The Thinning

From Control Systems to Cosmic Love: An Engineer's Spiritual Awakening

Gail Behrend spent twenty years as a mechanical engineer, learning to think in systems, control the variables, and add factors of safety. Then a relationship ended, she hit bottom, and something completely outside her engineering training showed up. A voice. A rush of energy. An experience of love so total it redrew her entire map of reality. In this conversation, Gail and Steven find that a control systems engineer and an ordained minister have been asking the same questions from very different starting points, and that the answers, when they come, feel a lot alike.

A First Responder, PTSD, And The Way Back

Former Atlanta police detective and Suffolk County cop Michael Morgan spent 30 years burying the weight of the worst moments in other people's lives — homicides, child deaths, the visceral cries he couldn't unhear. When a forced retirement brought everything flooding back, he knew he needed something radical. In this raw and remarkable conversation, Michael shares how ayahuasca unlocked a grief he'd sealed off for decades, what actually happens inside a ceremony, and why the medicine alone isn't what healed him. A must-listen for anyone who's ever wondered what real healing looks like — and what it costs to finally let your guard down.

Michael Waters Helps Spirits Enter the Light

What happens when “neighborhood lore” about a Native American burial ground turns into a life-altering spiritual calling? In this episode, Steven Martin talks with Mike (joining from the West Coast in Oregon) about an extraordinary series of experiences that began when Mike and his wife considered moving away from their Washington property near Seattle—and instead, his wife began receiving vivid dreams. In those dreams, Native American spirits asked her to stay and learn psychopomp work: helping spirits who have died but haven’t “moved on” find their way into the light. Mike describes how the teachings started through dreams and meditation, how his wife would sense a “tap” (a physical-feeling signal) when someone needed help, and how their work evolved from assisting willing spirits to encountering darker, more complicated cases—what they came to call “spiritual vampires.” He shares the moment he realized he could participate directly, how shamanic training expanded their understanding of “non-ordinary reality,” and why they ultimately shifted to safer spiritual practices. The conversation also explores: * Death, grief, and what may happen after we die * Why some spirits may resist crossing over (fear, guilt, trauma) * Near-death experiences, “life review,” and karma as a process (not a free pass) * Shamanic journeying, intuition, the “third eye,” and altered states of consciousness * Psychedelics vs. meditation as paths to spiritual insight (and the risks of “recreationalizing” the work) * Suffering, love, and the “dark night of the soul” Mike also mentions a later approach influenced by Daniel Foor’s Ancestral Wisdom, calling on well ancestors to do the “heavy lifting,” and shares that he’s rebuilding his website and is open to public speaking. He and his wife wrote a book about their experiences, which he says he gives away to help spread the message. This is a thoughtful, worldview-stretching dialogue about mortality, meaning, and what it might look like to serve both the living—and the dead.

Christian Pastor Gets a Tarot Reading — What Happens Next Is Wild

What happens when a lifelong Christian pastor — raised to believe tarot was dangerous, occult, and forbidden — sits down with a professional tarot reader for the first time? In this fascinating and surprisingly emotional conversation, Steven Martin talks with tarot reader and teacher Jeni Archer about spirituality, intuition, faith, skepticism, and the power of symbolic language. What begins as curiosity quickly turns into a deeply personal experience as Steven receives a live tarot reading on camera — and the results leave him stunned. This episode explores: ✨ What tarot actually is (and what it isn’t) ✨ Why so many religious traditions fear divination ✨ The connection between intuition, psychology, and storytelling ✨ Neurodivergence, perception, and spiritual sensitivity ✨ Whether tarot predicts the future — or reveals what we already know ✨ A live 3-card reading that gets unexpectedly personal Steven comes in skeptical. He leaves questioning everything. Whether you’re religious, spiritual, curious, or doubtful, this conversation invites you to consider a bigger question: 👉 What if there’s more to human perception than we’ve been taught? Learn more about Jeni's work at https://www.hearthmagickshop.com

Clementine Moss: Channeling Bonzo, a Journey in Spirituality

In this engaging conversation, Clementine Moss (drummer for the all-female Zeppelin tribute band, Zepparella, shares her unique journey from a late start in drumming at 27 to becoming a spiritual counselor and musician. She discusses the connection between music and spirituality, the influence of iconic drummers like John Bonham, and the importance of groove and feel in music. The dialogue explores the transformative power of music, the role of spirituality in her life, and the idea of channeling energy through performance. Ultimately, Clementine emphasizes the unity of music and spirituality, encouraging listeners to connect with the divine through their passions. Check out Clementine's work at: https://www.clemthegreat.com/ [https://www.clemthegreat.com/]