MindMattersESG’s, diversity, equity, and inclusion, stakeholder capitalism, sustainability, CBDC’s, transhumanism, Agenda 2030—no doubt you’ve heard or read about these and any number of other terms that are meant to get the public on board with the new progressive and “forward thinking” policies and philosophies of the future. Of course you have; they are all part of the behemoth global elite-inspired policies and agendas of the so-called “Great Reset.” But what’s really behind them? What are they actually meant to accomplish? And how might these ideas, put into actual practice, affect the way that we live—or don’t live?
Joining MindMatters once again is accomplished writer and researcher Michael Rectenwald. Author of Springtime for Snowflakes, Beyond Woke and The Google Archipelago—and in a most insightful progression—Michael tackles his biggest and most important subject yet with his new book The Great Reset and the Struggle for Liberty. With a depth and breadth that is unmatched, his new book delves into one of the most profoundly totalitarian and far-reaching new (and not so new) political, social, and economic agendas in contemporary history. Join us as we get our heads around what already promises to be the most monstrous and destructive developments of the 21st century, the Great Reset, and discuss what we can actually do in response.
The Great Reset and the Struggle for Liberty with Michael RectenwaldMindMatters2023-03-05 | ESG’s, diversity, equity, and inclusion, stakeholder capitalism, sustainability, CBDC’s, transhumanism, Agenda 2030—no doubt you’ve heard or read about these and any number of other terms that are meant to get the public on board with the new progressive and “forward thinking” policies and philosophies of the future. Of course you have; they are all part of the behemoth global elite-inspired policies and agendas of the so-called “Great Reset.” But what’s really behind them? What are they actually meant to accomplish? And how might these ideas, put into actual practice, affect the way that we live—or don’t live?
Joining MindMatters once again is accomplished writer and researcher Michael Rectenwald. Author of Springtime for Snowflakes, Beyond Woke and The Google Archipelago—and in a most insightful progression—Michael tackles his biggest and most important subject yet with his new book The Great Reset and the Struggle for Liberty. With a depth and breadth that is unmatched, his new book delves into one of the most profoundly totalitarian and far-reaching new (and not so new) political, social, and economic agendas in contemporary history. Join us as we get our heads around what already promises to be the most monstrous and destructive developments of the 21st century, the Great Reset, and discuss what we can actually do in response.
Buy the book on Michael's website: michaelrectenwald.com Michael on Twitter: twitter.com/GreatResetProf Harrison's review: ponerology.substack.com/p/the-great-reset-and-the-struggle MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comNigel Kerner’s CHILLING Warning: AI Is Making Us Less Human, with Danielle SilvermanMindMatters2025-08-01 | In this episode of Mind Matters, Harrison engages with Danielle Silverman, a collaborator of the late Nigel Kerner, author of Gray Aliens and Artificial Intelligence. They discuss Kerner's philosophical and metaphysical perspectives on UFOs, suggesting gray aliens are synthetic, non-sentient beings seeking to harvest human souls — a unique connection to a perfect, eternal state. Kerner's work, rooted in decades of inquiry sparked by his son's question about UFOs, posits that humanity is at risk of losing its capacity for meaning by merging with AI and technology, aligning with an alien agenda. Silverman emphasizes the importance of resisting this trajectory through human connection and awareness to preserve our sovereignty and spiritual essence.
nigelkerner.com amazon.com/Grey-Aliens-Artificial-Intelligence-Synthetic/dp/1591434491 MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comArtificial Stone: Has Marcell Foti Cracked the Megalithic Code?MindMatters2025-06-04 | In this episode of Mind Matters, Marcell Foti shares his groundbreaking Natron Theory, challenging conventional explanations for the construction of ancient megalithic structures. Foti, an IT professional turned independent researcher, proposes that ancient civilizations used a chemical process involving natron—a carbonate mineral used in ancient Egypt for mummification and as a detergent—to etch and dissolve granite into a moldable "waterglass" slurry, which could then be cast into precise stone shapes. Demonstrating with small-scale experiments, he explains how this method accounts for the seamless, complex features of structures like those in Peru and Egypt, offering a compelling alternative to traditional theories of chiseling. Follow Marcel’s ongoing experiments and insights on Twitter and check out his book, The Natron Theory, for a deeper dive into this revolutionary idea.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Dark Side of Non-Human Intelligence with Matt HurleyMindMatters2025-05-24 | Matt Hurley is the creator of badaliens.info, a website dedicated to exploring the darker aspects of the UFO phenomenon. In this episode of MindMatters, Hurley shares his journey into UFO research, sparked by reading Above Top Secret as a teenager, and his subsequent disillusionment with contradictory and overly optimistic narratives in ufology. With a focus on physical evidence over speculative theories, Hurley discusses disturbing topics like abductions, animal and human mutilations, and missing persons cases, emphasizing the need for transparency and caution regarding non-human intelligences.
Matt's Website: badaliens.info Matt's YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1fPZhLXXqvVvqhiEn81oiA Matt on Twitter: https://x.com/Badaliensinfo MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThree-Body Problem: Soft Disclosure? John Carter talks ETs and UFOsMindMatters2025-05-12 | NOTE: Carter was broadcasting from Mars, which is practically a third-world country when it comes to signal quality. Apologies for any resulting difficulties in auditory comprehensibility. If it's too much, we created a somewhat hilarious AI upscaled version of the talk, which you can view here: youtube.com/watch?v=3P0__tQNH18
Today MindMatters welcomes back John Carter to talk Cixin Liu's Three-Body Problem, science fiction in general, and to compare NHI theories. Do UAP represent extraterrestrials putting on a show to appear more advanced than actually are? Or super-advanced ultraterrestrials who may have their own weaknesses? What is the possible connection between tech and psi? And would humanity actually unite in the case of an ET threat, as Ronald Reagan so endearingly believed?
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comCutchinology: A Decade of the Paranormal with Joshua CutchinMindMatters2025-05-02 | Joshua Cutchin is one of the most interesting thinkers on the paranormal alive. He is the author of 8 classic books on the subject, including highly focused investigations into the role of food in paranormal encounters, paranormal odors, and child abduction in folklore and contemporary culture. He has also produced wide-ranging analyses on Bigfoot, widening the conceptual aperture to include paranormal features ignored by many until now, and the relation of death to all things paranormal. His latest book deals with the overlap between fiction and the paranormal, and the flimsy boundary between fiction and reality. Joshua is also an accomplished musician and a cool dad.
Joshua's website: joshuacutchin.com Joshua's books: joshuacutchin.com/publications MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comPredators in High Places with Dr. Karen MitchellMindMatters2024-08-16 | Today on MindMatters, Dr. Karen Mitchell, founder and CEO of the Kalmor Institute, shares insights from her pioneering PhD research on the "persistent predatory personality." Unlike previous studies that relied primarily on incarcerated populations or graduate students, Dr. Mitchell's work draws from the extensive experiences of practitioners who have dedicated their careers to working with individuals exhibiting dark triad traits and psychopathic tendencies.
Her research includes data from professionals with an average of 22 years' experience in fields such as child sex abuse, domestic violence, cults, terrorism, toxic leadership, including an FBI agent with the highest number of serial killer cases. By canvassing these unique perspectives, her work offers a fresh approach to understanding and identifying the persistent predatory personality, highlighting the limitations of existing models like the Psychopathy Checklist developed by Robert Hare.
Karen's Twitter: twitter.com/karenmitchell__ Her thesis: https://kalmor.com.au/s/Psychopaths-Narcissists-Machiavellians-Toxic-Leaders-Coercive-Controllers-Subsets-of-One-Overarching.pdf Kalmor Institute: https://kalmor.com.au/
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Varieties of Inner Experience with Russ HurlburtMindMatters2024-08-08 | Inner speaking, inner seeing, feelings, sensory awareness, unsymbolized thinking. Do we all have the same inner experiences? And how aware are we of what we actually experience from moment to moment?
In this episode of Mind Matters, we interview Dr. Russell T. Hurlburt (@RussHurlburt ) a pioneering psychologist from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dr. Hurlburt discusses his groundbreaking work investigating "pristine inner experience" - the unfiltered, moment-to-moment contents of our consciousness. He introduces his innovative method, Descriptive Experience Sampling, which aims to capture and analyze inner experiences with the aid of specialized beeper and an in-depth interview process.
This episode provides a unique perspective on the study of human consciousness and the complexities of inner experience. Dr. Hurlburt's insights shed light on the importance of understanding our internal mental processes and how they relate to our self-representations. Whether you're a psychology enthusiast, a student of cognitive science, or simply curious about the workings of the human mind, this interview provides valuable insights into cutting-edge research on consciousness and experience.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comDo NPCs Have an Inner Monologue? Discussing the 5 Pristine Inner ExperiencesMindMatters2024-07-09 | Self-talk. Visualizations. Bodily awareness. Unconscious thought processes. In our day-to-day course of existence our minds assimilate, respond and react to any number of stimuli from within – and without. But how often do we stop to consider just how we do this and what faculties of apprehension are actually put to use? And do we even have a framework, vocabulary and level of awareness from which to do it?
Inner speech (inner monologue), inner vision, sensory awareness, emotions and unsymbolized thinking are all categories that, according to psychologist and researcher Russell T. Hurlburt, can help one come to know what one’s "pristine inner experience" is. Along with such a framework and the research inspired by it come many questions. What does it mean to be “in the moment”? Do all people use all categories of inner experience with the same frequency? How are we used to describing our inner experiences to ourselves and to others? Were personages like Gurdjieff on to something when he encouraged people to observe themselves?
Join us this week on MindMatters as we question the many assumptions, presuppositions, and mediations that come between cognizance of individual inner experience, and a relative state of unawareness regarding just what makes us tick.
Dr. Hurlburt's Psychology Today articles: psychologytoday.com/gb/contributors/russell-t-hurlburt-phd MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comTransforming Darkness: Shadow Work and Pathocracy with Colin E. DavisMindMatters2024-04-29 | So you've been 'red pilled'. You're well versed in false flags, deep states, secret governments, and state-sponsored assassinations. You've watched documentaries about stolen elections, the New World Order, child trafficking, and mind control. And then when you were through with those, you read extensively on the criminal acts of intelligence agencies, psychopathy among the elite, exotic weapons, and more.
And now you simply know, in your bones, that the reality presented to you on CNN (and most other places) is total B.S. - and have the hours and days of sleepless nights, shocked reactions and chills running down your spine to prove it. But, perhaps, no one ever told you how to assimilate such life-changing information. And, perhaps, no one ever guided your expanded insight of how the world really works - with an equally expanded insight into how you really work. (Or, if you have experienced it, you can stand to have a few reminders!)
This week on MindMatters we are joined by writer and researcher Colin E. Davis whose new book, 'Transforming Darkness: A Shadow Work Toolkit for the Red Pilled Initiate' addresses just such issues. Using Jung's idea of the Shadow, or the dark side that exists in all of us, Davis not only provides a survey of works describing how this darkness comes to be and is manifested in the world, but also provides references to some of the best modalities that aid in addressing them. Understanding the world we truly live in is a most worthy pursuit, but the balance required to see ourselves as we truly are, and as we live a 'Red Pilled' life, is no less crucial.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comArthur Versluis: The Neo-Gnostics vs. PathocracyMindMatters2024-03-23 | Neo-gnosticism without gnosis. Gnosis without neo-gnosticism. These are just a couple of the frameworks, dichotomies, and strains of gnosticism making their way into the religious, social, and political consciousness and conversation of today’s world through literature, film, and other media. In this follow-up discussion with author and scholar Arthur Versluis, we continue our discussion on his Oxford University Press-published book 'American Gnosis: Political Religion And Transcendence.' We further delve into the profound influence and divergences of an ancient set of spiritual beliefs - made all the more relevant for their lasting power and pervasiveness in so much of what we’re observing on the world stage.
This week on MindMatters we further examine the spectrum of gnosis, contemporary misconceptions about its tenets, as well as how the political dissidents of today could become the inquisitional forces of tomorrow. If pathocracy, extreme materialism, radical leftism and communism are the ‘enemies’ of gnosticism, then what, if anything, can gnosticism tell us about a way forward in an increasingly complicated world?
Andrew's website: andrewmdavis.info MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Woke Psychopathology Taxonomy with David AbramowitzMindMatters2024-02-19 | David Abramowitz joins us once again, this time to discuss Michael Shellenberger and Peter Boghossian's Taxonomy of Woke Psychopathology. With Andrew Lobaczewski's Political Ponerology as inspiration, the taxonomy summarizes how certain Woke topics and causes express Cluster B personality disorder dynamics. While the topics themselves may not be pathological, the manner in which they're presented is, expressing such features as attention-seeking, grandiosity, emotional dysregulation, excess and lack of empathy, victimhood ideology, impaired reality testing, and splitting.
Join us as we take a broader look at political causes, the pathocratic function of ideology, and its role in creating a worldview that makes sense to the Cluster B personality. Pathocratic personalities then attempt to force everyone else to conform to the world they have created.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comDark Matter Monsters and the Sociology of the Paranormal with Dr. Simeon HeinMindMatters2024-01-08 | Let's face it. Bigfoot is real. The only question is, what is it? With now thousands of credible encounters that would be difficult to ignore or dismiss, we know many individuals have also observed a host of seemingly paranormal phenomena that quite often accompany these large strange creatures. Orbs, ball lightening, strange smells, space-time anomalies, electromagnetic fluctuations; not to mention witnessing these cryptids moving at super-fast speeds, and morphing into different forms; making our conceptions of what Bigfoot are very likely obsolete.
But what if some of the experiences of these beings, and others like them, has something to do with our tentative understanding of cutting edge science? What if what many have seen has much in common with the way that "coherent matter" works? Are there correlations between cold fusion, or low-energy nuclear reaction, technology and access to other realms of reality? And what have a number of leading scientists in physics been known to say about the fluid nature of reality?
This week on MindMatters we are pleased to speak with Dr. Simeon Hein whose recent book, Dark Matter Monsters: Cryptids, Ball Lightning, and the Science of Secret Lifeforms, is a serious exploration of just such questions.
Simeon's blog: newcrystalmind.com Dark Matter Monsters: amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Monsters-Lightning-Lifeforms/dp/097158639X MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comFrom Archons to the Matrix: Understanding American Gnosis with Arthur VersluisMindMatters2023-12-29 | The ancient idea of spiritual gnosis has evolved and branched to reflect the time and place in which we live. Nowhere is this development more evident than in the writings and scholarship of author Arthur Versluis . In his groundbreaking new book 'American Gnosis: Political Religion and Transcendence,' Versluis takes an in-depth look at the varieties of modern 'neo-gnosticism.' These include cosmological gnosticism - the worldly effort to escape from archons of darkness or hostile beings that would seek to subjugate the world through politics and other power structures. Another is metaphysical gnosis, or transcendence that is less a reaction to the perception of evil overlords than movement towards divine knowledge for its own sake.
Join us this week on MindMatters as we delve into the realm of cosmological gnosis with Arthur Versluis, and look at the plethora of ways in which some really old ideas have been reinvigorated (alongside some newer ones). How do these ideas present themselves in literature, TV and movies? Is there is a crossover between 'political awakening' and 'spiritual awakening'? And what, if anything, may this have to do with some developments we've been seeing with the so-called 'dissident right' in the US?
Buy the book: amazon.com/American-Gnosis-Political-Religion-Transcendence-ebook/dp/B0CJJZVWZX Arthur's website: arthurversluis.com MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comPsychedelics, Sobriety, and Altered States: Processing Reality with John BuchananMindMatters2023-11-20 | What do altered states tell us about the nature of consciousness? And what can philosophy tell us about altered states? John Buchanan has spent his life trying to find the answers. His book, Processing Reality: Finding Meaning in Death, Psychedelics, and Sobriety, details the story of his history of experimentation and addiction, his path to sobriety, and the insights he has gained into the nature of human experience and consciousness.
A synthesis of Whitehead's process philosophy and Grof's transpersonal psychology, Buchanan's ideas provide a framework for understanding not only the nature of the psychedelic experience and other altered states, but also the nature of consciousness itself and the structure of the cosmos.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comFive MYTHS about Evil: Setting the Record Straight with David AbramowitzMindMatters2023-11-03 | Are all psychopaths serial killers? Is authoritarianism only found on the political right? Are we all equally capable of evil? Does power really corrupt absolutely? And is evil really "banal"?
Join us today as we discuss the biggest myths about evil with David Abramowitz, the nature of psychopaths and ponerology, and how McGilchrist’s brain-hemisphere research fits into the picture.
David Abramowitz has a background in finance and accounting, but an experience with a psychopath set him on a path to research the topic for the next decade. He has read nearly everything there is to read on the subject, and describes a type which he he calls the “passive-parasitic” psychopath (a term coined by Ben Karpman). These are the so-called successful psychopaths, the ones you’ll find on Wall Street and in Washington. And they’re the reason for much of today’s pathological political climate.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comMindMatters: Gurdjieff and the Inner Evolution of Man - with Alan FrancisMindMatters2023-08-04 | Do human beings have 'higher bodies'? Is there an essence or essential part of one's being that individuals can consciously help to grow? And what does the development of the personality have to do with these possibilities? Philosopher and teacher G.I. Gurdjieff presented the world with an esoteric framework for self-development that has been carried forward by a number of thinkers.
What does esoteric growth look and feel like? What are some of the processes involved? And how does one go about verifying that such a process is even occurring? Does an inner questioning end when one reaches a higher state, or does it just go deeper? Joining us for his third appearance on MindMatters is author/teacher Alan Francis. Alan's decades of experience with Gurdjieff's work have helped him crystalize some insights as to how we may become more than what we are. He is the head of the International School of the Fourth Way, and the author of 'Secrets of the Fourth Way.'
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comCold-blooded Kindness: The Longhouse Mentality and Psychopathology - with Dr. J.D. HaltiganMindMatters2023-07-21 | J.D. Haltigan is a developmental and evolutionary psychologist who writes the Multilevel Mailer on Substack. His research and writing focuses on psychopathology, social media-induced mental illness in the young, and the psychological phenomena underlying Woke ideology and the culture wars. Lately he has been writing about the negative effects of traits like compassion and empathy when not balanced and held in check by trait systematization. J.D. has also writing a review of Andrew Lobaczewski’s Political Ponerology tying its insight to our current sociopolitical situation.
The Multilevel Mailer: jdhaltigan.substack.com Systemization/Empathisation article: jdhaltigan.substack.com/p/so-what-are-trait-systemization-and Ponerology Review: jdhaltigan.substack.com/p/book-review-political-ponerology J.D. on Twitter: twitter.com/JDHaltigan Google Scholar: scholar.google.ca/citations?user=nxE3s1MAAAAJ&hl=enMindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comUnmasking Psychopaths and Narcissists in Business and Politics - with Dr. Clive BoddyMindMatters2023-07-14 | Clive Boddy is Associate Professor of Management at Anglia Ruskin University, a leading researcher in the field of corporate psychopathy, and author of the book ‘A Climate Of Fear: Stone Cold Psychopaths At Work’. Today on MindMatters, we interview Clive about his research, why psychopaths do not make good leaders (despite claims to the contrary), how they contribute to employee job satisfaction, and how toxic leadership intersects with incompetent leadership. Once a taboo subject, corporate psychopathy has gained widespread acknowledgment in the last decade or so. But another related subject is only now breaking through academia and public consciousness: political psychopathy. Clive discusses his own work in that field as well, with comments on screening politicians for psychopathy. We even talk about Star Wars.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Unbroken Individual Is the True Source of Moral ResponsibilityMindMatters2023-06-16 | This week on MindMatters we take a third and final look at the prescient and resounding thoughts of Ernst Jünger's The Forest Passage and reflect on what it means - in the philosophical and practical sense - to be a forest walker, or forest rebel.
How one resists and chooses to respond to totalitarianism is at least as crucial as making the choice itself. But what are some of the many considerations involved? What inner resources does one draw upon and where might one find the light that helps to make the best of all choices? What does one fall back on when many of the institutions that are meant to morally support a society have been effectively gutted, or done away with completely? What is the responsibility of an unbroken and 'concrete individual' to step in and rectify institutional failure to some degree? And where does the power of the spoken or written word fit into this complex equation?
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Road Best Traveled: Ernst Jüngers Forest PassageMindMatters2023-06-03 | What is freedom? Where may it be found and accessed? How does it become actualized from within the individual? And if we are to become free - then what are we to be free from? In this second discussion of Ernst Jünger's seminal book The Forest Passage we follow along with the author’s many thoughts on what it means to be free. Concerning political bodies, the media, institutionalized medicine, and organized religion - what, if any, is the most fruitful approach to take in response to their diktats or guidelines? Where does free will, in the truest sense of the term, fit in to our responses? And if we are to face our fears and find a way to resist the tide of totalitarianism how should one approach the possible suffering that will likely be involved?
With the heart of a poet, and the mind of a realist, Ernst Jünger has given us much to ponder as we reflect on what he means by becoming a ‘forest rebel’. Join us this week on MindMatters as we delve further into his world view, and a road from which we may find a path to the future.
The Forest Passage: amazon.com/Forest-Passage-Ernst-J%C3%BCnger/dp/0914386492 MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comWomen Who Love Psychopaths - A Retrospective and Introspective with Sandra BrownMindMatters2023-05-22 | Psychotherapist, educator, researcher, and author of the books 'Women Who Live Psychopaths', 'How to Spot a Dangerous Man', and many others, Sandra L. Brown’s insights have helped many face - and heal from - the damage inflicted by psychopaths and the personality disordered. Expanding on her work as a therapist and author, Sandra Brown has developed the training for thousands of therapists who now understand, and are better able to treat, cognitive dissonance, PTSD, and the neurocognitive damage to executive brain function that many victims suffer.
Join us this week on MindMatters as we look back at Sandra Brown’s influential writings, what she’s been working on since the release of her books, and how her views and perspectives since then might affect what she’d focus on if she were writing these books today - more than 18 years later.
Safe Relationships Magazine: saferelationshipsmagazine.com Association for NPD/Psychopathy Survivor Treatment, Research & Education: survivortreatment.com MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comFreedom in Tyranny: Ernst Jüngers The Forest PassageMindMatters2023-05-15 | '1984', 'Brave New World', 'Fahrenheit 451', 'The Gulag Archipelago' - there are many great books on 20th-century totalitarianism. But few of them have the power and poetry of Ernst Jünger's 1951 'The Forest Passage'. Both a man of his time - and ahead of his time - the German-born Jünger was not only a staunch but careful critic of tyranny; he could see through the “soft power” manipulations of much subtler forms of centralized oppression as well. And call it out for exactly what it was.
Given Jünger's broad vision and deep insight, one could be forgiven for thinking that the 'The Forest Passage' was written only yesterday. It is packed with perennial truths that apply to the politics and psychology of Western civilization over the last 100 or so years. Join us this week on MindMatters as we give Ernst Jünger's gem of a book its due, and begin to explore what it means to be, or become, a ‘Forest Rebel’.
Forest Passage: amazon.com/Forest-Passage-Ernst-J%C3%BCnger/dp/0914386492 MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comIt Was Always Illegal: Grant Smith on Army Mandates, Resisting the Machine & Exercise for HealthMindMatters2023-05-06 | Grant Smith is a US Army Physical Therapist and author of the "H2F Man" and "Radical American Mind" blogs. Today we discuss his experiences during plague times - the hypocrisy and delusion he saw in the armed services' policies and actions, and how he successfully resisted the pressures and managed to keep his job - why he joined the Army in the first place, and how he found a place within it that aligned with his values and goals. In the last segment we get into the research and methods of fitness and exercise and Grant shares some central principles to follow in order to optimally train your tissues, whatever your current health status.
Link tree with Grant's blogs and podcasts: https://linktr.ee/tonic7 Tonic Seven podcast: youtube.com/channel/UCW0x_a53g_EhLvu9ucgB6ig MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comKnee-deep in the Weird: Science, the Paranormal, and Popular BeliefMindMatters2023-04-30 | After some brief comments on classical worldviews, natural law, populism, the genesis of leftist and postmodern thought, and the history of ideas, we settle on today's topic of topics: the paranormal. What societal structures exist (in academia, the media, the marketplace, etc.) that make the paranormal both in demand as a subject worth learning about - and yet deeply suppressed as something to take seriously in “official culture”. What does the Church and orthodox materialist science have to say about the acceptance of the so-called supernatural? And how do we come to know anything even remotely objective about such a topic when the rigor and open-mindedness required to study it is so lacking in officialdom? Join us for this fascinating discussion!
Michael Rectenwald shares what the WEF has been able to do that should make people sit up and take notice of not only their recent actions but of their wider plans as well.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comChatGPT and the Heralds of AI’s Subjugation of Humanity - with Joe AllenMindMatters2023-03-18 | In just a short time, programs like ChatGPT and other chat bots have burst on the societal scene to the delight, fascination and enthrallment of millions. Individuals can now interact with a language program that is seemingly conversant on numerous subjects and provides “answers” via virtual brains. But this new powerful technology begs many more questions: What are these programs really, and how do they fit in with the development of AI? Where does anthropomorphic projection fit in as people become increasingly involved with them? Are these bots a first major step towards a transhuman reality? And can these technologies actually be forming the basis or entryway to a new type of technoreligion?
This week on Mindmatters we get to discuss these issues with Joe Allen, author of the Substack blog Singularity Weekly. After extensive research into this and related subject matter, Joe’s nuanced analysis tells us that yes, we need to be paying serious attention to where all this has brought us, and where things are very likely going. Given how powerful and even seductive the use of these technologies are, he also suggests what may be the healthiest attitude or approach to interacting with them going forward. As if the world hasn’t devolved into enough insanity there is, in fact, a new pathologizing influence to contend with. And we, ‘legacy humans’, ignore its profound influences at our own peril.
Joe's Substack: joebot.substack.com MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comIndustrialized Rome and Wrong un Politicians - with Helen DaleMindMatters2023-02-20 | Helen Dale, lawyer and award-winning author of 3 novels, including The Hand that Signed the Paper, writes at Law & Liberty and Not On Your Team, But Always Fair. Her two-novel series Kingdom of the Wicked is an alternative history of Roman-occupied Judea in the first century and the arrest and trial of Yeshua ben Yusuf, an enigmatic man with a large following, including some radical religious zealots. If you like literary and genre fiction — and Roman history — you won't be able to put these ones down. They've got soldiers, lawyers, terrorists, and biomechs; action, romance, legal proceedings, and great characters.
Today on MindMatters we talk about the books and how Helen came to write them, blending Roman morality with modern technology, and the interesting directions that might have gone. Other topics: political systems and their compatibility with different nations and cultures, Lorenzo Warby's articles on Helen's Substack, a policy approach to countering Woke ideology, Cluster B's and ponerology in modern and historical politics, what Hannah Arendt got wrong about totalitarianism, and how lobbyists are the absolute worst.
Kingdom of the Wicked: amazon.com/Kingdom-Wicked-Book-One-Rules/dp/0994384092 Helen's substack: open.substack.com/pub/helendale MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comDoes Free Will Exist? Yes, Obviously - and Other Answers to Big QuestionsMindMatters2022-12-17 | Today on MindMatters, we dive into Chris Langan's essay collection, "The Art of Knowing." In the process we discuss free will, Libet's experiments and their interpretations, reality theory, morality (relative? absolute? both?), why we need bad situations in order to grow, and Batman (the greatest superhero).
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Big Questions, Consciousness, and Gurdjieff - A Talk with Alan FrancisMindMatters2022-12-03 | What is the purpose of esotericism? How might we view humanity’s trajectory in light of the many seemingly negative developments we see on a more or less daily basis? What are the personal challenges in raising consciousness and awareness in oneself - and how may those be seen against the backdrop of a world gone backwards? And what does it even mean to be living in these times in the larger and even cosmic sense?
This week as we are once again joined by Gurdjiffian student and teacher Alan Francis (International School of the Fourth Way) who discusses these themes in both broad and personal terms, bringing his astute observations to the fore to answer the questions many of us have right now about where we may be, collectively and individually.
Alan on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/237419606932549 ISFW: http://istfw.com MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comGurdjieff, Death, and Help for the Dead with Joseph AzizeMindMatters2022-11-26 | According to the vast "afterlife" literature, those who have passed on sometimes send signs, or even communicate through dreams or visions. But what if the support that many living claim to experience from their loved ones isn't unidirectional? Can one, in fact, help those who have passed to come to greater peace and understanding at their soul’s new station in ‘life’? For those of us familiar with the ideas, exercises and philosophy of G.I. Gurdjieff, it may come as some surprise, and perhaps delight, to learn that Gurdjieff sought to address such a question - how to give “help for the deceased” - particularly for those who were once close to us.
This week on MindMatters we are once again joined by inimitable Gurdjieffian scholar and Maronite Priest Joseph Azize whose paper “Gurdjieff’s Help for the Deceased” delves into this subject. Join us as Joseph shares his research, insights and personal experience with some very little known exercises of Gurdjieff’s - and explains not only the means from which one could honor and assist our loved ones (should they require it), ‘essence to essence’ as it were - but also to help grow and develop one’s own self and Being.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comTruth-Killing Cancel Culture Has Always Existed to Bolster the Status QuoMindMatters2022-11-05 | The cancel culture phenomenon has reared its rancorous and destructive head to such a degree that many holding non-mainstream points of view are made to think twice about sharing them in public. For cancel culture doesn’t merely seek to respond to the differing perspectives with counterarguments in honest debate. It seeks to stifle the message completely and even, in the worst cases, annihilate the speaker himself.
While we’re aware of how this pathological and ideological weaponization of rhetoric exists in contemporary times, the tools or modus operandi of cancel culture have actually been around for a good long time - especially when someone’s particular message challenges conventional wisdom - or, in more meaningful cases, questions the higher truths of the reality in which we’re immersed.
Join us this week on MindMatters as we discuss the drives some people have to become cancel culturists, what forces may be behind it, and the rhetorical patterns that always seem to be on the misguided side of an argument.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comTrans-ing Reality: From Transhuman Flesh to Transcendent SpiritMindMatters2022-10-03 | Materiality. Spirituality. Pathology. Normal healthy behavior. All came to the fore recently in the story about the Canadian trans teacher who came to his class wearing gigantic prosthetic breasts complete with shirt-popping plastic nipples. What does this behavior say about him that he would chose to express himself in such a way? And what does his inner makeup have in common with the other ‘trans’ currently making societal waves these days - transhumanism?
Join us this week as we take a look at the trans trends that seem so at odds with higher values, the inclinations of which seem to serve our very worst potentialities as individuals. And moving on from the transhuman delusion, we contrast the flesh to the spirit, with one of Luc's latest writings as inspiration.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Memes Will Set You Free: Apocalyptic Conversation and American Gnosis with Arthur VersluisMindMatters2022-09-10 | Arthur Versluis is back to discuss his recent book 'Conversations in Apocalyptic Times' (a dialogue with Robert Faas), and his forthcoming 'American Gnosis.' Tune in for a wide-ranging discussion on our current spiritual malaise, the hidden theosophic tradition within Western Christianity, continuity of consciousness, the mystery of mysteries - the Holy Grail, and Arthur's new and upcoming courses with the Hieros Institute. Keep listening: Arthur also recommends a handful of mind-blowing books you may never have heard of.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comWhat Is a Woman? Three Dudes Attempt the ImpossibleMindMatters2022-09-03 | Today on MindMatters we delve into the mystery of mysteries, the unanswerable and inscrutable, the question of the ages: what is a woman? Many have tried, all have failed - until now.
With reference to Matt Walsh's documentary of the same name, an obscure work by Hervey Cleckley, and two of Luc's recent Substack articles, we provide a take you probably haven't heard anywhere else. So tune in.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comKicking the Cluster B-hive with Joshua Slocum: Queen Bs, Homosexuality & Dealing with NarcissistsMindMatters2022-08-05 | Joshua Slocum is back! Not only is his Disaffected show bigger and better than ever, Josh has recently launched a new consulting service for all those poor, unfortunate souls dealing with high-conflict people in their lives. And he's back to tell us all about it.
Today on MindMatters we ask the big questions: What do you do if someone close to you has a serious personality disorder? What are the possible links between borderline personality and homosexuality? And perhaps the biggest question of all: why do gay men like Madonna and Disney villainesses? So join us as explore these controversial topics and more, in style.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comJohn Carter of Substack: Conspiracy, Clown World, and the New DissidenceMindMatters2022-07-16 | Culture wars, political convulsions, social upheavals - you name it. If you're like us, we're always on the lookout for new voices giving their take on these strange times and just what the heck it is we're watching unfold in the West. There are a good many bloggers, pundits and observers out there, but...there can be only one. Enter John Carter (nom de plume), who writes "Postcards From Barsoom." A veteran of the academic world and all its woke garbage, John found himself transported to the fantastical realm called Substack, where he became a warrior battling various mythological beasts, alien armies and malevolent foes, armed solely with his mighty keyboard and nimble mind.
In just a short time, John has shown himself to be a voice worth listening to. And speak with aplomb he does. His writings are insightful, challenging, creative, and playfully hilarious. And in our conversation today, nothing is off the table: science, psychology, spirituality, philosophy, politics, sci-fi - whatever ideas have the explanatory power to help describe and understand the world we’re facing. At a time when we’re being barraged by the weapons of ‘cognitive conquest’ nothing is more important than communicating the ideas that could provide a good sword and shield, and a means with which to face the future.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comPlato and Kim Jong-Un Walk Into a Bar: Talking Timeaus and the Bible with Russell GmirkinMindMatters2022-07-09 | Russell Gmirkin is back to talk about his blockbuster latest book: "Plato’s Timaeus and the Biblical Creation Accounts: Cosmic Monotheism and Terrestrial Polytheism in the Primordial History." Join us as we discuss the book's mind-bending conclusions: Plato's Timaeus and Critias were sources for much of the biblical primordial history, from the creation of the cosmos and mortal creatures, to Eden, the Flood and the Nephilim. Genesis reflects Plato's cosmic monotheism and terrestrial polytheism, which devolved into Exodus-Judges' monolatry. Plato was also perhaps the first totalitarian political theorist. And his legacy lives on today.
Russell's website: http://russellgmirkin.com The book: smile.amazon.com/Platos-Timaeus-Biblical-Creation-Accounts-ebook/dp/B09V6RDMC2 MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe War Paradox: How Warfare Breeds Cooperation, and Cooperation Reduces WarfareMindMatters2022-06-15 | Today on MindMatters we discuss complexity scientist Peter Turchin's 2015 book, Ultrasociety: How 10,000 Years of War Made Humans the Greatest Cooperators on Earth. Turchin walks us through 10 millennia of human cultural evolution: from tribes and chiefdoms to the first states and empires, to our modern "ultrasocial" states. Contrary to pet theories and many ingenious hypotheses over the generations, the development of large, complex societies was not the result of agriculture or even ideas--the primer driver has been warfare: the technologies humans have developed to defend and conquer, the cooperation needed for both, and the cultural practices and values that developed and survived as a result.
Ultrasociety: smile.amazon.com/Ultrasociety-Years-Humans-Greatest-Cooperators/dp/0996139516 Turchin's site: peterturchin.com MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comCritical Race Theorys Race To The BottomMindMatters2022-05-21 | Critical Race Theory did not come ready-made out of a box. What we see and know today as CRT has, as its basis, several schools of pseudo-philosophical thought and areas of academic study - one built and twisted on another. But these influences and the progression of these ideas can, for all their wrongheadedness, be traced and seen for what they are. Today on MindMatters we delve further into the ideological roots, conceptual frameworks, contemporary movements and ultimate end game of CRT as described in James Lindsay's new book 'Race Marxism: The Truth about Critical Race Theory and Praxis'.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comIs Critical Race Theory Race Marxism?MindMatters2022-05-14 | Today on MindMatters we delve into the first chapters of James Lindsay's new book Race Marxism: The Truth about Critical Race Theory and Praxis. Contrary to what you hear on the news or Twitter, CRT is not simply a legal theory taught in law school. It is a full-blown activist movement. Even some who consider themselves proponents might be shocked to learn what its central tenets are, as described in the movements foundational academic texts. Lindsay puts it all together for us in one comprehensive volume.
Race Marxism: smile.amazon.com/Race-Marxism-Critical-Theory-Praxis/dp/B09SJ1NHG7 MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThe Matter with Things: Truth, Science, and LifeMindMatters2022-05-07 | Today on MindMatters we discuss three chapters from Iain McGilchrist's magnum opus, The Matter with Things. What is truth? What is science's role in discovering it? And what does a proper science of life look like? Join us as we plumb the depths of McGilchrist's bold vision on some of life's biggest questions.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comPolitical Psychopathy Goes Mainstream, Linked to Crimes Against HumanityMindMatters2022-04-22 | Not since Nuremberg have political leaders and functionaries accused or guilty of crimes against humanity been accessible to psychologists for close study, specifically with regard to the presence of personality disorders like psychopathy. A new paper by Robert Hare and colleagues is the first of its kind to examine men convicted of crimes against humanity and test for psychopathy using the PCL-R, specifically, members of Pinochet's armed forces convicted of crimes like torture and murder. Today on MindMatters, Harrison reads portions of the paper and discusses its main conclusions and implications.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comWhy Is Russia Like That? 400 Year of Russian Security Culture, with Gordon M. HahnMindMatters2022-04-08 | Today on MindMatters we are joined by Gordon M. Hahn, Russia analyst and author of essential books on Russia's revolution from above in the 90s, Russian jihadism, the history of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and his latest: 'The Russian Dilemma: Security, Vigilance, and Relations with the West from Ivan III to Putin'. While many have observed the ebb and flow of Russian relations with the West - from periods of Westernization and openness, to anti-Western revivals of Russian traditionalism - Hahn's is the first systematic analysis of Russia's security culture and vigilance norm in the context of relations with the West.
The West is an integral part of Russian identity, yet it has also been the source of invasion and political interference on and off for over 400 years. These threats have formed the Russian security vigilance norm: vigilance against possible military threats, fear of internal division and instability, and strong responses against foreign collusion with internal dissidents. To understand modern Russia, you have to understand its history - not just the pathological aberration of the Communist era.
MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comThey Enjoy the Infliction of Pain: Psychopaths, Wokeness, Ponerology - with Michael RectenwaldMindMatters2022-03-30 | Many see through the destructive thoughts, emotions and policies of Leftist political dogma - thanks in large part to the actions and behaviors of their acolytes in academia, the media and other institutions. But few have as direct experience of it - and the wit and guts to call it out for what it is and share that understanding with stark clarity and aplomb - as today's guest. After being “softly” ejected from his position at New York University for his critical tweets of the deleterious SJW culture he was witnessing, Prof. Michael Rectenwald steeled himself to examine even further the phenomenon he was witnessing and became a victim of.
With his books 'Springtime For Snowflakes' and 'Google Archipelago', and his prolific output of essays and articles, Michael not only documents his own personal journey through various intellectual currents and his own higher values, but also examines how these themes overlap with Big Digital and macro developments such as the now infamous and imminent Great Reset. This week on MindMatters we get to discuss some of the most important issues facing Western society and culture today with one of the strongest advocates for personal and political sanity to grace the stage.
An added bonus, we celebrate the release of the new edition of Dr. Andrew Lobaczewski's 'Political Ponerology', edited by MindMatters' Harrison Koehli, with a foreword by Prof. Rectenwald, in which he describes how ponerology helped explain his own experience of Leftist totalitarianism, and why the book's explanatory power is so compelling and crucial for better understanding our world.
Michael's books: michaelrectenwald.com/apogee-bookstore Political Ponerology: amazon.com/Political-Ponerology-Science-Psychopathy-Totalitarianism/dp/1734907452 MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comBeyond the Schizo-Autistic Worldview: Introducing the Matter with ThingsMindMatters2022-03-19 | Our understanding of each other, ourselves, the world, science and philosophy is in a sorry state. Ratiocentric, transactional, materialistic, and narcissistic assumptions dominate over a more coherent and understanding. We're living in the left hemisphere. But what is the alternative? And if the left-hemisphere view of the world is so often destructive, what place does it hold in the broader, right-hemisphere picture? And what does this imply about the nature of man, and of reality? Iain McGilchrist has written a remarkable book in which he answers these questions: The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World. Today on MindMatters we are again joined by Lucien to introduce the book's many important insights.
Matter with Things: channelmcgilchrist.com/the-matter-with-things MindMatters on odysee: odysee.com/@MindMatters:4 Audio on BuzzSprout: mindmatters.buzzsprout.comPrincely Politics: Why Machiavelli Still Matters TodayMindMatters2022-03-12 | Was Machiavelli an evil mastermind? A Svengali manipulator and corrupter of princes, worthy of the contemporary descriptor "Machiavellian"? Was he, rather, the first political scientist - an empiricist and pragmatist simply describing what he saw as the way things were? Or was he, simply, a politician? Today on MindMatters we discuss Machiavelli's short classic, The Prince. So join us as we try to make sense of the world of princely politics and the relevance of Machiavelli's work today. The times may have changed, but politics not so much - which suggests that perhaps Machiavelli was on to something.