The Power of Ideas: Recent Episodes
An Astrology & Sociology Podcast
A podcast with interesting people about their lives, their purpose and their calling using stars and stories. Be your own best idea.
In this special episode, I decided to have a little fun with Venus and Mercury retrograde energy by creating a fully AI-generated conversation between myself and a fictional podcast host named Matilda. Using ChatGPT to write the script and ElevenLabs to clone my voice, I explore the findings of my new (and first) academic solo-authore journal article "Reacting to the Irrationality Problem: Civilian Astrology and Certainty Posturing."
The episode dives into how astrology—often dismissed as irrational—is actually a rich site for examining how people perform belief, negotiate gender stereotypes, and claim or reject scientific authority. From "civilian astrologers" to confident skeptics, we unpack it all with nuance and a bit of AI magic.
This is part research breakdown, part sociological theater, and entirely a retrograde experiment in digital scholarship. Enjoy!
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YOU CAN FIND A LINK TO DOWNLOAD MY ARTICLE HERE
Email: tpo.ideas@gmail.com
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Growing up, credit cards were always a thing I feared. It was a way to get in trouble with money. And indeed, like many (I am sure), I got into some credit card debt early on in life. Recently, however, I have been introduced to the world of credit card points and financial literacy more generally. Now, its a whole new world!
To woo new customers, credit card companies have to offer better and better perks like bonus points, airport lounges, upgrades to first class and business class, etc. The result of this is a system that - If you work it right - means that you can get a lot of free stuff. That said, its complicated!
Yet, lucky for me, my friend Darren has become a credit card points wizard. In this episode, I sit down and talk with Darren about how he got into the world of points, what kinds of things he has gotten from points and what you should be thinking about before starting to dive into this world.
Welcome to the Power of Ideas.
A few years ago, the woman who taught me much of what I would come to know about astrology told me about her theory on the astrology of death. The skepic in me was, well, skeptical. Yet, what she ended up theorizing made more sense than I expected. In short, she said, where past astrologers had failed, they failed to take in the context of others around the person they were trying to predict. I thought it was a very smart idea.
Recently, in a bit of random insight and astrological experimentation, I took that idea and applied it to one of my newest favorite curiosities - bitcoin. What I found was, in my opinion, absolutely fasciniting.
In this episode, I delve into the nuanced art of predicting death through the stars, advocating for a theory that, while intriguing in its own right, shines even brighter when applied to forecasting the future of phenomena like Bitcoin. The secret sauce? Shifting the astrological lens from Bitcoin's chart to that of its staunch advocates, a strategy that promises a richer, more accurate glimpse into its destiny.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
We had a plan! Then, in true pisces fashion, we threw the plan out the window.
While I had come in thinking we were going to discuss racial consciousness, our pre-recorded talk went down the road of "what the f*** is going on with the astrological weather right now?!" And so we went with it. (Racial consciousness episode coming soon!)
As two people who think of themselves as in some ways guided by our intuitions, Ayisha and I discuss the challenges we both have recently felt in being able to find the muse, so to speak. What happens when our intuitions fail us? How do we respond when it becomes obvious that we are going to need to work a little harder and be a little more organized with our thoughts and works?
In short, what happens when Saturn asks us Pisces to get our shit together - just a little bit - so we can make sure everything works well and is clear for everybody.
This episode works well as a companion to the last episode, "Ep. 5: Lying and Serious Religion" where I take seriously the ways in which we construct our visions, illusions and lies. Take a listen to that first and you may enjoy this episode just a bit more.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
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Ayisha's Podcast: Black Girl from Eugene Ayisha's Website: https://blackgirlfromeugene.org/
Why do we lie? We all lie. So, perhaps a better question is - how do we lie? This question then leads to a different, and even more important one - WHAT IS A LIE?
In this episode, I tackle these questions through considering what Saturn, the planet of seriousness, moving through Pisces, the sign of vision, means. In other words, what happens when seriousness meets vision. The possibilities are more vast than you may realize. One of the most obvious ones may be religion. But what is a religion?
I delve into film and tv, family and the necessity of lying to those we love, drugs and alcohol, sobriety, atheism, sports and even a careful contemplation on the limitations of medicine and health care. In the end, I even consider my own potential limits - what if astrology is just my own illusion?
Welcome to the power of ideas.
If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider sharing your favorite episode with a friend. Start a discussion and tell me about on twitter. Use the hashtag #TPOI
Is there such a thing as the "biracial agenda?" Shortly after my previous conversation with Ayisha, I heard a clip from Van Lathan about what he called the biracial agenda and "biracial supremacy." It was a provocative claim instigated by Michael Porter Jr's comment about jealousy. I thought this clip would be a good one to continue the conversation from last episode about the one drop rule and half black as "just black."
We finish by discussing a form of racism known as tacit racism which I contextualize through the discussion of a chapter of the book called "fractured reflections." This idea relates to how high status black men do not often get their high status identities validated. Ayisha discusses how this is perhaps even more true for black women. Tune in.
Welcome to the Power of Ideas.
Ayishas Website: https://blackgirlfromeugene.org/
Ayisha's podcast: CLICK ME
Artificial intelligence is changing. More speicifcally, it is rapidly improving. And it may change the world, potentially faster than we can imagine. Over the last year, Chat GPT has made this clearer than ever and abstract conversations about it took on new urgency. In this episode, I talk with my own personal expert, and good friend, Trevor Auldridge. Trevor is a PhD candidate at UC, Santa Barbara where he studies rurality and social mobility. Yet, recently, he became fascinated with Chat GPT and has since become incredibly competent with it and has begun incorporating it into his life and work.
No one I know understands Chat GPT as well as Trevor and so I wanted to discuss how he became familiar with it, how he uses it and what he thinks others should know about using it.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
In this episode, I want to explore some themes that I expect to come up over the next year and beyond. Astrologically speaking, 2024 marks the beginning of a twenty year period that relates to technology, artificial intelligence and social movements. Yet, an underlying theme that I think will be embedded within conversations about these things to a far more heightened degree is morality. In our everyday speech, I imagine "the greater good" may become a far more common term. And even if it is not, the theme will be. In fact, I think I already see it emerging in places obvious and not-so-obvious. So, in this episode, I discuss in a kind of free associative way about what I think we can all expect over the next year, and potentially the next twenty years. It will be a helpful episode to come back to as I continue the podcast and discuss all sorts of different ideas for the next however-long.
Welcome to the power of ideas.
In this episode, I return with a framework that I hope will accomplish two things. One, help people understand the overly complicated and often misunderstood question of "what is sociology?" And, second, use it as a framework to help listen to the podcast.
The sociological Imagination is a concept and framework put forward by sociological C. Wright Mills in which he says that the best way to understand societies is through looking at the intersection of biography and history, or put differently, personal troubles and public issues.
Here, I make the case that whatever a sociologist tells you sociolgy "is," they all, in fact, use the same framework - the sociological method. With that in mind, it can help us all make better sense of the world, and also help you better understand how to listen to this podcast and what I am seeking to do with the concepts, conversations and ideas in it.
Welcome to the Power of Ideas.
To pull up your astrology chart as I describe in the episode, go to astro.com.
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Follow me on twitter: @thepowerof1deas
To listen to Ayisha's podcast, Black Girl from Eugene, click here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-girl-from-eugene/id1434989747?i=1000523621143
Today is a special episode. While usually, I try and keep it light even when talking about difficult subjects, we are living in a moment where there is a "conflict" in Palestine going in which the United States has incredible power to intervene and end. It is not rhetoric, in my opinion, that we are living through what we may look back at and definitively see as a genocide.
Shadin is a Jordan-Palestinian woman with family that was displaced by this conflict.
I talk with her about the history of Palestine, the colonization of Palestine by Israel with the support of European nations and the US. We discuss why this is such a urgent and grave concern historically and we then discuss what is going now.
Follow Shadin or reach out to her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/shadinkh/
Below you will find links to people to follow, resources to help support the people of Palestine, and ways get involved:
https://bdsmovement.net/news/outraged-Israels-crimes-against-palestinians-5-actions
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E257ZM0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://www.instagram.com/mohammedelkurd/?igshid=1sxiaydy88uei
Kacie Rogers is an actress, writer, producer and all around interesting person. I was lucky enough to meet Kacie while I worked on the film Low Low (available on Amazon Prime for freeeee) and Kacie was one of the lead actresses. We hit it off and had many great conversations during down time on set - which there were many (making movies is much more boring than you think). So, I asked Kacie to be one of the first guests on the show when I first began this podcast and she kindly obliged. So, listen in and get familiar with Kacie because she may some day be your boss.
http://kacierogers.com/
After 4 months of doing this tiny podcast for fun, I pause to think back and speak on how it came to be in its current iteration. In short, I look at how it came to be a podcast about Astrology AND Sociology. In other words, how did I become interested in these two things? One answer is more serendipitous and random (sociology) and the other appears to possibly have its roots in the very moment I was born. I try to tell the story as linearly as I can even though as I have come to find out, in life, nothing is really that linear.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
To help, i.e. donate, volunteer or just get involved and know more about what we talked about in this episode, follow these links.
https://www.citynet.org/
https://sbact.org/
Not only do we discuss the astrology but we also talk Cahoots, an alternative to policing that Ayisha has a personal connection with. And I give myself a new nickname - the woo woo Guru. (it's trademarked, you can't steal it).
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To contact Robin about a consultation, email her at beingmyownself@gmail.com or visit her website at beingmyownself.com
Robin Woodward has been doing astrology for 31 years. So she knows her stars. Meaning, when I wanted someone to help me explain what all this madness in 2020 was, she was the first person I thought of.
Interestingly, if you ask Robin, there is a lot to be optimistic about. For some, the excitement in our voices might sound strange considering the circumstances but as Robin explains, this is a once in a lifetime era (not just 2020 but 2020 all the way until 2030) that will shape the course of history for hundreds of years to come.
This is part 1 of a 2-part conversation. So, listen in as we talk about how the stars made the first 6 months of 2020 quite a whirlwind.
Visit Robin at www.beingmyownself.com
Robin has been studying astrology for longer than I've been alive.
I met Robin when I was searching for someone to do my first astrology reading and came across her website. I quickly came to realize that her brand of astrology is unlike anyone elses. It is personal and it is incredibly powerful.
Me and her became friends and she has been a mentor for me around the practice of astrology for the next few years. While my studies are now more sociological, I deeply value Robins wisdom and in this year of 2020 and all that it encompasses, I thought it was time to reconnect and talk about everything thats going on.
But first, I wanted to reintroduce her. So, this episode is a rebroadcast of a conversation we had in 2018 about how she became an astrologer and how she sees it.
Listen in. Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
In this era of recording police brutality and the fight around dismantling white supremacy, what is becoming obvious is that it is not enough just to protest. Communities need to organize.
How do we do that in a way that is helpful, useful and sustainable. In short, how do we create intentional communities that work towards equality and are harmonious and progressive?
Trevor is a PhD students whose work focuses mainly on hope. However, I have known him as someone deeply interested in the work of community and organizations. He also just so happens to have his MC in the 11th house conjunct venus. Coincidence?
So, I sat down with Trevor to talk about community, organizations and how to do the work that we so desperately need to do WELL right now.
Right now, a light is FINALLY being shone on police brutality in the US. A conversation desperately needed but its never as simple as it seems. In this conversation, me and Ayisha discuss the issue of blackness in the context of those of us who self-identify as mixed-race. As you'll quickly hear, there are no easy answers.
I have a feeling this is a conversation many people will begin to have as these injustices against not only black people but all people of color and all people generally begin to emerge. Because police brutality is also a pandemic but it has been at it its worst - you could even call it a plague - for black people for centuries.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
As I did a few weeks back, I am introducing a new segment. This one I am calling "In The Sky."
My intention is to choose a particular astrological aspect going on in the sky and discuss with Ayisha (Podcast host of Black Girl from Eugene) how we feel it manifesting in the real world.
Right now, there is no escaping it. Race and racism is what is going on. After the murder of George Floyd, a tipping point was reached. And while I make the case that this conjunction between the moon, mars and neptune has made for a little bit of a mellow mood or, as Ayisha called it, "a lull"
We don't mess around and we jump right into the fray. We talk about race, racism, police brutality, Nascar, the ugly history of pacific Northwest and much more. Get comfortable in your discomfort.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
Dr. Ada Onyewuenyi is a professor of Psychology who does research on the identity development of black youth across the diaspora. In this episode, we talk about everything from psychology, sociology, education and, of course, a little astrology. We do so in the context of George Floyd, race and racism, Black Panther, language appropriation by white supremacists, Journal paywalls and much more.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
In part 2 of our conversation, we talk hypnotism, Freud, Shakespeare, Macklemore, Astrology, Mental Models and so much more. In short, we dip, dive, twist and turn around what makes the mind the mind. This one is hard to summarize in a few short sentences - its a fun and wild ride.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
Jenn works for the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges but, as you will hear, she is so much more. With a passion for faculty, students, learning and Email, yes, email, she is trying her best to help education as a whole improve. We talk about the structures that inhibit and disinhibit learning and many, MANY tangents in between. If you have even the slightest interest in education and learning, this one is for you.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
Today, I am trying something new. I am calling it "The Tenth House." Anyone that knows a little about astrology knows that the tenth house symbolizes the career. So, I thought that an interesting idea would be to look at famous peoples astrology and talk about their career with one of the interesting people I've had on the show.
Today, with my bff Katy Larsen, we talk about and look at the Astrology of the GOAT - Michael Jordan.
Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
This is a rebroadcast of an episode I recorded with Katy in mid 2018. We discuss the interesting story around how she became a nurse, what it means to her and a little about about basketball. If all goes well, Katy will be my special guess next week (May 17th) when I premiere a new segment I'm calling "The Tenth House."
So listen in and get familiar with one of my favorite people in the world - Katy Larsen. Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
Michael is an entrepreneur with a life full of stories. He's lived in LA, Amsterdam, Puerto Rico, South Africa and now is stationed in Southern Mexico working on his next project. We sat down to talk about his life and the peculiar abundance of opportunities that he has had - and floundered - and what it all means. Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
Nicole is a recent graduate from Pacifica University, a higher learning institute that specializes in Depth Psychology, Mythological Studies and other non-traditional disciplines here in Santa Barbara, Ca. She completed her degree in Clinical Psychotherapy and we sat down to talk about how she found her way here and what archetypes resonate with her life (and mine too). Welcome to The Power of Ideas.
Ayisha Elliott is a mother, a sister, a daughter, a dancer, a philosopher, an intellectual and, most importantly at the moment - podcast host of "Black Girl from Eugene," a podcast where she takes the menagerie of her life experiences and unapologetically talks about the real real. Listen in as we talk about race, family, trauma and identity. Welcome (back) to the Power of Ideas.