Lola & The Poets

InEpisode 12,Lola & The Poets welcomes the lovely Caroline Chapple, artist, illustrator, visual storyteller, and marketing expert, from London, UK, with decades of corporate experience, and an educational background in NLP and coaching. We discussed her work as a graphic recording artist, creating micro-worlds, the origins of the craft, her experience as scribe in various working environments, and her professional path — from finance and marketing, through life-coach training, to the magic of turning a leaf midlife and embracing a lifelong passion, integrating her skill set, and living an authentic existence. Diving into mutual childhood memories of discovering our storytelling abilities, adaptability in uncomfortable environments, the blessings of diverse cultures, as well as the centrality of communication in art — we talk about creative expression as therapy, travelling as meditation, expansion & epiphany, finding one's sweet spot, our psychological types, Caroline's archival "Temp Bitch" series, cartoon journaling, NLP foundations, adjacent spiritual practices, freedom vs. security, the beauty of unrestricted friendships, honing one's abilities, building a sense of self-worth as an artist — and her golden advice on making monies from one's own creative endeavours.You can find Caroline's details in the show notes. Hope you enjoy our lively chat.

SHOW NOTES:  Caroline Chapple Cartoons on Instagram | Chapple Cartoons Website | CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers|

AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov

Episode 11of Lola & The Poets is a continuation of the themes of my previous two solo shows on the concept of the shadow, here focusing on a topic both grave and difficult to articulate — the violence ingrained in human nature. I talk about the consequences of disconnect between our intellect and our instincts, cognitive distortion and reactions to aggression, ideas about the world versus its realities, my own experience of civil war, mythic dimensions of warfare, demonic origins of warmongering, groupthink as fuel for conflict, war as industry, the dangers of assigning collective guilt, the remedial power of an inclusive compassion, what true courage is, and inevitably, the immense tragedy unfolding currently in Gaza Strip. In sincere hope that however severe our differences are — we all agree that peace is sacred. #CeaseFireNOW

SHOW NOTES:Film Review. Quo vadis, Aida? | This Jungian Life. Speaking Truth: Is It Venom or a Cure? | James Hillman. A Terrible Love of War. | Viktor Frankl: collective guilt does not exist

AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 10,Lola & The Poets welcomes Christopher Moss, energy healer, activist, and ex-bag man, based in Britain — an elder who has undergone a spiritual awakening (his own definition), after two decades of working in trade in Camden Passage, Angel, in the Islington area of London. Chris trained at the school established by medical anthropologist Dr. Alberto Villoldo,The Four Winds Society, basing its work on Peruvian lineage, and is now in trainingat the Mongolian Mother Tree Shamanism school, under a Darkhad lineage holding shaman. We discussed his present work and path — land offerings, the role of divination, soul loss and soul retrieval, psychological frameworks of new spiritual practices, unbroken vs. broken lineages, controversies surrounding neo-shamanic re-invention (particularly regarding the issue of cultural appropriation), the wellness industry, specifically in Britain, the class slant of the spiritual businesses in the country, and the way festival culture in the UK is at the forefront of a powerful wave of genuine spiritual renewal. We also touched on his history of left-wing political activism, specifically related to the Palestinian human rights cause, his visits to the West Bank, the current war in Gaza, his thoughts on activism now, in conjunction with energy work,as well as the echoes of his childhood in Wales. In the show's notes you will find all the relevant links and ways you can contact Chris. In the meantime, make yourself a cuppa, tune in, and enjoy.

SHOW NOTES: Christopher Moss on Instagram | Reinventing the Wandering Healer | Mother Tree Shamanism | The Four Winds Society | 

AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 9,Lola & The Poets welcomes Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić, astrologer, scholar, and educator, based in Ghent, Belgium, in a fantastic Winter Solstice comeback episode where we discuss Dragana's life path from scientist to master stargazer, her thesis in cultural astronomy and astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, collaboration with the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London, where she is a lecturer and council member, her fascinating research on the cosmology of Serbian medieval frescoes — now at the University of Oxford, and the general celestial feel of our times. We talked about the new era of Pluto in Aquarius, Jupiter meeting Uranus in Taurus, Saturn and Neptune co-joining in Pisces, and the mysterious background music of the wounded healer, Chiron, now in Aries. You can find Dragana's website and contact details in the show notes, if you would like to book consultations, as well as learn more about the multitude of astrological activities she so elegantly combines. We hope you enjoy the show! Take a deep breath, and tune in.

SHOW NOTES:Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić Website|Faculty Of Astrological Studies | Dragana Van de moortel-Ilić at Culture & Cosmos | Contact Dragana Van de moortrel-Ilić|

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers| See more info on episode & credits.

AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 8Lola & The Poets returns, after two years in the wilderness, with a solo show on enchantment and the cinema, titled The Alchemical Screen — where I finally pop my filmologist hat on, in proper. Actually, it is an audio I subsequently taped of my presentation at a media conference on 21st century magic and spirituality at Goldsmiths, University of London, this June. This seemed to me to be a worthy and lucky point to return to a podcast on individual and collective magical journeys, one that somehow lost its way — but which I loved to host. Despite the academic phrasing, I still think it's a fun listen. You might, perhaps, even find it en-lightening. I talk about 20th century cinema's fascination with haunted universes, celluloid wizardry, film's eerie qualities, our seemingly inherent desire for immersion in narratives, the strange new (in)toxicating 21st century world of augmented and virtual realities, and plenty else.

SHOW NOTES:Symposium. 21st Century Magic and Spirituality in Media and Culture, Goldsmiths, University of London| The Alchemical Screen: Enchantment and the Cinema, by Milana Vujkov, 2023, Bibliography & Filmography|Film, the Alchemical Medium: Archetypal Enchantment and the Transformative Potential of the Moving Image, by Milana Vujkov, 2009 |

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers| See more info on episode & credits.

AUTHOR: ©Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 7Lola & The Poets isjoined by Joshua Sternlicht, filmmaker, educator, and Liminal Sessions organiser, based in Lisbon, Portugal, talking liminality, his travels as an art educator, the palpable primacy of our senses in navigating realities, curating holistic experiences at Quinta de Sant’Ana, where the magic of the fives senses is evoked with great aplomb, the value of good food and time spent in nature, importance of gratitude, his long career as a filmmaker, ancestral roots, as well as the mystery of octagonal rooms in medieval Polish castles. Join us for a fun conversation, and essential info on how to get Joshua to book you a bike ride of a lifetime.

SHOW NOTES:Liminal Sessions Website|Liminal Sessions Instagram | Liminal Sessions Facebook | Liminal Sessions YouTube Channel |Eyespot Films | Joshua Sternlicht Vimeo | Contact Joshua Sternlicht|

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers| See more info on episode & credits.

AUTHOR: © Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 6Lola & The Poets isjoined by Don Roberto, medical anthropologist and medicine man, raised in Indonesia and London, based in Taiwan. We're talking glorious variety of topics, from childhood imaginal friends and UFO experiences, liminal multi-universe existences crossing lands and cultures, trajectory of processing beliefs into praxis, to what Don Roberto is uniquely qualified to discuss – shamanism and its lore, medicine cultures and practices, Shipibo plant spirit healing lineage in Peru, plant teachers as ambassadors of Mother Earth, body work and hypnotherapy, the role of music in creating sacred space, soul retrieval and entity removal, sorcery and cultural appropriation, psychonauts and psychedelia, and much more.

SHOW NOTES:Spirit Of The Amazon YouTube Channel|Contact Don Roberto|

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers| See more info on episode & credits.

AUTHOR: © Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 5Lola & The Poets is back with the second solo show on the concept of the shadow, number two of the three shows I plan on this topic. This one is on the shadow-patterning of communications, the chiaroscuro of social media, and the idea of the doppelgänger, our shadow twin. The episode arrives, as is always the case with alchemical brews, just on time, while the entire world is transferred online. Give it a spin.

SHOW NOTES:Film, the Alchemical Medium|Archetypal Enchantment And The Twin Of DavidLynch |Rune Soup |Rudolf Steiner on The Double

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers| See more info on episode & credits.

AUTHOR: © Milana Vujkov

InEpisode 4 Lola & The Poets istalking mythic doodling with the lovely artist & storyteller Divyam Chaya Bernstein. We discuss childhood philosophies, mystical Ireland, origins and practices of storytelling, inner critics & inner worlds, importance of vibes & tribes, art journaling as therapy, nourishing art communities, zen annihilations, soft spaces for hard truths, archetypal phases of a woman's journey, downloading the imaginal in nature & all manner of portals.

SHOW NOTES:Follow The Brush - Explorations In Creativity |Divyam Bernstein YouTube Channel| Divsy Instagram | Divyam Chaya Bernstein - Artist Facebook | Divyam Chaya Bernstein - Etsy

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers | See more info on episode, recommendations & credits.

AUTHOR: © Milana Vujkov

Episode 3 is the first of three planned Lola & The Poets solo shows on the concept of the shadow, both individual and collective. In this one I talk shadow realms in the times of a pandemic, the idea of infectious narratives, and recall two stories from my own shadows dipping into the collective - a grim therapeutic regression into an Atlantean, antediluvian land, and a slightly more lighthearted macabre dream of a kooky post-apocalyptic transhumanist future.

SHOW NOTES: Film, the Alchemical Medium

CREDITS: © Samovar Party by Shane Ivers| See more info on episode & credits.

AUTHOR: © Milana Vujkov