~ Gabor Maté

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open share / musings

From Oaxaca city, I send you, Reader, my warmest greetings.

What a year this has been, for me, likely for you, and certainly for many all around the world. Time certainly doesn't feel linear the more years I live this life.

And speaking of life, thank you for riding this journey with me. What a gift of your time and attention. What a privilege, truly, that you would consider or continue to give me a slice of your finite resource that is time and attention. To date, over 400 of you have signed up, or have stayed onboard. It's so good to have you here. I strive to continue to have this be a place of good shares from my mind and beyond.

Instead of the usual chronological depictions and gratitude for my external adventures, projects, and musings, this-end-of-the-year edition of the subtledream newsletter simply provides you (and future me) some current thoughts and reflections along with the typical deliveries of entertaining/informative links, podcast / YouTube videos / music / book recommendations, and you know it - global good news!

At the beginning of February, I intend to enroll in my second 10-day vipassana sit in the mountains outside Mexico City. Vipassana, for those of you who may not be familiar, means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation.

It was rediscovered by Gotama Buddha more than 2500 years ago and was taught by him as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art Of Living. This non-sectarian technique aims for the total eradication of mental impurities and the resultant highest happiness of full liberation. (Source)

I had known about vipassana for years before I took the plunge in 2019. I recall coming out of the 10 days of silence and meditation-filled days feeling a sense of clarity and equanimity I had never felt before. Knots buried in my head seemed to have untied themselves. Tension was released. Deep seated, unprocessed trauma began to not only make sense, but passed by and even steadily dissipated as if another set of fluffy white clouds in the clear, blue sky.

A year later, the pandemic would shake up that foundation not only within me but I'd imagine most of the nearly (not quite then) 8 billion humans on our planet. The emotional rollercoaster was out of control within many of us, and in some regards has continued. In my own little universe, a breakup mid-pandemic, a sense of loss of purpose and community, along with the continued grief within the family and of/for the world at large surely felt to have pushed me over the edge time and time again, like an unanchored ship. A turbulent regression. As a result, I have been placing mental and emotional health on a higher priority than ever before.

As Camila and I continue to choose one another and walk this path of life together, unsurprisingly, old patterns and toxic habits have appeared - sometimes in obvious and easily identifiable ways, and sometimes in ugly, elusive, and triggering snaps. The upside though is that after the temporary-but-seemingly-forever unsettling rush of bad neurochemical signalling shot through and felt throughout the body, is ultimately a coming back together of understanding, empathy, compassion, and sense of connection. It's beautiful. We have already had more to gain from relating and hence in relation-ship with one another through these friction-filled times. These lows serve as great masters once we remember to kindly but sternly escort the ego off the main stage.

The truth is, overall I've been feeling ungrounded more often than I like. I've failed to maintain a daily practice and haven't consistently been my better and thriving self in the presence of not only myself, Camila, but many people I've shared time and energy with, and that is NOT how I wish to keep going about life.

So I think that's where the upcoming silence - a deep, intentional, surrendering dive within - may hold the simple truth all along. Equanimity, joy, gratitude, and abundance as we THINK we know it - has always been closer than we had thought. I eagerly look forward to my second sit. 🙏

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As this year wraps up , one of the favourite news I've received recently has filled me with admiration and pride for the team at Conscious Impact for all the accomplishments as volunteers from all over the world steadily return to our camp to be in service of Takure and the surrounding region. As the clock ticks pass 2.5 years since I last stepped foot in the Himalayas, the fondness to return (and/or is it that wonderful feeling to be in service and able to utilize my gifts?) has also grown. If you've spent time in Nepal and/or with our organization, or perhaps you've been following our work from afar, I am thrilled and proud to present you the 22 moments from 2022 made possible by a global collaboration that is beautiful, human, and transcends artificial "borders."

With you - especially patrons - all helping me to support Conscious Impact in the past, and recently through a rich library of media for the team to draw from, we are pitching in and voting with our influence and energy, for more of the harmony we wish to see. This is why I set up patreon way back in 2018 - I've had and continue to believe in the vision that I can continue to do good, make positive changes, not only on my own through what I document and where I go, but also who I collaborate with and being clear on why the work, the devotion, is important to our greater world.

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Lastly before moving onto the good news - I am still in awe with the Burning Man experience and the community around it. Blow your mind open with this incredibly detailed aerial giga-panorama (1180 MEGA pixels!) and this collection of magical stills from the this year's burn by the talented Jamen Parcy. Cheers to you and your gifts, friend.

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global good news

I think if I ever stop creating this newsletter, I'd still be reading and clipping good news articles from around the internet. Good news from sources such as Future Crunch, Good Good Good, and Upworthy have become a foundation of my well-being as I continue my intentional curation of my "news feed" - often with success but there are most certainly still days where I find myself doom-scrolling. All that said, I present you, my dear audience who seem to adore this section as much as I do, the positive global news of recent times:

Slovenia's parliament has passed an amendment allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt after a constitutional court ruling earlier this year made it the first country in Eastern Europe to do so. "With these changes, we are recognising the rights of same-sex couples that they should have had for a long time." Euro News​

Vancouver is giving the Squamish Nation 11.7 acres in the middle of the city to do whatever they want. They are not required to follow municipal regulations, development processes, or seek municipal approval, because the land is within their jurisdiction, not the City of Vancouver. And what the Squamish Nation wants to do is to build a whole lot of really kickass, dense solarpunk-style housing.

Beachgoers in Gaza enjoyed sewage-free swimming for the first time in years this summer, following years of lobbying by environmental campaigners. 65% of the coastline is now clean enough for swimming – and the UN is now funding the restoration of the nearby Wadi Gaza, one of the most important coastal wetlands in the Mediterranean. Positive News​

The city of Chaozhou in China is building a wind farm in the Taiwan Strait so large it will be able to power 13 million homes, or more than all the power plants in Norway combined. Construction on the 43.3 GW offshore wind farm (can't even believe we're writing that number) will begin before 2025. Offshore Wind​

The next time someone tells you lithium is bad for the environment, you might want to remind them that we extracted 4.2 billion tons of oil in 2021, or 1.6x as much as the world's most mined metal (iron ore) and 40,000 times more than all the lithium. EVs and renewables don't just stop global warming and air pollution - they reduce material extraction. Visual Capitalist​

The Mexican states of Gueterro and Tamaulipas have become the last two in the country to legalize same-sex marriage, meaning that for the first time, love is now legal everywhere in the 10th most populated nation in the world. “The whole of Mexico shines with a huge rainbow. Live the dignity and rights of all people. Love is love.” Mexico News Daily​

Taiwan is turning vacant metro spaces into underground vertical farms to grow sustainable, clean, and organic food. These smart farms use high-tech equipment to regulate light, temperature and nutrients. It’s an ingenious way to tackle food security in a country with a population of 23.57 million people and a surface area of only 36,197 km². Euro News​

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The Shuar Indigenous community of Ecuador has obtained national protections for part of its territory after decades of fighting off deforestation and pollution. Their 5,497-hectare ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest will now be safe from future exploitation, including mining, cattle ranching and agricultural encroachment. Mongabay​

Earlier this month, the US federal government took a big step in repairing the harms of the War on Drugs, by pardoning thousands of people with federal offenses for marijuana possession, and initiating a review of its classification. The move lifts a burden on the roughly 6,500 people whose employment and housing chances are harmed by their past convictions. Reuters​

“The most astonishing and heartening coral rebirth the world has ever seen." In 2015/16, the strongest El Niño on record moved across the coral reefs of the Pacific Line Islands, killing half of them. Six years on the reefs are thriving, with more than 43 million colonies per square kilometre. Nature will recover if we let it. Nat Geo​

A rewilding project spanning 8,500 km² of Spain's Iberian highlands is reintroducing black vultures, lynx, and wild horses. A herd of tauros – cattle bred to fulfil the ecological role of ancient aurochs – has already been released along with 11 semi-wild horses. It's the tenth project from Rewilding Europe, and the first one in Spain. Guardian​

We might be slowly getting a handle on the food waste problem. In London, grocers have stopped putting expiry dates on fresh produce, in California and France supermarkets are now giving away unsold food, and South Korea’s tough-love approach is working: between 2010 and 2019 food waste in the country declined from 3,400 tons to 2,800 tons per day. NYT​

Fewer teenage girls as a proportion of the global population are giving birth today than at any point in human history. Global adolescent birth rates have decreased from 64.5 births per 1,000 women at the beginning of the 21st century, to 42.5 births per 1,000 women in 2021. Every single region of the world has seen declines during this period. WHO​

In September, India's Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision, giving the country's 73 million single women the right to choose. It's a human rights victory on a monumental scale - the first time a legal question about abortion in India has been approached from a women's perspective, and setting an example that could echo far beyond the sub-continent. Al Jazeera​

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Cambodia's landmine removal program. Since 1992, over a million landmines and three million explosives have been removed, and 2,531 km2 has been cleared and made safe for the construction of homes, schools, farms and roads for nine million people. Deaths have fallen from 4,320 in 1996 to less than 100 in 2021. Phnom Penh Post​

As of the 1st of November, people in the Australian state of New South Wales no longer have access to a range of single-use plastic items. Lightweight plastic bags have been prohibited since June, and now plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds have joined the list. Next up - South Australia in September 2023.

If you are desiring even more good news from around the world from this past year, Future Crunch has got you covered!
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original work / offerings

*drum roll,* please... for this month I have another special offering in collaboration with the wonderful, lovely Camila for a yoga practice filmed in - get this - the bottom of the Grand Canyon! This 43 minute slow flow is intended to release hips, legs and lower back as you also feast your eyes and mind with the colorful sandstone layers on the edge of the Colorado River where we hiked and backpacked to in November.

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We both sincerely hope you enjoy this practice!

Missed the previous newsletter's offering by Camila?

Fear not! For here is the video of the practice we recorded in the Cascades in Oregon featured on the previous newsletter.

Feeling stretched & relax? Grounded? Generous?
​We'd love a donation of any amount of your liking & ability!

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recommendations

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A speaker, author, wisdom holder I've stumbled across recently is Dr. Gabor Maté. His story and upbringing is quite humbling and his message eye-opening and profound, yet simple. If there is ONE link you click on in this entire newsletter (apart from Camila's wonderful yoga offering 😉), this is it.

Commune's Healing Trauma in a Toxic Culture​

Listen on: Google | Apple | Spotify​

Or, if you'd like to watch his talk live in London on these topics (+ many more):

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​This 7-minute recap of 2022 from Vox is an inspiring, beautiful, humanizing attempt to showcase the immensity of our collective human experiences across 8 billion+ people over the course of the past 31.5 million seconds:

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Another podcast recommendation for this edition - an episode from 1 of my favourite new podcasts, Hidden Brain. Their recent releases of 'Relationships 2.0' is nothing short of incredible and enlightening. This particular episode with the U.S. Surgeon General stood out to me, but truly, every other one in the series has been invaluable and filled with reminders for a more mindful, balanced life in harmony with yourself and others:

Hidden Brain - "Relationships 2.0: An Antidote to Loneliness"

Listen on: Google | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher​

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Enjoyed my recommendations? Feel free to drop me a line as usual via email, DM's, Whatsapp, Signal (both connected to my Mexico #, +52 9515640209), or good ol' text (+1 206-569-8068). I'd be delighted to hear from ya!

PS: for those of you who have multiple numbers associated to me (haha!), feel free to update my contact so that only those two active numbers above ^ are saved. Simplify!

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gratitude

Grateful this year for innumerable people and things.

Let's kick off with some humans/projects/places that added joy and value to my life this year:

Jenny, Mackenzie, Skjalg, Scott, Orion, Maraiana, Carlos, Natalie, and Roberto (the kind man who stopped on the side of the highway to drive me to the Cancun airport) in Mexico.

Beth, Jessie, Sixto, Lucas, the RFI team, the students I got to share insight & wisdom with; Magnolia, Emma, the Ayampe crew in Ecuador; and the kind hosts, healers, and friends around Ecuador.

My grandmother, 嫲嫲, in birthing my father, enduring a tough life, directly-indirectly bringing me into this world. May your soul rest in harmony and peace.

Kiel, Amy & Harry & fam and the rad humans I got to create art and rub shoulders with at TED in Canada.

My PNW fam, the Norcal amigos, Socal crew, Arizona peeps, and my family in LA - too many to name individually - thank you for the shared meals, hosting, warm showers, local insights, and stories.

The Intranurture / Burning Man tribe in our exquisite journeys together on the playa - Sylvia, in particular, thank you so much for the opportunity.

To those who kept in touch around the world, dropping a line, checking in, voice messages, GIFs, tags, etc. It feels really good to continue to be thought of and be in (lose) communication with as we walk different paths around the earth.

Gratitude to my friends who I also get to call clients in appreciating my craft, so much so they allow me to travel to beautiful corners of the world for me to capture-create memories together. What an incredible gift exchange. Let's do more of it again in future years!

I am thankful for Spaceship (possibly renaming to Starship) Prius, for running strong and trekking the 7000 or so km's around this year touring from California up to Nevada, doing laps around Oregon, traversing the coastline and mountains of Washington, the high desert and canyons of Arizona, and back - all while keeping us warm, safe, and comfortable along with our mobile closet, kitchen, gear closet, as well as bed.

Immense and forever gratitude to the 45 generous humans who pitch in to my patreon each month to support free offerings such as this newsletter and upcoming Wilderness Within podcast (5 interviews-recordings done now!), as well as allowing me to travel and learn from the world while sharing back what I can with many of you in a multitude of ways.

For Pachamama, in her beauty, wisdom, and all that she holds, nurtures, destroys, and regenerate through deep seated processes beyond most of humanity's current level of understanding and appreciation.

Also for Andy, in holding space when we needed it the most.

And without a doubt, for Camila. Thank you for choosing me. For choosing us. Thank you for being sweet, picante (spicy), independent, beautiful, strong, for being as human as anybody I know. Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, cooking for me/us, the tickles, massages, kisses, love-bites, embraces, cuddles, and warmth. I am so appreciative of our time together half a world away and hand-in-hand throughout the Americas. You are at times challenging yet it is also through the challenge I can be encouraged or step up to be a better person, a better man. I have felt the resistance and have also seen the expansion from this process. I am eager for more shared experiences, growth, and explorations, both inner and outer. What great fortune and beauty to kick off a new solar cycle contigo (with you).

Grateful for you too, Reader,

Jonathan