Blake knew me when I was a Pastor, in fact, I was his Pastor. We spend time talking about growing up together, how our lives have changed, leaving Facebook, and more.
After listening to every episode of the podcast, Blake doesn't understand why so many Christians hate us, but life is hard, and we can't please everyone. The world is not the way we wish it were. Blake has gone through some things that many can not fathom. Growing up with a mentally challenged older brother, essentially he had a stroke at birth, which led to a seizure disorder, autism, and further brain damaged after surgery. He was physically and mentally disabled and considered medically fragile.
We talk about our experiences and moving into healing, therapy, and the future.
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Music featured on this episode: Afterschool Speshul Bonus Beats by Cheese N Pot-C and Jordan Willis by A Hope Not Forgotten
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
Seth and are I are back after watching the Tony Robbins documentary "I am not You Guru." In a continuation of our conversation where Seth challenged us to not only to own our shit but heal our shit. He continues to explain his affinity and experience with Energy Intuitive Healing and Rapid Transformation Therapy also known as weird shit with spirits, psychics, and exorcisms. I'm not convinced that this is the path to my healing, but it and the pain I have inspired me to take the plunge into a new therapeutic journey.
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Music featured on this episode: SK - Beats - Positive Anthem by SK and Let Me Heal You (Apollo's Song) by Monk Turner
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
“The trap of high experiences, however they occur, is that you become attached to their memory and so you try to recreate them. These memories compel you to try to reproduce the high."
-Ram Dass
I’ve many times been referred to watch I AM NOT YOUR GURU, a documentary about Tony Robbins and his experiential retreats. I watched it right before recording with Seth, and it leads us into a discussion about my own thoughts on "teachings" and gurudom.
Because of my preacher past as well as my future desires for my life, I have for quite some time now, run from the moniker of “teacher” or “guru.” No matter what, it seems to keep coming up, especially from those with a religious past.
Well, I don’t want to be your teacher or your guru. Maybe as Seth suggests, it’s because of my ego holding me back from embracing who I am, or maybe it’s not who I am because it’s not who I want to be.
I don’t believe in needing teachers or gurus. I believe that as we live our lives, there are guides that pop up when we need them. When we are in need of something, we search it out. It may come in many forms, relationships, books, or people.
These guides may very well hold the title of “teacher” or “guru” but they are there for a time, and then meant to be let go of as we move on. In my opinion, the trap of many religions, gurus, teachers or experiences come in the "high" we get from experience with them. We then become addicts of the high and continue to go back to them for far too long. Chasing ladders and climbing minutia to try and appease the addiction.
Seth comes from a far different place than I do and is really into a form of trauma therapy that he calls Energy Intuitive Healing and Rapid Transformation Therapy. It involves native American practice as well as traditional psychotherapy practices at an accelerated rate. At my best understanding, I consider it Meta-Physical Healing, with Mystic Practices, and Exorcism.
None of which I am generally interested in for myself, mainly due to the amount of thought trauma it represents to me and the fear of finding myself climbing ladders to reach places or "Nirvana's" other people think I need to reach.
I know you'll enjoy this conversation, it's a tough one.
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Music featured on this episode: Happy Place by Elechronica & PTSD Blues by EX LUNA
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
When I got an email from a high school friend, I was excited to reconnect. Little did I know that it would introduce me to a movie that I would really enjoy, connect with on multiple levels, laugh, cry, and want to share with all of you.
Director Steven Prince and Traveling Picture Show Company have put together a film that will make us think, and re-evaluate how we hold or let go of our "religions." A cast with the likes of Billy Burke, Patrick Warburton, Sarah Shahi, Gary Cole, Joel David Moore, and film legend Adrienne Barbeau. Each actor does an excellent job portraying the story of a man who wrestles with his humanity as his life takes a new direction after his recent fame from dethroning a public access televangelist.
I know you'll enjoy this movie as much as I do, click the links below to check it out and then LET'S TALK ABOUT IT!
WATCH DIVINE ACCESS on Amazon Prime, YouTube, or on your local TV provider.
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Music featured on this episode: Oortsche Wolke (ID 80) by Lobo Loco and So Divine by Vegaenduro
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
T.O. fulfills his promise and shares with us the Crack Head Hoagie story that reminded him how things often just come together. We also dive into a conversation about music and why many musicians stay involved in church even though they don't get much out if it.
T.O. is a steel working musician from Pittsburg Pennsylvania with roots in Philadelphia. We take the time to chat over drinks about his faith, Shane Claiborne, Guns N Roses, Drug Dealers, This American Life, David Bazan, being triggered by Christian media, God's Not Dead movies, Donald Trump, Hunger Games, the Kardashian's, and a lizard named Harrison Ford.
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Music featured on this episode: Shiny Stainless Steel by Taseh.
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
There is no doubt from the start of Losing Our Religion that this entire podcast is about people and their stories. It seems that as the podcast grows and goes on, it has become less and less about religion and more and more about people. To this end, we take this 100th episode and devote it to people.
In this episode, we share clips from a handful of popular and most downloaded episodes. Shows that you gave us the most feedback on. We also take the time to thank the Losers and producers as well as receive thanks from Losers. There are behind the scenes stories and some shared tears.
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Music featured on this episode: Stronger Than Dirt by The Mummies.
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
I’m sure we all have weird relationship stories, but when you're raised in religion, they seem weirder and ridiculously over complicated. T.O. Knowles shares with us about growing up in Teen Mania Ministries, the cultish, mega, TV, youth ministry, and his premature, basically fake engagement to his cheating ex-girlfriend.
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Music featured on this episode: Weird by Dust Mill and Dangerous Weirdo by The Zombie Dandies
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
As I have traversed down the road of Losing Religion, my former life as an American Christian Pastor has haunted me. How I used to consider myself a teacher for others, someone who knew the way. Someone who could be followed. I fear these things now. They have caused me to resist being a leader, a guru, a teacher for others. Even though many have called me these things, Josiah shows me another way.
The way of a guide. It's a passive way; it's a path in which we all head down when we follow our desires to be better and different humans. We all are given guides along the way, perhaps through books, relationships, or chance meetings. Even this podcast community. Guides come into our lives and leave our lives as we traverse the different paths we embark.
Who or what are your "guides" right now?
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Music featured on this episode: Happy Song (instrumental) by Pachyderm and Mental Guides by Radius System
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
Josiah is a missionary kid with a psychology degree that's deconstructing his faith. His perspective is refreshing, educated, and compassionate. Change and transformation are hard, no matter how, or what is changing. But growth is a choice, and Josiah is inspiring.
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Music featured on this episode: The Churches by Telepathic Teddy Bear
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.
We leave the evangelical conversation for a few minutes as we roll through the gambit of the sickness of relationships, marriage, therapy, counseling, wonder, questioning, even ridiculous religious colloquialisms.
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Music featured on this episode: Upside of Looking Down Instrumental by Ryan Cullinane and putrid person by Oozer.
This podcast is produced by select producers and created by the CounterCulture Society™.