On Powers, Great and Small

Podcast Josh Schrei POV 2025

Also catalogued elsewhere

Power is on the mind these days, as the world grapples with shifting global power dynamics, old powers crumbling, new ones rising, and archaic power paradigms resurfacing… Yes, issues of power run rampant and discussions on power are front and center. But like everything else in modern discourse, the discussion on power has been decontextualized.

Defining Power

Power is viewed as tangible and inherent in the cosmos or an arbitrary human agreement. Consider if power can be held like an object or if it’s just an agreement on value.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei And what is it anyway? Is it something we can hold in our hands like a tesseract or an infinity stone or a little golden ring of power? Is it something tangible, something inherent or actual to the nature of the cosmos? Or is it just an arbitrary fabrication, a human societal agreement on what has value, and therefore what can be seized or claimed, hoarded, coveted, walled off and guarded, and bestowed Upon the chosen few and held back from the many, until the many rise up and try to take it, and they’re inevitably met with riot shields and billy clubs and tear gas. Rat-a Chuck D tells us to fight it. Rage says we’ve got to take it back. Patty says the people already have it. But wait, is it the people who have it? Or is it that Eurodance duo from 1990 that has it? Pre-meltdown Kanye says no one man should have so much of it, and forecasts his own meltdown in the process. James has got soul power. Huey’s got the power of love. The songs and poems and religious texts, the movies and videos and 24-hour news samples are teeming with talk of power. In power ballads (Time 0:07:05)

Larger Reality of Power

There’s a power to which all temporal powers are beholden, within which the dance of all other powers transpires.
No matter our ideological views on human power, there is a fabric of reality that continually exercises its power.

Larger Reality of Power

All temporal powers are beholden to a greater power, within which all other powers transpire.
Discussions on power are incomplete if they fail to recognize the deeper power at play in the cosmos.

Larger Reality of Power

There’s a power that all temporal powers are beholden to, and within which all other powers transpire.
Discussions on power that fail to recognize this deeper power are incomplete.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei For there is a power to which all temporal powers are beholden, within which the dance of all other powers transpires. There is a fabric of reality that no matter what your ideological views on human power exercises its power continually. The power of nature. The power of time. So popes die and empires crumble, and time lays waste to the best-laid plans of despots and tyrants and tech bros, and discussions on power that fail to start with a recognition of the Deeper power at play in the cosmos are incomplete. They lack the full picture of what is power, and so the ways of working with power that they enact and the systems they create are incomplete too. It can sound abstract to want to talk of cosmic powers in a discussion on power in an age when so many are suffering at the hands of repressive powers or reeling from abuses of power. But it’s not abstract. The reason that it’s vitally important to understand the larger framework of cosmic powers, ecological powers, and the cycles and patterns and intricate yantras in which these powers Express, is that this understanding, this ritualized connection to deeper powers, (Time 0:11:00)

Cosmic Powers

Acknowledge deeper cosmic powers, like nature and time, in discussions about power.
Understanding cosmic and ecological powers helps us architect systems that honor power and last.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei The power of nature. The power of time. So popes die and empires crumble, and time lays waste to the best-laid plans of despots and tyrants and tech bros, and discussions on power that fail to start with a recognition of the Deeper power at play in the cosmos are incomplete. They lack the full picture of what is power, and so the ways of working with power that they enact and the systems they create are incomplete too. It can sound abstract to want to talk of cosmic powers in a discussion on power in an age when so many are suffering at the hands of repressive powers or reeling from abuses of power. But it’s not abstract. The reason that it’s vitally important to understand the larger framework of cosmic powers, ecological powers, and the cycles and patterns and intricate yantras in which these powers Express, is that this understanding, this ritualized connection to deeper powers, can offer insight and embodied understanding of what power actually is, into how it expresses And manifests across all levels of reality, and therefore how to architect our communities, our ritual systems, our ecologies, our systems of governance, in ways (Time 0:11:21)

Understanding Cosmic Powers

Understanding cosmic and ecological powers provides insight into what power actually is.
This understanding enables us to architect systems that honor power and construct something lasting.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei But it’s not abstract. The reason that it’s vitally important to understand the larger framework of cosmic powers, ecological powers, and the cycles and patterns and intricate yantras in which these powers Express, is that this understanding, this ritualized connection to deeper powers, can offer insight and embodied understanding of what power actually is, into how it expresses And manifests across all levels of reality, and therefore how to architect our communities, our ritual systems, our ecologies, our systems of governance, in ways that serve and honor That power. In order to construct something that lasts and that serves the greater power, even as it empowers those who honor it, and continually reminds individuals who might be prone to overstep, Who might be prone to think that the power is theirs to hold and wield as a weapon, to remind them what the power, the power of nature, the power of time, the power of light and water, the Power of the spiral, and the power of the spacious breath, actually is. So that we can build a relationship with power that honors it, that receives contains it, distributes it, circulates it, but doesn’t squander it, that honors powers great and small. This isn’t as simple as saying power sucks, or there’s no such thing as power, or that power is all human dynamics, so we’ll just flatten everything, and that’s our way of dealing with Power. Human constructs of power are reflections of the power of nature from which they spring. And we won’t be able to successfully navigate power unless we understand the textures and ripples and nuances and intricate leaf structures ([Time 0:12:12](https://share.snipd.com/snip/cfc99b33…

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Power of Nature

Human constructs of power reflect nature’s power.
Understanding nature’s power is crucial to navigate power successfully.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Human constructs of power are reflections of the power of nature from which they spring. And we won’t be able to successfully navigate power unless we understand the textures and ripples and nuances and intricate leaf structures and distributive protocols of the power Of nature itself. For power ripples in particular ways. It pools in particular places. It follows wave trajectories as all animacies do. It congregates around harmonic symmetries, around visions of beauty and charismatic voices, and plays of vibration that hit the eye and ear in enchanting ways. It orbits, centers, and it radiates out even as it draws back into itself, and it rides upon sound waves. And it streams and streams of light, while hollow expanses give it space to germinate and to dance. Power. Power is real. It’s all around us, waiting to be recognized, waiting to be summoned to. And so let’s start this way instead. Let’s start by taking a breath and pausing and remembering together that there is a power. There is a power. You feel me, beloved? There is a power that powers all this. Let’s let go of fraught, temporal, anthropocentric visions of power for just a (Time 0:14:02)

Great Power

Great power is not just galaxy-swallowing black holes, but also echoes in the tiniest of things.
The universe can act, birth, nourish, sustain, destroy, and birth again, which are the five powers of the divine.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei How great is the power. But that great power echoes in the tiniest of things. It rustles in the twilight reeds. It moves as a child’s breath through dandelion seeds. Seeds. Imagine the power in a single seed. Come springtime, there is a power that across half the world stirs all those tiny seeds awake. Imagine, in all the topsoil of all the forests and deserts and across the vast grasslands, trillions of seeds stirring awake. How do the seeds know that it’s time to stir? What power sparks in them from within? What pulls at them from without? There is a power. You’ve felt it. We’ve all felt it, and we have sung to it. And we have raised our arms on high, and we have wept before it, and we’ve pondered it and wondered why, and questioned it and neglected it, as all the while the great power from the mother Robin an egg the color of the sky. Oh power, there is a power. Feel it, it’s not an abstraction. It’s imminent, tangible. It pushes and pulls. It bends and sways. It shifts, transforms. It moves. It does. Or other Latin-derived languages, means to be able to. To be able to act. To be able to do. And so this universe is able to. This universe does. It births. It nourishes. It sustains. It destroys and births again. It creates boundary where it needs to create boundary. And opens up space where it needs to open up space. That’s its power. The five powers of the divine, listed in the ancient Indian texts, are the power to create, to preserve, to destroy, to reveal, and to conceal. (Time 0:16:45)

Great Power

Each individual power is an expression of a greater, eternal power.
Our lives harmonize best when we serve it.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Enslaved. Yes. In the face of this world of thunderous powers, spiraling powers, we have forgotten that each of the powers is an expression of the great power. And that power unfolds eternal. And that our lives perhaps harmonize best when we embody what it means to be in service of it. So in the face of a world of profound, deep powers, we scratch away at the immediate, obvious powers that we can grasp and claim and seize. But when we understand this world of kaleidoscopic powers, spiraling as an expression of and in service to the great power, when we understand that its medium is time, long, slow time, And (Time 0:26:07)

Fleeting Powers

Modern powers rely on extraction, invasion, and hoarding, building seemingly unassailable towers.
Joshua Michael Schrei argues that cosmically and ecologically, these are the weakest powers and will quickly dissolve.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Power that depends on the rapacious extraction of rare minerals. Power that invades, that seizes, that captures, that walls off and hoards. Powers that build of themselves seemingly unassailable towers and construct elaborate halls of mirrors. That these are actually, cosmically speaking, ecologically speaking, the weakest powers? They are the powers that are quickest to rise and quickest to fall, quickest to flare up and quickest to burn out. They are the powers that are most easily dissolved. And so a big part of the ferocity and cruelty with which those obsessed with the immediate obvious powers exert their power is that they recognize, deep down they recognize, they know That all this will slip away. And so they have to guard it all the tighter. All this will slip away. All of it will (Time 0:27:53)

Fleeting Power

Powers obsessed with the immediate are the quickest to rise and fall and are easily dissolved.
The ferocity with which they exert their power stems from a deep recognition that it will all slip away.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei They are the powers that are most easily dissolved. And so a big part of the ferocity and cruelty with which those obsessed with the immediate obvious powers exert their power is that they recognize, deep down they recognize, they know That all this will slip away. And so they have to guard it all the tighter. All this will slip away. All of it will slip away. Because they’ve built their vision of power on the most fleeting of foundations. They’ve built entire empires on addictive urges, on impulsive waves, on adolescent male hormonal cycles, which, I don’t know if you’ve heard, don’t tend to have much lasting power. Yes, this is what we suffered for. This is what we died for. Millions rode to battle because the Kaiser’s blood sugar levels were up that day. So transient, so fragile was the Nazi rise to power that it needed a whole lot of propaganda and a whole lot of meth to sustain. And those currently flirting with fascist visions of power would do well to remember how quickly that particular vision fades. (Time 0:28:25)

Fleeting Foundations of Power

Obsession with immediate, obvious power stems from a deep-seated recognition that it will ultimately slip away.
Empires built on addictive urges and fleeting foundations are transient and fragile.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei All of it will slip away. Because they’ve built their vision of power on the most fleeting of foundations. They’ve built entire empires on addictive urges, on impulsive waves, on adolescent male hormonal cycles, which, I don’t know if you’ve heard, don’t tend to have much lasting power. Yes, this is what we suffered for. This is what we died for. Millions rode to battle because the Kaiser’s blood sugar levels were up that day. So transient, so fragile was the Nazi rise to power that it needed a whole lot of propaganda and a whole lot of meth to sustain. And those currently flirting with fascist visions of power would do well to remember how quickly that particular vision fades. And the hangover is a bitch. They’ve built empires on foam. And one deep breath, and that foam is swept away. Look at the successive waves of kings, who, like Ozymandias, declared themselves rulers of all things. And then the sands came. And then the winds came. And then the waters washed those earthly powers away. And then the sun set on the transitory powers. And only the stars remained. The sun never (Time 0:28:55)

Transitory Powers

Leaders die, borders change, and great houses crumble, which makes one wonder about the point of power.
The queen of tides will wash away false leaders who confuse themselves for the creator of worlds.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei I mean, you live long enough to see leaders die and borders change and great houses grumble and Hiltons give way to Olsons and Olsons to Kardashians and eventually you’re kind of like, What is the f***ing point? Seriously, like, what a drag that vision of power is. And the tech bros trying to live forever, the hunger, the power that we could conquer earth and be forever remembered? No, thanks. Me, I’ll dig my well deeper, my sister, my brother. For if that type of power brought any lasting happiness whatsoever, then tyrants and those in their inner circle would be the happiest of people. And, newsflash, they’re clearly not. They’re gnawed at, miserable, paranoid, bound to the hungers of the obvious powers. A life dedicated solely to the obvious powers, either their perpetuation or their overthrow, is a life in which it’s easy to fall victim to hungry forces. What do I mean the obvious powers? I mean the outward, forceful, loudly announcing powers, the trumpets of the civilizational powers. I mean that very human power that confuses itself for the power that has sought to create its own empires, (Time 0:31:16)

Obvious vs. True Power

True power is not found in tyrannical rule or the pursuit of civilizational dominance.
Focus instead on digging your well deeper, connecting with nature, and recognizing the power from which all comes.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei No, thanks. Me, I’ll dig my well deeper, my sister, my brother. For if that type of power brought any lasting happiness whatsoever, then tyrants and those in their inner circle would be the happiest of people. And, newsflash, they’re clearly not. They’re gnawed at, miserable, paranoid, bound to the hungers of the obvious powers. A life dedicated solely to the obvious powers, either their perpetuation or their overthrow, is a life in which it’s easy to fall victim to hungry forces. What do I mean the obvious powers? I mean the outward, forceful, loudly announcing powers, the trumpets of the civilizational powers. I mean that very human power that confuses itself for the power that has sought to create its own empires, its own worlds, when there is only one creator of worlds and her name is nature. That has forgotten the power from which it comes and to which it is beholden and so has left itself out on a limb in the most precarious of states. We are deep in the throes of the battles of the obvious powers. And in the midst of such battles for obvious power, it’s good to remember that (Time 0:31:43)

Two Types of Power

Tolkien understood that the obvious powers of Mordor seem great but are fleeting like smoke.
Sauron’s downfall is his inability to see power in the small, gentle persistence, humility, and simplicity.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Tolkien understood the nature of these differing powers. So the obvious powers of Mordor, these powers seem great, but they are like smoke. And the reason Sauron can’t see his own imminent fall at the hands of who? Of little hobbits? Is because it never occurs to him once that power could live in something so small, that there could be such a thing as gentle persistence, or simplicity, or humility, or those over whom The desire for obvious power holds little sway. He understands one vision of power and one only, and that vision of power is not the full tale of power. Yes, there is the obvious power that rises in great might and tumult (Time 0:37:06)

Relational Power

Joshua Michael Schrei explains that fairy tales suggest obvious power is not the only type of power.
Power is relational, familial, and part of a harmonic network where all forest creatures are at the center.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei This is the fairy tale power. The fairy tales have a lot to say about the obvious powers. Usually, those fairy tale protagonists who charge boldly into the forest with their obvious powers on display don’t turn out very well. Turns out, you gotta bow your head a little bit when you enter the forest, and seek to understand, and listen, and share a crust of bread with an old cave hermit, or call out respectfully To a passing owl. The power in the old stories is never in the form of a protagonist by themselves, alone, overly confident, brushing foes aside and exerting their will upon a forest. It’s not a conquering hero. But neither is it a modern neo-spiritual wellness vision of self-empowerment. Power is familial. Power is relational. Remove the goddess from her mandala, and she’s no longer the goddess. So Tibetan tantric powers emanate as elemental Buddha families, and every power has its retinue and is manifest through the structure of its retinue. This holds true whether you’re talking about very sublime or very human manifestations of power, like Wu-Tang Clan has a posse, like remove Trump (Time 0:39:18)

Relational Power

Power is fundamentally relational and familial, expressing itself through interconnected systems.
Understand that any power needs a structural relational system of some kind to hold it and grow it.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Power is relational, familial. It expresses in mandalas of families of powers. In a modern individualist world, it’s no wonder we focus on individualist visions of power. We say that we want to reclaim our power, as if power is something that we possess all on our own. We speak often of personal empowerment, but with little understanding that any power, literally any power in nature, needs a structural relational system of some kind to hold it and Grow it. We recognize this when we garden, but we forget it when it comes to our own lives. We imagine the empowered state to be a state of spontaneous individualism. We imagine the cathartic moment of self-expression of our power. That’s me in my power expressing truth to power. We don’t always look at the rest of the system or imagine that a capacity to hold power over time might need to be cultivated carefully with a lot of attention to root and soil and boundary And integrity and relationship. When we internalize the dominant understanding of obvious power, it’s easy to fall for a hyper-individualized vision of power that can be measured in likes and followers and in how Loudly it announces itself, and in its ability to exercise its will freely. But this (Time 0:41:03)

Healing Power

The healing power softens hurts and, through time, brings reflection on why we rushed into the fight.
Reflecting over time is a deep power that reminds us that it’s far easier to destroy than to mend.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Patiently the healing power stitches those wounded bodies together again. The healing power brings tears and gentle resolve and softens hurts and in time through the power of time the healing power brings reflection on why we rushed into the fight, and was It all worth it anyway? The power of reflection, over time, is a deep power, which reminds us that it’s far easier to destroy than to mend. And in the face of the destructive power, the mending power, in its ceaseless living pulsations, its telescopic crystallizations, its weavings, its bridgings, the healing power Persists. (Time 0:44:50)

Invisible Small Powers

Hiiaka embraces and holds in little nooks, which represents a certain kind of power.
The world is shaped by small, invisible powers that persist, adapt, birth, and sustain over time.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Hiiaka, the one that embraces and holds in little nooks, that’s a power. And in the long run of time, the closer we look, we find that the world is shaped and transformed continually by small, invisible powers. The soft overcomes the hard, says the Tao Te Ching. The gentle overcomes the rigid. And sometimes we hear of these examples of small powers overcoming great powers, and we’re like, well, sure, that’s a nice story to tell ourselves, right? That’s a nice story to make ourselves feel better. And meanwhile, the tech bros are busy cashing in, and the orc legions of the apocalypse are trampling fields of daisies for fun and the U.S. Government is snuffing out any means of dissent. But it’s not just a story. It’s the actual nature of power. For true power is invisible, some say. And invisibly, the small powers persist and adapt and birth and sustain. And there is more power in a river over time than there is in a fleeting empire or a mountainous stack of legal paper. That’s (Time 0:47:46)

The Nature of Power

True power is invisible, persisting through small, adaptive actions, not fleeting empires.
The ‘meek’ inheriting the earth means those with humility, recognizing a greater power beyond themselves.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei And there is more power in a river over time than there is in a fleeting empire or a mountainous stack of legal paper. Jack Mitchell That’s not power, Ray. That’s paper. Christ. Ray, power’s a rainstorm. Joshua Michael Schrei Power’s that river right there. That river. Right there. Do you hear the orchestra of small forgotten powers that even now are shaping everything? For the meek, it’s been said, shall inherit the earth. And I always had a problem with this one, because meek is such a meek word. Natalie Milonis tells us that the word in ancient Greek isn’t meek. It’s about humility, and walking with the head bowed, and standing in recognition, perhaps, of the greater power. Like, those who don’t go around thinking the power is all theirs will inherit a greater power. And it’s easy to take this teaching as like, be a good little servant and don’t rock the boat or make too much fuss. Be meek and you’ll get your reward someday in heaven. And it’s certainly possible to manipulate it into that. (Time 0:48:58)

Relational Power

By seeing ourselves as isolated beings hoarding power, we limit our relational power.
Align with greater cycles of time and seasons for powers to flow through us.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei It’s speaking about energetic flows and the way that power actually moves. If we see ourselves as isolated individual beings and see the power as ours to seize or hoard in a world in which we’re ultimately out for ourselves and our own gain, if we wall ourselves Off from this world of powers, then we’ve immediately limited the actual relational power that we have access to. All the power we could ever hold is that which we grab with our hands. Yet if we hollow out this instrument and empty and align and connect and offer back and turn it over to greater cycles, then powers flow through us. If we turn ourselves over to time, (Time 0:50:39)

Internalizing Power Definitions

When toppling obvious powers, be careful not to internalize their definitions of power. There are many powers at play.
The difficulty in the modern Western discussion on power lies in its reduction to human interdynamics.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei And in such times, should we meet the obvious powers on their terms, in legal battles and very upfront and visible social movements and in protest? Of course. But in our efforts to topple or reform the obvious powers, let’s be careful not to internalize their definitions of power, because there are many, many powers at play. And this is part of the difficulty in the modern Western discussion on power. Discussions on power have been reduced to a question of human interdynamics that center around the realness or arbitrariness of human visions of power. So, historically, Western religious institutions have seen the power as (Time 0:54:39)

Animate Perspective on Power

Adopt an animate perspective to reroot discussions on power; understand that power is real, and its patterns are inherent to the cosmos.
The universe is tangible, palpable power, structural in nature, like galaxies and water molecules.

Animate Power

From an animate perspective, power is real, and its patterns of manifestation are inherent to the cosmos.
The universe is tangible, palpable power, and this power is structural in nature.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei So first, if we want to re-root our discussions on power, we have to understand from an animate perspective that power is real, and its patterns of manifestation are inherent to the Cosmos. This universe is tangible, palpable power, and this power is not simply an amorphous energy. It is structural in nature. Structural in the way that galaxies are structural, and musical scales are structural, and water molecules and human hands, and all the way to every grain of sand. Which, if you’ve ever looked at sand through a microscope, you know that every time you step barefoot upon the shores of the sea, you’re walking upon a galaxy of crystalline structures. Yes, the power of nature is structural. So when I said all of nature is a power structure, this is what I’m talking about. Yes, the whole universe’s power is energy, and ultimately in its pristine non-dual state, all of that energy is one and available to everyone everywhere, but the important part for Any traditions or cultural subgroups that are interested in actually working meaningfully with relational power is how it expresses, how it delimits itself, what its waveforms Are, where it gathers and congregates, what makes it dissipate, what helps (Time 0:57:08)

Relational Power

Meaningfully working with relational power involves understanding how it expresses and delimits itself. Know its waveforms, where it gathers, what makes it dissipate and how we can call it into our ritual spaces.
Dismissing the structures that hold power as false is an outgrowth of the mind-body dichotomy.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Yes, the whole universe’s power is energy, and ultimately in its pristine non-dual state, all of that energy is one and available to everyone everywhere, but the important part for Any traditions or cultural subgroups that are interested in actually working meaningfully with relational power is how it expresses, how it delimits itself, what its waveforms Are, where it gathers and congregates, what makes it dissipate, what helps it coalesce, and how can we call it into our ritual spaces? How can we create architectures that hold it and alchemize it and embody it over time? The discussion on power can’t end at, there’s a great power to the universe and I’m one with it and that’s that. Nor can it end with, power is a human construct and it sucks so let’s just flatten it. Check this out. It’s an outgrowth of the very mind-body dichotomy that has ruled the western world for so long to suggest that the power of the universe is real, but the structures that hold it are false. The structures that hold it are the body of the power itself, are inseparably part of how that power manifests. Just as the power of Shakti manifests as groupings and patterns of snowflake crystals, and river tributaries, and branching capillaries, just as it manifests as scales and songs Through which it itself is invoked, and as dance steps and woven patterns on cloth, so the power manifests as clan structures, councils of eldership, as mystery schools, even (Time 0:58:11)

Power Concentration

Power concentrates in specific places and things due to harmonic structures. When power is overly concentrated in a few, neglecting the periphery, the system collapses.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Can those power structures careen out of balance? Can they be manipulated in order to oppress? Of course. If power structures concentrate too much of that power in one part of the mandala, among a particular few, and fail to replenish the periphery, and there is too much focus on the center And not the periphery, then the periphery collapses in upon the center. The dam breaks, the mandala is upended, and the whole thing has to start over again. Conversely, if there is no center at all, no sense of common vision or common ceremony, no place to hold anything and sustain it, the power does not stay, and the mandala dissipates before It ever fully forms. Ever experienced a circle of well-meaning people, but that circle had no deep center, and so it dissipated before it ever fully formed? All of this is the actual fluid movement of power dynamics. So to celebrate Shakti, to honor Shakti, means going deep into how the power actually expresses, into all the relational details, into how it’s given and received, how it’s gained Or lost. And that means understanding that while power is everywhere and everything, the power also doesn’t just flow equally everywhere all at once. Yes, power concentrates. It concentrates in particular places and things. (Time 1:00:28)

Concentration of Power

Power concentrates in specific places and things due to harmonic structure.
Traditional systems recognize power spots in geography, objects, art, and knowledge.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei In particular places and things. Because of the nature of harmonic structure, certain confluences resonate with more vibrational potency. There are power spots in geography. I’m sure you’ve been to one. Places where ley lines converge, rivers join. There are configurations of stone, it is known, that serve to amplify the power. There are marma points and meridian lines, places of greater concentrations of power in any body, and in the great body of earth and sky. Power spots are real. Traditional systems recognize these power spots, just as they recognize concentrations of power in objects, in substances, in works of art and art forms, in knowledge. And the power of this knowledge is held generationally and ancestrally. It’s held by initiates in clans. And there’s boundary around how it’s held. And that boundary is part of the power expressing itself so that it can hold itself and pass on. In the Afro-Brazilian traditions, this power, this ashe, is in everything. But it also concentrates in certain places, in certain ways. Here’s Pai Hojni speaking of ashe. (Time 1:01:59)

Power Transmission

Power transmits through various means such as breath, words, saliva, and food.
The world consists of relational powers in constant transmission, with elements and beings possessing varying concentrations of inherent power.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Quote, the word is part of a dynamic process that transmits a power to make things happen. If the word gains such power to act, it is because it is infused with ashay, spoken with breath, with saliva, warmth. It is a breathed word, a lived word, accompanied by modulations, emotional charge, personal story, and the power of the one who speaks it. Power moves in saliva. It dances on tongues. It transmits through food. Food is power. Everything is food. Everything is power. Food is offering. Everything is offering to the power. And you eat food, Maisteleji Oshosi says. You eat food with your hand, you touch it, feel it, pass it on to your mouth, because, quote, food taken to the mouth by hand carries much more power, much more ashe. This world is a world of relational powers in continual transmission. There are elements, substances, plant beings of varying concentrations of inherent power. Like the power of gold isn’t arbitrary. The human somatic system is architected to revolve around shine, around light, around that which does not tarnish but that stays eternal. (Time 1:06:36)

Indigenous Choice

Jack Mitchell explains that Aboriginal culture’s lack of technological advancement isn’t due to inability.
It’s a conscious decision to maintain sustainability and cultural life.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Here’s Nyoongar researcher Jack Mitchell. Jack Mitchell There’s a kind of an idea that Aboriginal culture or Indigenous cultures, but I generally talk about Aboriginal culture as kind of this idea of primitivity around the lack of technological Advancement. But people sort of seem to think that that is because of a lack of an ability to understand it or like, you know, as opposed to, you know, it’s a conscious choice that’s been made to maintain Sustainability and sustainability of sort of like cultural life for as long a period as possible. Joshua Michael Schrei So the idea, for example, that there were certainly clever people who could see into the power of these minerals and see into the power of what lies beneath the earth and understand that If they were to go the dark sorcerer route and start to tinker with things that they could achieve a certain kind of material power, but they did not go that route. (Time 1:08:37)

Power Dynamics in Egalitarian Systems

Egalitarian systems involve sophisticated methods of managing tangible powers, not simply allowing unrestricted freedom.
Structures like mystery schools and music schools cultivate power through reverence and relationality.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Traditional systems navigate the power dynamics of nature constantly. Dig deeper into egalitarian systems, and you will find that egalitarian doesn’t just mean everyone is free to do anything all the time in a world with no limit. It means a very sophisticated and deliberate way of working with real and tangible powers. Human beings construct delimitations and structures of power, not simply to oppress or to gatekeep, but like any vessel, so that the structure will hold water. We build mystery schools recognizing that unless there’s some type of slow initiatory growth process, the humming truths at the center won’t hold, and all those seeds will scatter In the breeze. We construct conservatories and choirs and music schools dedicated to the power of song, and kung fu schools that hold those martial powers in an ecosystem (Time 1:11:56)

Structures of Power

Every structure in creation is a structure of power; the key is understanding how structures interact with it. Power manifests through harmonic relationships, akin to the power found in songs and proportions deemed beautiful.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei So the issue that we face as human beings around power isn’t that there are structures of power. Every structure in creation is a structure of power. The issue is how structures work with power. Shakti reminds us that if you want to understand power, you have to understand the mandala through which it self-expresses. The mandala shows us that power is in harmonic relationships. Harmonic relationships like songs are powerful. Certain intervals are powerful. Proportions that we consider beautiful are powerful. And that power isn’t arbitrary. It’s mathematic. It’s harmonic. Which (Time 1:13:56)

Power of Form and Structure

Form and proportion are powerful; changing them alters the power itself.
Circles, as organizing structures, derive their strength and longevity from a defined center, be it shared principles or a common story.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Form, like proportion, is powerful. Change the proportion, change the power. Like shapes are powerful. Triangles are powerful. Pyramids are powerful. Circles are powerful. Circles are very popular organizing structures these days. But the power of a circle, in fact, the very thing that defines a circle, is its center. A circle is, quote, a closed two-dimensional shape with all points equidistant from a center point. Turns out that a circle with no center isn’t actually, by definition, a circle. So organizing in a circle is a beautiful thing. There have been councils and mystery schools and paleolithic choirs and traditional structures for tens of thousands of years that have organized in circles. But what makes those circles hum, what makes those circles last, is their relation to a center. What’s the center? It can be as simple as a set of common communication principles or ways of working together. Robert’s rules of order, that kind of thing. But is that really strong enough to keep the circle? Or it can be years and years of sharing story together, sharing song together. It can be a shared understanding of the umbilical thread of song and story that tells us who we are and where the center of the world is and connects us back to 10,000 (Time 1:15:29)

Functional Circles

Modern group dynamics often mistake individual dynamics in a group setting for true group consciousness.
A functional circle requires embodied practices to reinforce its center, ensuring power flows appropriately among members.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei End quote. Which is another way of saying that people in the modern world think they’re doing group dynamics, and often what they’re doing is individual dynamics in a group setting. So, how does your circle actually maintain its center? What common felt embodied practices reinforce that center? Who is entrusted with keeping the relationship with that center (Time 1:18:53)

Functional Circle

A functional circle needs more than just the principle that all voices are equal.
Recognize that power flows through all people, but not in the same way or quantity for everyone.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei So, how does your circle actually maintain its center? What common felt embodied practices reinforce that center? Who is entrusted with keeping the relationship with that center strong? To enact a truly functional circle takes more than just saying, at this circle all voices are equal. It also takes recognizing that while power flows through all people, it doesn’t flow through everyone in the exact same way, in the exact same quantity, at the exact same time. (Time 1:19:06)

Functional Circle Dynamics

Enacting a functional circle requires more than just stating all voices are equal.
Recognize power flows differently through people and integrate charismatic individuals into the relational web.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Who is entrusted with keeping the relationship with that center strong? To enact a truly functional circle takes more than just saying, at this circle all voices are equal. It also takes recognizing that while power flows through all people, it doesn’t flow through everyone in the exact same way, in the exact same quantity, at the exact same time. What do we do with difference? What do we do with geniuses, with highly charismatic speakers? Charisma is power flowing through a person. Charisma is real and one of the primary driving forces of human history. What do we do with it? Try to pretend it doesn’t exist, flatten it out completely, or work to recognize the gifts of the charismatic person and integrate them into the system so that that charisma works in Service of the relational web instead of at odds with it. But that can take generations. That can take years. What do we do with pattern breakers? With ones that want to disrupt or immediately institute a new system before they’ve even mastered the part about listening and waiting and learning? What does a circle of elders do with (Time 1:19:15)

Functional Circle Dynamics

Recognize that power flows through all people, but not equally; acknowledge differences. Systems must integrate charismatic individuals in service of the relational web, balancing openness to new voices with maintaining a strong center.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei It also takes recognizing that while power flows through all people, it doesn’t flow through everyone in the exact same way, in the exact same quantity, at the exact same time. What do we do with difference? What do we do with geniuses, with highly charismatic speakers? Charisma is power flowing through a person. Charisma is real and one of the primary driving forces of human history. What do we do with it? Try to pretend it doesn’t exist, flatten it out completely, or work to recognize the gifts of the charismatic person and integrate them into the system so that that charisma works in Service of the relational web instead of at odds with it. But that can take generations. That can take years. What do we do with pattern breakers? With ones that want to disrupt or immediately institute a new system before they’ve even mastered the part about listening and waiting and learning? What does a circle of elders do with eager young ones who arrive wanting access to the secret teachings at the center right away? It’s work to stay open to the invitation of replenishment that new voices bring, while at the same time holding true to center. (Time 1:19:27)

Sonic Power

Sonic power is a real, tangible force, exemplified by voices that move millions.
Amplifying voice and vibration through mass media and the internet exponentially increases its sway.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Power vibration. And sonic powers are real, tangible. This is worth deeply understanding as we explore power. Sonic power is power. The power of voice to lift millions. The power of John Lennon’s voice to set a million high school girls screaming. The power of Martin Luther King’s voice. Osho’s voice. Obama’s voice. Hitler’s voice. Tucker Carlson’s voice. Dasha Nekrasova’s voice. Trump’s voice. This is power. Take that power of voice and vibration and amplify it through mass media, and the power has just grown exponentially. The internet, whose medium is light (Time 1:33:21)

Sonic and Luminous Power

Much of our worldview is architected by transmitted sound and light through the internet.
Recognize the implications of this tangible power to reclaim some vestige of power.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei And it’s happening to all of us. What we think and feel, much of our worldview has been directly architected by transmitted sound and light through the internet. This is power. If we want to reclaim some vestige of power in the midst of it all, we have to recognize the profound implications of this real, tangible, terrible power, and we have to re-pattern it. It’s not enough in the age of world-bending powers to simply walk through life with an unboundaried consciousness, saying there’s no such thing as inherent vibrational power, and Therefore technology is neutral. Technology is not neutral. The human being is a somatic receptor site for light and sound and story and vibration. And anything that works in the space of vibration and story and image is charged with power, with inherent quality that is to be navigated carefully. Or we can live life asleep at the wheel, thinking we’re in our power when we’ve turned over that power to those who wield, like Banda himself, (Time 1:34:35)

True Personal Power

Personal power isn’t about posting videos proclaiming liberation; it’s about consciousness with boundaries.
It involves holding what you receive while maintaining your integrity, not just cashing in off internet followers.

Personal Power

Personal power isn’t about posting videos declaring liberation but having a conscious boundary. True power involves holding what is received while maintaining integrity.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei But personal power isn’t about me posting videos of myself dancing around saying, look at me, I’m so liberated. Personal power comes from having a consciousness that can exhibit some measure of boundary, and can hold what it receives as it maintains its own integrity. Personal power isn’t the same thing as cashing in off legions of internet followers. Like, I must be in my power, I’m making three grand weekly off of wellness content, and I can live full-time in Bali on the beach, that’s empowerment, right? Sure, that attention, that money, that currency is an immediate surge of power. But wait for the full iteration of the story. See if the story has lasting power. See if there’s any capability to hold that power and anchor it and grow it within a circle of true accountability. But back to our battle. For those who’ve just filed this away as another battle story, look deeper. For the playing field is consciousness, and in the details, in the detailed description of the actual forces at play, there is much to be learned about power. It’s no accident that Bandasura’s weapons are sonic, that the battle begins with inverted mantras and spells and stories. (Time 1:36:06)

The Weapon of Wrong Story

Bandasura’s weapons are sonic, and the battle begins with inverted mantras and spells. The battle for your consciousness is fought with story.
He launches the weapon of wrong story itself, causing falsities, distractions, and outlandish stories to spread.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei It’s no accident that Bandasura’s weapons are sonic, that the battle begins with inverted mantras and spells and stories. For the battle for your consciousness, the battle is fought with story. The battle is fought with story, you hear? So when Bandasura’s backwards mantras and incantations of static and confusion are neutralized by the resonance of the goddess’s invocations, he goes about harnessing the power Of wrong story. He launches the pakandastra, the weapon of wrong story itself, and a wave of gossip passes through the goddess’s army, and mouths erupt with falsities and distractions. Mouths proliferate (Time 1:37:21)

Power of Wrong Story

Recognize that the battle for consciousness is fought with story; wrong stories are like weapons.
Beware of gossip, advertising, memes, biased news, and conspiracy theories, which are all part of the dance of power.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei The battle is fought with story, you hear? So when Bandasura’s backwards mantras and incantations of static and confusion are neutralized by the resonance of the goddess’s invocations, he goes about harnessing the power Of wrong story. He launches the pakandastra, the weapon of wrong story itself, and a wave of gossip passes through the goddess’s army, and mouths erupt with falsities and distractions. Mouths proliferate the most outlandish stories. They vomit up streams of advertising jingles and memes and fake Buddha quotes and way-too spiritual aphorisms that reaffirm exactly what we want to hear about ourselves, and biased News pieces from the left, and biased news pieces from the right, and they wrap up falsities and send them spewing out of the mouths of the experts and the long-form podcasters and the Conspiracy theorists alike. Yes, conspiracy theories are part of the dance of power. Often, those drawn to conspiracy think they’re regaining power by uncovering the truth of the story. Because knowledge, knowledge of what’s really going on, that must be power, right? And yes, knowledge is power. But there’s only one problem. That’s not knowledge. Knowledge is not something you read about on the internet and fit into an abstract worldview about distant, faraway powers. Knowledge is not a hot take or an aha moment about Jewish space lasers. Knowledge is something that’s earned slowly, somatically, in context. And it’s earned through a person’s own commitment to being in relationship over time. Knowledge is a relational embodiment practice. This is true for the experts and the broadcasters too. For the party officials wondering why…

… no one trusts them anymore. Because the disembodied medium of discourse is proving itself increasingly unworthy of (Time 1:37:38)

The Weapon of Wrong Story

Conspiracy theories are part of the dance of power, with those drawn to them often thinking they’re regaining power by uncovering the truth.
However, true knowledge is earned slowly, somatically, and in context through relational embodiment.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Yes, conspiracy theories are part of the dance of power. Often, those drawn to conspiracy think they’re regaining power by uncovering the truth of the story. Because knowledge, knowledge of what’s really going on, that must be power, right? And yes, knowledge is power. But there’s only one problem. That’s not knowledge. Knowledge is not something you read about on the internet and fit into an abstract worldview about distant, faraway powers. Knowledge is not a hot take or an aha moment about Jewish space lasers. Knowledge is something that’s earned slowly, somatically, in context. And it’s earned through a person’s own commitment to being in relationship over time. Knowledge is a relational embodiment practice. This is true for the experts and the broadcasters too. For the party officials wondering why no one trusts them anymore. Because the disembodied medium of discourse is proving itself increasingly unworthy of trust. What’s going to solve the trust crisis, as some have called it? The trust apocalypse? Shared breath. Shared breath, beloveds Time together in shared (Time 1:38:35)

Trust and Shared Breath

Trust isn’t solved by ideas or profound conversations. It grows from shared breath over time.
Rhythmic flows of good storytelling can correct frenetic, panicked narratives.

Trust and Shared Breath

Trust flows from shared breath over time, not from ideas or talking points. Goddess responds to wrong stories by releasing Gayatri, the goddess of poetic meter.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei It’s not going to be solved by an idea, a talking point, a profound conversation you tap into on YouTube from someone in the sense-making sphere. Trust is shared breath over time. And how does the goddess respond to all those weapons of wrong story? She responds by releasing Gayatri, the goddess of poetic meter. All that frenetic, panicked wrong story is set right in a minute by good rhythmic flows. How the flows set right the story, and the rhythm sets right the story, and we slow down the rhythm, and we slow down the story, and we re-root the rhythm, and we re-root the story, and soon The story pulses like moonlight. Rises at sunrise, and Gayatri calls the sun, so the goddess responds, you could say, with sunlight, which is right story itself. Sunlight is right story. Now what could that mean? And so the battle goes on. When Bandasura releases weapons of confusion, the goddess responds with focus. (Time 1:41:05)

Goddess Response

When faced with confusion, the goddess responds with focus.
She uses small powers like honeybees and invitations into listening.

Deeper Power Structures

The goddess counters weapons of confusion with focus and towering monsters with little powers, such as honeybees.
Agitated vibration is met with a deeper harmonic resonance.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Sunlight is right story. Now what could that mean? And so the battle goes on. When Bandasura releases weapons of confusion, the goddess responds with focus. When he raises great towering monsters, giants that stomp and crush all in their path, the goddess responds with vamanas, powers, billions of little powers, honeybees, hummingbirds, Moments of rapturous attention, invitations into listening, whispers of right story that ride on the breeze. Hear them. The battle will be fought with whispers of right story that ride on the breeze. When Bandha strikes the goddess’s forces dumb with the Mukastra, the goddess counters with Maha-Vagvadini. Great eloquence. Great eloquence. Great discernment. In each case, the pattern is met with a deeper pattern. The power structure is met with a deeper power structure. (Time 1:42:18)

Honoring Power

Honor power by building contextual systems instead of trying to control it. Enhance existing systems and follow form instead of denying power.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei So like, what are you going to do in this universe of infinite power and beauty? What are you going to do in this world of powers pouring through everything constantly are you going to try are you going to try to marshal or put borders around or fences around that power Jack Mitchell Or are you going to build contextual systems that honor that power yeah that allow you you know have the gratitude to like recognize how lucky you are to be able to sort of exist within That context and as a part of that and to sort of live in a way that honors that and allows that to continue as long as possible. Joshua Michael Schrei And that means neither claiming power, seizing power, hoarding power, but it also doesn’t mean denying power, ignoring power, flattening power. It means enhancing existing systems, says Kanani. It’s not about getting rid of form, she says. It’s about following form. All of our discussions around power must be around what it means to honor the power at the heart of it all. Because this human life is a life of navigating powers. The ritual systems of cultures, the rituals that mark passages in life, are all ways of navigating power. Right from the start. Right from the most fundamental power of all, the birthing power. What do we do with the birthing power? When faced with the red power, the bleeding power, the womb power, the power that reshapes worlds in its swelling belly, that rips open with the promise of new life, with that continuity Of life that arrives in a shower of blood and red womb water? What do we do with that power? So powerful, so deep is the birthing power that men in certain traditions have architected their rituals of power around ([Time 1:47:32](https://share.snipd.com/snip/78f5c3a…

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Martial Power

The idea that violent power should be eliminated, such as competitive sports, fails to recognize the inherent martial power that lives there.
This perspective doesn’t acknowledge Shakti’s expressions of power, which need healthy systems for expression.

Martial Power

Dismissing violent power and competitive outlets as toxic fails to recognize the inherent martial power that exists.
Healthy systems are needed to channel and express this power, which is rooted in Shakti.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei The power of life. The idea that the violent power needs to be weeded out entirely, that, for example, there shouldn’t be competitive sports or any emphasis on those societal spectacles like MMA that Are built around violence, that it’s all meaningless, that it’s all a distraction, that it’s all the testosterone-driven manosphere and therefore it’s toxic and bad, this is not Recognizing the inherent power that lives there, the very real martial power. This is not recognizing Shakti in all her mandalic expressions of power. It simply needs healthy systems through which to express. For this too is Shakti. Shakti has been right at the heart of martial power in many traditions for a long time. Who did the kings of Rajasthan invoke as they prepared for battle? Her. (Time 1:52:17)

Martial Power

Recognize the inherent, real martial power within competitive sports and societal spectacles like MMA instead of dismissing them.
Temper and distribute martial power through ritual and creative capacities instead of unleashing it on each other.

Lakshmi’s Integrity

Shivani Hawkins says Lakshmi’s true power resides in integrity; the goddess cannot abide a lapse in it. False beauty exists when you are out of integrity.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Like Lakshmi, beautiful bodacious Lakshmi, whose true power, Shivani Hawkins from Living Sanskrit tells us, is in her integrity. Jack Mitchell I’ve seen people get dressed up beautifully and then go to, you know, dance and be like, oh, I’m channeling Lakshmi. And I was like, Lakshmi is integrity and dharma. Like she does not exist. That energy of Lakshmi cannot abide a moment of a lapse of integrity. If you think that Lakshmi can exist without integrity, she’s gone. Like out of all the goddesses, there is nothing sensual or beautiful available to you when you are out of integrity. It is all false. Joshua Michael Schrei Beauty is powerful, but tell me what makes that power stay, if not integrity? So Eros is met with initiation. What do you do with that power that wants to know it all, seize it all, love it all, destroy it all, and wants it now? This is why cultures everywhere have initiation rituals and deep protocols around knowledge. And while they’re still learning, pre-initiates and new acolytes do not get equal say in everything. Even in egalitarian societies, they don’t get access to everything. (Time 1:56:11)

Small and Timeless Powers

Return spirit to the center by finding small, invisible, timeless powers in a world obsessed with fast-paced, obvious power.
Acknowledge that in an infinite universe, there’s really no such thing as great and small powers.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei Oh, power, I believe it’s something about returning spirit to the center, something about finding the small powers, the invisible powers, the timeless powers, in a world obsessed With fast-paced and obvious powers. For in an infinite universe, there’s really no such thing as great and small powers. What we’ve been calling the small powers, the hummingbird powers, the pausing to acknowledge the eyes of my child powers, the whispers of right story powers. In an infinite universe, each power reverberates and ripples in the vastness forever, and therefore is infinitely powerful itself. It might sound like a cliche to say that when I pause to lovingly acknowledge my child, and for a moment we breathe together, that this is infinitely powerful. If it’s a cliché, it’s a cliché because it’s true. One moment in service of love is powerful. In fact, it’s the most powerful thing there is. Love is the most powerful of forces, because it’s most closely aligned to what the heart of this place actually is. Think of it. Think of the power. All the manufactured hatred, all the incentivized outrage can’t destroy love. But love can dissolve hatred in an instant. Have you heard, have you sung the victory song of the small powers? The song that says, love, invisible love, reigns triumphant. (Time 1:58:43)

The Power of Love

Recognizing a child’s presence is infinitely powerful and aligned with love.
Love is the most powerful force, capable of dissolving hatred instantly.

Transcript: Joshua Michael Schrei It might sound like a cliche to say that when I pause to lovingly acknowledge my child, and for a moment we breathe together, that this is infinitely powerful. If it’s a cliché, it’s a cliché because it’s true. One moment in service of love is powerful. In fact, it’s the most powerful thing there is. Love is the most powerful of forces, because it’s most closely aligned to what the heart of this place actually is. Think of it. Think of the power. All the manufactured hatred, all the incentivized outrage can’t destroy love. But love can dissolve hatred in an instant. Have you heard, have you sung the victory song of the small powers? The song that says, love, invisible love, reigns triumphant. And the last shall be first, and the small shall rise, and the infinitesimal is inseparable from the cosmic ocean. Some pitch love and hate as equal and opposite forces on the wheel of powers, but this is wrong story. Love, as Coltrane says, love is supreme. Love is the power. And if you’re looking for a different conclusion, you’ve come to the wrong place, for this is the emerald heart of it. (Time 1:59:31)

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