The Explorer Poet Podcast

My guest today is Professor Danielle Layne, whose areas of expertise and publishing are within the domain of Ancient Philosophy, particularly Plato and the later Platonic tradition. Her interests in this area are diverse and wide-ranging with publications in Socratic studies, Platonic hermeneutics, late ancient theories of prayer and feminist interpretations of Platonic metaphysics. Overall, Danielle’s work tends to problematize the traditional understanding of Plato/Platonism as rejecting the sensible, embodied life. Danielle is also the founder of Palinode, a philosophical technology initiative designing digital spaces for reflection, dialogue, and creative becoming. Their flagship project, Khora, is a web-based platform for exploring and experiencing philosophy, art, science, and technology. Rather than enforcing rigid categories or expert silos, Khora cultivates productive hierarchies: expertise and curiosity inform one another without closing the space.

In this engaging conversation, we discussed Danielle’s journey into philosophy, the importance of self-discovery, the role of perplexity in understanding life, exploring the intersection of philosophy, science, and religion, emphasizing the erotic nature of philosophical inquiry, the creation of Palinode - a platform designed to foster curiosity and creativity in the digital age, and the future of philosophy as it adapts to contemporary challenges.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Philosophy and Palinode

05:13 The Journey of Self-Discovery through Philosophy

10:41 The Role of Perplexity in Understanding Life

16:09 The Intersection of Philosophy, Science, and Religion

21:20 The Erotic Nature of Philosophy

27:12 The Importance of Questioning and Challenging Ideas

33:00 Palinode: A New Approach to Philosophy in the Digital Age

38:21 The Future of Palinode and Its Vision

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Danielle Layne

Website: https://palinode.org/

Website: https://www.gonzaga.edu/college-of-arts-sciences/faculty-listing/detail/danielle-a-layne-phd-34b0cd21

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Palinode-Productions/61568970845440/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palinodeproductions/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/painode-productions/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@palinodeproductions

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@palinodeproductions

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/PalinodeProd

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PalinodeProductions

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is Mike Berger, the founder of Psychedelic STL. Mike stands at the intersection of consciousness exploration, community building, and advocacy. Having dedicated his life to the study of the mind, Mike has established himself as a key figure in the psychedelic community of St. Louis. He began his career with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Washington University then delved deeply into the study of Personal Causation, the intricacies of motivation and human agency, psychedelic experiences, and quantum physics. Mike also co-hosts a podcast with Polly Young-Eisendrath called, "Waking Up is not Enough: Flourishing in the Human Space." 

We discussed psychedelics, dysfunctional families, severe trauma, hidden children, seeing things from other’s perspectives, hypnosis, subjective consciousness, Grok, latchkey children, set and setting, sociology, personal causation, locus of control, motivational psychology, Timothy Leary, response ability, consciousness, Ken Wilbur, transpersonal psychology, stage theory, waking up, victimhood, intrinsic motivation, external rewards, paradox, John Lilly, psychological or cognitive filters, Aldus Huxley, synchronicities, how we view reality and make meaning, Real Dialogue, adulthood, MDMA, LSD, Ibogaine, developmental windows, octopuses, imprinting, and dominion over all things. 

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Mike Berger

Website: https://psychedelicstl.org/

Website: Maps.org

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is J.L.M. Morton, writer, poet, editor, celebrant and teacher based near Stroud in Gloucestershire, England. Her work explores contemporary rural experience and belonging, ancestry, place and practices of care, repair and solidarity across human and more-than-human worlds. Her first full poetry collection, Red Handed, explores England’s rural textile heritage with a decolonising lens, picking apart the global threads and entanglements that were created and enforced by British colonial rule. In the second half of the collection she explores ways of coming to terms with this legacy and how belonging might be found in the ruins through an attachment to place. These poems reach back to the deep time of an ancient Celtic past and forgotten indigenous women’s rites and rituals. 

We discussed poets and poetry, language, being a thinker and feeler, writing, practicality and pragmatism, social identities, landscape and history, getting out of the academy, Red Nose Day, T.S. Elliot, having a compulsion to creativity, being obsessive, her debut book of poetry Red Handed, creativity as a healing process, writing as thinking or working out thoughts, Celtic Mother Goddesses, questioning the value of art, divesting from art, becoming a celebrant, ritual, ceremony, literalization, rationality, psychedelics, indigenous cultures, arts funding, having a creative process, passion, deep interest, dialect, healthy egos, and grief. 

Episode Details:

Guest Name: J.L.M. Morton

Website: https://www.jlmmorton.com/

Substack: https://jlmmorton.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlmmorton/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLMMorton/

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is Dr. Paul Turke, the world’s first Darwinian pediatrician. He is board-certified and has been practicing pediatrics for 25 years. In addition to his formal medical education, Dr. Turke has done fieldwork in anthropology and demography on the Micronesian islands of Ifaluk and Yap, with a focus on childcare kinship networks.  He’s published articles on topics ranging from the evolution of sex, to childhood food allergies, to why Covid-19 is less severe in the young than it is in the elderly. Dr. Turke is also the author of a book called Bringing Up Baby: An Evolutionary View of Pediatrics, which uses evolutionary theory and what’s known about our evolutionary history to answer questions that he and other pediatricians hear over and over again from parents seeking advice on how to raise happy, healthy, kind, thoughtful children.

We discussed parenting, evolution, kinship networks, how nothing makes sense except in light of evolution, biology, human evolution, fathers, menopause, senescence (old age), grandparents, homeschooling, socialization, giving back, fertility, demographic transitions, adaptation, children counts, religion, anthropology, cultural and religious evolution, the child being king, indigenous peoples, Micronesia, child rearing, infants, and solidarity.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Dr. Paul Turke

Website: https://paulturke.com/

Blog: https://paulturke.com/blogs/

X / Twitter: https://x.com/drturke

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_paul_turke/

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is Jacob Nordby, co-founder of A Writing Room Collective, Heal + Create, The Institute for Creative Living Foundation 501(c)3,  and the author of several books, including Blessed Are the Weird – A Manifesto for Creatives and The Creative Cure. He previously worked as the marketing director for a traditional publishing house and oversaw the launch of many bestselling books. A working author and creative guide, he has a passion for helping writers solve their challenges and enjoy the satisfaction of sharing their work with the world.

We discussed being weird, fundamentalist cults, being sensitive, arts, poetry, reading, building forts, Jacob’s book, Blessed Are the Weird People, homeschooling, true believers, cults and ‘isms’, Buddhism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, depth psychology, Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, nihilism, Nietzsche, Man’s Search for Happiness, Victor Frankl, Prometheus Rising, our greatest creative project being our own lives, the Industrial Era, The Professor and the Madman, literalism, Neo Atheists, the three pillars of Apollo, paradox, tension, ventral vagal states, objectivity, creativity, unshakable beliefs, creativity as a life source, writing, AI, Artificial Intelligence, spiritual bypassing, suffering, and reading.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Jacob Nordby

Website: https://www.jacobnordby.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacobnordby/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobnordby/

Bonus multimedia journaling program gift: www.creativeselfjournal.com

The Creative Cure book page: www.creativecurebook.com

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is John Bucher, a renowned mythologist and story expert who has been featured on the BBC, the History Channel, the LA Times, The Hollywood Reporter and on numerous other international outlets . He serves as Executive Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and is a writer, podcaster, storyteller, and speaker. He has worked with government and cultural leaders around the world as well as organizations such as  HBO, DC Comics, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, A24 Films, Atlas Obscura, and The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation, bringing his deep understanding of narrative and myth to a wide array of audiences. He is the author of six influential books on storytelling, including the best-selling Storytelling for Virtual Reality, named by BookAuthority as one of the best storytelling books of all time.  John has worked with New York Times Best Selling authors, YouTube influencers, Eisner winners, Emmy winners, Academy Award nominees, magicians, and cast members from Saturday Night Live. Holding a PhD in Mythology & Depth Psychology, he integrates scholarly insights with practical storytelling techniques, exploring the profound connections between myth, culture, and personal identity.  His expertise has helped shape compelling narratives across various platforms, enriching the way stories are told and experienced globally.

We discussed archetypes, job and life as an ecosystem, explorer poets, containing multitudes, following your bliss, following your blisters, aligning with your soul, what brings life to you, the Human Aliveness Lab, Joseph Campbell, myth, depth psychology, narratology, subtext, storytelling, theme, Carl Jung, meaning, purpose, kindness, the unconscious, alchemical magic in movies, mythic, bypassing the rational, asking how and why, science, philosophy, the three great emergences, the monomyth, human consciousness, AI, Artificial Intelligence, craving certainty, journeys focused on a single ego, group journeys, the collective heroic journey, the call of desperation, the Avengers, and setting ego aside.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: John Bucher

Website: https://www.tellingabetterstory.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellingabetterstory

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnkbucher

Facebook: http://facebook.com/tellingabetterstory

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tellingabetterstory

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is Teddy Hamstra, a writer and seeker in Los Angeles. He is the recipient of a PhD from the University of Southern California, where he completed and successfully defended a dissertation entitled 'Enchantment as a Form of Care: Joseph Campbell and the Power of Mysticism.' Recently, Teddy has been working for the Joseph Campbell Foundation, spearheading their Research & Development efforts. As an educator and research consultant for creatives, Teddy is driven to communicate the wonder of mythological wisdom in ways that are both accessible to, and which enliven, our contemporary world.

We discussed David Lynch, the Joseph Campbell Foundation, Joseph Campbell’s legacy, the New World Library, “Thou Art That”, myths of light, the ecstasy of being, Mythblast Newsletter, the practice of enchantment, mythic thinking, storytelling, James Joyce, mystical experiences, being spiritual versus religious, mysticism, ceremonies, shamans, dissolving boundaries, being a genius versus a madman, artists, the four functions of myth, myths are not neutral, mystic paths, care, monomyth, historical atlas of mythology, seekers, physics, enchantment, wonder, awe, yoga, following your bliss disenchantment, risk, joy, and love.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Teddy Hamstra

Website: https://www.jcf.org/profile/c6c9d491-8518-4db6-84e0-54c6ee3f757083947/profile?mc_cid=550f280e6a&mc_eid=b07afcc98b

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teddyhamstragram/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teddy-hamstra-phd-17028118b

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@teddyhamstragram

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is Dr. Monica Martinez, an author, professor, podcaster, and Jungian psychotherapist who works in São Paulo and Granja Viana, Brazil. The aim of Monica’s practice is to encourage self-knowledge through tools and processes that encourage a fuller and healthier physical, emotional and intellectual life.

We discussed archetypes, polarities, age, wisdom, flexibility, openness, psychology, Joseph Campbell, mythology, narratives, medication, dreams, dream work, active imagination, suffering, AI, the wise person, Carl Jung, courage, to enter life, to be in life, evolving ourselves, identity, being there for someone or something, personality, ego, light and dark, being good enough, projections, emotions, weak egos, strong egos, James Hillman, marriage, and the alchemical marriage.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Monica Martinez

Website: https://www.monicamartinez.com.br/

Blog: http://analisejunguianasp.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monicamartinezpsi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monicamartinezpsi-109984140707608

Linkedin: https://br.linkedin.com/in/monica-martinez-984938113

X / Twitter: http://twitter.com/monicam94235405

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkSR99QxXH7SFHSVWp85SyA/

Gong Sound: 68261__juskiddink__bell4.wav

Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is Aaron Balick, a psychotherapist, academic, and a leading voice in the psychology of technology. As the author of the groundbreaking book The Psychodynamics of Social Networking, he pioneered the exploration of the psychological dimensions of technology, with a particular focus on the impact of social media, online behaviour, and hyperconnectivity on individuals and their relationships. Aaron is also the author of two popular self-help books The Little Book of Calm and Keep Your Cool. Aaron is based in Shorditch, East London, where he runs his private psychotherapy practice. He is also an associate of The Balint Consultancy, a consortium of highly experienced consultants offering a specialist expertise on relationships and how they have the power to transform our workplace, our friendships, our families, and our lives.

We discussed depth psychology, Sigmund Freud, explorers of the unconscious, psyche, human psychology being the same for thousands of years, motivations, relating and attaching, ego, narcissism, social media, artificial intelligence (AI), artificial general intelligence (AGI), large numbers, algorithms, group identities, identity categories, fragmentation, recognition, paradoxes, black boxes, projection, sentience, sentience requiring the other, the Turing Test, Alan Turing, anthropomorphizing, transitional objects,  extending our psychological selves outward, interpersonal complexity, personality disorders, thinking, ego development, embodiment, and ego as a callus.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: Aaron Balick

Website: https://www.aaronbalick.com/

Substack: https://newsletter.aaronbalick.com/

BluSky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:h452wysiyx7stduxyhp5bxql

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draaronb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/draaronbalick

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/draaronb/

TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@draaronb

Gong Sound: 68261__juskiddink__bell4.wav

Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/

My guest today is John Bonaduce, a writer, lecturer, and theorist in “Mythobiogenesis”. John earned a doctorate in mythological studies with an emphasis in depth psychology. His specific expertise lies in his work on Mythobiogenesis, a term and theory he coined during his doctoral studies. John is currently a regular contributor to the Joseph Campbell Foundation through his writing as well as a lecturer, presenting at both academic and religious conferences.

We discussed Mythobiogenesis, stories and myths origins in biology, natures templates, Joseph Campbell, physical laws, everything boiling down to physics and psychology, Ray Bradberry, storytellers, stories being derived from older stories or myths, Catholicism, early childhood development, child and infant play, neonatal trauma, psyche as author, spirit meeting flesh, cultural conditioning, literalizing myth and scripture, dream work and dream journaling, consciousness, growing up, inner pantheons, Hollywood, art, and Pacific University.

Episode Details:

Guest Name: John Bonaduce

Website: https://johnbonaduce.com/

Mythobiogenesis: https://johnbonaduce.com/mythobiogenesis/

JCF Contributions: https://www.jcf.org/profile/6d989f1a-79a5-4dda-a9ed-b8b1ba7c080c/profile

Contact: https://johnbonaduce.com/contact/

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Where to find The EXPLORER POET Podcast:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@explorerpoet

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0icGCdo1uv8WauJnFjhe89

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-explorer-poet-podcast/id1621189025

X / Twitter: https://X.com/TheExplorerPoet

Website: https://explorerpoet.com/