A reflection on three timeless questions: 
* Who am I?
* Why am I here?
* How do i take the correct actions to live my purpose in this lifetime?

In this moment of extreme polarization and upheaval, I truly believe that relentless pursuit of these inquiries will inevitably lead to compassionate and wise action for all. My vision is to inspire meaningful dialogue and build community by encouraging and sharing the emergence of our collective wisdom. Please participate by sharing your thoughts, feedback and reflections.

The Unified Theory Project

Produced by Galen Silvestri

I was blessed by an elder (Elisabet Sahtouris) in 2016 with the best advice I've ever received. “The most important thing in life is to follow your inner compass.” Suddenly, all of my varying interests and aspirations were narrowed into one tangible guiding principle. Past experience has demonstrated that whenever I follow gut feelings, I am rewarded with positive outcomes. Whenever I make decisions purely based on logic and reason, I stumble. In adolescence, my inner compass became buried in my attempts to fit in with my surroundings which were a place of violence, fear, and scarcity. Rediscovering my inner wisdom has been a painful and isolating process at times, but now that I have experienced the magic that results from surrendering to forces beyond the confines of my intellect, there is no turning back.


Questions to consider:
* When is my inner compass most activated?
* What activities do I engage in that make me more receptive to identifying my gut feelings?
* When have I followed my gut, even when it didn't seem logical, and what we're the results?

Inner Compass (feat. Jewel Love)

Produced by Northside Stunts

I was born and raised in Oakland, California, and there are few things that inspire as much pride and sense of purpose as my love for my hometown. Still, I have never felt like I truly belonged in the United States, and the more I have learned about the unbearable moral and environmental costs that are paid in order to maintain my standard of living in this country, the more it sickens me to participate. I live in a deep contradiction and paradox of being born into extreme privilege (access to clean water, healthy food, and shelter with a loving and supportive family), while knowing the depths of exploitation that are being perpetuated to supply some of these gifts. 


Questions to consider: 
* How much am i producing and contributing to the world versus consuming and extracting?
* Who benefits and who suffers from my actions and my inaction?
* How do i experience joy in the face of suffering?

Anywhere

Mix tape beat by Key Wane and Young Chop. Mixed by Galen Silvestri & Moonbeam

Growing up in a mixed race family in one of the most diverse cities on earth provoked many inquiries into identity at an early age. I didn't know a single person who shared my exact ethnic background, so i created my own culture from the tapestry I was immersed in. This led to many beautiful innovations, but the downside was that I never truly felt at home anywhere.


In 2015, I was blessed to find Friends of Roots, an organization that helped me track down the ancestral village of my father's father in the Guangdong province of southeast China. With a group of 10 others, I located and visited the home where my grandfather was born, in a village where my ancestors likely lived for over 500 years. I have never felt more at home than during the sacred moments I spent in that place, communing with my grandfather's spirit and contemplating the lives of every generation that cultivated a deep and sustained relationship with the land. My journey of searching for home and finding it in the soil where my grandfather nearly died as a newborn baby changed me on a foundational level and instilled me with a genuine confidence and resilience that was previously unknown to me. For a more thorough account of my experience you can read this blog post and watch this short video. 

http://rootshml.tumblr.com/search/gino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0V7-cIctRY&list=PLyIB6Bsbh7oedKj_DRBxZHWoufnurVujk&index=6


Questions to consider:
* How did you come to understand your identity in the context of where you were raised?
* Where do you feel most at home and why?
* How do the challenges in your life connect to the adversity that your ancestors survived?

Remember the Source (feat. Jewel Love)

Produced by Galen Silvestri

In 2014, I was unsure of my path and immersed myself in a relentless search for guidance.  I set an intention to connect with my ancestors in hopes that their spirits might guide me in the right direction.  Through writing, prayer and ceremony I reached my ancestors in ways I never comprehended possible.  I imagined that I might develop the ability to communicate with my ancestors as spirits floating around the cosmos.  Instead, I had a life altering revelation that I AM my ancestors.  Beyond just being the incarnation of their DNA, I am the living embodiment of their personalities, their talents, fears, and ambitions.   My ego and my inner critic were instantly shattered, realizing that whenever I create beauty and act with integrity, it is the manifestation of my ancestors.  When I talk down about myself I am speaking disrespectfully to my ancestors.  I was suddenly liberated to bring forth my gifts from a place of grounded humility, without ego or fear of judgement.  I was able to let go of a huge portion of my fear and anxiety, knowing that I am not acting as an isolated individual in the world. This song is a living prayer to and from my ancestors.

Questions to consider:

*  How do the skills, personalities, values and dreams of your ancestors manifest in how you live your life?
*  If your ancestors were alive today, how would they respond to the state of the world?
*   What kind of ancestor do you want to be?  How will your descendants look back upon your legacy?

B.O.K. (feat. Nikki Silvestri)

Mix tape beat by Party Supplies.  Mixed by Galen Silvestri 

From an early age, the concept of a midlife crisis was fascinating and terrifying.  The idea that a person could suddenly realize that their life had strayed far from their intended course seemed like one of the worst feelings imaginable. I was captivated by movies like Big, and even the Toys R Us theme song, which made me cling to my childhood with preemptive nostalgia.  Without any formal right of passage into adulthood, my 20's were a meandering river of exploration, in search of a life path that felt true to my spirit.  Now that I am firmly rooted on that path, I no longer fear having a midlife crisis.  Instead, I see the world around me in a state of crisis, and question how I am being called to show up in this moment and take on responsibility while not falling into the traps of growing up that terrified me as a young person. 


Questions to Consider:

*  What are the responsibilities that you associate with being an "adult" that feel meaningful?
*  What are the conventional notions of being a grown up that hinder creativity and the ability to enjoy life?
*  How should "adults" be showing up in this moment of global crisis?

Midlife in Crisis

Mix tape beat by Living Legends. Mixed by Galen Silvestri

My greatest fear for as long as I can remember is to die without having lived a meaningful life.  Long before I knew how to live a life of meaning, I intuitively knew that it was important to strive for.  Writing always came naturally to me and has consistently remained my preferred mode of communication, but for most of my life I was too insecure to openly share my words.  It is only within the last few years that I have found the inner strength and outer support to embody the words of this song and give away my gift as an act of surrender.  The reason I feel comfortable sharing what I create is because I believe that it does not belong to me.  My role is not to judge what I create, but to simply channel whatever creative impulses I receive with the greatest clarity and authenticity possible.  This song is an affirmation to define my self-worth on my own terms, regardless of any praise or criticism that I receive for what I create.

Questions to consider:
* What do you think is the origin of your innate gifts (things that you gravitate towards and feel a sense of ease around)?
* How have you been supported or discouraged from manifesting your gifts in the world?
* When have you experienced sharing your gifts in a way that gave you new energy and increased your capacity to give?

The Meaning

Produced by Galen Silvestri

* Inspired by my meditation brother Oscar Medina

During a time of extreme personal upheaval and self doubt, I was led to explore meditation and attended several retreats (shout out to Rosa Gonzalez & Reverend Liza), where I had a clear revelation that EVERYTHING I need is within me. The depth and power of this simple message kept me disciplined to continue meditating through a series of trials and tribulations, and eventually towards a 10 day silent meditation course, which was one of the most pivotal experiences of my life.  As the pace of life seems to be increasing exponentially, my meditation practice remains the most consistent oasis in time and space where I am free to just be, where my identity is not tied to my to-do list and my value is not based on my productivity.  (If you think life is going by too quickly, try sitting in silence for an hour).  I have attempted to not become an overzealous meditation evangelist, in the hopes that being a living example of mindful action might be a better strategy to encourage others to seek deeper self reflection.  I understand that meditation may not be the path for everyone, but "Inside" is an invitation for everyone to prioritize whatever method works for receiving guidance from the wisdom we each carry within. 

Questions to consider:
* When are you most connected to inner wisdom?
* What are moments where you have experienced timelessness (where a minute felt like an eternity, or a few weeks passed by in the blink of an eye)?
* What would change if your inner world and your subconscious were completely in alignment with your thoughts and behavior?

Inside feat Jewel Love

Produced by Galen Silvestri & DJ Moonbeam & the Root Work Crew.

*This song was an act of Alchemy, created in one night by the Root Work Crew after a day of basking in the power of the Stanislaus River. 

Hip-Hop was my first love, and I think the reason it is universally appealing to oppressed people from every corner of the earth is that it is the quintessential, modern day alchemy.  The deplorable living conditions that gave birth to Hip-Hop in the South Bronx exist in thousands of cities around the world, and Hip-Hop demonstrates the possibility of transcending despair and transforming it into a culture of beauty and resilience.  In the face of overwhelming trauma and suffering, Alchemy is a call-to-action to everyone who is awake and conscious to bear witness to the pain of this world and use it as fuel for creating healing and abundance.  In the spirit of Hip-Hop, may we perform alchemy on the systems and structures that attack our humanity, and compost the raw materials into bridges and connective tissue for new life to emerge. 

Questions to consider:
*  What examples have you seen in the world of people creating beauty that is inspired by trauma, pain or tragedy?
*  What wounds/heartbreaks have you experienced that made you stronger?
*  What systems or structures feel the most oppressive to you, and what can you imagine existing in their place?

Alchemy feat. Jewel Love

InstruMental One, was born and raised in Oakland, California, and his first love was Hip-Hop music.  He was initiated in the late 90's through endless freestyle ciphers huddled over park benches and crammed in parked cars. His music is an offering of gratitude for the ancestors, and strives to connect unique, individual experience to universal Truth.

The Unified Theory Project

IM1