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

Adam Levy | Minneapolis Under Siege: ICE Raids, Resistance & the Fight for Democracy 01/25/2026

Adam Levy | Minneapolis Under Siege: ICE Raids, Resistance & the Fight for Democracy I speak with Adam Levy, a Minneapolis-based activist, educator, and musician, about what he describes as an unprecedented federal crackdown unfolding right now in the Twin Cities. Adam shares first-hand accounts of ICE raids, racial profiling, mass detentions, and families being targeted in their own neighborhoods — including a harrowing incident in which a baby nearly died after tear gas was fired under a family’s car. Drawing on his background as a public historian who has studied fascism and genocide, Adam places these events within a broader historical and political context, warning that the United States is entering a dangerous and unstable phase. We also discuss how communities in Minneapolis are responding in real time: mutual aid networks, encrypted communication systems, legal accompaniment, nonviolent direct action, and community patrols designed to slow or disrupt enforcement. What emerges is a picture of grassroots resistance forming in the absence of institutional protection — and a sober assessment of what may come next. This is a difficult but essential conversation about democracy, state power, moral responsibility, and what it means to resist when the rules begin to collapse. 👉In this episode, we explore: • First-hand reports of ICE raids and detentions in Minneapolis • Civil liberties, racial profiling, and collective punishment • Historical parallels to fascist movements and authoritarian states • How mutual aid, patrols, and direct action are slowing enforcement • Why Minneapolis became a federal target • The psychological toll on communities under siege • What peaceful resistance can still accomplish — and where this may be heading 👤 Guest Bio: Adam Levy is a Twin Cities–based musician, educator, and activist. A former high school teacher of U.S. history, government, and economics, he is widely regarded as a public historian focused on movements of liberation, fascism, and genocide. After losing his child to suicide in 2012, he became deeply involved in mental health advocacy and community organizing. He is currently active in on-the-ground resistance and mutual aid efforts in Minneapolis. 🔗https://www.adamlevy.com/ ================================== 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: #Minneapolis #ICERaids #Immigration #CivilLiberties #Authoritarianism #Activism #Resistance #Fascism #Democracy #MutualAid #HumanRights #MinneapolisProtests #LiminalNews #AdamLevy /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/39864650

Salih Hudayar | China’s Surveillance State, Uyghur Genocide & the Global AI Test Case 01/21/2026

Salih Hudayar | China’s Surveillance State, Uyghur Genocide & the Global AI Test Case In this episode of Liminal News, I speak with Salih Hudayar, Foreign Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, about China’s mass detention system, the ongoing Uyghur genocide, and why East Turkistan has become one of the most advanced surveillance laboratories in the world. I’ve long known that the Uyghurs are a deeply oppressed people, often compared to Tibetans, but I realized I didn’t fully understand the scale, history, or mechanisms of what’s happening. This conversation felt like a necessary public service—to learn, to document, and to share what’s largely being ignored. Salih walks me through the forgotten history of East Turkistan, including multiple declarations of independence before its occupation by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. He explains how millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples have been subjected to DNA collection, biometric tracking, AI-powered monitoring, forced sterilization, mass internment camps, and the removal of children into state-run boarding schools. One of the most disturbing themes we explore is how Western technology companies helped China develop and refine its surveillance infrastructure—systems that were tested on the Uyghurs and are now quietly reappearing in Western democracies. As Salih makes clear, East Turkistan wasn’t just occupied; it was used as a testing ground for digital authoritarianism, with consequences that extend far beyond China’s borders. 👤 Guest Bio: Salih Hudayar is the Foreign Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile and a leading international advocate for Uyghur human rights. He represents both the Government in Exile and the National Awakening Movement, working with policymakers, NGOs, and civil society groups worldwide to raise awareness about China’s occupation of East Turkistan and the ongoing genocide against Uyghur and other Turkic peoples. 🔗https://x.com/SalihHudayar 🔗https://east-turkistan.net/ ================================== 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 #UyghurGenocide #danielpinchbeck #EastTurkistan #ChinaSurveillance #DigitalAuthoritarianism #AIandFreedom #HumanRights #China #SurveillanceState #BeltAndRoad /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/39808050

Patrick McCollum | The Man Who Unites 60 Million Indigenous People 12/31/2025

Patrick McCollum | The Man Who Unites 60 Million Indigenous People In this episode of LIMINAL NEWS, I’m joined by Patrick McCollum, a global peacemaker and the subject of the new documentary The Man Who Saves the World, directed by Gabe Polsky. Patrick’s life defies easy explanation. At 15, he was killed in a motorcycle accident and pronounced dead for more than seven minutes. What he experienced during that near-death encounter set him on a path that would take him far beyond anything he could have imagined. Over the decades, Patrick has lived what he calls “ten different lives”: a kung fu master an internationally celebrated jewelry designer for presidents, royalty, and film stars a prison chaplain who counseled Charles Manson and spent years on death row at SanQuentin an advisor to presidents, prime ministers, kings, and revolutionary leaders a peacemaker in Africa, the Middle East, and beyond Most recently, Patrick became the central figure in an extraordinary effort to unite Indigenous nations across the Amazon. According to an ancient prophecy shared by elders from more than 300 Indigenous nations, a time would come when someone would help reunite their peoples to stand against the destruction of the rainforest. Patrick agreed to step forward — and over time, helped bring together more than 60 million Indigenous people in a shared commitment to protect the Amazon and sacred lands worldwide. In this conversation, Patrick recounts his journey to meet the Kogi, restoring what they describe as their stolen spiritual inheritance; his deep friendship with Jane Goodall; his belief in seeing every person as sacred — even those we fear or despise — and why, at 75 years old and in declining health, he continues to step forward rather than retreat. We also talk candidly about despair, burnout, the rise of authoritarianism, ecological collapse, and what it means to keep going when the future feels increasingly uncertain. This is a conversation about courage, sacrifice, prophecy, skepticism, and hope — and about what it really means to try to serve something larger than yourself in a time of global crisis. Learn more or support his work: ================================== 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: /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/39571740

Veteran Cult Reporter Don Lattin on Trump, Jim Jones, and Messianic Power 12/29/2025

Ari Kuschnir & Schuyler Brown | AI, Imagination & the Spiritual Battleground 12/24/2025

Ari Kuschnir & Schuyler Brown | AI, Imagination & the Spiritual Battleground The real battleground of our time isn’t politics or technology — it’s the imagination. Filmmaker Ari Kuschnir and embodiment guide Schuyler Brown join me for a deep conversation about AI, storytelling, spirituality, and how we reclaim agency in an age of dystopian futures. The future is being shaped in the imaginal realm — by the stories we consume, the images we repeat, and the futures we’re told are inevitable. In this episode of Liminal News, I’m joined by filmmaker and AI storyteller Ari Kuschnir and embodiment guide Schuyler Brown for a wide-ranging conversation about artificial intelligence, creativity, spirituality, and cultural resistance. We explore AI not just as a technical tool, but as an imaginal force — one that can amplify propaganda and despair, or be used to create counter-visions, meaning, and agency. Mastering the Alchemy of AI Storytelling: A six-week live seminar for filmmakers, artists, writers, and cultural creators who want to work with AI consciously, creatively, and ethically — without losing their humanity. The course blends practical AI filmmaking workflows with embodiment practices, ethical inquiry, and storytelling frameworks designed to restore agency and imagination in an age dominated by automation and dystopian narratives. 👉 Learn more and enroll here: GUEST BIOS: ARI KUSCHNIR Ari is a storyteller and visual artist whose viral AI shorts — from TRUMP AYAHUASCA and WE CAN TALK to LOVE FORCE ONE and MAGA BALLROOM 2028 — have reached over 150 million views. Founder of the award-winning production company m ss ng p eces, he specializes in metaphysical stories built with emerging tools, imagining different futures while pushing the boundaries of contemporary storytelling. SCHUYLER BROWN Schuyler is a facilitator and creative channel. Former brand strategist and corporate consultant. Focuses on intuitive practice, heart-centered collaboration, and maintaining coherence in chaotic edge-times. Offers embodiment and subtle world practices to keep us human. ================================== 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: /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/39523455

Frank Schaeffer & Warren Farrell | Masculinity, Fatherhood, & The Crisis of Meaning 12/12/2025

Frank Schaeffer & Warren Farrell | Masculinity, Fatherhood, & The Crisis of Meaning In this episode, I’m joined by Frank Schaeffer and Warren Farrell for a deep, unflinching conversation about masculinity, fatherhood, and the growing crisis facing boys and men in modern society. Frank and Warren help me unpack how anger often masks vulnerability, how fatherlessness reshapes culture, and why political polarization is inseparable from unresolved emotional and relational wounds. We talk about masculinity beyond ideology — exploring failure, forgiveness, empathy, parenting, and the search for meaning in a time when old models no longer work and new ones haven’t fully emerged. 👤 GUEST BIOS Frank Schaeffer is an author, filmmaker, and cultural commentator whose work explores religion, politics, masculinity, and moral reckoning. The son of evangelical theologian Francis Schaeffer, Frank later became a prominent critic of the religious right and has written candidly about ideology, failure, forgiveness, and grace. His books include “Crazy for God,” “Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God,” and “Portofino.” 🔗 🔗 Dr. Warren Farrell is a psychologist, author, and one of the most influential voices on men’s and boys’ issues. A former board member of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Warren later focused his work on fatherhood, education, emotional development, and the unintended consequences of cultural change. He is the co-author of “The Boy Crisis” and “When Fathers Win.” 🔗 🔗 ================================== 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 #TheBoyCrisis #FrankSchaeffer #WarrenFarrell #Masculinity #Fatherhood #MenAndBoys #ModernMasculinity #CultureWars #Psychology #MeaningCrisis #Empathy /episode/index/show/howsoonisnow/id/39379240

Jeffrey Kripal & Dean Radin | Psychic Reality, Magic & the Coming Paradigm Shift 12/01/2025

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