The Numinous Podcast

TNP307 {Dispatch: Feb 4, 2026} Speaking Truth to Power

This dispatch is a response to a lovely listener's question about how to avoid being bullied by those who respond to moral integrity with aggression.
Note: Dispatch episodes are recorded extemporaneously during the morning feed of the horses, (Beau, Skaha, and Reverie). If background noises, or me sniffing, or scooping beet pulp pellets, or moving buckets around, or filling hay nets, or walking in mud are irritating sounds, these episodes may not be pleasurable for you. Please see your podcast player for transcript options!
Learn more about the Lewis Method of Deep Democracy, a facilitation method that emerged in post-apartheid South Africa, aspiring to support social integration by getting to the root of harm, resentment, grievance, and vengeance in large collectives, communities and organizations. Myrna Lewis was was present and actively involved in holding space at the Civic Dialogue that Ruben and I attended. Here is a short video about the Civic Dialogue we attended that day. (Catch a glimpse of me and Ruben at 1:25, back row to the left of Sera, (speaker/co-facilitator), where our body language speaks volumes about how convinced we were that hope was the key driver of social/environmental change. 😂)
The facilitator I speak of, the marvellous Aftab Erfan, has been on the podcast a couple of times.
✨If you like the topic of this episode, you may find comfort and support in The Numinous Network, both the live calls such as Attachment Jams and Contact Nutrition Drop-Ins, as well as the on-demand video courses like Contact Nutrition 101, and Secure: The Magical Art and Subtle Science of Attachment.
 

TNP306 {Dispatch: Jan 30, 2026} Lively v. Baldoni, Avoidant Attachment, and Moral Ambition

Note: If you don't like the background noise of feeding horses, (opening plastic bags, pouring water, stirring, packing hay nets in a metal bin, belaboured breathing), then Dispatches are not the episodes for you. Sorry! Please see your podcast player for transcript options.
Here are my hot takes and broad strokes thinking on the Blake Lively v. Justin Baldoni, Jamie Heath, and Wayfarer Parties lawsuit, and how it intersects with:
• avoidant attachment tendencies• profound shame• patriarchy, misogyny, and pick-up artist culture• contempt for religious minorities
I also share what I know off the top of my head, and from personal experiences in my youth, about the Bahá'í faith. Please do your own research into Bahá'í principles and its founder, Bahá'u'lláh, for a more correct and precise accounting. Same with the Quakers: I meant what I said, I'm a bad Quaker and should not be trusted as a role model or information source! 😂 I have enjoyed this little book by anarchist-turned-Quaker-turned-professor-of-Quaker-practice, Ben Pink Dandelion, if you're seriously curious about understanding the diversity of Quaker faith and practice worldwide.
To understand the fascinating legal maneuverings behind the Lively v. Baldoni case, I recommend the podcast Allegedly Golden podcast.
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Join us for Imbolc in The Numinous Network.

TNP305 {Dispatch: Jan 27, 2026} Toward a Triumphant Orientation: Taking Seriously Prison Abolition

This dispatch covers some far-reaching terrain, from Clarissa Pinkola Estes to Luigi Mangione, from horse hoof trimming to the Harvard Law Review, from elderhood to eccentricity, imagination, and a triumphant orientation to life.
Content Note: If you don't like the background noise of feeding horses, (opening plastic bags, pouring water, stirring, packing hay nets in a metal bin, belaboured breathing), then these are not the episodes for you. Sorry! Please see your podcast player for transcript options.
Content Note 2: Mentions of political violence, state violence, sexual violence, and incarceration.
 
Referenced in this episode:
How to be an Elder, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (I believe this is the lecture I was referring to – it's been a literal decade since I listened but it's the only one in my audio library of hers that references elderhood, so I think this must be it!)
The Dangerous Few: Taking Seriously Prison Abolition and its Skeptics, by Thomas Ward Frampton, Associate Professor, University of Virginia
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Join us in The Numinous Network for our Wheel of the Year observance for Imbolc on Sunday, Feb 1, 2026. We will be invoking the healing power of Brigid and her blessings, asking for her to make sacred our clooties (prayer cloth), a talismanic expression of Brigid's mantle. This simple ritual will feature an extended trance journey to receive Brigid's healing.
 

TNP304 {Dispatch: Jan 21, 2026} The Unravelling Feeling of Getting Gotten

Dispatch episodes are short and off the cuff, recorded while I'm doing horse chores. If sensory inputs like crunching hay, chewing animals, or occasionally laboured breathing and sniffles aggravate you, this episode may not be for you! Please see your podcast player for transcript options.
In this episode, I talk about the deeply rooted defaults of Eldest Daughter Syndrome and how being heard and truly seen utterly breaks me.
Referenced in this episode:
TNP301 Muted by Maximalism: A Study in Power Analysis
Not referenced, but related: TNP233 Understanding Moral Injury with Dr.Robyn Walser
Follow me on Instagram for my Saturday meme train
 
Join us in The Numinous Network

TNP303 {Dispatch: Jan 16, 2026} Fast, Cheap, or Good: Pick Any Two

Thoughts on William Morris, enshitification, and seeking friction.
Correction: William Morris wallpaper was actually block printed, not silkscreened as I said in this episode. Seeing how it was produced actually made me cry, it's so beautiful and care-full. Watch how it was made!
 
Note: If you have certain sensory processing issues involving background noises like hay nets being stuffed, or horses chewing, or roosters crowing in the background, then my Dispatch episodes may not be to your liking. My apologies! Please consult your podcast player app for a transcript alternative.
 
Referenced in this Episode
Morris & Co, UK
William Morris and The Socialist League
Some original block printed wallpapers and their backstories in the William Morris Gallery
Arts and Crafts design elements from my old office in Victoria, BC
The term "enshitification" was coined by Cory Doctorow
Empire of AI, by Karen Hao
Ben Affleck is sick of life
 
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Learn more about The Numinous Network
 
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Purchase my books:
The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year
Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 

TNP302 {Dispatch: Jan 9, 2026} Hear Me Out: Empathy Classes

{Dispatch} I'm experimenting with a new, more candid format for shorter episodes called "dispatches" where I share the thoughts I have while I'm out feeding the horses. This is my first one! 🎉
I will try to make them 15 minutes or less. (Apologies in advance if they go longer because of my rambling thought trains.) They will be about current events and interpersonal issues...probably a lot of them will be about Contact Nutrition.
 
Content Note: If you don't like the background noise of feeding horses, (opening plastic bags, pouring water, stirring, packing hay nets in a metal bin, belaboured breathing), then these are not the episodes for you. Sorry! Please see your podcast player for transcript options.

TNP301 Muted by Maximalism: A Study in Power Analysis

Content warning: This episode is a story about a friendship breakup between two relatively privileged white women. It contains mentions of self-harm, suicidality, psychosis, sexual assault, and overdose.
I have my child's and my husband's consent to discuss matters pertaining to them.
Referenced in this episode
The Left Is Eating Itself podcast episode with Maurice Mitchell
Building Resilient Organizations: Toward Joy and Durable Power in Times of Crisis
Interview with Maurice Mitchell in Convergence Magazine on Building Resilient Organizations
Conflict is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility and the Duty of Repair, by Sarah Schulman
Feminist Accountability: Disrupting Violence and Transforming Power, by Ann Russo
Right Use of Power Institute
SpringUp: Liberatory Education
Fumbling Towards Repair: A Workbook for Community Accountability Facilitators, by Mariame Kaba and Shira Hassan
Creative Interventions Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Stop Interpersonal Violence, by CreativeInterventions.Org
community accountability recources from INCITE!
White Supremacy Culture by Tema Okun
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
Suicide hotlines
Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute
Not Actually Golden on TikTok
Little Girl Attorney on TikTok
Attorney Britt on TikTok

TNP300 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #18 Oath-Making & Visioning the Year Ahead

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
Intentions and actions to live a values-led life in the coming year.
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder
Donate to the Amazon Labour Union
Get involved in your local 4H Club in Canada or the US!
 
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP299 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #17 Celebrating in Community

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
Ritual ideas for crossing the threshold to the new year surrounded by allies and a sense of love and care.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP298 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #16 Honouring the Beloved Dead

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
Slowing down, attuning to the rhythm of grief, and remembering the Beloved Dead who died in the past year.
Buy Aly Halpert's song or album, Loosen, on Bandcamp
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP297 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #15 Blessings & Bounty from the Earth

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
Today we're doubling down on our protective plant magic to bolster our spiritual safeness while the veil remains thin. We also look at 'wassail' as a noun, verb, and greeting which is especially appropriate on the 9th night of Yule which is associated with the 9th month of the year – the apple-iest month there is – September.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP296 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #14 Tending to Hearth & Home

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
We're cleansing home and body with medicinal herbs by making vermouth, potpourri and incense in order to finish the year well.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP295 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #13 Balance & Harmony

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
We explore myths related to the beauty of binaries, balance, and cycles of death and resurrection. Some of the myths can help us queer the holidays, others can help us put strained sibling relationships into new perspective. Learn why why ham is such a symbolic meal during this holiday time, and consider some simple rituals to help you bring more balance into your life.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP294 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #12 House Brownies & Tutelary Spirits

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
✨My favourite part of Yuletide!✨ Hearth spirits, house brownies, and protective supernatural allies for homes, barns, and livestock are all propitiated at this time. For me, this seems like a great way to steer children away from the more commercial aspects of this time of year and spark imagination, intuition, and an animist sensibility. A fun ritual for today would be to research what house spirits were called in your family's heritage ✨
 
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP293 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #11 Return of the Light

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
Ancient traditions around the return of the light imply a revival of hope and healing. Pagans created art and apothecary items to reflect the beautiful and harmonious qualities of the cosmos, adorning their homes and bodies to revive the spirit in wintertime.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP292 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #10 Honouring the Child Within {with Bonus Meditation}

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
We honour the children in our lives and the child within us. Plus, more Winter Witches! Woop woop!
Note: The final 4 minutes of this episode is a guided meditation during which you should not be driving, riding a bike, operating machinery or engaged in any activity that requires your full attention.
 
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP291 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #9 The Wild Hunt and the Restless Ancient Dead

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
 
Ancestral veneration is a key function of winter rituals, a way to put our lineages in good order, encourage harmonious relations with the spirits of the ancient dead, and appease the restless dead who roam at night. On this night, we tell scary ghost stories that might include child-devouring crones, beer-stealing werewolves, dictator dogs and violent Santas. It's also a good day to honour the animal familiars who help convey gifts and goodness including flying goats, female deer, and horse skeletons.
There are also lighter aspects to the day including the reverence of Freya, hanging wreaths, and sacred spinning, weaving and fibre work.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨

TNP290 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #8 Father's Night and Spirits of Place

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
 
This is one of my favourite episodes because cultivating intimacy with the land I live on and the Spirits of Place is one of my favourite things to do. It also addresses, briefly yet deeply, how we can attend to the impacts of imperialism, colonialism, and patriarchy in our spiritual work, especially at wintertime.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
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TNP289 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #7 Winter Solstice and the Old Woman of Winter

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
 
It all begins with the Mother. Tonight on the longest night of the year, we honour our matrilineages and the spiritual lineages of prophesy, blessing, abundance and nurturance passed down through the ages through myths concerning Crones.
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
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TNP288 {REPLAY} Yuletide Miniseries #6 Krampus, Lussi, and Holiday Horror

Welcome to this fun and convenient replay of my Yuletide Miniseries! In this episode:
 
Antifascism for the holidays!
Buy The Spirited Kitchen: Recipes & Rituals for the Wheel of the Year (Everyday Animism, Folk Magic and Witchcraft) and Spells for the Apocalypse: Practical Magic for Turbulent Times
 
✨ Join us in The Numinous Network ✨