Protect Your Noggin

25/09/2023

Stacie and I catch you up on their happenings trying to make it work in a city they dig, but navigating the financial implications of seeking freedom.

How might working with the gig economy factor into the pursuit of happiness and freedom? What are the similarities and differences between the Aristotelian tradition on happiness and that of Lao Tzu?

17/08/2023

Our latest episode is about finding your literal and metaphorical voice and we are joined by an amazing emerging musician: Jenna, who recently released a cool new single: "Trigger."

Singer and songwriter Jenna joins us to discuss finding one's voice and addressing life traumas with the healing medicine of music. We share her newly released single "Trigger" which is now available online.

31/07/2023

www.protectyournoggin.org/podcast/the-warrior-two-parts

The warrior archetype and why peace loving people might need to be ready to be more engaged on behalf of vulnerable groups in our precarious times. Part one is a general discussion of the theme and what the Tao Te Ching teaches about engagement with an enemy. Part two surveys some current events tha

05/06/2023

www.protectyournoggin.org/podcast/spiritual-anarchist-poetry

A discussion of some of Jeff’s recent poetry related to the ways in which spirituality can influence ideas about political freedom and unpacking authoritarian ideology can help understand the ways in which religion can endorse and prop up unjust systems.

01/06/2023

Join us as we talk on our latest episode with poet, rapper and singer Micah Bournes as we talk about the long term compromises in the history of Christian colleges and the concept of abolition of our current police and prison systems.

Micah Bournes is a poet, rapper, singer and speaker. He stopped by our place to perform a house show along the route of his Simple Dreams Tour. For this episode, we first discuss the history of Moody Bible Institute’s compromises related to race. This serves as a microcosm of a problem found throu...

29/05/2023

Thanks to for introducing us and our friends to .wav. We are grateful for the musical healing magic that resonates still through our home. Stay tuned for the upcoming Protect Your Noggin pod where Jenna shares about finding your voice, trusting your body, and listening to deep reality.

28/05/2023

If you want to play a game of cards with two pets and two hominids you should check out a card game called golf.

25/05/2023

This is not a paid endorsement. This is Jeff sharing happy medicine made with oysters and his beloved of fermented Fresno chilis and local to

19/05/2023

A groovy student poster from this week.

16/05/2023

Jeff and Stacie reflect on the immigration crisis as a manifestation of greater global issues that all people of good will must confront.

Reflecting in the wake of a wave of border traffic, Jeff and Stacie explore how what's going on at the US's southern border illustrates a global sickness that will continue to lead to immigration and refugee crises around the world. Couple capitalism with climate change and we can only expect more h

07/05/2023

A show about mystical wandering through your local landscape.

The path. The way. The journey. Such concepts shift our focus from dogma and religious hierarchies, which helps us get out of the way of the way (tao). Behind all of this is a discussion of Guy Debord, the Situationists,the dérive, and psychogeography. We explore meditation through wandering and wa...

01/05/2023

Our pal Heather is at it again with another release as Sophia Streams feat. MacKenzie and Anilee List.

Album · 2023 · 1 Song

28/04/2023

DATES & DETAILS! “Simple Dreams” Tour starts next week! If you in San Diego, OC, LB or LA, come see me and Conner Cherland do our thing! If you in the Bay Area or the North West, me and jenna. coming your way in a couple weeks! Bring a friend. Don’t miss it! Gonna be dope.

28/04/2023

Naturalness, minimalism, and mindfulness with raw materials. https://www.protectyournoggin.org/podcast/natural-wood

The importance of natural wood (also rendered as the uncarved block) and undyed or unbleached silk for aesthetics and mindfulness techniques in the ancient Taoist tradition. What does this have to say for meditation practices within our modern anxieties, clothing, and values? It may seem too simple,

25/04/2023

This week's show is about the importance of defending freedom from authoritarianism in alongside other issues related to tensions between , and brothers and sisters in what a colleague once described as the "overpromised land".

A look at the over-promised land: political turmoil surrounding Benjamin Netanyahu, American attitudes about Israel and Palestine, Dispensationalism, and Orthodox services in the Holy Land.

19/04/2023

Shoot us a note if you want to join us for a free house show with Micah and Jenna. BYOB and bring your own positive energy. Shoot us a note if your coming.

19/04/2023

We've got some Taosurfers and Protect Your Noggin gear available at the Taosurfers' site. We don't make too much off these but you might dig wearing these and representing the grooviness that we seek to cultivate together. https://www.taosurfers.com/merch

15/04/2023

Why does the invasion of matter? How does the history of religion and intersect with this question? How does this relate to the persecution of people in the US?

Why does the invasion of Ukraine matter? How does the history of religion and anarchism intersect with this question? How does this relate to the persecution of trans people in the US? How ought we confront seemingly endless threats to liberty in our world? We discuss these and other currently-relev

15/04/2023

I'm going on tour! If you're in the west coast, I might be coming to a city near you! It's also not too late to add a few dates (especially if you're in Seattle) and wanna host an intimate night of poetry and music in your living room or small business

03/04/2023

We examine the significance of the symbol of a twisted tree described in the Taoist text known as the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) and a related set of stories about deformed sages. This is a discussion about recognizing the beauty and intrinsic value of things and people who might seem unimportant at first glance. It’s also a conversation about why we shouldn’t trust in the wisdom of people, institutions, and political ideologies who despise those with disabilities.

We examine the significance of the symbol of a twisted tree described in the Taoist text known as the Zhuangzi (Chiang Tzu) and a related set of stories about deformed sages. This is a discussion about recognizing the beauty and intrinsic value of things and people who might seem unimportant at firs

17/03/2023

15/03/2023

Getting weirder all the time. This week we explore the idea of personal transformation through a look at moments in the history of alchemy, both Western and Eastern. We find that if you take your tradition too literally, you might literally die. Jeff starts out with a bit of the backstory, then Sydnie and Stacie Mallinson join in to riff on what this might mean for everything we take into our minds and bodies.

We discuss the concept of the inner alchemist, which is a metaphor for the process of spiritual transformation. First, Jeff sets up the conversation with some historical background about failed Western alchemists like Anna Maria Zieglerin (1550-75) and the demise of Chinese emperors who drank what t

01/03/2023

Proof of the pudding is in the eating. In other words, sometimes we need to step aside from dogmatic LARPing and ask whether or not the ideologies, doctrines, relationships and systems in which we find ourselves are good for us. From that vantage point, we can also taste and see what is indeed good.

Casual reflections on Jesus’ statement that is roughly the equivalent of the adage “the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” the nature of the Jerusalem community under Jesus’ brother James, and resonant themes in the Tao Te Ching. We meander a bit, so if you want something to the point, ...

19/02/2023

Our latest podcast episode is about what it's like to be , which overlaps with experiences but has its own peculiarities.

A discussion of what it’s like to deconstruct conservative Lutheranism. Lutherans tend to be a decade behind trends in American evangelicalism. Perhaps, therefore, it isn’t surprising that there isn’t as much public discourse among folks as there is for those who describe themselve...

17/02/2023

I didn’t make this but I like sitting here with the crew and pup.

16/02/2023

03/02/2023

We get tipsy and discuss a spooky night we had at the family home and all the wild and whimsical theories as to a mystery that we faced. It's a peak into our evening, casual conversation and a reflection on facing existential dread with humor.

Jeff, Stacie, and Sydnie sit down with some old timey English ales after a long day’s work to solve a recent family mystery that intersects with a recent urban legend. Enjoy this peak into the whimsical, witchy and mystical conversations that tend to happen on tipsy evenings at the family’s old ...

03/02/2023

A poem Jeff and Stacie wrote about religious and fear of perpetrated by in our lives. Check out the text of this at taosurfers.com for an added video from Michael Purpura that documents wisdom from the actual Crenshaw Cowboy aka Lovell Moore.

28/01/2023

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