The Hermit’s Lamp Podcast - A place for witches, hermits, mystics, healers, and seekers

with Althaea Sebastiani In this episode of The Hermit's Land podcast, I sit down with Althaea Sebastiani to dig into the heart of witchcraft—animism and spirit work. We explore what it means to walk this path with patience and authenticity. Learning to listen and truly hear will help you build deep relationships with spirits over time. We get into the how-to of working with spirits and deities, discussing ways to practice outside formal or initiatory structures. This episode offers guidance on how to find the spirits where you live. We also dig into the responsibility of navigating cultural appropriation and engaging respectfully with Indigenous and other living traditions. The conversation also covers spirit workers and teachers—the role they might play in your journey and how to decide if someone is truly trustworthy. With more sketchy folks gaining reach in the spiritual marketplace, discernment is more important than ever. Finally, we remind listeners that spirituality doesn’t exist in a vacuum—the physical world still matters. Your health, well-being, and everyday life all shape your practice. Common sense is just as vital as intuition when walking a spiritual path. If you're looking to start practicing witchcraft, this episode will give you the pointers you need to begin. With patience and practice, you’ll be building solid relationships with the spiritual world in no time. You can find us on the socials. Or Althaea is here and Andrew is here. Episodes with drop biweekly going forward. Help me let the world know I'm back by sharing on socials and leaving review on the platform on which you listen to us. Much love Andrew Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Witchcraft and Animism 04:54 Starting Your Journey in Witchcraft 11:04 Engaging with Spirits and Deities 21:12 Navigating Appropriation and Authenticity in Practice 26:56 Personal Rituals and Nature Connection 28:57 Engaging with Indigenous Traditions 30:53 Understanding Living Traditions 32:21 The Role of Spirit Workers 34:29 Finding Authentic Spirit Workers 36:42 Navigating the Spiritual Marketplace 40:34 Cautions in Spiritual Practices 43:04 Balancing Spiritual and Physical Worlds Full transcript on my site here. 

With Enrique Enriquez Are you ready to go deep? Andrew McGregor and Enrique Enriquez take a deep dive into the mysteries of presence, dreams, divination, and the ever-unfolding journey of the soul. They explore the impact of our physical presence on the world around us, the wisdom hidden within our dreams, and how divination can serve as a guiding light through life's uncertainties. Enrique shares his thoughts on the soul as a dynamic process of engagement with the world. The discussion expands into the distinction between understanding and knowing, the metaphor of gardens as a way to think about presence and connection, and the intriguing concept of the invisible as the space between things. Through personal stories, humour, and wisdom, Andrew and Enrique highlight the importance of self-discovery, embracing fluidity, and finding meaning in the unknown. Whether you're looking to deepen your awareness, explore the symbolic world, or reflect on your own place in the grand tapestry of existence, this episode is a must-listen.  You can find us on the socials. Or Enrique is emailable here and Andrew is here. Episodes with drop biweekly going forward. Help me let the world know I'm back by sharing on socials and leaving review on the platform on which you listen to us. Much love Andrew PS Enrique's favourite late cretaceous animal is the Stegosaurus. Full transcript is available here. 

In this episode of The Hermit Lamp Podcast, tarot legends Andrew McGregor and Mary K. Greer unravel the art, ethics, and evolution of tarot reading. Whether you're a beginner shuffling your first deck or a seasoned reader refining your craft, this conversation is packed with wisdom and guidance to elevate your practice. The key? Choose a deck that resonates with you. Dive in. Start using your deck immediately. Let the images speak to you. Have a conversation with the cards. Bring in your personal associations and experience. Andrew and Mary share how to structure a reading. A well-crafted question guides the reading, shaping the narrative that unfolds in the cards. Start with a Three-card spreads. It is a simple way to start building story, and comfort with the cards. Tarot isn’t just about predictions; it’s about weaving meaning, insight, and personal truth. The discussion also ventures into deeper territory. Covering ethics, legal responsibilities, and setting boundaries. Readers should always try to empower. Engaging clients in the process strengthens understanding, especially when working with court cards, which often mirror real people in a querent’s life. They explore the evolving nature of tarot, reminding us that meanings shift and grow over time. Book definitions and keywords are helpful, but intuition and experience can play a vital role too. Mary and Andrew also tackle the emotional side reading of tarot. Anxiety and obsession can creep into practice, and managing them is essential for a healthy relationship with the cards. Boundaries matter—not just with querents, but also with ourselves. Ultimately, this episode is an invitation to explore, experiment, and trust your own connection with the cards. Tarot isn’t about getting it "right"—it’s about discovery, transformation, and the magic that happens when you truly listen. You can find us on the socials. Or Mary is here and Andrew is here. Episodes with drop biweekly going forward. Help me let the world know I'm back by sharing on socials and leaving review on the platform on which you listen to us. Much love Andrew PS Mary's favourite late cretaceous animal is the stegosaurus  Full transcript on my website here. 

Andrew and Nancy have spent a long time working with ancestors and the tarot. In this conversation they share their journeys and perspectives on working with those on the other side. Discussing how ancestral stories shape our identities, the importance of connecting with ancestors for guidance, and the possible role of DNA in understanding our heritage. We also talk about how to handle the hard ancestors and trauma that can often be in our lineages. There are a lot of practical tips on things like making an altar, working with taropt and pendulums and reflection through journaling. This is a chance to listen to two new friends get to share their stories and practices in a very personal and engaged way. You can find us on the socials. Or Nancy is here and Andrew is here. Episodes with drop biweekly going forward. Help me let the world know I'm back by sharing on socials and leaving review on the platform on which you listen to us. Much love Andrew PS Nancy's favourite late cretaceous animal is the Quetzalcoatlus. PPS Full transcript on my website here. 

Spiritual Fundamentals Part 1. Welcome to the new getting started in spirituality series where we'll cover how to get going in different areas of study. Giving you an easy and accessible place to step into new areas of practice. Learning from established and trusted sourced to get you off on the right foot. Astrology can be a daunting topic. There are million books and opinions you could read. It really doesn't need to be complicated though. Join Theres and I and we help you get started in a good way. We cover the importance of understanding zodiac signs, and the foundational elements of astrology, including the big three (sun, moon, and ascendant) and the significance of houses in a natal chart. Theresa shares her insights on how to approach learning astrology based on her vast teaching experience. This conversation is full of stories and easy to digest ideas to help you get started. After listening you'll have a framework to help you bring this ancient practice into you modern life. You can find us on the socials. Or Theresa is here and Andrew is here. Episodes will drop biweekly going forward. Help me let the world know I'm back by sharing on socials and leaving review on the platform on which you listen to us. Much love Andrew PS Theresa's favourite late cretaceous animal is the Triceratops. Parts of the conversation. 00:00 Introduction to Astrology and Tarot 04:30 Starting Your Astrology Journey 10:36 Understanding Zodiac Signs 12:15 Astrology as a Theory 14:16 The Importance of the Big Three 19:58 Exploring Houses in Astrology 23:22 Exploring House Systems in Astrology 25:56 Understanding the Significance of Houses 28:16 The Importance of Angles in Astrology 31:06 Navigating Challenges in Astrology 33:02 Living Astrology: Practical Applications 35:48 Astrological Red Flags and Pitfalls Full transcript on my website here. 

The return of Stacking Skulls! Welcome to the 2025 return of the podcast. What better way to start than by getting the bad back together. I know it is a wild time right now. I don't want to not acknowledge it. Also, I think some time out and having something else to focus on can be so helpful during hard times. Stacking Skulls started as a fake occult rock band in 2017 when a group pf my magical friends got together to record an episode. Since then we've had shifting lineups and guest artists but the core of Aidan Wachter, Fabeku Fatunmisi, and me - Andrew McGregor have remained. You can catch all the episodes here. In this episode we catch up on what has changed since 2021 when we last talked. You can find us on the socials. Or Aidan is here, Fabeku is here, and Andrew is here. Episodes with drop biweekly going forward. Help me let know I'm back by sharing on socials and leaving review on the platform on which you listen to us. Much love Andrew Full transcript can be found here. 

For this - the final episode of the podcast Andrew and Lon get back together after 10 years to catch up. They talk about the times in which we live and how to find your way in them. They also talk about the western idea of finding your true will or destiny. As always with Lon it is a joyful conversation full of hope and realism.    If you have enjoyed this series please share it with folks. If you'd like to support my work please jump on my newsletter, check out my services or shop at my store online or in person in Toronto. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.      You can find Lon here.    And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can read the transcript over here on my website. 

Eric and Andrew talk about their shared journey with the Orisha. The ways in magic and astrology have been seen differently over time. How the resurgence of old materials have changed modern assumptions. And Eric new translation of Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypal or in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.    You can find Eric on his website here or on Facebook here.    And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can find the transcript here. 

Andrew and Cristy talk about the power of punk and community as well as its complications. The need to find a balance between struggling and selling out. The role community played in the creation of the Next World Tarot. Cristy’s return to her Cuban spiritual traditions. And much more! Think about how much you’ve enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffee or directly via Paypal or in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit’s Lamp Podcast in the service you use.    You can find Cristy on her website here, Instagram here and her music here.   And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can snag the transcription on Andrew's site here. 

Krista and Andrew talk about how who you are has a huge impact your life and your way of being in the world. The conversation centres around her Land Back tarot deck but quickly crosses over into important things for spiritual people to consider. Communication, listening, rage, genuine relationships and what it takes to connect and understand people from other experiences and lived realities.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypal or in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.      You can find Aunty K on Patreon, Youtube, Discord, Website   and Instagram.  And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  the transcription can be found on the my website here. 

Andrew and Enrique talk about the power of presence. On how to listen to the world around you for messages. The power of birds and a lot more. An essential listen for folks looking to deepen their ability to read for themselves or others.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypal or in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.  Google music is being updated within a week of posting this episode.      You can find Enrique here.  Previous episodes with Enrique are here, here, here, and here.   And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  The transcript for this episode can be found here. 

Andrew and Willie talk about how it was growing up in the Lukumi tradition. Willie's experiences with Orisha in Cuba, America, Nigeria, and Brazil. They also talk about the nature of syncretization in these traditions. last they discuss a few things to think about if you are looking to get involved in this tradition.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypalor in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.  Google music is being updated within a week of posting this episode.  You can find Willie on his site here.   And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  The Transcript for this lives on Andrew's website here.       

Maria and Andrew explore the topic of anti-racism through tarot and their own journeys. talking about curiosity, accessibility, the nature of tarot, and how to show up for this kind of change. This conversation is very much an invitation into this topic.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypalor in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.  Google music is being updated within a week of posting this episode.     Maria chared thsi list of deaf readers tey have learned from: Also, some of deaf readers who I've learned a lot from:   Leigh Clapp https://liminalsight.com Thorne Davis https://spiritoracle.com/author/thornedavis/ Mina Reyes https://www.shadowpriestessmina.com/ You can find Maria and her great Anti-Racism Series here.    And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can get the full transcript on my website here. Podbean doesn't allow for the full text here. 

  Aidan, Andrew, and Fabeku catch up for their third episode since the pandemic started. They talk about burnout, bandwidth and the way they are running out of words, direction and ideas about what is helpful. They talk about their magical practices, goals, and what has shifted in their lives too.   Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypalor in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcast, Youtube, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.    You can find Aidan here   You can find Fabeku here.   You can find all the previous episodes wit the skulls here.   And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can read the full transcript on my website here. 

Susan, Mel and Andrew talk about esotericism in Tarot and as a magical practice. Sharing what they have gotten from it and what you might too. Also talking about personal successes and challenges they have had a long the way. If you have been interested in the conjunction of astrology, magic and tarot you should listen to this episode.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypalor in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcast or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.    You can find Mel and Susie's podcast here. And links from here to other places they are online.    And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  The transcript for this episode live on my website here. 

Susan, Mel and Andrew talk about esotericism in Tarot and as a magical practice. Sharing what they have gotten from it and what you might too. Also talking about personal successes and challenges they have had a long the way. If you have been interested in the conjunction of astrology, magic and tarot you should listen to this episode.  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypalor in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcast or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.    You can find Mel and Susie's podcast here. And links from here to other places they are online.    And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  The transcript for this episode live on my website here. 

How we define ourselves matters. It creates a worldview and can both empower and limit what we do in life and with our magic. In this episode Jason and Andrew talk about some ways choosing the wrong label that might cause problems for people. Are you a magician or a mystic? A sorcerer or magician? Is magic or astrology your religion? All told through stories of their own journey, explorations, mishaps and successes. Jason and Andrew also talk about personal experiences and visions - often called unsubstantiated personal gnosis. Exploring what to do with that world changing vision you has the feels like it should be changing the world right now! Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffeeor directly via Paypalor in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.  Google music is being updated within a week of posting this episode.    Jason's previous interviews can be found here: EP53 Magick, Meditation and Tibet with Jason Miller EP78 Practicing Magic for Real Life with Jason Miller EP85 Stacking Skulls with Jason Miller You can find Jason here.   And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  You can read the transcript on my website here. 

Andrew and Barbara catch up for their 7th annual talk. The conversation covers a wide range of things from COVID life, to esoteric tarot, expertise and its changing nature and all the changes that are going on in both our lives. This was recorded in December of 2020.  You can catch the previous episodes with Barbara here  Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you have listened to and consider if it is time to support it. Money goes first to covering accessibility through transcripts and then to other costs associated with the podcast. You can support it through BuyMeACoffee or directly via Paypal or in Canada through etransfer to the.hermits.lamp@gmail.com If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe in your favourite podcaster iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or search The Hermit's Lamp Podcast in the service you use.  Google music is being updated within a week of posting this episode.      You can find Barbara here   And Andrew is @thehermitslamp everywhere and his site is here.   Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  The transcripts are too long to post here so or the transcript please read it on my site here. 

Andrew and Chaweon talk about the nature of magic in the social media age. They get into how it is like finding other paths. The pros and cons of WitchTok and Chaweon's explorations of starting cults. Check out the Patreon Bonus for a talk on how to start your own cult.    Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you listened to, and consider if it is time to support the Patreon You can do so here. You can book time with Andrew through his site here.    You can find Chaweon on Youtube here along with all her other links.    Andrew as always is here.     Thanks as always for listening. Consider going to support the Patreon here.  Andrew   You can book time with Andrew through his site here.  The transcript exceeds Podbeans limit and can be found on my website here. \

Sasha and Andrew talk about finding balance. How working on your shadow is just as important as working on the rest of yourself. They explore tarot and other tools along with personal stories of encounters wit the shadow.    Think about how much you've enjoyed the podcast and how many episodes you listened to, and consider if it is time to support the Patreon You can do so here.   Supporters get early access and at th e$5 level access ro a bonus recording for each episode - this one a 17 minute talk on how to work with your shadow.  If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. You can find Sasha here.  Andrew is here.    Thanks for joining the conversation. Please share the podcast to help us grow and change the world.  Andrew You can book time with Andrew through his site here.    Transcription.  Andrew: Welcome to another episode of The Hermits Lamp podcast. I am here today with Sasha Graham. I met Sasha at Readers Studio a number of years ago where they were talking about shadow work. And recently, this summer, they came out with a deck called the Dark Wood Tarot, which digs right into that shadow stuff. And for people who've spent time around me, really owning both sides of that stuff is important I think to every spiritual journey. So I wanted to kind of have Sasha on here to talk shadow stuff and talk dealing with those things, especially at a time when COVID and racial issues and justice issues or the shadow issues of our cultures are really being brought to the foreground as well. It feels like an important conversation and an important thing to keep paying attention to. But maybe everybody doesn't know who you are, Sasha. So why don't you give us a quick introduction? Sasha: Yeah. Well, first off, thank you. Thank you so much for having me. So my name's Sasha Graham. I'm a tarot author and a deck creator and a teacher. I've written, I think, eight tarot books for Llewellyn and Lo Scarabeo. And I contribute to the Llewellyn's Magical Almanacs, which is Datebooks. And I've created two tarot decks, both of them kind of steeped in spooky darkness because I love that vibe: The Tarot of the Haunted House for Lo Scarabeo and The Dark Wood Tarot, which has just come out a couple months ago, with Llewellyn. Andrew: So tell me this, because you are a very positive-seeming, very upbeat, very energetic and outgoing kind of person. What's with all the darkness? What's with the appeal of that for you? What do you get from that? Sasha: I am a person who... The darkest parts of anything in my life that I've ever experienced, the most challenging things in my life that I've ever experienced has always paid itself back on the light side, if that makes sense. So I grew up in a very kind of... I think my childhood, to be honest with you, felt very terrifying. I lived in wild, rural places. I was on mountains and planes. We moved around. The world always felt very supernatural and very scary. And it was always kind of going in and embracing the things and figuring out all of the dark stuff helped me find the light that much better, if that makes any sense. And especially I think as a teenager, when there were certain things that I couldn't process that were happening in my life, it was easier for me to go to horror and Stephen King. I happened to come of age when vampires and Anne Rice became a thing and the goth movement first came out. So, to me, grinding yourself against the darkness, grinding yourself against the stuff that terrifies you makes you stronger and ultimately it makes you more whole. And then as I transitioned into my work as a taroist and as a writer and as like, I don't know, a spiritual creature or whatever you want to call it, I realized how profound and how the further you go into the... We're all here to evolve, right? As a taroist, as an artist, as a writer, you're here to move forward and to see further than you've seen the day before. The only way you can bring the light of consciousness to whatever it is that you do is by exploring the things you don't understand or you don't know. Now, oftentimes those things are scary. If you're doing between world work and you're encountering an energy that you're not familiar with, of course that's terrifying because you don't recognize it. But interestingly, that happening spiritually or in your imagination is the same thing that happens to us when we walk down the street and see something we don't recognize or a person that we don't recognize. Because something is not comfortable to us, we call that thing the other and we're afraid of it. And that's why the shadow work that you perform for yourself is applicable on every single level of our lives. And so it's not just about how you're relating inside to yourself, but also how you're relating to the external world, and how what I call the trick of the material world, which in the tarot deck would be pentacles, how you really get fooled by the way that something looks rather than paying attention to the energy of what it actually is underneath. And when you're looking at things energetically... Oh my God, I'm really running on here. But when you're looking at things energetically, it's a lot simpler, I think, than things look like on the surface. All right. I'm going to just stop talking now. Andrew: No. There are so many things to touch on in there. So the first one I want to ask you about though... I made a list here so we can make sure stuff doesn't get missed. The first thing that I want to say is... So I spent a lot of time in the wilderness. I grew up sort of North of Toronto in a town that I think it had about 8,000 people living there when I lived there. But I lived on the edge of town and there was nothing but farms and forests between us and the next town, maybe a 15 minute drive over or a very long, long walk or bike ride. And so I spent a lot of time in the woods and pretty deep in the woods and getting lost in the woods with friends and stuff like that or by myself. And I spent a lot of time cycling the rural roads. I would just hop on my bike and ride for hours and be like, huh? And again, pre GPS, pre whatever, like actually lost. Being like, huh, I think if I turn right here, I'm going to get back to my city, my town. But if not, then I'm going to hit this other town and then I'm going to have a really long bike ride home after that. I'm already really tired. Because for me, as I continue to grow and continue to live my life spiritually, my connection to the land, to wilderness, to sort of spirits from places, to plants and animals and all of those kinds of things that has its root in that time continues to flourish. Because I think that in nature, there's no avoiding the shadow. Nature doesn't avoid it at all. It's all kind of unified. Nature is what it is and that's it. And we sometimes try and glorify it and be like, "Oh, all these things are so perfect." And it's like, well, nature is astounding. Nature is magical and powerful. Nature is intense and scary. It's all there. So I'm curious what role some of your experiences of being in the wilderness or in nature and so on impacted on your journey in this. Was there a moment where you were out there and you were scared of stuff? Was there a moment where you had a spiritual encounter in the woods or wherever? Sasha: Yeah. And this is, again, one of those things where you asked me in the beginning, why do you love the darkness? One of the things that used to terrify me the most was I lived on the side of a mountain in Vermont. We had like a mile long driveway. I was in fourth grade. And I would have to walk from the school bus up the driveway and into the empty house and hang out for like two hours by myself before anyone got home. And so it was like I would leave the den of the school bus. And the second I stepped off that school bus, man, it got quiet. And the gift of being a young child and of being scared, because there's a difference between playing... Well, whether you're playing or whether you're kind of nervous and therefore kind of on alert, the gift of being very young and being in those situations is that you're not always necessarily sure what you're looking at. When you encounter things, I think that you encounter them maybe in their truer form than what people have. Because once you're told this is a doc, that is a red robin, you kind of place it in a box in a way. But when you're young and in nature... And I believe that being nervous and being scared, especially those walks up that driveway, because I was in kind of a heightened state of alert, I was certain I was going to get murdered or there was a troll under the bridge. He was going to devour me up. I really paid attention, like super-uber attention. And with that, yeah, I saw things and I experienced things on a much more profound level probably than I could even... I probably couldn't even express it in words. But again, it's something that I'm so grateful for because as I've grown older and moved deeper into the work that I do, I understand that now and I'm able to see things in that way or I know when I'm encountering something and what I would call between mortals experience, where I'm almost in two places at the same time and looking through the veneer of the material world into the energy that's underneath. So again, I think it's that full circle thing, when you have a childhood rooted in nature and go outside and play, you're immediately interfacing with all of this energy that in and of itself could be your teacher. You never have to pick up a tarot book or a witchcraft book or a Shelly book if you were just paying attention to and outside in the woods. So that's an example of why I'm grateful for something that was spooky that was my greatest teacher as well. Andrew: Yeah. I think there's something about fear that is really helpful sometimes, not a