This Magical Life

Guided meditation in the grove, anchoring with earth and sky, reading a poem about yielding to a fine wind and welcoming “three strange angels,” sensing the group field’s blessing, offering prayers for peace and the earth, and returning to awareness as the captain of one’s own ship.

Full episode audio without music also available: The Deep is Not Our Enemy

Philip invites listeners to imagine gathering in a sacred forest grove as Samhain approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, noting outer turbulence and inner calm. Drawing on the Eastern triad of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, he uses the metaphor of a ship to describe spiritual life and the need for guidance, teaching, and community. Philip suggests the “deep” is not an enemy but can be dangerous, yet also rich and essential for the journey, encouraging trust in deep currents and the power of not knowing during the dark half of the year.

The episode transitions into a guided meditation in the grove, anchoring with earth and sky, reading a poem about yielding to a fine wind and welcoming “three strange angels,” sensing the group field’s blessing, offering prayers for peace and the earth, and returning to awareness as the captain of one’s own ship.

Full audio meditation with music also available: Trusting the Deep Amid Chaos

Watch the interview on YT: https://youtu.be/98vJePzKa0w

Philip Carr-Gomm interviews David Bramwell about his book Ghosts of the Medicine Show: An Odyssey into the Shamanic Roots of Popular Entertainment. Bramwell explores how the greatest artists, performers, and celebrities morphed into shaman-like leaders, and how audiences became congregations in search of healing.

In some of his most personal writing to date, Bramwell visits darkened yurts of circuses, pantomimes, cinemas, and music concerts in search of evidence that the tricks and skills of the shaman's "show" remain hidden in plain sight in everything from theatre and magic to rock'n'roll.

Find out more about David and his book @ https://www.drbramwell.com

Video Version Available from 18:30 GMT 09/09/2026: https://youtu.be/f8NKagn68mk
 
What made the Beatles so extraordinary?
How did these four young musicians come together at exactly the right moment, and how did everything fall into place so perfectly that they became the most innovative and successful band that the world has ever seen, and a cultural phenomenon that still shapes the world today?
Was it simply a series of lucky coincidences, or were there larger reasons for their success?

Steve Taylor, a renowned scholar of psychology and spirituality, and former professional musician, talks with Philip about his latest book.

Available on Amazon
Across-Universe-Mystery-Beatles-Creativity

 Beatles songs mentioned: "I Feel Fine," "Can't Buy Me Love," "A Hard Day's Night," "No Reply," "Eight Days a Week," "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Yesterday," "Across the Universe." "All Things Must Pass," "My Sweet Lord," "God."

Philip Carr-Gomm  shares a fresh thought from his work on the eightfold wheel of the year: humanity’s destruction of the Earth may arise from unconscious motives, tied to confusion between spiritual limitlessness (Awen, inspiration, love) and physical limitation (boundaries, lifespan). He explores discernment between these levels, the mutual need of force and form, and how limitations—illness, tiredness, reminders of mortality—can ground us and shape us through mistakes and our reactions to them. Emphasizing compassion and awareness of judgment, he leads a meditation in the sacred grove, attuning to the Earth’s richness and heartbeat, blessing the planet and all species, and closing with solidarity and connection in the circle.

Music Credits: Jairamji-Charlie Roscoe - Awakening Earth - 04 Forgiveness Ritual