LIMINAL NEWS with Daniel Pinchbeck

Host Daniel Pinchbeck explores ecology, politics, spirituality, technology, and social change. This podcast looks at our current world and proposes new ideas and solution-oriented approaches to the problems facing us. Daniel is the author of "Breaking Open The Head," "2012 The Return of Quetzalcoatl", "How Soon Is Now?", and "When Plants Dream". He is the founder of The Liminal Institute, offering online courses, discussion groups, eBooks, audiobooks, and more! www.liminal.news

Mike Brock | The Simulation Is Collapsing: America’s Political Meltdown 11/13/2025

Mike Brock | The Simulation Is Collapsing: America’s Political Meltdown Former tech executive and political writer Mike Brock joins me for one of the most urgent and explosive conversations we’ve had on the channel — covering Trump’s accelerating authoritarianism, the GOP civil war, Silicon Valley’s Christian turn, Epstein revelations, and the structural collapse of American democracy in real time. In this new episode of LIMINAL NEWS, I speak with writer and former tech executive Mike Brock, whose recent Substack essays have gone viral for their sharp, insider-level analysis of the American political meltdown. We explore the dizzying speed at which Trump’s second-term movement is consolidating power, the internal rebellion within the conservative legal world, the unraveling of the Republican establishment, and why state-level GOP leaders may finally be defecting. Mike dissects the incentives, psychology, and ideology driving both Trumpworld and the Democratic establishment — from “ultra-processed speech” to the death throes of the old party structure. We also dive into Silicon Valley’s new fascination with Christian nationalism, Peter Thiel’s metaphysics, the collapsing “simulation” of technocratic liberalism, the moral vacuum in American media, and the corrupt machinery behind ICE raids, billionaire protection networks, and the post-democratic executive branch. 🔹 Guest Bio: Mike Brock is a former Silicon Valley executive (most recently on the leadership team at Block) and a writer whose Substack Notes from the Circus explores the breakdown of democratic institutions, Big Tech’s cultural influence, and the meaning of power in the digital age. 🔗Mike Brock on Substack: https://substack.com/@mikebrock ================================== Please subscribe to the LIminal News Substack Newsletter! Please buy my books! Please join my online seminars and community at THE LIMINAL INSTITUTE: Instagram: Official Website: #LiminalNews #DanielPinchbeck #MikeBrock #AmericanPolitics #Authoritarianism #GOPCivilWar #EpsteinEmails #SiliconValley #ChristianNationalism #Trump2025 #Democracy #PoliticalAnalysis #CurrentEvents /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/39017515

Roman Hanis | Beyond Ayahuasca: Indigenous Wisdom, Healing & the Forgotten Heart 11/12/2025

Toxic Empathy: How Christian Nationalism Turned Cruelty Into Virtue 11/10/2025

We’re Not Totally F*ed—Yet | Ramez Naam on Climate, Tech & Hope 11/07/2025

Adbusters' Kalle Lasn | How We Lost the Plot & How to Spark a Real Revolution 11/05/2025

Betsy Chasse | The Dark Side of “What the Bleep” & the New Age Industrial Complex 11/03/2025

Betsy Chasse | The Dark Side of “What the Bleep” & the New Age Industrial Complex Filmmaker Betsy Chasse, co-creator of “What the Bleep Do We Know!?”, joins me to dissect how the New Age movement morphed into a billion-dollar self-help industry. We discuss cult dynamics, spiritual narcissism, the rise of Trumpian mysticism, and how “manifestation” culture paved the road from The Secret to MAGA metaphysics. In this episode, I speak with filmmaker, author, and cultural critic Betsy Chasse — best known as co-writer and director of the 2004 New Age phenomenon “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” Betsy reflects on the film’s legacy and how its ideas about consciousness and quantum reality were later weaponized by the self-help industry. We explore the psychological and economic forces that turned spirituality into a marketplace — from the Law of Attraction to “conscious entrepreneurship.” Together, we unpack how the wellness world’s obsession with “positive thinking” and “manifestation” created fertile ground for denial, cult psychology, and authoritarian spirituality. Betsy speaks candidly about narcissism, greed, and the need for genuine compassion and social engagement in a time of disinformation, AI disruption, and creeping theocracy. 🎧 Guest Bio: Betsy Chasse is a filmmaker, author, and producer best known for co-creating “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” She has since written “Metanoia,” “Killing Buddha,” and hosts her Substack Betsy’s Rants, where she takes aim at the commodification of spirituality and the contradictions of modern “conscious” culture. ================================== Please subscribe to the LIminal News Substack Newsletter! Please buy my books! Please join my online seminars and community at THE LIMINAL INSTITUTE: Instagram: Official Website: #BetsyChasse #WhatTheBleep #NewAge #DanielPinchbeck #LiminalNews #LawOfAttraction #Consciousness #Spirituality #CultPsychology #WellnessIndustry #MAGA #AI #TheSecret #QuantumSpirituality /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/38901430

Frank Schaeffer | From Evangelical Royalty to Exile, Christo-Fascism & Trump 11/03/2025

Brett Scott | The Contradiction at the Heart of Capitalism 11/03/2025

Brett Scott | The Contradiction at the Heart of Capitalism Liberal capitalism tells us to be good and bad at the same time—innovate, compete, and care. In this episode, I talk with economic anthropologist Brett Scott, author of “Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for Our Wallets”, about the failure of liberal reformism, the rise of tech-fueled authoritarianism, and how the ESG illusion collapsed into the culture wars. In this episode of Liminal News, I speak with Brett Scott about what he calls “the contradiction at the heart of capitalism.” We unpack how liberal capitalism’s moral split—between ruthless competition and moral virtue—has produced both guilt and confusion across modern society. Brett traces the lineage of “good capitalism” from ESG investing to tech-driven “effective altruism,” and explains how the right wing and figures like Trump, Musk, and Thiel have exploited that contradiction. We dive into the symbolic death of liberalism, the collapse of reformist fantasies like “stakeholder capitalism,” and the rise of a new authoritarian capitalism cloaked in techno-utopian ideals. Later, Brett explores how crypto, stablecoins, and private tech empires are reshaping global power—and what a truly progressive, peer-to-peer alternative might look like. 👉About: Brett Scott is an author, economic anthropologist, and journalist exploring the intersections of money, power, and technology. He’s the author of “Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for Our Wallets” and writes the Substack Altered States of Monetary Consciousness. His latest work examines the politics of cash, digital finance, and the psychological architecture of capitalism. 📺 YouTube: 📰 Substack: ================================== Please subscribe to the LIminal News Substack Newsletter! Please buy my books! Please join my online seminars and community at THE LIMINAL INSTITUTE: Instagram: Official Website: #LiminalNews #BrettScott #DanielPinchbeck #Liberalism #Capitalism #Crypto #ESG #PeterThiel #ElonMusk #MarcAndreessen #TechIdeology #Authoritarianism #Fascism #Cloudmoney #Finance #AI #Politics #Utopia #Dystopia #SurveillanceCapitalism /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/38901245

Norman Ohler | Nazis on Drugs, LSD Origins & Psychedelic Futures 11/03/2025

Norman Ohler | Nazis on Drugs, LSD Origins & Psychedelic Futures What role did drugs play in the Third Reich—and how are psychedelics shaping our future? I sit down with Norman Ohler, author of "Blitzed" and "Tripped," to explore hidden history, consciousness, and the power of altered states. In this episode of LIMINAL NEWS, I talk with acclaimed German author Norman Ohler, best known for his groundbreaking book "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich." We explore the hidden story of methamphetamines in Nazi Germany, Hitler’s staggering drug intake, and how these revelations reshape history. We also dive into his follow-up book "Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of Psychedelics," which uncovers the early history of LSD, Nazi-era drug experiments, and how CIA programs like MKUltra grew out of those foundations. Along the way, Norman and I share personal experiences with psychedelics, including ibogaine, and reflect on their potential to transform individuals and societies. We also discuss Rudolf Steiner, Western esotericism, and the importance of reclaiming spiritual traditions in our fractured world. 👉About: Norman Ohler is a German novelist, journalist, and historian best known for his international bestseller "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," which revealed the hidden role of methamphetamines in Nazi Germany. His follow-up, "Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of Psychedelics," traces the early history of LSD and its entanglement with intelligence agencies and Cold War experiments. Ohler’s work blends meticulous archival research with narrative storytelling, reshaping our understanding of history, politics, and consciousness. ================================== Please subscribe to the LIminal News Substack Newsletter! Please buy my books! Please join my online seminars and community at THE LIMINAL INSTITUTE: Instagram: Official Website: #NormanOhler #Blitzed #Tripped #Psychedelics #LiminalNews #DanielPinchbeck #Ibogaine #RudolfSteiner #MKUltra #LSD /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/38901180

Ralph White & Walter Alexander | Rudolf Steiner, Reincarnation, Anthroposophy & The Future of Consciousness 11/03/2025

Joe Dolce | Psychedelics, Consciousness & Cultural Shifts 11/03/2025

Dr. Jeffrey Kripal & Andrew Gallimore | DMT, Hyperdimensional Contact & HIstory's End 10/24/2025

Dr. Jeffrey Kripal & Andrew Gallimore | DMT, Hyperdimensional Contact & HIstory's End DMT as a hidden technology? Jeffrey Kripal & Andrew Gallimore join Daniel Pinchbeck to explore consciousness, aliens & the end of history. In this episode of the Liminal News, I sit down with two extraordinary thinkers: Jeffrey J. Kripal, historian of religions and author of "The Superhumanities" and "Secret Body," and Andrew Gallimore, neuroscientist and author of "Death By Astonishment", "Alien Information Theory" and "Reality Switch Technologies." We dive deep into the implications of DMT research, extended-state psychedelic experiments, and the possibility of human contact with non-human intelligences. We explore the “death by astonishment” experience, the limits of materialism, and the surprising parallels between ancient religious visions and cutting-edge psychedelic science. Could DMT be a kind of hidden “technology” that points humanity toward a higher-dimensional reality? Are we approaching a civilizational tipping point — an “end of history” moment? And what can science and the history of religions teach us about the true nature of consciousness? 📖 Guest Bios: Jeffrey J. Kripal is a professor of philosophy and religious thought at Rice University and the author of numerous books including "The Superhumanities," "Authors of the Impossible," and "Secret Body." His work examines the intersections of consciousness, altered states, mysticism, and the paranormal, challenging the limits of materialist science. Andrew Gallimore is a neurobiologist, chemist, and pharmacologist based in Japan. His research focuses on the DMT experience, extended-state psychedelic immersion, and the interface between neuroscience, mathematics, and higher-dimensional theories of reality. He is the author of "Alien Information Theory" and "Reality Switch Technologies." ================================== Please subscribe to the LIminal News Substack Newsletter! Please buy my books! Please join my online seminars and community at THE LIMINAL INSTITUTE: Instagram: Official Website: #LiminalNews #DMT #JeffreyKripal #AndrewGallimore #Psychedelics #Consciousness #AlienInformationTheory #Superhumanities #SimulationTheory #EndOfHistory #DeathByAstonishment #Shamanism #Paranormal #Mysticism #terencemckenna /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/38774565