UnBoxing “God”

McCall B-L. (AFG, Los Angeles) at The AA Metro East Banquet, in Bellevue, Illinois on Aug. 5th, 2023 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

On Thursday night (Nov. 26th, 2020), McCall had the honor and opportunity to share her story of Experience, Strength and Hope - for an online, quarantined, holiday, Zoom call conference. The childhood memories that flowed forth were thanksgiving miracles, because it was suddenly so easy to remember the good, and took actual effort to recall the “bad”. What you will hear is the story of an only child raised by a single mother - a magical, creative, beautiful poet of a woman, and also an alcoholic. Hear how, with the help of Al-Anon and AlATeen (and a higher power she calls “Waldo”) McCall discovered gratitude, joy, and contentment. (Los Angeles, CA.) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Fact: Explaining Sacred Geometry and Vortex Math for a podcast... audio and no visuals... suffice to say: It is a BEAST. And although I have been working diligently on an epic episode all about Sacred Shapes, Divine Digits + Persistent Patterns - it’s still pretty rough at the moment. It needs at least a few more days of TLC (and Kyle’s ruthless editing cuts) before it is ready to meet you. Instead of working myself into a tizzy, and entirely forgoing sleep again tonight, I am practicing the pause and giving myself some grace. Anything Important, isn’t (usually) also Urgent. The world will keep spinning, and I won’t ask you to sit through a 2+ hour, mathematical furry of concepts. I will breathe and be grateful.... that Thankfully, I have held on to this particular Plan B in case I should stumble upon just this sort of situation. Alas, today, you shall hear my first public Al-Anon speaker lead - in all its imperfection. (The sound is pretty rough and, due to nerves, I talk super fast at first. But, I slow down and share my story of how it was, what happened and how it’s different now. It was off the cuff and from the heart, and I hope you find something in it that touches you. (In Waldo we trust.) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

In this episode, you’ll get to know the captivating ‘Mom of TikTok’, Samantha Howsden Ward aka @MONW0102. She shares her spiritual evolution, which developed from a God-FEARing relationship as a child, with a Bible beating, mentally ill mother.... into (co)dependency with a toxic first marriage... and finally, to the place where, now she actively chooses Love over Fear. - Tune in to hear all the juicy bits of Samantha’s life story and expanding belief system, from the positive impacts of divorce, to her son changing her parents’ expressions of love. - How have YOU Chosen Love today? - This Bonus Holiday Gift episode of Unboxing “God” is an atypical format (like the “Complete Convos” I post on Patreon) in which Samantha calls herself a ‘conundrum wrapped in an enigma’, as she has interests all over the place. She is who she is - growing daily and meeting people where they are. I (hey there, McCall speaking!) wholeheartedly agree and I suspect you will too, after listening to this whirlwind of an episode. Happy holidays!! - - • Samantha’s TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@monw0102 • Instagram: www.instagram.com/monw0102 • Facebook: www.facebook.com/samantha.howsden • YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCC60MfqcUTuPGkog4m3piuA • Website: www.monw0102.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

For the final episode of Season One, McCall and her husband, Kyle, disclose their journey through a very unhealthy relationship and into the intimate and loving marriage they now enjoy. With five guests, this is a Jam Packed episode... which make make you salivate! Like an English Muffin, the Nooks and Crannies are where the goodness resides. It's the Space In between that solidifies any relationship and fosters healthy boundaries. Kristin Combs, shares about how she is approaching her new relationship differently. Author Juan Lee (Love Made Simple) talks boundaries and the responsibilities of love. Professor  Mormon Mike is back to talk about deep connections and allowing love. Finally, executive coach, Sarah Goodson (www.threebeatsconsulting.com) brings some valuable tools for instilling boundaries, compassion and forgiveness... for others and ourselves. WARNING: Talk of crock-pot chili, English muffins, ice cream cake, and other food analogies... may make you salivate. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

In this episode, McCall unboxes awe and wonder.  She contemplates the causes and effects of her own limited opportunities to experience awe as a child and endeavors to discover the benefits, and possible downsides of awe. McCall explores the history of awe and its evolution in society, the sources of awe, it’s power to create social bonds, and even provide physical healing.  In an interview with Mike Richardson professor of Adolescent Development and Classroom Management at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, McCall hears about the wondrous nature of grapes, and posits awe as a form of worship. Finally, McCall relays the value of boredom in sparking curiosity, and encourages all of us not to worry, because worry leaves us “feeling awful instead of awe filled.” --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Sacred Geometry: Understanding the Underling Meanings of Shapes + Patterns In this episode of Unboxing God, we talk about sacred geometry and the meaning and connection of certain shapes, like the square, circle, and triangle. Is the ultimate answer in the Great Architect or just a series of extremely unlikely coincidences? Paying attention to your surroundings reveals patterns appearing all around us both in nature and in human made structures; we take a closer look at how this is especially true of the golden ratio. We also try to unbox the number five, and the irrationality of pi and phi. It is important to that from our earliest days humans have been using images, shapes, and numbers to represent our understanding of the universe. But we also need to understand that there’s still so much more we don’t know and highly unlikely that we will ever achieve the theory of everything. Listen in to learn how sacred geometry brings healing, harmony, and rebalancing on every level. You will also understand why the triangle is the magic shape uniting the body, mind, and spirit. What you will learn: · How sacred geometry deals with more than proportions of geometric figures, but also with forms and structures of natural objects. · My struggle with finding balance with any two things and the solution of some possible third option. · The circle - is the undifferentiated unity and a sign of completion. · A snippet of Devon’s interview - she’s a freemason and has been interested in satanic literature since she was a child. · Unboxing the number five - the Fibonacci Sequence and the golden ratio and how by paying attention you can see patterns appearing all over. · Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man mystery - on whether he used the golden ratio or not. · How sacred geometry supposedly connects the inner with the outer in unity. · The triangle - represents the union of our body, mind, and spirit and is the symbol that underlies all other symbols. It is the magic shape. · Why we’ll never achieve the theory of everything but can be inspired by the natural phenomena we can see all around us. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

A special Trick and (several) Treats from Brother Matthew Paul... on the REAL DEAL of Halloween.    Drop all of your preconceptions before listening, cuz I bet this is not at all what you expect to hear. Especially coming from a “Religious Brother” of Catholicism.  From the history of trick or treating and dressing in costumes, to the merging of many holidays into a harvest filled bounty of celebration that many folks may know, Brother Matthew Paul talks druids, Wicca, Catholicism, and The Order of The Bards, Ovates, & Druids. He shares his own Dominican order’s reverent practice of honoring their families and ancestors, but especially their dead. Learn the truth about Samhain, Neopaganism, Purgatory, All Souls’, Guy Fawkes - from Saints to Satan, Brother Matthew Paul leaves no caldron untipped (or pumpkin Un carved) in this fantastic expose of a really wonderful holiday!  As always, friends, things are precisely what you make of them.  Boo! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Regardless of whether you want to complete your basketball season, get from point A to point B, or deliver a healthy baby... the safest place to be is cushioned in the middle of a protective “bubble”.     This week's episode really packs a punch - and a few kicks - as McCall has three conversations with different martial arts practitioners who offer their insights into the importance of finding an equilibrium... where one is not teetering at either end of two extremes, but instead expands that line to an encompassing sphere - at the center of which, lies safety and security.   Beth W. practices a Kabbalah connected martial art in NYC.  Rich H. is learning Jeet Kun Do, created by Bruce Lee.  Masters Tanya and Wally Bagot, who run Sunset San Soo in LA, explain to McCall that this style of Kung Fu is not for sport, but self-protection.  And what do they all have in common...? Balance, training, mindful awareness, and flow.  Also, featuring the wise words of Bruce Lee and Joseph Campbell, on dangerous dichotomies, following your bliss & finding the safe balance of the center.  Quotes  “One of the basic Kabalistic concepts is that God creates the universe anew - every day. The world is in a constant state of creation.” -- Beth Wilensky  “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless -- like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend." --Bruce Lee  “Whenever one moves out of the transcendent, one comes into a field of opposites. These two pairs of opposites come forth, as male and female, from the two sides. What has eaten of the tree of the knowledge -- not only of good and evil, but of male and female, of right and wrong, of this and that, and light and dark. Everything in the field of time is dual - past and future, dead and alive. All this. Being and non-being. Is/isn't. They always come in pairs and put your mind in the middle. Most of us put our minds on the side of the good, against what we think of as evil. It was Heraclites, I think, who said: ‘For God, all things are good, and right, and just. But for man, some things are 'right' and others are 'Not'.’ You're in the field of time when you're man. And one of the problems of life is to live in the realization of both terms. That is to say, ‘I know the center. And I know that good and evil are simply temporal apparitions.’” -- Joseph Campbell  “Follow your bliss. …with a deep sense of being informed. And … then going where your body and soul want to go. When you have that feeling, then stay with it! And don't let anyone throw you off.” -- Joseph Campbell  “Martial arts means honestly expressing yourself.” -- Bruce Lee  “Humility is a willingness to learn.” -- Wally Bagot  “Running water never grows stale.” -- Bruce Lee  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

PLEASE... check out UBG Trailer 2.0  - A LOT has happened since March 20, 2020 - when McCall first recorded this one!!! (What IS that music?!?!) We are UnBoxing "God" - Because sometimes tackling an "un"manageable life requires the help of an "un"orthodox higher power. Each week we will publish an episode. First, we will begin to dig into a topic, often inspired by McCall's practice of 12-Step Recovery. [No topic is too taboo, sacred, scary, dangerous, or in any other way Off-Limits to unbox.] Plus, in between FULL episodes -we will go even DEEPER into literature, scripture + other sacred texts, psychology, philosophy, theology and... every science journal, video, audiobook and Wikipedia entry we can absorb! It's like a game, to follow every rabbit (or worm) hole that happens to present itself. Won't you join us on this Hero's Journey?!?! "If you try to keep an open mind... you WILL find help." Besides, you can always "take what you like... and leave the rest." Contact: WaldoLovesMe@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Because sometimes tackling an unmanageable life requires the help of an unorthodox higher power.  Each week we will dig into a topic that challenges us... from the "God" in 12 Step Recovery, to Social Justice issues like Gender, Race and Arranged Marriage...  using less than traditional tools and ideas.  Take what you like... and leave the rest.   Contact: WaldoLovesMe@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Today has been known as Columbus Day for over a century but federally recognized since 1934. In more recent years, however, October 12th (or the second Monday of October) has come to be known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  Today we celebrate, honor, and uplift indigenous people.  Also, our friend and guest, Laura, stops by to tell us a little about Canadian Thanksgiving, which they call “Gratitude Day”, instead of honoring the violence of colonialism. “We’ve never been grateful for genocide.” - Laura McCall explains her attraction to the Native Americans idea of two-spirit people - combining characteristics of both genders. In many tribes, two-spirit people filled special religious roles, such as healers, ceremonial leaders, and shamans. In some tribes, these people were considered especially blessed in the areas of love and attraction, with the ability to bless others with that gift. Indigenous Americans view disease and death as the natural result of an imbalance in an individual. The Native American Church (NAC) uses peyote as a holy, sacred sacrament. “What better pharmacist than the Great Spirit itself, who purposefully created peyote for medicinal, spiritual, and healing purposes.” - McCall McCall breaks down the role of peyote in Native American Church and the amazing man, Quanah Parker, who began it. Is it a monotheistic religion, based on faith in One Supreme Spirit? The concept of that universal spiritual energy is called The Great Spirit, and it is interpreted as the power that resides in all. “All matter is animated and alive, emanating and receptive to some spirit force.” – McCall For most Native cultures, there is no distinction between the spiritual world and the material world. However, colonial European missionaries exploited the similarities between their concept of God and The Great Spirit to encourage conversion to Christianity. Worship of the land also created conflict with colonial Christians, which is explained in this episode with some beautiful spoken words from Professor Joseph Campbell that illuminate the dangers of dualism and the battle of Good vs Evil, Right vs Wrong, Man vs Nature. Conflict between colonial Europeans and Native Americans is addressed, noting a distinct connection to, and worshipping of, the land on which we reside. Today, there is a disconnect with Earth which we must mend. A ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ of sorts. Climate change is real, and McCall has some wise words regarding what we can to do make peace with our planet. “It is undeniable that we as humans are out of balance with the planet.” – McCall Perhaps we should adopt a way of thinking that is more aligned with the Native American culture, one where we strive for balance. Mother Earth needs us to take her into account when we act, celebrate, and create legacies. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

What do the sworn virgins of Albania, Caitlyn Jenner, Elagabalus, and Caster Semenya all have in common?   They’re transgender -- or, perhaps, third gender.   How long have we known about transgender?  Is gender just biological sex like some say or is there something more to learn from other cultures’ and countries’ histories of gender which is not binary?  Pink or blue only gender reveal parties, get ready to meet your match!  [1:00] International Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Intersex Association - Trans Legal Mapping Report 2019 / Criminalization of trans people globally [03:51] Erratum!  Our first but probably not our last... [06:13] Trans around the world / Muxes in Mexico [07:08] The Sworn Virgins of Albania [08:20] Elagabalus, perhaps the first trans Roman Emperor from 200 CE [12:18] Trans in the military / Christine Jorgensen post-WWII [13:51] Ryan -M2F- on Australian school uniforms [16:16] Ryan on transitioning genders and a first Al-Anon meeting [18:46] Trans in history / Hijras in India [20:13] Celia Daniels on Hijras [26:51] Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Hijra from India [28:13] Indian Trans Olympic Games / Trans in Sports [29:42] Caster Semenya [35:24] Caitlyn Jenner [36:31] Gender spectrum / Evolution to Third Gender ? [37:58] 5 Genders? The Bissu of the Bugis people [40:24] What’s to come... Recommended Resources ILGA Trans Legal Mapping Report 2019 Five Genders? | National Geographic video Muxes in Mexico Sworn Virgins | National Geographic Muslim-Trans in Indonesia India’s Third Gender Changing Gender Dynamics in Current Structure of India | Laxmi Narayan Tripathi | TEDxSIUHinjewadi Roman Scandal 22: Elagabalus and the Problem of Teen Rule Find Celia Daniels on Facebook or on LinkedIn or Instagram Support Celia Daniels’ work at https://transcanwork.org/ Join the conversation on Facebook! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Arranged marriage - what reaction does that incite in you?     This week, we’re delving into Indian marriage: who has arranged ones and can people be happy in them?  McCall and Cass have conversations with Celia Daniels, an Indian trans woman in a heterosexual arranged marriage; Monique, an Indian Australian woman who opted to have a non-arranged marriage; and Manpreet, a Punjabi woman who opted to marry a fellow Sikh. Summary [02:22] Reminder: Who is Celia Daniels? [03:02] Celia Daniels on Indian, Christian, Arranged Marriage [07:04] Celia on her duality as womxn and husband/father [08:35] McCall + Cass on arranged marriage [09:11] Who participates in arranged marriages? Where did this idea come from? [12:01] Types of arranged marriages     SPONSOR AD [15:23-16:30] [16:30] "Moonies'" Unification mass-ceremony arranged marriages [20:40] Love is Blind…? [22:13] Divorce + statistics, in the U.S. [24:00] The caste system - in the U.S, too….? [24:47] Is arranged marriage like the show “Married at First Sight”? [27:20] Introduction to Manpreet in Punjab [27:47] Manpreet on arranged marriage [28:21] Monique's happy marriage [30:29] Monique on gender roles in India [34:52] What’s to come, Cass? Quotes [19:27] “The mirror of love is blind. It makes zucchini into okra.” --Arabic saying [29:04] "I don't think it's the things that keep you together... It's when things go bad, and they're not enough to break you apart... that's when you know that it's a good relationship." --Monique Kalmar Recommended Resources Find Celia Daniels on Facebook or on LinkedIn or Instagram Support Celia Daniels’ work at https://transcanwork.org/ Email Monique Kalmar at monique@psychologypathways.com Join the conversation on Facebook! Support UnBoxing “God” here --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Indian born and raised, a loving arranged marriage, a deep abiding Faith in God, and a sense that HE was a SHE from a very early age. This week, McCall delves into conversation with Celia Sandhya Daniels, who opens up about their life: Growing up a Christian boy in India; loving God, but hating the "girl inside"; an arranged marriage, to an incredible woman; coming out as transgender; and her struggles through depression and suicidality, in coming to terms with who God designed her to be - for the world, and who God created HIM to be - for his treasured wife & daughter. *Trigger warning: This story talks about molestation, sexual assault, and suicide ideation and behavior. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Are women the downfall of humanity? The Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) would have you believe so. Did monotheism's misogyny intentionally kill the Feminine Divine? Are there other interpretations of Eve, Adam, and the Creation Story? Are we positive that Adam was actually male? Who was 'Lilith'? Might females really be the chosen ones, to redeem all of 'man'kind? Is Androgyny the goal of human evolution?      From Eunuchs to Elvis. Ruby Rose to Virginia Woolfe. We use every resource we can, to face the hard questions we have, in an attempt to recover from the biased judgments we've developed.     Starting with the concept of Women's Intuition, breaking down preconceptions of androgyny, and exploring God's possible intention with Adam & Eve, McCall & Cass use history, literature, interviews, and conversation..., to "UnBox" Gender and Religion. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Since it's Labor Day in the States, and well over 100 degrees in Los Angeles (where McCall lives)... okay and also cuz we are still hard at work on a PACKED Episode 11 - Cass and McCall (and Kyle) are taking the week “off” and will offer up, instead of your regularly planned programming: some exciting info and a few teaser clips from interviews that will be featured over the last four weeks of Season One! PLUS: A Call for "Listener Shares"! Brother Matthew Paul re-joins us for some biblical enlightenment, as well as Alison WhiteAcre, the brilliant musician turned transition coach.  Plus, there are a few new guests - Michelle, a trans woman exploring her faith and sobriety, and Monique, who shares her experience navigating different faiths through Indian culture, in her native Australia. Come here more from these guests and others... Next week! Join the conversation on Facebook! Support UnBoxing “God” here Email Waldo (McCall and the team) at waldolovesme@gmail.com if there’s anything you’d like to unbox with us! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

Spoiler: We’re all basically androgynous.  McCall’s ex talks masculinity and femininity during gender transition and Cassidy helps McCall unbox toxic femininity, through the lens of Jung’s theory of Anima (the feminine aspect in a male) and Animus (the masculine aspect in a female) and the toxicity that occurs when those characteristics become too extreme.  This week, Alison Whiteacre, a transfemme transition coach (a perfectly suited career, we think!) and an old lover of McCall’s, joins the show to speak candidly on how she feels about femininity and masculinity, and what transitioning has taught her so far. Also, we introduce our new UBG Team member:  Cassidy, whose work in rape crisis gives her an interesting, albeit biased, perspective on terminology she unboxes with us. What is animus? What’s anima then? Alison Whiteacre and transition coaching Alison’s 4 Phases of Change (like playing your hand) Girls have more fun! Gender fluidity and Non-Binary Billy Gender Dysphoria Alison’s 3-Step Life Hack Cass’s reaction to toxic femininity Toxic gender roles: a phone call Devon Price: “Toxic Femininity Holds All of us Back” Call to Action John Mellencamp “Little Ditty” outtake --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

In Episode 10, McCall is unloading the box of all things woowoo! Most of us are familiar with archetypes, but Jung’s collective unconscious theory leads us to the fringe of what we know as mainstream and into the dreamworld, tarot card reading, and intuition. This week she’s asked several guests to fill in the gaps of “woowoo” that she proclaims she is “both drawn to and repelled by”. Jenny Sieck gives us a crash course on Jung’s archetypes, intuition, and dream analysis. Haleigh gives us a practical tool to tap into our own archetypes: tarot! Plus, Cassidy and Ryan are back again -- this time breaking down a few archetypes and helping us float through the concept of the collective unconscious. This week McCall is asking listeners, “What can the woowoo do for you?” (NOTE: You do NOT need to like Patchouli, and may absolutely gag at the smell of Nag Champa, and you will still dig this episode.) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support

In this week’s bonus episode, McCall examines the shadow, or the dark side of Self, and the mask, or what is projected to the world. Through the exploration of an Al-Anon reading, Pinocchio, and Pandora’s Box, McCall guides us through these Jungian archetypes and how she handles her own mask these days. For this episode, she also enlists the help of Kyle, her husband, to unpack these concepts in a more relevant way: through rock and roll. Then singer-songwriter Kaciny has something to say, er, sing about it. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unboxinggod/support