Black Beryl

• The Mandala of Animist Forces, with Josh Schrei

  Today I sit down with Josh Schrei, storyteller, sound artist, and host of The Emerald Podcast. Josh helps us to embrace and center the spirit world in our understanding of contemporary Buddhism. Along the way, we talk about Tibetan weather makers, shamanic battle, the trance-inducing effect of stories, and how to diplomatically negotiate with animistic forces.If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the show!Resources mentioned in this episode:The Emerald Podcast: Animism is Normative ConsciousnessThe Emerald Podcast: For the Divine Mother of the UniverseThe Emerald Podcast: Why Mindfulness Isn’t EnoughThe Emerald Podcast: Guardians and Protectors!Josh's Website: The Mythic BodyJosh's PatreonBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including a video lecture by Pierce with a detailed introduction to Thai animist culture and healing practices. For other videos, see courses.piercesalguero.com. 

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• Spiritual Weirdness and Shadow Work, with Mary Shutan

  Today I sit down with Mary Shutan, a spiritual teacher specializing in awakening and shadow work. Our conversation focuses on the weirdness, emotional volatility, darkness, and other challenges that inevitably accompany serious spiritual practice. Along the way, we talk about the diverse range of awakenings, the difficulties of managing kundalini energy, and what to do in the case of a spiritual emergency.If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!Resources mentioned:Lan Li, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine (2025) Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).Mary Shutan, Shadow Work for the Soul: Seeing Beauty in the Dark (2024).Mary Shutan, The Spiritual Awakening Guide (2015).Mary Shutan, The Body Deva: Working with the Spiritual Consciousness of the Body (2018).Mary Shutan, Working with Kundalini: An Experiential Guide to the Process of Awakening (2019).Mary's website: maryshutan.comMary's YouTube channel: @MaryShutan Resources provided on blackberyl.substack.com:Chapter 23 of Mary's new book ("Engaging the Deep Wild")Preface & Chapter 1 of Pierce's new book ("Preparing for the Journey")Plus, sign up with a paid subscription before the end of the month to receive a bookmark in the mail from Lan Li!   

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• Meditation Side-Effects and Other Altered States, with Miguel Farias

  Today I sit down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant.If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!Resources mentioned:Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019).Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022).Miguel Farias et al, “Adverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Review” (2021).Pierce Salguero, “‘Meditation Sickness’ in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973).Joseph Henrich et al. article on the Müller-Lyer illusion (2010).The source for the term “monophasic bias” is apparently Charles Laughlin’s chapter “Transpersonal Anthropology” in Roger Walsh’s book Paths Beyond Ego (1993).Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation

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• Daemons, Tantra, and Cultural Exchange, with David Gordon White

  Today I sit down with David Gordon White, a distinguished indologist and scholar of Tantra. Our conversation focuses on David’s most recent project tracing the transregional histories of spirits, gods, demons, and their associated rituals across Eurasia. Along the way, we dive into an intellectual conversation about dog-headed men, angry goddesses, alchemical mercury, body-snatching yogis, the origins of Dracula, and much, much more. If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!Resources mentionedDavid Gordon White, Daemons are Forever (2021)David Gordon White, Myths of the Dog-Man (1991)David Gordon White, The Alchemical Body (1997)David Gordon White, Kiss of the Yogini (2006)David Gordon White, Sinister Yogis (2011)Michel Strickmann, Chinese Magical Medicine (2002)Michel Strickmann, Mantras et Mandarins (1996)David Gordon White, “Three Shades of Tantric Yoga,” in Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies (2024)David Gordon White, "Were-Creatures of the Eurasian Ecumene," Journal Asiatique (2020) David Gordon White, "Dracula’s Family Tree," Gothic Studies (2021)Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:PDF of David's chapter in Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies PDF of David's article, "Were-Creatures of the Eurasian Ecumene"PDF of David's article, "Dracula’s Family Tree" 

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• Magic, Death, and Necromancy in Thai Buddhism, with Justin McDaniel

  💀💀 Warning: This episode contains potentially disturbing content! 💀💀Today I sit down with Justin McDaniel, a scholar of Theravada Buddhist literature and art. Together we explore the darker side of Thai Buddhism, including meditation on decomposing bodies, fetus spirits, corpse oil, and the spectrum of white and black magic. We discuss the logics of rituals, their role in Thai communities, and how a misfit Catholic punk from Philly found himself in a rural Thai monastery.If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com. Enjoy the show!Resources mentioned in this episode:Thai movie Necromancer (2005)Justin McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (2011)Justin McDaniel, Architects of Buddhist Leisure: Socially Disengaged Buddhism in Asia’s Museums, Monuments, and Amusement Parks (2018)Justin McDaniel, Wayward Distractions: Ornament, Emotion, Zombies and the Study of Buddhism in Thailand (2021)Justin McDaniel, Cosmologies and Biologies: Illuminated Siamese Manuscripts of Death, Time and the Body (2024)Press coverage of monasticism coursePress coverage of existential despair courseResources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:PDF with introduction to The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk

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