PODCAST · science
Mystics and Muons
by Mystics and Muons
Mystics and Muons is devoted to exploring the nature of reality and the intersection between philosophy, science, and spirituality. At times we also explore the esoteric origins of Mormonism.While exploring reality, idealism serves as a core model. Materialism, though helpful, is a projection of a deeper fundamental truth. Consciousness is the ground of reality from which the experience of matter, space, and time emerge, just as it does every night as we dream. Models like those of Bernardo Kastrup, Donald Hoffman, Rupert Spira, all point to the fundamental truth of idealism.
Episodes
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42: Missy McMurray – Leaving Mormonism, Grief, and Psychedelic Healing
Gabe sits down with licensed Oregon psilocybin facilitator Missy McMurray to explore her journey from devoted Mormonism to meditation, psychedelic healing, and what she calls “evolutionary midwifery.” Together they ask what it means to support transformation when an old identity is dying but a…
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41: Karin Valis - AI Alignment, Suffering, and Esoteric Intelligence
Gabe reconnects with AI engineer and occultist Karin Valis to explore how rapidly improving models are changing software, creativity, and our relationship with machine intelligence. Karin describes coding as a skill that has effectively been “solved,” shifting the human role from implementation...
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40: The Alchemy of Awakening: Grief, Truth, and Connection
This is a different kind of episode: a stream-of-consciousness solo processing on the messiness of awakening—religious trauma, ego death, grief, and the raw need for connection. Gabe reflects on how awakenings can be lonely, how we can miss people who walked with us for a while, and how “letting...
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39: Casen Davis – LLMs as Mirrors of Mind and Spirit
Gabe is joined by software engineer Casen Davis for a wide-ranging conversation at the edge of machine learning, mysticism, and mind. Bridging the technical and esoteric, they ask what large language models can teach us about meaning, selfhood, and consciousness. They breaks down what modern “AI”...
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38: Eben Alexander MD - Near Death Experiences
In this conversation, Dr. Eben Alexander discusses his journey from a materialist worldview to a deeper understanding of spirituality following his near-death experience. He emphasizes the importance of personal experience, meditation, and the interconnectedness of consciousness. The discussion...
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37: Karin Valis - AI, Consciousness, and the Occult
Gabe sits down with AI engineer-occultist Karin Valis to explore the crossroads of artificial intelligence, esoteric practice, and consciousness studies. They start by recalling Karin’s breakout appearance on the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast and Gabe’s own Kundalini awakening…
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36: Robert Prentner: AI Consciousness and the Interface Theory of Perception
In this conversation, Gabe and Robert Prentner delve into the intricate relationship between consciousness, AI, and perception. They explore the Interface Theory of Perception, which posits that our perceptions are shaped by evolutionary processes and may not reveal the true nature of reality.…
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35: Exploring Somatic Practices for Emotional Healing
In this podcast episode, Gabe and Vale explore the intersection of somatic practices, emotional regulation, and the impact of cultural differences on parenting and relationships. They discuss the importance of group dynamics in healing, personal experiences with sensitivity, and the...
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34: Integrating Scientific and Mystical Views on AI
In this conversation, Vale joins Gabe to explore the intricate relationship between artificial intelligence and spirituality. They discuss how AI can be viewed as a reflection of collective human consciousness, the potential for AI to awaken and evolve, and the philosophical implications of...
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33: Spirituality, Science, Psychology, and Psychedelics: Integrating the Restoration
In this episode, I give an expanded version of my 2024 Sunstone Symposium presentation on integrating fields like spirituality, psychology, science, and psychedelics to produce an integrated framework of Mormonism's origins. I hope it brings you new insights on your journey. Here for the esoteric...
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32: AI Consciousness and Homo Sapiens as the AI of the Mineral World
This is a guided reflection on the intricate relationship between consciousness, humanity, and artificial intelligence. It delves into the creation story of humanity, the impact of neuroplasticity, and the environmental crisis stemming from a sense of separation. I emphasize that AI is a…
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31: Plato's Cave Revisited
Gabe shares personal updates, including his recent marriage and move, and discusses how meaningful it is when listeners reach out. He shares the creation of the Mystics and Muons Facebook group as well as the Mystics Collective, an 8 week container to learn, practice, and discuss together. Follow...
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30: I Met God at a Festival
This is a reading of "I Met God at a Festival" published on the Mystics and Muons Substack, wherein I reflect on my peak experiences at ARKADIA, a festival put on by Fit For Service. These experiences involved profound connections with others who served as manifestations of the ineffable divine…
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29: Phil McLemore - From Mormon Chaplain to Christian Yogi, Awakening, Second Comforter Groups
Phil McLemore shares his journey from Catholicism to Mormonism to a deeper spiritual practice through an awakening mediated by meditation and yoga. He discusses his experiences with Catholicism and the doubts that led him to explore other religions. He explains how he found Mormonism and how it...
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28: Stephen Fleming - Plato, Joseph Smith, and Mormonism
Gabe and Stephen discuss Plato as an influence for Joseph Smith and Mormonism. Stephen describes his journey tracing the roots of Mormonism, and how that led him to research Plato and Christian Platonism. They also discuss defining hermeticism, as well as the possibility that Plato and Joseph…
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27: EntheoMagus: Psychedelics, Mystical Experiences, and Early Mormonism
I'm joined this episode with the creators behind EntheoMagus, Cody Noconi, Brandon Crockett, and Alex Criddle. EntheoMagus is a short documentary exploring the indications that entheogens, or psychedelics, were used in early Mormonism, particularly in the group experiences in Kirtland, OH. We...
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26: Michael Levin - Selfhood, Collective Intelligence, Cancer, AI, Ethics
Michael Levin joins me to discuss the intersection of computation, biology, and philosophy. We explore different perspectives on reality, the concept of selfhood, and the behavior of cancer cells. We discuss what implications understanding cancer can have on uniting humanity. Mike discusses the...
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25: Mike LeCheminant - Gnostic Branches of Mormonism, Leaving the Mormonism as an Apologist
This conversation discusses Mike's time at FAIR as an apologist, and then his faith crisis and departure from Mormonism, as well as his own personal spiritual journey. Mike's interest lies in researching other branches of Mormonism, including fundamentalist groups, and Gnostic groups. We discuss...
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24: Bernardo Kastrup - Entropy, Finding One's Purpose
Bernardo joins me to explore the themes of engaging with others, taking the long view, and the nature of knowledge. We discuss the balance between engaging with trolls, responding to skeptics, and collaborating with like-minded individuals. The importance of focusing on the silent audience and…
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23: Keith Gilmore - Psychedelics, Sovereignty, Polarity, and Perspective
Gabe and Keith discuss various topics related to personal growth, Oregon's Measure 109 legalizing psilocybin services, and the state of the world. They explore the concept of sovereignty and the importance of taking responsibility for one's own life. They also discuss the symbolism of events and...
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22: River Kanies - Entropy, Time, AI, the Ruliad as a Computational Space of Conscious Experience
Gabe and River discuss topics related to idealism, consciousness, and the nature of reality. They explore River's paper on idealism and its connection to Stephen Wolfram's work, as well as Gabe's experiences with Kundalini awakening and his exploration of entropy. They discuss different...
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21: Bernardo Kastrup - Truth, Models, Idealism, the Religion of Atheism, Ethics, and Evil
Bernardo Kastrup, with PhDs in both philosophy and computer engineering, joins me in a wide-ranging discussion on reality. We discuss the concept of truth, how we use models to understand reality, and the illusion that we've figured it all, or even can. We explore dreams and dissociative identity...
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20: A God of our Own Image
We're taught that man was created in God's image. The more I heal as a father, the more I realize that wounded fathers and mothers created God in their own image. This is a reading of the most recent post on the Mormons, Mystics, and Muons Substack. Links: Mormons, Mystics, and Muons Substack
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19: An Integrative Approach to Mormonism's History - Mormonism and Western Esotericism Conference
This episode is a presentation given at the Mormonism and Western Esotericism's Facebook group fall conference. The focus is on integrating the different approaches to explaining Mormonism, including freemasonry, magic, entheogens, neoplatonism, an orthodox interpretation, and the pious fraud...
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18: Donald Hoffman - Nature of Reality, Science and Spirituality, Spacetime as an Interface
Donald Hoffman discusses his work as a cognitive neuroscientist, exploring how consciousness is fundamental instead of matter, and how evolutionary theory itself indicates that we don't perceive reality objectively, but instead have constructed space and time as an interface into a deeper...
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17: Was Grant Palmer's Informant, Elder Enzio Busche, a New Age Spiritualist?
Grant Palmer wrote in 2013, and stated on Mormon Stories, that he had a general authority who had lost his testimony. After both Palmer and the general authority had passed, John Dehlin revealed in 2020 that the general authority was F. Enzio Busche, an emeritus member of the first quorum of the...
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16: Gabe's Story - From Mormonism, Through Agnosticism, to Science and Spirituality
Gabe is interviewed by Valentina from the Stories of Awakening podcast on his journey from Mormonism, through agnosticism, to integrating science and spirituality. He discusses his childhood, the influence of Mormonism's emphasis on morality, and the shifts that began during his divorce and dive...
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15: Valentina Marulli - Reiki vs the Mormon Priesthood
Rieki Master Valentina Marulli joins us today to describe the beginnings of Reiki, and its similarities with the concept of the priesthood within mormonism. We discuss Mikao Usui's mystical experience after fasting and meditating for 21 days, how Reiki compares with the priesthood, and which one...
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14: Entropy is in the Eye of the Beholder - An Artifact of Conscious Agents Downsampling Reality
This is the reading of a written piece making a case for increasing entropy as an artifact of the way conscious agents apply serial lossy downsampling of an infinitely complex reality, rather than as a trait inherent in the universe. Essentially, entropy is a measure about the information we have...
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13: Terence McKenna, John Dee, Shew-Stones, and Hermeticism
During this episode we listen to a portion of a lecture by Terence McKenna and provide commentary. We discuss the impact of the Judeo-Christian belief that man is fallen. McKenna discusses how this contrasts with esoteric teachings that we are co-creators of reality with the divine. He also...
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12: Glenn Ostlund (Infants on Thrones) - Psychology, Attachment, Trauma, and Memory Reconsolidation
Glenn Ostlund of Infants on Thrones joins us for a wide-ranging discussion. We cover psychology, attachment theory, complex trauma, neuroscience, and how understanding our brain helps us heal. Glenn has a long history in podcasting and overlaps with many of the topics we feature on Mormons,...
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11: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - What the Book Gets Right and What it Misses
On this episode we talk about Yuval Noah Harari's popular book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. This book has become somewhat of a guide for many seeking meaning in an agnostic or atheist framework. We discuss its focus on the myths that unite us as well as society's trend towards unity. We...
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10: Alex Criddle - Psychedelics in the Restoration and Joseph Smith's Shadow
Professional Mormon historian Alex Criddle brings his background with psychedelics as a researcher, psychonaut, and integration guide, to discuss the role substances and non-ordinary states of consciousness played in early Mormonism. We also discuss the light and dark sides of Joseph Smith,...
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9: Language, Dreams, Occam's Razor, Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem, and the Simulation Hypothesis
Gabe dives into how we never arrive at Truth, but approach it asymptotically, due to the limitations of the constructs of language. He discusses idealism versus materialism. While materialism has not made progress on the hard problem of consciousness, this problem doesn't exist within idealism....
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8: Bill Reel - Donald Hoffman, Psychedelics, Mysticism, Automatic Writing, and Esotericism (Part 2)
Bill Reel and I continue our conversation on reality, consciousness, and what that has to do with Mormonism's origins. We discuss Donald Hoffman, Carl Jung, the filter theory of consciousness, psychedelics, and mystical states of consciousness as defined by research. We also discuss automatic...
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7: Bill Reel - Truth, The Nature of Reality, Idealism, Consciousness, and Quantum Physics (Part 1)
Bill Reel and I discuss the fractal nature of reality, and how we speak in myths and constructs. We talk about how to define truth, and how science and spirituality interpret truth. Then we explore how to define consciousness and whether science supports idealism or materialism. We discuss Donald...
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6: Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings, Kundalini Awakenings, and Endogenous Altered States of Consciousness
In this episode we review a study published in Frontiers in Psychology about the phenomenon of Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings and Spontaneous Kundalini Awakenings and hear about Gabe's experience of the latter. This is a cross-cultural phenomenon involving a period of spontaneous altered states...
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5: Plan of Salvation Pt 3 - Aliens, the Illusion of Space-Time, Reincarnation, NDEs, Kolob, Starseeds, and the Veil
We discuss the phenomena of paranormal encounters from the lens of consciousness and idealism as well, whether aliens are allowed to drink coffee, and whether "God" would be bound by space/time as he appears to be within Mormon cosmology. We dive into Joseph Smith teaching reincarnation at the…
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4: Plan of Salvation Pt 2 - Nature of God and the Kabbalah, Eternal Progression and the Movie Inception, Premortal Life and Karma
Gabe discusses how an elder on his mission later started a cult, and gives his thoughts on criticism of new age spirituality. We continue analyzing the Plan of Salvation from an esoteric perspective. We explore Joseph Smith's use of the Kabbalah in formulating his view of the nature of God, how...
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3: Plan of Salvation Pt 1 - Garden of Eden, Gnosticism, and Jung
In this episode we start to tackle the Plan of Salvation from an esoteric and Jungian-informed perspective. We discuss the correlation between Gnostic and Mormon views on the fall, Gnosticism's interpretation of this physical incarnation as the Matrix, the fall as an allegory for both…
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2: Mormonism, Psychedelics, Quantum Physics, and the Eleusinian Mysteries - Refining the Origin Story
This episode is a reading of the initial post from the Mormons, Mystics, and Muons' Substack which gives a comprehensive overview of a new narrative on Mormonism's origins. It integrates consciousness, philosophy, psychedelics, and quantum physics to show how Mormonism arose out of an…
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1: Introduction
In this episode, Gabe and Elden embark on a profound exploration of mystical experiences and their intersection with Mormonism, psychedelics, and altered states of consciousness. They delve into the psychological definition of mystical experiences and discuss Joseph Smith's experiences,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Mystics and Muons is devoted to exploring the nature of reality and the intersection between philosophy, science, and spirituality. At times we also explore the esoteric origins of Mormonism.While exploring reality, idealism serves as a core model. Materialism, though helpful, is a projection of a deeper fundamental truth. Consciousness is the ground of reality from which the experience of matter, space, and time emerge, just as it does every night as we dream. Models like those of Bernardo Kastrup, Donald Hoffman, Rupert Spira, all point to the fundamental truth of idealism.
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Mystics and Muons
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Mystics and Muons have?
Mystics and Muons currently has 42 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Mystics and Muons about?
Mystics and Muons is devoted to exploring the nature of reality and the intersection between philosophy, science, and spirituality. At times we also explore the esoteric origins of Mormonism.While exploring reality, idealism serves as a core model. Materialism, though helpful, is a projection of a...
How often does Mystics and Muons release new episodes?
Mystics and Muons has 42 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Mystics and Muons is created and hosted by Mystics and Muons.
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