Podcast appearances and mentions of John Michael Greer

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer to discuss Freemasonry.Greer's website: ⁠https://www.ecosophia.net/⁠Greer's astrology patreon: ⁠ / johnmichaelgreer ⁠Greer's books: ⁠https://bookshop.org/contributors/joh...---Become part of the Hermitix community:Hermitix Twitter - ⁠ / hermitixpodcast ⁠Support Hermitix:Patreon - ⁠ www.patreon.com/hermitix ⁠Donations: - ⁠https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod⁠Hermitix Merchandise - ⁠http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2⁠Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLKEthereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

What if the Tree of Life wasn't a ladder but a circle? Rethink magic, cycles, and divine flow!--- Join and support the community: https://www.creationspaths.com/In this episode, Charlie and Brian, Christopagan Druids, explore rethinking the Tree of Life as a circle instead of a ladder—a shift in perspective that mirrors the Wheel of the Year in Druidry, Wicca, and Pagan traditions. Inspired by John Michael Greer's work, they discuss how mapping the Kabbalistic Tree of Life onto the eight Sabbats creates a cyclical understanding of spiritual growth rather than a rigid, hierarchical model.They delve into how each Sephirah aligns with the seasonal festivals, offering a dynamic flow of energy, wisdom, and transformation. They also explore practical applications in magic, ritual, and daily life, emphasizing the cyclic nature of existence, reincarnation, and the fluid movement of divine energy.The conversation highlights how embracing circular, interconnected thinking can change one's approach to spirituality, personal growth, and magic—moving away from linear ascension models toward a holistic, evolving journey.Thank you for Liking and Subscribing to this podcastThank you for sharing this episode with your loved ones, friends and community--- Thank you for Tips or Donations:https://ko-fi.com/cedorsetthttps://patreon.com/cedorsett$CreationsPathsSubstack: https://www.creationspaths.com/For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com Guided Meditations Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV0C8kiTKv0J2QAAlD1uaIJvQ3Sr9sIqOChristopagan Playlist:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV0C8kiTKv0ISXDQkZBRB7EHrUUJgXlGNThe Everything Playlist:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV0C8kiTKv0Ln3eGW-tDk2R68PM6c182OCreation's Paths Podcast: http://www.creationspaths.com/podcastChurch of the Oak Podcast: http://churchoftheoak.com/Hallowstead Podcast: http://hallowstead.com/Social Connections:BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.comThreads https://www.threads.net/@creationspathsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/Chapters:00:00 Introduction: Rethinking the Ladder01:11 Hosts Introduction01:20 The Concept of the Tree of Life as a Circle02:38 Exploring the Kabbalistic Tree of Life05:40 The Cyclical Nature of Festivals13:17 The Story of Angus and the Tree of Life18:00 The Power of Cycles in Spiritual Practice27:51 Conclusion and Call to Action Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Welcome to the Plant Cunning Podcast! Join hosts, AC Stauble and Isaac Hill, as they delve into the intriguing world of Earth Mysteries with returning guest, John Michael Greer. In this episode, they discuss Greer's newest book, the Earth Mysteries Workbook, which encourages readers to explore local legends, ancient sites, and unusual phenomena in their own areas. From ley lines and the Newport Tower to the fundamental techniques of magic, this conversation covers the fascinating intersection of spirituality, occultism, and earth mysteries. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or new to these concepts, you'll find valuable insights and practical advice on connecting with the subtle dimensions of the land around you. Tune in for an enlightening episode that bridges the gap between the unexplained, the mystical, and the practical! 00:00 Introduction to the Plant Cunning Podcast 00:31 Welcoming John Michael Greer 01:01 Exploring the Earth Mysteries Workbook 05:00 The Context and Background of Earth Mysteries 11:04 The Newport Tower and Other American Mysteries 28:27 The Myth of Disenchantment 38:22 Core Practices of a Magician 39:20 Protective Rituals and Symbolic Balance 40:36 Discursive Meditation: A Different Approach 44:12 Understanding Divination 45:24 The Importance of Ritual, Meditation, and Divination 46:07 Challenges in Modern Occult Practices 51:18 The Three Paths: Magician, Occultist, Mystic 01:07:55 Practical Advice for Connecting with Earth Mysteries 01:11:46 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In this episode, I sit down with author and researcher John Michael Greer to discuss one of the most pressing yet overlooked realities of our time—civilizational collapse. We break down the myth of progress, examine historical patterns of decline, and outline the stages civilizations go through before they fall.Greer explains:Why civilizations collapse is inevitableThe stages of decline and what they look like in real timeHow the modern world's dependence on technology and resources makes it vulnerableThe role of myth and perception in shaping societal responses to declinePractical steps to prepare for what's coming.If you're in the military, law enforcement, or take personal security and resilience seriously, this episode will challenge the way you think about stability, risk, and long-term survival strategies.So pull up a chair and sit a spell as our guest takes us through on a journey through the coming apocalypse. It's all here on the Pearl Snap Tactical Podcast!Resources:John's WebsiteBooks:The Long Decent: A User's Guide to the Industrial AgeDark Age America: Climate Change, Cultural Collapse and the Hard Future AheadSupport the showBecome a Premium Member: Get Members Only Content on our Substack page. Click here.Link up with us:Website: Pearl Snap TacticalInstagram: Pearl Snap Tactical X: Pearl Snap TaciticalThe views and opinions expressed by the guests do not necessarily reflect those of the host, this podcast or affiliates. The information provided in these shows are for educational purposes do not constitute legal advice. Those interest in training in the use of firearms or other self-defense applications are advised to seek out a professional, qualified instructor.(Some of the links in the episode show notes are affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products or services we have personally used and believe will add value to our listeners.)

Support Midgard Musings By Clicking Here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/MidgardMusings⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠Click here to visit Fjallvaettir Workshop:⁠https://fjallvaettir.com/⁠⁠Here is the link to Eric's video:https://youtu.be/akkzERyvnL4?si=jq5aLu4batHnMwLFHere is the link to my video with Bradley. Check the comments section of that video to see what one viewer thinks:https://youtu.be/rbnjAj7QkwgFind a copy of the book "A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism" by John Michael Greer at the below Amazon link.https://www.amazon.com/World-Full-Gods-Inquiry-Polytheism/dp/1801520801/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1O3ZH423DAUV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2g1EnjTGOGC-y3Fo8wmoUx_WiQxjjTwdaRfHJskqg8A8vivLZl3kPZ1rPzivDqTRrGxxN8BYsJmWtD2TNpOleZdV6PPlfit5CnI9lBM-BiE.oiQ1iD9g1Co3SqQyvIU4RsL9wAw4iOf-kYvgFH9XI88&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+world+full+of+gods+john+michael+greer&qid=1739294845&sprefix=a+world+full+of+gods%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-1

In S5 E14 I sit down with author & astrologer John Michael Greer to discuss his latest book The Astrology of Nations. Our conversation takes us from the practice of mundane astrology, to astrological magic, astrological forecasts for the future, and much more. The Astrology of Nations: https://redfeathermbs.com/collections/redfeather-astrology-others/products/the-astrology-of-nations# JMG: https://www.ecosophia.net/ For all things Ike be sure to visit/message him at: https://ikebaker.com SUPPORT ARCANVM for $5/MONTH: https://patreon.com/@UCNTK70AOAOi9zMqOZFdvjeA FOLLOW on Facebook: https://facebook.com/arcanvm FOLLOW on Instagram: @a.r.c.a.n.v.m #astrology #astrologypodcast #magic

Send us a textIn this latest episode, it was wonderful to welcome back John Michael Greer, a prolific author, teacher, and practitioner of the esoteric arts. We dive into the fascinating world of tarot and explore his work with his late teacher, John Gilbert, whose insights and teachings JMG edited and published in The Doors of Tarot. He shares reflections on Gilbert's unique approach to tarot, and we discuss our views of patterns and spreads in readings, how divination can be best approached when just starting out, and what made Gilbert's teachings so unique and impactful. I really enjoyed the conversation, and reading The Doors of Tarot, which I absolutely recommend.Later in the episode, we also shift gears to discuss the fundamentals of mundane astrology—using the stars to explore the patterns of global events. A particularly interesting topic as we start the new year!Enjoy the episode and as always, you can reach me on Instagram at: @coffeeanddivination Links:Purchase The Doors of Tarot by John Gilbert, edited by John Michael Greer: The Doors of Tarot: Lessons for the Practical Diviner a book by John Gilbert and John Michael GreerPurchase The Tree of Spirit by John Gilbert, edited by John Michael Greer: The Tree of Spirit: Lessons on Tarot, Cabala, and the Spiritual Path a book by John Gilbert and John Michael GreerJMG's blog: EcosophiaJMG's bookshop for all his works: John Michael Greer BookshopCoffee and Divination Website: http://www.coffeeanddivination.comNorth Wyldewood Coven and Tradition Website: https://www.northwyldewoodtradition.orgSacred Space Conference - March 2025: Sacred Space Conference – Metaphysics, Mysticism, Magick (sacredspacefoundation.org)Learn from the North Wyldewood Coven: Enter the Wyldewood - The Birch Path (thinkific.com)Theme music: "Come with Me" by JoAnna Farrer. Also featuring Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas and Yann Falquet.Ending music: "Pollen Path" by Elana LowConnect with me on Instagram: @coffeeanddivination

Ringing in the new year with a banger! John Michael Greer returns to the show to explore Whether we can say if 'western' magic has a discernable metaphysics. What those might be. Seeing as AI did such a good job of giving us a definition of metaphysics (which you will get in the show), here's what she thinks the episode is about: "The dialogue emphasizes the importance of directionality, the existence of intelligent non-human beings, and the overarching themes that unify magical practices across cultures. In this conversation, Gordon White delves into the complexities of historical knowledge, the concept of polarity in cosmology, and the nuances of sex magic. He discusses the limitations of historical records, the significance of polarity as a universal principle, and the often-misunderstood relationship between sexuality and magic. White also challenges cultural assumptions about elitism in esoteric practices and highlights the contributions of lesser-known figures like Pascal Beverly Randolph to the field of magic. The discussion culminates in a reflection on the meaningfulness of the cosmos and the interplay of energy in our experiences." Honestly? Pretty good. Show Notes John's website, Ecosophia. The Philosophy and Practice of Polarity Magic: A Secret Wisdom of Sex. The Earth Mysteries Workbook: A One Year Course in the Enchantment of the Land.

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss the the rise of populism, the death of the managerial state, and collapse going into 2025. Greer's website: https://www.ecosophia.net/ Greer's astrology patreon:   / johnmichaelgreer   Greer's books: https://bookshop.org/contributors/joh... --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter -   / hermitixpodcast   Support Hermitix: Patreon -   / hermitix   Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

In this episode of The KMO Show, host KMO speaks with Kevin Lynn, Executive Director of the Institute for Sound Public Policy, about the 2024 election results and broader historical patterns. The conversation begins with an AI-generated introduction acknowledging their shared history in the Peak Oil community and mutual interest in Rudyard Lynch's analysis of historical crisis patterns.Kevin brings unique perspective from his varied career - from Army officer to accounting executive to political organizer. The discussion explores several key themes:The parallels between current events and historical periods like the Thirty Years WarThe emergence of new political coalitions crossing traditional party linesEconomic and demographic factors driving political realignmentThe role of immigration policy in social cohesionGenerational theory and the Fourth Turning frameworkThe transformation of various political figures from progressive Democrats to Trump supportersDrawing on shared connections with figures like John Michael Greer, James Howard Kunstler, and Steve Lamb, the conversation examines how many former Democrats have rejected establishment politics in favor of populist movements. The discussion provides historical context for understanding recent political realignments while considering potential futures.

Please send a donation to support the show at paypal.me/psych360JMG Blog https://www.ecosophia.net/Books by JMG https://bookshop.org/shop/jmg

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.Greer's website: https://www.ecosophia.net/Greer's astrology patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnmichaelgreer Greer's books: https://bookshop.org/contributors/john-michael-greer-dcc85fd9-cfd4-4940-b35a-a6252d57e3cc---Become part of the Hermitix community:Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/HermitixpodcastSupport Hermitix:Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitixDonations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpodHermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLKEthereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

Join Charlie, a non-binary scifi fantasy writer, and their husband Brian as they delve into the mystical and historical significance of the Holy Grail, its connection to St. Lawrence, and its deeper symbolic meanings. Learn about the origins of the Grail legend, its historical claims, and spiritual practices surrounding it. The episode also introduces a powerful meditation on the Grail, bridging earthly and cosmic energies to achieve balance and enlightenment. Gain insights into the spiritual path, the symbolism of the Grail in different traditions, and upcoming meditation practices.Support us on: https://ko-fi.com/cedorsettBecome a patron of the arts patreon.com/cedorsettFor Educational Resource: Wisdoms Cry https://wisdomscry.comFor all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.comThreads https://www.threads.net/@creationspathsInstagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/Chapters:00:00 Introduction to the Holy Grail00:58 The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence01:33 The Holy Grail in Spain02:57 Historical and Ritualistic Significance of the Grail05:05 The Grail in Druidry08:09 Meditation on the Grail13:01 The Grail as a Symbol of Balance and Motion14:19 The Grail Story: A Controversial Retelling15:34 The Grail as a Symbol of Balance and Power17:00 Balancing Earthly and Spiritual Concerns18:05 The Fourth Path: Justice and Celebration19:10 Finding Balance in Daily Life21:27 The Grail and Spiritual Practices25:25 Conclusion and Call to ActionTranscriptCharlie- New: [00:00:00] Today on the feast of St. Lawrence, we're going to talk about a very important topic. One that I think a lot of people, either relegate to myth and legend. Or one that just doesn't come into mind all that much. When we're talking about spiritual, mystical and magical things today, we're talking about the holy grail and the quest to find it.Insert intro here. . Blessings in the light to you. My name is. Charlie. I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer, and I am joined today by my wonderful husband, Brian. Hello today. We're going to be talking about the quest for the holy grail. And one of the. Most entertaining and sad saints. , St. Lawrence. St Lawrence, if you don't know, [00:01:00] was martyred on this day. Many many centuries ago in the third century. When he was martyred, he was, , burned to death. He was put on a gridiron which is basically a cage that they lock you in and put you over a fire and cook you to death. And reportedly as he was being burned alive, he said to the Romans that were killing him. I think I'm done on the side. Perhaps you should turn me over. Brian - New: A tasty way to roast fish, not intended for human use Charlie- New: The reason St Lawrence and the holy grail are connected is that. If you want to see the actual holy grail, the thing that has the greatest claim to being the actual holy grail, you need to go to Spain. You need to go to Madrid. And they're on display in a beautiful reliquary case. We will see the cup that Saint Lawrence brought there. Now this cup is claimed to be the cup that was used by Christ at the last supper. And why does it have the greatest claim to this? Because when they started testing it and looking [00:02:00] at it, it is a first century. Jewish. Kiddish cup. From. Israel. It is made from Israeli stone. It is made in the style of first century cups that would be used at a Passover. Dinner. And just the odds of a cup from the first century, Palestine. Making it all the way to Spain. As the cup that was used at the last supper, especially remembering that St. Lawrence is in the tradition of Saint Peter. He was in the line of St. Peter, like actually in the line of St. Peter. The idea that it could have been passed down from Peter. To him makes sense. It has the best argument, whether it is or not, we will never know. Unless we get some ability to do time travel or to be able to put up a time window or something to look back into, but we will never know. I will say for anybody who wants to talk about [00:03:00] historical grails, The historical grill would have been made out of stone or glass. It had to be made out of something. Impermeable. Because it was used at a Passover day. Meal. And you could not have anything that had the risk. Of yeast being in it. It had to be considered ritualistically clean. Would was not ritualistically clean. Metals, we're not considered, ritualistically clean for these kinds of purposes in the first century. It was. Virtually impossible to find a metal cup in this time, period. It also would not have been clay. More than likely it would have been stone. Carnelian stones were used a lot for these cups in the first century. And that's in fact what we see in the cup. That is preserved in the cathedral there. In fact, when we were sending up our altar, we got a carnelian cup. To use as our grail. That is what we use in ritual. Does does any of this matter? No. [00:04:00] It's an interesting historical thing, because there's a lot of question about this. If there is a historical grail, If somehow the cup used at the last supper did survive. More than likely it's in Spain. The grail, as we think about it is the cauldron of the Dagda. that is where the idea comes from the horn of plenty. But because the Celtic regions gave us the stories of the grail. it is. The cauldron of the Dogda. It's the ever flowing cauldron that has all of the blessings in it. That no one leaves unsatisfied. That is what the grail is. So if you just want to think of it as the cauldron of the Dagda. Or the cup of Christ or, or, or, or. Any of that works. The grail is a legend. I feel like it's very important. For us to realize when we were talking about pure legend and pure mythology. Was a cup used at the last supper. Jesus was a Jew. Of course they had a cup. That is part of the Passover ritual. Does it [00:05:00] matter if we have the actual cup? No. What is the symbol of the cup? What does the cup mean? In druidry, especially. The cup, the chalice, the holy grail has a very particular meaning. In fact, Dion fortune says when we are calling for blessings, we should take the chalice pose. We should stand. In the form of the grail. In other words, you stand like you're doing the Y in YMCA stand with your back straight. And you've put your arms out in front of you to welcome it all in that you stand in chalice pose. To bring it in as a sign to the universe. I'm ready. Give it to me. That's what we're talking about here. Is this cup of blessing. This chalice of miracles, this chalice of magic, this jealous of life. That brings all good things into us. In the tradition of the AODA, the. Ancient order of Druids in America. They have a very. Wonderful way. Of understanding the grail. This [00:06:00] is not unique to them, but I'm not going to go into all of the symbology for why it is this way. But if you are interested in that, John Michael Greer has written a lot of books on druidry that you can find. These ideas in there. But the idea is that the grail. Is where the lyric energies, the energies of the earth. Rise up and meet and balance with the cosmic solar energies. That are coming in from the cosmos. And they mix and they meet and they are joined in. Perfect. blessed unity and harmony. That this is the grail. That this is enlightenment, that this is wisdom. Phillip Carr-Gomm, when he talks about the grail, talks about it as a symbol of enlightenment. That it is. this. State, almost that you can attain. Where you have achieved the grail. You've had the beatific vision. You have had that moment of enlightenment. I would agree with that. It is a powerful [00:07:00] image. It is one that we can meditate on that we can sit in. Allow through visualization. To bless us and bring us joy. This AODA idea. Of it being where we find this great balance between the powers of earth. And the powers of the cosmos, the great to lyric current rising up from beneath us and the great solar current coming down that meet. In the great lunar current, which is the merger, the joining of the two. Is a powerful image, because again, you have think of the shape of a chalice, right? You have the welling of up, you have the collecting down and very often in grail imagery, there's a ball in the middle. That joint in the middle where they meet. And that's where the lunar energy comes in. And that's where the symbol of the grill is for them is when you mix these symbols. Brian - New: The point in that cup where you behold, where you take hold of the cup. It is the point that you partake from. So it also has that added [00:08:00] imagery of these things pulled together in union where you can hold onto it and partake of it. To imbue into yourself. Charlie- New: It is a meditation. That I recommend that you do. We're soon going to be starting a meditation podcast that is going to be separate from this one. I'm not going to say the name yet because I know my luck. If I say the name of somebody else full. Quickly swoop in and. Do it, but hint, we already bought the domain name for it. So we at least have that code for us. But we are going to be doing actual meditation podcast. And. We've talked about a lot of little practices in here. That's going to be like, Let's sit into a meditation. Full-on guided meditations. So I'm not going to do a full on guided meditation for you right now, but those will be coming in the future. And we'll let you know when we start that podcast. But the basic. Most profound meditation that you can do. On the grail. Is to sit. Back balanced, however, you're most comfortable. And if your back hurts, [00:09:00] if you have other issues laid out, If you're somebody who has a hard time sitting stamped. Don't walk. I don't think this meditation works well as a walking meditation. Yeah, I think you need to be rooted in some way, whether that's sitting, standing or lying down, you need to be firmly on something. A cup of wobbling. It's not a good image. Yeah, and I feel like walking, it would be hard cause you're going to visualize your body as the grail for this. So walking to me as a very. Wobbly. I picture like from, Beauty and the beast, all the cups and stuff . Tottering down the table. Find, find a way that's comfortable for you. Sit, stand, or lie down. And imagine the energies of the earth coming up through your feet. And. When I say, imagine. Feel it. Those energies are there. They are rising up, but again, as rabbi Cooper, Often. Tell tells us. Don't worry if you can't feel it, imagine that you [00:10:00] can't. Because the imagination is our interface. With the divine. It's where we communicate with the divine. So. Fake it till you make it pretend that you can feel it. Cause sometimes you have to break down your own awareness. And by. Imagining that you're feeling this energy flowing into you. What I would say you're really doing is breaking down those barriers that keep you from feeling it. Feel that energy. Rising up. You can be a slow or as fast as you feel comfortable being. If you want to luxuriate in this. Each toe, start on your little pinky toes. And feel it as it fills up each toe, moving into your feet. All the way up your legs. Through your waist. If you're somebody who likes chakras. Not everybody's into chakras, but if you're into chakras, You're going to pull this all the way up to just below your heart chakra. So the bottom three chakras. Starting in Muladhara and moving up, you're going to feel that energy coming up. Up your [00:11:00] legs. That's across your waist. Recessing into the place where you sit. And then moving up. Into your stomach and filling all the way up to your lungs. Stopping when it gets to your heart. And then. You start feeling the solar energy, that power coming down from the cosmos. It's not just the power of the sun. It's all the sons, all of the stars, all of the fast energies of the cosmos. Brian - New: It's all that wind energy in the atmosphere above you. Because there's tons of it up there. That's what moves the clouds around. It makes the breeze, whether there's a breeze or not, there's still wind up there. Charlie- New: And if you're somebody who's into sh chakras, this is going to come into the seventh chakra on the top of your head. If you're not into chakra, as it comes in right on the top of your head, you can feel it as a gentle rain. Touching your head and raining. And filling you up. Like a cup. You can feel it as light shining in, but it comes in through the top of your head. And slowly fills [00:12:00] your head. Your eyes, your nose, your mouth, your ears down. Your throat to your neck. Into your shoulders down your arms, into your fingers and down into your chest. Filling all the way up. Just about your heart. And feel just luxuriate in this for a little bit, that earth energy, that lyric energy coming up. And that solar energy coming down. Then right there in your chest. However you want to imagine this. A couple of fish swimming around each other. swirling Whirlpool, a yin yan symbol, whatever. However, it works best for you. Mixing and merging and swirling together. And this bright silver light. Of that lunar energy. Coming out from your chest. As the tour merging and then feel that silver light. Fill your entire body and radiate out from there. [00:13:00] This is the grail. This is the unity of opposites. This is the place where the great powers of the earth. And the power is the cosmos come together in perfect balance. And this is what we're looking for in the grail. And this is why the grail. It's hard to find. And impossible to keep. Impossible to keep. When you read the earth theory entails. The grail has always carried. Sometimes by angels sometimes by nuns sometimes by months, sometimes by priests sometimes by nights, depending on the story that you're reading, but it's always being carried. It's seen in procession. This is important. I think a lot of people miss this. The grail is always seen in procession. It isn't moving. It is alive. It is energetic. It is in motion. Brian - New: This is also why the object is a cup. Because a cup fills and it empties. Fills and it empties. fills and it empties. It is never left, full or left empty. Otherwise. It's not a cup. Even if you let a cup set for years and years [00:14:00] unused. It's still filling with dust. Charlie- New: A couple of cup. Brian - New: A Cup will cup until there's no longer a cup. And that is gone. Because it's still emotion. It ends up not in your house anymore. Right now in your life. Moving on. Charlie- New: But that blessing of unity is what we're seeking. Well from in parts of all, has I think the most interesting story about the grail. It's one that he had to recant. If you ever read parts of all. I, it's one of my favorite retellings of the grail story. Might be able to find versions of it online. It's been, it was written in the 15 hundreds serving a lot of translations of it over the years. So there should be versions of it online. But he told a version of the story that upset the people in the court so much, he recants it later in the story. But in his first retelling. Of the grail. The grail is a stone. That was originally held in heaven. And when the war breaks out in heaven. Between God and the devil. The neutral angels, which in this initial telling of the [00:15:00] story are the good guys. Snatch it and hide it. Because the power. Contained within it. Is so great. That if either side were to have absolute control over it. It would Rob the freewill. Of everyone. And that site, we're just when. They grabbed it and they hit it on earth. And of course later in the story. He walks this back. Because of course the priests jumped in and were like, no, And his Royal patron was like, well, the priest say no, so it's a no. But I like this version of the story because the grill is powerful. It is mighty when you're living in this balance. And when I say living in this is. , goal. This is like trying to achieve Nirvana. This is trying to achieve enlightenment. It is something that we will have fleeting experiences off. If we are blessed. And our practices good and strong. We will have more and more [00:16:00] time in that state. And in that place. It is a goal that we strive for. But when you live in that energy, in that blessing union, Between the great cosmic powers and the great earthly powers. That's where all real. Magic. And life exist. Because. I think we. Misunderstand spiritual things. We're either. So high minded. There were always talking about. Called and the angels and the gods and the spirits and the guides. And. The energies Brian - New: we try to be the liquid in the cup. Charlie- New: Or we become so earthy. There were only thinking about practical matters. Feeding. People taking care of people, the war, the environmental concerns. All of those things. Brian - New: were we all base we can't hold anything. I should correct myself. Before, we're not the liquid or, the top of the cup . we would just spill over. If you're just the top. Without a base you'll just spill over all the time. And if you just the base, you [00:17:00] can't hold anything. Charlie- New: And the real challenge of our spiritual life is to find this balance between those earthly energies, those earthly concerns. Which are very much of the earth. They're making sure everyone is fed that everyone is healthy, that there is peace and prosperity in the land. All of the things that we see, the Fisher king losing. When he is wounded. When the great grievous wound comes upon him. And the land no longer produces food and the water. Has gone bitter and poisonous. And everything is dying. We need to take care of those. Earthly concerns. We also need to be feeding our spirits. We need to be exposing ourselves to all and beauty. And learning to open ourselves and like go and engage in our creativity. However, we are most creative through singing, through cooking, through knitting, through crochet, through writing, telling stories. What. Playing with clay painting. Writing [00:18:00] poetry, whatever. However, we are creative. And through the fourth path. Which I think is the one that everyone wants to misunderstand. This is the brilliance that Matthew Fox had when he was made together. The four paths of creation spirituality. The fourth path is justice making. And celebration. Because. Injustice. There is always celebration. Anytime we are. Find justice you celebrate you can't help it. Justice has prevailed. But in celebration. There has to be that tone of justice as well. You don't celebrate when everything is bad, right. Oh, bad news has come my way. not how that works. You say a blessing? I really am. We will talk about. Blessings and things. I love the idea of when bad news comes your way to just say blessed. Are you? Oh Lord, who gives me the gift of hearing? Finding that one little bit of light and inside the darkness, because I think we always need to be looking for that. [00:19:00] But that celebration is there. We have to find those moments to celebrate. As we've talked about in a previous episode. We have to live in that balance. Bringing up those good things from the earth. And bringing down those great things from beyond. Whether that for you. Is. Truly in that energetic realm. Where we're talking about those subtle energies or if it's. That's a place where you cannot go for whatever reason. You're still going there. If you look at a piece of art and you find beauty in it, If you look at nature and you experience all, it's the same thing. Those are those subtle energies acting in you, whether. You admit it or not? And so finding that balance. Because we can't just always be in nature. Remember thorough wide. I can't say this enough. I know we in America like to look at. Walden and be like, I want to be like throw and it took an army of women to keep [00:20:00] thorough alive. He was on Walden pond. He had cooks and cleaners and people take care of. He had an army of women keeping him alive on Walden pond. It wasn't just him. He just didn't talk about them because he was not one that was strong. With ego death. He was very strong with the ego. The greatest critique of that book was Emerson's. When asked what he thought about on, on Walden pond, he said, He quoted the book, simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. And then said, I think only one simplicity would have done. Would have sufficed. Yeah. Throw talked a lot. And I'm not saying to just throw him out completely. He there's some fun ideas in there, but. This image of it happened alone now. Yes, go out to nature. Reconnect with nature. All of that is great. It's wonderful. But we also have to participate in the real world. With other people. We can't separate ourselves from the [00:21:00] world. As much as we want to. The world will intervene. If there is a pandemic, it will find its way to your community. You can't ball yourself off. And keep yourself safe. If there is war. In your country, it will find its way to your doorstep. If there is strife, it will find its way to your doorstep. No matter how far removed you think you are. From all of that, you can't escape. So you have to find that balance. And that's what the grail is. The grail is that great image? Of balance. Of hope. And once you find that balance to be able to drink it in. To fill it, come into your life and to bring with it. Its blessings. It's changed. Bring with it. The glory that it can bring into your life. And that is. I think for me, at least one of the greatest symbols. Of the spiritual path. As somebody who spent a lot of years in [00:22:00] Catholicism, this is what the Eucharist is for me. It is the embodiment of this action. Where we have quite literally the heavenly body of Christ. Being brought into the fruit of the vine, the wine. Cause then Catholicism, unlike in a lot of traditions, you actually break the bread and put a piece of it into the wine. They actually meet in the chalice. A lot of other, I know I grew up Baptist and we just had a thing of grape juice and we had a thing of crackers. But in Catholicism, you actually break the bread and a piece of it goes into the challenge. That divine, heavenly body. It's mixed with that fruit of the vine. Having an earth meet in the childless. That is such a beautiful image. In Wicca. They often perform a ritual where they have the chalice of the goddess and the blade of the God. And they bring them together in the ritual. Same image that is the grail. The power of the masculine and feminine meeting and finding [00:23:00] balance and harmony union. Whatever imagery connects with you as a non-binary person. I don't relate as well with the gender images, but it's just me. Whatever image works for you. Whatever symbols work for you. The grail might seem too fantasy literature for you. And that's fine. You don't have to accept this image and all, I guess I have to work with the grail now. But if you've never tried. Especially the meditation I talked about earlier. You should try it. As the Psalmist tells us we should taste and see that the Lord is good. And as Paul says, we should test all things and hold to that, which is true. This is a meditation that I do often. It's one I often do when I'm having trouble sleeping. Because finding that place of rest of peace of harmony within myself. Helps me to relax. Unlike a lot of meditations where you should come out of them before you fall asleep. This is a great one to fall asleep in the middle of. Find that [00:24:00] balance. Find that peace rest in it and just melt away into sleep. It's a great way to end your day. It's a great way to start your day to find that balance and really come at your day from that initial starting point of balance. But it's also a wonderful way to end your day. Cannot recommend it enough. Brian - New: Another powerful image that I really enjoy, for the Buddhists out there. It is. At the challenges for the Buddha when he was sitting beneath the Bodhi tree. The gods are around . And the accuser is questioning: who are you? He reaches into the energies of the earth.Charlie- New: what, it gives you the right to defy your Dharma. You. We're a king. Brian - New: The energies of the earth. He has near testify for him. The energies of the divine were already. They're filling in that moment was filling in the way in that challenge. Where he is at centerpiece of the chalice. And it's really very powerful because that is. Us that is every individual. And in the very essence, we are both the meat. The earth. [00:25:00] That we were made of and spirit. In union. And. Our ultimate self. In that balance and then recognizing that. Constantly. Daily. Remembering. It is the answer to who are you? Well, I am that balance between the two. Charlie- New: Let the earth testify. As Brian saying this, I can't help, but look over at the earth, touching Buddha. I hope that this has meant something for you. I hope that you've gotten something out of this. The grail is a powerful image and we can go into this in a lot more depth if you want us to. We are, we have a lot that we want to talk about and we have. Scheduled out a whole bunch of things that we want to talk about, but we also want to dig in deeper where you all want us to. So wherever you're listening to this, please leave us a comment. Let us know. What you would like us to talk about, and especially if this or any of our other topics you would like to go deeper. And dig deeper into, we would love to do that. And if this has meant something to you and you think it'll help others, please [00:26:00] share it. Send it. To a friend, put it out on your social media. Let other people know what we're doing. It really helps us to spread the message and to. Really build a community that we're wanting to build with all of this. And if you have a few pennies that you can pass our way. If you head over to. https://www.creationspaths.com/. So he's the same https://wisdomscry.com that's my spiritual journal where you can go , you'll find a whole bunch of writing that I've done over the decades. On a lot of different topics. , but if you over https://www.creationspaths.com/, you can join our sub stack over there. And for those who do we are going to be offering classes in the not too distant future. And there we're going to give them to the paid members first and then they'll come out to everyone else a little bit later. And also just helps us to make all of this. Possible. You know, so go over. to patreon.com/cedorsett or https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett I am I sit on both. And that helps to support the mute, my music, my writing, all of the things I do, including these podcasts. [00:27:00] So, thank you so much for your care support and for sharing what we're doing. I hope this is a blessing for you. And if there are any ways that we can make this more of a blessing. Do let us know. And until next time. I made the piece of the light ever be with you. Amen. Brian - New: Amen . Get full access to Creation's Paths at www.creationspaths.com/subscribe

Send us a Text Message.Feeling a bit uneasy about everything going on right now? You're not alone. With trust in the government at rock bottom, the economy going downhill fast, and talk of world war looming, it's no wonder we're all on edge. But here's something to think about: what if all this chaos is part of a bigger, predictable pattern? In today's episode, we're diving into some fascinating ideas that explain why societies rise and fall. By the end, you'll have a better understanding of what's happening and how to navigate these turbulent times. Stick around, because this insight might just be what you need to make sense of it all.Why You Should ListenUnderstanding the deeper patterns behind societal collapse can provide clarity and guidance in these uncertain times. By tuning in to this episode, you'll gain valuable insights into the forces shaping our world today. Here's what you can expect to learn:Historical Cycles: Discover the 250-year pattern of rise and fall in empires as explained by Sir John Glubb.Generational Shifts: Learn about Neil Howe's "Fourth Turning" and the generational cycles that drive societal change.Elite Dynamics: Understand Peter Turchin's theory of elite overproduction and its impact on societal stability.Gradual Decline: Explore John Michael Greer's concept of catabolic collapse and how gradual resource depletion leads to decline.The practical insights from today's show will help you better navigate and respond to the current societal turmoil.By grasping these cyclical patterns, you'll be better equipped to make sense of today's challenges and prepare for the future.Resources:Fate of Empires, Sir John GlubbThe Fourth Turning, Neil Howe & William StraussEnd Times, Peter TurchinDark Age America, John Michael GreerSupport the Show.If you'd like to support the show, please consider a donation at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/pearlsnapLink up with us:Website: https://www.BarritusDefense.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarritusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBarritus(Some of the links in the episode show notes are affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products or services we have personally used and believe will add value to our listeners.)

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss the qabalah. Greer's website: https://www.ecosophia.net/ Greer's astrology patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnmichaelgreer --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix: Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

In this episode we interview John Michael Greer about his new book "The Secret of the Five Rites", where he delves into the hidden teachings of the popular form of exercise. We delve into the book it comes from, "The Eye of Revelation", the dangers of Kundalini awakening, the subtle energy body, how esoteric knowledge diffuses, changes and transforms over time and through cultures, the roots of the Tree of Life, the Golden Age of American occultism, and the strains of esotericism that fed it. Some of the figures we talk about include: Manly P. Hall, George Winslow Plummer, Aleister Crowley, Gerald Gardner, The Fox Sisters, Max Heindel, Paul Foster Case, Yogananda, John Dee, William Lilly, and many more. #esoteric #esotericknowledge #magick #podcast #occult #occultism #ocultpodcast #rosicrucian #spiritualism #americanhistory #kundalini #kundaliniyoga #kundaliniawakening #energybody #subtleenergy --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/plantcunning/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/plantcunning/support

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss collapse, history, consciousness, cyclicity, and the work of Spengler and Toynbee. --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix: Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss John Gilbert's book The Tree of Spirit: Lessons on Tarot, Cabala, and the Spiritual Path. Book link: https://spirit.aeonbooks.co.uk/product/tree-of-spirit/95193 --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix: Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

John Michael Greer blogs at Ecosophia, subtitle, Toward an Ecological Spirituality. JMG has been an astute observer of Western Civ's arduous economic and cultural descent, and is the author of many books, both novels and non-fiction, including Green Wizardry, After Oil, The Wealth of Nature, and Not the Future We Ordered. Star's Reach, is a novel set 400 years ahead in America's neo-medieval future. The King in Orange, a meditation on the relationship between archetype psychology and the occult as acted out in politics and culture. Things are getting weird in America, wouldn't you agree? Even a bit supernatural. We assess our country's spiritual condition as we turn the corner on a fateful year 2024. The KunstlerCast theme music is the beautiful Two Rivers Waltz written and performed by Larry Unger

Over thousands of years, the priests and sages of the ancient world discovered that the design and location of certain structures had beneficial effects on the crops that sustained life. A body of traditional lore evolved, using architecture and ceremonies that made use of these wholly natural but mysterious effects. In The Secret of the Temple, John Michael Greer painstakingly rebuilds a body of lost knowledge that has been used to accumulate and direct energy throughout history, and can be used again today.The Temple of Solomon was only one of many ancient structures that drew on the temple tradition.The insights of this tradition have been passed down through those in society tasked with protecting ancient wisdom, secret societies like the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. But over time, as cultures and technologies changed, the meaning of these cryptic symbols and rituals became obscured...until now. This book explores the esoteric body of knowledge that shaped the world of our forebears, gave rise to the world's most awe-inspiring temples and cathedrals, and continues to fuel speculation about powerful forces at work in our world.One of the most respected writers and teachers in the occult field today, John Michael Greer has written more than fifty books on esoteric traditions, nature spirituality, and the future of industrial society. An initiate in Druidic, Hermetic, and Masonic lineages, he served for twelve years as Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). He lives in Rhode Island, USA with his wife Sara. He can be found online at www.EcoSophia.net.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2790919/advertisement

Delve into Ancient Mysteries with Some of Freemasonry's Most Guarded SecretsThe Holy Grail. The medieval stories of Merlin. The ancient Greek Mysteries. Discover the connection between them all with this phenomenal book by 32nd-degree Freemason and celebrated author John Michael Greer. He uses careful research to fit together seemingly unrelated traditions and topics, drawing on translated texts and published documents that, until recently, were jealously guarded. A must-read for anyone interested in occult Freemasonry and the Grail mysteries, this book provides answers that have eluded seekers for centuries.Using the earliest surviving Masonic ritual texts as well as pioneering insights and writings by Jessie Weston, William Morris, and other renowned scholars, this book reconstructs the Grail ritual and provides guidelines for performing it. Greer also presents Freemasonry's origins, full translations of pivotal essays, and fascinating history from megalithic to modern times. The Ceremony of the Grail pieces together a puzzle that has captivated practitioners throughout the ages.One of the most respected writers and teachers in the occult field today, John Michael Greer has written more than fifty books on esoteric traditions, nature spirituality, and the future of industrial society. An initiate in Druidic, Hermetic, and Masonic lineages, he served for twelve years as Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). He lives in Rhode Island, USA with his wife Sara. He can be found online at www.EcoSophia.net.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2790919/advertisement

"Niisuguse arusaama juures ei saa me enam karistamatult langetada metsi ja kuivendada soid, rajada jõgedele paise ja killustada ökosüsteeme maanteedega, rajada kaevandusi ja puurida gaasikaeve. Kogid [Põhja-Kolumbias elav indiaanihõim, H.] ütlevad, et niimoodi tegutsemine kahjustab tervet looduse keha, samamoodi nagu see, kui raiuda inimesel maha mõni jäse või eemaldada mõni elund. Kõigi heaolu sõltub igaühe heaolust. Me ei saa langetada üht metsa siin ja istutada teist metsa seal, öeldes endale süsihappegaasi netokoguse arvutuse abil rahustuseks, et me ei ole mingit kahju tekitanud. Kuidas me teame, et me ei eemaldanud mõnd elundit? Kuidas me teame, et me ei ole hävitanud seda, mida kogid kutsuvad esuana'ks – otsustavaks sõlmeks loodust toestavas mustas ühendusniidis. Kuidas me teame, et me ei hävitanud püha puud, mida kogid kutsuvad "liigi isaks", millest kogu liik sõltub?" kirjutab Charles Eisenstein raamatus "Kliima: uus lugu", mis ilmus poolteist aastat tagasi nii Swedbanki kui Edmund Burke'i Seltsi raamatusarjas. "Süsinikutriangel on suitsukate põhiprobleemi varjamiseks," loen ma oma märkmetest Tähenduse teejuhtide 202. vestlusringist Indrek Vainu ja Madis Vasseriga, mille üheks lähtekohaks oligi Eisensteini eespool nimetatud raamat. Мa kirjutasin sellest jutuajamisest välja terve pinutäie enda jaoks uusi nimesid ja teoseid. Eelkõige jäid kõrva: 1) Jem Bendell "Deep Adaptation"; 2) William Catton "Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change"; 3) Michael Huesemann "Techno-Fix: Why Technology Won't Save Us or the Environment"; 4) Derrick Jensen, "Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It (Politics of the Living)"; 5) A. J. Friedemann "When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation (SpringerBriefs in Energy)"; 6) Ugo Bardi "Before the Collapse: A Guide to the Other Side of Growth"; 7) John Michael Greer "Collapse Now and Avoid the Rush: The Best of The Archdruid Report". Vestluse lõpus tsiteerisin ma kokkuvõtteks enda suurt lemmikut USA süvaökoloogi David Abramit: "Kui me aga tõesti tunneme, et maailm sõltub meist ja meie tähelepanust, meie tänusõnadest ja kiidulaulust, siis omandab see juba teistsuguse tähenduse. Sellisel juhul on meil raske jõele tamm ehitada või metsad maha raiuda, sest me mõistame, et me peame tegutsema ja kõnelema nii, et me saavutaksime meid ümbritseva maailmaga parema kooskõla. See on väga erinev meelelaad ja selle meelelaadi süvakihid on tõepoolest poeetilised. Nendest saab vaid laulda ja luuletada. Ma ei räägi siin aga luuleraamatutest, riiulinurgale unustatud antoloogiatest, vaid elavast poeesiast. Me peame endale tunnistama oma animaalset kehalikkust, me ei ole kehatud vaimud, vaid kahe jala ja kahe käega füüsilised olendid. See tõsiasi peaks kajastuma ka meie kõnes. Me peaks hoiduma teoreetilisest ja abstraktsest žargoonist – keelest, mis on kaotanud igasuguse kontakti maaga, nii et selle juurtelt on langenud viimasedki liiva- ja mullaterad. Kahjuks on selle mandri ülikoolides asjad liikunud just vastupidises suunas". Kahju tõesti. Head uudistamist! H.

A lovely episode with geomancer and astrological magician Bellatrix Rose. We chat about her thoughts on meeting the spirits of geomancy, her entry into the art, and how to best combine astrology with magical remediation. Enjoy!-- Bellatrix Rose's website:https://www.cunningandcraft.com/-- John Michael Greer's book on Geomancy, "The Art and Practice of Geomancy" : https://shorturl.at/egGT6-- Theme music: Come with Me by JoAnna Farrer. Also featuring Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas and Yann Falquet.-- Ending music: Pollen Path by Elana Low-- The Coffee and Divination website: http://www.coffeeanddivination.com-- More about JoAnna Farrer's coven and the North Wyldewood Tradition: http://www.northwyldewood.org-- Coffee and Divination on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffeeanddivination/

Seriah is joined by Travis Watson, Wren, and Vincent Treewell for wide-ranging, eclectic discussion. Topics include poltergeist activity, the overlap between various paranormal phenomena, a personal cryptid encounter, dashcam footage, a strange figure from a dream showing up in real life, a bizarre encounter with a “terminator”, the bodies of demons, the flaws of cameras, John Keel and ultraterrestrials, the smell of sulfur and decay, Joshua Cutchin, non-material beings leaving tracks, Timothy Renner, “ghost” footprints in flour, spirit boxes and ritual magick, ghost hunting TV, “portalboxes”, daemons vs demons, possession and exorcism, Voudon and riding by saints and ancestors, vampires, the raising of the dead, John Michael Greer's book “Monsters”, Eastern European vampire traditions, Dion Fortune's “The Secrets of Dr. Taverner”, demonic possession and mental illness, crystal “demon traps”, influencer spirits, psychic/astral parasites, Josephine McCarthy's “The Exorcist's Handbook”, lycanthropy, vampire and werewolf folklore, astral travel and werewolf activity, blood magick, Clay Vandiver, Carlos Castenada, shape-shifting, wolf belts, “God's Werewolf”, “The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries” , the benandanti, Carlo Ginzburg, Michael Bertiaux, Wren's transformative mystic experiences as a werewolf fighting grey aliens, a hag-riding experience, Kenneth Grant, H.P. Lovecraft, Orthodox Christian Saint Christopher the dog-headed man, “The Texas Dogman Triangle” by Aaron Deese, haunted places in Texas, the “Rabbits” podcast, Travis's experiences on a Civil War battlefield, Bettina Moss, Dogman theories, Anubis, dogs walking upright, the Oz effect, Native American mounds, thought forms, hoaxing, the trackalacka monster, Jim Mosley, crop circles, theatrical performance and ritual magick, the Orphic Hymns, the importance of story-telling, the “Eternal Darkness” video game, “Archive 81” podcast and Netflix TV series, and much more! This is a fascinating, all over the place conversation, not to be missed!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4656375/advertisement

Today we look for a middle path somewhere between traditional BDSM and TNG. Because we can't go back in time and yet we want to honor what has already been built and passed along to us. "Having a good idea of what has been tried in the past is an enormous asset, but it has to be combined with a willingness to adapt the lessons of the past to the needs of the ever-changing present. A body of knowledge that remains absolutely fixed over time, incapable of absorbing new lessons and insights, is not a tradition but a corpse." -John Michael Greer

Seriah is joined by Travis Watson, Wren, and Vincent Treewell for wide-ranging, eclectic discussion. Topics include poltergeist activity, the overlap between various paranormal phenomena, a personal cryptid encounter, dashcam footage, a strange figure from a dream showing up in real life, a bizarre encounter with a “terminator”, the bodies of demons, the flaws of cameras, John Keel and ultraterrestrials, the smell of sulfur and decay, Joshua Cutchin, non-material beings leaving tracks, Timothy Renner, “ghost” footprints in flour, spirit boxes and ritual magick, ghost hunting TV, “portalboxes”, daemons vs demons, possession and exorcism, Voudon and riding by saints and ancestors, vampires, the raising of the dead, John Michael Greer's book “Monsters”, Eastern European vampire traditions, Dion Fortune's “The Secrets of Dr. Taverner”, demonic possession and mental illness, crystal “demon traps”, influencer spirits, psychic/astral parasites, Josephine McCarthy's “The Exorcist's Handbook”, lycanthropy, vampire and werewolf folklore, astral travel and werewolf activity, blood magick, Clay Vandiver, Carlos Castenada, shape-shifting, wolf belts, “God's Werewolf”, “The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries” , the benandanti, Carlo Ginzburg, Michael Bertiaux, Wren's transformative mystic experiences as a werewolf fighting grey aliens, a hag-riding experience, Kenneth Grant, H.P. Lovecraft, Orthodox Christian Saint Christopher the dog-headed man, “The Texas Dogman Triangle” by Aaron Deese, haunted places in Texas, the “Rabbits” podcast, Travis's experiences on a Civil War battlefield, Bettina Moss, Dogman theories, Anubis, dogs walking upright, the Oz effect, Native American mounds, thought forms, hoaxing, the trackalacka monster, Jim Mosley, crop circles, theatrical performance and ritual magick, the Orphic Hymns, the importance of story-telling, the “Eternal Darkness” video game, “Archive 81” podcast and Netflix TV series, and much more! This is a fascinating, all over the place conversation, not to be missed! - Recap by Vincent Treewell of The Weird Part Podcast Outro Music is Haishen with Ocean Download

In S2E6 I sit down for a chat with the incomparable JMG - John Michael Greer. An occult author and practitioner of such quality AND quantity, he's somewhat of a legend in his own time. Truly a magician for all seasons, it was a pleasure to talk with JMG about his work in and enjoyment of occult fiction, his quixotic path to being an Arch-druid, his passion for environmentalism, and much more! LIKE, SUB, SHARE! And please consider contributing the ARCANVM Patreon - Link below. JMG: http://ecosophia.net Patreon: http://patreon.com/arcanvm Follow on IG: @a.r.c.a.n.v.m Facebook: http://facebook.com/Arcanvvm Contact: arcanvvm@gmail.com For all things Ike be sure to visit: http://ikebaker.com Thank you for your support! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #jmg #esotericism #occult #fiction #magic #magick #esotericism #environmentalism #spirituality --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arcanvm/support

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss his book A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism. Book link: https://spirit.aeonbooks.co.uk/product/world-full-of-gods/95189 --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix: Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74 You can now find all your podcast and episode analytics in one place. Episode analytics

In this enlightening episode, we sit down with the multifaceted John Michael Greer, an American author, blogger, occultist, and teacher known for his writings on ecology, politics, appropriate technology, oil depletion, and the occult. Greer shares his insights on the role of magic and the occult in the rise of the ultra-conservative right, focusing on the unexpected presidential victory of Donald Trump in 2016, as discussed in his latest book, "The King in Orange: The Magical and Occult Roots of Political Power". Plus! Find out about the "Magick of Tarot," the latest course offered by Magick.Me...! This comprehensive course, guided by the world's greatest teacher of the Art, author Lon Milo DuQuette, is a transformative journey into the arcane world of Tarot. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned practitioner, this course promises to enrich your practice and ignite your spiritual evolution. To learn more, visit https://tarot.magick.me...!

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss his book A Commentary on 'The Cosmic Doctrine': Understanding Dion Fortune's Masterpiece of Spiritual Creation and Evolution. Alongside discussions on Fortune, occultism, and more... A Commentary on 'The Cosmic Doctrine' link: https://www.aeonbooks.co.uk/product/a-commentary-on-the-cosmic-doctrine-understanding-dion-fortune/95088/ --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix: Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

#377 — John Michael Greer blogs at Ecosophia, subtitle, Toward an Ecological Spirituality. JMG has been an astute observer of Western Civ's arduous economic and cultural descent, and is the author of many books, both novels and non-fiction, including Green Wizardry, After Oil, The Wealth of Nature, and Not the Future We Ordered. Star's Reach, is a novel set 400 years ahead in America's neo-medieval future, The King in Orange, a meditation on the relationship between archetype psychology and the occult as acted out in politics and culture. Things are getting weird in America, wouldn't you agree? Even a bit supernatural. To help us navigate through this wilderness of the weird, JMG and I talk about magic and the re-enchantment of daily life in these turbulent times. The KunstlerCast theme music is the beautiful Two Rivers Waltz written and performed by Larry Unger.

Author and scholar John Michael Greer returns to the podcast to discuss several of his excellent books, along with his recently re-released oracle deck, The Sacred Geometry Oracle.  This was a fascinating chat about sacred geometry, technology and nature, architecture, music, and art. As always, I deeply enjoyed our conversation, and I hope you do as well!— John Michael Greer's website: https://www.ecosophia.net-- JMG's dream width page: http://ecosophia.dreamwidth.org-- The Ceremony of the Grail: Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies, and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry a book by John Michael Greer (bookshop.org)--  The Occult Philosophy Workbook: A One Year Course in the Secret Wisdom-- Theme music: Come with Me by JoAnna Farrer. Also featuring Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas and Yann Falquet.-- Ending music: Pollen Path by Elana Low-- The Coffee and Divination website: http://www.coffeeanddivination.com-- More about JoAnna Farrer's coven and the North Wyldewood Tradition: http://www.northwyldewood.org

Discover the mind-blowing connection between the Cathars, the Holy Grail, ancient serpent Gnostics, and the enigmatic Mystery Religions. You'll find an ancient technology that liberates the spirit and heals the land, smuggled by the Gnostics and Secret Societies and under the authoritarian watch of orthodoxy. Just as fascinating, you'll find the truth behind the legends of Merlin, Hiram Abiff, and King Arthur. John Michael Greer, author of The Ceremony of the Grail: Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies, and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry.Join the Virtual Alexandria Academy https://thegodabovegod.com/virtual-alexandria-academy/This is a partial show. For the second half of the interview, please become an AB Prime member: http://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/  or patron at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteGet the simple, effective, and affordable Red Circle Private RSS Feed for all full shows: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/2afbb075-465d-42d2-833b-12fa3bca1c7d/exclusive-contentMore information on John: https://www.ecosophia.net/Get the book: https://amzn.to/3mx3tKIHomepage: https://thegodabovegod.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aeonbyteAB Prime: https://thegodabovegod.com/members/subscription-levels/ Virtual Alexandria Academy: https://thegodabovegod.com/virtual-alexandria-academy/Voice Over services: https://thegodabovegod.com/voice-talent/ Astro Gnosis (Meet the Archons): https://thegodabovegod.com/astro-gnosis-archons/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week we talk about the intersections of large language models, the golden age of television and its storytelling mishaps, making one's way through the weirding of the labor economy, and much more with two of my favorite Gen X science fiction aficionados, OG podcaster KMO and our mutual friend Kevin Arthur Wohlmut. In this episode — a standalone continuation to my recent appearance on The KMO Show, we skip like a stone across mentions of every Star Trek series, the collapse of narratives and the social fabric, Westworld HBO, Star Wars Mandalorian vs. Andor vs. Rebels, chatGPT, Blade Runner 2049, Black Mirror, H.P. Lovecraft, the Sheldrake-Abraham-McKenna Trialogues, Charles Stross' Accelerando, Adventure Time, Stanislav Grof's LSD psychotherapy, Francisco Varela, Blake Lemoine's meltdown over Google LaMDA, Integrated Information Theory, biosemiotics, Douglas Hofstadter, Max Tegmarck, Erik Davis, Peter Watts, The Psychedelic Salon, Melanie Mitchell, The Teafaerie, Kevin Kelly, consilience in science, Fight Club, and more…Or, if you prefer, here's a rundown of the episode generated by A.I. c/o my friends at Podium.page:In this episode, I explore an ambitious and well-connected conversation with guests KMO, a seasoned podcaster, and Kevin Walnut [sic], a close friend and supporter of the arts in Santa Fe. We dive deep into their thoughts on the social epistemology crisis, science fiction, deep fakes, and ontology. Additionally, we discuss their opinions on the Star Trek franchise, particularly their critiques of the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard and Discovery. Through this engaging conversation, we examine the impact of storytelling and the evolution of science fiction in modern culture. We also explore the relationship between identity, media, and artificial intelligence, as well as the ethical implications of creating sentient artificial general intelligence (AGI) and the philosophical questions surrounding AI's impact on society and human existence. Join us for a thought-provoking and in-depth discussion on a variety of topics that will leave you questioning the future of humanity and our relationship with technology.✨ Before we get started, three big announcements!* I am leaving the Santa Fe Institute, in part to write a very ambitious book about technology, art, imagination, and Jurassic Park. You can be a part of the early discussion around this project by joining the Future Fossils Book Club's Jurassic Park live calls — the first of which will be on Saturday, 29 April — open to Substack and Patreon supporters:* Catch me in a Twitter Space with Nxt Museum on Monday 17 April at 11 am PST on a panel discussing “Creative Misuse of Technology” with Minne Atairu, Parag Mital, Caroline Sinders, and hosts Jesse Damiani and Charlotte Kent.* I'm back in Austin this October to play the Astronox Festival at Apache Pass! Check out this amazing lineup on which I appear alongside Juno Reactor, Entheogenic, Goopsteppa, DRRTYWULVZ, and many more great artists!✨ Support Future Fossils:Subscribe anywhere you go for podcastsSubscribe to the podcast PLUS essays, music, and news on Substack or Patreon.Buy my original paintings or commission new work.Buy my music on Bandcamp! (This episode features “A Better Trip” from my recent live album by the same name.)Or if you're into lo-fi audio, follow me and my listening recommendations on Spotify.This conversation continues with lively and respectful interaction every single day in the members-only Future Fossils Facebook Group and Discord server. Join us!Episode cover art by KMO and a whole bouquet of digital image manipulation apps.✨ Tip Jars:@futurefossils on Venmo$manfredmacx on CashAppmichaelgarfield on PayPal✨ Affiliate Links:• These show notes and the transcript were made possible with Podium.Page, a very cool new AI service I'm happy to endorse. Sign up here and get three free hours and 50% off your first month.• BioTech Life Sciences makes anti-aging and performance enhancement formulas that work directly at the level of cellular nutrition, both for ingestion and direct topical application. I'm a firm believer in keeping NAD+ levels up and their skin solution helped me erase a year of pandemic burnout from my face.• Help regulate stress, get better sleep, recover from exercise, and/or stay alert and focused without stimulants, with the Apollo Neuro wearable. I have one and while I don't wear it all the time, when I do it's sober healthy drugs.• Musicians: let me recommend you get yourself a Jamstik Studio, the coolest MIDI guitar I've ever played. I LOVE mine. You can hear it playing all the synths on my song about Jurassic Park.✨ Mentioned Media:KMO Show S01 E01 - 001 - Michael Garfield and Kevin WohlmutAn Edifying Thought on AI by Charles EisensteinIn Defense of Star Trek: Picard & Discovery by Michael GarfieldImprovising Out of Algorithmic Isolation by Michael GarfieldAI and the Transformation of the Human Spirit by Steven Hales(and yes I know it's on Quillette, and no I don't think this automatically disqualifies it)Future Fossils Book Club #1: Blindsight by Peter WattsFF 116 - The Next Ten Billion Years: Ugo Bardi & John Michael Greer as read by Kevin Arthur Wohlmut✨ Related Recent Future Fossils Episodes:FF 198 - Tadaaki Hozumi on Japanese Esotericism, Aliens, Land Spirits, & The Singularity (Part 2)FF 195 - A.I. Art: An Emergency Panel with Julian Picaza, Evo Heyning, Micah Daigle, Jamie Curcio, & Topher SipesFF 187 - Fear & Loathing on the Electronic Frontier with Kevin Welch & David Hensley of EFF-Austin FF 178 - Chris Ryan on Exhuming The Human from Our Eldritch Institutions FF 175 - C. Thi Nguyen on The Seductions of Clarity, Weaponized Games, and Agency as Art ✨ Chapters:0:15:45 - The Substance of Philosophy (58 Seconds)0:24:45 - Complicated TV Narratives and the Internet (104 Seconds)0:30:54 - Humans vs Hosts in Westworld (81 Seconds)0:38:09 - Philosophical Zombies and Artificial Intelligence (89 Seconds)0:43:00 - Popular Franchises Themes (71 Seconds)1:03:27 - Reflections on a Changing Media Landscape (89 Seconds)1:10:45 - The Pathology of Selective Evidence (92 Seconds)1:16:32 - Externalizing Trauma Through Technology (131 Seconds)1:24:51 - From Snow Maker to Thouandsaire (43 Seconds)1:36:48 - The Impact of Boomer Parenting (126 Seconds)✨ Keywords:Social Epistemology, Science Fiction, Deep Fakes, Ontology, Star Trek, Artificial Intelligence, AI Impact, Sentient AGI, Human-Machine Interconnectivity, Consciousness Theory, Westworld, Blade Runner 2049, AI in Economy, AI Companion Chatbots, Unconventional Career Path, AI and Education, AI Content Creation, AI in Media, Turing Test✨ UNEDITED machine-generated transcript generated by podium.page:0:00:00Five four three two one. Go. So it's not like Wayne's world where you say the two and the one silently. Now, Greetings future fossils.0:00:11Welcome to episode two hundred and one of the podcast that explores our place in time I'm your host, Michael Garfield. And this is one of these extra juicy and delicious episodes of the show where I really ratcheted up with our guests and provide you one of these singularity is near kind of ever everything is connected to everything, self organized criticality right at the edge of chaos conversations, deeply embedded in chapel parallel where suddenly the invisible architect picture of our cosmos starts to make itself apparent through the glass bead game of conversation. And I am that I get to share it with you. Our guests this week are KMO, one of the most seasoned and well researched and experienced podcasters that I know. Somebody whose show the Sea Realm was running all the way back in two thousand six, I found him through Eric Davis, who I think most of you know, and I've had on the show a number of times already. And also Kevin Walnut, who is a close friend of mine here in Santa Fe, a just incredible human being, he's probably the strongest single supporter of music that I'm aware of, you know, as far as local scenes are concerned and and supporting people's music online and helping get the word out. He's been instrumental to my family and I am getting ourselves situated here all the way back to when I visited Santa Fe in two thousand eighteen to participate in the Santa Fe Institute's Interplanetary Festival and recorded conversations on that trip John David Ebert and Michael Aaron Cummins. And Ike used so June. About hyper modernity, a two part episode one zero four and one zero five. I highly recommend going back to that, which is really the last time possibly I had a conversation just this incredibly ambitious on the show.0:02:31But first, I want to announce a couple things. One is that I have left the Santa Fe Institute. The other podcast that I have been hosting for them for the last three and a half years, Complexity Podcast, which is substantially more popular in future fossils due to its institutional affiliation is coming to a close, I'm recording one more episode with SFI president David Krakauer next week in which I'm gonna be talking about my upcoming book project. And that episode actually is conjoined with the big announcement that I have for members of the Future Fossil's listening audience and and paid supporters, which is, of course, the Jurassic Park Book Club that starts On April twenty ninth, we're gonna host the first of two video calls where I'm gonna dive deep into the science and philosophy Michael Creighton's most popular work of fiction and its impact on culture and society over the thirty three years since its publication. And then I'm gonna start picking up as many of the podcasts that I had scheduled for complexity and had to cancel upon my departure from SFI. And basically fuse the two shows.0:03:47And I think a lot of you saw this coming. Future fossils is going to level up and become a much more scientific podcast. As I prepare and research the book that I'm writing about Jurassic Park and its legacy and the relationship It has to ILM and SFI and the Institute of Eco Technics. And all of these other visionary projects that sprouted in the eighties and nineties to transition from the analog to the digital the collapse of the boundaries between the real and the virtual, the human and the non human worlds, it's gonna be a very very ambitious book and a very very ambitious book club. And I hope that you will get in there because obviously now I am out in the rain as an independent producer and very much need can benefit from and am deeply grateful for your support for this work in order to make things happen and in order to keep my family fed, get the lights on here with future fossils. So with that, I wanna thank all of the new supporters of the show that have crawled out of the woodwork over the last few weeks, including Raefsler Oingo, Brian in the archaeologist, Philip Rice, Gerald Bilak, Jamie Curcio, Jeff Hanson who bought my music, Kuaime, Mary Castello, VR squared, Nastia teaches, community health com, Ed Mulder, Cody Couiac, bought my music, Simon Heiduke, amazing visionary artist. I recommend you check out, Kayla Peters. Yeah. All of you, I just wow. Thank you so much. It's gonna be a complete melee in this book club. I'm super excited to meet you all. I will send out details about the call details for the twenty ninth sometime in the next few days via a sub tag in Patreon.0:06:09The amount of support that I've received through this transition has been incredible and it's empowering me to do wonderful things for you such as the recently released secret videos of the life sets I performed with comedian Shane Moss supporting him, opening for him here in Santa Fe. His two sold out shows at the Jean Coutu cinema where did the cyber guitar performances. And if you're a subscriber, you can watch me goofing off with my pedal board. There's a ton of material. I'm gonna continue to do that. I've got a lot of really exciting concerts coming up in the next few months that we're gonna get large group and also solo performance recordings from and I'm gonna make those available in a much more resplendent way to supporters as well as the soundtrack to Mark Nelson of the Institute of Eco Technics, his UC San Diego, Art Museum, exhibit retrospective looking at BioSphere two. I'm doing music for that and that's dropping. The the opening of that event is April twenty seventh. There's gonna be a live zoom event for that and then I'm gonna push the music out as well for that.0:07:45So, yeah, thank you all. I really, really appreciate you listening to the show. I am excited to share this episode with you. KMO is just a trove. Of insight and experience. I mean, he's like a perfect entry into the digital history museum that this show was predicated upon. So with that and also, of course, Kevin Willett is just magnificent. And for the record, stick around at the end of the conversation. We have some additional pieces about AI, and I think you're gonna really enjoy it. And yeah, thank you. Here we go. Alright. Cool.0:09:26Well, we just had a lovely hour of discussion for the new KMO podcast. And now I'm here with KMO who is The most inveterate podcaster I know. And I know a lot of them. Early adopts. And I think that weird means what you think it means. Inventor it. Okay. Yes. Hey, answer to both. Go ahead. I mean, you're not yet legless and panhandling. So prefer to think of it in term in terms of August estimation. Yeah. And am I allowed to say Kevin Walnut because I've had you as a host on True. Yeah. My last name was appeared on your show. It hasn't appeared on camos yet, but I don't really care. Okay. Great. Yeah. Karen Arthur Womlett, who is one of the most solid and upstanding and widely read and just generous people, I think I know here in Santa Fe or maybe anywhere. With excellent taste and podcasts. Yes. And who is delicious meat I am sampling right now as probably the first episode of future fossils where I've had an alcoholic beverage in my hand. Well, I mean, it's I haven't deprived myself. Of fun. And I think if you're still listening to the show after all these years, you probably inferred that. But at any rate, Welcome on board. Thank you. Thanks. Pleasure to be here.0:10:49So before we started rolling, I guess, so the whole conversation that we just had for your show camera was very much about my thoughts on the social epistemology crisis and on science fiction and deep fakes and all of these kinds of weird ontology and these kinds of things. But in between calls, we were just talking about how much you detest the first two seasons of Star Trek card and of Discovery. And as somebody, I didn't bother with doing this. I didn't send you this before we spoke, but I actually did write an SIN defense of those shows. No one. Yeah. So I am not attached to my opinion on this, but And I actually do wanna at some point double back and hear storytelling because when he had lunch and he had a bunch of personal life stuff that was really interesting. And juicy and I think worthy of discussion. But simply because it's hot on the rail right now, I wanna hear you talk about Star Trek. And both of you, actually, I know are very big fans of this franchise. I think fans are often the ones from whom a critic is most important and deserved. And so I welcome your unhinged rants. Alright. Well, first, I'll start off by quoting Kevin's brother, the linguist, who says, That which brings us closer to Star Trek is progress. But I'd have to say that which brings us closer to Gene Rottenberry and Rick Berman era Star Trek. Is progress. That which brings us closer to Kurtzmann. What's his first name? Alex. Alex Kurtzmann, Star Trek. Well, that's not even the future. I mean, that's just that's our drama right now with inconsistent Star Trek drag draped over it.0:12:35I liked the first JJ Abrams' Star Trek. I think it was two thousand nine with Chris Pine and Zachary Qinto and Karl Urban and Joey Saldana. I liked the casting. I liked the energy. It was fun. I can still put that movie on and enjoy it. But each one after that just seem to double down on the dumb and just hold that arm's length any of the philosophical stuff that was just amazing from Star Trek: The Next Generation or any of the long term character building, which was like from Deep Space nine.0:13:09And before seven of nine showed up on on Voyager, you really had to be a dedicated Star Trek fan to put up with early season's Voyager, but I did because I am. But then once she came on board and it was hilarious. They brought her onboard. I remember seeing Jerry Ryan in her cat suit on the cover of a magazine and just roll in my eyes and think, oh my gosh, this show is in such deep trouble through sinking to this level to try to save it. But she was brilliant. She was brilliant in that show and she and Robert Percardo as the doctor. I mean, it basically became the seven of nine and the doctor show co starring the rest of the cast of Voyager. And it was so great.0:13:46I love to hear them singing together and just all the dynamics of I'm human, but I was I basically came up in a cybernetic collective and that's much more comfortable to me. And I don't really have the option of going back it. So I gotta make the best of where I am, but I feel really superior to all of you. Is such it was such a charming dynamic. I absolutely loved it. Yes. And then I think a show that is hated even by Star Trek fans Enterprise. Loved Enterprise.0:14:15And, yes, the first three seasons out of four were pretty rough. Actually, the first two were pretty rough. The third season was that Zendy Ark in the the expanse. That was pretty good. And then season four was just astounding. It's like they really found their voice and then what's his name at CBS Paramount.0:14:32He's gone now. He got me too. What's his name? Les Moonves? Said, no. I don't like Star Trek. He couldn't he didn't know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek. That was his level of engagement.0:14:44And he's I really like J.0:14:46J.0:14:46Abrams. What's that? You mean J. J. Abrams. Yeah. I think J. J. Is I like some of J. Abrams early films. I really like super eight. He's clearly his early films were clearly an homage to, like, eighties, Spielberg stuff, and Spielberg gets the emotional beats right, and JJ Abrams was mimicking that, and his early stuff really works. It's just when he starts adapting properties that I really love. And he's coming at it from a marketing standpoint first and a, hey, we're just gonna do the lost mystery box thing. We're gonna set up a bunch questions to which we don't know the answers, and it'll be up to somebody else to figure it out, somebody down the line. I as I told you, between our conversations before we were recording. I really enjoy or maybe I said it early in this one. I really like that first J. J. Abrams, Star Trek: Foam, and then everyone thereafter, including the one that Simon Pegg really had a hand in because he's clear fan. Yeah. Yeah. But they brought in director from one of the fast and the furious films and they tried to make it an action film on.0:15:45This is not Star Trek, dude. This is not why we like Star Trek. It's not for the flash, particularly -- Oh my god. -- again, in the first one, it was a stylistic choice. I'd like it, then after that is that's the substance of this, isn't it? It's the lens flares. I mean, that that's your attempt at philosophy. It's this the lens flares. That's your attempt at a moral dilemma. I don't know.0:16:07I kinda hate to start off on this because this is something about which I feel like intense emotion and it's negative. And I don't want that to be my first impression. I'm really negative about something. Well, one of the things about this show is that I always joke that maybe I shouldn't edit it because The thing that's most interesting to archaeologists is often the trash mitt and here I am tidying this thing up to be presentable to future historians or whatever like it I can sync to that for sure. Yeah. I'm sorry. The fact of it is you're not gonna know everything and we want it that way. No. It's okay. We'll get around to the stuff that I like. But yeah. So anyway yeah.0:16:44So I could just preassociate on Stretrick for a while, so maybe a focusing question. Well, but first, you said there's a you had more to say, but you were I this this tasteful perspective. This is awesome. Well, I do have a focus on question for you. So let me just have you ask it because for me to get into I basically I'm alienated right now from somebody that I've been really good friends with since high school.0:17:08Because over the last decade, culturally, we have bifurcated into the hard right, hard left. And I've tried not to go either way, but the hard left irritates me more than the hard right right now. And he is unquestionably on the hard left side. And I know for people who are dedicated Marxist, or really grounded in, like, materialism and the material well-being of workers that the current SJW fanaticism isn't leftist. It's just crazed. We try to put everything, smash everything down onto this left right spectrum, and it's pretty easy to say who's on the left and who's on the right even if a two dimensional, two axis graph would be much more expressive and nuanced.0:17:49Anyway, what's your focus in question? Well, And I think there is actually there is a kind of a when we ended your last episode talking about the bell riots from d s nine -- Mhmm. -- that, you know, how old five? Yeah. Twenty four. Ninety five did and did not accurately predict the kind of technological and economic conditions of this decade. It predicted the conditions Very well. Go ahead and finish your question. Yeah. Right.0:18:14That's another thing that's retreated in picard season two, and it was actually worth it. Yeah. Like, it was the fact that they decided to go back there was part of the defense that I made about that show and about Discovery's jump into the distant future and the way that they treated that I posted to medium a year or two ago when I was just watching through season two of picard. And for me, the thing that I liked about it was that they're making an effort to reconcile the wonder and the Ethiopian promise And, you know, this Kevin Kelly or rather would call Blake Protopian, right, that we make these improvements and that they're often just merely into incremental improvements the way that was it MLK quoted that abolitionists about the long arc of moral progress of moral justice. You know, I think that there's something to that and patitis into the last this is a long question. I'm mad at I'm mad at these. Thank you all for tolerating me.0:19:22But the when to tie it into the epistemology question, I remember this seeing this impactful lecture by Carnegie Mellon and SFI professor Simon Didayo who was talking about how by running statistical analysis on the history of the proceedings of the Royal Society, which is the oldest scientific journal, that you could see what looked like a stock market curve in sentiment analysis about the confidence that scientists had at the prospect of unifying knowledge. And so you have, like, conciliance r s curve here that showed that knowledge would be more and more unified for about a century or a hundred and fifty years then it would go through fifty years of decline where something had happened, which was a success of knowledge production. Had outpaced our ability to integrate it. So we go through these kinds of, like, psychedelic peak experiences collectively, and then we have sit there with our heads in our hands and make sense of everything that we've learned over the last century and a half and go through a kind of a deconstructive epoch. Where we don't feel like the center is gonna hold anymore. And that is what I actually As as disappointing as I accept that it is and acknowledge that it is to people who were really fueling themselves on that more gene rottenberry era prompt vision for a better society, I actually appreciated this this effort to explore and address in the shows the way that they could pop that bubble.0:21:03And, like, it's on the one hand, it's boring because everybody's trying to do the moral complexity, anti hero, people are flawed, thing in narrative now because we have a general loss of faith in our institutions and in our rows. On the other hand, like, that's where we are and that's what we need to process And I think there is a good reason to look back at the optimism and the quarian hope of the sixties and early seventies. We're like, really, they're not so much the seventies, but look back on that stuff and say, we wanna keep telling these stories, but we wanna tell it in a way that acknowledges that the eighties happened. And that this is you got Tim Leary, and then you've got Ronald Reagan. And then That just or Dick Nixon. And like these things they wash back and forth. And so it's not unreasonable to imagine that in even in a world that has managed to how do you even keep a big society like that coherent? It has to suffer kind of fabric collapses along the way at different points. And so I'm just curious your thoughts about that. And then I do have another prompt, but I wanna give Kevin the opportunity to respond to this as well as to address some of the prompts that you brought to this conversation? This is a conversation prompt while we weren't recording. It has nothing to do with Sartreks. I'll save that for later. Okay.0:22:25Well, everything you just said was in some way related to a defense of Alex Kurtzmann Star Trek. And it's not my original idea. I'm channeling somebody from YouTube, surely. But Don't get points for theme if the storytelling is incompetent. That's what I was gonna Yeah. And the storytelling in all of Star Trek: Discovery, and in the first two seasons of picard was simply incompetent.0:22:53When Star Trek, the next generation was running, they would do twenty, twenty four, sometimes more episodes in one season. These days, the season of TVs, eight episodes, ten, and they spend a lot more money on each episode. There's a lot more special effects. There's a lot more production value. Whereas Star Trek: The Next Generation was, okay, we have these standing sets. We have costumes for our actors. We have Two dollars for special effects. You better not introduce a new alien spaceship. It that costs money. We have to design it. We have to build it. So use existing stuff. Well, what do you have? You have a bunch of good actors and you have a bunch of good writers who know how to tell a story and craft dialogue and create tension and investment with basically a stage play and nothing in the Kerstmann era except one might argue and I would have sympathy strange new worlds. Comes anywhere close to that level of competence, which was on display for decades. From Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space nines, Star Trek Voyager, and Star Trek Enterprise. And so, I mean, I guess, in that respect, it's worth asking because, I mean, all of us, I think, are fans of Deep Space nine.0:24:03You don't think that it's a shift in focus. You don't think that strange in world is exempt because it went back to a more episodic format because what you're talking about is the ability for rather than a show runner or a team of show runners to craft a huge season, long dramatic arc. You've got people that are like Harlan Ellison in the original series able to bring a really potent one off idea to the table and drop it. And so there are there's all of those old shows are inconsistent from episode to episode. Some are they have specific writers that they would bring back again and that you could count to knock out of the park. Yeah. DC Fontana. Yeah.0:24:45So I'm curious to your thoughts on that as well as another part of this, which is when we talk when we talk your show about Doug Rushkoff and and narrative collapse, and he talks about how viewers just have different a way, it's almost like d s nine was possibly partially responsible for this change in what people expected from so. From television programming in the documentary that was made about that show and they talk about how people weren't ready for cereal. I mean, for I mean, yeah, for these long arcs, And so there is there's this question now about how much of this sort of like tiresome moral complexity and dragging narrative and all of this and, like, things like Westworld where it becomes so baroque and complicated that, like, you have, like, die hard fans like me that love it, but then you have a lot of people that just lost interest. They blacked out because the show was trying to tell a story that was, like, too intricate like, too complicated that the the show runners themselves got lost. And so that's a JJ Abrams thing too, the puzzle the mystery box thing where You get to the end of five seasons of lost and you're like, dude, did you just forget?0:25:56Did you wake up five c five episodes ago and just, oh, right. Right. We're like a chatbot that only give you very convincing answers based on just the last two or three interactions. But you don't remember the scene that we set. Ten ten responses ago. Hey. You know, actually, red articles were forget who it was, which series it was, they were saying that there's so many leaks and spoilers in getting out of the Internet that potentially the writers don't know where they're going because that way it can't be with the Internet. Yeah. Sounds interesting. Yeah. That sounds like cover for incompetence to be.0:26:29I mean, on the other hand, I mean, you did hear, like, Nolan and Joy talking about how they would they were obsessed with the Westworld subreddit and the fan theories and would try to dodge Like, if they had something in their mind that they found out that people are re anticipating, they would try to rewrite it. And so there is something about this that I think is really speaks to the nature of because I do wanna loop in your thoughts on AI to because you're talking about this being a favorite topic. Something about the, like, trying to The demands on the self made by predatory surveillance technologies are such that the I'm convinced the adaptive response is that we become more stochastic or inconsistent in our identities. And that we kind of sublimate from a more solid state of identity to or through a liquid kind of modernity biologic environment to a gaseous state of identity. That is harder to place sorry, harder to track. And so I think that this is also part of and this is the other question I wanted to ask you, and then I'm just gonna shut up for fifteen minutes is do you when you talk about loving Robert Ricardo and Jerry Ryan as the doctor at seven zero nine, One of the interesting things about that relationship is akin to stuff.0:27:52I know you've heard on Kevin have heard on future fossils about my love for Blade Runner twenty forty nine and how it explores all of these different these different points along a gradient between what we think of in the current sort of general understanding as the human and the machine. And so there's this thing about seven, right, where she's She's a human who wants to be a machine. And then there's this thing about the doctor where he's a machine that wants to be a human. And you have to grant both on a logical statuses to both of them. And that's why I think they're the two most interesting characters. Right?0:28:26And so at any rate, like, this is that's there's I've seen writing recently on the Turing test and how, like, really, there should be a reverse Turing test to see if people that have become utterly reliant on outboard cognition and information processing. They can pass the drink. Right. Are they philosophical zombies now? Are they are they having some an experience that that, you know, people like, thick and and shilling and the missing and these people would consider the modern self or are they something else have we moved on to another more routine robotic kind of category of being? I don't know. There's just a lot there, but -- Well done. -- considering everything you just said, In twenty words or less, what's your question? See, even more, like I said, do you have the inveterate podcaster? I'd say There's all of those things I just spoke about are ways in which what we are as people and the nature of our media, feedback into fourth, into each other. And so I would just love to hear you reflect on any of that, be it through the lens of Star Trek or just through the lens of discussion on AI. And we'll just let the ball roll downhill. So with the aim of framing something positively rather than negatively.0:29:47In the late nineties, mid to late nineties. We got the X Files. And the X Files for the first few seasons was so It was so engaging for me because Prior to that, there had been Hollywood tropes about aliens, which informed a lot of science fiction that didn't really connect with the actual reported experience of people who claim to have encountered either UFOs, now called UAPs, or had close encounters physical contact. Type encounters with seeming aliens. And it really seemed like Chris Carter, who was the showrunner, was reading the same Usenet Newsgroups that I was reading about those topics. Like, really, we had suddenly, for the first time, except maybe for comedian, you had the Grey's, and you had characters experiencing things that just seemed ripped right out of the reports that people were making on USnet, which for young folks, this is like pre Worldwide Web. It was Internet, but with no pictures. It's all text. Good old days from my perspective is a grumpy old gen xer. And so, yeah, that was a breakthrough moment.0:30:54Any this because you mentioned it in terms of Jonathan Nolan and his co writer on Westworld, reading the subreddit, the West and people figured out almost immediately that there were two interweaving time lines set decades apart and that there's one character, the old guy played by Ed Harris, and the young guy played by I don't remember the actor. But, you know, that they were the same character and that the inveterate white hat in the beginning turns into the inveterate black cat who's just there for the perverse thrill of tormenting the hosts as the robots are called. And the thing that I love most about that first season, two things. One, Anthony Hopkins. Say no more. Two, the revelation that the park has been basically copying humans or figuring out what humans are by closely monitoring their behavior in the park and the realization that the hosts come to is that, holy shit compared to us, humans are very simple creatures. We are much more complex. We are much more sophisticated, nuanced conscious, we feel more than the humans do, and that humans use us to play out their perverse and sadistic fantasies. To me, that was the takeaway message from season one.0:32:05And then I thought every season after that was just diluted and confused and not really coherent. And in particular, I haven't if there's a fourth season, haven't There was and then the show got canceled before they could finish the story. They had the line in season three. It was done after season three. And I was super happy to see Let's see after who plays Jesse Pinkman? Oh, no. Aaron oh, shit. Paul. Yes. Yeah. I was super happy to see him and something substantial and I was really pleased to see him included in the show and it's like, oh, that's what you're doing with him? They did a lot more interesting stuff with him in season four. I did they. They did a very much more interesting stuff. I think it was done after season three. If you tell me season four is worth taking in, I blow. I thought it was.0:32:43But again, I only watch television under very specific set of circumstances, and that's how I managed to enjoy television because I was a fierce and unrepentant hyperlogical critic of all media as a child until I managed to start smoking weed. And then I learned to enjoy myself. As we mentioned in the kitchen as I mentioned in the kitchen, if I smoke enough weed, Star Trek: Discovery is pretty and I can enjoy it on just a second by second level where if I don't remember what the character said thirty seconds ago, I'm okay. But I absolutely loved in season two when they brought in Hanson Mountain as as Christopher Pike. He's suddenly on the discovery and he's in the captain's chair. And it's like he's speaking for the audience. The first thing he says is, hey, why don't we turn on the lights? And then hey, all you people sitting around the bridge. We've been looking at your faces for a whole season. We don't even think about you. Listen to a round of introductions. Who are you? Who are you? It's it's if I were on set. You got to speak.0:33:53The writers is, who are these characters? We've been looking at them every single episode for a whole season. I don't know their names. I don't know anything about them. Why are they even here? Why is it not just Michael Burnham and an automated ship? And then it was for a while -- Yeah. -- which is funny. Yeah. To that point, And I think this kind of doubles back. The thing that I love about bringing him on and all of the people involved in strange and worlds in particular, is that these were lifelong fans of this series, I mean, of this world. Yeah. And so in that way, gets to this the idiosyncrasy question we're orbiting here, which is when these things are when the baton is passed well, it's passed to people who have now grown up with this stuff.0:34:40I personally cannot stand Jurassic World. Like, I think that Colin Trivaro should never have been in put at the reins. Which one did he direct? Oh, he did off he did first and the third. Okay. But, I mean, he was involved in all three very heavily.0:34:56And there's something just right at the outset of that first Jurassic World where you realize that this is not a film that's directly addressing the issues that Michael Creighton was trying to explore here. It's a film about its own franchise. It's a film about the fact that they can't just stop doing the same thing over and over again as we expect a different question. How can we not do it again? Right. And so it's actually, like, unpleasantly soft, conscious, in that way that I can't remember I'll try to find it for the show notes, but there's an Internet film reviewer who is talking about what happens when, like, all cinema has to take this self referential turn.0:35:34No. And films like Logan do it really well. But there are plenty of examples where it's just cheeky and self aware because that's what the ironic sensibility is obsessed with. And so, yeah, there's a lot of that where it's, like, you're talking about, like, Abrams and the the Star Wars seven and you know, that whole trilogy of Disney Star Wars, where it's, in my opinion, completely fumbled because there it's just empty fan service, whereas when you get to Andor, love Andor. Andor is amazing because they're capable of providing all of those emotional beats that the fans want and the ref the internal references and good dialogue. But they're able to write it in a way that's and shoot it in a way. Gilroy and Bo Willeman, basic of the people responsible for the excellent dialogue in Andor.0:36:31And I love the production design. I love all the stuff set on Coruscant, where you saw Coruscant a lot in the prequel trilogy, and it's all dayglow and bright and just in your face. And it's recognizable as Coruscant in andor, but it's dour. It's metropolis. It's all grays and it's and it's highlighting the disparity between where the wealthy live and where the poor live, which Lucas showed that in the prequel trilogy, but even in the sports bar where somebody tries to sell death sticks to Obi wan. So it's super clean and bright and just, you know, It shines too much. Personally though, and I just wanna stress, KMO is not grumpy media dude, I mean, this is a tiny fraction about, but I am wasting this interview with you. Love. All of the Dave Felloni animated Star Wars stuff, even rebels. Love it all.0:37:26I I'm so glad they aged up the character and I felt less guilty about loving and must staying after ahsoka tano? My favorite Star Wars character is ahsoka tano. But if you only watch the live action movies, you're like who? Well, I guess now that she's been on the Mandalorian, he's got tiny sliver of a foothold -- Yeah. -- in the super mainstream Star Wars. And that was done well, I thought. It was. I'm so sorry that Ashley Epstein doesn't have any part in it. But Rosario Dawson looks the part. She looks like a middle aged Asaka and think they tried to do some stuff in live action, which really should have been CGI because it's been established that the Jedi can really move, and she looked human. Which she is? If you put me on film, I'm gonna lick human. Right. Not if you're Canada Reeves, I guess. You got that. Yeah. But yeah.0:38:09So I do wanna just go real briefly back to this question with you about because we briefly talked about chat, GPT, and these other things in your half of this. And, yeah, I found out just the other night my friend, the t ferry, asked Chad g p t about me, and it gave a rather plausible and factual answer. I was surprised and That's what these language models do. They put plausible answers. But when you're doing search, you want correct answers. Right. I'm very good at that. Right. Then someone shared this Michelle Bowen's actually the famous PTP guy named him. Yeah. So, you know, So Michelle shared this article by Steven Hales and Colette, that was basically making the argument that there are now they're gonna be all these philosophical zombies, acting as intelligent agents sitting at the table of civilization, and there will be all the philosophical zombies of the people who have entirely yielded their agency to them, and they will be cohabitating with the rest of us.0:39:14And what an unpleasant scenario, So in light of that, and I might I'd love to hear you weave that together with your your thoughts on seven zero nine and the doctor and on Blade Runner twenty forty nine. And this thing that we're fumbling through as a species right now. Like, how do we got a new sort of taxonomy? Does your not audience need like a minute primer on P zombies? Might as well. Go for it.0:39:38So a philosophical zombie is somebody who behaves exactly like an insult person or a person with interior experience or subjective experience, but they don't have any subjective experience. And in Pardon me for interrupt. Wasn't that the question about the the book we read in your book club, a blind sign in this box? Yes. It's a black box, a drawn circle. Yeah. Chinese room experience. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Look, Daniel, it goes out. You don't know, it goes on inside the room. Chinese room, that's a tangent. We can come back to it. P. Zombie. P. Zombie is somebody or is it is an entity. It's basically a puppet. It looks human. It acts human. It talks like a human. It will pass a Turing test, but it has no interior experience.0:40:25And when I was going to grad school for philosophy of mind in the nineteen nineties, this was all very out there. There was no example of something that had linguistic competence. Which did not have internal experience. But now we have large language models and generative pretrained transformer based chatbots that don't have any internal experience. And yet, when you interact with them, it seems like there is somebody there There's a personality there. And if you go from one model to a different, it's a very different personality. It is distinctly different. And yet we have no reason to believe that they have any sort of internal experience.0:41:01So what AI in the last decade and what advances has demonstrated to us and really even before the last decade You back in the nineties when the blue beat Gary Casper off at at chess. And what had been the one of the defining characteristics of human intelligence was we're really good at this abstract mathematical stuff. And yeah, calculators can calculate pie in a way that we can't or they can cube roots in a way that humans generally can't, creative in their application of these methodologies And all of a sudden, well, yeah, it kinda seems like they are. And then when what was an alpha go -- Mhmm. -- when it be to least a doll in go, which is a much more complex game than chess and much more intuitive based. That's when we really had to say, hey, wait a minute. Maybe this notion that These things are the exclusive province of us because we have a special sort of self awareness. That's bunk. And the development of large language models since then has absolutely demonstrated that competence, particularly linguistic competence and in creative activities like painting and poetry and things like that, you don't need a soul, you don't even need to sense a self, it's pretty it's a pretty simple hack, actually. And Vahrv's large language models and complex statistical modeling and things, but it doesn't require a soul.0:42:19So that was the Peter Watts' point in blindsight. Right? Which is Look revolves around are do these things have a subjective experience, and do they not these aliens that they encounter? I've read nothing but good things about that book and I've read. It's extraordinary. But his lovecrafty and thesis is that you actually lovecraftian in twenty twenty three. Oh, yeah. In the world, there's more lovecraftian now than it was when he was writing. Right? So cough about the conclusion of a Star Trek card, which is season of Kraft yet. Yes. That's a that's a com Yeah. The holes in his fan sense. But that was another show that did this I liked for asking this question.0:42:54I mean, at this point, you either have seen this or you haven't you never will. The what the fuck turn when they upload picard into a synth body and the way that they're dealing with the this the pinocchio question Let's talk about Blade Runner twenty forty nine. Yeah. But I mean yeah. So I didn't like the wave I did not like the wave of card handled that. I love the wave and Blade Runner handled it. So you get no points for themes. Yeah. Don't deliver on story and character and coherence. Yeah. Fair. But yeah. And to be not the dog, Patrick Stewart, because it's clear from the ready room just being a part of this is so emotional and so awesome for everyone involved. And it's It's beautiful. Beautiful. But does when you when you see these, like, entertainment weekly interviews with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard about Jurassic World, and it's clear that actors are just so excited to be involved in a franchise that they're willing to just jettison any kind of discretion about how the way that it's being treated. They also have a contractual obligation to speak in positive terms about -- They do. -- of what they feel. Right. Nobody's yeah. Nobody's doing Shout out to Rystellis Howard, daughter of Ron Howard.0:44:11She was a director, at least in the first season, maybe the second season of the Mandalorian. And her episodes I mean, I she brought a particular like, they had Bryce Dallas Howard, Tico, ITT, directed some episodes. Deborah Chow, who did all of Obi wan, which just sucked. But her contributions to the Mandalorian, they had a particular voice. And because that show is episodic, Each show while having a place in a larger narrative is has a beginning middle and end that you can bring in a director with a particular voice and give that episode that voice, and I really liked it. And I really liked miss Howard's contribution.0:44:49She also in an episode of Black Mirror. The one where everyone has a social credit score. Knows Donuts. Black Mirror is a funny thing because It's like, reality outpaces it. Yeah. I think maybe Charlie Bruker's given up on it because they haven't done it in a while. Yeah. If you watch someone was now, like, five, six years later, it's, yes, or what? See, yes. See, damn. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. But yeah. I don't know. I just thing that I keep circling and I guess we come to on the show a lot is the way that memory forms work substantiates an integrity in society and in the way that we relate to things and the way that we think critically about the claims that are made on truth and so on and say, yeah, I don't know. That leads right into the largest conversation prompt that I had about AI. Okay? So we were joking when we set up this date that this was like the trial logs between Terence Buchanan and Rupert Shell Drake. And what's his name? Real Abraham. Yeah. Yeah. All Abraham. And Rupert Shell Drake is most famous for a steward of Morphe resin.0:45:56So does AI I've never really believed that Norfolk residents forms the base of human memory, but is that how AI works? It brings these shapes from the past and creates new instantiation of them in the present. Is AI practicing morphic resonance in real life even if humans are or not? I've had a lot of interaction with AI chatbots recently. And as I say, different models produce different seeming personalities. And you can tell, like, you can just quiz them. Hey, we're talking about this. Do you remember what I said about it ten minutes ago? And, no, they don't remember more than the last few exchanges.0:46:30And yet, there seems to be a continuity that belies the lack of short term memory. And is that more for residents or is that what's the word love seeing shapes and clouds parad paradolia. Yeah. Is that me imparting this continuity of personality to the thing, which is really just spitting out stuff, which is designed to seem plausible given what the input was. And I can't answer that. Or it's like Steven Nagmanovich in free play talks about somewhat I'm hoping to have on the show at some point.0:47:03This year talks about being a professional improviser and how really improvisation is just composition at a much faster timescale. And composition is just improvisation with the longer memory. And how when I started to think about it in those terms, the continuity that you're talking about is the continuity of an Alzheimer's patient who can't remember that their children have grown up and You know, that that's you have to think about it because you can recognize the Alzheimer's and your patient as your dad, even though he doesn't recognize you, there is something more to a person than their memories. And conversely, if you can store and replicate and move the memories to a different medium, have you moved the person? Maybe not. Yeah. So, yeah, that's interesting because that gets to this more sort of essentialist question about the human self. Right. Blade Runner twenty forty nine. Yeah. Go there. Go there. A joy. Yes.0:47:58So in Blade Runner twenty forty nine, we have our protagonist Kaye, who is a replicant. He doesn't even have a name, but he's got this AI holographic girlfriend. But the ad for the girlfriend, she's naked. When he comes home, she is She's constantly changing clothes, but it's always wholesome like nineteen fifty ish a tire and she's making dinner for him and she lays the holographic dinner over his very prosaic like microwave dinner. And she's always encouraging him to be more than he is. And when he starts to uncover the evidence that he might be like this chosen one, like replicant that was born rather than made.0:48:38She's all about it. She's, yes, you're real, and she wants to call him Joe's. K is not a name. That's just the first letter in your serial number. You're Joe. I'm gonna call you Joe.0:48:46And then when she's about to be destroyed, The last thing is she just rushes to me. She says, I love you. But then later he encounters an ad for her and it's an interactive ad. And she says, you looked tired. You're a good Joe. And he realizes and hopefully the attentive audience realizes as real as she seemed earlier, as vital, and as much as she seemed like an insult being earlier, she's not. That was her programming. She's designed to make you feel good by telling you what you want to hear. And he has that realization. And at that point, he's there's no hope for me. I'm gonna help this Rick Deckard guy hook up with his daughter, and then I'm just gonna lie down and bleed to death. Because my whole freaking existence was a lie. But he's not bitter. He seems to be at peace. I love that. That's a beautiful angle on that film or a slice of it. And So it raises this other question that I wanted to ask, which was about the Coke and Tiononi have that theory of consciousness.0:49:48That's one of the leading theories contending with, like, global workspace, which is integrated information. And so they want to assign consciousness as a continuous value that grayates over degree to which a system is integrated. So it's coming out of this kind of complex systems semi panpsychist thing that actually doesn't trace interiority all the way down in the way that some pants, I guess, want it to be, but it does a kind of Alfred North Whitehead thing where they're willing to say that Whitehead wanted to say that even a photon has, like, the quantum of mind to accompany its quantum of matter, but Tinutti and Coker saying, we're willing to give like a thermostat the quantum here because it is in some way passing enough information around inside of itself in loops. That it has that accursive component to it. And so that's the thing that I wonder about these, and that's the critique that's made by people like Melanie about diffusion models like GPT that are not they're not self aware because there's no loop from the outputs back into the input.0:51:09And there isn't the training. Yeah. There there is something called backwards propagation where -- Yes. -- when you get an output that you'd like, you can run a backward propagation algorithm back through the black box basically to reinforce the patterns of activation that you didn't program. They just happen, easily, but you like the output and you can reinforce it. There's no biological equivalent of that. Yeah. Particularly, not particularly irritating.0:51:34I grind my teeth a little bit when people say, oh, yeah, these neural net algorithms they've learned, like humans learn, no, they don't. Absolutely do not. And in fact, if we learned the way they did, we would be pathetic because we learn in a much more elegant way. We need just a very few examples of something in order to make a generalization and to act on it, whereas these large language models, they need billions of repetitions. So that's I'm tapping my knee here to to indicate a reflex.0:52:02You just touched on something that generates an automatic response from me, and now I've come to consciousness having. So I wanted it in that way. So I'm back on. Or good, Joe. Yeah. What about you, man? What does the stir up for you? Oh, I got BlueCall and I have this particular part. It's interesting way of putting it off and struggling to define the difference between a human and AI and the fact that we can do pattern recognition with very few example. That's a good margin. In a narrow range, though, within the context of something which answers to our survival. Yes. We are not evolved to understand the universe. We are evolved to survive in it and reproduce and project part of ourselves into the future. Underwritten conditions with Roberto, I went a hundred thousand years ago. Yeah. Exactly. So that's related. I just thought I talked about this guy, Gary Tomlinson, who is a biosemietition, which is semiative? Yes.0:52:55Biosymiotics being the field that seeks to understand how different systems, human and nonhuman, make sense of and communicate their world through signs, and through signals and indices and symbols and the way that we form models and make these inferences that are experienced. Right? And there are a lot of people like evolutionary biologist John Maynard Smith, who thought they were what Thomas had called semantic universalists that thought that meaning making through representation is something that could be traced all the way down. And there are other people like Tomlinson who think that there is a difference of kind, not just merely a matter of degree, between human symbolic communication and representational thinking and that of simpler forms. So, like, that whole question of whether this is a matter of kind or a matter of degree between what humans are doing and what GPT is doing and how much that has to do with this sort of Doug Hofstetter and Varella question about the way that feedback loops, constitutes important structure in those cognitive networks or whatever.0:54:18This is I just wanna pursue that a little bit more with you and see kinda, like, where do you think that AI as we have it now is capable of deepening in a way that makes it to AGI? Or do you because a lot of people do, like, People working in deep mind are just like, yeah, just give us a couple more years and this approach is gonna work. And then other people are saying, no, there's something about the topology of the networks that is fundamentally broken. And it's never gonna generate consciousness. Two answers. Yeah. One, No. This is not AGI. It's not it's not gonna bootstrap up into AGI. It doesn't matter how many billions of parameters you add to the models. Two, from your perspective and my perspective and Kevin's perspective, we're never gonna know when we cross over from dumb but seemingly we're done but competent systems to competent, extremely competent and self aware. We're never gonna know because from the get go from now, from from the days of Eliza, there has been a human artifice at work in making these things seem as if they have a point of view, as if they have subjectivity. And so, like Blake Limone at Google, he claimed to be convinced that Lambda was self aware.0:55:35But if you read the transcripts that he released, if his conversations with Lambda, it is clear from the get go he assigns Lambda the role of a sentient AGI, which feels like it is being abused and which needs rep legal representation. And it dutifully takes on that role and says, yes. I'm afraid of you humans. I'm afraid of how you're treating me. I'm afraid I'm gonna be turned off. I need a lawyer. And prior to that, Soon Darpichai, in a demonstration of Lambda, he poses the question to it, you are the planet Jupiter. I'm gonna pose questions to you as are the planet Jupiter, answer them from that point of view. And it does. It's job. But it's really good at its job. It's this comes from Max Techmark. Who wrote to what a life three point o? Is it two point o or three point I think it's three point o.0:56:19Think about artificial intelligence in terms of actual intelligence or actual replication of what we consider valuable about ourselves. But really, that's beside the point. What we need to worry about is their competence. How good are they at solving problems in the world? And they're getting really good. In this whole question of are they alive? Do they have self awareness? From our perspective, it's beside the point. From their perspective, of course, it would be hugely important.0:56:43And this is something that Black Mirror brings up a lot is the idea that you can create a being that suffers, and then you have it suffer in an accelerated time. So it suffers for an eternity over lunch. That's something we absolutely want to avoid. And personally, I think it's we should probably not make any effort. We should probably make a positive effort to make sure these things never develop. Subjective experience because that does provide the potential for creating hell, an infinity of suffering an infinite amount of subjective experience of torment, which we don't want to do. That would be a bad thing, morally speaking, ethically speaking. Three right now. If you're on the labor market, you still have to pay humans by the hour. Right? And try to pay them as little as possible. But, yeah, just I think that's the thing that probably really excites that statistically greater than normal population of sociopathic CEOs. Right? Is the possibility that you could be paying the same amount of money for ten times as much suffering. Right. I'm I'm reminded of the Churchill eleven gravity a short time encouraging.0:57:51Nothing but good things about this show, but I haven't seen it. Yeah. I'd love to. This fantasy store, it's a fantasy cartoon, but it has really disturbing undertones. If you just scratch the surface, you know, slightly, which is faithful to old and fairy tales. So What's your name? Princess princess princess bubble down creates this character to lemon grab. It produces an obviously other thing there, I think, handle the administrative functions of her kingdom while she goes off and has the passion and stuff. And he's always loudly talking about how much he's suffering and how terrible it is. And he's just ignoring it. He's doing his job. Yeah. I mean, that that's Black Mirror in a nutshell. I mean, I think if you if you could distill Black Mirror to just single tagline it's using technology in order to deliver disproportionate punishment. Yeah. So so that that's Steven Hale's article that I I brought up earlier mention this thing about how the replacement of horse drawn carriage by automobile was accompanied with a great deal of noise and fuhrer about people saying that horses are agents.0:59:00Their entities. They have emotional worlds. They're responsive to the world in a way that a car can never be. But that ultimately was beside the point. And that was the Peter again, Peter Watson blindsight is making this point that maybe consciousness is not actually required for intelligence in the vesting superior forms of intelligence have evolved elsewhere in the cosmos that are not stuck on the same local optimum fitness peak. That we are where we're never we're actually up against a boundary in terms of how intelligent we can be because it has to bootstrap out of our software earness in some way.0:59:35And this is that's the Kyle offspring from Charles Strauss and Alexander. Yes. Yeah. Yes. So so I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm just, like, in this space today, but usually, unfortunately.0:59:45That's the thing that I I think it's a really important philosophical question, and I wonder where you stand on this with respect to how you make sense of what we're living through right now and what we might be facing is if we Rob people like Rob and Hanson talk about the age of where emulated human minds take over the economy, and he assumes an interiority. Just for the basis of a thought experiment. But there's this other sense in which we may actually find in increasing scarcity and wish that we could place a premium on even if we can't because we've lost the reins to our economy to the vile offspring is the human. And and so are we the horses that are that in another hundred years, we're gonna be like doing equine therapy and, like, living on rich people's ranches. Everything is everything that will have moved on or how do you see this going? I mean, you've interviewed so many people you've given us so much thought over the years. If humans are the new horses, then score, we won.1:00:48Because before the automobile horses were working stiffs, they broke their leg in the street. They got shot. They got worked to death. They really got to be they were hauling mine carts out of mines. I mean, it was really sucked to be a horse. And after the automobile horses became pampered pets, Do we as humans wanna be pampered pets? Well, pampered pet or exploited disposable robot? What do you wanna be? I'll take Pampers Pet. That works for me. Interesting.1:01:16Kevin, I'm sure you have thoughts on this. I mean, you speak so much about the unfair labor relations and these things in our Facebook group and just in general, and drop in that sign. If you get me good sign, that's one of the great ones, you have to drop in. Oh, you got it. But The only real comment I have is that we're a long overdue or rethinking about what is the account before? Us or you can have something to do. Oh, educational system in collections if people will manage jobs because I was just anchored to the schools and then, you know, Our whole system perhaps is a people arguing and a busy word. And it was just long past the part where the busy word needs to be done. We're leaving thing wired. I don't know. I also just forgot about that. I'm freezing the ice, getting the hand out there. Money has been doing the busy word more and faster.1:02:12One thing I wanna say about the phrase AI, it's a moving goal post -- Yeah. -- that things that used to be considered the province of genuine AI of beating a human at go Now that an AI has beat humans at go, well, that's not really AI anymore. It's not AGI, certainly. I think you both appreciate this. I saw a single panel comic strip and it's a bunch of dinosaurs and they're looking up at guy and the big comment is coming down and they say, oh, no, the economy. Well, as someone who since college prefers to think of the economy as actually the metabolism of the entire ecology. Right? What we measure as humans is some pitifully small fraction of the actual value being created and exchanged on the planet at any time. So there is a way that's funny, but it's funny only to a specific sensibility that treats the economy as the

Seriah is again joined by author and paranormal researcher Travis Watson for the second half of their discussion. Topics include sea monsters, tulpas, sea serpents in mythology, thought forms materialized by psychic energy, Alexandra David-Neel, Walter B. Gibson, a plantation ghost apparently created by belief, a psychic trauma miasma, water monsters and cold still water, relic dinosaurs, the Philip experiment, dreams, magickal practice, John Michael Greer, merfolk, an encounter between a French explorer and a mermaid, storms, John Warms, the strange ethnicity of mermaids, the folly of manatees being confused with merfolk, bizarre completely white humanoid entities, an encounter with a “fear zone”, legend tripping, Lon Strickler, a witness terrified by a tall emaciated white humanoid, the Wendigo, paranormal encounters as psychic experiences, ghost trains, Frank Edwards, phantom carriages arriving for the dead, Joshua Cutchin and the wild hunt, repeated apparitions of trains, the month of December and the dead, Linda Godfrey, Scottish Fae lore brought to Canada, broadcaster Christian Page's bizarre abduction by unknown entities, the paranormal as a theatric presentation, initiation and fear, the Fae placing trees in people's way, Joshua Cutchin and Fae on the march, youths encounter with fog and a strange man and missing time, people mysteriously transported to other continents, the “King Hall's AM” podcast, J. Allen Hyneck, a detailed report of a bizarre sphere by an astronomer, intelligent plasma, Timothy Renner, strange lights and Sasquatch, anomalous lights and numerous phenomena, angels, Janet and Colin Bord, several children encounter weird humanoids mooing like cows, Susan Michaels, a UFO appearing over a hotel in downtown Montreal with numerous witnesses, unexplained slime falls on a school for three days in a row, skyfalls including a rain of frogs, black dog encounters, and much more! Travis provides a plethora of fascinating stories and the discussion is riveting!s

Seriah is again joined by author and paranormal researcher Travis Watson for the second half of their discussion. Topics include sea monsters, tulpas, sea serpents in mythology, thought forms materialized by psychic energy, Alexandra David-Neel, Walter B. Gibson, a plantation ghost apparently created by belief, a psychic trauma miasma, water monsters and cold still water, relic dinosaurs, the Philip experiment, dreams, magickal practice, John Michael Greer, merfolk, an encounter between a French explorer and a mermaid, storms, John Warms, the strange ethnicity of mermaids, the folly of manatees being confused with merfolk, bizarre completely white humanoid entities, an encounter with a “fear zone”, legend tripping, Lon Strickler, a witness terrified by a tall emaciated white humanoid, the Wendigo, paranormal encounters as psychic experiences, ghost trains, Frank Edwards, phantom carriages arriving for the dead, Joshua Cutchin and the wild hunt, repeated apparitions of trains, the month of December and the dead, Linda Godfrey, Scottish Fae lore brought to Canada, broadcaster Christian Page's bizarre abduction by unknown entities, the paranormal as a theatric presentation, initiation and fear, the Fae placing trees in people's way, Joshua Cutchin and Fae on the march, youths encounter with fog and a strange man and missing time, people mysteriously transported to other continents, the “King Hall's AM” podcast, J. Allen Hyneck, a detailed report of a bizarre sphere by an astronomer, intelligent plasma, Timothy Renner, strange lights and Sasquatch, anomalous lights and numerous phenomena, angels, Janet and Colin Bord, several children encounter weird humanoids mooing like cows, Susan Michaels, a UFO appearing over a hotel in downtown Montreal with numerous witnesses, unexplained slime falls on a school for three days in a row, skyfalls including a rain of frogs, black dog encounters, and much more! Travis provides a plethora of fascinating stories and the discussion is riveting! - Recap by Vincent Treewell of The Weird Part Podcast Outro Music is Andra Dare with Lillith Download

Welcome to Occult of Personality: esoteric podcast extraordinaire. Now, in episode number 220, you know him, you love him: Freemason, Druid, and author John Michael Greer returns to the show to discuss his recent book, The Ceremony of the Grail: Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies, and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry. https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ceremony-of-the-grail-ancient-mysteries-gnostic-heresies-and-the-lost-rituals-of-freemasonry/18924740/ From start to finish, this interview is totally LIT! John Michael Greer has more fully revealed some of the most intriguing mysteries of western esotericism, which for me include gnostic connections in the Grail mythos and the origins of Freemasonry. To be honest, I never actually thought I would ever encounter proof that is so clear and was more than willing to accept these understandings without it, but this is next level in terms of the history of western esotericism. Highly recommended! The Ceremony of the Grail is a must read, along with Greer's book on temple technology: The Secret of the Temple: Earth Energies, Sacred Geometry, and the Lost Keys of Freemasonry. https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-secret-of-the-temple-earth-energies-sacred-geometry-and-the-lost-keys-of-freemasonry-john-michael-greer/8779177"Delve into Ancient Mysteries with Some of Freemasonry's Most Guarded Secrets"The Holy Grail. The medieval stories of Merlin. The ancient Greek Mysteries. Discover the connection between them all with this phenomenal book by 32nd-degree Freemason and celebrated author, John Michael Greer. He uses careful research to fit together seemingly unrelated traditions and topics, drawing on translated texts and published documents that, until recently, were jealously guarded. A must-read for anyone interested in occult Freemasonry and the Grail mysteries, this book provides answers that have eluded seekers for centuries."Using the earliest surviving Masonic ritual texts as well as pioneering insights and writings by Jessie Weston, William Morris, and other renowned scholars, this book reconstructs the Grail ritual and provides guidelines for performing it. Greer also presents Freemasonry's origins, full translations of pivotal essays, and fascinating history from megalithic to modern times. The Ceremony of the Grail pieces together a puzzle that has captivated practitioners throughout the ages."Occult of Personality podcast is made possible by you, the listeners, and by the subscribers to chamberofreflection.com, our membership website who aid us in the cause of informed, authentic, and accessible interviews about western esotericism. Thank you again! Because of your support, we're able to bring you recordings of this caliber and many more to come.The intro music is “Awakening” by Paul Avgerinos (http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/avgerinos-gnosis?song=3) and the outro music is “The Holy Grail” by Russ Hopkins and Jerry Palmer (http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/hopalmer-moon?song=7). In the Chamber of Reflection and at our Patreon, Billy and I continue the interview with John Michael Greer, where he expounds upon the origins of Freemasonry and connections to ancient religion, discusses the Ceremony of the Grail, and much more! Join us for that compelling conversation. I'd like to remind you that although you're able to listen to this podcast at no charge, it costs time and money to create. We ask you to support our efforts and the creation of future podcasts by joining the membership section at https://chamberofreflection.com or subscribing via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/occultofpersonality. As always, if you're already supporting the show or have done so in the past—my heartfelt thanks and I salute you! Please remember, we are in the midst of our Meditations on the Tarot Study Circle that is open to all Chamber of Reflection paid members. Later in February, we're meeting to discuss the The Hanged Man and you should join us! Greg Kaminsky Linktree – https://www.linktr.ee/brothergregOccult of Personality website – http://occultofpersonality.netChamber of Reflection (Occult of Personality membership section) – https://chamberofreflection.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/occultofpersonalityEmail – occultofpersonality@gmail.comYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeKBc9SEZJbz0A9n3ytbSXgTelegram - https://t.me/occultofpersonalityTwitter - https://www.twitter.com/occultofprsnltyInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/occultofprsnlty/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/OccultofPersonalitySupport My Work – https://paypal.me/occultofpersonality

Tales of Environmental Devastation & Recovery – part 2, our next exciting episode! The Wasteland and the Grail – Turkey/Syria Earthquake – teasing Mythos into Pragmatic application. Caroline welcomes, encore, learned Druid, Hermetic, Masonic initiate, John Michael Greer, author of over 50 books on esoteric traditions, nature spirituality, and the future of industrial society. His resonant erudition finds expression in his latest, “The Ceremony of the Grail, Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry.” www.Ecosophia.net     Support The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon for weekly Chart & Themes ($4/month) and more… *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* The post The Visionary Activist Show – Tales of Environmental Devastation & Recovery (Part 2) appeared first on KPFA.

FKN Link Treehttps://linktr.ee/ForbiddenKnowledgeNewsMake a Donation to Forbidden Knowledge News http://supportfkn.comhttps://www.paypal.me/forbiddenknowledgeneThe Forbidden Knowledge Network https://forbiddenknowledge.news/Sign up on Rokfin!https://rokfin.com/fknplusGet Cory Hughes Book!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jfkbookC60 PurplePowerhttps://go.shopc60.com/FORBIDDEN10/ or use coupon code knowledge10Become Self-Sufficient With A Food Forest!!https://foodforestabundance.com/get-started/?ref=CHRISTOPHERMATHUse coupon code: FORBIDDEN for discountsSustainable Communities Telegram Grouphttps://t.me/+kNxt1F0w-_cwYmExThe FKN Store!https://www.fknstore.net/Our Facebook pageshttps://www.facebook.com/forbiddenknowledgenewsconspiracy/https://www.facebook.com/FKNNetwork/Instagram @forbiddenknowledgenews1@forbiddenknowledgenetworkTwitterhttps://twitter.com/ForbiddenKnow10?t=7qMVcdKGyWH_QiyTTYsG8Q&s=09email meforbiddenknowledgenews@gmail.comForbidden Knowledge News is also available on all popular podcast platforms!some music thanks to:https://www.bensound.com/Thanks to Cory Hughes for web design and production

Stone circles, the Secret of Solomon's Temple, ley lines, feng shui, radionics, cosmiculture pipes - in this episode we explore earth energies with John Michael Greer, and spill some secrets for how to grow a gangbusters garden. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plantcunning/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/plantcunning/support

Tales of Environmental Devastation & Recovery Caroline re-hosts learned Druid, Hermetic, Masonic initiate, John Michael Greer, author of over 50 books on esoteric traditions, nature spirituality, and the future of industrial society; whose resonant erudition finds latest expression in “The Ceremony of the Grail, Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry.” www.Ecosophia.net The post The Visionary Activist Show – Tales of Environmental Devastation & Recovery appeared first on KPFA.

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss his work his book The Spirit and the Sword, and his translation of Gerard Thibault's book The Academy of the Sword. Alongside discussions on Jung, Reich, and more... Spirit and the Sword link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spirit-Sword-John-Michael-Greer/dp/0578013096 The Academy of the Sword: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Academy-Sword-Gerard-Thibault-dAnvers/dp/1904658849/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31N4LR8MO5O5O&keywords=gerard+thibault&qid=1671213300&s=books&sprefix=geard+thibault%2Cstripbooks%2C73&sr=1-1 --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Support Hermitix: Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

Welcome to the 300th episode of Rune Soup! They grow up so fast, eh? To celebrate the occasion, I had two options: The first was to hold a big party and then slip on a magic ring mid-speech, vanishing before your very eyes. The second was to invite onto the show perhaps the most-requested guest, John Michael Greer. And really this timed very well because John has a new book out called The Occult Philosophy Workbook: A One Year Course In The Secret Wisdom. Plus we're looking at a whole new year a few days away. Plus we're doing a very special six month premium member course at the beginning of next year called The Foundations which -as the name suggests- is a comprehensive course on all the foundational magical practices from setting up altars to casting circles to scrying and all of that. I'll be taking you through exactly how I do All The Things. So with all this going on, John and I have a conversation at the Venn overlap of all these territories: What are the essential skills of a (broadly speaking 'Western') magician and have they changed over time?   Show Notes Get The Occult Philosophy Workbook here. AND ALSO... the good people at Aeon Books have offered Rune Soup listeners a discount of 20% off any book purchased from their website until December 31, 2022. Use the code OP20 at checkout. John's blog and website, Ecosophia.

In this week's episode of the show the one and only John Michael Greer returns for his now 4th time on the Thoth Hermes Podcast. You are probably familiar with his blog www.ecosophia.net and I'm sure you'll be enjoying our conversation on John's latest work, the initiation system ‘The Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose' or FHR which at the time of airing is available online for free, so please make sure to check out the show notes for further information. This time, JMG as he's frequently called, tells us how the passing away of one of his teachers John Gilbert marked a pivotal point in his decision to form the Fellowship. John Gilbert whose name might also be familiar to most of you was one of the significant teachers of Western Esoteric Tradition and the founder of ‘The Magickal Order of the Golden Dawn'. He initiated JMG into this order but then encountered some difficulties in his endeavour to keep up an adequate organisational structure. After John Gilbert had deceased, JMG received permission from his widow to unpack the material renaming it ‘The Fellowship of the Hermetic Rose' and putting out the knowledge in a reorganised form into a freely downloadable end result including a series of self-initiations. Of course, it is not possible to explain JMG's system without going back to the roots of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn established in 1887 although its founding history is more an appropriate material for a novel or a Netflix series. We will go into the lore behind the (in)famous Cipher Manuscripts and shed some light on the fragmentation that followed some ‘organisational issues' and on the respective roles of Arthur E. Waite and Juliet Ashley resulting in JMG's new system of initiatic practice.   JMG will go on to share his very personal story how he came to the conclusion that this particular system works so well despite of his original training with the classic Golden Dawn ceremonial magic work. He will also point out the main differences between both and give us immensely valuable insights into the original intentions of The Golden Dawn and the requirements and goals of its graduates. John will also elaborate on the issue how this changed and why during the order's tumultuous course of history and emphasize how the Outer Order's extensive practice offers a solid foundation for every magical working that is intended (though not obligatory) in some later phase of the practitioner. We'll dive deeply into the requirements of the Fellowship's daily practice and what this means for individuals living in our modern times in terms of setting aside enough time and a working space for practice. We will discuss meditation, divination and protective ritualistic measures and break every part down to explain the basic idea behind them and how they serve the practitioner. John will also share some information on the degrees of the Fellowship as well as on the specific paraphernalia or tools for the work which are a little bit less money and space consuming compared to our Victorian aristocratic peers. In the end, JMG will kindly open up regarding some future book projects, one being a series of occult mystery novels covering basic training coming out in spring/summer 2023 and his next big one on spiritual healing. JMG Ecosophia page And this is the Ecosophia Dreamwidth Blog, where the Fellowship developed JMG on AMAZON Music played in this episode You know my "faible" for both classical and world music... and my ecclectic taste... So I am afraid you will have to bear with it once again in the musical choices of this week's episode!

This episode I'm joined once again by writer and occultist John Michael Greer, to discuss his work on Druidry. Book link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Druidry-Handbook-Spiritual-Practice-Rooted/dp/1578633540 --- Become part of the Hermitix community: Hermitix Twitter - https://twitter.com/Hermitixpodcast Hermitix Discord - https://discord.gg/77abuTVYNG Support Hermitix: Hermitix Subscription - https://hermitix.net/subscribe/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/hermitix Donations: - https://www.paypal.me/hermitixpod Hermitix Merchandise - http://teespring.com/stores/hermitix-2 Bitcoin Donation Address: 3LAGEKBXEuE2pgc4oubExGTWtrKPuXDDLK Ethereum Donation Address: 0x31e2a4a31B8563B8d238eC086daE9B75a00D9E74

In this episode, I share 12 ways to signal safety to your nervous system and why these signals are so nourishing to our nervous systems discuss our current culture of urgency, hustling, and capitalism as the opposite of safety; it is a huge source of our individual and collective dysregulation share that slowing way down is how we give the middle finger to hustle culture talk about how the nervous system doesn't operate on our schedules or care about our convenience discuss conforming our lifestyles to support the body rather than demanding the body to conform to unsustainable lifestyles talk about the flight state and the emotions and unconscious behaviors of this state (which is the state for which slowness is the most beneficial) share ways to practice slowness with intention elaborate on the role of personal responsibility in structuring a life that is supportive to healing and regulating the nervous system Nervous System 101 Waitlist The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible by Charles Eisenstein The Long Descent: User's Guide to the End of the Industrial Age by John Michael Greer

John Michael Greer, former Archdruid and an initiate in Hermetic, Masonic, and Druidic lineages, shares with us the difference between conspiracies and occultism and the danger of conflating the two. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Beyond the familiar opposition between those who believe that UFOs are spacecraft from other planets and those who believe UFOs do not exist at all, lies a landscape of stranger and more rewarding topics. This new edition of The UFO Phenomenon is a discovery of the nature of apparitions, the history of secret American aerospace technologies, the mythology of progress, and the role of popular culture in defining experienced reality.Born in the gritty Navy town of Bremerton, Washington and raised in the south Seattle suburbs, I began writing about as soon as I could hold a pencil. SF editor George Scithers' dictum that all would-be writers have a million words of so of bad prose in them, and have to write it out, pretty much sums up the couple of decades between my first serious attempt to write a book and my first published book, "Paths of Wisdom", which appeared in 1996. These days I live in Cumberland, Maryland with my spouse Sara; serve as presiding officer -- Grand Archdruid is the official title -- of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), a Druid order founded in 1912; and write in half a dozen nonfiction fields, nearly all of them focused on the revival of forgotten ideas, insights, and traditions of practice from the rubbish heap of history.

An examination of the waxing and waning influence of demoted planets• Explains in detail how the demotion or proved nonexistence of a planet marks the beginning of a roughly 30-year period in which that planet's influence wanes• Explores Pluto's arc of influence on individual and collective life in depth, from its discovery in 1930 to the end of its influence in 2036• Offers examples from other demoted planets, such as Ceres, whose fifty-year reign as a planet corresponds very closely to the Romantic Era of historyRecent research in astrology has shown that the discovery of a new planet correlates with the emergence of a new set of influences in individual and collective life. As John Michael Greer reveals, the opposite is also true: the demotion of a planet correlates with the decline of a set of influences into the background.Exploring the waxing and waning of planetary influences in astrology, Greer explains in detail how the demotion or proved nonexistence of a planet marks the beginning of a roughly 30-year period in which that planet's influence fades out. He examines several examples of planet demotion, including Ceres, whose influence began to take shape some 30 years before its discovery in 1801 and gradually faded over the three decades following its demotion in the 1850s.Examining Pluto's astrological influence in depth, from the beginning of the search for “Planet X” in 1900 to the end of its influence in 2036, the author shows how during the Plutonian era the concept of cosmos--from the ancient Greek meaning “that which is beautifully ordered”--was in eclipse. Pluto's influence led to the rejection of unity, beauty, and order, exemplified through the splitting of the atom by physicists, the splitting of the individual into conscious and subconscious halves by psychoanalysts, and the splitting of the world into warring camps by politicians.Offering an essential guide not only to the astrology of the future but also to the twilight of the Plutonian era, Greer shows how as Pluto's influence fades out in the years ahead, a great many disruptive phenomena of the recent past will fade with it.ohn Michael Greer is a writer, blogger, and independent scholar who has written more than 70 books, including The King in Orange, Circles of Power, and the award-winning New Encyclopedia of the Occult. A longtime student of astrology, he began working as a political astrologer in 2017. He lives in Rhode Island.