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Friends,
We talk so much about the occult on this show – about angels and esoteric philosophies, about magic and materialism – but I don’t get a chance to talk about God often. Which is why I invited writer, theologian, and peace maker PadraigÓTuama onto the show.
That time, and his huge body of experience dealing with deep divisions and aggressive oppositions, serves as the foundation of much of our talk, which circles around conflicts and how God, power, and powerlessness mediates them.
This is an episode unlike any other, and I’m so happy to share it with you.
We talk:
Whether or not we should pray to God or ourselves
The good and boring versions of Superman
Seeking, wielding, and letting go of power
The economy of victimhood
How to resolve conflict with fascists (potential and otherwise)
Keeping an eye on who’s exploiting every conflict
Brexit and the British Border (Padraig’s better name for the “Irish Border)
Taking an interest in what people valuein every situation, and the erosion of that interest
Loneliness and confidence
And Padraig also reads his beautiful poem “Day of the Dead”.
Who better to go on a spiritual adventure with on the podcast than my pal Pete Holmes! There are lots of places you might know Pete from; his stand-up, his spirituality-meets-comedy podcast You Made It Weird, his HBO show Crashing, or his new book, Comedy Sex God. Pete and I have been wanting to record another show since ourepicconversationonPete‘spodcast, and it’s a great and wide-ranging discussion but for me, the big news is that we do a short but totally accessible spiritual experiment to unravel the weirdness of the universe just through paying attention to our own experiences.
We also discuss
what toxic masculinity means if no one really has a definition of masculinity
identity and certainty
whether or not lucid dreaming is good for us
just how much free will do we have, anyway?
what Louis CK represents to people, especially in his “comeback” set, and why it’s important to think about those representations
Please pay for the podcasts you love, including this one. This podcast is always free and available to the public, but your support is crucial to keep it going. If you find something of value on my show, give back and support the many hours of free content I offer every month for the price of a latte or cocktail or lunch.
I’ve been longing to introduce you to Christian occultism more deeply, and particularly the work of Stylianos Atteshlis, also known as Daskalos. So I’ve invited one of my spiritual teachers, who was also a student of Daskalos’s. author Daniel Joseph, onto the show to explore why Christian occultism matters now more than ever.
If you’re turned off by the “Christian” part, but interested in the “occultism” part, listen through; you’ll find that there’s plenty there to think through. In fact, we don’t mention Christianity as such very much, but it runs through the work and practice. And if you’re turned off by both, Daniel and I break down all the seemingly hocus pocus terminology and make it intelligible for secular listeners.
Daniel runs workshops for The Researchers of Truth, who carry on Daskalos’s work, and I highly recommend you check them out.
Daskalos’s work, via Daniel and his spiritual partner, Aki Toshimutsu, has changed my life, and I know many people can benefit greatly from engaging with it.
Daniel and I discuss:
Who Daskalos is, how Daniel came to meet his teachings, and why his work matters so much.
What are the “Seven Ascended Masters”? (We really do get to it by the end of the ep)
How Westerners often reject Western esotericism
How religious Christianity has wounded people and how that Christianity is much different than Christian occultism and esotericism
Daskalos’s healing miracles, and how proximity to spiritual truth can itself be healing
What the human being is and what dreams are
Why dead people often don’t know they’re dead (and how you can tell if you’re dead or not)
The different esoteric bodies
Why some esoteric masters are public, some remain hidden, and one that was recently incarnated
The illusion of time
Where humanity will be in a million years and why nuclear war and climate change won’t be the end of us
The theory of understanding and practice of engaging with elementals
The skill of spiritual listening, versus secular hearing
Being frustrated when we don’t have spiritual encounters
Why Conner was all nervous about this episode, and how to deal with this nervousness when you’re about to speak with someone
Well hello everyone! AEWCH 14 is me and Peter Rollins — author, philosopher and radical theologian — talking about religion without God, about desire and psychoanalysis, about the way pleasure and pain are intertwined. I have to say, this is my favorite episode so far!
A small but fun-fact backstory: Peter and I used to be roommates – I was a fan and I hit him up and we hung out and then a year later we were living together. If you like our conversation, please consider supporting Peter’s Patreon as well:
IN THIS EP
How to have religion without God: 1:20
Why do we hide under the covers to protect ourselves?: 5:50
The way we enjoy our fears and oppressions: 8:00
The only true analysis in the second before you die 9:05
It’s difficult to know what you don’t believe, but the unexamined life is not worth living: 10:10
Young Conner vs Dracula: 11:35
“One of life’s great pleasures is having enemies…the trick is picking the right one”: 14:28
Love Trump’s hate: 14:45
We have not seen the enemy and it is us: 17:10
What if this is the world we want? How would we make it better?: 18:35
Whether you like Freud or not, here’s his point that we should all be grateful for: 21:45
Why gamblers don’t want to win: 24:35
The value of being a utopianist: 26:10
Conner’s brushes with atheism, and how Simone Weil saved him: 38:15
CS Lewis meets an obscure Italian occultist in the light: 52:05
How to act when you’re a mystery to yourself: 55:50
“Monogamy is the most widespread perversion”: 1:00:20
The value of grace and forgiveness: 1:10:00
Why are people suspicious of pleasure: 1:23:40
As always, I invite you to support the show and my work via my Patreon. Your contribution is so helpful and helps me not lose my mind with all the time I dedicate to this and other projects.