Democracy Now! • May 5, 2025 • Latest Shows Support our work: https://democracynow.org/donate/sm-de… An alliance between the far right and Silicon Valley oligarchs has given rise to a form of “end times fascism,” says journalist Naomi Klein, who details in a recent essay co-authored with Astra Taylor how many wealthy elites are preparing for the end of the world even as they contribute to growing inequality, political instability and the climate crisis. Klein says that while billionaires dream of escaping to bunkered enclaves or even to space, President Donald Trump and other right-wing leaders are turning their countries into militarized fortress states to keep out immigrants from abroad and ramp up authoritarian control domestically.
Implications of Metaphysical Idealism with Bernardo Kastrup
New Thinking • May 10, 2025 Bernardo Kastrup, PhD, is a computer scientist. He is author of Rationalist Spirituality, Why Materialism is Baloney, Dreamed Up Reality, Meaning in Absurdity, Brief Peeks Beyond, More Than Allegory, and The Idea of the World. He has published several papers in Scientific American arguing for metaphysical idealism. Here he suggests that it is possible to develop spiritual principles on the basis of logic — starting with the premise that existence is meaningful and the observation that all exists within consciousness. He draws upon information theory to deduce that unbounded consciousness, as postulated by philosophical idealism, in order to actualize its full potential for self-understanding (or meta-cognition) would manifest existence as we know it. He explains this further using the analogy of the Mars Rover. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on February 11, 2019)
Full Moon In Scorpio May 2025 – No Turning Back
(Astrobutterfly.com)
On May 12th, 2025, we have a Full Moon at 22° Scorpio.
The Full Moon in Scorpio marks a “no turning back” threshold. A choice has been made, whether consciously or not, and from this point on, the road only moves forward.
We are living interesting astrological times.
Right now, we have a foot in 2 worlds. A long, long chapter is coming to an end. Saturn is still in Pisces – at 29 degrees, ready to step into Aries. Uranus is in its final stretch in Taurus. Jupiter will soon move into a new sign – but for now, still in Gemini.
Yet, we can see glimpses of what’s on the other side. Pluto has switched signs, moving into Aquarius back in November. Neptune has recently moved into Aries. Energetically, we are already in this new Pluto-Neptune chapter of our lives.
But there are still things to untangle, make sense of, and release.
Here, at the cross between 2 worlds – between an old chapter and a new one – the Full Moon in Scorpio comes to illuminate the emotional depth of this transition.
Because times are a-changin’, as Bob Dylan said. Whether we like it or not. Whether we’re ready or not. There’s no turning back now.
At the upcoming New Moon in Gemini, Saturn will already be into Aries, following in Neptune’s footsteps – pressing the RESET button.
But we’re not there yet. There’s still something that needs to happen. Something that needs to be brought into light. Something that needs to be processed.
Full Moon in Scorpio – The Aspects
The Full Moon in Scorpio is opposite Uranus (at 26° Taurus) and trine Saturn (at 28° Pisces).
The Full Moon activates the mythical father and son archetypes, Uranus and Saturn.
These are 2 very interesting planets because on the surface they couldn’t be more different, yet if we look closer, both deal with the same core theme: structural change. It’s just that their approach differs.
Saturn wants to keep us inside the ring – literally and metaphorically – with all that comes with structure, reliable boundaries, and rules.
And Uranus wants to break us free – to venture outside the ring.
When these two interact, structural change happens.
We have 2 scenarios that lead to transformation:
- A hard Saturn aspect + supportive Uranus aspect
- Or a hard Uranus aspect + supportive Saturn aspect
In the first scenario – the Saturn-driven one – we hit friction. Something is no longer working, we fail to achieve results through discipline, and then ultimately, after trials and tribulations, we find our freedom (Uranus) by changing the way we’re doing things.
And in the second scenario – our Full Moon in Scorpio scenario – we first get the Uranian thunder and lightning: the shake-up, the Tower card moment.
But then, after Uranus shows us the alternative reality – the mind-blow, the jolt – we end up in a much better place than we were before.
Things fall into place. Our life immediately accommodates the change, as if somewhere, on a deeper plane, we were already planning for it.
How many times – and how many Uranus transits later – has leaving a relationship that has run its course, an unfulfilling job, or a draining friendship – things we would have NEVER dared with Saturn alone – turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to us?
The gift of this Full Moon in Scorpio is the humility to admit that perhaps our understanding was limited, that we don’t have all the answers – and to allow the peace that comes with that realization to reorganize our inner world.
“Now that I don’t need to prove to everyone I’m right… now that I take the ego out of the situation… I can actually look at this situation for what it is.”
It’s incredible that when we get to that stage, a whole world of opportunities opens in front of us.
The opportunities were always there – but we were blind to them, being too caught up in the narrative that belonged to stories and roles well past their expiration date.
Full Moon In Scorpio – No Turning Back
In this time of profound transition, everything is shifting – some things crumbling, others emerging.
And no one knows this better than Scorpio, the sign that has ‘transformation’ woven into its DNA.
Transformation means we take something that is important to us and let it evolve into something else—something better suited to the next phase.
While we might be moving into completely new territories, we always carry the distilled essence of our past, our experiences, and our soul’s memory.
“The only baggage you can bring is all that you can’t leave behind.” – Walk On, U2
If we were forced to leave in a rush, or start again, we would probably fill our one bag with only the true valuables – what really matters. Everything else, while it may carry memories, meaning, or attachments, can be left behind. It’s not really that important. We can leave – and live without it.
Similarly, it’s the core, distilled truth of our identity that truly matters. Whenever we drift off course, it’s usually because we’ve forgotten who we are – that essential spark, the drive, the WHY of our existence.
The Full Moon in Scorpio invites us to let go of the non-essential, while at the same time holding onto what’s deeply meaningful.
At this threshold moment in time, when we still have one foot in 2 worlds, let’s take what truly matters – the wisdom we’ve gathered on our long journey all the way to Pisces – and let’s open ourselves to new possibilities.
Soon, very soon, we’ll be standing fully in a new world – birthing something new from the ashes of what we’ve outgrown.
The Healing Power of Intimacy with Dean Ornish
New Thinkin • May 9, 2025 This video is a special release from the original Thinking Allowed series that ran on public television from 1986 until 2002. It was recorded in about 1998. It will remain public for only one week. Dean Michael Ornish is an American physician and researcher. He is the president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is author of many books, including Love and Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy. Now you can watch all of the programs from the original Thinking Allowed Video Collection, hosted by Jeffrey Mishlove. Subscribe to the new Streaming Channel (https://thinkingallowed.vhx.tv/) and watch more than 350 programs now, with more, previously unreleased titles added weekly. Free month of the classic Thinking Allowed streaming channel for New Thinking Allowed subscribers only. Use code THINKFREELY.
A parent’s guide to raising kids after loss
Andy Laats | TED2025
• April 2025
LikeRead transcript
Andy Laats had the textbook fairytale family setup … a great job, a happy marriage, three wonderful kids and everything going for them. Until one day, they didn’t anymore. In this tender, wise and unexpectedly funny talk, Laats describes the profound lessons he’s learned over the years as a father, offering insights that will resonate with anyone who’s ever had any kind of family.
Want to use TED Talks in your organization?
About the speaker
Cofounder and CEO of Nixon, Inc.
Featured Books from New Thinking Allowed
Dean Ornish reveals that the real epidemic in modern culture is not only physical heart disease but also what he calls spiritual heart disease: loneliness, isolation, alienation, and depression. Dr. Ornish outlines eight pathways to intimacy and healing that have made a profound difference in his life and in the life of millions of others in turning sadness into happiness, suffering into joy.
This book is a three-part journey into the rabbit hole we call the nature of reality. Its ultimate destination is a plausible, living validation of transcendence. Each of its three parts is like a turn of a spiral, exploring recurring ideas through the prisms of religious myth, truth and belief, respectively. With each turn, the book seeks to convey a more nuanced and complete understanding of the many facets of transcendence.
Written for both healing professionals and spiritual seekers, this book reveals the underlying systems, mechanics, and subtle anatomy of the soul. Combining detailed descriptions, specific exercises, and vibrant color illustrations, this book can awaken your consciousness. Both an invitation to awakening, and a road-map to greater self-awareness, this treatise of enlightened expertise broadens the definition of what it means to be human.
Unlocking the hidden codes of Mary’s gospel and other ancient source texts, the author reveals how Mary conceived Jesus through a careful process that she willed and initiated. She explains how Mary was born into a family of powerful priestesses, women who possessed, cultivated, and passed on the ability to consciously conceive elevated beings to help the planet.
Timeless Deja Vu contains 31 stories of the paranormal and supernatural where you will experience the impact of Solheim’s mediumship and encounters with spirits of all kinds, learn about a theoretical framework for understanding these phenomena, and even discover how aliens and ghosts have something in common.
For several years, Miguel Conner has engaged the most prominent writers and scholars on Gnosticism and early Christianity on Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio. These interviews with 13 leading scholars represent one of the best ways to get to know ancient Gnosticism. Read what the best minds have to say about the Gnostic sects, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, Mary Magdalene, heresy, the origins of Gnosticism, and the original teachings of Jesus.
Cardinal Passed Over For Pope Devoted Life To God For Nothing
Published: May 9, 2025 (TheOniion.com)
VATICAN CITY—Angrily stomping on his vestments and throwing his zucchetto on the ground, Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters Friday that being passed over for pope meant he had devoted his life to God for absolutely nothing. “Five goddamn decades of faith, dedication, and service in the name of our Lord and Savior, and this is the thanks I get?” said the 70-year-old Veteran Vatican diplomat, adding that he would have spent his life mired in sin if he knew it was going to end with Cardinal Robert Prevost being elected the 267th Pope of the Catholic Church. “Seriously. I spent 56 years living a moral, humble, and charitable life to get snubbed by some catty Cardinals at their stupid little Conclave. I took a vow of celibacy for God’s sake! Everyone must think I’m such an idiot.” A distraught Parolin added that he knew he should have listened to his gut, never joined the seminary, and devoted his life to Islam instead.
Word-Built World: autocephality
Illustration: Anu Garg
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
autocephality
PRONUNCIATION:
MEANING:
noun: Self-rule.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek auto- (self) + -cephal (head).
NOTES:
Autocephality is a fancy word for self-governance. It’s especially used in the context of Eastern Orthodox Churches that independently govern their spiritual affairs without a higher ecclesiastical authority. Think of it as running their own spiritual show. No higher-ups pulling the incense strings.
Not to be confused with autocephalopods. Those would be self-governing squids.
Conclave Selects First Chicago-Style Pope
Book: “The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir”
The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir
Sarah Kendzior
The New York Times bestselling author of They Knew, Hiding in Plain Sight, and The View from Flyover Country navigates a changing America as she and her family embark on a series of road trips, in a book that is part memoir, part history, and wholly unique.
It is one thing to study the fall of democracy, another to have it hit your homeland — and yet another to raise children as it happens. The Last American Road Trip is one family’s journey to the most beautiful, fascinating, and bizarre places in the US during one of its most tumultuous eras. As Kendzior works as a journalist chronicling political turmoil, she becomes determined that her young children see America before it’s too late. So Kendzior, her husband, and the kids hit the road — again and again.
Starting from Missouri, the family drives across America in every direction as cataclysmic events – the rise of autocracy, political and technological chaos, and the pandemic – reshape American life. They explore Route 66, national parks, historical sites, and Americana icons as Kendzior contemplates love for country in a broken heartland. Together, the family watches the landscape of the United States – physical, environmental, social, political -transform through the car window.
Part memoir, part political history, The Last American Road Trip is one mother’s promise to her children that their country will be there for them in the future – even though at times she struggles to believe it herself.
About the author
Sarah Kendzior
6 books546 followersFollow
Sarah Kendzior is the New York Times bestselling author of They Knew, Hiding in Plain Sight, and The View from Flyover Country.
She is known for her reporting on St. Louis, her coverage of the 2016 election, and her academic research on authoritarian states. She was named by Foreign Policy as one of the “100 people you should be following on Twitter to make sense of global events.”
Her reporting has been featured in many publications, including Politico, Slate, The Atlantic, Fast Company, The Chicago Tribune, TeenVogue, The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times. She lives in St. Louis.
(Goodreads.com)