Good News About the World Falling Apart

anandaforest

The crises we face on Earth right now are the birth pangs of a species.   Good news?  Humans have been here before.  We were at an inflection point of this magnitude when we first developed fire and language 200,000 years ago and, again, ten thousand years ago when we learned how to germinate seeds.  Although these Turnings could have led to our extinction, each time we used our superpowers—imagination and intuition—to transform our consciousness and persevere.  The crises we face today announce a Third Turning. The good news lies in our name, homo sapiens, from the Latin for “one who knows,” the same meaning as the word “shaman.”  In times like these, we have always turned to the shamans among us and it is no different today.  Just as such wise ones pioneered fire and language and the germination of seeds, they offer similar guidance today, but this time both the fire and the seed lie in our hearts. In this podcast, I bring thirty years of working the 12 Steps, forty years of teaching history and anthropology, fifty years of spiritual seeking to bear on the current predicaments we face.  Get ready to have your mind blown!

  1. Oct 11

    My 92 Year Old Dad Showed Me What Happens When We Die #lifeafterdeath #spiritualawakening #afterlife

    My 92-year-old father kept asking for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Reading it to him changed how I see death. In this episode, I read the children's book to my dad in his nursing home bed — and realized he wasn't disappearing. He was in his cocoon. We explore 63 life after death , 56 what happens when we die , the wisdom of the 67 tibetan book of the dead , and why the soul leaving the body can feel like a butterfly leaving a shroud. If you're grieving, sitting with a dying parent, or afraid of death, this is for you: death is not the end, it's a transformation. Timestamps: 0:00 The center of the world falling apart 0:40 What I mean by a conscious death 1:30 My dad at 92 2:30 Why he kept asking for The Very Hungry Caterpillar 4:00 He's not gone, he's in his cocoon 5:10 The Tibetan Book of the Dead for kids6:20 The best news about the world falling apart I'm Anand DeForest. This is Good News About the World Falling Apart — finding hope as the old paradigm falls. Tell me in the comments: have you sat with someone dying? What helped you?

  2. Oct 4

    Death Is Not What You Think #what happens when we die #fear of death #afterlife #spiritual awakening

    What if death feels like bliss, not fear? I was in the room when my mother consciously left her body — and it changed what I believe about dying. In Hindu tradition, a conscious, peaceful death is called Mahasamadhi — the great awakening. In French slang, orgasm is called le petit mort — the little death. In this episode of Good News About the World Falling Apart, I put them together through a personal story: my mother’s choice of VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking) at 92, and the night I was woken at 1 AM by overwhelming joy and saw a golden glow around her bed, 15 hours before she passed. This is not about violent or painful death. This is about peaceful conscious dying, near death experience reports, afterlife accounts, and why our fear of death may be based on never looking at it directly. If you’ve wondered what happens when you die or what happens after death, I hope you leave with a little less fear — and a felt sense of release, relief, and spiritual awakening. 00:00 - Little death, great Samadhi 00:45 - Why death terrifies us 02:15 - Not all deaths: focusing on peaceful death 03:20 - My mother’s choice at 92 05:00 - 1 AM: woken by joy and golden light 06:20 - The relief of letting the body go I’m Ananda Forest. This channel is Good News About the World Falling Apart — the fall of patriarchy, evolution of consciousness, and paradigm shift as birth, not death

  3. Sep 28

    What Happens When We Die Will Comfort You #afterlife #lifeafterdeath #spiritualawakening

    Do our loved ones meet us when we die? Stories from nurses, children, and dying parents say yes. In this episode of Good News About the World Falling Apart, I share true stories of deceased love ones who return to comfort and guide us — from a pediatric oncology ward, to a car accident, to my own mother's final days. Shamans around the world have taught this for centuries: those who love us never leave us. If you fear death or are grieving, this is for you. There is life after death, and love knows the way when no one else does. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Why death is the real falling apart 0:40 - The nurse and the children who saw visitors 2:00 - The girl in the ambulance and the family photos 2:40 - My mother, Aunt Nancy, and the stars 3:30 - Who meets us at the threshold 4:10 - Good news for the flip side About this channel: My favorite season is the fall... of patriarchy. As this 5000 year old paradigm falls apart, there is good news to be found — the evolution of consciousness, heart awakening, and hope in transition. Subscribe for weekly videos on paradigm shift, spiritual awakening, and good news about the world falling apart. New long-form every Sunday. #afterlife #lifeafterdeath #spiritualawakening

  4. Sep 20

    My Mom Stopped Eating and Drinking to Die Peacefully #VSED #DyingWithDignity #EndOfLife#awakening

    My 92-year-old mom chose VSED—voluntarily stopping eating and drinking and what happened over those 10 days changed how I see death. After her memory and body began to fail, she decided she was tired of being alive. In this video I share what VSED is really like, how morphine, comfort care and singing carried her, and the extraordinary temple-like field of love that opened on day 6 when she blessed each of us. This is a story about dying with dignity, death with dignity and what a conscious, peaceful end of life can look like. In this video: 0:00 - The scariest part of the world falling apart 1:15 - What is VSED? 2:45 - Why my mom chose this path at 92 4:30 - Days 1-5: ketosis, calm and singing 5:45 - Day 6: the room became a temple 7:30 - Her final blessing and Mahasamadhi 8:45 - What conscious dying taught me About this channel: Good News About the World Falling Apart explores evolution of consciousness, heart awakening, and the fall of patriarchy as a birth into something new. This video shares personal experience only and is not medical advice. If you are considering end-of-life options, please speak with hospice, palliative care, and trusted medical professionals. #VSED #DyingWithDignity #EndOfLife

  5. Sep 13

    I Said the Serenity Prayer for 30 Years Before It Made Sense #SerenityPrayer #Recovery #InnerPeace

    I said the Serenity Prayer for 30 years before a whole new level opened up: not simply the Difference between what I can change and what I can't, but the Difference between Serenity and Courage, the Difference between Being and Doing. In this video I walk the Serenity Prayer line by line, share the version I actually use in recovery, and show you how to tell which one — serenity or courage — the moment in front of you is really asking for. You'll learn: • Why "the wisdom to know the difference" is the part that does all the work • Serenity = being. Courage = doing. How to tell which you're in • The breath practice I use when I genuinely can't tell the difference • What the Buddha and the elephant taught me about carrying only what's mine If you've been white-knuckling something you can't control — or avoiding something you can — this one's for you. CHAPTERS 0:00 The part of the prayer everyone skips 1:20 Serenity vs courage: the difference that changes everything 3:04 When the problem is too big to carry 3:53 The lesson that came from my daughter 6:10 The Buddha, the elephant, and what to put down WATCH NEXT → Eckhart Tolle's Warning → Gratitude, Sobriety & the Breath That Saved Me CONNECT Subscribe for a new video every Sunday about the world falling apart — and the good news inside it: https://www.youtube.com/@goodnewsaboutworldfallingapart/videos #SerenityPrayer #Recovery #InnerPeace

  6. Aug 23

    A Shuar Shaman Told Me This and It Set Me Free #spiritualawakening #gratitude #shamanicwisdom

    A Shuar shaman from the Amazon told me four words that changed how I see everything: you see what you are. Years ago, a healer from the Shuar tribe in Ecuador came to the center I was running. Even as his rainforest was being destroyed for oil and mining, his first act was to heal us with compassion. What he said to me late that night still guides my practice of gratitude, serenity, and waking up. In this video I unpack what "love thy neighbor as thyself" really means — not as a command, but as a diagnosis — and how gratitude works like a garden to transform the world you see. If this resonates, please share it with one person who needs some good news today. Explore more: Subscribe for weekly reflections on the fall of patriarchy & the evolution of consciousness: https://www.youtube.com/@GoodNewsAboutTheWorldFallingApart #spiritualawakening #gratitude #shamanicwisdom Chapters: 0:00 The wisdom that changed me 0:45 Who are the Shuar? 1:28 Healing while his land is destroyed 2:15 You see what you are 3:15 Gratitude is like a garden 4:30 You can't legislate loving kindness 5:20 Waking up together

  7. Aug 18

    Eckhart Tolle's Call to Action: Awaken from the Dream of Form #spiritual awakening #awakening journey. #consciousness awakening,

    When stress hits, your heart shuts down and you fall asleep to compassion. Ananda Forest teaches how to recognize your spiritual narcolepsy triggers and use breathwork to stay awake—grounded in Eckhart Tolle's teachings on consciousness and the "dream of form." In this video: Why triggering events knock you out of spiritual awareness The H.A.L.T. framework: hungry, angry, lonely, tired—your narcolepsy switches How the "dream of form" (money, status, appearance) hijacks your peace Why the breath is your anchor to staying present Eckhart Tolle's concept of the "radiant essence" you can't lose Ananda pulls from his work on the fall of patriarchy and paradigm shift, connecting personal awakening to planetary transformation. If you're tired of falling asleep at the wheel of your own life, this one's for you.  Featuring references to: • Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now and A New Earth • Yogic breathing and the three-part breath • 12-step recovery wisdom on staying present • The polyvagal nervous system's role in compassion collapse Subscribe for weekly long-form podcasts on consciousness evolution and the paradigm shift happening now. --- Good News About the World Falling Apart: The fall of a 5,000-year-old patriarchal paradigm isn't doom—it's the birth of a new consciousness. Join Ananda as he explores what's actually happening beneath the chaos.

  8. Aug 9

    How Ram Dass's Fierce Grace Helped Me See Addiction & Depression as My Greatest Teachers #ram dass,#addiction recovery#spiritual awakening

    "What if your deepest pain was actually your greatest teacher? Inspired by Ram Dass's profound concept of fierce grace, I share how addiction and depression became the unexpected catalysts for my spiritual awakening. In this video, I explore how RAM DASS—the legendary spiritual teacher—reframed suffering not as punishment or failure, but as initiation into a deeper consciousness. I apply his teachings to my own recovery journey, showing how two of my darkest challenges became my most powerful growth engines. If you're struggling with addiction, depression, or simply feeling lost in pain, this is an invitation to see your struggle through a new lens: not as a curse, but as grace. Topics covered: What Ram Dass meant by 'fierce grace' How spiritual teachers reframe suffering The turning point in my own recovery Why depression and addiction can be spiritual catalysts Practices to shift from shame to spiritual purpose As always, if you're in crisis, reach out for professional support. This video is meant to complement, not replace, professional mental health care. Subscribe for more on consciousness, spiritual recovery, and the paradigm shift unfolding in real time."

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About

The crises we face on Earth right now are the birth pangs of a species.   Good news?  Humans have been here before.  We were at an inflection point of this magnitude when we first developed fire and language 200,000 years ago and, again, ten thousand years ago when we learned how to germinate seeds.  Although these Turnings could have led to our extinction, each time we used our superpowers—imagination and intuition—to transform our consciousness and persevere.  The crises we face today announce a Third Turning. The good news lies in our name, homo sapiens, from the Latin for “one who knows,” the same meaning as the word “shaman.”  In times like these, we have always turned to the shamans among us and it is no different today.  Just as such wise ones pioneered fire and language and the germination of seeds, they offer similar guidance today, but this time both the fire and the seed lie in our hearts. In this podcast, I bring thirty years of working the 12 Steps, forty years of teaching history and anthropology, fifty years of spiritual seeking to bear on the current predicaments we face.  Get ready to have your mind blown!

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