The Evolving Man Podcast Ben Goresky

In today's episode, we’re diving deep into the world of sacred plant medicines, indigenous wisdom, and conscious parenting with the extraordinary Vivien Vilela. Join us as we explore the delicate art of harvesting peyote, the spiritual importance of maintaining a respectful relationship with the earth, and the dangers of commodifying sacred plants. Vivien shares her journey from the party scene to a profound spiritual awakening. We discuss the significance of ceremony and proper guidance when working with plant medicines, and we specifically discuss Peyote.

We also discuss the visionary Aniwa Gathering, a transformative event founded by Vivien, which brings together indigenous leaders from around the world to share sacred ceremonies and wisdom without the use of entheogenic medicines. Learn about the critical need for sustainable practices, the impact of screen addiction on children's development, and how to raise children naturally in a city environment.

Ben and Vivien also reflect on their personal experiences, the importance of spiritual initiations, and the lifelong journey of personal growth and healing. Whether you're a parent, a seeker of spiritual wisdom, or someone curious about indigenous practices, this episode offers valuable insights into living a conscious, connected life. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that promises to leave you inspired and informed.

 On this episode, we discuss:


Harvesting and use of Peyote properly



Destruction and Disruption of Peyote Plants
Efforts to educate on responsible harvesting



Indigenous Cultural Practices



Emphasis on reciprocity and respectful relationships with the earth
Rituals such as fasting, offerings, and spiritual connection



Commodification and Misappropriation



Concerns over sacred plant medicines being commodified
Importance of traditional initiations and proper practices
The dangers of recreational use without proper guidance
Adherence to indigenous practitioner wishes



Ceremony and Reciprocity



Knowledgeable Practitioners and Offerings
Importance of sitting in ceremony with experienced practitioners
Physical and spiritual offerings
Reciprocity and its significance



Aniwa Gathering




Focus on spiritual connection without entheogenic medicines






Use of natural herbs like cacao, tobacco, and sage






Raising funds for indigenous projects through the Huya Aniwa foundation




Peyote’s Spiritual Significance




Description of peyote and its roots in Mexico and Texas






Its role in connecting individuals to their true selves and ancestral memory






Importance of using peyote in the right ceremonial context




Indigenous wisdom on parenting 




Lack of initiation rituals in western societies






Approaches to avoid screen time and societal pressures






Emphasis on discipline with love and fostering unconditional love and respect






Traditional midwifery and keeping children close






Nurturing imagination and avoiding artificial toys





Faster brain development in indigenous children in nature



Challenges in City Environments




Pushback from society and finding natural stimuli
The impact of screens on children’s emotional balance and ability to be present
Concerns about excessive screen time






Conscious living as parents




Personal Growth and Spiritual Awakening




Vivien’s Story






Journey from party scene and drug use to spiritual awakening






Spiritual session leading to significant growth



 

Aniwa Gathering

Aniwa’s main site

Aniwa on instagram

Hyua Aniwa

Aniwa on Youtube

Ben’s Freedom From Addiction Circle
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Bloom and his wife Linda have been writing and teaching about relationships for decades, and he joins me on the heels of the release of their recent book “An End To Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons For All Relationships”

We discuss these points and more:

-Differences are unavoidable; conflict is not.

-Your partner thinks differently than you.

-Ways to free yourselves from impasses.

-It’s often better to just drop a fight until your heads are cooler.

-Deepening a relationship beats winning an argument.

-Speak according to the receptivity of your partner.

-Learn to see the fears of yourself and your partner.

-Learn to share responsibility for problems with your partner.

-Coming out of victim scripts into co-creation.

-Different relationships have different kinds of conflict.

-Are there couples who never fight?

-Learning how to be in conflict.

-‘Sudden’ endings to relationships are often years in the making.

-Translating relational teachings into action.

-Losing the hope that you’ll never get triggered

-The biases of friends supporting us in relationships.

Links: 

Charlie and Linda Bloom’s website

The Creating Conscious Love Course 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jordan Gray is a relationship coach who has written hundreds of articles that have been read by over 250 million people worldwide. He has worked with tens of thousands of clients via his programs, groups, and 1-on-1 coaching. 

He joins me on this episode to talk about how to get the most out of life as the challenges land on our doorstep. We discuss:


Moving from bachelor to committed relationship
Marriage has actually been great
Dating takes a lot of energy!
Finding someone who’s also a giver
Each relationship is different, so relationship advice can’t be universal
Look for a counterpoint to where you and your partner tend to go too far, for example with too much or too little structure.
Fears of going into marriage: "what if things get worse and worse and I’m stuck?"
The practice of addressing troubles in the relationship rather than just enduring them.
Phases of life: dating and deeper relationships.
Thresholds of deepening into a relationship.
Preparing for parenthood.
The benefits of becoming a generalist, of getting off the computer and chopping wood.
City life vs. country life
Giving up financial opportunities for the sake of heart and happiness.
Relationship with money: between the poles of demonizing it and making it one’s god
The importance of choosing friends who support your objectives.
Solo therapy compared to group therapy.
In parenting, offering children both safety and adventurous risk.
How it can help children to see their parents work responsibly.
How being a parent can limit available work time, but make it more potent.
Screen addiction and parenthood.
Countering screen addiction with finding a deeper purpose.

 

Links:

Jordan Gray’s website

Productivity courseThe Level-Up Your Relationships Workshop
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Manesh Girn is a postdoctoral neuroscientist and popular science content creator specializing in the neuroscience of psychedelic drugs. He currently works at the University of California, San Francisco, alongside psychedelic research pioneer Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, where he conducts research on the neural mechanisms underlying the psychedelic experience and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

In addition to his research, Manesh runs a popular digital platform on Instagram and YouTube called "The Psychedelic Scientist”, where he shares the latest findings in psychedelic science in a digestible and easy to understand way. 

In this episode, we discuss:


Manesh's journey from head to heart, from bypassing emotions to inhabiting them.
Emotion centred, body-focused therapy (beating pillows with weapons.)
How Manesh got his start in psychedelic research.
How an early psychedelic experience opened Manesh up to different takes on reality.
Finding the support to go beyond intellect.
The various healing/transformational modalities of:

breathwork
men’s groups
psychedelics
conscious relationship training


How different psychedelics affect our brains differently.
Neuroplasticity: how psychedelics can help change thought patterns.
Psychedelics for those with with trauma and depression.
The importance of support in psychedelic journeys
Setting down a belief that life is intrinsically unsafe.
Learning to recognize people and situations that are safe.
Integrating psychedelic experiences for lasting change.
The importance of intention before and after a psychedelic journey.
Psychedelics as an aid to innovation.
Psychedelics for people in positions of power.

Manesh’s Youtube

Manesh’s website

Manesh’s InstagramArka Brotherhood Men’s Community
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Groves, founder of Create The Love is a relationship expert, but he also believes in freedom of speech and thought, and is an advocate of personal sovereignty. During the recent pandemic, he began sharing what he was seeing in the people and institutions around him. His sharing on @itsmarkgroves and The Mark Groves Podcast was controversial, because any dissenting opinion at that time was censored and considered to be “unsafe”.I personally appreciated the discourse that Mark was bringing, as I lacked the courage to be as bold as he was, despite agreeing with many of his questions. On this episode of the podcast, I discuss the pandemic, the lockdowns, and the hysteria that took over our society at that time.

In this episode, we dive into:


The dangers of framing everything as a safety issue.


Dehumanizing people during the pandemic.
Data-based arguments about COVID-19 vaccines.
Mass formation psychosis.
Why PCR tests shouldn’t be used for diagnostic purposes.
Unconsciously believing that healthy people are biological threats. 
The wide scope of misinformation spread throughout the pandemic. 
The anxiety, fear, and hysteria spearheading pandemic behavior.
Family conflicts and getting “canceled” over COVID-19 dissent.
COVID-19 and masks as an ideology vs evidence-based.


Natural immunity is at least equal to vaccinated immunity.


The exploitation of psychology and weaponization of belonging.


Normalizing controlling people’s bodily autonomy.
Censoring people, governments spreading misinformation, and the lack of critical thinking during the pandemic.
Language is the first step to dehumanizing people in an out-group.
Violating informed consent when getting vaccinated.
How do we prevent divisiveness in the future?
Healing begins with the acceptance of reality (that the unvaccinated were marginalized and demonized while being left out of society and losing their jobs, while the vaccine that was promised to end the pandemic didn’t, and Omicron did)
Accountability without annihilation.
Learning to speak your truth despite the inconvenience.
Fighting for the freedom to disagree.

 

Links from this Episode



Part 1 of This Episode
Mark’s Website
Mark’s Instagram 
Masks
Immunity
Mass Formation Psychosis
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Groves is the founder of Create The Love, and host of the Mark Groves Podcast. Mark is on a mission to bridge the academic and the human, inviting people to explore the good, the bad, the downright ugly, and the beautiful sides of connection. His work empowers people to step into their power, transform the way they relate to themselves and others, and create authentic change in their lives. Mark and I sit down on the coast of Tofino, Canada for a special two-part episode.

In part 1, we talk about fatherhood and parenthood. 

In this episode, we discuss:


Fatherhood as a deeper window to look at where there is still work to be done on oneself.
After having a child, what is most important?
Old wounds and patterns that tend to arise during parenthood. 
How intimacy dynamics tend to shift after having a child.
The reasons why an uncomfortable number of couples divorce after the first year of a child’s life.
Nurturing your feminine energy as a man. 
Accessing discipline and discernment as a father.
Upholding the ethical obligation to be successful. 
Being purpose-driven as a man.
The paradox of choice.
The downsides to technology and access to mass communication.
Consciously choosing every aspect of your life.
Embracing a cultural initiation into manhood.
What is toxic masculinity and why does it exist?
Valuing mother and father roles in the family.
Inflated egos and immaturity.
What comes after ego dissolution?
The benefits of taking time off work to support your new family.
How fathers can support their own health after having a kid.
The importance of talking to other men after having a child.
The gift of being a parent and the gifts you receive from your child.
And a question for Mark: Now that you have a kid, is it worth it? Would you recommend it?

Links from this Episode:



Part 2 of This Episode (on C0.vid Hysteria) will come out in 2 weeks and links will be updated at that time.
Mark’s Website
Mark’s Instagram 
Mark’s Podcast 
Mark on YouTube
Conscious Relationship Council - a live 12-week relationship training for men
Arka Brotherhood - men's work.

Previous episodes with Mark:


Evolving Man Podcast - Holding Space with Mark Groves
Evolving Man Podcast - To Be A Man with Mark Groves
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.