https://simplecast.com Pop Apocalypse Pop Apocalypse explores gnostic, esoteric, and mystical currents in popular culture. The podcast features interviews with artists, musicians, and writers about the experiential and spiritual dimensions of their work. Music by Secret Chiefs 3. 2023 -- en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:46:16 +0000 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:46:28 +0000 https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com Pop Apocalypse https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/6fe35fd9-9593-4939-ada3-9bd42e329e28/1cf5ea50-b91e-4a4c-b240-481d81420f56/3000x3000/popapocalypse-logo-black.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com episodic Pop Apocalypse explores gnostic, esoteric, and mystical currents in popular culture. The podcast features interviews with artists, musicians, and writers about the experiential and spiritual dimensions of their work. Music by Secret Chiefs 3. Matthew J. Dillon, Center for the Study of World Religions false https://feeds.simplecast.com/uqOMyKh4 Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School mdillon@hds.harvard.edu 43034886-8dbb-4f30-a077-83895900dca0 Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective with Robert Schneider Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective With Robert Schneider

In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University. 

In part one, we discuss Robert’s religious upbringing in the American South before exploring the mystical dimensions of The Elephant 6 Recording Co (8:58). We touch on the Church of the Subgenius, meditative practices, Krishna Consciousness, church camps, Surrealism, and Sun Ra’s Arkestra, then take a deep dive (1:13:11) into how the Beach Boys served as the spiritual and artistic north star for Elephant 6. 

Robert Schneider bio

Robert Schneider is a musician, producer, and mathematician. He co-founded The Elephant 6 Recording Co. in the early 1990s, a collective of independent musicians and artists. Schneider is the lead singer and songwriter for The Apples in Stereo, a psychedelic pop band that has recorded seven studio albums. As a producer, Robert recorded and mixed some of the most celebrated albums of the 1990s, including Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Olivia Tremor Control’s Dusk at Cubist Castle. He completed his PhD in Mathematics at Emory University in 2018, specializing in number theory and combinatorics. Robert is now Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University, where he helps run the Mathematics and Music Lab.

Subscribe to Pop Apocalypse on YouTube for new episodes after June!

https://www.youtube.com/@PopApocalypse

Robert Schneider links

Elephant 6 links

 

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:46:16 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3, Robert Schneider) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/spirituality-and-the-elephant-6-collective-with-robert-schneider-nSwbmALr Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective With Robert Schneider

In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University. 

In part one, we discuss Robert’s religious upbringing in the American South before exploring the mystical dimensions of The Elephant 6 Recording Co (8:58). We touch on the Church of the Subgenius, meditative practices, Krishna Consciousness, church camps, Surrealism, and Sun Ra’s Arkestra, then take a deep dive (1:13:11) into how the Beach Boys served as the spiritual and artistic north star for Elephant 6. 

Robert Schneider bio

Robert Schneider is a musician, producer, and mathematician. He co-founded The Elephant 6 Recording Co. in the early 1990s, a collective of independent musicians and artists. Schneider is the lead singer and songwriter for The Apples in Stereo, a psychedelic pop band that has recorded seven studio albums. As a producer, Robert recorded and mixed some of the most celebrated albums of the 1990s, including Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Olivia Tremor Control’s Dusk at Cubist Castle. He completed his PhD in Mathematics at Emory University in 2018, specializing in number theory and combinatorics. Robert is now Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University, where he helps run the Mathematics and Music Lab.

Subscribe to Pop Apocalypse on YouTube for new episodes after June!

https://www.youtube.com/@PopApocalypse

Robert Schneider links

Elephant 6 links

 

]]> Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective with Robert Schneider Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3, Robert Schneider 02:00:08 In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University. In part one, we discuss Robert’s religious upbringing in the American South before exploring the mystical dimensions of The Elephant 6 Recording Co. We touch on the Church of the Subgenius, meditative practices, Krishna Consciousness, church camps, Surrealism, and Sun Ra’s Arkestra, then take a deep dive into how the Beach Boys served as the spiritual and artistic north star for Elephant 6. In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, and currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Michigan Technological University. In part one, we discuss Robert’s religious upbringing in the American South before exploring the mystical dimensions of The Elephant 6 Recording Co. We touch on the Church of the Subgenius, meditative practices, Krishna Consciousness, church camps, Surrealism, and Sun Ra’s Arkestra, then take a deep dive into how the Beach Boys served as the spiritual and artistic north star for Elephant 6. olivia tremor control, mysticism, pet sounds, jeff magnum, beach boys, dusk at cubist castle, james hillman soul's code, spirituality music, mystical, mystical music, beach boys smile, neutral milk hotel, surrealism, the apples in stereo, elephant 6, bill doss, church of the subgenius, will cullen hart true full 21 b3be0426-07b9-4af8-8a8a-bbfb9562d48f Acting, Dreamwork, and the Study of Religion - A Talk with Amy Brenneman In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 20, we welcome actress, writer, producer, and activist, Amy Brenneman. After earning her B.A. in Comparative Religions at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat, as well as the shows like "The Leftovers," "The Old Man," and "Judging Amy" (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging conversation (2:12), Amy and I explore how the craft of acting, study of religion, and practice of Jungian dreamwork have enriched one another throughout her career. We discuss the similarities between ritual and acting, and how a background in comparative religion helped Amy write, build, and inhabit characters. She also describes (20:00) how decades of practicing active imagination and Jungian dreamwork helped her bring a mythic and numinous dimension to roles like Laurie Garvey in The Leftovers. To close (1:03:09), we discuss Amy’s current experience as a Master’s student at Harvard Divinity School and her research into the politics and possibilities of the Trickster archtype.

BIO

Amy Brenneman earned a degree in Comparative Religion at Harvard, specializing in Indo-Tibetan Religion. She was a founding member of the Cornerstone Theater Company, which specializes in site-specific community-based theater on themes of social justice; her roles included Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Natasha in Three Sisters and Clytemnestra in The Oresteia. 
Other theater:  CSC Rep, Lincoln Center Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, Yale Rep and The American Repertory Theater.  She starred in the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rapture Blister Burn (Playwrights Horizons, Geffen Theater) and Power of Sail opposite Bryan Cranston (Geffen Theater.)  She played Miriam of Nazareth in the world premiere of Galilee 34 (South Coast Rep) and starred in The Sound Inside (Pasadena Playhouse), which was named one of the years’ best performances by the Los Angeles Times.She recently starred in the world premiere of Fake It Until You Make It by Larissa Fasthorse at Arena Stage. 

Amy co-created, wrote, and starred in Mouth Wide Open (The Yard, American Repertory Theater) and Overcome (The Yard, En Garde Arts, Cotuit Center for The Arts.)  She has performed original spoken word pieces at Spark, Tasty Words and Tangletuit.
Amy created, executive produced and starred in “Judging Amy” (multiple Golden Globe Emmy and SAG nominations) based on the work of her mother, the Honorable Judge Frederica Brenneman.  Other television: “NYPD Blue” (SAG award, Emmy nomination) “Frasier,” (Emmy nomination), “Heartbeat” (exec producer), “Goliath,” “VEEP,” “Private Practice,” “The Leftovers,” “Tell Me Your Secrets,” “Shining Girls” and “The Old Man.”
Film credits include CASPER, FEAR, DAYLIGHT, HEAT, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, WORDS AND PICTURES, NINE LIVES, THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER and MOTHER AND CHILD.

For her activist work, Amy has been honored by Women in Film, The Brady Center, the League of Women Voters, the California State Assembly, the National Children’s Alliance, the Chime Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Help Group, the Producer’s Guild of America, among others. Amy currently serves on the Creative Council for the Center for Reproductive Rights and received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from The Feminist Majority for her ongoing commitment to reproductive rights.

Amy is married to writer/director Brad Silberling and has two children, Charlotte and Bodhi. Currently she attends Harvard Divinity School in the Master of Religion and Public Life program, researching the role of the Trickster archetype in ritual and activism. 

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 22:20:52 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Matthew J. Dillon, amy brenneman, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/acting-dreamwork-and-comparative-religion-a-talk-with-amy-brenneman-iPaAEUGn In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 20, we welcome actress, writer, producer, and activist, Amy Brenneman. After earning her B.A. in Comparative Religions at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat, as well as the shows like "The Leftovers," "The Old Man," and "Judging Amy" (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging conversation (2:12), Amy and I explore how the craft of acting, study of religion, and practice of Jungian dreamwork have enriched one another throughout her career. We discuss the similarities between ritual and acting, and how a background in comparative religion helped Amy write, build, and inhabit characters. She also describes (20:00) how decades of practicing active imagination and Jungian dreamwork helped her bring a mythic and numinous dimension to roles like Laurie Garvey in The Leftovers. To close (1:03:09), we discuss Amy’s current experience as a Master’s student at Harvard Divinity School and her research into the politics and possibilities of the Trickster archtype.

BIO

Amy Brenneman earned a degree in Comparative Religion at Harvard, specializing in Indo-Tibetan Religion. She was a founding member of the Cornerstone Theater Company, which specializes in site-specific community-based theater on themes of social justice; her roles included Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Natasha in Three Sisters and Clytemnestra in The Oresteia. 
Other theater:  CSC Rep, Lincoln Center Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, Yale Rep and The American Repertory Theater.  She starred in the world premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rapture Blister Burn (Playwrights Horizons, Geffen Theater) and Power of Sail opposite Bryan Cranston (Geffen Theater.)  She played Miriam of Nazareth in the world premiere of Galilee 34 (South Coast Rep) and starred in The Sound Inside (Pasadena Playhouse), which was named one of the years’ best performances by the Los Angeles Times.She recently starred in the world premiere of Fake It Until You Make It by Larissa Fasthorse at Arena Stage. 

Amy co-created, wrote, and starred in Mouth Wide Open (The Yard, American Repertory Theater) and Overcome (The Yard, En Garde Arts, Cotuit Center for The Arts.)  She has performed original spoken word pieces at Spark, Tasty Words and Tangletuit.
Amy created, executive produced and starred in “Judging Amy” (multiple Golden Globe Emmy and SAG nominations) based on the work of her mother, the Honorable Judge Frederica Brenneman.  Other television: “NYPD Blue” (SAG award, Emmy nomination) “Frasier,” (Emmy nomination), “Heartbeat” (exec producer), “Goliath,” “VEEP,” “Private Practice,” “The Leftovers,” “Tell Me Your Secrets,” “Shining Girls” and “The Old Man.”
Film credits include CASPER, FEAR, DAYLIGHT, HEAT, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, WORDS AND PICTURES, NINE LIVES, THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER and MOTHER AND CHILD.

For her activist work, Amy has been honored by Women in Film, The Brady Center, the League of Women Voters, the California State Assembly, the National Children’s Alliance, the Chime Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Help Group, the Producer’s Guild of America, among others. Amy currently serves on the Creative Council for the Center for Reproductive Rights and received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from The Feminist Majority for her ongoing commitment to reproductive rights.

Amy is married to writer/director Brad Silberling and has two children, Charlotte and Bodhi. Currently she attends Harvard Divinity School in the Master of Religion and Public Life program, researching the role of the Trickster archetype in ritual and activism. 

]]> Acting, Dreamwork, and the Study of Religion - A Talk with Amy Brenneman Matthew J. Dillon, amy brenneman, Secret Chiefs 3 01:25:27 For episode 20 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome actress, writer, producer, and activist, Amy Brenneman. After earning her B.A. in Comparative Religions at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat, as well as the shows like The Leftovers, The Old Man, and Judging Amy (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging conversation, Amy and I explore how the craft of acting, study of religion, and practice of Jungian dreamwork have enriched one another throughout her career. We discuss the similarities between ritual and acting, and how a background in comparative religion helped Amy write, build, and inhabit characters. Amy also describes how decades of practicing active imagination and Jungian dreamwork helped her bring a mythic and numinous dimension to roles like Laurie Garvey in The Leftovers. To close, we discuss Amy’s current experience as a Master’s student at Harvard Divinity School and her research into the politics and possibilities of the Trickster. For episode 20 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome actress, writer, producer, and activist, Amy Brenneman. After earning her B.A. in Comparative Religions at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat, as well as the shows like The Leftovers, The Old Man, and Judging Amy (which she also wrote and produced). In this wide-ranging conversation, Amy and I explore how the craft of acting, study of religion, and practice of Jungian dreamwork have enriched one another throughout her career. We discuss the similarities between ritual and acting, and how a background in comparative religion helped Amy write, build, and inhabit characters. Amy also describes how decades of practicing active imagination and Jungian dreamwork helped her bring a mythic and numinous dimension to roles like Laurie Garvey in The Leftovers. To close, we discuss Amy’s current experience as a Master’s student at Harvard Divinity School and her research into the politics and possibilities of the Trickster. jung, dreamwork, heat, the old man, active imagination, eliade, performance, ritual, leftovers, transcendentalism, comparative religions, judging amy, harvard, acting true full 20 64a62013-8e6e-48d8-80eb-3eefdcef740b From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wide-ranging chat (3:01), we discuss how Lachman’s reading of comics and Lovecraft inspired a lifelong interest in the occult, his early days in Blondie, and how he came to Crowleyan magick. Then we turn to Lachman’s time practicing “The Work” of Gurdjieff, his relationship with the author Colin Wilson, and how keeping a dream journal can change our view of the nature of time.

Gary Lachman Bio

Gary Lachman is an author and lecturer on consciousness, counterculture, and the Western esoteric tradition. His works include Dark Star Rising (Tarcher, 2018), Beyond the Robot (TarcherPerigee, 2016), and The Secret Teachers of the Western World (Tarcher, 2015). A founding member of the rock band Blondie, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in London.

Gary Lachman's webpage

Touched by the Presence: From Blondie's Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult

CSWR EVENTS

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:10:00 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Gary Lachman, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/from-rock-star-to-occult-historian-a-talk-with-gary-lachman-vT9GmAkp In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wide-ranging chat (3:01), we discuss how Lachman’s reading of comics and Lovecraft inspired a lifelong interest in the occult, his early days in Blondie, and how he came to Crowleyan magick. Then we turn to Lachman’s time practicing “The Work” of Gurdjieff, his relationship with the author Colin Wilson, and how keeping a dream journal can change our view of the nature of time.

Gary Lachman Bio

Gary Lachman is an author and lecturer on consciousness, counterculture, and the Western esoteric tradition. His works include Dark Star Rising (Tarcher, 2018), Beyond the Robot (TarcherPerigee, 2016), and The Secret Teachers of the Western World (Tarcher, 2015). A founding member of the rock band Blondie, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. He lives in London.

Gary Lachman's webpage

Touched by the Presence: From Blondie's Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult

CSWR EVENTS

]]> From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman Gary Lachman, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:27:56 In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wide-ranging chat, we discuss how Lachman’s reading of comics and Lovecraft inspired a lifelong interest in the occult, his early days in Blondie, and how he came to Crowleyan magick. Then we turn to Lachman’s time practicing “The Work” of Gurdjieff, his relationship with the author Colin Wilson, and how keeping a dream journal can change our view of the nature of time. In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wide-ranging chat, we discuss how Lachman’s reading of comics and Lovecraft inspired a lifelong interest in the occult, his early days in Blondie, and how he came to Crowleyan magick. Then we turn to Lachman’s time practicing “The Work” of Gurdjieff, his relationship with the author Colin Wilson, and how keeping a dream journal can change our view of the nature of time. aleister crowley, occulture, lovecraft, blondie, philosophy, occult, new age, new wave, gurdjieff, rock, magic, henry corbin false full 19 cbfcff75-8eea-445c-9332-6705d5751ccf Integrating Wisdom Christianity and “The Work” of G.I. Gurdjieff: A Talk with Cynthia Bourgeault In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 18, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault, whose work combines the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, “The Work” of GI Gurdjieff, and the philosophy of Henry Corbin into a lived mystical theology. Throughout the episode (2:38), we explore Cynthia’s religious upbringing and early mystical awakening, her academic training in Medieval sacred drama, and her decision to pursue the priesthood. Then we take a deep dive (14:01) into Bourgeault’s relationship with the practice and theory of The Work, and how she has integrated them into the Christian wisdom tradition. As the interview ends (55:37), Cynthia and I discuss the benefits of a hermit's life, the influence of the Gospel of Thomas, and how contemplative Christianity resonates with the spiritual concerns of many in the early twenty-first century. 

Watch the episode on YouTube

Bio:
Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm(Shambhala, 2020)and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice (Shambhala, 2016).She divides her time between solitude and sailing the waters around her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths.

Links

 

]]> Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:13:34 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Cynthia Bourgeault, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/integrating-wisdom-christianity-and-the-work-of-gi-gurdjieff-a-talk-with-cynthia-bourgeault-_WBfLDfW In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 18, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault, whose work combines the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, “The Work” of GI Gurdjieff, and the philosophy of Henry Corbin into a lived mystical theology. Throughout the episode (2:38), we explore Cynthia’s religious upbringing and early mystical awakening, her academic training in Medieval sacred drama, and her decision to pursue the priesthood. Then we take a deep dive (14:01) into Bourgeault’s relationship with the practice and theory of The Work, and how she has integrated them into the Christian wisdom tradition. As the interview ends (55:37), Cynthia and I discuss the benefits of a hermit's life, the influence of the Gospel of Thomas, and how contemplative Christianity resonates with the spiritual concerns of many in the early twenty-first century. 

Watch the episode on YouTube

Bio:
Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm(Shambhala, 2020)and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice (Shambhala, 2016).She divides her time between solitude and sailing the waters around her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths.

Links

 

]]> Integrating Wisdom Christianity and “The Work” of G.I. Gurdjieff: A Talk with Cynthia Bourgeault Cynthia Bourgeault, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:20:46 In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 18, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault, whose work combines the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, “The Work” of GI Gurdjieff, and the philosophy of Henry Corbin into a lived mystical theology. Throughout the episode, we explore Cynthia’s religious upbringing and early mystical awakening, her academic training in Medieval sacred drama, and her decision to pursue the priesthood. Then we take a deep dive into Bourgeault’s relationship with the practice and theory of The Work, and how she has integrated them into the Christian wisdom tradition. As the interview ends, Cynthia and I discuss the benefits of a hermit's life, the influence of the Gospel of Thomas, and how contemplative Christianity resonates with the spiritual concerns of many in the early twenty-first century. Bio: Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm(Shambhala, 2020) and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice (Shambhala, 2016). She divides her time between solitude and sailing the waters around her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths. In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 18, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault, whose work combines the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, “The Work” of GI Gurdjieff, and the philosophy of Henry Corbin into a lived mystical theology. Throughout the episode, we explore Cynthia’s religious upbringing and early mystical awakening, her academic training in Medieval sacred drama, and her decision to pursue the priesthood. Then we take a deep dive into Bourgeault’s relationship with the practice and theory of The Work, and how she has integrated them into the Christian wisdom tradition. As the interview ends, Cynthia and I discuss the benefits of a hermit's life, the influence of the Gospel of Thomas, and how contemplative Christianity resonates with the spiritual concerns of many in the early twenty-first century. Bio: Cynthia Bourgeault is a modern-day mystic, Episcopal priest, writer, and internationally known retreat leader. She is the author of numerous books, including Eye of the Heart: A Spiritual Journey into the Imaginal Realm(Shambhala, 2020) and The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice (Shambhala, 2016). She divides her time between solitude and sailing the waters around her seaside hermitage in Maine, and a demanding schedule traveling globally to teach and spread the recovery of the Christian contemplative and Wisdom paths. centering prayer, keating, wisdom christianity, nondual, fourth way, meditation, priest, mysticism, hermit, episcopalian, christianity, prayer, bourgeault, gurdjieff, gospel of thomas false full 18 1c4e24d1-fc25-4a78-9fdf-421bda65f5a4 Mysticism and the Simulation Hypothesis – A Talk with Rizwan Virk Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation theory:The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025) and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). In the interview (3:51), we discuss the technologies necessary to make a Matrix-like simulation possible and how close we are to achieving them. Then we turn to the religious and mystical dimensions of simulation theory (29:43), exploring reincarnation, out-of-body experiences, UAPs, angels, and the anthropocentrism and ethical pitfalls of simulation theory.

Rizwan Virk bio

A graduate of MIT and Stanford University,  Rizwan Virk, PhD, is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, professor, and bestselling author of The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025), Wisdom of a Yogi(Bayview Books, 2023), and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). Virk’s video games, including Tap Fish and Penny Dreadful: Demimonde, have been played by millions. He is the founder and executive director of Play Labs @ MIT, a video game accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and currently teaches at Arizona State University.

Rizwan Virk's Homepage

Pop Apocalypse linktree

]]> Thu, 16 Oct 2025 21:37:09 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Rizwan Virk, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/mysticism-and-the-simulation-hypothesis-a-talk-with-rizwan-virk-RheB_IjM Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation theory:The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025) and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). In the interview (3:51), we discuss the technologies necessary to make a Matrix-like simulation possible and how close we are to achieving them. Then we turn to the religious and mystical dimensions of simulation theory (29:43), exploring reincarnation, out-of-body experiences, UAPs, angels, and the anthropocentrism and ethical pitfalls of simulation theory.

Rizwan Virk bio

A graduate of MIT and Stanford University,  Rizwan Virk, PhD, is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, professor, and bestselling author of The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025), Wisdom of a Yogi(Bayview Books, 2023), and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). Virk’s video games, including Tap Fish and Penny Dreadful: Demimonde, have been played by millions. He is the founder and executive director of Play Labs @ MIT, a video game accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and currently teaches at Arizona State University.

Rizwan Virk's Homepage

Pop Apocalypse linktree

]]> Mysticism and the Simulation Hypothesis – A Talk with Rizwan Virk Rizwan Virk, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:23:27 Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation theory: The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025) and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). In the interview, we discuss the technologies necessary to make a Matrix-like simulation possible and how close we are to achieving them. Then we turn to the religious and mystical dimensions of simulation theory, exploring reincarnation, out-of-body experiences, UAPs, angels, and the anthropocentrism and ethical pitfalls of simulation theory. Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation theory: The Simulation Hypothesis (Tarcher, 2025) and The Simulated Multiverse (Bayview Books, 2021). In the interview, we discuss the technologies necessary to make a Matrix-like simulation possible and how close we are to achieving them. Then we turn to the religious and mystical dimensions of simulation theory, exploring reincarnation, out-of-body experiences, UAPs, angels, and the anthropocentrism and ethical pitfalls of simulation theory. matrix, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, paranormal, videogame design, simulation theory, uaps, near-death experiences, simulation, reincarnation, videogames, simulation hypothesis true full 17 b110ef76-07ed-44db-a917-7c725705c6f3 AI, Hip-Hop, and the Digital Uncanny – A Talk with Paul Miller, aka “DJ Spooky” For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and his art has been showcased in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art. 

In this wide-ranging conversation (6:12), we asked Paul to explore the eeriness of life in the digital age. We touch on the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence, the role of the DJ, Japanese Butoh as a response to nuclear tragedy, re-scoring D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, and how Einstein, science fiction, and Sun Ra have shaped Miller’s work. 

Paul Miller bio

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is currently at work on two books: one about the impact of algorithms on how we think of storytelling, Digital Fiction for Duke University Press, and The Future of Food, about the impact of AI on how we think of the production of food in the twenty-first century. He was Artist in Residence at Yale University Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (2023-2024). He is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer whose work engages audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. Miller has collaborated with an array of recording artists, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Metallica, Chuck D from Public Enemy, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono, among many others. His 2018 album, DJ Spooky Presents: Phantom Dancehall, debuted at No. 3 on Billboard Reggae.

Paul Miller links

Pop Apocalypse links

 

]]> Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:17:40 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Paul Miller, DJ Spooky, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/ai-hip-hop-and-the-digital-uncanny-a-talk-with-paul-miller-aka-dj-spooky-AHyiRzS1 For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and his art has been showcased in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art. 

In this wide-ranging conversation (6:12), we asked Paul to explore the eeriness of life in the digital age. We touch on the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence, the role of the DJ, Japanese Butoh as a response to nuclear tragedy, re-scoring D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, and how Einstein, science fiction, and Sun Ra have shaped Miller’s work. 

Paul Miller bio

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is currently at work on two books: one about the impact of algorithms on how we think of storytelling, Digital Fiction for Duke University Press, and The Future of Food, about the impact of AI on how we think of the production of food in the twenty-first century. He was Artist in Residence at Yale University Center for Collaborative Arts and Media (2023-2024). He is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer whose work engages audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. Miller has collaborated with an array of recording artists, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Metallica, Chuck D from Public Enemy, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono, among many others. His 2018 album, DJ Spooky Presents: Phantom Dancehall, debuted at No. 3 on Billboard Reggae.

Paul Miller links

Pop Apocalypse links

 

]]> AI, Hip-Hop, and the Digital Uncanny – A Talk with Paul Miller, aka “DJ Spooky” Paul Miller, DJ Spooky, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:23:13 For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and his art has been showcased in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In this wide-ranging conversation, we asked Paul to explore the eeriness of life in the digital age. We touch on the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence, the role of the DJ, Japanese Butoh as a response to nuclear tragedy, D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, and how science fiction, Einstein, and Sun Ra have shaped Miller’s work. For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and his art has been showcased in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In this wide-ranging conversation, we asked Paul to explore the eeriness of life in the digital age. We touch on the perils and possibilities of artificial intelligence, the role of the DJ, Japanese Butoh as a response to nuclear tragedy, D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation, and how science fiction, Einstein, and Sun Ra have shaped Miller’s work. sun ra, sampling, hip-hop, dj, algorithms, digital, sci-fi, birth of a nation true full 16 d99188f1-49e4-4fcd-a410-3845bb6d75bc Gnostic Myth in Film - A Talk with Fryderyk Kwiatkowski For episode 15 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome assistant professor, Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, on to discuss the relationship between ancient Gnostic myth and modern cinema. Fryderyk takes us through the impact European intellectuals 20:29 Carl Jung, Hans Jonas, and Eric Voegelin on popular conceptions of Gnosticism. We then dive into analyses of the Gnostic elements in films 34:34 like the Matrix, Dark City, Truman Show, and more recent cinema like Free Guy, Chappie, and the television series Silo.

BIO
Fryderyk Kwiatkowski is an Assistant at AGH University of Krakow. He earned a joint doctoral degree from the University of Groningen and the Jagiellonian University in 2023 with a thesis entitled Gnosticism in Hollywood: From European Academia to American Popular Culture. His research interests encompass the cultural reception of late antique esoteric traditions, their intersections with discourses on utopias and dystopias, and the (not-so-obvious) intertwinement of popular media, philosophy, and religion. He is currently developing a project on the role of imagination in contemporary technoculture, with a focus on the feedback loops between transhumanism, science fiction, and esotericism. He has published his research in venues such as Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies, CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, Journal of Religion and Film.

NOTES
Fryderyk Kwiatkowski
Academia.edu
Gnosticism in Hollywood: From European Academia to American Popular Culture
"Eric Voegelin and Gnostic Hollywood"
"How to Attain Liberation from a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City."

]]> Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:49:47 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/gnostic-myth-in-film-a-talk-with-fryderyk-kwiatkowski-1VJR7bpY For episode 15 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome assistant professor, Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, on to discuss the relationship between ancient Gnostic myth and modern cinema. Fryderyk takes us through the impact European intellectuals 20:29 Carl Jung, Hans Jonas, and Eric Voegelin on popular conceptions of Gnosticism. We then dive into analyses of the Gnostic elements in films 34:34 like the Matrix, Dark City, Truman Show, and more recent cinema like Free Guy, Chappie, and the television series Silo.

BIO
Fryderyk Kwiatkowski is an Assistant at AGH University of Krakow. He earned a joint doctoral degree from the University of Groningen and the Jagiellonian University in 2023 with a thesis entitled Gnosticism in Hollywood: From European Academia to American Popular Culture. His research interests encompass the cultural reception of late antique esoteric traditions, their intersections with discourses on utopias and dystopias, and the (not-so-obvious) intertwinement of popular media, philosophy, and religion. He is currently developing a project on the role of imagination in contemporary technoculture, with a focus on the feedback loops between transhumanism, science fiction, and esotericism. He has published his research in venues such as Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies, CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, Journal of Religion and Film.

NOTES
Fryderyk Kwiatkowski
Academia.edu
Gnosticism in Hollywood: From European Academia to American Popular Culture
"Eric Voegelin and Gnostic Hollywood"
"How to Attain Liberation from a False World? The Gnostic Myth of Sophia in Dark City."

]]> Gnostic Myth in Film - A Talk with Fryderyk Kwiatkowski Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:47:25 For episode 15 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, Assistant Professor at the University of Krakow, on to discuss the relationship between ancient Gnostic myth and modern cinema. Fryderyk takes us through the impact European intellectuals Carl Jung, Hans Jonas, and Eric Voegelin on popular conceptions of Gnosticism. Then we dive into analyses of the Gnostic elements in films like the Matrix, Dark City, Truman Show, and more recent cinema like Free Guy, Chappie, and the television series Silo. For episode 15 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, Assistant Professor at the University of Krakow, on to discuss the relationship between ancient Gnostic myth and modern cinema. Fryderyk takes us through the impact European intellectuals Carl Jung, Hans Jonas, and Eric Voegelin on popular conceptions of Gnosticism. Then we dive into analyses of the Gnostic elements in films like the Matrix, Dark City, Truman Show, and more recent cinema like Free Guy, Chappie, and the television series Silo. matrix, truman show, dark city, mythology, carl jung, gnostic, myth, voegelin, film, hans jonas, sci-fi, silo false full 15 9703ec57-21cb-4e50-8a2a-dc4d9895ed54 Madness, Mysticism, and Philosophy – A Talk with Wouter Kusters For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss (5:26) how the experience of psychotic thinking challenges and illuminates our notions of language, philosophy, and mysticism. Along the way, we touch on the similarities between mystical and mad experiences, apophatic and psychotic uses of language, the phenomenology of time, and the impact of Kusters’ books on mental health specialists.

Wouter Kusters, PhD, is a linguist and philosopher based in the Netherlands. Two of his books received the Dutch Socrates Award for the best and most inspiring philosophy book of the year: Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014). The English version of this latter work was released in 2020 by MIT Press. In 2022, an Arabic version was released, and a Chinese translation is expected this year. Kusters writes on a range of themes in various outlets that explore perennial questions of meaning, madness, mysticism, and language.

LINKS
Wouter Kusters' homepage
A Philosophy of Madness

]]> Wed, 2 Jul 2025 19:23:36 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (wouter kusters, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/madness-mysticism-and-philosophy-a-talk-with-wouter-kusters-f_fOQ2UH For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss (5:26) how the experience of psychotic thinking challenges and illuminates our notions of language, philosophy, and mysticism. Along the way, we touch on the similarities between mystical and mad experiences, apophatic and psychotic uses of language, the phenomenology of time, and the impact of Kusters’ books on mental health specialists.

Wouter Kusters, PhD, is a linguist and philosopher based in the Netherlands. Two of his books received the Dutch Socrates Award for the best and most inspiring philosophy book of the year: Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014). The English version of this latter work was released in 2020 by MIT Press. In 2022, an Arabic version was released, and a Chinese translation is expected this year. Kusters writes on a range of themes in various outlets that explore perennial questions of meaning, madness, mysticism, and language.

LINKS
Wouter Kusters' homepage
A Philosophy of Madness

]]> Madness, Mysticism, and Philosophy – A Talk with Wouter Kusters wouter kusters, Matthew J. Dillon 01:18:55 For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss how the experience of psychotic thinking challenges and illuminates our notions of language, philosophy, and mysticism. Along the way, we touch on the similarities between mystical and mad experiences, apophatic and psychotic uses of language, the phenomenology of time, and the impact of Kusters’ books on mental health specialists. For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss how the experience of psychotic thinking challenges and illuminates our notions of language, philosophy, and mysticism. Along the way, we touch on the similarities between mystical and mad experiences, apophatic and psychotic uses of language, the phenomenology of time, and the impact of Kusters’ books on mental health specialists. psychedelics, psychosis, philosophy, mysticism, madness, plotinus, meister eckhart true full 14 a6b87624-e59e-4249-bc19-f2dac99c955d Photographing the Invisible: A Talk with Shannon Taggart For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting contemporary Spiritualism across the U.S. and Britain. We discuss (3:26) what sparked Shannon’s interests in Spiritualism, the intersecting histories of photography and Spiritualism, ectoplasm, what inspires people to become mediums, and the techniques she developed for photographing the invisible.

Shannon Taggart
Website
Seánce
Lily Dale Symposium, 2025

CSWR Events
May 1, 6-8pm EDT: Peripheries Launch Event, Volume 7
May 15-17: Thinking with Plants and Fungi Conference

]]> Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:03:00 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/photographing-the-invisible-a-talk-with-shannon-taggart-_zbVdy_p For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting contemporary Spiritualism across the U.S. and Britain. We discuss (3:26) what sparked Shannon’s interests in Spiritualism, the intersecting histories of photography and Spiritualism, ectoplasm, what inspires people to become mediums, and the techniques she developed for photographing the invisible.

Shannon Taggart
Website
Seánce
Lily Dale Symposium, 2025

CSWR Events
May 1, 6-8pm EDT: Peripheries Launch Event, Volume 7
May 15-17: Thinking with Plants and Fungi Conference

]]> Photographing the Invisible: A Talk with Shannon Taggart Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School 01:08:41 For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting contemporary Spiritualism across the U.S. and Britain. We discuss what sparked Shannon’s interests in Spiritualism, the intersecting histories of photography and Spiritualism, ectoplasm, what inspires people to become mediums, and the techniques she developed for photographing the invisible. For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting contemporary Spiritualism across the U.S. and Britain. We discuss what sparked Shannon’s interests in Spiritualism, the intersecting histories of photography and Spiritualism, ectoplasm, what inspires people to become mediums, and the techniques she developed for photographing the invisible. false full 13 02ad746f-7123-4493-8caf-f90495ae316d Black Metal and Orthodox Christianity - A Talk with Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy For our 12th episode, we welcome the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer behind the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released 1 EP and 6 full-length albums. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and metal music, the growth of her philosophical interests, and her recent conversion to Orthodox Christianity. In the second part of our chat (42:33), we explore her philosophical system of Transcendental Qabalah and how it informs records such as H.A.Q.Q., Origin of the Alimonies, and 93696.

LINKS
Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix
Substack
YouTube Channel
"Transcendental Black Metal essay"

Liturgy records
H.A.Q.Q.
Origin of the Alimonies
93696

References
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism
Deleuze and Guattari, Anti-Oedipus
Sergius Bulgakov, The Sophiology of Death

]]> Thu, 27 Feb 2025 17:50:10 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/black-metal-and-orthodox-christianity-a-talk-with-haela-ravenna-hunt-hendrix-of-liturgy-BY0Oo4L5 For our 12th episode, we welcome the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer behind the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released 1 EP and 6 full-length albums. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and metal music, the growth of her philosophical interests, and her recent conversion to Orthodox Christianity. In the second part of our chat (42:33), we explore her philosophical system of Transcendental Qabalah and how it informs records such as H.A.Q.Q., Origin of the Alimonies, and 93696.

LINKS
Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix
Substack
YouTube Channel
"Transcendental Black Metal essay"

Liturgy records
H.A.Q.Q.
Origin of the Alimonies
93696

References
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism
Deleuze and Guattari, Anti-Oedipus
Sergius Bulgakov, The Sophiology of Death

]]> Black Metal and Orthodox Christianity - A Talk with Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:30:44 For our 12th episode, we welcome the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer behind the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released 1 EP and 6 full-length albums. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and metal music, the growth of her philosophical interests, and her recent conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Along the way, we explore her philosophical system of Transcendental Qabalah and how it informs records such as H.A.Q.Q., Origin of the Alimonies, and 93696. For our 12th episode, we welcome the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer behind the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released 1 EP and 6 full-length albums. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and metal music, the growth of her philosophical interests, and her recent conversion to Orthodox Christianity. Along the way, we explore her philosophical system of Transcendental Qabalah and how it informs records such as H.A.Q.Q., Origin of the Alimonies, and 93696. mysticism, tarot, christianity, metal, rock, orthodox christianity false full 12 9a71cf3e-c372-4a78-b71b-eb4384086877 Women, Art, and the Spirit World - A Talk With Jennifer Higgie, Author of The Other Side For Episode 11 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Jennifer Higgie. Jennifer is the author of several books, including Bedlam, a novel about the artist Richard Dadd; The Mirror and the Palette, a history of women’s self-portraits; and The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World, a beautiful and personal study of the relationship between spiritual experience and art in the lives of modern women. In this career-spanning chat, Jennifer and I discuss her early career in painting, what inspired her to write Bedlam, and how the art world changed during her time at Frieze magazine. Then we dive into Jennifer’s latest book, The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World. We discuss the spiritual and artistic lives of women like Georgiana Houghton (20:35), Hilma af Klint (34:06), Ithell Colquhoun (46:09), and Hildegard of Bingen (52:53). Along the way, we touch on topics like fairies, Spiritualism, gardening, Carl Jung, spiritual ecology, Theosophy, ascended masters, angels, and much else.

LINKS
Jennifer Higgie
The Other Side: Women, Art, and the Spirit World
The Mirror and the Palette: Revolution, Rebellion, Resistance: 500 Years of Women's Self-Portraits
Bedlam

Others
Georgiana Houghton's Evenings at Home in Spiritual Seánce
Amy Hale's Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully
Julia Voss's Hilma af Klint: A Biography

]]> Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:43:23 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (jennifer higgie, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/women-art-and-the-spirit-world-a-talk-with-jennifer-higgie-author-of-the-other-side-qjZVWAih For Episode 11 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Jennifer Higgie. Jennifer is the author of several books, including Bedlam, a novel about the artist Richard Dadd; The Mirror and the Palette, a history of women’s self-portraits; and The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World, a beautiful and personal study of the relationship between spiritual experience and art in the lives of modern women. In this career-spanning chat, Jennifer and I discuss her early career in painting, what inspired her to write Bedlam, and how the art world changed during her time at Frieze magazine. Then we dive into Jennifer’s latest book, The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World. We discuss the spiritual and artistic lives of women like Georgiana Houghton (20:35), Hilma af Klint (34:06), Ithell Colquhoun (46:09), and Hildegard of Bingen (52:53). Along the way, we touch on topics like fairies, Spiritualism, gardening, Carl Jung, spiritual ecology, Theosophy, ascended masters, angels, and much else.

LINKS
Jennifer Higgie
The Other Side: Women, Art, and the Spirit World
The Mirror and the Palette: Revolution, Rebellion, Resistance: 500 Years of Women's Self-Portraits
Bedlam

Others
Georgiana Houghton's Evenings at Home in Spiritual Seánce
Amy Hale's Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully
Julia Voss's Hilma af Klint: A Biography

]]> Women, Art, and the Spirit World - A Talk With Jennifer Higgie, Author of The Other Side jennifer higgie, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:15:03 For Episode 11 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Jennifer Higgie. Jennifer is the author of several books, including Bedlam, a novel about the artist Richard Dadd; The Mirror and the Palette, a history of women’s self-portraits; and The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World, a beautiful and personal study of the relationship between spiritual experience and art in the lives of modern women. In this career-spanning chat, Jennifer and I discuss her early career in painting, what inspired her to write Bedlam, and how the art world changed during her time at Frieze magazine. Then we dive into Jennifer’s latest book, The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World. We discuss the spiritual and artistic lives of women like Georgiana Houghton, Hilma af Klint, Ithell Colquhoun, and Hildegard of Bingen. Along the way, we touch on topics like fairies, Spiritualism, gardening, Carl Jung, spiritual ecology, Theosophy, ascended masters, angels, and much else. For Episode 11 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Jennifer Higgie. Jennifer is the author of several books, including Bedlam, a novel about the artist Richard Dadd; The Mirror and the Palette, a history of women’s self-portraits; and The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World, a beautiful and personal study of the relationship between spiritual experience and art in the lives of modern women. In this career-spanning chat, Jennifer and I discuss her early career in painting, what inspired her to write Bedlam, and how the art world changed during her time at Frieze magazine. Then we dive into Jennifer’s latest book, The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World. We discuss the spiritual and artistic lives of women like Georgiana Houghton, Hilma af Klint, Ithell Colquhoun, and Hildegard of Bingen. Along the way, we touch on topics like fairies, Spiritualism, gardening, Carl Jung, spiritual ecology, Theosophy, ascended masters, angels, and much else. fairies, hilma af klint, spiritualism, carl jung, theosophy, gardening, spirituality, art, painting, richard dadd false full 11 3eb8ced9-fedd-4101-8e0d-dacf7734bddf Music and the Esoteric Imagination - A Talk with Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3 For episode 10 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the musician, composer, and producer Trey Spruance. We discuss (3:42)Trey’s early musical and occult explorations and how reading the philosopher Henry Corbin changed the course of his life. Trey then takes us through the esoteric dimensions of Secret Chiefs 3 (22:59) and how albums like Book M and Book of Horizons are filled with correspondences to Kabbalah, astrology, Hermetic magic, and Pythagorean musicology. Along the way, we touch on Trey’s work with John Zorn and Kronos Quartet, his conversion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and the afterlives of Saint Cyprian the Mage.

LINKS
Web of Mimicry website
Book M
Book of Horizons
Book of Souls: Folio A
The Book Beri'ah, Vol. 10: Malkhut
Xaphan: Book of Angels, Vol. 9
Perichoresis
Link to the G.I. Gurdjieff Conference at Harvard Divinity School, Dec 4-5th

]]> Sat, 30 Nov 2024 19:57:03 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/music-and-the-esoteric-imagination-a-talk-with-trey-spruance-of-mr-bungle-and-secret-chiefs-3-Nv8rdK9E For episode 10 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the musician, composer, and producer Trey Spruance. We discuss (3:42)Trey’s early musical and occult explorations and how reading the philosopher Henry Corbin changed the course of his life. Trey then takes us through the esoteric dimensions of Secret Chiefs 3 (22:59) and how albums like Book M and Book of Horizons are filled with correspondences to Kabbalah, astrology, Hermetic magic, and Pythagorean musicology. Along the way, we touch on Trey’s work with John Zorn and Kronos Quartet, his conversion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and the afterlives of Saint Cyprian the Mage.

LINKS
Web of Mimicry website
Book M
Book of Horizons
Book of Souls: Folio A
The Book Beri'ah, Vol. 10: Malkhut
Xaphan: Book of Angels, Vol. 9
Perichoresis
Link to the G.I. Gurdjieff Conference at Harvard Divinity School, Dec 4-5th

]]> Music and the Esoteric Imagination - A Talk with Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3 Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School 01:46:33 For episode 10 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the musician, composer, and producer Trey Spruance. We discuss Trey’s early musical and occult explorations and how reading the philosopher Henry Corbin changed the course of his life. Trey then takes us through the esoteric dimensions of Secret Chiefs 3 and how albums like Book M and Book of Horizons are filled with correspondences to Kabbalah, astrology, Hermetic magic, and Pythagorean musicology. Along the way, we touch on Trey’s work with John Zorn and Kronos Quartet, his conversion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and the afterlives of Saint Cyprian the Mage. For episode 10 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the musician, composer, and producer Trey Spruance. We discuss Trey’s early musical and occult explorations and how reading the philosopher Henry Corbin changed the course of his life. Trey then takes us through the esoteric dimensions of Secret Chiefs 3 and how albums like Book M and Book of Horizons are filled with correspondences to Kabbalah, astrology, Hermetic magic, and Pythagorean musicology. Along the way, we touch on Trey’s work with John Zorn and Kronos Quartet, his conversion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and the afterlives of Saint Cyprian the Mage. true full 10 8bdbd18a-2aa5-4de7-ad10-6d4d8ffd8e9b Religion, Technology, and Extraterrestrial Intelligences – A Talk with Diana Pasulka For episode nine, we welcome to the show Diana Pasulka, Professor of Religious Studies at UNC – Wilmington. Her books American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences are both classics in the field of Religion and Technology studies. We discuss how Pasulka’s early work on Catholic purgatory led her to the study of UFOs, the spiritual practices of experiencers, and the role of government (dis)information and popular culture in the rise of UFO religion. On the way, we touch on A.I., revelations, St. Teresa of Avila, sleep paralysis, and the perils and possibilities of new technologies.

LINKS
Diana Pasulka's Heaven Can Wait: Purgatory in Catholic Devotional and Popular Culture
American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology
Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences
"From Purgatory to the UFO Phenomenon: The Catholic Supernatural Goes Galactic"
Keith Cantu's Om-gnosis video podcast

]]> Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:07:30 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Diana Pasulka, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/religion-technology-and-extraterrestrial-intelligences-a-talk-with-diana-pasulka-ACUI7Yc7 For episode nine, we welcome to the show Diana Pasulka, Professor of Religious Studies at UNC – Wilmington. Her books American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences are both classics in the field of Religion and Technology studies. We discuss how Pasulka’s early work on Catholic purgatory led her to the study of UFOs, the spiritual practices of experiencers, and the role of government (dis)information and popular culture in the rise of UFO religion. On the way, we touch on A.I., revelations, St. Teresa of Avila, sleep paralysis, and the perils and possibilities of new technologies.

LINKS
Diana Pasulka's Heaven Can Wait: Purgatory in Catholic Devotional and Popular Culture
American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology
Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences
"From Purgatory to the UFO Phenomenon: The Catholic Supernatural Goes Galactic"
Keith Cantu's Om-gnosis video podcast

]]> Religion, Technology, and Extraterrestrial Intelligences – A Talk with Diana Pasulka Diana Pasulka, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon 01:10:22 For episode nine, we welcome to the show Diana Pasulka, professor of Religious Studies at UNC – Wilmington. Her books American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences are both classics in the field of Religion and Technology studies. We discuss how Pasulka’s early work on Catholic purgatory led her to the study of UFOs, the spiritual practices of experiencers, and the role of government (dis)information and popular culture in the rise of UFO religion. On the way, we touch on A.I., revelations, St. Teresa of Avila, sleep paralysis, and the perils and possibilities of new technologies. For episode nine, we welcome to the show Diana Pasulka, professor of Religious Studies at UNC – Wilmington. Her books American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences are both classics in the field of Religion and Technology studies. We discuss how Pasulka’s early work on Catholic purgatory led her to the study of UFOs, the spiritual practices of experiencers, and the role of government (dis)information and popular culture in the rise of UFO religion. On the way, we touch on A.I., revelations, St. Teresa of Avila, sleep paralysis, and the perils and possibilities of new technologies. artificial intelligence, diana pasulka, abduction, a.i., uaps, aliens, catholicism, ufos, american cosmic, technology true full 9 6998e817-0d6b-4cdd-b56c-39486fc43397 Dreams, Creativity, and Precognition – a talk with Eric Wargo For our eighth episode, we welcome the author Eric Wargo to the show. Eric is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on precognition. His most recent book, From Nowhere, examines precognition in its relationship to creativity in the lives of major authors and artists. We discuss the nature of time, dreamwork, memories from the future, and the four-dimensional brain. Along the way, we discuss figures like Virginia Woolf, Philip K. Dick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sigmund Freud, and the sculptor, Michael Richards.

NOTES

Eric Wargo's work:

An exhibit of Michael Richards' Sculpture

]]> Mon, 23 Sep 2024 17:23:29 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (eric wargo, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/dreams-creativity-and-precognition-a-talk-with-eric-wargo-z_Kwz7wE For our eighth episode, we welcome the author Eric Wargo to the show. Eric is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on precognition. His most recent book, From Nowhere, examines precognition in its relationship to creativity in the lives of major authors and artists. We discuss the nature of time, dreamwork, memories from the future, and the four-dimensional brain. Along the way, we discuss figures like Virginia Woolf, Philip K. Dick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sigmund Freud, and the sculptor, Michael Richards.

NOTES

Eric Wargo's work:

An exhibit of Michael Richards' Sculpture

]]> Dreams, Creativity, and Precognition – a talk with Eric Wargo eric wargo, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon 01:47:38 For our eighth episode, we welcome the author Eric Wargo to the show. Eric is quite possibly the world’s foremost expert on precognition. His most recent book, From Nowhere, examines precognition in its relationship to creativity in the lives of major authors and artists. We discuss the nature of time, dreamwork, memories from the future, and the four-dimensional brain. Along the way, we discuss figures like Virginia Woolf, Philip K. Dick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sigmund Freud, and the sculptor, Michael Richards. For our eighth episode, we welcome the author Eric Wargo to the show. Eric is quite possibly the world’s foremost expert on precognition. His most recent book, From Nowhere, examines precognition in its relationship to creativity in the lives of major authors and artists. We discuss the nature of time, dreamwork, memories from the future, and the four-dimensional brain. Along the way, we discuss figures like Virginia Woolf, Philip K. Dick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sigmund Freud, and the sculptor, Michael Richards. dreams, precognition, time, creativity, philip k dick, paranorm true full 8 0344b914-98b5-464d-ac5d-c6ee5545d8c6 Psychedelics, California, and the Cultures of Consciousness - A Talk with Erik Davis. For episode 7, we welcome the writer and scholar Erik Davis (4:06) to reflect on the journey that led to his new book, BLOTTER: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium. We discuss Erik’s writing for the Village Voice in the early 90s, his breakthrough monograph Techgnosis, and how his home state of California informs his oeuvre. In the second half of the interview, we discuss the academic study of “the weird,” perils and possibilities for the psychedelic renaissance, and how BLOTTER is a love letter to LSD.

LINKS

 

 

]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2024 13:01:31 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Erik Davis, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/psychedelics-california-and-the-cultures-of-consciousness-a-talk-with-erik-davis-HwP7_Q_l For episode 7, we welcome the writer and scholar Erik Davis (4:06) to reflect on the journey that led to his new book, BLOTTER: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium. We discuss Erik’s writing for the Village Voice in the early 90s, his breakthrough monograph Techgnosis, and how his home state of California informs his oeuvre. In the second half of the interview, we discuss the academic study of “the weird,” perils and possibilities for the psychedelic renaissance, and how BLOTTER is a love letter to LSD.

LINKS

 

 

]]> Psychedelics, California, and the Cultures of Consciousness - A Talk with Erik Davis. Erik Davis, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 02:00:14 For episode 7, we welcome the writer and scholar Erik Davis (4:06) to reflect on the journey that led to his new book, BLOTTER: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium. We discuss Erik’s writing for the Village Voice in the early 90s, his breakthrough monograph Techgnosis, and how his home state of California informs his oeuvre. In the second half of the interview, we discuss the academic study of “the weird,” perils and possibilities for the psychedelic renaissance, and how BLOTTER is a love letter to LSD. For episode 7, we welcome the writer and scholar Erik Davis (4:06) to reflect on the journey that led to his new book, BLOTTER: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium. We discuss Erik’s writing for the Village Voice in the early 90s, his breakthrough monograph Techgnosis, and how his home state of California informs his oeuvre. In the second half of the interview, we discuss the academic study of “the weird,” perils and possibilities for the psychedelic renaissance, and how BLOTTER is a love letter to LSD. psychedelics, weird, meditation, philosophy, philip k dick, gnostic, robert anton wilson, lsd, media studies, blotter, techgnosis true full 7 83f39777-22e6-41a2-a049-4b8aa38fe934 Inside the Mind of a Spirit Channel - A Conversation with Paul Selig For our sixth episode, we welcome the spirit channel, teacher, and playwright Paul Selig. In this conversation 8:14, we explore Selig’s early career as a playwright and professor, his spiritual awakening during the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, how he cultivated his mediumship abilities, and the twelve books Selig has channeled from “the Guides.” On the way, we explore what happens to Selig in the channeling state and the metaphysics of mind that make these states possible.

LINKS
Paul Selig's Website
Selig, I Am the Word
A Course in Miracles
Ann Braude, Radical Spirits
Ed. Cathy Gutierrez, Handbook of Spiritualism and Channeling
Taves, Revelatory Events
Jane Roberts, Seth Speaks

]]> Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:09:56 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (paul selig, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/inside-the-mind-of-a-spirit-channel-a-conversation-with-paul-selig-uV5y4wu9 For our sixth episode, we welcome the spirit channel, teacher, and playwright Paul Selig. In this conversation 8:14, we explore Selig’s early career as a playwright and professor, his spiritual awakening during the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, how he cultivated his mediumship abilities, and the twelve books Selig has channeled from “the Guides.” On the way, we explore what happens to Selig in the channeling state and the metaphysics of mind that make these states possible.

LINKS
Paul Selig's Website
Selig, I Am the Word
A Course in Miracles
Ann Braude, Radical Spirits
Ed. Cathy Gutierrez, Handbook of Spiritualism and Channeling
Taves, Revelatory Events
Jane Roberts, Seth Speaks

]]> Inside the Mind of a Spirit Channel - A Conversation with Paul Selig paul selig, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:15:03 For our sixth episode, we welcome the spirit channel, teacher, and playwright Paul Selig. In this conversation [8:14], we explore Selig’s early career as a playwright and professor, his spiritual awakening during the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, how he cultivated his mediumship abilities, and the twelve books Selig has channeled from “the Guides.” On the way, we explore what happens to Selig in the channeling state and the metaphysics of mind that make these states possible. For our sixth episode, we welcome the spirit channel, teacher, and playwright Paul Selig. In this conversation [8:14], we explore Selig’s early career as a playwright and professor, his spiritual awakening during the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, how he cultivated his mediumship abilities, and the twelve books Selig has channeled from “the Guides.” On the way, we explore what happens to Selig in the channeling state and the metaphysics of mind that make these states possible. christ, trance, energy, spiritualism, reiki, consciousness, medium, channeling, psychic, healing false full 6 75b2a113-f160-48c8-b726-be72b7010004 Ecstatic Knowledge and the Study of Religion - featuring Jeffrey Kripal For episode five of the pod, we are honored to welcome Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair of Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. In this career-spanning chat 10:36 we discuss Kripal’s Catholic upbringing, psychoanalysis, and the ecstatic experience in Calcutta that changed the direction of his career. From there, we touch on Jeff’s role at Esalen, historical mystics and paranormal powers, telepathic insects, and how the study of religion and popular culture come together in film, comedy, and music.

NOTES

Peripheries No. 6 launch event
Jeffrey J. Kripal's personal website
Jeffrey Kripal, Mutants and Mystics
Kripal, The Superhumanities
Kripal, Authors of the Impossible
Kripal, Kali's Child
Kripal, How to Think Impossibly
The Archives of the Impossible
Hellier, season 1
Hellier, season 2
Esalen's Center for Theory and Research

]]> Thu, 7 Dec 2023 19:04:35 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Jeffrey Kripal, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/ecstatic-knowledge-and-the-study-of-religion-featuring-jeffrey-kripal-CQaUb_ph For episode five of the pod, we are honored to welcome Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair of Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. In this career-spanning chat 10:36 we discuss Kripal’s Catholic upbringing, psychoanalysis, and the ecstatic experience in Calcutta that changed the direction of his career. From there, we touch on Jeff’s role at Esalen, historical mystics and paranormal powers, telepathic insects, and how the study of religion and popular culture come together in film, comedy, and music.

NOTES

Peripheries No. 6 launch event
Jeffrey J. Kripal's personal website
Jeffrey Kripal, Mutants and Mystics
Kripal, The Superhumanities
Kripal, Authors of the Impossible
Kripal, Kali's Child
Kripal, How to Think Impossibly
The Archives of the Impossible
Hellier, season 1
Hellier, season 2
Esalen's Center for Theory and Research

]]> Ecstatic Knowledge and the Study of Religion - featuring Jeffrey Kripal Jeffrey Kripal, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon 01:25:13 For episode five of the pod, we are honored to welcome Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair of Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. In this career-spanning chat [10:36], we discuss Kripal’s Catholic upbringing, psychoanalysis, and the ecstatic experience in Calcutta that changed the direction of his career. From there, we touch on Jeff’s role at Esalen, historical mystics and paranormal powers, telepathic insects, and how the study of religion and popular culture come together in film, comedy, and comics. For episode five of the pod, we are honored to welcome Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair of Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. In this career-spanning chat [10:36], we discuss Kripal’s Catholic upbringing, psychoanalysis, and the ecstatic experience in Calcutta that changed the direction of his career. From there, we touch on Jeff’s role at Esalen, historical mystics and paranormal powers, telepathic insects, and how the study of religion and popular culture come together in film, comedy, and comics. imagination, eros, paranormal, aliens, archive, comic books, ramakrishna false full 5 0ac281b7-9733-49b9-8b85-d9be1e24461f Monsters, Fictional Worlds, and the Repressed Supernatural - a talk with Victoria Nelson For episode four, we welcome the acclaimed novelist and scholar Victoria Nelson. Nelson is the academic doyen of what is today labeled Occulture Studies. Her first monograph on the supernatural in popular culture, The Secret Life of Puppets (2001), practically willed the field into existence. The follow-up book, Gothicka (2012), theorized shifts in popular culture that we are living through today. In this interview we discuss Victoria’s early life, her first forays into fiction, and explore expressions of what Nelson terms the “repressed supernatural” in androids, vampires, and hyperreal religions.

Victoria Nelson is a writer of fiction, criticism, and memoir. Her books include The Secret Life of Puppets, a study of the supernatural grotesque in Western culture that won the Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies in 2002, and Gothicka, which won the Association of American Publishers PROSE (Professional and Scholarly Excellence)Award in Literature in 2012. A novel, Neighbor George, came out in 2021. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and teaches in Goddard College’s MFA creative writing program.

####Show Notes
Victoria Nelson, The Secret Life of Puppets
V. Nelson, Gothicka
V. Nelson, Neighbor George
Bruno Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories
Victoria Nelson on the Weird Studies Podcast
Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga
Harold Bloom, The American Religion
The website of Paul Selig

]]> Mon, 30 Oct 2023 18:21:42 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Victoria Nelson, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/monsters-fictional-worlds-and-the-repressed-supernatural-a-talk-with-victoria-nelson-7HrIK0Av For episode four, we welcome the acclaimed novelist and scholar Victoria Nelson. Nelson is the academic doyen of what is today labeled Occulture Studies. Her first monograph on the supernatural in popular culture, The Secret Life of Puppets (2001), practically willed the field into existence. The follow-up book, Gothicka (2012), theorized shifts in popular culture that we are living through today. In this interview we discuss Victoria’s early life, her first forays into fiction, and explore expressions of what Nelson terms the “repressed supernatural” in androids, vampires, and hyperreal religions.

Victoria Nelson is a writer of fiction, criticism, and memoir. Her books include The Secret Life of Puppets, a study of the supernatural grotesque in Western culture that won the Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies in 2002, and Gothicka, which won the Association of American Publishers PROSE (Professional and Scholarly Excellence)Award in Literature in 2012. A novel, Neighbor George, came out in 2021. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and teaches in Goddard College’s MFA creative writing program.

####Show Notes
Victoria Nelson, The Secret Life of Puppets
V. Nelson, Gothicka
V. Nelson, Neighbor George
Bruno Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories
Victoria Nelson on the Weird Studies Podcast
Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga
Harold Bloom, The American Religion
The website of Paul Selig

]]> Monsters, Fictional Worlds, and the Repressed Supernatural - a talk with Victoria Nelson Victoria Nelson, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon 01:28:39 For episode four, we welcome the acclaimed novelist and scholar Victoria Nelson. Nelson is the academic doyen of what is today labeled Occulture Studies. Her first monograph on the supernatural in popular culture, The Secret Life of Puppets (2001), practically willed the field into existence. The follow-up book, Gothicka (2012), theorized shifts in popular culture that we are living through today. In this interview we discuss Victoria’s early life, her first forays into fiction, and explore expressions of what Nelson terms the “repressed supernatural” in androids, vampires, and hyperreal religions. Victoria Nelson is a writer of fiction, criticism, and memoir. Her books include The Secret Life of Puppets, a study of the supernatural grotesque in Western culture that won the Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies in 2002, and Gothicka, which won the Association of American Publishers PROSE (Professional and Scholarly Excellence)Award in Literature in 2012. A novel, Neighbor George, came out in 2021. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and teaches in Goddard College’s MFA creative writing program. For episode four, we welcome the acclaimed novelist and scholar Victoria Nelson. Nelson is the academic doyen of what is today labeled Occulture Studies. Her first monograph on the supernatural in popular culture, The Secret Life of Puppets (2001), practically willed the field into existence. The follow-up book, Gothicka (2012), theorized shifts in popular culture that we are living through today. In this interview we discuss Victoria’s early life, her first forays into fiction, and explore expressions of what Nelson terms the “repressed supernatural” in androids, vampires, and hyperreal religions. Victoria Nelson is a writer of fiction, criticism, and memoir. Her books include The Secret Life of Puppets, a study of the supernatural grotesque in Western culture that won the Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies in 2002, and Gothicka, which won the Association of American Publishers PROSE (Professional and Scholarly Excellence)Award in Literature in 2012. A novel, Neighbor George, came out in 2021. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2016 and teaches in Goddard College’s MFA creative writing program. artificial intelligence, repressed, occulture, grotesque, supernatural, horror, vampire, cyborg, psychic, gothic false full 4 4a3e1091-6f5c-4818-9c1e-d4290865f3f2 Aliens, Eros, and Life After Death - An Interview with Whitley Strieber For our third episode, we welcome the #1 New York Times best-selling author Whitley Strieber. Whitley discusses his boyhood as a Roman Catholic, the erotic dimensions of alien contact, his lifelong meditative practice, evolving views of the afterlife, and the recent U.S. Congressional testimony concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs).

Whitley Strieber is the author of Communion, one of the most iconic books in the literature of the unexplained and the bestselling nonfiction book on UFO-related subjects in history. His most recent book about alien contact is Them, published in 2023. In 2021, he published Jesus: A New Vision, and in 2022, A New World. Both Them and A New World are follow-ons to Communion that extend his research beyond personal issues of contact and into broader areas.
He is the author of over 40 other books, including the Wolfen, the Hunger and Superstorm, all, like Communion, made into films.

Pop Apocalypse now has email! Please reach out to us at popapocalypse@hds.harvard.edu with any queries.

References from the episode:
The Afterlife Revolution
The Super Natural, by Jeffrey Kripal and Whitley Strieber.
American Cosmic by D.W. Pasulka
Passport to Magonia by Jacques Vallee
Intimate Alien by David Halperin
The Myth and Mystery of UFOs by Thomas Bullard

]]> Sun, 17 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (whitley strieber, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/aliens-eros-and-life-after-death-an-interview-with-whitley-strieber-sFy2Z1bj For our third episode, we welcome the #1 New York Times best-selling author Whitley Strieber. Whitley discusses his boyhood as a Roman Catholic, the erotic dimensions of alien contact, his lifelong meditative practice, evolving views of the afterlife, and the recent U.S. Congressional testimony concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs).

Whitley Strieber is the author of Communion, one of the most iconic books in the literature of the unexplained and the bestselling nonfiction book on UFO-related subjects in history. His most recent book about alien contact is Them, published in 2023. In 2021, he published Jesus: A New Vision, and in 2022, A New World. Both Them and A New World are follow-ons to Communion that extend his research beyond personal issues of contact and into broader areas.
He is the author of over 40 other books, including the Wolfen, the Hunger and Superstorm, all, like Communion, made into films.

Pop Apocalypse now has email! Please reach out to us at popapocalypse@hds.harvard.edu with any queries.

References from the episode:
The Afterlife Revolution
The Super Natural, by Jeffrey Kripal and Whitley Strieber.
American Cosmic by D.W. Pasulka
Passport to Magonia by Jacques Vallee
Intimate Alien by David Halperin
The Myth and Mystery of UFOs by Thomas Bullard

]]> Aliens, Eros, and Life After Death - An Interview with Whitley Strieber whitley strieber, Matthew J. Dillon, Secret Chiefs 3 01:32:06 For our third episode, we welcome the #1 New York Times best-selling author Whitley Strieber. Whitley discusses his boyhood as a Roman Catholic, the erotic dimensions of alien contact, his lifelong meditative practice, evolving views of the afterlife, and the recent U.S. Congressional testimony concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). For our third episode, we welcome the #1 New York Times best-selling author Whitley Strieber. Whitley discusses his boyhood as a Roman Catholic, the erotic dimensions of alien contact, his lifelong meditative practice, evolving views of the afterlife, and the recent U.S. Congressional testimony concerning Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). meditation, abduction, paranormal, folklore, uaps, aliens, ufos, gurdjieff, death, afterlife true full 3 a6e9f798-693f-4e46-8644-1f7c2e72dd65 Psychedelic Gnosis and the Imaginal Double with Laurence Caruana For episode two, we welcome Laurence Caruana, one of the leading figures in the European visionary art world. We discuss the ontology of dreams, Henry Corbin, ayahuasca visions, the language of images, Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Library, the ascent of the soul at death, and Laurence’s plan for an Apocryphon Chapel based on the ancient gnostic scriptures. 

Laurence Caruana is a visionary artist, novelist, historian, and teacher. His paintings have been exhibited from Seattle to Hungary. Laurence has written several books, including Enter through the Image: The Ancient Image Language of Myth, Art, and Dreams, the novel The Hidden Passion, and most recently Sacred Codes, an exploration of sacred geometry and imagination in the history of art. He founded and directed the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art from 2013-2020, and is now working on the Apocryphon Chapel, the first such chapel to be modeled on the ancient Gnostic scriptures. 

Pop Apocalypse CSWR homepage

Laurence Carauna's webpage

The Apocryphon Chapel

April DeConick webpage

Gnosis in Song and Rhythm

Secret Chiefs 3 homepage

Henry Corbin, The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism, Alone with the Alone 

Elliott Wolfson, Through a Speculum that Shines, A Dream Interpreted Within a Dream

Charles Stang, Our Divine Double. 

]]> Sun, 23 Apr 2023 12:39:17 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Laurence Caruana, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/psychedelic-transfigurations-and-the-imaginal-double-with-laurence-caruana-tl9LC1MQ For episode two, we welcome Laurence Caruana, one of the leading figures in the European visionary art world. We discuss the ontology of dreams, Henry Corbin, ayahuasca visions, the language of images, Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Library, the ascent of the soul at death, and Laurence’s plan for an Apocryphon Chapel based on the ancient gnostic scriptures. 

Laurence Caruana is a visionary artist, novelist, historian, and teacher. His paintings have been exhibited from Seattle to Hungary. Laurence has written several books, including Enter through the Image: The Ancient Image Language of Myth, Art, and Dreams, the novel The Hidden Passion, and most recently Sacred Codes, an exploration of sacred geometry and imagination in the history of art. He founded and directed the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art from 2013-2020, and is now working on the Apocryphon Chapel, the first such chapel to be modeled on the ancient Gnostic scriptures. 

Pop Apocalypse CSWR homepage

Laurence Carauna's webpage

The Apocryphon Chapel

April DeConick webpage

Gnosis in Song and Rhythm

Secret Chiefs 3 homepage

Henry Corbin, The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism, Alone with the Alone 

Elliott Wolfson, Through a Speculum that Shines, A Dream Interpreted Within a Dream

Charles Stang, Our Divine Double. 

]]> Psychedelic Gnosis and the Imaginal Double with Laurence Caruana Laurence Caruana, Secret Chiefs 3, Matthew J. Dillon 01:22:46 For episode two, we welcome Laurence Caruana, one of the leading figures in the European visionary art world. We discuss the ontology of dreams, Henry Corbin, ayahuasca visions, the language of images, Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Library, the ascent of the soul at death, and Laurence’s plan for an Apocryphon Chapel based on the ancient gnostic scriptures. For episode two, we welcome Laurence Caruana, one of the leading figures in the European visionary art world. We discuss the ontology of dreams, Henry Corbin, ayahuasca visions, the language of images, Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Library, the ascent of the soul at death, and Laurence’s plan for an Apocryphon Chapel based on the ancient gnostic scriptures. psychedelic, dreams, nag hammadi, gnostic, entheogen, myth, visionary art, ayahuasca, hermeneutics, painting, henry corbin true full 2 c822ac4e-fe14-4d87-b819-9667e9fc3ab5 Waking from the Flesh Dream with Allyson and Alex Grey For our premier episode, we welcome the visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey. We discuss Alex and Allyson’s early performance art, the ecstatic experiences behind their paintings, the history of their Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and the culture-shift around psychedelics in the last twenty years.

* Alex Grey's personal website

* Alex Grey's Instagram page

* Allyson Grey's personal website

* Allyson Grey's Instagram

* The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors website

* Music by Secret Chiefs 3

* Artwork by Kristie Welsh

]]> Sun, 9 Apr 2023 11:00:00 +0000 mdillon@hds.harvard.edu (Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Matthew J. Dillon) https://pop-apocalypse.simplecast.com/episodes/waking-from-the-flesh-dream-with-alex-and-allyson-grey-sWgJIfpg For our premier episode, we welcome the visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey. We discuss Alex and Allyson’s early performance art, the ecstatic experiences behind their paintings, the history of their Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and the culture-shift around psychedelics in the last twenty years.

* Alex Grey's personal website

* Alex Grey's Instagram page

* Allyson Grey's personal website

* Allyson Grey's Instagram

* The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors website

* Music by Secret Chiefs 3

* Artwork by Kristie Welsh

]]> Waking from the Flesh Dream with Allyson and Alex Grey Alex Grey, Allyson Grey, Matthew J. Dillon 01:14:21 For our premier episode, we welcome the visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey [7:29]. We discuss Alex and Allyson’s early performance art, the ecstatic experiences behind their paintings, the history of their Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and the culture-shift around psychedelics in the last twenty years. For our premier episode, we welcome the visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey [7:29]. We discuss Alex and Allyson’s early performance art, the ecstatic experiences behind their paintings, the history of their Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and the culture-shift around psychedelics in the last twenty years. psychedelics, alex grey, allyson grey, cosm, entheogen, lsd, visionary art, chapel of sacred mirrors, tool, harvard divinity school, sacred mirrors, harvard, reincarnation false full 1