The Other Side of Things

00:00 Introduction
01:04 Who is Linda Star Wolf, Ph.D.
03:35 Star Wolf gives us a beautiful opening blessing
06:57 History of Michael and Star's relationship
11:50 The Spiral Path - the transformational process that requires change!
15:30 The origin of the word Shaman and it's true meaning as Shamaning...
19:16 Trusting when things need to end...
20:42 We all need the right amount of heartbreak.
23:00 My grandmothers who have helped me.
26:13 Shamanism and Breakdown/Breakthroughs
30:00 Growing up in the woods and forest as an only child.
32:57 Growing up highly sensitive.
35:48 Breathwork, breakdowns and breakthroughs and precautions
42:00 Shadow work, shamanic deaths and rebirths
45:36 The blessings of soul friends - who help us embrace our weirdness - that is our uniqueness!
48:14 Weird originally meant, 'having a foot in both worlds.'
50:30 Authenticity and embracing the shadow
55:13 The collective shadow and the pain of being demonized and shamed can drive you crazy
58:00 Let's be clear we LIVE on a Shamanic Planet - we've already had huge extinction events!
1:00:00 This is an Earth School
1:05:00 The AI I'm interested in is Authentic Intelligence - NOT artificial intelligence.
1:10:00 Here to get a doctorate degree in the Universe - according to grandmother Twyla.

I’m truly honored to welcome a dear friend and longtime collaborator to the show today—Dr. Linda Star Wolf. Star Wolf and I have shared a deep connection for decades, working together on projects rooted in transformation, healing, and the sacred path of shamanic wisdom. As a shamanic breathwork facilitator myself, I’ve been profoundly influenced by her teachings and the visionary work she has brought to the world.

Today, we’ll be diving into her latest book, The Aquarian Shaman, exploring the evolution of shamanic consciousness in these changing times. From breathwork to shadow work, the endless spiral path of the soul and the wisdom of our teachers and elders, we’ll journey into what it means to truly follow our hearts and the path of our souls!

Get comfortable, take a deep breath, and join us on this soul-centered conversation with the incredible Linda Star Wolf.

Linda Star Wolf, Ph.D., has been a shamanic visionary teacher and guide to thousands of people over the last four decades. Star Wolf was a nationally certified alcohol and drug counselor for 30+ years. She studied a variety of breathwork techniques with many teachers. Star Wolf draws much of her wisdom from personal experience of using breath to fortify connection to one’s own life force energy.

The author of 13 books, Star Wolf is the creator of Shamanic Breathwork®, the Shamanic Healing Initiatory Process® (S.H.I.P.), the Founder of Venus Rising Association for Transformation (a non-profit organization), and Founding President of Venus Rising University for Shamanic Psychospiritual Studies. Star Wolf is also co-founder of the Shamanic Mystery Tours and guides spiritual seekers to travel as emissaries to sacred shamanic sites worldwide.
 
Dedicating her life to assisting soul seekers to transform and embrace their lives, Star Wolf teaches how to embody the shaman within and step into a life of passionate, soul purpose. Her commitment to sacred activism and visionary leadership led her to create the Shamanic Ministers Global Network and train Shamanic Breathwork Facilitators around the world. 
 
Star Wolf has a deep connection to shamanic earth wisdom teachings originating from Indigenous elders. Twylah Nitsch, beloved Seneca Wolf Clan Grandmother, gave her the spirit name Star Wolf and adopted her as a Spiritual Granddaughter.

Website: https://www.shamanicbreathwork.org/
Michael's Website:  https://michaeldemaria.com/
Order book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Aquarian-Shaman-Walking-Spiral-Transformation/dp/1591435145

What is The Other Side of Things?

No one knows everything, but everyone knows something no one else knows.

We live in an age of extremes, where certainty is prized and nuance is often lost. Yet life happens mostly in the in-between—in the twilight places where opposites find relationship, where identities soften, difference is honored and where deeper truths emerge organically.

On The Other Side of Things is an exploration of these liminal realms. Drawing from psychology, mythology, spirituality, creativity, nature, and lived experience, Michael invites listeners into The Way of Twilight: a path that neither rejects mystery nor abandons reason, but allows both to illuminate one another.

Together we explore the thresholds between worlds, perspectives, and ways of knowing, seeking a form of wisdom spacious enough to hold contradiction, complexity, and wonder - particularly on difficult topics like death, madness and intimacy.

This is a podcast for curious souls who sense that reality is always larger than our explanations of it—and that the deepest insights are often found on the other side of what we think we know.