The Numinous Podcast

My guest today is ✨ Dra.Rocío Rosales-Meza ✨ Dra.Rocío is a former academic with a background in counselling psychology who currently works at the intersection of ancestral veneration, decolonization, health – and by that I mean, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. Through her courses and mentoring programs, Dra.Rocío helps people unlearn colonial programming and embody their gifts. As of this recording, registration is currently open for her program, Decolonial Shadow Work, designed specifically for white folks and bi-racial white folks. Because I’ve followed Dra.Rocío for some time and I’ve seen her quote many of the iconic teachers and revolutionaries that I, personally, find inspiring and instructive – for instance, I’ve seen and heard her reference Frantz Fanon, bell hooks, Assata Shakur, some of the figures I admire most and that most fascinate me in the movement for Black liberation – I thought it would be very worthwhile to have a conversation about decolonizing our minds and hearts and doing the deeper spiritual work needed to become a reliable and useful accomplice and co-conspiritor in the movement towards liberation and justice for all. I hope that whatever your racial identity, you'll enjoy and find something useful and comforting in this conversation.Visit Dra.Rocío's website Register for Decolonial Shadow Work   Learn more about: Dr.Michael Yellowbird - Neurodecolonization and Indigenous Mindfulness Assata Shakur bell hooks Thích Nhat Hanh   Join us in The Numinous Network Come to my Book Jam! Bringing Contact Nutrition to the Page

Pour yourself a cup of tea or something cozy because my dear friend, Sarah Selecky, and I are going to have a chat about writing. Sarah’s newest book, Story Is A State of Mind, started as a writing class in her living room in Victoria, BC, 25 years ago, right around the time we met. It has since become a unique example of how the internet has disrupted the classical education system, with her program evolving into an online program now known as the Sarah Selecky Writing School. Her Story Course has been praised by the likes of Margaret Atwood and Zuzie Gartner and her debut short story collection, This Cake is for the Party, was a finalist for what is probably Canada’s most well known literary award, The Giller Prize. Her next book, Radiant Shimmering Light, was optioned by Amy Adams to create a series for HBO. And her latest, Story is a State of Mind: Writing and the Art of Creative Curiosity, is getting buzz in academic circles with profs in MFA programs across the country adding to their required reading lists.  And we are SO LUCKY to have Sarah back on the program for a third time to help us bring our creative work out into the world. Listen to Sarah's previous visit to the podcast, ep.102 talking about Radiant Shimmering Light Listen to episode EIGHT (😮) of The Numinous Podcast: Sarah Selecky on Better Living Through Metaphor Get your copy of Story is a State of Mind from our wonderful friends at Assembly Press

I am ✨thrilled✨ to welcome back to the show for a fourth time, my friend and beloved mentor, Dr.Cyndi Brannen. Cyndi is a world-renowned expert on Modern Hekatean Witchcraft. Her seminal book, Keeping Her Keys, published in 2019 continues to be a bestselling title in the witchcraft category. She has since published three more books on Hekate, a trilogy begun with Entering Hekate’s Garden in 2020, Entering Hekate’s Cave which came out in 2023, and now, finally Entering Hekate's Cauldron: Spells, Spirits, Rites, and Rituals released summer 2025.   In this episode, we talk about rites and rituals but also we go more deeply into Hekate’s parentage and her coterie of counterparts - the other deities and allies that show up in her myths, and even author her myths as we’ll hear later on. Learn more about Cyndi's books and offerings (including Covina, her on-going coven of Hekate) on her website keepingherkeys.com   Join us in The Numinous Network

Today I’m delighted to welcome back to the show, Nicholas Pearson, who is basically becoming our resident geologist and crystal witch. His newest book is The Witching Stones: The Lore & Craft of the Essential Crystals, Gemstones and Minerals to Empower Your Magic.   Nicholas has been immersed in the mineral kingdom for thirty years and appeared previously on this podcast, in episode 158 on Crystal Basics which aired in 2021, and episode 170, Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden which aired in 2022. I think he’s written about a dozen books now, not only on minerals but other spiritual topics as well, and he’s always got a unique take, there’s always a new way of looking that I think keeps the topics fresh and the books worth the investment.   In this conversation, Nicholas shares his rationale for some of the unexpected choices he made when writing The Witching Stones.   Follow Nicholas on socials! Instagram Facebook TikTokPatreon

Welcome fellow Numinous Network Guide, ✨ Asteria ✨, to the podcast! Asteria Elzea (she/ they) is an artist, a maker, and a connector. In this episode, Asteria shares how she builds community on a shoestring budget as a queer disabled neurodivergent artist. Asteria identifies as white, bisexual, polyamorous, and is neurodivergent. Her most special interest is people and how we connect. Asteria has trained in connection, actionable goals, and trauma-informed facilitation with Beautiful You Coaching Academy, Desiree Adaway, and me, Carmen Spagnola! They also love growing food, roses, decolonization, and pulling the rug out from under capitalistic, white supremacist, patriarchal society. Asteria is a certified data analyst and practicing witch, as well as a coach and community builder. As a resident of LA, her grassroots approach has helped her communities in the challenging times they've faced with the entertainment industry strikes, the devastating fires, and the city under siege by the government.  Check out her coaching and workshops at StarGirlCreative.com Check out Asteria's somatic workshop if you're in LA! Sunday, Oct.19 at The Makery, 260 S.Los Angeles St, 2:00-3:30.