Rune Soup

Based on some suggestions that came out of the recent solo show on the story of Rune Soup, I'm going to be revisiting the classic blog post series from back in the old timey bloggy days of yore. The first such series is The Whisky Rant: where the name came from, the benefits and shortcomings of alternate history, which UFOs are actual aliens and which of the various rants stood the test of time. For new people, this was a series that covered off all the exciting hits like ruins on Mars and the Moon, the location of Atlantis and my own version of the stoned ape hypothesis.

It's that time of year again! And for the traditional Halloween special, we are joined by astrologer, witch and counsellor, Sasha Ravitch. Sasha joins us to talk about star spirits, astrology and the dead, and what sort of ancestral curses and blessings can show up in your natal chart. Awesome stuff.  Show Notes Sasha's website. Sasha's Linktree. Sasha's Instagram. Sasha's Twitter. Sasha's Patreon. AstroMagia conference website.

This week, we welcome to the show author, teacher and herbalist, Seán Pádraig O'Donoghue. Seán joins us today to talk about his journey to animist herbalism, how he defines it, and what constitutes health in a living framework. Really good, timely stuff. Enjoy! Show Notes Seán's website, Otherworld Well. Seán's course, Holistic Pharmacology for Herbalists.

A long-overdue solo show this week, telling the story of Rune Soup from its beginnings as a blog in Bristol, through the books, through the development of the podcast, and the membership and the events and so on. At the end, there is also some discussion of where to next. Subscribe to Rune Soup on Rumble. Subscribe to Rune Soup on Odysee. Check out Fortune's Fools.

Author, magician, returning guest and friend, Ivy Bromius, joins us again this week on the occasion of the publication of her completely free book, The Cancer Grimoire. We talk about her experiences treating and overcoming cancer, blending allopathic and holistic methods, and finding meaning in our own health crises. An important discussion at the best of times. Probably more so now. Download the episode directly here or watch along on YouTube below. Show Notes Find everything Ivy has going on at Circle Thrice.

This week, we are joined by the hosts of one of my very favourite podcasts, Fucking Cancelled. Clementine and Jay talk to us about their own journey to activism, through what they call the nexus -that toxic combination of social media bullying and neoliberal group thing- and out the other side to a genuine left they call 'socialism with freaky options'. Along the way we discuss what cancellation is, how old it is, why it works and whether or not its efficacy is fading. Super fun show with some super fun people!       Show Notes Fucking Cancelled on Patreon. Fucking Cancelled on Libsyn. Fucking Cancelled on Instagram. Clementine's website. Clementine on Instagram. Jay on Instagram.

This week, we welcome back to the show Dr Matthew Segall. Matt joins us to talk about his recently released book, Physics of the World Soul: Whitehead's Adventure in Cosmology. So we chat about the shortcomings of materialism, what science could be like and how it could be done. We also discuss the concept of the Anima Mundi -or World Soul- and what the point of the universe might be.   Show Notes Get Matt's book, Physics of the World Soul. Matt's blog. Matt's YouTube channel.

This week we welcome to the show Karen Johnson. Karen is a shaman, healer, and former judge. She was catapulted into the life of a healer when her son died suddenly of a heroin overdose at the age of twenty seven. Leaving her old life behind, Karen embarked on a multi-year spiritual quest around the world, ultimately discovering -among many modalities and sources of spiritual nourishment- shamanic energy medicine. (Karen is actually my teacher at the Four Winds Academy, which comes up a couple of times in the show.) She joins us today to talk about her brand new book, Living Grieving: Using Energy Medicine to Alchemize Grief and Loss. A really great chat about a really powerful topic. Enjoy. Show Notes Living Grieving: Using Energy Medicine to Alchemize Grief and Loss. Karen’s energy medicine website and blog. Karen's Instagram.

Christmas only comes but once a year, which makes the half-yearly astrological forecasts twice as good as it! Big thanks to the one and only Austin Coppock -as well as the premium members and patrons who join the call. As is now tradition, we look at the previous six months, the upcoming six months and situate our discussion in the context of longer cycles. I always look forward to these chats!

Something a bit different and exciting this week in lieu of a normal show. One of the things the premium members will be doing over the coming month is participating in calls and Q&As with thinkers who have something to share or contribute to this notion of operating at the level of the living field. First cab off the rank is none other than Rhyd Wildermuth. Finding The Ekumen gets its name from Ursula K. Le Guin's space utopia, effectively an anarchist version of Star Trek's far more militant United Federation of Planets. So if we are going to have a series of discussions beyond traditional politics, we should begin with a discussion of what politics is, what it isn't and where it might be that you come in. I can think of no one better than Rhyd for that chat, so here it is!   Big thanks to Rhyd and the members for participating! This is obviously a video discussion if you would prefer to watch on YouTube or Odysee.   Further Reading Rhyd's Substack. Rhyd's essay, Here Be Monsters. Saul Newman's Anarchism and the Politics of Ressentiment. The works of Silvia Federici. Human Scale. Postmodern Anarchism in the Novels of Ursula K. Le Guin. Against Identity Politics.