Nearly Numinous

Welcome back! We’ve been pretty quiet around here lately, but we’re really excited to launch our NEW SERIES.

For the next month-or-so, we’ll be focusing solely on topics that relate to the “Cult of Wellness”. Jump into this episode to find out exactly what that is, and get a small teaser of what’s to come over the next little bit.

You can definitely expect some talk about Goop and Gwenyth Paltrow, the commodification and westernization of Eastern wellness practices (i.e. yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, etc.), and the usual attempt at humour and intellectual insight that we’re known for 😉

Join Steph & Rachel after a looooong hiatus to go in-depth on religion in NBC (& Netflix’s) Manifest. We get into religious representation in the media, including the portrayal of cults and New Religious Movements, and the lifeboat and if it’s everyone’s responsibility to look out for each other’s redemption.

P.S. A lot of spoilers in this episode. Be sure to watch the series before you take a listen (or be okay with all of the spoilers ….)

As always, don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! You can find us on all your favourite podcasting apps.

Have you completed your 2022 vision board yet? Are you a skeptic and avoid things like manifestation and the law of attraction? Either way - you'd enjoy this throwback episode on Nearly Numinous about the history and development of the LOA and Manifestation.

Turns out that vision board you have hanging next to your desk has some pretty interesting roots in a wide range of religious movements. Learn all about theosophy, mesmerism, the new-thought movement of the 19th century, and how they've all combined to bring you The Secret and contemporary Spiritual Bypassing.

Check out the episode here >> https://nearlynuminous.ca/2021/03/manifestation-and-the-law-of-attraction-what-is-it-and-does-it-really-work/

Do you love reality TV, or do you love to hate it? This week, Rachel is joined by two friends, Grace and Fiona, to gossip about the relationship between reality TV, ritual and religion. Using examples from The Bachelor, Love Island, and Drag Race, the trio discusses the various rituals and ceremonies that are so intrinsic to reality shows, the devoted followings they acquire, and the parables they tell.

Follow Nearly Numinous on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also find transcripts and past episodes on our website – nearlynuminous.ca.

This week we dive head-first into different types of religious experience when it comes to consciousness. We chat ASCs, Trance, and Mysticism, while trying to understand the difference between the three types of experience. We also talk a lot about how religious experience is often branded as “crazy”, and is therefore used as an excuse to de-platform those that are religious.

We’re back with another monthly installment of our “In The News” episode. This week, we chat about a wide range of topics including; the psychology of religion and how religion is studied in the brain, the ethics of AI, and Islamophobia in Canada.

Want to read the articles we talk about?

“Religion on the Brain” from The Scientist

“Can Silicon Valley Find God” from The New York Times

“Trudeau calls out federal agencies during national summit on Islamophobia” from CBC News

Follow Nearly Numinous on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also find transcripts and past episodes on our website – nearlynuminous.ca.

Join Rachel and Jacqueline for a special interview with Faezeh Izadi about Muslims in Canada. Faezeh is an International Ph.D. student of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary, originally from Iran. She got her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, but after two years of engineering works, Faezeh changed her path to humanities and joined the Comparative Religions and Mysticism MA program at the University of Kashan, Iran. After seven years of teaching and leadership experience in educational institutions in Iran, Faezeh decided to pursue her study abroad. She received her second master’s degree in Religious Studies from Queen’s University, Canada. Faezeh’s current research interests surround the relationship of value systems with benevolent activities. She is also interested in addressing issues related to Islam and Islamic societies through the lens of sociology of religion.

Follow Nearly Numinous on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also find transcripts and past episodes on our website – nearlynuminous.ca.

Photo credit: .izadi17

Welcome to the 2nd episode in our series on CW’s hit show, The 100! If you haven’t listened to the first episode yet, you can find it on your fave podcast platform. And if you haven’t seen Season 1 of The 100, then we recommend watching it before you dive into this episode (otherwise you’ll get a lot of spoilers).

In this episode, we focus more on group identity and cohesion using all our fancy background and language about religion and group identity. Get ready for some 1st year University-level definitions, and also some rants about who would make the best charismatic leader.

As always, you’ll be able to find a transcript shortly after the episode is published on our website – nearlynuminous.ca. There, you can also check out all our past episodes and learn more about us.

Join your hosts, Steph and Rachel, for an interview with yoga teacher and practitioner Laura Chaignon. We get deep into gender binary language in yoga (and elsewhere) and chat about the effect of the western lens on yoga, gendered language, and the importance of making yoga a safe and comfortable space for everyone.

TW: Some brief discussion on eating disorders and sexual assault within the yoga community

Resources Laura mentions:

(Hosted by Tejal Patel and Jesal Parikh)

Artist Sarah Cargill from the Tarot for the End of the World podcast

Yoga instructor and educator

Have you seen “The 100,” the topic of our latest episode? If so, who is your favourite character and why? Who is your least favourite 👀?

Welcome to the first of a special 2-part episode on the hit CW show “The 100”. The show originally premiered in 2014 and ran for seven seasons – but today, we’re only getting into the first season. Of course, there are some spoilers, so feel free to go watch the entire first season and come back to this episode.

In the first part of our series on “The 100,” we introduce the premise of the show, some of our favourite plotholes and burning questions, and most importantly, how it relates to religion—through its apocalyptic themes.

Join us next episode for the rest of our discussion on Season 1 of “The 100” where we compare culture and religiosity in three different communities: The Sky People, The 100, and the Grounders!

Interested in learning more about apocalypticism and rapture theology? Check out these sources (links on our site):

Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman

The Apocalypse: A Brief History by Martha Himmelfarb

Ultimate Things: An Introduction to Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature by Greg Carey

The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature by John J Collins

The Apocalyptic Literature by Stephen L Cook

Don’t forget to follow us on your favourite social media platforms – just look up Nearly Numinous.

Haven't checked out the latest episode on Religious Symbols? Make sure to give it a listen on your walk to work (or walk around the neighbourhood before you continue your WFH life).

If you HAVE listened to it, then we hope you enjoy picturing Tom Hiddleston as much as Rachel and Steph do.

What do you think - has Marvel coopted Thor and Loki and completely removed them from their original Norse mythology heritage? Is Captain America part of American mythology? Should we do an extended episode all about Marvel?

https://www.buzzfeed.com/natalieoganesyan/tom-hiddleston-loki-hottest-photos?d_id=2295916&ref=bffbbuzzfeedgeeky&utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bffbbuzzfeedgeeky&fbclid=IwAR2hB37emwEBzLBcIMStP01Mc3Vy8PVUf-klOIK62S33jHR3PrGBBjzhfn4

I Don't Care, Tom Hiddleston Has Always Been Hot From his Midnight in Paris era as F. Scott Fitzgerald to now.

This week, jump in with Rachel and Steph while they talk about different religious symbols being taken from their original meaning and used in either dangerous ways or just taken out of context. We also get pretty deep into the COEXIST bumper sticker’s history.

As always, don’t forget to check out nearlynuminous.ca for previous episodes, to subscribe to our newsletter, or get in touch with us! You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – just search Nearly Numinous.

After weeks of recording snags (long distance podcasting is hard!) we’re back! This week it’s the June edition of “In The News”. Join ALL THREE of your hosts (for the first time in months) while we try to stay on topic about the blood flower super moon and pride but end up in side chats about if reading the bible from front to back is a good idea.

Check out Church Clarity at: https://www.churchclarity.org/

Don’t forget to follow us on social media and head to our website nearlynuminous.ca for transcripts and more episodes.

Where do women fit in the world of modern spiritualities and religions? What exactly does it mean for a religion to be matriarchal? In honour of Mother’s Day, Steph and Rachel chat about matriarchal religions, the Goddess movement, and a whole lot of feminism! Join us to learn more about Judaism’s matrilineal heritage, the “wild woman”, and more!

Don’t forget to subscribe on your favourite podcasting platform and leave us a review!

We’re back (well…Steph and Rachel are! Jacqueline will be soon!). Join us while we catch up on what’s been happening in the news. We give some background about Quebec’s Bill 21 and the most recent ruling. We also chat about Peloton’s religiously infused classes and how that plays into the wellness and exercise brand.

Want to read the articles from today’s episode?

Read about Bill 21:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-21-religious-symbols-ban-quebec-court-ruling-1.5993431?fbclid=IwAR2zYMKCb2eXn8QyDg1H3rS_17g2cji2aBqtpTP9ksOcct9Mr3zrdAnkGHE

Read about Peloton:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/road-to-recovery/2021/02/05/peloton-ally-love-robin-christianity-covid/

As always – catch up with us and check out old episodes on our website – nearlynuminous.ca. Or check us out on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter – just search Nearly Numinous.

Second in our meet the (animal) team series is Mango 🦜🥭! Mango is a green-cheeked conure, one of the smaller parrot species. Mango loves to dance, pick keys off laptop keyboards, and push fragile things off shelves from great heights. She got her name from her colouring, which resembles the mango fruit. She loves to speak and knows quite a few words and phrases, including “thank you” and “peekaboo!”

Mango moved in with Rachel when she was still a baby, because her previous owner found taking care of a baby bird was a bit more work than they thought it would be. She is now 3 years old and still acts like a baby, and her species can live up to 30 years old if taken care of properly! Birds often suffer in captivity because they are difficult to look after and easily misunderstood. If you’re considering getting a bird, please do lots of research and adopt or find a bird who needs a new home, rather than buy from a breeder!

Have you been hearing the term “spiritual bypassing” lately and wondering what it is?
Spiritual bypassing exists in many forms, but hopefully this post helps you understand a few of the basic principles of it.
✨Spiritual bypassing exists in any religious or spiritual tradition. It’s not specific to the SBNR community, but the term comes up more often in relation to it
✨it can be both good and bad
✨it’s all about your own personal experience - so be cautious of using spirituality and religion to “cure” other people’s problems
Want to know more? Check out our most recent episode on Manifestation and the Law of Attraction! We chat a lot more about spiritual bypassing within these practices.
What phrases have you heard that promote spiritual bypassing? 💫
kingston_on

"The Passover story reminds us of our people's survival because it allows us to remember not to get too comfortable; not to get too comfortable because we used to be slaves and also not to get too comfortable because -- guess what -- other people are still enslaved. [. . .] The Passover story reminds us to free those who are enslaved because it's our religious and spiritual duty. [. . .] The world is broken and we are 'none of us free if not all of us are free.'"

Check out this fun and insightful video in which Mayim Bialik (yes, from the Big Bang Theory) explains the background and happenings of the Passover! Happy Passover to all those celebrating!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEUrevJ2crc

Passover with Mayim Bialik | You Know How I Know? ✩ Buy the Kveller Haggadah here!: ✩https://www.amazon.com/Kveller-Haggadah-Seder-Curious-Grownups/dp/B08X6DRQPV/ref=sr_1_2?crid=HC3HKD1MS5YG&dchild=1&keywor...

💥📣We are OPEN FOR BUSINESS on Youtube!💥📣 Our very first episode from September 2020 is up on our Youtube page, and we are in the process of uploading the rest of Nearly Numinous’ episodes there too! Make sure you subscribe to us and click that notification bell, because in the future we’ll be uploading video of our beautiful faces as well 😉

Find us at: https://youtube.com/channel/UCZ_LtL5SQJOriPuwTLyQfxw

Enjoyed learning about the Spiritual But Not Religious movement (SBNR) in our most recent podcast? Check out this insightful article, which discusses SBNR, whiteness and cultural appropriation.

"In this sense, this is a very precarious representational space that the SBNR community is creating. And the violence is not only in cultural appropriation but in the lasting and pervasive forms of cultural erasure and exploitation for profit. Whites are too embroiled in violent racism, both as a perpetuated system and a close history, to carelessly resuscitate minstrel-esque forms of ‘love and theft’ between whites and people of color. [. . .] It is time for these majority-white communities to build shared representational spaces, to act in solidarity, and most importantly, to develop friendships with the people whose spiritual practices they so deeply admire."

https://canopyforum.org/2020/09/24/representation-and-whiteness-among-the-spiritual-but-not-religious/

"Representation and Whiteness among the 'Spiritual but not Religious'" by Dr. Amanda Lucia - Canopy Forum Yoga class, Lightning in a Bottle, 2016 / Photo courtesy of author. When I was conducting research for my new book I spent nine years in multiple field sites with people who largely identified as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). These people were seeking expansive spiritual experiences, and...

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SIgn up on our website - https://nearlynuminous.ca/

Join your three hosts this week to talk all about the latest trend – manifestation and the Law of Attraction. We go into the history of the practice, all the way back to the dawn of the New Thought and New Age movements. Then we chat about how people actually partake in it, if it works as its own religious tradition or as part of other religious traditions, and then we chat about how spiritual bypassing functions within the world of manifestation.

Happy Persian New Year to everyone celebrating today!! 💐

"Nowruz (pronounced no-rooz), the Persian New Year, is the most important and biggest holiday in Iran, originating in ancient Persia over 3000 years ago. Besides Iran, the holiday is celebrated in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan as well as among the Kurds of Iraq and Turkey and the Zoroastrians of India and Pakistan.
So be sure to wish a "Happy New Year" to all of those celebrating, and then read this article written by MA graduate Faezeh Izadi to learn more about this holiday's mythology and traditions!"

https://www.facebook.com/QSRblog/posts/296853655185082

Nowruz: New year, New life Nowruz (the Persian New Year, pronounced no-rooz) is the most important and biggest holiday in Iran, originating in ancient Persia over 3000 years ago. In this post, MA student Faezeh Izadi explain…

Enjoyed the leprechaun quiz at the end of this week's episode of Nearly Numinous? 🌈☘ Check out this interview with Kevin Woods, Ireland's last leprechaun whisperer, in which he tells the tale of how leprechauns came to be a species protected by EU Law in 2009.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7--yudlkxZE

The Leprechaun Whisperer | Ireland AM Known locally in Carlingford as McCoillte, Kevin Woods is Ireland's last surviving Leprechaun Whisperer and claims that he spends his days running wild with ...

While you’re walking to to get your snake banishment celebration beer, listen to the end of our pod where Jacqueline quizzes us on if St Patrick ACTUALLY banished all the snakes from Ireland!

Check out the post Jacqueline shared on the Queen's School of Religion Blog!

Is Saint Patrick Protestant or Catholic? Those whose primary source of information comes from Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations may assume that Saint Patrick hung out with leprechauns, picked a lot of clovers, and drank a lot of beer. Who …

☘Happy Saint Patrick's Day!☘

☘️Have any St. Patrick's Day plans?☘️ Before you go out painting the town green, you should listen to this week's episode of Nearly Numinous and learn about who St. Patrick actually is!

https://nearlynuminous.ca/2021/03/st-patrick-the-fancy-and-the-historical-saint/