What Empire Cannot Erase: Fatemeh Keshavarz-Karamustafa, Omid Safi & Mays Imad

Persian Poetry, Radical Love, and the Soul of Iran“The path to God goes through that most difficult of beings, the human being.” – Omid SafiRecorded live at a SAND Community Gathering (April 2026). Watch the full conversation on the SAND Website.   We are watching, once again, what empire does: not only to bodies, but to the long memory of a people; to the libraries and sacred sites; to art, language, and the ruins that hold the oldest threads of human spiritual inquiry. We are thinking of the civilization that gave us Rumi, Hafez, Omar Khayyam, Forough Farrokhzad — mystics and rebels and lovers of paradox who understood something about the human soul that we are still, centuries later, trying to catch up to. This gathering invited us to come together: to read poetry aloud, to hear from Iranian voices, to sit with grief and beauty together rather than alone. We work with political and moral vocabulary shaped by Iranian thinkers such as Ali Shariati, who wrote against domination, spiritual emptiness, and the violence of imposed power. We make space for what doesn’t fit into headlines or talking points—the complexity of empire, the difference between a government and its people, the authoritarian forces at work not only abroad but here at home. We also gather with the political inheritance of those who taught generations to resist domination and spiritual emptiness, including Ali Shariati. Guests Omid Safi is a scholar of the Islamic mystical tradition and professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University. He is the author of Memories of Muhammad and Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition, and teaches online courses on Muslim mysticism. He leads contemplative journeys to Turkey, Morocco, and Mecca/Medina through Illuminated Courses. Fatemeh Keshavarz is the Roshan Institute Chair in Persian Language and Literature and Director of the Roshan Institute Center for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland. A poet in Persian and English, she is the author of Reading Mystical Lyric, Recite in the Name of the Red Rose, Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran, and Lyrics of Life: Sa'di on Love, Cosmopolitanism and Care of the Self. She has spoken at the UN General Assembly and received the Peabody Award for her NPR program on Rumi. Mays Imad, PhD (facilitator) is a neuroscientist, educator, and associate professor at Connecticut College whose work bridges neuroscience, philosophy, and education. An Iraqi immigrant who lived through wars and displacement, she brings both personal and scholarly depth to the themes of trauma, remembrance, and repair through the embodied nervous system. Timestamps 00:00 — Welcome & framing 00:02 — Mays Imad opens: grief, urgency, and love 00:06 — Introducing Omid Safi & Fatemeh Keshavarz 00:07 — Saadi, Rumi, and the Persian tradition 00:12 — The war on Iran: what is being destroyed 00:21 — Don't bypass grief — the Persian mystics knew this 00:27 — Saadi on truth, power, and interconnection 00:32 — Fatemeh: togetherness, invisibilization, and Iranian resilience 00:38 — Poetry as the Silk Road of imagination 00:52 — War's corruption of language — and poetry as antidote 01:04 — Remembrance as ethical act 01:10 — Intergenerational love & closing Resources & Links Omid Safi Illuminated Courses — books, podcast, courses, tours Duke University faculty page Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition — Yale University Press Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters — HarperOne Podcast: Sufi Heart — Be Here Now Network The Heart of Rumi's Poetry — online course Upcoming events: Evening workshop in London, May 5th — "Islamic Spirituality in an Age of Conflict" Contemplative journey to Turkey, June 1–12 Rumi Retreat in Marrakech, November 22–28 Fatemeh Keshavarz Website Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran Lyrics of Life: Sa'di on Love, Cosmopolitanism and Care of the Self Cowboys and Iranians — poem by Fatemeh Keshavarz (video) Birds Without a Name — poem by Fatemeh Keshavarz, read at ARHU event on Hope & Home (video) Mays Imad Personal website Connecticut College faculty page Music featured Watan (وَطَن — "Homeland") performed by Shaghayegh Amiri, playing the Daf — the ancient Persian frame drum central to Sufi musical tradition Ali Ghamsari — solo on the Kamancheh (Persian bowed string instrument), taught by Hamidreza Afarideh, music teacher in Tehran Poets and texts referenced in depth Rumi (Jalal al-Din Rumi, 1207–1273) — Persian Sufi mystic and poet; his Masnavi opens with pain and grief; central throughout Sa'di Shirazi (1210–1291) — Iranian Sufi poet; his Golestan (Garden of Roses) is where Iranians learn to read and write; complete English translation by Thackston available; Fatemeh's Lyrics of Life goes deeper on Sa'di Hafez (14th century) — Persian lyric poet; Fatemeh discusses his use of the word hush as an example of how poetic language restores meaning Farid ud-Din Attar (born 1150) — author of Mantiq ut-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds / The Parliament of the Fowls) — referenced by Mays in her opening Abu Sa'id (Abu Sa'id Abi'l-Khayr, 967–1049) — Persian Sufi mystic referenced by Omid: "Don't just write down stories — become someone others want to write down what you say" Shams of Tabriz — Rumi's spiritual companion; Fatemeh discusses how Shams urged Rumi to live his knowledge Jamiluddin Aali — Urdu poet whose work was recited in the live chat Historical & contextual references Sharif University of Technology, Tehran — described as "the MIT of the Middle East," bombed during the war Leston Palace, Tehran — UNESCO World Heritage Site, bombed and referenced as a war crime The Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) — Fatemeh's personal reference point for civilian life under bombardment George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 — referenced by Omid in discussion of the corruption of language Next SAND Community Gathering Voices of the Land: Resistance & Solidarity with Lebanon — April 28th Contact SAND [email protected] Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Recorded live at  SAND Community Gathering (April 2026). Watch the full conversion on the SAND Website. SAND has launched a special series on Artificial Intelligence. To premiere this series, we spoke with tech ethicist Tristan Harris—co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology. In this conversation, we explored his warnings about the impending age of AI. According to Harris, the current trajectory isn’t just menacing the economy, but fundamentally rewiring human relationships, altering parenting and mental health, potentially accelerating climate collapse, and even threatening the very fabric of society. We inquired into ways to remain human in an era where machines can simulate empathy, displace our labor, and potentially outmaneuver us.   Topics 00:00 Welcome and Context 00:42 Why This AI Talk 01:32 Introducing Tristan Harris 03:15 Setting the Basics 04:10 From Narrow to New AI 06:18 Rubber Band Reality Check 08:31 Transformers and Scaling 11:00 Infinity Upside and Risk 14:49 Defining AGI and ASI 18:18 Jagged Capabilities and Hype 21:33 Singularity and Anti Human Drift 23:26 Incentives Behind the Future 27:29 The Intelligence Curse 32:22 Devaluing Humans and Consensus 37:56 Planetary Costs of Data Centers 39:41 Why We Keep Building It 42:46 Extinction Risk and Safety Math 45:20 AI in War and Arms Race 47:36 Leaders Unaware of Runaway Signs 48:26 Leaders Fear AI Power 49:02 Nuclear War Game Theory 49:41 Infinite Games Mindset 51:11 AI as Extractive Empire 52:27 From Shadow to Action 53:55 Building the Human Movement 57:25 Four-Step Action Plan 59:44 Grassroots Wins and Bans 01:02:18 Nonprofit Progress and Lawsuits 01:07:51 Talking to Teens Effectively 01:10:05 Governance and Citizen Assemblies 01:12:19 Spiritual Hopes vs Incentives 01:15:12 Accelerationism and Choice 01:18:22 Policy Maker Ten Minute Brief 01:21:26 Countering Transhumanist Ideology 01:23:45 Changing Culture and Incentives 01:27:12 Final Reflections and Gratitude Resources Websites & Organizations Center for Humane Technology (Tristan Harris's website) The Human Movement AI Dialogue Prohuman AI Statement / Declaration Roadmap to How We Ensure AI is Serving Humanity Indigenous Perspectives on AI Course Metarelational AI Tech Workers Coalition Panel on AI + Embodiment Luma Invite Purge Palantir Action Links Purge Palantir Campaign Pledge   Articles & Documents Alibaba Security Paper The Intelligence Curse by Luke Drago and Rudolf Laine The Shape of AI Jaggedness Harvard Gazette: Why are Communities pushing back on data centers The Palantir Payroll PDF New York Times Opinion: Yuval Harari AI ChatGPT Archive Article on Billionaires' Brains New York Times Opinion: Anthropic’s Restraint Is a Terrifying Warning Sign   Videos & Films The Social Dilemma The AI Doc / How I Became an Apocalyptimist - Official Trailer Ghost in the Machine The Day After War Games Bernie vs. Claude (YouTube) Joanna Macy and the Great Turning How To Make AI Good For Humanity by Siliconversations (YouTube)   Books & Textbooks Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Peter Norvig and Stuart J. Russell (PDF) States of Denial by Stanley Cohen (PDF)  Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse (PDF) Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira Outgrowing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt IntraConnected: MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.   Empire of AI By Karen Hao More Everything Forever by Adam Becker  Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI? by Amanda Gefter     Podcasts & Audio Your Undivided Attention - Tristan Harris, Aza Raskin, and Daniel Barcay The Emerald - Joshua Michael Schrei The Great Simplification - Nate Hagens Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Simon Wickhamsmith is a Buddhist monk turned scholar, computer musician, and one of the only translators of Mongolian literature into English. He teaches in the Writing Program at Rutgers University and has been traveling back and forth to Mongolia since 2006. In this conversation he traces his spiritual path from Catholicism through Tibetan Buddhism and back to medieval Christian mysticism, introduces the Mongolian poet Mend-Ooyo, and takes us deep into the life and poetry of the 19th century Buddhist polymath Danzanravjaa — a figure Simon considers his primary teacher — including a live reading of the poem Twos, a stunning meditation on nonduality from the Mongolian steppe. Topics 00:00 — Introduction 00:02 — Simon's spiritual path: Catholicism, Opus Dei, the Desert Fathers, and Zen 00:04 — Discovering Tibetan Buddhism, Samye Ling monastery in Scotland, and ordaining as a monk 00:06 — The three-year retreat, his mother's illness, and returning to the world 00:07 — Returning to medieval Christian mysticism: Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, The Cloud of Unknowing 00:10 — How SAND connected with Mend-Ooyo in Mongolia — and how Simon met him 00:12 — Teaching himself Mongolian by translating Danzanravjaa's complete works 00:13 — Introducing Mend-Ooyo: born 1952 into a nomadic herding family, poet and cultural guardian of Mongolia 00:16 — The underground literary group GAL (Fire) and Mend-Ooyo's role in Mongolian literary culture 00:18 — Mend-Ooyo's mission: reconnecting Mongolia to its nomadic heritage after Soviet collapse 00:19 — Mend-Ooyo's new novel The Solitary Tree: Robin Hood, shamanism, Buddhism, and falcons 00:23 — Who was Danzanravjaa? Born in the Gobi Desert, recognized as the fifth reincarnation of the Noyon Hutagt 00:26 — Danzanravjaa's approach: spontaneous, impromptu poetry as dharma teaching 00:28 — Mongolia's first traveling theater troupe and the poems as dictated teachings 00:31 — Live reading and analysis of Perfect Qualities — a love poem, a guru poem, and a poem of nonduality simultaneously 00:33 — The three levels of meaning in Danzanravjaa's poetry: outer, inner, and secret 00:38 — Bhakti yoga, Ram Dass, Maharaji, and the connection to direct transmission beyond doctrine 00:41 — Danzanravjaa and the land: the Shambhala vortex at Hamriin Hiid 00:44 — Horses, landscape, and the spiritual path in his poetry 00:45 — Simon's personal experience of the Shambhala site and animist relationship to land 00:49 — If Danzanravjaa were alive today: his anti-Manchu politics and primary focus on deepening practice 00:50 — Live reading of the poem Twos — nonduality in full 00:54 — On translation: humor, layers of meaning, and the paradox of the poem itself     Resources & Links   Simon Wickhamsmith   Rutgers University faculty page Suncranes and Other Stories: Modern Mongolian Short Fiction — Columbia University Press, 2021 Politics and Literature in Mongolia (1921–1948) — Amsterdam University Press, 2020 The Hidden Life of the Sixth Dalai Lama — Lexington Books, 2011   Mend-Ooyo Gombojav   Official website: mend-ooyo.mn Altan Ovoo (Golden Hill) — translated by Simon Wickhamsmith Gegeenten (The Holy One) — novel about Danzanravjaa The Solitary Tree — Mend-Ooyo's most recent novel, published 2025, translated by Simon Wickhamsmith Wikipedia: Mend-Ooyo Gombojav SAND Event — Nature of Mind and Mind of Nature: A Local Event with Mongolian Poet Mend-Ooyo Gombojav (2026)   Danzanravjaa (referenced poems)   Perfect Qualities (also known as The Five Senses / Five Offerings) Twos — read in full during the episode Mend-Ooyo's essay on Danzanravjaa: mend-ooyo.mn/content/86.html   Referenced spiritual figures & texts   The Cloud of Unknowing — anonymous 14th century medieval Christian mysticism text Julian of Norwich and Meister Eckhart — medieval mystics Simon returned to after Buddhism Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Monastery, Scotland — where Simon did his retreat Ram Dass and Maharaji — referenced in discussion of bhakti yoga and direct transmission John Cage — Simon's original entry point into Zen Buddhism   Connect with more talks and films from the SAND film Series The Eternal Song   Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member    

Recorded live at a SAND Community Gathering (April 2026) Hard times are here, we hunger for voices that can see beyond the fear, beyond the noise, beyond the technologies consuming our attention. We need poets and visionaries. People who remember freedom. Dr. Jaiya John (Mshkiki Odeh Inini, Medicine Heart Man), medicine poet, freedom worker, is one of those voices. He has spent his life gathering words that heal. In this conversation, we enter the beauty, the grief, and the medicine together. We sit with the devastation tearing our world, the sorrows cracking us open, the ancestors still holding us—and the radical insistence that collective freedom is not something we chase. It is something already alive in and between us, waiting to be birthed. Dr. Jaiya John (Mshkiki Odeh Inini, Medicine Heart Man) was orphan-born on ancient Indigenous Anasazi and Pueblo lands in the high desert of New Mexico. He is an ancestral Baba, freedom worker, medicine poet, and the founder of Soul Water Rising—a global mission to eradicate oppression through re-humanization, book donations, and grants to displaced youth. He is the author of numerous books including Freedom: Medicine Words for your Brave Revolution and Fragrance After Rain, and the creator of the podcast I Will Read for You. A former professor of social psychology at Howard University, he holds a doctorate from UC Santa Cruz and has spoken to over a million people worldwide. His Indigenous soul dreams of frybread, sweetgrass, bamboo in the breeze, and turtle lakes whose poetry is peace.   Watch the full video version of this conversation.   Topics   00:00 Welcome and Land Acknowledgment 02:31 Guest Bio and Introduction 03:51 Opening Blessing and Heart Question 05:10 Reclaiming Anger as Medicine 08:08 Libation Prayer for the World 15:57 Anger Rage and Lifted Veils 20:19 Rethinking War and Remembering Water 25:18 Gather Your People Reading 33:04 Grief Poetry and Inner Wars 36:13 War Wants Us Small 40:30 Soul Conditions That Grow War 42:14 Oxygen of War 44:12 Harvesting Clear Vision 47:05 Ferocious Grief Revival 49:38 How Grief Behaves 51:59 Poetry Against Silence 55:08 From Muteness to Voice 58:33 Artistry as Resurrection 01:03:42 Womanhood as Creativity 01:07:23 History as Sacred Hoop 01:12:45 Composting Harm into Healing 01:16:33 Intentional Living Practice 01:19:22 All These Rivers Choose Love 01:23:01 Blessings and Farewell   Dr. Jaiya John — Guest Website: jaiyajohn.com Soul Water Rising — global mission Podcast: I Will Read for You: The Voice and Writings of Jaiya John Freedom Medicine: Words for Your Brave Revolution — book Wildflowers Praying at Midnight — book We Birth Freedom at Dawn — book All These Rivers and You Chose Love — book Fragrance After Rain — book Dr. Jaiya John's YouTube channel — where his poem for the Martyred Poets of Gaza and Palestine is available Substack: jaiyajohn.substack.com Dr. Jennifer Mullan — Referenced Website: decolonizingtherapy.com — Dr. Mullan's "rage doctor" ministry and upcoming work Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice — book Therapy is Not Neutral:  Dr. Jennifer Mullan & Iya Affo (SAND Podcast episode) The Gaza Monologues — Referenced The Gaza Monologues — ASHTAR Theatre — the global project of 33 young people from Gaza, which Dr. Jaiya John contributed a poem to Support ASHTAR Theatre / Gaza Monologues writers — GlobalGiving Nikki Giovanni — Referenced Nikki Giovanni — Poetry Foundation — the poet whose performance broke Dr. Jaiya John open as a young man and birthed him as a poet nikki-giovanni.com Ancestors Referenced El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) — quoted: "Out of all our studies, history is most qualified to reward our research" Geronimo — Dr. Jaiya John's ancestral grandfather spirit, whose question "What is in your heart?" opens the gathering John Lewis — referenced for "good trouble" and getting in the way of harm Hopi Nation / Turtle Island The concept of Sipapu (the Hopi place of emergence/womb place) is discussed at length as a framework for understanding history as circular, not linear   Connect with more talks and films from the SAND film Series The Eternal Song Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Researcher, author, and PhD candidate Chiara Baldini has spent two decades tracing the roots of ecstatic culture in Europe — from the rituals of Dionysus all the way back to Bronze Age Crete and the ancient Minoans, a civilization that thrived for over a thousand years before classical Greece. In this conversation, Chiara makes a compelling case that the Minoans may have been the only advanced civilization of their era not built on domination — their palaces functioning as community spaces rather than elite residencies, their frescoes showing priestesses, dolphins, and bull-jumping athletes rather than kings and conquest. She explores what their art, architecture, and animist relationship to nature might offer us now — not as a culture to imitate, but as proof that patriarchy is not inevitable, and that a radically different set of values has thrived before. Chiara Baldini is a scholar, author, speaker and freelance curator from Florence (Italy). She investigates the evolution of the ecstatic cult in the West, particularly in Minoan Crete,  ancient Greece, and Rome, contributing to anthologies, psychedelic conferences, and festivals. She was a member of the Boom Festival team since 2010 and the curator of Boom’s cultural area Liminal Village from 2014 to 2023. She has co-curated the anthology “Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine.” She is currently a PhD candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She lives in Portugal and she expresses her deep love for music by playing as DJ Clandestina. Topics 00:00 Welcome 02:02 Reconnecting with Chiara and Recent Life Changes 03:31 Dionysus and Ecstatic Traditions 06:38 Going Back to the Minoans 10:07 Bronze Age Patriarchy and War 18:02 Minoan Palaces and Community Life 21:18 Frescoes Dolphins and Priestesses 26:34 Seal Rings and Undeciphered Script 32:18 Bull Jumping and Gender Fluidity 37:20 Why Minoans Matter Today 44:31 Modern Crete LARPing and Animism 49:30 Courses, Books and Closing Resources & Links Chiara Baldini Website & contact Instagram: @iamalwayschiara Academia Facebook Soundcloud Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine (co-edited with Maria Papaspyrou and David Luke) — available via Inner Traditions Dionysus: Rave, Ritual and Revolution — online course (advaya) Minoan Crete course — online course (advaya) Power Without Patriarchy: Minoan Crete — online course (Morbid Anatomy) Dionysus course — Morbid Anatomy Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine (co-edited with Maria Papaspyrou and David Luke) — available via Inner Traditions Chiara's earlier SAND talk (2019) Books mentioned The Chalice and the Blade — Riane Eisler — the foundational text on dominator vs. partnership societies, essential context for this conversation Key figures discussed Arthur Evans — Wikipedia — British archaeologist who excavated Knossos beginning in 1900, named the Minoan civilization, and controversially reconstructed the palace The Prince of the Lilies fresco — the contested Knossos fresco Chiara discusses as an example of Evans projecting masculine elite identity onto ambiguous fragments Knossos Palace, Crete — the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, centerpiece of Minoan culture Institutions mentioned CIIS — California Institute of Integral Studies — where Chiara is completing her PhD in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness Boom Festival — transformational arts festival where Chiara curated the Liminal Village cultural area for over a decade Connect with more talks and films from the SAND film Series The Eternal SongSupport the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Recorded live at a SAND Community Gathering (March 2026). Something is cracking open in the spiritual and wellness world; and it has been for a while. Have wisdom traditions containing genuine gifts been composted into a product that only serves the very forces those traditions were born to resist? It is no news that some powerful spiritual leaders with devoted followers have, for a long time, abused that power for dominance and, in many cases, for sexual exploitation. The Epstein files are not an interruption to the pattern; they are the pattern, made suddenly impossible to scroll past. We want to reflect on the conditions—not just the men, not just the crimes, but the architecture of silence that held it all in place. What kind of spiritual culture produces that silence? What kind of spiritual culture makes it possible to look at harm and call it a lesson in perception? What has gone awry with our approach to spirituality when the latter can be used as a cover for abuse? How come much of the therapeutic and spiritual communities remain silent in the face of crimes witnessed by the entire world? To explore these and related issues, this discussion brought together mytho-poetic spiritual teacher Bayo Akomolafe Ph.D., writer & podcaster Matthew Remsiki, author & playwright V, spiritual teacher & psychologist Tara Brach and author & physician Gabor Maté in a wide-ranging discussion that will also invite audience participation. The intention is to leave participants encouraged to find the spiritual inner strength needed to pursue truth without losing discrimination in the process, without giving away their power; to discuss compassionately, without judgment but with clarity, what the Epstein revelations can tell us about who we are, about our culture, and about the nature of how we construct reality; to move beyond a so-called equanimity and “non-attachment” that is indistinguishable from numbness and passivity in the face of harm, in the face of evil. Topics:   00:00 Welcome and Intentions 01:30 Opening Prayer and Invocation 08:38 Ashe and Grace in the Fire 12:26 Guided Breath and Heart Presence 16:14 Moderator Sets the Context 18:44 Pat on Accountability and Betrayal 23:00 Bayo on Rage and Virtue 28:52 Tara on Cult Silence and Bystanders 35:46 V on Sacrifice and Reporting Systems 44:53 Matthew on Critique and Accountability Research 50:40 Key Question Abusive Teachers 52:50 Residential School Aftermath 54:51 Prep School Indoctrination 56:25 Deep Truth From Flaws 58:12 Tourettes And Moral Switch 01:01:01 Charisma And Inner Circles 01:04:34 Privilege Patriarchy Power 01:08:03 Architecture Of Silence 01:13:12 Anger Grief And Courage 01:18:08 Indigenous Survival And Trickster 01:22:56 Speaking Out And Fugitivity 01:27:09 Spirituality’s Inward Turn 01:32:52 Accountability And Healing 01:35:53 Closing Links: Gabor Maté – https://drgabormate.com/ Bayo Akomolafe – https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/ Pat McCabe – https://www.patmccabe.net/  Tara Brach – https://www.tarabrach.com V (formerly Eve Ensler) – https://www.eveensler.org Matthew Remski – https://matthewremski.com/ Watch the full video of this conversation – https://scienceandnonduality.com/event/the-architecture-of-silence-in-spiritual-culture/ Support the work of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Recorded live at SAND's Wisdom of the Ancestors event for the launch of the film series The Eternal Song, four powerful voices converge to address colonization, extractivism, and ecological injustice — and what it takes to move toward healing. Moderated by Rae Abileah, social change strategist, Jewish faith leader, and co-creator of the global Climate Ribbon art ritual. Abby Reyes, author of Truth Demands and Director of Community Resilience at UC Irvine, shares her harrowing personal story of the 1999 murders of her partner and colleagues near U'wa territory in Colombia, and a landmark recent Inter-American Court victory for Indigenous collective rights. Osprey Orielle Lake, founder of WECAN International and author of The Story Is in Our Bones, brings a worldview-shifting lens to the climate crisis as a justice and relational emergency. And Casey Camp-Horinek, elder, actress, and Hereditary Drumkeeper of the Ponca Nation, grounds the conversation in Indigenous sovereignty and the Rights of Nature. Together they call for community-rooted action, mutual aid, and what they name "post-traumatic growth." Topics: 00:00 Host Welcome and Land Acknowledgment 03:12 Session Theme and Intentions 04:48 Meet the Panelists 08:10 Why We Are Here 18:59 Indigenous Rights and Knowledge 25:14 Casey on Nature and Purification 34:29 Abby Story and Legal Victory 43:56 Meaningful Action and Getting Started 50:32 Community Practice and Post Traumatic Growth 57:58 Closing Reflections and Thanks Resources Rae Abileah CreateWell — Website Beautiful Trouble Bio Abby Reyes Website Truth Demands — Penguin Random House UC Irvine Community Resilience Osprey Orielle Lake WECAN International The Story Is in Our Bones — New Society Publishers Casey Camp-Horinek Movement Rights Bio SAND Feature Connect with more talks from The Wisdom of the Ancestors  in the SAND film Series The Eternal Song Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Patty Krawec is Ojibwe Anishinaabe, a retired social worker, and author of Becoming Kin and her new book Bad Indians Book Club. In this conversation she explores kinship beyond blood, land as ancestor, and why reading together — slowly, in community — might be one of the most quietly radical things we can do right now. Topics 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Meeting Patty Krawec 02:00 Land Lineage Roots 04:17 Becoming Kin Origins 06:43 Bad Indians Book Club 10:12 Reindigenizing The Future 14:55 Reclaiming The Word 20:28 Reading Together Power 25:06 Attention In The Feed 25:27 Relearning Deep Reading 26:10 Notebook Trick for Focus 26:54 Building a Genre Mosaic 29:00 Indigenous Horror and Futures 31:53 Read Widely Use Libraries 32:18 Curated Lists and Book Browsing 34:26 Bookstore Serendipity 36:30 AI Pushes Us Offline 38:18 Books as Time Alchemy 41:58 Ghost the System Together 44:10 Deep Time Reading Lineage 47:14 New Projects and Ojibwe Stories 49:59 Thanks and Farewell Resources a thousand worlds Medicine for the Resistance  Why We Are Both Oppressed and Oppressor: Patty Krawec   Becoming Kin Bad Indians Book Club       The Eternal Song   Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Recorded from a live SAND Gathering (February 2026). From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, communities are turning toward one another in a time of uncertainty, remembering that care begins close to home. Beyond public action, quieter networks of support are taking root: block-by-block relationships grounded in land, lineage, and love. This gathering explores how spiritual practice, trauma-aware care, and neighborhood organizing are being woven together as living traditions. We ask what it looks like to shift our energy from reactive mobilization toward steady, proactive organizing that can sustain us for the long haul. Drawing from Indigenous memory, Black freedom traditions, diasporic Jewish practices of care, and contemporary grassroots work, we reflect on how mutual care—feeding one another, tending grief, protecting children, honoring the dead—can be reclaimed as daily sacred practice. This is a conversation about blending spiritual practice and movement practice; about thinking smaller, closer, and more relational; and about learning from quiet, resilient forms of organizing that move people from isolation into coordinated courage. This conversation invites attunement: How do we stay grounded in grief without collapsing? How do we strengthen relationships across differences? How do small, steady acts of care help communities move from fear toward shared courage? This is an invitation to listen to the wisdom already alive in our histories, our bodies, and our neighborhoods. Topics 00:00 Welcome and Context 02:33 Grounding Breath Practice 03:22 Why We Gather Now 05:19 Meet the Speakers 07:36 Lyila June on Collapse 09:12 Chaco Canyon Lesson 12:36 Kaira Jewel on Flow 16:39 Rejoicing and Ancestors 20:04 Rabbi Jessica in Minneapolis 24:54 Sacred Geography and Duty 29:59 Lyla June on Forgiveness 36:22 Liberation for Everyone 37:32 Grace and Sobriety Story 39:06 Jewish Wisdom and Mutual Care 41:27 Feasting Fuels Mutual Aid 45:53 Spirituality Is Not Neutral 49:11 Sacred Criticism and Fierce Love 53:49 Mycelium and Small Acts 59:51 Resources and Community Questions 01:03:30 Heart Practice for Overwhelm 01:06:17 Reweaving Interdependence 01:08:46 Warrior Love Closing 01:14:31 Final Announcements and Farewell Decolonial Mental Health Practice: Clinical and Ethical Insights from Palestine with Dr. Samah Jabr (March 1, 8, 15 & 22, 2026 • 9:00 – 11:00am PST online with SAND) Please consider donating to Rabbi Jessica’s GoFundMe campaign in support of students at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. The students are using creative arts to process the trauma of recent encounters involving ICE and U.S. Border Patrol. In collaboration with local artists, they are developing an art installation intended to uplift and inspire both the school community and their neighbors, while continuing to advocate for justice and safety for all. This project offers a meaningful way to strengthen community bonds and foster collective healing. Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

Dr. Liza J. Rankow, author of Soul Medicine for a Fractured World, explores healing justice in a time of social and ecological upheaval. She names oppositional dualism and domination as the root fracture of our world and invites a shift toward lived non-duality as the ground of lasting transformation. The conversation touches the “crucible of the in-between,” apocalypse as death and renewal, grief as medicine, and the movement from commodified self-care to soul care rooted in spirit, community, and nature. The conversation emphasized deep listening, silence, and relationship with the living world. Today’s episode closes with a simple guided breath practice for self, loved ones, and the world. Topics 00:00 Opening  01:20 Why This Book Now 03:41 What’s Fracturing Us 07:21 Crucible of the In Between 14:52 Medicine in the Wound 20:11 Grief as Collective Wisdom 26:28 Soul Care vs Self Care 32:02 Mystic Activism and Oneness 34:57 Breath And Service 35:59 No Spiritual Bypass 37:00 Oneness With Perpetrators 39:18 Mysticism And Justice 41:08 Nature As Practice 44:23 Purpose And Gifts 47:44 Deep Listening 53:25 Silence And Reckoning 56:13 Darkness As Source 58:20 Closing Practice And Book Resources LizaRankow.org Soul Medicine for a Fractured World     “Mysticism and Social Action” by Dr. Howard Thurman Soul Work for Times of Uncertainty - SAND Podcast with Francis Weller   Engaged Contemplation - SAND Podcast with Fr. Adam Bucko Glissando of Consciousness - SAND Podcast with Andrew Holecek Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member