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Steve Whitmire - It's Not Easy Being Teal. Part 1. The Performer Behind the Worldâs Most Famous Frog Recounts Coming to an Integral View.
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Who
The Muppet famous for saying "Itâs not easy being green," carries on the creative tradition founded by Jim Henson in Steve Whitmireâs puppeteering of this international figure with a decidedly more Integral tilt.
Steve Whitmire is one of the few individuals who has carried on the whole-hearted legacy of Jim Henson, and the mastery and development of puppetry through Jimâs unique Muppets. Since the passing of Jim Henson in 1990, Steve has served as the animating force and puppeteer for beloved characters such as Kermit the Frog and Sesame Streetâs Ernie.
SummarySteve Whitmire spent 14 intense and creative years with the extraordinary Jim Henson before his passing. As of 2008, Steve has been the animating force behind, most notably, Kermit the Frog for nearly two decades. This was not something Steve planned for in any way. Jim passed away at the age of 53 from an infection that no one could have seen comingâalthough it later became revealed that Jim had been considering Steve for the puppeteer of Kermit, so that Jim could explore other creative endeavors.
However, their connection had started decades earlier. When Steve was a scant 10-years-old, he wrote Jim a letter to express his appreciation for his work, and to ask if he had written anything on the construction of puppets. In fact, Jim had not written anything on the construction of puppets at that time, but responded personally to Steveâs letter, and directed him toward some simple Muppet patterns that had been published a few years ago in a magazine.
Thus started the career of a life-long Jim Henson puppeteer, aided by Steveâs motherâs sewing machine. As Ken comments, puppeteering can be, and has been, looked at by the worldâs great Mystical Traditions as a metaphor for ultimate Spirit being the transcendental Puppeteer of all worldly phenomena. And there is much truth in that observation. Spirit, if nothing else, inhabits a massive number of multiple perspectives, and in order to perform puppeteering successfully, one literally inhabits, and becomes one with, the puppetâs personality. It is a minor re-enaction of what Spirit does moment-to-moment spontaneously, throughout the entire Kosmos.
As with Jim Henson, Steve Whitmire is a very humble soul. If nothing else, Steve is honored to carry on a tradition started by a modern-day master, by whatever name. Jimâs productions have been among the most successful television series in history: Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock were all international sensations. Sesame Street alone has aired more than 4,100 episodes over a 38-season run, winning 109 Emmy Awards in the processâand itâs still going. To say that Steve is a modern-day backbone of the Muppet tradition is in no way an exaggeration. You may not see his face, but you can see Steve animating Kermit the Frog in a musical duo with Kylie Minogue on YouTube, along with many other notable appearances.
Kermit the Frog was, and is, a public, (inter)national expression of the pluralistic, green worldviewâbut always with a subtle reminder of how multicultural expressions can be reconciled and brought together with an Integral View. It may not be easy being green, but itâs ever harder being teal (where an Integral understanding begins and expands). With the spirit of growth that Jim Henson embodied and intuited, and that Steve Whitmire carries on in an evolutionary context with a clearly Integral perspective, we invite you to celebrate this artistic and creative dimension of puppetry, and âtaking the perspective of otherâ that it implies, in this one-of-a kind-dialogueâŠ.
"Jim walked into the room and said, âI want to do a show that will change the world and end war'âand the writers said, 'Well thatâs great Jim, how could we possibly do that?' We didnât know, but Fraggle Rock was the first ever international coproduction of any television show...."
(Click here for full dialogue.)
Previously on Integral Naked:
Tim Black - Indigenous Cultures in the Modern World
James Turner - The Integral-Political Imperative
Sally Kempton - Designer Spirituality, or Discipline Disaster?
Ken Wilber - The Origins of the Integral Perspective
Sally Kempton - From Bohemian Rebel to Integral Swami
Joe Perez - The Power of Integral Reconciliation
Alanis Morissette - Healing the Ruptures
Sally Kempton - Seeing Beyond the Mythic God
Joe Perez: Soulfully Gay - Out of the Closet, Into an Integral Embrace
Dan Millman: The Peaceful Warrior's Way - The Highest Teaching
Alex Grey: Integral Art - Anchoring the Seed of Liberation
Alanis Morissette: From Jagged Little Pill to Flavors of Entanglement
Sharon Stone: Like a Fine Diamond....
Dan Millman: The Peaceful Warriorâs Way - âThis Is How to Do Itâ
Alex Grey: Integral Art - When Psychedelics Reveal the Spirit Within
Deepak Chopra: Buddha - A Story of Enlightenment
Integral Art
Recent Guests
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Sally Kempton - Religion in the Modern World. Part 3. Designer Spirituality or Discipline Disaster?
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A deceptively profound and skillful pioneer in more Integral forms of spirituality explores what the future of spiritual practice might look like, and perhaps even more importantly, who is going to teach itâthe narcissistic offspring of boomers and modern culture, or the growing number of young stars shooting for an ever-brighter tomorrow?Who: Sally Kempton, also known as Swami Durgananda, is among the most dynamic, insightful, and sought-after teachers of Siddha Yoga, and is author of the celebrated guide to spiritual practice, The Heart of Meditation: Pathways to a Deeper Experience.
Summary: Sally Kempton is one of the most extraordinary pioneers in more integral, comprehensive forms of spiritual teachingâbut my oh my, sheâll be the first to tell you it isnât always easy, for her or her students!
For anyone walking around the modern spiritual marketplace, one of the largest challenges is simply not knowing what the ârightâ thing to do is anymore. With unprecedented access to all the great Wisdom Traditions from across the world, one is left with several very difficult questions. For students, which tradition should I pickâor should I pick more than one? For teachers, should I continue to pass on my spiritual knowledge in the way it was passed on to meâor should I add in some complimentary techniques from other traditions?
This is an exploration requiring equal parts courage and humility, and itâs about this journey of exploration that Sally and Ken discuss, in nuance, with passion, and always with humor. Who will be the next generation of teachers of explicitly Integral spirituality, in each tradition, or as a tradition in itself? Who is going to train those teachers in the first place? Will the teachers of tomorrow help personalize spiritual practice to each person, a kind of âdesigner spirituality,â or will they forget entirely the importance of discipline, and simply have a bunch of âdesigner egosâ walking around instead? Can teachers of today and tomorrow hold both âunique fitâ and discipline in their minds simultaneously?
As Sally and Ken discuss, studies have shown that the twenty-somethings of today are even more narcissistic than their boomer parents (a rather frightening achievement), and yet within that generation is an eerily high number of young people who seem to have shot right to the top of the evolutionary wave, and are ready to keep riding higher! So what on earth does that mean for the future of spirituality? A bunch of âbe-here-now,â donât worry about practice, youâre already enlightened so just go play video-games teachers? Or a crop of teachers looking to synthesize and integrate the best that the traditions have to offer, within a framework that understands developmental structures, ever-present spiritual states, but also understands that those higher states wonât stick without diligent practice?
At the leading-edge of consciousness, where these questions are being pondered from an Integral view by both teachers and students, we are the ones who have to answer our own deepest questions, through trial and error, with support from others on the same path of discovery, and with the courage to let the exhilarating birthing pains of a more Integral form of spirituality come into the world through you. Why would anyone embark upon such a path? Because their own Highest Self is telling them âwalk this way.â It is the call of Eros and evolution itself, which is precisely and only the gesture of Spirit-in-Actionâyour own I AMness asking you, personally, to help divine truth shine brighter, and embrace more, than what has come before.
Sound like a commitment to egoic self-aggrandizement? A Messiah complex perhaps? Not at all. Because if you truly realize what you have just devoted yourself to, humility will knock you flat. In a post-metaphysical Integral spirituality, where it is understood that consciousness evolves, those at the leading edge of consciousness evolution are literally co-creating the structure of consciousness, the world-space, into which untold numbers of others will eventually follow. So, um, donât screw it up⊠and donât let the fear of screwing up paralyze you either. Breathe, smile, and go find some friendsâand teacher(s)âto help create this path togetherâŠ.âIâm interested in what degree of discipline this new generation of teachers is going to require from students. My teacher used to wake people up at 3AM to go meditate. It was total boot camp. Thatâs very hard to do in Western culture without being called authoritarian, cultish, etcâŠ.â
(Click here for full dialogue.)
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Joe Perez - Soulfully Gay. Part 1. Out of the Closet, Into an Integral Embrace.
(click here for free sample)The author of one of the most searing, courageous personal memoirs of our time shares how an Integral Approach helped him reconcile a life of fierce inner struggles with what it means to be a gay man in todayâs culture, the difference between genuine spiritual experiences and psychotic episodes, and the thorny intersection of homosexuality and Christianity.
In the foreword to Soulfully Gay, Ken Wilber writes: "Joe Perezâs book is perhaps the most astonishing, brilliant, and courageous look at the interface between individual belief and cultural values that has been written in our time. By a homosexual, or a heterosexual, or any other sexual I am aware of." Ken wrote this foreword without even having met Joeâprobably one of the strongest complements one writer can give to anotherâand Soulfully Gay is the second offering from our Integral Books imprint at Shambhala Publications.
In this dialogue, we are introduced to this "rip-roaring wonder of a writer," and hear Joe share the first part of his journey towards reconciling and integrating a life very nearly torn to shreds. This rather extraordinary chronicle unfolds around several conflict-inducing facts, one of which is that Joe is indeed gay; another of which is that Joe was raised Roman (homophobic) Catholic; another is that Joe tested HIV positive at age 24; another is that he often has authentic mystical states; and yet another is that Joe is, but only occasionally, clinically psychotic. It is the jolting collision of those items, held together by Joeâs courage in the face of them all, that makes his story so incredible in so many ways.
But all those items didnât merely collide; they coalesced, through agony, and euphoria, and sheer determination into a deeply Integral life. Joeâs story is a shining example of why an Integral Approach is far more than "just a map," or "just cognitive head-stuff." Integral helps one find a place for everything in oneâs life. Integral helps find the patterns that connect. In an Integral life, thereâs room for everything... even all the things that one has disowned, shoved into the shadows, pushed away; and because all these parts of oneâs own being are held at armâs length, one can never feel truly whole. As Ken so beautifully summarizes, "Joeâs life is being artfully lived in the very fact of its truthfulness, its deep embrace, shadows and warts and worms and all, woven unhesitatingly into the tapestry of a lustrous display, a deep peace, an abiding love... and therein, surely, a lesson for us all...."
We invite you to meet this extraordinary man, and listen in to this extraordinary story....
"I didnât know who I was anymore. Any sense of meaning or purpose had come crashing down around me. Then, one ordinary day, I was preparing for bed, and I became overwhelmed by this sensation of euphoria and bliss that permeated everything in my awareness...."
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Dan Millman - The Peaceful Warrior's Way. Part 2. The Highest Teaching.
(click here for free sample)It is one of the remarkable blessings of the 21st century to have such unprecedented access to all the world's great spiritual traditions. While navigating this rich ocean of wisdom, how can we determine what the "highest" spiritual teaching really is? How does it relate to day-to-day life? And how can we begin to claim this truth as our very own, right now?
Perhaps that's a silly example, but this really is the kind of skill that Dan has developed over the course of a dozen books and countless teaching engagements. As he relates, most of the time, people aren't asking him about the ultimate nature of realityâthey're asking him about how to deal with their boss, their finances, their lover, their health, their career. Quoting a famous Indian mystic, Dan says, "I give people what they want, so eventually they will want what I want to give them." Here, Dan is referring to the core wisdom in all the great contemplative traditions, the wisdom that liberates, enlightens, and transforms.
From the philosophy of tennis to the highest spiritual teaching in just a few short sentencesâsuch is an example of the tremendous value of Dan Millman. He brings us from a place we understand, a place we are comfortable with, to a place where we might be able to see something new: something bigger, brighter, and more embracing than what we had seen beforeâand all from the familiar comfort and safety of our favorite pair of tennis shoes.What follows is a truly inspiringâand, indeed, enlighteningâconversation about the nature of reality, the meaning of spirituality, and what the "highest teaching" really is. To say anything more would be doing this dialogue a disservice, because the extraordinary interplay of subtlety, profundity, and skillful means displayed by these two teachers is more than a paragraph can summarize. We most humbly and earnestly invite you to listen in for yourself, so that this transmission of hard-earned wisdom is direct and unfilteredâŠ.
"The act of 'exchanging self for other' is one of the most profound spiritual practices of all time. In a sense, with every breath you live the life of Jesus and the life of Buddha...."
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Integral Naked continues to be an excellent source of stimulating content and provocative conversations with the world's greatest thinkers, leaders, artists, and visionaries. Be sure to stay tuned to the IN Podcast for more weekly audio updates....
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Alex Grey - Integral Art. Part 4. Anchoring the Seed of Liberation.
(click here for free sample)Alex Grey and Ken Wilber explore an integral approach to art, how visionary and spiritual art can plant a seed of liberation in the mind of the viewer, and how one can recognize and anchor that realization in one's own life.
What Alex has had the good fortune to discover, and the skill to express, is that portrayingâas he puts itâ"transcendental light in relationship with the body" is a very effective way to help people resonate with a piece of transformative art. As Ken goes on to mention, all states of consciousness are supported by their corresponding bodies, and by depicting some of the higher and more refined bodies, Alex has been able to elicit and anchor some of the higher and more refined states of consciousness in viewers.
Alex and Ken begin the conversation by discussing a question that's fundamental to the success of any visionary and spiritual artist: how do you "plant a seed of liberation" in the mind of the viewer? If you are interested in getting to know your own higher dimension of being, seeking out this kind of transcendental art can be one important practice in your own integral lifeâand if you have some kind of understanding of what's happening when a piece of art pops you into a higher state of consciousness, the more likely that realization is going to "stick," and stay with you longer.
An example from more traditional sacred art helps make clear what all of this actually means: when Christian artists paint halos around the heads of saints, they are depicting a subtle-body aspect of a saint's higher state of consciousnessâand if you gaze upon the image of a saint long enough, you may start to feel saintly yourself. What's extraordinary about Alex's work is that he has taken this general concept and brought it into the modern world, always drinking deeply from the world's wisdom traditions, but then expressing those visionary insights with astonishing creativity, detail, and clarity.What follows is an in-depth discussionâcarried over from Part 3 of this dialogueâof how entheogens (psychedelics) have played a pivotal role in Alex's development as an artist. One reason we are always eager to explore this topic with Alex is that he is one of the very few people who have, over a lifetime of experience, used these powerful substances in a genuinely responsible and growth-oriented manner. Entheogens are a controversial topic in spiritual practice, but experiential evidence from various practitioners suggests that use can have a powerful impact on one's spiritual perspective. Whether one is personally interested in using entheogens on one's own path or not, this is an extremely enlightening part of the dialogue, simply because this topic is so rarely spoken about in a healthy, rational, and transparent manner."For example, when viewing art from a truly enlightened Zen Master, there can be four simple brush strokes for a stalk of bamboo, and BOINGâBig Mind."
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Integral Naked continues to be an excellent source of stimulating content and provocative conversations with the world's greatest thinkers, leaders, artists, and visionaries. Be sure to stay tuned to the IN Podcast for more weekly audio updates....
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Dan Millman - The Peaceful Warriorâs Way. Part 1. âThis Is How to Do It.â (click here for free sample)
Many of us have been told about the spiritual life, but how do we begin to actually live it? Author Dan Millman has devoted his writing career to exploring this very question. Here he shares his own personal story behind his impulse to develop a "ground-up" approach to daily life, a wonderful reminder of how simple and practical an Integral Life Practice can be....Many of us are familiar with Dan's first book, Way of the Peaceful Warriorâwhich has at least 2 million copies sold, and probably 6-7 million readers. But what many people often miss is that Dan has spent the twenty-five years since Peaceful Warriorâs publication writing 12 more books, and it is in these books where Dan lays out how you can actually take the inspiring impact of Peaceful Warrior and put it into practice. Do you want more than just inspiration? Do you really want to change your life? Dan will show you how, in literally twelve different ways.
As Dan mentions to Ken, âSpiritual life, by whatever name, begins on the ground, not up in the air.â Ken goes on to note that what Dan and Tony Robbins (another Integral Naked guest) share is an emphasis on taking physical action right now as a practical means to seeing actual change in oneâs life. Further, Ken mentions that Dan is âone of the masters of mastery,â which can be seen not only in his incredible body of work, but in the fact that Dan was a world champion in trampoline gymnastics at only the age of 18. However, as Dan is quick to make clear, none of this would have happened without four radically different mentors he worked with over the course of two decades, who he refers to as The Professor, The Guru, The Warrior-Priest, and The Sage. Now, Dan is a full-blown mentor himself: accessible, practical, and always moving towards a more complete, comprehensive, and indeed integral approach to living a deeply awake life.âYouâre one of the masters of masteryâyou have led a life of world-class action, and, as you know, if you can get the body to do something, the mind will followâŠ.â
click here for full audio
Integral Naked continues to be an excellent source of stimulating content and provocative conversations with the world's greatest thinkers, leaders, artists, and visionaries. Be sure to stay tuned to the IN Podcast for more weekly audio updates....
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Sharon Stone - Like a Fine Diamond, This Stone Shines in All Dimensions. Part 2.
(click here for free sample)In this captivating and deeply personal dialogue, Sharon Stone shares her experience as a high-profile actress turned international activist, and how an integral impulse has guided both her personal and professional life. Her story is truly an inspiring one, because through it all, people have said "You can't do that,"âand all along, she's done it anyway, literally saving thousands of lives in the process....
Why, in the broader scheme of things, would it matter that an award-winning actress has been living an intuitively integral life? Because, not only will an integral approach make one a better actor, but it will inform all of one's off-screen activitiesâand if you're Sharon Stone, that includes raising $1 million in five minutes to help prevent malaria in Tanzania, publicly supporting an AIDS research institution back when that would have been a career-killing move, and becoming a minister so that she could help her homosexual friends gain access to their lovers in the hospital. For Sharon, celebrity has been a tool that she's used to help as many people as she can, both in her local community and across the globeâand because she has approached each situation from an integral, comprehensive, and embracing viewpoint, she has done admirably at "touching on all the bases" for each endeavor, and therefore helping each one succeed as much as possible. And she was doing it years before activism became chic amongst the Hollywood elite, almost a full decade before Bill Gates, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt began making headlines for their philanthropic work around the world.
After exploring how an integral approach has manifested in her public work in the world, Ken asks her about the more personal dimensions of how she's brought together and integrated all the aspects of her own being. First of all, Ken offers, Sharon is living proof that a stunningly beautiful woman can have a heart, a mind, and a spirit to match. Then, in perhaps the dialogue's most revealing and touching moment, Sharon shares that perhaps the one area of her personal life that needs the most healing and integration is with her intimate relationships. Having had several failed relationships, including a divorce in 2004, she mentions that she hasn't really allowed herself to even consider that there might be, somewhere, a "perfect partner" for herânot, as both Sharon and Ken laugh, another "fixer-upper."
Finally, Sharon and Ken talk with excitement about the third Integral Spiritual Center gathering coming up this October 29 -31, where along with Sharon, Michael Crichton, Scott Glenn, and Chantal Westerman have been invited to come, with most of them planning to do so. Integral Spiritual Center brings together thirty of the world's finest contemplative teachers, all of whom are actively applying an integral approach in their own tradition or lineage, and then has "teachers teaching teachers," so that the wisdom of each and all comes together in an integral framework and embrace, co-creating a "trans-path path" to the future of spirituality."In Tanzania, we know we've caused a third less deaths from malaria by something I specifically stood up and did at the World Economic Forumâwhen they were all saying 'Sit down Miss Stone, this isn't the time or the place.'"
click here for full audio
Integral Naked continues to be an excellent source of stimulating content and provocative conversations with the world's greatest thinkers, leaders, artists, and visionaries. Be sure to stay tuned to the IN Podcast for more weekly audio updates....
