Unveiling the Vibe: Navigating Human Behaviour and Spiritual Growth

I am in conversation with  Dr. Jason DelGandio where we explore the intricate dynamics of human behavior and the profound journey of spiritual growth. We discuss the underlying principles that govern our actions, reactions, and decision-making processes, from the complexities of cognitive biases to the subtle nuances of emotional intelligence. 

Our conversation took us on a transformative voyage into the realm of spiritual enlightenment, where we unlocked the secrets to raising our vibration and awakening to a higher state of consciousness. 

We delve into the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophies and the universal truths that guide our spiritual evolution. From the profound teachings of mindfulness to the transcendental experiences of self-discovery, we uncover the vibrations that shape our perceptions and behaviours. 

Whether you're seeking to understand the depths of human nature or aspiring to elevate your vibe and unlock the secrets of spiritual enlightenment, this conversation promises to inspire, enlighten, and empower you. Prepare to be illuminated on your path and ignite your inner flame of wisdom and awareness.


You can connect with Dr Jason DelGandio here: https://20minutevibe.com/

Transcript

PMD: 0:27

I'm pleased to introduce our esteemed guest today, Dr. Jason Delgandio. He's an academic luminary who's made an indelible mark on both academia and the world at large. Through philosophy, activism and social change, Jason grew up in the blue collar environs of northern New Jersey and learned the values of hard work and the gritty realities of capitalism early in life. However, it was his experiences in underground subcultures during his late teens and early twenties that sparked his passion for cultural politics and alternative modes of existence. Jason pursued a degree in philosophy with a minor in communication studies at Keen University of New Jersey. He continued his academic journey as a graduate student, where he studied the philosophy of communication and performance studies at Southern Illinois University. His doctoral dissertation was groundbreaking as it reconceptualized the human vibe as bodily emanation, a pioneering study that remains unmatched in its scope and insight and over the past two decades, Jason has been a tireless advocate for radical social change, lending his voice and expertise to movements ranging from global justice and anti war campaigns to Fair Trade Initiatives and Prison Reform. He has authored and co edited several seminal works, including Rhetoric for Radicals and Educating for Action, and has garnered acclaim for his incisive analysis and impassioned advocacy. Jason's long term projects from developing a philosophy of neo radicalism to championing social movement literacy demonstrates his unwavering commitment to challenging the status quo and envisioning a world where freedom reigns supreme. Currently, Jason serves as an Associate Professor of Instruction at Temple University in Philadelphia. His classes empower students to become agents of social change by cultivating critical thought and strategic action. Dr. Jason's life's work embodies the essence of intellectual rigor, moral courage, and visionary leadership. He is the creator of the 20 minute vibe, which is a philosophy that explores the mysteries of the human experience through the lens of the vibe. Jason's journey began in the vibrant subcultures of his youth, where he was captivated by the pulsating energy of raves, concerts, and underground parties, and this early fascination evolved into a scholarly pursuit, culminating in his groundbreaking philosophy of bodily emanation. Jason, welcome to the Transcendent Minds podcast.

JDG: 3:16

Hello, Peter. Thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it. And thank you for that very flattering and heartfelt introduction. I really appreciate it.

PMD: 3:22

You're most welcome. Jason I'm was browsing through your website, checking out some of the material which we talked about before and it's fascinating stuff. And you've got this unique approach exploring mysteries within an educational framework tailored for those who are intellectually curious and forward thinking, and you call it the 20 minute vibe and it's all about delving into the concept of vibes those intangible exchanges of energy between people in their environment and I love how you've laid it out, breaking down examples, like the mood of the crowd, the vibe of the room, the connection between friends, a memorable first date. It really hits home. My question is how do you personally interpret this idea of vibes as energy exchanges? And can you share any moments that embody this concept. I'm curious to hear your take on it.

JDG: 4:19

In terms of the basic definition of the vibe as the exchange of energy between you and the world, I pose that as the most general basic definition possible that trying to help people to conceptualize and understand their own experience of this thing that we call the vibe, right? So if you pay attention to popular culture, if you do a quick search on Google, if you just pay attention to how you speak, how your friends speak over the next week, I guarantee you'll take note of how often we talk about vibe and energy. Despite all this vibe talk though, very few people sit down and actually try to think about and conceptualize how do we explain this, how do we define this, how do we interpret and understand this, etc. All right, and so what I'm trying to help people understand their experience and turn a feeling into an idea. In other words, how might we help each other be more articulate about our experience of the vibe, right? And if we do that, I think it'll help us think more deeply about human experience and also feel more deeply in terms of our interactions with each other on a daily basis. Now, in terms of examples of the vibe I'll back up for a second. In my early days, back in my late teens, early twenties, involved with various music scenes, dance scenes, subcultures and whatnot, it was more of the ecstatic experience that kind of grabbed my attention. So this collective phenomenon that we're all experiencing together in this moment and that how enthralling that is. Over time, as I matured, I realized it's not just during ecstatic experiences rather, there's always some kind of vibe. It's about learning how to tap into and attend to that experience. For instance, as you said on our first date, that's definitely a vibe whether it's a good vibe or a bad vibe, you can feel that, and I think that's part of the way we might evaluate how well the first date went. It could be at a work meeting with your colleagues, whether or not the meeting is going well or not going well, and the energy that's circulating in the room, and how that energy is informing your experience of the moment. Or perhaps hiking through the forest, or sitting at the beach and listening to the ocean. There's always some kind of mood, some type of affective experience, or some type of vibe. And as an intellectual, I take it upon myself to help people articulate that experience.

PMD: 6:11

The decision to name the platform the 20 minute vibe stems from a recognition I believe is that modern life is a whirlwind of time constraints and endless to do lists. Some people are juggling so much these days that lengthy study sessions or deep dives into practices. are simply not feasible for most people. And that's where the 20 minute vibe comes in. And I see that you wanted to make the content as accessible and doable as possible, even for the busiest of individuals, whether it's a quick five minute read or engaging in a 10 minute video or more in depth, 60 minute class. The 20 minute vibe seems to say that we have you covered with bite-sized doses of vibe related content, and it's all about fitting into your schedule and making sure you can catch a vibe no matter how packed your day is. How do you believe the format of the 20 Minute Vibe with its focus on concise and accessible content, addresses the time constraint and demands of modern life?

JDG: 7:27

If we think about modern day civilization, at least within, let's say, western civilization and whatnot particularly in America, but I'm assuming also, in European countries as well it's very fast paced, we're always on our phones, our attention is always going somewhere else we have jobs, we have bills, mortgages, kids to take care of and because of the modern day constraints on our lives, we don't have a lot of time to pursue self interest, self development, self improvement, philosophical ideas, right? And given my interests, and I've been studying this now for almost 30 years, how can I share my knowledge with people in a way that's very accessible and doesn't put a big time constraint on them? So the reason why it's called 20 Minute Vibe, as you were saying, is that it's really just a general term in the sense of How might you think about and experience the vibe in short chunks of time on a daily basis? Then, as you do that for a couple of weeks or a couple of months, perhaps you spend a little bit more time, then a little bit more time, and then it becomes more of a habit where you're thinking about the vibe, talking about the vibe, experiencing the vibe in a way to enrich your daily living.

PMD: 8:27

How might this approach enhance one's ability to engage with and integrate the teachings of the 20 Minute Vibe into one's daily routine?

JDG: 8:38

If by chance you spend the next few days spending just a few minutes a day thinking about this vibe, like I said earlier, you'll start to realize that the vibe is everywhere, right? In terms of how people talk about their experience, in terms of your own experience, in terms of the exchange of energy or the mood of a room or a particular person you meet, so let's say yesterday you read an essay or watch a short video. Then the next day you're in the grocery store and you have a simple exchange between you and the cashier, right? Perhaps that essay or that video helps you understand this exchange of energy or this vibrational dialogue between you and yourself, right? And that's a concrete experience you can take away with and think about that and further develop that in your own life.

PMD: 9:18

I see it can empower individuals to connect with themselves and others on a much deeper level, which can foster a greater self awareness and empathy and authentic relationships. How do you envision using the content provided by the 20 minute vibe to enhance one's ability to articulate and communicate their experiences of the vibe?

JDG: 9:43

I don't know for sure, but I would assume that for most people the word vibes just a catchphrase, right? We use it to explain anything from emotion to intuition to the color scheme of curtains to the brunch I had on sunday, whatever the case may be. And i'm trying to push people say I understand why you might use this term It's an easy term. It's a popular term, but I don't think there'd be millions and millions of people referring to this vibe on a daily basis if there wasn't something deeper there. So then how might I help you to understand your experience in terms of this thing that we call the vibe, right? And in doing so, you'll take notice of how subtle it is, but also how prominent this thing is, then you'll develop your ability to actually start to use the vibe. So how might I learn to project a vibe in a certain kind of way at a certain kind of time to achieve a certain kind of goal? Maybe it's during a job interview, or again on a first date, perhaps my interaction with my children or my parents, right? Understanding the vibe is a dynamic phenomenon that perpetually exists in our lives, and cultivating that ability. Now, having said all of that, I am in no way the first person to address this. There are long traditions throughout most civilizations, most cultures going back the beginning of time, thousands of years. The question is, how might we update that, though, for modern day society and push forward that agenda, each day little by little. If we go back to the definition of the exchange of energy between you and the world, right? My first question is, what is the nature of this energy? For instance, is it physical or metaphysical? Is it material or immaterial? Is it spiritual or scientific? Or perhaps it's all these things at the same time, and rather than trying to, and I leave this as an open ended question, because I'm trying to avoid positing a certain paradigm. Because once you posit a paradigm, now you only see the phenomenon through that lens. I'm one individual amongst eight billion people. I'm not trying to say I know everything, but instead how might we develop a collective dialogue about our different experiences and different interpretations and then together share our knowledge with each other and all of that will help us move forward in terms of understanding this thing we call the vibe.

PMD: 11:42

One of the questions that came up in me was what is the essence of the vibe unto itself?

JDG: 11:48

I don't have that answer to that. I don't either That's the question, right? That's the question. All right, so I don't know right As a human being, I am stuck in space and time, right? I'm born in the world, I live for decades, hopefully, then I pass out of the world, right? And so I'm a finite creature trying to understand this other phenomenon that precedes and exceeds my existence, right? Now, having said that though, I don't want to be depressed about that. It's more about an opportunity to explore this phenomenon, I think in our previous conversation from a few weeks back, I think we talked about mystery, right? And how the vibe really is, it's mysterious. And I don't mean that in some far out crazy way, but it's mysterious in the sense that we can never fully understand it. Nonetheless, though we can experience it and we can put words to our experience, right? And the more we think about this, the more we talk about this, perhaps the more articulate we become about explaining this thing we call the vibe. So in terms of its essential essence, I don't know. It depends on what paradigm or what tradition you want to work out of. For me though, it's the idea of trying to keep open our approach and understanding to the vibe in the biggest way possible to allow more insights to come in. I hope that makes sense..

PMD: 12:54

For me, it's about the question surviving the answer.

JDG: 12:57

Right.

PMD: 12:57

Because the symbolism of a question mark is a hook to get the next question that deepens, brings in different stratas, different layers that can start to superimpose and then we get much more of a a deeper foundation and a deeper penetration, which then gives us a better purchase on what the relief of the vibe starts to look like. It's a bit like a kaleidoscope, when you look through there's diversity in there but it's still a kaleidoscope. So the vibe is the vibe unto itself, but in terms of its energetic signature, I think it has many different forms both ethereal and material.

JDG: 13:42

Yes, I would agree which is why I posed it earlier in terms of is it physical or metaphysical, material or immaterial, etc. Now, some people might be hardcore materialists. Perhaps they don't believe in the ethereal aspects of that. Conversely, some people might be hardcore spiritualists and believe that all matter is really just a form of illusion, right? And so rather than for me choosing one side or the other, I'm like how might I understand and be sympathetic to all the sides that are having this, right? One way to think about this is that so we sit here in February of 2024, right having this conversation, but yet human beings have been talking about this phenomenon, whether they call it the vibe or not, for thousands upon thousands of years. So many ways we are participating in an ongoing historical conversation. So the question is, how might we contribute to that conversation and the collective knowledge about this vibe and this energy.

PMD: 14:30

In what ways do you believe this platform can support one in deepening their connection with themselves and with others?

JDG: 14:39

When you say platform, do you mean in terms of the podcast, in terms of the 20 minute vibe. com? What do you mean by platform?

PMD: 14:44

In terms of the 20 minute vibe. com. Sorry, I didn't give you the context.

JDG: 14:47

That's fine. Hopefully it's an inviting space that invites people to explore these ideas in a way that's non judgmental it allows people to bring their own biases I mean that positive way to their experience or to the study of the vibe, and perhaps you're going on a walk for five or ten minutes around the neighborhood get some exercise. Within that five or ten minutes. Can you attune your body to the vibe and to this energy, and so along with your physical activity now, you're also paying attention to the expression or dialogue or communicative forms of this vibe, right? So how might you work in little moments in your life, in your spare time, to think about and to feel the vibe and this energy?

PMD: 15:26

I was thinking about the concept of the vibe because it's ubiquitous as much as it is elusive, because you can find it in the words of athletes mystics and poets. It's a term you mentioned earlier, it's often used but seldom defined and your groundbreaking platform seeks to demystify this enigmatic phenomenon so we can incorporate it into our daily lives. My question is how do you personally experience it in your daily life?

JDG: 16:01

Good question. So I'm the vibe guy here, so I should have a good ready answer for you. But for me, it's almost like breathing air. For fish and water, do they know it's even happening? So for me, it's so commonplace. A lot of times I don't have to think consciously about it. Having said that, though it's in terms of how my body is reacting to other bodies, and trying to distinguish between, let's say, the vibe that I'm emanating outward, and then vibes that are coming at me. And I don't mean at me in a bad way coming towards me from other people, right? And learning to finely attune myself to these distinctions. From there though, it's really an issue of being informed, right? So when I walk into a room before anyone says anything, I can get a sense of the collective energy and collective mood in that room. Or conversely, if I'm sitting in a room and someone walks in, within the first nanosecond of them walking in, I get a sense of who they are and their personality, whether they have goodwill or illwill, etc, or simply in the first second or two of meeting anyone, right? So first impressions mean a lot, obviously. They're very impressionable, so to speak. And a lot of times our vibe precedes and exceeds our physical presence or our speech, right? So it's an issue of how might you as an individual, but also how might we as a collective, develop this ability to communicate through vibes, through energy, to attune ourselves to this larger phenomenon that's feeds into and is part of intuition, but it's not exactly the same. So in my mind, your intuition is really about your subconscious mind being in touch with its environment. And from there, understanding things that are happening prior to your conscious articulation. The vibe, though, is similar to that, but not exactly the same. I think of the vibe as being on the outside of our bodies. Something happens between our bodies. As opposed to inside my subconscious. Again, it's all very abstract. I apologize. Hopefully it'll make sense.

PMD: 17:49

It's absolutely fine. You can get as abstract as you like. Part of the deal is that people often crave clear cut definitions like an archeologist delicately brushing away layers too on earth something intriguing. So instead of rushing to pin things down, I think it's cool actually, to just hang out with the mystery and be curious about it. And for me, that's where the real adventure begins. So I've been mulling over some thoughts of my own on this which I'll gladly share in a bit.. But for me, the vibes are like the sort of funky dance of energy. A super basic way to describe the dynamic exchange between ourselves and the world around us. And you mentioned being in a room and feeling the vibe of the crowd soaking in the atmosphere. It's that intangible yet palpable essence, but it's not just confined to physical spaces because I think vibes can stretch as far as the nation's collective mood or the electric connection with a friend. You think about the vibe on a memorable first date, but as for pinning down exactly what vibes are and where they come from that's a journey that's always unfolding. And I'm curious, how do you perceive vibes in different scenes or situations and what do you think their role is in shaping our experiences perceptions and interactions.

JDG: 19:24

As you were speaking, I was thinking about the different vibes of different cultures. If you travel around the world you might notice that each culture and each society has its own kind of vibe, right? And when we say that, it's hard to distinguish between, let's say, the vibe of that culture from the language, from the style of dress from the mannerisms, from the history, they are enveloped into one phenomenon, kind of two sides of the same coin, right? But think about the culture of America versus the culture of Canada versus that of France or Spain or China, Argentina, et cetera. Each locale, each culture, each collective of people, due to a variety of reasons, cultivate, emanate a different kind of energy, a different kind of vibe. From there how might that influence our daily behavior and in a lot of ways, I think the vibe is subconscious and very subtle, right? So if you think about one individual being in a society, and each society has its own vibe, where that social vibe, that collective vibe, will influence you in a certain kind of way, in terms of how you behave, how you think, how you speak, etc. So in some ways, it's helpful to be self reflective, and to be attuned to your own vibe and the vibe of others. That way you can be more in tune with your larger society. I'm trying to think of an example here. Alright, so to draw an analogy. Let's say you are a musician, and you walk out on the stage. Part of your responsibility is to attune yourself to the energy of the crowd, right? What kind of energy do they want from you? Where are they at mentally and how can you act like a maestro and cultivate that vibe in a certain kind of way, that collective vibe? The same kind of thing can be said in terms of how we live our lives on a daily basis in our societies and cultures. How might I elevate my vibe in a certain kind of way that will in some small way elevate the vibe of the people around me and my larger culture or even on a global scale?

PMD: 21:08

How do you think incorporating the study of the vibe into one's daily routine could impact one's overall well being and outlook on life?

JDG: 21:20

I think it allows you to become more mindful and attuned to the ebbs and flows of your daily living. Let's say you get into an argument, like you'd argue with a family member or your romantic partner, right? And in that exchange, there is some type of vibe that is cultivated between you. It's obviously not a very good one, it's a negative one, right? And then if you hold on to that energy though, for the next day or next week or something like that, it will really zap your energy levels, right? The question then is how do you experience the negative vibe in the moment, recognize conflict and confrontation is part of all human experience, you still love this person, and how do you let go of that negative energy and then cultivate a more positive vibe next time you have this conversation? So it's one example in terms of learning to cultivate one's ability to recognize vibes, to experience vibes, to shift your vibe or the vibe of other people, right? And again, to use the analogy of a maestro, for instance, how might you become a maestro in your daily life when it comes to the vibe? Now to do that though, some form of study and self cultivation must be necessary, right? Although one is born into the world, into a world of vibes, like anything else though, we have to learn how to articulate this, how to decipher different kinds of vibes, etc. Alright? So the 20 minute vibe my vision of helping people is how can I help you become more efficient and sufficient in articulating your experience of daily vibes and daily energies.

PMD: 22:41

I saw that you had three basic definitions for the vibe. Can you talk us through each one of those definitions? And my question is which one of these definitions resonates with you the most?

JDG: 22:54

So I don't have my website right in front of me the second but I think it's something like number one is, again, the exchange of energy between you and the world. Number two is something like an actual tangible energy that your body radiates and emanates and is felt by other bodies. And then I think the third one is something like the vibe revolves around a variety of affective experiences, affective with an A, right? Everything from mood and emotion to psychological outlook to non verbals to vocalics, the way your voice sounds, etc. I generally like all three definitions. In terms of the second one though, that was my definition I used to develop my own philosophy of the vibe back in graduate school. So in graduate school, I worked out of western philosophy, in particular out of phenomenology, which is a branch of philosophy, to reconceptualize the vibe in terms of bodily emanation. The challenge there in writing my dissertation was that within Western philosophy in terms of Plato, Socrates, Marx, Hegel, etc. You don't really see anyone studying the vibe. It doesn't happen. Like it doesn't happen, right? So I had to argue against the tradition of Western philosophy and find my own way to bring up this conversation about the vibe. Looking back, I was very young and naive and early to mid twenties. I should have also been studying Eastern philosophy and Eastern spirituality. But you live and learn here, we're all human. Having said that, going back to your question, I'm dodging your question here. I guess the second one in terms of bodily emanation, right? So that's the way that I see, understand, and experience the vibe, right? So our bodies literally emanate or radiate some kind of energy, however you want to define that energy, but some kind of energy that is a form of communication, a way of knowing, and also can act as an existential guide for moving through the world. For that last part it's really about understanding that there's a global vibe. So if each and every human body emanates a vibe, and there are bodies all across the planet, then therefore there must be a global vibe. And that global vibe though is a responsive phenomenon. In other words, we live in relationship to it. So it's not just about my body giving off a vibe and your body giving off a vibe. Rather, all of our bodies are vibing on each other all the time, and it's a collective phenomenon that's in perpetual flow. So then how do I stay in relationship to that flow, and then use that flow as a way to navigate my life on a daily basis.

PMD: 24:58

When you look at different lands, when you look at Native Americans or Aborigines there's great reverence for the land and great connection, there's a relationship to the vibe of the land. And it's really interesting that I find that what emanates from the land goes up through the nose, that emanation, which is a direct link to the circle of Willis in the brain and in terms of accents and language and rates and articulation and pitch and vibration and frequency of language I find it interesting because if I want to emmigrate to America, I'm an alien until seven years has passed or maybe until I breathe in the vibe, the emanation of the land that gets into my neurological systems and my physiological systems and then I can swear allegiance to the flag because then that becomes part of me. That vibe mutually co shapes me into the culture. Does that make sense?

JDG: 26:06

Yeah, 100%. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In terms of how long it might take, whether it's seven years or two years or 10 years, I'm not sure. But you're talking about the symbiotic relationship between you as an individual and the wider society or wider culture an ecological orientation, the idea that no single entity exists by itself, but rather it's always in relationship to its larger environment, and there is a reciprocal relationship between the individual entity and the situation, the context, the culture, the society,, and they mutually infuse one another. I really appreciate, though, the idea of that taking in this emanation or these vibes or energies through your nose, hitting your brain, but also I would say through your mouth through the sounds we hear with our ears the subtle sounds or subtle impulses of a society in terms of certain colors that are popular, certain accents certain styles of dress, the way the streets are designed, the way the buildings are designed in terms of architecture, that's all kind of having an interface and interaction with each person, which leads to this kind of collective emanation of a certain kind of vibe in terms of how long does it take me though to absorb myself into a culture that's a really interesting question.

PMD: 27:08

But are those more impressions? Because I'm thinking the emanation is material in a way, even though it's like vapor coming in, but the way it connects with the temporal aspect of the human as distinct from the impressions that we see. I guess that gets lodged in the subconscious mind.

JDG: 27:30

It's a really good question. I'd have to think more about this. So something coming into the body as opposed to impressing upon the body. That's what you're saying. Yeah. I don't disagree with the distinctions you're making. I think they're super interesting. My question would be, it's a genuine question in terms of the impression though, so our skin, I think it's the largest organ of the body, they say, right? The skin itself is like an organ. And so those impressions though, perhaps they don't enter into the actual physical body because there's a material barrier there. Those impressions though, still would have an effect though on your brain chemistry neurological makeup in the moments, right? In terms of your, your heart rates whether you're sweating or not sweating. So I don't know. I don't disagree with the distinctions. But I want to flesh it out. No pun intended. I want to flesh that out a little bit more and give different aspects of experience, so if we think of experience as a 360 degree phenomenon where it's always happening all the time Then the question is what role does the vibe play within that 360 degree experience. Some people in terms of ancient philosophies would say everything's a vibration, which I don't disagree with, right? Then in more modern times, you might say there are vibrations, but then things like you're saying are more like impressions. There's the five physical senses, et cetera. I don't have a firm answer. I don't have a firm stance on the discussion, right? I think it's all really fascinating. It's more about little tweaks and how we see it.

PMD: 28:50

Because what does the brain delete? What does it distort? What does it generalize at any given time? Because there are so many impressions that come into each one of us, and I stayed in Southern Morocco and I met the ber ber's there and I always wondered why they were nomadic. But what I found really interesting is when I look at, and this might sound a little bit off piste here, but when I look at people in prison, the environment they're in can cause them to replay the impressions maybe of the crime they committed or maybe the resolve but there's that habitual replay because of the distinct lack of impressions, whereas the nomads are moving around and they are subject to new and different impressions, and yet they're not attached to a particular place

JDG: 29:43

awesome. Yeah. I think I'm understanding what you're saying now, so why? Okay. So in terms of those who are locked up in prison it's safe to assume there's a certain kind of vibe that goes on collectively in there because of the impressions they're receiving from their very limited concrete and steel situation, contrast that with, though, nomadic peoples who are constantly outdoors constantly moving around, and it's safe to assume within that population, a different collective vibe is being generated because they don't have the same limitations. It's a very radically different experience, I think one of the things you're saying is that the impressions that we take in will then affect the vibes that we're giving off.

PMD: 30:19

Yeah.

JDG: 30:20

Yeah, 100%. There's no doubt about that, right? So if we tie this to, let's say, museums or architecture and whatnot, you walk into a famous building, a famous piece of architecture, and that impression though will influence the vibe you give off. It will also influence the vibe other people give off, and therefore there's a collective vibe happening with inside this building, or a museum, or a restaurant, or a concert hall, or a soccer stadium, whatever the case may be.

PMD: 30:45

I wonder if that becomes an affective distribution, like you can have cognitive distribution and I know we all feel things in different ways, but if you go into the Cologne Cathedral, it's beautiful and it's huge and most people will have a very similar feeling about it, whether it's awe, whether it's wonder, whether it's how long did it take to build this thing. So I wonder if there is a kind of a distribution that goes on with the vibe when it's birthed into the collective, the imagery I get in my mind is almost like a strong connected fiber between people who are visiting a museum who are visiting a cathedral, whether the vibe has that strong connected fiber, which links each other because it has a distribution quality to it.

JDG: 31:38

My quick answer is yes, right? Whether we're in, let's say a museum, for instance, a famous museum with famous works of art, etc. And since we're all going in there with a similar intention, we're all attending to similar phenomena within the environment, and like you said, we'll have a similar reaction, not exactly the same, right? And so a certain kind of collective vibe starts to emerge there, and I think that may be also part of the articulation that people talk about as they leave. So when they leave a famous museum and they review it, they talk about, Oh, it was amazing, the feeling I got. Perhaps not using the word vibe or energy, right? But the affective experience that they have is informing the collective vibe they experience while they're in there and vice versa. Again, that's very abstract, but I would say a symbiotic relationship between the vibe itself and the affectivity of our art, our daily experience.

PMD: 32:26

The question that comes up is how do you think cultural and societal factors influence our perception and interpretation of the vibe and what role do you believe individual experiences play in shaping our understanding of it?

JDG: 32:42

I would say it's both,, so I live in America. I'll talk about America. So vibe, I call it vibe talking words, reference to the vibe. It happens every day, all day long, right? But there's a real no tradition in America, no strong tradition that's really try to articulate the vibe as opposed let's say Taoism in ancient China, right? Or Yin Yang and Buddhism, things like that. There's other cultures around the world throughout time have had stronger traditions and shaping our collective understanding of the vibe. We don't really have that in American society, therefore, there's a lack of insight about the vibe which then helps us understand why for many people the vibe is a throwaway term. It's a catchphrase Then from there though individuals such as myself have had really strong experiences with the vibe that kind of calls to us it invites us to take it up and to study it to learn more about it to practice it, etc. I would like to see a society that does take a serious interest in the vibe and takes a serious interest in cultivating our understanding experience of the vibe, right? If I was to talk about my long term vision, I would say something about a future society where we have open dialogues about this phenomenon we call the vibe, and we try to understand it, we debate it have conversations like this on a regular basis, right? My guess is I'll be long gone before that ever happens, but I'm trying to provide my contribution now while I'm here.

PMD: 34:01

There's a challenge and I'm not trying to define this elusive phenomenon because I don't want to do that because I think it's a rolling ball of enigma to me in one sense. What's going on in my head about it is is it purely subjective existing solely within the realm of my personal experience, or does it possess objective qualities that transcend individual perspectives? In terms of the inherent complexities of the human energy field, if you will, do you believe the vibe is purely subjective, or do you think it has objective qualities that can be measured or quantified?

JDG: 34:44

It depends on how we want to define that, so on the one hand, I would say that the vibe does have an objective quality in the sense that we can collectively refer to it. So if we're at a concert together and we say, man, the vibe in here is great. Like we're both experiencing that and both talking about this collective thing we just experienced. Then in terms of can we measure it though, that's something else, right? Okay, so there are physical vibrations that do emanate from our bodies sound would be one of those but then there's also it's called Heart Math Institute. Yeah, I know them, And they argue that the human heart literally generates a certain kind of energy field and they have ways to measure this, right? So that's another form of energy. Then the question is is this other kind of energy ever measurable, in the spiritual sense. I don't think so. I'm open to being wrong. How would you measure that? What type of technology could we develop to measure that? And I don't know if we could. And in saying that, that's not a depressing thought. It's not a form of defeatism. It's simply recognizing that we as human beings are finite creatures, and there's only so much we can do which is not saying that though, does not dismiss the experience of this, let's say, metaphysical form of the vibe. That's why I was saying earlier, is it physical metaphysical? It depends on how you wanna see this. There are physical features of certain kinds of physical vibes. There's no doubt about that. But then if we turn our attention to the metaphysical aspect, can that be measured? I'm not sure. but I do think it's both and and again, there are certain kinds of philosophical or spiritual traditions, especially in the East, that say it is both and. It's both physical and metaphysical. They would argue that the metaphysical is primordial, that comes first, out of which all material reality emerges. Another idea just came to my head. How do you measure love? Like when you're in love with somebody, right? Think about, especially when you're younger and you first fall in love with someone, but it's a new experience for you. You know what you're feeling, right? But you're uncertain about yourself. You're not sure. Does the person love me back, et cetera? I don't know if we can scientifically measure love through a certain kind of metrics we can ask people about. We can do a survey. We can ask them about their experience. How do you know you're in love? Why do you think you're in love with the other person or vice versa? But in terms of actually measuring it in terms of a physical quantity, I don't know if that's possible. But it's still a real thing though. We know we're in love though.

PMD: 36:58

Imagine standing at the top of the Eiffel tower and someone tells you jump off you going to die and that's pretty straightforward, it's one of those universal laws we cannot argue with. And let me just tell you a short story. I once asked a lady in a workshop, a very simple question and I was really looking for examples of the unseen and we were talking about the metaphysical aspects of life. So I said to her, do you love your husband and without hesitation, she said, yes, of course I do. But then I challenged her to show me that love. Guess what she couldn't, it's not like pointing to a tangible object. It's more elusive, like the wind, you can't see it directly, but you sure can feel its effects so our perception of vibes or energy can vary depending on our perspective and it's like trying to catch a glimpse of the wind, intangible yet undeniable shaping the world around us in ways we might not always recognize. How might our understanding of the vibe change depending on our perspective?

JDG: 38:06

I actually want to go back to what you're saying just a moment ago. And can we see it? I can't see a vibe. No, I personally cannot see a vibe, right? But I can see its effects sometimes. So think of a sports team that is on a roll. They're on a hot streak and everything you do is perfect. And there's a certain kind of synchronicity that's happening between their bodies on the field or on the court, whatever sport you want to talk about. Or the same thing with a band. When a band is really jamming out and they're in the same mindset, you can see that they're in a flow state of mind. Or a well choreographed dance routine. You can see these things. And there's a certain level, again, say this, use this word of synchronicity amongst bodies, as you see this, you realize they're currently in a different reality than I'm in, and with that different reality, that reality shift, comes a certain kind of vibe with it. There's a reason why championship teams have a certain kind of energy to them. There's a reason why great bands or musicians have a certain vibe to them. They embody and evoke a certain kind of energy that is tangible. You can see it play out sometimes when they're in that flow state of mind, in the groove, when the chemistry is clicking on all cylinders, etc. So in that sense, I would say you can see the effects. You may can't see the vibe itself, but you can sometimes see the effects of the vibe.

PMD: 39:16

I feel that this is really an invitation to explore the liminal spaces where the mundane meets the mystical and the ordinary becomes extraordinary. My question is have you ever experienced a moment that defied rational explanation, leaving you with a sense of awe and wonder and if you did, how did this experience shape your perception of reality and your understanding of the vibe?

JDG: 39:43

I'm privileged enough to say that I've experienced actually multiple times through my life usually through music and dance, especially when I was younger, but even in more current times. And so there are certain moments I've experienced where collectively speaking, let's say on a dance floor at a concert where the music, the lights, the other people, the moment itself engenders a certain kind of altering or effect on your mind and perception, where you feel like time has been stopped, or at least suspended. You and the larger moment become one. In some ways, you are riding out the moment, but you're also an active participant in that moment, and so this kind of, for a lack of better words, I would say a moment of transcendence, in which you drop away the mundane and you recognize there's something more happening within my life right here and right now, and from there though, it's like the experience is so enthralling, so ecstatic, of course it sparks reflection, at least for myself, it sparks reflection. And it's what did I just experience? And how might I chase after that experience in the future? How can I cultivate a life that it seeks out that kind of experience?

PMD: 40:44

Through introspection and meditation, and contemplation because I have a meditation practice and it helps me tap into the wellspring of this energy which is a vibe that really animates my existence and cultivates a much deeper sense of harmony and balance and gets me to see things it's almost like the heart of the matter can only be seen from afar. How do you think incorporating practices such as meditation and contemplation into your daily routine could one's awareness of the vibe and deepen your connection to the world around you.

JDG: 41:25

Yeah. So for myself, I meditate almost every day. Sometimes five minutes, sometimes 30 minutes depends on how busy I'm that day. I started meditating a while back now, a few years back, when my father passed away. I was really emotionally a mess, and I had to do something, so I started to meditate, and I found that to be very helpful which is a long way of saying that, when we meditate, or develop meditative practices, it helps to clear the mind of the psychological clutter. And I would say that's one of the barriers in terms of experiencing and feeling the vibe. So if you're always up inside your head, there's a million thoughts racing around, you're not attending to your body, you're not attending to other people, you're not attending to the larger environment you're not attending to this thing we call the vibe, right? So by learning to release your psychological clutter and be more in touch on the inner side of yourself, that paradoxically has a way to help you attend to the outside of yourself. So as you quiet your mind, other phenomena come into relief that you can attend to an experience such as the vibe.

PMD: 42:22

So it's inner stability, outer equilibrium.

JDG: 42:25

Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. Great way to say it. Totally. Totally. Again, this is not necessarily new. There are traditions throughout history where people have been talking about this and practicing this. There's a reason why yoga has been happening for thousands of years. So it's the idea of how do I become attuned to my inner self, and in doing so become more attuned to the outer world?

PMD: 42:42

And this goes back to the Temple of Delphi, know thyself. Because being responsible is about self authorship. And with the vibe, we talked about being physical, metaphysical, perhaps something beyond our current understanding. I feel that by embracing the inherent uncertainty and intrigue of the vibe it opens up arenas of possibilities that allows an active genesis to new realms of exploration and discovery. How comfortable can one be with embracing the mystery of the vibe and what do you believe this openness to uncertainty can offer in terms of personal growth and understanding?

JDG: 43:25

In terms of the mystery aspect my quick reaction is life would be boring if there was no mystery. Like why are we alive? If everything's already figured out and solved, there's no point in being here, the mystery is what animates and excites being alive. That's what makes it fun, right? So when people say how do you understand the vibe? How would you define it? I always say. I'm one person. I can't really define it. It's my take on it. They're like why do you say that? That's what makes it fun. Like it's a lifetime of work. I think if an individual chooses to embrace the mystery of life, that itself is a form of personal growth, recognizing that you are here for a limited amount of time, you're one individual. But yet at the same time, though, the universe at large is mystifying, it is mysterious. It's fascinating to think about and I think if more people actually approached life in that kind of way, we'd have a better global civilization, so in at least within western philosophy, it's the idea that I stand in wonder of the world, that i'm here on this planet as I look up at the night stars look about the moon look at the sun, etc I recognize that it's all fascinating and it's an invitation to think more deeply about the world and about personal experience I think that's a certain kind of ethos or certain kind of spirits that is often missing in contemporary society.

PMD: 44:36

If I can quickly share with you, I wrote down a definition of the vibe which is the vibe is the language of the soul speaking to us through signs, symbols and synchronicities, guiding us on our journey of self discovery and evolution.

JDG: 44:52

That's awesome. Read the first part again. Read the first part again one more time.

PMD: 44:56

The vibe is the language of the soul speaking to us through signs, symbols, and synchronicities, guiding us on our journey of self discovery and evolution.

JDG: 45:06

That's awesome. I think it's great, right? And I don't think it's all that dissimilar to the three definitions I had on my website. I think it's very similar, actually, right? It's almost if you took those definitions and put them in more poetic and metaphorical language, That's what you have. So I applaud it. I think it's great, right? The language of the soul. Yeah, 100%. Instance, there's a tradition or a saying that says the God in me recognizes the God in you. Namaste. So it's the idea that regardless of if you are religious or not or spiritual or not, the idea that when I look at another human being, I recognize the person as an actual human being that is more than this current form of life this person is not an object to be exploited or to be harmed and through that kind of relationship, that kind of interaction, a certain kind of energy is evoked between us. And then from there, we go on to use signs and symbols to form words and languages and thoughts, et cetera, but yet that primordial feeling is always present between us.

PMD: 46:01

That's beautifully characterized. Where can people find you and do you have any parting words at all?

JDG: 46:08

So if they go to 20minutevibe. com, again, 20minutevibe. com, they can find some of my videos, some of my essays, I currently have two self paced video courses up there. They're short, anywhere from an hour to two hours, and they're very inexpensive. I'm trying to find a way to share my knowledge with other people and other kinds of means. They can also find me on social media in terms of Facebook and Instagram. Again 20minutevibe. And so from there, if you want to connect, follow, etc., say hello, that would be awesome.

PMD: 46:34

The journey doesn't end here. Rather it's just the beginning really. And I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for sharing your insights and your wisdom on the concept of the vibe and for inspiring us to embark on this journey of exploration and discovery and your passion, your expertise, your dedication have enriched my understanding of the vibe and its significance in my life. So thank you for being a beacon of light in the pursuit of knowledge and self awareness.

JDG: 47:04

Oh, thank you, Peter, for inviting me on your show. I really appreciate it. I enjoyed our conversation. Hopefully I'll have more conversations in the future. I'd love to come back sometime.

PMD: 47:11

I'd love to have you back.