Jan 28, 2016

Richard Dawkins and the He-Man Woman-Hater's Club

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Richard Dawkins may have finally gone too far. (Not the first time I've said this, I know.) After his most recent Twitter feud, he's found himself disinvited by the Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism. It seems they've finally noticed that he's a raging misogynist. Some of us caught on to this problem a little quicker. Skepchick blogger Rebecca West gives a rundown of this latest fiasco here.

In short, he retweeted a video from a men's movement ideologue called Sargon of Akkad, which mocked and attacked a feminist activist. Even when it was made clear to him that the woman is being terrorized with rape and death threats, and that she was doxxed, his reaction was to double down. This red-haired feminist was just too mockable for him to let it go. She's so obviously the wrong kind of feminist. Dawkins, by the way, is the right kind. He really understands what women should want in life, and is more than happy to explain it to us until we get it into our pretty, little heads.

In particular, he's very clear about what Muslim women should want. He'd like to start a feminist revolution for them, and he'd like to start with their clothing. That this isn't what Muslim feminists are concerned about doesn't seem to phase him. And so goes the other Twitter war, in which Dawkins finds himself these days. In the since deleted tweet, he explains how a "good Muslim" woman comports herself.

Jan 26, 2016

Bikram Loses Million Dollar Law Suit

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Minakshi Jafa-Bodden has prevailed in her lawsuit against yoga teacher Bikram Choudhury, as previously discussed here.

A Los Angeles jury on Monday ordered Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram yoga, to pay about $924,500 to a lawyer who alleged that he sexually harassed her while she worked for him and that she was fired after she began investigating claims that he raped a yoga student.

Attorney Minakshi Jafa-Bodden said in her lawsuit that she suffered gender discrimination, wrongful termination and sexual harassment during her time working for Choudhury.

. . .

Jurors deliberated for about a day before returning with a unanimous verdict in favor of Jafa-Bodden, said Mark Quigley, who along with attorney Carla Minnard represented Jafa-Bodden.

“Jafa-Bodden faced retaliation and intimidation when she refused to stay silent about witnessing illegal behavior,” Quigley said in a statement released after the jury's decision Monday afternoon. “This verdict sends an important message, that speaking out when you see signs of sexual abuse is the right thing to do.”

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Cultivating a Vital Energy Body

Whose life do you want to be living? And how do you live the life that is an expression of your unique genius? To have the energy to live authentically we need to cultivate a vital and robust energy body. To do that we need to attend to both the energy that we are, the energy bucket, and the energy we bring into the bucket. Qi gong, time in nature, and naps can fill the bucket, while a day that requires you ignore your body, work beyond your ability to think, and drink caffeine to survive the day usually empties the bucket. Join us this week as host and shaman, Christina Pratt, explores how cultivate the different dynamics of good energy body hygiene, part four of our series. Shamanic skills and awareness can help us to focus our energy on practices that are efficient and effective in cultivating good energy body hygiene.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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Jan 19, 2016

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

What Are Healthy Boundaries?

Conserving and protecting your energy resources are essential to live well. Healthy energetic boundaries are necessary to respond flexibly to what the day offers while staying focused on your vision in the face of multiple distractions. When you choose to ignore your boundaries or to shield and over-fortify, you lose or waste energy throughout the day and experience miscommunication and dissatisfaction in relationships. Join us this week as host and shaman, Christina Pratt, explores how we create healthy boundaries, part three of our energy body hygiene series. Shamanic peoples understand the energetics of relationship with the physical and the invisible worlds. Healthy boundaries with both worlds allow focus and resources to flow into you, your relationships and your path to your destiny.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
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All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Jan 13, 2016

Pottermore Snuffs Candlelight Vigil – UPDATED

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

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Update: Pottermore Ignores the Tragic Loss of Alan Rickman

As I wrote here, the once great site known as Pottermore fell to the Death Eaters and Dolores Umbridge appears to have taken over the security of their social media. A once vibrant, atmospheric, and interactive site has become a slick, but substance-free marketing blog for Warner Bros.

Last week many former members of the original Pottermore turned out on the site's Facebook page, and under a tedious post about the cinematic version of the whomping willow, they staged a candlelight vigil in memory of the once great site and in hope of its return. One by one they lit candles and placed them at Platform 9 3/4.


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Jan 12, 2016

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

What is Energy Grounding?

Grounding is a choice. It isn't something you heal, its something you do. Good healthy, daily grounding can change the patterns of both stagnant, depressed energies as well as scattered, fragmented energies. To ground is to show up and be present in your body, which is the first step to everything else that really matters. Join us this week as host and shaman, Christina Pratt, explores how to ground, part two of our energy body hygiene series. Energy body hygiene is the foundation of living well in today's world. Without solid grounding not matter where we are, what is going on, or what altered state we are in, we are unable to discern the truth, which is a dangerous place to find yourself in your shamanic work.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Jan 11, 2016

Graham Hancock on Revising Archaeology

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.




In this recent interview, Graham Hancock discusses findings at sites like Göbekli Tepe and Gunung Padang and how they challenge the prevailing archaeological narrative. He also discusses evidence that meteor debris may have caused a global cataclysm, one that could account for Plato's story of the lost civilization known as Atlantis. It's a good interview and worthwhile overview of his new book Magicians of the Gods.

Jan 5, 2016

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Upcoming Broadcasts of Interest


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Energy Body Hygiene-Overview and Part One of a four part series.

To live well in your human body you must think of it as an energy body and a physical body. The world looks physical and solid, but in reality it's all energy and it's all connected-and so are you. Whether you are engaged in religion, spirituality, shamanism or just plain living life you are still an energy being living in an energy world. This week host and shaman, Christina Pratt, explores energy body hygiene and the interface with physical life that makes up the basics of living well. Energy body hygiene is the foundation of the ability to accurately discern multiple energies in a rigorous shamanic practice, to clarify reasons you may feel like an empath when you are not, and to cultivate the energy that you need to live your true, authentic life.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Dec 29, 2015

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Why Do We Need Shamanism Now?

We need shamanism now for the same reason we needed it in the beginning. The "first shaman" came in many forms to many different peoples around the world, but they all came for the same reason: to teach us to be better humans. The humans couldn't figure out how to live here in a good way with the environment and they couldn't figure out how to live together without killing each other. Sounds pretty much like humans today. "This is why shamanism matters today," says host and shaman, Christina Pratt, "because it answers the question how? It gives us ways to transform." With all of the great people doing really good work today we have to remember that nothing will change until we all become different people. Join us this week as we explore how we can change ourselves to become the change needed in the world now.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Dec 22, 2015

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Unmasking the False Self

We are spirit incarnate. The first decision that we make in life, when we are very smart and still part of the Oneness, is to take a body. This body exists in an illusion of space and time, but a convincing illusion that we call life. We experience space and time and fear and love and we make up stories. Some of these stories become masks that we wear; the good mother, the best husband, the start-up billionaire, the disinterested in your world 'cuz I already know everything ayahuasca raver, the person you believe you should be, or the person you are afraid that you are. Join host and shaman, Christina Pratt, as she explores how to engage more deeply in our shamanic practice to shed these masks that we hide behind, step up to the calling of our true self, and respond as the medicine needed for the ills of our time.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

Dec 15, 2015

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Around the Web, Around the World


"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

Peacemaking as a Spiritual Path with Stephan Beyer

"We all suffer. We are all sacred. We are all bound together. We are all fallible. We are all capable of redemption." And we are all capable of making peace. In his excellent new book, Talking Stick: Peacemaking as a Spiritual Path, author, educator, and peacemaker, Stephan Beyer gives us the guidance and practices necessary to use our shamanic skills to embody peace. Join us this week as Stephan and host, Christina Pratt, explore how our own hierarchical and transactional thinking propagates non-peace in our relationships day by day. Stephan explains that to become peacemakers, "We must learn to have a listening heart; we must learn to have an undefended heart; we must disarm ourselves. And then we can begin to disarm others."

This week's guest:
Stephan Beyer


Stephan Beyer Steve Beyer is a well known author and speaker about shamanism, spirituality, and healing. For more than forty years, has been fascinated by the sorts of anomalous human experiences that have been ignored, marginalized, and pathologized by mainstream psychology - meditation, hallucinations, lucid dreams, shamanic visions, out-of-body experiences, delusions, visualization, false awakenings, apparitions. Stephan holds doctorates in both religious studies and psychology, was a lawyer and a litigator as well as a wilderness guide, peacemaker, community builder.

Steve has doctoral degrees in both religious studies and psychology, and has taught as an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the University of California - Berkeley, and Graduate Theological Union. Expert in both jungle survival and plant hallucinogens, he has studied the use of sacred and medicinal plants with traditional North America herbalists, in ceremonies of the Native American Church, in Peruvian mesa rituals, and with mestizo shamans in the Upper Amazon, where he received coronación by banco ayahuasquero don Roberto Acho Jurama. The Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions at the Smithsonian Institution has praised his "unparalleled knowledge of sacred plants."

Stephan is the author of Talking Stick: Peacemaking as a Spiritual Path, Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon, and numerous books on Buddhism, Tibetan language and religion.

Tuesday, December 15 2015 at 11:00 AM Pacific

Log on to Listen
Why Shamanism Now? on Co-Creator Network
Questions? Comments? Call: 1-512-772-1938

All episodes are now available in the iTunes Podcast Library.

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