Thursday Journal: Notes from the Strange World — Entry 1

In this first Thursday Journal reflection, we explore the Lone Masculine Archetype — the solitary man shaped through separation, hardship, discipline, and deep inner transformation.

This archetype shows up in mythology, psychology, and everyday life: the man who feels isolated, misunderstood, or set apart… not because he’s broken, but because he’s being forged.

In this episode, we cover:

• what the Lone Masculine archetype really is

• sacred solitude vs destructive isolation

• the shadow side of masculinity (bitterness, anger, emotional shutdown)

• why some men must walk alone before they can return stronger

• turning loneliness into strength, clarity, identity, and purpose

If you’re interested in archetypes, Jungian psychology, masculinity, men’s mental health, self-improvement, and personal growth, this entry is for you.

If this resonates, follow the podcast for weekly Thursday Journal reflections — and share this episode with someone who needs it

In this installment of Monday Mornings with Peace, we explore “The Philosophy of the Barbell”—why resistance creates strength, why consistency beats motivation, and how the iron becomes one of life’s most honest teachers.

this episode, I sit down with Miguel Conner for a wide-ranging conversation that moves through Gnosticism, mysticism, and the strange feeling that reality itself is out of alignment.

We explore the idea of stasis—how human beings get trapped in repetitive inner and outer cycles—and how the Demiurge functions as a symbol for false order, illusion, and spiritual stagnation. From there, the conversation opens into mystical experience, the shamanic path, and the ancient role of altered states in breaking through false realities.

We also take a fascinating detour into rock-and-roll mysticism, talking about Elvis Presley and other iconic musicians who embodied a shaman-like role—channeling something larger than themselves, standing between worlds.

Welcome to Monday Mornings with Peace. This is an orientation. A quiet reflection on waking up in a strange world already shaped by habits, anxiety, inherited beliefs, and expectations we never chose — and how awareness becomes the first step toward clarity.

In this episode, we explore the four timeless masculine archetypes—patterns of strength, responsibility, creativity, and order that appear again and again across myth, psychology, and sacred story. Rather than treating masculinity as a cultural trend or a list of surface behaviors, we approach it as something ancient, symbolic, and earned through struggle.

We trace these archetypes not only through mythic frameworks, but through biblical characters who embody them in very human, imperfect ways—men who wrestle with fear, power, temptation, faith, and calling. From the warrior who confronts chaos, to the king who must rule himself before ruling others, to the prophet who speaks truth at great personal cost, these figures reveal masculinity as a moral and spiritual burden, not just a physical one.

This episode isn’t about dominance or nostalgia—it’s about integration. About understanding the forces that shape men from the inside out. About recovering a vision of masculinity that is disciplined, sacrificial, courageous, and grounded in meaning.

In a world that feels increasingly fragmented, Mythical Masculinity asks a harder question:

What kind of man does this moment in history actually require?

Cannabis is often treated like a modern controversy — but its story stretches back thousands of years, woven quietly through medicine, ritual, empire, rebellion, and spirituality.

In this episode of Traversing the Strange World, Peace & Toodles take a grounded but curious walk through the long and strange history of cannabis. From its ancient origins as one of humanity’s earliest cultivated plants, to its sacred and medicinal roles across cultures, to its demonization and rebranding in the modern world — this is not a stoner episode, and it’s not propaganda.

It’s a story about how plants, power, culture, and consciousness collide.

We explore how cannabis moved from rope and medicine to sacrament and symbol — and why societies keep circling back to it again and again.

n this episode, we’re joined by Elizabeth Woods for a conversation that moves between symbolism, intuition, and big-picture questions about reality itself. Both of us receive tarot card readings, using the cards not as fortune-telling devices, but as mirrors—tools for reflection, pattern-recognition, and meaning-making.

From there, the conversation opens up into deeper territory. We explore the nature of reality and the universe, touching on ideas found in pantheism, where the divine is woven into everything, and Gnosticism, with its emphasis on inner knowledge, awakening, and seeing beyond surface appearances.

This episode isn’t about giving definitive answers—it’s about sitting with symbols, asking better questions, and noticing what resonates. Whether you’re skeptical, spiritually curious, or somewhere in between, this is a conversation about how humans have always tried to understand themselves and the strange, beautiful world they find themselves in.

In this holiday special, Peace & Toodles take a strange and thoughtful ride through the snow-covered myths of Christmas as we explore the origins and evolution of Santa Claus—from saint and folklore figure to the red-suited archetype we all recognize today.

We dig into where Santa really comes from, how different cultures shaped him over time, and uncover a few lesser-known Christmas tales and traditions that don’t always make it into the mainstream story.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Christmas episode without some pondering…

In our Pondering Segment, we ask the important questions:

Who would we put at the top of the naughty and nice list?

What does Santa represent psychologically and culturally?

And why does this story keep surviving—even changing—generation after generation?

Whether you see Santa as a historical figure, a mythic archetype, or something in between, this episode is about why these stories matter, especially in the darkest season of the year.

So grab a warm drink, settle in, and come traverse the strange, festive world with us.

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In this episode, we sit down once again with Michael Northro, known to many as the Shaman, for a deeper conversation on ancestors—who they are, how they are understood across shamanic traditions, and what it means to honor them in a modern world.

We explore how ancestors are viewed not simply as figures of the past, but as living influences—guides, protectors, and carriers of memory that shape identity, culture, and spiritual practice. From blood lineage to spiritual lineage, we discuss the different ways ancestors are recognized within shamanism and how those relationships can be approached with respect, intention, and humility.

This conversation also touches on practical and philosophical questions:

What does it mean to honor ancestors today?

How do you engage ancestral work without appropriation or fantasy?

And how do remembrance, ritual, and responsibility intersect in shamanic worldviews?

A grounded discussion at the crossroads of spirituality, ancestry, and the strange—inviting reflection rather than dogma.

In this episode, Peace sits down with special guest Britt Hartley for a wide-ranging conversation on what spirituality can look like outside the boundaries of organized religion—without dismissing religion entirely.

We explore the idea of spiritual atheism: the search for meaning, transcendence, and moral depth in a secular world, while refusing to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Together, we examine the positive and formative aspects of religious traditions, even for those who no longer identify with belief in a literal God.

The conversation moves through altered states and the role of psychedelics in spiritual experience, the modern hunger for awe and connection, and how ancient religious frameworks may have once made room for ideas that feel radical today—such as the possibility that God was once understood to have a divine feminine counterpart, later erased or softened by history.

This episode isn’t about belief versus disbelief—it’s about what survives after certainty collapses, and what still calls to us from the sacred, even in a disenchanted age.

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