The Two Tongues Podcast

S5E3 - Kaczynski Part 1 - Madman or Coal Mine Canary

How does a child math prodigy with an Ivy League pedigree turn into a domestic terrorist? What could drive such a person to sacrifice their future? For what end? What could possibly be worth it? How about saving the world?

In this episode we discuss Ted Kaczynski aka the UNABOMER. Straight to the horses mouth, we let Ted tell his side of the story, reading through his infamous 50 page manifesto titled: “Industrial Society and It’s Future.”

Was Kaczynski a madman bent on destruction or was he something more? Was his beef with a future technological utopia or was it with the ideological left? If that question surprises you, strap in! 'cause you're in for an enlightening stroll through history, propaganda and the mind of desperate, troubled, genius.

Enjoy ;) 

S5E2 - The Search for God in Ancient Egypt

In this episode Chris brings us Opinion Scholarship on the theology of ancient Egypt. This was a fascinating exploration of Egyptian religious hymns and inscriptions which speak of the Creation of the cosmos. We encounter such gods as Ptah, Amun, Atum and Re who stand firmly in the position of Supreme Being. But, how does classical Egyptian polytheism reconcile the notion of God with the gods? Through mystical enlightenment and the notion of a sole, primordial, pre-existing Monad. A divine, conscious singularity; God with a capital 'G'. Don't believe me? Hear it from the horses mouth through the myths of Heliopolis, Thebes, Hermopolis and Memphis. Hear it from the Pyramid Text, Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead.

Enjoy ;)

S5E1 - The Art of Shooting the Shit with Boomer Bill

In this episode we risk offense in the name of having an authentic (albeit pointless), bourbon fueled conversation. You know? Like in the old days, before politics crept into every corner of our lives. To accomplish such a feat, we bring in the old guard and talk to a real life boomer. Does Bill care about political correctness? Does he self-censor? Absolutely not. Does he say inflammatory things for comedic effect? And embellish where ever it suits him? Indeed, he does. But he winds a good yarn and has a lifetime of stories to tell, so join us for some laughs and controversy 1990s-style.

Enjoy ;)

S4E46 - Religious Suicide

Kyle and Chris wrap us season 4 with a contemplative episode. We have a strange discussion about religious sacrifice, focusing on the Christian notion that you should give yourself to God. We wonder what it means to 'give ones life to God' and contemplate suicide as an act of worship. We go from Kenosis to the Buddhist monk Luang Pho Daeng who died in the act of meditation. We sprinkle in a bit of ancient Egyptian mythology and ice the cake with discussion of demon possession and Jungian archetypes. 

Enjoy ;)

S4E45 - Gandalf the Red Part 8 - What the Darkness Comprehends

In this episode Chris brings us Opinion Scholarship on Carl Jung's infamous Red Book. We review four of Jung's visions and analyze their symbolic meaning. This takes us on an adventure through a hostile desert and, with the help of embodiments of his imagination, to the stream of the living. We follow this stream encountering symbols of God from ancient Egypt and Greece until we come at last to a great dark sea. We watch as the waters of the living dissolve into the sea, becoming one with it and we long to be one with it ourselves. 

Enjoy ;)

S4E44 - American Pride and First World Guilt

In this episode we check all the forbidden boxes, talking about identity politics and race relations, dual citizenship and divided allegiances, energy and personality and, of course, a controversial dose of religion. What is the risk of allowing non-naturalized citizens the right to vote? How about those with dual citizenship? What are the risks of emphasizing diversity over assimilation? And what are the risks of allowing those ideas that unify us, fall away? We speculate on these questions and much more. Come and get it!

Enjoy ;)

S4E43 - Child of Earth and Heaven

In this episode Chris brings us Opinion Scholarship on the ancient Greek god--Dionysus. All due credit to Neal Sendlak of the YouTube show "Gnostic Informant" for much of the historical details presented today. (If you haven't checked out Gnostic Informant, you should!) I discuss the classical myth of Dionysus versus older, secretive myths preserved by the followers of Orpheus. We compare the two traditions and explore the deep historical connections with other myths and archeological evidence to see just how deep the Dionysian rabbit-hole goes. We end by diving deeply into the Orphic myth of the creation of humanity and observing various versions of this same myth which appear all over the world. What does it all mean? Find out here...

Enjoy ;)

S4E42 - Culture versus Conscience

In this episode Kyle and Chris reunite after many, holiday weeks off...and there's much to catch up on. We discuss Chris' introduction to Jesse Lee Peterson, review the 2024 film "Nosferatu," and rave about the new podcast "The Telepathy Tapes." From here we turn to Chris' anxiety about aging, which takes the form of bitterness toward the new classes of actors and political talking heads, which are slowly replacing the figureheads of his own era. This takes us to a discussion of the political left's new strategy of winning over white, male voters again and challenging the new-media dominance of figures like Joe Rogan. We get controversial when the topic of 'Bacha bazi' or 'boy play' comes up and the attitude that the U.S. military adopted towards it during our occupation of the country over the last decade plus. Through in the mysterious history of the ancient worship of Dionysus and a bit of critique of communism and voila!

Enjoy ;)

S4E41 - Starving for Enlightenment

In this episode Chris brings us Opinion Scholarship on the effects of starvation on human beings. We discuss the Minnesota Starvation Experiment of the 1940s, which leads into the aggregated data and meta-analysis of altered states of consciousness available through the Altered States Database (alteredstatesdb.org). Both sources report that mystical experiences arise spontaneously in subjects who are deprived of food for extended periods of time. From here we turn to a survey of world religions, which describe spiritual revelation elicited through the practice of fasting. The central question being: Is starvation the origin of human spirituality and ultimately religion?

Enjoy ;)  

S4E40 - From Monism to Monotheism - Plotinus and Company

In this episode Chris brings us Opinion Scholarship on the idea of a supreme, monotheistic God as expressed in the Neoplatonic idea of "The One" or "The Monad." We explore the commonalities between Christian Monotheism and Neoplatonism and speculate on the fertile ground for the emergency of this idea prepared by the pre-Socratics and Plato himself. We take a deep dive into Plotinus, Porphyry and Proclus, their descriptions of mystical experience and see see how they rationalizations their mystical intuitions with logic and reason. We then discuss altered states of consciousness, the ancient Greek mysteries and depth psychology to bring this all together.

Enjoy ;)