Crystal Tablet

We start the conversation delving into the role of substance use across human history and lay some foundations for how to understand the terrain.

Tola explores the organizing framework of prohibition, harm reduction, and the psychedelic renaissance, laying out some core definitions and observations, followed by criticisms of the prevailing models and concluding with a proposal called the “Drug Celebration Paradigm.”

He then goes on to challenge the definition of psychedelics, and uses that as a basis to broaden the range of what can be imagined by validating the positive aspects of seeking substances for self-improvement, awareness, healing, or just enjoyment.

Leila extrapolates to bodily autonomy, specifically women’s and trans liberation and highlights the practical context for harm reduction. We then discuss how criminalization drives more dangerous and intense versions of drugs, and how drug use is driven by legitimate human needs.

This leads to a conversation about the hypocrisy of the scheduling system and the need for self-trust and discernment, especially when we look at the mismatch in language between what our senses tell us and what policies say.

This shifts us into a more philosophical exploration of free will, using astrology as a jumping off point. This takes us into looking at intuition as a real input for analyzing the present time through the lens of interconnectedness of our mass psyche.

We then touch upon ways of framing choice as a Tarot reader and an astrologer and the significance of optionality and intention. We finally wrap up with an outline of some of our own metaphysical views and experiences and how these frame our practices.

Links to things we mentioned:

Who We Are:

Leila Ghazal is the creator of Galactic Blueprint, a platform where she provides guidance through Astrology, Human Design, Shamanic Journeying, and Oracle Readings. In 2020, Leila went from being a psychedelic researcher, coordinating the Psilocybin for Major Depression trial at NYU to an astrologer and galactic shaman. She began providing galactic lineage readings to many who felt like they don’t belong on earth, while maintaining an active voice in the importance of the present moment and the embodiment of our experience. Leila has a background in Research & Psychology having earned a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from The New School for Social Research.

Tola Cohia Brennan is an artist and philosopher. He has been consulting the Tarot professionally since an intensive mentorship in 2021, and offers readings via Future Present Tarot. Beginning in 2014, Tola has been a diligent student of everything spiritual and esoteric with an inquisitive and open-ended approach emphasizing historical context and primary sources. He has an undergraduate degree in Contemporary Spirituality through Hunter College and a masters degree from the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

Starting off with a discussion about Starseeds, we veer into Human Design while tackling questions of how systems and labels can be interpreted. We touch upon the concept of policing other people’s reality and how knee jerk reactions can turn into ridicule towards people holding atypical beliefs.

From there we run through a wide ranging dialogue about the validity of ancient versus more recent divination systems. In addressing this divide, we touch upon how to relate to things when we do or don’t draw clear lines between the ‘real’ and the ‘imagined’.

We then lean into our long journeys of contesting stigma and choosing to come forward as magical beings (listen for the big reveal!), while reminiscing about our apprehensions and fears and how we overcame them by choosing self-acceptance.

After we wrap up with imagining a world where our magical worldview isn’t stigmatized, derided or gaslit, we discuss how this year in particular feels like a greater emergence of spiritual changes that have been going on for the past decade, and how this inspires us to want to finally be more visible and, in our own ways, set a precedent for the future.

Links to things mentioned in the episode:

Who We Are:

Leila Ghazal is the creator of Galactic Blueprint, a platform where she provides guidance through Astrology, Human Design, Shamanic Journeying, and Oracle Readings. In 2020, Leila went from being a psychedelic researcher, coordinating the Psilocybin for Major Depression trial at NYU to an astrologer and galactic shaman. She began providing galactic lineage readings to many who felt like they don’t belong on earth, while maintaining an active voice in the importance of the present moment and the embodiment of our experience. Leila has a background in Research & Psychology having earned a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from The New School for Social Research.

Tola Cohia Brennan is an artist and philosopher. He has been consulting the Tarot professionally since an intensive mentorship in 2021, and offers readings via Future Present Tarot. Beginning in 2014, Tola has been a diligent student of everything spiritual and esoteric with an inquisitive and open-ended approach emphasizing historical context and primary sources. He has an undergraduate degree in Contemporary Spirituality through Hunter College and a masters degree from the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

Leila Ghazal is the creator of Galactic Blueprint, a platform where she provides guidance through Astrology, Human Design, Shamanic Journeying, Channeling and Oracle Readings.

After the events of 2020, Leila went from being a psychedelic researcher to an astrologer and galactic shaman, providing galactic lineage identification to many who feel like they don’t belong on earth, while maintaining an active voice in the importance of the present moment and the embodiment of our experience while we transition into this new phase of earth’s history.

We're thrilled to announce that Leila is joining the podcast as Crystal Tablet's new co- host! Leila brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the show, bridging the psychology world and the metaphysical realms.

Join us as we explore our journeys through childhood experiences, stages in our psycho-spiritual growth, and some of the things we hope to nurture in the world at large. We also dive down into some of the rabbit holes that took us to the mysterious practices we exercise today and the ways in which they’ve shaped our world.

We can't wait for you to hear our unique perspectives on all things magic and spiritual.

Steve Grumbine is the founder of Real Progressives and the host of the podcast Macro N Cheese. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Steve went from being a lifelong conservative to a vocal supporter of Modern Monetary Theory.

MMT is a relatively new economic framework that is best known by way of bestselling author Stephanie Kelton’s The Deficit Myth as well as her role as an advisor to the Bernie Sanders campaign.

In our conversation we discuss why MMT is such a game-changer for our understanding of the role of government and how we structure society.

In the episode, we power through a bunch of MMT concepts to get to some of the more salient material so watching this video of Steve outlining some of the basic ideas at length is highly recommended.

If you’ve ever wondered why so many wealthy societies are so bad at taking care of their citizens, this conversation goes beyond diagnoses and into prescription and provides a real pathway forward that lets us move beyond barriers and into the realm of really making structural change.

Sera Beth Timms has been a professional tarot reader for 15 years, and is a student of esoteric, symbolic and consciousness studies. She is also a musician and video artist, and currently resides in Hudson, New York.

In our conversation we talk about intuition, balancing the material and the spiritual aspects of ourselves and finding a way to live fully in the midst of complicated and challenging times.

Sera offers Tarot and Reiki and can be found at her website at www.lvxten.com and on Instagram @lvxtenebras. Keep up with her pop music @mx_lvxuri.

In this inaugural episode, I lay out some of the foundations and preliminary ideas that form the basis of the podcast.

Show Notes:

09:26 - Occult America, Mitch Horowitz

09:40 - Spiritual, But Not Religious, Robert C. Fuller

19:33 - The Order of Things, Michel Foucault

21:52 - Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved, Rumi

23:45 - Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

26:51 - Astronomy and Astrology: The Siamese Twins of the Evolution of Science, Thony Christie

28:06 - Spiritualism, J. Gordon Melton

30:15 - How Constantine Created the Christian Church, Paul V.M. Flesher

33:10 - Theosophical Society in America

35:33 - The Occult Revival: Then and Now, Erik Davis

46:20 - The prosperity gospel, explained: Why Joel Osteen believes that prayer can make you rich, Vox

49:51 - A Politics of Love, Marianne Williamson

50:36 - Against Everyone with Conner Habib