The Skeptical Shaman

Rachel White
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Spirituality
  • Weekly

Rachel White is modern-day shaman and the owner of TOTEM Readings, a decades-old spiritual practice. In the Skeptical Shaman, we engage fascinating folks-- from psychics to healers to skeptics and cynics-- in a dialogue designed to help the spiritually homeless navigate the landscape of woo. Are you curious about spiritually but worry about falling into a cult? Do you want to learn more without falling into a con? The Skeptical Shaman is the place for you.

  1. 38m ago

    The Smokey One, with Madia Smith (Part 2)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here and it's all about our collective and individual Villain Eras: a unique moment in time in which we all have permission to embrace our alter egos, pursue our goals, and allow others to paint us as the villains in their stories...if that's what they need to get through the day;) In this episode, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) is joined by friend of the show Madia Smith (of ORNIS) to talk about her Villain Era Alter Ego: The Smokey One. The Smokey One shows up for Madia when she's "done", acting as a personification of the absence of energy, snuffing out the spark that was once there and propelling her to move on despite tremendous guilt felt by her non-shadow self.  Madia shares how she's learned to make friends with The Smokey One, understanding that this Alter Ego emerges when she's actually already learned what she needed to from a project, effort, or former hyper-fixation, even if the project, deliverable or output itself isn't quite done yet. In this way, The Smokey One isn't out to get Madia or feed self-destructive tendencies; rather, it shows up to get her out of the Sunk Cost Fallacy that trips so many of us up! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooMadia's LINKS:  ORNIS on Substack: https://substack.com/@ornisPlease note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  2. Nov 7

    The Smokey One, with Madia Smith (Part 1)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here and it's all about our collective and individual Villain Eras: a unique moment in time in which we all have permission to embrace our alter egos, pursue our goals, and allow others to paint us as the villains in their stories...if that's what they need to get through the day;) In this episode, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) is joined by friend of the show Madia Smith (of ORNIS) to talk about her Villain Era Alter Ego: The Smokey One. The Smokey One shows up for Madia when she's "done", acting as a personification of the absence of energy, snuffing out the spark that was once there and propelling her to move on despite tremendous guilt felt by her non-shadow self.  Madia shares how she's learned to make friends with The Smokey One, understanding that this Alter Ego emerges when she's actually already learned what she needed to from a project, effort, or former hyper-fixation, even if the project, deliverable or output itself isn't quite done yet. In this way, The Smokey One isn't out to get Madia or feed self-destructive tendencies; rather, it shows up to get her out of the Sunk Cost Fallacy that trips so many of us up! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooMadia's LINKS:  ORNIS on Substack: https://substack.com/@ornisPlease note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  3. Oct 31

    A Walk On The Dark Side, with Malachas Ivernus (Part 2)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here and it's all about our collective and individual Villain Eras: a unique moment in time in which we all have permission to embrace our alter egos, pursue our goals, and allow others to paint us as the villains in their stories...if that's what they need to get through the day;) In this episode, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) is joined by the INCREDIBLE Malachas Ivernus, a magical maestro that lives in his own alter ego's identity as a writer, ritual magician, and occult academic. He is the creator of The Hollow Behind the Hearthstone multimedia project, which includes a website, Sub stack, social media profiles, YouTube channel, occult services, and publishing projects. Malachas' "magical persona" allows him to playfully embody a "darker" self than his day-to-day way of being. In the fiction he writes and shares, he can give full rein to darker aspects and impulses within him, in way that is "safe" and generative. As someone who suffers from bipolar disorder, it's also a way in which Malachas can speak of his "dark side", or other "persons", who both are and are not "himself": something deadly serious and potentially destructive that he has had to deal with all of his adult life.  In the words of Malachas, "There's a fine line between the clinical and the mystical, and one must attempt to straddle it." This is a banger of an episode, and proof that the darker, more magical folks among us are more integrated, more self-aware, and genuinely more capable of being there than some of the performative, love and light folks that seem to dominate the Business of Woo! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooMalachas' LINKS: https://linktr.ee/malachasivernus  Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  4. Oct 24

    A Walk On The Dark Side, with Malachas Ivernus (Part 1)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here and it's all about our collective and individual Villain Eras: a unique moment in time in which we all have permission to embrace our alter egos, pursue our goals, and allow others to paint us as the villains in their stories...if that's what they need to get through the day;) In this episode, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) is joined by the INCREDIBLE Malachas Ivernus, a magical maestro that lives in his own alter ego's identity as a writer, ritual magician, and occult academic. He is the creator of The Hollow Behind the Hearthstone multimedia project, which includes a website, Sub stack, social media profiles, YouTube channel, occult services, and publishing projects. Malachas' "magical persona" allows him to playfully embody a "darker" self than his day-to-day way of being. In the fiction he writes and shares, he can give full rein to darker aspects and impulses within him, in way that is "safe" and generative. As someone who suffers from bipolar disorder, it's also a way in which Malachas can speak of his "dark side", or other "persons", who both are and are not "himself": something deadly serious and potentially destructive that he has had to deal with all of his adult life.  In the words of Malachas, "There's a fine line between the clinical and the mystical, and one must attempt to straddle it." This is a banger of an episode, and proof that the darker, more magical folks among us are more integrated, more self-aware, and genuinely more capable of being there than some of the performative, love and light folks that seem to dominate the Business of Woo! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooMalachas' LINKS: https://linktr.ee/malachasivernus  Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  5. Oct 17

    Living with the Chaos Monster, with Laura Oxendine (Part 2)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here with the second half of our exploration of The Chaos Monster: THE Villain Era that sparked this whole Villain Era series, courtesy of artist and small business owner Laura Oxendine!  Laura's Chaos Monster is a mischief maker: a little goblin scurrying about picking from a grab bag of activities, either causing a ruckus, boldly calling out injustices, or trying to put order to chaos in ways that are not entirely logical. The Chaos Monster brings a big “f**k it” energy to the party, and emerges when Laura is sleep deprived because of late night or intense work weeks. Stress is definitely a catalyst to bringing out this shadow-aspect feral raccoon (particularly if/ when libations have been shared). But The Chaos Monster isn't all...chaos. Laura, a working artist and entrepreneur, is working to integrate the more positive aspects of this alter ego: reduced anxiety, diminished social anxiety, newfound extroversion, a love of magic, and an embrace of all things childlike and playful. Laura also appreciates that, deep down, her little Chaos Monster is a protector, so she's working on leaning into the inherent self-belief and bravery...and a little less on the mess of creating (and not finishing) new projects. Laura is the OG of this series. Our muse. Our divine spark. Show her and her Chaos Monster a little love-- and give it a listen! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.com TOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.com Rachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmM TOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totem The TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsG The TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coaching TOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-woo Laura's LINKS: thrownlight.com phosphorus.ink  lauraoxendine.com Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  6. Oct 10

    Living with the Chaos Monster, with Laura Oxendine (Part 1)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here with The Chaos Monster: THE Villain Era that sparked this whole Villain Era series, courtesy of artist and small business owner Laura Oxendine!  Laura's Chaos Monster is a mischief maker: a little goblin scurrying about picking from a grab bag of activities, either causing a ruckus, boldly calling out injustices, or trying to put order to chaos in ways that are not entirely logical. The Chaos Monster brings a big “f**k it” energy to the party, and emerges when Laura is sleep deprived because of late night or intense work weeks. Stress is definitely a catalyst to bringing out this shadow-aspect feral raccoon (particularly if/ when libations have been shared). But The Chaos Monster isn't all...chaos. Laura, a working artist and entrepreneur, is working to integrate the more positive aspects of this alter ego: reduced anxiety, diminished social anxiety, newfound extroversion, a love of magic, and an embrace of all things childlike and playful. Laura also appreciates that, deep down, her little Chaos Monster is a protector, so she's working on leaning into the inherent self-belief and bravery...and a little less on the mess of creating (and not finishing) new projects. Laura is the OG of this series. Our muse. Our divine spark. Show her and her Chaos Monster a little love-- and give it a listen! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooLaura's LINKS: thrownlight.comphosphorus.ink lauraoxendine.comPlease note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  7. Oct 3

    Doing Energy Work with The Baltic B*tch, with Lisa Amato (Part 2)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here, and our newest Villain Era alter ego, The Baltic B*tch, is brought to us by the incredible Lisa Amato, energy worker and all-around badass shamanic practitioner hailing from the hamlet of Long Island-- via Queens. In this second half of another two-part episode, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with the incredible Lisa Amato of Calm Ya Mind all about her so-called Villain Era alter ego: The Baltic B*tch: the personification of no-sh*ts given with a Baltic, straight face and no care for the feelings of others (temporarily, for the record).  As Lisa and Rachel covered in their previous episode (titled, "The Wounded Healer"), they both had tough childhoods that required equally tough attributes to survive and thrive in scarcity, threats to safety, and various assorted flavors of abuse. And, as strange as it may sound, the overwhelming majority of energy workers, shamans, and psychic practitioners do come out of such difficult beginnings-- hence the moniker "Wounded Healer". Said another way? Most Woo-based practitioners have endured, transcended and integrated difficult experiences, much of which alchemizes into their unique abilities. But, alongside the positive aspects of this phenomenon, there is always the other side of the coin: the Villain Era alter ego that remains to protect the practitioner in a world increasingly wrought with various abuses-- particularly from so-called keyboard warriors and anonymous voices from the internet. The hat trick is in finding where and when Villain Era alter egos are genuinely helpful and when they're veering into more destructive territory, and thanks to Lisa's incredible candor, we can all get the benefit of her map to success-- and radical self-acceptance of the good, the bad, and even the ugly! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooLisa's LINKS: Email: Calmyamind@gmail.comInstagram: calm.ya.mind.and.soulPlease note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

  8. Sep 26

    Doing Energy Work with The Baltic B*tch, with Lisa Amato (Part 1)

    The 12th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast is here, and our newest Villain Era alter ego, The Baltic B*tch, is brought to us by the incredible Lisa Amato, energy worker and all-around badass shamanic practitioner hailing from the hamlet of Long Island-- via Queens. In this first half of another two-part episode, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with the incredible Lisa Amato of Calm Ya Mind all about her so-called Villain Era alter ego: The Baltic B*tch: the personification of no-sh*ts given with a Baltic, straight face and no care for the feelings of others (temporarily, for the record).  As Lisa and Rachel covered in their previous episode (titled, "The Wounded Healer"), they both had tough childhoods that required equally tough attributes to survive and thrive in scarcity, threats to safety, and various assorted flavors of abuse. And, as strange as it may sound, the overwhelming majority of energy workers, shamans, and psychic practitioners do come out of such difficult beginnings-- hence the moniker "Wounded Healer". Said another way? Most Woo-based practitioners have endured, transcended and integrated difficult experiences, much of which alchemizes into their unique abilities. But, alongside the positive aspects of this phenomenon, there is always the other side of the coin: the Villain Era alter ego that remains to protect the practitioner in a world increasingly wrought with various abuses-- particularly from so-called keyboard warriors and anonymous voices from the internet. The hat trick is in finding where and when Villain Era alter egos are genuinely helpful and when they're veering into more destructive territory, and thanks to Lisa's incredible candor, we can all get the benefit of her map to success-- and radical self-acceptance of the good, the bad, and even the ugly! Rachel's LINKS: TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.comTOTEM Readings Substack: https://totemrach.substack.comRachel's Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrachPlease support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast: Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmMTOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totemThe TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsGThe TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATXTOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coachingTOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-wooLisa's LINKS: Email: Calmyamind@gmail.comInstagram: calm.ya.mind.and.soul    Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

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About

Rachel White is modern-day shaman and the owner of TOTEM Readings, a decades-old spiritual practice. In the Skeptical Shaman, we engage fascinating folks-- from psychics to healers to skeptics and cynics-- in a dialogue designed to help the spiritually homeless navigate the landscape of woo. Are you curious about spiritually but worry about falling into a cult? Do you want to learn more without falling into a con? The Skeptical Shaman is the place for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachel White
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    133
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Skeptical Shaman
  • Show Website
    The Skeptical Shaman

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