Join me for a different kind of episode this week, and it's a long one.

Lots of people are talking about Epstein—not enough, in my opinion, considering it’s quite possibly the biggest, most disturbing scandal in modern history—so I’d like to share some thoughts. I’m going to explore this with a "straight from the horses mouth" approach, using sometimes graphic multimedia throughout this episode, so listener discretion is advised.

I'm going to be investigating:

- Who was Epstein

- How did he make his money

- What’s the timeline we’re looking at here for the Epstein Files

- What’s in them, what has been redacted or withheld, and what are the implications?

If an international group of ultra wealthy ultra powerful individuals are known to be abusing and trafficking children—the most innocent and vulnerable among us—committing unspeakable crimes and operating above the law, what does this mean for our governmental institutions and democracy?

References

Who’s Faced Consequences

⁠https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/epstein-files-names-fired-resigned-fallout.html#⁠

Survivor Claims

⁠https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/epstein-superior-gene-pool-babies-b2913060.html⁠

Trafficking

⁠https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/epstein-files-new-batch⁠

Redactions

⁠https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/18/politics/epstein-documents-redaction-process⁠

JMail

⁠https://jmail.world⁠

Israel Connections

⁠https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/9/what-were-jeffrey-epsteins-links-to-israel⁠

⁠https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/world/middleeast/epstein-israel-barak-ehud.html⁠

⁠https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/was-jeffrey-epstein-mossad-agent-spy-israel-w6p35b9v6⁠

⁠https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260208-new-documents-reveal-epstein-donated-to-the-israeli-army-and-funded-settlements/⁠

⁠https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/epstein-funded-organisations-linked-israeli-military-fbi-document-says⁠

Carbyne

⁠https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/02/10/epstein-police-surveillance-investments-with-ehud-barak/⁠

⁠https://carbyne.com/resources/press/carbyne-powers-nationwide-emergency-communications-expansion-for-global-medical-response/⁠

⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbyne_(company)⁠

Netflix Documentaries | Filthy Rich

https://www.netflix.com/title/80224905

https://www.netflix.com//title/81380539

Some DOJ References

⁠https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01246048.pdf⁠

⁠https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02603821.pdf⁠

⁠https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01714002.pdf⁠

In this episode of The Passing Through Podcast, entomologist, ecologist, educator and author Doug Tallamy reveals why insects are the foundation of life on Earth, and what happens if they disappear.

From caterpillars and chickadees to invasive species, deer, and global insect decline, we explore how biodiversity underpins our food systems, ecosystems, and even social stability.

Doug explains why native plants matter, how light pollution is driving down moth populations , and how simple acts like planting oaks or switching to yellow “bug lights” can help restore local ecosystems.

Are we separate from nature, or participants in a vast living web? This conversation bridges science, enchantment, and responsibility, offering practical steps anyone can take to rebuild biodiversity from their backyard, balcony, or voting block.

If you care about conservation, ecology, rewilding, regenerative living, butterflies or the future of the planet—this episode is for you.

https://homegrownnationalpark.org/doug-tallamy/

https://www.udel.edu/canr/departments/entomology-and-wildlife-ecology/faculty-staff/doug-tallamy/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-nature-of-oaks-the-rich-ecology-of-our-most-essential-native-trees-douglas-w-tallamy/9789d335ef5f46d5?ean=9781643260440&next=t

Right now the world feels like it’s unraveling—politically, ecologically, spiritually. We’re at a time when love can feel naive, beauty can feel fragile, and the word empire is painfully alive and present.

In this episode, I’m honored to be joined by Indigenous scholar, scientist, musician, and activist Dr. Lyla June Johnston. We explore love as resistance, beauty as a moral force, and what Indigenous wisdom might teach us about being human in times of collapse.

We talk about nonviolence, collective power, kinship with the more-than-human world, land, indigenous food systems and economies, and allyship. I love how Lyla dispels the myth that humans are merely a plague on this planet, and I hope you do too.

If you'd like to find out more about Lyla or attend one of her courses, check out her links below:

Website(s): 

https://www.lylajune.com

https://www.rehuman.earth

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/lylajune

Course:

Building Solidarity With Indigenous Communities 101 https://www.rehuman.earth/courses/building-solidarity-with-indigenous-communities-101

This week I'm down with the sickness (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah).

I'm ill! Part man, part exotic virus. Join me for a very quick and delirious update from the non-ordinary state of consciousness we collectively call sickness.

In this solo episode, I reflect on stillness, resistance and the use of force, as well as what it means to live through times of ecological and social crisis.

I talk about the pressure of weekly creation, the value of slowing down, and the tension between offering something out of obligation versus presence. I speak about what’s unfolding in the United States — state-sponsored violence, authoritarianism, and the violation of human dignity — and the difficult questions this raises around nonviolent resistance, the use of force, and how to respond to the monstrous without becoming monsters ourselves.I also explore the interconnectedness of ecosystems through a story of ‘The Destroyer’s’ invasion in North America, and how ecological imbalance mirrors deeper fractures in our societies.

This episode is an invitation to consider human dignity, resistance without hatred, moral courage, and the quiet practice of choosing goodness in a world that often feels unstable and overwhelming.

What if learning to love a forest could change how you see responsibility, courage, and your place in the living world? 

From trees that sweat clouds to foxes guided by invisible forces, today’s conversation invites us back into a world alive with wonder.

Joining us today on The Passing Through Podcast is Ethan Tapper, author of the award-winning book How to Love a Forest. Ethan is an internationally recognized forester, educator, and digital storyteller devoted to re-enchanting our relationship with the natural world. He currently lives on a 175-acre forest in Vermont, a place he calls “Bear Island.”

In this episode, we explore the complex beauty of the living world — from the surprising and scientifically proven connection between birding and ear hair, to the profound responsibilities of ecological stewardship, and the quiet magic of trees creating clouds. We reflect on how the forests we wander today are only shadows of their former selves, uncover the hidden wonders of magnetoreception in animals, and explore re-enchantment as an antidote to modern apathy. This conversation invites us to consider how our actions — big or small — can help cultivate a healthier, more vibrant planet. If you’re longing to deepen your relationship with nature and rediscover a sense of wonder, this episode is for you.

All the links you need to find Ethan are below:

https://ethantapper.com

https://www.instagram.com/howtoloveaforest

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG5pCDPHUyOiA2vW1l7L6oA

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551839705724

https://www.tiktok.com/@howtoloveaforest

Ethan’s book

https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-love-a-forest-the-bittersweet-work-of-tending-a-changing-world-ethan-tapper/aadfae3187214809?ean=9798889830559&next=t&

Winnebago Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSWUWPx2VeQ

This week I'm passing through the snowy mountains of southwestern Poland.

Join me for a meandering ramble that begins with dissolution and letting go. What does it mean to let go of everything and dissolve? In this episode I ask questions like:

• ​What is this podcast about?
• ​Who is it for?
• ​What's the point?
• ​Should you pull the mouse from the maw of a feral beast?

This is an episode for new listeners and old. Come all ye faithful and lend me your ears. I'm unpacking the tentpoles with you in real time and trying to reassemble the pieces. Let's sit down by the fire and make the time more easy passing.

This episode brought to you by LiminAL

Hello and welcome to 2026!

Join me for a quick current events update at the start, followed by a deep dive into some of the environmental, socio-cultural and cognitive impacts of artificial intelligence and social media and how these things have been passing through my existence recently.

Here's a quote from Vanessa Andreotti that I share near the end of the episode:

"Algorithmic modernity doesn't just control resources or power structures—it shapes attention itself. Algorithms are designed to harvest and monetize our focus, manipulating our neurobiology to seek rewards through the release of dopamine and oxytocin, the brain chemicals associated with pleasure and social bonding. This system feeds on our desire for validation, creating a feedback loop where our attention becomes a commodity, bought and sold in the marketplace of data. The result is not just an individual impact but a reshaping of collective realities and societal values.”

This episode brought to you by the Dodge Fugitive.

Further Reading

AI Research

Meta's Recent EU Breach

This week we're passing through the winter solstice; perhaps our most ancient human holiday.

What is the winter solstice? What is nature doing in the winter time? What is it asking of us? What can it tell us? What does letting go of your leaves look like?

Step into the darkest day of the year with me for a festive ramble where I ruminate on questions like these, tell stories about feral pigs and my friendship with a wood stove, explore humanity's relationship with fire, the sun, fractal cycles and the wider cosmos we're all a part of.

No boar were harmed during the recording of this podcast.

My dance partner today is the lovely and soulful Sara McFarland.

Sara is a storyteller, ritual performance artist, an improvisational singer, a soul initiation guide, a wild mind mentor, and a death doula for The Great Dying.

Sara’s views are rooted in an animist understanding of the world where story and myth and music and poetry are held dear and near to the heart.

Sara helps people initiate into soul, serving as a sort of midwife not just bringing a more beautiful world into being, but helping to dismantle destructive and limiting colonialist patterns of domination, control and disconnection  — a vital and important role in these times of collapse, uncertainty and volatility. 

We talk about composting and shedding. We talk about passing through this life, the nature of the soul, how we can think about soul, we talk about soul initiation and the role of death and dissolution, old Orpheus and Eurydice, humanity's collective soul initiation in the face of the polycrisis, practical ways for you to root down and feel what you’re feeling, and a bunch more. 

If you’d like to learn more about Sara, check out the links below:

www.saramcfarland.com

www.starterculture.net

www.animas.org