Plant Cunning Podcast

Plant Cunning Podcast
  • 4.9 (52)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Plant Cunning Podcast brings together people wise to the ways of plants, fungi, healing practices, & the natural world to explore the mysteries of Nature. Co-Hosted by astrologer, gardener & musician, Isaac Hill and herbalist & educator A.C. Stauble-Hill. We invite herbalists, mages, mycologists, gardeners, community organizers, healers, spiritual seekers & all kinds of other interesting people to the microphone to share their wisdom. We like to bridge different worlds, make connections, inspire, and at times, have our minds blown by our amazing guests. Enjoy!

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 242: Becoming Mushrooms with Madison Murphy Barney

    Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast we welcome Madison Murphy Barney—doula, two-spirit Indigenous sister, public health storyteller, and author of Our Ancestors Want Us to Be Mushrooms: Wisdom for Living in Balance with the Planet and Each Other. Madison shares how mushrooms offer blueprints for reconnecting with ourselves, community, and the planet through traits like connection, decomposition, adaptability, and humility, emphasizing moving forward with “original instructions” rather than trying to return to the past. They discuss relating to ecosystems anywhere (including cities) through curiosity and noticing, mushrooms’ role in composting and rebuilding systems, and how doula work applies beyond birth and death to divorce, career change, and other transitions by honoring grief, support networks, and cycles. Madison also mentions ceremony, favorite mushrooms, and where to find her work online. 01:19 Meet Madison and Book Launch 02:27 Plant Path Origins 04:05 Why Be Mushrooms 06:26 City Nature Connection 09:00 Why Mushrooms Matter 12:53 Doula Calling and Expansion 17:20 Guiding Change and Grief 22:38 Ancestral and More-than-Human Support 24:33 Living in Cycles28:51 Cycles and Comfort 29:27 Native Plants Debate 30:37 Love of Place 32:05 Mushrooms and Protection 33:33 Adaptability and Neighbors 37:18 Humility in Ecosystems 42:01 Fungi Favorites Today 44:13 What Comes Next 45:25 Who the Book Is For 47:25 Connecting and Closing

    Ep. 242: Becoming Mushrooms with Madison Murphy Barney

  2. Aug 7

    Ep. 241: Telesmanica with Christopher Warnock

    Today on Plant Cunning, Christopher Warnock returns to discuss his new book, Telesmanica, an comprehensive, operative manual of astrological magic. He explains how the book expands beyond technique into worldview, methodology, causality, and the internal logic behind elections, arguing that many contemporary approaches are “bricolage,” mixing techniques without coherent structure or testing. Warnock contrasts modern atheistic materialism with traditional spiritual-first worldviews, using models like ecological “patterning” and mapping to explain how models are tested for usefulness. He outlines his approach to talismans—prioritizing timing, images, and mathematical ratios over materials—emphasizing practical constraints, rigorous selection of key chart factors, and a devotional practice focused on relationship with celestial spirits rather than guaranteed outcomes. 01:04 Why did Christopher Warnock write Telesmanica? 08:59 Worldview and Spiritual Reality 15:02 Models, Meaning and Belief 26:40 Bricolage in Modern Astrology 33:20 Astrology as Language and Intuition 37:32 Getting Readings Wrong 38:25 When Magic Doesn’t Fit 39:17 Worldview and Causality 40:10 What a Talisman Is 41:05 Picking the Right Election 42:41 In Picatrix, Context Matters 45:50 The Cookbook Perspective 52:57 Devotional Angel Practice 54:46 Reality Warping and Limits 56:02 Camouflage Magic Explained 57:54 Modern Anxiety and Ritual 59:10 Problematic Images and Archetypes 01:02:16 Ducks and Spiritual Freedom 01:08:24 Hermetic Lineage History 01:12:52 Reviving a Lost Tradition 01:15:16 Robert Zoller's Advice 01:16:10 Daily Devotional Power 01:17:09 Tradition Beyond Social Media 01:18:36 What Traditional Really Means 01:20:20 Medieval Renaissance Lineage 01:23:32 Applying vs Separating Aspects 01:24:58 Bricolage and Chart Noise 01:26:28 Meta Perspective and Meaning 01:30:00 Why does Christopher Warnock prioritize election and image over materials in the creation of talismans? 01:32:35 Occult Virtue and Platonic Ideas 01:36:43 Practical Talisman Use and Care 01:41:58 Meaning, Nihilism, and Collapse 01:45:37 Preserving Esoteric Texts in an age of Decline 01:47:20 Consciousness Beyond Humanity

    Ep. 241: Telesmanica with Christopher Warnock

  3. Jul 21

    Ep. 240: William Padilla-Brown

    Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026 MycoSymbiotics Mushroom & Art Festival July 29- August 2d, 2026Today on the podcast, AC & Isaac Hill interview mushroom citizen scientist and community builder William Padilla-Brown about his path into mycology, from early curiosity about consciousness and “plant medicine” to diet-driven health struggles that pushed him into growing his own food, foraging, and functional mushrooms. He credits discovering online superfood and medicinal-mushroom content (including David Avocado Wolfe) as a turning point, then explains how mushroom videos took off on YouTube and led him to start MycoSymbiotics and launch MycoFest in 2015 to create a lasting community and legacy for his family. Will recounts cultivating cordyceps after finding a specimen at the first festival, rejecting the idea that it was “impossible,” and learning through observation—treating life as a readable language. He describes MycoSymbiotics’ cutting edge work: wild strain selection, DNA barcoding, cultivation, extraction, third‑party analytics, and making potent products affordable. The conversation also covers ecological literacy through mushrooms, conservation concerns like Pine Barrens development and matsutake habitat loss, the importance and diversity of native truffles (including training a dog to find tuber canaliculatum), aroma as a form of “medicine,” modern distraction and nervous-system hijacking, and adapting to AI by leaning into uniquely human creativity. He closes with MycoFest details (first weekend of August; July 31–Aug 2; MycoFest.net; Artemis, PA; code MYCOMMUNITY), plus MycoSymbiotics sites, classes, a farmer co‑op, and local projects. 00:00 Meet William Padilla-Brown 01:55 Origins in Plant Medicine 06:03 Health Wake Up Call 09:09 David Wolfe and Medicinals 11:28 Myco Symbiote to MycoFest 13:12 Nothing Is Impossible 15:30 Learning From Living Signs 21:05 Mycology Cutting Edge Today 23:44 Matsutake and Habitat Threats 25:29 Truffles as Ecological Gateway 27:16 Native Truffles in Pennsylvania 30:14 Truffles and Sensory Depth 30:41 Overstimulation and Numbness 31:54 Aroma as Medicine 33:58 Capitalism and Responsibility 36:16 Distraction Casino Reality 38:53 Using the System for Good 40:53 Social Media and Rage Bait 44:27 AI Music and Human Spark 48:55 MycoFest and Community Wrap

    Ep. 240: William Padilla-Brown

  4. Jul 15

    Ep. 239: Dreaming Herbs & Scientific Inquiry into Astrology with Will Morris

    Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac and AC welcome back Will Morris, PhD, DAOM, MSEd, LAc, RH, a interdisciplinary healer and scholar whose work spans traditional Western and Vedic astrology, Chinese medicine, pulse diagnosis, sound healing, and education. Will explains his compulsive, spiritually driven path across traditions and how transdisciplinary study reveals shared underlying structures, including medical frameworks of location, process, and severity and recurring 12-fold patterns across nature and culture. He critiques mainstream scientific testing of astrology as method-driven, politically shaped, and often logically flawed, arguing the right assessment depends on the question and may require qualitative approaches. The conversation explores intuition, divination versus science, horary use in clinical settings, dreamwork and oneirobotany, mugwort’s shamanic origins, catnip’s “wind” associations, and Will’s upcoming books, including Evidence Ecology: Science and Astrology. 02:10 Why Study Many Traditions? 03:39 Life Path Music to Astrology 08:36 The Benefits of Transdisciplinary Studies 12:00 The Science Industry and Astrology 13:13 Is Astrology Divination or Science? 19:31 Testing Astrology Properly 27:59 Clinical Astrology in Practice 31:07 Book of Dreams and Yesod 32:48 Dreamwork Pulse and Herbs 36:59 Sedative Herbs Mix 37:10 Catnip and Wind Pathology 39:08 Eight Winds and Charts 40:32 Wind as Science Debate 41:23 Dream Plants: Mugwort 42:17 Dybbuk Clearing Story 44:58 Artemisia and Dreamwork 49:08 Cycles and Plant Motion 51:47 Pan Celestial Thesis 01:01:24 Land, Climate and Relocation 01:05:16 Universalism vs Relativism 01:08:15 Books and Future Projects 01:13:45 Closing Thanks

    Ep. 239: Dreaming Herbs & Scientific Inquiry into Astrology with Will Morris

  5. Jul 8

    Ep. 238: Ceremonial Magic in Mexico with Jorge Nájera

    In this episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast, Isaac and AC interview Jorge Nájera in Guadalajara about Mexico’s ceremonial magic scene and his role leading the Fraternidad del Círculo Dorado (Circulo Dorado Web) a mystical and magical school founded in 1986. Najera recounts how a small study group grew through work with BOTA, Golden Dawn-style ritual, Freemasonry, and later affiliation with the Servants of the Light (SOL) lineage of Dion Fortune and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. He describes meeting Ashcroft-Nowicki, trips to Egypt, learning to build an “astral temple” and inner contacts, then adapting SOL material for Spanish-speaking students by creating their own structured curriculum centered on astrology, Hermetic and Sephardic Kabbalah, and coherent symbolism. He explains the school’s three-degree model, its emphasis on lived experience and service, and how COVID shifted much of their work online, including new digital tools. 01:04 Meet Jorge in Guadalajara 01:55 Founding the School in 1986 03:08 Early Growth 05:02 Joining Servants of the Light 08:11 Egypt Trip and London Temple 11:06 Astral Temple Training 13:11 Adapting SOL for Latin America 14:56 Building the Curriculum 16:07 Kabbalah as Foundation 19:22 Courses and Temple System 21:05 Jorge’s Early Influences 25:10 Astrology Awakening and Teaching 29:58 Fruits and Mission of the School 33:26 From Rituals to Creativity 34:57 Information vs Wisdom 37:34 Mystery Schools Go Digital 42:14 How does a Mystery School work in the Age of Aquarius? 46:10 The Importance of Coherent Symbolic Training 50:52 The Degrees of Initiation 56:24 The Ideal Student 01:00:02 How to Connect and Closing

    Ep. 238: Ceremonial Magic in Mexico with Jorge Nájera

  6. Jul 1

    Ep. 237: From Soil to Soul with Laurie Szott-Rogers: Plant Archetypes, Tarot & the Council of Plants

    Get your tickets for the Plant Cunning Conference here: Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Find out more about Laurie here: Laurie Szott-Rogers Bio - Self Heal DistributingThis episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast features herbalist, author, gardener, and educator Laurie Szott-Rogers discussing her new book, From Soil to Soul, and her blend of herbalism, astrology, archetypes, tarot, and dreamwork. Laurie shares how dandelion first drew her into plant medicine, her path from early interests and government work to partnering with her husband Robert Rogers, and what her current life looks like in Alberta’s cold climate gardening. She explains her “24 herbs” framework, the Plant Council concept, and how she writes from the plants’ perspectives using attunement, trance, drumming, and automatic writing. The conversation also addresses AI-generated imagery, explores dandelion’s archetypal qualities, and dives into tarragon’s dragon mythology and its King of Swords tarot association, along with practical uses like tarragon pesto.00:00 Meet Laurie Szott-Rogers00:23 Plant Cunning Conference Plug01:41 Her Plant Path Origins02:25 Dandelion First Love03:47 Astrology Meets Herbalism05:43 Life in Alberta Garden09:04 Store Products and Teaching10:17 Council of Plants Concept13:29 Attunement and Plant Rituals16:02 Writing as the Plants17:23 From Soil to Soul and AI Art21:08 Recipes and Dandelion Archetype22:42 Dandelion Resilience Medicine25:05 Planetary Archetypes in Dandelion26:43 Bitterness Shadow and Renewal28:08 Why Humans Love Archetypes29:48 Plant Surprises Mint Myth31:28 Tarragon Dragons and Growing32:55 Tarragon Pesto Kitchen Uses35:03 Tarot Links King of Swords38:42 Neoshamanic Plant Journeying41:07 Next Projects Oracle Deck42:27 Where to Find the Book43:21 Closing Thanks and Farewell

    Ep. 237: From Soil to Soul with Laurie Szott-Rogers: Plant Archetypes, Tarot & the Council of Plants

  7. Jun 24

    Ep.236: Don't Be Afraid of the Herbs: Andrea Beaman on Natural & Spiritual Healing

    Find out more and get your tickets for thePlant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026 here!Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast, hosts Isaac and AC Hill interview nutritionist, health coach, herbalist, and educator Andrea Beaman. She shares how she healed her thyroid through diet and lifestyle changes and later navigated a debilitating 2012–2013 illness she associated with Lyme after recurring lung infections, joint pain, and depression. Beaman discusses fear of herbs as cultural residue from witch trials and modern medical suppression, encourages experimentation with time-tested remedies and kitchen herbs, and stresses grounding, meditation, and heart-based intuition (including muscle testing). She outlines thyroid imbalance symptoms, links many cases to nutritional deficiency and stress, touches on autoimmune thyroid issues and parasites, recounts powerful experiences with trees and ayahuasca, and invites listeners to her courses and Health is Wealth community at andreabeaman.com. 01:29 Meet Andrea Beaman 02:50 A Health Crisis Begins 06:07 How did you find out it was Lyme disease? 09:01 Breakthrough with Teasel 13:09 Herb School and Self Testing 14:16 Trusting Herbs and Tuning In 19:04 Healing Beyond Food 21:47 Thyroid Healing Origins 23:00 Thyroid Signs and Root Causes 32:41 Herbs for Mind and Spirit 34:12 Ayahuasca and Plant Connection 36:06 Do Plants Speak? 41:17 Central Park Tree Spirit 43:11 Why People Fear Herbs 45:03 Witch Trials Trauma Echoes 47:49 Reclaiming Plant Confidence 50:40 Kitchen Herbs and COVID 54:00 Fear Physiology and Hospitals 57:33 Trust Your Heart Intuition 01:01:17 Meditation Cracks the Heart 01:03:11 Rethinking Education and Nature 01:04:34 Where to Learn With Andrea 01:08:17 Simple Recipes and Farewell

    Ep.236: Don't Be Afraid of the Herbs: Andrea Beaman on Natural & Spiritual Healing

  8. Jun 17

    Ep. 235: Summer 2026 Astrological Forecast with ZamboniFunk

    Find out more about the Plant Cunning Conference at Plant Cunning Conference – In-Person in New York – July 24-26, 2026Astrologer ZamboniFunk returns to talk about the astrological forecast for summer 2026! We discuss the Cancer Mercury retrograde as a loud season for mistakes, delays, review, and serendipity, followed by Mars entering Gemini and conjoining Uranus, trining Pluto in Aquarius, heightening anxiety, disruption, experimentation, and possible tech/cybersecurity volatility. Jupiter’s move into Leo is framed as more defensive support amid “pirate season” boundary-testing, with a key July 29 Jupiter cazimi opposite Pluto alongside a full moon conjunct Pluto, suggesting power plays and revelations. The episode closes with herbal support for stress and heart strain: harvesting motherwort, and combining it with hawthorn and rose for courage, boundaries, grief, and tension. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:20 Conference Announcement 01:17 Summer Forecast Begins 01:55 Mercury Retrograde Setup 03:38 Mars Uranus Volatility 06:25 Experimentation Pirate Season 08:41 Mercury Retrograde Lessons 14:04 Jupiter Enters Leo 20:04 Jupiter Pluto Power Plays 23:03 Nodes Shift Authority 24:18 Era of Air Metaphor 24:58 Redistribution Scenarios 26:36 Mutual Aid Power 27:19 Jupiter Pluto Togetherness 28:28 Eclipses Chaos Reset 29:37 Robots Hive Mind 31:09 Adaptability Job Shakeup 34:46 Pirate Season Skills 35:29 Motherwort Heart Medicine 38:18 Hawthorn Boundaries 40:44 Courage Against Tech Future 43:05 Delusion & Hope 47:37 Conference And Farewell

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4.9
out of 5
52 Ratings

About

Plant Cunning Podcast brings together people wise to the ways of plants, fungi, healing practices, & the natural world to explore the mysteries of Nature. Co-Hosted by astrologer, gardener & musician, Isaac Hill and herbalist & educator A.C. Stauble-Hill. We invite herbalists, mages, mycologists, gardeners, community organizers, healers, spiritual seekers & all kinds of other interesting people to the microphone to share their wisdom. We like to bridge different worlds, make connections, inspire, and at times, have our minds blown by our amazing guests. Enjoy!

Information

  • Creator
    Plant Cunning Podcast
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    242
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Plant Cunning Podcast
  • Show Website
    Plant Cunning Podcast

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