“I can’t believe it” Luke Skywalker

Good afternoon & Welcome back to the newsletter.

I appreciate you being here so very much. And I understand your attention is valuable.

So I'm gonna hop right in today, with the most mind-blowing interview I’ve heard in a long time.

Aubrey Marcus is an author, entrepreneur, and in my opinion— one of the most skilled interviewers out there right now.

Robert Edward Grant is a modern-day polymath— an inventor, artist, TV host, and founder of several companies. Having lived in nine countries, Robert comes with a wide range of experiences & interests— including healthcare, mathematics, pharmaceuticals, and technology.

His new show on Gaia (the educational/spiritual Netflix) is called Code X, and it explores the “divine mathematical proportions to explore the nature of our universe.” I have yet to watch, but definitely am excited to tune in soon.

Together, Aubrey and Robert cover a captivating blend of topics such as:

• Systems Change in the Aquarian Renaissance

• How to Operate Your Brain

• Heart-Brain Consciousness

• And the Reality-Expanding Secrets of the Ancient Pyramids

It’s one of the best conversations I’ve heard from either of them and it’s just over two hours in length. So, I’ll give you a high-level summary of what really stood out to me, as well as the Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast links 🎧

Tap In— this fruit is worth the squeeze 🍋✨

Systems Change in the Aquarian Renaissance:

Hearing two philosophers discuss systems change is always fascinating for me because frankly, that’s what it feels like society needs most right now— a complete re-imagination & reconstruction of the systems that we exist within.

It’s tough to know where to begin, as so many of our systems have so many fundamental problems, including:

• An education system that focuses on memorization & specialization over true learning.

• A healthcare system that is centered around profitable treatments rather than long-term prevention and healing.

• A political system that is fueled by power & groupthink instead of actual social change.

These systems are old, outdated, and to be honest— were constructed by a bunch of emotionally-damaged white dudes over two hundred years ago. Just a bit has changed between the nation’s birth and now— don’t you think? Maybe, it’s time we reevaluate.

Here’s an illustrative point that Robert mentions in the interview:

The Government decides “what is lawful and what is not lawful.”

Our Universities determine “what is truth and what is not truthful.”

And Religion regulates “what is moral or immoral.”

To use Robert’s words, these “all have become self-ambiguous and actually diminish individuals’ self-sovereignty in being able to determine those things for themselves.”

Meaning— when we’re told what to think, it's easy & comfortable in the short term, but ultimately, it's straight-up dangerous in the long term because we lose the ability to think critically & responsibly.

So a few questions for you:

What are my biggest beliefs and how did I come to believe those things?

How might we reimagine the systems we exist in?

Which system do you feel has the biggest opportunity for improvement in the future? Why?

How to Operate Your Brain:

Growing up, I used to think that brains worked like computers. The more information we put in, the more knowledge we would accumulate, and the smarter we would become.

Turns out, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our brains are FAR more complex than that and their function depends on a wide range of factors— such as epigenetics, genetic predispositions, and lived experiences.

Robert compares our brains to “radio receivers” or “antennas.”

Unlike computer hard drives, their storage capacity is not fixed, but rather is dependent on the signal that we develop. Our brains function in proportion to the connections that we cultivate over time— also know as neuro-plasticity.

He suggests that the key to tuning the brain’s signal is “getting to learn a little bit about everything. A broad perspective. And in order to do that you have to open up your mind to seeing and feeling other people’s viewpoints and perspectives.”

Similarly, if I’m having trouble in one domain of life, I practice “moving laterally” and focus on another topic for a period of time.

For example, when I take break from work to play guitar, I can return with new insights and/or deeper understanding.

Variety, not specialization, is often the key to problem-solving & innovation.

Heart-Brain Consciousness:

Also referred to as Heart-Brain Coherence, this state represents a union of mind and body. For your reading, it might might be understood as a feeling of harmony or flow, according to this article (that explains the concept quite well).

“Coherence is the state when the heart, mind, and emotions are in energetic alignment and cooperation,” says HeartMath Institute Research Director Dr. Rollin McCraty. “It is a state that builds resiliency—personal energy is accumulated, not wasted—leaving more energy to manifest intentions and harmonious outcomes.”

In the conversation, Robert shares that Heart-Brain Consciousness is an ancient idea, represented in Buddhism as “Diamond level consciousness,“ and achieved during a state of Full Love & Acceptance of Life & Self.

While some of these concepts might seem a bit far out there for our common understandings, they’re just starting to be studied in the clinical & scientific settings.

For example, here are the Results From a Year-long Practice of Coherence Healing administered by Dr. Joe Dispenza, summarized below.

These results are pretty mind-boggling, and I am just starting to learn about these states of consciousness, so I'd encourage you to read the article above if it sparks your interest.

Reality-Expanding Secrets of the Ancient Pyramids:

This was the section of the podcast that really opened my mind to what’s out there. (And how little we actually know).

As a child, I figured that the pyramids were constructed by some greedy ruler, simply looking to expand his power and build something that was cool to look every day.

Truth is— the Pyramids are actually a container of ancient wisdom, constructed to perfection.

Meaning, they incorporate numerous universal constants, including light and time references, as Robert explains in the podcast around 1:49:50.

Let’s break it down with the examples he shares in the conversation.

The exact latitude of the the sarcophagus in the King’s Chamber of the great pyramid is 29.9792.458 degrees.

That’s the speed of light. 299,792,458 m/s.

Pyramid, quite literally means “the mean of light.” (Pyro, the Greek root for fire + Mid, middle”)

Pretty wild, right? Here’s where it gets crazier.

The longitude of the same sarcophagus is 31.1342 degrees.

Degrees usually pertain to circles, so let’s divide that by 360.

31.1342 / 360 = .0864

There’s 86,400 seconds in every day and the Sun’s diameter is 864,000 miles

These facts are an incredible reminder that patterns are everywhere— numeral, seasonal, emotional, and so many more.

So another question for consideration: What other patterns might we be overlooking?

Other Dope Quote & Ideas:

“When the head thinks and the heart feels, the river of wisdom flows.”

“We are the universe observing itself.”

“The one divided itself into many. For the joy of becoming one again.” Vedic Scripture

“If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the new stand side by side, and admit of being compared; when the energies of all men are searched by fear and by hope; when the historic glories of the old, can be compensated by the rich possibilities of the new era? This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now— to circle back on the Yoda quote that titled this newsletter…

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how our perceptions and impacts our reality.

What we believe, quite literally, shapes what we experience.

Personally, these past couple months have been pretty challenging. On one hand, because I’ve been working two (essentially) full-time jobs at the same time, but probably more so, because I told myself (& others) that this would be a difficult summer.

“No matter what happens to us— it can be the best experience or worst experience— it really comes down to our choice,” says Robert Edward Grant.

In between long work hours and the start of marathon training, the past two months have been not-so-glamorous process of:

Unraveling my social conditionings, Unlearning my patterned responses, Rewriting my stories of what I deserve, and Reimagining ideas of what is possible.

It's been an absolute journey and if you're still reading, I appreciate the shit out of you.

Let me know what you think of the new format and some of these big ideas.

This conversation both echoed & challenged a lot of my beliefs, so I imagine it likely did for you as well.

I’d love to hear what came up for you, if you feel called. I always love hearing from you.

Hope you have an incredible rest of your week.

With love & gratitude,

Aidan