I met Jason Ranek in high school. We bonded over our shared interest in writing poetry. He challenged and inspired me to become the best poet I could be. Through the years Jason has invited me to think deeply about life, to explore meditation and rigorously reflect on what it means to be human.

I’ve also had the privilege of getting to witness his epic journey of transformation. I’ll never forget the day I asked Jason to meet me at the Greyhound station in Omaha, Nebraska so I could introduce him to the friends I was traveling with. Well, let’s just say Jason and one of these friends, a wonderful Norwegian woman, took a liking to each other. They dated and eventually got engaged and married. I’d say they hit it off pretty well! Together, they eventually moved from the prairie of South Dakota to the fjords of southern Norway.

Just as Jason had no way of knowing that his crosstown jaunt to a Greyhound station to humor a friend would have such major delightful life implications, he also had no way of predicting that his immigration to Norway would inspire an epic, decade-long book project called The Vigeland Oracle, which was published in November of 2025.

The project began taking shape shortly after Jason arrived in Norway and became immersed in its culture. He found himself especially drawn to the works of Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, as explained on the back cover of The Vigeland Oracle, “Vigeland built a universe of granite and bronze in the heart of Oslo—statues and reliefs that capture every human emotion, struggle and triumph.” Jason’s book transforms Gustav’s “monumental sculpture park into a tool for inner work, rooted in the principle of synchronicity.”

What the back of the book doesn’t mention in its description is the thousands of hours of dedication, courage, and persistence it takes to write, edit and publish a book of this caliber. If you can’t tell, I’m extremely proud of Jason Ranek and I’m honored to have him as my next guest on the Awkwardly Awesome Podcast.

_______________________________________________

**Video broadcast available** on YouTube @imperfectbest

**Learn more about Jason Freeman** at AwkwardlyAwesome.com