In this episode, I’m joined by my good friend and colleague, Tina Bramley, an ecotherapist, poet, and creator of the Poetic Nature Cards for Contemplation and Connection. Tina shares the story of her oracle deck and poetry, inspired by nature and designed to spark reflection and connection.

Together, we explore:

• The Solstice and Saturnalia: We delve into the ancient celebrations of reversal, renewal, and rebellion, considering how Saturnalia and similar festivals turned society upside down to create space for reflection and rebirth.
• The Wisdom of Nature: Drawing a card from Tina's poetic oracle deck, we reflect on the message of Joy. The galah—a playful Australian bird—emerges as a symbol of resilience and embracing life’s limits and uncertainties.
• Cycles of Shedding and Growth: Tina reads her beautiful poem Shedding, offering insights into the discomfort and beauty of transformation. We discuss how shedding old skins makes way for new growth, both personally and collectively.

This episode is a tapestry of astrology, mythology, and depth psychology, offering a lens through which to engage with the themes of the solstice season. It’s an invitation to embrace the cycles of life, the interplay of darkness and light, and the wisdom of knowing our edges.

Key Takeaways

• Saturn and the Solstice: Saturn, the planet of limits and structure, invites us to reflect on what needs to be released as we prepare for the year ahead. Ancient festivals like Saturnalia embody both the chaos and renewal of this season.
• Poetic Reflections: Tina’s Poetic Nature Cards are a gateway to nature’s wisdom. The chosen card, Joy, reminds us to find delight even amidst difficulty.
• The Role of Reflection: The solstice is a natural pause, urging us to take stock and realign with the cycles of life.

Listener Invitation

I’d love for you to reflect on the question posed during the card pull:
 What does this solstice time of year invite you to release, embrace, or celebrate?

Feel free to share your thoughts with me or Tina through the link below!

Connect with Tina, buy her cards or book in a session here.

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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Welcome to the 80th episode of On the Soul’s Terms! In this milestone episode, I revisit the Grimm Brothers’ version of Cinderella—a tale rich with symbolic depth and timeless wisdom. This isn’t the Disney fairy tale many of us know; it’s a story rooted in cycles of transformation, connection to nature, and the interplay between identity and destiny.

Using the lens of astrology, I explore how Cinderella’s journey reflects the lunar nodes—Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node)—and the soul’s movement between karma and dharma. Inspired by Dana Gerhardt’s article on astro.com, I take her interpretation a step further, flipping the common understanding: in this episode, I consider the South Node as the ball, the place of wholeness and remembering, and the North Node as the ashes, the work we undertake to grow into that wholeness.

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• The Grimm Brothers’ Cinderella, her connection to nature, and the hazel tree as a bridge between worlds.
• Why the South Node might not be the “comfort zone” we’re told to escape, but rather the place where we rediscover our essence.
• The North Node as the transformative, sometimes difficult work required to bring our gifts into the world.
• The symbolic richness of the stepsisters, the lentils, and the golden slipper as metaphors for our inner and outer struggles.

Cinderella’s story invites us to rethink how we approach the nodes—not as a one-way journey, but as a dynamic relationship, bridging the ashes, the ball, and the transformative space in between. I hope this episode inspires you to reflect on your own nodal story and what it means to find your place in the dance between these two worlds.

Join Me

Whether you’re drawn to astrology, mythology, or the deeper truths behind familiar stories, this episode offers a reflective take on what it means to live out the wisdom of the nodes. Share your thoughts with me on Instagram. If you'd like to find out what your nodes are go to cafe astrology, fill in your details, and scroll down the page to find out.

Special thanks to Jan Spiller's book Astrology for the Soul - my first Astrology book I read 18 years ago (an exact Nodal cycle).

Cover Art: Liga Marta - Cinderella at Mother's Grave.

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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Joe Landwehr is an astrologer of 50+ years experience, seeking an eclectic integration of astrology, spiritual psychology and ancient wisdom teachings. He is the author of five books and numerous articles for The Mountain Astrologer and other publications. He is Director of The Astropoetic School of Soul-Discovery, which offers individualized correspondence courses, webinar classes and workshops built around the correlation of astrological cycles with actual life experience. He has taught and lectured at ISAR conferences, the Midwest Astrology Conference, and online at International Academy of Astrology. More information about his work can be found at joelandwehr.com.

We got together to discuss the rich ideas Joe outlines in his most recent book: Astrology in the Era of Uncertainty: An Astropoetic Exploration of Psyche and Cosmos. 

In this conversation, Joe generously shares the gems of his lifetime of Astrological research. We ask the question, what is astrology? It’s a broad and unanswerable question, but we find some good ways to approach it, including the idea from Terrence McKenna that it’s a trans-linguistic language. 

We then get into the mythopoetic and magical roots of astrology and discuss what it feels like in a consultation when the chart truly comes to life. In this way, astrology and its symbols encourage a form of what Jung called Participation Mystique; a way to see ourselves as embedded within an alive and soulful world. 

We end our discussion at the same place Joe ends his book - with Hestia. The first of the Olympians and the goddess of the eternal flame of the hearth: within ourselves; within the home; within the earth; and ultimately within the cosmos. 

Cover Art: The Feast of the Gods at the Wedding of Cupid and Psyche by Vincenzo Camuccini

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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What if the ancient myths hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of addiction? Join us on a journey through the complex interplay of astrology, Greek mythology, and depth psychology as we explore the forces that shape addiction and recovery. Inspired by our previous conversation with Brice Hancock from the Recovery Center in Denver, this episode promises to provide fresh insights and tools to aid those grappling with addiction. Discover how the story of Odysseus and the sirens serves as a powerful metaphor for temptation and restraint, offering a framework for understanding the personal battle against addictive behaviors.

In our exploration, we compare the mythological approaches of Odysseus and Jason in confronting the sirens, symbolizing the tug-of-war between Saturn's discipline and Neptune's creativity. These mythic tales echo the struggle between conscious restraint and the seductive pull of addictive substances and behaviors, like the incessant allure of our smartphones. By uncovering the deeper layers of these stories, we invite you to reflect on your own 'siren songs' and consider strategies to break free from their grasp, just as Odysseus did by tying himself to the mast and embracing support from his crew.

This episode encourages a transformation from avoidance to integration, highlighting the hero's journey of personal growth and self-discovery. As we discuss the metaphor of harmonizing with the sirens, we emphasize how embracing one's inner sound can lead to greater self-awareness and liberation. The astrological backdrop, with Saturn's position relative to Neptune, underscores the convergence of discipline and dreams, urging us to find balance in our quest for wholeness. Join us for a thought-provoking dialogue that blends myth, astrology, and psychology, offering a unique perspective on the path to recovery and self-discovery.

Cover Art: The Scream by Edvard Munch

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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In this episode I'm joined by Brice Hancock from Mile High Sober Living in Colorado.

We discuss his personal struggles with addiction and how the grip of substances like alcohol, heroine, crack and others held on to him and took him to within an inch of his life. Somehow, perhaps by the grace of the gods, he was able to transform from that underworld experience and return to life. In doing so he dedicated himself to paying that new chance at life forward to those in need by setting up safe housing for addicts in his home of Denver, Colorado.

Along the way we delve into the mystery of addiction. Why is it that it affects some but not others, even in the same family? What are we really reaching for when we grasp for the substance we're addicted to? What is that spiritual force that seems to swoop down to lift us up right at that rock bottom moment? And why is it that the naming of that force (God) is itself such a barrier to entry to Alcoholics Anonymous and other such programs?

From Brice's Bio:

Brice is the executive director for Mile High Sober Living and an active member of Denver’s sober community. He believes that life is about “things to do and people to do them with”. Brice regularly exercises and goes to the gym, he plays guitar, likes music, art, spirituality, constant self-improvement, and spending time with his son. In a previous life, he owned a live music bar and was surrounded by active alcoholism and addiction and now is surrounded by recovery. He is a realtor and the president of a 501c3 non-profit called Musicians Recovery Project which raises money for treatment for those with limited resources in early recovery.

If you'd like to know more about Brice's work and discover tools for recovery from addictive processes go to his website:

Mile High Sober Living

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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This episode picks up with Hercules having completed the fourth labour; bringing back the Erymanthian Boar. Along the way he had opened up a long-sealed jar of Dionysian Wine and brought a chaotic wildness back into the world. 

In this episode we join him as he's tasked with clearing out the Augean Stables in a single day. King Augeus has been extremely lucky in his wealth creation. He has an abundance of cattle and sheep. The flipside being that he's neglected the maintenance such wealth necessitates and the stables are now... how to say... full of shit. 

Hercules opens up two nearby rivers to cleanse the stables, thus achieving his task in, miraculously, under the required time. 

Both the stables and the cleansing of them are collective images for outer and inner processes of which we can all relate. What do we do when our minds are clogged and we can't think straight? What do we do collectively when the systems we've created have become old and tired but are deeply entrenched?

With Pluto stationing direct in the last degree of Capricorn today, getting ready to enter Aquarius for the final time, this myth that brings forth the image of the water bearer and the 'Plutonian shit' couldn't be more timely and appropriate.

The episode finishes with the sixth labour - the Stymphalian Birds - which closes out the first six labours. These are the 'local' labours that all take place within the Peloponnese. It's the completion of Hercules' 'internal' tasks and prepares him for his place in the world. 

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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This episode is recorded in Thessaly, Greece. In ancient times it was considered to be the land of sorcery, witchcraft and healing. In fact, it still feels that way today due to the abundance of healing herbs in the region. 

Thessaly was the birthplace of the centaurs including Chiron and Pholus, and the God of Medicine Asclepius. When I say 'birthplace' here, I'm referring to the land that dreamed up these mythic figures. 

The concept of the land dreaming is foreign to the modern mind. And yet, to the ancient mind this is just a matter of course. Different lands have different dreams embedded in them, and therefore dream up different kinds of humans, animals and plant life. 

In this episode I explore some of these topics with, of course, the help of mythology. Prometheus steals fire from the gods and therefore is a good symbol for that 'higher' way of knowing. Chiron is a centaur, inseparable from nature, and therefore a good symbol for that knowledge that comes from the ground up. 

It's a tension that I'm sure we all feel on some level. Perhaps we experience it as the instinct vs the mind. The feeling vs the thoughts. The gut sense vs the logic. And it's a tension I feel as I wander the lands of Greece, trying to make contact with the many apparently dead gods.

Cover Art: Heracles and Nessus by Giambologna

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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After some time of unusual introspection and restraint, Hercules sets off on his fourth task: tracking down the Erymanthion Boar. The boar is the wild and uncontrollable side of nature. By taking a side road and visiting the centaur Pholus on the way to the boar, Hercules convinces the centaur to open a sealed jar of Dionysian wine. And with that, all hell breaks loose.

This sets off the chain of events that leads to the wounding of our beloved healer, centaur and guide, Chiron. His animal side now wounded, he reflects our current state in the civilised world. And our current quest - to rediscover the beauty of animal consciousness.

The movement from the deer to the boar also brings into focus the tension between Artemis (goddess of the hunt) and Aphrodite (goddess of sensual pleasure). Although both deer and boar are sacred to Artemis, the boar is associated with Aphrodite due to her tragic love affair with Adonis who was speared by a boar (who was actually Apollo, Artemis' twin (yes the Greek myths are like this!)).

The jar of Dionysian wine is symbolic of delighting in the senses. Sealed for four generations, once it's opened the animal side that has been repressed breaks free and causes absolute chaos. So what are we to do? Keep the jar sealed and stay safe but overly controlled? Or open it up and take the consequences of unbridled wildness?

It brings forth a conversation around addictive processes. Something that I discuss with Brice Hancock from Mile High Recovery in Colorado. That conversation is coming soon to the podcast.

Episode Artwork: Hercules fighting against the Centaurs, 1542 by Hans Beham

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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Hercules, or Heracles in Greek, was one of the greatest figures of the ancient mythic world. He was seen as an amalgamation of many different heroes, relying on brute strength and his trusty club, and was generally at a loss when a problem required more than simply force for its solution. 

A quintessential solar hero, Hercules battles with the monsters of the world sent by the spiteful Hera who wants to crush him at every turn. And yet, the two of them, Hera and Heracles, are forever linked to each other. Heracles, after all, means 'Glory of Hera'. 

In this episode we will use the opposition between these two to look at the astrological archetypal tension between the Sun: our shining golden light of the spirit in its quest for individuation, and Saturn: the blocks and limits that get in our way.

The exploration then moves into the first three labours of Hercules: Wrestling an enormous lion; becoming entangled in a swamp snake; and tracking a deer with golden antlers for a full calendar year. These tasks align with the Zodiac signs of Leo, Cancer and Virgo respectively and teach us about our own sacred process of individuation. 

This is the first of a series of episodes on Hercules. His stories are vivd and filled with archetypal information, each monster representing elements of our consciousness that challenge us to move into the essence of who we are here to become. 

Cover Art: Peter Paul Rubens

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
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What if the ancient myths held the key to modern therapeutic practices? In our latest episode, we sit down with Dr. David Russell, a distinguished past president of the Sydney Jung Society and former associate professor at Western Sydney University, to uncover the profound relevance of the myth of Psyche and Eros to psychotherapy. We begin by exploring how these timeless stories offer blueprints for navigating human struggles, with Dr. Russell emphasizing the critical role of imagination in the therapeutic journey. Our discussion highlights how the myth of Psyche and Eros symbolizes the integration of the human and divine, reflecting the goals of modern psychotherapy.

From grappling with impossible tasks set by Aphrodite to the profound descent into the Underworld, the myth of Psyche is a treasure trove of psychological insights. Dr. Russell guides us through these mythological trials, illustrating how they parallel the challenges clients face in therapy. We delve into the themes of surrender vs. control, understanding vs. acceptance, and the essential balance between rational thought and intuitive awareness. The conversation also touches on the technique of free association, introduced by Freud, and its importance in fostering an imaginative, harmonious inner life.

Join us as we unravel the intricate relationships between mythic figures like Aphrodite and Persephone, shedding light on their symbolic significance in psychotherapy. From the harsh lessons of the underworld to the transformative power of mythic imagination, we reflect on the evolving understanding of the unconscious in both neuroscience and therapeutic practices. This episode promises a rich, Jungian perspective that underscores the timeless relevance of mythology in healing the human psyche and cultivating a soulful presence in both our personal and collective lives.

The image is a statue in the Louvre: Antonio Canova - Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
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