The Cult of Power

The Cult of Power

There’s the bare bones architecture of power. Then, there’s the tissue for what that particular iteration of power looks like in that particular intersection of time & space. And then, there’s the sociology of power that behaves just like a cult. The propaganda, the “right” or “proper” frames, the steadfast beliefs. And then, the psychology of the cult is intertwined with identity & ego to defend & assert, requiring the cult member to prove & earn their validity, their worth, continually and without end. How can we choose or do differently before seeing the bones, tissue, sociology, & psychology of the Cult of Power? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heldinmotion.substack.com [https://heldinmotion.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Metamorphosing Free Will & Determinism

What if the question of free will or determinism was flawed to begin with? What if this is why the question persists? Why it's been debated, for-ever? What if unfurling & reintegrating our understanding shifts the camera lens? And what if the tangential concepts that connect to either free will or determinism become, almost, noise? What if when shaken out, relational integrity reveals a more congruent conceptual understanding? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heldinmotion.substack.com [https://heldinmotion.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

When power becomes the substrate…

Overt power is easier to identify. What about when power intentionally makes itself more covert, more palatable? What about when power becomes the substrate; infiltrating perceptions, language, thinking & reasoning? When it's deemed "neutral", "inevitable", "human"? When we, as products of the environment, self & peer perpetuate & reinforce it?Resources & Notes:Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43797900-braiding-sweetgrass] by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Goodreads)How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23719305-how-emotions-are-made?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_12] by Lisa Feldman Barrett (Goodreads)Field of flowing grasses. [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXyjDucsAXz/?igsh=MWhoZHBvMjRwdGUxNA==] (Instagram)'Do you think people could tell by looking at you, if you're gay or straight?' [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX_0WN2xXhk/?igsh=MWU0M2Z5Y3Zzb2NtOA==] (Instagram) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heldinmotion.substack.com [https://heldinmotion.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Being a "good person" doesn't matter.

Power uses hierarchies for control & influence. I think morals conceptualized within environments of power are tainted in similarly unhelpful ways. We focus on being “good” or “not bad”, while people & situations are demoted to context. Disassociating us from the greater responsibility found in being present, in relationship with, in bidirectional feedback looping with others. Here you'll find how I’ve come to think being “good” doesn’t matter, & what I’m attempting to replace it with. Resources & Notes: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43797900-braiding-sweetgrass] by Robin Wall Kimmerer This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heldinmotion.substack.com [https://heldinmotion.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

When hierarchies shape experience & perception…

There's a lot of shit happening in the world, right now. Some see it, feel it. Others see it, but dismiss the degree of shit. Then, there are the arguments that arise over feelings, perceptions, & even what to do. Who's right? What if patriarchy & white supremacy filter the threat & shape what we see, what we feel, & when? And these same systems keep us from seeing & hearing one another, let alone understanding & addressing the threat before it becomes apocalyptic/catastrophic? Resources & Notes: Exposing a Global "Rape Academy” [https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html] (CNN investigative report.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heldinmotion.substack.com [https://heldinmotion.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]