Kind Mind

You can watch videos and access more content on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind Grace, in the deepest spiritual sense, is the spontaneous, unearned, and transformative presence of divine love. Across wisdom traditions and within sacred texts, grace is understood as not achieved by will, but recognized in surrender as the undoing of effort. It is the final confirmation that the seeker and the sought have always been one, a moment when striving ceases, and the essence of being gently reveals itself as the adornment of reality.

Join us on Patreon and access bonus content and give feedback and input for future shows: https://patreon.com/kindmind “Religious people often prefer to be right rather than compassionate,” wrote Karen Armstrong. “Often, they don’t want to give up their egotism. They want their religion to endorse their ego, their identity.” Her words reveal how easily the sacred fire of conscience can be co-opted by institutions. What begins as moral clarity can harden into moral pride. The impulse to defend Truth turns into the desire to be seen as its defender.Neuropsychologist Mario Martinez offers a biological parallel to this spiritual insight. He notes that righteous anger — the kind born from compassion and dignity — strengthens the immune system and enlivens the body. It activates the nervous system briefly and cleanly, as though sharpening the moral blade without rusting the psyche. Self-righteous anger, however, corrodes from within. Fueled by insecurity and judgment, it floods the body with stress hormones and inflammation. One fire illuminates; the other consumes.

Join us on Patreon for more content and connection! https://patreon.com/kindmind Remembering the words of Saint Francis of Assisi: where there is hatred, let me bring love.Contemplating this can reveal deeper insights to assist in reprogramming our psychological reflexes. For example, a person is never only their opinion, and every opinion has a half-life. Opinions are like clouds - appearing to be permanent at a glance. Pay more attention and one can perceive the numerous forces continuously reshaping it.Every profile picture is a doorway to an infinite interior, even for that individual. I go on uncovering and peeling layers around myself in pursuit of self-knowledge. Our task—especially in seasons of heat—is to refuse the fixation of the single facet. To meet any neighbor as more than a position is moral hygiene.Social media really strips us of our humanity and edits our our fullness. When we restore dimensions, we restore possibility: the chance that a disagreement can be a bridge, that truth can travel without cruelty, that our commonality can be a place for transformation.

Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/kindmind for more content!Pleasure is not evil. In fact, it is essential for engagement in life. But boy does the concept stir up a lot of moral baggage. Whether in a video game, a relationship, or a job, pleasure signals that something matters. It adds color, depth, texture. In a simulation, it helps the player immerse, believe, and continue the quest. Without pleasure, the avatar stands still, and the story ends. Proper understanding is essential for the spiritual seeker. Pleasure persuades us that the game is real. It encourages emotional investment, attachment to outcomes, identity with the player-character. The pain-pleasure binary forms the walls of the game. Win and feel good. Lose and feel bad. Repeat. Level up, but never wake up. The sweetness of the world or the prospect of pleasure is what makes the dream sticky. This episode investigates the construct of pleasure.

Join the Patreon community: https://patreon.com/kindmind This talk explores how kindness can also be like an outer light in the night to guide our way. It can help to remove our fear and bestow confidence in our brief soujourn, pilgrimage, or wayfaring on this Earth. Like a moral compass, there is a spiritual shift and profound insight when our actions are more motivated by kindness than desire.

Check out more on Patreon! https://patreon.com/kindmindCommunity reveals that unity is not a matter of sameness, and difference is not a sign of division. Like a forest where no two trees are identical, or notes harmonizing without losing their individual tone, the deep structure of reality is one of interdependent distinction. We don’t transcend the ego by vanishing into the crowd, nor do we affirm our essence just by standing apart. We become whole by recognizing that each life is a facet of the same jewel — reflecting the same light from a different angle. The strength of the One is in holding diversity without forcing the many to be alike.Maturity in this view means seeing the long arc of belonging — that appearances deceive, gain is not always growth, and success through unethical means is not something to envy. It means knowing that you are shaping and being shaped by others in countless unseen ways, and that your presence ripples outward beyond where your intention ends. You are neither master nor spectator, but a participant in the field of becoming. This episode can be watched on youtube:https://youtube.com/michaeltoddfink

Join the Patreon community as a paid or free member to support this show and access more content: https://patreon.com/kindmind This is a message about PRIDE, shame, and the significance of tolerance.The moral philosophy of tolerance encompasses an ecological and bi-directional understanding of human nature and societal influences. Rooted in compassion and knowledge, tolerance requires recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of every individual, irrespective of their differences. It grows from an appreciation of diversity, seeing it not as a mere fact to be endured but as a fundamental aspect of the human experience. Drawing on spiritual teachings, true tolerance involves maintaining equanimity and compassion even in the face of negativity, acknowledging that one's own balance of mind must surpass the external forces of intolerance. This philosophy transcends mere forbearance, encouraging a deeper respect for varied beliefs, orientations, and identities, fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society.(Music “Cumulonimbus” by Bing Satellites)

Kimberly joins Todd to discuss the transformative wisdom of ancient yogic philosophy for healing and success, their longtime friendship and shared spiritual journey, and her new book "The Hidden Power of the Five Hearts." Kimberly Snyder is a 3-time New York Times best-selling author, holistic wellness expert and nutritionist, international speaker and meditation teacher. She has authored six previous adult books, including Radical Beauty (co-authored by Deepak Chopra) and You Are More Than You Think You Are: Practical Enlightenment for Everyday Life. She is also the founder of Solluna, a holistic lifestyle brand that offers supplements, meditations and courses, the HeartAlign System and Meditation. Kimberly is the host of the top-rated Feel Good Podcast, which covers all aspects of holistic wellness. For more information:https://mysolluna.com

Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/kindmind Gratitude is a dimension of mindfulness because it involves purposeful attention towards what is fortunate.  It can help people to develop a deeper empathy for others, especially those who are less fortunate or face injustices.  By appreciating what one has and has access to, individuals can become sensitive to the needs and struggles around them.  This attitude of resourcefulness can foster a sense of connection, shared humanity, and expanded consciousness.  Most of all, it can generate meaning and momentum towards transformative kindness.

Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/kindmind AT 4:30 MARK LOOK UP THE MULLER-LYER IILUSION!The brain does not see the world. It does not hear the world. It does not touch the world.The brain rests in complete darkness, sealed in the cavern of the skull. What we call "sight" or "sound" or "touch" are not direct encounters with an external reality—they are internal translations. Photons strike the eyes; pressure waves ripple into ears; electron clouds in atoms repel those in the skin. These signals are converted into electrochemical patterns, The brain interprets through the prism of our psychology and assembles a model—what we call perception.The brain does not merely receive the world—it creates a "middle world" to human dimensions and drawn between atoms and galaxies, tailored to survival, memory, and narrative.This episode attempts to deconstruct the metaphysics of perception into 5 layers.

Join our community on patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind A short reflection on technology and the rise of mindfulness.

Join us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind to support this show or simply connect as free member with access to more resources.Animals have long been seen as spiritual messengers and vessels of deeper truths, guiding us through the complexities of existence with their simple yet profound ways of being. Living with pets offers a unique opportunity to engage with their lessons on an intimate level. These creatures, whether they are part of our myths or our homes, invite us to see beyond the surface of life, to embrace the essence of what it means to love, or to be loyal, or to journey through the world with grace and presence. In them, we find not just companions, but spiritual guides, gently leading us toward a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.(Music “Ultramarine” by Bing Satellites)

Come join us on Patreon! We’d love a contribution but you are also welcome to join as a free member: https://patreon.com/kindmind and access more.With the big shifts happening, it is a good time for quiet reflection and listening with one's whole heart.In communication, when we speak, we mostly share what we think we know but when it is our turn to listen there is every possibility of learning and growth.Deep listening often requires cultivating inner silence and stillness. By quieting the mind and ego, one creates space to perceive subtler layers of meaning, insight, or even divine presence.In Zen Buddhism, for example, the classic Koan of listening to the "sound of one hand clapping" symbolizes an inward journey toward understanding the unspoken truths of existence.Theologian Henri Nouwen said:"To listen is very hard because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements, or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known."

“To die each day to your certainties is to be reborn in wonder.”Join us on Patreon, for free or to contribute support to this show, and access more resources at https://patreon.com/kindmind This talk was recording on October 20, 2024 at Speakeasy Spiritual Community.We often think of life and death as opposites—life being everything, death being nothing. This understanding overlooks the matrix of existence, where life and death are interwoven. Death is often a process—gradual, transitional, and even non-final.And we experience metaphysical deaths throughout life: the death of youth, relationships, ideas, or phases of identity. In this light, we may discover the meaningful ways in which we are still dying to come alive. In social psychology, Terror Management Theory (TMT) can explain how people’s fear of death paradoxically suppresses life and collectively drives many behaviors and cultural norms. With death as the last taboo, groups may foster materialism, nationalism, or the pursuit of legacy and the upholding of social constructs as the means to symbolically "live on." Philosopher Ernest Becker’s “Denial of Death” contends that human civilization itself is largely an elaborate defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality. (Music “Slow Movement in the Light” by Ethereal Ephemera)

Join us on Patreon to stay connected, access bonus content, or support this work - https://patreon.com/kindmindThis episode examines contentment as distinct from happiness in its revelation being inward rather than outward.  Yet, the two concepts are often conflated and this contributes to the elusiveness of contentment. The more one chases, the more elusive contentment becomes.  Living in a material-oriented culture that socializes individuals towards themes of progress, production, and perfection results in endless contingencies.Hence, the price of contentment is everything and nothing. One may need to sacrifice all they were taught to believe about the meaning of life and success. On the other hand, if contentment is an inward discovery, then it is closer than anything can be.(Music selection “Breathe” by Bing Satellites)

Stay connected at https://patreon.com/kindmind Friday the 13th reminds us of the strange power that certain beliefs hold in the collective consciousness.While superstition often seems irrational in the modern world, its persistence reveals deeper metaphysical truths about how humans navigate uncertainty.

Todd talks with Marianne Williamson about the deeper lessons from the current collective shift.For more than four decades, Marianne Williamson has been a leader of spiritually progressive circles, as well as the author of 16 books, four of which have been #1 New York Times best sellers. Marianne also ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 2020 and 2024.In this episode, they reflect on the deeper lessons of this year and discuss a vision of hope for the future.You can support this work at https://patreon.com/kindmind and follow Marianne at https://marianne.com

You can support this work and join us at https://patreon.com/kindmind There is an option for free membership for those unable to contribute financially. Check out the video there from a live event last night about the coming Winter.One of the oldest words for forgiveness is kshama in Sanskrit language, which literally means “releasing time.”  This reminds me of when Lily Tomlin once said, “forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.”   And that is the real gift of forgiveness - the unbinding of ourselves to a previous moment and no longer looking for peace in the place where we think we lost it.  This episode explores again how kind this can be to ourselves.

If you would like to support this show and connect online and in-person, please join us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind Following your fear may sound counterintuitive when aspiring to a life of love and peace. Mythologist Joseph Campbell once famously quipped, "follow your bliss," which sounds much safer. However, it can also be true that fear will not stop following you until it is acknowledged, healed, or transcended. Avoiding the triggers of insecurity can amount to a long detour on the path of awakening and authenticity. Campbell also wrote, "the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." This is where mindfully walking the labyrinth of our fears to the center of our being and back matters. There are many different types of fear but psychologist Karl Albrecht believes that they can be categorized and fit into a hierarchy or “feararchy.” Nonetheless, philosophers like Jiddu Krishnmurti asserted that these are still only the branches of one tree of fear and implored seekers to cut it down at the root. On an evolutionary level, our instincts associated with worry are predominantly codes for responding to a long-gone world. Most of the ancient imminent threats like predators, storms and enemies have been replaced by longform health complexities like addiction, obesity, or loneliness. This episode explores how to deconstruct fear and anxiety to live more whole-heartedly.(Music “To New Beginnings” by Bing Satellites)

Join us on Patreon! https://patreon.com/kindmind At the core of personality disorders lies a paradox—the functional yet ultimately detrimental nature of behaviors that originally develop as coping mechanisms in the wake of trauma. Individuals with paranoid personality disorder may misinterpret innocuous comments as malicious, while those with borderline personality disorder might see abandonment in routine separations. Cultural norms define the thresholds of acceptable behavior and influence both the diagnosis and stigmatization of personality traits. Personality disorders, as both shadows and mirrors, reveal the limitations of our current psychiatric paradigms and the profound impact of sociocultural forces on individual psychology and the development of "personality."