Lucid Cafe

Not every episode has a theme, but this one does. The theme of this episode seems to be “life’s too short” – to not do what you love.  

My guest John Nave talks about how his love of music helped him push past his fear of failure to pursue his dream of going on the road and working behind the scenes with some pretty big-name musicians. John has a deep appreciation for the people he’s met along the way who’ve helped him, and he seems to be paying that philosophy forward by mentoring others and sharing what he’s learned. 

We discuss John’s exotic rock star lifestyle, spirituality, intention, risk-taking, legacy, and the unusual way his older brother Tom reunited two old friends.   

Connect with John Nave via email: [email protected] 

Click here to view Tom’s memorial video.

Tim Stofan is not only my favorite (and only) brother, but he’s also a walking film and television encyclopedia. We take a walk down memory lane and discuss our early introduction to horror films, a Halloween costume mishap (my fault), as well as our favorite monsters. 

We try to answer the question: Why do we like to be scared?

We examine the archetype of the vampire and how it has evolved over the last 100 years and we look at the circumstances that may have led to the creation of some vampire folklore. 

Tim shares his theory about the evolution of horror films and touches on the social commentary contained in filmmaker George Romero’s zombie films and the political messages contained in early Godzilla movies.  

And it wouldn’t be a conversation about evil if we didn’t talk about psychopathy! We explore why serial killers are so mesmerizing. 

Tim Stofan is the cohost of the fun and informative podcast Transmissions from the Forbidden Planet (Launching later in 2019). Tim and his buddy Derrick take a deep dive into the film and television archives and explore their favorite genres. Visit them on facebook and Instagram @TransmissionsPOD 

Wanting to deepen her spiritual life, Marie Frohlich spent 6 months preparing for her sacred journey to the jungles of Peru where she experienced a series of powerful Ayahuasca ceremonies under the guidance of indigenous Shipibo shamans.

Marie transports us to the Temple of the Way of Light healing center in the Peruvian Amazon giving us an intimate glimpse of her transformative experience.

Cosmic Sister is a non-profit organization educating the public about the benefits and risks of psychedelics and responsible use of sacred plants, including ayahuasca, cannabis and psilocybin, through articles, presentations and public outreach projects, along with many other areas of interest. (This was the organization that provided a grant for Marie to go to Peru.)

Temple of the Way of Light is a pioneering Ayahuasca Retreat Center in the Peruvian Amazon.  Their mission also advocates for the sustainability, environmental integrity and health of the amazon bio-region and indigenous populations.

To connect with Marie Frohlich, please visit her on the web:
mariefrohlich.com
Taproot Herbals

Sandra is one of a handful of people responsible for bringing the practice of shamanism into the mainstream of the western world. Her powerful book addressing the spiritual effects of trauma, Soul Retrieval, is a classic among shamanic practitioners. For over 30 years she's been traveling the world inviting people to deepen their relationships with themselves and the natural world through speaking, teaching, and performing healing ceremonies. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Sandra's two new books: The Book of Ceremony: Shamanic Wisdom for Invoking the Sacred in Everyday Life and her young adult novel, The Hidden Worlds. 
• Why ceremony is important
• Healthy vs unhealthy approaches to setting Intentions
• Shallow shamanism
• The power of initiatory experiences
• The importance of creating a spiritual foundation for kids
• Advice for managing difficult times

To learn more about Sandra, please visit her website: sandraingerman.com

I love stories of healing. Especially stories we can all relate to, like this one.

In this episode I speak with Connie Andonian, a long-time shamanic client of mine who was eager to share her healing story on the podcast. Connie, a self-described "open book," tells the story of how, after her marriage failed 10 years ago, she found herself in the midst of a "dark night of the soul" experience, while trying to be a single mother to her 5-year-old son.

In this candid conversation Connie talks about how she pulled herself out of depression (with the help of a snail!) and confronted her insecurities and fears to become strong, self-assured and powerful. 

Episode Notes:
Connie references the Rainfall soundtrack embedded with Binaural Beats that comes with The Magical Path shamanic workbook. For more information, please visit: https://www.lucidpathwellness.com/shop/binaural-beats-for-shamanic-journeying

In this episode Rachel Cooke talks about her unusual journey from marine biologist to US Diplomat...and how she's exactly where she wants to be in her career. She shares why she's suited for work in the foreign service and how the transient lifestyle keeps her from getting bored. Rachel discusses why she was drawn to serve in war-torn countries like Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. She also gives us a window into other cultures and the gifts she's received as a result of immersing herself in worlds very different from our own. This episode perfectly captures Rachel's philosophy: People are more important than sleep.

Rachel is also a photographer. Visit her website to take a visual tour of the places she and her husband Martin have lived and visited. 

We cover a lot of ground in this conversation. Nina Thompson talks about the birth, and death, of The Wake Up to Dying Project, which uses the power of story to explore death, dying, and life. Nina shares her perspective on why we tend to avoid the topic of death and how, in doing so, we're actually doing ourselves a disservice. Nina talks about the now thriving Death Positive Movement and how this is changing the way we talk about death. 

Nina and I share how death has touched and changed us. We also talk about some of our personal spiritual experiences that have informed the way we view death - Nina from the perspective of a Zen Buddhist practitioner and me, through the lens of my shamanic visionary experiences. Get your swimming trunks on! 

Clare was very generous to come on the podcast and give us a glimpse into her life and work. She shares the story of how she went from waitressing to helping women going through chemotherapy look and feel beautiful. Clare is the makeover queen, and is damn good portrait photographer.

She also talked about how she used her makeover skills to help her autistic son overcome his shyness by transforming him into a different famous person or character for school every day.

Just spending five minutes with Clare and it's clear that she has a way of making you feel amazing no matter what kind of day you're having. And she's having a ball while doing it!