The April Collection

On Coherence, Psychedelic Evangelism, Ólafur Arnalds, Marvel Movies, Steve Martin & More

Apr 28, 2024

A recent review of The Way Home, available now:

Ben Katt tells us his own story like we are sharing a meal with a wise, long-time friend, catching up after a couple of years. With a rare combination of wisdom, humor, and the journey of a fellow traveler, we learn how an ancient way of questing and living holds possibility for each of us. We walk alongside Ben's hero's journey with easy footholds, even in the steepest part of the climb.

Welcome to all of our new STILL subscribers!

However you’ve found your way here, I’m so glad you’ve made it. I would love to hear from you and what brings you around, so feel free to message me or drop in to the comments. Here’s a little more about me, and just know that this place is in flux, and I’ll be sharing more about that soon.

In the meantime, welcome to the monthly “collection” edition of this newsletter.

Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I’ve been thinking about the idea of coherence lately. About the distinct parts of something being joined together. More specifically, about holding together the different elements of… who I am.

I’m not so much referring to wholeness—a big part of my journey in The Way Home—which I see as the ongoing process of welcoming home all the various parts of ourselves. The broken and beautiful, small and surviving, stagnant and dynamic, and on and on.

With coherence I’m getting after the question of how to bring forward the various projects, interests, themes, relationships, characteristics, etc. of who I am into spaces like this. After all, this is my space (hmm, that would be an interesting name for a social media site…).

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If I’m not sounding coherent here, then perhaps it is helpful to describe the opposite. There is a tendency to limit ourselves to a one-line profile bio. To brand ourselves to death. To present ourselves in the online world as this person who always acts this one way and only talks about this one thing. No thanks. I’m growing and expanding.

As my friend Nico reminded me the other day, “You are multi-dimensional."

You are too.

Which leads me to why I love these end-of-the-month collections. It is a place where I get to share a spectrum of things with you. And by sharing my diverse interests with you, I get to push back against the forces that want to confine me—or any of us, for that matter—to one dimension!

So scroll on and see if there is something that captures your curiosity!

1. HOLD ON - A Podcast

The story of the highest stakes hold music in the universe, the three men who created suicide prevention and the two women trying to fix it.

Radiolab used to be my go-to podcast. But since there are a gazillion podcasts these days, I lost touch with it. But a friend recently passed this episode on to me (not knowing that one of my favorite musicians S. Carey makes surprise and beautiful appearance at the end of it).

2. UNLOCKED - A Book

A world-renowned psychologist and mindfulness performance expert who has helped superstars such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant transform their careers, offers proven strategies for unleashing our innate strengths, avoiding burnout, and discovering enduring success.

I enjoyed Unlocked: Embrace Your Greatness, Find the Flow, Discover Success by mindfulness expert George Mumford (who appeared on the Joseph Campbell Foundation’s The Podcast with A Thousand Faces a few months before my recent conversation).

3. STEVE MARTIN - A Documentary

Apple TV released a two-part documentary series on comedian and actor Steve Martin. I prefer the second part, probably because it covers the movies he made, of which there are many that I love. One of my favorite movies is Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, which places Steve Martin opposite deceased comedic legend John Candy. This touching clip from the documentary captures Martin talking about working with his departed friend.

@buzznthetower #stevemartin #johncandy #movies #buzznthetower #80s #planestrainsandautomobiles

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4. LIVE FROM HAFURSEY - Live Music

Ólafur Arnalds is in the acknowledgements section of my book because his music was often the soundtrack of my writing. This live performance filmed in Iceland is stunning, both musically and visually.

5. MISSION DEEP SEA - A Card Game

I want to play more board games and card games. I bought Mission Deep Sea at Christmas for our family because I had heard good things about it, particularly that it is a collaborative game, so you’re not creating an environment that pits the members of your family against each other and leads to arguments—ha!

Unfortunately, it sat unopened in the box for over a month, until my friend Nico (who is a gamer) visited. I pulled it out and, of course, he had already played it. Which was great because it is always easier to learn a game when someone in the group has already played it.

6. MARVELIZATION - A Cinematic Analysis

I mention a bunch of Marvel movies in The Way Home. And it’s also no secret that I don’t think Marvel movies and shows are good anymore. I’m not alone. For an in depth look at this and the negative impact of Marvel movies on other movies, check out this somewhat philosophical analysis.

7. THE PSYCHEDELIC EVANGELIST - An Article

A Johns Hopkins scientist was known for rigorous studies of psychedelics. Was he a true believer?

The New York Times article The Psychedelic Evangelist gives us a glimpse into the tension between science and spirituality in the world of psychedelic research.

Dr. Richards rejected such criticism. Psychedelic drugs, he said, open a state of consciousness that allows for religious experiences.
“The Buddha, if you will, is in the human mind,” he said. “Whether there is a statue in the room or not doesn’t matter.”