Our guest-host today is Jan Spencer, and he'll describe his book disguised as a website - A Primer For Paradigm Shift. The Primer is dense with usable information explaining why, how and what paradigm shift can look like in the real world. Paradigm shift is not a fuzzy future utopia, it's a here-and-now work-in-progress. The more people are engaged, the better, so listen and then check out what you have to add to the book/Primer/website! The Primer is for both longtime activists and those wanting to take initiative to help create a sustainable and uplifted society. Also, you can track down many of Jan's insights via his YouTube videos and on his website, and those in Eugene Oregon may be able to hear his broadcasts via KEPW.
Mark Leach is guest-host for today's episode, sharing portions from his weekly radio show, Ecotopia Soon! Mark is a retired conservation biologist, activist, and a Quaker, and his perspective is that we are all in a leaky canoe together; we need to change our thinking to reach the safe shore of Ecotopia, where we treat Nature as our only life support system & we treat each other with respect. In today's broadcast, Mark has 2 guests, history museum director Melissa Kneeland (Rassbach Museum | Dunn County Historical Society), discussing rewriting history, and Mark Helpsmeet of Northern Spirit Radio, who shares an experience with a dictatorship. Other topics, you ask? Statistical tests reveal income disparity is associated with crime (USA) & with democratic failure (globally). Also, he marvels that Bill O'Reilly declares that Vladimar Putin and Donald J. Trump are doing evil!
We don't usually have a lot of cowboy content on Song of the Soul, but this week we'll at least get a piece of that with the music of Dusty James & Abalone Pearl, with Pearl as our guest. Dusty and Pearl have just released their first album, after about 9 years of performing together, and it's a mix of their original songs with traditional and public domain covers. We'll only be hearing a small slice of their wide repertoire of instruments, like guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin, autoharp, dulcimer, and washboard, but we'll be enriched all the same. Get ready for a generous sampling of genres, including some blues, as Abalone Pearl joins us via Zoom from St Louis, Missouri.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Jewish, Music
One of my great delights is the growing number of folks from around the world that I can can find right here is my city, Eau Claire, WI, of about 75K people. Though the university plays a big part in that, an inspirational contributor to the diversity is the newly opened offices of World Relief - Wisconsin, and our Chippewa Valley offices. Today we meet in person with the local community engagement specialist, Jodi Jewell, to talk about the work of caring for our refugee neighbors, providing them a safe and secure welcome, after a long & challenging road to our door.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Baptist, Non-denominational Christian
Featured music:
We're headed today to the enchanted realm summoned by the flute of Peter Phippen, now accompanied by the magic of Ivar Lunde Jr and Paulina Fae. Some of you may remember Peter, who has been with us on Song of the Soul a few times before, mostly in the musical manifestation connected with his wood flutes, though Peter's alter ego also plays the bass and guitar as part of Virginia Steele and in other groups. On his latest album, The Phantom Moon, you'll float just beyond the boundaries of our concrete reality, in the ethereal reality beyond.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences:
Gary Eldred is a founder of The Prairie Enthusiasts, and he joins us today to talk about his newly released book, Healing Wounds: Giving Back to Nature. While the book comes completely from Gary's words, it was brought into existence though the scribing work of Mark Leach who, among other things, does a weekly program, Ecotopia Soon, which will be occasionally featured in the near future on this show. Both Gary & Mark are here today, in person, to talk about prairie restoration, healing the Earth, healing ourselves, and much more.
I ran into Olivia Chalkley through an article of hers featured on the website of the Center for Action and Contemplation called A Home for My Loving Action, and I determined I needed to have a deeper visit with Olivia. It turns out that she has explored deeply and worked widely in the not-so-many years she's been on the planet. Among the places she's worked are Quaker Voluntary Service, the School of the Spirit, and the Center for Action and Contemplation. As she has written, “For most of my adult life, I’ve struggled to find a political home where my faith is welcome and a faith community where my politics are welcome”.
I got news this past week that Bob Franke, one of my favorite musicians, died on October 16th this year, and it was a real blow to my heart. I'm sharing with you today the interview I did with Bob back in July 2009, for which I am very grateful. Bob had an amazing ability to vividly capture the experience of the human heart and spirit, and some of his best songs are included in the wonderful Rise Up Singing songbooks. As I said back in 2009, Bob is Episcopalian, writes deep and inspirational music, and I was delighted to learn, was a repairer of candy-wrapping machines. Please hold Bob Franke and his circle of friends and family in the Light.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Catholic, Episcopalian
We've got Chuck Collins with us here again today, sharing from his new book, Burned By Billionaires, a deep look into the damage to the entire world, and almost all Americans, of the soaring epidemic of wealth inequality in the US. Chuck was born on third base, but chose a better way, reducing his wealth. Notwithstanding his moderation, he has worked with the Patriotic Millionaires to bring our society back from the edge of the inferno, back to sanity and well-being. Also find Chuck and his co-workers on inequality.org, and listen to our interviews with him in 2016, and in 2023. Chuck Collins joins us from his home in Guilford, Vermont.
For a number of years, Sage Cook was part of Elephant Revival, and toward 2014 Sage and Aera consciously moved toward a more subsistence, closer to the land, lifestyle, and continued to make music as part of We Dream Dawn. Their metamorphosis has continued, with a stronger acoustic folk flavor, as they mostly now perform as Sage & Aera. Sage's songs and music are strong with overtones of spirit and Earth, and deep integrity. Sage Cook joins us virtually from Waldron, Kansas.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Non-affiliated, Nazarene, Methodist, Jewish, Yoga, Earth-based Spirituality