Sex, Religion, Power And Politics

Daniel Drasin, award-winning documentary filmaker, photographer and media producer for more than six decades has been actively investigating the field of afterlife communication through traditional mental and physical mediumship as well as modern electronics.  We'll discuss his journey in this field, his paranormal experiences and explore what that "veil" that separates this world from the next really might be.  Language is important and we'll explore why that is related to this topic and Daniel will distinguish between skepticism and pseudoskepticism.

D'vorah Grenn, Ph.D is an educator, writer, spiritual guide and founder of The Lilith Institute, A Center for Feminist Spirituality.  She's authored and curated many publications and has hosted her own podcast Tending Lilith's Fire.  Today she's decided to chat with us about the book, Talking to Goddess, the importance of women's writing, and especially women coming together to write their own prayers and why that's so important.

Are you hiding your intuitive potential?  If you are, you'll need to tune in and hear my interview with Cynthia Singleton because she's a kindred spirit.  Author of Amping Your Abilities: 77 Ways to Awaken, Explore and Ignite Your Intuition and maker of Kissing Cards, the game of the same name.  Cynthia will share with listeners some of her own experiences with unknown phenomena, how she discovered her "hidden" intuitive potential - and you can too!  I won't let her go before we try a few exercises on for size.

Molly Remer, priestess, mystic and poet hailing from Missouri is the author of ten books and a big fan of making devotion a daily practice and savoring the everyday enchantment that comes from that routine.  Molly, a wife and mother, will tell us how she manages to make space for the sacred in the middle of her busy life, as well as give us a few simple rituals we might use ourselves to spice up life at our home altars.  Getting a little more serious, I'll ask Molly what her approach to priestessing looks like these days.

Karen Tate shares her thoughts from her October newsletter, Toolbox for Transformation, where she discusses her spiritual path, including the next leg of that journey - exploring if there's a connection between Goddess Spirituality, which she's been teaching for 30 years, and Ascension, the Light and what societal changes needs to take place to evolve and manifest a new normal in the world.

Satya Lila, founder of the Sexual Communion program returns to the show to discuss the "Erotic Divine Feminine."  Satya Lila has taught and guided people in the area of sacred sexuality since 1993 and has had around 15,000 hours of client sessions and led hundreds of workshops all over the US and Japan.  Today we'll learn what the erotic divine feminine actually is and what the advantages of having a well-developed erotic divine feminine might be.  We'll also discuss why someone might not have a well-developed erotic divine feminine and what they can do about it.  We'll talk about expressing the erotic divine feminine and Satya Lila will tell us about someone whosse life was changed by activating her erotic divine femine...and of course we'll explore the divine part and how that connects with sexuality.  (Satya Lila was previously on VSF June 28 discussing The Energetics of Love Play.)

Cheryl Pallant, author, poet, energy healer, dancer, meditation teacher and faculty member at the University of Richmond shares the wisdom of her most recent book, Ecosomatics: Embodiment Practices for a World in Search of Healing.  She is also a contributing writer for Spirituality and Health Magazine and is a Reiki and Healing Touch practitioner.  Many of us have probably heard the term Ecosomatics bandied about but weren't quite sure what it was or how it might be important.  Well, today we get those answers as Cheryl explains ecosomatics, why its important during this period of climate crisis and she'll share how this practice might be used to support health.  She'll reveal her findings of how embodied most people are, what is somatic listening and if all important intuition can be learned - and how.  

Dawn DelVecchia, founder of the Return of the Priestess speaker series, the Return of the Priestess private community and the lineage bearer of the MotherSpirit Spiestess line has served as Priestess for more than 37 years with a deep background in Goddess lore, ceremony, spiritual counsel, channeling, tarot and soul astrology.  We'll talk today about where humanity finds itself, and the conscious or unconscious choices we might make as the world changes underfoot.  Will we choose the red pill or the blue pill?  Will we be ready to take a leap of faith or will we be left behind or force "the powers that be" to push us forward?  Dawn will define "the matrix" and explain the greater context of why now is the "wake-up and exit" call and what "exiting the matric" might look like.

Real Feng Shui?  Real Astrology?  What makes it real or unreal?  Those ideas might certainly raise some eyebrows and pique some curiosity but according to Dianne Lawson, who has been an astrologer for 50 years, taught hundreds of classes, had many, many clients, there's a method to using these alternative modalities to actually create the lives we want that goes beyond reading your astrology every morning or getting your chart done every year or making sure your bed faces the right direction.  And I won't let her get away before she gives us some important forecasts for 2023 and hopefully beyond to the 2024 election and some pending political situations that have so many captivated.  

Returning to the show is Marguerite Rigoglioso, founding director of Seven Sisters Mystery School discussing Restoring the Sacred Feminine in Plant Medicine.  We'll discuss why people are becoming more interested in plant medicine, what it does for people and now that plant medicines, (which have had a contentious recent history, like cannabis) are legal, how can we understand and find balance with right usage rather than misuse.  Marguerite will share why she's gone from private to public use of cannabis, how various sacred plants around the world relate to each other and how plant medicines promote gnosis and inner knowing.  Rigoglioso believes Santa Maria/Lady Cannabis holds wisdom for the world's challenges which will also be a topic of conversation. Finally, we'll talk about the divine feminine roots of sacred medicine plants such as cannabis and cacao and how we can more deeply align with and restore her feminine aspects for the healing and balanceing of our world today.

Scholar Beth Bartlett returns to the show with another thought provoking concept few of us seem to learn in our educational institutions but many should understand.  This program is about how we lost our concept of the Common Good and that loss just might have begun quite sometime ago.  We'll delve into the structures that drove people from self-sustainability and self- reliance into becoming wage slaves in cities, into patriarchy and capitalism.  It's quite a explanation no one should miss.  Beth will also offer ideas about how we just might restore this all important idea that serves humanity - putting importance not on just ourselves as individuals, but on the trive, the common good for us all so that we all thrive and prosper.  We'll also delve into the loss of our appreciation of vastness and what that might have to do with the loss of the common good.

For over 20 years, Laura Lee has been practicing and teaching ritual body postures which she describes as "the modern version of a very ancient technique for naturally and easily shifting into an expanded state of awareness, likened to a 'waking dream' or inward reverie characterized by the experience of a 'spirit journey.'  She's taught this around the world for decades with the last ten years serving as the Director of the Cuyamungue Institute, the world headquarters for this practice.  That's where our talk today takes us with the many aspects related to this practice.

As an author, student of spiritual well-being and advocate for positive social change, Janus has spent her adult life as a seeker.  The journey led through many areas of inquiry including the human potential movement, mythological studies and ancient sacred ways.  In this time she's come to believe quite a lot about Power and Energy which she'll share with us today.  We'll talk about the magickal things she's witnessed and how this fits into her spiritual belief system.

Irisanya Moon, author of 8+ books is also a priestess, teacher, initiate in the Reclaiming tradition as well as a devotee of Aphrodite, Hecate, the Norns and Iris.  She's been practicing her spirituality and magick for more than 20 years.  She will share with us her philosophy that life is and humans are love spells, ever experiencing a dance of desire and connection, moving in and out of the heart, always returning to love.  We'll ask her to dig deep and tell us how one knows if a deity is calling them, how to build a relationship with your deities and what she means by "life is a love spell."

Tom Quinn, twice Emmy-nominated writer/produceer who spent 22 years making documentary programs for Discovery Channel, History Channel, BBC and others including Discovery's archaeology adventure series, Expedition Unknown chats with me today about his humorous book, What Do You Do with a Chocolate Jesus? An Irreverent History of Christianity - written as an argument against the growing religious fundamentalism in American law and politics.  He's also produced shows on urban legends, conspiracy theories and religious cults.  Originally from New Jersey, Tom has an MFA from the American Film Institute and today works as a freelance writer for print and YouTube.  He calls himself a humorous skeptic.

Rachel McCoppin, Ph.D. professor of literature at the University of Minnesota Crookston is here to discuss her newest book, Goddess Lost: How the Downfall of Female Deities Degraded Women's Status in World Cultures.  Rachel will tell us why this topic is still relevant today and explain a bit about the history of goddess worship and what it meant to the role of women in each of the global regions identified in her book.  I'll be sure to ask her about women-centeredd religions or philosophies still practiced today and how understanding this history of goddess worship helps women today.  Other books by Rachel McCoppin are The Hero's Journey and the Cycles of Nature,  The Lessons of Nature in Mythology, The Legacy of the Goddess: Heroines, Warriors and Witches from World Mythology to Folktales and Fairy Tales and The Ecological Heroes of Amerindian Mythology

Satya Lila, founder of the Secual Communion program, has taught and guided people in the area of sacred sexuality since 1993.  With over 15,000 hours of client sessions under the belt and having led hundreds of workshops across the US and Japan, she specializes in helping women and couples to enhance their intimate connections, to allow the erotic divine energies to move through them and feel the ecstatic bliss of a sacred secual connection - and enjoy epic, earth shattering love play.

Marilyn Rosenbrock Nyborg, Sacred Activist, author of A Woman's Guide to Sacred Activism and co-founder of Gather the Women and Global Matrix gives listeners the ABC's of sacred activism:  What is it?  Is it religious?  Why Women?  Do you have to be an Extravert to participate?  How to incorporate your anger.  How to change people's minds.  Why this is different than men's approach at activism.  

Intuitive medium and channel, Marcia McMahon, interviewed on both radio and TV for over 15 years, is a spiritual teacher and Angelic Reiki Master healer.  She's with me today to discuss her book Mary Magdalene Speaks, composed of both researched and channeled information about the life of Mary Magdalene and Jeshsua, the bloodline and Holy Grail.  We'll delve into the discrepancies between traditional knowledge church authorities preach to the masses and the gnostic teachings Marcia has gleaned through her channeling gift.  Marcia will share some of Mary's wisdom, Marcia's experiences visiting sites sacred to Mary and Jesus in Israel as well as relics kept hidden by the Vatican.

Sheena Cundy, author of Witch Lit, The Magic of Nature Oracle, singer-songwriter of Morrigans Path, tarot reader/teacher and host of The Witch Wavelength podcast and non-fiction book of the same name calls in from the UK today to discuss her spiritualty and how it informs every aspect of her life.   Sheena will share her journey to become a pagan writer, musician and podcaster, the pros and cons of publishing, and the magic and madness that informed all her passions.