Dawn of an Era of Well-Being

About This Episode

EPISODE N. 31 | Welcome to SEASON 3 of Dawn of an Era of Well-Being, the podcast that brings together some of the world’s most innovative thinkers to weigh in on matters concerning the future of ourselves and our planet—and to discuss that future not as something to be predicted, but to be created. In this third season we will be doing something slightly different by dedicating our focus on a survey of the world’s religions and investigating how they offer wisdom to humanity at a time when it is greatly needed. In the past, religion has often been used as an instrument of division, but these discussions will be conducted with the purpose of finding commonality in the human experience, discovering how religion and spirituality can help serve a function in bringing the world together to a more harmonious condition; supporting a paradigm shift in civilization and help usher in an era of well-being.

We also want to give a warm welcome to our new moderator, Nora Csiszar.

New York, NY – On Monday, October 9, 2023, much of the United States will hold its annual observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The commemoration has been officially adopted by nineteen states plus the District of Columbia, as well as 130 cities nationwide. In 2021, President Biden was the first president to officially commemorate the day, though it remains unadopted as a federal holiday.

The designation of the second Monday in October does position the celebration in conflict with the Columbus Day observance. This is a clear reaction to the very problematic history of Christopher Columbus, who is looked upon by many as a harbinger to the genocide and colonization which largely destroyed native civilizations which existed on the North and South American continents for thousands of years. It is easy to understand the refutation of this man’s legacy, and it is important to see that the historical record is set straight, but what is it that we celebrate during Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are a large and extremely varied group of cultures spanning a massive territory from the lower tip of South America, near the Antarctic Ocean up into the Arctic Circle with the Northern areas of Canada, Greenland, and Alaska. The societies that emerged from these populations date back over 10,000 years and they represent a wide scope of social organizations from tribal groups to city states to empires. There are over a thousand known languages spoken amongst these peoples, and their cultures had developed varied, and often profound, expertise in such fields as literature, agriculture, large scale architecture, metallurgy, astronomy, medicine, engineering, and mathematics. So how can we make a connection between this diverse collection of civilizations which we commonly refer to as the Indigenous People of the Americas?

One place that is worth investigating is in the realm of spiritual traditions, and in honor of the observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Dawn of an Era of Well-Being podcast will re-air its episode on “Indigenous Beliefs” featuring Marti Spiegelman. Although Marti has mixed feelings about using the word “shamanism,” it might be a helpful usage in this case. While Shamanism may also seem to be a loose terminology, considering the countless regional variants which span the entire globe—not just the Americas—there are common threads which connect many of these local practices. The term Shamanism comes from the word has its root with the Russian word šamán, which in turn has its origins with indigenous Siberian dialects where Shamanic practices were observed by European travelers from as early as the 16th century. Whether we choose to call it shamanism or indigenous spirituality or by some other, more specific reference; Marti Spiegelman points out that these spiritual practices all share a common emphasis on a direct connection to one’s immediate environment which will enhance our attunement with the universal consciousness throughout the natural world and ourselves. Furthermore, she is deeply involved in reconnecting us with this ancient wisdom with which the modern world has lost touch. She stresses that this is not some sort of esoteric past-time, but very practical knowledge which will grant prosperity in our individual lives and a tremendous benefit for humanity.

Marti Spiegelman holds a BA in biochemistry from Harvard University, an MFA in graphic design from the Yale School of Art and Architecture, and has advanced training in neurophysiology, psychology, and anthropology. Her executive mentoring and initiation programs – Foundations of Precision Consciousness and The Shaman’s Light Program – are dedicated to helping today’s changemakers and visionaries, across all professions, embody and apply timeless indigenous wisdom to the evolution of consciousness and thriving in today’s world.

Marti is also co-founder, with Todd Hoskins, of the ‘Leading from Being’ podcast and leadership training. She was a presenter at TEDx Berkeley 2011 and is widely known for her work in weaving indigenous principles of consciousness with modern genius to ignite quantum leaps in the ways we live, work, and create together.

https://pc.martispiegelman.org

Thank you for listening to Dawn of an Era of Well-Being: The Podcast. Please subscribe to the program as we have more guests joining Ervin, Fred and Alison for more fascinating conversation. If you enjoyed our program, here are a few links that may be of further interest: ERVIN LASZLO ervinlaszlobooks.com FREDERICK TSAO aitiainstitute.org octaveinstitute.com/en ALISON GOLDWYN synchronistory.com/ Please visit the SelectBooks Studios YouTube channel for episodes and bonus video material. The book Dawn of an Era of Well-Being: New Paths to a Better World by Ervin Laszlo and Frederick Tsao is available wherever books or e-books are sold including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.