Bryn Edwards at The WA Real

#168 The Nordic Secret and Sense Making in an Uncertain and Complex World – Tomas Bjorkman

This week I had the absolute privilege of speaking to Thomas Bjorkman, entrepreneur, businessman, author and also the founder of the Oak Island retreat in Sweden.

Tomas explains how Oak Island is modelled on the original retreats that were state funded across the Nordic Countries at the turn of the last century - also captured in his book ‘The Nordic Secret’. It was these retreats that helped instil the human capabilities within the population to face adversity and uncertainty at that time, and which saw those Nordic countries turn around and flourish socially and economically.

Tomas then introduces the 5 clusters of human capabilities that are key to facing the unknown, complex and volatile world we’re faced with – Openness, Perceptive Taking, Sense Making, Inner Compass and Compassion.

In this conversation, we go on to explore the depths of the shifts that we're experiencing right now to our collective imaginary in an interconnected world and how this can only be facilitated, it cannot be managed

The focus of this conversation will be challenging to your own sense making and aspects of how you construct reality for yourself. Yet despite this Tomas points to a way forward that is beautifully grounded and human.

#167 Transformation of Human Consciousness – Darpan

This week I had a very illuminating discussion with Darpan, musician, healer and general explorer of human consciousness.

In this conversation Darpan spoke very eloquently about just how the current chaotic conditions are actually the perfect settings for a transformation in human consciousness.

While it would be very easy for the conversation to depart into light, nebulous and mystical realms, Darpan stressed the need to ground in this 3D reality, feeling into the darkness to bring in higher frequencies rather than trying to avoid this necessary step through dissociating into a form of ‘spiritual bypassing’. To really feel into what you stand for and your sovereignty.

Darpan is a great storyteller and he uses some fantastic metaphors to get his point across, which makes this a very engaging conversation.

#166 The only way forwards is into the Darkness – through the lens of Jung with Brittain Garett

This week I continue the exploration into the depths of psyche with Brittain Garrett, one of the few Jungian analysts in Western Australia.

In this conversation we explore her perspective of the world through the lens of Jungian depth psychology.

Within this conversation, Britt shares a pertinent throw from the I Ching and Jung’s equation for realising God. We also discussed the tension of opposites and the link to cancel culture, as well as legitimate suffering.

What shines through in this is that all systems move towards wholeness – particularly psyche - and that the way forward is not through spiritual bypassing, playing on social media or just burying your head in the sand hoping that it'll all go away. The way forward is actually being in your self, your body and dropping into the darkness.

While this is scary, it's only in the depths of the darkness that potentially we will find the light.

Ultimately, this is a process in which psyche is on a journey, and we are part of it.

#165 Co-Dependency: Why you accept Narcissism in the world – Richard Grannon

This week, I follow the line of inquiry into just how we accept and enable narcissism in our society with Richard Grannon.

Richard puts forward that co-dependency, or people pleasing, is a master-slave dynamic that has been deeply in trained and entranced within culture and society at large. That this is an unseen issue that is more pervasive than narcissism. Richard asserts that if we're to crack the puzzle of the pervasive presence of narcissism in society, then we need to bring our perspective closer to home and have an honest look at how we’re actively accepting and enabling it.

Through the conversation, we go into the dynamics and mechanics of co-dependency in depth across a variety of areas of life providing a number of clear examples including how you’re governed, consumerist capitalism, slave morality and many more.

Through all of this, you will begin to gain a deeper understanding of your own co-dependency, or people pleasing, tendencies and why you’ve become so conflict adverse and unable to say no leaving you in very much an infantilised state.

This is a fascinating conversation and it was a real privilege and honour to speak to Richard. What is most impressive is his ability to articulate, with a great humour, much of why you have such an deep uneasy feeling about life currently.

I can't say it is easy listening because much of what Richard has to say is very triggering, but when you do find yourself arguing and strongly disagreeing with him then I would suggest X marks the spot for greater personal inquiry.

#164 Surviving Boarding School: The trauma at the core of the British & Commonwealth Pysche – Nick Duffell

This week, I on a personal journey and deep dive into Boarding School Syndrome with one of the world's leading experts, Nick Duffell.

Whether you, or a loved one, attended boarding school or not, there is a lot to take on board and consider in this conversation.

Why?

Because to understand boarding school survivorship is to understand:

• one of the core fundamental elements of the British psyche that also spreads across what was the Empire and is now a Commonwealth
• a very clean example of early developmental trauma and the defence mechanism of splitting to create a survival self-survival personality away from what Nick refers to as our inner indigenous or natural self.

In this conversation we cover:

• Reconciling the concept of linking ‘trauma’ with the privilege of a private education
• The mechanics and dynamics of boarding schools school syndrome and how that's plays out in creating a Strategic Survivor Personality
• How that plays out as the ex-boarder then goes out into the world.
• The inevitable collapse of the Strategic Survivor Personality that has been created by a very young child
• The process of normalisation that perpetuates this cycle

From this, we then go further into the wider implications on the British psyche, and leadership and culture and how that spread across the world.

As said above, there is a lot to learn from this conversation; even more if you yourself were a boarder and there’s aspects of how you ‘do life’ that you still struggle to truly understand.

#163 Narcissism: The Organising Principle of Our Society – Professor Sam Vaknin

Professor Sam Vaknin, the world's Real foremost leading expert, takes you on a very deep dive into narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder.

I went into this thinking that I was going to learn about a mental health issue, but what I soon began to realise was that this is much bigger than that - to use Sam's own words ‘narcissism is more than just a mental health issue or a personality disorder; it's an organising principle of our culture and our society’. It's a primal drive in all of us that pervades parenting, education, media, social media, politics, governments, all of it.

Sam talks in great detail about the dynamics and mechanics of narcissism. He then goes on to discussing the specific design of social media and the links between its usage and narcissism, which is very chilling indeed.

He then goes on to talk about how narcissism is shaping all of us and why is now becoming the one true religion – a decentralised, networked religion.

Sam finishes with two suggestions of how to navigate the waters ahead.

This isn't easy listening, but it's necessary listening if you truly want, and have it in you, to understand the ‘water you swim in’.

#162 Slow the world the fuck down – a conscious conversation with Suzanne Waldron

This week I welcome back previous guest Suzanne Waldron – straight-talking behavioural facilitator, TedX Perth Curator and artist.

 

This is a far-ranging conversation offering a number of perspectives of the world we now live in.

 

Among the many things we go into are:

 

• Looking into the illusions of life that we’ve all being buying into
• The need to slow the world the fuck down from the previous rush, need to know, constant doing and selling
• The invitation to become more ‘human’ and sit with that – shadow and all
• Deep diving into Karpman’s drama triangle and how that plays out in life – particularly the role of victim and well-meaning helper in the capitalist context
• Feeling into the collective experience that is going on as oppose to individual experiences
• How we’re at the apex of worshipping ourselves as individuals

 

Suzanne also talks about her recent book Sleeping Giants, which provokes further discussion about resilience and an accessing your own sleeping inner giant.

 

This is a playful yet searching conversation and often it’s difficult to work out just exactly who is interviewing who in this conversation.

 

I personally found this a wonderfully nourishing conversation and hope you the listener will too.

#161 Take responsibility of your Wellbeing - Dr. Peter Dingle

Learn how take responsibility for your own health with Australia’s leading wellbeing researcher Dr. Peter Dingle.

 

Peter wastes no time getting straight to the point putting forward the research that clearly indicates that the majority of the chronic illnesses that we suffer from today can track their source back to poor nutrition and gut health – including COVID-19.

 

Peter presents how the state of one’s nutrition and gut health are linked to hypertension, obesity and diabetes that is reducing our life expectancy.

 

This will be difficult listening to some as it clearly indicates the direct impact of our lifestyle choices upon our health and time on earth.

 

We also talk about the key difference between true scientific research and the pathology focused business of medicine, and how you as an everyday person can tap into the latest research that isn’t always so forthcoming.

 

Peter is super enthusiastic, and this was a great opportunity to tap into such a wealth of evidence-based wellbeing information and data.

 

For the listener you will be given some clear tips and steps of just how to regain your health and standard of life.

#160 Plant Education - A conscious conversation with Dipaunka Macrides

 

We go for Round 2 journeying further into the 35+ years’ experience of herb and plant knowledge of Dipaunka Macrides, renowned Perth based Herbal Alchemist.

Following on from the previous episode (#151), Dipaunka talks about:

• The impact basic plant and herb education among children would have
• Plant Consciousness
• The Mycelium Mushroom network that connects the plant world
• Witches and plant spells
• How plants are the most natural display of unconditional love
• Balance
• Plant Chemistry
• And much much more

Again, for the listener you are invited to tap into a vast depth of knowledge and learn some simple step for making significant changes in your life for the better.

#159 A safe space to get curious about the Great Unseen - A conscious conversation with Alison Jarred

I enjoyed a conscious conversation with Alison Jarred, Founder of Conscious Unity Foundation and Co-Creator of Damanhur in Australia.

Alison shares her view on the world currently through the lens of her 30 years of dedicated study of esoteric knowledge and practice for the purpose for assisting the evolutionary shift towards “unity consciousness”.

Alison puts forward that we are currently being forced to go within ourselves as we are entering a collective ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ that will open us up further to connecting and processing the energy that surrounds us.

While the conversation is far ranging, covering so many fascinating perceptions and explanations, it also serves as safe space for others to recognise and legitimise many of the unseen or ‘not so normal’ experiences that happen to so many of us but of which we simply don’t speak about for fear of ridicule.

This isn’t just about sitting on the edges offering quasi sage advice. As you will find further in the conversation, Alison, and the people she practises with, have a mission and a very practical and forward thinking approach the use of this knowledge to bring about change in the world on an energetic level.

For the listener, you can feel Alison’s wealth of experience as she clearly and articulately explains many of the unseen forces that many of us are experiencing currently.