Unbroken Chain Podcast

Mr. Smilez is an artist and student of psychedelics who is learning how to translate experiences on the visionary plane into two dimensional art. In this very open conversation, we discuss how psychedelics have taught us to see and represent the world in ways we never imagined, and inextricably, to see and manifest our relationships with new compassion. He shares the practices that keep him grounded in creative flow while navigating the chaos of New York City capitalism, and the surprising liberation he's found in embracing his pain. Find him on instagram @Mr_Smilez. More podcasts and art at www.maurajames.com ["Drug Song" - Janko Nilovic]

Kat Howard is a textile and book artist whose work explores how the female body has been viewed over time. In this deeply personal conversation, she describes how learning about the historical persecution of witches under patriarchy has made her feel less alone when navigating her own traumatic experiences, and how making art has been a path to selfhood, healing, and community. We talk about the connectivity of trauma survivors throughout time, why she's taken the path of transparency, and how the stories of women from 500 years ago are more relevant today than ever. Find her online at www.Kat-Howard.com and on instagram @kat_howard. More podcasts at www.maurajames.com ["In The Kingdom" - Mazzy Star]

Tepahteh Hutze, the "Oso," is a medicine man who grew up in a family of curanderos from the Bear Clan who completed his first four day vision quest under the supervision of his grandfather at age six. As a young man he moved to United States and joined the Lakota Nation, following the teachings of Wallace Black Elk who adopted him as his grandson. Tepahteh's medicine and ways of life are deeply rooted in his practices of native ceremonies, including temescal(sweatlodge), limpias (cleanses), medicine plants, drum sessions, and energy healing. In this beautiful offering, he shares his philosophy on the ceremony of life, how to access the medicine we carry within us, why the word "disease" does not exist in his culture, and why we have come to live life on earth. Connect with Oso at www.tepahtehhutze.com and on instagram @tepahtehhutze. More podcasts at www.maurajames.com [Lakota ceremonial songs]

Meet Amy Van Doran, feminist matchmaker and recent psychedelic wizard. At her east village storefront, Amy has listened to people pour out their hearts nine hours a day, five days a week, for the last 12 years. She shares what she’s learned about modern love, how to manifest your dreams, her un-upbringing among witches in the psychic capital of the world, and how LSD is helping her reboot her creativity. More at www.modernloveclub.com and www.maurajames.com [“Lover of Mine” - Beach House]

After a 25 year hiatus from drug experiences, artist Sondra Goodwin has spent the last year traveling South America on an intense quest into the heart of indigenous psychedelic medicines. She's on a mission to free her soul from deeply ingrained and limiting belief systems. We traveled to Mexico this month to participate in yagé and bufo ceremonies with her shamans. She reflects on some of the wisdom she has gleaned about the true meaning of tolerance, how fear can keep us from both dying and living, and where to seek the one true voice of authority. More at www.maurajames.com ["Energía Universal" - Takina Tantay]

John Gardner is an artist and lover of plants who has died three times. He traded in the American Dream for a radically simplified life atop an "idyllic, strange and somewhat difficult" mountain in remote Southern California. He tells stories from the journey that lead him to his hermitage and the values he now holds dear. We talk about the Akashic Record, the karmic legacy of indigenous genocide, the relationship between soul and meatsuit, and the aliens among us. More at www.maurajames.com ["Western Questions" - Timber Timbre]

Bernadette Torres is a medicine woman, herbalist, teacher, and grandmother based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together with her partner Ashéninka Mino, she runs an outdoor garden school and provides healing sessions that treat the roots of trauma. We talk about our ancient relationship to the plant world, her personal journey to healing, and the personalities of her favorite plant spirits. Find Bernadette online at www.shabeta.com and more podcasts at www.maurajames.com ["Love Song" - Lani Hall]

Arielle Crawford holds beautiful space in the plant medicine community through her role as assistant to a prominent shaman. We talk about her personal journey to healing, reclaiming prayer, treating the deep roots of addiction, whether demons are real, and answering the call to service. More at www.maurajames.com ["Ghost Ship" - Jim Morrison]

Juliana McCarthy is an astrologer and energy healer who calls on the healing potential within all of us to open our hearts to the entire feast of life. We talk about the courage it takes to make ourselves vulnerable to real connection, embracing the wisdom of our emotions, and being ok with not knowing. For more of her beautiful, personal writing on astrology and to preorder her book, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, visit her at www.EtherealCulture.com and on instagram @etherealculture. More podcasts at www.maurajames.com ["Acid Tongue" - Jenny Lewis]