Episode 27 - Duncan Trussell

My guest today is the one and only Duncan Trussell.I sat down with Duncan on his tres fancy tour bus after the Washington, D.C. stop of his "You Are God" tour.Some podcasts need explanations. This one does not.Also, rest in peace, Prince. Godspeed on your sweet magical journey.Subscribe to Synchronicity if you haven't already and rate and review on iTunes if you're into that kind of thing.Shout out to Mikey Kampmann and Johnny Pemberton for being hilarious and Cora Keegan for being a most gracious tour bus host.

Full Episode Transcription

[00:00:33] Noah: Welcome to Episode 26 of Synchronicity. That of course was Prince, one of my favorite Prince songs, Controversy. Prince died last week. That's a terrible, horrible loss for the music community and just like good people community. The stories are starting to come out with the type of guy that Prince was and what he meant to so many people, both anonymously and just through his clear acts of generosity, in his just world view. So a tremendous loss.I was watching an interview with Stevie Wonder, truly one of- someone said like bubble wrap bad guy. [laughs] I couldn't agree more.Stevie Wonder was talking about how great of a musician Prince was and so it was also another interview with Van Jones, but they were also highlighting how great of a person he was and how he really cared about the world at large and that he felt the music was just a particular emanation or aspect of what his overall message was, which was that- remember about soul, remember about the world and that we're connected and that we're all the same people, which is in the beginning of the episode here. That's why I love that Controversy song so much.Prince is also just a cool motherfucker. Right? He somehow seamlessly fused sex and God via the medium of music, which is [chuckles] pretty - that's pretty awesome.So if you haven't had an opportunity in your life to check out some of Prince's stuff and his music, now's an amazing opportunity to do it. It's sad that he's gone but I saw someone else describe him as like a celestial musician and that's kind of what he was. He was someone who I mean- he just could express so many- I've been posting videos on my Facebook all week long, just because it's a time- when someone passes away, when they die, that's when people all collectively remember them together, which is a pretty incredible thing if you think about that's what's going on.Another reason I love Twitter so much, because you see that happening in real time, collectively unifying around this one person who clearly had an impact on so many people's lives transcended cultural backgrounds, race, everything. He was fucking cool, so Prince was awesome.All right. So my ode to Prince will end there for now.This week, I have my guest is Duncan Trussell. Duncan, everyone loves Duncan. He's the king of podcasting for a lot of people, and myself included, amazing. In the same way - we're ready for this, Prince-Duncan comparison. [chuckles] In the same way, Prince could express sexuality and God, God stuff via the art form of music Duncan, bear with me on this analogy, Duncan is able through the medium of podcasting but he's able to fuse comedy and consciousness, discussions. And I don't really know of too many people better than him who have done that, who can simultaneously be hilarious and insightful in this particular way.So yes, Duncan is basically the Prince of Podcasting, fucking amazing. That's- I'll probably call that this episode, but Duncan's not going to die anytime soon, as far as I know. Duncan, please don't.But yes, this episode was recorded on the tour bus for his YOU ARE GOD TOUR. He had just done a show with Mikey Kampmann and Johnny Pemberton, who I got to meet and hung out with Cora, Cora Keegan if you don't know Duncan's girlfriend, amazingly nice, awesome, hilarious person in her own right. We're hanging out on the bus afterwards. And I had planned to podcast with Duncan. Because a lot of you have asked, “When is Duncan coming on? I can't wait for Duncan to come on.” Because a lot of you have found out about MindPod Network through Duncan and maybe found this podcast or some other shows on MindPod Network. FYI, was going to be a rather large announcement related to MindPod Network. If you're part of the Synchronicity community, you'll know what I'm talking about already. And if you want to join that community, just go to the website syncpodcast, S-Y-N-C podcast.com and sign up. But there's going to be a pretty big announcement coming, that is going to be somewhat of a seismic shift in what's going on related to MindPod Network.So yes, you'll hear more about that soon for another episode, for another time. But I sat down with Duncan after this performance he did which was amazing, really interesting. The DC crowd was- [laughs] I got to say they were a little weird and I felt bad and I was like apologizing to Mikey and Johnny and Duncan for how weird the crowd was. For please would legalize weed, very uptight sometimes. But we're on the tour bus and it's surreal because this is such a nice- it's like a really nice tour bus, if you've ever been on a shitty tour bus, then you know how shitty they can be or it's not even a tour bus. If it's a shitty traveling thing, it's just like you driving around or in a van. But it's really nice and Square Space has put together this amazing travel around the country tour for them and it's wonderful. I was really happy that I got a chance to sit down with Duncan in person again.I've seen him a few times over the past few years. I first met Duncan at a Ram Dass Retreat in 2013. And he actually spawned the idea for MindPod Network. We're smoking a joint in the parking lot and he was like, “Hey, what if there's a podcast network with all these people? You could do that?” And I was like, “Yes, but that seems like a lot of work,” and it was a lot of work. But he basically came up with the idea for it.Duncan that first retreat we hung out a lot, my wife and I. And we got to know each other, just incredibly nice, everything that you think Duncan is, incredibly genuine, he's a great dude. I know it probably, he doesn't love- like me, I love when people say nice things, but I also like, “Yes, yes, no, please don't.” But he's such a good guy and he deserves all the love and attention he gets because he's a very genuine person. So it was a real treat to be able to sit down with him and discuss the things we discussed in this episode, which I'm not really going to give you an overview of. I listen to it, in part just now, we condense a lot of stuff into basically what amounts to like a 40 minute podcast. We talk about just a ton of stuff.I remember I had smoked right before this some Lambsbread. And I was pretty, pretty high, but so I don't remember in the moment so much exactly but it was just flowing back and forth. And I think we touch upon- I mean I know we do. We touch upon some really important topics here. Especially about how to navigate some of the psychedelic experiences that we all go through on a daily basis, whether we recognize it or not and how to train- integrate some - kind of these transcendental experiences into something practical, which is- I guess that this show has a theme, that's what I'm trying to do. I ask every guest at the end of each episode, for some practical tips that have helped them, in the hopes that maybe that will help me or it help a listener or someone who's going to come in contact with it. I think that's a real value that this show could potentially provide, and podcast in general, people talking in general. I like that. I like when people share things that help them, because it helps you, that's pretty great.So anything else, that's it. That's it for this week, I'm about to have a baby, I don't know when. Any day now literally is what the doctors say. So that's going to be fucking nuts and I'm trying to get a least a view of these podcast in the can and ready to go. So there's no delay, when there's another human being I'm in charge of. Hello Son, if you are going to listen this in the future. So yes, without further ado, here is Duncan Trussell.[music playing in background][00:09:21] Noah: Thank you for doing this.[00:09:22] Duncan: My pleasure.[00:09:23] Noah: I have a lot- I have two things that have come out of- me doing podcast which is called Synchronicity and one of the main things is a lot of my listeners are always like, “Duncan, I'm waiting for the Duncan episode.”[00:09:34] Duncan: Oh, how cool.[00:09:35] Noah: Yes, it's really fucking cool.[00:09:36] Duncan: That's awesome.[00:09:36] Noah: So I'm happy to be able to do this, right after your tour, right after one of your performances in DC, the YOU ARE GOD TOUR. [chuckles][00:09:45] Duncan: That's right.[00:09:46] Noah: Can we start there?[00:09:48] Duncan: Yes.[00:09:48] Noah: How's the tour been going and also- [crosstalk][00:09:50] Duncan: Great.[00:09:52] Noah: [laughs] What's it been like?[00:09:55] Duncan: Well, it's very psychedelic. I've never done a bus tour before. It's really interesting. Usually when I've done tours, I'm either driving myself from point A to point B or flying from point A to point B. So there's a lot that goes into that. If you're driving, it's like a three or four hour drive and then you've got to get to the hotel-[00:10:16] Noah: Right. Stay and stop.[00:10:18] Duncan: -and then you need enough time to take a shower and get ready for the night to eat. And then you're on stage and then you're waking up early to catch a flight or get in a car. And so it's really intense and it's really time consuming. The differences with this, just the reason we're able to do this right now is, because after the show, the bus is right next to the venue. So you get in the bus, there's satellite TV. It's insanely decadent.[00:10:46] Noah: Yes, no, this is like an incredibly nice tour bus, I got to say.[00:10:49] Duncan: It's all because of Square Space, these are my patron.[00:10:51] Noah: This is amazing.[00:10:53] Duncan: For some insane reason, they like- let me- they sponsor this tour.[00:10:57] Noah: How did come about?[00:11:00] Duncan: Well, you know they've sponsored my show for a while. And so then, my agent contacted them and said, “Do you want to sponsor a tour?” And then talk to them about it and they were like, “Yes, we'll sponsor the tour,” and so then suddenly, thanks to these sweeties, I get to like experience being on a tour bus.[00:11:17] Noah: Okay. Cosmically, what does this feel like to have something like this happen? Because it's obvious, even you're saying it's like a psychedelic experience, moving from place to place, being on the same thing, stopping in different places. Like Mikey, who's part of the tour was saying. Is it Mikey?[00:11:34] Duncan: Mike.[00:11:34] Noah: Yes. He was saying that it's- [crosstalk][00:11:36] Duncan: Kampmann.[00:11:36] Noah: Kampmann. Yes, he was saying it's surreal to just be like moving, because even when you're driving, like you're driving and then you're staying somewhere, but it's just like this moving calm. What does it feel cosmically – what I'm driving at?[00:11:49] Duncan: Sure.[00:11:49] Noah: What is this experientially for you?[00:11:51] Duncan: It seems absurd. It seems the most absurd thing. I feel incredibly- I feel beyond fortunate. It feels like a malfunction to me in the sense- [crosstalk][00:12:03] Noah: Does it?[00:12:04] Duncan: Well, yes, because I'm not saying that it shouldn't be happening or it should be happening. But if I feel so insanely [clears throat] lucky that I get to-- because we met at the Ram Dass Retreat, and so we met kind of outside of comedy and we met- but I've been doing comedy for a great many years. And there was a period in my life where I was like living off of like $15 a week.[00:12:48] Noah: Jesus.[00:12:49] Duncan: There were times like that, where I would have to- I live in Echo Park and I would look at my bank account and I considered my withdrawal limit, part of my bank account. So if I had like $10, then I would think I have $510 because I can withdraw 500 bucks, so broke, dead broke.For me to somehow be able to be traveling around in a tour bus, feels so insane. It's so beyond- [crosstalk][00:13:23] Noah: Right. And like a nice tour bus too.[00:13:24] Duncan: Yes. I don't mean to sound cliché or whatever and forgive me for saying it because God, it's such a cliché fucking thing to say, but I feel blessed. I feel like, man, if this isn't grace, I don't know what is. How could I get to experience this? I certainly don't feel as though I deserve it and it's the fact that I just get to feel what this is like to me, it's just really a lot of good luck.[00:13:46] Noah: I fucking love it. I have a hack or I hate the word hack, but I do this thing where I feel like overwhelmed and incredibly grateful when crazy shit like this happens in your life, “Oh my God, this is insane, this is a dream thing.” Especially when you're using the juxtaposition of adding absolutely nothing basically- having no- so I get that.My hack is when I get overwhelmed by things like that, I just try to offer it to something. So in my case because I do have a guru at this point, Neem Karoli Baba and I want to talk about that with you a little bit too, because I was what I would call like a reluctant guru instructor-[00:14:20] Duncan: Sure.[00:14:20] Noah: I have the same distasteful, like when I heard the stories of people rubbing his feet, I was like, “Oh, this is weird, I'll never get that.” I had other experiences that winded up where now I have the requisite amount of faith that I get it. But I offer it, to whatever that being is for anyone, it's like hack, when you offered that back whether it's Avalokiteśvara whatever it is, it creates like cycle and you can spiral up. And I think one of the big things that I talk about on this podcast- [crosstalk][00:14:50] Duncan: That's a great way to put it.[00:14:51] Noah: Yes, right. One of the things I talk about though is really using Synchronicity and using the interplay of what's going on internally and having that affect external reality. And not in the way that like I'm going to pick up this recorder now and I did that with my mind and I thought of it. But really internally creating change which affects external reality. Have you noticed this at all in your life? Because you've gone through these different periods of consciousness.[00:15:19] Duncan: Yes.[00:15:20] Noah: Lows and highs, everyone, like me too. What have you noticed the relationship between what's going on internally and externally, if anything?[00:15:20] Duncan: Okay. One thing, I love the existentialist perspective, which is that existence precedes essence. So the idea is that we come into the universe as a nothing and then we pick up all these habits, which are the mechanisms that become the gears in the machine that make up our ego. So and all of them are just learned habituation, that surround this completely empty spot which is talked about in the Bhagavad Gita.In the Bhagavad Gita they say, it cannot be wet by water, it cannot be burnt by fire, it cannot be withered by the wind. It did not come into existence nor will it ever cease to be. So this is like, a description of the space that it has made some philosophers declare that the life is absurd. And that everything that we do is ultimately meaningless.[00:16:35] Noah: Meaningless, right. That's the very niche and this is all horrible-[crosstalk][00:16:39] Duncan: Disheart. We're forced into this fraudulent activity called being human or human being. So then there's the other perspective, which is that actually once you really understand that this emptiness or undefinable, intangible, the Watchers, it's often called, the thing that the Fountain Head or the God Head or whatever you're going to call it. Once you understand that this thing is what you actually are, then you start, you get freed up.Number one, you immediately stop being a victim because you recognize that, “Oh, most of the things that I'm experiencing are a direct result of decisions that I've made about how I am.” But then the other thing that happens is, from that you realize that you are a prisoner of your habituation, and now you're free. The internal world, what is it?Well, in other words, if I can make a change in my internal world, will my external world change? The moment you realize that there is no difference between the internal world and external world, then of course any shift that you make on the way that you decide to interact with whatever you consider not you, will create an immediate and drastic transformation and everything, instantaneously. But that is funny, the outside, inside thing. Where people are like, “Well, I have an inside and I have an outside.[00:18:26] Noah: Like a wall. There's a difference. There's a cut being made between that. I mean, that's I think would say most people operate like that, including me.[00:18:34] Duncan: Me too.[00:18:35] Noah: Of course, everyone for the most. I don't know, I haven't met anyone in person who doesn't have that yet. I've met very genuine pure, excellent human beings. But most of them, even still have that barrier of somethingness there.[00:18:50] Duncan: The outside and the inside.[00:18:52] Noah: Right, which always astounds me when - I hear people talk about Maharaji or someone like that where they talk about that not being there, that blows my fucking mind because I haven't encountered that in person. I feel in ethereal or less tangible realms I've come across that before. I've experienced that. But not like a person.[00:19:11] Duncan: It could be a lot of hooey-pooey.[00:19:13] Noah: It could be.[00:19:14] Duncan: The funny thing about the guru, for me right now, is that I know people who say they've seen Bigfoot and I know people who say they've seen a guru. But I have never seen a Bigfoot or a Guru. It's really great, because- we got to get to the truth. The truth is that you and I have not met a guru in the flesh.[00:19:57] Noah: Not in the flesh, no.[00:19:59] Duncan: And the truth is that we have had experiences that make us believe that we have contacted the disembodied essence of a Guru called Neem Karoli Baba.[00:20:12] Noah: Absolutely, yes.[00:20:13] Duncan: We're in such a more preposterous- [crosstalk][00:20:18] Noah: So much more, yes.[00:20:20] Duncan: Because at least Raghu, Krishna Das- [crosstalk][00:20:22] Noah: I had this in front of his fucking face.[00:20:24] Duncan: No, I have pictures with him. Whereas you and I have to be like, “Well, I was sitting on the floor of my kitchen completely blasted on edible marijuana. When suddenly I felt as though I was in the presence of a thing that completely loved me and thought that my predicament was really quite funny because my contact with Neem Karoli Baba has always been one in which- in my ridiculous subjective experience of this thing, he has always been one where he- because I'm someone who on my podcast have talked about him so much.[00:21:06] Noah: Yes.[00:21:07] Duncan: And one thing that he seems to think is really funny, is that I don't 100% believe in him. And yet, I've been broadcasting this thing. So to him, that's hilarious. For me, I guess in my own way, it's pretty funny, but again, we have to get to the truth.[00:21:28] Noah: Yes.[00:21:28] Duncan: So it's like, what is Neem Karoli Baba? What is the Guru?[00:21:37] Noah: That's right. And you know Ramana Maharshi what he said, right? God equals Guru, equal self. He's the mystic who has like the silver hair, he sometimes buy a lot of animals- [crosstalk][00:21:48] Duncan: Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about, yes.[00:21:50] Noah: He's someone who- [crosstalk][00:21:51] Duncan: He's the one described, a corpse that the universe spoke through.[00:21:55] Noah: So his famous experience was he became enlightened this way. He laid down one day and purely and fundamentally and fully imagined what it was like to be dead.[00:22:05] Duncan: To die.[00:22:05] Noah: Right. So then he imagined it so fully that he said, “Oh, I get it. There's no such difference.” And he transcended and became enlightened and learn the keys of the universe and he's known as Universal Saint. Again, I'm using a framework in Eastern map, these were some of the tools are in, but he was of the opinion that God equals Guru, equal self. So there is no fundamental difference, which is the truth [crosstalk] behind this. When you're on the YOU ARE GOD tour, and this is a true statement. It's not tongue in cheek, it's not being- [crosstalk][00:22:37] Duncan: No, it's a true statement.[00:22:39] Noah: It's a very true statement. I love the way you ended it too with- [crosstalk] because I've been doing this thing right imagined, not a dissimilar thing but what if this is death? What if we have it flipped backwards? What if we are imagining this is living but this is really- we just died somewhere else and this is where we went to as that train- [crosstalk][00:22:57] Duncan: The afterlife.[00:22:58] Noah: Right. This is the afterlife. We can nobly unprove-[00:23:02] Duncan: I think it's more like the before life.[00:23:04] Noah: Right, there you go.[00:23:05] Duncan: Because if you haven't- [pause] Well, I mean the problem is like what does it mean to live? And so to say, it's a before and after, is that even pretend that you even know what that even means to be alive. So you're saying, it's a heartbeat?[00:23:31] Noah: Physiologically-[00:23:32] Duncan: Is it physiological? But again, all of this stuff, it's all very- what we're doing right now is a lot of- at least what I'm doing, forgive me you guys. Lot of spiritual- I'm doing these little backflips for your audience.[00:23:47] Noah: Yes, I love it.[00:23:47] Duncan: I'm going to do these little things. But really it's a kind of act. So it's like a show. So I'm doing like, “Oh, and this this, and what about this? And what about this?”[00:23:55] Noah: Sure. It's valuable.[00:23:57] Duncan: Here's the thing, it goes, so the idea is, what I like to do in these moments is to follow the thing doing the back flips backwards, so that I start getting- and it's an exercise that you should do I- [crosstalk][00:24:12] Noah: Reverse engineering thing.[00:24:13] Duncan: Where are the words coming from? Where is the decision making coming from? Where is in every single moment the threading of the necklace- where you're in every single moment deciding, this is who I am, this is the universe I live in, this is the language I speak, this is my idea of how a conversation happening. So in every single moment, you're making those instantaneous and incredible movements. And they're all synchronizing and they're all happening completely without your decision to do anything. So that place that it's coming from. What is that place? Where is it coming from? What is that place? What is that? I keep going back into that spot-[00:25:00] Noah: Where you think it is.[00:25:03] Duncan: Well, I mean I think that must be Neem Karoli Baba. Not that I am Neem Karoli Baba. But what I mean is like somewhere- Ram Dass talks about people getting involved in addictive patterns, whether it's sacks or drugs or alcohol, whatever. Because it gives you the feeling of coming home, it's what he says. And I love that.When I can think of a time, one time I had a surgery and I got on a bunch of Vicodin, opiates and times that I haven't had a surgery and taking opiates, which are [chuckles] probably definitely more times than I had it.[00:25:47] Noah: Sure.[00:25:49] Duncan: But I can remember in the midst of that warm once- in the midst of that warm opiate high, for a second, I felt there was a hobbit style tokenistic fireplace in my chest. That my being was warming itself on, like a hearth. [pause] That place I think is where Neem Karoli Baba lives, not the opiate state. But I'm saying we like the opiates because it brings us- [crosstalk][00:26:27] Noah: I totally get it.[00:26:28] Duncan: -to that feeling of like, I'm warming myself on the fires of love.[00:26:34] Noah: That's what it is. That is I think ultimately- from the best I can deduce when I reverse engineer it through experiences I've had in external reality, on psychedelics, not on psychedelics, just going through life, because I just feel truthfully, Duncan, at this point, I feel the culture and society we live in is fundamentally psychedelic. Experiences that have been- I saw my first peek into this world was 15 years ago when I was taking a good deal [unintelligible 00:27:03] but not consistently in a row but I was taking them every month in college, in my younger years. I would get peeks into this but the culture I hadn't seen, it was fully psychedelic. Internet was still pretty early on, it only been around about a decade, if you ask.[00:27:18] Duncan: How old are you?[00:27:19] Noah: I'll be 33 in July. I grew up when there was no internet and I remember- [crosstalk][00:27:25] Duncan: Me too.[00:27:25] Noah: -being a kid and like a dial tone and you had to go meet someone somewhere and there is no text messages or cellphone. Now that doesn't exist and again, in what you're talking about tonight, you're talking about technology a lot and how this now- really could just be fundamentally classified as a different species and on an evolutionary curve- [crosstalk][00:27:42] Duncan: Yes, another game of life.[00:27:44] Noah: Absolutely. What I think is going on, is we're moving to ever increasing- the reality is that we're shifting into the transition point that I think we're in the midst of right now, is creating a break down in dissolution, much like what happens on psychedelics in objective reality, without- [crosstalk][00:28:04] Duncan: That's cool. That's great.[00:28:05] Noah: -I really think this what's happening. I think people have predicted this long before I ever had this notion. People, who I'm just finding out about now like Rudolf Steiner who I'm seeing has his hands- I didn't know- do you know Rudolf Steiner?[00:28:18] Duncan: No.[00:28:19] Noah: He is a motherfucking genius.[00:28:20] Duncan: Of course I've heard of him but I don't know.[00:28:21] Noah: Of course, me too. I had someone on the podcast who had founded these centers and he hit me on to it- like I always heard his name, I was like, “Oh, kind of like a weird interesting mystic guy,” motherfucker, he is a genius. Have you heard of Waldorf schools?[00:28:33] Duncan: Yes.[00:28:33] Noah: He founded those. Have you heard of Biodynamic Farming?[00:28:37] Duncan: Yes.[00:28:37] Noah: He founded that. In addition to all of this stuff, all these people have existed in saints in mystics. And I think they've tapped doing to this thing that's going on. And I think people have pulled back in whatever culture they're in, whether that's going to be manifested as a God. I think that is slowly, not that's slowly actually but that is what's percolating and manifesting in reality ever more so. [crosstalk][00:29:02] Duncan: I like what you're talking about, certain people become the spinner heads through which this stuff comes spring out of the nothingness that's like-[00:29:19] Noah: I think anyone, personally. Everyone has that potential to distill that- [crosstalk][00:29:24] Duncan: We're all Printheads.[00:29:25] Noah: Exactly. True.[00:29:26] Duncan: But some of us, it's clogged up or we- maybe we don't have enough ink or something, whatever- we're going to fall that-[00:29:33] Noah: Sure. [laughs][00:29:34] Duncan: Really like- let’s work- But the difference, right. So Steiner, I don't know anything about him, but let's take someone like- I don't know Karl Marx.[00:29:53] Noah: Sure.[00:29:55] Duncan: Karl Marx his philosophy has transformed the planet.[00:30:02] Noah: Absolutely.[00:30:04] Duncan: But imagine what would have happened, if he could have disseminated his information instantaneously through the internet. That's what you're talking about which is like, it's the same people are emerging, but now they're using the internet to connect and to transfer this information. That's why we're experiencing what all the new age dude endlessly talked about which is this is the awakening.[00:30:30] Noah: I think it's a simultaneous parallel thing happening. I don't necessarily view technology-- and I'm not claiming this to be right at all, but I don't necessarily view it as the vehicle for why this stuff is happening.I think it's just something that is born out that is on a more immaterial level. It's the manifestation in reality of something that's being the clear objective scientifically based model that everyone will except for disseminating information.[00:30:55] Duncan: Do you know Teilhard de Chardin?[00:30:57] Noah: I'm at the level where you're probably out with sonar. I've heard his name all around me, people I really respect, who I think are great consciousness explores. His name keeps popping out for me everywhere. I don't know.[00:31:09] Duncan: You're going to love him.[00:31:09] Noah: Okay.[00:31:10] Duncan: His idea is actually reminds me of McKenna. But his ideas that-- everything is being drawn into God, and it cause God the Omega Point.[00:31:26] Noah: Sure, like the transcendental thing at the end of time. McKenna thing.[00:31:30] Duncan: That's it. Same thing.[00:31:32] Noah: Right.[00:31:32] Duncan: I'm sure McKenna was influenced by this, he must have been. The idea is God is drawing us into God-self and as we get closer and closer to this Omega Point, then what we're seeing is ever increasing levels of complexity and harmony. That the Omega Point is absolute harmony and absolute complexity.Ultimate to the billionth degree complexity meeting to the billionth degree harmony, and that's the heart of God. That's what is being drawn into. Technology and industrialization and all of the stuff that is so astounding to us, is actually just the form of God emerging through the medium of time.[00:32:23] Noah: Right. I think that's what it is. The question for me is, like these are all great thought experiments but practically, how that makes sense in our lives? I heard you talk about it in your show and it was the Dalai Lama's pieces of advice. Real practical beneficial wisdom. Be kinder, be more patient, and be more loving.I think every school that is valid and every path that is valid has those principles at its core and there may be techniques that differ and there maybe just things that resonate with people differently, but that's pretty much it. Which goes back to what I think-- what I'm hoping this podcast communicates in any way is that, it starts on an individual level. It's great to want to change the world in every way and that can be your noble cause. But if you start with yourself that fundamentally will have a greater impact on the world. However you choose to extend that out truly, that really creates like that's what-- you must experience this all the time through your podcast because you're reaching a lot of people who are resonating with you in very real ways. These genuine connections are made.That's what's so interesting to me about where we are with podcasts and media in general. Like the two-way communications are just there. They exist. That is fucking mind blowing.[00:33:44] Duncan: I think one thing that you're bringing up which I love, is like listen, sure, the fucking Omega point. [Noah laughs] The singularity, [crosstalk] whatever the Second Coming of Jesus, whatever them the Mitraya, whatever your fantasy is. Really consider that it just may be that you're using this fantasy because you don't want to be the Virgin Mary and give birth to the Christ in your heart. What you're doing is you're creating all of this ridiculous-- I don't know into time scenarios or whatever, and they're so fun and they're so cool to think about.But in all of that you're forgetting, if you are the mother of the world which you are, because you subjectively-- everything that you're experiencing is one 100% being processed through the filter of your neurology. If you're the mother of the world, then that means that you get to decide in any given moment whether you want to give birth to Christ or Buddha or not. You get to decide whether you want to like be the midwife and the thing giving birth of the same time. That’s it. Singularity, who cares. It doesn't really matter. You may be the thing itself. This is one thing I love Jack Kornfield, for as he says, “We don't want you to be a Buddhist, we want you to be the Buddha."[00:35:25] Noah: Because that's what every-- if you cut down most of these spiritual paths and traditions that's what everyone is saying. They're saying there's no difference between me and you. The person who's going to say this is the only way and I have the answers, and I'm the only one who does and you can only hope to know these, that's not someone you should listen to. That’s a charlatan. But most of them say like-- I love thing you're saying about mothers because the Buddha says, "Treat the world with a motherly love." And the reason isn't just like, "Hey, that's a nice way to be. Because mothers are nice." It's because karmically what Buddhists surmise is everyone has been everyone's mother at one point. Through the cycles of life. Everyone has been everyone's mother. He actually means like, “Do it like everyone is your kid." That's how you're supposed to be thinking about everybody.[00:36:14] Duncan: Isn't that so happy. [pause] It sounds absolutely insane but, one version of the Messiah that I’ve heard is that the next Messiah will be the Satsang.[00:36:34] Noah: That's what it is.[00:36:35] Duncan: The next Messiah is not going to be one person, it’s all of-- [00:36:41] Noah: Proliferation.[00:36:42] Duncan: A proliferation. That means that if that is true then we all on the individual level; have to give birth to that Christ energy in our own lives. Because until each of us is that midwife, in the Satsang won’t fully have given birth to this Maitreya. That's means that you have to have the courage to midwife the Christ living in your heart.[00:37:10] Noah: Yes. It's hard.[00:37:11] Duncan: And the birth pains that you're feeling are terrifying, as birth pains must be. You know man.[00:37:18] Noah: I just went through these glasses. My wife Alexis is about to give birth.[00:37:22] Duncan: See.[00:37:22] Noah: It is [laughs] crazy.[00:37:24] Duncan: It's crazy and it's scary.[00:37:26] Noah: But it's such a great metaphor. It's perfect. I mean listen, the podcast is called Synchronicity because these things tend to come about. Like I don't think it's a coincidence that this metaphor is emerged right before I’m about to have a kid. I think there is a point in there and it has meaning. I don't think I'm just describing meaning to a situation. I think that's truthfully what you're describing is a 100% accurate.The more I have worked around spiritual communities and organizations, people are still people. But the communities that can surround are greater than the sum of the individual parts. The more we can-- and it's hard. I can tell you everyone still has an ego no matter what your aspirations- [crosstalk][00:38:05] Duncan: Fuck yes.[00:38:06] Noah: -whatever your things are, everyone still has an ego. Those things rub in so many different ways and I’ve had it happen with people I’m close to, I respect, I love, I admire, I've had it happen everyone with their family, I’m sure. But if you can transcend that and push through those things in a way, using the birthing metaphor again, and really let that, "I hated the sound hokey." But like, “Let the Love proliferate in your heart." You can actually really create fucking amazing things in the world.[00:38:35] Duncan: I believe in Synchronicity and I think that the universe speaks to all of us in every single moment. I think that it's very funny because we create all these boundaries because you don't always be in class. You don't want to always be in class.There's times when - now I'm learning. I'm sitting in a class or whatever you think you're getting the seminar, or whatever the thing is, and now I’m learning. But then if you're in line at the Starbucks you start hearing a conversation. Where someone is telling you the exact device you need in your life, you ignore, because you're like, "Well I'm not the right place,” that I would be getting that advice.[00:39:10] Noah: All my life.[00:39:11] Duncan: Because you want the universe to be behaving in the way that you think the universe should behave. The [pause] teaching is happening right now and it's happening in any given moment. The universe comes to you in ways you can't expect. Like I was just visiting my nephew and my brother was like, “Why don't you read to him?” My brother went upstairs and we sat down and he went to pick a book out. The book he picked out was like Jesus in a Manger was the book. And he's got this big grin on his face and he's like, "Read this."[00:39:59] Noah: Amazing.[00:39:59] Duncan: And so I'm like, “Oh, Maharaji, look at you, you're now my nephew now.[00:40:05] Noah: It's fucking crazy.[00:40:07] Duncan: You're not letting me out of this. You're wanting me to be-[00:40:10] Noah: And then what do you do in that situation? It transcends, I believe it's a sliver of work, Ram Dass must the felt when he realized that Maharaji was talking about his mom and saying some shit he never like- his mind was spinning at first. I feel like you must- I at least in my life, I have had periods where everything is a synchronicity for extended periods of time. And when I say everything, I don't mean like gap, here is one, here is one, here is one, I mean, unimpeded for months at a time, that alone was enough of an experience, the world to validate that I think everything is a giant synchronicity and it's up for us to clear the signal on the transmitter to get this stuff.[00:40:54] Duncan: Yes.[00:40:54] Noah: I know, because we're going to make this one short, we'll do this again, obviously, I'm sure.[00:41:00] Duncan: I hope so.[00:41:00] Noah: We definitely will. I want to make sure Alexis doesn't-- [laughs] you're being late. But I end every podcast with asking a guest for some practical tips. That will help them in their life. This doesn't have to be- like I speak to people and this is an exclusive- [crosstalk][00:41:17] Duncan: I have the tips.[00:41:19] Noah: what are the tips?[00:41:20] Duncan: So if you want to change your life, and many of us do, here's what you do. I got this off at Reddit, I've tried it, it totally works. Here's what you do. Empty your sock drawer, put it in a plastic bag, get rid of all your socks. All of them. And then go to a nice store. I like the American Apparel Socks but there's you pick- go to a nice place, don't buy cheap socks, and buy two weeks’ worth of socks. So 14 pairs of socks and then put them in your sock drawer and you will have one of the greatest two weeks of your life, because every day you'll put on these wonderful fresh new socks and it's the greatest thing ever. That's my advice to you. For the spiritual stuff, keep listening to this podcast.[laughter][00:42:14] Duncan: My advice is- that really is where I'm at. Get great sock- [crosstalk][00:42:18] Noah: Can I tell you- I just revolutionized my sock game because I was using shitty socks, this is not a joke. Seriously, not a joke. I started buying Miami Dolphins Socks, which is my team, I have an unhealthy sports relationship with and I've been replacing all of my socks with Dolphins Socks, and it really has made my life better. And its note even fucking joke, it makes my life better having nice socks that I care about.[00:42:41] Duncan: And you might find that your team does better.[00:42:43] Noah: Oh, if they do- I mean that- [crosstalk][00:42:45] Duncan: But yes, that is a great- just try it. I know it sounds quite ridiculous but trust me.[00:42:51] Noah: I love it. I love it. Thank you.[00:42:53] Duncan: Thank you for having me on.[Frances Rose - music][00:46:27] Noah: One of my favorite episodes. I really like this episode. It was fun again, another in person one, love talking to people in person. It's really great. Thank you again for listening to the very end, past the music, what you just heard there was actually something- some ideas I put together for a girl group in New York called Frances Rose, Sarah and Michelle. I haven't worked with them- maybe like four or five years, but they sent me something a while ago and I found it on my hard drive, “My God, I like this.” So that's what that was.Thank you again to everyone who writes in and says nice things about the music and encourages me to finish and put these things out there. That's been maybe my favorite part of this whole podcast experiment thing that's going on here.As always, I had some really cool shows coming up and I am going to get those done before this baby is born, because I don't know what my life is going to be like once the baby is born. I know it's going to be different, but who knows. All I've been saying is it sounds like a psychedelic. The same way everyone used to describe psychedelics to me, “You're going to do, it's going to change your life, you're just going to be different. Nothing's going to be the same.” This is what lot of things people say before you do psychedelics, which is true, but maybe don't say it like that always. But that's what it sounds like the baby's going to be like, just a total game changer for lack of a better statement or word there.So yes, thank you as always for listening. I'm really happy you choose to listen to this every week. Like I said, there's going to be a pretty big announcement related to MindPod Network, hopefully in the next week or two, I'll have like some pretty serious details, but I think it's going to be stuff you- if you listening to this podcast, I can almost guarantee you're going to love it. Cool. I'll see you next week.