Butterfly Gardens Podcast: Recent Episodes
Hannah Boonstra, Lauren Tom
This is a podcast by Hannah Boonstra and Lauren Tom. In Ancient Greek, the word psyche could mean ‘butterfly’, ‘breath’, or ‘soul’. The soul was the breath – brief and incorporeal – that animated the living organism. The butterfly and its painful metamorphosis even today symbolizes the ever-changing impermanence of the self, of humanity, and of nature and reality. Inspired by the symbolism of the butterfly, this podcast is a bridge not only between its two co-hosts, but a conversation fluttering in the spaces between philosophy and psychology, art and science, objectivity and subjectivity, inside and outside, and wonder and suffering. Join us on our journey as we attempt to transcend dualities and return, once more, to Butterfly Gardens.
In this episode we explore the notion of self love, exploring its various definitions in contemporary media and throughout history. Here, we question the purpose of self love, and what it truly means today. From capitalistic marketing campaigns, to an undefined movement of “growth” and “glowing up” we dissect the idea of using self-love almost in a religious way. As usual, thanks for listening!
References:
- Elegy to the Void, Beach House
- Self-Love is the Religion of the Godless – John Gorman
- Berkeley Well-being Questionnaire
- Self love checklist
- How Praise Became a Consolation Prize – The Atlantic
Marilyn Monroe at a press conference for Marilyn Monroe Productions, 1955. In the world of AI pop idols, influencer culture, and parasocial relationships, truth and fantasy start to blur….
Influencer culture presents a problem when it comes to being able to tell the difference between reality and simulacrum, truth and fantasy. To explore this bizarre world we find ourselves in, we talk about the relationships between influencers and their audiences. What does intimacy, authenticity, and identity even mean here? As players in this arena, how can we tell truth from fantasy?
From the episode:
- Jake Paul, YouTuber
- imma.gram, AI influencer
- Parasocial relationships
- Audience engagement and perceived authenticity
- Unhealthy parasocial relationships and the celebrity worship scale
- IDORU by Grimes
Source unknown
The Day the Earth Caught Fire, 1961 “Ahh!!! The world is ending!” is probably a thought you’ve had at least once since the Corona virus epidemic has come to fruition. Faced with thoughts of the end of the world we now enter a new time in human history, as this virus threatens not only our health but our way of life. Join us in this episode as we explore apocalyptic psychology and possible solutions for grounding ourselves in times of uncertainty.
In this episode:
- A Brief History of the End of the World by Electric Literature
- Corona Virus info from the World Health Organization
- Coronavirus and the Isolation Paradox by the New York Times
- Hold On by Plastic Ono Band
Drumsound rises on the air,
its throb, my heart.
A voice inside the beat says,
“I know you’re tired,
but come. This is the way.”
—
Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.
Rumi
Alain Delon, 1961 (photographer unknown) In this episode, we discuss what dating apps tell us about the 21st century psyche. Is it all just a game? Or is there something deeper to be found beyond the surface? If digital dating rarely facilitates the deep connections that (most!) people desire, then why are we so hooked on these apps?
From the episode:
- The Rise of Dating App Fatigue (The Atlantic)
- Liquid Love
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Eh – Death Grips
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí, 1931 In our very first episode, as we ramble and ease into this medium, we talk about the genre of self-help, using a few of the most popular books as catalysts for our conversation. What is the underlying narrative in this genre? What does it tell us about ourselves as individuals and as a culture? Do self-help books give readers what they’re really searching for?
From the episode:
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Why the Self is Empty: Toward a Historically Situated Psychology by Philip Cushman
Here is a place of disaffection… / …Only a flicker / Over the strained time-ridden faces / Distracted from distraction by distraction / Filled with fancies and empty of meaning / Tumid apathy with no concentration / Men and bits of paper, whirled by the cold wind / That blows before and after time – T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets