Join neuroscientist, philosopher, and five-time New York Times best-selling author Sam Harris as he explores important and controversial questions about the mind, society, current events, moral philosophy, religion, and rationality—with an overarching focus on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live. Sam is also the creator of the Waking Up app. Combining Sam’s decades of mindfulness practice, profound wisdom from varied philosophica ...
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The Moved To Meditate Podcast is a place for vibrant discussions about mindfulness, movement practices, and ways to find more balance and presence in daily life. Here, you’ll find down-to-earth resources to help you progress on your path, as well as insightful conversations with mindful movement, yoga, meditation, and dharma teachers from a range of traditions. On this podcast, we spotlight embodied approaches to mindfulness and the more contemplative aspects of movement practice. Together, ...
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What gifts can contemplative spirituality offer to a world that is crying out for a greater Love and Freedom? Animated by a vision of interspiritual dialogue, meditation teacher Thomas McConkie searches Christianity and the world’s Wisdom traditions for gems and insights into awakening, transformation, and the soul’s journey Home. One Heart One Mind is both a podcast and sacred space where you can come to rest, deepen your connection with the Divine, and let your heart be as big as it actual ...
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Welcome to the Liminal Living Podcast, where we dive deep into the realm of liminal spaces—those transitional phases where uncertainty is our companion. I'm your host and curator of conversations, Dr. Tom Rundel, and it's my pleasure to serve as your guide through these uncharted territories. With a doctoral background in spirituality and leadership from Portland Seminary, my research has centered on the spirituality found in the narratives of liminality in the Bible, but I have expanded my ...
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Welcome to The Zen Mormon Quantum Universalism Podcast, where we explore the intersection of ancient spiritual traditions, the unique perspectives of Mormonism, and their intersections with current science and technology. We explore the profound questions at the heart of existence - the nature of consciousness, the mysteries of the universe, and the search for meaning in a world of paradox. Discover how the contemplative practices of Zen Buddhism, the theological frameworks of Mormonism, and ...
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Welcome to The Soft Focus Podcast, where we practice letting go, broadening the view, and opening up to the magic that is already here.The Soft Focus Podcast is hosted by Corinne McAndrews, the farmer, wife, mother, and contemplative at the helm of Late Bloomer Ranch in eastern Idaho, USA, which is a holistic ranch committed to raising meat, eggs, wool, and cut-flowers of the utmost quality with integrity to match.Looking across disciplines, The Soft Focus Podcast is less about farming per s ...
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What are the big questions in your life? Where are you on the spiritual journey? Do you have people in your life who listen to your deepest questions, with contemplative presence and compassion? SDI Creative Director Matt Whitney hosts conversations on spiritual direction, guidance, contemplation, and community. This podcast offers a wide range of perspectives, stories, and conversations about the contemplative, healing modality of spiritual companionship, across a wide range of religious tr ...
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The Wise Studies podcast is an extension of our audio library of courses at wisestudies.com. You want to study the world’s great wisdom traditions in more depth but you don’t want to have to go to university to do it. At Wise Studies, we partner with leading scholars, practitioners, and experts in their field to produce high-quality audio courses, ebooks, and podcasts to bring reliable wisdom into your life. This podcast features the authors we work with. Choose a course at https://wisestudi ...
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The Spiritual Directions Podcast is intended to help guide listeners toward wholeness through practicing greater spiritual awareness. With roots in ancient myth and the contemplative traditions, the show will touch on topics of spiritual growth through deeper awareness. Guests include people from different walks of life discussing the ways in which they have confronted their suffering and come out transformed.
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Spiritual practice, like everything else in life, is evolving. What does this mean? By ‘Spiritual Practice’ I mean any activity that expands your sense of identity, for example meditation, contemplative philosophy, prayer, yoga, martial arts, psychedelics, transpersonal psychotherapy, fasting, visualisation, lucid dreaming, conscious parenting, forgiveness and much more. By ‘Evolving’ I mean that everything develops and adapts over time. Most of the spiritual traditions that have spawned the ...
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Join neuroscientist, philosopher, and five-time New York Times best-selling author Sam Harris as he explores important and controversial questions about the mind, society, current events, moral philosophy, religion, and rationality—with an overarching focus on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live. Sam is also the creator of the Waking Up app. Combining Sam’s decades of mindfulness practice, profound wisdom from varied philosophica ...
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Bright and Clear Meditation Podcast - Meditation for Less Stress and Anxiety
Dan Griese | Easy Guided Meditations
Bright and Clear Meditation features short, relaxing, guided meditations that are easy for you to enjoy, even if you've had absolutely no experience with meditation before! Join meditation coach and certified hypnotherapist Dan Griese for easy meditations to clear your thoughts, brighten your emotions and change the way you feel. The guided meditation and guided mindfulness meditation episodes are secular in nature, so the series can be enjoyed by people of all beliefs and contemplative trad ...
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Shortly after my Huffington Post essay “Beyond McMindfulness” went viral, a popular mindfulness promoter accused me of being a “crank”. So why not own it? Alas, The Mindful Cranks was born. The Mindful Cranks was the first podcast to critique the mindfulness movement. Conversations with guests soon expanded in scope to include critical perspectives on the wellness, happiness, resilience and positive psychology industries - sharing a common concern that such highly individualistic and market- ...
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A Soulful Rebellion with Anekia Nicole is your safe space for navigating the spiritual awakening journey. If you’ve realized that toxic religious beliefs are keeping you from living your best life, you’re not alone. Many of us feel stuck, lost, and unsure of what to believe. As a spiritual life coach, Anekia Nicole understands these struggles and is here to help you uncover your true purpose, break free from limiting beliefs, and discover your authentic self. Tune in for heartfelt conversati ...
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Today’s episode offers a longer, deeper meditation to help you integrate the themes and skills from the past 7 episodes. Practice fasting not just from food and drink, but from thought and feeling. Consent to God’s Presence and action within. Cling to nothing. Risk getting lost— forget even who you think you are. And trust that you hold in hand the…
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118: Andy Root: Evangelism in an Age of Despair
55:38
55:38
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55:38takeaways Andrew Root feels most comfortable surrounded by his books. The connection between humans and dogs is mystical and profound. Andrew's childhood experiences with grief shaped his faith. Lutheranism has a unique cultural context in the Midwest. Evangelism should focus on consolation rather than mere conversion. The church's role is to walk …
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Grounding Together in Tumultuous Times with Francine Ang
1:08:49
1:08:49
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1:08:49In this episode of the podcast, I’m talking with Francine Ang about the joys and challenges of teaching yoga and mindful movement during tumultuous times. Francine shares what it’s been like leading classes in her community since they were impacted by the recent LA Fires, and we reflect on what it means to find ground through practice. You’ll hear …
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Sam Harris speaks with David Deutsch about quantum physics and current events. They discuss the “many-worlds” interpretation of QM, Schrödinger’s cat, constructor theory, quantum computing and whether it will ever be practically possible, recent developments in AI, the prospects of artificial super-intelligence, the alignment problem, antisemitism …
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In a sense, contemplative prayer is none other than the practice of deepening one’s faith in God. But faith manifests in many guises. Perhaps a less obvious quality of faith is confidence. What does it mean to sit with a “restful confidence,” fully trusting that God is bringing about a mighty work in you? Listen to this episode as Thomas draws from…
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117: Nolan Rundel: The Art of Meaning: Blending Love, Logic, and Liminal Spaces
37:13
37:13
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37:13Take Aways Life experiences broaden your understanding of meaning. Family significantly impacts one's perspective on life. Cultural and community influences shape personal values. Art and beauty provide a deeper understanding of existence. Navigating societal expectations can be challenging. Authenticity is crucial in personal and professional spac…
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#413 — “More From Sam”: Trump & Israel, Corruption, Free Speech Violations, the Democrats, & Ezra Klein
26:35
26:35
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26:35Sam hopped back on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to talk about current events and answer some of the questions you all submitted on Substack. They discuss whether Jews in the U.S. are safer under Trump, due process rights and free speech, what Trump is doing to universities, the Trump family’s latest corruption scandals, …
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Beyond the Veil: Exploring Zen Mormon Quantum Universalism
20:47
20:47
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20:47In a universe of boundless mystery, we find ourselves constrained by the limitations of human perception. I saw recent post on social media with the following caption: "We can't see higher dimensions because our senses are wired for 3D. Just like a 2D creature can't imagine 'up,' we can't perceive extra dimensions—they may exist, but they're hidden…
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Beyond the Label: Reclaiming Our Relationship with Food
32:09
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32:09Welcome back to The Soft Focus! Imagine a food system where our choices aren't just guided by labels like "organic" or "grass-fed," but by deep relationships, integrity, and care. In today's solo episode, we're peeling back the layers of industrial marketing and exploring what it truly means to nourish ourselves—and our communities—through consciou…
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It feels assuring to know the answers to the most important questions in life. It takes more humility to admit we might not know where we’re going, and at a deeper level, who we even are. Thomas reflects in this episode on the vulnerability of not knowing and shares a poem from Thomas Merton that shows this special kind of faith in action. And now …
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Sam Harris speaks with Rutger Bregman about Rutger’s new book, Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference. They discuss why it seems like we are at the hinge of human history, wealth inequality, how altruism should be rewarded, how we should think about philanthropic billionaires, effective altruism, why empathy is overr…
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116: Keith Giles: Reading Romans Right, an Unfundamentalist View
1:01:46
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1:01:46Keith Giles has written extensively on biblical topics, including the Book of Romans. The collaborative project with Matthew de Stefano was born out of a shared concern about the misinterpretation of Romans. Romans is often misused to justify negative ideologies, which the authors aim to correct. Understanding the structure of Paul's arguments is c…
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It’s common in Christian life to focus on the aspects of God that we can know and understand—we say God is merciful, patient, loving like a parent…It is less common for most of us to attend to the aspect of God that is too subtle to perceive, too deep to fathom. In this school, to say anything of God is to say too much. This is classically known as…
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Sam Harris speaks with Scott Barry Kaufman about Scott’s new book, Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential. They discuss victimhood culture, narcissism and psychopathy, the personality traits of successful individuals, the dark triad of personality traits, how victimhood culture presents on the Left …
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115: Kevin Sweeney: A Cosmic Christ Meets a Concrete Jesus
1:06:10
1:06:10
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1:06:10Show Outline: Podcast Reflections & Growth Tom’s journey from uncertainty to confidence in hosting. Lessons from awkward interviews and maintaining consistency. Peter Rollins & Parables Kevin’s college story using Rollins’ parable of the mystic, evangelical, and fundamentalist. The role of mysticism in challenging dogma. Kevin’s New Book: Cosmic Ch…
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Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray about Douglas’s new book, On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization. They discuss Douglas’s recent experience on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the need for experts, conspiracy theories, the origins and aims of Hamas, the moral asymmetries between Israel and Hamas, what makes jihadism a unique…
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Happy Easter, friends. In this special episode, Thomas explores Jesus’s words to marry when she recognizes Him risen from the tomb: “Do not cling to me.” From a contemplative perspective, what could this mean? What happens when we stop clinging to our wrong ideas, our limiting beliefs? With open mind and open heart, we can come to know the Living P…
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What You Need to Know about Women’s Health through the Lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Dr. Erin Borbet
54:23
54:23
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54:23In this week’s episode of Soft Focus, I’m joined by Dr. Erin Borbet—licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and doula—for a nourishing conversation on women’s hormone health from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective. Together, we explore what it means to live with our cycles rather than in resistance to them. Erin shares how TCM views the phases o…
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#409 — "More From Sam": Religion, Deportations, Douglas Murray vs. Rogan, & Bill Maher's Dinner with Trump
48:50
48:50
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48:50Sam hopped back on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to discuss current events and answer some of the questions you all submitted on Substack. By far the most common feedback we hear from you guys is the following: “We want more from Sam.” So that's what we're trying to bring you with this new series, “More From Sam.” Sam and…
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114: Bruce Epperly: Progressive Christianity Can Save Us
1:10:54
1:10:54
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1:10:54takeaways Howard Thurman is a significant figure for understanding hope in difficult times. The current political climate creates a crisis of hope for many. Progressive Christianity can serve as a counterforce to conservative ideologies. Empathy is essential for ethical behavior and morality. There is a divide in Christianity that reflects differin…
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Dan Harris interviews Sam Harris for Dan’s podcast, 10% Happier. They discuss how meditation helped Sam after evacuating his home during the LA fires, why Sam owns a gun, the ethics of violence, how to feel compassion for your political opponents, why it doesn’t make sense to “hate” anyone, free will and determinism, psychedelics, the importance of…
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We delve into the Gospel of Thomas this week, a treasure trove of contemplative inspiration. Have you ever gone through an experience where you simply weren’t the same person on the other side? What part of you passed away, and what new quality came into being? Give yourself some space to settle in for this one, and, as Jesus invites, “Come into be…
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#407 — Can We Ever Return to Normal Politics?
19:48
19:48
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19:48Sam Harris speaks with Jon Favreau about the state of American politics. They discuss the Trump administration’s wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, tariffs, why Trump’s supporters don’t care about his corruption, the next steps for Democrats, the energy behind AOC and Bernie Sanders, why Biden failed on the border, Biden’s legacy, potent…
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113: Dillon Naber Cruz: Untangling Faith, Fundamentalism, and Nationalism
1:05:24
1:05:24
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1:05:24takeaways Dillon discusses the cultural diversity in Lancaster County, highlighting the coexistence of Amish and Christian nationalists. He emphasizes the importance of love and neighborly kindness in his theological approach. Dillon's writing project critiques Christian nationalism through the lens of Jesus and Paul's teachings. He expresses a des…
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Sam Harris speaks with Tom Holland about his book, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World. They discuss the enduring influence of Christianity on the modern world, historical interpretations of crucifixion, the moral systems of ancient societies, Paul's letters, the impact of the parable of the Good Samaritan, Islam and how it rela…
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Contemplation asks us to let go of everything and simply rest in the Divine presence. But how, exactly, do we do that? In this episode, Thomas introduces more formally the method of Centering Prayer, developed by the spiritual giant, Father Thomas Keating. What we find in Centering Prayer is that attention follows intention. Each time our attention…
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#405 — "More From Sam": Tariffs, SignalGate, Trump, Elon, Douglas Murray, & Joe Rogan
20:19
20:19
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20:19By far the most common feedback we hear from you guys is the following: “We want more from Sam.” More of his thoughts on current events, more frequently. So that’s what we’re trying here, with this new exploratory series we've creatively titled “More From Sam.” Sam jumped on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to run through so…
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112: Amanda Tyler: How to End Christian Nationalism
53:43
53:43
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53:43Key Takeaways Christian Nationalism Defined: A political ideology merging American and Christian identities, often excluding non-Christians and enforcing conservative, white supremacist norms. Historical Roots: Christian nationalism is intertwined with the doctrine of discovery, slavery, and segregation, using faith to justify oppression. Power Ove…
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Most people in the Christian world are familiar with the spiritual discipline of fasting. We abstain from food and drink for a designated time to draw our hearts closer to God. But what about letting the faculties of our mind fast. In the words of an anonymous writer from the 14th century, you will at first find this “terribly painful,” but in time…
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Reimagining Agriculture: A Conversation with Austin Frerick
47:38
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47:38Imagine a world where food isn't just a commodity, but a connection to community, sustainability, and hope. In this powerful episode, we're diving deep into the heart of America's food system with Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry. Meet Austin Frerick: Champion of Food Justice More than ju…
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111: Aaron Niequist: Faith, Liturgy, and Navigating Disillusionment
1:06:09
1:06:09
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1:06:09Key Takeaways From Beliefs to Practice: Aaron advocates for shifting from a beliefs-based faith to a practice-based spirituality, where doing (e.g., forgiveness, liturgy, service) shapes belief more than intellectual assent. Ecumenical Future: The future of faith communities lies in crossing denominational silos, integrating traditions (e.g., evang…
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#404 — What If Consciousness Is Fundamental?
2:20:36
2:20:36
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2:20:36Sam Harris speaks with his wife, Annaka Harris, about LIGHTS ON, her ten-part audio documentary exploring the perplexities of consciousness and the cosmos. They discuss the hard problem of consciousness, whether consciousness is fundamental, what split-brain patients can teach us about consciousness, what consciousness being fundamental could mean …
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Thomas guides a longer, deeper practice in this episode, weaving the themes from the previous five episodes together. Whether you’re a regular listener or first-timer, this episode provides a great opportunity to internalize some of the deep principles at work in contemplation and to bring your own unique flavor to them. Upcoming workshop: Thomas w…
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110: Preston Sharpe: Liturgical Rhythms, Resurrection Hope
1:05:17
1:05:17
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1:05:17🔑 Key Topics Covered: From Charismatic to Anglican: Preston’s journey from a Tulsa megachurch upbringing to embracing sacramental, liturgical traditions. Why Easter Matters for 50 Days: Rediscovering resurrection as a way of life—not just a doctrine—and its implications for justice, forgiveness, and hope. Liturgical Living: How ancient rhythms (lik…
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Contemplation is all about cultivating a relationship with the Divine, and relationship is inherently vulnerable. It’s not surprising then that when we set out to cultivate this most unique of relationships that we find ourselves putting up defenses—resisting the process of deepening our encounter with God. But even our resistance proves to be a gr…
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109: Chad Bahl: God is Not Supernatural?
1:06:37
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1:06:37🔑 Key Topics Covered: Why Supernaturalism Fails: Unpacking the medieval roots of supernaturalism and its incompatibility with modern questions of suffering (theodicy) and free will. Process Theology 101: Discover how thinkers like Alfred North Whitehead, David Ray Griffin, and Thomas J. Ord redefine God as a relational, persuasive force within—not …
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Sam Harris speaks with Jonah Goldberg about the damage Trump is doing domestically and abroad. They discuss Trump’s tariffs, Curtis Yarvin and the Tech Right, threats against Republicans who criticize Trump, why the arguments Republicans are using to defend Trump’s position on Ukraine are flawed, America’s deteriorating moral standing on the global…
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In this two-part episode, Thomas offers guidance on trauma-sensitive practice. Any time we practice meditation or prayer that goes beyond the thinking mind, it can create an environment where intense experiences arise in the body. Which leads to part II, the Divine Therapy. We can learn to trust this purification process and be healed through our p…
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108: Jacci Turner: How to Survive this Presidency
52:51
52:51
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52:51takeaways Grounding in spiritual practices is essential during chaotic times. Community support can provide strength and resilience. Limiting social media exposure can help maintain mental health. Deconstruction can be a transformative process, akin to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Creativity can serve as a pathway to hope and healing. Intent…
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