The Numinous Podcast

Love in the Age of Ecological Apocalypse: Cultivating the Relationships We Need To Thrive is Carolyn Baker's most recent book and I'm so thrilled to talk to her about it in this episode of The Numinous Podcast. In this episode, Carolyn talks about our fear of death, shares practical skills for communicating with a reluctant partner and children. She also helps us move through the feeling of schizophrenia that comes from trying to speak truth while living in an insane culture.

For this special milestone episode, my husband, Ruben Anderson, interviews me. A self-proclaimed atheist, Ruben starts out with basic questions about intuition and spirituality. But things get interesting when evidence mounts that Ruben is, in fact, the most spiritual person I know.

This week on the podcast we're getting to the heart of it all: facing environmental, economic and social decline and the sheer amount of grief that entails. Thankfully, we have the lucid, sensible and sensitive guidance of one of North America's foremost experts and elders in this area, Carolyn Baker, Ph.D. Carolyn is a Jungian psychotherapist, an adjunct professor of history and psychology, and a prolific author of many thought-provoking books including one I consider essential reading for our age, Collapsing Consciously: Transformative Truths for Turbulent Times. Some of the content in this show may be news to some of you, but for those for whom it is an urgent and incessant background beat, this show will be a release valve. Hearing someone approach such a daunting subject with such clarity and calmness is truly heartening.

This week my guest is musical artist, Christopher Lloyd Clarke. Christopher is the creative spirit behind all of the music in The Numinous School. I listen to his mucis nearly every day in meditation and use it in sessions with clients. I was curious to know how he found himself creating music in this niche.  

Indigo Ocean is the founder and champion of multiple service organizations, an entrepreneur, a self-made millionaire, and a consultant for spiritually oriented entrepreneurs. Her first suicide attempt was at age 9 and she struggled with depression for years before deciding to stay and make the most of life. In this episode, I mention Indigo's two books, Being Bliss and Micro Habits for Major Happiness. Indigo also recommends some great books for those exploring spirituality and enlightenment: Personal and perennial favourite, The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment by Thaddeus Golas The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot To find out more about Indigo Ocean and her offerings, including Phone Buddies Peer Counselling Community, find her online at www.IndigoOcean.org

A conversation with my 11 year old daughter, Mirabella, about intelligent life in the universe, lucid dreaming, parking angels and what happens after you die. It's a "who knows?" kind of conversation. I hope it prompts you to ask your loved ones, or even yourself, the Big Questions. Here are some Big questions to start with: Do you believe there are other intelligent life forms in the universe? What do you think happens after you die? If you could come back as any person or thing, what would you choose? Do you believe in angels? Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a lucid dream? What do you fantasize about most?

In this episode, we re-imagine the design process as a form of shamanic journey. Emrys Damon Miller is the founder and creator of Rocketday Arts, a communications studio which helps clients who aim to build a healthier future. His clients have included those in the arts, the environment, education, and humanism/theology. Our conversation moves from how imagery affects society and self-image, intuition and the creative process, balancing a client's needs with personal and professional creative expression, and the way that intuition can bring charm, warmth and beauty to design.

John Michael Greer is the current Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, a longtime Golden Dawn initiate and scholar of the Western Mystery Traditions. He is the author of numerous book on a wide range of subjects including peak oil and the decline of industrial societies. He also has two popular blogs, The Archdruid Report and The Well of Galabes. In this episode, we talk about two of the lessons from John's seminal book, Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth, The Law of Flow and The Law of Limits. John mentions his admiration of the toaists in this show, and recommends reading Lao-Tzu if you're interested in exploring further. He also cites Aldo Loepold and Henry David Thoreau as influences.

The Fabulous Miss Rosie Bitts is a burlesque diva, chanteuse, and sex and body-positive educator with a mission to empower. In this episode, we talk about feminism, the male gaze, doing scary things like taking your clothes off and singing in front of strangers (I don't know which is scarier to me), and learning to love our jiggly bits. Rosie cites Bettina May as an early influence and talks about the burlesque troupe she co-founded, The Cheescake Review. Rosie offers workshops as well as one-on-one teaching sessions for men and women to develop their sexy sides, and has also authored a number of erotica books and a solo show called "Stories of Love and Passion". It was written to raise awareness for sex worker rights and was selected for performance at New York's United Solo Theatre Festival, the world's largest festival of one-person acts. Bravo, Rosie! Find out more about working with or hiring Rosie at bestbitts.com.

Mark Silver is an entrepreneur, business coach, Sufi Master, and has a great sense of humour - such a great combination! He helps his clients "witness the love that's present in business that's hard to see." In this episode we touch on pretty much everything - Judaism, spiritual disconnect with parents, agnosticism, mystical experiences, Islam, Sufism, the Reclaiming tradition, Wicca, neo-paganism, Jewish Renewal...my goodness, it's a good one, folks. Find out more about Mark, the Heart of Business and his programs here. He also has a great list of resources about Sufism on his site, too.