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"Remembering Redmoon" #74
10 Plays9 months ago
Our co-host and dear brother, Janus, passed away last month after a battle with bile duct cancer. As we grieve, we also celebrate his life.
In this episode we listen to a collection clips of him from this show, along with messages from people that loved him.
HOSTS
BETSY FINKLEHOO is a healer of massage therapy, CranioSacral and Dharma Coaching. She is an 8 year burner and has spent the last several years seeped in the personal development world, cultivating her passion for transformation and growth. Her recent project, The Power Affirmation Journal and virtual group empowers women to cultivate self awareness and healthy habits so they can live in greater freedom, mind body and spirit.
http://poweraffirmation.com/
Click here to get a FREE affirmation for Stay Sparked Listeners!
HALCYON is full-time Love Ambassador. He is the founder of Hug Nation YouTube channel and daily zoom gratitude circles. He is co-founder of the Pink Heart Burning Man camp and the 1st Saturdays project for people experiencing homelessness. In his free time he coaches individuals on how to live joyfully and authentically. His other podcast is "Hard on the 80's."
http://LifeStudent.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Giannis Osiris Red Moon's Impact
00:00:04
Speaker
On today's episode, we are remembering Red Moon.
00:00:07
Speaker
Giannis Osiris Red Moon left a legacy, and we are here to share with you his words, his wisdom, and the words of loving friends.
00:00:16
Speaker
Enjoy the episode.
00:00:23
Speaker
Welcome to Stay Sparked.
00:00:25
Speaker
I'm Betsy Finkelhoo, the creator of the Power Affirmation Journal and Somatic Bodyworker.
00:00:31
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I am John Halcyon Stinn, the host of the Hug Nation YouTube channel and the Pink Path Personal Growth Program.
00:00:39
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We always love starting with gratitude.
00:00:42
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And today we have a shared gratitude for our former co-host and sparky, Yanis Osiris Redmoon.
00:00:51
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So grateful.
00:00:54
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And that is what our episode is all about today.
00:00:58
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This beautiful human that has been part of our Stay Spark journey and also part of our personal lives for many, many, many years.
Ongoing Influence of Red Moon's Legacy
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And we are so, so grateful for this platform to get to share the inspiration that he has left behind and
00:01:16
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as he has transcended this body and left this earthly realm.
00:01:23
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So many beautiful treasures.
00:01:25
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And that's what we are here to share about today.
00:01:27
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It's such an important awareness to recognize that we are always putting our ripples into the world.
00:01:35
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And those ripples affect the people we touch.
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And then the people that those people touch are influenced by our ripples.
00:01:43
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And I've just been so aware lately of how the powerful ripples that our brother put into the world have impacted so many people.
00:01:52
Speaker
And as we continue in our lives, we are in fact ambassadors of his energy, of his vibe.
Amplifying Red Moon's Wisdom Through Storytelling
00:02:01
Speaker
And one of the beautiful things about the technology in the world right now is that those ripples can be amplified dramatically.
00:02:09
Speaker
Ripples and ripples and ripples and ripples.
00:02:12
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And so it's such an honor to collect and share these ripples, love and energy and wisdom that he shared with us to continue to echo into the world.
00:02:26
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And then those people are going to continue to spread that into the world.
Celebrating Red Moon: Voices and Beliefs
00:02:31
Speaker
Yes.
00:02:32
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And our hope on this episode that we are here recording in 2025, that the sparks that Janus Redmoon has shared on these episodes and through all of your beautiful shares may create lots of inspiration for many, many, many years to come.
00:02:50
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And so what we are here to do today is bring through some sparks that he has shared in previous recordings.
00:02:58
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So we're going to get to hear his voice here today.
00:03:01
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We are also going to welcome the voices of the people that he has touched in a very beautiful and deep way as a way to celebrate his legacy and to keep coming back to the magic that is Janus Redmond.
00:03:19
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And we are so grateful to get to share this episode with Janus' son with the hope and intention that this will give you, Rumi, an opportunity to get to know your dad on a much deeper level through his wisdom and the gifts that he has shared with the world.
00:03:37
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We love you, Rumi.
00:03:49
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So enjoy this journey of listening to Giannis and all of his beloveds sharing with you today.
Red Moon's Personal Journey and Cultural Background
00:03:57
Speaker
I was adopted at a very early age.
00:04:01
Speaker
Well, that's just a few days old, frankly.
00:04:03
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But...
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And they didn't tell us we were adopted until my sister and I, we were both adopted.
00:04:07
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They didn't tell us until we were 11.
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But I would be at family functions, Thanksgiving or Christmas, and I would look around at everybody.
00:04:15
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And our family dynamic was a little odd.
00:04:17
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All the men were African-American, were black, and all the women were German.
00:04:22
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So that's what I saw growing up as far as adults.
00:04:26
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And all the kids were like these mixed nuts like me.
00:04:29
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So I looked like I was related to everybody.
00:04:31
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But I remember at a very early age looking around and like, something's not right.
00:04:35
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Something doesn't seem something's something's not right.
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Something's not happening here.
00:04:40
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And just having that feeling and then being told at 11, like, oh, by the way, you are adopted.
00:04:46
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I grew up in Tacoma, just Washington State, just south of Seattle.
00:04:51
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Spent my formative years there and ended up moving to Los Angeles, California.
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I went to USC film school and I ended up moving there in 1990 when I was 22, I believe.
00:05:10
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And so I was there in LA.
00:05:13
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I only really lasted in school for about a year, but ended up living in LA for 17 years.
00:05:21
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And most of that time I was in the health and fitness industry as a
00:05:25
Speaker
fitness trainer and spent a few years as a competitive bodybuilder natural bodybuilder so spending six seven hours in the gym every day uh working out twice a day and like living that living that lifestyle um and it's one of those things you do anything long enough you kind of burn out on it so after 17 years and having discovered uh burning man at the tail end of that
00:05:52
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But Los Angeles is one of those towns that has an expiration date that kind of sneaks up on you.
00:05:59
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And so you love it on Monday and you wake up on Tuesday like, oh, my God, what am I doing?
Transition to San Diego: Community and Support
00:06:05
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So then I moved briefly to the Bay Area.
00:06:09
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I flirted with the East Bay for about six months, and it never quite took.
00:06:13
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I always felt like I was visiting and not living there.
00:06:17
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So then I reached out to some San Diego friends I had made through the festival scenes for various, you know, San Diego DCOM and Bring Night itself and such.
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And really solid connections and solid people, you among them in San Diego.
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And I reached out to a handful of people and was like, well, I'm thinking about moving to San Diego, but I had no job.
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I had no place to live.
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So I would need a little bit of need to get by with a little help from my friends.
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You guys could help.
00:06:44
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assist with the landing in San Diego.
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And everyone I reached out to reached back and said, yes, by all means, with work opportunities and places to live and so on and so forth.
00:06:56
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So it was a very welcoming atmosphere in San Diego.
00:06:59
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And that was almost 13 years ago.
00:07:03
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So I'm here now still.
00:07:05
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And yeah, loving it, living the San Diego dream.
00:07:09
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It's been good.
Practical Mysticism and Spirituality of Red Moon
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This is Katarina.
00:07:14
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Janus was a mystic.
00:07:16
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At the very core, he was a very practical mystic.
00:07:21
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I always appreciated his grounded approach to life, to spirituality, to community.
00:07:31
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He had that earth energy down as a Capricorn while always cultivating his mystical essence.
00:07:42
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I remember so many conversations about metaphysical aspects of life, ancient Egyptian secret practices.
00:07:53
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We talked aliens, Pleiadians, Acturians.
00:07:57
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We talked about his encounters with those beings and so much more.
00:08:04
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I loved the way that he embodied his spirituality.
00:08:12
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He never claimed to be perfect.
00:08:15
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He always aimed to be authentic through and through.
00:08:21
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And I respected that and admired that in him.
00:08:26
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So yes, Janus was a mystic.
00:08:30
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And when he was given his name, his new name, Janus Osiris, Red Moon, each part of that name was representing a lineage.
00:08:43
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that he was connecting, that he was channeling that lineage in his own unique way through his essence, through his presence, and through his embodied wisdom.
00:09:02
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That's how I'm going to remember Janos as a practical mystic.
Red Moon on Personal Growth and Responsibility
00:09:10
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we're the only ones we have any control over.
00:09:12
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So I realizing that and really taking that away from ceremony and out into the world and integrating that, you know, that newfound perspective, it's important it to, to kind of realize, you know, that we're the ones that we're responsible for, responsible for our own experience.
00:09:30
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And then you get to a point where you realize that one of the,
00:09:37
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A main realization is that we're never going to arrive at this place, this destination of being perfectly healed, where we're like this perfectly awesome, we got it all figured out.
00:09:47
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We're never going to get to that place.
00:09:49
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So you learn to be like, okay, so this is who I am.
00:09:52
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How do I navigate who I am in this world?
00:09:56
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And realizing that, you know, the only thing that really needs to be healed is the belief that we are not already whole.
00:10:05
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This is Ishmael.
00:10:07
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Janus was a primary catalyst in my life.
00:10:12
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He, uh,
00:10:13
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He was somebody who recognized the quality of the work that we were all doing together.
00:10:19
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And when he recognized something that he thought was important, he had a natural desire to share it with the people that he loved.
00:10:26
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And he did that in my world, introducing me to people that still to this day are primary people that have made major influence in my life and the lives of people around me.
00:10:39
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Janus, thank you for being willing to love.
00:10:43
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Thank you for wanting to share your love.
00:10:45
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Thank you for how doing that has changed my life and the lives of so many people around us.
00:10:51
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Thank you for your expansions.
00:10:53
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Thank you for your contractions.
00:10:56
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Thank you for your willingness.
00:10:57
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Thank you when you weren't willing.
00:10:59
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And most especially thank you for your love for me and your recognition of me.
00:11:07
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It helped me to understand and recognize myself.
00:11:10
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My life is better because you are in it.
00:11:12
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And I love you.
Fostering Meaningful Connections
00:11:16
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If we're going to go out and be social, that the art of listening is something we want to cultivate.
00:11:22
Speaker
And we want to be able to show up for friends.
00:11:24
Speaker
And we want to be able to show up for strangers as well.
00:11:27
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So it's important that if we're going to put ourselves out in the world, that we're able to not only receive from the world, but also to offer to the world, to the people that we're encountering.
00:11:36
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And that is done in the future.
00:11:40
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the realm of presence, like being present with somebody and really like, I'm not going to ask somebody how their day was unless I am fully prepared and able to hear the answer.
00:11:49
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no matter what that answer is, and then respond accordingly.
00:11:52
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So it's important to kind of do a little self-check when we're leaving the house and kind of being, kind of knowing what it is we're open to, what it is we're up for, what it is we're capable of.
00:12:02
Speaker
And then being able to show up for friends and strangers in a way that is, like, healthy in the saying, empowering and able to kind of receive and be a cheerleader for whatever it is they're up for or whatever they're up to, and to also
00:12:18
Speaker
even if they're not really feeling that great, at least let them know that they've been heard, which is really most of what everybody is looking for at any given moment.
00:12:29
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This is Rebecca Mesritz.
00:12:31
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Janus, you magnificent mythical man.
00:12:35
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You as Big D introduced Yona and I on the dance floor at that first Fuente so many years ago now.
00:12:44
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When we met, it felt like I had already known you for ages.
00:12:49
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We visit each other in dreams many times, and one of those dreams inspired a whole body of created work for me, which became my master's thesis.
00:13:00
Speaker
The subject of that body of work was how we can sometimes learn something new from our dreams, and you had been a guide for me in that dream that I had.
00:13:11
Speaker
I was honored you wanted one of the pieces from that show, which then became a ceremonial vest for you.
00:13:19
Speaker
Knowing you, I'm sure you traveled pretty far in it.
00:13:22
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Your complexity is not lost on me.
00:13:25
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Light and shadow are both teachers.
00:13:28
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Hard-won wisdom.
00:13:30
Speaker
Our most recent conversation was a clarifying one.
00:13:34
Speaker
Dignity, respect, and maturity prevailed, and I was glad for it.
00:13:39
Speaker
how I wish we could have had one more night to connect and play and ride the waves of conversation on the very nature of truth.
00:13:51
Speaker
I guess that must wait for now till we dance again on the other side.
00:13:56
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Perhaps you are there already dancing with Seda.
00:14:00
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Keep a light on for us until we can join you, my friend.
00:14:04
Speaker
Bless your life.
00:14:05
Speaker
Bless your journey.
00:14:06
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Thank you for all your teaching.
00:14:08
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I love you.
Creating Inclusive Communities and Race Relations
00:14:11
Speaker
In 2006, a couple of friends and I formed a camp that turned out to be pretty big.
00:14:16
Speaker
And, you know, the RLD days.
00:14:21
Speaker
And there was a question as to, like, who do we invite?
00:14:28
Speaker
You know, because we want to have the cool kids there.
00:14:31
Speaker
And then I was like, no, we invite everybody.
00:14:35
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We're all the cool kids.
00:14:37
Speaker
Everybody gets to be the cool kid this year.
00:14:39
Speaker
And we're going to have the awesome camp.
00:14:41
Speaker
And it was a fantastic camp with about, it turned out to be like 120 people.
00:14:46
Speaker
And a lot of people were there and part of this camp who would not...
00:14:51
Speaker
have found themselves in the same group of people, a group of people.
00:14:55
Speaker
But it turned out to be amazing.
00:14:57
Speaker
It was just so, so diverse and so like authentic.
00:15:00
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Everybody was coming with their authentic selves and that was like honored and respected.
00:15:04
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It really felt like a strong sense of community.
00:15:06
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Like we were all there for each other for that entire time.
00:15:09
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And that was, that was a lesson for me.
00:15:12
Speaker
Like, no, everybody can provide something.
00:15:15
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Everybody can offer something.
00:15:17
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This is John.
00:15:19
Speaker
One of the deepest ways I remember his impact is in the gentle, loving way that he helped people with race relations and evolving attitudes about privilege and cultural differences.
00:15:36
Speaker
And when George Floyd happened, I reached out and said, would you be up for doing a Facebook Live and talking about this thing that is so delicate?
00:15:43
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And he was absolutely enthusiastically in and
00:15:47
Speaker
and did what he does so well, which is kind of holding people's feet to the fire with love so that you can hear it, so you don't get defensive.
00:15:56
Speaker
He was so understated and so powerful and changed so many people's awareness in the world.
00:16:01
Speaker
So here's him giving a little insight into why the Burning Man community could do a little better.
00:16:07
Speaker
Talking to a number of my friends, people of color and black people who have gone to Burning Hat.
00:16:14
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Race wasn't really much of a factor in my experience, I'm happy to say, until I brought it up.
00:16:24
Speaker
Meaning that, and this is true for the, you know, not only on the playa, but also like outside, off the playa, but still within the community.
00:16:33
Speaker
my race doesn't really come up as a factor until I would bring it up in regards to being concerned with issues of race in the world at large.
00:16:44
Speaker
And then discovering that for a large number of people, um, uh, bring an environment, um, the, uh, the culture is, um,
00:16:56
Speaker
a bit of escapism.
00:16:57
Speaker
It's a bit of an escape from these real world kind of stuff where I don't have to think about that.
00:17:02
Speaker
I don't have to worry about all the myriad issues that are out in the world.
00:17:07
Speaker
The idea of Burning Man kind of presents itself as an incubator for ideas to bring back into the world to elicit change.
00:17:14
Speaker
A lot of people are there for the party.
00:17:15
Speaker
A lot of people are there for, you know, all the sparkles and all that, that is certainly there to get.
00:17:23
Speaker
But I found that when I would bring it up, whether it was online or in person at a gathering or whatever, and people just didn't want to hear about it.
00:17:32
Speaker
I would bring up issues of diversity or issues of race or such, and people would literally be like, you know, hold that thought for a second and turn around and run, not walk, run to the opposite side of the party.
00:17:43
Speaker
I just watched them just sprint away from, for me, as I'm standing there like mid-sentence.
00:17:48
Speaker
I kind of realized, and that's where I became a little bit disappointed.
00:17:52
Speaker
the, um, the culture, um, not all of it, but a large part of it, just because realizing that there was a, a wanted, a desired separation between, uh, the two worlds, which is kind of, which is kind of dangerous actually, because there's a lot of people in one culture where, you know, some aspect of, you see it, you see it a lot, whether it's in the tantric community, the burning man community, the plant medicine community, um,
00:18:21
Speaker
It's all good in their little bubble, but when they have to open that up to being like, okay, so we're going to try to do or affect some change in the real world.
00:18:31
Speaker
And a lot of people, a lot of people in all these communities are, are simply not interested.
00:18:37
Speaker
Uh, haven't been interested in it.
00:18:39
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Um, and so yeah, it's tough.
00:18:43
Speaker
It certainly doesn't, you know, not to implicate everyone in all these cultures, but it's a significant enough number.
00:18:49
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It's kind of disillusioning.
00:18:51
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If you,
00:18:51
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unless you are happy to reside within that bubble and stay there, then that works for you.
00:18:57
Speaker
But it's like, you know, the guy eating, you know, eating steak in the Matrix movie.
00:19:03
Speaker
It's like, I know this isn't real, but it's really good.
00:19:08
Speaker
And if I could just stay in here, that'd be fine.
00:19:10
Speaker
I'm not, I'm not particularly interested in, you know, the struggle that's happening out there.
00:19:15
Speaker
And I'm happy to, you know,
00:19:17
Speaker
Plug me back in.
00:19:18
Speaker
And, you know, these people, it's like, you know, talk about woke culture.
00:19:21
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Like you go to any of these cultures, most of these people would consider themselves conscious or woke or whatever, but they don't want to be woke to, you know, some real world stuff.
00:19:33
Speaker
They might even talk about it, but when confronted with actually doing something about it or standing up, you know, for other people, they lack the courage of their convictions.
00:19:47
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I'm Michael Ravenwood, and I always remember Yannouz as a really grounding and calming presence whenever I had the chance to hang out with him.
Offering Perspective and Vision Boarding
00:19:56
Speaker
You know, one thing in particular that I remember was a time when I was just sharing some things that were going on in my life.
00:20:04
Speaker
And I was talking about how I was handling some, you know, kind of challenging family affairs and, you know, business stuff had come up and whatever.
00:20:13
Speaker
I just, you know, shared it in a certain way.
00:20:16
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And he's like, hey, I want to pause you, man, for a second.
00:20:19
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And I want to remind you of...
00:20:23
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you know, how much that all is.
00:20:25
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Like, you're talking about it right now as if it's just, like, the thing that's happening for you.
00:20:29
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But really, like, you should take a moment and just really let it sink in how much you're handling right now and really, like, appreciate yourself for doing all that for your family.
00:20:41
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And, you know, and he just kind of, like...
00:20:44
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paused me for a moment so as to give me presence to what was going on.
00:20:50
Speaker
And I just remember thinking, wow, I think he's right.
00:20:53
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I think I'm just kind of glossing over all this stuff.
00:20:56
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And I really need to kind of pause and allow it to sink in.
00:21:01
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Appreciate how much is going on and maybe take a break for a minute.
00:21:04
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And I really, I was really grateful to him for that.
00:21:10
Speaker
It's Tigger.
00:21:11
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There was a time when I needed a gig, and he had a gig, vouched for me, and I got the job.
00:21:16
Speaker
My worksite overlooked the driveway, so I'd often see Giannis roll up in his white Audi two-seater.
00:21:23
Speaker
I always got a kick out of seeing my super tall homie roll up in that tiny little convertible, dreadlocks to the breeze.
00:21:30
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Now at this job, a group of us sat around a big table working with our hands and chit-chatting about every topic imaginable.
00:21:37
Speaker
One day we're talking about manifesting and vision boarding, and Janus walks in.
00:21:42
Speaker
And we ask him whether or not he thinks vision boarding works.
00:21:46
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He says, and I'm paraphrasing, "'Be careful with vision boarding, because it's great for helping you get clear on what you want, but the moment you put something up on the wall as a vision for the future, it's like you're telling the universe that you know you can't have it now, and that's not necessarily true.
00:22:02
Speaker
Take my car.'"
00:22:03
Speaker
I had it up on my vision board, and I remember looking at that thing going, wait a minute, what do I need to do to make this happen?
00:22:10
Speaker
I looked on the internet, and within minutes, I'd found one just like it.
00:22:14
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Got down to the dealership, and within a matter of days, that car went from being on my vision board to sitting in my driveway.
00:22:22
Speaker
So yeah, the vision board helped me quote-unquote manifest the car, but I got the car because I took action, and I made it happen.
00:22:30
Speaker
He made it happen.
00:22:32
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Thank you, Janus.
00:22:36
Speaker
If you're going to ask for people's opinion, oh, what do you think about this logo?
00:22:38
Speaker
What do you think about this idea?
00:22:39
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You are going to get positive and negative feedback.
00:22:42
Speaker
So what are you going to do with that?
00:22:44
Speaker
Just do your thing and whoever resonates with that will resonate with that.
Reflections on Grounded Masculine Energy
00:22:50
Speaker
So maybe a little less seeking of other people's opinions and more just stick to your – you have this idea, this inspiration for a reason.
00:22:58
Speaker
Yeah.
00:22:59
Speaker
you know, follow that.
00:23:00
Speaker
But then also we do want some feedback.
00:23:03
Speaker
We do want to like, and a lot of times, you know, we're excited about stuff.
00:23:05
Speaker
So we want to share that excitement with like our friends or our coworkers or family or whatever.
00:23:10
Speaker
So, so yeah.
00:23:11
Speaker
So when somebody shares their stuff with us,
00:23:15
Speaker
For me, it feels good to – I don't want to be a dream squasher.
00:23:20
Speaker
I'm not here to squash people's dreams, which could be a challenge when somebody comes up with an idea or, what do you think about this?
00:23:27
Speaker
That really sounds like, wow, I don't know about that.
00:23:32
Speaker
Instead of being like, I don't know about that, I'm like, okay, so what's exciting you to do that?
00:23:36
Speaker
Where's the inspiration from for that?
00:23:40
Speaker
What's the juice behind it?
00:23:45
Speaker
Hi, my name is Senna Bunz, aka Ms.
00:23:49
Speaker
Bunz, as Janus always called me.
00:23:53
Speaker
I was blessed to know Janus Osiris Redmond since 2009 when we met at Burning Man, of course.
00:24:02
Speaker
Over the years, his loving friendship provided me and my children with the experience of a healthy, grounded, and wise masculine energy, something that is very rare and we will cherish forever.
00:24:18
Speaker
Yanus never really felt like he was of this world.
00:24:22
Speaker
He lived life on his own terms with pizzazz, loyalty, and charm.
00:24:29
Speaker
For us, he was someone I could lean on to help navigate this wild old thing called life.
00:24:36
Speaker
With reverence for honesty and integrity, he helped me navigate some of my darkest days.
00:24:45
Speaker
He always showed up, meant what he said, and never missed a chance to say something deeply profound.
00:24:54
Speaker
When he became a father, I got to see his heart expand beyond his wildest imagination.
00:25:00
Speaker
Thank you, Beyond News, for loving me.
00:25:02
Speaker
Thank you for being my friend.
00:25:05
Speaker
Thank you for showing us what it feels like to have unconditional support.
00:25:11
Speaker
I miss you deeply, and I vow to live each day to the best of my ability.
Finding Joy and Purpose in Life
00:25:16
Speaker
We're not just cruising along.
00:25:17
Speaker
We're either trending up or we're trending down.
00:25:20
Speaker
So...
00:25:38
Speaker
Having some awareness of that, being like, okay, I'm moving one way or the other.
00:25:44
Speaker
What do I want?
00:25:45
Speaker
I want to move up.
00:25:46
Speaker
So what am I going to do to kind of, instead of just assuming that's going to happen on its own, really taking the reins.
00:25:53
Speaker
Okay, I'm going to change.
00:25:54
Speaker
How am I going to change?
00:25:55
Speaker
What is, this is all, my whole experience looking around, this is all temporary.
00:26:00
Speaker
So what can I do to change this in a direction that I feel, that I'm going to feel good about, that is going to allow me to offer my gifts to the world, that is going to be to everyone's highest benefit, including my own.
00:26:12
Speaker
And, you know, taking the time and taking it slow and realizing like, okay, so how do I go about this?
00:26:19
Speaker
And integrating all my past experiences into the present moment,
00:26:25
Speaker
And using that as a guide to get me to where I want to be.
00:26:31
Speaker
But what brings us joy throughout the day?
00:26:33
Speaker
Because a joyful person is definitely fun to be around.
00:26:37
Speaker
It's definitely like you're going to enjoy the world.
00:26:41
Speaker
I see the world, experience the world in a much better way when you are coming from a place of joy.
00:26:46
Speaker
I just heard something recently that said the meaning of life, very simple in five words, the meaning of life is to enjoy the passage of time.
00:26:53
Speaker
That is it.
00:26:54
Speaker
And that can be connected to, you know, what's my purpose?
00:26:58
Speaker
What does my meaning say?
00:26:59
Speaker
Okay, to enjoy the passage of time.
00:27:02
Speaker
How do I do that?
00:27:06
Speaker
This is Angelina Aria.
00:27:08
Speaker
Some of my fondest memories are walking in nature at Mission Trails and just talking about Egypt and the time that you came with me to buy my Prius.
00:27:19
Speaker
Thank you for being there for me.
00:27:21
Speaker
And just the first day we met on New Year's Eve back in L.A.
00:27:26
Speaker
at that boxing ring in 2006.
00:27:29
Speaker
I trust that you are navigating the afterlife brilliantly.
00:27:34
Speaker
I see you doing it.
00:27:37
Speaker
I'm just sending you big love, brother.
00:27:40
Speaker
And I know one day we will meet again.
00:27:42
Speaker
Much love.
00:27:44
Speaker
I might have some negative stuff going on in my life and I may or may not share that with you, but I'm definitely going to share with you guys like what's awesome in my life and just kind of speak that out.
00:27:55
Speaker
And that's definitely puts, you know, that puts the good stuff out there and my appreciation and gratitude for that good stuff.
00:28:02
Speaker
Gratitude is one of those things like you do it because it feels good, but the fringe benefit is that gratitude gives you more things to be grateful for.
00:28:10
Speaker
The more gratitude you express, the more you have to be grateful for.
00:28:14
Speaker
It's like I've seen way too many instances of this for it to be so easily dismissed and just, oh, that's some hippie woo-woo stuff.
00:28:21
Speaker
Like, no.
00:28:26
Speaker
This is Cynthia, a.k.a.
00:28:28
Speaker
Sin.
00:28:29
Speaker
So I met Yanus years and years and years ago when he was known as Big D. I remember he worked at Trader Joe's and I used to love going in there just to run into him and have a quick chat.
00:28:45
Speaker
He was always just such a warm, welcoming presence.
00:28:49
Speaker
And so I moved out of San Diego, moved back four years later, and then I knew him as Yanis.
00:28:58
Speaker
And again, he was just as warm and welcoming as I remembered him.
00:29:06
Speaker
I just would love to run into him at parties and have conversations.
00:29:09
Speaker
He was a really good person to talk to.
00:29:13
Speaker
Yeah, I love getting to know him.
00:29:16
Speaker
And I remember there's this one time he saw that I was hanging out with
00:29:19
Speaker
uh a person that you know i didn't know at the time had a bad reputation and he reached out to me and said like hey you could do whatever you want but i care about you and um you know i i don't want anything bad that had to happen to you so just be careful and i just felt like that was such a sweet big brother thing to do
00:29:40
Speaker
that he really truly did care and I just I would never forget that and I would never forget him he's just a very he's a very kind warm welcoming person and I miss him already so he's always going to have a special place in my heart
00:30:06
Speaker
This is Lily.
00:30:08
Speaker
Yannous was like a big, fierce, protector brother in my life, and I am just so grateful for all the ways he's shown up for me over the 10-ish years that I knew him.
00:30:29
Speaker
One moment in particular I'm remembering is I needed to buy a van and I wanted to go kind of traveling around California looking for my new home outside of Los Angeles.
00:30:45
Speaker
And he...
00:30:47
Speaker
offered to look for a van for me in San Diego and go and check it out because I had really no ideal car experience.
00:31:00
Speaker
So he did and he went the extra mile.
00:31:03
Speaker
He found a great van and he also built out a bed platform in it so that I could have storage underneath and have a comfy bed on top and
00:31:14
Speaker
And that was just one of the ways that he would go out of his way as a brother, as a friend, as an ally.
00:31:23
Speaker
And another moment I'm remembering is after a particularly terrible breakup that I had, he just was there.
00:31:34
Speaker
He came to visit me.
00:31:39
Speaker
He, you know, listened to me.
00:31:40
Speaker
He held me when I cried.
00:31:44
Speaker
He was a really good brother.
00:31:47
Speaker
I love you, Yanus, and I'm so happy that you are flying free.
00:31:54
Speaker
I know that you're protecting me and your friends, your beloved, your son from the Aether Realms.
00:32:09
Speaker
We love you.
00:32:13
Speaker
I've always found that if I'm kind of stuck in my own stuff and I'm feeling like a sense of purposelessness or I'm not... If I feel like I'm just on a hamster wheel, I will take it upon myself to be of service in some way.
00:32:29
Speaker
Like, okay, so table my stuff.
00:32:32
Speaker
help somebody out over here.
00:32:34
Speaker
And that could be like helping a friend move or working at a, you know, working at a meal train or serving, you know, serving food at the local, whatever.
00:32:43
Speaker
But there's definitely a sense of joy, sense of accomplishment since like, all right, it doesn't like, not necessarily like I have to fill an obligation, but it's just like, I'm doing, I'm doing some good stuff here.
00:32:53
Speaker
All right.
00:32:53
Speaker
All right.
00:32:53
Speaker
That's fine.
00:32:54
Speaker
It's like the whole idea is that is it enough?
00:32:56
Speaker
It's like, eh, whatever.
00:32:58
Speaker
You know, I did some good stuff today.
00:33:00
Speaker
I can feel good about that.
Personal Memories and Reflections on Red Moon
00:33:04
Speaker
This is Shannon, Giannis' last partner and the mother of the beautiful baby boy we had together, our little roomie, roomie hunter, Red Moon.
00:33:23
Speaker
And I want to say how Giannis made me laugh
00:33:34
Speaker
Like no other person has ever made me laugh.
00:33:38
Speaker
And consistently.
00:33:42
Speaker
I would have just nights and nights in a row.
00:33:47
Speaker
It was kind of our ritual or a nightly ritual where he would just have me in such insane stitches that my stomach was seizing up and I could barely breathe and I was laughing and crying so hard.
00:34:06
Speaker
It was magical and such a great way to get all of the
00:34:12
Speaker
endorphins and serotonin and yumminess through to get me into a sleepy state.
00:34:21
Speaker
It was such a great way to be sent off every night.
00:34:25
Speaker
Yeah, it was kind of uncanny how he just knew exactly what to say and how to say it.
00:34:34
Speaker
That would get me laughing so hard.
00:34:37
Speaker
And I'm so grateful to him for all those
00:34:44
Speaker
nights of laughter and all those days of laughter.
00:34:51
Speaker
Yeah, even our neighbor said that he loved how often he heard laughter coming from our house.
00:35:01
Speaker
So, and of course, I will love Giannis forever for
00:35:12
Speaker
just who he was and the amazing gift giver he was and that he gave me the most incredible gift of our son.
00:35:28
Speaker
I was the one thing I wanted more than anything in this life was to be a mother and he gave me that gift.
00:35:43
Speaker
one thing we're, my partner and I are both stoked about is just the, the community that he has been born into.
00:35:49
Speaker
Like, like with you guys and like, we are, we're part of a fantastic community of, uh,
00:35:54
Speaker
friends and family and framily as we, as we call it, where I'm just so stoked that he's going to be meet so many awesome people from so many different walks of life and different perspectives.
00:36:05
Speaker
And he's going to be surrounded by these aunts and uncles who are just going to love him up and show him all these fantastic ways of being in the world.
00:36:13
Speaker
It's he's going to have some, some fantastic models to, uh, to, to model to some massive people to be modeling.
00:36:20
Speaker
And I, I, I, I give thanks for that every day.
00:36:25
Speaker
This is Raven.
00:36:27
Speaker
My first memory of meeting Giannis was at a gathering surrounded by community.
00:36:34
Speaker
He was so welcoming, so kind.
00:36:38
Speaker
He had this way of making you feel like you belonged, like you were already part of the circle.
00:36:46
Speaker
And that never changed.
00:36:48
Speaker
In the years I knew him, he was always that way with me.
00:36:53
Speaker
Warm, inviting, accepting.
00:36:56
Speaker
The kind of friend who wanted everyone to feel included.
00:37:02
Speaker
And then there were our deep drop-ins on life, on art, on love.
00:37:08
Speaker
Those conversations, his presence, his wisdom.
00:37:13
Speaker
I hold them close.
00:37:14
Speaker
I am forever grateful for his friendships.
00:37:18
Speaker
We have to let go of the idea that we are human beings and that we are humans becoming, that we are always in this state of, you know, evolution and growth and decline and decay.
00:37:32
Speaker
Like these things are always happening.
00:37:34
Speaker
Every morning is another opportunity.
00:37:35
Speaker
Every sunrise is another opportunity to begin again, to begin anew.
00:37:40
Speaker
So we don't, it's not that we have to constantly be improving or constantly be growing.
00:37:46
Speaker
It's, you know, that's kind of a fringe benefit of the evolution.
00:37:49
Speaker
As long as we are, we feel like we are living into our truth, living into what's feeling authentic to us in this moment today.
00:37:58
Speaker
I think that's the idea.
00:37:59
Speaker
That's the point.
00:38:02
Speaker
This is Betsy.
00:38:03
Speaker
I want to share a very special bonding experience we had at Damanhur in Italy at a sacred site called the Temples of Humankind.
00:38:11
Speaker
Giannis was a guide for me in my spiritual development as I was young and discovering the realms of mysticism and the unseen ways, which he seemed to just carry naturally.
00:38:27
Speaker
And we had this opportunity to sleep inside a
00:38:30
Speaker
a beautiful temple space called the Hall of Mirrors.
00:38:34
Speaker
And that experience bonded us as we did deep meditations and rituals as a group that helped us to remember our infinite nature.
00:38:45
Speaker
And so with the privilege of many, many, many years later, getting to sit at his bedside just a couple of days before his passing,
00:38:55
Speaker
We recalled those moments and looked into each other's eyes and remembered our infinite nature.
00:39:02
Speaker
As I am deeply saddened by his loss, I also know deeply that he is continuing on the journey in the formless space.
00:39:13
Speaker
And so in celebration of this mystical being that is Janus, I am so grateful, so thankful for the gift that he has given to me in his life and also in his passing.
00:39:26
Speaker
You are infinite, Janus.
00:39:28
Speaker
Thank you for your magical existence.
00:39:31
Speaker
We love you.
00:39:36
Speaker
This is Eliza Moon.
00:39:37
Speaker
My friend Janus is an incredible being.
00:39:42
Speaker
that touched me in the masses, like so many people he's touched.
00:39:48
Speaker
And I've been friends with Yanis for 16 years.
00:39:52
Speaker
We met in Guadalupe Canyon at the Hot Springs.
00:39:57
Speaker
And I just remember him talking to me and I felt like it was like soul recognition.
00:40:01
Speaker
Like we've known each other for lifetimes.
00:40:04
Speaker
And I remember him taking me to my performance with the Shimish sisters at Portugalia.
00:40:12
Speaker
And he took me there and we bonded over...
00:40:17
Speaker
our past like we're both adopted and I feel like thereafter I feel like he's been like my brother like protected like we're definitely feel like soul family and yeah that's he's watched me be pregnant and was you know the first person to visit my son when he was a baby just born and
00:40:44
Speaker
Um, yeah, it's been sweet.
00:40:46
Speaker
He's been considerate and thoughtful and fun and playful.
00:40:52
Speaker
And he always honored me.
00:40:54
Speaker
Like he'd always pick me up and go on hikes and he would take me and my son to the beach or the park.
00:41:02
Speaker
And he introduced me to so many people.
00:41:05
Speaker
Like he took me to parties and
00:41:08
Speaker
I just felt like the impact he left for me is like I belong.
00:41:13
Speaker
Like I felt like he loved me unconditionally.
00:41:15
Speaker
Like nothing I can do would spray him from not loving me.
00:41:21
Speaker
And I really love that he was able to represent unconditionally loving.
00:41:29
Speaker
And that he was able to show up for me and my son in a huge way.
00:41:36
Speaker
And he's so funny.
00:41:39
Speaker
So he was like playful and fun.
00:41:42
Speaker
And I miss him dearly.
00:41:45
Speaker
But I feel like he's with me right now.
00:41:48
Speaker
I really feel his presence.
00:41:49
Speaker
And I want to continue to feel his presence and his insight.
00:41:54
Speaker
Because he definitely helped me throughout my life.
00:41:59
Speaker
When I was struggling, he was there with me.
00:42:03
Speaker
So I love you, Janus.
00:42:07
Speaker
You're legendary.
The Journey of Life: Ups and Downs
00:42:10
Speaker
But it's important to remember that it's... There are very few destinations in life.
00:42:18
Speaker
Most of it is a journey.
00:42:21
Speaker
And acknowledging, like...
00:42:23
Speaker
You know, when you have these moments of, like, insecurity where, you know, you're viewed as, like, oh, my gosh, you're so together.
00:42:29
Speaker
It's like, oh, you should have seen me, like, you know, two hours ago.
00:42:34
Speaker
But it's important when we get to that place.
00:42:36
Speaker
And it's true for how we express ourselves and it's true for our experience in life.
00:42:40
Speaker
Like, if we're, okay, this is my pink phase.
00:42:42
Speaker
You know, this is not the destination.
00:42:44
Speaker
This is just where I'm at right now.
00:42:47
Speaker
And when we're feeling those bouts of insecurity again,
00:42:51
Speaker
You know, maybe even like moments of despair.
00:42:54
Speaker
It's like, okay, this is where I'm at right now.
00:42:57
Speaker
You know, work through it and I'm not going to wallow it and I'm not going to plant my flag here.
00:43:01
Speaker
This is just where I'm at right now.
00:43:02
Speaker
I am always moving.
00:43:05
Speaker
I can see where I'm moving next.
00:43:06
Speaker
And then, you know, that allows for us to feel it, to be in it, and then to kind of come out of it with a different perspective.
00:43:18
Speaker
Ryan Sweeney here, just reflecting upon the number of years that I've known Janus and kind of who he was for me.
00:43:27
Speaker
So, uh, it was around 2013 when I met Suzanne Angelo.
00:43:33
Speaker
We went on our first date and, uh,
00:43:36
Speaker
You know, that started a chapter that will forever shape and change my life.
00:43:43
Speaker
The first time that I went back to her house, he was living there.
00:43:48
Speaker
He was her roommate.
00:43:50
Speaker
And I just remember, you know, his presence.
00:43:53
Speaker
He's got quite the powerful presence, yet with a gentle, kind voice.
00:44:01
Speaker
endearing loving uh way of being about them that was just really nice to be around um over the years you know the various community gatherings festivals house parties uh
00:44:19
Speaker
events of all types, dinners, just get togethers.
00:44:23
Speaker
We always carved out some time to talk about the deeper things and, um, just always really appreciated his ability to listen and, you know, carry a conversation about the, the bigger things in life.
00:44:37
Speaker
And, um, you know, towards these later years, especially about fatherhood and everything that, uh,
00:44:47
Speaker
goes into the wonders of raising a human and being that human's guide and sharing the wisdom.
00:45:01
Speaker
Godspeed, brother.
00:45:02
Speaker
I love you.
00:45:04
Speaker
You'll always be a part of me.
Conclusion and Legacy Celebration
00:45:09
Speaker
Janus, brother, Sparky, we love you so much.
00:45:14
Speaker
You are always remembered.
00:45:16
Speaker
You are infinitely woven into our hearts and souls.
00:45:20
Speaker
And even though you are no longer in your body, you are deeply with us in spirit.
00:45:27
Speaker
I feel you here with a big old smile, taking it in.
00:45:33
Speaker
It is such a privilege to have crossed paths and to have been made a better man because of you.
00:45:39
Speaker
The world is better because of you.
00:45:41
Speaker
May we let your ripples continue flowing.
00:45:45
Speaker
We came from a place where everything is perfect, and we are going back to a place where everything is perfect.
00:45:50
Speaker
But right now, while we're here, everything is not perfect, and that's what we kind of signed up for.
00:45:55
Speaker
We signed up for the human experience, which is, if nothing else, messy.
00:46:00
Speaker
And it has a lot of ups and downs.
00:46:03
Speaker
It has the highest of highs to lowest of lows and all the points in between, and we are here for all of that.
00:46:08
Speaker
We are here to experience it.
00:46:09
Speaker
This is kind of what I signed up for.
00:46:11
Speaker
It's like I really wanted to be here and having this experience of life and this body with these people in my life.
00:46:19
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I signed up for this.
00:46:21
Speaker
Okay.
00:46:22
Speaker
All right.
00:46:23
Speaker
Be at it.
00:46:24
Speaker
Love it.
00:46:40
Speaker
In addition to the clips that we're sharing here today, you can always visit the Remembering Red Moon YouTube channel for a collection of his wisdom and wit.
00:46:52
Speaker
Stay smart, friends.