…

Conspirituality

…

Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Dismantling New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis. At best, the conspirituality movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon.As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse, and good intentions get smothered. Charismatic influencers exploit their followers by co-opting conspiracy theories on a spectrum of intensity ranging from vaccines to child trafficking. In the process, spiritual beliefs that have nurtured creativity and meaning are transforming into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia.Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape. A journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds. Mainstream outlets have noticed the problem. We crowd-source, research, analyze, and dream answers to it.

#479

Brief: Dancing for the Devil (w/Derek Doneen)

When young TikTok dance stars joined 7M Films, they got access to big production budgets, luxurious locations, and exciting career opportunities. There was a problem, however. Their boss, Robert Shinn, was a self-styled Christian pastor who placed increasing pressure on their time and finances, demanded unquestioning devotion, and isolated them from the outside world. (Julian covered the story of a family trying to regain contact with their daughter, Miranda Derrick, who had disappeared into Shinn’s Shekinah Church for [Conspirituality 105: TikTok, Cults & Conspiracies] (https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/105-tiktok-cults-amp-conspiracies-abbie-richards) .) A new Netflix docuseries picks up where we left off. Julian talks to the series director, Derek Doneen, to discuss “Dancing for the Devil.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

9 hrs Ago

25 MINS

25:40

9 hrs Ago

#478

208: Dirty Dozen Disinformation (w/Drs Andrea Love & Michelle Wong)

Every year, the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, DC-based lobbying group, publishes its “Dirty Dozen” report, which supposedly informs consumers about the 12 “dirtiest” fruits and vegetables. The report is repeated verbatim by major media outlets, which routinely demonize strawberries, blueberries, and other conventionally-grown produce. But does their science hold up? Not according to the majority of scientists and researchers. Over the decades, the EWG has slammed some pesticides but not others, ignored data on dosages, and even wondered out loud if all that mercury in vaccines might just be causing autism. They also routinely ignore potentially hazardous organic chemicals, while selling “verified” labels for skin care products and sunscreens. Today Derek is going to walk me, the non-science journalist, through the work of the EWG before he talks to biomedical scientist Dr Andrea Love and cosmetic chemist Dr Michelle Wong about the group’s questionable methodologies and fear-mongering tactics. Show Notes [Environmental Working Group and the Dirty Dozen] (https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4623) [The Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list is a danger to public health put out by an organic industry funded activist group] (https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2024/03/15/viewpoint-the-environmental-working-groups-dirty-dozen-list-is-a-danger-to-public-health-put-out-by-an-organic-industry-backed-activist-group/) [Influence Watch: Environmental Working Group] (https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/environmental-working-group/) [Dietary Exposure to Pesticide Residues from Commodities Alleged to Contain the Highest Contamination Levels] (https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jt/2011/589674/) [Ken Cook: The Story of The Environmental Working Group] (https://heartlandstories.libsyn.com/kc) [What Biden’s oil record means for the industry’s future] (https://www.eenews.net/articles/what-bidens-oil-record-means-for-the-industrys-future/) [Alleged ‘deal’ offer from Trump to big oil could save industry $110bn, study finds] (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/16/donald-trump-big-oil-executives-alleged-deal-explained) [10 years after Flint's lead water crisis began, a lack of urgency stalls 'proper justice'] (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/10-years-flints-lead-water-crisis-was-discovered-lack-urgency-stalls-p-rcna148972) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

30 May 2024

1 HR 05 MINS

1:05:31

30 May 2024

#477

Bonus Sample: Public Theology and Hospice Care (w/Jude Mills)

In this Listener Stories episode, Matthew sits down with Jude Mills, an old friend from the yoga world, to hear her story about growing up in an anti-theist home in hyper-sectarian Scotland, but feeling the inexorable call of religion. So started a long journey toward her vocation as a hospice chaplain at the height of COVID. They discuss the needs of the dying, regardless of beliefs, and how losing dignity to institutional abuse does not necessarily mean losing faith. In discussing how some former believers feel excluded from community life, Jude says something remarkable: “Everyone has a right to a sacramental life.” Jude has a Master’s degree in Public Theology and research interests which include: podcasting as a medium for theological reflection and enquiry; narratives of spiritual and religious abuse and harm and issues of disabled, neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ inclusivity in church contexts. Her podcast 'Fkd Up By Faith' will be the research subject for her PhD. Show Notes [Jude's website] (https://judemills.com/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

27 May 2024

06 MINS

06:09

27 May 2024

#476

Brief: Is God Necessary in Spiritual Practices?

There’s been a growing acceptance of religious belief from the previously religious-averse, especially in the Covid contrarian space. This comes in the wake of a number of recent high-profile conversions, most notably Russell Brand getting baptized. Why are the skeptical suddenly finding faith? Derek and Julian discuss their atheism in the context of these recent changes of heart—including Brand’s recent appearance on Bret Weinstein’s Dark Horse podcast. They share how their own skepticism has evolved and informs their work, debating on what value religion and, specifically, a belief in a god, holds for spiritual practices today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

25 May 2024

47 MINS

47:36

25 May 2024

#475

207: Gaming Realities (w/Thi Nguyen)

Philosopher Thi Nguyen first visited us 150 episodes ago (!!) to discuss how social media gamification exploded online conspiracy theories and audience capture drags content producers toward the seductions of premature clarity—and the ecstasy of fascism. Nguyen returns to discuss “value capture”: how simplified and portable metrics in institutions, technology, and media landscapes erode our moral capacities as we pursue goals we never signed up for. (We even consider this influence on podcasting!) Throughout, we also talk about the heart of Nguyen’s book, Games: Agency as Art, in which he explores the liberatory nature of games that offer the pleasures of striving and absorption. We wonder whether—if we valued and understood play for its own sake—we might not need to gamify the world. Show Notes [Games: Agency as Art] (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/games-9780190052089?cc=us&lang=en&) [Games and the Art of Agency] (https://philpapers.org/archive/NGUGAT-2.pdf) (Philosophical Review) (2020 APA Article Prize; selected for Philosopher Annual‘s “10 Best Philosophy Articles of 2019”) [Value Capture] (https://philpapers.org/rec/NGUVCH) (JESP) [Trust as an Unquestioning Attitude] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUTAA&aid=NGUTAAv1) (OSE) [Transparency is Surveillance] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUTIS&aid=NGUTISv1) (Philosophy and Phenomenological Research) ( [short summary] (https://newworkinphilosophy.substack.com/p/c-thi-nguyen-university-of-utah-transparency) ) [Hostile Epistemology] (https://philpapers.org/archive/NGUHEL.pdf) (keynote for the 2022 NASSP.) [Autonomy and Aesthetic Engagement] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUAAA&aid=NGUAAAv1) (Mind) ( [audio] (https://soundcloud.com/thi-nguyen-178642577/autonomy-and-aesthetic-engagement-c-thi-nguyen) ) [Art as a Shelter from Science] (https://philpapers.org/archive/NGUAAA-3.pdf) (Aristotelian Society Supplementary) [The Arts of Action] (https://philpapers.org/archive/NGUTAO-8.pdf) (Philosopher’s Imprint) [Moral Outrage Porn] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUMOP&aid=NGUMOPv1) with Bekka Williams (Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy) (selected for Philosopher Annual‘s “10 Best Philosophy Articles of 2020”) [How Twitter Gamifies Communication] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUHTG&aid=NGUHTGv1) (Applied Epistemology, OUP) (And a [shortened version for students] (https://mit-serc.pubpub.org/pub/twitter-conversation/release/2) , with suggested classroom exercises.) [Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUECA&aid=NGUECAv1) (Episteme) [The Seductions of Clarity] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUTSO-2&u=https%3A%2F%2Fphilpapers.org%2Farchive%2FNGUTSO-2.pdf) (RIPS) [Cultural Appropriation and the Intimacy of Groups] (https://philpapers.org/go.pl?id=NGUCAA&aid=NGUCAAv1) , with Matt Strohl (Philosophical Studies) [Trust and Antitrust] (https://wellesu.com/10.1086/292745) — Annette Baier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

23 May 2024

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:26

23 May 2024

#474

Bonus Sample: Russell Brand Is Christian Now?

Russell Brand has accepted Jesus into his heart and been baptized in the spirit. But does his conversion to Christianity make sense along the New Age rebel to right-wing, conspiracy-theorist radicalization pipeline? Is Brand seeking absolution for his sins, or recognizing that most of his audience are Christians “oppressed” by authoritarian libs? Julian explores how the “enlightened outsider” uses pseudoscience to justify spiritual beliefs that are actually connective tissue between conspiracism, New Age metaphysics, and faux Christian victimhood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

20 May 2024

07 MINS

07:07

20 May 2024

#473

Brief: The Outside Agitator Conspiracy Trope (w/Dr. Peniel Joseph)

Two weeks ago, several university administrators asked militarized police units to smash pro-Palestinian encampment protests on quads and in occupied buildings. It happened at places like Columbia and CUNY, and the University of Texas in Austin where our guest today, Dr. Peniel Joseph, teaches on the history of the Black Power movement. In the midst of the news cycle frenzy, an old phrase began popping up in discussions of who the protestors were and whether the police actions were justified. Authorities said (and media figureheads repeated uncritically) that protestors were infiltrated and influenced by “outside agitators.” It’s a phrase with a long history to it. Joining Matthew to unpack it is Dr. Peniel Joseph, a historian of the Civil Rights era, during which time the trope reached peak exposure, when it was lobbed at Martin Luther King Jr., as he sat in Birmingham Jail. Show Notes [Peniel E. Joseph] (https://penielejoseph.wordpress.com/) [NYPD Chief of Patrol on the “unknown entity”] (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/06/campus-protests-explanation-nypd/) [Thursday's Headlines: NYPD Discovers Chained Bike Locks Edition] (https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/05/02/thursdays-headlines-nypd-discovers-chained-bike-locks-edition) [Nearly all Gaza campus protests in the US have been peaceful, study finds] (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/10/peaceful-pro-palestinian-campus-protests) [Unmasking The 'Outside Agitator'] (https://www.wbur.org/npr/873592665/unmasking-the-outside-agitator) [Debunking the “Outside Agitator” Trope amid pro-Palestinian campus protests] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=cAysVzKnDzHB-uMG&v=StjGPHdvjmc&feature=youtu.be) [Cost of repairing occupation damage at Portland State library estimated at $750K] (https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/05/cost-of-repairing-occupation-damage-at-portland-state-library-estimated-at-750k.html) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

18 May 2024

37 MINS

37:24

18 May 2024

#472

206: Surviving Modern Yoga (w/ Matthew Remski)

Matthew is in the guest seat today! Why? Because in 2019—just months before the pandemic and this podcast kicked off—he published a book titled Practice and All is Coming: Abuse, Cult Dynamics and Healing in Yoga and Beyond. It focused on survivor stories of assault and abuse within the cultic mechanisms of Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga Yoga community. The book also proposed a path into co-creating safer yoga communities via enhanced critical thinking, self-and-other-care, student empowerment, and community resilience. In many ways, this book holds the keys to how one-third of the team has tackled the conspirituality era. Derek and Julian interview their colleague about it all on the occasion of the release of a second edition, now titled: Surviving Modern Yoga: Cult Dynamics, Charismatic Leaders, and What Survivors Can Teach Us (North Atlantic Books). Show Notes [Surviving Modern Yoga by Matthew Remski | PenguinRandomHouse.com] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739847/surviving-modern-yoga-by-matthew-remski/) [Yoga’s Culture of Sexual Abuse: Nine Women Tell Their Stories | The Walrus] (https://thewalrus.ca/yogas-culture-of-sexual-abuse-nine-women-tell-their-stories/) [Survivors of an International Buddhist Cult Share Their Stories | The Walrus] (https://thewalrus.ca/survivors-of-an-international-buddhist-cult-share-their-stories/) [How a #MeToo Facebook Post Toppled a Yoga Icon | by Matthew Remski | GEN] (https://gen.medium.com/how-a-metoo-facebook-post-toppled-a-yoga-icon-c25577185e40) [Shielded for Decades, A Yoga Leader's Alleged Sexual Abuse Finally Comes Under Fire] (https://gen.medium.com/shielded-for-decades-a-yoga-leaders-alleged-sexual-abuse-finally-comes-under-fire-97b79ddf990b) [How to Respond to Sexual Abuse Within a Yoga or Spiritual Community] (https://yogainternational.com/article/view/how-to-respond-to-sexual-abuse-within-a-yoga-or-spiritual-community/) —Jubilee Cooke, Karen Rain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

16 May 2024

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:50

16 May 2024

#471

Bonus Sample: The Force That Divides Us All

In 2020, former NY Times journalist Isabel Wilkerson published Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The book tells a compelling story: that the root of our social divisions is the invented hierarchical structure of castes, not, as we often assume in America, race. Race, she writes, is only another manifestation of caste. While it’s certainly an important topic here in America, Wilkerson shows, by investigating the longstanding caste system in India, the social divisions in Nazi Germany, and America’s founding and expansion through chattel slavery, that caste is a universal phenomenon. Derek discusses his thoughts on this powerful and important book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

13 May 2024

06 MINS

06:43

13 May 2024

#470

Brief: An Honest Discussion About Food (w/Dr Sarah Ballantyne)

Dr Sarah Ballantyne forged a career in science communication and health education advocating for autoimmune solutions in food and the paleo diet. In 2014, she began questioning her approach. Shortly after, she realized she was spreading nutrition misinformation and has dedicated her career to correcting those errors. Derek talks to Sarah about the dangers of diet and nutrition misinformation, dealing with obesity and eating disorders, and the challenges of talking about food in public. Her new book is Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need From the Food You Eat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

11 May 2024

44 MINS

44:59

11 May 2024

#469

205: Dismantling Movement Dogmas (w/Laurel Beversdorf & Sarah Court)

We have a real treat today for listeners who love all forms of movement, especially yoga and strength training. Derek and Julian talk to Movement Logic hosts, Laurel Beversdorf and Sarah Court, who navigate the curvilinear path of creating irreverent yet high quality science-based movement content that sets teachers and students free from dogma and fear-mongering. Our two podcasts intersect by looking into fallen gurus, pseudoscience health claims, dodgy alignment dogmas, and cults of personality susceptible to the dangers of conspiracism. And this week we’re diving into a recent Movement Logic episode on back pain specialist, Stuart McGill. Yet, as this conversation shows, all hope is not lost, and all physical culture is not a pipeline into body fascism, or worse—multi-level marketing. There are still intelligent and grounded educators who share the love of movement, infused with the logic and humility of science. Laurel Beversdorf is an international yoga educator, a certified kettlebell specialist, and a strength coach. Sarah Court is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, movement mentor, and yoga teacher trainer. Show Notes [Movement Logic] (https://movementlogictutorials.com/) [Episode 62: Make McGill Make Sense] (https://movementlogictutorials.com/2024/03/31/episode-62-make-mcgill-make-sense/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

09 May 2024

1 HR 16 MINS

1:16:21

09 May 2024

#468

Bonus Sample: Imaginary Children #1: Fetal Remains

In the first full episode of this ongoing series, Matthew looks at the anti-abortion arcs of two men: Rob Schenck and Frank Pavone. Both leaders invested the images and remains of the unborn with passionate but imaginary desires that obscured from them how much harm they were causing. One of them exited that highway, but the other is still burning it up. Includes the story of Kermit Gosnell, and how his Philadelphia abortion abattoir exemplified a political and moral disaster worthy of Naomi Klein. An obvious, organized crime, something that everyone could see but some tried to paper over, aided and abetted by the dominant order and progressive hypocrisy. Something that becomes the focal point of reasonable rage, but then leads to twisted conclusions. Content warning: abortion details. Full Show Notes available on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

06 May 2024

05 MINS

05:58

06 May 2024

#467

Brief: Religion is Not Belief? (w/Blair Hodges)

The late historian of religion James Carse (1932-2020) made a radical proposal in his 2012 book, The Religious Case Against Belief. He argued that beliefs, far from being central to or definitive of religion, are actually antithetical to religious community. A religion’s historical longevity, he argued, depends on its ability to absorb and neutralize beliefs—epistemological dead ends built on willful ignorance. “The challenge to religion,” Carse says, “is not its opponents from without, but its believers from within, and the real enemy of religion is belief itself.” What does this mean for a project like Conspirituality and other projects of disillusionment carried out in the shadow of New Atheism and other modern skeptical movements? Blair Hodges of the Fireside and Family Proclamations podcasts joins Matthew to discuss a potential casualty of the battle against religious extremism: a nuanced understanding of religion itself. Show Notes [The Religious Case Against Belief by James P. Carse] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/302326/the-religious-case-against-belief-by-james-p-carse/9780143115441) [Fireside with Blair Hodges] (https://www.firesidepod.org/) [Family Proclamations] (https://www.familyproclamations.org/) w/ Blair Hodges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

04 May 2024

47 MINS

47:19

04 May 2024

#466

204: What the Hell is RFK Jr Doing?

Robert F Kennedy, Jr isn’t backing down. You can’t get away from his voice or his endless content stream. He’s banked on tech world oligarch anti-vax mom, Nicole Shanahan, to nail down the VP slot. His Children’s Health Defense charity is casting doubt on whether polio was even a virus. And he keeps claiming he’s not against vaccines himself, but his messaging around it tells a different story. It’s been a few months since we’ve checked up on Chaos Kennedy, so it’s high time we did: to look at polling, rhetoric, and charismatic technique. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

02 May 2024

1 HR 10 MINS

1:10:19

02 May 2024

#465

Bonus Sample: Let's Talk About Gary Brecka

"Human Biologist" and life coach Gary Brecka's star rose after biohacking UFC President Dana White's health. Yet Derek has a few questions this week: Is someone with a degree from a chiropractic college qualified to talk about seed oils, GMOs, depression, tinnitus, fluoride, detoxifying through water fasts, and diet plans? Is it concerning that his 10X Health System cofounder is a fervent Scientologist? And what happens when you actually read the science Brecka is linking to? Show Notes [Worst U.S. cities for air pollution ranked in new American Lung Association report] (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/worst-air-pollution-ranked-cities-american-lung-association-report-state-of-the-air/) [GMO Foods: How Genetically Modified Foods Sabotage Your Health | Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9scCsGMqvo) [Are children and pregnant women risking their health by eating “GMO” foods? The American Association of Pediatrics controversially says ‘yes’. The real question: Is the AAP endangering the food vulnerable?] (https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2024/01/18/are-children-and-pregnant-women-risking-their-health-by-eating-gmo-foods-the-american-association-of-pediatrics-controversially-says-yes-the-real-question-is-the/) [Organic foods are not healthier...or pesticide free.] (http://healthier...or) [A Comprehensive Review of Health-Benefiting Components in Rapeseed Oil] (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9962526/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

29 Apr 2024

05 MINS

05:54

29 Apr 2024

#464

Deep Cut: On Belief

A Deep Cut from our Patreon archive (July 2023) What do we mean when we say that we believe something? When the QAnon Shaman got dressed on the morning of January 6, he put on his red, white, and blue face paint, his postmodern quasi-Native American horned fur hat, and grabbed the spear to which he had attached an American flag. In performance mode, this cosplay persona had already garnered him a taste of the attention that would soon increase exponentially as he became the most recognizable figure of the Capitol Riot. In today’s Bonus, Julian argues that his costume, as well as his ritual actions on that day were also an expression of a political worldview, run through with deeply held spiritual beliefs about the world and his role in it. The history of political religion, propagandistic conspiracies, and progressive spiritual convictions may show that—far from being trivial—belief is at the heart of the American, and perhaps the human, story. Intro music: [Single Origins—Luz Cafe] (https://open.spotify.com/track/2KeZQQu5hROsUjVrT92VRJ?si=9b86c986ef2c4bd4) Interstitial: [Silent Song—Eccodek (EarthRise SoundSystem Remix)] (https://open.spotify.com/track/0ksJEx73tRS7FpvrNpMK4a?si=fdb1e8b2a4ec4f17) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

27 Apr 2024

55 MINS

55:19

27 Apr 2024

#463

203: Is This a Joke? (w/Neal Brennan)

Neal Brennan has upped the artistic ante in stand-up comedy. In Netflix specials like "3 Mics and Blocks" he’s explored loneliness, isolation, and the mental health fallout of growing up the youngest of 10 in a Catholic family with an extremely unwell father. In the process he’s made some of the great mysteries of family pain and inner turmoil more tolerable. And—he’s a fan of our podcast, because in his search for relief, he’s tripped through the land of psychedelics, where conspirituality can sour the active ingredients. Neal joins us today to talk about his weird journey through the plant medicine scene, to wonder whether emotional and spiritual healing makes him funnier, and to answer our questions about how today’s comics are dealing—or not—with their supersized role as political pundits. His new special is called [Crazy Good.] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsJaoILz98Y) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

25 Apr 2024

1 HR 05 MINS

1:05:53

25 Apr 2024

#462

Bonus Sample: The Dark Sun, The Red Cow, and The End of Days

Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated as supernaturally-charged conspiracy theories about the solar eclipse flooded the internet. And so Julian searched for answers about the mysterious “red heifer.” What is so special about a red cow? Might its discovery and ensuing journey from Texas to Jerusalem have played a role in the October 7 attacks? Why are zealots from all three Abrahamic religions so focused on one piece of holy real estate? Could apocalyptic prophecies actually be self-fulfilling, even when the metaphysics are make-believe? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

22 Apr 2024

06 MINS

06:01

22 Apr 2024

#461

Brief: Yoga Teacher’s Survival Guide (w/Theo Wildcroft & Harriet McAtee)

Matthew is joined by Theo Wildcroft and Harriet McAtee, co-editors of The Yoga Teacher's Survival Guide: Social Justice, Science, Politics, and Power (Singing Dragon Publications), a volume of essays from 16 yoga world contributors. Three yoga culture critic nerds get into the weeds of how wellness workers and yoga teachers survive and navigate a post-pandemic world that exists at the crossroads of: ---capitalism and spirituality ---medicine and religion ---modern therapeutics and precolonial philosophy and caregiving ---gigwork and care work Theo is a yoga scholar. Harriet has been training yoga teachers for seven years in a little school in Oxford, UK. Show Notes [The Yoga Teacher's Survival Guide | Singing Dragon - US] (https://us.singingdragon.com/products/the-yoga-teachers-survival-guide) [Theo Wildcroft] (https://theowildcroft.com/) [Harriet McAtee] (https://nourishyogatraining.com/harriet/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

20 Apr 2024

42 MINS

42:19

20 Apr 2024

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#479

Brief: Dancing for the Devil (w/Derek Doneen)

#478

208: Dirty Dozen Disinformation (w/Drs Andrea Love & Michelle Wong)

#477

Bonus Sample: Public Theology and Hospice Care (w/Jude Mills)

#476

Brief: Is God Necessary in Spiritual Practices?

#475

207: Gaming Realities (w/Thi Nguyen)

#474

Bonus Sample: Russell Brand Is Christian Now?

#473

Brief: The Outside Agitator Conspiracy Trope (w/Dr. Peniel Joseph)

#472

206: Surviving Modern Yoga (w/ Matthew Remski)

#471

Bonus Sample: The Force That Divides Us All

#470

Brief: An Honest Discussion About Food (w/Dr Sarah Ballantyne)

#469

205: Dismantling Movement Dogmas (w/Laurel Beversdorf & Sarah Court)

#468

Bonus Sample: Imaginary Children #1: Fetal Remains

#467

Brief: Religion is Not Belief? (w/Blair Hodges)

#466

204: What the Hell is RFK Jr Doing?

#465

Bonus Sample: Let's Talk About Gary Brecka

#464

Deep Cut: On Belief

#463

203: Is This a Joke? (w/Neal Brennan)

#462

Bonus Sample: The Dark Sun, The Red Cow, and The End of Days

#461

Brief: Yoga Teacher’s Survival Guide (w/Theo Wildcroft & Harriet McAtee)