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 and the universe feels personally offensive. I was curled up on the couch, cycling between old Game of Thrones episodes and YouTube.That’s when I landed on Sinead Bovell’s show (on YouTube, even though we call everything a podcast now). The show is called I’ve Got Questions, and she had an episode featuring Alexander Manu titled something like “Once in a Lifetime Career Reset is Coming.” That title alone just grabs you by the collar. Because that’s the vibe, isn’t it? A mass career and identity reset. Not gradual. Not polite. A reset.And it brought me back to the question I’ve had from the start: What are we becoming? We can’t stay the same. So what’s the next iteration?One of the things I’ve been chewing on is how most people’s first move with AI has been to retrofit it into the current paradigm. Same game, faster tools. Write quicker. Create quicker. Code quicker. Spreadsheet quicker. Become “10x productive,” “100x productive,” whatever. And I’m finding myself more and more allergic to that productivity obsession. Because why are we racing? Do we actually want to do more and more, or do we want to live better?I noticed something about my own choices here too. My day job includes corporate training. The obvious play would be to jump on the trend and become “the AI guy,” training companies how to use AI. But I deliberately didn’t go that route. I wanted to be a practitioner. I wanted to push into the frontier and ask: not “how do I do the old thing faster?” but “what’s the new thing that wasn’t possible before?”I used painting as a metaphor for this, because we’ve seen this cycle a thousand times. People painted on cave walls, then on canvas. Then the camera came along and painters freaked out. “That’s not art.” Then photography becomes its own art form, because real artists don’t just defend old tools. They explore new ones and invent new forms.That’s where I think we are now. There’s resistance because people are having an existential crisis about identity, livelihood, meaning, and the role of humans. But there’s also that other camp: the folks who see a new tool and think, “Okay… what can we make now that we couldn’t make before?”One of Manu’s points that really landed for me is that these tools could create the space for us to be more human, not less. If machines can handle repeatable, mundane stuff better, that should free us to focus on the parts of life that require presence, depth, relationship, contemplation. The being, not just the doing. That line hit me right where I live.From there, my brain hopped tracks into Robert Anton Wilson territory, because I’ve just started reading Chapel Perilous, the biography of RAW. And it’s lighting my mind up. Reading about his thought processes reminds me what excites me most: consciousness, reality, philosophy of mind, and the question of what humans even are.That’s what led me into this weird but wonderful blend I started playing with: Buddhism and anarchism. RAW had both currents running through him, and I found myself asking: how can those two coexist?Here’s what clicked for me. Buddhism, at least in one of its core teachings, points at non-self (anatta). No independent permanent self. The “I” we cling to is more like a process, a pattern, a swirl of causes and conditions. Meanwhile anarchism, at its philosophical core, questions fixed rulers and permanent authority. No fixed ruler. No default assumption that someone must be in charge.So one becomes an inner liberation practice, the other becomes an outer liberation practice. Inner freedom from attachment to the constructed self. Outer freedom from attachment to constructed authority. Same song in two octaves.And then I went off, as I do, on the conditioning theme. Because this is the part that keeps bothering me in the best way. I was walking through town yesterday paying attention to my own reactions as I moved through the world, and I kept thinking: how much of my day-to-day behaviour is just conditioning? Automatic reactions. Scripted responses. Learned reflexes. Not conscious choice.Try this: pick any belief you hold and trace it back. Where did it come from? Family? School? Culture? Religion? Government? Trauma? A moment you never questioned? We’re “programmed” from the start, and most of it we never opted into. And the self we think is “me” is often a patchwork of inherited code.Then you flip it outward again to politics, law, power. Left, right, centre, everybody’s got an agenda. And the law often seems to apply differently depending on how much power you have. That’s the thing that makes me itch. I don’t trust big systems that claim they’re acting in your best interest while quietly feeding a power structure.I’ll say this clearly: I stop short of the “burn it all down” impulse. My instinct is more “reduce it to the bare minimum.” Voluntary cooperation. Mutual aid. Less coercion. More sovereignty.That word became the real anchor of the episode: sovereignty.Because here’s the tricky part of this sci-fi world we’re living in. We’re already soft cyborgs. Look at how entwined we are with phones, watches, laptops, earbuds, glasses. Put them all in a drawer and turn them off and most of us can’t really function in the modern world the same way. I even talk about my “metaglasses” as this extension of perception, a way to connect to the hive mind, the collective intelligence, whatever you want to call it. And with AR coming, that overlay of digital on physical is going to make the cyborgness even more literal. You’ll be walking down the street in two worlds at once.I actually like being a soft cyborg. I’m not anti-tech. I’m not anti-AI. I’m pro-consciousness.Because the danger, or at least the risk, is that conditioning becomes exponential. Influence becomes subtle. Systems compete for your attention, your beliefs, your emotions, your identity. Governments, advertisers, religions, corporations, platforms. Everybody wants a piece of your psyche. They want to shape what you think, what you fear, what you desire, what you believe is true.So my challenge, to myself and anyone listening, is: don’t abdicate your humanity. Don’t abdicate your sovereignty. Think for yourself. Question things. Ask what the hidden agenda is. Ask who ...

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 tonight. Five minutes before bed. Three reactions. No explanations. Do it for seven days and prepare to be shocked.Full post at soulcruzer.com.

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 talk about the Narrative Alchemy Journey email series. It’s not a newsletter in the traditional sense. Each weekly transmission contains one insight, one actionable practice, and one journaling prompt. It’s meant to unfold sequentially, guiding you through an accumulative journey of self-inquiry and transformation. If you’ve not joined yet, now is a good moment.I also give an update on the Narrative Alchemy Codex, the web-book evolving on Soulcruzer.com. The first four chapters are now live, with Chapter Five queued up to begin. The Codex is designed as a self-guided framework for inner alchemy, using symbolic transformation as a map for consciousness work.I talk about how this whole approach is shaped with the self-directed learner in mind. If you’re the kind of person who prefers a handful of books and the chance to explore ideas for yourself rather than being told what to think, this ecosystem is being built for you.Next, I turn toward games as transformative tools. I’ve been building several solo RPG and tarot-inspired narrative experiences such as Magus Eternal, The Infamous Masquerade, and a short-form introductory journaling game. Each one blends archetypes with storytelling to help you access deeper layers of imagination and self-understanding.Alongside those, I’m designing a mini LARP/ARG that will run between now and the New Year. Think of it as a mission woven into everyday life, using the tools you already use: email, voice notes, websites, social platforms, and ordinary environments. It’s part puzzle, part fictional mission, part adventure threaded through the world you’re already moving through.I close with a wider reflection on digital presence and creativity. If you’ve abandoned your blog, dust it off. If you’ve never had one, consider starting. WordPress, Blogger, and even NeoCities (if you're willing to hand-code) all offer free entry points. This is a gentle call to reclaim the open web and share your ideas in your own space, not just inside walled gardens.Finally, I offer an invitation to connect. Whether through email, forums, socials, or an unexpected coffee somewhere in the world, I’m always open to conversation.

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 the systemFinding the middle path: speaking enough of the system's language to be heard while delivering actual transformationStrategic Identity & Chaos MagicIdentity as fluid and tactical, not fixedUsing belief as a tool rather than an anchorThe Saboth principle: waking up inside the corrupt system and breaking freeThe Real MissionReframing authenticity as tactic, not identityThe only question that matters: "Am I helping someone move closer to sovereignty?"Trojan horse strategy: get attention, then deliver liberation technologyBlogging as Subversive ActivityWhy tech platforms suppress external linksThe attention economy and algorithmic controlReclaiming your own digital space through bloggingRSS feeds vs. doom scrollingReferenced:William Burroughs on language as virusThe Matrix and Morpheus's red pill problemRage Against the Machine - "Wake Up"Martin Luther's 95 ThesesPaul Kurtz's conscious robot conceptRobert Anton Wilson and reality tunnelsNeil Postman's "Teaching as a Subversive Activity"Call to Action:Start your own blog. Create your own space. Free your mind from algorithmic control. Join the guerrilla blogging underground.

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. 🛤 Listen in if you’re: – Feeling called to slow down – Curious about living more deliberately – Longing for a sense of presence in the midst of modern noise – Ready to rediscover the simple joy of being alive 💬 Quotable: “You don’t need to go somewhere to be present. You just need to stop long enough to hear what your life is saying to you.” ✨ Invitation: Where are your Walden Woods today? Take a walk. Listen with your whole body. And remember: the sacred is never far away. — 📬 Subscribe to SoulMail: Weekly reflections and journaling prompts delivered to your inbox. → soulcruzer.com/soulmail 🎧 Listen + Share: If this episode resonates, share it with a fellow seeker. And leave a review to help more storythinkers and barefoot philosophers find their way home.

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 your own story.