Soulcruzer

This one started with me sitting down in the studio and noticing a pattern that’s been floating around the last couple of days. Everywhere I turn, people are talking about where we’re going as human beings, what we’re becoming, and how all this change is messing with our sense of place. AI is in the background of that conversation, obviously, but this episode isn’t me doing an “AI episode” as such. It’s more me circling the deeper question behind the noise.Over the past 48 hours I’ve been listening to and watching a bunch of stuff, and it’s all orbiting the same gravitational pull. Humans feel displaced. Not just “the job market is weird” displaced, but identity displaced. Like: if the world changes this fast, what happens to the version of me that was built for the old world?This all hit extra hard because I’ve been recovering from a tooth that’s been giving me grief for a year. It got infected again, they finally pulled it, and last night I was in that familiar post-dentist zone where the numbness wears off

Today’s episode was one of those “running to catch up with myself” kind of days. Busy. On the move. Meaning to sit down and record… and then something else pops up. But I don’t mind that rhythm. There’s something alive about feeling like you don’t quite know whether you’re coming or going. So this one turned into a proper ramble. A stream-of-consciousness audio blog. No tight structure. Just what was on my mind.And what was on my mind? Social audio.Whatever Happened to Short-Form Social Audio?

Show Notes: Self-Observation Without JudgmentSo I'm talking about the practice nobody wants to do but everyone needs: watching yourself without judgement. Not manifestation tricks, not affirmations. Just brutal honesty about where you actually are.I break down three levels of observation: data logging (just notice your reactions), state recognition (identify what state those reactions reveal), and non-identification (realize you're not the state, you're just occupying it).The "uncritical" part is huge. The moment you criticize or justify a reaction, you bind yourself to it. You make it yours and get stuck there.I give you a simple daily practice: morning intention, catch 3-5 reactions during the day, 15-minute evening review. Use the formula "When X happened, I reacted with Y." Look for patterns. Don't try to fix anything yet.Here's what's wild: you can't change what you don't observe, but observation itself begins the change. That pause between stimulus and response is where choice becomes possible.Start ton

The printing press gave us access to knowledge. AI gives us access to alien intelligence.

I dive into Hans Vaihinger's Philosophy of As If and explore how our minds create "useful fictions" to help us navigate life. The big insight: we don't think to know the world perfectly, we think to act effectively within it. I connect this to my narrative alchemy work, examining how the scripts running in our unconscious minds either serve us or hold us back. I also share my morning pages practice, unpacking the metaphors that emerged (the worm turning, the wolf at the door, the drain, the landing, and the flow) and explain Hillman's approach to seeing through images rather than just interpreting them. If you're interested in how the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality and how we might rewrite them, this one's for you.

In this episode, I explore why we feel restless and incomplete even after achieving our goals or finding spiritual practices that seem to work. I argue that our perpetual longing isn't a sign of failure or proof we're on the wrong path but rather the fundamental nature of consciousness itself, constantly reaching and questioning. The real insight is recognising that seeking is the finding, that the journey itself is home, and learning to treat our restlessness as fuel rather than a problem to solve.

What Do You Do When You've Done Everything?On a Saturday wisdom walk past the polo grounds, I reflect on the evolution of my weekends across different life phases: from spontaneous single days to cultural exploration as a married couple, through child-rearing years, my sports hippie adventure phase, and the indie music scene period. But then came the slump: when I've climbed mountains before, visited museums, experienced the activities that once excited me, what happens when the novelty fades? Now at 57, approaching Act Three of life, I explore what it means to revisit old passions with new eyes and what to focus on as the final act unfolds. Plus: an impromptu creek crossing and a field full of ravens.A raw, unfiltered audio reflection on aging, experience, and finding meaning in familiar territory.

This was one of those weeks where infrastructure building and conceptual exploration happened in parallel. The kind of week where you're simultaneously laying cable and exploring new intellectual territory, each feeding the other.

SHOW NOTES (Episode 412)In this episode I take a breath, lift my head from the workbench, and catch you up on everything happening inside the Soulcruzer universe. It has been a season of creating, refining, and laying foundations for the narrative alchemy community as we move through Advent and toward the turning of the year.I open with the Gnostic Caravan, my Advent series of Instagram reels and daily contemplations inspired by the Gnostic Tarot. Each day introduces a figure from the Gnostic mythology alongside a journaling question designed to help you navigate your own inner terrain. You don’t need to be Gnostic to join in. You only need curiosity, a journal, and the desire to understand yourself a little more deeply.I invite listeners to share their reflections either privately by email, or inside the Narrative Alchemy Forums, which now include an Open Forum and soon a dedicated Podcast Forum where you can discuss episodes in a quieter, members-only space away from the noise of the public web.From there I

Show NotesIn this episode, I explore the tension between authenticity and effectiveness in reaching people with transformative work. Recorded on a rainy Friday evening in the UK, this long-form conversation unpacks how we can work within systems we aim to subvert without losing our mission.Key Topics:The Gnostic Caravan ProjectWorking through the Gnostic Tarot deck during AdventExploring characters like Sabaoth, Simon Magus, Mary Magdalene, and SophiaUsing the deck as a tool for spiritual development and self-knowledgeOne Brain, Many PathsHow different traditions (chaos magic, Christianity, Taoism, NLP, coaching) all use the same mental toolsThe Human Potential Movement and New Thought Movement as predecessors to today's self-help culturePattern interrupts, anchors, meditation, and mindfulness across all systemsThe Authenticity ParadoxThe Purity Trap: staying so authentic you reach only seven people who already agree with youThe Efficacy Trap: smoothing out all edges until you become indistinguishable from th

In this episode, I explore journaling as narrative alchemy, revealing how ancient alchemical stages map onto a powerful writing practice.Here's the original article: Journaling as Narrative Alchemy: Writing Your Way Into a New Self

A Sneak Preview: Chapter 1 of the Narrative Alchemy CodexThe Codex is almost here. After weeks of weaving together the framework and laying the foundations, I’m only a few days away from the official launch of the Narrative Alchemy Codex.To celebrate, I want to share a glimpse of Chapter 1. This is the opening movement in what will eventually become 15 chapters, plus a bonus for those who want to go deeper. I ran this first draft through NotebookLM to see what kind of deep-dive it could generate, and the result was a fascinating companion piece.In just 17 minutes, it explores the heart of narrative alchemy:Why narrative sovereignty matters.How story functions as actual transformation technology, not just metaphor.The imaginal realm where change truly begins.There’s even a practical exercise waiting for you at the very end.Enjoy this preview. The full Codex is coming soon—keep an eye out for the official release. If you’d like to be notified the moment it launches, you can sign up for the newsletter.

Introducing narrative alchemy.

Epicurus is often misunderstood. This episode invites you into his garden of calm, where philosophy is not about indulgence but about finding deep inner peace. We explore the true heart of Epicurean thought: the difference between momentary pleasures and lasting contentment. At the centre is ataraxia, a kind of serenity that comes when fear fades and desire quiets. You’ll hear about his Four-Part Cure for the soul, why he valued friendship above wealth, and how simplicity can free us rather than deprive us. This is not a path of renunciation. It is a way of living with less fear, more clarity, and a quiet sense of joy in being alive.

This morning, with mist on the path and a newborn soul in the family, I found myself standing in the middle of time. In this episode, I reflect on becoming a grandfather—not just as a title but as a threshold. What does it mean to witness both ends of the arc at once? To hold memory in one hand and possibility in the other?  This is a story about legacy, presence, and the quiet craft of love. About wisdom walks, lineage, and the sacred responsibility of walking ahead while leaving footprints behind.If you're navigating Act III of your own life—or simply wondering what kind of ancestor you're becoming—this one's for you. Come walk with me. Let’s find the sacred in the ordinary, the wisdom in wondering, and the story that wants to be remembered.

In this contemplative riff inspired by Michael Neill’s teaching, I explore what it means to return to the space before thought, that fertile void the Taoists speak of, where anything can grow. This piece is a reflection on presence, memory, and the quiet revolution of living from the realm of possibility. A gentle invitation to slow down, tune in, and remember the gate has always been within you.

In this contemplative morning episode, I take you along on a wisdom walk through the Southam Woods—my own modern-day Walden. After a night spent sleeping under the stars, I revisit the teachings of Henry David Thoreau and reflect on what it means to live simply, wake up to the present, and find the extraordinary in the everyday. 

Feeling like everyone else got the memo about life while you were just trying to keep your head above water? This transmission is for the wanderers, the ones who've stepped off the prescribed path and into the beautiful uncertainty of not knowing where they're going.We explore what it means to trust the journey when there's no map, why getting lost might be the most honest way to live, and how wandering can be its own form of wisdom. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit you don't know what you're doing—and do it anyway.

What happens when you stir together the essence of a poet, a peasant, and a vagabond? In this episode, I explore the alchemy of these three archetypes—and what emerges when we let them shape our lives from the inside out. This is a fireside reflection on mythic identity, soulful living, and the quiet art of becoming.Come wander with me.The Importance of Living, Lin YutangJoin the discussion on

In this intimate soul signal, I share the final reflection from my most recent journal—and the unexpected archetype who showed up to close the book: the Fool, the Jester, the Eternal Trickster. This episode is part personal essay, part mythic meditation, and part invitation to reimagine how we end and begin our inner chapters. You’ll hear how a single tarot card, drawn “by chance,” became a symbolic seal on a season of becoming—and how the Fool reminds us that every ending is a disguised threshold. This isn’t just an audio essay. It’s a ritual of remembrance for storythinkers, soulcrafters, and seekers standing at the edge of their next page.Inside this episode: The mythic power of journaling as a soulcraft practiceWhy the Fool archetype is a guide for both ending and beginningWhat it means to close a journal like you’re sealing a spellA soulful prompt to guide your next threshold crossing“Every journal is a forge. Every page, a spell.” Tune in, breathe deep, and listen for the Fool’s whisper at the edge of y