Awake In Relationship

080 We live in the most prosperous and technologically advanced society in human history, yet for so many people happiness feels as elusive as a daytime star.  The many comforts and conveniences we take for granted in the West often come at a hidden cost to our connection to the human family and the greater web of life. From the loneliness epidemic to the opioid crisis to endless foreign wars, man...

079 The roots of inequality and exploitation run far deeper than the machinations of privileged elites and would be dictators.  Behind the insatiable quest for power and control hides an unexamined primal fear that defies a political solution. Death is the great equalizer.  History is defined by world leaders and political activists consumed by the struggle to defy the truth of impermanence by any...

078 The birth of artificial super intelligence has been compared to the invention of fire and it is fundamentally reshaping our work, relationships and ontological reality. This technological revolution is also happening at a potent time at the intersection of the climate crisis, historic wealth inequality and shifting global politics. The dawn of AI is forcing us to confront profound questions ar...

077 Regardless if you believe we are entering a technological golden age of productivity and growth or the dystopian world of the Terminator, AI is poised to disrupt virtually every aspect of life and work in wildly unpredictable ways.  Many heart based entrepreneurs, service providers and content creators are challenged to balance the utility and convenience of AI tools with the risks of outsourc...

076 From celebrities like Sting boasting about their sexual prowess to heretical gurus in white robes sleeping with students, the topic of tantra is shrouded in mystery and sometimes scandal. Working with sexual energy is only a part of the sacred outlook of tantric spirituality. Rather than withdrawing from the world of sense pleasures to cultivate awareness, tantra embraces the messy and illumin...

075 When war and rumours of war are everywhere in the news how we personally relate to uncertainty and show up for others matters more than ever. The temptation to harden our hearts and join the chorus of polarizing voices is difficult to resist. However, it doesn’t matter what side of a conflict we identify with or the opinions we hold. Toxic certainty, hatred and fear are contagious and the real...

074 Since the time of Socrates people have been opining and pearl clutching about the wayward state of the youth. For better or worse, Millennials and Gen Z have received a tremendous amount of attention and public scrutiny from professionals and social media influencers. With labels like ‘the anxious generation'  more young people find themselves defined through a mental health lens and aggr...

073 Only recently have both women and men been able to liberate themselves from the yoke of patriarchal norms.  The transition to a more egalitarian, post modern society in the last 50 years also meant a rejection of historical narratives about manhood, including what some mythological traditions call the masculine spirit.   In the absence of this archetypal energy, many men languish and struggle...

072 The age of connectivity was supposed to give everyone a voice and spread liberal values around the world, but instead public discourse in the digital town square has been reduced to 280 characters and cynical memes shared with strangers.  In contrast to the dumpster fire of social media is the rich tradition of a salon culture that thrived during the age of enlightenment.  From the ferment of...

071 As we transition to fall and celebrate thanksgiving (In Canada) it seems like a natural time to focus on the hearth, the place of warmth, family and community. The constellation of people we share our world with, especially our chosen family, are always reflecting something back to us, some important feedback. In this short monologue Silas Rose explores the mirror like quality of our close rel...

070 The road to original and impactful work can be long and lonely. The digital age has enabled more freedom, creativity and opportunity, but also epidemic levels of disconnection and distraction. It is estimated that 20 percent of North Americas are involved in some early stage enterprise or work online.  Even more are opting for remote or hybrid work. When we are literally switching screens ever...

069 The heart is not just a pump, it is also the tender center of our being we most often guard and long to liberate.  As young children we got to experience the wonders of life through an open heart, but also the pain of separation and in some cases, betrayal. The process of adulting in a materialistic culture necessitates constructing elaborate strategies and conceptual shells to navigate the ch...

068  The spiritual journey is not all love and light . The more one commits to waking up, the more life is punctuated by times of intense loneliness and a longing to be liberated from the sense of separateness. The nature of love is expansive and free flowing. Only when we fixate and try to constrain it does it become transactional and begin to sour. Without warning the transcendent joy of a passi...

067 Every rose has its thorn... so too, there is no intimacy without first facing the Shadow. In the background of our quest to be known and held deeply in relationship is a murky and sometimes dangerous territory. The Shadow contains a lifetime of unmet needs and raw emotion that can resurface abruptly in situations involving power, money and sex. It also holds a vast treasure trove of latent gif...

066 After an extended hiatus Awake In Relationship is back on the AIR with season 3!  In this short episode Silas discusses the origins of the loneliness epidemic and the evolution of his mission in the brave new world of super intelligent machines to help people reclaim time and attention from devices to invest in conscious relationships and deep work in the real world.  Follow Awake In Relations...

065 In this episode of REWIND we revisit an interview about mens struggle to find a generative form of masculinity in a rapidly changing world. FYI we will be taking a break from regular publishing over summer and be back in fall with the launch of season 3. Stay tuned! In almost every metric of success including education, career advancement and earning potential men have fallen behind the opposi...

064 Long before the pandemic many of us were practicing some form of social distancing. Modern life is rich in connectivity, yet so often lacking in the felt sense of connection and belonging. In the transition to the digital world more of life is being lived online and we are more lonely than ever. Like a muscle that never gets flexed, the close relationships that we rely on in good times and bad...

063 When war and rumours of war are everywhere in the news how we personally relate to uncertainty and show up for others matters more than ever. The temptation to harden our hearts and join the chorus of polarizing voices is difficult to resist. However, it doesn’t matter what side of a conflict we identify with or the opinions we hold. Toxic certainty, hatred and fear are contagious and the real...

062 From Silicone Valley tech bros to stressed out single moms, many people are proclaiming the therapeutic virtues of micro dosing for enhancing creativity and mental health. Micro dosing involves the consumption of a sub perceptual, fractional quantity of psilocybin or LSD, typically 1/5th to 1/20th of a recreational dose. Once vilified, interest in psychedelics and psychedelic therapy has explo...

061 The modern world is filled with connectivity, yet for so many people the need for authentic connection goes unmet. Even in a long term relationship we can hide our vulnerability and true desires, sometimes for decades. When we avoid having the important and risky conversations with the people we love we miss a precious opportunity for deeper intimacy and healing old wounds. The questions we as...

060  For anyone who has loved and lost you know how much it can hurt when the fairy tale ends. Neuroscience has shown that social and emotional pain stimulate the same regions of the brain as physical pain. However, while heartbreak might be the price we pay at the end of a relationship it doesn’t mean we have to suffer. The grief that follows breaking up is an invitation to mend our most primary...

059 Artists and creators have always held a special station in life, even if their work goes unnoticed.  It is the artist who sees the details of life that we often miss, speaks truth to power and imagines into existence new ways of being. Central to the creative process is the source of inspiration, the Muse. When the Muse is present middling art and science is elevated to greatness. The Muse awa...

058 If your New Year's resolutions include improving your social fitness this holiday replay is for you! The promise of online social platforms was access to an infinite pool of new friends and possible mates.  However, rather than making the search for love easier, the apps have trained our brains to select connections  based on the shallowest metrics. For anyone with a heartfelt desire to f...

057 Ecological anxiety a is new diagnostic label describing a complex of physical and emotional symptoms related to existential dread and despair around the state of the environment. Extreme weather events like wild fires, floods and hurricanes in combination with politicians slow walking meaningful change is causing many, especially young people to give up on a hopeful vision for the future. In t...

056 The Oct 7th attack on Israel has ignited a new hot war in the middle east and a polarizing  information war online. For many people around the world the conflict  between Israel and Palestine touches old wounds of injustice as a cycle of religious violence repeats again and claims more innocent lives. If anything has been learned from this war it is that history is complex and good and evil ar...