a narrow bar or when we want to stay very immovable, we need to move a small part of our body, like the guards outside the palace.” (38:57) (Kyriaki)
“We possibly touched on a dozen different moves, some we instantiated with examples and some we only touched on briefly. And the core invitation we’re making here is recognizing that you are one, whole integrated life. And that one whole, integrated life is encompassing and encompassed by a universe of tremendous multiplicity within and without.” (45:55) (Aviv)
1:32:16 – George shares a quick story about his daughter
1:34:21 – Aviv thanks the panel of guests for sharing in this rich discussion on encouragement and hope
“I feel [encouragement] is an instinct. I feel it’s a natural desire for one human being to give of itself to another human being the benefit of its life. And it’s a very powerful thing.” (06:38) (Trevor)
“Hope is a choice. Hope is something that, in the area of encouragement and specifically self-encouragement, something that I find really important. How to teach myself and how to teach children how to encourage themselves is important because being dependent on encouragement from an outside source can be really dangerous.” (12:37) (Miriam)
“There is no future without hope. We can’t step into our tomorrows. Hope is what leads us into our tomorrows.” (15:11) (Lisa)
“A very powerful encouragement of other people, particularly children, is the encouragement that will enable them to find their own voice, their own awareness of their own choices, and their own ability to cause that self-encouragement. And it is such a call. You try to think about where encouragement comes from. It’s quite elusive because it’s almost a very internal part of the human mind but at the same time it’s very neutral and hard to pin down.” (17:39) (Karen)
“Hope is something we need, particularly today in the face of the world’s situation. Definitely it’s something to be, not manufactured, but kept alive in the light of the history of people who have had hope despite the worst of circumstances.” (26:16) (Trevor)
“I have to mention the word forgiveness because forgiveness is a big part of hope. As it’s been said, forgiveness begins in one’s self so this is all tied up into hope and encouragement. And the most important thing I think anyone can do for anyone is to believe in them, to believe in their life, to believe in the value of that life and encourage that life to fulfill its possibility and promise.” (36:01) (Lisa)
“People want to be seen. And today we live in a world where people are not seen and they’re passed by. It doesn’t have to be a long relationship. It can be just a passing by, a look, a touch, a comment, that can give so much to someone else.” (51:49) (Lisa)
“We can liberate the world by the sharing of the passion that we have for life.” (1:07:04) (Trevor)
“I think encouragement for dreaming big or expanding one’s mind out to what could be possible is a wonderful gift, particularly with young people, that we can offer to another life.” (1:12:30) (Lisa)
“One practice I employ is saying, ‘thank you,’ manners, taking the time to have a rich interaction between people that I meet and not to speed through things.” (1:25:12) (Perry)
