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Today we are going to talk about death, because, lets face it, as a culture we really need to. Despite it being an intrinsic part of being alive, something that will happen to everybody, we really don’t like to talk about it. Our medical system will do anything to prevent it happening, sometimes despite the very wishes of the patient themselves. When did you last hear a friend tell you they’d been working on their will, or that they’d chosen a song they’d like played at the ceremonial commemoration of their life? How do we feel about our dying, about these close to us dying? Do we have a plan for a our death? It’s time we got these conversations going publicly and privately. Death is in the air right now. With so much talk about death tolls, some saying the virus rates have been over-inflated, some saying they’ve been deliberately under-reported and the real count is much higher. Its hard to know who to believe. Either way, as a society we are still incredibly frightened of this part of life, understandably. By its very nature we can know nothing of what actually happens, but depending on your belief system, we can have a pretty good guess and that’s enough for most. For myself, coming within a hair’s breath of dying at a young age re-framed my life as nothing less than a blessed gift, a second-chance at being here for which I am forever grateful. I think there is a lot of peace to be found in coming to terms with our dying and the deaths of others. It is the fundamental nature of life: all things will end. How can this truth teach us to live more fully while we are able? I’ve noticed more conversation around death awareness in podcasts recently, with Russell Brand talking to Amanda Palmer and my previous guest Manda Scott going into the subject on a recent episode of her Accidental Gods project. So here is a contribution to the cauldron from myself and my guest today, Sophia Campbell. Sophia is a basket maker and weaver of coffins. Her own encounters with death have come in a very personal way with the passing of her mother and sister and as you’ll hear, it was actually through her grieving process after her Mum died that she began working with baskets and weaving willow. Thanks for listening. Breathe deep and go well, Jody CONNECT WITH SOPHIA Sophia’s Website – wovenfarewell.co.ukSophia on Instagram CONNECT WITH JODY Jody on InstagramJody on TwitterSounds to Soothe – An improvised sound journey DONATE I have always offered this podcast in the spirit of the gift. It is not, and never will be, a for-profit enterprise. At the present time, many self-employed artists and creative types, myself included, are struggling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. My usual income has dried up.If you have enjoyed the episodes I’ve put out and are able to show a small token of your appreciation financially, that support would be gratefully appreciated. FOLLOW THE PODCAST You can keep up-to-date with the podcast via Facebook or Instagram. You can also contact me directly through the contact form. If you enjoyed the episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful. MUSIC: Six Organs of AdmittanceDrag City Records

Sam Gandy is a an ecologist, writer, speaker and researcher whose special interest lies in examining the capacity of psychedelic substances to dramatically and radically shift our interactions with the natural world for the betterment of all. In this episode, Sam shares his journey from his early forays into consciousness exploration and the wonders of nature, through his academic studies into soil and living systems. We talk about the value of psychedelics and how their expanding use can be harnessed as a force for good in this rapidly changing world. As well as his role as Scientific Assistant to the Director of the Beckley Foundation, Sam recently collaborated on a ground-breaking study with the Centre for Psychedelic Research team at Imperial College, London. Their findings demonstrated a reliable and robust positive association between psychedelic use and nature relatedness. This study and others like it are vitally important as we enter a new paradigm in which the value of psychedelics as tools for deeply positive change is undisputable and backed by science. Be sure to read Sam’s latest article for Eco Hustler, a perfect companion piece to this episode of the podcast. Since the last episode the world has changed. A global pandemic has been declared. You will no doubt be involved in measures to minimise the spread of the viral disease known as Covid-19. The Coronavirus has made a dramatic impact on the rhythms of our society and gifted the Earth a much-needed break from our selfish destruction as a result. We can all feel that something has shifted and however this unfolds, it is clear that life will never be the same again. We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction and the time to make significant, lasting changes to the way we live on the Earth was yesterday. As humans, we must slow down our greedy, consumptive habits. We must remember our place in the vast, interconnected web of life and we must care for it as best we can. Wishing you all good health, Jody CONNECT WITH SAM Psychedelics and Nature Connection – EcoHustlerTEDx Oxford – From Egoism to Ecoism: Psychedelics and Nature ConnectionImperial College Study on Psychedelics and Nature ConnectionSam @ Breaking Convention 2019 – Psychedelic BiophiliaSam @ Breaking Convention 2017 – Dying to Live CONNECT WITH JODY Sounds to Soothe – An improvised sound journeyJody on Instagram DONATE I have always offered this podcast in the spirit of the gift. It is not, and never will be, a for-profit enterprise. At the present time, many self-employed artists and creative types, myself included, are struggling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. My usual income has dried up.If you have enjoyed the episodes I’ve put out and are able to show a small token of your appreciation financially, that support would be gratefully appreciated. FOLLOW THE PODCAST You can keep up-to-date with the podcast via Facebook or Instagram. You can also contact me directly through the contact form. If you enjoyed the episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful. MUSIC: Six Organs of AdmittanceDrag City Records

The Lumieres Podcast is alive! Two years after the last episode, I’ve been called back to the microphone once more. First, I share what I’ve been up to in the interim and why the podcast was on hiatus, the primary reason being that I’ve been finishing my first book, Chimera. The book is a memoir of the tumultuous year of my life twenty years ago when I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukaemia. I’m now at the point where I am actively looking for a literary agent to help take the book to the next level and put it out into the world. I heard the name Manda Scott many years ago from the wonderful Mac Macartney down at Embercombe in Devon (where co-incidentally Manda is teaching this November). He was talking about how her historial fiction books, the Boudica series, had been dreamed into being. A shamanic author? I was intrigued and made a mental note. Manda is an award-winning novelist as well as an experienced shamanic dreaming teacher, running her own courses for the past fifteen years. I knew she’d make the perfect person to pick up the thread of this podcast with. Along with her partner Faith Tilleray, she recently birthed an extremely potent new project. Accidental Gods is the culmination of a year’s intense dreaming, meditating and planning. Accidental Gods is a podcast, a website portal and a framework for conscious evolution. It’s a bold and timely initiative that has the potential to be extremely beneficial to many people, regardless of background or experience. I urge you to check it out. In this episode you’ll hear Manda share her journey from veterinary surgeon, through shamanism and dreaming, into best-selling novelist. Manda unpacks the Accidental Gods project in depth and we talk about the state of the world, where the hope lies and what we can do to allow the next steps to emerge. Many thanks to Manda for her time and graciousness and to you for listening, liking, sharing and subscribing. I really appreciate your support. It feels good to be back!Until next time,Jody CONNECT WITH MANDA www.mandascott.co.ukwww.dreamingawake.co.ukwww.accidentalgods.lifeManda on Twitter CONNECT WITH JODY Jody on TwitterJody on Instagram FOLLOW THE PODCAST You can follow the podcast via it’s own page on Facebook or on Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! MUSIC: Six Organs of AdmittanceDrag City Records

Ian Marchant lives five minutes walk from my house in Presteigne. I’d heard his name mentioned here and there, and after meeting Bob Rowberry a few months ago (and learning about Ian’s book based on Bob’s adventures) it felt like a very natural progression to pop round to Ian’s for a chat. In this episode you’ll hear about his life as a writer, what it’s like to reinvent contemporary British trainspotting and be interviewed by Noel Edmonds, as well as a deep dive into the topics covered by his important new book A Hero For High Times: A Younger Reader’s Guide to the Beats, Hippies, Freaks, Punks, Ravers, New-Age Travellers and Dog-on-a-Rope Brew Crew Crusties of the British Isles, 1956–1994 (Jonathan Cape, 2018). Roger Lewis, writing in The Times, has already called it “a seditious, crackpot, transcendental riot… my book of the year, and it’s only February.” I’ve just ordered my copy and I would ask you to consider doing the same. I’m genuinely excited to learn more about this period of immense counter-cultural influence which happened before I really came of age. I’m hoping it can help fill in the large gaps in my understanding of my own cultural heritage and I have a feeling it will provide many laughs along the way! On a personal level, there is something beautifully fitting about the fact I now live in this small town in the Welsh borders in which the man who has written such a book also resides. I feel among friends. As I mentioned last time, it has been perfect timing to meet Ian and an honour to be able to release an episode of the podcast to coincide with the publication of the book. I really hope you enjoy this episode, we had a lot of fun and I can safely say you will learn a thing or three! Jody CONNECT WITH JODY: You can follow the podcast via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE OVERVIEW: Border life and the war outside Ian’s window How Ian arrived in Presteigne The benefits of light policing on country life Reinventing contemporary British trainspotting Being interviewed by tiny Noel Edmonds Psychedelic heaven at Lampeter University in the 1970s Life before writing and getting his first break Working with the BBC and making a living as a writer The genesis of Ian’s new book, A Hero For High Times Meeting Bob Rowberry and being inspired to write about British culture The influence of 60s Psychedelia and lack of awareness of it in today’s generation Taking drugs and fucking to change the world, will it happen again? The politics of the counter-culture in deeply conservative times Local activism as a force for good Changing consciousness through the reformation of our draconian drug laws A Hero For High Times is out now! CONNECT WITH IAN: Ian’s Website Ian on Facebook Ian on Twitter MUSIC: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Deep in a wood in a valley in the Marches of Wales, by an abandoned railway line, there lives a 75 year old man called Bob Rowberry. His home is an ancient school bus whose engine has died and whose wheels have fallen off. A Hero For High Times is the story of how he ended up in this broken down bus, on this abandoned line, in this forgotten part of the world. It tells of how, along the way, Procul Harum were named after his cat, how he sold Owsley acid to RD Laing, of how he annoyed Saddam Hussein and the IRA, and how he was freed from jail in Mexico by a popular uprising of the peasantry who had come to know him as ‘El Maestro’. It’s also the story of his times, and the ideas that shaped him. It’s a story of why you know your birth sign, why you have friends called Willow, why Yoko Ono affected how we eat much more than Linda McCartney ever did, why sex and drugs and rock and roll once mattered more than money, why dance music stopped the New Age Travellers from travelling, and why you need to think twice before taking the brown acid. – from Ian Marchant‘s new book, A Hero For High Times (Jonathan Cape, 2018) – extract repeated here with the kind permission of Ian. This is the second part of my conversation with Bob Rowberry. The next episode of the Lumieres Podcast will feature a wonderful hour in the esteemed company of the aforementioned author of A Hero For High Times, Mr Ian Marchant himself. This will be released on the very same day as the book is launched. I didn’t actually plan it like that but it’s worked out perfectly! The track I felt to play before this chat with Bob is the title track from the wonderful Jesca Hoop’s latest record, Memories Are Now. Everything about this song feels pertinent, from the references to living in the present, the role of memory and the sentiment of just cracking on with life. I saw Jesca play live in Wolverhampton yesterday (5/2/18) and she was utterly magnificent. Go and see her if you get the chance, but in the meantime please visit her Bandcamp page to purchase a record or two for yourself. Special thanks once again to Jayne Worthington for the wonderful portrait photography. Happy Imbolc! Jody CONNECT WITH JODY: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE OVERVIEW: Settling into Border life The adventure we can’t mention! How Bob met author Ian Marchant Bob’s take on how A Hero For High Times came to be On being the subject of a book Opening doors in the publishing world Creating jewellery and working with metals Inspiration from the craftsmen of the Middle East Learning patience as a jeweller How Bob manages a day-to-day woodland life The impact of technology on Bob’s world One of Bob’s favourite things to do as a kid (this involves bullets, weapons and the army) Getting resourceful and acting on opportunities CONNECT WITH BOB: Bob on Facebook MUSIC: Jesca Hoop Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Deep in a wood in a valley in the Marches of Wales, by an abandoned railway line, there lives a 75 year old man called Bob Rowberry. His home is an ancient school bus whose engine has died and whose wheels have fallen off. A Hero For High Times is the story of how he ended up in this broken down bus, on this abandoned line, in this forgotten part of the world. It tells of how, along the way, Procul Harum were named after his cat, how he sold Owsley acid to RD Laing, of how he annoyed Saddam Hussein and the IRA, and how he was freed from jail in Mexico by a popular uprising of the peasantry who had come to know him as ‘El Maestro’. It’s also the story of his times, and the ideas that shaped him. It’s a story of why you know your birth sign, why you have friends called Willow, why Yoko Ono affected how we eat much more than Linda McCartney ever did, why sex and drugs and rock and roll once mattered more than money, why dance music stopped the New Age Travellers from travelling, and why you need to think twice before taking the brown acid. – from Ian Marchant‘s new book, A Hero For High Times (Jonathan Cape, 2018) – extract repeated here with the kind permission of Ian. I first heard about Bob from friends we were staying with last Autumn, apparently he was a well-known local character. The more they described this charismatic, resourceful man who lived by himself in the woods in an old school bus, the more I knew I had to meet him. Bob is a man who has really lived the life of an adventurer, unafraid to take risks and to seek out the unusual. There is something feline about him, as if he has lived several lives. He certainly has plenty of tales and he loves to tell them. I was eager to record Bob talking about his adventures, so here we are. After you’ve listened to the episode, (of which there will be two parts) why not pop over to your local book-selling-outlet and order a copy of Ian’s new book for a richer exploration of themes woven through Bob’s story. Bob is a very gifted metal worker and jeweller who regularly posts his work on Facebook. if you’re lucky and he’s in a good mood, you might even be able to commission something from him. Grab yourself a hot brew and take a seat by the burner as I joined Bob in the bus for a twist-turning conversation about his life. Part Two will be out in a week’s time. Special thanks to Jayne Worthington for the wonderful photography. Until then, go well, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE OVERVIEW: Bob describes where he lives and why he loves it On getting into van life through traveling The perils of driving old vehicles in Germany The origins of Bob’s fascination with Asia Afgan tales: Altercations with armed locals Istanbul teacup eating and jazzing up the van Afgan tales: hashish chillums and firearm stories Bob’s early years as a risk-taker Living on the streets and the commodification of adventure Eric Clapton’s banjo busking Swinging sixties in The Scotch of St. James The roundabout story of how Bob arrived in the Welsh borders via Kabul Afgan tales: Bumps in the night (and yes, it also involves firearms) CONNECT WITH BOB: Bob on Facebook MUSIC: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

It’s been a while listeners but yes, I’m back with another very special Winter Solstice 2017 edition of the Lumieres Podcast. My guest for Episode 14 is singer, choir-leader and music teacher Sophia Efthimiou. A bit of backstory for you… I first met Sophia years ago at what was then Wildheart Gathering where she was leading a singing workshop and I went along to participate. That experience touched me and we kept in touch. As life would have it, a couple of years later she move into the shared house I lived in, nestled in the shadow of the South Downs, and we spent a couple of years bonding over all the good stuff – music, spirituality, mildly inappropriate humour, cooking and being a little bit OCD about cleaning! She is a very dear friend of mine and I’ve been privy to witness the sheer determination and talent in what she does, as well experience the deeply unifying, heart-warming feelings that often result from one of her singing sessions. Sophia is a very busy woman, running a handful of extremely popular choirs in the South-East of England as well as holding singing circles at various festivals. She’s even offering a singing holiday to Turkey next year on a boat! She is a warm, frequently hilarious and genuine soul who really embodies the message I’m trying to put across via the medium of this podcast; she shines her unique light into the world. Back before this project even started, I asked her about coming on as I knew it would make for a fascinating listen. For one reason or another we kept missing each other until a few weeks back in November when I was down in Sussex staying at the old house. The time was right, we had a wonderful chat and I’m very happy to present this episode to you now on this December day of light, sun, the closing of another cycle and the steady return of longer, warmer days to our wild northerly shores. A special thanks for the wonderful photography goes to Carl Sullivan aka Carl Youri. You can check out his work here. As always, your reflections and thoughts are welcome via Facebook or Instagram, or do contact me via the form on this website. If you enjoyed this podcast, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful. Until the next time (which will be a new year’s treat!) Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! BACKGROUND: Sophia is singer, choir leader and music teacher based in London and Sussex. She has a unique and infectious style, bringing a sweet balance of humour and depth to her workshops. Her warm and playful nature creates a sense of ease and unity, enabling everyone to drop into a space that is both held and free. Her own dance and movement practices naturally inform her leadership style, helping to bring the voice back into the body where it belongs. She collects and teaches songs from different cultures and traditions from around the world, leading harmony singing workshops with people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to bring out the natural voice and reinforce our innate human ability to make music. Her singing workshops are soul inspiring, heart warming and empowering, creating a sense of euphoria and connection for everyone involved. CONNECT WITH SOPHIA: Singing Ourselves Home Facebook MUSIC: Le Mystère de Voix Bulgares Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Hello listeners, I do hope you are navigating through these vibrant times with a sense of inner balance and a kindness of heart. As I’m sure we all know, that’s not always possible and for a multitude of reasons we all go through periods of struggle, both inner and outer. Whenever life knocks me off-kilter I find immense worth in making a little space for myself. Time to feel into which areas of my life may be out of balance or in need of some honest self-reflection. I ponder what actions I can take to re-calibrate such circumstances. There are many many layers and masks to both recognise and potentially remove on this journey, but simply starting the process off by acknowledging the struggle helps makes it real and brings it into conscious awareness. In my experience, many of the common anxieties that we all face from time to time can often be traced back to our societal disconnection from the rest of the natural world. I wrote an article for Rebelle Society earlier this year on this very subject which gathered some great responses so do check that out if you feel drawn. Right then, on with the show…. I invite you to listen and slowly absorb this wonderful conversation I had with with Rachel Corby, plant whisperer and medicine woman. It’s one of my favourite episodes and I reckon there is something for everyone here in a evolving chat which moves from Rachel’s introduction to Plant Spirit Medicine in South America to the current ecological crisis and our responses to it. Reflections and thoughts are welcome via Facebook or Instagram, or contact me via the form on this website. If you enjoyed this podcast, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and social networks. I’d be most grateful. a blessed November to you all, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE OVERVIEW: Rachel introduces her work with plants Magical moments of realisation on the path Discovering Plant Spirit Medicine in South America Apprenticing in New Mexico with Stephen Harrod Buhner The transportive nature of shamanic drumming Meeting plant spirits through feeling Teacher plants and the proliferation of escapist experience Plant intelligence and personality Cultural and social contexts for the use of entheogens The sensory power of non-visionary plants Our place within the living world The importance of integration Rachel’s closest plant allies and the benefits of specialising Defining the rewilding movement The importance of connecting with nature wherever you are Honouring the human animal The medicine in embracing our shadows Plants as keys for unlocking our traumas Unlearning the distrust of our own inner knowing Simple practices for sensory exploration with plants Human intelligence bias Thoughts on the current ecological state of our world Working for what you believe in vs against what you don’t Accessing grief through honest feeling Rachel’s future projects and books BACKGROUND: Rachel Corby is a medicine woman, plant whisperer and personal rewilding coach. Since her early days spent playing on her parent’s compost heap with earthworms and egg shells, she has loved being outside with a little dirt under her fingernails. She became more aware of the medicinal properties of plants whilst working in South America on various permaculture projects in the 1990s. During the same time period she was catapulted deeply into the realms of plant consciousness whilst working with a shaman in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Since that time she has worked to reconnect with all things wild and build relationships with the plants she encounters. Rachel is the author of three books. The most recent of which is Rewild Yourself: Becoming Nature. Rachel leads workshops, retreats, apprenticeships and online mentorships encouraging people to connect with plant spirits and to reignite their own wild core. CONNECT WITH RACHEL: Wild Gaian Soul Website Twitter Facebook Instagram MUSIC: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Thanks for tuning in to The Lumieres Podcast fellow humaniacs! If you enjoy pondering how exactly technology and the evolution of human perception is really tied together then this episode will delight your imagination. I was lucky enough to sit down with a man who really does embody the phrase “a gentleman and a scholar” – I’m of course talking about Carl Smith, Director of the Learning Technology Research Centre (LTRC) at London’s Ravensbourne University. Carl’s work helps pioneer technological experimentation and research for the advancement of human cognition, and he has an innate ability to discern both the benefits and potential problems inherent within these experimental technologies. What this means is that not only is he aware of how positive experiences of context engineering can be curated and the impacts they can have, he takes it further, envisioning the resolution of some of our current societal issues through new and innovative projects such as [WEKIT] Wearable Experience for Knowledge Intensive Training. This is also a man who also has the honour of being one of the first people ever to be legally administered with LSD and DMT for two groundbreaking studies into the neuropsychopharmacology of psychedelic compounds at Imperial College in association with the Beckley Foundation. His resumé is pretty damn impressive! I do hope you’ll find this episode illuminating and thought-provoking and I highly encourage you to check out the links to a few of Carl’s talks at Breaking Convention if you want to find out more about the way his mind works. I felt to include a track by the Japanese electronic musician Susumu Yokota before my chat with Carl, completely forgetting that he very sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 54. Much respect to Susumu  and thank you for all that you brought to the world. If you enjoyed this track, do go and check out some of his musical legacy, for he left the world with quite a wonderful back catalogue. Until the next time, go well, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE OVERVIEW: A typical day at the LTRC Empathy engineering with Cyborg Nest – Moon Rebus & Neil Harbison The North Sense project and intelligence amplification Technological design problems and human visual perception Fovography and the issues with linear perspective The benefits of peripheral vision exercises Moving beyond conventional Virtual Reality (VR) and inter-species umwelt Augmented Reality (AR), experience capture and the preservation of abilities Creating new forms of Art inside the AR space Stacking VR technology with Psychedelics Hacking the dream state for long-term lucidity On participating in the first LSD and DMT clinical trials in the UK Cyberdelics and the awakening of consciousness through unity experiences The importance of creating context over content Mixing the senses and developing new experiences Using technology wisely to avoid losing our natural abilities The future of technology, literacy and sensory augmentation The Memory Palace and gaining inspiration from ancient technologies Stories from the North Sense project and its potential applications Are we prisoners of our own perception? BACKGROUND: Carl H Smith is Director of the Learning Technology Research Centre (LTRC) and Principal Research Fellow at Ravensbourne. His background is in Computer Science and Architecture. He is an academic and developer with over 15 years experience conducting R+D into the application of hybrid technologies for perceptual and cognitive transformation. He is currently working on 4 EU projects including the newly funded Horizon 2020 project ‘[WEKIT] Wearable Experience for Knowledge Intensive Training’ which will use the latest in wearable and motion tracking technology to create ‘wearable experience’ – an entirely new form of media. His research interests include Embodied Cognition, Spatial Literacy, Perceptual Technology and Human Centric Methodologies and Pedagogies. He specialises in using mixed reality methodologies and visualisation techniques to produce augmented spaces for the generation and transformation of learning. His earlier research involved the investigation of these augmented forms of learning from the point of view of their units of construction, to see across the whole range of constituent parts, schemas and key narratives involved in their successful design and development. He has previously worked at the Computing departments at London Metropolitan University, Glasgow and Sheffield University. The Learning Technology Research Centre (LTRC) conducts design research into the application of information and communication technologies to augment, support and transform cognition.  Additional research Interests include: Reality hacking to create new forms of consciousness. Examining how technology can transform the human condition. Carrying out spatial experiments that are designed to turn images into objects and ideas into interfaces. Attaching information to space in the pursuit of non-mediation via the multiple point of view. Re-imagining what already exists by using perspective to shape reality instead of changing reality itself. Mapping consciousness in order to interlocate between different dimensions. Creating architectures of light within holoportals. Using natural media to fix the problems caused by the technology of linear perspective. Rewinding the construction of language in order to reveal the writer. CONNECT WITH CARL AND VIEW SOME OF HIS TALKS: Carl Smith at Ravensbourne Boundaries And Application Areas Of Perceptual Technologies To Create Non-Drug ACSs @ Breaking Convention 2017 Context Engineering Consciousness Using Hybrid Technologies @ Breaking Convention 2015 Carl H Smith – The Development of a Hybrid Ecology Framework for Psychedelic Technologies @ Breaking Convention 2015 MUSIC: Susumu Yokota The Leaf Label Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Well hello there people of good taste! Happy Autumn Equinox, for it is that time in the annual cycle once again when the Sun begins to dip down a little lower in the sky each day, the trees are bearing their ripe and juicy fruits and dreams are beginning to turn to cosy woollen jumpers and hot cider. Autumn is a beautiful season here in the UK; it’s not too cold, we still get those bright sunny days, but primarily I feel its because we are privileged to bear witness to the very marked changing of our landscape, as the trees, plants and animals begin the process of slowing down, sensing Winter in the near distance. As we make this transition, I’m back with you again to bring you another conversation with a fascinating, gifted and tuned-in gentleman by the name of Luke Brown. As I mention in the into, this podcast was fortuitous in that I had no idea Luke was going to be my guest until I arrived at my friend Sophia’s house and there he was. It seemed too good an opportunity to pass up and tired though he was, Luke graciously stepped up for a wonderfully entertaining chat covering his entire genesis as an artist. Please go and check out his work, it’s truly quite incredible. A special mention goes out to Twisted Records for the kindness of allowing me to use Younger Brother’s track Bedtime Story from A Flock of Bleeps, cheers guys! And also to Carl Youri for the lovely photo below documenting the occasion. Next time on the podcast I’ll be talking with Carl H Smith, Director of the Learning Technology Research Centre (LTRC) at London’s Ravensbourne University, a man on a mission to explore and define new frontiers of human sensory experience through the creative utilisation of emergent technologies. He’s a dude! Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE OVERVIEW: Growing up in London, Ontario The life-changing effects of an early journey On translating visions into form through creativity Dissecting and displaying the psychedelic experience as a visual artist On early art school experiences in conjunction with psychedelics The sensory and communicative dialogue with entheogenic substances Luke recounts in detail a deeply psycho-spiritual healing with Psilocybin mushrooms Pre and Post-Photoshop and the digital revolution Growing in popularity as a result of digital exposure On travelling, tattooing and moving to Bali Re-mixing digital and analogue methodologies The ups and downs of getting truly focused on the creation process Luke’s digital presence BACKGROUND: Luke Brown’s paintings are a beautiful combination of traditional and digital methods of creation, with a specialism in manifesting extraordinary complex entheogenic dimensions. He describes himself as an explorer, part of a new generation of visionary artists  changing the way we view culture and its ties. Most of his works revolve around lucidity and visions obtained through dreaming and sacred plant journeys. These have been the source of his creativity and are clearly reflected in the symmetries and organic, moving surfaces of his work. Digital media allows him to depict his art with incredible detail, closely reflecting the movements of his mind. Luke is intent on mapping his hyperspatial experiences with utmost accuracy as a form of multidimensional cartography. His works have been shown internationally, alongside such visionary heavyweights such as Alex Grey, HR Giger, Robert Venosa and Ernst Fuchs. CONNECT WITH LUKE: Spectraleyes website Spectraleyes Facebook page MUSIC: Younger Brother Twisted Records Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Hello everyone, A deep bow and many thankyous for joining me once more as The Lumieres Podcast resumes activity after a strangely subdued summer break. As I mention in the intro, the summer break began as an enforced rest period, coming after I was attacked by a dog in late May. To cut a long story shirt, I was walking my partner’s dog Chester in the local park when an English Bull Terrier ran towards us from across the street and basically decided to try to kill him. In the process of furiously saving his life, I ended up with cuts and bite wounds, a case of substantial shock and some mild PTSD. It forced me to cancel my trip to London that weekend for the Breaking Convention conference which I was more than a little gutted about. The good news is both Chester and I are fine and have recovered well but I can honestly say it was one of most violent and scary moments I’ve experienced in recent years. As I recovered from this trauma, it became clear that it was time to take a break from the podcast and take some time for rest and reflection – so that is what I did. I spent time with family and friends and continued working on my first book which continues to progress well into the second draft phase. Over the next few months I will be bringing you a variety of fascinating and illuminating conversations with another selection of brilliant and bright humans. I thank you for following and sharing and liking this project of mine and I do hope that life is bestowing you with blessings. If that is not the case, I wish you a calm mind and a strong heart to deal with whatever has been thrown your way. We kick off this new season of episodes with a veritable bounty, a conversation with pioneer, author and cultural change agent Greg Sams who, along with his brother Craig, was responsible for creating the organic and natural foods movement in the UK. It was a real honour for me to sit down with Greg and tap into his unique perspective on life. It is a fascinating insight into the wonderfully varied escapades of a true pioneer and I do hope you enjoy listening. ’til soon, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: Greg’s recent Breaking Convention appearance. Drugs, divine light and Quantum Theory. Zoroastrianism and light worship. On commencing writing Sun of gOd. Greg’s first LSD experience in California. The power of Sunlight. Cultural associations of the Sun  throughout history. The imbalance of global power structures. Greg’s adventures in pioneering organic foods. Growing up with real home-cooked food. Getting into Macrobiotics. Moving to the UK and helping to launch the natural food movement. Learning how to run a food company on the fly. On creating the original VegeBurger. The current Psychedelic renaissance. Greg’s current mission to promote a new perspective on the Sun. The Yin and Yan of things. Making clear choices in life. Moving out of the business world. Pioneering fractal art and discovering chaos theory. BACKGROUND: Gregory Sams has been changing the culture from the age of 19, when he operated the historic organic Seed Restaurant in London in the late 1960s. Within a few years he was running the nation’s first natural and organic food enterprise. In 1982 he created and original VegeBurger, initiating the market for vegetarian food in the process. In 1990 Greg moved from food to fractals, opening the world’s only shop dedicated to new science “chaos theory,” publishing and licensing fractal art worldwide. He then turned to writing, with his first book Uncommon Sense, published in 1998, exploring the lesson chaos theory holds for humanity. His next book, Sun of gOd, explored the profound implications of what was once common knowledge throughout the globe. In 2013 it was time to re-release an upgrade to his first book, retitled The State is Out of Date: We Can Do It Better. CONNECT WITH GREG: Greg ‘s website Greg on Facebook Greg on Youtube MUSIC: Peaking Lights Weird World Records Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

[powerpress) Greetings listeners, I hope everyone is well and coping with the twisting, turning, leaping, bounding avenues of life. I’ve been away for slightly longer than usual due to this kind of ebb and flow but I’m here for you, right now, with a fantastic episode featuring a spirited conversation with the wonderful Carolyn Cowan. I’ve been aware of Carolyn’s work for a number of years and find her to be an extremely refreshing alternative in the sometimes pious Yoga scene, and especially in the sphere of Kundalini Yoga, which in my experience can at times be extremely fucking weird as you will no doubt find out in our conversation. I do love elements of it though and have been practising it in one form or another for over ten years. Carolyn has been teaching for over twenty years, and alongside her teaching she runs a private practice as a Psychosexual Therapist specialising in trauma, addiction and shame and it’s this natural branching of her abilities that I feel lends her an unrivalled depth to her yoga teaching and to her approach to life in general. She is a rule breaker and a rebel and yet she operates from a place of compassion and hard-earned wisdom. She is direct and unflinchingly piercing in her observations. I really value her work and so I was excited to get to sit down for a chat with her a couple of weeks ago at her home in Croydon. We got properly stuck into this chat and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I hope you do to. The musical wonderment in this episode comes from the wonderfully talented Sybie, a young singer/songwriter based in Brighton who I met at Roots Gathering in Kent this past weekend. She held the tent spellbound every time she opened her mouth to sing and after you hear the track I’ve included I think you’ll understand why. Do check her out. Her partner Henry is a rather talented hang player too! Until next time, Shine on, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: Introductions Carolyn’s first spiritual teacher Getting sober with David Bowie Breaking away from patriarchal religion On losing everything Photographing nomads in India On meeting Kundalini Yoga Avoiding dogma in yoga and spirituality Kundalini non-conformism Acceptance of the self Teaching from the personal and female perspectives Kundalini as the divine creative force Moving away from the spiritual middle-man Hierarchy vs Individualism The value in taking apart our identities Deconstructing Kundalini teacher training Modern day oppression and our reactions to it On becoming a Therapist Building bridges as a teacher The bravery of working with shame Approaching traumatic experience with posture and the breath Embracing our darkness as a key to power Giving ourselves permission to be insane Who are we without our story? The evolution of Carolyn’s work BACKGROUND: Carolyn Cowan is an internationally acclaimed Kundalini Yoga teacher, specialising in preparing mothers for birth. She runs a training called a Mother’s Journey in which she trains midwives and health professionals to become active birth teachers and pregnancy yoga teachers. She also provides training for the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction as well as sexual compulsion, porn addiction, shopping, gambling and cutting. The Mastering the Addictive Personality Teacher Training course certifies the practitioner to work in prisons and rehab centres. She has produced numerous DVD’s about vegetarian cooking, conscious pregnancy, overcoming addictive personalities and the art of meditation. She has been a spokeswoman and trainer for the charity Action on Addiction. Alongside this, she is also a practicing Psychosexual and relationship therapist. Prior to her career as a therapist and yoga teacher, she was a fashion designer and photographer. During the 1980s, she earned acclaim as a makeup artist in the pop music video industry. CONNECT WITH CAROLYN: Carolyn ‘s website Carolyn on Facebook Carolyn on Twitter Carolyn on Youtube MUSIC: Sybie on Bandcamp Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Greetings everyone, Thanks for checking in once more with the Lumieres podcast. I deeply appreciate your attention, such a rare and priceless commodity as it is these days. On today’s episode my guest is Martin Thomas – aka Mahdi Mu – artist and chief co-conspirator in all things Zu. From it’s foundation as an artists collective it evolved to a performance space and community hub. Having sadly closed their doors for the last time in 2016, Martin and the Zu team spent some time consolidating and are back this year with their new baby, the Zutopia Festival! In this conversation, Martin joins the dots from his own creative beginnings as a woodworker and space designer through to putting on parties, finding his feet in the festival world, co-founding Zu Studios to the current challenges of organising and staging the first Zu festival. We also dipped into some deeper realms on the subjects of ancestry, traditions and culture and the wave of Zuvuya we are all surfing at this time. I do hope you enjoy it and I thank Martin once more for his time and generosity in sharing his life and his stories. catch you next time folks, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: Finding purpose through personal grief On running beach parties on Newhaven beach Surfers of the Zuvuya On the challenges of organising a Festival The origins of Zu Studios The importance of sharing and collaboration Martin’s creative background Curating and attention to detail Eight years of creativity Community and the long-term vision for Zu The waves of potential in 2017 Surmounting challenges through generosity On the politics of the Phoenix Estate and community engagement Global challenges and the importance of acting locally Roots and ancestry in the British Isles Tradition vs Evolution in culture Modern day oppression and our reactions to it On curating the festival programme Embracing technology at Zutopia The wonder of all our unique gifts What’s going on at Zutopia Festival BACKGROUND: Zu Studios was a multi-disciplinary studio, performance and workshop space in the heart of Lewes which ran from 2008 to 2016 and served as Martin Thomas’ principal creative outlet, where he designed and crafted every room with loving and lavish detail. Martin is a master craftsman who has turned ordinary rooms into heavenly spaces with bespoke furniture that speaks of the sacred nature with which it was made. On display throughout Zu were many stunning pieces of his woodwork featuring his signature Fibonacci curves. Zu is short for Zuvuya, a Mayan word that describes the inter-dimensional wave of change we are all surfing at this time. It is the pipeline to magic and the memory circuit linking life and creative expression. After the closure of the physical Zu Studios space, Martin and the rest of the team began working to develop the first Zutopia Festival, a gathering centred around the Zu maxim of ‘Inspiration, Education, Celebration’. It will be held over the weekend of July 7-9th 2017 near Hartfield, East Sussex and promises to be a refreshingly vibrant small festival with it’s heart truly in the right place. CONNECT WITH THE ZUNIVERSE: www.zustudios.com www.zutopia.space MUSIC: Emiliana Torrini Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Welcome once more one and all to another episode of the Lumieres Podcast. I’ve been away for a week sequestered inside a cosy little cabin in Norfolk putting the finishing touches to the first draft of my book (coming along very nicely now), hence why this episode is a week behind the usual bi-weekly momentum. If you’ve been hankering after some more deep and juicy heart medicine in the form of a long-form conversation then this episode will not disappoint. I first met Mark Golding in Brighton as a young man probably ten years ago, when my friend Guy and I went to his home to discuss making a website for his antiques business. I was enchanted then by the weird and wonderful decor and the palpable feeling of magic which Mark imbued the space with. I’ve since enjoyed following Mark’s path from afar as he’s evolved his being into the magical artist, teacher and myth-maker he is today. What you are about to hear is very personal, open and honest and I thank Mark deeply for his ability to so clearly and warmly elucidate the very moving stories of his life. There is so much wisdom within these words and I do hope you can feel it. Until the next time, I wish you well, Jody CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: Inside Mark’s woodland cabin The esoteric foundations of Mark’s creative process How a friend’s cancer initiated his journey with drawing Imaginary medicine and the importance of detaching from outcome Buddhism and the practices which help Mark get into the zone The balance of Sutra and Tantra Miraculous choreography and global transformation Understanding everything as our responsibility The very personal story of the discovery and regeneration of St. Helen’s Spring Opening the Crown Chakra of Hastings Mark’s magical relationship to the element of Water and the power of transformation Arriving here, from there – via the element of Fire On Enlightenment and teaching through Mandala The joys of family and being a Grandfather Working selflessly for future generations Beautiful opportunity in times of chaos The time is Now BACKGROUND: Mark Golding, was born in London in 1955 – He says… ‘Life is a flow, a journey of multi-sensory experiences, that I have chosen to record, using the visual medium. Each drawing explores a specific intention with regard to the viewers experience, with nothing being too obscure, esoteric or wonderful to represent.’ Described as ‘Psychoactive Art’ and ‘Healing Mandalas’, Mark’s work engages the viewer on a powerful subliminal level, and activate dormant powers, and create tendencies of inner peace, and initiate profound growth. His work has been sold in America, Europe, Australia, Great Britain and the Middle East, and has been published in book form. Mark has, in his time, been a hospital chaplain, a poet, an author, a meditation teacher, a dealer in antiques, an art historian and a collector of old gemstones. CONNECT WITH MARK: www.markgolding.co.uk MUSIC: The Great Bell Chant (End of Suffering) – Gary Malkin featuring Phat Niem and Thich Naht Hanh Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Good day fine folk of the world and welcome to Episode #6 of The Lumieres Podcast! Thanks for dialing in. In this edition I begin by rambling on a little about my love of foraging, particularly at this time of year. I also get very excited about the frankly mind-blowing Manu Delago gig I went to this week in Brghton town. Tru Thoughts (his record label) were kind enough to let me include a track from his new album Metromonk so I do hope you enjoy that, it’s quite a monster! So I met up with the incredibly lovely Andreas Kornevall recently and we had a great time chatting about a wide range of topics that span Andreas’ work – ecology, grief, travel, rewilding, storytelling, mythology, music and the myserious runes being key areas of subject matter. I do hope you enjoy this one everyone, we had a great time recording it and it’s a real honour to bring it to you. I want to thank Andreas warmly once again for being a sweet and gracious host, for his wise words and  lastly, for his time. The man is quite an inspiration so do go and check him out telling stories, or engage with the Earth Restoration Srrvice and the Life Cairn movement if you feel to. All the links are down below. As ever, thanks for listening, have a fantastic couple of weeks and I’ll see you again very soon, Jody [Image: Andreas Kornevall taken by Vicky Kornevall and used with permission] CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! BACKGROUND: Andreas Kornevall grew up in South America, Sweden and Switzerland. He spent several years volunteering with charities around the world, after which he co-founded workingabroad.com – a non-profit volunteering and travelling site. He also directs the Earth Restoration Service Charity, which aims to enhance ecological integrity, by planting new woodlands around the world. In response to the sixth mass extinction he co-founded the Life Cairn movement: memorials for species rendered extinct at human hands. As a writer, he was the winner, 3rd prize, of the wordhut.com short story competition, winter 2015 and has appeared in various magazines and publications such as the Dark Mountain Books, Resurgence Magazine, Permaculture Magazine, Yellow Medicine Review, Earth Lines, Positive News, Spiritual Ecology, The Barefoot Dairies, Kindred Spirits, The Ecologist, and more.  The work of Workingabroad.com has appeared in both the BBC and the Guardian. As a storyteller, he works with old myths and fairytales that shine a torchlight on life’s journey; his stories tend to gravitate around the Northern and Greek mythological landscapes. You may find him telling a story on a hillside, by a fire, in a woodland somewhere, at a festival, or in a school. CONNECT WITH ANDREAS: Earth Restoration Service The Life Cairn on Facebook Working Abroad AndreasKornevall.com EPISODE RESOURCES: Fyonna Cambell’s Wild Food Walks Robin Harford – EatWeeds The Life Cairn MUSIC: Manu Delago Tru Thoughts Records Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Hello everyone! Rejoice for Spring is here – at last. How good it feels to expose ever more parts of my body after several months of thermals, layers and woolens. Wherever you are listening to this in the world (and there are a lot of you all over the place now!) I wish you a bright and grounded day, may we all give thanks for the warmth and light of our Sun as it reaches us. I have such a deep reverance for this great celestial being in the sky, I can totally understand the rampant deification of it by ancient cultures and indeed today, there is much one can do to work with the energy of the Sun and the information it holds. One of my favourite practices over my years of self-exploration is the Aztec art of Sungazing… and no, I’m not blind, if anything my eyesight is sharper than ever. Personally, I have found the effects to range from clarity of mind, an increase in energy and a sense of heartfelt joy depending on the strength of your practice. I realise this can be a contentious topic so I shall say no more for now, but if you are interested in finding out more then Vinny’s site is exhaustive and a veritable goldmine of information. I should point out by way of a disclaimer that I am in no way encouraging anyone to try this themselves, any personal experimentation you undertake should be with full responsibility for your own body. Do your research and please be careful folks. It’s interesting to me that both extremes, of taking in light and of the absolute restriction of light, can both invoke deeply mystical experiences. Possible areas for the Parapsychologists out there to explore? I hope you vibe the hell out of today’s episode of The Lumieres Podcast with Dr David Luke, if you did enjoy it please tell your friends and share it with them, hit me up on Twitter or Instagram and if you want extra-special brownie points, leave me a rating a little review on iTunes which helps more people to find out about it and gives you sacks of good karma. I’ll do you a little shout out too on the next episode if you like! until next time everyone – be well, Jody [Image: Traditional Huichol yarn art painting depicting the annual Peyote pilgrimage] CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! BACKGROUND: David Luke completed his PhD on the psychology of luck in 2007, and is now Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich where he teaches an undergraduate course on the Psychology of Exceptional Human Experience, and is also guest lecturer on the MSc in Transpersonal Psychology and Consciousness Studies at the University of Northampton. He was President of the Parapsychological Association between 2009-2011 and as a researcher he has a special interest in transpersonal experiences, anomalous phenomena and altered states of consciousness, having published 100 academic papers in this area. Dr Luke is co-editor of Talking with the Spirits: Ethnographies from Between the Worlds (Daily Grail, 2014) and Breaking Convention: Essays in Psychedelic Consciousness (Strange Attractor, 2013), editor of Ecopsychology and the Psychedelic Experiences (2013), and is also coauthor of the undergraduate textbook Anomalistic Psychology (2012, Palgrave Macmillan). David is also director of the Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness salon at the institute of Ecotechnics, London, and is a cofounder and director of Breaking Convention: Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness. He has studied techniques of consciousness alteration from South America to India, from the perspective of scientists, shamans and Shivaites, but increasingly has more questions than answers. CONNECT WITH DAVID: Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness FB Group Publishing and Research Paper Listings EPISODE BREAKDOWN: How Dave got into his weird and wonderful work The scientific approach to exploring altered states Self-experimentation with pre-cognition using San Pedro cactus Psychedelic renaissance in research and wider culture Origins of the Breaking Convention conference The importance of integration and ritual Jody’s bizarre Ayahuascas tale Mystical experience and the power of belief Cultural cosmology and it’s influence on our experiences The Psychology of Luck and Synchronicity Keeping a work/life balance and making time for field research On being a new father and living in North Wales The creation of the Neuromagica Retreats The affect of Psychedelic experiences on our Eco-consciousness Urban living as a direct cause of Psychological imbalances The future: It’s going to get weirder! How do we define what Life is? Technological Psychedelia through Virtual Reality Reaching the AI singularity and the ‘DaTuring Test’ EPISODE RESOURCES: Breaking Convention Eradicating Ecocide Nick Bostrom’s Similation Theory Carl Smith Kurzweil Claims That the Singularity Will Happen by 2029 MUSIC: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Hello friends, I hope this turning towards Springtime here in the Northern hemisphere finds you well and rested as we crest into March. If you’re anything like me and tend to resonate strongly with the ebb and flow of the seasons, you’ll be on the cusp of emerging from your winter hibernations, ready to burst forth into life once more along with the perky Daffodil buds and young Ramson leaves, the sweetly singing birds and all the curious and playful beings we might find whispering and dancing around us. It’s a wonderful thing and Spring is one of my favourite seasons for it’s sheer veracity and joy. Today’s epsiode of the Lumieres Podcast is with the force of nature that goes by the name of Dr Martin Shaw. I was captivated by Martin the first time I saw him tell a story live with his drums and rattles, bells on his ankles, whooping and calling and thumping his chest as he held all the wide-eyed souls crammed into a tiny Tibetan tent on a Devon hillside in timeless rapture. Here we are several years later and meeting the man in person did not dissapoint; he is a veritable treasure chest of wisdom, a bard and artist of inimitable style and grace with a knack for serving up sentences that feel simultaneously fresh and ancient. I do hope you discover the shining gold contained within this conversation and check out Martin’s books, his teaching at the School of Myth and keep your eye out for the next time he is performing near you, it’s a rare and unmissable treat. See you next time as we dive down some mind-bending Entheogenic wormholes in the rather excellent company of Dr. David Luke! with gratitude, Jody [Image via School of Myth] CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! BACKGROUND: Dr. Martin Shaw is a mythologist, storyteller and author of the award winning Mythteller trilogy: A Branch From The Lightning Tree, Snowy Tower and Scatterlings: Getting Claimed in the Age of Amnesia. Director of the Westcountry School of Myth, he is co-designer (with Dr. Carla Stang), of the Myth and Ecology MA at Schumacher college in Devon, England. He designed and lead the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life courses at Stanford University, and is principle teacher at Robert Bly’s Great Mother conference. Shaw lived in a black tent for four years on a succession of English hills, exploring remaining pockets of wilderness. CONNECT WITH MARTIN: www.drmartinshaw.com www.schoolofmyth.com EPISODE BREAKDOWN: Martin’s childhood journey into myth and story On being claimed and beholding the world Tuning the ear to a more eloquent use of language The impact of our lack of initiation rites Vision fasts and wilderness rites Becoming known in his own right The difference between storytelling and writing Perceiving natural wonder in all places The origins of the School of Myth Martin’s early experiences in teaching The ‘Tavern of Interesting Strangers’ EPISODE RESOURCES: Schumacher College Bill Plotkin – Soulcraft School of Lost Borders MUSIC: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Greetings fellow earthlings, In this episode of the podcast I met with the wonderful Sarah Janes and we went deep into one of my favourite subjects: Dreams. I’ve been fascinated by my own dreams since I was a child and over the years have had numerous magical and mystical experiences within the dreamstate. My efforts to work with full lucidity still need some training but intuition and personal experiences have long showed me the powerful benefits. I met Sarah via the Explorers Club. I’ve been to a couple of the Explorers Club events that she runs here in St. Leonards-on-sea and found them to be delightfully mind-expanding. It’s a neat concept that is noticeably popular around Hastings – self-hosted, self-promoted & reasonably priced events. They are intimate and inherently social occaisions and Sarah often cooks up delicious food into the bargin. Good food, good people, good knowledge – what more could you ask for? So – I do hope you enjoy this epsiode – Sarah really knows her shit as you will hear. Perhaps you’ll get inspired to pay a little more attention to your dreaming life and the potential keys it may hold. By consciously working with our dreams we can unlock the hidden powers of the mind-body connection. Look after yourselves and I’ll see you next time for a really special conversation with the one-and-only Dr. Martin Shaw – Mythologist, Storyteller, Author and Teacher. Until then, be well! Jody [Image credit – Henri Julien Rousseau – The Dream (1910) – via Wikipedia] CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! BACKGROUND: Sarah Janes is a Lucid Dreaming expert and Dream Researcher with a passion for all things sleep related. She is the founder of Explorers Club – a series of regular talks on topics that traverse the mystical spectrum from Philosophy and Spirituality to Psychedelics and Dreaming.  She is also currently writing a book about Mnemosyne, the Greek Goddess of Memory and her role in the Sleep Temples of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. CONNECT WITH SARAH: morphologydreams.wordpress.com www.facebook.com/sarah.bohemia EPISODE BREAKDOWN: St Leonards-on-Sea vs Glastonbury The healing springs of Hastings Scatterlings and being claimed by a place Community roots and the DIY ethic in Hastings The roots of Sarah’s dreaming practice Dreams as a ‘Memory Palace’ Lucid dreaming and personal mythology Exploring the dream experience Collective consciousness and Remote viewing Symbology as the language of dreams Changing our perceptions of what constitutes reality The cyclical nature of time and it’s relationship to memory Dreaming abilities and evolution Technology’s effect on our hormonal rhythms Healing and the Mind-Body connection The potential of dream incubation and reviving Sleep Temples Looking to the future and a more aware society Co-operative dreamtime stories and working with children EPISODE RESOURCES: Explorers Club Mark Golding – Dance the Deep Line MUSIC: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records  

Hello friends, Thanks for dropping by the Lumieres Podcast once again, into the second episode now and it’s starting to feel a little more real! I can already tell it’s going to be quite a journey for me personally embarking on this project – one that will challenge me and push me in all the right ways. I hope you’ll continue to follow the show as it unfolds, I have some great guests lined up over the next month but I’m not going to say any more on that for now – you’ll just have to wait and find out! As I mentioned in the intro, the world appears pretty crazy at the moment. In times like these it can be incredibly tempting to run and hide away from it all. Whilst that may help you process and calm down in the short term it’s not a solution anyone can make real use of. One of the most important things you can do for yourself and for those around you is to cultivate a radical level of self-care. By this I mean really attempting to make a practice out of looking after yourself. Maintain your sense of perspective and your connection to the ground beneath your feet. I wrote a piece published by Rebelle Society recently that explores what I mean by this term ‘radical self-care’ and how to begin approaching the concept. I hope you’ll check it out and do let me know if any of it resonates for you. This episode features the beautiful and gifted singer, songwriter and musician Carrie Tree. It was recorded on a dark and windy night in mid-January and we had a lovely intimate chat about Carrie’s life in music, including her experiences of being in the studio, her travels around the globe playing shows and getting inspired by the deep rhythms and soulful people of Mama Africa. Keep on shining, Jody BACKGROUND: Carrie has toured and/or collaborated with the likes of Damien Rice, Fink, Duke Special, Rumer, Carly Simon, Ben Taylor, Martha Tilston – even the prog rock band Marillion! She has been a known name on the UK alternative/green festival scene for several years playing regularly at festivals like Glastonbury, Sunrise, Shambala and Buddhafields, has travelled through many parts of the world with her music and regularly tours in parts of Europe. Carrie is strongly involved in the production of her music and co-produced her 2nd album, experimenting with instruments and sounds from around the world, whilst wanting to keep the space and intimacy of the music. She is deeply passionate about the planet (she changed her performing name to TREE!), human rights and is involved with causes such as Amnesty International, Eradicating Ecocide and No Fracking. Human Kindness Song from Nic Askew on Vimeo. CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! EPISODE BREAKDOWN: On forging stronger audience connection through playing house concerts Crowdfunding a new record The ups and downs of the recording process On questioning her future with music Carrie’s first steps in singing and playing music Her early studio experiences Being inspired by a trip to Australia busking Meeting Damien Rice and playing at Glastonbury Festival Becoming a professional musician and making her first album On working with other musicians On a love for Africa and the sense of home Musical moments with Marth Tilston The magic of getting a complete YES CONNECT WITH CARRIE: www.carrietree.co.uk EPISODE RESOURCES: The Art of Radical Self-Care Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records

Hey there friends, a very warm welcome to the first episode of the Lumieres Podcast. The idea of creating a podcast has been hanging around on the peripheries of my dreaming for the last year or so. After some hard work and  a little magical manifesting, here we are now in the reality! I’m excited to embark on this journey and I hope you’ll find it an entertaining and inspiring listen. First up we have Jamie Morrison – Musician and Producer extraordinaire. Jamie is one heck of a productive and driven human being. His sparkling energy is a delight to behold and we had a wonderful conversation touching on all aspects of his life thus far. There’s also an extremely rare chance early on in the show to hear a some music by one of Jamie’s first bands, Manzerik. I want to express my gratitude to Jamie for his time and energy in making this happen… thanks brother! If you feel to connect through liking, sharing or subscribing to the podcast I gratefully welcome your support. Until the next time, big love everybody. Jody   CONNECT: You can reach me via Facebook or Instagram, or send a message through the form on this website. If you enjoyed this episode, learned something or feel suitably inspired, then please consider sharing it with your friends and amongst your social networks. I’d be most grateful! BACKGROUND: Jamie built his solid reputation as one of the UK’s most proficient drummers through early collaborations, appearing on Later… with Jools with Willis before joining The Noisettes in 2003. After the Noisettes ended, he played with Brian Adams, Martha Reeves and Sia amongst others, before getting the call to join Welsh rockers Stereophonics in 2012. As well as traveling all over the world playing shows, he is also a prolific producer, recently releasing a series of EPs with the collaborative ‘If You Want To Make a Song… HOLLA’ concept. He also co-produced the recent EP by Elkka, ‘HER’, which is currently ripping up the Spotify charts. EPISODE BREAKDOWN: How Jamie and I first met back in 2001 Remembering Manzerik, one of Jamie’s first bands Manzerik – Candle Room (edit) Manipulating drums and cymbals to get original sounds Being a Drummer vs being a Musician How Jamie ended up joining the Stereophonics Jamie’s experience as a session musician Maturing as an individual within a band Maintaining clarity of vision through a strong foundation The importance of honesty Rock ’n’ Roll antics Jamie’s recent visit to his old primary school First drum teachers Parental gratitude Meeting Chad Smith of the RHCP Jamie’s experience as a producer The Drewford Alabama story Putting out good vibes to attract opportunities The HOLLA EPs Satisfaction and inspiration CONNECT WITH JAMIE: POP MORRISON @POP MORRISON Twos and Fours Stereophonics EPISODE RESOURCES: Six Organs of Admittance Drag City Records