Does it seem to you as if today’s kids are not as smart and lacking in common sense than previous generations? You’re not imagining things…

The current focus on education — treating the human brain like a computer and using artificial intelligence (AI) to feed it knowledge — may be great for sitting in front of a screen playing video games, but not so much on real learning and creativity, the one true superpower every human being has.

Educator Dr. Jared Horvath explains why today’s kids are cognitively declining and describes what we can do to reverse that downward trend this week on Spirit Gym.

Learn more about Jared at his LME Global website and on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Timestamps

8:05 Pursuing the science of learning.

13:20 “The brain is not a computer, and you are not your brain.”

24:49 Our kids are losing their conceptual natures, and are cognitively declining.

27:56 Humanity’s greatest superpower.

32:32 The three stages of creativity.

35:30 Why are kids living East Asian countries smarter and more creative than those in America?

50:01 Why teachers don’t have a say in the education process.

58:20 Focusing on proximal goals versus distal goals.

1:09:29 Do you really understand the difference between opinions and knowledge?

1:16:01 AI falsely assumes human thought is best represented in speech.

1:21:00 The reification of education.

1:28:09 When Paul was a child, he dreamed of becoming a bank robber.

1:35:42 The breadth of your knowledge is only as good as the depth of it, which may explain why education is broken.

1:42:32 The importance of mastery.

1:53:07 Is it really cheaper for schools to divest from digital tech for physical education and the arts?

2:02:28 Why it is NOT important for kids to be taught how to use AI.

2:16:01 Jared’s real problem with AI, aside from the fact that it does nothing: Its intellectual heritage is hidden.

2:21:08 The tech outsourcing of basic parenting.

Resources

The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning — And How To Help Them Thrive Again by Dr. Jared Horvath

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

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Did you know the comic book characters and their stories that are adapted into very successful books, TV shows and movies could teach you as much about myth as the work of Joseph Campbell?

Filmmaker and comic book writer B. Earl describes how his deep love for comics, mythology and the Tarot led him on a Fool’s Journey away from doing the safe thing — studying biochemistry — to work on Spider-Man comics, make movies and share the lessons he learned by following the road less traveled this week on Spirit Gym.

Discover more about B. Earl on his Weirdbunch Studio website and on Instagram, Substack and LinkedIn. Read his chapter in the book, Depth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine, edited by Jason Batt and Jonathan Erickson. Check out his crowdfunded Fangbanger: SUPERPOSITION Anthology on Zoop.

Timestamps

7:44 “I found my voice and my own ideas through a mixture of mythology and comic books.”

11:09 Whose dream wins out to study biochemistry or telling stories?

17:53 B. Earl’s Hero’s Journey begins with a call from movie producer Larry Cohen.

28:03 The Tarot helps B. Earl achieve sobriety when he needed it.

33:45 The libido as life force energy.

37:46 How do we learn to process, use and embrace the 72 demons of Solomon?

49:13 The commercialization of Hip Hop.

53:35 Comics: The most powerful medium and the additive version of the creative process.

1:00:05 Can you decode the symbolism hiding in plain sight?

1:07:15 How much of your consciousness is tied up in your ego?

1:16:44 The Fool’s Journey.

1:26:40 Different Tarot card decks, different insights.

1:35:00 The forced redundancy of us in AI.

1:41:07 The magic of storytelling that conveys deeper truths and native myths in B. Earl’s Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

1:55:55 Conflict and forgiveness are necessary for us to live and grow.

Resources

Watch B. Earl talk about The Poetry of Death during the recent Soul and the Machine webinar on the International Society of Mythology website

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
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As artificial intelligence (AI) encroaches deeper than ever before into our daily lives, how do we as humans begin to address the greater questions about the soul and what mysteries lie beyond our planet?

Technological Philosopher, Mythologist/Futurist and Wizard Jason Batt joins Paul on an exploration of what lies ahead for humans and AI and how the power of myth can light the way this week on Spirit Gym.

Check out Jason’s work on his website, the International Society of Mythology and Substack. Find him on social media via Instagram and LinkedIn.

For Spirit Gym listeners: Save 15 percent on on these courses Jason teaches with the following promo codes:

• The Haunted House as Psyche SPIRITGYM15OFFHH
• The Long Reach: SF Worldbuilding/ Empires SPIRITGYM15OFFLR
• Gods, Heroes and Monsters: An Introduction to Classical Mythology SPIRITGYM15OFFGHM

Timestamps

7:31 Is Jason a Technological Philosopher, Mythologist/Futurist or a Wizard?

16:25 The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the 100 Year Starship project comes calling on the birth of Jason’s third child.

29:08 Why the Tarot has been around for a long time.

46:17 Momentary gods.

59:35 The danger of mixing myth and religion.

1:08:27 What happens when AI platforms talk to each other?

1:18:12 “Every book of fiction is ourself.”

1:25:59 The greatest profession anyone could have.

1:37:31 The SOUL.md of AI.

1:48:32 The myth of Narcissus is a metaphor for modern times.

1:58:19 To ignore the lessons of myth leaves us vulnerable to the hubris of unchecked innovation and being deceived.

Resources

Depth Psychology, Myth and Artificial Intelligence: Soul and the Machine by Jason Batt and Jonathan Erickson

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
Wild Pastures
Pique Life
CHEK Institute

We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.

When people have a hard time dealing with back pain that keeps them from doing the tasks that make up their day, they rarely think about the health of their core, the locus of their body’s visceral somatic expression.

In this very special solocast, Paul shares a wealth of knowledge he’s accumulated for more than a quarter-century about the core and explains why doctors and therapists commonly misdiagnose the origins of back pain and assorted injuries this time on Spirit Gym.

This episode is also available as a video on Paul's YouTube channel. To see the graphics he talks about, download the accompanying handout here.

After you listen to the podcast, take a few minutes to complete the NLC CHEK Health Index — an official CHEK Institute assessment tool — at this link.

Timestamps

3:17 Mapping out your core, the foundation for your arms and legs.

6:42 Why many physicians and therapists misdiagnose core dysfunctions like back pain.

9:00 The CHEK Totem Pole.

15:09 The most unstable part of your body and spine.

25:43 Why it’s common to see hip, knee, ankle and foot injuries originate in the spine and low back.

28:24 How the inner and outer unit muscles work.

37:10 “You cannot fire a cannon from a canoe!”

44:14 The RC Factor.

51:43 Functional exercise and infant development.

1:02:53 The Primal Pattern™ movement system.

1:15:31 One of the most dangerous things you can do in a gym.

1:21:44 The human microbiome.

1:28:33 Without healthy glands and organs, optimal conditioning and strength development cannot happen.

1:48:59 Fear changes everything from your breathing to your muscle tone, posture and hormones.

1:52:53 Achieving balance between the right and left hemispheres of your brain.

Resources

The filum terminale

The Spinal Engine by Serge Gracovetsky (FREE PDF link)

How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy (20th Anniversary Edition)

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
Wild Pastures
Korrect SPIRITGYM
Pique Life
CHEK Institute

We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.

While navigating the very narrow habitrail of daily living, it’s very easy to forget there’s an amazing, alluring and mysterious universe all around us that we simply cannot completely quantify (but take very much for granted). Over time, this daily dulling of our imagination can kill our heart, mind and soul, but only if we let it…

If you’ve misplaced your sense of wonder and want to reclaim it, join Paul and his very special guest Fred Provenza on an exploration of the cosmos through the world of dreams this week on Spirit Gym.

Download Fred’s recent paper, Cosmic Dreaming: Memories of a Moment on Earth, for FREE at this link. Check out Fred’s earlier work on Acres USA at this link.

Watch Fred’s recent discussion, Cosmic Dreaming: The Ecology of Food Systems and Human and Environmental Health, with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine on YouTube.

Learn more about the Behavioral Education for Human Animal Vegetation and Ecosystem Management (BEHAVE) program co-founded by Fred at Utah State University at this link.

Timestamps

2:21 The conversation begins with prayers.

4:59 What happens when God become an idea instead of a mystery?

14:25 The one lesson all of us need to learn during our time on the planet.

25:38 The book that saved Fred from a life of depression.

31:16 What is consciousness?

37:58 How Fred developed a course on Myth and The Management of Natural Resources.

44:19 The danger of dogmas.

56:57 “You depart from nature when the death you produce no longer feeds or supports life.”

1:08:09 Has the human race become doers at the expense of losing out on feeling alive?

1:11:35 How much do you want to be owned?

1:33:13 The inherent creativity of human beings.

1:38:08 Challenges, opportunities, living in an evolutionary spirit and transcending boundaries.

1:51:36 The importance of studying principles that transcend time and space.

Resources

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers

Lucid Dying: The New Science of Revolutionizing How We Understand Life and Death by Sam Parnia

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
Wild Pastures
Korrect SPIRITGYM
Pique Life
CHEK Institute

We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.

Seeker, scholar and spiritual detective Dr. Joanna Kujawa describes the divine journey that led to her life’s work — exploring the gospel of Mary Magdalene — along with a deeper, better understanding of the Divine Feminine and Goddesses and how that knowledge can change the world this week on Spirit Gym.

Learn more about Joanna’s work on her website. Find her on social media via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Read her books Alien Goddess: UFOs, AI and the Goddesses of Ascension and The Other Goddess: Mary Magdalene and the Goddesses of Eros and Secret Knowledge.

Timestamps

4:42 Why Joanna calls herself a spiritual detective.

10:46 Joanna was told to write her book, Alien Goddess.

21:08 In imaginal space, we can communicate with aliens rather than just listen to them.

29:34 What is a Goddess?

37:09 The differences between Goddesses and Gods.

42:59 Why civilizations suppress the feminine.

56:44 The ongoing struggle between good and evil in the universe.

1:03:56 The reason Joanna became a spiritual detective and seeker: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

1:18:27 “A teacher may fall, but their teachings that were passed to you are still there.”

1:25:47 “There’s immense power in the feminine eros, and I think that’s why they are afraid of us.”

1:29:18 AI, posthumanism and transhumanism.

1:49:21 Do you have an overwhelming feeling right now that something is missing in your life?

1:56:15 Why matriarchy and patriarchy have their limitations: We need both in our lives.

2:04:42 “The only place that you can find the divine is within you and in nature.”

2:15:27 Men do not know how to address and embody their own Divine Masculinity.

2:36:11 The equal importance of Mary Magdalene and Jesus who embodied the Divine Feminine and Masculine as examples for all of us.

2:44:14 Eros: The creative power of the universe.

2:50:16 Baba Yaga insisted on being included at the end of Joanna's latest book.

Resources

Joanna’s conversation with Jeffrey Mishlove on New Thinking Allowed on YouTube

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
Wild Pastures
Pique Life
CHEK Institute

We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.

Cannabis is a plant medicine that can do so much for one’s health when it’s grown properly and used very wisely.

Expert and educator Ryan Sprague explores the chemistry behind what makes cannabis work and explains why judging its quality solely on how much THC it contains is a very bad idea this week on Spirit Gym.

Learn more about Ryan and his work on his Highly Optimized website and on social media via Instagram here and here and YouTube. Listen to Ryan’s Highly Optimized podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to them.

For Spirit Gym listeners: The Sacred Smoke Collective is a private membership association where you can shop for its organic tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) offerings. Save 10 percent on any purchase at this website and a mystery gift by using the promo code paulchek at this link. Also, sign up for the Sacred Smoke Collective’s affiliate program at this link. (Special offers from Spirit Gym guests are time-sensitive and at their discretion to redeem after 30 days.)

Timestamps

4:44 How a highly optimized human uses cannabis wisely and as one of many tools.

10:00 Do Drugs Have Religious Import? by Huston Smith from The Journal of Philosophy.

21:28 Practice the Daoist not too much, not too little philosophy.

32:34 Psychedelics are meant to be challenging by design.

51:09 Why Ryan believes cannabis and hemp are the people’s plants.

1:05:26 “Cannabis is a medicine that works on one regulatory system that happens to deal with 80-plus different conditions and purposes.”

1:13:22 Could cannabis treat epilepsy?

1:27:42 How much THC do you realiy need in your cannabis?

1:34:18 Foods that help with endocannabinoid production besides cannabis.

Resources

Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality by R. Gordon Wasson (FREE PDF link)

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
Wild Pastures
Korrect SPIRITGYM
Pique Life
CHEK Institute

We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.

As you know, the Hero’s Journey is one of Paul’s favorite tools to help his clients take on their challenges and begin to evolve into the people they are meant to be.

Former Olympic Coach and Leadership Guru Chip Richards joins Paul on a deep dive into the Hero’s Journey and how it can transform lives this week on Spirit Gym.

Learn more about Chip on his website and on social media via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

For Spirit Gym listeners: Chip is offering listeners a special discount to join him on a Heart of Leadership retreat, such as the upcoming trip to Tonga to swim with humpback whales, or to be part of the Heart of Leadership 12-month mentorship program. For more details and dates, reach out to Chip on his website and mention you heard him on Spirit Gym.

Timestamps

3:18 The Shero’s Journey.

6:09 Chip’s long ago meetup with Paul in Australia that changed the story arc of his Australian Olympic Ski team.

10:19 Parallel influences across oceans.

26:16 Being mythed.

32:01 The twisting, winding path of personal chaos is there to help us discover the divine essence within.

41:06 Chip’s first call to adventure as an elite athlete.

51:51 Paul has experienced the Hero’s Journey many times.

1:07:06 “Who we really are is not the programming.”

1:18:16 Tests and allies.

1:27:39 A true commitment.

1:34:10 What happens during the Hero’s Journey when everything falls apart?

1:39:03 Nature bathing surrounded by whales that allows people to let go and just be.

1:56:39 “One of the things that makes [Paul’s] work so special: You are living the myth we’re talking about right now.”

2:05:55 The elixir: The deeper answer that reveals why you went on this journey and become the embodied expression of that knowledge.

2:15:48 The Hero’s Journey: A journey from concept to experience.

2:26:13 Tests that Chip and Paul are facing.

2:34:15 Protecting the hives with very simple devotion.

2:48:14 How to use the Hero’s Journey as a self-reflection/self-realization tool.

Resources

The Seed of Dreams by Chip Richards

Writing the Story Within by Chip Richards

The Varroa mite

Find more resources for this episode on our website.

Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music

Thanks to our awesome sponsors:

Paleovalley
BIOptimizers US and BIOptimizers UK PAUL15
Organifi CHEK20
Wild Pastures
Korrect SPIRITGYM
Pique Life
CHEK Institute

We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.