The Observatory | Discovery of Consciousness & Awareness

Wading Through the Muck | Stephen Karafiath & Carrie Cox on Secure Attachment, Co-Regulation, and Conscious Relationship revisited

In this episode of the Observatory Podcast, Scott and LaRae Wright sit down with Stephen Karafiath and Carrie Cox, two friends in a new relationship who are intentionally building love through secure attachment, emotional honesty, and nervous-system awareness. Together, they explore what it means to “wade through the muck” instead of bypassing discomfort — how trauma can be alchemized, how boundaries create safety, and how a shared relational container allows for co-regulation, depth, and intimacy. This conversation touches on vulnerability, conscious partnership, and the courage required to stay present when things get messy — because that’s often where transformation lives.  Timestamps [00:00:18] Scott and LaRae introduce Stephen Karafiath and Carrie Cox [00:01:03] A new relationship built on depth, presence, and intention [00:02:45] Referencing the Safe to Love podcast conversation [00:03:44] Growth, humility, and learning to soften [00:04:42] Experiencing secure attachment for the first time [00:06:25] Vulnerability, grief, and emotional safety [00:09:22] Metasound, play, and relational witnessing [00:10:31] Water rituals and nature as grounding allies [00:12:46] “Wading through the muck” and where alchemy happens [00:26:02] Alchemizing inherited shame and childhood beliefs [00:26:21] Letting water and nature help hold what can’t be fixed [00:32:45] Polyamory as a doorway into deeper relational conversations [00:34:04] Creating a relationship container that doesn’t leak energy [00:40:32] Exploring depth together — even where there might be dragons [00:48:17] A shared nervous system and the power of co-regulation [00:49:29] Boundaries, communication, and relational clarity [00:55:46] Relational pillars: emotional, physical, spiritual, sexual [01:10:04] Closing reflections and gratitude Noteable Quotes  * “From secure attachment, for what feels like the first time in my life.” – Carrie Cox [04:42] * “I love to wade through the muck because I know that’s where the alchemy occurs.” – Carrie Cox [12:46] * “Setting a container around our relationship that’s bigger than both of us, and not leaking any energy outside of it.” – Stephen Karafiath [34:04] * “We can go right back down to the depths — you’re not afraid to explore coves that might have dragons.” – Stephen Karafiath [40:32] * “We’ve created this shared nervous system, and the benefit is co-regulation.” – Carrie Cox [48:17]  Relevant links: Stephen Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stephen.karafiath/] Carrie's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/coxyphotos/] Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-observatory-discovery-of-consciousness-awareness/id1644040572] Produced by NC Productions [http://NCP.media]

Beyond Goal Setting | LaRae Wright on Intuition, Presence & Letting Business Grow Through You

In this episode of the Observatory Podcast, LaRae Wright joins Tessa Arneson and Rocky Donati on the Heart + Head Work podcast for a powerful conversation about moving beyond traditional goal setting and learning to live, work, and grow from a grounded sense of self. This conversation explores presence, intuition, receiving, self-worth, business growth, and the shift from constantly striving toward success to allowing life and work to unfold through deeper inner knowing. LaRae shares her journey from corporate life into intuitive entrepreneurship, the moment she began moving from overthinking into trust, and how redefining success changed the way she approached business, purpose, and personal growth. Together, they discuss why rigid goals can sometimes limit possibility, how receiving differs from chasing, and what becomes possible when you stop letting business drive your life and begin building from who you truly are. Timestamps [03:57] How Tessa, Rocky, and LaRae are doing [09:00] What Tessa’s grandfather revealed to her during meditation [10:02] How Tessa and LaRae first met [11:40] LaRae’s background information [15:02] LaRae’s journey from the corporate life to being present [19:08] How LaRae grew her sense of self [20:40] The earliest moment that LaRae shifted from thinking to knowing [23:58] How to be better about receiving versus hunting [30:28] Not letting business drive your life [37:31] LaRae’s business, which used intuition and was successful [40:54] Knowing your drive [51:53] Learning from your adversities [01:00:13] Episode wrap-up [01:04:25] The upcoming ‘You Are The Medicine’ retreat that LaRae is hosting Notable quotes: * “All you have to do is show up and be yourself.” - Rocky Donati [04:52] * “The sense of self is our strongest asset.” - Rocky Donati [17:54] * “Setting goals narrows the potentiality of what is out there for you.” - LaRae Wright [30:19] * “The answer is all about the gifts that you have, the way you see the world, the story that you have created, and how you live in the world.” - LaRae Wright [49:39] * “Grow down so you can become the original version of yourself that was so big and beautiful.” - Rocky Donati [01:06:37] Relevant links: Heart + Head Work Podcast Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-head-work/id1800625422] Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-observatory-discovery-of-consciousness-awareness/id1644040572] Produced by NC Productions [http://NCP.media]

Psychedelic Therapy Methods | Dr. Reid Robison on Ketamine, MDMA, Psilocybin & Mental Health

In this episode of the Observatory Podcast, Scott and LaRae Wright sit down with Dr. Reid Robison to explore psychedelic therapy methods, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, clinical research with psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and the deeper relationship between mental health, spirituality, healing, and self-awareness. Dr. Robison shares how psychedelic medicines are being studied and used in careful therapeutic settings to help people work through depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, end-of-life fear, and deeply ingrained patterns of suffering. Together, they discuss the difference between symptom management and true healing, the importance of preparation and integration, the role of music as medicine, and why awareness may be one of the most powerful gifts these experiences can offer. This conversation also explores the future of psychedelic medicine, the evolving legal landscape, and the hope that these therapies may help more people access healing in safe, supported, and meaningful ways. Timestamps:  [00:00:03] Welcome to The Observatory Podcast [00:00:17] Introducing Dr. Reid Robison and psychedelic therapy for mental health [00:05:40] Dr. Robison’s path through psychiatry, ketamine, ayahuasca, MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD research [00:08:00] The 1960s, the war on drugs, and why psychedelic research disappeared for decades [00:13:35] Depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and stuck thought patterns [00:16:10] Awareness, self-observation, and learning to see yourself clearly [00:19:31] The harm chart, psilocybin, alcohol, and rethinking risk [00:26:23] What ketamine is and how ketamine-assisted psychotherapy works [00:30:00] Preparation, dosing sessions, music, and integration [00:31:32] Neuroplasticity and reshaping old patterns [00:35:40] Music as medicine in psychedelic journeys [00:44:39] End-of-life anxiety, terminal illness, and psilocybin as a sacred passage [00:46:49] Spirituality, religion, and reconnecting with belief in a higher power [00:52:34] Healing stories, family work, couples work, MDMA, and PTSD [00:58:12] Psychedelic therapy, suicide, religion, and signs of cultural change [01:02:11] The future of psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, and legal therapeutic access [01:04:57] Self-awareness, sovereignty, and becoming your own curriculum Notable Quotes: * “Psychedelics have proven to be a really effective way of doing that. Especially when an individual is really stuck in an inability to see themselves clearly and see what they're stuck in.” - Dr. Reid Robison [13:07] * “Depression doesn't become just ruminating about the past as much and the anxiety doesn't become as much about worrying about the future. It becomes a thought pattern loop that we're stuck in.” - Dr. Reid Robison [13:57] * “The single greatest thing that psychedelic medicines, plant medicines have given to me, in my experience with them and what I've observed with so many others is awareness.” - Dr. Reid Robison [16:59] * “These medicines open up a window of opportunity, not just with awareness but also with neuroplasticity.” - Dr. Reid Robison [31:32] * “They don't impose a religious belief.” - Dr. Reid Robison [46:56] * “You are your own curriculum, you know, you are what you need to kind of understand.” - LaRae Wright [01:05:09]  Relevant Links: Dr. Reid Robison: www.reidrobison.com Numinus: numinus.com Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers: therapyfrontiers.com Instagram: @innerspacedoctor Produced by NC Productions [http://NCP.media] Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-observatory-discovery-of-consciousness-awareness/id1644040572]

Coming Alive Again | Amayra Hamilton on Grief, Aging, Self-Love & Finding Home

In this episode of the Observatory Podcast, Scott and LaRae Wright sit down with returning guest Amayra Hamilton in Cornville, Arizona, just before she begins a major new chapter: moving back to Holland after nearly 30 years in the United States. Together, they explore grief, aging, home, self-love, and the wisdom that comes from learning to accept what is. Amayra shares the story behind her book, Coming Alive Again, born from the loss of her son and later the passing of her husband, Michael. The conversation moves through the spiritual and practical sides of grief, channeled writing, life after loss, the realities of aging, and the courage it takes to keep choosing awareness, gratitude, and compassion. Timestamps: [00:00:54] Scott and LaRae visit Amayra Hamilton in Cornville, Arizona [00:03:08] Amayra’s book, Coming Alive Again, and the grief work behind it [00:05:29] Why grief can require “coming alive again” [00:06:31] The practical and spiritual sides of grief support [00:07:49] Channeled writing, automatic writing, and messages from loved ones [00:11:34] Amayra hears her son’s voice while preparing to move [00:13:22] Why there is no fixed timeline for grief [00:15:33] The many forms of loss and why every grief is unique [00:19:00] Grief, love, and the pain of what was never there [00:20:01] Aging, death, and learning to talk honestly about both [00:24:10] The realities of energy, caregiving, and the “golden years” [00:32:26] Honoring limitations and releasing resistance to aging [00:35:44] Accepting “what is” as wisdom grows with age [00:38:32] Amayra’s decision to move back to Holland [00:45:42] Home, native country, and carrying home within yourself [00:54:21] A possible Dutch translation of Coming Alive Again [00:55:45] Amayra’s closing wisdom on awareness, gratitude, self-love, and aging Notable Quotes: * “The book is called Coming Alive Again, which has been very much the theme of, when a loved one dies, a part of you dies with them. And that has to come alive again, otherwise you will leave yourself.” - Amayra Hamilton [05:29] * “Mom, you have been able to let go of me. This is just a house.” - Amayra Hamilton [11:41] * “There is no time on grief. You cannot say it takes so much time. It takes whatever it takes.” - Amayra Hamilton [13:30] * “Grief is love. The more love there is, the deeper the grief feels.” - Amayra Hamilton [19:00] * “I think it’s when you become in resistance to aging that everything then seems to accelerate.” - LaRae Wright [32:40] * “Because without the loving of yourself, you cannot love anybody else.” - Amayra Hamilton [57:00]S Relevant Links: Coming Alive Again: http://comingaliveagain.com [http://comingaliveagain.com/] Amayra Hamilton: http://amayrahamilton.com [http://amayrahamilton.com/] Produced by NC Productions [http://NCP.media] Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-observatory-discovery-of-consciousness-awareness/id1644040572]

Decriminalize Nature | Dr. Larry Norris on Plant Medicine, Entheogens, Ayahuasca & the Right to Relationship with Nature

In this episode of the Observatory Podcast, Scott and LaRae Wright sit down with Dr. Larry Norris, co-founder of Decriminalize Nature, for a powerful conversation about plant medicine, entheogens, ayahuasca, consciousness, community healing, and the human right to relationship with nature. Dr. Norris shares how the Decriminalize Nature movement began, why language matters when discussing psychedelics and plant medicine, and how decriminalization can reduce harm by allowing underground communities to come into the open. Together, they explore the bridge between science and spirituality, ayahuasca integration, grassroots policy change, and what it means to reconnect with nature as teacher, healer, and living relationship.  Timestamps: [00:00:17] Introducing Dr. Larry Norris and Decriminalize Nature [00:01:17] What is Decriminalize Nature? [00:04:32] How the Oakland movement began [00:07:55] Neuroscience, mushrooms, and consciousness [00:10:21] Ayahuasca, plant teachers, and dissertation research [00:11:13] The right to relationship with nature [00:17:17] Why language shapes fear, healing, and understanding [00:20:56] Integration, implementation, and meaning-making [00:24:54] Decriminalization as risk reduction [00:30:09] Hawaii, embodiment, and bridging science with spirit [00:35:03] “You are your own curriculum” [00:39:08] Language, scripture, music, and describing oneness [00:47:14] Shared experience, grief, and deeper communication [00:53:28] Planting seeds for future generations [00:57:00] What is on the horizon for Decriminalize Nature [01:01:20] Building community and protecting plant medicine access Notable Quotes: * “Why is nature against the law? Why is it against the law to grow a plant? Why is it against the law to grow a mushroom?” - Dr. Larry Norris [00:01:28] * “There’s no real conversations about the individual’s right to have their own relationship with nature.” - Dr. Larry Norris [00:11:13] * “Integration, kind of like the meaning making process. You make meaning of that experience. But that implementation process, that’s where it’s at.” - Dr. Larry Norris [00:20:56] * “We really see decriminalization as sort of a risk reduction strategy.” - Dr. Larry Norris [00:25:04] * “You are your own curriculum.” - LaRae Wright [00:35:03] “Helping steward changes in policy to allow people to have access to consciousness is just such a beautiful thing.” - Dr. Larry Norris [00:53:45] Relevant links: Decriminalize Nature: www.decriminalizenature.org [http://www.decriminalizenature.org] Decriminalize Nature Michigan: www.decrimnaturemi.org [http://www.decrimnaturemi.org] Produced by NC Productions [http://NCP.media] Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-observatory-discovery-of-consciousness-awareness/id1644040572]