This week’s guest spent 5 years in the jungle, embedded in an animist culture, undergoing plant dietas while learning medicine songs called icaros as she deepened her understanding of both plant intelligences and the ancient practice of Amazonian Curanderismo.

Skye has also spent three years apprenticing with Chinese medicine, she’s a Grief Ritualist, a facilitator in Experiential Deep Ecology. Skye currently co-facilitates Josh’s yearlong study group The Mythic Body, and leads her own events focused on reclaiming animist perception, developing mythic imagination and helping people reconnect to the living, breathing, more-than-human world all around us. She leads various study groups on Practical Animism and Grief work, as Nature Connection Mentor, Folk Herbalist, Plant Medicine Ritualist, Naturalist and as someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, in ritual or in focused practice on the land.

Honestly, I can’t think of a more fitting guest than Skye. This is one of my favorite conversations on this show and I hope you enjoy it too.

Skye’s Website

Blogs

Curanderismo

Plant Dieta

Icaros

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

Skye's Upcoming Events

Skye’s Upcoming Workshop on Plant Intelligence

References

Robert Johnson’s Inner Work

Stephen Harrod Buhner’s Plant Intelligence And The Imaginal Realm

Josh Schrei’s The Emerald Podcast — Animism Is Normative Consciousness

Previous Episodes

John Seed

Francis Weller

Josh Schrei

Bayo Akomolafe

Mommy, what's a funkadelic?

Join me for a very quick reflection on this enormously influential psychedelic funk rock album. Frontman George Clinton and guitarist Eddie Hazel are musical heroes, and to commemorate this special anniversary George Clinton landed the mothership in New Orleans at the Essence Festival.

If you too share visions of one nation under a groove, then sit down, tune in, free your mind, and your ass will follow.

Links

https://funkadelic.bandcamp.com/album/maggot-brain

https://funkadelic.bandcamp.com/album/funkadelic

https://funkadelic.bandcamp.com/track/biological-speculation

https://funkadelic.bandcamp.com/track/i-bet-you

https://funkadelic.bandcamp.com/track/good-thoughts-bad-thoughts

https://georgeclinton.com

Since then he’s initiated projects protecting rainforests in South America, Asia and the Pacific, providing sustainable development and working with indigenous inhabitants to protect their forests.

During his more than 40 year career John has worked alongside prominent figures such as Vandana Shiva, Starhawk, the late Ram Dass and Joanna Macy to name a few. In 1988 John, writing with Joanna Macy, Arne Naess and Pat Fleming, published their seminal deep ecology book Thinking Like A Mountain. In collaboration with Joanna Macy he created a ceremony aimed at reconnection called The Council of All Beings, which we’ll talk about in our conversation.

I speak with John about a landmark court case involving the Los Cedros rainforest in Ecuador. In a groundbreaking move for legal and environmental history, the MOTH (More Than Human) Life Collective is submitting a petition to Ecuador’s copyright office to recognize the Los Cedros cloud-forest as the co-creator of a song titled "Song of the Cedars,” composed in collaboration with musician Cosmo Sheldrake, writer Robert Macfarlane, field mycologist Giuliana Furci, and legal scholar César Rodríguez-Garavito. It will be the first legal attempt to recognize an ecosystem’s moral authorship in the co-creation of a work of art. This case aims to disrupt traditional anthropocentric copyright frameworks by granting creative rights to a non-human natural entity. This is the first known attempt in any jurisdiction to establish the 'moral authorship' of an ecosystem as a co-creator in a work.

John is an absolute legend who’s dedicated his life to protecting animals, endangered species and rainforests, while writing, lecturing, facilitating workshops and campaigning & petitioning governments all over the world to protect ecologies.

It was a true honor to speak with John, and if you want to learn more about him and his work you can find him at johnseed.net, or https://www.rainforestinformationcentre.org/.

John’s Links

https://linktr.ee/gaiaseed

Los Cedros

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ9eKB8mlyu/?img_index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH_timp2S3E

Thinking Like A Mountain

https://bookshop.org/p/books/thinking-like-a-mountain-towards-a-council-of-all-beings-arne-naess/304b0d83848eb74e?ean=9781897408001

Earthling, father, partner, and brother, Dan is a regenerative practitioner, creative strategist, action researcher, co-designer, un/learning guide, facilitator, activist, writer, speaker, podcaster and DJ working at the intersections of ecology, culture, and transformation.

Dan is creator and host of The Spaceship Earth Podcast, as well as many other environmental projects like We Are Avon, Becoming Crew, and Famous For Five Miles. He's an inspiring person in this space, and he's doing good work.

In our conversation we talk about weathering the storm, the importance of reconnecting with the land, of creativity and art as vehicles for feeling, the importance of community - both human and more-than-human.

Dan speaks about pilgrimage, threshold moments and possible ways for us to step out from our stuckness.

This was one of my favorite conversations, and I think you'll enjoy it, too. If you want to find out more about Dan and his beautiful and encouraging work, check out his links below:

https://www.danburgess.earth/

https://www.instagram.com/dan__burgess

https://www.thespaceship.earth

Under her guidance, a team of scientists made shocking clinical discoveries for the first time in history. Studying a group of elderly mice, the scientists observed that administering heroic doses of psychedelic mushrooms conferred geroprotective benefits to their cells and appear to slow down aging.

Her research is paving the way for a new understanding between the role of psilocybin in health and aging.

Repeatedly giving mice hallucinogenic doses of psilocybin over tenth months produced profound, observable changes in the mice. Other studies found that human lung fibroblasts saw a similar dose-dependent relationship between psilocin (the primary psychoactive chemical compound in psychedelic mushrooms) and aging.

Of course more research needs to be done, and as I type this, Dr. Hecker and her team are soon to release additional findings showing how psychedelics positively impact many of the cells and organs of our bodies — with promising outcomes concerning diseases associated with the lungs. Many more intriguing and trippy facts are shared during our conversation — like mice not only living longer, but regrowing bald spots and reversing grey hairs. So if like me you’re old, grizzled and balding, I hope you’ll find this topic as fascinating and far out as I did.

Fun fact: if you take the starting letter of each of the previous sentences and line them up, it spells out the word mushrooms.

Research Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-025-00244-x

Louise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-hecker-69ba1915/

Join me for a liminal stream-of-consciousness ramble into the unknown, as I hunger for your wax and comb the murky depths of what's bubbling up through my mind.

Now, you may not have heard this term before. What is natural navigation? Well, to answer that question we'd have to ask, what did people do before maps and compasses were invented? Curious question. I hadn’t thought of it before. What did our ancestors do to successfully navigate the world for pretty much all of human history? They learned to listen to nature and read its signs.

That’s exactly what Tristan has spent his life doing.

He’s studied with indigenous trackers such as the Dayak in Borneo or the Tuareg while walking across the unforgiving landscape of the Libyan Sahara — and he’s the only living person to have sailed alone and flown alone across the Atlantic. He’s developed an extensive knowledge of bushcraft and animal tracking and meteorology, geology, dendrology, hydrology and the list goes on.

I’m reading one of his books right now called The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs where he teaches you how to listen to tree roots tell you about prevailing winds, or how a patch of colorful lichen might tell you things not only about air quality and moisture, but also about which way south is. Tristan uses flowers as thermometers, and fungi both as indicators of soil pH and predictors of surrounding tree species. His work is a wonderful and enchanting bridge back to rebuilding fluency in the language our world is speaking to us all the time, if we’re willing to slow down and listen.

So if you want to learn more about natural navigating check out Tristan’s website at https://www.naturalnavigator.com or read one of his many books. Tristan also offers courses and in-person workshops. You can also follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thenaturalnavigator.

How do we work with grief? Why is it important to metabolize our sorrow in a group setting? How does grief work and grief ritual differ from group therapy or support groups? What is grief asking of us? To help us answer these questions, I’m honored to have passed through this space with someone who’s been a teacher and inspiration to me, Francis Weller. Francis is a retired psychotherapist, renowned author, and grief worker who has opened up his life to an apprenticeship with sorrow. He’s written extensively on the topic of grief in books like The Wild Edge of Sorrow and In The Absence Of The Ordinary and in this episode we go into the darkness armed with some tissues and a few moments of silence.

As this is a continuation into our exploration of challenging feelings like grief, we explore sorrow as an animate force, and darkness as friend, not foe. We discuss ritual, grief-work and space-holding. I’m sure some listeners of this show are involved directly with grief work, maybe they’re death doulas, or hospice workers, or they facilitate restorative circles, or other group processes. But it’s worth noting that space-holding isn’t only applicable to facilitators of group work — space-holding is something all of us do every day. We can hold space for ourselves to get into contact with our inner world and give ourselves space and permission to feel but, sadly, in the dominant western culture we’re often not doing that; we can hold space for others when we’re there for our friends and family members who may be grieving or going through a tough time. In these times of darkness, uncertainty, despair and pain, space-holding I think is a relevant skill for us to develop regardless of who we are.

During our conversation we’ll talk about what Francis calls The Long Dark. He’ll explain grief as a communal — not individual — experience, he’ll walk us through some of the gates of grief related to those places which haven’t known love, ecological grief, and how this connects us to not just our own grief, but to a shared field of sorrow.

Francis has decades of experience in this work so I was truly grateful to hear his perspectives. This was an important conversation for me and I hope you can find something valuable to take away from it.

If you want to learn more about Francis and his work, you can find him at https://www.francisweller.net.

Books

The Wild Edge of Sorrow

In The Absence Of The Ordinary

This episode is a short, stream-of-consciousness exploration of the difficult emotions that we cast aside into liminal space in modern culture: inadequacy, anger, resentment, fear, uncertainty, humiliation, loss, sadness, grief. Inside any living thing there’s a hurting thing. Through attrition — a careful whittling away over time — we accumulate damage; seasoning. The longer we live, the more time polishes us; smooths the edges; fades the color. But in doing so we take on a different quality. Once we’re cracked open, hollowed, something can move through us that couldn’t before. Nature works this way. It slowly peels the paint off the south facing side of the house. It erodes the mountain. Crashing waves slowly carve cliffs into ancient rock. Our skin sags and wrinkles rake fine lines across our faces as time entrains us.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but on the old palace grounds where I recorded this episode from this morning, sits a memorial to the second world war. So after sitting in the van and thinking about pain, sorrow, and shame — our collective wounds, and brokenness — I wandered through a spiraling structure that documented the atrocities of Nazi Germany and the other Axis Powers. It was a sobering walk that took probably an hour to complete. An odd thing to be doing on a sunny day perfumed with birdsong. Surely evidence of a synchronicity; an echo of the tender and mournful darkness of my pre-dawn hours.

Grief takes many forms, which can make healing hard. Sometimes we grieve for the loss of that which we never had. Other times we grieve for that which was had but was taken from us — knowing full well that all we have will one day be lost. But aren’t there are more mysterious forms of grief? The wailing of the world. How does a world ravaged by extraction cry out? Through what channels does it broadcast its lament, or sink into an odious melancholy?

Maybe all things embodied are fleshy receivers capable of picking up the signal. We are embedded through our relationships into a shared community of heartache. But where does the unresolved trauma of our ancestors go after they take their leave of this place? Does it leak back into our lineage? Seep directly into our DNA? You’ve got your father’s eyes and your great grandmother’s fear of intimacy. But perhaps more importantly than where it comes from or where it goes — what does it want? How do we listen to and enter into conversation with our wounded or vulnerable parts?

I don’t believe I have firm answers to any of these questions — and I don’t even ask all of them in this episode — but it’s something I’m sitting with today. So pop your headphones into your earholes, close your eyes and pretend you’re with me here in the van.

There’s a callback to Episode 32 in this episode. Check it out if you feel so inclined.

Be good to one another, and I’ll talk to you next time.

This week I’m passing through a network of Flock Safety cameras that are all watching my every move and making me wonder what my Fourth Amendment rights are for. This is the surveillance episode.

This episode is all about how the most powerful surveillance apparatus in human history was built — not by a government, or a dictator, but in plain sight, incrementally, by companies whose products you use every day, funded by investors whose names you might not know, operating inside a legal framework that doesn’t meaningfully safeguard your civil liberties. More importantly this episode is about what it means for you — not in abstract, terms, but materially — in your wallet, or for your body — as you pass through a world where your every move is being tracked, profiled, and sold.

Join me for a deep dive into how we went from Jeremy Bentham’s theoretical Panopticon, to a literal cacophony of cameras tracking and monitoring the American public without their consent. I’ll talk about COINTELPRO, FISA, Snowden, The Patriot Act, data brokers, Shoshana Zuboff’s concept of Surveillance Capitalism, and a bunch more.

References

• Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon
• Michel Foucault
• Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (2019)
• Zuboff's Congressional Testimony, House Committee, February 16, 2022
• Chatrie v. United States — Supreme Court, argued April 27, 2026

• Bugs Bunny
• Malcolm X

Links

• https://abcnews.com/Politics/house-republicans-struggle-spy-powers-reauthorization/story?id=132073585
• https://observer.co.uk/news/science-technology/article/billionaire-backed-startup-convenes-ai-juries-to-take-aim-at-journalists-7465
• https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/04/clearview-ai-immigration-ice-fbi-surveillance-facial-recognition-hoan-ton-that-hal-lambert-trump/
• https://www.npr.org/2016/05/17/478266839/this-is-your-brain-on-uber
• https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/flock-roundup
• https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/08/nyregion/911-tapes.html
• https://www.rangemedia.co/flock-safety-cameras-spokane-county-abortion-texas/
• https://observer.co.uk/news/science-technology/article/billionaire-backed-startup-convenes-ai-juries-to-take-aim-at-journalists-7465
• https://www.brookings.edu/articles/supreme-court-weighs-constitutionality-of-geofence-warrants/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=gXRYcnM5KKU
• https://theintercept.com/2026/04/24/palantir-irs-contract-data/
• https://www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-revolving-doors-peter-thiel-transparency-corruption-risk
• https://usercentrics.com/guides/data-privacy/data-privacy-statistics/
• https://www.privacyguides.org/news/2026/03/30/walmart-promises-digital-price-labels-in-every-store-by-end-of-year/
• https://gizmodo.com/walmart-wins-patents-for-ai-powered-price-changes-2000735833#:~:text=The%20other%20claim%20was%20that,Senate%2C%20and%20the%20White%20House.
• https://stateofsurveillance.org/articles/government/church-committee-cia-fbi-investigation-1975/
• https://docs.house.gov/meetings/HA/HA00/20220216/114403/HHRG-117-HA00-Wstate-ZuboffS-20220216.pdf
• https://epic.org/documents/epic-v-doj-prism/
• https://ij.org/press-release/as-abuses-mount-nationwide-federal-government-calls-on-court-to-reject-lawsuit-challenging-constitutionality-of-license-plate-readers/
• https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/192-3133-flo-health-inc
• https://www.axios.com/2025/08/05/palantir-army-software-contract
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-trump-vp-peter-thiel-billionaire/
• https://www.npr.org/2022/08/12/1117092169/nebraska-cops-used-facebook-messages-to-investigate-an-alleged-illegal-abortion
• https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/target-reaches-5m-settlement-with-california-district-attorneys-over-alleged-false-advertising/
• https://privacyinternational.org/legal-action/challenge-against-clearview-ai-europe
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/16/clearview-expansion-facial-recognition/
  

Join me for a chat about time spent with my father in Portugal, reflections on child-parent relations, Community Building, and Asia and I's first time on our own as facilitators.

He takes a systems-thinking approach to assess our collective unraveling, which is, by definition a systemic crisis, and he emphasizes how an ecology of practice and action is required to shift our global paradigms.

Jeremy’s work helps us imagine the horizons of different shared futures as we transition from the horrors of the anthropocene into a possible era of fractal flourishing. And this sort of vision and imagination is exactly what I think we need because to quote social critic Fredric Jameson: “For most people, it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.”

He invites us to ask “what if civilization were designed not for profit, but for life?”

But this book isn’t only about imagination — it’s rigorous and research and evidence-based and it’s as much about diagnosing systemic disease as it is about liberation and the dispelling of harmful myths and necrotizing narratives.

Let’s find out how we might make the most of this one and precious life we’ve got as we’re all just passing through.

You can find Jeremy at his website where you can pre-order his new book Ecocivilizaiton: Making A World That Works For All:

https://www.jeremylent.com

You can also check out Deep Transformation Network, Ecocivilization Coalition, his YouTube channel and Substack:

https://deeptransformation.network/feed

https://www.ecociv.org

https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyLent

https://jeremylent.substack.com

We've got a website! Now you can stream episodes, search content, watch animated transcripts, comment, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts without having to use Spotify or pay for any apps. Check it out:

https://thepassingthroughpodcast.com

I'm also on Substack now. If you want to check out supplemental writing-based content, you can subscribe to The Passing Through Substack page that I'll occasionally post on:

https://substack.com/@thepassingthroughpodcast

This episode brought to you by Tenta-Call. Grab everyone!

He discusses H.P. Lovecraft, the moth that drinks from the tears of sleeping birds, a jar of crude oil he has kept sealed for many years, and a specific frog who he may or may not know.

One of the more surreal conversations I've had on this show.

(Music during past lives reading by SWER)

Grace Rachmany returns to The Passing Through Podcast for the second time, this time calling in from Malaysia, where she had been living inside a crypto-bro utopia not entirely dissimilar to the eco-villages where we first met. Different tribe, same restless hunger for something better.

We talk about what separates those two worlds, what they unexpectedly share, and what gets lost when you try to build culture without knowing how.

We also get into death — specifically, our disagreement with Bryan Johnson about it — trauma, what it quietly does to the brain, apocalypse porn and Plato's virtue signaling.

This is a wide-ranging, unscripted conversation that went places neither of us planned for.

Links:

Grace's Website: https://gracerachmany.com

DAO Leadership: https://www.daoleadership.com

Decentralized Identity Foundation: https://identity.foundation

So You've Got a DAO (Grace's book): https://www.daoleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/So-Youve-Got-A-DAO-2.0-The-Big-DAO-Fail-Expose-Grace-Rachmany.pdf

Mentioned in this episode:

Bryan Johnson / Don't Die: https://bryanjohnson.com

Balaji's Network School: https://networkschool.com

Grace's first appearance on Passing Through — https://open.spotify.com/episode/3SeH5vQTSLQ1DcZeRCffNC

After completing my third 10-day silent retreat, join me for a talk where I unpack what really happens inside a Vipassana course: the intense physical pain, the psychological unraveling, and my confrontation with an unfocused mind.

Before we start I'll lay out some core Buddhist concepts—impermanence (anicca), non-self (anatta), suffering (dukkha)—as well as sila, samadhi and panna. From concentrated breathing to scanning sensations to dissolving deep-rooted reactions (sankaras), this episode reveals how meditation can become a laboratory for understanding reality itself.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• What is Vipassana and what happens during a 10-day silent meditation retreat?

• Is Vipassana for me?

• Is it wrong to crave bagels?

• What's the difference between acceptance and resignation?

Sit back, and let's stretch out that third eye!

David is a contributor to publications such as the New York Times, Scientific American and The Guardian, he has produced sound projects with Emergence Magazine, and he has a brand new book coming out later this month, titled How Flowers Made Our World.

David’s work is perched in the wonderful place between science and poetry, where forests aren’t just ecosystems but bustling communities, and where listening carefully to the world can be a beautiful way of befriending it.

His books such as The Forest Unseen, The Songs of Trees, and Sounds Wild and Broken explore how life is woven together through sound, scent, story, and relationship.

Together we explore the strange and beautiful intelligence of the natural world: the decentralized awareness of trees, the communal genetics of ocean microbes, and the ways flowers have revolutionized our world. We discuss what modern science sometimes misses—that loss of sensory intimacy with our living planet—and how a more respectful, relational approach to inquiry is emerging among scientists today.

We also examine the tension between Western scientific frameworks and Indigenous ecological perspectives, asking what it means to approach forests, plants, and animals not merely as objects of study, but as participants in relationship.

David introduces the ideas behind his new book How Flowers Made Our World, revealing how flowering plants reshaped the planet—creating rainforests, grasslands, and also the evolutionary conditions necessary for human life. Through cooperation, beauty, and sometimes deception, flowers transformed Earth’s ecosystems and continue to sustain the vast webs of life around us.

Links to find David

How Flowers Made Our World

US: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/775876/how-flowers-made-our-world-by-david-george-haskell/

UK:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470547/how-flowers-made-our-world-by-haskell-david-george/9781911709985

David's Website:

https://dghaskell.com/about/

Lots of people are talking about Epstein—not enough, in my opinion, considering it’s quite possibly the biggest, most disturbing scandal in modern history—so I’d like to share some thoughts. I’m going to explore this with a "straight from the horses mouth" approach, using sometimes graphic multimedia throughout this episode, so listener discretion is advised.

I'm going to be investigating:

- Who was Epstein

- How did he make his money

- What’s the timeline we’re looking at here for the Epstein Files

- What’s in them, what has been redacted or withheld, and what are the implications?

If an international group of ultra wealthy ultra powerful individuals are known to be abusing and trafficking children—the most innocent and vulnerable among us—committing unspeakable crimes and operating above the law, what does this mean for our governmental institutions and democracy?

References

Who’s Faced Consequences

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/epstein-files-names-fired-resigned-fallout.html#

Survivor Claims

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/epstein-superior-gene-pool-babies-b2913060.html

Trafficking

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/epstein-files-new-batch

Redactions

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/18/politics/epstein-documents-redaction-process

JMail

https://jmail.world

Israel Connections

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/9/what-were-jeffrey-epsteins-links-to-israel

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/world/middleeast/epstein-israel-barak-ehud.html

https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/was-jeffrey-epstein-mossad-agent-spy-israel-w6p35b9v6

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260208-new-documents-reveal-epstein-donated-to-the-israeli-army-and-funded-settlements/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-funded-organisations-linked-israeli-military-fbi-document-says

Carbyne

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/02/10/epstein-police-surveillance-investments-with-ehud-barak/

https://carbyne.com/resources/press/carbyne-powers-nationwide-emergency-communications-expansion-for-global-medical-response/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbyne_(company)

Netflix Documentaries | Filthy Rich

https://www.netflix.com/title/80224905

https://www.netflix.com//title/81380539

Some DOJ References

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01246048.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02603821.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01714002.pdf

From caterpillars and chickadees to invasive species, deer, and global insect decline, we explore how biodiversity underpins our food systems, ecosystems, and even social stability.

Doug explains why native plants matter, how light pollution is driving down moth populations , and how simple acts like planting oaks or switching to yellow “bug lights” can help restore local ecosystems.

Are we separate from nature, or participants in a vast living web? This conversation bridges science, enchantment, and responsibility, offering practical steps anyone can take to rebuild biodiversity from their backyard, balcony, or voting block.

If you care about conservation, ecology, rewilding, regenerative living, butterflies or the future of the planet—this episode is for you.

https://homegrownnationalpark.org/doug-tallamy/

https://www.udel.edu/canr/departments/entomology-and-wildlife-ecology/faculty-staff/doug-tallamy/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-nature-of-oaks-the-rich-ecology-of-our-most-essential-native-trees-douglas-w-tallamy/9789d335ef5f46d5?ean=9781643260440&next=t

In this episode, I’m honored to be joined by Indigenous scholar, scientist, musician, and activist Dr. Lyla June Johnston. We explore love as resistance, beauty as a moral force, and what Indigenous wisdom might teach us about being human in times of collapse.

We talk about nonviolence, collective power, kinship with the more-than-human world, land, indigenous food systems and economies, and allyship. I love how Lyla dispels the myth that humans are merely a plague on this planet, and I hope you do too.

If you'd like to find out more about Lyla or attend one of her courses, check out her links below:

Website(s):

https://www.lylajune.com

https://www.rehuman.earth

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/lylajune

Course:

Building Solidarity With Indigenous Communities 101 https://www.rehuman.earth/courses/building-solidarity-with-indigenous-communities-101

I'm ill! Part man, part exotic virus. Join me for a very quick and delirious update from the non-ordinary state of consciousness we collectively call sickness.

I talk about the pressure of weekly creation, the value of slowing down, and the tension between offering something out of obligation versus presence. I speak about what’s unfolding in the United States — state-sponsored violence, authoritarianism, and the violation of human dignity — and the difficult questions this raises around nonviolent resistance, the use of force, and how to respond to the monstrous without becoming monsters ourselves.I also explore the interconnectedness of ecosystems through a story of ‘The Destroyer’s’ invasion in North America, and how ecological imbalance mirrors deeper fractures in our societies.

This episode is an invitation to consider human dignity, resistance without hatred, moral courage, and the quiet practice of choosing goodness in a world that often feels unstable and overwhelming.

From trees that sweat clouds to foxes guided by invisible forces, today’s conversation invites us back into a world alive with wonder.

Joining us today on The Passing Through Podcast is Ethan Tapper, author of the award-winning book How to Love a Forest. Ethan is an internationally recognized forester, educator, and digital storyteller devoted to re-enchanting our relationship with the natural world. He currently lives on a 175-acre forest in Vermont, a place he calls “Bear Island.”

In this episode, we explore the complex beauty of the living world — from the surprising and scientifically proven connection between birding and ear hair, to the profound responsibilities of ecological stewardship, and the quiet magic of trees creating clouds. We reflect on how the forests we wander today are only shadows of their former selves, uncover the hidden wonders of magnetoreception in animals, and explore re-enchantment as an antidote to modern apathy. This conversation invites us to consider how our actions — big or small — can help cultivate a healthier, more vibrant planet. If you’re longing to deepen your relationship with nature and rediscover a sense of wonder, this episode is for you.

All the links you need to find Ethan are below:

https://ethantapper.com

https://www.instagram.com/howtoloveaforest

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG5pCDPHUyOiA2vW1l7L6oA

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551839705724

https://www.tiktok.com/@howtoloveaforest

Ethan’s book

https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-love-a-forest-the-bittersweet-work-of-tending-a-changing-world-ethan-tapper/aadfae3187214809?ean=9798889830559&next=t&

Winnebago Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWUWPx2VeQ

Join me for a meandering ramble that begins with dissolution and letting go. What does it mean to let go of everything and dissolve? In this episode I ask questions like:

• ​What is this podcast about?
• ​Who is it for?
• ​What's the point?
• ​Should you pull the mouse from the maw of a feral beast?

This is an episode for new listeners and old. Come all ye faithful and lend me your ears. I'm unpacking the tentpoles with you in real time and trying to reassemble the pieces. Let's sit down by the fire and make the time more easy passing.

This episode brought to you by LiminAL

Join me for a quick current events update at the start, followed by a deep dive into some of the environmental, socio-cultural and cognitive impacts of artificial intelligence and social media and how these things have been passing through my existence recently.

Here's a quote from Vanessa Andreotti that I share near the end of the episode:

"Algorithmic modernity doesn't just control resources or power structures—it shapes attention itself. Algorithms are designed to harvest and monetize our focus, manipulating our neurobiology to seek rewards through the release of dopamine and oxytocin, the brain chemicals associated with pleasure and social bonding. This system feeds on our desire for validation, creating a feedback loop where our attention becomes a commodity, bought and sold in the marketplace of data. The result is not just an individual impact but a reshaping of collective realities and societal values.”

This episode brought to you by the Dodge Fugitive.

Further Reading

AI Research

Meta's Recent EU Breach

What is the winter solstice? What is nature doing in the winter time? What is it asking of us? What can it tell us? What does letting go of your leaves look like?

Step into the darkest day of the year with me for a festive ramble where I ruminate on questions like these, tell stories about feral pigs and my friendship with a wood stove, explore humanity's relationship with fire, the sun, fractal cycles and the wider cosmos we're all a part of.

No boar were harmed during the recording of this podcast.

Sara is a storyteller, ritual performance artist, an improvisational singer, a soul initiation guide, a wild mind mentor, and a death doula for The Great Dying.

Sara’s views are rooted in an animist understanding of the world where story and myth and music and poetry are held dear and near to the heart.

Sara helps people initiate into soul, serving as a sort of midwife not just bringing a more beautiful world into being, but helping to dismantle destructive and limiting colonialist patterns of domination, control and disconnection — a vital and important role in these times of collapse, uncertainty and volatility.

We talk about composting and shedding. We talk about passing through this life, the nature of the soul, how we can think about soul, we talk about soul initiation and the role of death and dissolution, old Orpheus and Eurydice, humanity's collective soul initiation in the face of the polycrisis, practical ways for you to root down and feel what you’re feeling, and a bunch more.

If you’d like to learn more about Sara, check out the links below:

www.saramcfarland.com

www.starterculture.net

www.animas.org

Anna is a systems thinker, creative convener, and passionate weaver of local resilience and kinship with all life. She works with communities worldwide to nurture regenerative practice and systems change grounded in animist and relational worldviews.

She’s is cofounder of Kincentric Leadership, nurturing ways of leading and living rooted in kinship with a living, intelligent Earth. With deep roots in the ecovillage movement, she also serves as Strategic Lead for Community Resilience at the Global Ecovillage Network, exploring community-led ways of navigating the polycrisis. She is co-chair of Transition Network International, a trustee of Gaia Education, and cofounder of the Living Systems Alliance — a cross-movement initiative advancing place-based more-than-human governance and living systems design. After decades of ecovillage living, Anna now lives with her more-than-human kin on a small permaculture homestead in the Pyrenees.

We talk about relationality and kin-centrism — which is the understanding that all of the beings around us (the plants and animals and fungi and rocks and rivers) are our relatives, to whom we are inextricably linked. We talk about how to be good kin to our brothers and sisters on this planet, we talk about indigenous life-ways, Anna’s experience in the Peruvian Amazon with the Matses, reciprocity, how to show good etiquette to human and non-human persons, how animist/kin-centric worldviews can shift the way we organize our communities, relationships and governance systems; principles such as sacredness, animacy and interdependence, equity and justice — not just for humans, but also for non-humans — belonging and place, imagination, and lots more.

This was hands down one of my favorite conversations of the year. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

If you’re interested in connecting with Anna you can find her on her website at https://www.kincentricleadership.org.

Or on LinkedIn at https://fr.linkedin.com/in/anna-kovasna.

Join me (and a few special guests) for an episode dedicated to giving thanks and honoring those who’ve come before us as we explore gratitude and reciprocity as possible doorways through which we can unchain ourselves from modernity’s shackles of violence, isolation, alienation, disconnection and meaninglessness.

No turkeys were harmed in the recording of this episode.

My guest today — returning to The Passing Through Podcast to contemplate these questions — is our friend Douglas Rushkoff. Longtime listeners will remember him, but for those of you just joining us, MIT named him one of the world’s 10 most influential intellectuals. Doug is an educator, author of many important books like Media Virus or Survival of the Richest, he’s media theorist, podcaster, gifted orator, and whole-hearted human interested in doing the hard work of composting our collective shit.

If you’re a new listener and would like to blast back to the past, he first appeared on this show last year, in episode 42. It’s still one of my favorite conversations, so please give it a listen.

It’s always a treat to talk to Doug, so I was thrilled to snag a bit of his time on Halloween in between meetings and menacing hordes of trick or treaters.

This time around we talk about AI and animism, about the strange overlap between silicon intelligence and the ancient sentience of the Earth. We talk about music, about the rhythms that hold us together when modernity’s mitigation strategies fall short, sorrow, love and the unrelenting pain, injustice and suffering seated in the center of the swirl.

If you haven’t already, go read one of Doug’s many books, or listen to his incredible podcast: Team Human. It’s one of my own personal favorite podcasts and well worth your time.

You can find Doug at https://rushkoff.com or on his podcast, Team Human:

https://www.youtube.com/@douglasrushkoff

https://open.spotify.com/show/5NJh9lWYPeJyu1ebGCnaxf

My guest today is Rolla Selbak — a Palestinian-American filmmaker and storyteller whose work is rooted in resistance, solidarity, and the imagination of freedom.

After her previous award-winning films like Choke and Three Veils, Rolla now leads the initiative Safina Filmmaker Project — born of the idea that storytelling is a shared voyage: “safina” in Arabic means “ship” or “boat,” reminding us that we are travelling together, literally passing through seas of shifting narrative.

In our conversation we talk about the ongoing genocide in Palestine, and what it means to make art inside the machinery of empire. We talk about labor unions, the power of collective strikes, and how solidarity itself becomes a form of storytelling.

We explore the links between the surveillance of Palestinians and the illegal detainments and deportations of people at home on U.S. soil — and the quiet, terrifying role that tech companies like Palantir play in both.

We talk about the No Kings Protest, Chris Smalls, The Disarm Genocide Rally and whether we can successfully organize and withhold our labor before AI finds a way to replace us. I really enjoyed this talk and think you will too.

You can find Rolla and information about her films on her website at https://www.rollaselbak.com or https://www.safinafilmmakerproject.com/

You can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rollaselbak

There’s also her exciting upcoming social thriller called The Visitor.

It’s set in Jerusalem where a demon begins erasing the memories of the communities and families and friends in the town around a young Palestinian man. Described as the Palestinian Get Out, the film depicts dark satirical horror through fantastical Palestinian folklore.

Please check out thevisitormovie.com to learn more or support the film.

Grace is a field representative dedicating her energy toward addressing the metacrisis. She’s a pioneering thinker, writer, consultant and coder whose work bridges decentralized technology, digital democracy, governance, and new forms of economy.

But her work extends beyond the world of code and contracts and asks deep questions about what it means to be human amidst a collapsing civilization. I first met Grace earlier this year, in Hungary, during the Global Eco-village Network Gathering where she spoke about bioregionalism. I loved her spirit and sense of humor and I was really excited to sit down with her again and have some time to talk.

Grace is passionate about promoting the vision of a world where everyone has a say in the decisions that affect their lives. She’s also the founder of Voice of Humanity:

“Voice of Humanity creates systems of collaboration, governance and currency design, and reconstruction of human economic systems with the goal of creating a world in which humans live in harmony with one another and with the natural systems of planet earth.”

So as you might imagine, Grace is a great guest for the types of things this podcast is interested in investigating.

In our discussion we talk about grief, the hard work of composting, bioregionalism, the components of our human infrastructure, governance and membership systems, right speech and the nature of truth, the archetype of the joker, the No Kings protests, harm reduction, working with your neighbors, bridging differences, and a bunch of other good stuff.

I loved this conversation with Grace, and found it hard to stop speaking with her even after we stopped recording. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

You can find Grace and learn more about her and the many different branches of her work on her website at https://gracerachmany.com.

You can learn more about her other work here:

https://www.voiceofhumanity.one

https://sideways.earth

https://www.daoleadership.com

https://github.com/GraceRachmany

https://ganglysister.com

Back in September my partner and I attended a 5-day training in Portugal, on Peace Building. Since then I've been meaning to record an episode about the experience and discuss the topics we explored.

As you might imagine, distilling five days of training down to less than 60-minutes means I won't be able to cover everything we learned about, but I will talk a bit about peace, conflict, and a tool called Non-Violent Communication.

So sit down, get comfortable, and soak the peace of this episode in through all of your chakras, especially your root chakra.

If you want to read more about Non-Violent Communication you can check out the Wikipedia page here, or read Marshall Rosenberg's book Non-Violent Communication.

If you'd like to learn more about The Waking Life festival or some of the partner organizations responsible for the training, you can visit their websites below:

Waking Life

Youth Peace Ambassadors Network

Co-Wonders

Josh is the creator and host of The Emerald Podcast — one of my own personal favorite podcasts. Josh isn’t just an educator, storyteller, music-maker, writer and pioneer in the field: in terms of podcasting he’s one of the best to ever do it.

If you’re curious about spirituality, Buddhism, the collision of Western consciousness with eastern animist cosmologies, practical practices for orienting your mind with the land, loving kindness (Metta) as an animist force strong enough to halt charging elephants, bardic visions of the storyteller, rhythms as living entities, the sonic nature of the universe, Little Richard, ODB, festival culture and Burning Man, or creating a collective field where group alchemy can take place...then this episode is for you.

This was a watermelon of an episode and I hope you find it as juicy as I did!

Where to find Josh:

Consider taking one of Josh's courses:

https://www.themythicbody.com/courses/

You can find Josh's podcast, The Emerald, here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1OwFblqZ7FIkLSW4rvbJEF

Support Josh via Patreon here:

https://patreon.com/theemeraldpodcast

References from this episode:

The Shamanic Bones of Zen by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel

(Why Mindfulness Isn't Enough) - The Emerald

https://open.spotify.com/episode/64iID6pjaiESrb7ENob2y3

When Bread is no Longer Bread - The Emerald

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0spYA01c9BJiHTyWchk65q

Animism is Normative Consciousness - The Emerald

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OpoIw1W9VuLddeum7v8l2

One of my personal favorites from the Emerald:

I Wish It Could Have Been Another Way

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1mKNMZwQN10PCenkAARClI

Many of us simply speak. Others load their language up with love, respect, humor, humility, kindness, poetry and play. Today’s guest, Diarmuid Lyng, is one of the latter.

Diarmuid is an educator, former Wexford hurling captain, facilitator and lover of nature with a great passion for the Irish language. His work is rooted in a deep commitment to helping others find clarity, purpose, and connection in their lives, while ensuring Ireland’s cultural heritage continues to inspire and transform future generations.

In our conversation we of course talk about language, we talk about faith in the unfolding moment, working with the full-spectrum of our human emotions, creating sacred spaces where we can experience profound and magical moments of alignment with nature (and one another), facilitation, and space-holding. Near the end he shares a beautiful story about a recent event he held with singer Peia Luzzi, and ends with the imagery of a benevolent boatman guiding us toward better shores.

I really loved this talk and hope you do, too.

You can find Diarmuid on his website at https://www.diarmuidlyng.ie

If you’re in Ireland you can join him at an upcoming retreat. He’s got one this month, on October 24th–26th in Donegal, and another from December 12th–14th in Wicklow for Fathers & Sons.

You can learn more about those retreats at https://natureofman.ie.

Dan is a passionate musician with a gift for peeling back the layers of music we thought we knew, offering illuminating breakdowns of classic songs that reveal their hidden textures and timeless beauty. He brings both heart and craft to his work, reminding us that music is not just entertainment, but a living language that speaks across generations. Together, we’ll step into that space where music becomes more than melody — where it becomes memory, meaning...magic.

In our conversation we dig into music and share stories, discuss artists and albums and songs that influenced us, the physicality of music, and the incredible wonder of the human ear.

This was a really special episode for me because it's the first time a guest has played music live on the show! I had a ton of fun talking with Dan. His enthusiasm is contagious. His passion is palpable. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

I strongly advise you to find Dan on Instagram @danbarracuda

or on Spotify via the links below:

Danzón Brothers: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7EEnjayS533TLKuHxKayui?si=sQKwt-5ySveUVIXs9ywUhA

Barracuda Sound (Spanish Guitar): https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kh6kV95YvmhBPmbi2tIRU?si=6a4ak_NBQ9KLnLOL-tfCYA

Dan Barracuda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/17oKlq2onDVkFWgD3VNxNe?si=2811e0e0fa454e84

A very incomplete list of the artists, albums and songs we spoke about in this episode:

Isolated Vocals for Gimme Shelter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilGVDgZj5mA&list=RDilGVDgZj5mA&start_radio=1

Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys

Time by Pink Floyd

Enter Sandman by Metallica

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin

Goin to California by Led Zeppelin

Ramble On by Led Zeppelin

Genesis

Phil Collins

Martha by Tom Waits

Spanish Boots Of Leather by Bob Dylan

Passenger by Deftones

Rage Against the Machine

The Beatles

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

Schism by Tool

Lateralus by Tool

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison

In Rainbows by Radiohead

My Bloody Valentine

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Dr Vickers is a poet, artist, writer and internationally respected psychotherapist specializing in trauma of first nation peoples. She is a member of the Eagle clan from the village of Gitxaala, British Columbia and carries a traditional name from her village as well as from the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, British Columbia.

Dr Vickers has completed trainings that include Spiritual Direction, Neurofeedback, Deep Brain Reorienting, Somatic Experiencing, and Compassionate Inquiry. She grounds her clinical service on traditional ceremonies and spiritual principles. She teaches spiritual transformation, healing trauma, the meaning of forgiveness, and unearthing layers to find the authentic self.

We talk about trauma, Indian Residential Schools, dominator mentality, the overlap between Christian teachings and native wisdom traditions, the supernatural, and the importance of respect, forgiveness, truth-telling and love as a pathway for keeping a clean heart.

You can find Patricia at her website:

https://www.patriciajunevickers.com

Or at her practice in support of healing:

https://www.ravenscallcanada.com/

You can also see her in the film The Eternal Song by Science And Non Duality

You can find her book here:

Singing to the Darkness

https://atlanticbooks.ca/stories/a-brief-excerpt-from-patricia-june-vickers-singing-to-the-darkness

Other Links:

Polyvagal Theory: Dr. Stephen Porges

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec3AUMDjtKQ

Trauma Changes the brain: Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKWUmwxi1ZI&t=12s

On Incest: Dr. Christine Courtois

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6PAncTH8Nk

Incest as complex trauma: Dr. Christine Courtois

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzbx1UO6iWw

Longtime listeners will remember Gabriel as the meticulously learned Buddhist meditator and martial artist from episode 24. Gabriel is now a dad and we teamed up for a discussion as part of an upcoming publication called Outside The Center, which explores the topic of non-duality.

In our conversation we talk about lots of P-words. We talk about polytheism, permanence and impermanence, pregnancy, parenting, paradox, and of course, passing.

I loved getting to speak with Gabriel again and hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.

Join me for a brief sweaty ramble after the Global Eco-village Network Gathering, musings about being beset by a biblical swarm of midges, murmurating starlings, animacy, and whatever else I was talking about when I recorded this episode.

In loving memory of the one and only, Mitch the Midge.

In this episode, we go straight to the streets of central Gaza where I speak with Khalid Qadas: photographer, medical student, and humanitarian volunteer with the Gaza Soup Kitchen.

Khalid is heroic and unwaveringly human — full of hope, heart, and determination to help — even in the face of incredible loss and genocide.

Khalid moved from the United Arab Emirates to Gaza to study medicine only months before October 2023. Since then, he’s lost his home, his possessions, 45 kilos (that’s roughly 100lbs), and has witnessed countless tragedies. What struck me most about Khalid is his tenacity of spirit.

Speaking to me from the streets of Gaza, I could hear his smile.

In our conversation we talk about life in Gaza, the Gaza Soup Kitchen, how to feed people under a famine, not just the lack of food — but the lack of water, hygiene, medicine — and the urgent need for infant formula. We talk about the future, loss, and the difficulty of sitting with the pain.

You’ll hear some background noise during our talk. I think it’s still totally listenable and adds a certain atmosphere to our conversation, so please bear with the audio and listen to Khalid’s story.

You can find the Gaza Soup Kitchen on Instagram, or support them on their website. Both links are below:

https://www.instagram.com/gazasoupkitchen/

https://gazasoupkitchen.com

This week, I had the honor of speaking with Ahmed Bashbash, a Palestinian developer using his skills to build tools that help people around the world take a stand against atrocity.

Ahmed is the creator of No Thanks, a free mobile app designed to support the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement: one of the most visible and effective non-violent civil resistance campaigns of the past two decades. The movement's goal is to pressure governments and corporations to end their complicity in Israel’s violations of international law by shifting public discourse, influencing corporate decisions, and isolating Israel diplomatically.

The No Thanks app lets users scan barcodes while shopping or search a database to see whether a company or product supports Israel — economically, militarily, through surveillance technology, government contracts, or by operating in illegal settlements, like Coca-Cola does. While many people know about brands like McDonald’s, Starbucks, or Microsoft, I was stunned to learn that even major German supermarket chains like Aldi, Lidl, and Edeka are on the list.

In our conversation, you’ll hear Ahmed’s story and the inspiration behind the app, the personal risks and threats he’s faced, the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, the ongoing failure of international law to protect human rights, and much more.

Please download this app to make more informed purchasing decisions.

You can find Ahmed on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/afb_1999/ or on Twitter at https://x.com/ahmedbashbash

You can find the No Thanks app on the Apple App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/no-thanks-app/id6476206516

You can also find it on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bashsoftware.boycott&hl=en&pli=1

Follow No Thanks on Twitter at https://x.com/NoThanksBoycott

Manda is not only a bestselling author, podcaster and teacher, she’s a lovely and passionate human championing values like integrity, compassion, and generosity of spirit in a quest to envision the kinds of emergent futures we’d be proud to leave behind.

In our talk we explore the power of story, the myth of separability and powerlessness, the importance of coming together and creating spaces where we can be vulnerable, healing ourselves and the more-than-human-world, dreams, how to build better futures and a bunch more.

I absolutely loved this conversation and think you will too.

You can find Manda on her incredible podcast, Accidental Gods wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find her on her website, https://mandascott.co.uk. You can read one of her many books or attend one of her shamanic courses or gatherings listed on https://dreamingawake.co.uk.

Links

Manda Scott's website https://mandascott.co.uk
Accidental Gods website: https://accidentalgods.life
Thrutopia Masterclass: https://thrutopia.life
Narrative Ark: https://narrativeark.net

I had the privilege of meeting Lydia in April during my first experience with Holotropic breathwork.

She organizes and facilitates events with the team at Holotropic Breathwork Berlin, and has spent over a decade deepening her practice. Her background includes other modalities such as Zen and Osho meditation, Qigong, and yoga, which all inform her grounded, embodied approach.

Lydia brings a special blend of presence, care, and deep dedication to her work. She holds space with authenticity and openness, and is clearly committed to nurturing the inner healing wisdom; both in herself and in others.

In our conversation, we explore breathwork, Stanislav Grof’s pioneering research into psychedelics and birth matrices, non-ordinary states of consciousness, transpersonal experiences, and the deep healing that can emerge when we come together to be seen, heard, and held.

It was a real treat to sit with Lydia, and I hope you find as much insight and resonance in this conversation as I did.

You can find more about Lydia and her upcoming events at holotropicberlin.com.

If you’re curious about diving into this work yourself, there’s a special retreat blending Holotropic breathwork and Zen meditation starting October 18th, near Hanover, Germany.

Join me for some thoughts about an elderly shamanic cat, dreams, the nature of ownership and control, the weird mystical magical madness of the human body, grief, Slot Art Festival, and an odd encounter with members of a religious cult!

This episode is sponsored by Cat-A-Pult and The Milk Shrimp & Nuts Food Emporium.

In this episode I was honored to sit down with one of the leading voices in ecological wisdom and regenerative culture — David Holmgren.

David is best known as the co-originator of permaculture: a design philosophy that has blossomed into a global movement, offering practical possibilities for living in right relationship with the Earth. In 1978, he and Bill Mollison published Permaculture One, starting the global permaculture movement. Alongside Bill, David helped seed a vision that reimagines agriculture, community, and even economics — not as separate domains, but as interwoven threads in the complex web of existence which makes up the modern world.

Over the past decades, David has deepened and expanded the permaculture lens, authoring works like Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability and RetroSuburbia, which invite us not only to survive the converging crises of our time — climate change, energy descent, social unraveling — but to thrive by reinhabiting our environment with creativity, care, and resilience.

David’s a deep systems thinker, a grounded realist, and a cultural edge-dweller; someone who challenges dominant narratives while offering hopeful alternatives rooted in the patterns of nature.

In our talk we cover what role permaculture plays in the polycrisis, nature as family, permaculture as a political act, the tension between small-scale local solutions and large-scale global problems, anarchy and antiauthoritarianism, the dark side of permaculture and more.

To learn more about David you can check out his film Reading Landscape With David Holmgren at readinglandscape.org.

You can also find him at holmgren.com.au for articles, videos, courses and other resources on permaculture.

Enjoy the talk!

His images have graced the pages of magazines like National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, and Popular Photography. But more than prestigious awards or publications, it’s Marc’s presence in wild places that sets him apart.

Known for chasing light across storming glaciers, trekking alone in the heart of Alaska, Marc is a rare kind of artist: part adventurer, part storyteller, and a bridge bringing people into deeper contact with the incredible beauty of our planet.

In this conversation, we’ll discuss Marc’s new book, his solo expeditions into extreme and uncertain terrain, story, and how the wilderness can teach us...if we’re willing to listen.

We also explore topics like the pursuit of beauty, the mystical, more liminal aspect of photography which involves entering into dialogue with nature, feeling into the personality of place, as well as AI and what it could mean for art and photography.

If you want to learn more about Marc or take one of his photo trips, visit him on his website www.marcadamus.com.

Robert Rient, a powerful voice at the intersection of activism, spirituality, and environmental justice, joins Passing Through for his first interview in English!

Robert is the founder of the Odra Person Foundation and the visionary behind the movement to recognize Poland’s Odra River as a legal person. He also established the Odra Tribe and organized the Great March for Odra.

Robert is a member of the International Observatory for the Rights of Nature, Save the Rivers Coalition, and the Literary Union Association.

Beyond his environmental and activist work, Robert is an author and freelance journalist covering the climate crisis and therapeutic methods of working with the body, emotions and spirit. He runs the Shamanism School, hosts intuitive and embodied healing ceremonies, Intuitive Story Dance ceremonies, as well as shamanic rituals and ceremonies. He’s the creator of the Peaceful Love podcast and a regular contributor to Sens magazine.

In our conversation we discuss the rights of nature and spiritual activism, plant medicine, ritual, dialoguing with the more-than-human world, and the art of reconnecting with the Earth, spirit and ourselves. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Below are a list of Robert's books:

"The First Contract. Fundamentals of the practice of shamanism," "Visions of Plants, or fifty medicinal plants and one fungus," "A glimpse Around the world - around yourself," "Witness: Inside Jehovah Witnesses Inside Catholic Poland Inside a Gay Life," "It was about love," and the novel "Jeremy's Spirits" nominated for the Nike Literary Award.

Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. For decades, Michael has paired hypnotic storytelling with sharp, soulful reflections on the crises of our time. He’s the creator and host of The Living Myth Podcast and founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, a nonprofit network of artists, activists, and community-builders encouraging greater understanding between diverse peoples.

In our conversation we speak about Donald Trump; how a single person has the power to affect the lives of all the beings on our planet. We discuss community and initiation, myth and imagination, and explore topics like death, love, and the deep and important task of dealing with the other.

I loved this conversation and hope you will, too.

If you'd like to learn more about Michael and his work, please visit mosaicvoices.org

And definitely check out his podcast, The Living Myth

A'ida is a courageous, wise, passionate Palestinian Bedouin peace activist, educator, eco-villager and mother living at Tamera eco-village in Portugal. She has dedicated decades of her life to making the world a better place.

Join us for a discussion about Israel's illegal abduction of Greta Thunberg and the rest of the crew of The Madleen, the role of eros in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, making a daily contract with our hearts to be present with ALL of our senses, numbness as precondition for capitalist consumption, the spiritual basis of activism, animism, and more.

You can find A'ida at @shibliaida or at Tamera.

You can learn more about The March to Gaza happening on June 15th.

Learn more about A'ida's peace project Women in White.

Moureen is a Palestinian American on the ground in Gaza. For nearly a year she's been working with humanitarian aid organizations like Glia International and Shabab Gaza to provide desperately needed medical assistance and food to the besieged population of Gaza. She's proof that when our governments fail to step up and intervene on behalf of a persecuted people, communities and individual humans will.

Moureen is a real life hero and inspiration, and it was an absolute honor to speak with her.

Join us for a conversation where Moureen shares her stories, talks about life in Gaza, describes how Israel's blockade not only creates famine, but creates black markets for food. We discuss the importance of community and belonging, family, finding beauty amongst the rubble, and the tenacity of the Palestinian soul.

Follow Moureen on Instagram @saha_stx and please feel free to donate and support her. You can donate via Venmo to @Saha_satx using the word "food distributions."

You can also follow @glia_intl and @shababgaza and support them and get updates on the situation in Palestine.

You can support one of Glia International's initiatives here:

www.launchgood.com/Rise4Gaza

Eimear is a druid, the chosen chief of OBOD — the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids — a seanchaí, lover of bees, and a beautiful human.

Join us for a chat about Beltane, pre-Christian Pagan history in Ireland, the feats of Saint Patrick, storytelling and myth, animism, how to enter into respectful dialogue with a forest, the importance of intentionality, bees and being in service.

You can find out more about Eimear at her website kilkennydruidry.com or at Druidry.org (OBOD's website) where you can find tons of info about druidry and druidic practice.

Bob is an influential IFS therapist with five decades of experience in a diverse set of healing modalities. He’s an international educator, author and an incredible human being. It’s always a privilege to chat with him.

In this conversation we discuss the power of healing in groups. Bob talks about his work with ecstatic dance, the importance of Spirit and community in healing, the IFS concept of Self as simultaneously particle and field, human porosity, ancestors, animist concepts of relationality and human beings as a living bridge between the spiritual and material worlds.

You can find Bob at robertfalconer.us

Check out his upcoming events on trauma spirituality and IFS.

Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture designer, consultant and educator who’s taught tens of thousands of students all across the globe.

Since the 1980’s he’s been involved in regenerative agriculture and ecological design, designing sustainable systems for soil, water, plants animals energy and housing in over 50 countries. Geoff has done pioneering work in greening deserts and other degraded landscapes around the world. He’s a leading voice in applying permaculture principles to global food security, land restoration, and climate resilience. It was an absolute honor to spend some time with Geoff and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

We talk about his work greening the desert, AI, indigenous wisdoms in the face of colonial erasure, interrogating and redefining our notions of wealth, how our technology contributes to loss not just of our environment but our ability to thrive inside it, natural swimming pools and a whole lot more.

If you’re interested in working with Geoff you can sign up to his Global Permaculture Internship program which is expanding to southern Spain.

If you’re in Australia you can stop by Geoff’s community at Zaytuna Farm.

Or if you want to learn more about permaculture you can take his online Permaculture Design Course.

You Can find him on Youtube and Instagram and Facebook.

Join me for a sleepy chat on silence, dreams, a recap of our Community Building workshop, and a quick musing on the important purpose of profaning.

Join me for a quick processing of some of the thoughts on my mind. I'm thinking about Palestine and Gaza, Palestinian protestors in the United States, my country's seeming descent into authoritarianism and how to sit with all of this as the Trump administration flirts with fascism.

I'm thinking of Mahmoud Khalil, Kilmar Abrego García, and Mohsen Mahdawi. And I'm thinking of those whose names we do not know.

I'm thinking of torture prisons in El Salvador, and what else is to come.

I'm thinking of all the different ways there are to be good to one another.

References:

The Rise of End Times Fascism - Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor

Join me in the wine-barrel for a quick 52-minute ramble on animacy, story, and how we might deal with the madness.

"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle, that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us."
— John Steinbeck, "Travels with Charley"

Zamir is a mystic, a yogi, a storyteller, change-maker, community-builder, educator and a whole lot more; a guest well-suited for this podcast! It was an absolute honor and pleasure to speak with him.

We talk about mysticism, community, his work with Gabor Maté, life's interconnectedness, reciprocity, and in Zamir's words, "about how life isn't a problem to be solved: it's an ongoing mystery to be experienced." I loved this conversation, and I hope you will too.

Zamir has two incredible upcoming offerings you can take part in:

• Patterns to Presence - a proven, step-by-step program to transform the patterns that keep you from creating authentic, secure relationships.

• The Gift - a beautiful, 21-day immersive course. From the website: "Imagine a school that balances inner and outer development, inhabiting the intersection of culture change, therapeutic work, environmental design, and social innovation."

If you want to find out more about Zamir you can find him:

• On his website at https://zamirdhanji.com
• Or at Awake, the community he is part of in Costa Rica
• At his yoga school, Mystic Yogi

Sean's an artist, writer, musician and photographer with a unique articulation and passion. He's also an old and beloved friend. Over the years he's been like a crazy uncle to me, and it's always humorous and illuminating to speak with him. He talks a mile a minute and he's got stories to tell.

Join us for some music history where he shares memories from his time in the dark and beautiful underbelly of the Rave scene as it blew up and blew out, his Door(s)way into music, Burning Man, the wisdom of making mistakes, and dance as liberation.

You can find Sean on Instagram at realQ6.

PLUR

*Intro transition and outro clips by DJ Q6

Báyo is an author, educator, thinker, philosopher, poet, father, and all-around incredibly kind, soulful, and inspiring human being. It was an honor to speak with him and I think you're going to enjoy this episode.

We speak about the disgusting and the monstrous, Báyo's first encounter with psychedelics, the soul, disability, human porosity, animism, meeting the climate crises without trying to "fix" it, and a bunch more.

You can find Báyo on his website:

https://www.bayoakomolafe.net

on one of his many podcasts, or in his essays, articles, and books.

This week’s guest is the Lovely, the Enchanting, the Amazing, the Humble, the magnetic Slow Music Movement Muse herself: Leah Song.

Leah is co-founder and front-woman of Rising Appalachia, she’s an activist, a music-maker, poet and song-catcher, she’s a community-builder, a pioneer and a perfect guest for this podcast.

In this conversation we build imaginal bridges between Lisbon and San Francisco while we talk about Portuguese folk music, community-building, The Slow Music Movement, the role of folk music in tending to the human soul, community as a mechanism to integrate the ‘monster,’ and the importance of story as an agent of relationship, and a bunch more.

Check out the links below to learn more.

Follow Leah:

Later this summer Leah will be bringing her music back to Europe as part of her solo project - so be sure to follow her and stay tuned for when and where you can catch a show.

Leah Song

Rising Appalachia

Instagram

Links:

Slow Music

Tending the Bones

Songwriting Masterclass (Song Catcher & The Muse)

Songs from this episode:

Old Fashioned Morphine

You Don't Miss Your Water Till Your Well Runs Dry

My partner and I are founding a non-profit organization here in Poland. I've been busy building the website with my bare hands, generating content and charging this initiative with love and care and kind intentions.

Join me for a quick episode on what the organization is about and what we're trying to do.

Join the global community dedicated to ecological and spiritual reconnection on our website at The Living Bridge or on our Facebook page.

If you're in Europe and interested in attending one of our first events, please check our events page.

Brynna is a naturalist, a musician, a songwriter, a community builder and an animator. She’s been someone I’ve been itching to speak with for some time now, so I’m glad to finally get the chance to sit down and speak with her.

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion on topics from the LA fires to music and trauma, mutual aid and solidarity, and planting trees as an act of resistance!

You can find Brynna at:

Her website

On Spotify

Her YouTube Channel

Instagram

Twitter

Iris is a facilitator-in-training in Scott Peck’s Community Building method. She’s an IFS therapist and a longtime-lover of nature. She lives off the grid in the wild-west deserts outside Barcelona where she harnesses the energy of the wind and the sun to power her earthen home.

She’s one of those rare people who put her beliefs and values into practice. She’s a true inspiration and I loved talking to her about relationships and relationality.

Join us for a chat on nature, enoughness, IFS, how to connect to your awful parts, and Community Building.

Be good to one another, and enjoy this chat with Iris.

Iris.Schmidt.Koopmann@gmail.com

https://amedea-praxis.de/team/iris-schmidt-koopmann/

Join me for a brief reflection, a strong book recommendation, and an overall meandering ramble on nature, appreciation and reciprocity.

Happy new year!

Tune in for a special Christmas episode about the solstice, paganism and polytheism, Greek mystery cults and Christian cannibalism.

Happy holidays!

Join me for a quick update on our near-death experience, a lengthy ramble about a majestic mountain-range which was once a coral reef, as well as a few other scattered musings on croissants.

Join me for a ramble on the 2025 gathering I alluded to in a previous episode. I'm trying to weave together an ecology of practice which includes Community Building, Internal Family Systems, Vipassana and Permaculture. Listen for more on this.

In the second half of the episode I talk a bit about Community Building and read a few excerpts from Scott Peck's book The Different Drum.

Join me for a 34-minute ramble about pumpkin pie, togetherness, community, and how New York City shaped my somatic body, making me suspicious of one of our most vital senses.

Join me for a quick ramble about M Scott Peck's Community Building, what it means to me, and why I think it might be one of the things which can help save the world.

If you're curious and want to learn more on Community Building, I encourage you to go back to episode 32 with Edward Groody.

Join me for a brief update on where I'm at and where I've been, a quick few words on the US election, and an experience I had during a recent Community Building workshop in Budapest, and a little eco-tip about bidets.

Ashira is a Jerusalem-born award-winning Palestinian Journalist; activist; trauma survivor and founder of Catharsis Holistic Healing.

She's been a TV and broadcast journalist for the past 15 years in Palestine working with The BBC, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. Last year she produced and starred in the incredible documentary film Where Olive Trees Weep - which catalogues the struggle of the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation.

Join us for a discussion on dehumanization, resistance, violence, trauma, and healing.

You can find Ashira on Instagram @premashira, or on her website at ashirapremrachana.com. Please, please check out her documentary film, Where Olive Trees Weep. You can find it at whereolivetreesweep.com.

For further reading:

Sde Teiman Torture Camp

Israel Harvesting Organs of Palestinians

Join me for a sick solo ramble. Not sick like cool, or awesome, but like sinus and respiratory infection. Fear not, I've edited out the coughs and sniffles and sanitized it for your consumption. Also note that this podcast was recorded at night. Under a full moon.

I should warn you though, this episode is messy. I talk about some of the gross human stuff that Big Vanlife doesn't want you to know about. If you're squeamish, consider skipping this one. Otherwise, buckle up for a ride about story, listen to the sound of Hungarian cowbells, or screaming baby chicks as a contemplative backdrop to the death of James Bond.

Join me for an educational solo ramble where I argue that a Hungarian engineer named József Galamb, with the help of Henry Ford, inadvertently set into motion the climate collapse we're seeing one hundred years later, in 2024.

Also, here's that article on AI I mention at the end.

A'ida is a Palestinian Bedouin peace activist born under Israeli occupation. She’s a feminist, an educator, and, as a long-term member of one of the world’s most pioneering intentional communities at Tamera, she’s proof that we can live differently; that we can organize ourselves in configurations which better serve life and champion our own humanity, love and interconnectedness – both with one another and the universe around us. A'ida is an incredible human being and an inspiration. It was a true honor to speak with her.

For decades A'ida has worked at raising awareness about injustice while trying to break cycles of political violence. She helped to launch initiatives like Global Campus, Palestine, and more recently, The Women in White project. She has upcoming activist work in Rojava, in northeastern Syria, which you can donate to. Please mention the Palestinian Fund when donating to ensure proceeds go to A'ida's projects.

In our conversation A'ida emphasizes the importance of love, community, and solidarity in resisting oppression and creating a life-affirming future. She calls for a deeper understanding and greater collective action against systematic racism, colonialism, and capitalist exploitation, while stressing the need for unity and the political power of collective love and non-violence.

Kris is creator and author of Low-tech Magazine. Low-tech Magazine (founded in 2007) runs on solar power and sheer force of will. From the website, "Low-tech Magazine underscores the potential of past and often forgotten technologies and how they can inform sustainable energy practices." Kris doesn't have a smartphone, doesn't drive a car, doesn't travel by plane and tries to live in a way that's in line with his values around sustainability. Not only is he a wonderful guest, but he's an inspiration as well!

Join us for a chat on how modern technological conveniences atrophy basic skills such as navigation, or reading, and wither our collective attention-spans. We talk about communal baths, consumer capitalism, the importance of darkness, and a bunch more.

This is a quick one. You can listen to the sound of some lovely deer!

I had to scrap most of the episode because I ate too much deer jerky and my mouth became a sticky sound making machine.

This episode is brought to you by Stink-Be-Gone!

Rachel is the host of the Planet: Critical podcast. She's a climate corruption journalist exploring why the world is in crisis, and she's an all around amazing human. I was totally thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with her.

Join us for a chat about violence, the genocide in Gaza, ecodelics, death, love, poetry, and our deep, embodied connection with the earth and one another.

I absolutely loved speaking to Rachel and hope you'll enjoy our conversation too. Check out her podcast and give her a like and subscribe!

Be warned, this is a kind of current events episode where I raise awareness about the genocide in Palestine.

References

Humanitarian Situation Update #214 | Gaza Strip

Abuses at Sde Teiman

Lemkin Institute Statement on Gaza

The Lancet - Palestinian Deathcount

Environmental Impact of Conflict in Gaza

ICJ Israel Responsible for Apartheid

Join me and the wild sounds of a storm as I share a spooky story that makes me question the practicality of some of the spiritual beliefs I hold.

How can you metabolize trauma and summon compassion and love for the shadow when sometimes the shadow seeks to engulf you; to extinguish, or obliterate you? How do we approach the murderous, deranged, irrational and potentially homicidal aspect of the shadow while not allowing it to destroy us?

How do we put our intellectual learnings and leanings into embodied practice when push comes to shove? Talk is cheap but action isn't.

In this episode I share my experiences from the north of Slovenia, where my partner Asia and I are staying at a new farm. We’ve moved on from the permaculture farm in Topolovec, and I reminisce about the unforgettable aroma of the goats which now forever accompanies the taste of goat cheese.

Our current focus is on helping to build a meditation retreat center using hempcrete, a sustainable and natural building material with a fascinating history and lots of potential. I emphasize the importance of water in our ecosystems and present an eco tip encouraging listeners to appreciate and conserve water.

Towards the end, I read a piece I wrote titled "Imagine All the People," which delves into the concept of the polycrisis and the interconnected crises we face globally. I ponder on capitalism, the myth of separation from nature, and the erosion of our imaginative capacities. The piece serves as a call to recognize our intrinsic connection to the earth and each other, and to reimagine our collective future.

Through this podcast episode I aim to connect my personal journey with broader ecological and societal reflections, inviting listeners to contemplate their relationship with nature and the small but significant actions they can take to live more harmoniously with the planet.

Maja is a dry stone wall builder, permaculturist, anthropologist, and lover of both mythology and ritual. She currently works as communications manager for GEN Europe and was an absolute delight to speak with.

Bring your red thread with you into our conversational labyrinth and join us as she shares her journey from Croatia to village life on the island of Crete.

Learn more about GEN Europe (Global Ecovillage Network)

The European Eco Village Gathering

Blue Heart Documentary

The host shares his ongoing experiences in Slovenia while working on a farm, focusing on the challenges and insights gained from milking goats and shepherding them. He narrates a harrowing incident where his partner, Asia, is surrounded by excited goats while herding them, which nearly leads to serious injury. This experience prompts reflections on the difficulties of controlling goats and the necessity of vigilance and careful planning.

The episode also delves into the metaphorical and mythological significance of brambles and flies, tying these elements back to ancient Greek mythology. The host discusses how brambles can symbolize life's problems that grow if not properly managed, drawing parallels with the myth of the Hydra. He explores the story of Bellerophon, a Greek hero whose ambition leads to his downfall, explaining how Zeus uses a gadfly to thwart Bellerophon's ascent to Mount Olympus, eventually causing him to fall into a bush of brambles.

The episode wraps up with reflections on the connections between daily tasks, mythology, and personal growth, encouraging listeners to consider what impacts their own lives in the same way that farm work and nature imprints on the host.

The episode provides an update on the host's van life journey with Asia, emphasizing their adventures touring eco-villages and permaculture farms. The host highlights the importance of reconnecting with nature by discussing various aspects of life on a permaculture farm, such as composting toilets, goat milking, and communal living.

Listeners are treated to the ambient sounds of a Slovenian chicken coop and insightful reflections on sustainability and the value of grassroots movements. The host also shares humorous anecdotes, including a perilous hike leading to a nude beach experience and some unexpected cultural insights about Slovenian gelato and the tallest chimney in Europe.

Spiritual reflections round out the episode as the host delves into animism, the importance of belief in shaping reality, and an eco-friendly tip encouraging listeners to volunteer at permaculture farms to deepen their connection to the earth.

Join us for a chat where we discuss her journey toward holistic health and wellness and the importance of slowing down. I asked an AI to summarize the episode and I was pretty pleased with how it turned out:

Lacey shares her early experiences with therapy, her fascination with mental health, and her aspirations to become a holistic health practitioner. She emphasizes the importance of combining mental, physical, and spiritual well-being without relying solely on medications. The conversation covers her personal revelations through psychedelics, yoga, and slowing down. Lacey also discusses her involvement with the Entheonation Plant Spirit Summit, highlighting the need to balance the mind and heart. The episode concludes with her encouraging listeners to embrace simplicity, seek support, and slow down to reconnect with their holistic selves.

You can find Lacey on Instagram at Holisticfitguide or on her website holisticfit.life.

Annie is a seasoned hypnotherapist, Reiki healer, and shamanic practitioner with a robust ecology of healing modalities at her disposal. She works with Biofield tuning, EFT, EMDR, Brainspotting and a host of other techniques under the umbrella of Integrated Healing.

Join us as Annie shares her insights on energy & spirit work, ancestral healing, shamanic practice and the unseen forces that shape our lives. Discover the interconnectedness between our souls, nature and the unseen world around us, while learning a few practical tips for enhancing your spiritual and emotional well-being.

Tune in and explore these mystical realms with Annie Blackstone!

• Learn more about her non-profit at www.sionfonds.org
• You can contact Annie on her website https://www.annieblackstone.com/
• You can find her on HCH
• You can find out about her upcoming animism course at Ancestral Medicine

Join me for a quick ramble about van life, vision quests and a spooky story about a man in the forest.

Douglas is a personal hero of mine, so it was an honor to spend a little time with him. He needs no introduction. He has had a seminal influence on media theory and critiques of technology and the internet, he's an author, educator, musician, activist, environmentalist and broadcaster. MIT even named him one of the most influential thinkers in the world!

Join us for a chat about community, finding the others, Timothy Leary, death, elders, the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity, animism, magic and most importantly, love!

You can find Douglas on his website at rushkoff.com, or his podcast Team Human. Also be sure to check out a few of his many books such as Media Virus or Survival of the Richest.

References:

Design for Dying by Timothy Leary

Eimear has an impressive set of credentials. She's the chosen chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. She is also a psychologist, a harpist, a guide to Ireland and a seanchaí - a storyteller specializing in Irish myth and legend. She's studied energy healing, herbalism and shamanism, as well as indigenous healing and medicine traditions in Africa. She's an absolute wonder to talk to and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.

Join us for an illuminating talk about Druidry, the difference between bards, ovates and druids, meditation, nature, animism, connecting to guides and ancestors, and a bunch more. It was an honor to get to speak with Eimear and I'm grateful she was so willing to share her wisdom.

You can find more about Eimear at her website kilkennydruidry.com.

You can find out more about the mystical world of druids at druidry.org.

If you're enjoying this show, please, rate it!

Bob is a leading IFS therapist, author, healer, and all-around wonderful human being. If you want to learn more about him, visit his website or check out our previous conversation.

Join us in this episode as we discuss Bob's new book, If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going. We talk about spirit, giving love and blessings, shame, how to age well, death, and most importantly, farts. If you like quotes from Mark Twain, Viktor Frankl, or a bunch of other wise folks, I think you're gonna like this episode.

If you enjoy our talk please visit Bob's website and consider grabbing his new book, or his previous one, The Others Within Us. Please also consider registering for his upcoming IFS event on healing trauma through spiritual connection.

Join me for a short update on how I'm dancing with one foot to this mad song, with a little music at the start and the end.

There's also some stuff about ants in Australia, and a reminder to protect your joints.

Just straight, uninterrupted stream of consciousness...and some reading.

Join me while I talk briefly about Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire, Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses, fiction in general, mythology, and a whole bunch of other stuff including Ice Age burials of hunchbacks, giants and dwarfs!

To find the others, please take a peek at this.

I'm now officially unemployed, homeless and disabled!

Join me for a special tale of woe where I discuss Iron John by Robert Bly, The Wild Man archetype, the role of The Trickster, broken bones & sacred wounds, Australian sweat lodge massage and acupuncture, bowel movements and other scatological subjects.

This episode is brought to you by Feca-Lax.

Agata is a lovely human being that I met during a previous stay at Osada and since then she has become a core team member. I'm super excited for her to share a bit of her story in this episode!

This is a special episode for me since it's the first ever episode recorded in person. Thanks Agata for making that possible!

Join us for a talk about community, living in community at Osada (and other communities such as Schloss-Tempelhof in Germany and Tamera in Portugal).

I'm under-slept and have had little time to recharge. Join me for a quick and dirty ramble about earth beings in this third installment of my stay here.

Prosinko: Episode III - Revenge of the Myth.

Join me this episode for a fresh glimpse into vanlife with some quick reflections on anger, a few musings on masculinity and femininity, and a brief appearance by Asia.

This week's episode is a sweaty one. I just wanted to check in and let you all know where my head's at. Jump in my vansauna and join me for a quick monologue.

We're staying at Osada for the next month, tending to the needs of the farm, the land and the group while Asia and I kick off our journey.

Listen for special instructions on how to avoid succumbing to murderous impulses at the Overlook Hotel, how to live in harmony with your family, and why meditation is helpful for mental health - and equanimity in general.

In this episode I'm Free Fallin'. Stay with me while I unpack and Ramble On about my times as a dockside siren singing sailors to shipwreck.

Edward is a personal mentor to me. He’s been a part of the men’s movement working with the poet Robert Bly, he’s been involved in the Community Building movement for over 30 years and even studied under Dr. M Scott Peck, the founder of the Community Building method. Edward works tirelessly to spread the message of Community Building, which is seeing a huge resurgence here in Europe in countries like Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary where he leads workshops. Additionally, Edward is a longtime student of mindfulness and contemplative meditation practices - he even leads sacred poetry meditations.

He has two books coming out later this year: From Chaos to Community: Essential Community Building and Civility Skills, and Sacred Poetry Meditation.

It was a special treat to speak with Edward while I was in New York. We talk about Community Building, spirituality, how the next Buddha will be the sangha, the power of poetry and how there may even exist a kind of cosmic community or, an attractive force which seeks to create relationship and connection out in this seeming sea of chaos.

You can find out more about him and about Community Building and at communitybuilding.com. I hope you'll join a workshop!

Brad is not only the founder of LAMPS (Los Angeles Medicinal Psychedelics Society), he has a wealth of knowledge and experience working with mental health and psychedelics. Brad's helping to raise awareness, foster community, and help us find the others! It was an absolute pleasure speaking to him.

Join us for a discussion on using psychedelics to treat psychiatric distress and fear of death, a brief history of LAMPS, Brad's work with Ayahuasca in Peru with Dennis McKenna, psychedelic churches, the importance of integration, Vipassana as a tool for rehabilitation in prisons, the difference between South American and Hawaiian Ayahuasca and much more. This episode was a special treat for me and I hope it will be for you, too.

Below is a bunch of information on LAMPS, their history, links to their Facebook group, mailing list, Instagram, upcoming workshops and website.

Below that will be some additional references from our discussion.

About LAMPS

The Los Angeles Medicinal Psychedelics Society (LAMPS) is a community of visionaries, researchers, psychonauts, curious explorers, passionate healers and other medical professionals looking to expand the horizons of their practice. Founded by Brad Adams, PhD, in 2015, LAMPS first started holding live in-person (and simultaneously videotaped) sessions featuring talks given by psychedelic experts and medical professionals. In 2018, at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), we hosted the first university-based presentation of psychedelic information in Los Angeles since the 1960s. This was a groundbreaking three-day psychedelic symposium featuring revered elders and leaders in the psychedelic world such as Gabor Mate, James Fadiman, Dennis McKenna, James Oroc, Hamilton Morris and many others.

LAMPS followed with an ambitious virtual conference in 2021 exploring, among other issues, the light and the shadow of the revived psychedelic movement. In our continuous presentation of virtual live panel discussions, LAMPS strives to inform and empower both the medical and general community about the wide potential of the many psychedelic medicines now available as well as the need for best practices and careful post-use integration.

We seek to present the knowledge and insights of leading experts and thought leaders in the field to help protect, nurture, and make sense of the continuously-evolving psychedelic renaissance.

Paul Lisy, a documentary filmmaker and member of the team, is spearheading documentary projects for LAMPS exploring topics such as psychedelics and death, psychedelics and addiction recovery, as well as psychedelic churches. LAMPS is also preparing for focused psychedelic research and an array of training programs.

Join LAMPS on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/los.angeles.medicinal.plant.society.

Join our email list here, https://bit.ly/3eC5Tn6, and follow us on Instagram at @_lampsociety so you will not miss out on future LAMPS events!

Here is a link to the working draft for the upcoming Psychedelic INSIGHTS conference at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) on October 19-20. Check back soon for updates! https://www.lampss.org/agenda

References From This Episode

LAMPS Events

• IFS-Based Psychedelic Trip Sitting Workshop April 20th - May 11th

• INSIGHTS Conference October 19th - 20th

On Integration

• Rob Bateman’s episode on YouTube called A No-Woo Guide to Integrating Psychedelic Experiences

• The Psychedelics Integration Handbook by Ryan Westrum & Jay Dufrechou

Documentaries

• From Shock to Awe
• Doing Time Doing Vipassana
• The Dhamma Brothers
• Letters From The Dhamma Brothers
  

Geoff is host of the Nodes in the Net podcast, creator of the Creekmasons substack, and lord-and-savior of the Creekmasons Discord server. Geoff is smart, compassionate, learned and always a delight to talk to - whether through video calls or text channels.

Join us for a special multiverse crossover episode where we discuss creativity, podcasting, meditation, masculinity under scientific materialism, and a whole bunch more.

She's a young (post)activist who first felt moved to act in the wake of the migrant crisis in 2013. She's worked with Extinction Rebellion where she participated in non-violent direct action and civil disobedience aimed at raising awareness about the climate crisis, and now she works with Osada in Poland to more fully understand what it means to be human in the times of polycrisis.

Join us for a talk about these things and a bunch more.

If you'd like to connect or learn more about Jadwiga, you can find her on Instagram at crying_jadwiga

Life is hectic and busy as I uproot myself and transition into that vanlife. I'm in the liminal space between old and new and I have precious little time.

There's a sort of escape velocity I need to reach in order to break free from the gravity of the world I've known. I can feel it clutching at my heels, refusing to release its grasp.

In this episode I offer a few words on securing the van, moving house, and therapeutic practices such as IFS and community building.

Enjoy the spacious background sound of an empty apartment. Embrace the echoes.

Kiss the abyss.

Mary is an end-of-life doula, a death educator, psychedelic facilitator, and founder of The Anam Cara Academy.

Join Mary and I for a discussion on death and dying, the origins of the modern funeral industry in the United States, and her work at the intersection of plant medicine and human mortality. This discussion was really valuable to me and I hope it is for you, too!

Here's a link to Mary's guided death meditation. Please, please give it a listen.

Isabel is an author, thinker and clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience working in the NHS.

After our talk, when I fed our conversation through an AI to ask it to title our discussion, it gave me the following suggestions:

• Transcending the Arrogance of the Renaissance Man: A Conversation with Isabel
• Exploring Ecology and Transcendence: Insights with Isabel
• From Climate Anxiety to Activism: Dialogues with Isabel

Pick the one you like best!

It was a pleasure to speak with Isabel and learn more about the transliminal realm, the blurred lines between mystical experiences and psychosis, how her work has positively influenced mental health in the United Kingdom's NHS, and how to leverage all of our human emotions to get us through the unique ecological crises of our times.

All the information you need to find Isabel and her work can be found on her website.

Author of the book The Others Within Us, Bob has a long list of accolades. He’s studied with Marshall Rosenberg who developed Non-Violent Communication; he’s worked with Carol Erickson and is certified in Ericksonian hypnotherapy; he’s studied with Jack and Helen Watkins, the creators of Ego State Therapy. He was the executive director of the Institute for Trauma Oriented Psychotherapy for a decade. He’s worked in IFS for over a decade. The list goes on...

Join us for a fantastic talk about psychotherapy, IFS (Internal Family Systems), the porosity of mind, unattached burdens, spirit presence experiences, DMT entities, psychedelics, spiritual healing and a bunch of other stuff. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Robert Falconer

Gabriel is a meditation teacher, a martial arts instructor, a conservationist and a skilled conversationalist. Please check out this beautiful human at www.nintozen.com

Join us for a great chat on the environment, sleep, deathlessness, meditation, and dreams.

Some references from this episode: Climate: A New Story by Charles Eisenstein Vipassana Meditation Retreat

Plastic Rocks (article) I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj

Join us as we discuss topics like community, connection, Buddhism, and human phenomenology.

Some references from our discussion:

• Nodes in the Net Podcast
• Maurice Marleau-Ponty
• Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges
• Hannah Arendt's The Human Condition