Beaunity Newsletter #8

To articulate Unity, again scientifically, let’s turn to our genetic history with Spencer Wells this week.

Geneticists look at the history of our DNA to capture answers to questions about where we all sprung from. Spencer takes a shot at identifying how and why we are so incredibly diverse, and then traces every one of us to our (human) source.

When i say we are all One,  i mean this both literally and figuratively. i came to this through many direct experiences i’ve had in this very lifetime. These, among other energetic and consciousness related phenomena, are the topic of my upcoming book, finding the Beauty way.

This week’s video share, however, highlights Spencer Wells’ take on matter by tracing our DNA: “if we take all the DNA out of every cell of our bodies and stretch it end to end, it would reach the moon and back thousands of times.” That’s a lot of data!

Turns out we share two common parents; but not like the Adam and Eve story might suggest exactly. Our mitochondrial DNA on the x-chromosome, the feminine line, came from one African woman (Eve?!) about 200,000 years ago. And it wasn’t until 60,000 ago, or 140,000 later, that one African man (Adam?!) gave rise to the origin of our y chromosome DNA, the masculine line, we find today. These two DNA strands from Eve and then eventually Adam, can be found in every single one of us. Every human today traces back to these parents.

It’s stunningly beautiful how much diversity there is on our planet. Across so many races, cultures and places. It’s easy to see what makes everyone different and unique. Because of this, it’s also so easy to divide. To fear. Perhaps when we find ourselves at odds, in conflict with another, it would be comforting to remind ourselves that even families fight, and that’s okay as long as there is also repair. At the end of the day, DNA’s story says that we all came from the same family. Maybe one day we’ll even find that fish that walked to shore.

20 minutes well spent through the link in the image above. Enjoy!

Grateful to by big sister, Nikki, for flagging this video for me. Love you!

i’m curating a list of perfect 10 records on my website. Click the link on the image and see those i believe you can play from start to finish. This library will grow. The first of its kind on the web. Musical masterpieces that, for their time, i feel were created from Source and also moved music forward.

This week’s nod goes to an album that has effectively no precedent. Nothing sounds like Sigur Ros. And i have yet to be pointed to anything that sounds like them since. Ágætis Byrjun is ripe with so much beauty; not the least of which this mystical language being sung so transcendently. So much has already been written about this album. So i’ll just say this…

i’ve been lucky enough to see the live twice. One of the best live shows going and they’re still alive and touring today. Don’t miss your chance. And if you’re not familiar with this band from the land of ice, start here. Pure magic inside every note and every single bow strike of the guitar. It’s like being engulfed in Beauty from inside and out.

Shout out to my dear friend Simon, who founded camp Soul Shakers at Burning Man. It was my fourth return to his community. Thank you again, brother, for another magical year.

Burning Man’s scale of generosity and creativity, every year, has this incredible effect of restoring my faith in humanity. In picture is my girlfriend, Anastasiia. It was her first burn. To quote her Instagram post: “Out here in the desert, time bends and so do we. The dust settles on our skin, and the light carries us from sunset to sunrise. It’s not just art, music and fire…it’s a mirror, showing us who we are when the noise of the “real world” fades and free spirits run wild…🖤🔥”

Next week, she and i will venture to Ukraine where i will meet her family. Our mission then turns to getting her younger brother out of the country. Ukraine just passed a new law allowing men under the age of 22 to freely leave and not to be conscripted to war. For the last 9 months or so, he has been taking a blow-up mattress Anastasiia bought for him to sleep in the underground metro about 2-3 times per week. As the bombs come crashing down on his home city of Kiev, that’s where many people go for safety. i can’t wait to meet her family and see her home country. It’s going to be an emotional ride. You can follow us on Instagram if you’re curious what it looks like there outside of the news media.

i took a few weeks off of this newsletter to experience Burning Man and say goodbye to as many friends and family in Canada as i could. For that week in the desert, i turn off my phone and the entirety of the outside world to stay present and fuel my creativity and connections.

Coming back to “normal life” requires some slowness and i’ve also been very focused on my book, particularly in the stage of editing the final copy with my amazing editor, Amy. i’m feeling so held by her. She’s making this so much better than i originally had it. i can’t even describe how happy i am with her and how excited i am for you all to see this.

It will release when i feel it’s a total work of art. Coming soon….

Sending you all so much love. Thanks for being here. i am you. More to come…