The Skeptical Shaman

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Matthew Gindin, freelance writer, teacher, acupuncturist and author of the Philosophy as Therapy Substack.

To say that Matthew's background is eclectic is an understatement. When he was 21, he lived as a monastic Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition for three years. Since then, he has continued to explore and examine, experimenting with observant Jewish practice, Advaita Vedanta, Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, and Western Esoteric traditions while all along the way reading philosophy and science. He also taught meditation and yoga and has worked as an Ayurvedic counsellor and Chinese medical acupuncturist.

Yah. It's a lot of stuff, and it's all informed his new writings on the Philosophy as Therapy Substack, which brings together his dynamic background with the philosophical teachings of the Buddha and Hellenic (particularly Stoic) philosophers-- all with the intent of offering relief from suffering through the cultivation of meaning.

Rachel and Matthew also explore how true spiritual and intellectual exploration and growth will inevitably lead to ego death, the destruction of closely-held paradigms, and the exponential expansion of personal perspective, sharing their personal stories of evolution.

In other words: tribalism and teams don't survive true spiritual growth OR intellectual honesty. And yes, it really pisses people off when you grow or, worse yet, "change your mind".

The upshot? Your old, bad ideas and beliefs have to die so you don't have to suffer in ignorance. And, to do this, you must expand out beyond your limitations and explore new intellectual, existential and spiritual cultures and concepts.

Regardless of what Becky at the lunch table has to say about it.

Is it hard to face facts? Let go of your closely held beliefs? Sit in the "in between" of the messy middle?

Yes. But it's also totally worth it.

LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
Matthew's Substack: https://matthewgindin.substack.com
Matthew's Medium: https://matthewzgindin.medium.com

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Dean Newlund, CEO of Mission Facilitators and the host of The Business of Intuition podcast all about the world of intuition.

What is intuition? Why is it important for business? How can we leverage it? What does intuition look like in human-scaled examples? And what's the ROI on focusing on cultivating-- and leveraging-- our intuition?  Dean is effectively a human aggregator of all things intuition, having collected metadata from hundreds of discussions on the topic with industry leaders from all walks of life, and he sheds some serious light on these and other questions.

Dean and Rachel also take a typical sharp left turn into The Fourth Turning, AI, Epochs, and general End Times fun. The upshot? Cultivating our intuition during these turbulent times marked by churn and hyper-novelty could just make the difference in navigating shifting landscapes successfully. In other words? Intuition isn't just for shamans and crystal hippy ladies anymore-- consider it your competitive advantage in a really challenging marketplace.

LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
Dean's Website: https://mfileadership.com
The Business of Intuition Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-intuition/id1511851813

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this magical episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Lesley Logan, founder of OnlinePilatesClasses.com and the host of the Be It Till You See It podcast. Lesley is a dynamic, iconoclastic solopreneur that has broken free of her limiting beliefs to ditch perfection and pursue her dreams-- however wild they may seem or sound.

And guess what? It all worked out-- and worked out in bigger and more marvelous ways than she could have ever expected!

In this podcast, Lesley and Rachel share their business "origin stories", giving an unvarnished view of how the messy small business sausage gets made. Spoiler alert: there is no cheat code or life hack that lays it all out when you're creating something new out in the proverbial wilderness. What you do have at your disposal is your intuition, your common sense, and your commitment to taking the ultimate risk: betting on yourself.

Besides: the old rules of working hard and staying with a company in the long term in exchange for job security just don't apply anymore. Starting your own thing might be the new hedge against a very turbulent, hyper-novel marketplace marked by churn and an ever-increasing rate of change. And, if you can create a business, practice or product that aligns with your life's purpose, all the better!

It's not a perfect journey, and there are fits and starts. But, if you widen your gaze and embrace the mantra of "be it 'till you see it", you'll certainly come out the other side living your own dream.

LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
The TOTEM Tarot Deck:https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

Lesley's full bio can be found at https://LesleyLogan.co/about
Lesley's links: onlinepilatesclasses.com
Lesley's Free Mat Pilates series: fullbodyin15.com

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with the incredible Bonnie Piesse,  host of the I Am The Sky podcast.

Best known for her role as Luke Skywalker's Aunt Beru in the ’Star Wars’ Universe, (Episodes II, III and Obi-Wan Kenobi), Bonnie is also a singer, songwriter, and intuitive practitioner, supporting her clients through her spiritual practice Of Soul and Sky. Bonnie was also featured prominently in the HBO documentary-series ‘The Vow', which detailed her harrowing journey with the destructive NXIVM cult.

Rachel and Bonnie discuss how Bonnie's connection to her intuition--which may or may not be referred to as "The Force"-- helped to wake her up to the reality of living inside of NXIVM, empowering her to break free and ultimately extract others-- ultimately working with authorities to ensure that the abusive NXIVM "leader", Keith Raniere, got a 120-year prison sentence.

Bonnie is living proof that intuition can override the often persuasive (but ultimately false) narratives intrinsic to coercive control dynamics and related thought prisons, acting as a kind of kryptonite against propaganda, group think, social pressure, financial exploitation, and more.

Since leaving NXIVM, Bonnie has created a spiritual practice designed to support people in reconnecting with their intuition, awakening to their true nature and helping them to live a soul-aligned life. But, as positive and powerful as this mission is, Bonnie has had to navigate some blistering online abuse and criticism for stepping out of the "psychic closet"-- an unfortunate manifestation of the "third rail" nature of spirituality and psychic phenomenon, as well as the mob-like nature of anonymous online trolls.

Bonnie is an inspiring, incredible human-- and this episode (and our TOTEM Tarot Deck card pull) highlight the indestructible light we all have within!

LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
Bonnie's Instagram: @bonniempiesse @ofsoulandsky
Bonnie's Spiritual Practice: https://www.ofsoulandsky.com
Bonnie's Website: https://www.bonniepiesse.com

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

Fan favorite Theresa Reed, aka The Tarot Lady, is back on The Skeptical Shaman to dig into how to provide tarot readings and psychic support for clients dealing with the heavy stuff.

Theresa is the author of the new book The Cards You're Dealt:  How to Deal When Life Gets Real, a look at how to navigate issues like grief, scarcity, pain, the burden of caretaking and more in a tarot  setting. The true story? The vast majority of clients booking a tarot reading or psychic session are dealing with something intense, whether it be a recent layoff, a career crossroads, the loss of a loved one, a troubled romantic relationship, health issues, or other challenges.

In this episode, Rachel and Theresa dig into how to navigate such sensitive and intense topics with both professionalism and appropriate empathy, with a focused look at how to maintain boundaries and stick to your scope of services-- i.e. reading those damn cards!

The World of Woo is full of opportunities to overstep and/or step "in it", and this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast features two seasoned tarot pros sharing their best practices and lessons learned from reading for thousands of clients from all over the world. If you're a tarot card practitioner, thinking of becoming one, or are building your own "Woo business", this episode really digs into the kind of brass tacks that can make or break a spiritual practice-- and your relationships with your clients!
 
LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

Theresa's Website: https://www.thetarotlady.com
The Cards Your Dealt Book: https://a.co/d/163boPE
There's IG: https://www.instagram.com/thetarotlady/

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down to chat with Yolanda Williams, the "Energetic Alchemist" and host of the oldest and longest-running reiki-themed podcast, Reiki Radio.

Yolanda and Rachel dig into the weird world of the "Business of Woo", spilling a bit of tea and throwing the requisite amount of shade as they dispel common myths and pull back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes. Yolanda shares tips for navigating the energy work landscape, arming listeners with key red flags (or green lights) to keep an eye out for as they seek out practitioners with whom to work.

Yolanda also shares her recent move to take a pause from client work, new workshops and programs, and the overall push and grind that has dominated the last four years for small business owners, Woo and not-Woo alike.  It can be tough to go inward and focus on your own spiritual practice when you also manage a client-facing spiritual practice-- but it's also THE most essential retreat to move forward.

Rachel and Yolanda even address the seemingly untouchable topic of what frequently happens to our bodies when we receive reiki attunements or reiki treatments. Here's a hint: it rhymes with "schmymeria".  Why doesn't anyone get this warning ahead of time?

This episode has laughs and poignant moments in equal measure-- enjoy and please rate and review The Skeptical Shaman anywhere you get your podcasts!

LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
Yolanda's Website: https://www.theenergeticalchemist.com/about-me
Reiki Radio:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reiki-radio-podcast/id725309051
Yolanda IG: https://www.instagram.com/reikiradio/

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

Fan favorite Nichole Bigley is back on The Skeptical Shaman to dig into the worlds of angels, dragons, aliens and more with host Rachel White of TOTEM Readings!

Nichole is the host of the A Psychic's Story podcast, and co-author of the new book (and TOTEM Book Club pick) Looking for Angels:  A Guide to Understanding and Connecting with Angels. She is also a psychic medium that offers angel readings and other intuitive sessions.

In this episode, Rachel and Nichole dig into the big, strange world of woo, sharing their experiences with their "totem animal" dragons, seemingly simultaneous recent encounters with negative entities, and their shared (and very strange) feelings about those pesky aliens running around that Miami mall!

The upshot? This coming year-- the Year of the Wood Dragon in Eastern Astrology-- is going to be one for the ages. Expect the veil of illusion to melt and the high strangeness actually present in our reality to emerge. It'll be a rock 'em, sock 'em good time for weirdos and psychics, with many others feeling "shook".

But, sometimes, getting shook is a good thing. Especially from the perspective of a micro-dosing, anti-establishment shaman!

LINKS:
Rachel's Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com
Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
The TOTEM Tarot Deck: https://www.amazon.com/TOTEM-Tarot-Deck-Rachel-White/dp/0578980126
TOTEM Flower Essences on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

Nichole's Website: https://www.apsychicsstory.com/about-a-psychics-story
Looking for Angels Book: https://a.co/d/hIZK2f9
Nichole's IG: https://www.instagram.com/apsychicsstory/

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with yoga instructor, retreat coordinator, and manifestation coach Kelly Pender. Kelly is also the host of the Badass Babe Oracle podcast, drilling into the real deal behind all things abundance, manifestation and having-ness.

In this episode, we talk sh*t and spill the tea on the “manifestation industry”, taking the time to separate what’s real, what’s nonsense, and what’s a straight-up grift. Kelly shares her very personal and very human-scaled journey with the world of abundance gospel and manifestation doctrine, displaying a great sense of humor as she evaluates what she used to believe— and where she’s at now.

This episode is landing in the magical, liminal space between Christmas and the New Year, a time during which most of us are reflecting on the past year and setting our intentions— and making our resolutions— for the year to come. This discussion is designed to give us all permission to ask, believe and receive, but also offers tangible lessons learned so you don’t have to fall into a multilevel marketing scheme or find yourself miles away from your goals in 2024.

In a hilarious and very apt twist, Kelly has given birth to a brand new baby just as this episode is landing, a literal encapsulation of magical manifestation!

And, as per usual, we pull a very aligned and very accurate card from our TOTEM Tarot Deck to sum up our discussion.

LINKS:
Rachel's Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
TOTEM Readings website (Rachel's practice): https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Tarot Deck (card used in episode): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578980126?ref=myi_title_dp
Kelly’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_badassbabe/
The Badass Babe Oracle Podcast IG: https://www.instagram.com/badassbabeoracle/

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with podcast producer, energy healer, coach and all-around mystic Roger Oney of Synergies Studio.

In this episode, we dig into the REALITY of the world of Woo-- no spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity here! Roger and I discuss how "the map is not the territory" when it comes to implementing spiritual insights in everyday human life.  Remember: any practitioner, coach or guru that promises total certainty and black-and-white solutions is selling you a steaming satchel of cow poo poo.

There is no one system, modality or practice that can live your life for you. Rather, at their best these practices are just maps designed to guide you as YOU do the hard (and real) work of navigating the actual landscape of life.

If you've been curious about working with a spiritual practitioner or launching your own spiritual practice, this episode is a must listen: Roger and I get totally transparent about our collective 40+ years of on-the-ground experience in the Woo, sharing our lessons learned (so you don't have to learn them quiet as hard as we did).

And, as per usual, we pull a card from our TOTEM Tarot Deck to sum up our discussion— and, as per usual, it was so on point it was creepy.

LINKS:
Rachel's Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
TOTEM Readings website (Rachel's practice): https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Tarot Deck (card used in episode): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578980126?ref=myi_title_dp
Synergies Studio (Roger's website):  https://synergies.studio

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this episode of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) sits down with Gina Graham, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and professional photographer. Gina is also the author and artist behind the book Body Beautiful: How Changing the Conversation About Our Bodies Has the Power to Change the World.

Gina's mission-driven work leverages her experience as a therapist and a photographer and artist, empowering women to address their trauma around and issues with eating disorders, body image, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and hormonal changes.

In this conversation, Gina and Rachel dig deep on how social media is bombarding women with unhealthy images and expectations, all while seemingly offering exploitative "coaching" packages, weight loss supplements, and other commoditized products seeking to exploit the neurosis and lack of self-love pervading our society.

There is a middle ground between superficiality and entropy: we can want to be healthy and take care of ourselves and our appearance while still accepting the idiosyncrasies that make us uniquely beautiful.

As always, we pull a TOTEM Tarot Card to pull together this critical dialogue, encapsulating the elevating power of real beauty!

LINKS:
Rachel's Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach
TOTEM Readings website (Rachel's practice): https://www.totemreadings.com
TOTEM Tarot Deck (card used in episode): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578980126?ref=myi_title_dp
Gina's links: https://linktr.ee/lifelensandlove
Gina's IG: https://www.instagram.com/lifelensandlove/
Gina's Book, Body Beautiful: https://a.co/d/eORmzMM

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.