Earth Ancients

A profound and modern approach to playing the ancient board game

• Offers a comprehensive guide to the traditional Hindu game gyān caupar—a predecessor to Snakes and Arrows—and includes a three-color gameboard allowing readers to play

• Analyzes archetypes of consciousness with the 72 squares of gyān caupar, enriched by spiritual references to deepen the game’s messages

• Offers instruction for conducting personal development ceremonies and receiving guidance from the game

The origins of Snakes and Arrows trace back to gyan caupar, or the “game of knowledge,” a spiritual board game from ancient India. Like other forms of divination, such as the I Ching and the Tarot, the game offers a playful yet profound approach to explore the self, the present, and the future as well as understand one’s destiny.

Polina Rud delves into the oracle, shedding light on gyan caupar’s archetypal wisdom and its power as a divinatory tool. Using a 72-square gameboard, players are invited to step back and observe their lives from above, seeing the emotional and behavioral patterns that guide their steps and, at times, lead them astray. Rud shows how the 72 squares represent different levels of human experience. Each square provides a philosophical key while practical exercises reveal the hidden beliefs and obstacles that hinder progress in the area of life that matters most to the player. The game’s ascending path mirrors spiritual evolution and guides players toward enlightenment, akin to systems like the Kabbalistic Tree of Life or the Road to Paradise. Rud shows how gyan caupar symbolizes the psyche’s journey, leading toward the ultimate prize: cosmic consciousness.

The Cosmic Game of Snakes and Arrows offers a way to learn more deeply about who you are while fostering a connection with the divine.

Polina Rud is a writer and therapist with a diploma from UNAM in suicide prevention and psychosocial crisis intervention. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations and is completing a PhD on artists who resist authoritarian regimes and challenge the status quo. As part of her research, she has worked closely with people processing trauma linked to political violence and social rupture. She is the co-founder of El Mundo Duele, an NGO that provides psychological support to human rights and climate activists. Polina spoke at the Nobel Peace Talks on mental health and resilience in activism.

https://polinarud.com/

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ADENA: Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley, Volume II, examines the archaeological record associated with the Adena culture throughout the Ohio River Valley and surrounding regions. Drawing on archaeological excavations, early antiquarian accounts, and modern scientific analysis, this book examines Adena burial mounds, earthworks, village sites, and material culture in clear, accessible detail. Designed for students, avocational archaeologists, historians, and anyone fascinated by ancient North America, ADENA: Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley Volume II, bridges technical research and public understanding. Volume II catalogs a wide array of Adena archaeological sites, providing detailed information from excavations and data sets. More than a catalog of mounds and artifacts, Adena: Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley Volume II, offers a thoughtful synthesis of what is known—and what remains uncertain—about a formative culture whose earthworks still shape the landscapes of the Eastern Woodlands.

Jason Pentrail is an author, researcher, and host of the Seven Ages Audio Journal Podcast. He has extensive experience in archaeological excavations and documentation and is a military veteran of 20 years.

https://sevenages.org/

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From the executive director of Zen Caregiving Project and creator of the Mindful Caregiving Education course comes a much-needed guide offering practical advice, emotional support, and a path to spiritual solace for the millions of undersupported caregivers in the USRosalynn Carter said, “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” The past ten years have supported this observation, as the number of caregivers in the US has grown from 42 million to more than 53 million. With one in five American adults now in this role, many have found that they are emotionally and spiritually unprepared for the difficult and emotionally taxing task of caring for a seriously ill family member or patient.As a caregiver himself, and executive director of Zen Caregiving Project, Roy Remer was inspired to write Zen Caregiving to help support the emotional burden many caregivers experience and to augment this essential component of our healthcare system. After developing the Mindful Caregiving Education (MCE) curriculum and teaching MCE courses for many years, Remer was motivated to share what he had learned and taught about mindfulness-based approaches to care.Designed to be motivational, therapeutic, and practical, Zen Caregiving covers:the four components of the Zen approach to caregiving—mindfulness, compassion, loss literacy, and self-carehow to quiet the “thinking mind” to find solace and stay groundedmethods and approaches for expanding compassion and avoiding burnoutthe value of grief and processing losspractical advice for preparing medical directives and end-of-life arrangementshow to create intimacy with oneself to prioritize self-care one breath at a timeZen Caregiving is an essential resource for those in need of spiritual guidance and emotional support as they navigate the often turbulent and uncharted waters of caring for a loved one.

Roy Remer is the Executive Director of Zen Caregiving Project (formerly known as Zen Hospice Project). He has been an end-of-life caregiver and educator since 1997 when he trained with Zen Hospice Project (ZHP) to become a volunteer. He served at the bedside for six years at the Guest House facility before serving for seven years on San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital’s Palliative Care Ward. In 2008, Roy completed a yearlong end-of-life caregiver training at the Metta Institute in Sausalito, CA. A dedicated practitioner in Soto Zen tradition, Roy is a student at the San Francisco Zen Center. He is certified by the Stanford University Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), and the Compassion Institute as an instructor of Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT©). Roy also guides wilderness-based rites of passage programs in partnership with EarthWaysLLC of Sebastopol, CA.

https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/roy-remer

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In this compelling new episode of Earth Ancients, Cliff Dunning welcomes archaeologist Dr. Ed Barnhart for an in-depth exploration of the Olmec—the mysterious civilization widely regarded as the mother culture of Mesoamerica. Together they journey through the rise of the earliest Olmec centers, including San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes, examining how these remarkable people emerged in the Gulf Coast lowlands and laid the intellectual and cultural foundations for later civilizations such as the Maya and Zapotec.

Listeners will gain rare insight into some of the most fascinating unresolved mysteries surrounding the Olmec, including the meaning of the colossal stone heads, the political structure behind their ceremonial cities, and the extraordinary engineering required to transport multi-ton basalt monuments across vast distances. Dr. Barnhart also explores cutting-edge interpretations of Olmec mathematics, astronomical knowledge, cosmology, and sacred architecture—revealing a society far more intellectually advanced than many realize.A major centerpiece of the discussion examines the startling implications of Aguada Fénix, the enormous ceremonial complex uncovered by Takeshi Inomata and his team in the Middle Usumacinta region of Mexico. Officially classified as an early Maya monumental site, Aguada Fénix has reshaped scholarly understanding because of its immense scale and unexpectedly early construction date. In this episode, Cliff and Dr. Barnhart explore the provocative possibility that Aguada Fénix may in fact preserve strong Olmec cultural fingerprints—or perhaps represent an Olmec ceremonial legacy later absorbed into Maya history. This opens a broader debate about whether some of the earliest monumental constructions traditionally labeled “Maya” may belong to a deeper Olmec horizon that has yet to be fully recognized.

By downloading this episode, listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of who the Olmec were, why they matter profoundly in the story of human civilization, and how new discoveries like Aguada Fénix are forcing archaeologists to reconsider the origins of complex society in Mesoamerica. This is not simply a history lesson—it is an archaeological investigation into one of the ancient world’s most sophisticated and least understood civilizations, filled with revelations that challenge conventional narratives and invite fresh wonder about humanity’s earliest achievements.

Dr. Edwin Barnhart, director of the Maya Exploration Center, has over twenty five years of experience in Central, South, and North America as an archaeologist, an explorer, and an instructor. He has appeared in over a dozen documentaries and given presentations all over the world. His involvement in Maya studies began in 1990 as an archaeological intern in the ruins of Copan, Honduras. In January of 1996 he was invited to return to Copan and help the University of Pennsylvania excavate the early acropolis and the tomb of the city’s lineage founder. From 1992-1995 he studied art, iconography, and epigraphy (hieroglyphic translation) under the late Dr. Linda Schele at the University of Texas at Austin. During that same time he worked across the state of Texas as a contract archaeologist. 

https://archaeoed.com/

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Discover 52 inspiring personal stories, each embodying one of Mother Nature's practical lessons that you can implement weekly for greater wellness and joy.Told in Mark Langenfeld's kind, humorous voice, these stories are designed to cultivate the motivation and encouragement needed to unearth buried treasures within yourself. Mark's keen observations of the natural world offer a unique perspective on self-development and psychological well-being. The resulting insights skillfully connect these inner journeys to your relationship with nature.Learn to make peace with the storms in your head, nurture yourself like a snowy owl, and remove emotional thorns. With the easy-to-understand wisdom of bears, ravens, cats, and more, this contemplative book gently guides you along your own path to happiness and enlightenment, one observation at a time.100% of the author's royalties are donated to the students' Nutrition Assistance Program through the Northwood Technical College Foundation.

Mark Langenfeld, Psy.D., holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Alliant International University in Fresno, California. He currently works as a professor of psychology and sociology at Northwood Technical College in Superior, Wisconsin. Before teaching, he worked as a counselor since 1994. He practices a blend of Paganism and Buddhist meditation and is an avid hiker and gardener.

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