Listening to the More-than-Human: Katie Hamaker on Plant Thinking, Decentering the Human, and the Ethics of Relationship

Listening to the More-than-Human: Katie Hamaker on Plant Thinking, Decentering the Human, and the Ethics of Relationship

In this tenth episode of Ruptures and Roots, Joshua sits down with Katie Hamaker — adjunct instructor, PhD candidate at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a teacher of courses on critical thinking, academic writing, and learning from plants. Katie's research weaves together Christianity, psychedelics, and social justice through feminist and process-philosophical lenses, asking what becomes possible when we let inherited religious narratives crack open. Their conversation traces the slow, layered rupture of a worldview Katie inherited from Western philosophy and socialized Christianity — one that placed humans at the top of a hierarchy and silenced the voices of plants. From her early ayahuasca journeys in Peru to the years of dissonance that followed, Katie explores what it means to move beyond both materialist dismissal and the easy trap of anthropomorphizing the plant world. Together, they sit with the mycorrhizal connectivity of redwoods, the dream-teachings of mugwort, the difference between morals and ethics, and the quiet question of what it might mean to plantize the human rather than humanize the plant. This episode invites listeners to consider: what voices have we been taught not to hear? How might we hold dissonance without rushing to resolve it? And what becomes possible when we expand our understanding of beingness to include the more-than-human world? Follow Katie on Substack:https://substack.com/@katiehamaker [https://substack.com/@katiehamaker] Get full access to Gospels of Rupture at gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe [https://gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Letting It Have You: Anu Brandt on Healing, Surrender, and the Hidden Thread of Your Life

In this ninth episode of Ruptures and Roots, Joshua sits down with Anu Peter Brandt — ordained sacred ceremony minister, shamanic practitioner, breathwork facilitator, energy healer, and lifelong musician. Together, they trace the thread of healing that ran quietly through Anu's life long before he recognized it: from childhood performances to Broadway stages and the jungles of Peru, where his first encounter with ayahuasca set a course that would reshape everything. Their conversation moves through the rupture of leaving a performing career that looked like success but never quite fit, the profound years of his mother's decline and passing, and the ways plant medicine, energy work, and out-of-body exploration opened Anu to dimensions of reality he'd always sensed but couldn't name. He shares the story of his mother visiting him in ceremony, the moment ayahuasca shifted him from wanting to escape his body to wanting to fully inhabit this life, and how music became a vessel for healing rather than performance. This episode invites listeners to consider: What if everything we've done has been preparation for the work that's truly ours? What does it mean to let rupture have us rather than running from it? And how might surrender be the doorway to everything we've been searching for? Find out more about Anu’s incredible healing work here:https://hummingbirdcircle.org/ [https://hummingbirdcircle.org/] Get full access to Gospels of Rupture at gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe [https://gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Beyond Logic: Steven Schrembeck on Mind Sight, Soul Families, and the Edges of Consciousness

In this eighth episode of Ruptures and Roots, I sit down with Steven Schrembeck—a software engineer by trade and by calling a dedicated explorer of meaning. Stephen’s journey is a profound study in how a strictly logical, structured life can be cracked open by curiosity and a relentless accountability to the truth. We delve into the “ruptures” that shattered Stephen’s materialist worldview, beginning with a serious meditation practice that evolved from a stress-management tool into a vehicle for firsthand exploration of consciousness. Stephen shares the ontological shock of his first UFO sightings, the 30-hour discipline of learning telekinesis, and the startling reality of “Mindsight”—the ability to perceive the world with eyes closed. In this circle, we explore: * The Transition from Logic to Intuition: How a former atheist began to navigate psychic phenomena and telepathy. * UFOs as a Catalyst: Why anomalous experiences often serve as a “gateway drug” to deeper spiritual awakening. * The “Soul Family”: Stephen’s experience meeting non-physical entities and navigating a universe that feels increasingly playful and abundant. * Practical Grounding: How to maintain stability and function when your understanding of reality begins to stretch beyond familiar bounds. Stephen reminds us that reality is far more mysterious and loving than we’ve been led to believe, and his story is an invitation to “never stop playing” with our own experiences. Links & Resources * Stephen’s Writing: Different Compass [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://differentcompass.inc] Recommended Reading: The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer Get full access to Gospels of Rupture at gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe [https://gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Trusting the Unseen: Radical Integrity, Spirit, and Community Healing

In this seventh episode of Ruptures and Roots, Joshua sits in conversation with a deeply devoted guide and facilitator of plant medicine ceremonies, exploring the terrain of rupture, truth, and radical integrity. Together, they navigate stories of ancestral connection, encounters with spirits and guides, and the ways psychedelic and somatic practices illuminate the unseen dimensions of our lives. Their dialogue moves through experiences of rupture and repair—personal, communal, and ecological—highlighting the lessons of honesty, discernment, and presence. From navigating land and cultural relationships in ceremony to reflecting on the challenge of finding truth in a world of disinformation, they explore how we cultivate alignment with our own lived experience. This episode invites listeners to consider: how might we trust what we cannot see? How do we engage with community and the living world with integrity? And how can rupture open the door to rooting deeper into life, connection, and creative possibility? Get full access to Gospels of Rupture at gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe [https://gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Reimagining Family: Andrew Belinsky on Music, Masculinity, and Healing in Community

In this sixth episode of Ruptures and Roots, Joshua is joined by Andrew Belinsky — musician, facilitator, community builder, and musical mentor. In this conversation, they explore the intersections of rupture, masculinity, and transformation. Andrew shares about the role of community in healing, the importance of initiation and elderhood, and how men’s work offers a pathway toward vulnerability and emotional honesty. Andrew also shares his own journey through divorce and into conscious co-parenting, reflecting on how new paradigms of family and connection can emerge from deep listening and shared care. Joshua and Andrew speak about the shadow side of modern masculinity and how music becomes a vessel for healing, expression, and belonging. The episode closes with a spontaneous musical offering — a reminder of how creativity can carry us through uncertainty and back into the heart of community. Connect with Andrew and learn more about his work at andrewbelinsky.com [http://andrewbelinsky.com] Get full access to Gospels of Rupture at gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe [https://gospelsofrupture.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]