of common clay

episode seven | the illusion of choice, & the false scarcity of time

this episode is a creative non-fiction story on the illusions of choice + time presented by Dane. in various chapters, Dane explores the way language and cultural myths are used to pull us from our natural Oneness within true time + place: Spacetime. do you know the origin of the word "deadline"? do you know the meaning of the word "metro"? "metropolis"? how can these words and their stories entrap us or free us? all this and more is explored in this in-depth look at how our dominant story of separation rules us with false time and the illusion of unlimited choices. this podcast contains music and audio from numerous artists and archival sources to highlight the *interbeingness* of history, pop-culture, art, linguistics, and philosophy - of all things. i realize i am taking liberty with "fair-use" here, but if this essay is about anything, it's about the silliness of things like "copyright" and "copywrite" as though either could possibly be original. (this work will not be monetized, as such.) muses, teachers, thinkers, writers, artists, friends, family, and myself wrote and co-created this creative audio essay. many thanks to all who have touched or supported my work over the years and those that continue to do so. ~Dane

episode six | a conversation with Nicole Gi: "end the wars. end the pollution. end the mandates."

this episode features an hour long conversation with Nicole Gi: U.S. Congressional Candidate from Hawaii District 2. Nicole shares her story with us, why she is running, her passion for environmental issues, her commitment to empowering local communities against big interests, and how she has come to question the dominant global pandemic narrative. Nicole is an independent at heart but is running in the Hawaii Democratic Party Primary being held on August 13th. Please share this episode and her story if you or anyone you know is eligible to vote in the Hawaii State Primary. follow Nicole on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/nicolegi4congress/] + TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@nicolegi4congress]: @nicolegi4congress website: www.nicolegihawaii.com [https://www.nicolegihawaii.com/] Nicole has spent a large portion of her adult life fighting against and bringing awareness to environmental poisons that affect the health of our planet and our communities. Pasted below is the full bio from Nicole's website. in this episode we discuss: • climate change + environmental pollution • health care, the military and medical industrial complexes • covid-19 + HIV: political corruption, agency capture, and pharma corruption • ppen-mindedness, healthy dialogue, + the political divide • what is our tax money used for?? • empowering peoples movements within the halls of power • local currencies • and more! meet Nicole Nicole is the only Congressional candidate from Kauaʻi. Nicole’s upbringing taught her perseverance and the value of community. Her family faced financial and health challenges, leading her to work through high school as a library assistant, babysitter, tutor, and waitress. Nicole was fortunate to receive emotional and financial support from many fellow Kauaians. She was treated with aloha even when she stuck out from the crowd: she acted like a hippie and she talked like a haole. The empathy she received empowered Nicole to stand up for her beliefs, while also respecting those of others. It taught her that she is not better than anyone else. Nicole went on to receive her B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University, focused on environmental engineering, science, and policy. She also received an MBA from Mills College. Nicole’s very first college internship was at the state capitol in California. She was frustrated to see many lawmakers acting like they were in middle school, voting down bills over bribes or ego issues. Nicole decided that she did not want to go into politics after all. Instead, she worked for a decade fighting pollution - especially plastic pollution - in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. However, Nicole couldn’t resist staying involved in politics, volunteering for and donating to a number of candidates. Honestly, those who were elected seemed to cave to pressure. If elected, Nicole will remember the importance of keeping the fight going for the people without the power to fight for themselves. She is committed to tackling problems with an open mind and a sense of humor.

episode five | chicken magic: the backyard adventures of jelly, bean, peanut, butter, + chick

lauren + dane recount the magic and love of raising their backyard chickens: jelly, bean, peanut, butter, brownie, + chick. this is a memoir episode of our backyard chicken adventures. we try to share as much as we can for anyone thinking of getting some backyard chickens of their own. stay tuned for more chicken talk and our upcoming course on raising backyard chickens holistically.

episode four | when the world was born: on energy, origin, reality, + consciousness

in this episode lauren + dane talk about the nature of existence, origin stories of the universe, our infinite co-creative mother, the power of art + creativity, and much more.  books referenced: Morton, Timothy. Dark Ecology: For a Logic of Future Coexistence. New York: Columbia University Press, 2016. Mitchell, Sherri. Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change. North Atlantic Books, 2018. Cameron, Julia. The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. 25th Anniversary Edition, Penguin Random House, 2016. Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass and Selected Poems and Prose. Penguin Books, 2014.  Akana, Collette Leimomi. Hānau Ka Ua: Hawaiian Rain Names. English and Hawaiian Edition, Kamehameha Schools Pr, 2015.

episode three | what's the story and WHO is telling it: gaslighting + the medical industrial complex

in this episode, we discuss: * cultural myth and story existing as sense making narratives, not necessarily as “not true” or “lies” * gaslighting tactics and how they are perpetuated by institutions (media, government, Pharma, corporations) * the story, “the pandemic of the unvaccinated” * the moving goalposts of data collection in a story run by statistics * knowing your own truth and rooting into that story * experiential reality vs. believed reality * scapegoats in society when narratives don’t play out as planned “What is Gaslighting” by Sherri Gordon on VeryWell Mind article [https://www.verywellmind.com/is-someone-gaslighting-you-4147470] “Interjection from a vaccinated person: why I have sympathy for the vaccine skeptics” by Alexander Zinn in The Berliner [https://www-berliner--zeitung-de.translate.goog/wochenende/zwischenruf-eines-geimpften-warum-ich-verstaendnis-fuer-die-impfskeptiker-habe-li.204231?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en] "Mob Morality and the Unvaxxed" by Charles Eisenstein [https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/mob-morality-and-the-unvaxxed?s=r]