Wandering Into Wellness

Master Mantak Chia - How the West Can Embrace Daosim for World Healing

Master Mantak Chia - Daoism of Energy and Organ Relationships

Master Mantak Chia - How to Cultivate Sexual Energy

Master Mantak Chia and The Uterus Orgasm

The Mushroom Man - Bill O'Dea

Some people in life are just born to do a certain thing, and so it is with Bill O'Dea, who after a career in IT, has finally begun to fulfill what must be his mission on earth: to talk about, hunt for, cook, eat and study the magical mushroom kingdom.

What you expect when you meet Bill is an earthy character, he's only just shy of wearing the mushroom hat of Paul Stamets, you can tell at a glance that he eats, sleeps and breathes his craft.

But what you don't expect is his erudite, passionate and delicate insight on the function of mushrooms in the macrocosm we all inhabit. When Bill gets his thousand yard stare, you can expect to come out the other side with a deepened understanding of why this magical kingdom means so much to him, and how they truly may be the architect of our destiny...listen with all your ears fully open - cos the mushrooms are too!

You can get hold of Bill on https://mushroomstuff.com/ or @mushroomstuff on twitter and facebook

Pushing Past Patriarchy - Seeking Unity

In this episode we were lucky to be joined by trained experts in the field of sexuality, so we could intellectually pick apart this topic without descending into emotional abstracts. And while everyone brought their own particular and disparate life experience to the table, this chat was ultimately guided by the desire to seek re-unification of the sexes in whatever shape that might take.

It was so interesting how quickly we got to talking about sex itself in all its delightfully messy glory. The exploration of consent and how sexual interactions can bring up and expose the dualistic nature of our feminine and masculine qualities with a very immediate and confronting quality, took up a large part of our conversation around patriarchy. Which really goes to show a lot of what this is all about.

We chatted through the education of kids around sex, the historical emergence of patriarchy in the west and the east and the contrasting approaches and understanding of sexuality between those two vastly different societies, also we looked at sexuality in the workplace and embracing diversity and how we can evolve our attitudes to emergent sexual identities.

We were lucky to be joined around our table by...

Caroline West - who holds a phD in Pornography and Feminism @carolinewest_ie on Twitter

Maire Ni G - a Daoist instructor who hosts workshops around feminine sexual energy practices @universalhealingtao on Insta

Aoife Martin - a trans woman and activist for trans rights @aoifemartn on Twitter

Shubhangi Karmakar - a medical student and campaigner for diversity @suitsedit on Insta

Finbar McHugh - Lydia & Finn Go To Spiritual Academy With A Very Special Human

Finbar McHugh is an artist. In the broadest sense and in the acutely focused 'paint on paper' sense too. We expected some mild chitchat about how he paints what his thoughts look like while he's meditating. So it was always going to be interesting. But then....OMG...the wisdom just started pouring out of this man's mouth and...we could have stayed the night. Honestly.

We get into the nitty gritty of raising kids without judgement, of finding the right spiritual guide for you (through finding many of the wrong ones first), and on to some very very personal learnings for young Lydia Sasse. Stay tuned folks, you won't want to miss this.

Finbar is reachable through his lovely website https://www.finbarmchugh.com

And also his social media channels - @finbar247

The Best of Irish Produce @ The Dublin Christmas Flea Market

Jingle those bells!  This one is our showcase for all of Ireland's greatest makers, food producers, craftsmen and women.

Choosing who to chat to at the Dublin Christmas Flea was like picking a favourite child..but we didn't have time to talk to every single one of the more than 200 amazing small Irish businesses present to show their wares, and demonstrate the passion, creativity and sheer brilliance of grass roots businesses in Ireland. 

 

We spoke to Pin of Village Markets, who facilitates women within a specific tribe in Kenya who are specialist basket weavers in their community, using unique dyes and techniques to produce stunning, individual pieces, that Pin buys from them and ships around the world, helping to preserve this long held skill, and enhance the sense of value within the community so that they can retain resilience in a global economy. 

 

Then we had a chat with Jasper of White Mausu, one of the most exciting food brands to emerge from Ireland in the past few years.  Their Peanut Rayu is quite literally the ultimate food addiction, and we're both quite serious addicts at this stage - listen to us as we wax lyrical about its mulitiplicity of uses, and then we get a quick insight to what Rayu actually means and the synthesis of the ideas that brought about what is quite quickly becoming a food revolution.

 

Next up we spoke to the guys from Ballyshane, who produce a beautiful range of wooden chopping boards and bowls from sustainably sourced beech trees, that are either dead or dying, and with the care and art that comes with a true passion for their craft, and a desire to highlight the individuality of each piece.  Having picked up his father's passion for lathe work after he had passed away, Will has gone on to become a master craftsman in his own right, and has a real understanding of what it is to preserve woodcraft in this way.

 

Last on our list was a new clothing company called Grown - whilst we didn't get to have an actual chat with lovely founders, we did have a great time talking about their gorgeous range of organic cotton clothing, with its aquatic prints and delicate colour ways.  We also had a general chat about our own thoughts around ethical fashion, and why we treat it as a fundamental focus in our own lives.

Kevin Callan - Big Boy's Don't Cry

In the second part of our podcast series on Patriarchy we met with Kevin Callan Acupuncturist and Naturopath and one of Lydia's great friends.

As a member of the queer community who grew up in rural Ireland Kevin has a deep insight into the effects of patriarchy on men in regional communities in particular. Having spent a large part of his teens being labelled a ‘freak’ ( because he has style) and a ‘sissy’, he had reason to spend a significant amount of time wondering why traits that were seen to be ‘female’ were necessarily viewed as ‘less than’.

We discuss the powerful effects of traditional Male archetypes on the way that boys are taught to behave, think and feel. We discuss how fear manifests in the men that he sees on a daily basis in his clinic both at an emotional and physiological level and how as a society we have a lack of awareness around the reality of this and a lack of tools to deal with it because small town values have taught us that ‘real men don't cry’.

Join us as we dive deeper into the discussion around the term ‘toxic masculinity’ and ponder the possible solutions to the wounds we carry as both men and women from having grown up in society governed by Patriarchy.

If you want to find out more about Kevin or visit his clinic go to his website www.callanacupuncture.ie

Sceal Sourdough Bakery - In Love With Live Yeast

Sceal is an epic loaf story.  A tale of two people (Shane and Charlotte) brought together through their shared passion for flavour, whose relationship spiralled and intertwined just as organically as their journey into food.

In our chat, we delve into the synthesis of their conjoined careers at top bakeries in San Francisco, and touch on the quirks of sourdough culture and the revival of ancient wheats (a la Fintan and Turlough Keenan), along with some of Charlotte's favourite flavour combinations that she used in the pastries they produce.

The bakery produces what is hands down the finest sourdough loaves in Ireland, along with stellar pastries, such as croissants and cruffins.  We're lucky enough to stock them in the Hopsack, and they can be found in a handful of markets and cafes such as The Fumbally and Proper Order around Dublin.

To keep up to date and see their schedule you can find them on www.scealbakery.com or through their drool-inducing instagram @scealbakery