Mystic-Skeptic Radio: Uncensored/Raiders of the Unknown

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In this week’s show we interviewed Amanda Moore from Koinonia Farms Community. Founded in 1942 by Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England, this Christian community emphasized the sharing of resources. Koinonia has been in the forefront of Black and White relations providing equal wages to workers from any race and sharing meals without segregating racial groups as early as the 1940s. Their commitment to racial equality, pacifism, and economic sharing brought an organized boycott and ongoing persecution from the Ku Klux Klan in the 1950s.Through nonviolence they resisted the attacks and were able to thrive and place their focus on the poor quality of local housing. They began a project to build decent, affordable homes for their neighbors, a ministry that evolved into Habitat for Humanity International. This ministry was established by Millard and Linda Fuller, former Koinonia members. Koinonia has been instrumental in the founding of other organizations, such as Jubilee Partners (a community that welcomes refugees from war-torn countries), and many others that work for social justice. Other sister organizations include Open Door and Riverplace.In 2008, they re-committed to farming as a way of life. In they switched their income sharing system to a non-profit one creating problems of sustainability. Amanda shared about their several transitions which affected the number of members they have. We also spoke about how this faith-based community has stayed alive. Our conversation addressed their interest in the environment, activism in both social and economic justice and their support for gender equality. Amanda spoke about their community traditions and the seven covenants members partake of such as their spring covenant ceremony. Currently Koinonia grows a variety of natural produce, pecans, grass-fed beef, and other livestock. This Christian intentional community seeks to embody peacemaking, sustainability, and radical sharing as they strive to be an alternative to materialism, militarism and racism.

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week’s show we interview Ma’ikwe Ludwig Executive Director of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, she is also a member of the board of directors of the Fellowship for Intentional Community. Another avenue for her work is that of Director and Lead Teacher for Ecovillage Education US, an organization that develops and delivers a experiential courses in sustainable culture leadership development.As we spotlight diverse intentional communities, we discussed with Maikwe how Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in rural Missouri started as an experiment in natural building, and has become a resource for anyone wanting to learn more about sustainable living and ecological opportunities. She shared her perspective about sustainable living as someone who has participated in the intentional communities movement and the nascent ecovillage movement for a while. We spoke about opportunities for families interested in alternative living, as Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is currently comprised of 65 people with 10 of them being children. The interview was very exciting as she shared the many initiatives for environmental protection and advocacy which they are involved in. We will keep you updated about this community as they reach their goal of becoming between 500 or 1000 people in the future.

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week’s show we interviewed Cynthia or Ziv from the 12 Tribes Community. She was previously a member of The Farm Community in Summertown, TN from 1978-1981 and joined the 12 tribes group in North Carolina in 2003. We originally interviewed John Holly or Malachi from their community in Pulaski, TN at the Yellow Deli; as we visited their community coffee shop which serves as a form of outreach for them. That interview was enlightening experience; however due to technical difficulties the audio we recorded was damaged and we had to redo the interview this time with Cynthia. Our original encounter left us with more questions than answers. As the leaders of the 12 tribes community we met were very welcoming to Ryan and I, making it difficult to ask any challenging questions. The three elders we sat with included our contact John Holly or Malachi (his Hebrew name), who runs their printing shop; Ruth the wife of the farmer who runs the place where they get many of their products who joined at age 29 in 1984 and Zavav who join the group in 1978. Malachi studied at a Bible college before he moved to Chattanooga, TN in 1975 from Vermont. Ruth “the ex-hippie” of the group, spoke about the relationship between their perspective and the hippie movement. Zavav was mostly quiet, but when she spoke, she had the ability to gather our attention with her tender and voice direct way of expressing herself. The ambience was very homey, we ate their delicious food as they shared their thoughts and we discussed their Gospel. They explained that they follow the New Testament book of Acts more faithfully than many groups by sharing a common purse, worshipping of the biblical Sabbath and having a child-like faith. In a cynical world their ongoing commitment to Jesus through service, camaraderie and hands-on traditional labor is very intriguing. However many alternative groups emphasize an anti-materialistic and anti-superficialist perspective as well. Cynthia discussed diverse subjects such as: how a faith-based community stays alive, what values does their community want to share with society at large and how to find balance between engagement in the world and living out a particularistic faith tradition. Their way of life was constantly the focus of our conversation, they considered their understanding of Bible to not be an intellectual pursuit but a practical application of it. We also discussed the ongoing reinforcement of their community values, their spiritual concepts, how to keep the next generation engaged, conflict resolution and their leadership system. Although they often avoid controversial topics in what appeared to be a desire to please others, we were able to address, in a sensitive way, the legal issues their community is facing in Germany as the Youth Services of that country is involved in a custody battle for their children due to their view on corporal punishment.

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this weeks show our guest is Phil Schweitzer a founding member of The Farm Community, he traveled to San Francisco from the east coast in 1967 after hearing news about the burgeoning “hippie” movement congregating there. A weekly class he attended, conducted by a former San Francisco State college instructor, evolved into a caravan tour made up of school buses and vans, housing as many as 200 people, which circled the country beginning in the fall of 1970, finally arriving in Tennessee to set up an intentional community in early 1971. Phil was instrumental in locating property close to the land that has been home to the “Farm” community since their arrival. He founded a rock band that toured extensively in the US and Europe in the ’70s, as well as an audio recording studio that still exists today. Phil’s business partner, Douglas Stevenson, had built a video company beginning in the mid-1980’s, and their partnership formed in 1993 became a small multi-media organization called Village Media Services. Phil continues to be a managing partner in the company, and runs an audio production studio from his home on the Farm, also providing video recording and editing services to the local community. He has been an active member of the Farm for most of the last 45 years.When researching intentional communities The Farm comes to the forefront, especially as an example of how people with similar values can come together and built a sustainable environment for their families. When people think about The Farm they might not realize that it is now a coop and no longer a commune. Although most intentional communities have an emphasis on green energy and alternative building techniques such as permaculture, The Farm has limited number of eco-buildings. Although it is difficult to sustain some of The Farm original values such as veganism and community outreach, this coop has managed to preserve ecological land and is still attracting young idealists. This community lives up to their roots of embracing a new age philosophy, which emphasizes self-awareness, collective decision-making and the pursuit of a better world. According to Phil the hopeful aspect of living in community is that people grow old together and learn to accept and respect each other. The democratic aspect of The Farm is one of its strongest points. Although at times it has lacked cultural and ethnic diversity, The Farm is comprised of people with ecclectic backgrounds and professions. Phil admitted to the reality that it is mostly affluent white Americans who make a great number of environmental groups and intentional communities. In contrast organizations who seek social justice and political action are often made out members of different minority communities who are often from a lower economic status. The Farm’s thrives thanks to its many non-profit organizations such as Plenty International and the Swan Conservation Fund. We learned from our interview that for any community to survive it must continue to grow, develop and expand. Part of the vision of it’s founder was to support the elderly members in their last years of life. One of their ways to create community is through their many events that bring people from the outside, helping recruit new people. An example of this is their birthing center founded by Ina May Gaskin, of world fame, as the midwives attract families interested in natural birthing methods from across the U.S. and the world.

Support the show

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week’s show our guest is Chase Robbins from Everyday-Sustainable.com, originally from Shelbyville, Kentucky (just east of Louisville), Chase and his wife Victoria have decided to take their kids Kendal and Sloan on an adventure in sustainability. They are transitioning from the typical suburban American life to living at one of the many intentional communities in North America. What prompted this change is the economic, political, environmental, social and social developments in the last few years. They feel that the current system cannot be sustained for much longer and would like to pass on to their children a better situation. For that reason they have decided to make some pretty radical changes which might include relocating to an ecovillage. Chase tells us about this very interesting journey and the process of documenting it. You can find our more about their project by going to the Intentional Community Resources and Discussion for Families with Children group on Facebook, their FB page/blog or their website.

Support the show

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

In this week’s show our guest is Chase Robbins from Everyday-Sustainable.com, originally from Shelbyville, Kentucky (just east of Louisville), Chase and his wife Victoria have decided to take their kids Kendal and Sloan on an adventure in sustainability. They are transitioning from the typical suburban American life to living at one of the many intentional communities in North America. What prompted this change is the economic, political, environmental, social and social developments in the last few years. They feel that the current system cannot be sustained for much longer and would like to pass on to their children a better situation. For that reason they have decided to make some pretty radical changes which might include relocating to an ecovillage. Chase tells us about this very interesting journey and the process of documenting it. You can find our more about their project by going to the Intentional Community Resources and Discussion for Families with Children group on Facebook, their FB page/blog or their website.

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In this week’s show we interview Danica and Drake McCants a couple from Huntsville, Alabama; who has been searching for an ideal scenario for their family. We discuss intentional communities, permaculture, opportunities for a green life in an urban setting and what do young families need to thrive in this world.Danica is a graduate student at Green Mountain College partaking of their distance Masters of Science in Environmental Science program. Drake attended Tuskegee University and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University for Environmental and Agricultural Science.

Support the show

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

In this week’s show we interview Danica and Drake McCants a couple from Huntsville, Alabama; who has been searching for an ideal scenario for their family. We discuss intentional communities, permaculture, opportunities for a green life in an urban setting and what do young families need to thrive in this world.

Danica is a graduate student at Green Mountain College partaking of their distance Masters of Science in Environmental Science program. Drake attended Tuskegee University and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University for Environmental and Agricultural Science.

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In this week’s show we interview Khilah Butler who has been practicing as a birth and postpartum doula since April 2015, after feeling a call to serve women through her personal pregnancy and loss journey. She started her practice, Three Moons – Medicine Women in Spring of 2016. In that time, she has discovered a profound respect for women in all seasons and cycles. As she explored her passion of holding space for women through birth and postpartum, she also found inspiration in becoming a facilitator for women’s circles.“My journey was deeply impacted by one specific life event. I became a mother. When I became a mother, I became a doula. As a doula, I embrace others. As I embrace others, we share sacred space. As we share sacred space, we heal.” -KhilahTo learn more about Khilah visit –www.threemoonsmedicinewomen.com

Support the show

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

In this week’s show we interview Khilah Butler who has been practicing as a birth and postpartum doula since April 2015, after feeling a call to serve women through her personal pregnancy and loss journey. She started her practice, Three Moons – Medicine Women in Spring of 2016. In that time, she has discovered a profound respect for women in all seasons and cycles. As she explored her passion of holding space for women through birth and postpartum, she also found inspiration in becoming a facilitator for women’s circles.

“My journey was deeply impacted by one specific life event. I became a mother. When I became a mother, I became a doula. As a doula, I embrace others. As I embrace others, we share sacred space. As we share sacred space, we heal.” -Khilah

To learn more about Khilah visit –www.threemoonsmedicinewomen.com