Future Joy - Episode #7
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The journey to the heart of joy is a quest that spans all of time and reaches the depths of the soul. Ten to sixteen million years ago, laughter first emerged from the womb of our last common ancestor. By the late 17th century, the French, with their poetic sensibilities, bequeathed us the term "joie," infusing language with this elusive essence.
Joy is no ordinary experience. It is both a virtue and a revelation—an expression that radiates and transcends the barriers we erect around ourselves. Psychotherapists link it with connection and empathy, revealing it as a force that binds us together in shared humanity. Mystics describe joy as a return to our home—the human heart.
Joy is as paradoxical as it is profound, simple and mysterious, elusive yet ever-present, natural yet celebrated. It can appear in a heartbeat as a moment of grace that springs from the dance of action, thought, and emotion. Across time, people have considered the question: Can life be truly meaningful without it?
In 1912, a German scientist’s alchemical pursuit, revealed a molecule that some believes is “the molecule of our time,” MDMA. This discovery opened a portal into the neurochemistry of joy, a symphony of reductions and activations in areas of the brain that allow joy to come forward.
In this episode, we explore joy through the stories of pied pipers who guide us to joy. We’ll hear wisdom from a teacher of laughter who illuminates the lightness of being, delve into the mechanics of joy as understood by modern psychotherapy, and investigate the neurochemical map of MDMA. Join us as we uncover how these elements converge, offering a deeper understanding and expression of the joy available to us.
This episode contains an invitation to a wedding, we hope to see you there! Invitation and Wedding Invite & RSVP
Interviews
Urana Jackson is a space holder, healing justice practitioner, and psychotherapist. She has worked in community-based mental health for over 25 years, and most recently oversaw the mental health programming for middle schools in Oakland Unified School District. She was an instructor of Restorative Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law (Summer Legal Fellowship Program). Urana is the published author of Girls Rising (Parallax Press, 2015) and the creator of “Ancestor’s Keeper,” a curriculum for adolescent youth surrounding racial trauma and healing. In 2006 Urana was initiated in the Isese/ Ifa spiritual tradition, an African spiritual tradition dating back approx. eight thousand years and has diasporic iterations throughout the world. Urana is also the creator of a psycho-spiritual therapeutic modality called Safe House Seven which integrates various western therapeutic modalities, Isese spiritual technologies and plant medicine.
Future Joy
Future Joy is a Future-Funk hybrid duo hailing from wherever their mobile RV stage is parked. Emily Cooper & Zach Simms travel the country playing shows and connecting all the cities in between and beyond. Blending elements of funk, house, bass, pop, drum and bass, hip-hop, techno, jazz, dubstep and more; Future Joy takes the listener on a joyous adventure with no musical boundaries. Both artists DJ, sing, and play keyboard while Zach shreds tenor, baritone, and bass saxophones in the key of fun. They’ve performed at festivals such as Hulaween, Resonate, Brainquility, Elements, Secret Dreams, Rekinection, Love Burn, and more. They’ve also been direct support for The Polish Ambassador, Manic Focus, Marvel Years, Jason Hann’s League of Sound Disciples, The Magic Beans, Jason Leech, and Megan Hamilton. Everybody needs fun in their life and if you attend one of their shows your future will be filled with joy. You can’t have FUNk without the fun and Future Joy is a funky good time.
Laraaji
Born Edward Larry Gordon, Laraaji is a musician, mystic, and laughter guide. He studied music composition at Howard University before pursuing a career in stand-up comedy and acting in New York City. His studies in Eastern mysticism led him to the zither, which he acquired from a local pawn shop and converted into an electronic instrument. In NYC, he performed on the streets and in parks, often favoring a corner of Washington Square Park. An encounter with Brian Eno there led to a collaboration on Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, the third installment of Eno's Ambient series. Laraaji went on to lead meditation groups and study with gurus such as Swami Satchidananda and Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. He founded Laughter Meditation Workshops, which he continues to present worldwide. His album Segue to Infinity was released in 2023 and was named “The Best Re-release” by Pitchfork, cementing his status as one of the most prominent Ambient and New Age artists of all time.