Mizuko Kuyo: A Unique Japanese Grieving Ritual
When parents lose a child, there are rituals to mark their grief -- holding funerals, sitting shiva, bringing casseroles. But when that loss happens before birth, it often isn't marked. Sometimes, it's barely even mentioned. It's different in Japan, which has a traditional Buddhist ceremony that some US Americans are adopting as their own. Called 'mizuko kuyo', which could be translated to 'water ... posted on Oct 3, 3192 reads

Untitled
In Navajo culture, there is something called the First Laugh Ceremony. Tradition dictates that each Navajo baby is kept on a cradleboard until he or she laughs for the first time. Then the tribe throws a celebration in honor of the child's first laugh, which is considered to be his or her birth as a social being. (From: The Power of Laughter (c) Richard Lederer)... posted on Aug 20, 1101 reads

Workplace Spirituality
Baby boomers who are reaching the apex of their careers, are asking, "Is this it?" They're searching for greater meaning in their lives, a big part of which is their life at work. A Gallup poll in 2002 reported that almost 70 percent of Americans yearn to experience spiritual growth, compared with 20 percent in 1994!... posted on Dec 20, 675 reads

Service as Retirement
A recent survey of American baby boomers found that over half are interested in using their retirement to work in jobs that help improve the quality of life in their communities.... posted on Jun 22, 2283 reads

Homeless Man Writes Symphony With No Musical Training
A self-trained musician who slept rough on the streets for a decade has been hailed a genius after writing a symphony. Stuart Sharp, 67, saw a vision of the musical masterpiece in his mind after his baby son Ben died 35 years ago. He could not read or write music but the tunes were so vivid he was determined to turn the 'imaginary' sounds into a symphony in memory of his lost child.... posted on Oct 19, 5902 reads

The Woman Behind India's First Testing Kit
"India has been criticized for its poor record of testing people in the battle against coronavirus. That, however, is set to change, thanks in large part to the efforts of one virologist, who delivered on a working test kit, just hours before delivering her baby .On Thursday, the first made-in-India coronavirus testing kits reached the market, raising hopes of an increase in screening of patients ... posted on Mar 31, 5046 reads

The Divided Brain
In this RSA produced video, the world of today is explained by Iain McGilchrist, a psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar. He came to prominence after the publication of his book The Master and His Emissary, subtitled The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. The words of McGilchrist, and the illustrative and clever graphics accompanying the audio, describe how the t... posted on Jul 2, 2104 reads

In Praise of Fallibility, Everybodyism & Confusers of Certainty
Where universalism maintains only that "all humans will be saved, whatever their sect or non-sect," essayist Amy Leach's everybodyism espouses a more playful and radical redemption for "not just all the human rascals but also all the buffalo rascals and reptile rascals and paddlefish and turkeys and centipedes and wombats and warty pigs." While Leach's admiration for Earth and its inhabitants is s... posted on Jun 21, 1992 reads

To Know The World
"I wrote To Know the World: A New Vision for Environmental Learning because I believe that we are entering an unprecedented era of global environmental change, requiring new approaches to both teaching and learning as well as emergent concepts and issues. First and foremost is the convergent tides of change--the inextricable relationships between the health of the biosphere and questions of social... posted on Oct 12, 1137 reads

Stretch Your Heart and Say What You Mean
"Join Sounds True's Tami Simon in conversation with author and teacher Oren Jay Sofer, as he shares his innovative method for productive discourse and authentic connection. In Stretch Your Heart and Say What You Mean, Tami and Oren explore how contemplative practice is an essential ingredient for healthy conversations and relationships, and vice versa; three foundations for mindful communication; ... posted on Sep 21, 3510 reads

Resilient Threads: Weaving Joy and Meaning into Well-Being
Physician burnout, depression, and suicide are tearing at the fabric of our health care system, which Dr. Mukta Panda has witnessed firsthand, written about, and sought to address for years. She is a physician, speaker, and facilitator whose work seeks to transform the heart of patient care and medical education. In her latest book, Resilient Threads: Weaving Joy and Meaning into Well-Being, Dr. P... posted on May 18, 5529 reads

The Abundance of Less
"Nakamura and I were sitting there drinking tea on a winter's day at his fire pit in the middle of the floor, and the shoji screens were open. We were looking across the valley; the snow was clinging to the cedar boughs, and the wind would come up throwing these sheets of powdered snow into the air. Mist was hiding the branches of the trees, and then revealing them. It felt like a Chinese ink pai... posted on Aug 19, 1903 reads

IntraConnected: Discovering MWe (Me + We)
"We may have a mental understanding that all of life is one inseparable whole, yet how do we actually feel into this reality? And how do we relate to others and the world from this felt awareness? Dr. Daniel J. Siegel is a visionary creative thinker, professor, and founder of the field of interpersonal neurobiology. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Siegel about his book IntraConnected: ... posted on Mar 10, 2414 reads

Why Do We Not Sing These Things as Miracles?
"You will say to me that time passeth, that What Was is now only memory, that we cannot reclaim or resurrect that which is inarguably past, but I am going to quibble about this, and quiz and question you hard and close, for I dont even have to shut my eyes and it is six in the morning, long ago and right now, far away and right here, and it is snowing heavily, and there is a silvery shiver to the ... posted on Mar 11, 2127 reads

Relational Neuroscience & Art: A Love Story
"I want to tell you a love story. It spans 20 years. A woman exploring tide pools was approached by a 24-legged sunflower sea star who came out of the sea grass, touching her shoe and exploring her pant leg. The woman fell in love with that beautiful creature, and it changed her life forever. The woman is me, an artist, psychotherapist, and student of Relational Neuroscience and Interpersonal Ne... posted on Sep 26, 3297 reads

Nick Cave: Loss, Yearning, Transcendence
"Here are some experiences to which Nick Cave gives voice and song: the "universal condition" of yearning, and of loss; a "spirituality of rigor"; and the transcendent and moral dimensions of what music is about. This Australian musician, writer, and actor first made a name in the wild world of '80s post-punk and later with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He also underwent public struggles with addic... posted on Dec 6, 3482 reads

Marie Howe: On Matters of Life and Death
"Marie is the kind of poet whose accomplishments are too many to mention, so I'll keep it short and say that she's the author of four collections of poetry, the recipient of a Guggenheim, and a former poet laureate of New York. While in that role, she made it her mission to make poetry as ubiquitous as a Gap ad, and she succeeded in bringing poetry to the streets and the subways of New York. And s... posted on Mar 23, 1946 reads

Lost Together
"Love is what we are all looking for in life, isn't it? To love as our true selves and to be loved for who we truly are. Yet so many of us struggle to be our authentic selves, so we end up being unable to connect deeply with others. We most often interact with the world from our roles and our persona. This film explores how one person is learning how to become free to be herself. Like Siti Nur Ima... posted on Sep 15, 1564 reads

Your Brain on Art
"We now know that working on an art project for forty-five minutes can reduce stress by 25 percent and that just one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years. That playing music increases synapses and gray matter, enhancing learning. That the vibrations of a tuning fork can create sound waves to counteract anxiety. That new technology like virtual reality can provide cutting edge... posted on Oct 23, 1996 reads

Songs of Trees
Just how much is in one tiny patch of forest? Biologist and author David George Haskell found himself visiting the same square meter of forest again and again over the course of a year, and then many years since. "When we walk into a forest, we're not walking into a place that is full of separate interacting individuals ... We're walking into a living network, a place where every creature exists o... posted on Jan 7, 5248 reads

John Toki: Earning It
"There’s always a lot one won’t learn about someone, especially those not asking you to focus on them -- and John Toki is one of those people. ... It must have been twenty-five years ago and I was purchasing some clay ... The little store had been around for decades and it seemed that every potter and clay artist in the [area] knew the place and felt at home there. ... As no one was wa... posted on Apr 7, 1075 reads

Behind One Mother's Whimsical Fairy Forest
Therese Ojibway wanted to be able to "find things" with her son, who has autism, in their walks on a local forest trail in Millburn, New Jersey. She built and placed tiny fairy homes in the nooks and crannies they could "discover" together. As time went on and she added more and more homes, it became known as the Fairy Trail and loved by locals. "She thought this was a dynamic way of getting littl... posted on Apr 28, 1680 reads

Milan Rai: The Butterfly Effect
"One day I was thinking, and suddenly, I noticed this tiny butterfly in my studio. I was drawn to it and managed to capture it. I'd heard a Native American proverb that said if you capture a butterfly and whisper your wish and let it go, it will take your wish to the greater spirit and your wish will come true. So I made a wish and without expecting my wish to come true, I just let it go. That was... posted on Jun 14, 4953 reads

Finding Hope in Hopelessness
In a time of uncertainty and increasing grief, suffering, aggression and violence, Margaret Wheatley proposes we release our hope of an outcome, walk without a vision of the future, and let hopelessness be our companion. In our insecurity, self-doubt, and groundlessness, we can orient our soul, spirit, and heart to transcend the experienced world and anchor ourselves in faith. The value, rightness... posted on Dec 26, 19581 reads

We Contain Multitudes
"It's possible to be a person with all of a multitude of experiences all at the same time. You can be a kid barely removed from a trailer park with an illiterate grandfather and disruptive mental illness in your family and go to Duke and study Shakespeare and build a successful career and eventually go to New York City and take a company public as a CEO. I actually think we would be better served ... posted on Mar 9, 9324 reads

Seven Generations of Love
"The ranch, it turns out, is no ordinary ranch. It is a 13,000-acre property nestled next to Laramie Peak that Mark's grandfather bought in 1945. It is made up of hills and valleys, meadows and creeks, plains and buttes, caves and waterfalls. Sage and cheat grass cover the ground, and pine trees spring up near the hills. Giant granite boulders give way to cliffs and streams. All kinds of wildlife ... posted on Mar 7, 8392 reads

The Courage Way: Leading and Living with Integrity
"Leadership demands courage. You have to make good decisions while balancing inevitable tensions and knowing when to take risks. You need to keep your values in sight regardless of the pressures around you. At its core, leadership is a daily ongoing practice, a journey toward becoming your best self and inviting others to do the same. And that's where The Courage Way comes in. It's a guide to lead... posted on Jul 22, 6160 reads

Connecting Individual & Societal Change
"Disaster relief workers, activists, social entrepreneurs, health-care providers, teachers, and others actively weaving the healthy, just, and caring fabric of our society live and work at the heart of great challenges. But even as these change makers find solutions and make progress, many are burning out and experiencing a host of personal challenges such as depression, divorce, and the early ons... posted on Oct 13, 1214 reads

Our Evolutionary Leap
"In this podcast, Lynne Twist joins Sounds Trues founder, Tami Simon, to discuss the challenges and opportunities now facing humanity...they also talk about our unique place in time and the emerging new approach to business; the Pachamama Alliance and the prophecy of 'The Eagle and the Condor'; tapping the wisdom of 'grandmother energy'; Buckminster Fuller and creating a world that works for every... posted on Mar 12, 3008 reads

Tyson Yunkaporta: Humans as a Custodial Species
"You don't need to believe in ghosts to balance spirit and live the right way in this world. You can use any metaphor you like--for example ego, id, superego and persona. Frontal lobe, monkey brain, neo-cortex and lizard brain. Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Malfoy. Monkey spirit, Pig spirit, Fish spirit and Tripitaka. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Whatever stories... posted on Nov 8, 1459 reads

My Wish For Humanity
Learning to love takes time, sometimes a long time. Sometimes we feel crushed and like we can't rise up again, but Antoinette Pienaars wish for humanity is for all to know that we are never completely dead inside. Life can begin again. Mother Nature teaches us the truth of our resilience and is there to help us. In this film, she wants humanity to remember these words: Open your heart like a flowe... posted on Jan 20, 2028 reads

Giving Up on Your Dreams
"Perhaps being prudent in dreams also comes down to having a sound sense of self. By rejecting the expectations imposed by others, you can devote time and effort towards what truly works for you, such as growing stout and taking up track and field. Such is the case for the Somali ostrich, soundest and heaviest of all living birds. Not needing to train his pecs for flight means that every day becom... posted on Jul 10, 2694 reads

Love's Work: Gillian Rose on the Value of Getting it Wrong
""There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet, which fails so regularly, as love," the humanistic philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm wrote in his classic on the art of loving. In some sense, no love ever fails, for no experience is ever wasted -- even the most harrowing becomes compost for our growth, fodder for our comb... posted on Jul 14, 2503 reads

Michael Nye: Images & Voices on the Edge of Revelation
Wherever he travels, Michael Nye carries an antique 8x10 camera and a voice recorder. He has been aptly described by National Public Radio as "part reporter and part anthropologist". His projects have taken him to Iraq during the first Gulf War, refugee camps in Palestine, as well as Siberia, China, Morocco, and Mexico. His documentaries, photography and audio exhibitions, "Children of Children --... posted on Jul 20, 2584 reads

The 8 Kinds of Humility to Help You Stay Grounded
"I'm wary of those who counsel deferential or pious humility to contain and admonish those who have strong opinions and perspectives. For example, the stereotype of humble Asians and Asian Americans acts to silence important messages that are quite critical to our time of change and distress. To be bold and not "humble" per se risks being called "arrogant" or "difficult to deal with." I think it's... posted on Sep 13, 5495 reads

Today You, Tomorrow, Me
"In 2010, Justin Horner was driving down a busy freeway in Portland, Ore., when his tire blew out. He pulled over to the side of the road and made a sign that said he needed help. Three hours later, a van finally pulled up. Out came a family of four. They were Latino, and their young daughter acted as translator between her parents' Spanish and Horner's English, so that they could work together to... posted on Feb 4, 2674 reads

14 Engineering Challenges
Throughout human history, engineering has driven the advance of civilization. From the metallurgists who ended the Stone Age to the widespread development and distribution of electricity and clean water, to automobiles and airplanes, radio and television, spacecraft and antibiotics, computers and the Internet, engineering has made incredible strides. For all of these advances, though, as the popul... posted on Feb 21, 4335 reads

In the Pursuit of Happy
"Happiness is defined as a sense of well being, a feeling of joy or delight, and a state of balance and contentment. However, it is easy to confuse intensity, pursuing pleasure, and thrill seeking with joy, delight and contentment. The qualities of happiness include having a sense of freedom to make choices; being loved and giving love; acting in kind and compassionate ways; and seeing life in a c... posted on Nov 3, 9981 reads

Free Tea and Company: Ten Years And Counting
For Guisepi Spadafora, offering people free tea has been at the center of a decade-long journey that has changed both his life and the lives of others. In his early twenties, Guisepi wanted to meet interesting and genuine people, but he wasn't finding them in the usual places. He decided to go somewhere unusual instead and parked himself on Hollywood Boulevard. Using a camp stove beside his truck ... posted on Jul 7, 0 reads

How Nature Resets Our Minds and Bodies
"Nature restores mental functioning in the same way that food and water restore bodies. The business of everyday life -- dodging traffic, making decisions and judgment calls, interacting with strangers -- is depleting, and what man-made environments take away from us, nature gives back. There's something mystical and, you might say, unscientific about this claim, but its heart actually rests in wh... posted on Mar 12, 16546 reads

Let Them Be: Reclaiming Childhood for Our Children
"Play used to be the way we discovered ourselves and explored the world around us. Perhaps it was at a sandlot, where -- glove in hand --we argued with friends, drew lots, and fanned out to immerse ourselves in a pickup baseball game. Or maybe it was flashlight tag: we chased each other at dusk, laughing and tumbling, bumping and bumbling around. But we connected with each other: with parents, sib... posted on Mar 4, 20665 reads

In the Midst of Winter an Invincible Summer
"In spite of all of our care and precaution, life is unpredictable and subject to change. Our sense of security and control is mostly an illusion. No matter how hard we try to be safe and achieve and become someone in this world, life is uncertainty, and we are wavering creatures. There will be unexpected changes at the last moment. There will be loss." And, yet, in these times of loss, author Tra... posted on Feb 18, 20746 reads

Michael Penn: On Hopelessness and Hope
Michael Penn's life abounds with uncommon stories. The son of a Cherokee father and an African American mother, he spent part of his childhood living in a converted school bus on land gifted to the family by his great grandmother who had been a slave. That humble beginning launched him into a lifetime of unaccountable twists of fate, including a miraculous encounter with the woman who would become... posted on Sep 28, 3170 reads

The Emotional Life of Animals
Any animal lover knows how intelligent our four-footed friends are, and how many emotions they share with us--especially the positive ones. And now scientific research tells us they have sensory and motor abilities that dwarf ours. Dogs are able to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes and warn humans of impending heart attacks and strokes. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and al... posted on Nov 26, 6653 reads

Grieving My Way Into Loving the Planet
"In this excerpt from the new anthology 'A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Times,' journalist Dahr Jamail describes how Macy and her work helped him survive profound war trauma and climate grief. Macy, a scholar and teacher of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology, is the author of 13 books and a respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology. She orig... posted on May 22, 5360 reads

Expanding the Spirit of Democracy
"How might we unlock hope in an expansive spirit of democracy for present and future generations in this time of upheaval? As the underside of American society is being revealed and the stark inequities and racial prejudices made manifest, we are called to reflect on what brought us to this disturbing state of affairs. With shock and recrimination we are responding to the truth of our history and ... posted on Aug 22, 2935 reads

We Can Do This: A Conversation with Paul Hawken
"Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author and activist who has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He is one of the environmental movements leading voices, and a pioneering architect of corporate reform with respect to ecological practices. His work includes founding successful, ecologically consciou... posted on Sep 13, 3703 reads

The Buy Nothing Project Gift Economies
Liesl Clark and her family traveled to Nepal on a "quest to find answers." They returned home with a new perspective on community and a better way of living. Clark saw how the Nepalese cared for each other, insisting on sharing gifts equally within the community and taking responsibility for the aging, fragile, and infirm without regard to family ties. She believed these principles could be applie... posted on Mar 26, 2446 reads

The Frightfully Wondrous Experience of Being Here
Ra Avis didn't call herself a writer till she was accused of the crime that would eventually result in 437 days of incarceration. In the four years between the accusation and the handcuffs, after a friendly push from her husband--a writer himself--she started a blog and named it Rarasaur (frightfully wondrous things happen here). It became a space for writing about love and grace and grief, and wo... posted on Jun 23, 4410 reads

The Power of Giving
"Fariba Safai and Ashley Smith were still students at CCA when they decided to do something radical. They decided to prepare a large batch of home made soup (from a favorite recipe of Faribas mother), to construct a cart able to wheel a very large stainless steel pot along a sidewalk, and to make their way to Union Square in San Francisco on Black Friday[the day after Thanksgiving and largest shop... posted on Dec 4, 1709 reads