Awake In Relationship

064 Long before the pandemic many of us were practicing some form of social distancing. Modern life is rich in connectivity, yet so often lacking in the felt sense of connection and belonging. In the transition to the digital world more of life is being lived online and we are more lonely than ever. Like a muscle that never gets flexed, the close relationships that we rely on in good times and bad can quickly atrophy if we are not ...

063 When war and rumours of war are everywhere in the news how we personally relate to uncertainty and show up for others matters more than ever. The temptation to harden our hearts and join the chorus of polarizing voices is difficult to resist. However, it doesn’t matter what side of a conflict we identify with or the opinions we hold. Toxic certainty, hatred and fear are contagious and the real enemies of peace. Spiritual warrio...

062 From Silicone Valley tech bros to stressed out single moms, many people are proclaiming the therapeutic virtues of micro dosing for enhancing creativity and mental health. Micro dosing involves the consumption of a sub perceptual, fractional quantity of psilocybin or LSD, typically 1/5th to 1/20th of a recreational dose. Once vilified, interest in psychedelics and psychedelic therapy has exploded in recent years leading to a nu...

061 The modern world is filled with connectivity, yet for so many people the need for authentic connection goes unmet. Even in a long term relationship we can hide our vulnerability and true desires, sometimes for decades. When we avoid having the important and risky conversations with the people we love we miss a precious opportunity for deeper intimacy and healing old wounds. The questions we ask have the power to illuminate and ...

060  For anyone who has loved and lost you know how much it can hurt when the fairy tale ends. Neuroscience has shown that social and emotional pain stimulate the same regions of the brain as physical pain. However, while heartbreak might be the price we pay at the end of a relationship it doesn’t mean we have to suffer. The grief that follows breaking up is an invitation to mend our most primary relationship, the one we have with ...

059 Artists and creators have always held a special station in life, even if their work goes unnoticed.  It is the artist who sees the details of life that we often miss, speaks truth to power and imagines into existence new ways of being. Central to the creative process is the source of inspiration, the Muse. When the Muse is present middling art and science is elevated to greatness. The Muse awakens the senses and ignites revolut...

058 If your New Year's resolutions include improving your social fitness this holiday replay is for you!

The promise of online social platforms was access to an infinite pool of new friends and possible mates.  However, rather than making the search for love easier, the apps have trained our brains to select connections  based on the shallowest metrics. For anyone with a heartfelt desire to find love the daily grind o...

057 Ecological anxiety a is new diagnostic label describing a complex of physical and emotional symptoms related to existential dread and despair around the state of the environment. Extreme weather events like wild fires, floods and hurricanes in combination with politicians slow walking meaningful change is causing many, especially young people to give up on a hopeful vision for the future.

In this episode of Awake In Relationship...

056 The Oct 7th attack on Israel has ignited a new hot war in the middle east and a polarizing  information war online. For many people around the world the conflict  between Israel and Palestine touches old wounds of injustice as a cycle of religious violence repeats again and claims more innocent lives. If anything has been learned from this war it is that history is complex and good and evil are indistinguishable in the fog of w...

055 There are few things in life more ephemeral than money. Those who seek an enduring happiness and freedom through a path of awakening often find themselves rich in spirit, but constantly struggling to keep the lights on, literally. This is especially true for creators, social entrepreneurs and heart based business owners who lead with their values. Survival and success requires that we first go through the fire of reconciling ou...

054 The struggle to reconcile the better angels of our nature with powerful, earthly desires of the flesh is familiar to anyone on a spiritual path. Historically vilified and repressed by religious intuitions and the state, our sexual energy often hides in the shadows. Unexamined, it remains as a juvenile object of fascination or worse, a corrupting influence to avoid at all costs.

The sexual revolution cast off centuries of rigid n...

053  Since time immemorial humans have danced in tribal and shamanic ceremonies for healing and social harmony.  The rhythmic beat of a djembe or a subwoofer connects us with the internal rhythm of the heart and entrains us with others. When we move together we co regulate our nervous systems in times of high stress. All over the planet the phenomena of ecstatic dance is breaking down barriers to connection and building diverse com...

052 For decades people have been leaving traditional religious institutions in droves to pursuit a more direct path to enlightenment through eastern practices like meditation and yoga.  In this lonely world it can be intoxicating to find a community that feels like home and provides a sense of safety and support to explore your spiritual longing in depth. If you are fortunate enough to connect with a teacher or mentor it might even...

051 In this episode of REWIND we revisit a conversation with relationship expert and coach Mel Cassidy focused on creating health boundaries.  Personal boundaries are a natural part of any relationship, but rarely are they discussed openly until a line has been crossed.  

After Covid lockdowns many people have discovering their edge the hard way.  In this episode of AIR I speak with Mel Cassidy, a relationship coach who focuses on p...

050 ON AIR is a short monologue where Silas digs deeper into some of relational themes covered on the podcast and current affairs, Artificial Intelligence is all the buzz after the release of Chat GBT4 by Open AI in the fall of 2022. This version caught many technologists by surprise as it was able to pass the bar exam, right code in seconds and engage in human like dialogue with ease. It is now possible for anyone with an internet...

049 There are few personal growth paths harder than starting a business. Social entrepreneurs who care deeply about the relationships they have with their clients can find that the line between selling and serving sometimes gets blurry. Those new to business often under value their work and avoid marketing like the plague, limiting their income potential and impact in the world .

In this episode I speak with Tad Hargrave, business m...

048  Just like the natural world the information ecosystem we rely on daily for important news and meaning making is under threat. The internet was supposed to democratize access to human knowledge and wisdom, Instead, once trusted gatekeepers of information and moral authorities have been replaced by millions of self appointed experts, online content creators and bots.  This has led to a proliferation of low quality information, p...

047 The man box is a sociological term coined in the 1980s describing a rigid set of behaviours boys are expected to conform to become ‘real men’ in society, including aggression, dominance, mental and physical toughness, self sufficiency and emotional restraint. Dismantling this old map of masculinity has been important for moving closer to gender equality.  However, the absence of a clear vision for a generative form of masculini...

046 As mammals we are intrinsically wired to experience pleasure, but how we actualize our desires in this modern age has never seemed more complex.  The pandemic times added a new layer of anxiety to the simple human need for intimacy and connection. Touch can be incredibly healing and transformative when mindfully offered and received fully.  Consent is an ongoing process of mutual agreements, rather than a destination.  As partn...