Unseen Beings

In this episode, host Erik Jampa Andersson sits down with Lian Brook-Tyler, a shamanic healer and co-founder of the Be Mythical Academy. They discuss the importance of living a soul-led, heart-centred, and sovereign path, reclaiming our wildness, and actualsing our deepest gifts. They explore the limitations of modern spirituality and the need to integrate relational dynamics into our spiritual practice. They also touch on the challenges of language in recognising the personhood of non-human beings, the never-ending nature of the spiritual path, and the impact of neurodivergence on spirituality. The conversation touches on the need to move away from a monolithic and homogenous view of humanity (and nature) and embrace the richness of individual differences. They also explore the idea of "living mythically" and its relation to being in relationship with the many others in our more-than-human world.

Takeaways

• Living a soul-led, heart-centered, and sovereign path is essential for reclaiming our wildness and actualizing our deepest gifts.
• Modern spirituality often overlooks the importance of relational dynamics and the recognition of personhood in non-human beings.
• Language plays a significant role in how we perceive and relate to the world around us.
• The spiritual path is an ongoing journey of growth and exploration, with no fixed destination.
• Neurodivergence can impact our relationship with spirituality, both positively and negatively. Neurodivergent individuals may have a unique relationship with the spiritual realm due to their different ways of experiencing the world.
• Embracing neurodiversity and recognizing the value of diverse perspectives is important.
• It is essential to move away from a monolithic and homogenous view of humanity and embrace the richness of individual differences.
• Living mythically involves living one's own true story and recognizing the enchantment and interconnectedness of the world.
• Being in relationship with others and the natural world is a fundamental aspect of living a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Learn More about Lian

Lian's Website: https://www.bemythical.com       
Lian's Podcast: https://www.bemythical.com/podcast       
Courses: https://www.bemythical.com/godeeper     
Lian's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bemythical 
Free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1694264587546957      
Lian's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeMythical   
Lian's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/be.mythical/

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On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this episode, we are joined by author and journalist Mike Fiorito to discuss his upcoming book, 'For All We Know' (now available for pre-order), and to chat about UFOs, enchantment, spirituality, music, and the manifold ways that humans metabolise extraordinary and anomalous experiences. 

Mike is a freelance journalist and the author of The Hated Ones, Falling from Trees, Sleeping with Fishes, Call Me Guido, Freud’s Haberdashery Habits and Hallucinating Huxley. His most recent book, 'Mescalito Riding His White Horse,' received the 2024 Independent Press Distinguished Book Award (in the Spiritual category), and *Falling from Trees* received the 2022 Independent Press Distinguished Book Award (in the Short Story category). 

Episode contents:

5:19 - Mike’s work as a music journalist and sources of inspiration.
8:17 - Connection with Peter Rowan.
10:00 - Approaching UFOlogy through philosophy and literature.
14:39 - *For All We Know* as a book about enchantment.
15:30 - UFOlogical approaches to anomalous phenomena.
22:08 - UFOs and ‘us.’
23:10 - Anthropocentrism and UFOlogy.
26:50 - The ethical and metaphysical implications of UFOs. 
29:11 - UFOs and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions
31:55 - Our discomfort with not knowing.
37:00 - On seeking other-than-human intelligence.
42:56 - On the notion of ‘paranormal’ and ‘supernatural.’
49:00 - On bringing lightness and humour into the narrative.
51:00 - Relating to plants and fungi as beings.
58:00 - ‘Nature’ is not good or bad.
59:00 - On the power and enchantment of music.
1:11:45 - The power of music and stories to inspire compassion.
1:18:40 - Disenchantment as a tool of the oppressor.
1:20:55 - For All We Know as a book about enchantment.
1:24:45 - Influence of J.R.R. Tolkien and fantasy literature.

For more about Mike and his work, please visit: www.mikefiorito.com

Subscribe to Erik Jampa's Substack - https://erikjampa.substack.com
On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this episode, Erik is joined by his good friend Anna Raithel, an emotional intelligence coach and ritual arts specialist in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. They discuss the potency of ritual to create rhythm and spaciousness in our lives, to engender authentic relationship with a wide range of 'others,' and to foster a deeper sense of embodiment in one's spiritual practice. They also discuss the power of ritual to transform our perception of simple and mundane things into something sacred and deeply enchanting, allowing us to recover a sense of wonder and what it means to be human (in a more-than-human world).

Anna Raithel lived and worked for many years at Tara Mandala, a residential Tibetan Buddhist retreat centre in Colorado, where she trained in ritual arts under Khenpo Ugyen Wangchuk and numerous other lamas and chöpöns (ritual masters). She currently serves as Tara Mandala's head chöpön, leading ritual activity and teaching the wider community how to hold the form-realm of practice. Anna is also an emotional intelligence coach, working with clients and organisations to develop mindfulness and self-awareness.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Background
02:38 - The Complexity of Ritual Arts
08:03 - Anna's Journey into Ritual Arts
20:35 - Ritual as Embodied Practice
23:25 - Ritual as Enchantment and Magic
32:13 - Breaking the Duality of Mind and Body
40:50 - Finding Enchantment in the Material World
45:27 - The Importance of Relationality and Ritual in Engaging with Nature
48:10 - The Significance of Mundane Rituals in Buddhist Practice
49:08 - The Relational Paradigm and the Rights of Non-Human Beings
54:30 - Rituals as a Means of Engaging with the Environment and Non-Human Beings
56:23 - The Need for Reciprocity and Relationship in the Anthropocene
01:04:06 - Recognising Humans as an Aspect of Nature
01:08:44 - Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence in the Modern World
01:14:07 - Anna's work as an Emotional Intelligence Coach

More info about Anna's Emotional Intelligence work: https://www.beyondei.inc

Subscribe to Erik Jampa's Substack - https://erikjampa.substack.com
On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this episode, I'm joined by Tatyanna Wright, a spiritual transformation coach, author, and host of The Conscious Diva podcast, for an enchanting discussion about nature spirits, Nepali shamanism, and the lived experience of being in relationship with unseen beings.

A former television producer, Tatyanna now supports clients around the world to spiritually transform their lives through meditation and deep healing. After decades of study in the Vedic tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, Tatyanna now work in the Khaas Nepali Shamanic tradition, and is a student of Bhola Nath Banstola, a Jhankri Shaman from Nepal. She is also currently writing her first book (details forthcoming).


The Conscious Diva - https://www.theconsciousdiva.com

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Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this episode of the Unseen Beings Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Jack Hunter, an anthropologist exploring the borderlands of consciousness, religion, ecology and the paranormal. He is a tutor with the Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and teaches on the MA in Ecology and Spirituality and the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. He is also a tutor with the Alef Trust on their MSc in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology. His PhD at the University of Bristol took the form of an ethnographic study of contemporary trance and physical mediumship. He studied Secondary Religious Education at the University of Chester, completed a Permaculture Design Course at Chester Cathedral in 2017 with Sector39, and worked on the One School One Planet project between 2016-19 to develop an inter-disciplinary permaculture curriculum for schools. Jack is also a musician and an ordained Dudeist Priest, and lives in the hills of Mid-Wales with his family. 

Erik and Jack discuss an array of topics, including animism, spirits, the intersection of ecology and spirituality, and transcending anthropocentrism in the realm of the paranormal. 

3:18 - Jack’s Early Interest in Spirituality and Religion
6:29 - Exploring Spiritualism and Mediumship
10:42 - Challenging Perceptions of Extraordinary Experiences
15:58 - Transcending Anthropocentric Constructs in Paranormal Experiences
21:09 - Shifts Towards an Animistic Orientation
24:48 - The Role of Stories in Shaping Our Worldview
27:27 - Expanding and Clarifying the Concept of Animism
30:30 - The Natural State of Animism and Conditioning
34:50 - Animism as a Relational Ontology
36:50 - Animism and Stories
38:06 - The Primordial Nature of Animism
41:58 - Expanding the Notion of Consciousness in Non-Humans
43:12 - The Limitations of Categorizing Consciousness
45:52 - The Impact of Animism on Behaviour and Ecology
47:42 - The Connection Between Emotional Connection to Nature and Pro-Environmental Behaviours
49:11 - The Ecological Utility of Animism
51:07 - ‘Personal’ Approaches to the World
53:30 - Biodiversity and Psychodiversity
56:03 - The Intrinsic Value of Trees
57:29 - Going Beyond Anthropocentric Environmentalism
50:22 - Creating Change on Personal and Social Levels
54:34 - The Transformative Power of Myth
56:51 - Fantasy and the Non-Human
58:47 - UFOs, UAPs, and ‘Extra’terrestrial Phenomena
1:08:51 - The Projection of Sentience onto AI
1:13:15 - Jack’s Work at the Sophia Centre
1:15:42 - Jack’s Upcoming Books

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On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

A solocast about the complex interweavings of religion, myth, and belief, and their roles in addressing the so-called 'big questions' of life. 

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On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this episode, Erik Jampa discusses the first section of his book, Unseen Beings, which approaches the 'diagnosis' of our complex and multi-faceted ecological crises. He discusses the terminology used to discuss our crisis, and breaks down some of the key arguments and criticisms of the so-called 'Anthropocene' designation. 

In order to begin to understand the root causes of our climate crisis, and in order to establish an effective method of treatment, we first must come to terms with what truly ails us. Reductive approaches will leave us with mere bandages for the symptoms of our disease - we need deeper and more critical inquiry if we want authentic 'recovery.'

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On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this episode, Erik Jampa discusses the notion of ecological 'recovery,' and the ways that stories can draw us deeper into enchantment or deeper into delusion. With reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's seminal essay 'On Fairy-Stories,' Erik talks about the three functions of 'fairy-stories' - Recovery, Escape, and Consolation - and how the process of enchantment can help us recover a sense of what it means to be human in a more-than-human world.

Please visit https://www.unseen-beings.com to pre-order your copy of Unseen Beings: How We Forgot the World is More Than Human, coming out May 30th. 

Subscribe to Erik Jampa's Substack - https://erikjampa.substack.com
On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com

In this short introduction to the Unseen Beings podcast, author Erik Jampa Andersson talks about his upcoming book, Unseen Beings: How We Forgot the World is More Than Human, and some of the ways that our human-centred worldview has blinded us to the fundamental root causes of our climate crisis. 

Episodes will be coming this Spring, so please subscribe and stay tuned for a new kind of 'environmental' conversation. Join us as we venture into the wondrous and perilous domain of the more-than-human world. 

Subscribe to Erik Jampa's Substack - https://erikjampa.substack.com
On Unseen Beings and Erik Jampa - https://www.unseen-beings.com
Shrīmāla - https://www.shrimala.com