
In addition to the video introduction, there is a free mini-workbook. Click on "resources" and then "download." It will open into a PDF.
Explore how people talk about the vibe, define its nature as physical or metaphysical, and engage with guided meditations and visionary work through a PowerPoint-based format.
Explore how the vibe operates across music, sports, spirituality, romance, and politics. Understand how people describe and negotiate energy and atmosphere to interpret experiences.
Explore how the vibe functions as a catchphrase, metaphor, and general feeling, and classify its usages into most common, somewhat common, and less common—covering emotions, intuition, and spiritual meanings.
Definitions shape how we perceive the vibe through language, guiding our understanding and communication; the lecture reviews two general definitions, personal definitions, and their debatable implications.
An exercise using sound bowls. Be prepared to adjust the sound on your device.
This exercise also uses sound bowls. Be prepared to adjust the sound on your device.
Examine the vibe as a physical phenomenon by linking vibrating atoms and strings from quantum ideas to how light, sound, and electromagnetic energy manifest in the body and in others.
Explore the quantum woo critique of linking quantum physics to the vibe, including extrasensory perception and altered states of consciousness, noting science's limits and urging humility.
Explore the vibe as a metaphysical, primordial energy beyond the physical. Compare materialist views and religious metaphysics, and examine mysticism, energy work, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Advance your understanding of the vibe by exploring whether it is physical, metaphysical, both, neither, or all at once, and learn to create more complex conversations and deepen your study.
This conclusion explains why to study the vibe, offers a reflection exercise, presents four books for further learning, and thanks participants for a path to deeper, authentic connections.
What is the vibe?
Everyone from musicians and athletes to poets and gurus talk about the vibe. Bob Marley sings about “Rasta vibrations” and 2 Chainz raps about “it’s a vibe.” General Motors has a line of cars called “Pontiac vibe” and there’s a chewing gum called “Trident Vibes.” But what exactly is the vibe?
Good vibes. Bad vibes. Ugly vibes. Chill vibes.
Vibrations. Energy. Collective emotionality. The mood of a crowd. The atmosphere of a room. The electricity of a sports stadium. The connection between close friends.
We know what the vibe is, but it's hard to grasp and understand.
For example, how should we define or explain the vibe? What's its nature? Is it real or just a catchy phrase used in popular culture? How does it work? How can we experience it more deeply? How might we refine and advance our understanding of it?
If you find these questions interesting, then this course is for you!
The vibe is commonly associated with new age spirituality, the wellness movement, and hippie culture. This course is sympathetic to these traditions but acknowledges that the vibe is of global and cross-cultural interest. The course is designed to appeal to a variety of people of different backgrounds, levels, and interests.
The course addresses three main questions:
How do people talk about the vibe?
How might we define the vibe?
And what is the nature of the vibe – is it physical or metaphysical, spiritual or scientific, material or immaterial?
The course is intellectual, philosophical, and knowledge-driven. But the course also includes guided meditations and visionary work to help you feel and experience the vibe.
Finally, the course is approximately two hours long, but is divided into 27 mini-lectures, talks, and exercises. You will also get links to external resources, some suggested readings, and a free mini-workbook to aid your study of the vibe.
Let’s vibe, together!