Midwest Real - podcast cover

Midwest Real

Michael Phillipwww.midwestreal.net
A podcast and blog with an unquenchable lust for rabbit holes and open-minded inquiry. Each week, host Michael Phillip and fascinating guests dig into new and novel knowledge nuggets from the nether regions of the multiverse.
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Episodes

063. Liam Wilson, Michael Phillip | Rabbit Holes Don't End

Guest and pal Liam Wilson is a musician, psychonaut, yogi, meditator, traveler and writer (by no means does he live an unexamined, "typical" nine-to-five lifestyle). Yet, none of that has prepaired him one bit for the trajectory altering uppercut to the nethers that is fatherhood. As if that weren’t nuclear enough, he also just participated in a two-day Ayahuasca ceremony run by a mysterious, otherworldly, head-sucking nomadic shaman. An experience that has left him rethinking even the most basi...

Feb 06, 20151 hr 34 min

062. Zoltan Istvan, Michael Phillip | Are we on the Cusp of a Transhumanist Utopia?

We have absolutely no idea what the future will hold, but we’re definitely on the cusp of something huge. Are we headed for an unprecedented utopian neo renaissance? Will technological and medical breakthroughs enable us to live practically forever so we’re free to pursue our passions all day long? Or are we on the verge of something darker? Some sort of Huxlian, Orwellian dystopia steeped in thought control, murderous AI and oligarch overlords who'll invade our minds in an effort to milk us for...

Jan 29, 20151 hr 19 min

061. Will Pangman, Michael Phillip

Although more and more of the analog world is seeping into the digital realm, the almighty dollar has managed to resist the pixel-y tide. Currency creation remains an esoteric, behind-the-scenes process controlled by a few privileged, monocle-clad, suit- wearers -- why is that? Are we meant to believe money is great the way it is, or sacred? I'm not (pun intended) buying it, nor are the thousands of people using Bitcoin. Will Pangman is a Bitcoin evangelist, works for a Bitcoin start up and is a...

Jan 21, 20151 hr 17 min

059. The Secrets in Plain Sight All Around Us | Scott Onstott, Michael Phillip

Scott Onstott is an Author and researcher with a background in math and architecture. Thanks to his proclivity for quantification, Scott has an aptitude for tracking down, highlighting and making sense of truly unbelievable numerological and geometrical synchronicities that reverberate throughout manmade structures, nature and the cosmos. His self-produced film, Secrets in Plain Sight is an exploration of these and many other phenomena and has been viewed over 4 million times on Youtube. head to...

Dec 04, 20141 hr 42 min

058. Everything is Sound. With Alexandre Tannous, Michael Phillip.

Alexandre Tannous is one of those guys whose insight just continually surprises you. He holds multiple degrees in music and philosophy. More importantly, he has traveled to over 40 of countries where he has participated in dozens of shamanic, meditative and initiatory ceremonies. Alexandre also researches the esoteric and therapeutic properties of sound from scientific and shamanic perspectives. He has lectured at many major universities including Georgetown, Princeton and NYU. Head to midwestre...

Nov 22, 20141 hr 58 min

057. Author, Freemason and Brain-melter, Robert W. Sullivan IV Returns!

Author, 32nd degree Freemason and scholar Robert W. Sullivan IV is back to blast more hidden knowledge! This time, he takes a scalpel to your favorite films, exposing the cloaked allegory, messages, symbols and archetypes that fuel man's most powerful narratives. As always, for a full write-up, head over to midwestreal.net

Nov 12, 20141 hr 17 min

056. Dr. Rick Strassman, Michael Phillip

Within all of us, there's a chemical gateway to another dimension. It's called DMT. What is its purpose? Why is it so ubiquitous throughout nature? No one knows, but one thing's for sure- it can change your life in a matter of minutes. Dr. Rick Strassman has studied the substance for over 20 years. He's the author of DMT the Spirit Molecule and his new book, DMT and the Soul of Prophecy. For a full write up, head to midwestreal.net !...

Oct 30, 20141 hr 14 min

055. Gabriel D. Roberts, Michael Phillip.

Our friend, Author Gabriel D. Roberts returns to the show. We discuss why we're all heroes in training, why fear is overrated and how to be the best, most authentic versions of ourselves. For a full write-up head to midwestreal.net !

Oct 21, 20141 hr 28 min

It's Not Science Fiction, It's Biomimicry- Dr. Michael Nosonovsky, Michael Phillip

“In the first half of the 20th century, the prevailing idea was that humans could be masters of nature and the universe. We thought that human power was unlimited. We thought- ‘we can change rivers, we can move mountains—’ we can actually conquer nature. Then, sometime in the second half of the 20th century, we made the realization that the relationship between nature and humans is actually much more complex than that. We can learn a lot from nature. This is where the idea of biomimetics and har...

Oct 15, 201452 min

052. The Undying Stars - Author David W. Mathisen, Michael Phillip

David W. Mathisen's latest work, The Undying Stars dances comfortably where traditional historians wouldn't dare tread. The book ties together ancient megalithic structures with star myths and a holographic, worldview that's oddly similar to what modern science is finding. Still not sexy enough? The Undying Stars also argues that this ancient wisdom was deliberately suppressed by forces who took over the Roman empire, which launched a ruthless campaign to eradicate this esoteric system of knowle...

Sep 28, 20142 hr 25 min

051. Simulation Theory, Quantum Mechanics and the Nature of Reality with Physicist Tom Campbell, Michael Phillip

Tom Campbell has had an impressive career in applied physics. He has worked in military intelligence, he has reverse-engineered the weapons technology of rival governments, he has worked in national missile defense, even on huge engineering projects for NASA— impressive stuff. But what makes Tom an even more interesting and rare specimen is that he has also spent three decades researching the nature of consciousness and reality. He has done so by remaining open-minded about topics that many scie...

Aug 26, 20142 hr 31 min

049. Randall Carlson of Sacred Geometry International (Part 1)

Every night we go to bed taking it for granted that tomorrow will come. Worst case scenario, our heart will give out and we won't wake up. But, what if that wasn't the worst case scenario? As we speak, massive chunks of instant extinction are flying by the vessel we inhabit at preposterous speeds. If one of them crosses the earth's path, it could easily be game over for the human race. As long as we've been aware of that inconvenient fact, it's been good for precisely one thing- apathy. That's b...

Jul 29, 20141 hr 29 min

048. Liam Wilson of Dillinger Escape Plan. Set your good vibe blasters on high.

Liam Wilson is best known for playing bass in the spastic, technical, AMAZING progressive metal mainstay, Dillinger Escape Plan. If you're a fan of heavy music and you somehow haven't heard of them over the course of the last 15 or so years, I don't even know what to say. If you're not so much into the metal, fear not, for this man is likely the opposite of what comes to mind when you imagine a guy with millions of head bangs under his belt. He's a voracious reader, a practitioner of Transcenden...

Jul 22, 20141 hr 21 min

047. Marty Leeds and Michael Phillip in Math Magic Land.

Ancient languages like Hebrew had a numerical values embedded into every character. This added levels of meaning and allegory to the bible that gave people like Sir Isaac Newton and many other scholars a life-long headache. But, numerical value is totally absent from the English language... right? I don't know. But, Author and researcher Marty Leeds has some pretty god damn interesting thoughts, videos and books that argue for it. Head to midwestreal.net for links, and a full write-up!...

Jul 10, 20141 hr 20 min

046. Closure in Moscow - The Nuggets that Lay Beyond.

I spoke with Closure in Moscow about their highly intelligent, psychedelic, satyrically lased new masterpiece of a record, Pink Lemonade. Go buy it right now on iTunes or your local record store. See the full article at Midwest Real.

Jun 28, 20141 hr 31 min

043. Jeffrey Tucker, Will Pangman, Michael Phillip. A Digitally Fueled Utopia, Bitcoin and a Little Bit of Gin.

LISTEN People are evil, violent, greedy, hopeless bastards. Even as a prepubescent flesh ball that would experience withdrawal symptoms if you took away his Super Nintendo controller for more than five seconds, I knew that. How could I not? Fear of the “bad guys” was embedded into roughly 99.9% of the mega-tons of media I consumed on a daily basis. As a tyke I'd often lie in bed at night fearing a who’s who of boogie men with all manner of otherworldly weaponry that I could never hope to defeat....

May 25, 20141 hr 24 min

041. Author, Mason and Brain Melter Robert W. Sullivan IV, Michael Phillip

LISTEN. I remember it well- the first time I heard the phrase “Freemason”. Sure, it came from an uneducated mouth at a college party, but it was enough to make me rush to Google for enlightenment. My 20-year-old brain couldn’t believe what it had read. Masons seemed to be a real-life shadowy cabal of powerful men linked to basically every major event that lead to the establishment of the United States. It's well known that George Washington, Ben Franklin and and a slew of other founding fathers ...

Apr 26, 201458 min

040. Comedian Lee Camp, Michael Phillip

LISTEN. All comedy is not created equal. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always ready for (and often partaking in) some cheap chuckles facilitated by potty humor, but I have a deeper appreciation for the type of biting satire and commentary that actually opens your mind, forcing you to think whilst giggling. I’m no expert on the history of comedy, but there seems to be something more poignant stirring in the hearts of (some of) today’s comedians. Maybe it was all made possible by trail-blazers like Geor...

Apr 10, 201447 min

039. The Bulletproof Executive- Dave Asprey, Adam Von Rothfelder, Michael Phillip

LISTEN This bag of meat we drive around sure is complicated. We’ve had millions of years to figure it out, yet we still don’t know all the ins and outs of caring for this body we’ve got. To make matters worse, it seems like every week there’s some new piece of medical or nutritional research that contradicts a long-held truth about what it is means to be healthy- Fat has gone from bad to good . Many g rains have gone from the cornerstone of a healthy diet, to something you should probably NEVER ...

Mar 28, 20141 hr 20 min

038. Author Gabriel D. Roberts, Michael Phillip

LISTEN. Life can be a bastard. It has a way of sucker-punching you in the nethers just when you least expect it, leaving you confused and scrambling for answers. Life gets nasty, period. Death, disease and trauma don’t wait until you’ve fortified yourself with a daily meditation routine, or had some sort of life-affirming existential breakthrough. Most of us learn this truth the hard way- in lieu of a personal, transcendent experience that no one can take away, philosophies and religious creeds ...

Mar 23, 20141 hr 16 min

037. BITCOIN IS IMMORTAL- Chris Ellis, Will Pangman, Michael Phillip

Bitcoin is immortal, so you might as well embrace it. LISTEN New technologies almost always follow a predictable pattern. They start off exclusive, expensive and as something that grants power to a privileged few, all while some lucky nerd sits atop an ever-growing pile of money at the top of the pyramid. But eventually, those very same pieces of innovation become cheap, ubiquitous and totally standard until they’re replaced by the next big thing. It’s happened so many times in the last couple o...

Mar 11, 20141 hr 41 min

036. The Higherside Chats' Greg Carlwood, Michael Phillip

LISTEN There’s a stupid old expression that says “time is the coin of life, be careful how you spend it.” I’m not sure if there’s a soul on Earth that reads that and thinks “yes, I’m definitely spending my time in the wisest way possible.” After all, how can we? Life requires us to have many obligations we don’t really want to deal with- school, debt, jobs, families- they just seem to keep piling up, burying us in a stinky heap of duty (pun fully intended). But, every now and then someone manage...

Feb 23, 20141 hr 14 min

035. Filmmaker Adam Scorgie, Michael Phillip

LISTEN Compared to the rest of the world, the west has reached a very cushy state, but things haven't always been all corn, beef and football. Getting to this warm, chubby place required revolution, civil war and plenty of good old fashioned dissidence. Indeed, many heads were bashed in the name of liberties we now take for granted. Thankfully, most of us don’t have to take to the streets to fight for basic rights anymore, but there's still plenty of controversial, if not totally backwards, phil...

Feb 16, 20141 hr 34 min

034. Author/Philosopher Tim Freke, Michael Phillip

LISTEN. SUBSCRIBE/REVIEW. We humans have an amazing amount of rational knowledge; painstakingly poking, prodding and measuring basically everything we can get our hands on for generations has brought us to some pretty concrete, indisputable truths about the way the world works. The rational human mind has cured diseases, coded the human genome and begun mapping the billions of neurons in our own brains. We have so much objective knowledge we forget that society is practically rotting under the w...

Feb 09, 20141 hr 16 min
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