The Ten Crutches Podcast

This episode is potentially NSFW, as I also refer to poop with a common-enough word your co-workers may not want to hear. We easily accept saying a prayer or express our gratitude when we eat. But putting food into one end of our tube is only the beginning. We all know what comes out the other end. Is it pleasant to talk about? No. Is it important to think about? Yes. What could be more important...

How is our existence different from our “life?” So many people are disdainful and/or dismissive of their own existence, as if the only reason they exist is to “have a life.” Why do so many people focus only on making "a success" of their life? Why do so many ignore the miracle of their simple existence (which is beyond success & failure)? Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to downlo...

This episode is an affirmation of our amazing story-telling abilities. I love a good story! With regards to the story of our own life, we are both the storyteller and the audience. Hats off to Atul Gawande for the quote from Being Mortal that inspired this episode. We are all individuals living a life. We are all “somebody.” Even if the story we tell ourselves about our life is constructed, it’s a...

Werner Heisenberg was deeply involved with the beginning of quantum mechanics. He focused on what he could observe about electrons, rather than use old pictures of electrons “orbiting” the nucleus of an atom. When he was only 23, he developed matrix mechanics. What is Heisenberg’s Uncertainly Principle? It essentially states there are pairs of properties, (for example position and momentum,) that...

A riff based on the following: 1) My subjectivity appears separated from the unity of the universe. This can feel like a prison or a trap or comfortable cocoon or anything in between. Any effort I make to “merge with the universe” is simply more “me” being “me.” No idea or plan can work, since ideas and plans only reinforce the separated subjectivity I wish to leave. One simple fact to accept: the...

The Copernican Revolution uprooted the idea that a non-moving Earth was at the center of the universe. Instead, it placed a non-moving Sun at the center of the universe. But even our galaxy isn’t at the center of anything. It’s zipping along thru space just like countless other galaxies. And just like humans considered the Earth to be at the center, most of us think and feel and act as if we are a...

Many people keep up with the news automatically. It’s just an accepted part of our culture that you will know “what’s going on.” And, of course, there are good reasons to be aware of important current events. But there is also a harm involved in “keeping up with the news” mindlessly. It’s just not good for a human nervous system to take on that much stress. I think it is well worth considering get...

A riff on, well, just what the title says. We do not seem to be able to stop ourselves, as a whole species, from ignoring strong evidence of being needlessly destructive. We can’t even stop long enough to genuinely evaluate risk. We are helpless in the face of our greed and aggression. We have not developed any way to work together, as a species, with all of us caring for all of us. But somehow we...

What is boredom? Why would anyone wish to avoid it? If dopamine hits keep us scrolling for hours, then what? If the crunchy chips taste so good we can’t stop eating them, what do we do for nutrition? We need boredom the way we need air, healthy food, movement and good sleep. We need downtime in our lives to form stories and memories and simply think about things. Boredom opens doors we forget are...

An exploration of where our attention usually goes and what might help it land more deeply in the present moment. Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

In episodes 21 and 22, I spoke about rituals. I promised back then to talk about intuition. So here we are. What is intuition? What will help you cultivate your intuition? Part 1 (of this two-part series) gives my answer to these two questions. Can I build a ritual to help deepen my intuition? Yes! Part 2 has specific instructions for creating a ritual that will help cultivate intuition. My intent...

In episodes 21 and 22, I spoke about rituals. I promised back then to talk about intuition. So here we are. What is intuition? What will help you cultivate your intuition? Part 1 (of this two-part series) gives my answer to these two questions. Can I build a ritual to help deepen my intuition? Yes! Part 2 has specific instructions for creating a ritual that will help cultivate intuition. My intent...

First, I decided to explore Universal Human Dignity. Second, I was surprised my research led me to consider BDSM's relationship to dignity. Third, I made this episode, my longest so far. It takes me over an hour to make sense of the whole thing. Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

A riff off the Occupy Wall Street phrase “We are the 99%.” Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

Ugi is a text written by Eihei Dogen in the 13th century. The translation of “Ugi” is “time-being.” It’s a dense and very difficult text, but can be very rewarding for those who stick with it. You can see one translation here and another here . I don’t try to explain any particular part of Ugi. This podcast is my attempt to help people prepare to read Ugi themselves. I take you on a journey of sor...

Why is love absent from our politics? Why do power moves always seem to decide everything? I wanted to find a story that gives me hope love can actually become a part of how we humans decide things together. Chakras were my entry ticket for the story. “[Love is] the will to extend oneself for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.”  bell hooks “To love somebody is not ju...

First description: A story about walking a dog and picking up poop. Second description: A splashy dive into righteous anger and how I worked with it. Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

This is for anyone who feels they spend too much time on their phone. Or for anyone who meditates and is concerned they spend too much time thinking. Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

While focused on "becoming more present," I found myself getting confused about what's in front of me. Obviously, I need my senses to experience what's in front of me. But what if my eyes/ears are seeing/hearing what is happening 1000s of miles away? Our technology allows events on the other side of the world to "be in front of us" in real time. How to think about this? Visit the podcast website a...

Every parent has (and needs!) a good toolbox, a set of skills to handle each varied situation that manifests while you raise your child. I hope something here can help you. Time Stamps for the 4 Tips #1) Use "Mother" and "Father" archetypes (2:47) #2) Interpret and articulate what your child is saying, so they are as intelligent as you (8:39) #3) The scooter metaphor (14:23) #4) Aim for the day yo...

These two words are easily confused. Some people may even consider "eternity" and "forever" to be the same. (Horrors!) Herein, I express my opinion of how different they are. Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

Part 2 of a two-part series on ritual.  Time Stamps Introduction to the map: 3:05 Trust your intuition! 4:12 Overall view of the map 4:45 Entering the ritual 11:22 Being in the ritual 17:21 Leaving the ritual 22:41 Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

A two-part series about ritual. Part 1 is about “why?” Why have rituals at all? What reasons might we have to hold a ceremony? Our culture has forgotten many things about how important ritual is. Part 2 is about how you can create ritual. What are the foundational principles behind creating ritual? Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In...

One more way of trying to say we are almost impossibly stuck inside our own personal views. How can we get loosen the grip of our interpretations of the world and exist more deeply in the actual reality? Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.

I imagined a reality TV show where 100,000 people decide together: what should we all do with $10 million?  If you are interested in manifesting this idea, please see the show notes. Visit the podcast website at tencrutches.link to download the free ebook Ten Crutches For Walking In The Present. Show notes are here.