Part two in a two part series on figuring out - from a spiritual rather than materialist starting point - how to live in our moment.

In today’s episode, Caroline and I respond to a couple of listener’s letters. As I was editing the episode, I thought about the common theme, and came to this idea of getting over things. The first letter asks about how much work we are supposed to put into our relationships and ourselves, and what are the ethics of leaving someone in a crisis. The…

Part one in a short series on figuring out - from a spiritual rather than materialist starting point - how to live in our moment.

In this episode, I talk with a student from the New School about the encampments there and what we can learn from the experience. Students at the New School set up their encampment in the lobby of the University Center in April a few days after the encampment was established at Columbia University and over 100 students were arrested. The New School…

Friends, How does music become meaningful? How does it become meaning? And what can we learn about reality from music without reducing music to its function? Rudolf Steiner said “The music of the spheres is a reality. As soon as we come into the spiritual world which lies beyond the soul-world, we are in a world which lives altogether in sound and …

Why is transforming time the most urgent task? I examine this through the works of Jean Gebser, Rudolf Steiner, Byron Katie, Jeff Vandermeer, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Emmanuel Swedenborg, and more.

I talk with legendary experimental pop musician and philosopher TOM KRELL, AKA, How To Dress Well, about art, spirt, and connecting with each other in the vast distances between us.

On this episode, Caroline and I respond to a listener letter that really gets at the heart of the breakup experience: A fundamental question of how do you survive a devastating break up, and how to relate to yourself afterwards. We take the opportunity to look at this situation from all the angles. The main issue is coming to accept that you live w…

Hope is dead. Long live hope! Whereas once hope was simply an audacious wish that we turned over to representatives of power, hope now can be a radical act through which we erode power. But how? How do we leverage hope to help us direct and engage rather than simply wish and spectate? To investigate this, I asked one of the most exciting and influe…

On this episode Shuli talked to Aidan Khamis, a Palestinian student at Indiana University Bloomington, about the student encampment established on the campus in solidarity with Gaza (and still existent as of the recording of this episode). Aidan gives a rundown of the initial stages of setting the camp up, the waves of violent repression from the a…

“The study of movement is a science of the imperceptible...” In the final episode of my series on scientific concepts, I talk with historian of science and culture, Janina Wellmann, about the mystery of motion, movement, and stillness.

I talk with author of The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World and Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self, Andrea Wulf about the meeting point of science and art... and why it matters so much. Episode six in my series on how science intersects with our lives!…

This episode was slightly delayed by the amazing work students around the world have been doing in the encampments! In today’s episode, Caroline and Shuli hit the mailbag again to respond to listener’s relationship problems! They talk about three situations: the first deals with breaking up with Christianity, Mormonism in particular, and what spiri…

I talk with Predrag Slijepčevic, biologist and author of Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life about the radical potential of biology and symbiosis! This is the fifth episode in my series on how scientific concepts intersect with our lives.

I do a deep dive on the work of scientist, psychoanalyst, Marxist, and criminal, Wilhelm Reich... both on my own and with Dr. James Strick. It's a whole episode examining Reich's theories and experiments, as part of my series of episodes on how science intersects with our daily lives!

I talk with cultural theorist and nature philosopher ERICA BERRY, author of Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell about Fear. This is the third episode in a series of episodes about how science and scientific concepts intersect with our lives!

Content warning: we talk about sexual assault and rape, though not in detail. On today’s show, I talk with my dear friend Girl Cock about the breaking up of Femboys Against Fascism. We had previously spoken about the group on an episode of The Final Straw Radio in May of 2023. The group was formed to counter anti-migrant rallies taking place in Liv…

I talk with wildlife biologist and the co-host of my favorite podcast, Tooth & Claw, about what happens when animals attack people, and why it makes for such a good story. The second episode in my series of episodes on how science and scientific concepts intersect with our lives.

In the first episode in a series of episodes about how scientific concepts intersect with our lives in surprising ways, I talk with author of In Light Years There's No Hurry, Marjolijn van Heemstra about the way that conceptualizing space differently can heal and transform us in the face of the challenges that confront us today.…

On this challenging episode, I talk with author and psychoanalyst Avgi Saketopoulou about how to reframe what trauma is, and how to think beyond consent.

Welcome to the Breakup Theory Agony Letters. This is our first episode where we respond to listener submissions over phone and through our online form. We talk through four submissions in today’s episode, all dealing with different issues. The first letter deals with a relationship going long distance and poly at the same time. That starts at 3:44.…

On Thursday, March 28, myself and journalist & organizer UNA MULLALLY, presented the event THE BEGINNING IS NEAR in Dublin, where we talked about the end of the world and what comes after that. It marked in person with frequent AEWCH guests, philosopher and activist SREĆKO HORVAT, and cultural critic and writer MARK O'CONNELL. The event marked Sreć…

On this personal, spiritual, and worldly episode, I talk with spiritual teacher and writer Lisa Romero - using events in my own life - about how turning point in our lives, and our relationships, can offer opportunities to help the world's development... if we work through them properly.

On today’s show, I talk with one of my favorite people, Jamie Theophilos, a dear friend and comrade. Jamie teaches and studies the politics of digital technology and is a long time organizer, anarchist, as well as video editor/videographer, graphic designer, and motion graphics artist. Jamie also has an essay, “Ways of Seeing: Radical Queerness,” i…

I talk with novelist, essayist, playwright, and organizer Sarah Schulman about bringing utopianism and reform together in the political and cultural realms.

I talk with journalist, activist, and artist Una Mullally about what happens after collapse and how we can learn to draw strength from the destruction of who we once were.

In this episode, Shuli talks with the wonderful carla joy bergman, a transdisciplinary artist who collaborates with humans and more than human friends. she co-wrote Joyful Militancy and edited Trust Kids! She formerly made the podcast Grounded Futures with her son Uilliam, as well as the On Belonging audio series with Jamie-leigh Gonzalez. The conv…

After a short break, we're back - and AEWCH 228 guest SHULI BRANSON returns to discuss anarchism, spirituality, and peace. This is a special crossposted episode with Shuli's excellent new podcast, The Breakup Theory!

In this episode, Shuli talks with Conner Habib, author of the novel Hawk Mountain and host of the podcast Against Everyone with Conner Habib. The discussion goes into many different places, with certan themes about the connection between relationships and politics running throughout. We start this discussion talking about “breaking up with the stat…

In this conversation Shuli talks with Sebastian Merrill, whose debut collection GHOST :: SEEDS was selected by Kimiko Hahn as the winner of the 2022 X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize, and published by Texas Review Press in November 2023. GHOST :: SEEDS was recently named a winner of 2024 Stonewall Honor Book - Barbara Gittings Literature Award from the Am…

I talk with author of BIG FICTION: HOW CONGLOMERATION CHANGED THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY AND AMERICAN LITERATURE, Dan Sinykin, about how the aesthetics of what we read is shaped by big business decisions.

I talk with fantasy and horror novelist Sarah Maria Griffin about what it takes - and what it takes from you - to be a working writer.

This episode is dedicated to Rick Byrne. Please consider sending a gift to support Leukemia research at UCSF: UCSF Foundation, PO Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145 or make a gift online at makeagift.ucsf.edu. Please be sure to note that the gift is in memory of Rick Byrne to support the Leukemia research of Dr. Neil Dunivan.…

This episode has two segments: in the first, Caroline, River, and Shuli address the escalated genocide in Gaza in the wake of October 7, giving more context to some of the references in the previous discussion. In the second, River and Shuli grapple with feelings of despair and hope as an astonishing worldwide, massive solidarity movement rises up …

I talk with Rev. Jonah Evans about what "spiritual work" is, how it differs from other kinds of work, how it differs from spiritual practice, and why we probably can't just call everything spiritual work.

Friends, Leftists and progressives more broadly are becoming increasingly aware of the lie of "loving what you do." And we're also becoming more aware of the ways corporations try to ameliorate real reflection and demands for higher wages via "perks" like organic cereal dispensers and "funny hat day" and other forms of glitzy dross. But conversatio…

Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss Michael Moorcock's "The Mad God's Amulet, Michael Moorcock's love of arcane texts, action scenes, hyperviolence and gore, following expectations, whimsical supporting characters, battles over land and sea, reskinning monsters for science-fantasy, a device that can unlock any lock, the Devil's Rejects, our fr…

Why would anyone start a podcast? Doesn't everyone have a podcast? Is podcast work actually work? Is there a spiritual aspect to podcasting? (And also, why do we all have to work, even with all this crazy stuff going on in the world?)

In this episode, Shuli, River, and Caroline discuss the breakup theory, borrowing lessons from anarchism to think about how to engage in our relationships for mutual liberation. We aim for collective liberation and mutual autonomy. Anarchism can teach us how to end things. But how do we get over ourselves? Here you multiverse of hosts set up the wa…

Is peace possible? If so, is it possible or even okay to find it in a time of extreme conflict and violence? Is it ethical to work towards your personal goals in a time of crisis? I look at this from a spiritual perspective on the first episode of the year.

Robert Poyton joins us to discuss Gustave Flaubert's "Salammbô”, October horror films, the etymology of Hygaxian words, Howardian prose, varied treasures, the French "oh là là", the literary influences of Clark Ashton Smith, the diversity of intersecting cultures in North Africa, African nations, horse nomads, cult generators, unearthly treasure ho…

Happy Holidays, friends! Track List Elk River by Ben Chasney/Six Organs of Admittance from AEWCH 45 • Boomer Class by Dick Diver • What Have I Done by Anna Ternheim (live) • Sudden by Jeb Havens • The Speeding Train by The Van Pelt • The Land of Spirit and Light (Part 3) by Michael White • Galway Girl by Daoiri Farrell with Geoff Kinsella and Robbi…

Tim Mendees joins us to discuss Susanna Clarke's "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell”, the dangers of massive hardbacks, literary rabbit holes, the Dorset dialect, cursing those who have wronged us, classist hypocrits, the couragousness that comes with conviction, interdimensional travel through reflective surfaces, interesting and flavorful spells, fa…

I talk with visionary artist and front person of Lungfish, musician Daniel Higgs about friendship, perceiving spiritual beings in a spiritual landscape, the way a presence appears in the middle of a concert, and the role trust plays in relationship and creating art.

Political philosopher of empires and subversions, Michael Hardt returns to the show to discuss how to walk on water when we're drowning.

I went to the island of Vís in Croatia to talk with visionary philosopher, author, and organizer Srećko Horvat about living a good life in the midst of madness, and his new project (with Bifo Berardi and Pamela Anderson), the Island School of Social Autonomy.

I talk with Lisa Romero about the esoteric answer to the question of our time: What is to be done?

This episode the conversational waters ran overhand were so good that I had to cleave the baby in two. My old friend and bandmate Spen Syndrome (The Shivering/Bullets In/Stockholm Syndrome) drops in the stream to celebrate the majesty of Lay Yr'self Aside. Then Conner Habib, from the deeply esoteric and undeniably human Against Everyone podcast and…

I invite my favorite Norwegian occultist acupuncturist veterinarian, Are Thoresen, back on the show to encounter materialism and see where it falls short. Time, space, physics, animal communication, healing... nothing is off the table in this episode.

I turn to my favorite money-worker, Pilar Lesko, for a spiritual perspective on quantities, financial integrity, and spiritualizing money beyond "abundance."