The Numinous Podcast

TNP151 Oliver Choquette on the Intersection of Gender Diversity and Neurodivergence

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

TNP150 Hekatean Witchcraft with Dr.Cyndi Brannen

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

TNP149 Spiritual Hygiene for the Holidays with Carmen Spagnola

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

TNP148 Seeing Yourself Through The Apocalypse With Lindsay Tunkl

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

TNP147 Tom Hirons Tracks Collapse + Meaning Through Poetry

Sometimes A Wild God is a powerful poem written by storyteller, author, wilderness vigil guide, and poet, Tom Hirons. In this episode, I ask the poet the impolite question, "What is your poem about?" It leads to a conversation about collapse, grief, wilderness vigil, the wyrd, the loneliness of modern masculinity, the lifetime work of wholeness, and the prospect of hope as a deity. Find Tom's writing at tomhirons.com Purchase stacks of his poetry and prose at Hedgespoken Press hedgespokenpress.com Adorn your abode or altar with Rima's art by visiting her site: rimastaines.com And learn more about their life in the off-grid storytelling theatre run from a 1966 Bedford RL lorry, converted to be a home and go-anywhere stage. (For real.): hedgespoken.org Resources mentioned in this episode:Dark Mountain ProjectOn Poetry, by Glyn MaxwellIn The Skin Of A Lion, by Michael OndaatjeBy Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept, by Elizabeth Smart Learn more about The Numinous Quest Online here. Learn more about the Threshold community here.

TNP146 Carmen + Holly on Collapse Psychology and the Importance of Grief Ritual Accountability and Play

In Part 2 of my conversation with Holly, we explore collapse grief and death rituals in COVID times, and share fairly extensively about why Transformative Justice and community accountability is such an important aspect of collapse preparedness. We get into some detail about concerns we have over being two cis white women leading a diverse community, and, some ways we are hoping to mitigate that and reduce possible harm. We also share about the importance of play and creativity in collapse work. In the first minutes of this episode, I make a reference to a Netflix action series that perhaps many will not have heard of: Altered Carbon. I super love the show, for so many reasons not the least of which is the incredible fight choreograhy that features incredible women of colour as lead characters – so badass! I also reference Sarah Kerr at soul passages.ca as one of my teachers. Find out more about the Threshold community here. Register for my Numinous Quest Online here.

TNP145 Holly Truhlar on Tending the Threshold of Collapse

Holly is a psychotherapist and a lawyer, and what she calls a “collapsitarian” – she’s spent a long time tracking collapse from multiple perspectives and coalesced her observations into a framework she calls collapse psychology. You can get a sense of that framework by visiting collapse psychology.org Holly approached me in early 2017 and our relationship since then has blossomed into friendship both online and in physical presence, we’ve witnessed each other in grief and pain, but also had a chance to stay up late drinking and laughing. And whether we’re crying or laughing, the topic always somehow comes around to the collapse of empire and large scale convergent emergencies. Find out more about the Threshold community here. Learn about The Numinous Quest Online here.

TNP144 Mimi Young on Intuition + Pandemic Plant Medicine

I'm talking with Mimi Young about clairolfaction, wonderful plant allies for pandemic times, and how to work with tea in a magical – even ancestral – way. Mimi is a shamanic intuitive and founder of Ceremonie (@shopceremonie), an esoteric brand focusing on in-person and online core shamanic and occult education, Remote Shamanic Readings, and plant potions for skin and aura. Mimi works with a blend of modalities including core shamanism, plant spirit healing, chao magick, and Chinese esoterics, with a focus on healing through shadows, dream work, divination, ancestral connection, and psychic development. She is also a neurofeedback practitioner (@openmindsperformance), where she supports others in accessing their peak via neurological resilience. Check out all of Mimi's offerings here. Follow her on Instagram: @shopceremonie   Find out about doing neurofeedback with Mimi here. Learn about joining the online Mystery Mentorship Program here. The book she referenced is For All The Tea In China, by Sarah Rose.    Follow me on Instagram @carmenspagnola Check out my Intuitive Business (And Life) Planning Workshop

TNP143 Bear Hebert on Unlearning Oppression

Bear is a life coach, artist, and social justice educator who helps socially conscious humans align their actions with their values. In their coaching and teaching, they apply a feminist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist lens. In this episode, I ask them about their gender journey to using they/them pronouns, and we talk about interlocking systems of oppression, call out culture, and wanting healing for people who cause harm without necessarily wanting to be a part of that healing.  Content Warning: We do touch on sexual violence, capital punishment, and more, but we also take stretch breaks and pauses for breath as we do so. Remember to pause the recording if you feel yourself tensing up or becoming very activated. Bearcoaches.comUndoingpatriarchy.com Caliban And The Witch by Silvia Federici Combahee River Collective and How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Alternate ROOTS alternateroots.orgInfo about the online version of ROOTS Week Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni Killers Of The Dream by Lillian Smith The Farm: Angola, USA 13th, Ava DuVernay bell hooks on “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” Whiteness At Work, Desiree Adaway with Jessica Fish and Erika Hines Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?  on diversity as an aftereffect of a lifelong commitment to the self-named struggles of people of color Philly Stands Up zine Beyond Survival book "The Opposite Of Rape Culture Is Nurturance Culture" and Turn This World Inside Out by Nora Samaran “No one enters violence for the first time having committed it.” -Danielle Sered, quoted by Mariame Kabe

TNP142 Kosmic Tonic Astrology Forecast for 2020 and Beyond

Jasmine Richardson and Eliza Robertson are an astrology team who make their home online at KosmicTonic.com. Today we’re talking about what the astrology looked like leading up to 2020 that might have revealed something big like a global pandemic was coming, and looking ahead to the outlook for the rest of 2020 and beyond. How did we get here and where are we going? We begin with a resource round up of highly recommended modern astrologers to follow and learn from: ISARKaitlin Coppock at Sphere and SundryNina GryphonDemetra GeorgeChris Brennan - The Astrology Podcast Gray CrawfordBarbara Hand Clow - Journeys Through Nine DimensionsFortune’s Wheelhouse PodcastWesly Feuquay - Psylogia We also look at what stands out to be aware of for Fall/Winter of 2020/21. We look at Mars Retrograde (Sept 9 - Nov 13), possible advancements in science, America's progress on its' Pluto return, and eclipses at the end of 2020 (Nov 30 and Dec 14) which set the tone for 2021.  Book consultations with Jasmine and Eliza at kosmictonic.com and follow them on Instagram @kosmictonic and on Twitter @kosmic_tonic  Register now for my Intuitive Business (And Life) Planning Workshop on September 26, 2020.

TNP141 Eric Tyrone - Get Woke In Your Dream-Time

Eric Tyrone is the founder of Soul Dreamers and the creator of the "Get Woke In Your Dream-Time" Masterclass. In the past, Eric ran a non-profit called "Awakening Through Art", founded a mindfulness App, and was a co-facilitator of a nationwide meetup called EcoTuesday. In this episode we talk about the purpose of dreaming, how to interpret your dreams and heal through dreamwork, and we even do a little on the spot interpretation of a slightly anxious dream I had about a tarantula and my son. Listeners can save $100 off his 4-Week “Get Woke In Your Dream-Time” Live Group Masterclass by using the coupon code: DREAMS333 Find the next start date at www.soul-dreamers.com  Follow Eric on Instagram @_Soul_Dreamers   Find out more about the Threshold community here.

TNP140 Darius Mills on Conjure Oils Hoodoo Manifestation Magic

Darius Mills is a Conjure Oils expert and to be honest, probably the one of the most charming guests I’ve ever had. In this interview, Darius shares how he used hoodoo conjure magic to manifest a fully paid international move. We touch on Jesus, quantum physics, intergalactic beings, ancestors, and how to make a honey jar.  Follow Darius on Instagram @dariusmills91 to find out when his next Conjure & Create program begins (at time of posting, Sept 2020).

TNP139 Colonial Influence on Hide Tanning Past and Present with Mara Cur

This is the continuation of my conversation with Mara Cur , a hide tanner, hunter, wildcrafter, herbalist and wilder punk extraordinaire. In this episode Mara talks about the history of hide tanning and the important role that women and femmes played in this vocation. We also circle back to the question I posed in the last episode about how she approaches redress with Indigenous communities as she returns the teachings of hide tanning that were eradicated by colonialism. The resource that Mara recommends to learn about White Saviorism is NoWhiteSaviors.org.   Mara credits visionary Cree artist, Kent Monkman, for his teachings on the early history of the fur trade.   I’d like to lift up Bruce Alexander’s essay, The Roots of Addiction in Free Market Society, as a formative document in my collapse awareness that relates quite directly to what Mara was saying about the first 250 years fo the fur trade. It uses the experience of the Orcadians – that’s Scottish folks from the Orkey Islands, previously renown for their sobriety –  employed by in the later days of the fur trade by the Hudson’t Bay company, as a study in how cultural dislocation and attachment rupture were direct causes of alcoholism.   If you really want to geek out on that particular historical niche, you can read my other teacher, Michael Newton’s book, We’re Indians Sure Enough: The Legacy of Scottish Highlanders in the United States. Check out Mara’s online offerings at liminagathering.com and her own website Crowsnest wildcraft.com  This season of the podcast is brought to you by the Threshold community. If the topics engaged in this episode appeal to you, check out our programming at www.thethresholdcommunity.com

TNP138 Mara Cur on Hide Tanning and the Orphans Journey

Mara Cur is a hide tanner, hunter, wildcrafter, and herbalist. She is a teacher of mine that I’m excited to share with you because I love her thinking and articulation on so many topics like settler colonialism, attachment, trauma and radical politics. In this episode Mara shares about growing up an orphan in a high demand community (cultic religion).   Check out Mara’s offerings on her site, Crowsnest Wildcraft, and follow her on Instagram @woodland.cur   Continue the conversation in Part 2 here.   This season of the podcast is brought to you by the Threshold community. If the topics engaged in this episode appeal to you, check out our programming at www.thethresholdcommunity.com

TNP137 Sharon Ross Afrovivalist on Emergency Preparedness

Sharon Ross, aka Afrovivalist, is an African American woman, huntress and survivalist in America here to teach city folks how to prepare for any and all emergencies – not just coronavirus but any natural or human-made disaster. I think you can hear in my voice in this episode that I've got fan fever. Her online retreat, DeCamp Outdoors, is happening August 21-23. You'll learn how to prepare for the second wave of COVID-19 and beyond. Hunting, soapmaking, ham radio operation – learn from experienced guides in the field. What does Sharon say in brief about the second wave? 1) Get your water sorted out 2) Food stores 3) Shelter in place improvements 4) Get a food dehydrator! Go follow @afrovivalist on Instagram and Facebook, and get your ticket to DeCamp Outdoors – I'll see you there! Note: This show is rated E for "explicit". Cover the young ones' ears. We are using our grown up words for this topic, people! This season of the podcast is brought to you by the Threshold community. We look forward to welcoming Sharon as a Guest Guide in September! 

TNP135: Danielle Dulsky on Revisionist Storytelling to Tend the Holy Wild

Today I'm speaking with Danielle Dulsky, author of Woman Most Wild: Three Keys for Liberating the Witch Within. Today, we’re focused on Daniells’ second book, The Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman. We talk about ancestral inheritance and its influence on our spellcraft, mothering as witchcraft, and we touch on the effects of whiteness, capitalism, and patriarchy on our spiritual practice. She also tells us some awesome stories about the Mother of Babylon and other dark goddesses. It’s a toothsome conversation and I found Danielle very relatable and I suspect you will too! Be sure to check out her newest book, Seasons of Moon and Flame: The Wild Dreamer's Journey of Becoming, due out March 10, 2020. In this conversation, Danielle mentioned The Atlantis Bookshop in London, and recommended the book The Witch of Portobello by Paul Coelho. Check out all of Danielle's website for all of her excellent offerings including online courses, workshops and her Patreon page.

TNP136: Maia Toll on Working with Plant, Animal and Crystal Allies in Troubled Times

Maia Toll is with us today speaking about creating kinship with other-than-human friends. Maia is the author of The wild Wisdom series which includes The Illustrated Herbiary, The Illustrated Bestiary, and the forthcoming, Illustrated Crystallary. I wanted to have this conversation through a lens of climate change and dynamic social transition. How can we have a conversation about working with plants and animals and crystal without discussing climate change and over-extraction, amirite? In this episode, we also mentioned the Archetypes Deck by Kim Krans. Find me on Instagram @carmenspagnola Learn about Wet'suwet'en solidarity:@takaiya.blaney@gidimten_checkpoint@smogelgem@strikingstick #wetsuwetenstrong #youthforyintah #indigenousyouthforwetsuweten

TNP134: Decolonizing Scottish Highland History and Radicalizing Gaelic Folk Culture with Michael Newton

I’m speaking with Celtic studies and Gaelic scholar, Michael Newton. He’s a researcher and teacher with a history of recovering and interpreting original sources of Scottish Highland language, literature and tradition. He’s written multiple books and even produced and performed on an album of songs in Gaelic, and that’s how I discovered Michael’s work on my journey to learn to sing Gaelic laments and blessings, and learning about the tradition of keening, (which is a thing I do on certain occasions). Michael has a folk school called The Hidden Glen where he offers online courses on topics in Gaelic culture and folklore. I’ve taken two of the courses:Reclaiming the Roots (6 classes, new intake January 2020) is about deepening the understanding of Scottish Highland heritage during the era of the clan systems and the importance of the relationship to land and relationships with the more-than-human world.  Stories of Scottish Highland Immigration is about the experience of Gaels in the New World as told by Gaels themselves – we learn about the complex reasons for mass migration through their songs and remnants of the Gaelic bardic tradition. And a new course in 2020 I’m excited to be taking is called Radicalizing The Roots: Deconstructing Whiteness Through Gaelic lenses and Decolonizing Scottish Heritage. This one feels like a natural extension if you're doing social justice or ancestral reclamation and healing work. (6 classes, new intake January 2020)Resources for deeper inquiry:Decolonization Is For Everyone, Especially White People (Part 1) Decolonization Is For Everyone, Especially White People (Part 2) Decolonization Is For Everyone, Especially White People (Part 3) Books:Warriors Of The Word: The World Of the Scottish Highlanders (Kindle) Seanchaidh na Coille: Memory-Keeper Of The Forest: An Anthology of Scottish-Gaelic Literature of Canada A Handbook Of The Scottish Gaelic World Papers:Academia.edu Michael's Patreon Page  

TNP133 Permission to Grieve With Francis Weller

Francis Weller is a psychotherapist and author of The Wild Edge Of Sorrow: Rituals Of Renewal And The Sacred Work Of Grief. In this episode we talk about the Five Gates Of Grief, men's circles, patriarchy and our infatuation with mythopoetic white men at the mic. We also welcome back my husband for a "Rubenation" where he tells about his experience in a program for men about learning how to make friends as an adult male. Also in this episode, I share the promo code provided by our sponsor Hollyhock to get a 15% discount on all meals + accommodations packages in 2020! Resources cited in this episode include: Joanna MacyToward Psychologies of Liberation, Helene SchulmanCarolyn BakerFinding Beauty In A Broken World, Terry Tempest WilliamsJeannette Armstrong, Okanagan wisdom keeper and elder Would you like to sponsor an upcoming episode? Please fill out our application form. Thanks!  

TNP132 Somatic Mentoring with Patti Elledge

This episode is part case consult, part psychoeducation, part storytelling. I'm so excited to share with you a conversation with my Clinical Supervisor and mentor, Patti Elledge, and to announce her new 3-month online program for like-minded therapists of all specialties! I'll be assisting Patti both behind the scenes and in-class, as well as making myself available for one-on-one participant support through the program which runs January through March 2020. You may have heard Patti's interview in TNP118: Patti Elledge on the Neurobiology of Attachment, Grieving Together, and Mobilizing Outrage. In this episode, we talk about principles and techniques for managing Global High Activation States, the difference between "going global" and numinous unity experiences, and why working with the body to release trauma is so critical – especially in this time of increasing collective trauma. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Accessing The Healing Power Of The Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and Autism,by Stanley Rosenberg We-space practices This is the drawing by Patti's 9-year old client, illustrating a Global High Activation state: Patti is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) who has specialized in therapeutic application of neuroscience for more than 40 years, and teaches Diane Poole Heller’s groundbreaking work, DARe, which treats adult attachment wounds. She has a broad clinical background in treating developmental and attachment based traumas, offering somatic strategies to access healthy bonding and co-regulatory processes. She worked directly with babies, children and families for more than 20 years prior to her SE training in the late 90s, and weaves strategies from the fields of interpersonal neurobiology, sensory processing, developmental differences and neurodiversity, coherent narratives and embodiment through movement and creativity. Her blending of a variety of somatic and body-mind techniques helps to treat and resolve over-coupled elements of survival energies (fight-flight-freeze responses) that become so seemingly intractable with the essence of loving/bonding and “belonging.” Registration for the Somatic Mentoring programis capped at 25 spots. Nov.26: just 8 spots left!