Ep. 11 - Mark Flaherty - Author, Astrology, & Ayahuasca

YouTube version:

Audio version:

Hey everybody! Episode 11 of the show is out. In this show, I spoke with Mark Flaherty. Mark Flaherty is a consultant astrologer with clients in over 60 countries. He has studied with Dr. Geoffrey Cornelius, former President of the Astrological Lodge of London, and Bob Mulligan of the Astrology Company, Florida. He is adept at translating the astrological symbols into simple English so that everybody can use this information to better understand themselves and live happier, more fulfilling lives.

I’m really interested in the stars, cosmology, ancient civilizations, numerology, and esoterica, so it was interesting for me to hear his knowledge about astrology. I enjoyed this conversation and I hope you will too. Cheers!

To learn more about Mark’s work visit his website at: https://mark-flaherty.com

YouTube:  bit.ly/YouTubeUW

Apple  :  bit.ly/AppleUW

Spotify:  bit.ly/SpotifyUW

Google:  bit.ly/GoogPodUW

(This is a footnote and follow-up from Mark on the significance of the number 12: "Astrology is essential about the union between the masculine/feminine, yin/yang - the Sun and the Moon. 12 comes from the relationship between the Sun and the Moon. The Sun symbolically speaking is the 1 (one year is one orbit of the Earth around the Sun) and the duality/dividing of the One into the many is made by the Moon. There are roughly 12 lunar cycles (29.5 days from New Moon to New Moon) in the year. So the Sun is 1 and Moon 2 (duality), which also come together as 12. So the full circle of astrology is divided into 12 parts - the One into the many. So 12 essentially represents the Sacred symbolic marriage of the Sun and Moon. I got it from an astrologer friend, Acyuta-bhava Dasa.")

If you enjoy the show, it would be a big help if you could share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts to leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

If you would like more information on plant medicine and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org    

And finally, with the pandemic, most people doing this work have been without access to work since March and the future is uncertain.  If you are able to and would like to donate to the show to help out with new content that would be deeply appreciated.  For just a few dollars a month you can subscribe through Patreon and it gives you some really nice added benefits like early access to shows, bonus episodes, and a chance to ask personalized questions.

To support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithin  

To donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanik 

Another way you can support the show is if you are ordering anything from Amazon.com, and you use this link, the show will get a small commission with no additional cost to you: https://amzn.to/2Gw51PS

Music courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/  

And please leave any questions or comments in the comment section or email at:

https://www.UniverseWithinPodcast.com

This will help me with ideas for future shows.

Thanks and until the next episode!

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https://www.instagram.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Ep. 10 - Claude Guislain - Anthropologist and "Bridgekeeper," Indigenous Wisdom & Modern World

YouTube version:

Audio version:

Hey everybody! Episode 10 of the show is out. In this show, I spoke with my friend Claude.  Claude is a Peruvian anthropologist and ‘‘bridgekeeper,” an apt title for what he has become. I met Claude working at the Peruvian Amazonian plant medicine center, The Temple of the Way of Light. I find Claude to be a truly great bridge between many of the indigenous cultures he has studied and worked alongside with, and the outside world. He holds a depth of wisdom and an ability to communicate complex and different ideas in a very human and simple way. I could speak to Claude for hours, as we ended up doing in this show. Its three hours long but I think you will find Claude’s insights invaluable and very enlightening. This was one of my favorite conversations. I always enjoy talking to him and I think you will too. Enjoy!

YouTube:  bit.ly/YouTubeUW

Apple  :  bit.ly/AppleUW

Spotify:  bit.ly/SpotifyUW

Google:  bit.ly/GoogPodUW

“With experience living and studying in the West, and apprenticing with Peruvian and Ecuadorian curanderos, Claude calls his mission at the Temple “bridge keeping”: the art of establishing and facilitating smooth communications and understanding between different worlds.

Claude was born and raised in Lima, geographically close but very far away from the medicine traditions of the Peruvian jungle. While living in Europe he learned about Peruvian shamanism, and the idea of teacher plants such as San Pedro and ayahuasca fascinated him enough to return to Peru. But Claude’s first experience with San Pedro sent him directly back to Europe to study anthropology before he traveled to Iquitos for his first experience with ayahuasca in 2003. 

Here, he found the perfect setting for his research fieldwork as he became deeply engaged in how local ayahuasquero traditions were being understood by Westerners and how traditional medicine practitioners were interacting and understanding their foreign guests. Right before graduating with an Anthropology License, Claude met an Ecuadorian mestizo curandero who traveled often to Europe and chose him as a helper and apprentice. After five years working with this man and his beautiful medicine in Europe and Ecuador, Claude again decided to return to the roots of the medicine in Peru. He has been working and learning from Maestra Ynes Sanchez and her family since early 2013 and collaborating with the Temple of the Way of Light since June 2015.”

These are the links Claude mentioned:  https://www.facebook.com/bridgekeepers and https://chaikuni.org

If you enjoy the show, it would be a big help if you could share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts to leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

If you would like more information on plant medicine and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org    

And finally, with the pandemic, most people doing this work have been without access to work since March and the future is uncertain.  If you are able to and would like to donate to the show to help out with new content that would be deeply appreciated.  For just a few dollars a month you can subscribe through Patreon and it gives you some really nice added benefits like early access to shows, bonus episodes, and a chance to ask personalized questions.

To support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithin  

To donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanik 

Another way you can support the show is if you are ordering anything from Amazon.com, and you use this link, the show will get a small commission with no additional cost to you: https://amzn.to/2Gw51PS

Music courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/  

And please leave any questions or comments in the comment section or email at:

https://www.UniverseWithinPodcast.com

This will help me with ideas for future shows.

Thanks and until the next episode!

https://www.facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Ep. 9 - Michael Kokal - Lawyer & Podcaster on History of Drug Laws and Religious Use of Plants

YouTube version:

Audio version:

Hey everybody! Episode 9 of the show is out. In this show, I spoke with my friend Michael Kokal.  Michael is the host of the End of the Road Podcast, a lawyer, and a former engineer. In this episode, we spoke a bit about the history of medicines and drugs in the United States and court cases that have set precedence to their illegality.  We also spoke of recent court cases pertaining to the religious use of certain plants as a sacrament.  And we discussed the changing climate in the US in regards to the medicinal value of some of these plants and how there may be an opening to them as legalized medicine in the near future. I enjoyed speaking with Michael and I think you’ll find this episode informative and engaging.  Cheers!

YouTube:  bit.ly/YouTubeUW

Apple  :  bit.ly/AppleUW

Spotify:  bit.ly/SpotifyUW

Google:  bit.ly/GoogPodUW

His podcast can be found at:

https://endoftheroad.libsyn.com/ or on Apple at:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/end-of-the-road/id1269885389

If you enjoy the show, it would be a big help if you could share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts to leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

If you would like more information on plant medicine and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org    

And finally, with the pandemic, most people doing this work have been without access to work since March and the future is uncertain.  If you are able to and would like to donate to the show to help out with new content that would be deeply appreciated.  For just a few dollars a month you can subscribe through Patreon and it gives you some really nice added benefits like early access to shows, bonus episodes, and a chance to ask personalized questions.

To support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithin  

To donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanik 

Another way you can support the show is if you are ordering anything from Amazon.com, and you use this link, the show will get a small commission with no additional cost to you: https://amzn.to/2Gw51PS

Music courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/  

And please leave any questions or comments in the comment section or email at:

https://www.UniverseWithinPodcast.com

This will help me with ideas for future shows.

Finally, here are some links for further reading or viewing:

Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way (Full)

by The History Channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90bpUyAHNdI

The Roots of Drug Prohibition in America

by the Mises Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brAsC_MEAxY&t=1383s

Johann Hari: Origins of the War on Drugs - An Interview

by The Agenda with Steve Paikin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90bpUyAHNdI

THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY: The War on Drugs

by the Hoover Institute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIznGX7sCqQ

Four of the Major Fear Campaigns That Helped Create America’s Insane War on Drugs

by Alternate.org

https://www.alternet.org/2015/02/four-moral-panics-drug-policy/

Chasing the Scream: The Opposite of Addiction is Connection

by Johann Hari 

https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Scream-Opposite-Addiction-Connection/dp/1620408910/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1RO8CL5J22SGR&dchild=1&keywords=chasing+the+scream&qid=1598792787&sprefix=chasing+the+sc%2Caps%2C300&sr=8-2

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Mate

https://www.amazon.com/Realm-Hungry-Ghosts-Encounters-Addiction/dp/155643880X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=gabor+mate&qid=1598794994&sr=8-3

When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection

by Gabor Mate

https://www.amazon.com/When-Body-Says-Understanding-Stress-Disease/dp/0470923350/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=gabor+mate&qid=1598795036&sr=8-2

Portugal’s Drug Decriminalization Success:

https://time.com/longform/portugal-drug-use-decriminalization/

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it

Thanks and until the next episode!

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https://www.instagram.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

*Disclaimer: Information in this podcast is not legal advice and should not be interpreted as such.*

Ep. 8 - Bernhard Karshagen - Huachuma (San Pedro) Guide and Plant Medicine Practitioner

YouTube version:

Audio version:

Hey everybody! Episode 8 of the show is out. In this show, I sit down with Bernhard Karshagen.  Bernhard works with the plant medicine Huachuma or San Pedro, a cactus indigenous to the Andean regions of South America. I’ve known about Bernhard for a long time through mutual friends and colleagues, so it was a pleasure to sit down and have a talk with him. I haven’t worked with Huachuma so it was interesting to hear his perspective on it. I find Bernhard a humble and wise man and he seems like a really good guide who has delved deeply into this plant and holds a really beautiful space. I think you’ll gain a lot by listening to him.   I hope you enjoy it.  

YouTube:  bit.ly/YouTubeUW

Apple  :  bit.ly/AppleUW

Spotify:  bit.ly/SpotifyUW

Google:  bit.ly/GoogPodUW

“Bernhard facilitates the San Pedro ceremonies and has a broad understanding of thought processes and patterns. He is highly intuitive with the ability to help people look at situations from a different perspective, helping them see through the layers of their thought structures, and guiding them to connect with their own truth.

Bernhard engages with people in a direct, yet gentle manner, guiding them to identify and let go of limiting beliefs, to step into their own being and empower them to return to their hearts.

Bernhard has a deep understanding of trauma and depression, having suffered from this illness for over 10 years as a result of medical trauma. He shares the wisdom and teachings that he has learned from his own healing experiences and uses this as the foundation for his work.”

For more information about working with Bernhard, visit his site at:  https://www.ubuntuayni.com/

If you enjoy the show, it would be a big help if you could share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth.  If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts to leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

If you would like more information on plant medicine and the work I do, visit my site at: https://www.NicotianaRustica.org    

And finally, with the pandemic, most people doing this work have been without access to work since March and the future is uncertain.  If you are able to and would like to donate to the show to help out with new content that would be deeply appreciated.  For just a few dollars a month you can subscribe through Patreon and it gives you some really nice added benefits like early access to shows, bonus episodes, and a chance to ask personalized questions.

To support this podcast on Patreon, visit: https://www.patreon.com/UniverseWithin  

To donate directly with PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/jasongrechanik 

Another way you can support the show is if you are ordering anything from Amazon.com, and you use this link, the show will get a small commission with no additional cost to you: https://amzn.to/2Gw51PS

Music courtesy of Nuno Moreno. See his work at: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound and https://nahira-ziwa.bandcamp.com/  

And please leave any questions or comments in the comment section or email at:

https://www.UniverseWithinPodcast.com

This will help me with ideas for future shows.

Thanks and until the next episode!

https://www.facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/UniverseWithinPodcast