EPISODE 45 Sex, Sake and Zen: The Life of Ikkyu Sojun (Part 1)

“The autumn breeze of a single night of love is better than a hundred thousand years of sterile sitting meditation.” — Ikkyu 

“Thirsty, you dream of water. Cold, you want fire. Not me: I want the firm warm breasts and wetness of a woman.” — Ikkyu 

"Drinking and lust, no man can match me in these things.” — Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones 

“You will always be wild and strange among men—wild and strange even when they love you.” — Friedrich Nietzsche 

“…to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.” — Henry David Thoreau 

"Where can I find the best beer and the prettiest women?" — Drukpa Kunley 

So many History on Fire episodes feature incredibly violent pages from humanity’s past. This is not one of those episodes. The hero of our tale was too busy enjoying life in 15th century Japan to join the civil wars raging around him or to go around killing people. As the illegitimate son of the Emperor of Japan, Ikkyu Sojun experienced the harsh side of life from the moment he was born, but always looked for a way not to let it spoil his good mood. His main passions (in no particular order) were Zen Buddhism, sex and drinking. And in the midst of the endless party that was in life, he managed to have a tremendously powerful impact on Japanese culture. In this episode, we will tackle the odd phenomenon of people being more comfortable with warfare and violence than sex, how Tom Robbins introduced me to Ikkyu, Sovannahry’s Ikkyu painting (the first thing I see every morning), the odd circumstances of Ikkyu’s birth, a history of Zen, Ikkyu’s training and attempted suicide, Ikkyu’s burning of his ‘certificate of enlightenment’, his clashes with the Zen establishment, Jack London’s Call of the Wild, becoming ‘the Crazy Cloud’, Drukpa Kunley and his… ehm… ‘flaming thunderbolt of wisdom’… 

This episode is sponsored by the investing app robinhood.com. Robinhood is giving listeners a FREE stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint to help build your portfolio! Sign up at https://referral.robinhood.com/onfire/ 

This episode of History on Fire is brought to you by ForHims.com—a one-stop shop for hair loss, skincare, and sexual wellness for men. Try hims for a month today for just $5 while supplies last. See website for full details. Go to https://www.forhims.com/history5 

This episode is sponsored by www.blueapron.com/onfire For less than $ 10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers straight to your door seasonal recipes along with pre-portioned ingredients to make delicious, home-cooked meals. Get $ 30 off your first order—with free shipping—by going to www.blueapron.com/onfire 

This episode is sponsored by MagellanTV - a brand-new streaming service that features the very best collection of historical documentaries available anywhere. The service includes over 1500 documentary movies, series, and exclusive playlists across the major genres, with particular depth in Ancient History, Modern History, War and Military. Check out their curated history playlists, designed with you in mind. Claim your two-month free trial here: https://www.magellantv.com/historyonfire

Big thank you to www.teamevolving.com for sponsoring this episode. Whether you're a startup or a talented engineer, or a recruiter looking to join a rapidly growing team of recruitment professionals, if you’re looking for a personal touch to show you your next opportunity or an elite eye in your next hire, reach out to them. 

Please, also show some love to my regular sponsors by shopping for supplements, special foods, clothing, and exercise equipment at http://www.onnit.com/history and receive a 10% discount. 

And thank you also to https://www.snowroast.com/ for their delicious coffee. Use the code TAO18 for a 15 % discount. 

A huge thank you to https://www.dynastyforge.com/ for sharing with me their amazing swords. 

If you train in Jiujitsu (or any other sport for that matter), check out the knee braces at https://nevertapgear.com/ and check out the TOMOE GOZEN RASH GUARD! https://nevertapgear.com/new-products/tomeo 

If you’d like to explore the history of gladiators while in Italy, join me on this tour in 2020! http://geeknationtours.com/tours_post/signature-battlefield-series-arenas-of-blood-spartacus-and-the-gladiators-of-ancient-rome-2020/ 

PATREON NEWS: If you feel in a generous mood, please, check it out at www.patreon.com/historyonfire 

My lady (and author of History on Fire logo, plus producer and editor of History on Fire) has a FB public page about her art & fighting: https://www.facebook.com/NahryEm/. Thank you to Onnit, Float Clinic, Shaman’s Simple Solutions, War Fuel, Proven Nutrition, and Fight Chix for sponsoring her for her first MMA fight. If you’d like to check out Fight Chix merchandise, you can get a 20% discount by going to http://www.fightchix.com/ and entering the code Fire20 upon checkout.

This is my public FB page: https://www.facebook.com/danielebolelli1/ 

Here is a link to the audiobook of my “Not Afraid”: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/not-afraid-audiobook/ 

For those of you who may be interested, here is a lecture series I created about Taoist philosophy: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/taoist-lectures/

EPISODE 44 Dan Carlin

“You keep using this word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.” — The Princess Bride 

"Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people. From these great tasks both of the old parties have turned aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare, they have become the tools of corrupt interests which use them impartially to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government, owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day." — Theodore Roosevelt

 Dan Carlin is the undisputed king of historical podcasting, and one of my favorite human beings. Today we sit down to chat about the differences between Nazism and Socialism, the right-wing vs. left-wing paradigm, our favorite past U.S. presidents, the feeling you have when witnessing slow moving historical catastrophes, and much more. 

This episode is sponsored by article.com. If you are in the market for beautifully designed furniture, you can get a discount at https://www.article.com/history 

This episode is sponsored by the investing app robinhood.com. Robinhood is giving listeners a FREE stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint to help build your portfolio! Sign up at https://referral.robinhood.com/onfire/ 

This episode of History on Fire is brought to you by ForHims.com—a one-stop shop for hair loss, skincare, and sexual wellness for men. Try hims for a month today for just $5 while supplies last. See website for full details. Go to https://www.forhims.com/history5 

This episode is sponsored by www.blueapron.com/onfire For less than $ 10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers straight to your door seasonal recipes along with pre-portioned ingredients to make delicious, home-cooked meals. Get $ 30 off your first order—with free shipping—by going to www.blueapron.com/onfire 

This episode is sponsored by Audible, the most inspiring minds, the most compelling stories. The best place to listen. Get started with a 30-day trial when you go to www.audible.com/HOF or text HOF to 500500 and listen for a change.

Please, also show some love to my regular sponsors by shopping for supplements, special foods, clothing, and exercise equipment at http://www.onnit.com/history and receive a 10% discount.  

And thank you also to https://www.snowroast.com/ for their delicious coffee. Use the code TAO18 for a 15 % discount. 

A huge thank you to https://www.dynastyforge.com/ for sharing with me their amazing swords. 

If you train in Jiujitsu (or any other sport for that matter), check out the knee braces at https://nevertapgear.com/ and check out the TOMOE GOZEN RASH GUARD! https://nevertapgear.com/new-products/tomeo

If you’d like to explore the history of gladiators while in Italy, join me on this tour in 2020! http://geeknationtours.com/tours_post/signature-battlefield-series-arenas-of-blood-spartacus-and-the-gladiators-of-ancient-rome-2020/ 

PATREON NEWS: I have just started a Patreon account!!!! If you feel in a generous mood, please, check it out at www.patreon.com/historyonfire 

My lady (and author of History on Fire logo, plus producer and editor of History on Fire) has a FB public page about her art & fighting: https://www.facebook.com/NahryEm/. Thank you to Onnit, Float Clinic, Shaman’s Simple Solutions, War Fuel, Proven Nutrition, and Fight Chix for sponsoring her for her first MMA fight. If you’d like to check out Fight Chix merchandise, you can get a 20% discount by going to http://www.fightchix.com/ and entering the code Fire20 upon checkout.

This is my public FB page: https://www.facebook.com/danielebolelli1/ 

Here is a link to the audiobook of my “Not Afraid”: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/not-afraid-audiobook/ 

For those of you who may be interested, here is a lecture series I created about Taoist philosophy: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/taoist-lectures/

EPISODE 42: Joan of Arc (Part 4)

“It is true that I wished and still wish to escape, as is lawful for any captive or prisoner.” — Joan of Arc 

“I have greater fear of failing my voices in saying something that displeases them than I have of answering you.” — Joan of Arc addressing a group of theologians in charge of deciding whether to burn her alive 

“Tear me limb from limb. I would rather have you cut my throat than tell you all I know.” — Joan of Arc 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” — Jesus quoted in John 15:5-6

“There had been unjust ecclesiastical trials before, but Joan’s was one of the most unjust trial ever undertaken in any ecclesiastical court.” — Timothy Wilson-Smith

By 1429, the heir to the French throne was about to give up and flee in exile. The English and their Burgundian allies controlled huge parts of the country. With Orleans likely to fall in a not too distant future, the path was open for the English to conquer the rest of France. It looked like the game was up for him. As much as he tried, he couldn’t see any logical path to victory. But little did he know that help was on its way—a kind of help that didn’t seem to be logical, reasonable or likely. Help was coming in the form of an illiterate teenage peasant—a female at that—who was going to change his fortunes; a young woman who through sheer willpower would radically change the course of the war. She arrived at the royal court during France’s darkest hour with news that God had sent her to lift the siege of Orleans, and make sure the heir to the throne would be crowned King of France.

The young woman was Joan of Arc, and she was one of the most unusual individuals in history. 

At 13 years old, her life was turned upside down when she began hearing voices and having visions of angelic figures delivering her messages. The voices told her that no one on earth—neither knight nor king—could restore the kingdom of France. No one could—no one that is… except for her. 

Ok, so we have a possibly insane girl hearing voices, This is hardly the stuff that makes the history books. At best, this would be an interesting case study for the history of mental illness. But that’s not what happened here—because the girl and her voices did change the course of the Hundred Years War between France and England. The voices propelled this young woman away from the typical existence of farm girls in the 1400s, and transformed her into a force of nature who embraced a heroic and tragic destiny that was entirely beyond what anyone from her gender, social class, and age could legitimately expect. 

According to logic and common sense, none of the things that happened in our story should have been able to happen. A untrained peasant leading an army of knights? A young woman succeeding where the entire French nobility had failed? What she accomplished would have been exceptional if done by an aristocratic, seasoned male leader. But it seems downright impossible for someone like her. The world she lived in was hyper patriarchal and very class conscious, so on the surface there should have been no chance whatsoever that a young peasant girl could pull it off. She belonged to the wrong gender, wrong social class, and wrong age to achieve what she dreamed of. And yet she did. 

In this final episode of this four-part series, Joan challenges the law of gravity and loses, King Charles’ betrayal, Bishop Pierre Cauchon lacking the guts to be a proper savage, 70 clerics vs. a teenage girl, Cauchon doing his best Darth Vader impersonation, institutions vs. mystics, food poisoning & a trip to the torture chambers, forcing a confession, entrapment, burning at the stake, impersonators, the retrial, the end of the Hundred Years’ War, surviving an assassination attempt thanks to layers of fat, Joan becoming a saint, and the mystery of Joan of Arc’s visions. 

This episode is sponsored by Audible. Right now for a limited time, you can get 3 months of Audible for just $ 6.95 a month. That’s more than half off the regular price. Go to www.audible.com/HOF or text HOF to 500 500 to get started.

This episode of History on Fire is brought to you by ForHims.com—a one-stop shop for hair loss, skincare, and sexual wellness for men. Try hims for a month today for just $5 while supplies last. See website for full details. Go to https://www.forhims.com/history5 

This episode is sponsored by www.blueapron.com/onfire For less than $ 10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers straight to your door seasonal recipes along with pre-portioned ingredients to make delicious, home-cooked meals. Get $ 30 off your first order—with free shipping—by going to www.blueapron.com/onfire 

Check out https://www.letterjoy.co/ Give or receive weekly historic letters on fine cotton or parchment paper from figures like Thomas Jefferson, Florence Nightingale, and George S. Patton. Use code “onfire” to get a $5 credit towards your first gift or membership.

This episode is brought to you by https://actionheat.com/history for a 15% discount on the world’s best heated-clothing including Heated Jackets, Socks, Gloves, Hats.

Please, also show some love to my regular sponsors by shopping for supplements, special foods, clothing, and exercise equipment at http://www.onnit.com/history and receive a 10% discount. 

And thank you also to https://www.snowroast.com/ for their delicious coffee. Use the code TAO18 for a 15 % discount. 

History on Fire is brought to you by Kannaway. All CBD products are from organic, non-GMO European HEMP grown on generational family farms. The products all have a triple authenticated process guaranteeing you’re getting exactly what you are paying for. Because all of the CBD is from hemp and NOT cannabis, it is legal to use and possess in all 50 states AND Europe! Now you can get 100% THC-free CBD oil from hemp, delivered to your door in all 50 of the Unites States and the whole of Europe. Please check them out at: https://kannaway.com/2496006 

A huge thank you to https://www.dynastyforge.com/ for sharing with me their amazing swords. 

If you train in Jiujitsu (or any other sport for that matter), check out the knee braces at https://nevertapgear.com/ and check out the TOMOE GOZEN RASH GUARD! https://nevertapgear.com/new-products/tomeo 

PATREON NEWS: I have just started a Patreon account!!!! If you feel in a generous mood, please, check it out at www.patreon.com/historyonfire 

My lady (and author of History on Fire logo, plus producer and editor of History on Fire) has a FB public page about her art & fighting: https://www.facebook.com/NahryEm/. Thank you to Onnit, Float Clinic, Shaman’s Simple Solutions, War Fuel, Proven Nutrition, and Fight Chix for sponsoring her for her first MMA fight. If you’d like to check out Fight Chix merchandise, you can get a 20% discount by going to http://www.fightchix.com/ and entering the code Fire20 upon checkout.

This is my public FB page: https://www.facebook.com/danielebolelli1/ 

Here is a link to the audiobook of my “Not Afraid”: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/not-afraid-audiobook/ 

For those of you who may be interested, here is a lecture series I created about Taoist philosophy: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/taoist-lectures/

EPISODE 41: Joan of Arc (Part 3)

“We know that everything that she has said has come to pass, that her words are always confirmed by the event—she has in truth come to achieve great things in this world.” — Antonio Morosini

“Go and camp for today, because it is quite late. But tomorrow, at the pleasure of God and Our Lady, we will look more closely at you.” — Joan of Arc 

By 1429, the heir to the French throne was about to give up and flee in exile. The English and their Burgundian allies controlled huge parts of the country. With Orleans likely to fall in a not too distant future, the path was open for the English to conquer the rest of France. It looked like the game was up for him. As much as he tried, he couldn’t see any logical path to victory. But little did he know that help was on its way—a kind of help that didn’t seem to be logical, reasonable or likely. Help was coming in the form of an illiterate teenage peasant—a female at that—who was going to change his fortunes; a young woman who through sheer willpower would radically change the course of the war. She arrived at the royal court during France’s darkest hour with news that God had sent her to lift the siege of Orleans, and make sure the heir to the throne would be crowned King of France.

The young woman was Joan of Arc, and she was one of the most unusual individuals in history. 

At 13 years old, her life was turned upside down when she began hearing voices and having visions of angelic figures delivering her messages. The voices told her that no one on earth—neither knight nor king—could restore the kingdom of France. No one could—no one that is… except for her. 

Ok, so we have a possibly insane girl hearing voices, This is hardly the stuff that makes the history books. At best, this would be an interesting case study for the history of mental illness. But that’s not what happened here—because the girl and her voices did change the course of the Hundred Years War between France and England. The voices propelled this young woman away from the typical existence of farm girls in the 1400s, and transformed her into a force of nature who embraced a heroic and tragic destiny that was entirely beyond what anyone from her gender, social class, and age could legitimately expect. 

According to logic and common sense, none of the things that happened in our story should have been able to happen. A untrained peasant leading an army of knights? A young woman succeeding where the entire French nobility had failed? What she accomplished would have been exceptional if done by an aristocratic, seasoned male leader. But it seems downright impossible for someone like her. The world she lived in was hyper patriarchal and very class conscious, so on the surface there should have been no chance whatsoever that a young peasant girl could pull it off. She belonged to the wrong gender, wrong social class, and wrong age to achieve what she dreamed of. And yet she did. 

In this third episode of this four-part series, we see Joan turning around a routing army with only the power of her voice, saving the Duke of Alencon, the alliance with Arthur de Richemont, how a gigantic stag helped the French crush the English army, apocalyptic preachers, the coronation of Charles VII, the dilemma of what to do when you have achieved everything and you are still only a teenager, rebelling against the King, failure at Paris, resurrecting the dead, a suicide mission, the day Joan was captured. 

This episode of History on Fire is brought to you by ForHims.com—a one-stop shop for hair loss, skincare, and sexual wellness for men. Try hims for a month today for just $5 while supplies last. See website for full details. Go to https://www.forhims.com/history5 

This episode is sponsored by www.blueapron.com/onfire For less than $ 10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers straight to your door seasonal recipes along with pre-portioned ingredients to make delicious, home-cooked meals. Get $ 30 off your first order—with free shipping—by going to www.blueapron.com/onfire 

Check out https://www.letterjoy.co/ Give or receive weekly historic letters on fine cotton or parchment paper from figures like Thomas Jefferson, Florence Nightingale, and George S. Patton. Use code “onfire” to get a $5 credit towards your first gift or membership.

This episode is brought to you by https://actionheat.com/history for a 15% discount on the world’s best heated-clothing including Heated Jackets, Socks, Gloves, Hats.

Please, also show some love to my regular sponsors by shopping for supplements, special foods, clothing, and exercise equipment at http://www.onnit.com/history and receive a 10% discount. 

And thank you also to https://www.snowroast.com/ for their delicious coffee. Use the code TAO18 for a 15 % discount. 

The BrainFood Show is a podcast brought to you by the team behind the wildly popular TodayIFoundOut YouTube channel. The podcast does deep dives into historical curiosities- everything from how famed enlightenment thinker Voltaire made his fortune by helping to rig the lottery to that time Julius Caesar was captured by pirates and the hilarity that ensued… Find it on iTunes, just search "BRAINFOOD" one word.

Check out the incredible website www.travelisbeautiful.com for great travel blogs and photography. 

A huge thank you to https://www.dynastyforge.com/ for sharing with me their amazing swords. 

If you train in Jiujitsu (or any other sport for that matter), check out the knee braces at https://nevertapgear.com/ and check out the TOMOE GOZEN RASH GUARD! https://nevertapgear.com/new-products/tomeo 

PATREON NEWS: I have just started a Patreon account!!!! If you feel in a generous mood, please, check it out at www.patreon.com/historyonfire 

My lady (and author of History on Fire logo, plus producer and editor of History on Fire) has a FB public page about her art & fighting: https://www.facebook.com/NahryEm/. Thank you to Onnit, Datsusara, Float Clinic, Shaman’s Simple Solutions, War Fuel, Proven Nutrition, and Fight Chix for sponsoring her for her first MMA fight. If you’d like to check out Fight Chix merchandise, you can get a 20% discount by going to http://www.fightchix.com/ and entering the code Fire20 upon checkout.

This is my public FB page: https://www.facebook.com/danielebolelli1/ 

Here is a link to the audiobook of my “Not Afraid”: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/not-afraid-audiobook/ 

For those of you who may be interested, here is a lecture series I created about Taoist philosophy: http://www.danielebolelli.com/downloads/taoist-lectures/