Lola & The Poets

In Episode 13, Lola & The Poets welcomes Ewoud van Rijn, artist, scholar, and lecturer at the Royal Academy of Arts in the Netherlands, as we delve into his exploration of the relationship between the arts and the esoteric realms in his extraordinary work. We start our chat talking about his most recent series of drawings and etchings, and roll back in time to Ewoud's childhood in The Hague, and growing up in a conservative yet artistic Catholic family. Connecting through our shared early passion for comics, we discuss how graphic novels and music formed Gen X's idea of the magical, Ewoud's chance meeting in Newcastle that opened up an interest in the occult,The Illuminatus! Trilogy, encountering the art of Swiss surrealist painter Kurt Selingman, its profound influence, The Great Invocation group exhibition — and creating his own Tarot deck. We discuss the impact of our family backgrounds in being open to rejected knowledge, as well as natural vs. ceremonial magic, automatism in art, framing reality according to myth, the Osiris family drama, Ewoud's stark near-death experience, the pros and cons of the spiritual revival in the 21st century, his love of megalithic sites, Frederick Adams's Feraferia and Gardnerian Wicca, Goddess worship, and much more. We hope you enjoy our spirited conversation. SHOW NOTES: Ewoud van Rijin at Royal Academy of Art The Hague | Ewoud van Rijn on Instagram | Ewoud van Rijin on Academia.edu | Ewoud van Rijin at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | Pádraic E. Moore: The Great Invocation | Boijmans TV Raw Material: Ewoud van Rijn | CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers | See more info on episode & credits. AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov Lola & The Poets is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://poets-mavericks-and-prophets.com/

In Episode 12, Lola & The Poets welcomes the lovely Caroline Chapple, artist, illustrator, visual storyteller, and marketing expert, from London, UK, with decades of corporate experience, and an educational background in NLP and coaching. We discussed her work as a graphic recording artist, creating micro-worlds, the origins of the craft, her experience as scribe in various working environments, and her professional path — from finance and marketing, through life-coach training, to the magic of turning a leaf midlife and embracing a lifelong passion, integrating her skill set, and living an authentic existence. Diving into mutual childhood memories of discovering our storytelling abilities, adaptability in uncomfortable environments, the blessings of diverse cultures, as well as the centrality of communication in art — we talk about creative expression as therapy, travelling as meditation, expansion & epiphany, finding one's sweet spot, our psychological types, Caroline's archival "Temp Bitch" series, cartoon journaling, NLP foundations, adjacent spiritual practices, freedom vs. security, the beauty of unrestricted friendships, honing one's abilities, building a sense of self-worth as an artist — and her golden advice on making monies from one's own creative endeavours. You can find Caroline's details in the show notes. Hope you enjoy our lively chat. SHOW NOTES:  Caroline Chapple Cartoons on Instagram | Chapple Cartoons Website | CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers | See more info on episode & credits. AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov Lola & The Poets is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://poets-mavericks-and-prophets.com/

Episode 11 of Lola & The Poets is a continuation of the themes of my previous two solo shows on the concept of the shadow, here focusing on a topic both grave and difficult to articulate — the violence ingrained in human nature. I talk about the consequences of disconnect between our intellect and our instincts, cognitive distortion and reactions to aggression, ideas about the world versus its realities, my own experience of civil war, mythic dimensions of warfare, demonic origins of warmongering, groupthink as fuel for conflict, war as industry, the dangers of assigning collective guilt, the remedial power of an inclusive compassion, what true courage is, and inevitably, the immense tragedy unfolding currently in Gaza Strip. In sincere hope that however severe our differences are — we all agree that peace is sacred. #CeaseFireNOW SHOW NOTES:Film Review. Quo vadis, Aida? | This Jungian Life. Speaking Truth: Is It Venom or a Cure? | James Hillman. A Terrible Love of War. | Viktor Frankl: collective guilt does not exist CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers | See more info on episode & credits. AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov Lola & The Poets is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://poets-mavericks-and-prophets.com/

In Episode 10, Lola & The Poets welcomes Christopher Moss, energy healer, activist, and ex-bag man, based in Britain — an elder who has undergone a spiritual awakening (his own definition), after two decades of working in trade in Camden Passage, Angel, in the Islington area of London. Chris trained at the school established by medical anthropologist Dr. Alberto Villoldo, The Four Winds Society, basing its work on Peruvian lineage, and is now in training at the Mongolian Mother Tree Shamanism school, under a Darkhad lineage holding shaman. We discussed his present work and path — land offerings, the role of divination, soul loss and soul retrieval, psychological frameworks of new spiritual practices, unbroken vs. broken lineages, controversies surrounding neo-shamanic re-invention (particularly regarding the issue of cultural appropriation), the wellness industry, specifically in Britain, the class slant of the spiritual businesses in the country, and the way festival culture in the UK is at the forefront of a powerful wave of genuine spiritual renewal. We also touched on his history of left-wing political activism, specifically related to the Palestinian human rights cause, his visits to the West Bank, the current war in Gaza, his thoughts on activism now, in conjunction with energy work, as well as the echoes of his childhood in Wales. In the show's notes you will find all the relevant links and ways you can contact Chris. In the meantime, make yourself a cuppa, tune in, and enjoy. SHOW NOTES: Christopher Moss on Instagram | Reinventing the Wandering Healer | Mother Tree Shamanism | The Four Winds Society |  CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers | See more info on episode & credits. AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov Lola & The Poets is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://poets-mavericks-and-prophets.com/

In Episode 9, Lola & The Poets welcomes Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić, astrologer, scholar, and educator, based in Ghent, Belgium, in a fantastic Winter Solstice comeback episode where we discuss Dragana's life path from scientist to master stargazer, her thesis in cultural astronomy and astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, collaboration with the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London, where she is a lecturer and council member, her fascinating research on the cosmology of Serbian medieval frescoes — now at the University of Oxford, and the general celestial feel of our times. We talked about the new era of Pluto in Aquarius, Jupiter meeting Uranus in Taurus, Saturn and Neptune co-joining in Pisces, and the mysterious background music of the wounded healer, Chiron, now in Aries. You can find Dragana's website and contact details in the show notes, if you would like to book consultations, as well as learn more about the multitude of astrological activities she so elegantly combines. We hope you enjoy the show! Take a deep breath, and tune in. SHOW NOTES: Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić Website | Faculty Of Astrological Studies | Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić at Culture & Cosmos | Contact Dragana Van de moortrel-Ilić |  CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers | See more info on episode & credits. AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov Lola & The Poets is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://poets-mavericks-and-prophets.com/