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Ab Immemorabili

Ab Immemorabili

Written by: The Most Ancient Anamnetic Order of Trikala
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Ab Immemorabili - From Time Beyond Memory

Ancient wisdom meets modern minds in this philosophical exploration podcast from The Most Ancient Anamnetic Order of Trikala. Join hosts Drake and Holly as they journey through the hidden patterns connecting consciousness, transformation, and timeless truth.

Created for both MAAOoT students and acolytes walking the path of the pillars and curious seekers exploring life's deeper questions, each episode offers layers of insight accessible to all. For those within the Order, these conversations illuminate and expand upon your transformational journey, providing additional context, stories, and perspectives that complement your studies. For those simply curious about philosophy and consciousness, this podcast serves as an invitation to explore humanity's greatest wisdom traditions.

Drake brings scholarly depth and historical perspective, whilst Holly grounds these ancient insights in practical, lived experience. Together they weave insights from East and West - from Greek Stoics to Buddhist masters, from Egyptian mysteries to forgotten Olmec wisdom - examining how these traditions speak to our contemporary search for meaning and transformation.

Ab Immemorabili isn't about learning new information - it's about remembering what you've always known. Through engaging conversations, thought experiments, and storytelling, we explore the paradoxes of consciousness, the nature of transformation, and the universal patterns that appear across all wisdom traditions.

Whether you're an Order student deepening your understanding, a serious seeker, or simply someone sensing there's more to existence than meets the eye, this podcast offers fresh perspectives on humanity's deepest questions. No prior philosophical background required - just an open mind and a willingness to question.

The wisdom you seek has always been within you. You're not learning it. You're remembering it.

New episodes released regularly, and now to the public generally.

Contact: podcast@maaoot.org | www.maaoot.org

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Philosophy Self-Help Social Sciences Spirituality Success
Episodes
  • 197 - Karma Yoga - Action Without Attachment in Daily Work

    197 - Karma Yoga - Action Without Attachment in Daily Work
    Feb 21 2026

    Title

    Ab Immemorabili: Episode 197 - Karma Yoga: Action Without Attachment in Daily Work

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    Description

    How can you give something everything you have while simultaneously not caring whether it succeeds?

    In this episode, Drake and Holly explore the Bhagavad Gita's revolutionary concept of karma yoga, the yoga of action. Beginning with Arjuna's paralysis on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, they examine Krishna's radical teaching that we have the right to our actions but never to their fruits. What sounds like a contradiction turns out to be the secret to doing your best work without destroying yourself in the process.

    The conversation unpacks the crucial distinction between caring about outcomes and being attached to them, explores how modern work culture maximises the anxiety of attachment, and examines the neuroscience of flow states that validates this ancient wisdom. Drawing connections to the Daoist concept of wu wei and the Stoic discipline of desire, Drake and Holly demonstrate how karma yoga offers a practical path through the burnout epidemic of contemporary life. The episode includes concrete guidance for applying these principles to everyday tasks and addresses listener questions about death contemplation practice, maintaining boundaries whilst honouring interconnection, and raising children with both mythological depth and philosophical capacity.

    - Website: https://maaoot.org - Email: podcast@maaoot.org

    #karmayoga #bhagavadgita #ancientwisdom #philosophy #hinduism #vedanta #nishkamakarma #actionwithoutattachment #wuwei #flowstate #stoicism #burnoutrecovery #mindfulness #spiritualpractice #contemplativepractice #transformationjourney #wisdomtraditions #philosophypodcast #maaoot #abimmemorabili #krishna #arjuna #dharma #svadharma #selflessservice #seva #gandhi #csikszentmihalyi #presentmoment #consciousness #personalevelopment #meaningfulwork #worklifebalance #easternphilosophy #westernphilosophy

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    34 mins
  • 196 - The Beginner's Mind - Zen Wisdom for Constant Learning

    196 - The Beginner's Mind - Zen Wisdom for Constant Learning
    Feb 12 2026

    What if everything you know is actually preventing you from learning?

    Holly takes the leed in this exploration of shoshin, the Zen concept of beginner's mind that Shunryu Suzuki brought from Japan to America in 1959. When Suzuki Roshi arrived in San Francisco, he discovered something unexpected: his American students, who knew nothing of Zen traditions, often demonstrated more genuine openness than Japanese monks who had trained for decades.

    Drake and Holly explore the profound implications of Suzuki's famous observation that "in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few." Drawing on cognitive research into the "curse of knowledge," the neuroscience of learning, Socratic philosophy, and contemplative traditions from Zen to Sufism to Christianity, this episode examines how expertise becomes limitation and what practices might help us recover the beginner's valuable not-knowing.

    Key Topics: • Shunryu Suzuki's journey and the unexpected gift of ignorant students • The curse of knowledge: why experts often can't teach or innovate • Functional fixedness and the limits of categorical thinking • Ichi-go ichi-e: every moment as first and last • Socratic ignorance and learned unknowing • The somatic dimension of beginner's mind • Distinguishing genuine openness from spiritual bypassing • Practical approaches to recovering freshness of perception

    Featured Concepts: Shoshin: Japanese term for "beginner's mind," the attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions Ichi-go ichi-e: "One time, one meeting," the Japanese concept that every encounter is unique and unrepeatable Epoché: Husserl's term for the suspension of assumptions to examine experience directly Docta ignorantia: "Learned ignorance," recognising the limits of knowledge as a path to wisdom

    Essential Quote: "People who are stuck, genuinely stuck in patterns they can't change, almost always share one quality. They think they understand their situation. Their expert knowledge of their own problems becomes the prison."

    Practical Takeaway: This week, choose one area where you consider yourself knowledgeable or experienced. Approach it as if you're encountering it for the first time. What questions would you ask if you knew nothing? Notice the difficulty of this exercise and the resistance your expertise creates.

    Key References: • Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind • Nicholas of Cusa, De Docta Ignorantia • Plato, The Apology • Edmund Husserl, Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology

    About Ab Immemorabili: Ancient wisdom meets modern minds. Join Drake & Holly for explorations of philosophy, consciousness, and transformation.

    Contact: podcast@maaoot.org | www.maaoot.org

    The wisdom you seek has always been within you. You're not learning it. You're remembering it.

    #zenbuddhism #beginnermind #shoshin #suzukiroshi #zenphilosophy #wisdom #ancientwisdom #philosophy #learning #consciousness #transformation #socrates #phenomenology #contemplation #mindfulness #teaceremony #japanesephilosophy #ichigochie #spiritualgrowth #personaldevelopment #meditation #selfawareness #knowledgecurse #neuroplasticity #emptiness #daoism #sufism #mysticchristianity #seekers #maaoot #philosophypodcast #wisdomtraditions #mentalclarity #genuineinquiry
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    40 mins
  • 195 - Memento Mori - How Death Awareness Transforms Life

    195 - Memento Mori - How Death Awareness Transforms Life
    Feb 1 2026
    What did the Stoics, the Buddhists, and the ancient Mexicans all know about death that we've forgotten? Drake and Holly explore humanity's oldest spiritual practice: the conscious contemplation of mortality. Far from being morbid, memento mori was understood across cultures as a technology for becoming more alive. This episode traces death awareness practices from Marcus Aurelius writing by candlelight to Buddhist monks meditating in charnel grounds, from the vibrant celebrations of Día de los Muertos to the vanitas paintings of medieval Europe. Along the way, they examine why modern psychology is confirming what ancient wisdom knew all along: that our relationship with death fundamentally shapes our relationship with life. Key Topics: Marcus Aurelius and Stoic death practiceSeneca's teachings on the preciousness of timeBuddhist charnel ground meditation and the nine cemetery contemplationsTibetan Book of the Dead and preparation for dyingDía de los Muertos and Aztec attitudes toward deathThe ars moriendi tradition and medieval memento mori artTerror Management Theory and Ernest Becker's insightsModern death denial and its psychological costsPhysical practices that invoke mortality awarenessHow to begin working with death awareness safely Featured Concepts: Memento Mori: Latin phrase meaning "remember that you will die," used as a spiritual practice for cultivating presence and proper priorities Maranasati: Buddhist mindfulness of death practice, including formal contemplation of corpses at various stages of decay Premeditatio Malorum: Stoic technique of visualising potential misfortunes, including death, to reduce their power and increase gratitude Ars Moriendi: Medieval "art of dying" manuals that prepared people for death as a spiritual passage Terror Management Theory: Psychological framework explaining how awareness of mortality shapes human behaviour and culture Essential Quote: "Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly." Practical Takeaway: Try a simple evening reflection this week. Before sleep, review your day and ask: if this had been my last day, would I be satisfied with how I spent it? Not to create anxiety, but to let mortality clarify what actually matters. The question does the work. Key References: Marcus Aurelius, MeditationsSeneca, Letters from a StoicErnest Becker, The Denial of DeathThe Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol)Philippe Ariès, Western Attitudes Toward DeathSheldon Solomon et al., The Worm at the Core Related Listening: For a complete deep dive into Marcus Aurelius, check out our sister podcast The Primary Texts, currently exploring the Meditations book by book. About Ab Immemorabili: Ancient wisdom meets modern minds. Join Drake & Holly for explorations of philosophy, consciousness, and transformation. Contact: podcast@maaoot.org | www.maaoot.org The wisdom you seek has always been within you. You're not learning it. You're remembering it. #mementomori #stoicism #marcusaurelius #seneca #epictetus #buddhism #deathawareness #diadelosmuertos #philosophy #ancientwisdom #transformation #mortality #consciousness #tibetanbuddhism #meditation #maranasati #maaoot #wisdom #impermanence #mindfulness #contemplation #spirituality #psychology #terrormanagement #ernestbecker #vanitas #arsmoriendi #deathpositive #contemplativepractice #westernphilosophy #easternphilosophy #personalphilosophy #philosophypodcast #wisdomtraditions #aztec #charnel #theprimarytexts
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    1 hr and 2 mins
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