The Numinous Podcast

TNP55: Nicole Foss on How To Build A Lifeboat

International energy and finance analyst, Nicole Foss, breaks it down for us: what is really coming down the road in terms of systemic financial collapse and how do we personal prepare and cope with it. Can we talk for a minute about the escalating consequences of debt? How about the unsecured loans we're making to the banks (ie: keeping our savings there)? We run some scenarios.
 
We also talk about the importance of social capital in the midst of a long drawn-out crisis. This conversation is definitely thought-provoking. For more in-depth review, read the cited post, How To Build A Lifeboat.

TNP54: Nicole Foss on Navigating the Perfect Financial Storm

How do we cope with personal and public debt in an age of global markets and possible Econopocalypse? We're talking with international energy and finance analyst, Nicole Foss, about how we manage global financial insecurity at a personal level. How do we manage our personal finance, investments and real estate to secure our future when globalization makes us so vulnerable to systemic collapse? I'm asking Nicole to expand on financial concepts because she's such an intellectual force of nature. Here's just a sample of her background: Nicole ran the Agri-Energy Producers' Association of Ontario, where she has focused on farm-based biogas projects and grid connections for renewable energy. While living in the UK, she was a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, where she specialized in nuclear safety in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, and conducted research into electricity policy at the EU level. She earned a BSc in biology from Carleton University in Canada (where she focused primarily on neuroscience and psychology), a post-graduate diploma in air and water pollution control, and an LLM in international law in development from the University of Warwick in the UK. She was granted the University Medal for the top science graduate in 1988 and the law school prize for the top law school graduate in 1997. So, yeah, she's pretty well informed.

TNP53: Astronomy’s Mysteries with John Reid

In a universe that's at least 13 billion years old and at least 13 billion light years across, how is it possible we've never had contact with intelligent life from other planets? In this episode, Astronomy Educator and Librarian, John Reid, discusses the Fermi Paradox, space debris and what the heck is happening with those crazy lights shining on the asteroid Ceres right now. How We Met John and I went to high school together. One of the most memorable and terrifying experiences of my high school life was a late study session in the creepy old wing of the main school building. John told a group of us, in chilling, expressionless detail, all about this book he was reading called The Shining by Stephen King. Episode We start by tackling The Fermi Paradox, the contradiction between the extremely high likelihood of intelligent life in the universe and the extremely low probability of our never having come across it yet. We also muse about what might be happening with those brights lights on Ceres right now. I get irate about space debris and John gets moony about the moon. He slips in little side notes here and there about things can could instantly end all life on earth like gamma ray explosions, supernova explosions and asteroids hitting us. (We saw what happened to the dinosaurs, he says casually.) This is one of my favourite episodes and I'd like to thank my patron, Charlene Lo, currently hailing from Hong Kong, for her support in making it happen.  Yay, Charlene!

TNP52: Humanism, Atheism + Optimism with Emrys Miller

Graphic designer, Emrys Miller, has worked as an artistic director for both a yoga magazine and a skeptic magazine - what the??? How does he, and how do we, make sense of the world using both reason and intuition?
How We Met
I mentioned our origin story last time Emrys was on the show. You might also find it interesting to know that Emrys is the father of twin girls just entering their teen years. (Each, in my opinion, is a genius in her own way.) Emrys and his family usually spend an extended vacation every summer at an ashram in the interior of British Columbia. Cool, right? Also perhaps a little unexpected.
Episode
Required reading for this podcast: Anomalous Events That Can Shake One's Skepticism to the Core by Michael Shermer.
And I simply can't recommend the book by Barbara Ehrenreich that I mention in the show highly enough. It's called Living With A Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search For The Truth About Everything and it was so deliciously exciting for me that when I read the last line, I slammed the book shut and literally squealed.
Also, take a look at Emrys' site www.rocketdayarts.com. If you're interested in humanism, check out the book he published, Voices of Humanism. It's an anthology of 35 articles by 15 humanists. My copy has a lot of underlines and dog ears.
 

TNP51: Love + Apocalypse with Carolyn Baker, PhD

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

TNP50: Carmen & Ruben on Badass Backyard Spirituality

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

TNP49: Carolyn Baker on Grief + Love During Collapse

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

TNP48: Christopher Lloyd Clarke on Meditation + Music

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

TNP47: Indigo Ocean Dutton on Saying Yes to Happiness

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

TNP46: Mirabella Ponders the Mystery

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

TNP45: Emrys Damon Miller on Graphic Design + Shamanism

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

TNP44: John Michael Greer on Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth

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

TNP43: Miss Rosie Bitts on Feminism, Burlesque + Self-Expression (Or, Learning to Love Your Jiggly Bits)

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

TNP42: Mark Silver on Sufism + The Heart of Business

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

TNP41: Elle North on Tarot + Intuition

Elle North is a tarot teacher, a reiki trainer and the creator of visually stunning websites for spirited entrepreneurs. I love the look and feel of Elle's designs and that's what drew me to her. It's so fun to spend time with someone who is as thoughtful and intuitive as Elle. In this episode, we dive into the tarot, particularly the Major Arcana.
The tarot deck that Elle said was her first is the Herbal Tarot deck and you can see samples of it on the site we both love, Aeclectic Tarot. The deck I use is The Mythic Tarot (old version) by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene. The tarot expert mentioned is Rachel Pollack, author of 78 Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot and Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings.
Elle has a number of online courses and also offers spiritual mentoring. Find out more about her tarot, reiki and crystals work at www.drawingwithin.com.
Find out more about her design services at www.drawingwithindesign.com.

TNP40: Bethany Webster on Healing the Mother Wound

Oh this is a juicy one. Today I'm talking with Bethany Webster about the effects of patriarchy on mother-daughter relationships and other taboo topics like the impact of our mothers' struggles with self-esteem on our own sense of self. I was surprised to discover that Bethany and I are in the same boat with our mother wounds.
Bethany is a writer, transformational coach, international speaker and what you could call a midwife of the heart. Her work is focused on helping women heal the mother wound so that they can fully claim their brilliance, own their power and live as their authentic selves. Her work has appeared in Elephant Journal and the California Journal of Women Writers. She is the author of the forthcoming book “Healing the Mother Wound: Move Beyond What Your Mother Never Gave You and Become the Woman You’re Meant to Be.”
Interested in private coaching with Bethany on healing the mother wound? Click here for a free, 30 minute session: http://www.b-webster.com/session/
 
Here is where you can get a free download of Bethany's e-book: "Transforming the Inner Mother": http://forms.aweber.com/form/67/1940772167.htm

TNP39: Rachelle Lamb on Relating, Language + Poetry

Rachelle Lamb specializes in conflict resolution and breakthrough conversations. In this intimate conversation, Rachelle invites us to explore our inner landscape. The vivid imagery in her speech is lyrical and so pleasing to listen to. Enjoy sitting in with us as we share some poetry, some laughs, and some soul food in this episode.

TNP38: Brooke Semple on Culture, Design + Authenticity

Hey, what do you think of my website design? I really love it - it's a beautifully executed interpretation of my vision and it makes me feel good. The magic design fairy that makes it possible is Brooke Semple, the smart cookie behind the boutique agency, Seesaw Design.
With her degree in art history and contemplative approach to visual design, Brooke is one of my favourite collaborators and sounding boards when I'm moving through my creative process. (Can you tell she inspires me endlessly?)
Check out her work and follow her on Instagram and her monthly Field Notes.

TNP37: Carmen Answers Listener Questions {Part 3}

Here's what I'm addressing in this, the last in a 3-part series of answering your questions:
#1. What does it mean when you see number sequences repeating everywhere?
#2. What am I doing wrong when I ask my oracle deck a question and the answer is totally unrelated?
#3. Is it normal to suddenly be tearful when I receive a vision or message?
#4. What's your #1 tip for your students about intuitive development? 

TNP36: Carmen Spagnola Answers Listener Questions {Part 2}

Trusting your pendulum: this week I seek advice from a veteran spiritual bookstore owner and also give three tips for getting more accurate information from this practical and useful tool.
The book I suggest in this episode is called The Pendulum Bridge to Infinite Knowing by Dale W. Olson. He also has pendulum chart books.