Rune Soup

Back on the farm, jetlagged and hustling. I’ve been sitting with this question since I decided not to renew my lease in Asunción. So today, I want to give you my thoughts. There's some frosty farm pics over on my Substack. Enjoy!  

Or why our horrible internet is good, actually. Sick in an AirBnb in Paraguay, I make the case for co-creation still being the best way to exist with our ever-enhorribling media landscape. Show Notes End The Day With Ceremony, Not Distraction. Two things to watch or listen to with your lunch (of brains)? Gordon on THC. Kelly Brogan on THC.

Dan Waites joins us to discuss the literal long view, which is to say the things we can see and the frameworks we can find when we widen our perspective out to millennia-long cycles and epochal shifts. We explore: The Kali Yuga and why it may have ended THIS year. The Age of Aquarius and how it turns out to be both real and totally fashionable. (You heard me.) The long cycles of outer planets and their role in birthing new religions. UFO Disclosure, Mayan Apocalypses and the 'true' astrology of Atlantis. Show Notes Find Dan at: On Youtube. At World Astrology Report. On Substack.

Note: Before we begin, my six-week Shadow Work Intensive, The Shaman’s Devil, Is Now Live. There are only a few spaces left, so if you think you might be interested, move quickly. If you know me, you'll know this is a pretty big deal for me. The one and only Dr Alberto Villoldo joins the show this week. We discuss Why you came to earth in the first place. What healing is and how to achieve it. How the academy and culture's understanding of shamanism has changed in the five decades he has been working in the field. Bio Dr. Alberto Villoldo is a medical anthropologist, psychologist, and shamanic teacher who has spent decades studying the healing practices of the Amazon and Andean shamans. He founded The Four Winds Society to bring ancient energy medicine into dialogue with modern neuroscience. His work bridges worlds—science and spirit, biology and ceremony—to help people remember who they truly are. Show Notes This is the interview with Andre Duqum I reference at the end. The Shaman's Devil.

I spent way too much time trying to shoehorn a Warhammer 40K reference into this episode title, and it devolved into something that would make a Chaos Marine blush. So we're keeping it professional (kinda) and diving straight into the space weather for 2025's back 9. Watch along on YouTube here, if you like. This is what we cover. Space Baby Update & Good Enough Goals  Austin's 30-pound toddler is harder to carry than heavy deadlifts, and "good enough" is our 2025 achievement mindset Failed 40K References & First Half Lookback  From the eternal Mars season to the Carnival of Chaos that delivered perfect tariff confusion Iran & Playing for All the Marbles  Why this could mark the start of World War III and how it connects to the Jupiter-Saturn square Uranus Enters Gemini: The Pilot Episode  The seven-year transit that historically reshapes America, plus the flying wedge formation of outer planets The Bow and Arrow Configuration  Peak craziness in August with Mars-Saturn tension creating a cosmic we

I've been revisiting Ursula K. Le Guin's brilliant essay "The Child and the Shadow". Le Guin was defending fantasy against the sterile modernism of her era—but what happens when that defence needs to evolve? We're no longer fighting a battle between "good" and "bad" fantasy. Instead, we're caught in something potentially more insidious: the tension between authentic imagination and the ersatz. From the disaster of Rings of Power to the destruction of Star Wars, from AI-generated Jung content flooding YouTube to the Soviet-style creative orthodoxy dominating our cultural institutions—we're witnessing the systematic neutering of the imaginal. But here's the thing: they can't actually touch the real. They break upon authentic creativity like waves upon rock. Through Le Guin's profound analysis of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Shadow" and Jung's psychology, I explore why confronting our shadow isn't just personal development—it's the key to understanding why authentic fantasy endures while corporate imitations c

Last night I got halfway through a Substack post on a related issue to some of the subjects that came up on my appearance on the Disintegrator podcast. When I went to link to it, it suddenly dawned on me I had only shared it on the Rune Soup Premium Members Mighty Network. (Join below.) So here it is! We recorded this soon after my arrival in Paraguay, so I think it was early February. It’s an excellent discussion, so I’m pulling an Alex Hormozi and sharing it with my own listeners. (Sub to Disintegrator, too.) Here is why AI thinks you should listen: In this high-energy episode I sit down with Marek and Roberto to talk about why barrels are meant for rolling and why reality is much bigger than the academic cubicles that try to contain it. We start with the ancient tale of the Watchers (the OG tech-bros from the Book of Enoch) and use it to kick open a door marked Technology, Magic & the Human Experiment. From there we dive straight into animism, the “community-of-beings” cosmos, and why a living universe

Magical objects aren’t just forged—they’re found. In this solo episode, I explore the secret life of enchanted tools: the knife with a story, the crystal touched by a world-mountain, the wand bought in a witch town that still summons fairy queens. What gives an object its power? Sometimes it’s planetary timing and whispered invocations—but sometimes it’s stranger tales than that. This is a medium salsa reflection on self-initiation, storycraft, and the agency of objects that choose you. Note: Here’s a link to the YouTube video about self-initiation I mention in this episode. Chapters Who Chose Whom? Opening questions on agency, destiny, and magical initiation. What Makes an Object Magical? Beyond grimoires—why backstories matter as much as consecrations. Salsa Scale and Self-Initiation How this podcast fits into your current content taxonomy. Denethor, Pippin, and the Agentic Object Tolkien’s Anglo-Saxon worldview and the power of mythic artifacts. Crystals in the Andes Live tale-weaving on sacred m

Hello from Cusco, where the streets are laid out like a puma and hawkers offer massages on every corner. I've been thinking about Huáscar, the last true Sapa Inca, who willingly took sacred knowledge into the underworld until the time was right for its return. What if the strange convergence we're witnessing - the grimoire revival, the sudden value of grandmother's recipes, and yes, even the rise of what I'm calling "orthodank" online - are all manifestations of the same archetypal energy? Things coming up from below, returning from the shadows at this precise moment in time. The question is: which returns will we embrace? Chapters The Temple City of Cusco - Exploring the ancient capital and how authentic experience lurks just beneath tourist traps The Tale of Two Brothers - The story of Waskar and Atahualpa, the civil war that weakened the Inca Empire, and how Waskar preserved sacred knowledge Three Stories of Waskar's Fate - Drowning, beheading, or escape: tracing the different narratives through hist

This week, I'm welcoming fellow substacker and Tolkien nerd, Charles McBride, whose essay 'Shire Anarchy' caught my eye in the cultural curiosity that is the substack notes app. We're diving into the political imagination behind Middle-Earth – a world where having a king is perfectly fine, as long as he's quite far away or, better yet, long dead. From childhood obsessions with Tolkien to the strange bedfellows his work creates in modern fandom, Charles and I explore what it means when the villain of the story isn't a particular people, but the very desire for total control. How did this Franco-supporting Catholic writer end up crafting one of the most compelling visions of localism and self-governance in modern literature? And what might the hobbits teach us about freedom in an age of empire? "I think Shire anarchy is best described in a sentence I wrote in the piece, where I said that all the affairs of hobbits are organized under the assumption that having a king was basically a good idea, so long as he wa

Everyone’s favourite gnostic raconteur, Miguel Conner, returns to the show this week to discuss his latest book, The Occult Elvis. The book becomes an entryway into a wide-ranging discussion on the role of shamans, cultural transformation, fate and the destiny of America. (Mere trifles!) Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the Occult Elvis 04:03 The Spirituality of Rock Music 07:54 Elvis as a Magician and Shaman 11:52 The Blue Light Phenomenon 15:54 Elvis's Influence on American Identity 19:53 Elvis's Mystical Interests and Books 23:47 The Legacy of Elvis in Modern Culture 34:37 Exploring Fate and Free Will 37:56 The Wounded Healer: Elvis and Addiction 40:06 The Search for Self: Elvis's Identity Crisis 46:52 Elvis as a Cultural Trickster 51:10 The Archetype of the Shaman in Modern Fame 57:52 Elvis: A Reflection of Post-War America Show Notes Get the book. Miguel’s author website. Miguel on Substack.

In this episode, I explore the shifting landscape of conspiracy culture and what I've been noticing about an emerging "conspiracy canon." Recording from my new apartment in Paraguay, I dive into observations from my recent event with Greg Carlwood in Florida, examining how conspiracy thinking has evolved from political analysis to metaphysical questioning. Using Charles Fort's framework of "dominants," I discuss how we're witnessing a paradigm shift toward a more meaning-centered worldview as a response to scientific materialism. Whether you consider yourself a conspiracy person or not, this episode offers insights into epistemology, metaphysics, and our relationship to meaning in the cosmos. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and setting the scene from Paraguay 02:15 - Recent event with Greg Carlwood in Florida 04:30 - The concept of a "Conspiracy Canon" 07:10 - Observing alignment among respected thinkers 09:05 - When brilliant people question fundamental assumptions 12:30 - Robert Anton Wilson on conspiracy c

Hi from the Amazon jungle. Honestly, if I’d known that AI would do such a good job of describing this podcast, I would have left it in charge and stayed longer. Although I will say, I asked it to write it in the style of the speaker, and it made me sound way more polite than I usually am to you scrubs. Enjoy! (PS - you will find the same show in your podcatcher, as normal.) In the heart of the Amazon, under a tin roof pummeled by tropical rain, I offer you a cosmic upgrade to Nietzsche's Amor Fati. While the German philosopher tells us to love our fate unconditionally, I'm proposing something more alchemical: co-creation with disappointment. It's not about passively accepting what happens, nor gaslighting yourself into loving the unlovable. Rather, it's asking "what choices do I have in the direction of beauty given the limitations before me in this moment?" Drawing from my own messy Paraguayan adventures during a Mars direct station in Cancer (sit down Scorpio risings, this one was truly mine to bear), I ex

A solo show from Asunción, Paraguay. I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been sitting with while remastering all the premium member courses, beginning with Grimoires. These thoughts turned into a full-length solo show. Hope you like it! AI certainly seems to have had an absolute blast listening to it: In this thought-provoking episode, Gordon White explores the concept of magical readiness and authenticity in practice. Recording from Paraguay, he delves into what it truly means to be "ready" for magic, challenging common assumptions about magical practice and discussing the difference between genuine magical work and what he terms as "cope" - using magical aesthetics as a form of psychological compensation. White examines the evolution of Western magical practices, critiques Victorian-era approaches, and discusses the importance of finding one's authentic magical expression. He also touches on current spiritual awakening, the role of shadow work in magical practice, and the emerging significance of bi

Ringing in the new year with a banger! John Michael Greer returns to the show to explore Whether we can say if 'western' magic has a discernable metaphysics. What those might be. Seeing as AI did such a good job of giving us a definition of metaphysics (which you will get in the show), here's what she thinks the episode is about: "The dialogue emphasizes the importance of directionality, the existence of intelligent non-human beings, and the overarching themes that unify magical practices across cultures. In this conversation, Gordon White delves into the complexities of historical knowledge, the concept of polarity in cosmology, and the nuances of sex magic. He discusses the limitations of historical records, the significance of polarity as a universal principle, and the often-misunderstood relationship between sexuality and magic. White also challenges cultural assumptions about elitism in esoteric practices and highlights the contributions of lesser-known figures like Pascal Beverly Randolph to the field

Austin Coppock returns to the show for our traditional six-monthly astrological forecast, this time for the first half of 2025. We are calling this one Just The Tip (Of The Chainsword)! 00:00 Introduction to 2025 Astrology Predictions 02:56 The Significance of Warhammer 40K in 2025 05:45 Astrological Context: The Transition from 2024 to 2025 09:00 Civil Unrest and Mars Retrograde 11:53 Neptune and Saturn's Influence in 2025 15:00 The Impact of Neptune's Ingress into Aries 18:00 The Role of Heroism and Leadership in 2025 20:50 The Collapse of Narratives and Storytelling in Society 39:31 The Present as a Story: Chaos and Meaning 41:02 Saturn in Aries: The Fall and Its Implications 44:50 Historical Parallels: The 47 Ronin and Vigilantism 49:10 The Breakdown of Order: Anti-Authoritarian Sentiment 52:32 The Need for New Rules: Transitioning from Bad to Good 54:15 Eclipses and Their Significance: March and April 2025 01:01:56 Venus Retrograde: A Journey of Self-Discovery 01:03:24 Eclipses in Virgo and Aries: A Shi

In this episode, Gordon discusses the evolution of his podcast, the connections between magical individuals, and the themes presented in Grant Morrison's comic series, The Invisibles. He explores The loneliness epidemic in modern society. The role of digital connectivity. The concept of the invisible college as a metaphor for shared vision and belonging among like-minded individuals. We also look at the intersections of various spiritual practices, the disintegration of civilisational fields, and the importance of finding resonance within an invisible college of shared beliefs and values. He discusses the overlap between different spiritual traditions, the current state of societal fragmentation, and the necessity of community and belonging in navigating these challenges. Join the completely free Rune Soup substack to stay up to date. Join the Rune Soup Premium Membership.

Gabriel Kennedy joins the show to discuss Chapel Perilous: The Life and Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson, the first-ever book-length biography of ol' RAW. We explore Wilson's life, philosophy, and literary contributions. Kennedy shares his personal journey of discovering Wilson's work, the process of writing the biography, and the significance of concepts like Chapel Perilous and general semantics. The discussion also touches on the relevance of Wilson's ideas in today's world and the lasting impact of his writings on counterculture and conspiracy theories.  We're back, baby! 00:00 Introduction to Robert Anton Wilson 02:45 First Encounters with Wilson's Work 05:59 Navigating Wilson's Bibliography 08:55 The Journey to Writing a Biography 12:00 Researching Robert Anton Wilson 14:43 The Influence of General Semantics 17:48 Personal Connections and Discoveries 21:01 The Process of Biographical Writing 24:01 Understanding Wilson's Legacy 27:03 Final Thoughts on Robert Anton Wilson 44:20 The 23 Enigma and Sync

The show returns with some actionable findings from almost a year of regular sigil work. We look at The ways you mess up your own magical results by not admitting what you want. The ways you mess up your own magical results by not admitting where you are at. What to do about it. And toward the end, I lay out the plans for the premium member glow-up over Q4 and Q1, including completely re-recording and remastering all the existing member courses.

We're trialling a new format this week, as I am in the Bay of Fires for work. A visit to a beer-drinking pig inspired some ruminations on how and why we connect as this idiotic, digital hellscape builds itself around us. The episode discusses the manipulation and sanitization of reality through digital currencies, IDs, and the evolving media landscape, including the shift to 'private' or enclosed digital engagement opportunities like Mighty Networks and Substack, aiming for authenticity in an increasingly controlled and artificial world. 00:00 Introduction: The World Without Sin 00:21 Filming in the Bay of Fires 00:27 The Pub in the Paddock and Priscilla the Pig 01:58 Exploring the Concept of 'The World Without Sin' 05:18 Digital IDs and Global Changes 09:08 Cultural Reflections and Media Strategy 16:50 The Gap Between Public and Private Discourse 22:55 Media Evolution and Personal Adaptations 39:09 Conclusion: Navigating the World Without Sin In lieu of show notes, here is a picture of a pub, followed by a p