The Numinous Podcast

My guest today is Becca Piastrelli, author of the new book, Root & Ritual: Timeless Ways To Connect To Land, Lineage, Community and the Self. It’s a charming, full colour, illustrated guide to fundamentals of creating connection with spirits of place and ancestors. I’d describe it as a fresh update on modern self-directed spirituality because it foregrounds how white feminism of the past and today has a tendency to appropriate spirituality from anywhere and everywhere. Becca’s book clearly aims to recognize white privilege, give credit, and walk humbly on the spiritual path. Find out more about Root & Ritual here. Find out more about Becca and her podcast, Belonging, here. Find out more about Constellation work here.

Elaine Alec is a co-founder of Alderhill, an Indigenous-owned-and-led company of leading experts in the area of Indigenous Community Planning. She’s led comprehensive community planning and engagement processes, been a political advisor, and recently the bestselling author of Calling My Spirit Back which links a personal examination of her lived experience to a much broader overview of serious sociological concerns of national importance for people in Canada and beyond, along with tangible steps to address them. I also know that Elaine and her family share the same strong commitment to co-parenting and secure attachment in a blended family as I do, and I wanted to jam on that a bit. Content warning: Discussion of cultural genocide and the legacy of Indigenous residential institutions in Canada. Learn more about Elaine and the book, Calling My Spirit Back, here. Find out more about Alderhill for Indigenous community planning and engagement here.

Today I’m speaking with British Columbia record-breaking pumpkin grower, Dave Chan. Dave has grown the heaviest pumpkin in BC’s history at 1,911 pounds! Dave has been growing for many years and finally achieved his dream and I’m thrilled to have him on the show today to share all his secrets. Stay tuned for a Rubenation at the end. GiantPumpkinsBC.com (to see Dave's pumpkin!) BigPumpkins.com The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth Master Carver, Scott Cully, who appeared on the Johnny Carson Show in 1985, inspiring Dave's lifelong passion for pumpkins  

Toi Smith is my guest today! Toi is a business and growth strategist, a writer and teacher.  She's also host of an online community called Business For The People for entrepreneurs, creatives, healers, and guides trying to do business differently. Toi also works with mothers who desire to return to themselves, and Black women who want more joy and pleasure. toimarie.com businessforthepeople.com Sylvia Federici's books Combahee River Collective Statement  American Capitalism: A History (Cornell University podcast) RAVEN Trust is the place where I give a percentage of my income every month if you're interested in helping support legal challenges to fight for Aboriginal Rights & Title in British Columbia. Reciprocity Connects is where I've pledged to make payments to the local nations whose territories I live upon.

Today’s episode is especially dedicated to all the parents out there of tweens and teens who are exploring their gender identity. Paria Hassouri is a pediatrician, mother of three and writer whose work has appeared in the NY Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Huffington Post.  She and her family live in LA, where she practices pediatrics at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. And she’s the author of the book, Found In Transition: A Mother’s Evolution during her Child’s Gender Change, a very frank, sometimes painfully honest account of parenting a transgender teen. Paria chronicles what amounts to a dual transition: as her child transitions from male to female, she navigates through anger, denial, and grief to eventually arrive at acceptance. Blindsided by her child’s gender identity, Paria is also forced to examine how she still carries insecurities from her past of growing up as an Iranian-American immigrant in a predominantly white neighborhood.  Follow Paria: pariahassouri.com Buy the book: Found in Transition: A Mother's Evolution During Her Child's Gender Change Instagram: @laparia Twitter: @pariahassouri Contact Paria Hassouri, M.D., at Cedars Sinai Medical Group

Taraneh Erfan King is a registered counsellor with a specialty in expressive arts and a broad background in psychology, body-centered practices, and mysticism, including her hereditary lineage of Sufism. Born in Iran, she immigrated to Canada as a child with her family, and has lived and worked in several parts of the world including Guyana, France, Switzerland, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka. Her book, Conscious Grieving: The Path of Awakening Through Loss, is a compassionate companion for all grievers and a source for poetry and prayers you'll return to again and again. Visit Taraneh's website mindonspirit.com for more information about her programs and services, and find her book online at major outlets as well as your favourite independent booksellers. Follow her on Instagram @mindonspirit Check out The Numinous Network for all my current offerings.

My guest today is a trusted friend, Oliver Choquette. Oliver is currently a Psychology student at the University of Victoria. His training and expertise comes from various sources: college, university, and private classes. He has been working in clinics as a support person for over 10 years. He is a passionate reader and researcher of many topics: history, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology. And at the end of the day, I have trusted him with my child as a skilled helper providing emotional support for a number of years. As the parent of a 17 year old trans son with ADHD and autism diagnoses, who struggles with both anxiety and depression, I wanted to talk to Oliver about the intersection of gender diversity and neurodivergence. And because it’s not just my son – I literally don’t know an LGBTQIA+ youth who does not present with some form of neurodivergence or at the very least some diagnosable mood disorder such as anxiety or depression. I hope you enjoy this candid, non-expert, real conversation. Accounts I follow on Instagram for psychoeducation: @neurodivergent_lou @sensoryhuman @the.autisticats @fidgets.and.fries @pixiesbigwhy @autism_sketches @iampayingattention @the_mini_adhd_coach @lifeinautismworld @adultingwithautism @drdevonprice @the_queer_counselor @autism_unmasked @busybeingdisabled  Oliver's Research Links Carter, B. (2021). Impact of social inequalities and discrimination on vulnerability to crises. Kia, H., Robinson, M., MacKay, J., & Ross, L. E. (2020). Poverty in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) populations in Canada: an intersectional review of the literature. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 28(1), 21-5 Executive Skills Questionnaire- Peg Dawson & Richard Guare Giovanardi, G., Vitelli, R., Maggiora Vergano, C., Fortunato, A., Chianura, L., Lingiardi, V., & Speranza, A. M. (2018). Attachment patterns and complex trauma in a sample of adults diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 60. Strauss, P., Cook, A., Watson, V., Winter, S., Whitehouse, A., Albrecht, N., ... & Lin, A. (2021). Mental health difficulties among trans and gender diverse young people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Findings from Trans Pathways. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 137, 360-367.   Rommelse, N. N., Franke, B., Geurts, H. M., Hartman, C. A., & Buitelaar, J. K. (2010). Shared heritability of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 19(3), 281-295. Schnarrs, P. W., Stone, A. L., Salcido Jr, R., Baldwin, A., Georgiou, C., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2019). Differences in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and quality of physical and mental health between transgender and cisgender sexual minorities. Journal of psychiatric research, 119, 1-6.   Craig, S. L., Austin, A., Levenson, J., Leung, V. W., Eaton, A. D., & D’Souza, S. A. (2020). Frequencies and patterns of adverse childhood events in LGBTQ+ youth. Child abuse & neglect, 107, 104623.   Cuevas, A. G., Ong, A. D., Carvalho, K., Ho, T., Chan, S. W. C., Allen, J., ... & Williams, D. R. (2020). Discrimination and systemic inflammation: A critical review and synthesis. Brain, behavior, and immunity.  

Today’s fantastic guest is Dr.Cyndi Brannen, one of the world's preeminent scholars on Hekatean Witchcraft. After a successful career in academia and healthcare, Dr.Brannen transitioned to focusing on reclaiming the sacred feminine after she became convinced that mainstream psychology was not sufficient to lead to personal wholeness.  Her work focuses on personal healing through depth psychology, herbalism, rituals, meditations, and exploration of the deeper self. She founded The Covina Institute, a soul school dedicated to the pursuit of wholeness through structured programs of study and transcendent experiences. Dr.Brannen is the author of the bestselling books, Keeping Her Keys and Entering Hekate’s Garden. Mentioned in this episode: • Dr.Sarah Isles Johnstone's Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Roles in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature • Thomas Moore • James Hillman • Erich Neumann Check out Hide Tanning 101 with Fern + Roe!

This special episode includes a 30 minute trancework exercise. I stack 4 different spiritual hygiene exercises, one after the other, to connect with earth, water, air and fire. This episode is a complement to my Yuletide Stocking Stuffer program. Inspiration for some of the techniques in this exercise come from: • Diane Poole Heller (Competent Protector terminology and trauma-informed pedagogy) • Philip Shepherd's Radical Wholeness work • Laura Day, intuitive coach • Dara Silverman and Amanda Ream, Somatics For White Racial Justice Organizers • The Strozzi Institute • generative somatics And of course my nearly decade-long experience as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. Hope you enjoy it and find something in there of use to you!

Lindsay Tunkl is an artist and the author of "Origins & Endings: Seeing Yourself Through the Apocalypse". It's a divination deck and self-reflection inkblot kit that helps us grapple with the most pressing questions of our time. In this conversation, we explore the intersections of art, healing, therapy, intuition, fear, collectivism, divination, and living in choice during apocalypse times. Find the Origins & Endings Divination Book and Card Deck here. See some of Lindsay's artwork here including some of the PreApocalypse Counselling installation here. Connect with Lindsay for coaching at intothedeepcoaching.com. Follow Lindsay on Instagram to learn more about her magic and Tarot work, as well as her current adventures.