I started listening to the podcast, That’s So Retrograde, about six months ago and now consider myself an avid fan and subscriber. Hosts Elizabeth Kott and Stephanie Falcon Simbari—two hilarious, badass babes who radiate positivity and love through the sound waves—cucuss all things wellness, pop culture, astrology, and other good vibe-y topics once a week on the show; which, whenever possible, should be accompanied by wine. I’ve listened to about a hundred episodes of the podcast, but the one that really blew me away was the episode featuring Shaman Durek called “That’s So Shamanade,” which debuted on the podcast on September 1 of last year (2017), and remains one of the podcast’s most popular episodes.
I remember first listening to the episode during my commute to work on the Boston T during a time in my life when I felt overwhelmed, stressed out, and negative. By the time I arrived to work, I felt like I was floating. The episode filled me with so much strength, hope, and love; and after listening to it several more times since that morning (usually when I’m feeling low and pessimistic), I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s my favorite podcast episode of all time, and it changed my life for the better.
I couldn’t possibly list everything I learned from that episode because soooo much knowledge was dropped over the course of an hour, but prior to listening, I had no idea what a shaman actually was. I think I always assumed shamanism was another form of spirituality; ipso facto a shaman must be a spiritual guru. Shamanism actually dates back to when the Earth was first formed, and Shaman Durek explained that “shaman” is a Saxon word meaning “one who is guided to have the answer.” There are many different types of shamans across many cultures, but Shaman Durek is a third generation spirit shaman, and spirit shamans do not communicate with the physical, but rather what’s inside the physical (the spirit). To become a spirit shaman, he had to “learn how to remove his judgment of humanity” because spirit shamans “cannot create an idea or perception that something is right or wrong” because “that’s subjective to each culture.” Instead, they ask the question, “Is it referenced through love?” Spirit shamans have to go into the darkest parts of the human psyche to bring forth light and love. There’s just one catch. Before becoming a spirit shaman, you must physically die; which Shaman Durek did, and he shares his experience with death (what he saw, who he met, what he learned) in vivid detail for the majority of the episode. When I tell you I was nearly falling out of my seat on the T, I AM NOT JOKING.
What I like so much about this episode of That’s So Retrograde is the fact that Elizabeth and Stephanie let Shaman Durek do most of the talking, since he was sharing such an epic and riveting experience; however, they knew just when to interject and ask clarifying questions that every listener was probably thinking (myself included). For example, at one point he’s talking about how spirits and gifted people around him were telling him that he was going to have a physical death, and he says, “and then I went to one of my other lifetimes when I was the Oracle of Delphi…” and before he can go any further Stephanie interrupts by saying, “How-how-how-how-how?” which yes, HELLO, that’s not just a tidbit you drop on us and don’t explain further! A few minutes later, Shaman Durek is telling us that he died a very painful physical death by suffocation and, the moment I was about to yell, “How did that happen?!” Elizabeth and Stephanie asked the question for me and requested that he back up and explain what led up to the horrible death. However, when Shaman Durek describes the events leading up to his death and what happened immediately following, the girls give him the floor and let him tell his story, so the episode felt more like a stream of consciousness that was full of passion and love and hope and explanation.
Towards the end of the interview, Stephanie asks Shaman Durek to give us (the listeners) some tools we can use that would allow us to practice his teachings on our own, since we may not have the opportunity to meet with him personally or go to one of his teaching events. I was incredibly grateful she asked this question because yeah, what he’s saying is awesome, but how can we actually use what he’s saying to better our lives? Shaman Durek then shared an exercise to practice in our own time to bring forth our own light, love, and peace, which gave me ALL the vibes. Other helpful questions the girls asked were regarding where we could find him on social media or the Web; where we could go to learn more about him and his teachings; what kinds of plans he has for the future; and what’s his take on the state of America at the moment (which, at the time, was nearly a year after the election shook the country and brought forth some not-so-pleasant events and feelings). By the end of the episode I didn’t have any questions that I wished the girls had asked him, except maybe, “What did the spirits look like that you met in the afterlife?” because I’m dying (no pun intended) to know how spirits appear physically, but I don’t think that’s really the point of his experience.
What I also loved about the episode was the fact that they were discussing some pretty heavy topics—death, religion, and spirituality can get a bit dicey—but they injected plenty of humor and lightness into the episode so that it didn’t feel so heavy. Additionally, I had never heard of Shaman Durek prior to this episode, and was unfamiliar with shamans and shamanism; however, I was able to follow and understand the conversation, and I think anyone listening could do the same. He puts things in layman’s terms for the listeners and explains his teachings through analogies and metaphors, which is very helpful. Although, I think it’s important to note that a discussion like this should be listened to with an open mind, and whether you believe Shaman Durek’s story or not, it’s still a fascinating discussion and an experience worth sharing. I may not believe (or want to believe) everything he said, for example, he insinuates at one point that those who pass from illness create their illnesses because they don’t want to stay in this life. That’s a bit harsh, however, I loved his sentiments about how we must wake up every day and tell ourselves beautiful things about ourselves because if we don’t, we’re “lying to who we are.” I definitely also believe his notion that humans are driven by fear and that’s a toxic way of thinking because darkness binds to fear and feeds off of it; and from a young age we’re taught that life is all about survival—do whatever you can to survive—rather than being taught to love ourselves, ignore negative thoughts, and don’t seek approval from others or depend on others to make us happy. Shaman Durek wants us to stop thinking that we must live in perfection—that everything has to be perfect. We live on a planet of refinement, and we should love limitlessly and stop lying and compromising our happiness.
At the end of the day, a good podcast is informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking; and this episode—and That’s So Retrograde in general—is just that. Personally, I found Shaman Durek’s words incredibly comforting, and I remember having a damn good day after listening to this episode that morning before work. I’m grateful that the girls had him on their show and appreciated the candid discussion.
My favorite moment of the podcast was when he closed the interview with these words: “Remember how amazing and wonderful you are, and that you’re a gift to life and don’t let anyone at any time ever tell you anything different other than the most beautiful things about you because that’s the truth and everything else is just poison. They’re lying, don’t accept it.” MIC. DROP.
To listen to this episode of That’s So Retrograde, click HERE!
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