Stoner Story Witch

This episode does not center a particular story.  It is a revisiting of a {PAST} conversation, honoring that {people are stories, too!}.  

In this episode, Kristyn practices secure attachment and connects with her tattoo artist Dusty to discuss tattoos, the union of creativity and spirituality, and the practices that resourced us to leave the cult of evangelical Christianity while leaving the door open for the Numinous.

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Carmen Spagnola’s Numinous Network for courses on Secure attachment & ritual practices, her Podcast on Fascism, and her book  “The Spirited Kitchen” for more on Yule and other “rewilded” spiritual practices.

For more companioning around leaving the high demand group of fundamentalist/evangelical Christianity, check out Tia Leving’s Instagram and Substack and Jeanna Kadlec’s “Heretic”

For more on rewilding Yeshua/Jesus, check out Sophie Strand’s books: “The Madonna Secret” and “Flowering Wand”

For more animism and mythology for troubled times, check out The Emerald Podcast

Roadmap to Liberation with Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This episode contains spoilers for the season 1 ofBad Sisters on Apple- Watching not mandatory-Kristyn provides arecap in the beginning of the ep)

If practicing pleasure weren’t a radically potent act of resistance, then why are radical conservatives andlow value men so scared of women, trans, & queer folk experiencing it?  How does capitalism condition us into scarcity mindsets that keep our pleasure small?  What are simple, yet profound, practices that can help us embody the world we dream about?  Why does the etymology of the words we use to describe our pleasure parts and practices matter, and what words can we use instead?

Kristyn with a Why chats with her colleague and friendMarisa Sullivanabout their past pains of the patriarchy; the magical practices of self-pleasure, story, and creativity; and the importance of security, slowness, options, and consent-  through the lens of Bad Sisters season 1.

0: Introduction 

6:33: Kristyn gives an overview of Bad Sisters through the lens of the Stoner Story Witch

28:24: Introducing Marisa!

43:50: Marisa and Kristyn chat about Bad Sisters- Grace’s dance class and what the facilitator might have done differently

57:51: The importance of creativity: Grace’s art class and autonomy

1:06:23: Grace saved herself through story and creative practice

1:14:13: The different channels of pleasure, Romantasy/Onyx Storm connections

1:21:47:  Casting spells, at home practices

1:28:59: Kristyn gets personal

1:43:17: Marisa gets personal

1:50:38: More practices

1:59:06: Where you can work with Marisa

2:02:03: Gratitude, sneak peek of upcoming episodes

For more on pleasure, check outPleasure Activism byadriennemareebrown 

For more on the the liberation of women in hetero relationships, check out Zawn Villines’Liberating Motherhood Substack, andPodcast

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

The Numinous Network (where Marisa guides embodied movement sessions) and Carmen Spagnola’s courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition

The book“Love Sex and No Regrets for Today’s Teens” by Elizabeth Clark

Wheel of Consent/Consent Game

The life and death of Isadora Duncan

Eve Ensler & the Vagina Monologues

Marisa’s Teachers:Sheri Winston ,Mama Gina,Amina Peterson &Pamela Samuelson

Jacob Moreno & Pyschodrama

Pillars of Liberation withRev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

How can we resist buying into the big lie that we are alone?  What does it take to embody a sense of dignity and belonging when we hold dominant identities within oppressive systems?  Can we lay to rest the desire to be “pure, perfect, and innocent” and still be worthwhile to the revolution?

Kristyn with a Why receives compassionate witnessing from some of the folks from her Embodied Social Justice cohort (ESJC) in today's (relatively) mini episode.

0-11:00: Introduction, Updates, Synchronicities

11:16- end: Crying and Compassionate Witnessing by Embodied Social Justice Cohort

Check out Kristyn on the “Asteria’s Convos” podcast where they chatted about building community and sharing sourdough!

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

If you enjoyed today’s ep, you will probably love the Cosmic Anarchy Substack by Ayesha Khan, Ph.D  and on IG @wokescientist

Liberation with Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)
Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This episode contains spoilers for the first two books of The Empyrean Series- Fourth Wing and Iron Flame)

How can romantasy novels resource us to live a more liberated life?  How does “curing” a protagonist of their chronic pain support larger ableist narratives?  If you fall in love with a “book boyfriend” whose lands, language, and culture have been stolen from them- how can you show your devotion to them in real life and honor land back and indigenous sovereignty?  What would it take for us to stop policing groups we have been conditioned to hate/fear especially when the rules are unjust?  Do *all* romantasy fans play Dungeons and Dragons?

Kristyn with a Why sits down for a friendly chat with two friends she met on Reddit- Alexis (a writer/boardgamer) and Kendra (an aerialist/chiropractor and member of the Cree nation)- both of whom live with chronic illnesses.  Together they discuss how Violet’s journey resonated with them, what they would have liked to see more of, and they collectively imagine what liberation can look like in the soon to be released 3rd book of the series, Onyx Storm!

0- Episode Intro

5:30- Kristyn gives a reflective synopsis of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame

28:40-Introducing Alexis and Kendra

41:32- Critiques of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame

58:00- Moments in the book that resourced us

1:09:47- How Fourth Wing and Iron Flame help you FEEL liberation

1:15:30- What was lost? Connections with Indigenous themes

1:19:37- The value of not curing a chronically disabled protagonist

1:33:51- More connections and quotes of Indigenous themes

1:40:00-Hope for Onyx Storm

1:50:23- Outro

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

10 Principles of Disability Justice by Sins Invalid

Sophie Strand’ssubstack: You can preorder “The Body is a Doorway” here

For more community and witnessing around chronic illness and disability, check out Carmen Spagnola’sNuminous Network

Roadmap to Liberation withRev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This episode contains spoilers for seasons 1 and 2 of Squid Game)

How can I connect and hold space for someone who is moved by a story that I refuse to watch?  How does capitalism thrive in binary/hierarchical thinking: good vs bad, guilt vs innocence, us vs. them? Is consent and free will even possible in capitalism? In what ways is Squid Game a metaphor for reality shows like Love Island?  How can a practice of satisfiability and finding your “enough” disrupt the insatiable momentum of capitalism? How can we create the world we prefer while also fighting against unjust systems?

This episode flips roles asKevinsits Kristyn down to give a synopsis of Season 1 and Season 2 of Squid Game.  Then together they riff on how the puritanical obsession with innocence and perfection has kept us immobilized from just doing less harm and feeling more satiation in unjust systems of exploitation and “never enough.”  

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Grateful for the learning alluded to in today’s episode:

-Toi Smith 

-Carmen Spagnola’spodcast with Toi Smith, courses on Attachment and Contact Nutrition on theNuminous Network
-Ruben Anderson and the #smallanddeliciouslife

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This season contains spoilers for the show“Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple)

In what ways does Santa prime kids for the blind obedience to authority and black and white purity thinking that fascism requires?  How can stories help us overcome our fear response and reach for things we deeply yearn for?  Are reality TV shows (like Love Island) just another high demand group keeping us dysregulated and disconnected?  Is it even possible to untangle the web of fascism, diet culture, and Christian fundamentalism?

Kristyn with a Why sits down for a friendly chat with her BFF Jamie to discuss the synchronicities that have arrived since they invited Severance into their lives.

0-6:00: Introduction

6:00: Santa Claus as Milchek

11:48: The radical and uncomfortable task of creating more spaciousness from the demands of our jobs

24:30: Jamie connectsS2E3 to Love Island and reality TV

35:00: Jamie connectsS2E3 to Diet Culture and Christian Fundamentalism

43:36: Kristyn connectsS2E3 to the November election in the USA

48:41: Kristyn updates on the state of her marriage postS2E2

55:28:S2E4- how Subversive Smut can prepare the masses to confront “Big Lies”

57:00: Burt’s invitation to return to the “1st edition” of stories and intuitive connections with the divine fromS2E5

1:06:30: Stories as a way to connect and companion ourselves in our shared human experience

1:10:00 Outro

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Tia Leving’sInstagram andSubstack

Carmen Spagnola’sPodcast on Fascism

Sophie Strand’s novel:“The Madonna Secret”

Roadmap to Liberation withRev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This season contains spoilers for the show“Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple)

What are all the ways that we sever from parts of ourselves?  How does public school utilize the tools of “the break room” to foster compliance rather than embody liberation?  How was Helly’s embodied elitism a catalyst for her Innie to revolt? How does Burt living out his “1st edition” beliefs radicalize Irv into queering his “ramrod straight” self?  What does it take for Dylan to discover that the fingertraps of capitalism are insufficient and isolating?

Kristyn with a Why sits down for a friendly chat with her friendJohn Klingler- a public school history teacher and somatics coach.  They discuss the push-pull between the Innies’ search for meaning and mattering with the Outties’ quest to forget.

0-7:50: Introduction

7:50: Thoughts from a history teacher, parallels between Severance and public schools, “Break room” as “break your will room” & training subconscious that “it is dangerous to rest”

27:15: Helly’s Embodied Anti-Capitalism– her elitism is a liability to Lumon on the Severed floor where she is no longer trying to earn secure attachment with her father

37:20: Irv’s radicalization

1:04:45: Dylan’s radicalization

1:14:30: Outro

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Work with John atburiedwisdom.com

Resmaa Menakem’s book: My Grandmother’s Hands

Carmen Spagnola’s Hypnotherapy and courses on Secure attachment & Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network, preorder herbook here

Hospicing Modernity (Book)

*Prentis Hemphill’s book: What it takes to heal*

*Prentis uses they/them pronouns, in the pod Kristyn clumsily used “women” to relate Prentis Hemphill’s embodiment work IRL to Reghabi’s reintegration work in "Severance" andpronouns matter.

The Hive- in-person and online classes in Cincinnati

Roadmap to Liberation withRev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

This bonus and first ever mini-sode is a practice of trust--recorded, edited and uploaded in an hour.

Kristyn takes a moment to celebrate the podcast's half revolution around the sun: Timeline peering the last six months, sharing best predictions for early 2025 (more subversive smut coming soon?!), and offering a tearfelt thank you to listeners-

THANK YOU for sitting around my campfire with me the last 6 months.

(This season contains spoilers for the show“Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple, and this episode contains spoilers for the romantic fantasy (romantasy) series “A Court of Thorns and Roses” (ACOTAR) by Sarah J Maas)

How can we increase intimacy with someone by opening ourselves to the stories that are speaking to them?  What can we learn about our own liberation when we engage in acts we have been conditioned to think of as “taboo”?  How can sci-fi and fantasy stories become our guides and companions to help us grapple with the realities of our world?  How can an author’s strategic use of attachment biology and “contact nutrition” enable readers to completely shift their allegiances?  What makes romantasy so fricking compelling, anyway!? 

Kristyn with a Why sits down for a friendly and integrative chat with her friend and fellow “movement fantasy baker” Burju about creativity, romantasy, and grappling with late-stage capitalism through the lens of “ACOTAR.”

0-17:39: Intro, connection to Severance, pollination and polyamory

17:45-28:41: Intro to Burju, Burju answers the pod’s 3 questions

28:45-45:40: Why we love ACOTAR/How Fantasy helps us see our life 

45:40-1:04:28: Our overview of ACOTAR

1:04:28-1:16:13:Fiction and Desire/Romantic love as metaphor for a creative practice, secure attachment for the sake of creating

1:16:13-1:25:11:Fantasy/Symbols are psychological, not literal/remembering that wealth is a symbol/side-eyeing the hoarded wealth of the romantasy genre’s  justice-minded revolutionary love interests

1:25:11-1:33:50: Kristyn breaks down “Contact Nutrition under the Mountain”- how stories wield the tools of attachment to change readers’ minds 

1:33:50-1:46:04:Power/TheDionysian roots of Rhysand 

1:46:04-2:22:30: “Subversive Smut,” locating ourselves in a story, how romantasy can radicalize readers to feel solidarity with CEO assassins, grappling with what it is to have power and own a business in late-stage capitalism

2:22:30-end: When people/practices we thought were the destination end up being stepping stones, how the Feyre character in ACOTAR can help connect us to our own agency

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration in today’s episode:

Sophie Strand’sSubstack and Writings onDionysis 

Natalie Wynn’sContrapoints video on Twilight/Romantasy

Celeste Davis’Substack onElizabeth Gilberts’ discussionof degraded vs divine masculine and feminine

Carmen Spagnola & courses on Secure attachment & Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network, preorder herbook here

Roadmap to Liberation withRev. angel Kyodo williams

Recommendation for healing for patriarchal males- bell hooks

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This season contains spoilers for the show“Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple)

How might someone heal from a coercive relationship or high demand group?  How can we identify fascism and fight tyranny and why must we?  How can we respond when escape is off the table?  When trauma severs the mind from the body, what are the pros and cons of “top down” vs “bottom up” healing modalities?  How can we discern when “wellness” isn’t safe?  How is absurdity a hallmark of collapse?

Kristyn with a Why chats with her teacher and mentor Carmen Spagnola about disorganized attachment, cult tactics, fascism, “wellness,” and collapse through the lens of Severance.  

--------------------

0-11:14 Intro to episode

11:14-18:00: Intro to Carmen

18:00-31:51: Petey’s Protocol- How to heal from high demand groups

31:51-45:31:  The disorganized field of Lumon- How fascism depends on cult tactics of hijacking your nervous system

45:31-58:44: When Mark sculpts a tree/When “wellness” isn’t safe- Somatics and “top down” vs “bottom up” healing modalities

58:44-1:08:40: Severance is absurd and so is Collapse- "We are in the Bread and Circus Phase"

1:08:40-1:21:22:  a liberated future for Helly in Season 2, collectively imagining a better future.

1:21:22-end:  If you enjoyed this interview, you can preorder Carmen’snext book!/ Outro

Scene Links—------------------------

Wellness Session

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

PreOrderCarmen Spagnola’s book here

Alexandra Stein’s book: Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems

Timothy Snyder’s Book: On Tyranny

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

(This season is related to the show “Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple)

How is it that, once you start tracking power, rank, and privilege- you start noticing how the invitation for liberation is always bottom-up?  How do we reach for authenticity in relationships where one person’s pain activates the other’s shame response?  How can we utilize ritual to metabolize and mobilize disorganization while practicing security?  Can cis-het women practice pleasure through embodying moments of the “Mediocre Sitcom Dad” archetype?

Kristyn with a Why engages in an emotionally raw “discord mode” with her partner Kevin. If you like Reality TV- especially fraught emotional predicaments based on historical abandonment wounds and attachment patterns, you may really enjoy this “Reality Podcast.”  

Please tend to your nervous system and listen with caution, while moving/tasking, and/or taking many breaks, or even consider skipping this episode altogether.  Be kind and compassionate to yourself. 💖

(See time stamps and links to the scenes, songs, and resources mentioned in the podcast below.)

0-5:18- Intro, locating this episode post US election, edited on Nov 6th

5:31-13:00- My Reality Podcast, Persephone making Hades listen

13-15:00- Overview of the three parts

15:00-18:00- Intro Part 1, Marriage Ritual, and Content Warning

Part 1 (Recorded Oct 23rd)

18:13-33:20- Ani DiFranco giving Kristyn purpose, the small request that is HUGE, laying to rest her tendency to protect Kevin from her authenticity companioned by Helly’s sacred “FUCK NO!”

33:20-38:16- “Bottom up” versus “top down” strategies for reintegration (What was the protocol that Petey ignored?)

Part 2 (Recorded Oct 23rd, 2 hours after pt 1)

38:26- 1:14:41- Kevin’s  impulse to want to be absolved of culpability in holding space for kristyn's pain, the usefulness of guilt vs shame, the difference in consistency and perfection, the “Capital R” Request of not activating her trauma, and “small r” requests to “plump up her amygdala”  How Kristyn and Kevin’s fear of failure manifests in opposite actions, introducing the archetype of the “Mediocre Sitcom Dad”

Part 3(Recorded Oct 28th)

1:15:00-end Kevin and Kristyn Summarize events of the previous 5 days, and an unrecorded conversation, how Jacob Collier’s Little Blue gave Kevin “bottom up” clarity, “Discord Mode” requires different practices than other modes of conversation (and based on the Power Rank and Privilege), revisiting the “mediocre SHITcom dad”, and the profound practice of the community care that is sourdough.

#severance #attachment #disorganizedattachment #anidifranco #hadestown #reghabi #liberation #imnoheroine #couplestherapy #realityTV #jacobcollier #littleblue #mediocresitcomdad #kevincanfhimself #sourdough

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration in today’s episode:

My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her marriage miniseries, courses on Secure attachment, Contact Nutrition, and collapse on The Numinous Network 

Roadmap to Liberation with Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

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Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

(This season is related to the show“Severance”- season 1 aired in 2022 on Apple)

In what ways is capitalism a cult: a high demand group that thrives off of the confusion and insecure attachment of its members?  How do dystopian “fictional” stories such as Severance equip us for the realities of our present moment?  

Kristyn with a Why has a friendly chat with her BFF Jamie about witchy shit (like sourdough, cats, and astrology) as well as an introduction into the themes of attachment- especially disorganized attachment- in the world of Severance.

(The Roadmap to Liberation with rev angel Kyodo williams is happening NOW, if you would like to register, you can do sohere)

(See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.)

Intro 0-4:00

Settling in with Jamie: 4:04-5:46

Sourdough Synchronicities 5:54-9:44

Lunation chit chat 9:50–14:50

Why Jamie? Our relationship history: 15:00-24:20

Why Severance? How we got here?: 24:20- 31:48

Intro to Disorganized attachment : 31:55- 43:00

What is Secure Attachment?: 43:07–45:06

Types/Levels of Severance (and concussion anecdote) 45:10-58:30

Examples of the Disorganized field in Severance: 58:34-1:21:26

Themes of Severance: 1:21:35-1:26:50

SSW Questions/Sourdough/Signoff 1:26:57- 1:31:59

My Why/Locating myself in Severance: 1:33:22-1:36:51

Signoff/Invitation to rev’s Roadmap 1:37-end

Scene Links—------------------------

Wellness Session

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment, Contact Nutrition, and Collapse on The Numinous Network 

The Small and Delicious Life- Ruben’s easiest and most accessible sourdough ever!

Roadmap to Liberation withRev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

—------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you,call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls oremail them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire,can you help to add yours to the list?​

Spread the word on social media, or check outOperation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need.

Kristyn is joined live by her husband and sound editor in today’s episode where she revisits and reflects on her relationship to Sourdough and how it is continuing to guide her(See Episode 0: What’s in a Name?)as she is gearing up for a new season of the podcast and any other synchronous pleasures and breadcrumbs that may line the path.

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way

adrienne maree brown’s “Emergent Strategy”

Sarah Faith Gottesdiener’s Many Moons Lunar Planner (available for preorder now!)

The Numinous Network with Carmen Spagnola for all the Attachment and Contact Nutrition courses and resources

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

—------------------------------------------

Thank you Resource Generation for the following:

We know that climate disasters are a direct product of all the other systemic failures in our society. For instance, housing insecurity is only magnified by climate insecurity—as climate disasters can, and have, destroyed homes in a matter of minutes. Historically corporate lobbying, funded by wealthy people, has prioritized the expansion of fossil fuels over protecting our communities. In times like these, we lean on our movement partners’ wisdom about how to proceed and support. Today, we are learning from Movement For Black Lives member Southerners on New Ground’s (SONG) wisdom: 

“We know that nothing about this disaster or what is happening to our people is natural. It is not natural for police officers and militiamen to guard stocked grocery stores in areas without food or water. It is not natural for workers in Erwin, TN to be missing after being forced to continue working as their town flooded. It is not natural to leave people in cages while cities evacuate. It is not natural to plan to pave over forest wetlands to build a Cop City when flooding in Atlanta worsens each year. It is not natural that our region will have to fight tooth and nail for recovery resources while our government spends billions funding genocide. In the face of it all, we must do the most natural thing we can, we must turn towards each other.”

Indeed, as catastrophic as these moments are, they can also be transformative as communities come together to respond, and in our best moments imagine another world as possible. Please consider donating to Mutual Aid Disaster Relief who are doing incredible work and need our support and any other ways you can redistribute power and be in solidarity.

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

How does our creative process actually create us?  How does having a thriving ecosystem of relationships and creative outlets better resource us for ALL our relationships and creative projects?  How can we create community and engage in metaphor to support ourselves?  What does sourdough have to do with any of this??

Kristyn with a Why gets personal and reflects on the process of season 1, sharing more backstory of the last year of the three-year journey leading up to the release of the podcast in this decidedly un-finale episode of “season 1.”

(Free week on The Numinous Network with Carmen Spagnola is September 9-15, join her newsletter if you would like to join me there! <3)

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Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

The Numinous Network with Carmen Spagnola

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)
Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women” and this episode connects it to the 2019 Tony Award winning musical “Hadestown.”

How are period pieces a prophetic praxis that helps us to view the reality of THIS moment in time?  In what ways is/can our creative practices be liberatory?  How can we reach toward a liberated future when public schools are priming and praising students to obey fascism?  Is Orpheus even a real person, a metaphor for creativity, or a manic pixie dream boy?

Kristyn with a Why dives deep into the themes of liberation in stories- how they invite us to liberation through the cracks in the walls: the 4th wall between us and the characters in stories, the walls we build between “us” and “them”, and the walls of domesticity that we build to keep us from remembering our wildness.  

(See time stamps and links mentioned in the podcast below.)

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Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Anna Kendrick “the characters in musicals don’t acknowledge they are singing”

Sophie Strand’s Disappearing stars and Fake Realism and “Orpheus is a Title” 

Roadmap to Liberation “Prophetic Praxis”

My recovering teacher blog post

Akilah richards’ Raising Free People

Fascism 101: Episode 207 of The Numinous Podcast

Kurt Vonnegut shape of stories

Manic pixie dream girls or stale white wonderbread boys?

Rewilding 101course

Liberated to the Bone book

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Hadestown Links:

Persephone’s “Crack in the Wall” on Hadestown  (The “song/story” is (a) meta(phor), folks!)

“Wedding Song”-  Orpheus’ Song will bring world into tune and make flowers bloom, and Eurydice chooses to stay with Orpheus (How Jo is in tune when connected to her creativity, and how Meg chooses John despite him being a poor man)

“Hey little songbird”- No good choices in late stage capitalism (Meg stumbles when buying the silk, and Jo “sells out” to Dashwood).

“Flowers” -Eurydice forgets who she is, but vaguely remembers a field of flowers. (Jo isn’t signing her name on her writing and longs for her childhood when her family was enough)

“How Long?”-  Persephone makes Hades listen to Orpheus’ song (How Dashwood’s daughters made him see Jo’s book was worth publishing)

Why we build the wall: Capitalism requires we put up walls and remain disconnected, from ourselves, our creativity, from each other, from the natural world.

Time Stamps:----------------------------------

 0-9:36: Intro to “Crack in the wall”

9:36-20:10: Period Pieces as Prophetic Praxis

20:10-36:50: The problem with public schools/Unschooling

36:50-39:22: Meg:John::Eurydice::Orpheus

39:22-46:00:  Creative Practice=Liberation

46:00-52:57: Jo:Orpheus::Beth:Eurydice

52:57-1:01:00: Eurydice:Orpheus::Jo::Creative Practice

1:01:00-1:06:00:  We can all be an Orpheus

1:06:00-1:12:00: Why do we build the wall?

1:12:00-end: Outro/Gratitude

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

—---------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women”

Wouldn’t Sally have a more intimate friendship with Meg if she were better attuned to the gap in their economic realities?  If Laurie weren’t so worried about pleasing his rich grandfather would he feel free to pursue his creativity?  How did forming attachment with Beth provide the catalyst for Mr Lawrence to move from a place of “charity” to “reciprocity”?  In what ways does Aunt March’s scarcity mindset and hoarding tendencies keep her from being able to live her life in alignment with her values?  

Kristyn with a Why dives deep into the “wealth wound” in this episode- extending compassion to four people to whom capitalism has severed from earning secure attachment: with their friends, family, community, and themselves. 

**We will never pretend that people in up-power positions in systems of domination and oppression are harmed in equal or greater ways than those in down-power positions within those systems.  And yet, in order to be ignorant of your power and complacent within these systems- one must be severed from their sense of shared humanity, and this is a wound that needs tending (but never at the expense of folks in down-power positions).**

(See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.)

 0-6:26: Content Warning

6:26-10:44: Land Acknowledgment, Locating my positionality in the story of Little Women

10:45-13:00: Introduction to “the wealth wound”

13:00-17:24: Sally

17:24-23:28: Laurie

23:30-28:14: Mr. Laurence

28:14-39:50: Aunt March 

39:50- 46:35: Unpacking my personal positionality in this story

46:35- 49:00: Striving for the Marmee life: divesting by increasing community

49:00-end: Outro/Gratitude

Scene Links—------------------------

Sally at thedress shop

Mr Laurence andBeth

Aunt march and Amy 

Marmee:Breakfast to Hummels

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Land Acknowledgement

*Resmaa Menakem’s book “My Grandmother’s Hands” is a great resource at looking into how systems of domination impact bodies differently depending on their power in that system- specifically racialized trauma*

Dra Rocio Rosales Mesa- for more compassionate holding towards unlearning and healing from colonial programming.

Carmen Spagnola and The Numinous Network 

Toi Marie-Instagram- “The responsibility of white wealth”

“Selling labor for currency” 

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

—---------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you,call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls oremail them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire,can you help to add yours to the list?​

Spread the word on social media, or check outOperation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women”

In what ways is a creative practice also a liberation practice, and why is Jo the only one who gets to carry her creativity with her into adulthood? (hint: it’s capitalist patriarchy)  What are the archetypal choices, needs, and thresholds the March sisters represent? What happens when: you can’t get what you want, when you get what you want only to realize you don’t actually “love it as you should,” and when your life circumstances shift in ways that make you question whether you would make the same choice in the present that you did in the past?  It’s 2024 and we still need better choices!

Kristyn with a Why dives deep into the March sisters in this episode- inviting us to see ourselves reflected back.  What if we reacted to/interacted with each sister as some part of ourselves?  How might we unlock the liberatory potential of stories by practicing empathy with its characters: “How do I relate to their choices, big lies, needs, and thresholds?  How do their stories resource me for my own life as I reach towards what matters to me?”

(See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.)

 0-5:00: Scope of season and review of where we are

5:00-7:20: Intro to Episode 3

Jo- : 7:20-15:20

Meg: 15:20-29:30

Amy: 29:30-37:50

Beth: 37:50-43:14

*Kristyn Crying about Beth* 43:14-46:10

More Beth 46:10-52:42

Outro/Gratitude: 53-end

Scene Links—------------------------

Jo is Lonely and Marmee bringing Jo food (1:20-1:28)

Meg: Pretending to be someone else, Silk Conflict with John, Wedding Day wish to be with John, Choosing John again.

Cypher in the Matrix

Amy can’t be deemed a genius, so may as well marry rich

Beth and Jo at the Beach, and pretty sure I pulled from my subconscious about Beth’s death in the 1994 movie, too!

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Kurt Vonnegut’s shape of stories

My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network 

Tarot Teachers: Jessica Lanyadoo and Sarah Faith Gottessdiener

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

—---------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women”

How does “Contact Nutrition” build secure attachment? What is liberation if not people in up-power positions being in solidarity with those in down-power?  Specifically, how can we, as parents, teachers, and adults, respect kids when they are occupied and meet them where they are rather than demanding they operate on our schedule?  And also, some “Friedrich fan fic” for an important invitation to liberation that was not explicitly told in the film.

Kristyn with a Why dives deeper into secure attachment- through “contact nutrition” and moments of attunement and misattunement.  Put differently, “what to do (and not do) when you are in a position of power, rank, and privilege over someone else in order to earn secure attachment with them?”  Specifically analyzing Sallie’s ignorance over Meg’s financial status, Aunt March’s power over Amy, Friedrich’s patriarchal conditioning that kept him unaware of Jo’s emotional risk in exposing her work to him, and diving into some deep stuff around rage, repair, and death in relation to Amy burning Jo’s book and falling through the ice.

(See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.)

Intro 0-3:00

Overview of Contact Nutrition and (mis)attunement: 3:00-6:00

Jo & Teddy and Jo and Friedrich Meeting-Contact Nutrition as Hollywood’s way to show that “bonding has happened”: 6:00-8:40

Misattunement with kids- Aunt March and Amy: 8:40-14:40

Sally in the Silk Shop: 14:40-18:12

What could Friedrich have done differently? 18:20-26:50

Friedrich Fan Fic: 26:55-32:30

Book Burning/Falling in the Ice: 32:40-40:18

Marmee!! 40:20-52:55

Outro/Gratitude: 53-end

Scene Links—------------------------

Jo meets Teddy and Friedrich and Jo Meet Cute

Aunt march and Amy 

Meg: Silk shop with Sally, Silk Conflict with John, Wedding Day wish to be with John, Choosing John again.

Friedrich’s feedback

Jo burning Amy’s book

Amy falling through the ice

**Cannot find scene about rage with Jo and Marmee** :(

Marmee bringing Jo food (1:20-1:28)

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network 

Virginia Sole Smith’s substack: Attuning with kids: Dinners are a meeting we call and set the agenda, bedtime is a meeting the kids are calling us to that we want to attend.

You’re Only as good as your last goodbye- “Alex” by Punch Brothers

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

—---------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women”

What is Secure Attachment? How can period pieces be a useful tool for locating ourselves in our current moment?  How “process>product” yields creative practices that help us cultivate secure attachment within ourselves.  And Happy Pride Month to Jo!

Kristyn with a Why explores the question “is it possible to earn secure attachment across lines of power, rank, and privilege?” by specifically looking at four men in Jo’s life (Mr Dashwood, her Father, Laurie, and Friedrich), how she relates to them, how they influence her attachment, and their impact on her creative trajectory.  

(See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.)

Intro 0-4:00

Overview of the Season: 4-9:00

Secure Attachment: 9-14:00

Male Gaze/Jo’s Queer Self: 14-17:30

Father: 17:35-20:20

Dashwood: 20:20-23:29

Friedrich: 23:29-29:50

Laurie 29:50-35:30

Men lose community in patriarchy: 35:30

Jo’s Gaze: 38:25-41:55

Outro 41:55-end

Scene Links—------------------------

Father’s noteand breakfast to Hummels

Dashwood office

Friedrich’s feedback

Laurie’s Proposal

Men on outside before Marmee leaves  (at 1:40)

Jo lamenting to Marmee: Used to be enough but it isn’t anymore

Beth wanting Jo to write

Amy “writing about it will make it important”

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network 

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

As always:----------------------------------

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically“Our Lady of the Underground” andOrpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)

Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

—---------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you,call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls oremail them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire,can you help to add yours to the list?​

Spread the word on social media, or check outOperation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

What are the questions Stoner Story Witch invites us to ask?  Is Stoner Story Witch a set of instructions?  In what ways is Stoner Story Witch an archetypal energy? What exactly defines a poem, anyway? How does sourdough relate to any of this??

Kristyn with a Why discusses the title of “Stoner Story Witch” and shares a little bit of backstory to the three-year journey leading up to the release of the podcast in this decidedly un-pilot episode.

—------------------------------------------

Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. 

—---------------------------------------------

Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass

Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira

The Numinous Network and Quest teachings with Carmen Spagnola

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Here is a link to the blog post I mentioned.

As always:----------------------------------

Stoner Story Witch weaves together the works of: healing from and unlearning the colonial mind*, liberation roadmap and embodied social justice**, and the responsibility of white wealth***, through an animistic worldview, attachment focus, and collapse-aware lens****.

*Dra Rocio Rosales Mesa

**rev. angel Kyodo williams

***Toi Smith

****Carmen Spagnola

Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

“Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

Matt Schubbe (Logo)
Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)