Steve Whitmire, the performer of the word's most beloved frog, discusses the impact the Integral vision has had upon his own life, career, and creativity, and opens the door to a possible future of explicitly Integral puppetry….

Who:  Steve Whitmire is one of the few individuals who has carried on the whole-hearted legacy of Jim Henson, and the mastery and development of puppetry through Jim's unique Muppets.  Since the passing of Jim Henson in 1990, Steve has served as the animating force and puppeteer for beloved characters such as Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie.

Summary:  In the second part of this fascinating discussion, Steve discusses what it is like to play so many different characters simultaneously, including Wembley Fraggle, Rizzo the Rat, Ernie, and Kermit the Frog.  Almost every character, Steve explains, is in some way related to some aspect of his own consciousness and creativity, the natural expressions of some of the quirkier subpersonalities jittering about in his psyche. So, Ken asks, when playing so many multiple roles at once, where exactly is Steve Whitmire to be found?

Steve responds with a brief description of some general contours of the states associated with his puppetry, including his recognition of the remarkable stillness of awareness that permeates the chaos of performance, the effortless clarity that accompanies the intensity and precision of his art.  And, he notes, these are the sorts of things that he has only become aware of in the past decade or so, identifying Ken’s work as the primary framework through which he has been able to truly analyze his own life and career, seeing the “patterns that connect” all the various aspects of his being.

As such, Steve has begun to notice a very powerful impulse to further bring the Integral vision into his craft, leading to perhaps the most interesting—and exciting!—portion of this interview:  Integral Puppetry!  Imagine giving the AQAL vision the “Sesame Street” treatment, perhaps with different characters representing different altitudes of consciousness, all interacting and trying to figure out how to get along.  Or maybe a puppet for each voice in the Big Mind process, a colorful cacophony of Skeptics, Controllers, Wounded Children, and Protectors all struggling to create a single cohesive identity….  The possibilities are endless, and endlessly entertaining to think about!  The potential to appeal to people who are already thinking integrally—but have yet to recognize this faculty in themselves—is especially intriguing, as is the ability to teach the integral map in such a way that people don’t even know it is being taught to them.  Which, Steve mentions, “is the secret of Sesame Street anyway….”

Steve is one of the few who have had an actual hand in what has become an intrinsic part of the “national character” of America (pun intended).  His limitless creativity, levity, and altruism are both inspirational and infectious; so much so that it is hard to listen to this interview without feeling the very same warmth in your heart that has come to define the entire Jim Henson legacy.  We are all extremely happy to present this interview to you all, and eagerly anticipate any endeavors we may share with Steve in the future!