Episode Summary: 

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Sources & Things Mentioned:

⁠ Amor Fati: The Formula for Human Greatness⁠

⁠Andy's quote from The Office ⁠

Speedy's Episode of Queer Eye: Season 7, Episode 3 - avail on Netflix

Wesley's Episode of Queer Eye: Season 4, Episode 2 - maybe on Netflix?

⁠Wesley From Queer Eye Thanks the Man Who Shot Him—But It Almost Didn’t Happen⁠

⁠It’s Only After You’ve Lost Everything That You’re Free to Do Anything (HISTORY of Zeno, founder of Stoicism) ⁠

⁠Alone Together - The Story of LBJ's Infidelity ⁠

⁠Bonus link: about Ladybird ⁠

Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells Judika Illes

Existential Kink - Carolyn Elliott

Episode Summary: What is the Death Card? Transformation, Sacrifice, and Tarot’s Sacred Scythe

Originally posted on Patreon in 2022, this introspective episode of Mystic Theory unpacks the rich metaphor of the Death card—not literal death, but the thousands of tiny deaths we experience in a lifetime.

Inside this deep-dive into symbolic transformation:
→ What the Death card really means (it’s not always scary)
→ Why every desire requires a sacrifice—and how to name it
→ Letting death ride through your “village”: surrendering to endings that clear the path
→ The bare bones of self: what stays when everything else must go?
→ Tarot imagery breakdowns from Rider-Waite, Biddy, and more
→ Venus, Mars, balance, and the unexpected role of iced coffee in death cycles
→ 2-step verification for decision-making: a tool for real life and tarot alike

This episode is for anyone in a season of shedding. Come ride with Death, define your non-negotiables, and let the rest go.

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Sources & Things Mentioned:

death card images for you to reference

my podcast: What is samhain, halloween and los muertos?

Episode Summary: Communicating with the Dead — Symbols, Smoke, and Psychic Language

Originally recorded in 2022 and reposted for the public pod, this Mystic Theory episode explores the wild and wonderful question: how do the dead speak to us—and how do we learn to speak back?

Inside this chatty and thought-provoking episode:
→ Language of the unconscious: why the dead (and your intuition) speak in symbols, not English
→ A story of incense smoke spelling hello (yes, really)
→ Mediumship mechanics: how psychics develop a symbolic “vocabulary” with spirit
→ Reflections on Day of the Dead altars, ancestral lineage, and what we might be carrying in our cells
→ Thoughts on Rebecca Rosen’s book Spirited and the messy overlap of imagination and intuition

Plus:
→ Do the dead always know what’s going to happen?
→ Are mediums reading the spirits… or reading us?

This episode is one big beautiful spiral of curiosity—with no answers, just expansive questions.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if your grandma called you from the afterlife on a psychic landline… you’re in the right place.

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Sources & Things Mentioned:

Spirited - book by Rebecca Rosen

Podcast with Jameela Jamil and Tyler Henry

Life After Death show with Tyler Henry

Episode Summary: You Are Here Because Something Else Is Not
Originally recorded in October 2023 as part of Luchiana’s Season of the Witch series on Patreon, now released into the wild.

This cozy-ominous episode of Mystic Theory is a love letter to the dead. Or rather—all the dead things you’re made of.

Inside this episode:
→ Why your phone, your car, and your body are all powered by death
→ What fossil fuels and mammoth moms have in common
→ The haunting truth: you are a stack of ghosts who learned to talk
→ A reverent ode to Mitochondrial Eve and Grandmother Tetrapod
→ And the spooky-cool reason you’re only here because something else is not

It’s part existential, part spiritual, part weird science—and all October.

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Sources & Things Mentioned:

Soil composition - Nat Geo 

Humus - Nat Geo 

Fossil fuels - Nat Geo 

Fossil Fuels - Smithsonian Ocean 

99% of plastic  - Center for International Environmental Law 

Every Cell In Your Body Is Infused With The Collapse Of A Star - Huffpost 

How the Sun was born - Nat Geo 

Fossil Record Tetrapod - UC Berkeley  

Ancient 4-limbed fish reveals origin of human hand 

Waco Mammoth Monument 

Maranasati Meditation - Mindfulness of Death  

Want to feel thrilled to be alive? Try death meditation - LA Times 

Rowena Tsai - morning routines video  

Episode Summary: What Are Ghosts, Really? Scientific Theories, Apparitions, and Consciousness Beyond Death

Originally recorded in 2021 and part of Luchiana’s Season of the Witch series on Patreon, this spooky and philosophical throwback episode of Mystic Theory is a perfect dive into all things paranormal.

Inside this Halloween special:
→ Scientific theories on what ghosts could be (pareidolia, sleep paralysis, infrasound & more)
→ Personal ghost stories—including the tale of a dog apparition only she could hear
→ Types of apparitions: memory imprints, trauma loops, trickster spirits, dream visitations
→ Consciousness beyond the brain: does it die, or just relocate?
→ Plus: time loops, EMF meters, and a pizza that un-sliced itself...

Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, or just curious, this episode is a deep and eerie spiral into one question: If ghosts are real... what does that mean about us?

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Sources & Things Mentioned:

Ghost definition - Britannica 

6 Scientific Reasons for Ghosts - The Scientific American 

Brilliant Scientists Are Open-Minded about Paranormal Stuff, So Why Not You? - The Scientific American  

I’m a Scientist, and I Believe in Ghosts  - medium.com 

Sleep Paralysis - Web MD 

Sleep Paralysis (Demon in The Bedroom) - Web MD 

Coffee & Cauldrons Podcast - "Ghosts" Part 1 

Coffee & Cauldrons Podcast - "Ghosts" Part 2 

VIDEO: Ghost Particles with Dan Hooper - National Geographic 

What is Consciousness - nature.com 

Decoding the neuroscience of consciousness - nature.com 

What is Consciousness? - LiveScience.com 

History Tea Time with Lindsay  - Ghastly Tales of Tudor Ghosts  

Identity Threads, Embodiment, and the Soft Animal of Your Body

In this winding, intimate, and wildly relatable episode of Mystic Theory, Luchiana pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to reinvent yourself. From Notion boards to late-night note reviews, she shares the messy, magical, deeply personal process of becoming who you were always meant to be—one micro-shift at a time.

Inside this episode:
→ How to use “themes of the year” to guide your evolution
→ Why reinvention isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about unleashing what’s already inside
→ The missing piece of embodiment: feeling it in your body, not just your mind
→ Tips for creating internal safety so new parts of you can emerge
→ Why you need a private, ridiculous menu of weird hacks that work

This is one of those episodes you’ll return to when you’re in a chrysalis. It's tender, nonlinear, and quietly powerful—just like reinvention itself.

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In this spontaneous and cozy mini-episode of Mystic Theory, Luchiana announces a shift to a biweekly podcast schedule—and reflects on the joy of creating from a deep well of backlog and spiritual hindsight. Then, she pulls two tarot cards live on air (Page of Swords + Five of Pentacles) and drops a surprising amount of wisdom in just 20 minutes.

Inside this episode:
→ A reminder to infuse more play into your mind, communication, and daily interpretation of the world
→ Why imagination is medicine and meditation doesn’t have to be boring
→ The deep spiritual power of asking for help and resisting toxic hyper-independence

With Scooby-Doo references, Doja Cat meditations, and a horse-stepping-on-you anecdote… this is Mystic Theory in its purest form: hilarious, thoughtful, and just the right amount of chaotic.

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In this deeply reflective and somehow also hilarious episode of Mystic Theory, Luchiana asks: What if gentleness is actually the ultimate spiritual hack? Winding through tarot, neuroscience, algorithm-induced rage, and vulnerable self-reflection, this episode challenges the idea that power = force.

We explore:

→ The Strength card in Tarot (why petting lions might be the highest form of strength)
→ Why reacting ≠ feeling
→ Gentleness as resistance in a reactive, performative culture
→ How animals (and your dog) model emotional intelligence
→ The internet’s addiction to reaction + rage
→ Expressive oil painting hands as a lifestyle choice

With quotes from The Power of Gentleness and a whole lot of giggles, this episode is for anyone craving softness, realness, and maybe a little bit of cream cheese on a bagel. You might just walk away wondering: What am I radiating into the world?

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LINKS AND THINGS MENTIONED

Strength Card in the Tarot (RWS)

Strength Card Biddy Tarot

Love Expert Reveals Why 80% Of Modern Relationships FAIL… | Esther Perel

The Power of Gentleness by Anne Dufourmantelle

The Gottman Institute (various resources)

In this beautifully bizarre and wildly human episode of Mystic Theory, Luchiana explores the sacred (and sometimes silly) connection between our minds, bodies, and everything in between. If you’ve ever felt like a floating brain trying to spiritually ascend while your body throws out error messages like a Windows 95 PC—this one’s for you.

We cover:

→ Your body as container and vehicle of your consciousness
→ How stress is contagious—literally (yep, by smell)
→ Why crying, crawling, and shaking like a gazelle might save your nervous system
→ The Wild Woman’s Way & nonlinear movement
→ Compliments as free brain-altering magic
→ What your body is radiating to others

With poems, research, editor’s notes, and even animal pose tutorials, this one reminds you that your body isn’t a nuisance—it’s your most loyal companion.

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LINKS & THINGS MENTIONED

Calm article on Body-mind connection

Secondhand Stress - Harvard Biz Review

Living with a Narcissist has physical symptoms

Tweet about marriage  

What happens in the brain when you give someone a compliment

Here’s the reason why women need more sleep than men

(Outdated ?) Time Article on the sweaty T-shirts

Later study on the same topic that seems to debunk-slash-recommend more info for future studies 

Unravelling the mystery of attraction the the varsity, Toronto

MHC-correlated odour preferences in humans and the use of oral contraceptives

Here's another really cool article on this topic from the Scientific American!

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Medium Article on Peter Levine's book "Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma"

The Only 5 Animal Movements you'll ever need

In Part 2 of this expansive love spiral, Luchiana dives deeper into the metaphysical and emotional messiness of love—this time, through the lens of Egyptian mythology, community care, self-worth, and the radical act of loving yourself in a world that profits off your insecurity. From the ancient “weighing of the heart” ceremony to the practical (and hilarious) idea of making an altar to yourself, this episode is packed with tender truths, weird wisdom, and surprisingly useful questions.

We explore:
→ Why love requires clearing the decks
→ How community love can’t be self-sourced
→ Love languages as tools for sacred self-practice
→ Touch starvation, boundaries, and love as vulnerability
→ The negativity bias & tuning into love intuitively

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LINKS:

The book of death: weighing your heart - National Library of Medicine

OBJECTS AND SPELLS: THE BOOK OF THE DEAD - Evansville Museum - See Spells 30A and 30B

Not all emotions are created equal: The negativity bias in social-emotional development - National Library of Medicine