Wonderstruck

• 28: Dr. Monica Gagliano on How Plants Know Things We Don’t

  Plants are our ancient teachers, whispering and nudging… if only we’d listen. Dr. Monica Gagliano is an evolutionary ecologist who has turned the green world into something wonderfully surprising. Her research reveals plants that listen, remember, make choices and even teach one another. Some can sense eclipses before they happen. Others communicate in ways we’re only just beginning to catch up with.In 2008, Monica did something bold: she stepped out of academia and followed her curiosity into the forest, literally. Blending scientific experimentation with Amazonian plant ceremonies and the guidance of shamans, she helped spark the field now known as plant intelligence. Since then, her work has captured imaginations around the world, appearing in The New York Times and the National Geographic. In this episode, we explore:✦ Pushing back against the scientific status quo✦ Letting nature show you what it knows✦ Welcoming indigenous plant teachings into scientific practice✦ Paying attention as a joyful act of devotionMonica invites us into a playful and daring question: what do plants actually know… and what might they be trying to tell us?Chapters0:00 Intro: Science, wonder, and pushing boundaries03:03 Initiation on the Great Barrier Reef12:53 “Plants rescued the scientist in me”20:57 Monica’s first experiments with plants 27:10 Bringing empathy into science32:37 "More-than-human" is a place37:33 It's the human that needs saving42:44 Indigenous science and plant communication50:54 The ancient tree that spoke to her56:14 Trees synchronize during solar eclipse01:03:51 Attention is the beginning of devotionFollow Monica:Website: https://www.monicagagliano.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_monicagagliano_Follow Wonderstruck:Website: https://wonderstruck.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wonderstruckpodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonderstruckpodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 27: Psychotherapist Mark Vernon on the Meaning Crisis and Rediscovering the Sacred

  Mark Vernon is a former priest turned psychotherapist who has spent the last 30 years exploring one central question: how do we find meaning in a secular age?After a crisis of faith pulled him away from the Church’s inner sanctum in his youth, Mark turned to Plato and Jung in pursuit of a deeper understanding of purpose, connection, and the soul. Today, his writing bridges ancient philosophy, religion, and modern psychology, a powerful triad he also applies to his work as a therapist.In this episode, we discuss: ✦ The overwhelm of conflicting meanings and remembering the sacred✦ The spiritual thread connecting Dante, William Blake, and Jesus✦ How wonder helps us access the divine✦ Why psychotherapy is a path for ‘spiritual intelligence’Mark's work invites us into the depths of wonder and spirituality as a necessity for the soul.Chapters0:00 Intro: The modern crisis of meaning5:08 Psychotherapy and the vertical dimension of life11:25 The cloud of unknowing and mystical experiences18:19 Kairos time: Moments of spiritual significance23:01 William Blake on joy and eternity27:04 Death as a transcendent and transformative experience33:08 Early Christianity's deeper mysteries and meanings40:44 Humility as an expansive spiritual virtue50:56 Owen Barfield and the evolution of consciousness57:35 Ontological shocks and transformative experiences1:02:41 Outro: The importance of sacred experiencesFollow Mark:Website: https://www.markvernon.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platospodcasts/?hl=en-gb X: https://x.com/platospodcasts YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PlatosPodcasts Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/awake/ Follow Wonderstruck:Website: https://wonderstruck.orgNewsletter: https://newsletter.wonderstruck.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wonderstruckpodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonderstruckpodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 26: Philosopher Bayo Akomolafe - Beyond Fixing the World: Embracing the Cracks and Creating Sanctuary

  What if the cracks in our world aren't flaws, but thresholds into the unknown? In this episode of Wonderstruck, we sit with philosopher, poet, and playful trickster Bayo Akomolafe. Bayo's vision invites us to linger in mystery rather than rush to solutions. He takes us into the unfolding terrain of post-activism, where possibility, not certainty, becomes our guide.In this conversation, we explore:✦ How physics becomes philosophy… and poetry offers a new way of seeing✦ How AI unsettles our ideas of consciousness and what it means to be human✦ His vision of an “autistic politics,” shaped by those who move differently through the world✦ The role of sanctuary and sacred spaces in times of upheavalThis is less a conversation of answers than of reimagining; an invitation to pause, to listen otherwise, and to encounter the mystery shimmering inside the fractures of our time. In these transformational times, Bayo is a rare and radical voice, urging us to reimagine how we see the world.This episode of Wonderstruck invites you into that space. Chapters0:00 Introduction5:31 Autistic perception and expanded awareness12:30 AI is redefining intelligence18:58 The Ship of Theseus and posthumanism25:50 A moment of wonder at the moon40:00 Second sound and postactivism 55:38 Liminality and the Cracks1:06:50 Death, Eshu and Jesus as trickster 1:14:51 Making sanctuary and examining life's glitchesFollow Bayo:Website: https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayoakomolafe/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bayoakomolafeampersand Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayo.akomolafe/Emergence Network: https://www.emergencenetwork.org/ Follow Wonderstruck:Website: https://wonderstruck.orgYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wonderstruckpodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wonderstruckpodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 25: Mycologist Giuliana Furci - Fungi Will Change How You See the World

  Fungi are everywhere. Under our feet, in our food, in our medicines. Yet they remain one of the most overlooked kingdoms of life. In this episode of Wonderstruck, we speak to mycologist Giuliana Furci, a self-taught champion for fungi and founder of the first NGO in the world dedicated to fungal conservation, the Fungi Foundation. She reveals how mushrooms shape ecosystems, inspire culture, and hold ancient knowledge. They are alchemists of decay, transforming death and toxins into the fertile ground of new life. From sacred candlelit ceremonies to songs created with a cloud forest that has rights, Giuliana’s stories may change how you see the world forever.We explore:How fungi sustain life on Earth and make our survival possibleDocumenting indigenous relationships with fungi, from birth control to healingThe Song of the Cedars with Robert Macfarlane, Cosmo Sheldrake, César Rodríguez-Garavito Sacred mushrooms, Mazatec culture and Maria SabinaWhy protecting fungi may shape the future of our planetGiuliana’s story is a testament to what can happen when we follow our calling and, in the words of Giuliana's mother, that something doesn't have to be done in order for us to do it! Chapters: 0:00 Intro: A fateful encounter with fungi5:56 Mycology 101: Fungi's role in life on Earth9:37 Studying fungi with experience and intuition15:07 Don Pfister’s invitation to Harvard23:13 The Song of the Cedars and forest rights30:13 Documenting indigenous relationships with fungi37:38 Surprising fungal uses across cultures41:27 Fungi communication and sacred ceremonies47:49 National Geographic award and impactFollow Giuliana: Website: https://giulianafurci.com/Instagram: @giulifungiFungi Foundation https://www.ffungi.org/LET THINGS ROT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpjWh1TXthMFlora, Fauna, Funga Documentary National Geographic Society: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DsnWcWeyoIThe Song of the Cedar by Cosmo Sheldrake and Robert Macfarlane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH_timp2S3E&list=RDHH_timp2S3E&start_radio=1Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455147/is-a-river-alive-by-macfarlane-robert/9780241624814 Follow Wonderstruck:Newsletter: https://newsletter.wonderstruck.orgWebsite: https://wonderstruck.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpodApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• 24: Jeffrey Kripal - Embracing the Impossible: Ontological Shock and the Extraordinary

  A lot of what Jeffrey Kripal writes about and explores doesn’t fit into our current worldview. A professor at Rice University, where he holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought, Jeff specializes in extreme religious experiences, a new comparativism in the study of religion, the paranormal, and the extraordinary dimensions of human existence. He helped create the groundbreaking GEM Program (Gnosticism, Esotericism, and Mysticism) and serves on the board of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.From UFOs/UAPs to near-death experiences, psi phenomena, and mystical visitations, Jeff’s work challenges us to rethink reality itself. As he puts it, “The paranormal is trying to get our attention. Reality is not what we think it is.” His 13 books, including Authors of the Impossible, Mutants and Mystics, The Flip, How to Think Impossibly, and the upcoming three-volume set The Super Story, invite readers to explore the limits of current-day thought and the vast potential of the unknown.In this conversation, we dive into grief, humor, and the transcendent. Jeff suggests that laughter can help us step outside our worldview, grief can open us to the impossible, and humanity’s tendency to dismiss the extraordinary may actually conceal profound truths. With meaningful observations like “Certainty is a big problem” and “Reality is transcending itself,” Jeff invites us to embrace the mysteries that defy explanation and to see the impossible as a gateway to deeper understanding.Chapters:0:00 Intro: Reality is not what we think5:31 Psychoanalysis and spiritual experiences13:17 John Mack's UFO research at Harvard18:06 The impossible and expanding worldviews24:04 Consciousness: brain vs. perception models29:31 Grief, humor and paranormal experiences36:44 UFOs as a "wedge issue" in science43:17 Historical perspectives on UFO phenomena50:46 Wonder, awe and the "impossible"About Wonderstruck:The Wonderstruck Podcast with Elizabeth Rovere is a deep yet lighthearted exploration of the mystical, metaphysical, transcendent, transformative, esoteric, and ecstatic aspects of human experience. It bridges science, spirituality, and philosophy through engaging conversations with scientists, scholars, experts, and experiencers.In this season of the Wonderstruck Podcast, we delve into the profound mysteries of existence, exploring the depths of human consciousness, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of life. Through engaging conversations with professors, neuroscientists, comedians, healers, poets, psychotherapists, group therapists, philosophers, activists, and authors,we invite listeners to challenge conventional thinking and embrace a multidimensional understanding of reality.Wonderstruck Links:https://wonderstruck.orghttps://www.instagram.com/wonderstruckpod/https://www.youtube.com/@wonderstruckpodhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wonderstruck/id1671879661https://open.spotify.com/show/6fS5boWGwYTShddG7SKlVw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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