Altered Mates

According to Brian Keely, who wrote a widely read paper published the journal of philosophy in 1999, “A conspiracy theory is a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal...

In this episode we explore the concept of the chakras as outlined in Hindu and Buddhist yogic and meditation traditions, though we focus our conversation on one episode of children's animation Avatar: The Last...

In this episode we discuss an interview with one of Alejandro’s heroes and most significant influences, Robert Anton Wilson. We give a brief introduction to Wilson’s life and briefly touch on a few important concepts...

In this episode we go on a journey into the two hemispheres of the brain. Using a recent Substack post—an interview Ana Lund conducted with Dr. Pascal Vrticka—as a framing device we explore the ongoing debate concerning...

The Craft (1996) directed by Andrew Fleming and written by Peter Filardi, was pivotal in the representation and perhaps the construction of a new kind of witch; of a young, teenage girl with dark makeup, dark clothes...

In this episode we examine the phenomena of synchronicity, a term coined by Carl Jung to designate the meaningful coincidence of a psychic and a physical state or event, which have no causal relationship to one another...

This episode is a continuation of our discussion on Borderline Personality Disorder, which is a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects, and marked impulsivity...

In this episode we discuss Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), also referred to as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Somewhat unintentionally Alejandro gives an overview of the TV show Bojack Horseman...

In this episode we go on a savage journey to the heart of the American Dream through an immersion into Hunter S. Thompson and Terry Gilliam’s nightmarish Las Vegas. We discuss Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 masterwork of...

In this episode of the podcast we continue our discussion of the first thirty pages of Ramsey Dukes’ essay on magical thinking; “Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians Exposed”, commonly abbreviated to S.S.O.T.B.M.E. Dukes’...

According to Ramsey Dukes, “Magic is a technique by which the human mind attempts to operate upon its world. As such it is similar to Art, Religion and Science, but note that the term ‘its world’ is meant to embrace not...

In the second episode of season 2 the altered mates continue our discussion of our personal experiences with ayahuasca. In this episode, Alejandro relates his rather disturbing experience in one particular ceremony from...

In the first episode of season 2 we begin a discussion of some of our most profound and significant personal experiences with ayahuasca over the past ten years. We consider the prospect that ayahuasca might be a “highly...

In this, the final episode of Season 1 of the Altered Mates Podcast, we (Alejandro Tuama and Tobias Penno) discuss what is on the immediate horizon for us both. Tobias gives us a little taste of his PhD—in terms of both...

This episode of the podcast features Alejandro reading two chapters from his debut novel, A Glimpse of Eternity —published in 2022, and based on his own transformational journey to South America in 2016. At this stage...