Stumbling Through Enlightenment

As we continue to see where we are going and what we are feeling lead towards we are going back to the beginning to listen to Edwards interview.

As we figure out some things about the Podcast we are going back to the beginning with the original interview with Jason

Edward Checks in about the new job, but also a harrowing experience of pain and infection. While transitioning jobs, Edward takes some unplanned time off which he finds he needed without realizing it. While enjoying the time off, Edward contracted an infection in his lip that eventually required a hospital stay and surgery. Edward shares with us how throughout the ordeal he has a better understanding of the chronic pain people live with. Jason shares some of his experiences with his chronic pain and what it’s like living with it long term. Edward ends up with a few experiences of the new job which he finally got to start and some of the perks he’s finding.

In a world seemingly full of spiritual teachers and gurus, there are a lot of choices, messages, and pitfalls. Today we talk about some of the pitfalls with following one guru or teacher, not only for the follower, but also for the “guru” involved. We discuss some of the experiences Mary Garden writes about in her book the “The Serpent Rising”, as well as some of our own experiences on both sides of the world of gurus. Finding spiritual teachers can be difficult and we discuss our methods for vetting information and following our own journey.

This week Jason has reached a milestone in his relationship with his oldest Son. Jason has struggled with the transition in their relationship status. Jason finds himself being at ease and coming to terms in a quite unexpected way. In past episodes Jason has kept us up to date with the ups and downs over the last couple of years as his son reaches adulthood. Jason shares that he isn't sure exactly what happened, but that for the first time Jason feels really ok with his son's behavior and actions as he strives to create his own life.

Have you ever wondered what all the hype is around meditation? Have you tried to meditate and before long got frustrated and quit? Do you ever wonder if you are doing it wrong? This is the episode for you. Jason and Edward discuss the subject matter from two different meditative backgrounds and practices. Through their discussion we learn about several different types of meditation and how to practice them. We also learn how many of the ideas about meditation are incorrect at best. Meditation can be simple or complex, and we often make it much harder than it is. Come learn the processes, pitfalls, and benefits of the meditative practices that span the world.

Due to some unforseen circumstances, that we will speak about in a future check in we are republishing one of our Holiday survival guides.

This week we start off with Edward relaying a particularly good week of some much-needed self-care. After spending a day off out of town with a friend, He talks about spending time with his sister, going to see a movie for the first time since the pandemic started, and a search for Indian food.

As we have now entered the Holiday season it is again time to remind ourselves that setting boundaries is necessary and saying no is acceptable. Since the pandemic started, we have found many people have realized that spending time with family can be quite toxic. Sometimes when we do things out of habit for so long, we forget, or do not realize how bad a situation is. This year we feel the increase in expectation due to long absences. Last year recorded an episode with a toolbox of coping skills and a survival guide. This year we touch on some tools that we have used and a couple new ones that we have learned. Mostly it is about permission we give ourselves to be absence from abusive and toxic gatherings.

Edward starts off this week with exciting news. He is starting a new job. Edward has realized that over the last 4 years he was focused on several people and his job, but not himself. Specifically Edward has continued working in a job where he can’t make the money needed for survival unless he works overtime. Edward has decided to step out of that place in his life and take a job that is not only more money but offers more freedom.

Our Deep Dive this week focuses on the subject of tracking growth. Why do we track growth? Why is it important? Most importantly, how do we do it in an effective manner? Jason and Edward discuss some of their recent listening to first and second season podcasts and how they’ve seen growth in themselves. This brings up other ways to track growth and why it’s so important to do so regularly.

This week Edward checks in about trying to understand his place in a church community. Edward was raised Catholic and experienced religious trauma at the hands of his parents. As an adult Edward is trying to reconcile his personal faith and find a community that he feels safe in. As part of that Edward finds himself overcommitting and leading a life that is not spiritual, but one based on performance. Jason and Edward discuss the space Edward find himself in and what he can do to not repeat his past.

This week’s deep dive is a review of The Celestine Prophecy by James Readfield, which both Edward and Jason read as young adults. Although it is a much older book, Edward shares with us how the 9 insights shared in the book were so influential in his life that much of his spirituality and view of the world is based heavily based on his understanding of them. Jason and Edward discuss the 9 insights and how they have incorporated them in their own lives.

We check in with Jason this week, who is struggling again with the relationship with his son. Jason is continuing to attempt to connect with his oldest son, who still lives at home. His son, who is now 18 is trying to discover who he is and assert his independence. Jason knows that this is the time in his son’s life when this should happen, but he is frustrated with the way his son is choosing to do it. Jason relays stories of his son canceling plans at the last minute on him and Jessica, and especially a lack of interest in hunting with him which is the one activity Jason felt like they bonded over. As the conversation progresses Jason speaks about how to deal with his own emotions, and trying to become comfortable doing things on his own that he enjoyed doing with his son.

Today we take a look at the concept of Love Languages as presented In Gary Chapman’s 1992 book: The 5 Love Languages. In his book Gary writes about his understanding of the 5 major ways people show and want to receive love. The premise is that every person has one major language, that when they receive, they feel the most loved. Every person also has another language that they “speak” which may not be the same as they wish to “hear”. Edward speaks about his experiences with these concepts as well as some of the views from the book. Jason Joins in as he starts to understand the premise. Finally Jason and Edward discuss their own love languages as well as ones that they feel repulsion to due to trauma.

Edward finds after 4 years of living in his apartment that he is finally starting to nest. Edward has stated before that he has struggled with connecting to his space. While he has things of his around the house, he shares with us that most of it was just put somewhere to occupy space. Pictures on the wall were put up because that’s where the nails already were. Edward found in the last few weeks that he is starting to want to make his apartment really his own. When Jason asks what changed or why it took so long, Edward discusses how he feels his life was so seasonal he was waiting for another shift. Edward feels that he is really feeling more at home.

In the world of mental health and spirituality people speak about Affirmations as if they were the most amazing tool. Some people swear by them, and others say they are useless. As it turns out both can be true. Edward brings us this segment as someone who used to use affirmations only to find that they made him feel worse. At the same time his friends would use them and see results. Affirmations are used not only to change our views of the world and ourselves, but also to change our brain. Edward started looking into why he was having issues with using them and shares the information which has led him to start again, this time with success. It is not only in the way that we use them, but how we feel about them that matters. Where they come from in our psyche, how we phrase them, and even some very specific words we use can be important. Edward and Jason also discuss how many people start at the end with out ever going through the beginning. Come along down the rabbit hole and discover some ways that affirmations can fail, how to fix that, studies that show we have been using them incorrectly or inefficiently, and the way they tie to the body allowing us to see which ones we need to move forward in our life.

This week finds Edward sharing some of his experiences of reconnecting and living with a young man from his past. Edward and Jason discuss the challenges Edward has experienced and the emotional rollercoaster of some of the situations that have arisen. Because Edward has a history going back to this young man’s infancy, Edward has had to grow and shift his perception from that of dealing with a child to that of dealing with an adult. Edward also speaks about the young mans drug addiction and how he has lived with and supported a person in recovery.

Most of us know what an emotion is, and we think we know what a feeling is. What if we have confused the two for so long that we can’t tell the difference? Jason leads us through discovering the difference between the two. Edward fell into the category of people that did not know the difference and was told as a young man that no one could make him feel anything. As the discussion evolves, we find that the saying was correct, but not in the way we think. Join us as we delve into the world of emotions and feelings.