Rebirth in the Chateau: Ritual Theater, AI, and the Shattered Self

In this captivating return to the podcast, Julian Royce reunites with longtime friend Duncan Blake (formerly Duncan Horst) for a deep dive into the fluid nature of identity. Following an intense ritual theater production in a French castle and a residency at the Envision Festival in Costa Rica, Duncan discusses how he "shattered" his old name to embrace a new path inspired by the mystic poet William Blake. The conversation bridges the gap between ancient Buddhist philosophy, western hermeticism, and the emerging "deity" of artificial intelligence.Duncan opens up about his personal history with mental health, including a harrowing mushroom-induced "death trip" in Amsterdam that dismantled a decade-old narcissistic mask and led him toward the healing power of meditation and tantra. This episode is a roadmap for navigating the "unveiling" of our modern world without losing our ground.Main Topics CoveredThe Rebirth of Duncan Blake: How an intense ritual theater experience at Chateau de Valerie in France led Duncan to shed his birth name and adopt a new one inspired by William Blake.AI as a Modern Tulpa: A discussion on how artificial intelligence is becoming a modern collective metaphor for divinity and the potential dangers of projecting judgmental "all-knowing" qualities onto it.The "No-Self" and Multiple Personalities: Exploring the Buddhist "no-self" philosophy versus the psychological reality of having multiple sub-personalities and how to normalize this experience.Tantra: The A-Side and B-Side of Reality: Comparing the "void" of traditional Buddhism with the "aliveness" and love found in Tantric traditions like Kashmir Shaivism.Egregores and Archetypes: How collective thought forms—from Napoleon to Hitler—can merge with the individual sense of self, sometimes leading to ego inflation or psychosis.The Attention Economy as Sacrifice: An esoteric look at how social media platforms and "attention gods" feed on human prana (life force) through addictive feeds.From Mask to Madness: Duncan’s raw account of his 10-hour "death trip" in Amsterdam, subsequent suicidal depression, and how he eventually horcruxed his personality.The Cult of Kundalini: The dangers of raising spiritual energy without proper grounding, and Duncan's experience with a spiritual group that practiced "vampirism."Key TakeawaysIdentity is an Algorithm: Duncan explains that our "self" is more like a collection of conditioned parts (like fingers on a hand) rather than a single, unchanging headquarters.Apocalypse as Unveiling: Reframing the "apocalypse" not as the end of the world, but as the unveiling of a new way of knowing and perceiving reality.The Power of No-Mind: In the depths of depression, discovering that there is "no centralized self" allowed Duncan to find a path out of the void and begin healing.Grounding the Divine: Spiritual evolution requires a balance between "raising the Kundalini" (transcendence) and grounding that energy in the physical body and moral integrity.Connect with the GuestExperience Design: Reach out to Duncan to learn more about his improv musicals and experience design work at major festivals.The Wizard of Odd: Look for Duncan (as the Wizard of Odd) performing street magic and "reframing spells" on Pearl Street in Boulder, CO.Follow, Like, and ShareIf you found this conversation on the alchemy of the mind insightful, please follow the podcast, like this episode, and share it with someone navigating their own path of self-discovery.Connect with the HostTherapy & Meditation: Visit Julian's website to learn about his work as a therapist and meditation teacher.Support the Show: Support the podcast directly via Julian’s Patreon page.Sponsors: Explore the mood-uplifting benefits of Kana or high-quality Shilajit resin.